bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interactions of Casein and Polypeptides in Multilayer Films Studied by FTIR and Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Szyk-Warszyńska Lilianna , Raszka Katarzyna , Warszyński Piotr
Published: May 2019

Multilayer films containing α- and β-casein and polypeptides, poly-L-lysine (PLL), and poly-L-arginine (PLArg) were formed by the layer-by-layer technique and Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR) and FTIR/Grazing Angle analyzed their infrared spectra. We investigated the changes of conformations of casein and polypeptides in the complexes formed during the build-up of the films. To elucidate the differences in the mechanism of complex formation leading to various growths of (PLL/casein)n and (PLArg/casein)n films, we performed the molecular dynamics simulations of the systems consisting of short PLL and PLArg chains and the representative peptide chains—casein fragments, which consists of several aminoacid sequences. The results of the simulation indicated the preferential formation of hydrogen bonds of poly-L-arginine with phosphoserine and glutamic acid residues of caseins. FTIR spectra confirmed those, which revealed greater conformational changes during the formation of casein complex with poly-L-arginine than with poly-L-lysine resulting from stronger interactions, which was also reflected in the bigger growth of (PLArg/casein)n films with the number of deposited layers.
Osmoprotectants in Hybrid Liposome/HPMC Systems as Potential Glaucoma Treatment
Authors: Gómez-Ballesteros Miguel , López-Cano José Javier , Bravo-Osuna Irene , Herrero-Vanrell Rocío , Molina-Martínez Irene Teresa
Published: May 2019

The combination of acetazolamide-loaded nano-liposomes and Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) with similar components to the preocular tear film in an osmoprotectant media (trehalose and erythritol) is proposed as a novel strategy to increase the ocular bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. Ophthalmic formulations based on acetazolamide-loaded liposomes, dispersed in the osmoprotectant solution (ACZ-LP) or in combination with HPMC (ACZ-LP-P) were characterized and in vivo evaluated. The pH and tonicity of both formulations resulted in physiological ranges. The inclusion of HPMC produced an increment in viscosity (from 0.9 to 4.7 mPa·s. 64.9 ± 2.6% of acetazolamide initially included in the formulation was retained in vesicles. In both formulations, a similar onset time (1 h) and effective time periods were observed (7 h) after a single instillation (25 μL) in normotensive rabbits’ eyes. The AUC0–8h of the ACZ-LP-P was 1.5-fold higher than of ACZ-LP (p < 0.001) and the maximum hypotensive effect resulted in 1.4-fold higher (p < 0.001). In addition, the formulation of ACZ in the hybrid liposome/HPMC system produced a 30.25-folds total increment in ocular bioavailability, compared with the drug solution. Excellent tolerance in rabbits’ eyes was confirmed during the study.
Experimental Manipulation of Psychological Control Scenarios: Implications for Exercise and Memory Research
Authors: Blough Jeremiah , Loprinzi Paul D.
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the extent to which variations in control activities influence memory function, as well as to investigate the participants’ memory expectations for the various conditions. A within-subject, counterbalanced experimental design was employed. Across four visits, participants engaged in four tasks, including an acute exercise session, and three cognitive-engagement control tasks of varying degrees of cognitive engagement and valence, namely reading neutral text, looking at a video, and puzzle completion. Participants’ perceived expectations for how each condition would improve their memory performance was also assessed. We observed no differences in objective cognitive performance or outcome expectations across the three evaluated control tasks, and thus, future studies may wish to employ either of these control tasks, which should not compromise making comparisons across studies.
Towards the Beauty of Buddhism: The Development and Validation of a Buddhist Aesthetics Scale
Authors: Song Yao , Qin Zhenzhen
Published: May 2019

Buddhist aesthetics, as a profound intrinsic value of pleasure, has continually attracted scholars to shed light on its influential effects. Its aesthetic nature, however, has drawn on the laws of profound Buddhist thoughts, which is challenging for empiricists to generate evidence for. Though some individual components or factors deriving from Buddhist aesthetics have been developed and exploited in previous studies, a holistic construct of Buddhist aesthetics remains ambiguous and lacks a pragmatically useable measure. This study fills this gap by creating a Buddhist aesthetics scale. A total of fifteen items have been found valid and reliable to measure three determinants, namely, value, acumen, and response. This scale can be used in further empirical studies in designing objects aiming to elicit the unique Buddhist aesthetic experience. Moreover, it can be utilized in measuring Buddhist aesthetics as a determinant in relevant practices, such as religious psychotherapy, cognitive engineering, and business.
Metaphors in the Tibetan Explanatory Tantra
Authors: Sabernig Katharina
Published: May 2019

The development of medical theories and concepts is not isolated from the societal “Zeitgeist” of any medical culture. Depending on the purpose and the audience addressed, different metaphors are used to explain different medical content. Doubtlessly, Tibetan medicine is associated with Tibetan Buddhism and various medical topics are linked to Buddhist knowledge. In addition to the religious link, medical texts and terms also make use of nomadic or even military metaphor. In anatomical language, metaphor and metonym are usually based on visual or morphological similarities. In the case of physiological, pathological, or therapeutic processes, metaphor often deals with dynamic and strategic elements drawn from comparisons with everyday life and other spheres of activity. These models commonly relate to specific historical and cultural backgrounds. Let us think of the European “body republic” in Renaissance medical theory or the theory of the “cell state” devised by Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902), which explains the concept of cellular pathology. Asian examples that use state functions as metaphors for the hierarchy of internal organs in Chinese and Tibetan medicine are well-known. In addition to these prominent state models, Tibetan medical language and its visual representation is rich in metaphor. In this preliminary paper not all occurring metaphors can be discussed in depth, however different types of Tibetan medical metaphor will be compared and contextualized with non-Tibetan metaphors from other contemporary and historical medical cultures.
Through the Blurry Looking Glass—SDGs in the GRI Reports
Authors: Szennay Áron , Szigeti Cecília , Kovács Norbert , Szabó Dániel Róbert
Published: May 2019

“Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was agreed upon in 2015 by the global community and proposes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the period between 2015 and 2030. Since the greater integration of goals was an explicit claim, there are numerous overlaps among them. One of the novelties of the SDGs is that, in order to achieve the set goals, the Agenda 2030 addresses not only the states but the businesses as well. In our study, the relationships between the SDGs were analyzed on the base of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicators linked to the goals. The analysis was carried out by cluster analysis. Our results indicate that there is a strong relationship to be found among nine of the 17 SDGs. That relationship is mainly technical, which is caused by the number of aligned (genuine) GRI indicators. Though there are relationships between the SDGs as well, their strength is much weaker. According to our classification of SDGs, we suggest that the gap of business attention among SDGs is smaller than it is showed by KPMG.
On a Two-DoF Parallel and Orthogonal Variable-Stiffness Actuator: An Innovative Kinematic Architecture
Authors: Malosio Matteo , Corbetta Francesco , Ramìrez Reyes Francisco , Giberti Hermes , Legnani Giovanni , Molinari Tosatti Lorenzo
Published: May 2019

Variable-Stiffness Actuators are continuously increasing in importance due to their characteristics that can be beneficial in various applications. It is undisputed that several one-degree-of-freedom (DoF) solutions have been developed thus far. The aim of this work is to introduce an original two-DoF planar variable-stiffness mechanism, characterized by an orthogonal arrangement of the actuation units to favor the isotropy. This device combines the concepts forming the basis of a one-DoF agonist-antagonist variable-stiffness mechanism and the rigid planar parallel and orthogonal kinematic one. In this paper, the kinematics and the operation principles are set out in detail, together with the analysis of the mechanism stiffness.
UAV and Ground Image-Based Phenotyping: A Proof of Concept with Durum Wheat
Authors: Gracia-Romero Adrian , Kefauver Shawn C. , Fernandez-Gallego Jose A. , Vergara-Díaz Omar , Nieto-Taladriz María Teresa , Araus José L.
Published: May 2019

Climate change is one of the primary culprits behind the restraint in the increase of cereal crop yields. In order to address its effects, effort has been focused on understanding the interaction between genotypic performance and the environment. Recent advances in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have enabled the assembly of imaging sensors into precision aerial phenotyping platforms, so that a large number of plots can be screened effectively and rapidly. However, ground evaluations may still be an alternative in terms of cost and resolution. We compared the performance of red–green–blue (RGB), multispectral, and thermal data of individual plots captured from the ground and taken from a UAV, to assess genotypic differences in yield. Our results showed that crop vigor, together with the quantity and duration of green biomass that contributed to grain filling, were critical phenotypic traits for the selection of germplasm that is better adapted to present and future Mediterranean conditions. In this sense, the use of RGB images is presented as a powerful and low-cost approach for assessing crop performance. For example, broad sense heritability for some RGB indices was clearly higher than that of grain yield in the support irrigation (four times), rainfed (by 50%), and late planting (10%). Moreover, there wasn’t any significant effect from platform proximity (distance between the sensor and crop canopy) on the vegetation indexes, and both ground and aerial measurements performed similarly in assessing yield.
Improvement of Full Waveform Airborne Laser Bathymetry Data Processing based on Waves of Neighborhood Points
Authors: Kogut Tomasz , Bakuła Krzysztof
Published: May 2019

Measurements of the topography of the sea floor are one of the main tasks of hydrographic organizations worldwide. The occurrence of any disaster in maritime traffic can contaminate the environment for many years. Therefore, increasing attention is being paid to the development of effective methods for the detection and monitoring of possible obstacles on the transport route. Bathymetric laser scanners record the full waveform reflected from the object (target). Its transformation allows to obtain information about the water surface, water column, seabed, and the objects on it. However, it is not possible to identify subsequent returns among all waves, leading to a loss of information about the situation under the water. On the basis of the studies conducted, it was concluded that the use of a secondary analysis of a full waveform of the airborne laser bathymetry allowed for the identification of objects on the seabed. It allowed us to detect further points in the point cloud, which are necessary in the identification of objects on the seabed. The results of the experiment showed that, among the area of experiment where objects on the seabed were located, the number of points increased between 150 and 550% and the altitude accuracy of the seabed elevation model even by 50% to the level of 0.30 m with reference to sonar data depending of types of objects.
Object-Based Time-Constrained Dynamic Time Warping Classification of Crops Using Sentinel-2
Authors: Csillik Ovidiu , Belgiu Mariana , Asner Gregory , Kelly Maggi
Published: May 2019

The increasing volume of remote sensing data with improved spatial and temporal resolutions generates unique opportunities for monitoring and mapping of crops. We compared multiple single-band and multi-band object-based time-constrained Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) classifications for crop mapping based on Sentinel-2 time series of vegetation indices. We tested it on two complex and intensively managed agricultural areas in California and Texas. DTW is a time-flexible method for comparing two temporal patterns by considering their temporal distortions in their alignment. For crop mapping, using time constraints in computing DTW is recommended in order to consider the seasonality of crops. We tested different time constraints in DTW (15, 30, 45, and 60 days) and compared the results with those obtained by using Euclidean distance or a DTW without time constraint. Best classification results were for time delays of both 30 and 45 days in California: 79.5% for single-band DTWs and 85.6% for multi-band DTWs. In Texas, 45 days was best for single-band DTW (89.1%), while 30 days yielded best results for multi-band DTW (87.6%). Using temporal information from five vegetation indices instead of one increased the overall accuracy in California with 6.1%. We discuss the implications of DTW dissimilarity values in understanding the classification errors. Considering the possible sources of errors and their propagation throughout our analysis, we had combined errors of 22.2% and 16.8% for California and 24.6% and 25.4% for Texas study areas. The proposed workflow is the first implementation of DTW in an object-based image analysis (OBIA) environment and represents a promising step towards generating fast, accurate, and ready-to-use agricultural data products.
Comparison of Hyperspectral Techniques for Urban Tree Diversity Classification
Authors: Brabant Charlotte , Alvarez-Vanhard Emilien , Laribi Achour , Morin Gwénaël , Thanh Nguyen Kim , Thomas Alban , Houet Thomas
Published: May 2019

This research aims to assess the capabilities of Very High Spatial Resolution (VHSR) hyperspectral satellite data in order to discriminate urban tree diversity. Four dimension reduction methods and two classifiers are tested, using two learning methods and applied with four in situ sample datasets. An airborne HySpex image (408 bands/2 m) was acquired in July 2015 from which prototypal spaceborne hyperspectral images (named HYPXIM) at 4 m and 8 m and a multispectral Sentinel2 image at 10 m have been simulated for the purpose of this study. A comparison is made using these methods and datasets. The influence of dimension reduction methods is assessed on hyperspectral (HySpex and HYPXIM) and Sentinel2 datasets. The influence of conventional classifiers (Support Vector Machine –SVM– and Random Forest –RF–) and learning methods is evaluated on all image datasets (reduced and non-reduced hyperspectral and Sentinel2 datasets). Results show that HYPXIM 4 m and HySpex 2 m reduced by Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) provide the greatest classification of 14 species using the SVM with an overall accuracy of 78.4% (±1.5) and a kappa index of agreement of 0.7. More generally, the learning methods have a stronger influence than classifiers, or even than dimensional reduction methods, on urban tree diversity classification. Prototypal HYPXIM images appear to present a great compromise (192 spectral bands/4 m resolution) for urban vegetation applications compared to HySpex or Sentinel2 images.
Performance and Analysis of Feature Tracking Approaches in Laser Speckle Instrumentation
Authors: Charrett Thomas , Tatam Ralph
Published: May 2019

This paper investigates the application of feature tracking algorithms as an alternative data processing method for laser speckle instrumentation. The approach is capable of determining both the speckle pattern translation and rotation and can therefore be used to detect the in-plane rotation and translation of an object simultaneously. A performance assessment of widely used feature detection and matching algorithms from the computer vision field, for both translation and rotation measurements from laser speckle patterns, is presented. The accuracy of translation measurements using the feature tracking approach was found to be similar to that of correlation-based processing with accuracies of 0.025–0.04 pixels and a typical precision of 0.02–0.09 pixels depending upon the method and image size used. The performance for in-plane rotation measurements are also presented with rotation measurement accuracies of <0.01° found to be achievable over an angle range of ±10° and of <0.1° over a range of ±25°, with a typical precision between 0.02 and 0.08° depending upon method and image size. The measurement range is found to be limited by the failure to match sufficient speckles at larger rotation angles. An analysis of each stage of the process was conducted to identify the most suitable approaches for use with laser speckle images and areas requiring further improvement. A quantitative approach to assessing different feature tracking methods is described, and reference data sets of experimentally translated and rotated speckle patterns from a range of surface finishes and surface roughness are presented. As a result, three areas that lead to the failure of the matching process are identified as areas for future investigation: the inability to detect the same features in partially decorrelated images leading to unmatchable features, the variance of computed feature orientation between frames leading to different descriptors being calculated for the same feature, and the failure of the matching processes due to the inability to discriminate between different features in speckle images.
Using of Multi-Source and Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing Data Improves Crop-Type Mapping in the Subtropical Agriculture Region
Authors: Sun Chuanliang , Bian Yan , Zhou Tao , Pan Jianjun
Published: May 2019

Crop-type identification is very important in agricultural regions. Most researchers in this area have focused on exploring the ability of synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) sensors to identify crops. This paper uses multi-source (Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8) and multi-temporal data to identify crop types. The change detection method was used to analyze spectral and indices information in time series. Significant differences in crop growth status during the growing season were found. Then, three obviously differentiated time features were extracted. Three advanced machine learning algorithms (Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network, and Random Forest, RF) were used to identify the crop types. The results showed that the detection of (Vertical-vertical) VV, (Vertical-horizontal) VH, and Cross Ratio (CR) changes was effective for identifying land cover. Moreover, the red-edge changes were obviously different according to crop growth periods. Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 showed different normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) changes also. By using single remote sensing data to classify crops, Sentinel-2 produced the highest overall accuracy (0.91) and Kappa coefficient (0.89). The combination of Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8 data provided the best overall accuracy (0.93) and Kappa coefficient (0.91). The RF method had the best performance in terms of identity classification. In addition, the indices feature dominated the classification results. The combination of phenological period information with multi-source remote sensing data can be used to explore a crop area and its status in the growing season. The results of crop classification can be used to analyze the density and distribution of crops. This study can also allow to determine crop growth status, improve crop yield estimation accuracy, and provide a basis for crop management.
Minimizing the Adverse Effects of Asymmetric Links: A Novel Cooperative Asynchronous MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Hasan Md. Mahedee , Karmaker Amit , Alam Mohammad Shah , Craig Andrew
Published: May 2019

As Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) grow in popularity, researchers are now focusing more on some challenging issues that significantly degrade overall performance, such as energy hole mitigation, link asymmetry minimization, etc. Link asymmetry is a problem that arises when the coverage distance between two adjacent nodes varies. It creates an obstacle to overcome when designing an efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for WSNs with low duty-cycling. This phenomenon poses an especially difficult challenge for receiver-initiated asynchronous MAC protocols, which are popular due to their relatively higher energy efficiency. Exploiting the benefits of cooperative communication has emerged as one of the viable solutions to overcome this limitation. Cooperative communication in WSNs has received a lot of attention in recent years. Many researchers have worked to create a MAC layer supporting cooperative communication. However, the association of cooperative communication with an asymmetric link is not studied in the literature. In this research work, COASYM-MAC, a cooperative asynchronous MAC protocol for WSNs, is proposed based on a receiver-initiated MAC protocol that uses the fact that nodes have alternate paths between them to reduce link asymmetry. A key feature of the proposed protocol is that the optimal helper node is selected automatically in case of link asymmetry. Simulations exhibited that COASYM-MAC performs significantly better than a state-of-the-art MAC protocol for WSNs that handles asymmetric links, ASYM-MAC.
SAFE-MAC: Speed Aware Fairness Enabled MAC Protocol for Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks
Authors: Siddik Md. , Moni Shafika , Alam Mohammad , Johnson William
Published: May 2019

Highly dynamic geographical topology, two-direction mobility, and varying traffic density can lead to fairness issues in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs). The Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol plays a vital role in sharing the common wireless channel efficiently between vehicles in a VANET system. However, ensuring fairness between vehicles can be a challenge in designing MAC protocols for VANET systems. The existing protocol, IEEE 802.11 DCF, ensures that the packet transmission rate for a particular vehicle is directly proportional to the amount of time a vehicle spends within a service area, but it does not guarantee that faster vehicles will be able to send the minimum number of packets. Other existing MAC protocols based on IEEE 802.11 are able to provide a minimum amount of data transmission regardless of velocity, but are unable to provide an amount of data transmission that is more proportionate to the time a vehicle spends in the service area. To address the above limitations, we propose a Speed Aware Fairness Enabled MAC (SAFE-MAC) protocol that calculates the residence time of a vehicle in a service area by using mobility metrics such as position, direction, and speed to synthesize the transmission probability of each individual vehicle with respect to its residence time. This is achieved by dynamically altering the values of parameters such as minimum contention window, maximum backoff stage, and retransmission limit in the MAC protocol. We then develop an analytical model to compare the performance of our proposed protocol with contemporary MAC protocols. Numerical analysis results show that our proposed protocol significantly improves fairness among the speed-varying vehicles in VANET.
Fingerprinting of Nitroaromatic Explosives Realized by Aphen-functionalized Titanium Dioxide
Authors: Xie Guanshun , Liu Bingxin
Published: May 2019

Developing sensing materials for military explosives and improvised explosive precursors is of great significance to maintaining homeland security. 5-Nitro-1,10-phenanthroline (Aphen)-modified TiO2 nanospheres are prepared though coordination interactions, which broaden the absorption band edge of TiO2 and shift it to the visible region. A sensor array based on an individual TiO2/Aphen sensor is constructed by regulating the excitation wavelength (365 nm, 450 nm, 550 nm). TiO2/Aphen shows significant response to nitroaromatic explosives since the Aphen capped on the surface of TiO2 can chemically recognize and absorb nitroaromatic explosives by the formation of the corresponding Meisenheimer complex. The photocatalytic mechanism is proved to be the primary sensing mechanism after anchoring nitroaromatic explosives to TiO2. The fingerprint patterns obtained by combining kinetics and thermodynamics validated that the single TiO2/Aphen sensor can identify at least six nitroaromatic explosives and improvised explosives within 8 s and the biggest response reaches 80%. Furthermore, the TiO2/Aphen may allow the contactless detection of various explosives, which is of great significance to maintaining homeland security.
Research on Attitude Models and Antenna Phase Center Correction for Jason-3 Satellite Orbit Determination
Authors: Liu Mingming , Yuan Yunbin , Ou Jikun , Chai Yanju
Published: May 2019

We focused on the researches of two models used for Jason-3 precise orbit determination (POD)—Jason-3 attitude modes and receiver phase center variation (PCV) model. A combined attitude mode for the Jason-3 satellite is designed based on experimental analysis used in some special cases, such as in the absence of quaternions or when inconvenient to use. We researched the linking of satellite attitude with antenna phase center. Specially, to verify the validity of the combined attitude, we analyzed the effects of different attitude modes on receiver phase center offset (PCO) estimation, PCO correction and POD. Meanwhile, the difference analysis of PCO correction based on attitude modes also contains the combined attitude modeling processes. The POD results showed that the orbital accuracies with the combined attitude are slightly more stable than those with attitude event file. By introducing receiver PCVs into POD, the mean residuals root-mean-square (RMS) is reduced by 1.9 mm and orbital 3D-RMS position difference is improved by 5.7 mm. The eight schemes were designed to integratedly verify the effectiveness of different attitude modes and receiver PCVs model. The results conclude that the accuracy using the combined attitude is higher than that of event file, which also prove the feasibility of the combined attitude in integrated POD and it can be as a revision of attitude event file. Using all mentioned attitude modes, the orbital accuracy by introducing PCVs can be improved by the millimeter level. The integrated effects of attitude modes and receiver PCVs on POD are almost consistent with the effects of a single variable. The optimal results of Jason-3 POD indicate that orbital mean radial RMS is close to 1 cm, and the 3D-RMS position difference is within 3 cm.
Ultraprecision Real-Time Displacements Calculation Algorithm for the Grating Interferometer System
Authors: Ye Weinan , Zhang Ming , Zhu Yu , Wang Leijie , Hu Jinchun , Li Xin , Hu Chuxiong
Published: May 2019

Grating interferometry is an environmentally stable displacement measurement technique that has significant potential for identifying the position of the wafer stage. A fast and precise algorithm is required for real-time calculation of six degrees-of-freedom (DOF) displacement using phase shifts of interference signals. Based on affine transformation, we analyze diffraction spot displacement and changes in the internal and external effective optical paths of the grating interferometer caused by the displacement of the wafer stage (DOWS); then, we establish a phase shift-DOWS model. To solve the DOWS in real time, we present a polynomial approximation algorithm that uses the frequency domain characteristics of nonlinearities to achieve model reduction. The presented algorithm is verified by experiment and ZEMAX simulation.
Calibration of Granier-Type (TDP) Sap Flow Probes by a High Precision Electronic Potometer
Authors: Pasqualotto Gaia , Carraro Vinicio , Menardi Roberto , Anfodillo Tommaso
Published: May 2019

Thermal dissipation probe (TDP) method (Granier, 1985) is widely used to estimate tree transpiration (i.e., the water evaporated from the leaves) because it is simple to build, easy to install, and relatively inexpensive. However, the universality of the original calibration has been questioned and, in many cases, proved to be inaccurate. Thus, when the TDP is used in a new species, specific tests should be carried out. Our aim was to propose a new method for improving the accuracy of TDP on trees in the field. Small hazelnut trees (diameter at breast height 5 cm) were used for the experiment. The response of TDP sensors was compared with a reference water uptake measured with an electronic potometer system provided with a high precision liquid flow meter. We equipped three stems where we measured the sap flow density, the sapwood area (by using fuchsine), the total tree water uptake (reference), and the main meteorological parameters during summer 2018. Results confirmed that the original Granier’s calibration underestimated the effective tree transpiration (relative error about −60%). We proposed a new equation for improving the measurement accuracy within an error of about 4%. The system proposed appeared an easier solution compared to potted trees and particularly suitable for orchards, thus contributing to improve the irrigation management worldwide.
Evaluation of a Road Safety Education Program Based on Driving Under Influence and Traffic Risks for Higher Secondary School Students in Belgium
Authors: Riaz Malik Sarmad , Cuenen Ariane , Dhondt Stijn , Craps Helen , Janssens Davy , Wets Geert , Brijs Tom , Brijs Kris
Published: May 2019

Road safety education has been recognized as an instrument for reducing road accidents. This study aims to evaluate the road safety education program “Traffic Weeks” among higher secondary school students (age 16–19) in Belgium. The program focuses on driving under influence (DUI) and traffic risks. This study investigates whether the program has an effect on socio-cognitive variables using a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior. During the pre-test, 445 students filled in the questionnaire, while 253 students filled in the questionnaire during the post-test. Of these, 175 questionnaires could be matched. The results indicate that the students already had quite a supportive view of road safety at pre-test, with female students showing a more supportive view of road safety than male students. The DUI workshop had a positive effect on most socio-cognitive variables (attitude, subjective norm-friends, and intention) of female students in general education, while the traffic risks workshop only affected perceived behavioral control of female students. In terms of appreciation, students had a significantly higher appreciation of the DUI workshop compared to the traffic risks workshop. During the focus groups, students gave recommendations to improve the program.
Water-Saving Potential of Subsurface Drip Irrigation For Winter Wheat
Authors: Umair Muhammad , Hussain Tabassum , Jiang Hanbing , Ahmad Ayesha , Yao Jiawei , Qi Yongqing , Zhang Yucui , Min Leilei , Shen Yanjun
Published: May 2019

Groundwater plays a major role in agro-hydrological processes in the North China Plain (NCP). The NCP is facing a water deficit, due to a rapid decline in the water table because of the double cropping system. A two crop (maize and wheat) rotation is required to balance the food supply and demand, which leads to an imbalance between evapotranspiration (ET) and precipitation. Thus, there has been a decline of about 1.35 m yr−1 of groundwater (Luancheng Agroecosystem Experimental Station (LAES), NCP) during the last 10 years. Lysimeter experiments were conducted under different irrigation treatments (flood, surface drip, and subsurface drip) to account for ET in the selection of a suitable irrigation method. Subsurface drip irrigation reduced ET by 26% compared to flood irrigation, and 15% compared to surface drip irrigation, with significant grain yield and biomass formation due to decreased evaporation losses. Grain yield, yield components, and above ground biomass were similar in subsurface drip and flood irrigation. However, these biomass parameters were lower with surface drip irrigation. Furthermore, subsurface drip irrigation increased the crop water productivity (24.95%) and irrigation water productivity (19.59%) compared to flood irrigation. The subsurface irrigated plants showed an increase in net photosynthesis (~10%), higher intrinsic water use efficiency (~36%), lower transpiration rate (~22%), and saved 80 mm of water compared to flood irrigation. Our findings indicate that subsurface drip irrigation can be adopted in the NCP to increase water use efficiency, optimize grain yield, and minimize water loss in order to address scarcity.
The Millennials’ Concept of Sustainability in the Food Sector
Authors: Bollani Luigi , Bonadonna Alessandro , Peira Giovanni
Published: May 2019

The aim of this study is to analyze the perception of the meaning of sustainability in the food sector. A sample of 268 University students belonging to the Millennial generation was identified and a survey was carried out to assess the interaction between this kind of Millennials and food sustainability. Collected data were explored with descriptive statistics, followed by multivariate statistical techniques to get an integrated vision of relationships among the variables. Outcomes evidence four groups of Millennials with specific peculiarities, i.e., “Socio-Nature Sensitives”, characterized by a high level of attention for the socio-economic dimension and sustainable ways of food production; “Info-Supporter”, very sensitive to labeling and warranty systems; “Proactive-Oriented”, interested in innovative activities; “Indifferent Millennials”, assigning the issue in general a low level of importance. Results provide useful information and some contribution to public institutions and private stakeholders so as to implement new rules and new tools in the food sector, so as to reach the target of reducing waste and pollution. Substantial literature on interaction between Millennials and sustainability in the food sector has not yet been developed; the aim of this pioneer study is to offer some contribution to the debate among stakeholders on driving choices towards new consumption rules and production patterns.
The Effect of R&D and the Control–Ownership Wedge on Firm Value: Evidence from Korean Chaebol Firms
Authors: Kang Minjung , Kim Sangil , Cho Moon-Kyung
Published: May 2019

Cases have been reported in which research and development (R&D) investment, the core activity for a firm’s sustainable growth, deteriorate rather than increase firm value. This study illuminates the cause of such cases in terms of the control–ownership wedge. How expensed and capitalized R&D affect firm value are examined separately for cases in which the wedge is high and low. In an analysis of Korean chaebol firms, when the wedge is high, significant negative relationships appear between expensed R&D and firm value, while no significant relationship appears between capitalized R&D and firm value. When the wedge is low, expensed R&D does not show any significant relationship with firm value, while capitalized R&D shows significant positive relationships with firm value. This confirms, first, that in cases of high wedge, suboptimal R&D decisions are made, in which the manager can discretionally determine investment targets or projects. Second, this indicates that even in cases of low wedge, the positive relationship between R&D and firm value does not appear in expensed R&D. This study suggests that investors and regulatory authorities should pay close attention to the initial stage of R&D in firms with high control–ownership wedges for sustainable economic growth.
Exploring Drivers of Livelihood Diversification and Its Effect on Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia
Authors: Teshager Abeje Misganaw , Tsunekawa Atsushi , Adgo Enyew , Haregeweyn Nigussie , Nigussie Zerihun , Ayalew Zemen , Elias Asres , Molla Dessalegn , Berihun Daregot
Published: May 2019

Land degradation poses a major threat to agricultural production and food security in Ethiopia, and sustainable land management (SLM) is key in dealing with its adverse impacts. This paper examines the covariates that shape rural livelihood diversification and examines their effects on the intensity of adoption of SLM practices. Household-level data were collected in 2017 from 270 households in three drought-prone watersheds located in northwestern Ethiopia. We used the Herfindahl–Simpson diversity index to explore the extent of livelihood diversification. A stochastic dominance ordering was also employed to identify remunerative livelihood activities. A multivariate probit model was employed to estimate the probability of choosing simultaneous livelihood strategies, and an ordered probit model was estimated to examine the effect of livelihood diversification on the adoption intensity of SLM practices. In addition to mixed cropping and livestock production, the production of emerging cash crops (e.g., Acacia decurrens for charcoal, and khat) dominated the overall income generation of the majority of farmers. Stress/shock experience, extent of agricultural intensification, and agro-ecology significantly affected the probability of choosing certain livelihood strategies. Livelihood diversification at the household level was significantly associated with the dependency ratio, market distance, credit access, extension services, membership in community organizations, level of income, and livestock ownership. A greater extent of livelihood diversification had a significant negative effect on adopting a greater number of SLM practices, whereas it had a positive effect on lower SLM adoption intensity. Overall, we found evidence that having greater livelihood diversification could prompt households not to adopt more SLM practices. Livelihood initiatives that focus on increasing shock resilience, access to financial support mechanisms, improving livestock production, and providing quality extension services, while also considering agro-ecological differences, are needed. In addition, development planners should take into account the livelihood portfolios of rural households when trying to implement SLM policies and programs.
Framework for a Systematic Parametric Analysis to Maximize Energy Output of PV Modules Using an Experimental Design
Authors: Najjar Mohammad K. , Qualharini Eduardo Linhares , Hammad Ahmed W. A. , Boer Dieter , Haddad Assed
Published: May 2019

Use of photovoltaic modules in buildings has been reported to be an effective tool in managing energy consumption. The novelty in the research herein is in a framework that integrates different performance parameters through the use of an experimental design to expect all variables via linear regression analysis. An emphasis is placed on making the method readily available to practitioners and experts in the area of renewable energy, using standard procedure and easily accessible software. This work empowers the decision-making process and sustainability through a parametric analysis of the installation of photovoltaic modules to increase their energy output towards nearly zero energy buildings. A case study of a group of photovoltaic modules is examined in four cities with different locations and climate data to validate the proposed framework. Results demonstrate that the installation of photovoltaic modules on the mounted roof is better than elevations, and the vertical installation of modules is the worst possible inclination to maximize the yielded energy. The impact of inclination is higher than orientation in influencing the energy productivity of photovoltaic modules. This work specifies integrating such modules mounted on roofs and elevations towards the equator line, by a proportion of inclination/latitude equal to 85 ± 3%, to maximize the energy output.
Antecedents of Consumers’ Intention to Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances: An Empirical Study Based on the Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Hua Li , Wang Shanyong
Published: May 2019

Personal consumption behavior has negative impacts on the environment, such as climate change and wasted resources. To eliminate the adverse effects, more manufacturers are producing environmentally friendly products and governments are encouraging residents to adopt energy-saving products. Among these products, energy-efficient appliances are designed to save energy in everyday life. In this research, we focused on examining the antecedents of consumers’ acceptance of energy-efficient appliances. A combined framework of the technology acceptance model and the theory of planned behavior was used. The research was empirically tested using an online survey of 280 consumers. The study indicates that perceived ease of use had a significant impact on perceived usefulness; moreover, it positively influenced consumers’ attitudes. Subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitude significantly affected consumers’ purchasing intention. However, perceived usefulness did not have direct significant effect on consumers’ purchasing intention. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative analysis to further analyze the effect of consumers’ awareness of the China Energy Label on their purchasing intentions. Finally, insights and suggestions are discussed.
Sustainable Change Management through Employee Readiness: Decision Support System Adoption in Technology-Intensive British E-Businesses
Authors: Ahmed Fawad , Qin Yuan Jian , Martínez Luis
Published: May 2019

Technology brings green sustainable management practices to the workplace. It is important to ascertain the factors that enable or inhibit employees’ perceptions towards technology adoption. Corporate sustainability and sustainable management practices partially depend on employees for the successful implementation of technological changes in the workplace. This study aims at applying the technology acceptance model (TAM) from an employees’ user-perspective. It addresses those factors that form employee readiness for e-business and enable their intention to use e-business technologies such as decision support systems (DSS). It focuses on technology intensive firms while combining Davis’ technology acceptance model and Lai and Ong’s employee readiness for e-business (EREB) model. A survey questionnaire was used to collect the data for this cross-sectional study from 331 employees of 28 well-established small and medium-sized e-businesses located in the United Kingdom. The outcomes show that the four dimensions of EREB explain the 58.2% of variance in perceived ease of use and the 50.2% of variance in perceived usefulness. Together, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use explain the 51.8% of variance in intention to use while fully mediating the relationship between higher order EREB construct and intention to use DSS.
Tracing the Origins of Place Branding Research: A Bibliometric Study of Concepts in Use (1980–2018)
Authors: Ma Wenting , Schraven Daan , de Bruijne Mark , de Jong Martin , Lu Haiyan
Published: May 2019

Place branding is seriously studied in various academic disciplines. Its impact on strategic development plays a vital role in processes of sustainable urban transformation. Place branding originated in tourism management and over time its research focus spilled over and evolved in environmental science, urban studies and public administration. Scholars and policy makers are currently faced with a myriad of concepts in place branding research, which show considerable overlap but should be carefully distinguished from each other. To increase our understanding of this body of research, this article observes a strong pattern of the concepts in use, in their references to location types (i.e., urban, city, destination, place) and broadcasting activities (branding, marketing, promotion). It builds on this observation by collecting studies from the Scopus database by location type and broadcasting activities (LT–BA) reference pairs and systematically analysing and reviewing these from 1980 to 2018. A total of 2665 articles and reviews were identified and analysed based on (1) occurrences per reference pair, (2) co-occurrences per reference pair, and (3) co-occurrences for each reference pair with other concepts. On that basis, the origin and evolution of the research field including multiple reference pairs in use is explored and described.
The Effect of Gamification on Psychological and Behavioral Outcomes: Implications for Cruise Tourism Destinations
Authors: Lee Byeong Cheol
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effect of gamification on tourist psychological outcome and knowledge gain in the context of cultural heritage sites, which are popular cruise tourism destinations. A comprehensive literature review revealed the critical role of gamification in facilitating psychological (enjoyment, flow experience, and loyalty) and behavioral outcomes (knowledge gain) at cultural heritage sites. Using a field experiment, this study employed a gamified app as a manipulation. A total of 342 gamified app users (n = 165) or non-users (n = 177) were selected by stratified random sampling method from among college students majoring in tourism and cruise management in South Korea. After screening the data, a Hayes’ PROCESS modeling technique was mainly utilized to test the proposed hypotheses based on 331 cases. The results showed that gamification had a strong influence on knowledge gain about cultural heritage attractions. On the other hand, gamification had negative effects on enjoyment and flow experience. More importantly, gamification had a negative indirect effect on loyalty toward cultural heritage attractions. These findings imply the usefulness of gamified apps to convey memorable and real-time information and knowledge to users in cultural heritage sites.
Renewable Power Output Forecasting Using Least-Squares Support Vector Regression and Google Data
Authors: Chen Kuen-Suan , Lin Kuo-Ping , Yan Jun-Xiang , Hsieh Wan-Lin
Published: May 2019

Sustainable and green technologies include renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind power, and hydroelectric power. Renewable power output forecasting is an essential contributor to energy technology and strategy analysis. This study attempts to develop a novel least-squares support vector regression with a Google (LSSVR-G) model to accurately forecast power output with renewable power, thermal power, and nuclear power outputs in Taiwan. This study integrates a Google application programming interface (API), least-squares support vector regression (LSSVR), and a genetic algorithm (GA) to develop a novel LSSVR-G model for accurately forecasting power output from various power outputs in Taiwan. Material price and the search volume via Google’s search engine for keywords, which is used for various power outputs and is collected by Google APIs, are used as input data. The forecasting model uses LSSVR. Furthermore, the LSSVR employs a GA to find the optimal parameters for the LSSVR. Real-world annual power output datasets collected from Taiwan were used to demonstrate the forecasting performance of the model. The empirical results reveal that the proposed LSSVR-G model is superior to all other considered models both in terms of accuracy and stability, and, thus, can be a useful tool for renewable power forecasting. Moreover, the accuracy forecasting thermal power and nuclear power could effectively assist in understanding the future trend of renewable power output in Taiwan. The accurately forecasting result could effectively provide basic information for renewable power, thermal power, and nuclear power planning and policy making in Taiwan.