bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Solvent and Extractive Distillation Sequence Considering Its Integration with Reactor
Authors: Yin Changfang , Liu Guilian
Published: March 2021

The integration of reaction and extractive distillation system is beneficial for reducing the process cost. A systematic method is proposed to identify the optimal solvent, solvent-to-feed ratio, extractive distillation sequence and reactor operating conditions based on the integration of reactor and extractive distillation. The non-key component matrix method is used to generate the extractive distillation sequences. The proposed method can be used to evaluate different solvents, solvent-to-feed ratios, as well as the extractive distillation sequences; the optimal extractive distillation parameters corresponding to the minimum total annualized cost (TAC) can be identified considering different operating conditions. For the selective hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexene process, the minimum total annualized cost of unit desired product, 4.01 $·kmol−1, is achieved when the reactor’s inlet temperature is 333 K, solvent N-Formylmorpholine and sequence S2 are employed, and the solvent-to-feed ratio is 4.
Effects of Swirl and Boiling Heat Transfer on the Performance Enhancement and Emission Reduction for a Medium Diesel Engine Fueled with Biodiesel
Authors: Tan Dongli , Chen Zhiyong , Li Jiangtao , Luo Jianbin , Yang Dayong , Cui Shuwan , Zhang Zhiqing
Published: March 2021

In order to improve the accuracy of numerical simulation, a new heat transfer model is developed by using a modular approach in the Anstalt für Verbrennungskraftmaschinen (AVL)-Boost software. The improved heat transfer model mainly considers the effects of the swirl and boiling heat transfer inside the engine. In addition, a chemical kinetics mechanism including 475 reactions and 134 species is employed to predict the combustion of diesel engines fueled with biodiesel. The result shows that the boiling heat transfer will occur, especially in the high-temperature area. Analysis shows that the improved model is reliable and its precision is increased. Finally, the perturbation method is employed to investigate the relatively important inputs as the complex nonlinear function with a lot of output data and input data produced by the improved model. The relative effects of different parameters such as EGR, injection mass, injection timing, compression ratio, inlet air pressure, fuel injection pressure, exhaust pressure and inlet air temperature on performance and emission characteristics are compared. The eight parameters are investigated on four outputs of brake power, Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC), NOx and HC. The injected fuel mass plays an important role in emissions and performance. The EGR, compression ratio and inlet air pressure have a great effect on the HC and NOx emission.
Śaivism after the Śaiva Age: Continuities in the Scriptural Corpus of the Vīramāheśvaras
Authors: Fisher Elaine M.
Published: March 2021

This article makes the case that Vīraśaivism emerged in direct textual continuity with the tantric traditions of the Śaiva Age. In academic practice up through the present day, the study of Śaivism, through Sanskrit sources, and bhakti Hinduism, through the vernacular, are generally treated as distinct disciplines and objects of study. As a result, Vīraśaivism has yet to be systematically approached through a philological analysis of its precursors from earlier Śaiva traditions. With this aim in mind, I begin by documenting for the first time that a thirteenth-century Sanskrit work of what I have called the Vīramāheśvara textual corpus, the Somanāthabhāṣya or Vīramāheśvarācārasāroddhārabhāṣya, was most likely authored by Pālkurikĕ Somanātha, best known for his vernacular Telugu Vīraśaiva literature. Second, I outline the indebtedness of the early Sanskrit and Telugu Vīramāheśvara corpus to a popular work of early lay Śaivism, the Śivadharmaśāstra, with particular attention to the concepts of the jaṅgama and the iṣṭaliṅga. That the Vīramāheśvaras borrowed many of their formative concepts and practices directly from the Śivadharmaśāstra and other works of the Śaiva Age, I argue, belies the common assumption that Vīraśaivism originated as a social and religious revolution.
The Altar and the Rail: “Catholicity” and African American Inclusion in the 19th Century Episcopal Church
Authors: Snow Jennifer
Published: March 2021

Examining the denominational history of The Episcopal Church from the point of view of mission shifts the view of the church’s nature and its most important figures. These become those people who struggled to overcome boundaries of race, culture, and geography in extending the church’s reach and incorporating new people into it, and puts issues of racial relationships at the forefront of the church’s story, rather than as an aside. White Episcopalians from the 1830s forward were focused heavily on the meaning of “catholicity” in terms of liturgical and sacramental practice, clerical privilege, and the centrality of the figure of the Bishop to the validity of the church, in increasingly tense and conflicted debates that have been traced by multiple scholars. However, the development of catholicity as a strategic marker of missional thinking, particularly in the context of a racially diverse church, has not been examined. The paper investigates the ways in which Black Episcopalians and their white allies used the theological ideal of catholicity creatively and strategically in the nineteenth century, both responding to a particular missional history and contending that missional success depended upon true catholicity.
GPU-Based Parallel Implementation of VLBI Correlator for Deep Space Exploration System
Authors: Zhang Fan , Zhao Chenxi , Han Songtao , Ma Fei , Xiang Deliang
Published: March 2021

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) solution can yield accurate information of angular position, and has been successfully used in the field of deep space exploration, such as astrophysics, imaging, detector positioning, and so on. The increase in VLBI data volume puts higher demands on efficient processing. Essentially, the main step of VLBI is the correlation processing, through which the angular position can be calculated. Since the VLBI correlation processing is both computation-intensive and data-intensive, the CPU cluster is usually employed in practical application to perform complex distributed computation. In this paper, we propose a parallel implementation of VLBI correlator based on graphics processing unit (GPU) to realize a more efficient and economical angular position calculation of deep space target. On the basis of massively GPU parallel computing, the coalesced access strategy and the parallel pipeline strategy are introduced to further accelerate the VLBI correlator. Experimental results show that the optimized GPU-based VLBI method can meet the real-time processing requirements of the received data stream. Compared with the sequential method, the proposed approach can reach a 224.1 × calculation speedup, and a 36.8 × application speedup. Compared with the multi-CPUs method, it can achieve 28.6 × calculation speedup and 4.7 × application speedup.
Behaviour Classification on Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) Using Machine Learning Algorithms on Triaxial Acceleration Data of Two Commonly Used GPS Devices and Its Possible Application for Their Management and Conservation
Authors: Brandes Stefanie , Sicks Florian , Berger Anne
Published: March 2021

Averting today’s loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services can be achieved through conservation efforts, especially of keystone species. Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) play an important role in sustaining Africa’s ecosystems, but are ‘vulnerable’ according to the IUCN Red List since 2016. Monitoring an animal’s behavior in the wild helps to develop and assess their conservation management. One mechanism for remote tracking of wildlife behavior is to attach accelerometers to animals to record their body movement. We tested two different commercially available high-resolution accelerometers, e-obs and Africa Wildlife Tracking (AWT), attached to the top of the heads of three captive giraffes and analyzed the accuracy of automatic behavior classifications, focused on the Random Forests algorithm. For both accelerometers, behaviors of lower variety in head and neck movements could be better predicted (i.e., feeding above eye level, mean prediction accuracy e-obs/AWT: 97.6%/99.7%; drinking: 96.7%/97.0%) than those with a higher variety of body postures (such as standing: 90.7–91.0%/75.2–76.7%; rumination: 89.6–91.6%/53.5–86.5%). Nonetheless both devices come with limitations and especially the AWT needs technological adaptations before applying it on animals in the wild. Nevertheless, looking at the prediction results, both are promising accelerometers for behavioral classification of giraffes. Therefore, these devices when applied to free-ranging animals, in combination with GPS tracking, can contribute greatly to the conservation of giraffes.
A Smart and Secure Logistics System Based on IoT and Cloud Technologies
Authors: Sergi Ilaria , Montanaro Teodoro , Benvenuto Fabrizio Luca , Patrono Luigi
Published: March 2021

Recently, one of the hottest topics in the logistics sector has been the traceability of goods and the monitoring of their condition during transportation. Perishable goods, such as fresh goods, have specifically attracted attention of the researchers that have already proposed different solutions to guarantee quality and freshness of food through the whole cold chain. In this regard, the use of Internet of Things (IoT)-enabling technologies and its specific branch called edge computing is bringing different enhancements thereby achieving easy remote and real-time monitoring of transported goods. Due to the fast changes of the requirements and the difficulties that researchers can encounter in proposing new solutions, the fast prototype approach could contribute to rapidly enhance both the research and the commercial sector. In order to make easy the fast prototyping of solutions, different platforms and tools have been proposed in the last years, however it is difficult to guarantee end-to-end security at all the levels through such platforms. For this reason, based on the experiments reported in literature and aiming at providing support for fast-prototyping, end-to-end security in the logistics sector, the current work presents a solution that demonstrates how the advantages offered by the Azure Sphere platform, a dedicated hardware (i.e., microcontroller unit, the MT3620) device and Azure Sphere Security Service can be used to realize a fast prototype to trace fresh food conditions through its transportation. The proposed solution guarantees end-to-end security and can be exploited by future similar works also in other sectors.
Fast 3D Rotation Estimation of Fruits Using Spheroid Models
Authors: Albiol Antonio , Albiol Alberto , Sánchez de Merás Carlos
Published: March 2021

Automated fruit inspection using cameras involves the analysis of a collection of views of the same fruit obtained by rotating a fruit while it is transported. Conventionally, each view is analyzed independently. However, in order to get a global score of the fruit quality, it is necessary to match the defects between adjacent views to prevent counting them more than once and assert that the whole surface has been examined. To accomplish this goal, this paper estimates the 3D rotation undergone by the fruit using a single camera. A 3D model of the fruit geometry is needed to estimate the rotation. This paper proposes to model the fruit shape as a 3D spheroid. The spheroid size and pose in each view is estimated from the silhouettes of all views. Once the geometric model has been fitted, a single 3D rotation for each view transition is estimated. Once all rotations have been estimated, it is possible to use them to propagate defects to neighbor views or to even build a topographic map of the whole fruit surface, thus opening the possibility to analyze a single image (the map) instead of a collection of individual views. A large effort was made to make this method as fast as possible. Execution times are under 0.5 ms to estimate each 3D rotation on a standard I7 CPU using a single core.
Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on Energy Spectrum Statistics and Modified Mayfly Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Liu Yuhu , Chai Yi , Liu Bowen , Wang Yiming
Published: March 2021

This study proposes a novel resonance demodulation frequency band selection method named the initial center frequency-guided filter (ICFGF) to diagnose the bearing fault. The proposed technology has a better performance on resisting the interference from the random impulses. More explicitly, the ICFGF can be summarized as two steps. In the first step, a variance statistic index is applied to evaluate the energy spectrum distribution, which can adaptively determine the center frequency of the fault impulse and suppress the interference from random impulse effectively. In the second step, a modified mayfly optimization algorithm (MMA) is applied to search the optimal resonance demodulation frequency band based on the center frequency from the first step, which has faster convergence. Finally, the filtered signal is processed by the squared envelope spectrum technology. Results of the proposed method for signals from an outer fault bearing and a ball fault bearing indicate that the ICFGF works well to extract bearing fault feature. Furthermore, compared with some other methods, including fast kurtogram, ensemble empirical mode decomposition, and conditional variance-based selector technology, the ICFGF can extract the fault characteristic more accurately.
Early Detection of Freezing of Gait during Walking Using Inertial Measurement Unit and Plantar Pressure Distribution Data
Authors: Pardoel Scott , Shalin Gaurav , Nantel Julie , Lemaire Edward D. , Kofman Jonathan
Published: March 2021

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a sudden and highly disruptive gait dysfunction that appears in mid to late-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD) and can lead to falling and injury. A system that predicts freezing before it occurs or detects freezing immediately after onset would generate an opportunity for FOG prevention or mitigation and thus enhance safe mobility and quality of life. This research used accelerometer, gyroscope, and plantar pressure sensors to extract 861 features from walking data collected from 11 people with FOG. Minimum-redundancy maximum-relevance and Relief-F feature selection were performed prior to training boosted ensembles of decision trees. The binary classification models identified Total-FOG or No FOG states, wherein the Total-FOG class included data windows from 2 s before the FOG onset until the end of the FOG episode. Three feature sets were compared: plantar pressure, inertial measurement unit (IMU), and both plantar pressure and IMU features. The plantar-pressure-only model had the greatest sensitivity and the IMU-only model had the greatest specificity. The best overall model used the combination of plantar pressure and IMU features, achieving 76.4% sensitivity and 86.2% specificity. Next, the Total-FOG class components were evaluated individually (i.e., Pre-FOG windows, Freeze windows, transition windows between Pre-FOG and Freeze). The best model detected windows that contained both Pre-FOG and FOG data with 85.2% sensitivity, which is equivalent to detecting FOG less than 1 s after the freeze began. Windows of FOG data were detected with 93.4% sensitivity. The IMU and plantar pressure feature-based model slightly outperformed models that used data from a single sensor type. The model achieved early detection by identifying the transition from Pre-FOG to FOG while maintaining excellent FOG detection performance (93.4% sensitivity). Therefore, if used as part of an intelligent, real-time FOG identification and cueing system, even if the Pre-FOG state were missed, the model would perform well as a freeze detection and cueing system that could improve the mobility and independence of people with PD during their daily activities.
Automatic Measurement of Morphological Traits of Typical Leaf Samples
Authors: Huang Xia , Zheng Shunyi , Gui Li
Published: March 2021

It is still a challenging task to automatically measure plants. A novel method for automatic plant measurement based on a hand-held three-dimensional (3D) laser scanner is proposed. The objective of this method is to automatically select typical leaf samples and estimate their morphological traits from different occluded live plants. The method mainly includes data acquisition and processing. Data acquisition is to obtain the high-precision 3D mesh model of the plant that is reconstructed in real-time during data scanning by a hand-held 3D laser scanner (ZGScan 717, made in Zhongguan Automation Technology, Wuhan, China). Data processing mainly includes typical leaf sample extraction and morphological trait estimation based on a multi-level region growing segmentation method using two leaf shape models. Four scale-related traits and six corresponding scale-invariant traits can be automatically estimated. Experiments on four groups of different canopy-occluded plants are conducted. Experiment results show that for plants with different canopy occlusions, 94.02% of typical leaf samples can be scanned well and 87.61% of typical leaf samples can be automatically extracted. The automatically estimated morphological traits are correlated with the manually measured values EF (the modeling efficiency) above 0.8919 for scale-related traits and EF above 0.7434 for scale-invariant traits). It takes an average of 196.37 seconds (186.08 seconds for data scanning, 5.95 seconds for 3D plant model output, and 4.36 seconds for data processing) for a plant measurement. The robustness and low time cost of the proposed method for different canopy-occluded plants show potential applications for real-time plant measurement and high-throughput plant phenotype.
Development of Nationwide Road Quality Map: Remote Sensing Meets Field Sensing
Authors: Karimzadeh Sadra , Matsuoka Masashi
Published: March 2021

In this study, we measured the in situ international roughness index (IRI) for first-degree roads spanning more than 1300 km in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, using a quarter car (QC). Since road quality mapping with in situ measurements is a costly and time-consuming task, we also developed new equations for constructing a road quality proxy map (RQPM) using discriminant analysis and multispectral information from high-resolution Sentinel-2 images, which we calibrated using the in situ data on the basis of geographic information system (GIS) data. The developed equations using optimum index factor (OIF) and norm R provide a valuable tool for creating proxy maps and mitigating hazards at the network scale, not only for primary roads but also for secondary roads, and for reducing the costs of road quality monitoring. The overall accuracy and kappa coefficient of the norm R equation for road classification in East Azerbaijan province are 65.0% and 0.59, respectively.
Double-Scale Adaptive Transmission in Time-Varying Channel for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
Authors: Cen Yi , Liu Mingliu , Li Deshi , Meng Kaitao , Xu Huihui
Published: March 2021

The communication channel in underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) is time-varying due to the dynamic environmental factors, such as ocean current, wind speed, and temperature profile. Generally, these phenomena occur with a certain regularity, resulting in a similar variation pattern inherited in the communication channels. Based on these observations, the energy efficiency of data transmission can be improved by controlling the modulation method, coding rate, and transmission power according to the channel dynamics. Given the limited computational capacity and energy in underwater nodes, we propose a double-scale adaptive transmission mechanism for the UASNs, where the transmission configuration will be determined by the predicted channel states adaptively. In particular, the historical channel state series will first be decomposed into large-scale and small-scale series and then be predicted by a novel k-nearest neighbor search algorithm with sliding window. Next, an energy-efficient transmission algorithm is designed to solve the problem of long-term modulation and coding optimization. In particular, a quantitative model is constructed to describe the relationship between data transmission and the buffer threshold used in this mechanism, which can then analyze the influence of buffer threshold under different channel states or data arrival rates theoretically. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to verify the proposed schemes, and results show that they can achieve good performance in terms of channel prediction and energy consumption with moderate buffer length.
Split Ring Resonator-Based Bandstop Filter for Improving Isolation in Compact MIMO Antenna
Authors: Islam Hashinur , Das Saumya , Ali Tanweer , Kumar Pradeep , Dhar Sourav , Bose Tanushree
Published: March 2021

The ever-growing expectation for high data rates has led to the introduction of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technologies to wireless connectivity. Such a system requires an MIMO antenna with high isolation. At the same time, the MIMO dimension should not be compromised for achieving high isolation. Thus, isolation techniques that do not allow an increase in dimension need to be fostered for MIMO antenna design. In this paper, a novel low-profile, miniaturized MIMO antenna with high isolation was developed considering a split ring resonator (SRR)-based bandstop filter as a decoupling network. The bandstop filter was designed with a unit cell split ring resonator structure and was deployed between two closely spaced monopole MIMO antenna elements to obtain isolation as high as 39.25 dB at 2.61 GHz. Two open-circuit stub lines were attached with the MIMO feeding network to achieve good impedance matching at resonance frequency. The proposed antenna exhibited a peak gain of 3.8 dBi and radiation efficiency of 84%. It had a low envelop correlation coefficient (ECC < 0.12), high diversity gain (DG > 9.95 dB), low mean effective gain ratio (MEG 1/MEG 2 < 0.05 dB), and low channel capacity loss (CCL < 0.042 bits/s/Hz) at resonance frequency. The overall antenna dimension was restricted to 44 mm ×22 mm (0.38 λ0×0.19 λ0) for its easy integration in compact wireless devices.
A Termination Criterion for Probabilistic Point Clouds Registration
Authors: Fontana Simone , Sorrenti Domenico Giorgio
Published: March 2021

Probabilistic Point Clouds Registration (PPCR) is an algorithm that, in its multi-iteration version, outperformed state-of-the-art algorithms for local point clouds registration. However, its performances have been tested using a fixed high number of iterations. To be of practical usefulness, we think that the algorithm should decide by itself when to stop, on one hand to avoid an excessive number of iterations and waste computational time, on the other to avoid getting a sub-optimal registration. With this work, we compare different termination criteria on several datasets, and prove that the chosen one produces very good results that are comparable to those obtained using a very large number of iterations, while saving computational time.
The Polish Paradox: From a Fight for Democracy to the Political Radicalization and Social Exclusion
Authors: Kinowska-Mazaraki Zofia
Published: March 2021

Poland has gone through a series of remarkable political transformations over the last 30 years. It has changed from a communist state in the Soviet sphere of influence to an autonomic prosperous democracy and proud member of the EU. Paradoxically, since 2015, Poland seems to be heading rapidly in the opposite direction. It was the Polish Solidarity movement that started the peaceful revolution that subsequently triggered important democratic changes on a worldwide scale, including the demolition of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of Communism and the end of Cold War. Fighting for freedom and independence is an important part of Polish national identity, sealed with the blood of generations dying in numerous uprisings. However, participation in the democratic process is curiously limited in Poland. The right-wing, populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) won elections in Poland in 2015. Since then, Poles have given up more and more freedoms in exchange for promises of protection from different imaginary enemies, including Muslim refugees and the gay and lesbian community. More and more social groups are being marginalized and deprived of their civil rights. The COVID-19 pandemic has given the ruling party a reason to further limit the right of assembly and protest. Polish society is sinking into deeper and deeper divisions.
The Extraction of Prerequisite Criteria for Environmentally Certified Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings
Authors: Farjami Elnaz , Türker Özlem Olgaç
Published: March 2021

Heritage buildings provide a remarkable value for both the culture and the region where they are located; hence, there is a necessity for them to be conserved. Sustaining heritage buildings for future generations serves cultural sustainability and can be achieved through adaptive reuse with appropriate functions as an efficient conservation approach. Moreover, harnessing the embedded energy from adaptive reuse and the improvement of environmental performance in heritage buildings plays a significant role in ecological sustainability. The aim of the study was to investigate environmental rating systems (ERS) as ecological sustainability evaluation tools and to find out mutual aspects with adaptive reuse models (ARM), thus, serving cultural sustainability.
Challenges Threatening Agricultural Sustainability in the West of Iran: Viewpoint of Agricultural Experts
Authors: Maleksaeidi Hamideh , Jalali Mohammad , Eskandari Farzad
Published: March 2021

Sustainability has always been an emphasized topic in policy making and planning in the agricultural sector of developing countries. Despite this fact, sustainable agriculture has not been realized so far because of the various complex challenges in these countries. The lack of a structured scientific research on these challenges prompted us to conduct a study to fill this research gap and to create useful knowledge on this issue. In this regard, 300 Iranian agricultural experts, selected through stratified random sampling technique, were interviewed to explore and prioritize challenges threatening agricultural sustainability in the west of Iran. Findings indicated water scarcity and low productivity beside environmental and climate disasters were the most important challenges from the viewpoint of the participants. Moreover, insufficient investment in the agricultural sector and management weakness at the macro and micro levels were other significant challenges from the perspective of experts. Results of exploratory factor analysis indicated that the challenges threatening agricultural sustainability can be divided into nine categories including lack of investment and liquidity; environmental and climate disasters; scientific weakness; weakness of labor force in the agricultural sector; management problems; weakness of information systems; low agricultural productivity and lack of attention to quality; challenges related to agricultural inputs; and global challenges. This 9-factor structure, which confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis, was able to explain 67.52% of the variance related to the challenges threatening agricultural sustainability in the west of Iran.
Environmental Performance of Residential Buildings: A Life Cycle Assessment Study in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alhazmi Hatem , Alduwais Abdulilah K. , Tabbakh Thamer , Aljamlani Saad , Alkahlan Bandar , Kurdi Abdulaziz
Published: March 2021

The building and construction sector has a huge impact on the environment because of the enormous amounts of natural resources and energy consumed during the life cycle of construction projects. In this study, we evaluated the potential environmental impact of the construction of a villa, from cradle to grave, in the Saudi Arabian context. Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden (CML) for Centre of Environmental Science of Leiden University-IA baseline v3.03 methods were used to obtain the environmental profile for the impact categories, and Cumulative Energy Demand v1.09 was used to measure the embodied energy of the villa life cycle. The analyzed midpoint impact categories include global warming (GWP100a), ozone layer depletion (ODP), acidification (AP), eutrophication (EP), photochemical oxidation (POCP), and indicator cumulative energy demand (CED). The operation use phase of the villa was found to have the highest global warming potential and acidification with 2.61 × 106 kg CO2-eq and 1.75 × 104 kg SO2-eq, respectively. Sensitivity analysis was performed on the Saudi Arabian plans to increase the share of renewable sources and reduce the amount of electricity generated from hydrocarbons, which currently represents 46% of the total installed power, by 2032. The results showed that compared with the current electricity environmental impact, the CO2 emission from electricity will decrease by 53%, which represents a significant reduction in environmental impact. The findings will help with the life cycle assessment of structures during future planning and for energy conservation.
Engaging People with Energy Efficiency: A Randomised Controlled Trial Testing the Effects of Thermal Imaging Visuals in a Letter Communication
Authors: Goodhew Julie , Pahl Sabine , King Katy , Sanders Michael , Elliott Paul , Fox Matthew , Boomsma Christine , Goodhew Steve
Published: March 2021

The study tested the effect of adding visualisations to a communication to engage householders with an energy efficiency programme. External wall insulation is an appropriate way of insulating homes, yet take-up is low. Householders may be unaware of the heat loss from uninsulated walls. In earlier research, seeing thermal images prompted the uptake of simple energy efficiency actions amongst householders. Thermal images were added to a standard letter to visualise heat transfer from a home before and after external wall insulation had been installed. A randomised controlled trial tested three types of letter (standard, standard plus thermal image showing problem, standard plus thermal images showing problem and solution) in 5483 UK households. The target outcome was the rate of telephone enquiries after exposure to the letters. Enquiry rates were low (1.6%) and did not differ between letter type. We discuss the null effect in relation to the target action (external wall insulation), the manner of presentation of the visuals (mass communication, letter through the door) and the ingredients of a persuasive intervention. Findings suggest that taking a key ingredient from an intervention and applying it in a different context may result in the loss of its impact.
The Ecological Status of Juniperus foetidissima Forest Stands in the Mt. Oiti-Natura 2000 Site in Greece
Authors: Proutsos Nikolaos , Solomou Alexandra , Karetsos George , Tsagari Konstantinia , Mantakas George , Kaoukis Konstantinos , Bourletsikas Athanassios , Lyrintzis George
Published: March 2021

Junipers face multiple threats induced both by climate and land use changes, impacting their expansion and reproductive dynamics. The aim of this work is to evaluate the ecological status of Juniperus foetidissima Willd. forest stands in the protected Natura 2000 site of Mt. Oiti in Greece. The study of the ecological status is important for designing and implementing active management and conservation actions for the species’ protection. Tree size characteristics (height, breast height diameter), age, reproductive dynamics, seed production and viability, tree density, sex, and habitat expansion were examined. The data analysis revealed a generally good ecological status of the habitat with high plant diversity. However, at the different juniper stands, subpopulations present high variability and face different problems, such as poor tree density, reduced numbers of juvenile trees or poor seed production, inadequate male:female ratios, a small number of female trees, reduced numbers of seeds with viable embryos, competition with other woody species, grazing, and illegal logging. From the results, the need for site-specific active management and interventions is demonstrated in order to preserve or achieve the good status of the habitat at all stands in the region.
Long-Term Dynamic Behaviour of Human Resource Needs in Ghana’s Oil Sector: System Dynamics Approach
Authors: Obiri Kwadwo Ayeh , Omotayo Temitope S. , Bjeirmi Bassam , Boateng Prince
Published: March 2021

This study espouses a multi-strategy method comprising of a qualitative study and system dynamics (SD) to deliver the long-term dynamic behaviour of human resource development (HRD) in Ghana’s oil and gas sector. The adoption of the SD differed from previous studies addressing the local content implementation challenge of human resources, thereby allowing HRD to be considered a ‘system’ which, in turn, aided in comprehensively identifying and analysing the interrelationships among the dominant variables. Focal articles were reviewed to develop a causal loop diagram (CLD) for human resource and subsequently validated qualitatively. The CLD was used for analysing interconnections among the variables in the HRD and as a basis for developing the stock and flow diagram for projections. The study found that local content investment is projected to increase from $799 million to $3.0807 billion in 50 years, with a corresponding revenue increase from $29 billion to $44 billion in 50 years. Subsequent sensitivity analysis compared the local content model results under varying situations, which indicated the possibility of a demand for 20,000 local staff. The study further uncovered two critical issues affecting HRD, namely policy coordination and harmonisation and sustainable funding. These issues are exacerbated by the pervasive political interference in the administrative and operational functions of state oil and gas institutions.
Soil Erosion and Sediment Load Management Strategies for Sustainable Irrigation in Arid Regions
Authors: Bhatti Muhammad Tousif , Ashraf Muhammad , Anwar Arif A.
Published: March 2021

Soil erosion is a serious environmental issue in the Gomal River catchment shared by Pakistan and Afghanistan. The river segment between the Gomal Zam dam and a diversion barrage (~40 km) brings a huge load of sediments that negatively affects the downstream irrigation system, but the sediment sources have not been explored in detail in this sub-catchment. The analysis of flow and sediment data shows that the significant sediment yield is still contributing to the diversion barrage despite the Gomal Zam dam construction. However, the sediment share at the diversion barrage from the sub-catchment is much larger than its relative size. A spatial assessment of erosion rates in the sub-catchment with the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) shows that most of the sub-catchment falls into very severe and catastrophic erosion rate categories (>100 t h−1y−1). The sediment entry into the irrigation system can be managed both by limiting erosion in the catchment and trapping sediments into a hydraulic structure. The authors tested a scenario by improving the crop management factor in RUSLE as a catchment management option. The results show that improving the crop management factor makes little difference in reducing the erosion rates in the sub-catchment, suggesting other RUSLE factors, and perhaps slope is a more obvious reason for high erosion rates. This research also explores the efficiency of a proposed settling reservoir as a sediment load management option for the flows diverted from the barrage. The proposed settling reservoir is simulated using a computer-based sediment transport model. The modeling results suggest that a settling reservoir can reduce sediment entry into the irrigation network by trapping 95% and 25% for sand and silt particles, respectively. The findings of the study suggest that managing the sub-catchment characterizing an arid region and having steep slopes and barren mountains is a less compelling option to reduce sediment entry into the irrigation system compared to the settling reservoir at the diversion barrage. Managing the entire catchment (including upstream of Gomal Zam dam) can be a potential solution, but it would require cooperative planning due to the transboundary nature of the Gomal river catchment. The output of this research can aid policy and decision-makers to sustainably manage sedimentation issues in the irrigation network.
Cultural Heritage Education in UNESCO Cultural Conventions
Authors: Jagielska-Burduk Alicja , Pszczyński Mateusz , Stec Piotr
Published: March 2021

The aim of the article is to analyse UNESCO conventions dealing with culture and assess the visibility and importance of cultural heritage education in these conventions and their implementation. First, it briefly presents the role of UNESCO in the area of culture and education, together with the UN Agenda 2030 and the challenges faced currently. Next, it discusses the existing UNESCO cultural conventions and their educational dimension with reference to the conventions’ provisions and aims. Each convention refers to education in the activities undertaken by States Parties, providing various tools and measures tailored to the scope of the convention. The article concludes that despite a lack of synergy and creation of education-related programs in convention-related siloes, UNESCO has managed to create a uniform and evolving system of educational measures aimed at various stakeholders and focus on various levels of awareness. Cultural heritage education is an imminent part of activities undertaken within States’ obligations and should involve various stakeholders, building networks and existing in synergy with other actions or campaigns based on different conventions.
A New Multibranch Model for Metals in River Systems: Impacts and Control of Tannery Wastes in Bangladesh
Authors: Whitehead Paul Geoffrey , Mimouni Zineb , Butterfield Daniel , Bussi Gianbattista , Hossain Mohammed Abed , Peters Rebecca , Shawal Shammi , Holdship Phillip , Rampley Cordelia Petra Nadine , Jin Li , Ager Duane
Published: March 2021

A new multibranch Integrated Catchment (INCA) model INCA-Metals has been developed to simulate the impact of tannery discharges on river systems. The model accounts for the key chemical reaction kinetic processes operating as well as sedimentation, resuspension, dilution, mixing and redistribution of pollutants in rivers downstream of tannery discharge points and for mine discharges or acid rock drainage sites. The model is dynamic and simulates the daily behaviour of hydrology and eight metals, including cadmium, mercury, copper, zinc, lead, arsenic, manganese and chromium, as well as cyanide and ammonia. The model is semi-distributed and can simulate catchments, tributaries and instream river behaviour. The model can also account for diffuse pollution from rural runoff as well as point sources from effluent and trade discharges. The model has been applied to the new Savar tannery complex on the Dhaleshwari River system in Bangladesh to assess the impacts on pollution levels in the river system and to evaluate a set of treatment scenarios for pollution control, particularly in the dry season. It is shown that the new effluent treatment plant at Savar needs to significantly improve its operation and treatment capability in order to alleviate metal pollution in the downstream Dhaleshwari River System and also protect the Meghna River System that falls in the Bay of Bengal.
Going Green (and Not Being Just More Pro-Social): Do Attitude and Personality Specifically Influence Pro-Environmental Behavior?
Authors: Kesenheimer Jana S. , Greitemeyer Tobias
Published: March 2021

The current research examines the extent to which attitudes and personality traits are predictive of pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Concretely, we tested the relationship between pro-environmental attitudes, HEXACO personality traits, and actual PEB (donating potential prize money to a pro-environmental organization; N = 257). Additionally, we controlled for the influence of helping behavior (donating to a pro-social organization) by addressing whether attitudes and personality have a distinct impact on PEB or whether people are more likely to engage in PEB because they act more pro-socially in general. Analyses included correlations, multiple linear regressions, mediations, and partial correlations. Pro-environmental attitude had the most robust association with PEB and mediated the influence of openness to experiences and honesty–humility on PEB. Importantly, the relationship of pro-environmental attitudes and personality (openness to experiences and honesty–humility) with PEB was unaffected by the participant’s helping behavior, suggesting that pro-environmental people mainly care about the environment and are not necessarily more pro-social in general.
Distributed Power Sources to Improve the Decent Living Standard (DLS) in the Ethnic Minority Areas of Myanmar
Authors: Numata Masako , Sugiyama Masahiro , Mogi Gento
Published: March 2021

Myanmar has been suffering from ethnic conflicts for approximately 70 years. The instability remains ongoing, and villagers in ceasefire areas are vulnerable. To ensure that no one is left behind, sustainable development in these areas should consider local needs. The objective of this study was to identify the living conditions required by local villagers such that they do not exacerbate conflicts. We interviewed stakeholders related to the peace process and rural electrification in Myanmar to identify the needs in conflict-affected areas. Needs were identified using the decent living standard (DLS) as the main analytical framework and energy justice as a complementary framework. The results show a strong local need for mobile phones and the importance of access to information provided by mobile phones and other dimensions of DLS, such as education and health care. For electrification options, off-grid solar products were found to be less likely to exacerbate conflicts compared to large-scale power plants. Historically, the latter has caused many issues related to energy justice.
Corporate Responsibility Disclosure, Information Environment and Analysts’ Recommendations: Evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Wan-Hussin Wan Nordin , Qasem Ameen , Aripin Norhani , Ariffin Mohd Shazwan Mohd
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study was to extend our understanding of how corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures impact capital market participants, specifically sell-side analysts. The sample of this study was based on a dataset from a panel of 285 Malaysian firms for the period of 2008–2013 (738 firm-year observations). This study employed ordinary least square regression. This study found that firms with better CSR disclosures are more likely to receive optimistic investment recommendations. Subsample analyses revealed that the CSR-recommendation nexus is more pronounced under a transparent information environment (i) when there is less family control and (ii) when a firm is audited by a prominent Big Four auditor. The results implied that analysts tend to give favorable stock recommendations to high CSR companies operating in a more transparent information environment. To gain analysts’ confidence and make them more appreciative of the CSR disclosures, family firms with proactive CSR engagement are encouraged to switch to Big Four auditors or to seek assurance on their CSR reports. This study broadens our understanding of the factors influencing analysts’ recommendations and the preferences of analysts towards CSR engagement in an emerging market. This paper expands the literature on how corporate responsibility disclosures impact analysts’ final output, as reflected in the recommendation opinion, an area that has so far received little attention, particularly in emerging markets. Furthermore, this study also provides fresh evidence that analyst behavior towards CSR disclosures varies based on the strength of the firm’s information environment.
Vegetation Response to Goats Grazing Intensity in Semiarid Hilly Grassland of the Loess Plateau, Lanzhou, China
Authors: Cheng Hua , Jin Baocheng , Luo Kai , Pei Jiuying , Zhang Xueli , Zhang Yonghong , Tang Jiaqi , Yang Qin , Sun Guojun
Published: March 2021

Quantitatively estimating the grazing intensity (GI) effects on vegetation in semiarid hilly grassland of the Loess Plateau can help to develop safe utilization levels for natural grasslands, which is a necessity of maintaining livestock production and sustainable development of grasslands. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), field vegetation data, and 181 days (one goat per day) of GPS tracking were combined to quantify the spatial pattern of GI, and its effects on the vegetation community structure. The spatial distribution of GI was uneven, with a mean value of 0.50 goats/ha, and 95% of the study area had less than 1.30 goats/ha. The areas with utilization rates of rangeland (July) lower than 45% and 20% made up about 95% and 60% of the study area, respectively. Grazing significantly reduced monthly aboveground biomass, but the grazing effects on plant growth rate were complex across the different plant growth stages. Grazing impaired plant growth in general, but the intermediate GI appeared to facilitate plant growth rate at the end of the growing seasons. Grazing had minimal relationship with vegetation community structure characteristics, though Importance Value of forbs increased with increasing GI. Flexibility in the number of goats and conservatively defining utilization rate, according to the inter-annual variation of utilization biomass, would be beneficial to achieve ecologically healthy and economically sustainable GI.
Methodology for Determining the Location of River Ports on a Modernized Waterway Based on Non-Cost Criteria: A Case Study of the Odra River Waterway
Authors: Wiśnicki Bogusz , Dybkowska-Stefek Dorota , Relisko-Rybak Justyna , Kolanda Łukasz
Published: March 2021

The paper responds to research problems related to the implementation of large-scale investment projects in waterways in Europe. As part of design and construction works, it is necessary to indicate river ports that play a major role within the European transport network as intermodal nodes. This entails a number of challenges, the cardinal one being the optimal selection of port locations, taking into account the new transport, economic, and geopolitical situation that will be brought about by modernized waterways. The aim of the paper was to present an original methodology for determining port locations for modernized waterways based on non-cost criteria, as an extended multicriteria decision-making method (MCDM) and employing GIS (Geographic Information System)-based tools for spatial analysis. The methodology was designed to be applicable to the varying conditions of a river’s hydroengineering structures (free-flowing river, canalized river, and canals) and adjustable to the requirements posed by intermodal supply chains. The method was applied to study the Odra River Waterway, which allowed the formulation of recommendations regarding the application of the method in the case of different river sections at every stage of the research process.