bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of the Physical Behaviour and the Carbothermal Reduction of Self-Reducing Briquettes Developed with Iron Ore Fines, Charcoal and Silica Fume Residues
Authors: Pascoal Aline da Luz , Rossoni Hygor Aristides Victor , Kaffash Hamideh , Tangstad Merete , Henriques Andréia Bicalho
Published: September 2022

Self-reducing briquettes made with waste (silica fume, iron ore and charcoal fines) from the FeSi75 industry were studied. The objective was to determine if these briquettes could be used as a complementary load in submerged arc furnaces (SAF). Characterization of this waste was performed and the briquettes were produced without and with binders (Portland cement, hydrated lime, and sodium silicate), in accordance with the proportion of binder (2.50%; 5.00%; 7.50% and 10.00%). These self-reducing briquettes were tested for apparent density, porosity, shatter strength and resistance to hot degradation. To select the best briquettes, pre-established set points were used based on the scientific literature. Within this framework, only two treatments—out of a total of 52—met all the requirements of eligibility. In the two types of briquettes, the binder of solid silicate (5.00 and 7.50%) was produced with 15.00% of water. The briquettes have the following characteristics: apparent density: 1165 kg/m3 and 1247 kg/m3 respectively, porosity: 46.2% and 46.0%; shatter strength (1.50 m): 99.3% and 98.8%; and resistance to thermal degradation: 81.2% and 82.5%. Reduction tests to investigate the self-reducing character, under different heating temperatures (1750, 1800, 1850 and 2000 °C) were performed on these two treatments. The metallic phases that were identified by SEM/EDS analyses were Si, FeSi, FeSi2, thus obtaining the production of FeSi50 and FeSi75, in addition to the formation of the SiC and slag. It was found that the values for SiO gas formation are in the same range as in the industrial FeSi furnace. From the results, it is possible to verify the potential for carbothermal reduction of these residues, but it is punctuated by the need for more research aimed at optimizing the mass percentage in the formulation.
The Digital Economy Empowers the Sustainable Development of China’s Agriculture-Related Industries
Authors: Leng Xiaochen , Tong Guangji
Published: September 2022

Firstly, based on the data of China’s noncompetitive input–output tables from 2002 to 2017, this paper comprehensively grasps the integration trend of China’s agriculture-related industries and digital economy industries by constructing integration contribution and interaction indicators. Secondly, the correlation between the two industries is analyzed more intuitively with the help of the APL (Average Propagation Length) model. Finally, it analyzes the coordination of the digital economy industry and the transformation of the agriculture industry with the help of the grey correlation method. The results show that the digital economy industries contribute the most in absolute terms, compared to other industries, to the agro-processing industry and have the highest degree of integration and interaction with the agricultural product transportation and marketing industry. In terms of the breakdown of the digital economy industries, digital product manufacturing is weakly linked to agriculture-related industries, but the coordination among the transformation and upgrading of agriculture is gradually improving. Compared to digital product manufacturing, the digital technology application industry has a higher direct contribution to the agriculture-related industry. After 2012, the overall driving and pulling effect on the agriculture-related industry is basically the same, and the coordination with agricultural transformation and upgrading is optimal. The contribution of the digital factor-driven industry to agriculture-related industries experienced an explosive period after 2012, with the highest overall contribution and strongest industrial linkage between the two, while coordination with the transformation and upgrading of agriculture decreases. Therefore, in combination with the No. 1 document of the Central Government in 2022, which specifically calls for the implementation of the “digital business to promote agriculture” project and the promotion of e-commerce in the countryside, this paper puts forward suggestions to give full play to the role of digital technology in the sustainable development of agriculture-related industries.
Smart Cities and Tourism: The Case of Tel Aviv-Yafo
Authors: Herscovici Arie , Dahan Gavriel , Cohen Gil
Published: September 2022

This study explores tourists’ preferences and how Smart Cities (SC) can provide for them, using Tel Aviv-Yafo (TLV) as a case study. The theoretical model that we suggest measures gaps between the tourists’ perceived importance of the city’s characteristics, such as transportation, personal safety, recreation, etc., and their satisfaction with them. Then we evaluate the extent to which an SC can narrow those gaps and thereby enhance tourists’ satisfaction. The evaluation was performed by aligning each characteristic with a relevant indicator of the SC standard ISO 37122. Our model identified that SC measures can contribute the most to TLV tourists’ experience in the following aspects: information, transportation, personal safety, and disabled accessibility. Therefore, those aspects should be prioritized to improve tourists’ satisfaction and a promote longer stay in the city. We also recommend that cities will continuously challenge themselves with the most advanced technologies that will enable every single tourist to fully experience the city for all purposes of visits and for the different time frames of stay.
Impact of Alternative Forms of Transport on Urban Freight Congestion
Authors: Masłowski Dariusz , Kulińska Ewa , Komada Gennadij
Published: September 2022

Increasing congestion, environmental pollution, and the resulting full impatience of inhabitants contribute to the search for new solutions to move around the city. Therefore, city dwellers are increasingly turning to alternative means of transport such as bicycles, scooters, monocycles, etc. Recently, this way of traveling around the city has been flourishing. Therefore, the authors decided to investigate the phenomenon of the popularization of alternative forms of urban transport and to determine the influence of this kind of travel on freight transport and sustainable urban development. The research was based on four Polish cities: Wroclaw, Katowice, Opole, and Kedzierzyn-Kozle. The selection was made more precise by indicating two large and two small urban centers. The research was carried out by means of a questionnaire survey addressed to the inhabitants of those centers, specifying their preferences regarding journeys in the cities, as well as through direct interviews with companies providing cargo transport in the cities. The final part of the study is to propose solutions that, based on the residents’ preferences, will reduce their travel by car in favor of alternative transport, thus enhancing freight transport.
Sustainable Teaching Strategies to Teach Indigenous Students: Their Relations to Students’ Engaged Learning and Teachers’ Self-Concept
Authors: Han Feifei
Published: September 2022

To help Indigenous Australian students engage with academic work, educators and teachers alike need to understand what teaching strategies are beneficial for Indigenous students’ learning. This study examines the predictions of the three types of Indigenous teaching strategies, namely, integrative teaching (integrating Indigenous perspectives in teaching), community linking (utilising Indigenous community input), and culture sharing (encouraging Indigenous students to share cultural values), to Indigenous students’ engaged learning and teachers’ self-concept in teaching. With 208 teachers surveyed from 52 Australian urban and rural primary schools, we found that culture sharing had positive contributions to Indigenous students’ engaged learning, whereas integrative teaching and community linking positively predicted teachers’ self-concept in Indigenous teaching. These differential patterns suggest useful strategies for enhancing student- or teacher-focused outcomes, respectively. How to successfully integrate these Indigenous teaching strategies is a key to successful teaching practice, as these strategies cannot only improve Indigenous students’ engaged learning but, at the same time, may foster teachers’ confidence in teaching Indigenous students.
Understory Clearing in Open Grazed Mediterranean Oak Forests: Assessing the Impact on Vegetation
Authors: Castro Marina , Castro João Paulo , Castro José
Published: September 2022

Over recent years, rural abandonment and climate change have challenged grazed wooded landscapes in Mediterranean mountain regions. Fire hazard management procedures such as grazing, prescribed burning, or mechanical clearing must be adjusted to the new socioeconomic and environmental situation and according to the context and circumstances of each territory. This study contributes to adjusting vegetation management techniques in response to low grazing pressure by evaluating the combined effect of mechanical clearing and grazing on the structural and floristic dynamics of understory vegetation in the open-grazed Mediterranean oak forests of northern Portugal. To this end, three treatments were established: mechanical clearing with grazing, mechanical clearing without grazing, and grazing without clearing (the control). The floristic inventories were carried out using the point quadrat method, and the structure was evaluated using line transects. Herbaceous biomass was determined by destructive methods. This study shows that mechanical vegetation clearing effectively reduces phytovolume and, thus, fire hazards. However, for its effects to endure, it must be combined with subsequent grazing, which does not always occur. No consistent pattern was found in the floristic dynamics of the shrub-grassland mosaic (species richness and diversity) related to shrub-clearing or grazing over the short term (24 months).
Visual Management Requirements to Support Design Planning and Control within Digital Contexts
Authors: Pedó Bárbara , Formoso Carlos T. , Viana Daniela D. , Tzortzopoulos Patricia , Brandalise Fernanda M. P. , Whitelock-Wainwright Andrew
Published: September 2022

Difficulties in managing the construction design process are strongly related to its nature, as a large number of interdependent decisions are involved, which need to be made by many different stakeholders, in an environment that has a high degree of uncertainty. Moreover, there is a growing use of digital tools to support design. Traditional communication approaches used in design management only partially comply with the requirements of digital contexts, and new methods and tools are necessary to address these challenges. Visual Management (VM) has the potential to increase process transparency in the design stage, in order to support collaboration and communication and facilitate the transfer of information. However, the literature on the implementation of VM to support design management is still scarce. Moreover, there is limited understanding of the connection between VM and information and communication technologies (ICT). This investigation aims to propose a set of requirements to support VM applications for design planning and control within digital contexts, which can potentially contribute to improving the effectiveness of VM. This set of requirements were initially identified within the literature, considering different fields of knowledge, and then refined in an empirical study that was developed in collaboration with an infrastructure design and consultancy company in the UK. The Design Science Research approach was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation, which involved incremental learning cycles for devising the artefact, carried out in three different projects. The main findings include (i) the definition of a set of VM requirements that are applicable to the context investigated in this research study; (ii) an assessment of the relevance of the requirements for different types of visual practices, hierarchical planning levels, and stakeholders that are involved; (iii) the identification of some current limitations and challenges of implementing digital VM in construction design. From a practical perspective, this set of requirements may guide practitioners and academics in devising and assessing digital VM practices.
Data-Driven Optimal Battery Storage Sizing for Grid-Connected Hybrid Distributed Generations Considering Solar and Wind Uncertainty
Authors: Rauf Abdul , Kassas Mahmoud , Khalid Muhammad
Published: September 2022

A large-scale renewable-based sustainable power system requires multifaced techno-economic optimization and energy penetration. Due to the volatile and non-periodic nature of renewable energy, the uncertainty of renewables combined with load uncertainties significantly impacts the operational efficiency of renewable integration. The complexities in balancing demand, generation, and maintaining system reliability have introduced new challenges in the current distribution system. Most of the associated challenges can be effectively reduced by using a battery energy storage system (BESS) and the right techniques for handling uncertainties. In this paper, a distributionally robust optimization (DRO) technique with a linear decision rule is formulated for the unit commitment (UC) framework for optimal scheduling of a distribution network that consists of a wind farm, solar PV, a distributed generator (DG), and BESS. To cut the energy cost per unit, BESS plays an important role by storing energy at an off-peak time for on-peak-time use with relatively lower prices. For the all-time minimum overall systems cost, the distribution system requires an optimal size of the BESS to be connected to provide optimal scheduling of DGs. Three case studies are formulated using an IEEE 14 bus system (converted from MW to kW to match the BESS size available in the market) and solved with the proposed distributionally robust optimization technique to achieve the maximum operating point with an optimal capacity of BESS, i.e., wind, solar and hybrid. Each case study has its own optimal 30-min interval schedule for DGs along with the optimal capacity of BESS. The cost comparison with and without BESS and its impact on the start-up and shut down of DGs is reported with all the dynamic economic dispatch results, including the battery’s state-of-charge profile. The proposed technique can handle the uncertainties in renewables and allows economical energy dispatch and optimal BESS sizing with comparatively lower computational processing and complexities.
International Projects as a New Way to Solve Global Problems, Case Study of a European Project
Authors: Fombona Javier , Pascual Maria Angeles , Listopadzka Ewa
Published: September 2022

The new post-pandemic world scenario suggests that the design and implementation of projects and research at the international level is important. This is a challenge given the scarcity of reference models on how these initiatives should be carried out. Thus, it is important to know guidelines on research projects, especially in the international context. This is the case of an Erasmus project aimed at teachers of adults. The aim of the project is to tackle major problems, such as unemployment, social exclusion, and ignorance of European heritage. This case is shown with a descriptive approach of the main activities, the necessary justification, the innovations observed in companies, and the quantification of final achievements. In these initiatives, it is important to describe the results both at a tangible level, as well as intangible ones. The intangible results are difficult to quantify, but also important, such as the increase in knowledge, the creation of bonds of friendship, or the dissemination of innovations on media and networks.
Effect of Rainfall on Soil Aggregate Breakdown and Transportation on Cultivated Land in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China
Authors: Zhao Yikai , Wang Han , Chen Xiangwei , Fu Yu
Published: September 2022

To clarify the characteristics of soil aggregate breakdown and transportation by rainfall, the cultivated land (0–10 cm) of the black soil region of Northeast China was taken as the research object, with rainfall intensities of 78 and 127 mm·h−1 (RI78, RI127), to analyze the differences in the mass transported, fraction size distribution, mean weight diameter (MWD) and enrichment rate of aggregates before and after runoff generation. Before runoff generation, the total mass of transported aggregates, the total mass percentage of the aggregate fraction size < 1 mm and the MWD of the transported aggregates were not significantly different at rainfall intensities of 78 and 127 mm·h−1. After runoff generation, the mass of transported aggregates was greater than that before runoff generation, and the mass of transported aggregates under RI78 was significantly higher than that under RI127, by 15.6%. The mass percentage of the aggregate fraction size < 0.053 mm after runoff generation was significantly reduced by 8.4% and 19.4% compared to that before runoff generation. After runoff generation, compared with before runoff generation, the MWD of the transported aggregates was significantly reduced by 50.9% and 50.3% under RI78 and RI127, respectively. Compared with before runoff generation, the mass percentage of small macroaggregates increased gradually with the increase in the transport distance. The aggregate fraction size > 0.25 mm was lost, and the fraction size < 0.25 mm was enriched, before and after runoff generation. A comparative study on the characteristics of black soil aggregate breakdown and transportation before and after runoff generation can provide a theoretical basis for the mechanism of soil erosion and the transportation of cultivated soil in the black soil region of Northeast China.
Evolutionary Participatory Selection for Organic Heterogeneous Material: A Case Study with Ox-Heart Tomato in Italy
Authors: Petitti Matteo , Castro-Pacheco Sergio , Lo Fiego Antonio , Cerbino Domenico , Di Luzio Paolo , De Santis Giuseppe , Bocci Riccardo , Ceccarelli Salvatore
Published: September 2022

Cultivars specifically adapted to organic agriculture are lacking in most crops, and tomato is no exception. Evolutionary-participatory breeding (EPB) combines the adaptive ability of evolutionary populations with farmers’ selection, thus representing a cost-effective strategy for the development of novel organic heterogeneous material, as introduced by the European regulation on organic agriculture (EU) 2018/848. An F4 ox-heart tomato composite cross population (CCP), derived from a half-diallel cross of four local varieties chosen for their superior performance under organic conditions, was submitted to both natural and farmers’ selection on three organic farms and at one research station in Italy. During field days held at each location before harvest, farmers visually scored 400 plants, all of which were carried forward to develop the natural selection (NS) population, while the 20 best ranking plants were chosen to develop the farmers’ selection (FS). After two cycles of selection (2018 and 2019), one NS and one FS population were obtained at each location. After this two-year selection process, in 2020, the eight populations (four NS and four FS), were evaluated in a randomised complete block trial in the four locations of selection and evolution. Four local varieties chosen by farmers and two modern varieties (one open pollinated variety and one F1 hybrid) were added as controls. The ANOVA showed significant differences among entries for all traits. Entry-by-location interactions were larger than the genetic effect for the overall evaluation, yield at first harvest, total yield and percentage of marketable yield. This confirms the importance of decentralising selection when seeking to develop specifically adapted varieties and/or populations. Evidence was observed of the effectiveness of participatory selection for improving the yield at first harvest, with a slight trade-off effect for the total yield and plant vigour.
Dynamic Influences of FDI and R&D Expenditures on IT Business Value: An Empirical Test from China
Authors: Zhang Zhiguang , Hu Haiqing , Zhao Xin , Bai Yangrui
Published: September 2022

Information technology (IT) has become common in various economic and social fields, accompanied by the objective of facilitating the development of human society. However, the business value of IT has always been uncertain, with the IT “productivity paradox” problem becoming a core research topic. Previous studies on this issue have largely ignored the influences of national characteristics, such as foreign direct investment (FDI) and research and development (R&D) expenditure, on the business value of IT. To address this research gap, this study examined the dynamic influences of FDI and R&D expenditures on the business value of IT. Based on the assumption that the adjustment speed of economic growth is affected by both FDI and R&D expenditures, we established a partial adjustment model of dynamic adjustment speed and the individual and combined effects of FDI and R&D expenditures during the period from 2000 to 2017 to empirically examine the economic performance of China and its “productivity paradox” problem. The findings revealed that the individual and combined effects of FDI and R&D expenditures significantly improved the adjustment speed and economic performance of China during that period, that IT significantly influenced economic growth but did not improve economic performance, and that an IT “productivity paradox” existed in China at that time. In addition, IT-driven changes in economic performance could be compensated for or replaced by FDI and R&D expenditures, suggesting that these two factors have a substitutive or complementary effect on IT-driven changes. Therefore, the business value of IT business value was not determined by IT itself; rather, the important effects of national macroscopic factors, including FDI and R&D expenditures, must be taken into account.
Trainers’ Characteristics Affecting Online Training Effectiveness: A Pre-Experiment among Students in a Malaysian Secondary School
Authors: Aziz Siti Fardaniah Abdul , Hussein Norashikin , Husin Nor Azilah , Ibrahim Muhamad Ariff
Published: September 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the implementation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), especially in the educational system, in which online learning can also be used as online training among school students. Interestingly, prior studies have highlighted trainers’ role as the most important factor affecting online training. However, prior studies that reported the effectiveness of online training among school students and the right trainers’ characteristics to sustain its effectiveness have been very limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine online training effectiveness among 150 students in a Malaysian high school using pre-experimental research. Trainers’ characteristics perceived by participants were also determined and compared between classroom and online training. Findings indicated that online training was significantly effective regardless of gender and race differences; trainers’ characteristics explained 40.5% of variance in online training effectiveness. However, the school students preferred classroom training compared to online training; trainers’ characteristics were better in classroom training. Hence, it can be concluded that online training among school students can be effective; however, the characteristics of trainers can be improved to sustain the effectiveness of online training. These results have implications for the sustainability of effective 4IR in the educational system for the post-pandemic era.
The Effect of Authentic Leadership of Deans and Directors on Sustainable Organizational Commitment at Universities: Mediated by Organizational Culture and Trust
Authors: Jung Joo-Young
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between deans and directors of Korean universities on the organizational commitment of university professors, and the mediating effects of organizational culture and organizational trust. A survey was conducted with full-time professors at 20 universities; 387 responses were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was performed using a two-step approach to achieve the research purpose, and the mediating effects were tested using phantom variables. The analysis revealed that the authentic leadership of deans and directors significantly and positively affected organizational trust, culture, and commitment, with trust being a more important mediator than culture. This study is significant in that most previous studies on university leadership have focused on the university president, the top-level policymaker, and used measurement tools designed for business organizations. Conversely, this study focused on deans and directors, the middle managers at universities, and adapted existing diagnostic tools for universities in Korea with horizontal organizational structures based on academic experience. In Korea, there is currently an emphasis on university reform, evaluation, and financial support. Thus, the importance of deans and directors as the key administrative workforce and enablers in creating a healthy organizational culture is in the spotlight The results suggest the urgent necessity for investment in leadership training for these positions.
Importance of Top Management Commitment to Organizational Citizenship Behaviour towards the Environment, Green Training and Environmental Performance in Pakistani Industries
Authors: Memon Salman Bashir , Rasli Amran , Dahri Abdul Samad , Hermilinda Abas Imelda
Published: September 2022

This research examines the interplay of green training, organisational citizenship behaviour toward the environment, top management commitment, and environmental performance in four different industrial units in Pakistan. These units have been implementing environmentally friendly policies and conforming their environmental activities to the regulatory framework of Pakistan’s National Environment Quality Standards in a sustainable manner. In particular, this research aims to ascertain how green training affects organisational citizenship behaviour toward the environment, and to evaluate the impact of top management commitment to environmental performance and green training. According to hypothesis testing results based on 222 key informants randomly recruited from the industry, green training positively relates to civic organisational behaviour toward the environment. In addition, top management commitment is entirely related to environmental performance. In contrast, green training is also positively associated with top management commitment. This study supports the ability motivation opportunity and resource-based view theories by demonstrating that top management commitment is a key factor in encouraging environmental performance and promoting green training that leads to organisational citizenship behaviour toward the environment. This study has several limitations, as the cross-sectional data were only from the manufacturing sector in Pakistan. The researchers strongly suggest that future studies use mixed-method research to understand the phenomenon better. Future researchers could conduct comparative research by using the current instrument in the service sector. Finally, future researchers could use multilevel modelling and potential moderators and mediators to constructively re-examine the model tested in this study by incorporating new variables accordingly.
Assessing Ground Vibration Caused by Rock Blasting in Surface Mines Using Machine-Learning Approaches: A Comparison of CART, SVR and MARS
Authors: Komadja Gbétoglo Charles , Rana Aditya , Glodji Luc Adissin , Anye Vitalis , Jadaun Gajendra , Onwualu Peter Azikiwe , Sawmliana Chhangte
Published: September 2022

Ground vibration induced by rock blasting is an unavoidable effect that may generate severe damages to structures and living communities. Peak particle velocity (PPV) is the key predictor for ground vibration. This study aims to develop a model to predict PPV in opencast mines. Two machine-learning techniques, including multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and classification and regression tree (CART), which are easy to implement by field engineers, were investigated. The models were developed using a record of 1001 real blast-induced ground vibrations, with ten (10) corresponding blasting parameters from 34 opencast mines/quarries from India and Benin. The suitability of one technique over the other was tested by comparing the outcomes with the support vector regression (SVR) algorithm, multiple linear regression, and different empirical predictors using a Taylor diagram. The results showed that the MARS model outperformed other models in this study with lower error (RMSE = 0.227) and R2 of 0.951, followed by SVR (R2 = 0.87), CART (R2 = 0.74) and empirical predictors. Based on the large-scale cases and input variables involved, the developed models should lead to better representative models of high generalization ability. The proposed MARS model can easily be implemented by field engineers for the prediction of blasting vibration with reasonable accuracy.
Investigating the Impact of Financial Inclusion Drivers, Financial Literacy and Financial Initiatives in Fostering Sustainable Growth in North India
Authors: Pandey Amit , Kiran Ravi , Sharma Rakesh Kumar
Published: September 2022

The present study examines how successful we are in achieving financial inclusiveness, investigating the influence of the drivers of financial inclusion (FI), financial literacy, and financial initiatives on sustainable growth. The drivers of FI considered are digitalization, technology, and usage. This study proceeds with a difference and investigates the impact of the drivers on sustainable growth through the mediation of financial literacy. The basic purpose is to understand whether mediation assists in enhancing the impact of the drivers of FI on sustainable growth. Sustainable growth is measured by knowing customers’ perceptions regarding FI success through the achievement of the SDGs, viz., SDGs 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 17, especially related to poverty alleviation; removing gender inequality; and promoting industrial growth. The study uses PLS-SEM modeling to investigate the impact of the drivers of FI, financial literacy, and financial initiatives on sustainable growth. The results highlight that usage, digitalization, and FinTech emerged as significant drivers of FI. The study assesses the direct impact of the drivers of FI on sustainable growth and the indirect effect through the mediation of financial literacy. This is indicative of the importance of financial literacy in accentuating the impact of the drivers on sustainable growth. However, financial initiatives positively impact sustainable growth in the northern region of India as well.
Highly Concentrated Solar Flux of Large Fresnel Lens Using CCD Camera-Based Method
Authors: Zhang Kexin , Su Ying , Wang Haiyu , Wang Qian , Wang Kai , Niu Yisen , Song Jifeng
Published: September 2022

Fresnel lens is a kind of lens that can concentrate sunlight up to a level of thousands of suns with small space occupation which is widely used in the research of sunlight concentration and transmission systems via optical fiber. Most studies on the concentrated flux of lenses use experimental methods to measure the flux distribution on the receiver of parabolic trough solar concentrators, solar power towers, and parabolic dish concentrators, while for Fresnel lenses, especially large-aperture Fresnel lenses such as the one in this manuscript, the simulation approach was mostly used. In response to this problem, this study has developed an experimental system for measuring the concentrated flux density of Fresnel lenses. A charge-coupled device (CCD) camera was used to capture the image of spot of large-aperture (968 mm) Fresnel lenses in the CCD camera-based method, and a heat flow meter was used to calibrate the spot brightness image obtained by the CCD camera. Experimental data show that the peak flux of concentrated spot can reach 4.06 MW/m2. This method confirms the simulation results of previous studies that using the rays tracing method, that is, the flux level of the Fresnel lenses can reach 5000 suns. The experimental results demonstrated the CCD camera-based method combined with a heat flow meter is competent in measuring the intensity of flux with a level of 5000 suns.
Response of Soil Moisture to Long-Duration Rainstorms in Three Forest Stands in Mountainous Areas of North China
Authors: Tong Xuhui , Ren Xinlei , Chen Yu
Published: September 2022

Rainfall is one of the core components of the water cycle in terrestrial ecosystems and is closely related to hydrothermal balance, plant and animal growth, and stability of the whole ecosystem. Long-duration rainstorms can alter the soil structure of forest ecosystems and affect the spatial distribution of soil moisture, thus affecting the water supply from the soil to trees and being one of the factors that increase the vulnerability of forest ecosystems. In recent years, changes in rainfall patterns have normalized prolonged heavy rainfall in the mountainous areas of North China. However, there are few reports on the response of soil water at different depths to historically long rainstorms in forested areas. By quantifying the relationship between precipitation characteristics and soil water, the soil water transport patterns of Platycladus orientalis (PO), Quercus variabilis (QV) and Pinus tabuliformis (PT) during the long-duration rainstorms of 21–22 July 2012 were evaluated separately, and the roles of different plants in response to the historically long rainstorm were determined. The results showed that (1) the response of different forest stands to rainfall had a lag. Among them, the soil water of PO and PT were less affected by rainfall and could maintain a relatively stable state. (2) The soil moisture transport trend of PO was significantly greater than that of other vegetation zones and covered the whole process of rainfall. Under the three typical vegetation covers, there was a continuous zero-flux plane in the soil at each observed depth (the direction of soil moisture flow is more stable over the rainfall period), but there was no regular transport trend. (3) The root system was an important factor, influencing the differences in soil moisture response of the three vegetation types. QV had a higher average effective water recharge rate than lateral cypress and oleander and could better utilize the water recharge from storm water.
A Human Growth Perspective on Sustainable HRM Practices, Worker Well-Being and Organizational Performance
Authors: Tortia Ermanno C. , Sacchetti Silvia , López-Arceiz Francisco J.
Published: September 2022

Care services pose new challenges and opportunities for the implementation of sustainable HRM practices related to worker involvement and well-being because of their relational nature. The article is framed in terms of the job demands and resources model and discusses the impact of sustainable HRM (SHRM) practices on organizational performance in terms of service quality and organizational innovation in social and care services. A possible mediating role of immaterial satisfaction between SHRM and performance is also considered. We use national survey data including 4134 workers in 310 matched nonprofit social enterprises in Italy. The results show that HRM practices linked to task autonomy, teamwork, and involvement positively influence immaterial satisfaction, while at the same time immaterial satisfaction and HRM features related to involvement and workload support performance. The mediating role of immaterial satisfaction is not confirmed, but its effect adds positively to involvement in improving performance. This work contributes to the literature on organizational performance and HRM sustainability, which are particularly important in the face of ongoing social change and organizational innovation in social and relational service delivery.
Quality of Life Subjective Expectations and Exchange from Hosting Mega-Events
Authors: Kim Jangwon , Han Jongnye , Kim Eunjeong , Kim Chulwon
Published: September 2022

This study examined residents’ quality of life contexts due to the mega-events (F1 Korean Grand Prix 2010 and 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics) based on an insider’s perspective (emic approach). The study investigated the residents’ quality of life contexts due to hosting the mega-events, which are suitable for understanding changes in social patterns among residents. Specifically, the study investigated diverse phenomena surrounding two mega-events and their relation to the quality of life with qualitative methods of participant observation and in-depth interviews. The phenomenon for the quality of life represented socioeconomic effect, educational impact on the local community, infrastructure development, recreational and cultural experience, emotional use of life, community spirit, and direct economic exchange. The subject phenomenon of quality of life examined the Residents’ Perception of Quality of Life, Subjective Expectations and Exchange, and the Relationship Model. The relationship model shows that the mega-event host community residents’ daily life experience from the individual or collective social exchanges influences their perception of the quality of life and the areas of life. Meanwhile, the factors, including individual social interaction, recreational and cultural experience, and the emotional use of life, positively or negatively influence the residents’ perception of the quality of life. Finally, the standards and procedures of the perception of the quality of life appear different depending on the type of residents and whether they have direct economic exchange experience.
Study on Stability Discrimination Technology of Stope Arch Structure
Authors: Li Quansheng , Zhang Yanjun , Zhao Yongqiang , Zhu Yuanhao , Yan Yueguan
Published: September 2022

The stress of rock strata changes under mining action, and the arch structure will be formed around the mining area. The stability study of the arch structure has crucial scientific value for solving the problems of stope pressure and surface subsidence. In this paper, the development process of rock strata arch structure is studied by theoretical analysis and particle flow numerical simulation, and the stability of the arch structure is analyzed. At the same time, based on the rock strata breaking theory, the calculation formulas of the development height and the critical width of the instability of the arch structure are obtained, and the correctness of the formula is verified by numerical simulation. The results show that during the mining stage of the working face, the rock strata arch structure has experienced the process of arching-arch breaking, and the instability of the arch structure is the root cause of increasing surface subsidence damage. The arch structure development height h is the sum of rock strata breaking height Hi and unbroken rock strata arch development height Hig. The theoretical calculation shows that when the width:depth ratio of the working face is 1.60, the height of the arch structure exceeds the bedrock top, which is consistent with the numerical simulation results and verifies the correctness of the formula. By defining the instability coefficient C of rock strata arch structure, a method to judge the stability of the arch structure is provided. The theoretical calculation shows that the critical width L0 of the arch structure instability is 134 m, which is not much different from the numerical simulation results of 136 m, and the correctness of the formula is proved. The research results have particular reference value for preventing ground disasters caused by underground coal mining and controlling ground subsidence and provide a reference for the application of the particle flow method in studying rock strata movement.
Forecasting Photovoltaic Power Generation with a Stacking Ensemble Model
Authors: Abdellatif Abdallah , Mubarak Hamza , Ahmad Shameem , Ahmed Tofael , Shafiullah G. M. , Hammoudeh Ahmad , Abdellatef Hamdan , Rahman M. M. , Gheni Hassan Muwafaq
Published: September 2022

Nowadays, photovoltaics (PV) has gained popularity among other renewable energy sources because of its excellent features. However, the instability of the system’s output has become a critical problem due to the high PV penetration into the existing distribution system. Hence, it is essential to have an accurate PV power output forecast to integrate more PV systems into the grid and to facilitate energy management further. In this regard, this paper proposes a stacked ensemble algorithm (Stack-ETR) to forecast PV output power one day ahead, utilizing three machine learning (ML) algorithms, namely, random forest regressor (RFR), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), as base models. In addition, an extra trees regressor (ETR) was used as a meta learner to integrate the predictions from the base models to improve the accuracy of the PV power output forecast. The proposed model was validated on three practical PV systems utilizing four years of meteorological data to provide a comprehensive evaluation. The performance of the proposed model was compared with other ensemble models, where RMSE and MAE are considered the performance metrics. The proposed Stack-ETR model surpassed the other models and reduced the RMSE by 24.49%, 40.2%, and 27.95% and MAE by 28.88%, 47.2%, and 40.88% compared to the base model ETR for thin-film (TF), monocrystalline (MC), and polycrystalline (PC) PV systems, respectively.
A Hybrid Framework for Multivariate Time Series Forecasting of Daily Urban Water Demand Using Attention-Based Convolutional Neural Network and Long Short-Term Memory Network
Authors: Zhou Shengwen , Guo Shunsheng , Du Baigang , Huang Shuo , Guo Jun
Published: September 2022

Urban water demand forecasting is beneficial for reducing the waste of water resources and enhancing environmental protection in sustainable water management. However, it is a challenging task to accurately predict water demand affected by a range of factors with nonlinear and uncertainty temporal patterns. This paper proposes a new hybrid framework for urban daily water demand with multiple variables, called the attention-based CNN-LSTM model, which combines convolutional neural network (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), attention mechanism (AM), and encoder-decoder network. CNN layers are used to learn the representation and correlation between multivariate variables. LSTM layers are utilized as the building blocks of the encoder-decoder network to capture temporal characteristics from the input sequence, while AM is introduced to the encoder-decoder network to assign corresponding attention according to the importance of water demand multivariable time series at different times. The new hybrid framework considers correlation between multiple variables and neglects irrelevant data points, which helps to improve the prediction accuracy of multivariable time series. The proposed model is contrasted with the LSTM model, the CNN-LSTM model, and the attention-based LSTM to predict the daily water demand time series in Suzhou, China. The results show that the hybrid model achieves higher prediction performance with the smallest mean absolute error (MAE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and largest correlation coefficient (R2).
Sustainable Valorization of Waste and By-Products from Sugarcane Processing
Authors: Ungureanu Nicoleta , Vlăduț Valentin , Biriș Sorin-Ștefan
Published: September 2022

Sugarcane is a lignocellulosic crop and the juice extracted from its stalks provides the raw material for 86% of sugar production. Globally, sugarcane processing to obtain sugar and/or ethanol generates more than 279 million tons of solid and liquid waste annually, as well as by-products; namely, straws, bagasse, press mud, wastewater, ash from bagasse incineration, vinasse from ethanol distillation, and molasses. If not properly managed, this waste will pose risks to both environmental factors and human health. Lately, valorization of waste has gained momentum, having an important contribution to the fulfillment of policies and objectives related to sustainable development and circular bioeconomy. Various technologies are well-established and implemented for the valorization of waste and by-products from sugarcane processing, while other innovative technologies are still in the research and development stage, with encouraging prospects. We propose a sustainable sugarcane processing flow and present an analysis of the physico-chemical characteristics of generated wastes and by-products. We emphasize the available possibilities of valorizing each waste and by-product, considering that they are important biomass resources for obtaining biofuels and a wide range of other products with added value, which will contribute to the sustainability of the environment, agriculture, and human health worldwide.
Comparison of Effects between Different Weight Calculation Methods for Improving Regional Landslide Susceptibility—A Case Study from Xingshan County of China
Authors: Cao Bo , Li Qingyi , Zhu Yuhang
Published: September 2022

The information value (IV) model is a conventional method for landslide susceptibility prediction (LSP). However, it is inconsistent with the actual situation to regard all conditioning factors as equally weighted in the modeling process. In view of this, this paper studied the optimization effect of different weight calculation methods for IV model. Xingshan County, a typical landslide-prone area located in Hubei Province, China, was taken as a case study. The procedure was as follows: First, six conditioning factors, including elevation, slope angle, aspect, curvature, distance to river, and distance to road, were selected to form an evaluation factor library for analyzing the landslide susceptibility. Then, the weight of factors was calculated by fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and principal component analysis (PCA). On this basis, combined with the IV model, two weighted IV models (FAHP-IV model and PCA-IV model) were formed for LSP. The results shows that the optimization effect of PCA was the best. Moreover, compared with the IV-only model (AUC = 0.71), the FAHP-IV model (AUC = 0.76) and PCA-IV model (AUC = 0.79) performed better. The outcome also provided a feasible way for the study of regional LSP.
Seven Hundred Projects in iNaturalist Spain: Performance and Lessons Learned
Authors: Martínez-Sagarra Gloria , Castilla Felipe , Pando Francisco
Published: September 2022

Citizen science projects seem to have a high potential to provide systematized, high-quality biodiversity observations for science and other purposes. iNaturalist offers users purposeful participation by creating projects that allow observations to be grouped with a taxonomic and geographic focus, as well as on a given time scale. Between 2014 and December 2021, 720 iNaturalist projects have been created for Spain, most of them after the establishment of Natusfera—the Spanish branch of the iNaturalist global Community—in 2020. In this paper, we analyze how iNaturalist projects are created; how they perform in terms of engagement, data contribution, and impact; and assess the degree and possible causes of their success. A database with project descriptors and indicators was created for this purpose. We discovered that a high percentage of the projects (more than 25%) perform far short of expectations, and that bioblitzes are in general very successful in terms of creation, dissemination, and participation. Finally, we present some recommendations aiming to make these projects more effective.