bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sand Transport and Deposition Behaviour in Subsea Pipelines for Flow Assurance
Authors: Yang Yan , Peng Haoping , Wen Chuang
Published: October 2019

Sand transport through tubing and pipeline could cause a series of problems to flow assurance, if not properly managed or controlled. The most serious problem is the accumulation and erosion in multiphase flow pipelines and the surface equipment. Therefore, the importance of understanding the transport and deposition behaviour of sands through multiphase flow pipelines cannot be overemphasized. This study presents the sand transport and deposition characteristics in the complicated multiphase flow pipeline. The numerical result shows that the slurry velocity presents a uniform distribution in the multiphase flow pipeline at the sand concentration of 5% and the sand diameter of 50 µm. However, the slurry velocity at the bottom of the pipeline is significantly smaller than that at the top when the sand concentration and diameter reach 30% and 300 µm, respectively. It indicates that the sand deposition at the bottom of the pipe declines the slurry velocity and transport capacity. The deposition thickness is approximately 10% of the pipe diameter even at the low concentration of 5% sand with a small sand diameter of 50 µm and a high slurry velocity of 1.8 m/s. The sand deposition reaches about 30% of the pipe diameter at the same low concentration and high slurry velocity when the sand diameter increases to 300 μm.
A Comprehensive Study of Custom-Made Ceramic Separators for Microbial Fuel Cells: Towards “Living” Bricks
Authors: You Jiseon , Wallis Lauren , Radisavljevic Nevena , Pasternak Grzegorz , Sglavo Vincenzo M. , Hanczyc Martin M , Greenman John , Ieropoulos Ioannis
Published: October 2019

Towards the commercialisation of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology, well-performing, cost-effective, and sustainable separators are being developed. Ceramic is one of the promising materials for this purpose. In this study, ceramic separators made of three different clay types were tested to investigate the effect of ceramic material properties on their performance. The best-performing ceramic separators were white ceramic-based spotty membranes, which produced maximum power outputs of 717.7 ± 29.9 µW (white ceramic-based with brown spots, 71.8 W·m−3) and 715.3 ± 73.0 µW (white ceramic-based with red spots, 71.5 W·m−3). For single material ceramic types, red ceramic separator generated the highest power output of 670.5 ± 64. 8 µW (67.1 W·m−3). Porosity investigation revealed that white and red ceramics are more porous and have smaller pores compared to brown ceramic. Brown ceramic separators underperformed initially but seem more favourable for long-term operation due to bigger pores and thus less tendency of membrane fouling. This study presents ways to enhance the function of ceramic separators in MFCs such as the novel spotty design as well as fine-tuning of porosity and pore size.
Oil Price and Stock Prices of EU Financial Companies: Evidence from Panel Data Modeling
Authors: Horobet Alexandra , Vrinceanu Georgiana , Popescu Consuela , Belascu Lucian
Published: October 2019

Crude oil is an indispensable resource for the world economy and European Union (EU) countries are strongly dependent on oil imports. In a framework defined by generally positive correlations between oil and stock prices, the paper investigates the relationship between financial companies’ stock prices and crude oil price using a sample of major financial companies headquartered in the EU. The link between stock prices and oil price risk is modelled using a set of macroeconomic variables that includes local stock market indices, the EUR/USD exchange rate, the oil imports dependency, inflation rate, and global volatility indices. We employ panel data as the base econometric model and an ARDL extension that is more appropriated for our research objectives. Our findings show that the EU financial sector is pervasively exposed to oil price changes over the long-run and this exposure is a component of financial companies’ exposure to real economy risk factors, which points towards the key role of the financial sector in the EU economy in transmitting systemic shocks. At the same time, we detect signs of a different behavior of market investors over the short-versus the long-run concerning the valuation of financial companies’ stock prices in relation to oil price and other macroeconomic variables, which raises distressing challenges for financial authorities.
Study of the Influence of Ventilation Pipeline Setting on Cooling Effects in High-Temperature Mines
Authors: Zhou Zhiyong , Cui Yimeng , Tian Long , Chen Jianhong , Pan Wei , Yang Shan , Hu Pei
Published: October 2019

The high-temperature environment is a major factor that affects deep mining. Cooling has become a major expense, accounting for up to 25% of the total energy consumption of such mines. To address methods of cooling and the cooling cost, this paper studies the influence of the ventilation duct layout on the cooling effect. Six models were created in ICEM-CFD (3D modeling software), and the influence of cold airflow diffusion on the temperature of the mine environment was numerically simulated using ANSYS Fluent. Under the condition of the same ventilation volume, two models utilizing single pipe and double pipe scenarios were established, and six points were selected as the pipeline suspension position, forming six ventilation duct models. The cooling effect of each model was evaluated by analyzing the average temperature of the roadway section, the three-dimensional distribution of the roadway temperature and the velocity streamline of the whole roadway. The results show that the double-tube model has greater advantages than the single-tube model does, due to its superior local temperature, average temperature of the cross-section, range below 303 K, temperature uniformity and local wind speed. Among the models, model 4 (diameter of 0.5 m, 1.9 m away from the bottom of the roadway and 2.4 m away from the center of the circle) is the best pipeline layout scheme for comprehensive temperature values, roadway temperature uniformity and other factors. The average temperature is 299.3 K within 8 m from the mining face, which is 1.66 K lower than that of the single tube model. This configuration will increase the comfort of the mining environment and reduce cooling costs. These results can provide a reference for ventilation duct layouts of roadways in high temperature mines.
An Optimisation Approach for Long-Term Industrial Investment Planning
Authors: Bütün Hür , Kantor Ivan , Maréchal François
Published: October 2019

The industrial sector has a large presence in world energy consumption and CO2 emissions, which has made it one of the focal points for energy and resource efficiency studies. However, large investments are required to retrofit existing industrial plants, which remains the largest barrier to implementing energy saving solutions. Process integration methods can be used to identify the best investments to improve the efficiency of plants, yet their timing remains to be answered using an optimisation approach. Even more critically, such decisions must also account for future investments to avoid stranded or regretted investments. This paper presents a method incorporating investment planning over long time horizons in the framework of process integration. The time horizon is included by formulating the problem using multiple investment periods. Investment planning is conducted using a superstructure approach, which permits both commissioning and decommissioning of units in the beginning of each period. The method is applied to a large case study, with an industrial cluster neighbouring an urban centre to also explore options of heat integration between industries and cities. Compared to the business-as-usual operation, optimal investment planning improves the operating cost of the system by 27% without budget constraints and 16–26% with constraints on budget and investment periods, which is reflected as an increase in net present value and a decrease in CO2 emissions. In all cases, the operating cost benefits pay off the investment in less than two years. The present work is efficient in finding energy saving solutions based on the interest of industries. This method adds additional perspectives in the decision-making process and is adaptable to various time horizons, budgets and economic constraints.
Distribution Network Model Platform: A First Case Study
Authors: Grzanic Mirna , Flammini Marco Giacomo , Prettico Giuseppe
Published: October 2019

Decarbonisation policies have recently seen an uncontrolled increase in local electricity production from renewable energy sources (RES) at distribution level. As a consequence, bidirectional power flows might cause high voltage/ medium voltage (HV/MV) transformers to overload. Additionally, not-well-planned installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations could provoke voltage deviations and cables overloading during peak times. To ensure secure and reliable distribution network operations, technology integration requires careful analysis which is based on realistic distribution grid models (DGM). Currently, however, only not geo-referenced synthetic grids are available inliterature. This fact unfortunately represents a big limitation. In order to overcome this knowledge gap, we developed a distribution network model (DiNeMo) web-platform aiming at reproducing the DGM of a given area of interest. DiNeMo is based on metrics and indicators collected from 99 unbundled distribution system operators (DSOs) in Europe. In this work we firstly perform a validation exercise on two DGMs of the city of Varaždin in Croatia. To this aim, a set of indicators from the DGMs and from the real networks are compared. The DGMs are later used for a power flow analysis which focuses on voltage fluctuations, line losses, and lines loading considering different levels of EV charging stations penetration.
Laundry Fabric Classification in Vertical Axis Washing Machines Using Data-Driven Soft Sensors
Authors: Maggipinto Marco , Pesavento Elena , Altinier Fabio , Zambonin Giuliano , Beghi Alessandro , Susto Gian Antonio
Published: October 2019

Embedding household appliances with smart capabilities is becoming common practice among major fabric-care producers that seek competitiveness on the market by providing more efficient and easy-to-use products. In Vertical Axis Washing Machines (VA-WM), knowing the laundry composition is fundamental to setting the washing cycle properly with positive impact both on energy/water consumption and on washing performance. An indication of the load typology composition (cotton, silk, etc.) is typically provided by the user through a physical selector that, unfortunately, is often placed by the user on the most general setting due to the discomfort of manually changing configurations. An automated mechanism to determine such key information would thus provide increased user experience, better washing performance, and reduced consumption; for this reason, we present here a data-driven soft sensor that exploits physical measurements already available on board a commercial VA-WM to provide an estimate of the load typology through a machine-learning-based statistical model of the process. The proposed method is able to work in a resource-constrained environment such as the firmware of a VA-WM.
Analytical and Numerical Analysis of the Dynamics of a Moonpool Platform–Wave Energy Buoy (MP–WEB)
Authors: Kong Fankai , Liu Hengxu , Su Weiming , Ao Jingtao , Chen Hailong , Jing Fengmei
Published: October 2019

In this work the hydrodynamic performance of a novel wave energy converter configuration was analytically and numerically studied by combining a moonpool and a wave energy buoy, called the moonpool platform–wave energy buoy (MP–WEB). A potential flow, semi-analytical approach was adopted to assess the total (incident, diffraction, radiation) wave forces acting on the device, and the wave capture and energy efficiency performance of this configuration was assessed, both in the time and frequency domain. The performance of the two configurations, single float and double float, were analyzed and compared in terms of diffraction force, added mass radiation force, motion, and power in the frequency domain. Using an impulse response function-based (IRF) method, the frequency domain results were converted in the time domain. The same parameters in the time domain were derived and the main results were confirmed. Wave energy conversion efficiency was significantly increased due to the resonance phenomenon inside the moonpool.
Control of Output and Circulating Current of Modular Multilevel Converter Using a Sliding Mode Approach
Authors: Uddin Waqar , Zeb Kamran , Adil Khan Muhammad , Ishfaq Muhammad , Khan Imran , Islam Saif ul , Kim Hee-Je , Park Gwan Soo , Lee Cheewoo
Published: October 2019

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has been prominently used in medium- and high-power applications. This paper presents the control of output and circulating current of MMC using sliding mode control (SMC). The design of the proposed controller and the relation between control parameters and validity condition are based on the system dynamics. The proposed designed controller enables the system to track its reference values. The controller is designed to control both output current and circulating current along with suppression of second harmonics contents in circulating current. Furthermore, the capacitor voltage and energy of the converter are also regulated. The control of output current is carried out in d q -axis as well as in α β − a x i s with first-order switching law. However, a second-order switching law-based super twisting algorithm is used for controlling circulating current and suppression of its second harmonics contents. The stability of the controlled system is numerically calculated and verified by Lyapunov stability conditions. Moreover, the simulation results of the proposed controller are critically compared with the conventional proportional resonant (PR) controller to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. The proposed controller attains faster dynamic response and minimizes steady-state error comparatively. The simulation of the MMC model is carried out in MATLAB/Simulink.
Numerical and Experimental Study on a High-Power Cold Achieving Process of a Coil-Plate Ice-Storage System
Authors: Guo Liang , Ye Hong
Published: October 2019

Heat dissipation of high-power lasers needs a cold storage and supply system to provide sufficient cooling power. A compact coil-plate heat exchange device has been proposed and applied in the phase-change cold storage system with ice as the cold-storage medium and glycol aqueous solution as the coolant. The heat exchanger consists of several stacked coil-plate units and each unit is constructed with a flat plate and serpentine coils welded on the plate. A simulation model on the cold achieving process of a coil-plate unit was built and verified by the corresponding experiment. The influences of the structural parameters (tube diameter, tube pitch, and plate spacing) of the unit and the inlet temperature and volume flow rate of the coolant on the heat exchange power density were analyzed to obtain the maximal cooling effect in a limited time period. It was found that the heat exchange power density is limited when the tube pitch and plate spacing are large, otherwise, the effective cooling time period is limited. A small plate spacing can make the power density decrease rapidly in the later stage. The inlet coolant temperature can significantly affect the heat exchange power density while the coolant volume flow rate in tube has a small effect on the power density when the coolant is in turbulent state. In a time period of 900 s, for a coil-plate heat exchanger with a plate size of 940 mm ×770 mm and a tube pitch of 78 mm, when the plate spacing is 20 mm, the average heat exchange power density is 5.1 kW/m2 when the inlet temperature and volume flow rate of the coolant are 20 °C and 0.5 m3/h, respectively. The total cooling power of several stacked coil-plate units in the limited time period can match the high requirement of laser heat dissipation.
Online Prediction of Physico-Chemical Quality Attributes of Beef Using Visible—Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics
Authors: Sahar Amna , Allen Paul , Sweeney Torres , Cafferky Jamie , Downey Gerard , Cromie Andrew , Hamill Ruth
Published: October 2019

The potential of visible–near-infrared (Vis–NIR) spectroscopy to predict physico-chemical quality traits in 368 samples of bovine musculus longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) was evaluated. A fibre-optic probe was applied on the exposed surface of the bovine carcass for the collection of spectra, including the neck and rump (1 h and 2 h post-mortem and after quartering, i.e., 24 h and 25 h post-mortem) and the boned-out LTL muscle (48 h and 49 h post-mortem). In parallel, reference analysis for physico-chemical parameters of beef quality including ultimate pH, colour (L, a*, b*), cook loss and drip loss was conducted using standard laboratory methods. Partial least-squares (PLS) regression models were used to correlate the spectral information with reference quality parameters of beef muscle. Different mathematical pre-treatments and their combinations were applied to improve the model accuracy, which was evaluated on the basis of the coefficient of determination of calibration (R2C) and cross-validation (R2CV) and root-mean-square error of calibration (RMSEC) and cross-validation (RMSECV). Reliable cross-validation models were achieved for ultimate pH (R2CV: 0.91 (quartering, 24 h) and R2CV: 0.96 (LTL muscle, 48 h)) and drip loss (R2CV: 0.82 (quartering, 24 h) and R2CV: 0.99 (LTL muscle, 48 h)) with lower RMSECV values. The results show the potential of Vis–NIR spectroscopy for online prediction of certain quality parameters of beef over different time periods.
Assessing the Nutritional Value of Root and Tuber Crops from Bolivia and Peru
Authors: Choquechambi Luz A. , Callisaya Iber Roy , Ramos Alvaro , Bosque Hugo , Mújica Angel , Jacobsen Sven-Erik , Sørensen Marten , Leidi Eduardo O.
Published: October 2019

All over the world, there are species which may be considered as neglected or underutilized despite their nutritious properties. At present, such crops contribute to food security in isolated areas by providing energy and nutrients in a diversified diet. Such genetic heritage—improved by ancient cultures—is under threat of losing biodiversity as well as the traditional knowledge associated with their cultivation and usage. Among these species, the Andean root and tuber crops (ARTCs) constitute a valuable resource which should be preserved and popularized because of their food and functional properties. We studied three ARTC species (mashua, arracacha, and yacon) to provide data on their composition, essential for increasing their use globally. We compared their nutritional values with the values of more widely used crops. Important differences in nutrient composition among ARTC landraces were found. Mineral nutrients showed significant differences among species. Considerable variations in the contents of prebiotics like fructooligosaccharides or functional elements (antioxidants and glucosinolates) were found among species and intraspecific samples. Certainly, these species are important assets to complement human nutrition and to secure supply of functional elements for healthy diets.
Are the Innovative Electronic Labels for Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sustainable, Traceable, and Accepted by Consumers?
Authors: Violino Simona , Pallottino Federico , Sperandio Giulio , Figorilli Simone , Antonucci Francesca , Ioannoni Vanessa , Fappiano Daniele , Costa Corrado
Published: October 2019

Traceability is the ability to follow the displacement of food through its entire chain. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) represents Italian excellence, with consumers’ increased awareness for traceability. The aim of this work is to propose and analyze the economic sustainability and consumers’ preference of three technological systems supporting traceability: Near Field Communication (NFC) based; tamper-proof device plus Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and app; QR code tag plus “scratch and win” system and blockchain. An anonymous questionnaire to Italian consumers (n = 1120) was made to acquire consumers’ acceptability of the systems and estimating their willingness to pay additional premium prices for these. An economic analysis estimated and compared the technology costs at different production levels. Results show that 94% of the consumer respondents are interested in the implementation of such technologies, and among them 45% chose QR-code protected by a “scratch-and-win” system with a blockchain infotracing-platform (QR-B). The consumers interested are willing to pay a mean premium price of 17.8% and economic analysis reported evidenced an incidence always lower than mid-/high-production levels. The success of the QR-B could be ascribed to different aspects: the cutting-edge fashion trend of blockchain in the food sector, the use of incentives, the easy-to-use QR-code, and the gamification strategy.
Analysis of the Space–Temporal Trends of Wet Conditions in the Different Rainy Seasons of Brazilian Northeast by Quantile Regression and Bootstrap Test
Authors: da Rocha Júnior Rodrigo Lins , dos Santos Silva Fabrício Daniel , Lisboa Costa Rafaela , Barros Gomes Heliofábio , Herdies Dirceu Luis , Rodrigues da Silva Vicente de Paulo , Candido Xavier Alexandre
Published: October 2019

Drought causes serious social and environmental problems that have great impact on the lives of thousands of people all around the world. The purpose of this research was to investigate the trends in humid conditions in the northeast of Brazil (NEB) in the highest climatic precipitation quarters, November–December–January (NDJ), February–March–April (FMA), and May–June–July (MJJ), through the standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration index (SPEI), considering an alternative statistical approach. Precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) time series for the calculation of the SPEI were extracted for the 1794 NEB municipalities between 1980 and 2015 from a grid dataset with a resolution of 0.25° × 0.25° using the bilinear interpolation method. The trends and statistical significance of the SPEI were estimated by quantile regression (QR) and the bootstrap test. In NDJ, opposite trends were seen in the eastern NEB (~0.5 SPEI/decade) and in the south (~−0.6 SPEI/decade). In FMA, most of NEB presented negative trends in the 0.50 and 0.95 quantiles (~−0.3 SPEI/decade), while in MJJ, most of NEB presented positive trends in all quantiles studied (~0.4 SPEI/decade). The results are consistent with observational analyses of extreme rainfall.
Identification and Analysis of Sets Variables for of Municipal Waste Management Modelling
Authors: Nęcka Krzysztof , Szul Tomasz , Knaga Jarosław
Published: October 2019

Due to the large quantities of municipal waste generated, their harmful effects on the environment should be minimized. The rationalization of waste management is therefore necessary to achieve a more sustainable development system. In order to support the decision-making process for municipal waste management, this document focuses on developing models for practical use by local authorities in forecasting and managing the size of waste stream in their area. This action, because of its specificity, is a difficult task, especially because of the systemic changes made and the territorial differentiation and changes in the living level of the population. The work presents studies conducted in 2479 municipalities for which mass accumulation index forecasts were developed, using selected methods based on readily available input variables that have not yet been used (structure municipalities and typology of municipalities by scope of influence). The studies confirmed the hypothesis that the amount of municipal waste collected from households depends both on the administrative type of the municipality and on the factors related to the location and socioeconomic function of the area. The inclusion of localization and socioeconomic factors, which so far were not used to model the municipal waste stream, allowed for the reduction of the prediction error of this indicator. Relevant waste stream forecasts will allow local governments to achieve more effectively the objective of sustainable waste management and thus reduce their environmental impact. The achievement of this objective will be possible not only through the preparation of infrastructure to serve the projected waste volumes; it will also identify the waste management areas where the municipal waste reception process is inadequate. Thus, it will help to eliminate illegal processing and the landfill of waste.
Variation in Dysphagia Assessment and Management in Acute Stroke: An Interview Study
Authors: Eltringham Sabrina A. , Smith Craig J. , Pownall Sue , Sage Karen , Bray Ben
Published: October 2019

(1) Background: Patients with dysphagia are at increased risk of stroke-associated pneumonia. There is wide variation in the way patients are screened and assessed. The aim of this study is to explore staff opinions about current practice of dysphagia screening, assessment and clinical management in acute phase stroke. (2) Methods: Fifteen interviews were conducted in five English National Health Service hospitals. Hospitals were selected based on size and performance against national targets for dysphagia screening and assessment, and prevalence of stroke-associated pneumonia. Participants were purposefully recruited to reflect a range of healthcare professions. Data were analysed using a six-stage thematic process. (3) Results: Three meta themes were identified: delays in care, lack of standardisation and variability in resources. Patient, staff, and service factors that contribute to delays in dysphagia screening, assessment by a speech and language therapist, and delays in nasogastric tube feeding were identified. These included admission route, perceived lack of ownership for screening patients, prioritisation of assessments and staff resources. There was a lack of standardisation of dysphagia screening protocols and oral care. There was variability in staff competences and resources to assess patients, types of medical interventions, and care processes. (4) Conclusion: There is a lack of standardisation in the way patients are assessed for dysphagia and variation in practice relating to staff competences, resources and care processes between hospitals. A range of patient, staff and service factors have the potential to impact on stroke patients being assessed within the recommended national guidelines.
Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority
Authors: Oweidat Lana
Published: October 2019

This paper investigates the construction of Islamic ethos in the early Islamic period, highlighting what constitutes the guiding principles of its authority. As a religion that is currently subject to many ugly charges, a careful examination of its core historic values provides a counternarrative to the distorted ideology perpetuated by extremists such as The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as to the Islamophobic and anti-Muslim racist discourse circulating in the West. The counternarrative presented here serves scholars of ethos whose expertise lies elsewhere than in religious studies. While providing this historical narrative, I highlight how Islamic ethos is derived from multiple sources of religious and cultural/communal authority, mainly from The Qur’an (the holy book of Muslims); the Sunnah (the Prophet Muḥammad’s example, deeds, and customs); and ijtihad (the interpretations and deductions of Muslim religious leaders). Tracing the construction of Islamic ethos through the creation of the Muslim community (Ummah) in 622 CE and the establishment of the Caliphate in 632 CE reveals guiding principles of conduct that are, in contrast to the discourses mentioned above, realistic, practical, and adaptable to current global needs and exigencies.
Healthcare Received in the Last Months of Life in Portugal: A Systematic Review
Authors: Pereira Alexandra , Ferreira Amélia , Martins José
Published: October 2019

Background: While evidence demonstrates that end-of-life care practices vary across countries, there is still a lack of evidence regarding the healthcare that is received by adult individuals in the last months of life in Portugal. Methods: This is a systematic review that aims to examine the evidence published until 2019 regarding the healthcare received by adult individuals in the last months of life in Portugal. Results: Nine studies were included in this review. All of these were quantitative and retrospective studies, used patient records as the source of information, and were conducted in hospital settings. The time frame analysis before death ranged from 48 h to 3 months. The majority of the studies focused on the physical aspects of care, such as physical needs assessment and symptom management, prescribed medication, and invasive interventions. No evidence was found regarding spiritual, psychological, social or cultural needs. Conclusion: Although using patient records as a source of information may introduce a bias, this study indicates that there is a greater emphasis on the physical aspects of care and less on the psychological, spiritual or social aspects of care received by adult individuals in their last months of life in Portugal.
The Impact of Haze Pollution on Regional Eco-Economic Treatment Efficiency in China: An Environmental Regulation Perspective
Authors: Hou Jian , An Yifang , Song Hongfeng , Chen Jiancheng
Published: October 2019

“The Gray Great Wall” formed by haze pollution is an increasingly serious issue in China, and the resulting air pollution has brought severe challenges to human health, the socio-economy and the world ecosystem. Based on the facts above, this paper uses China’s province-level panel data from 2009 to 2016, systematically measures the heterogeneous structure of regional ecological economic (eco-economic) treatment efficiency through a Super Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model and dynamic threshold models, and analyzes the forcing mechanism of haze pollution pressure on regional eco-economic treatment efficiency from an environmental regulation perspective. Results indicated that China’s eco-economic treatment has been vigorously promoted, which is significantly conducive to green growth upgrading. However, the process has a large developmental scope due to regional heterogeneity. Interestingly, the forcing impact of haze pollution on regional eco-economic treatment efficiency is limited by the “critical mass” of environmental regulations: a weak degree of regulation will facilitate an increase in regional eco-economic treatment efficiency through the forcing effect of haze pollution pressure. Once environmental regulation reaches a critical level, a stronger degree of regulation will suppress the forcing effect of haze pollution in turn and it will decrease the regional eco-economic treatment efficiency. This paper endeavors to clarify the differences, suitability and dependency in the process of ecological transformation for Chinese local governments in different regions and provide policy references for a regional ecological transformation matching system.
Further Insights on Predictors of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure during the Pediatric Age
Authors: Protano Carmela , Cammalleri Vittoria , Antonucci Arianna , Ungureanu Alexandra Sabina , Santilli Francesa , Martellucci Stefano , Mattei Vincenzo , Vitali Matteo
Published: October 2019

Background: The smoking ban in public places has reduced Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) exposure for non-smokers, but despite this, domestic environments still remain places at high risk of exposure, and, today, about 40% of children worldwide are exposed to ETS at home. The aims of the study are to investigate the contribution of several factors on ETS exposure among a group of Italian children and to evaluate the changes in smoking precautions adopted at home when the smoker is the mother, the father, or both parents, respectively. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 519 Italian schoolchildren. Information was collected via a questionnaire. Results: 41.4% of the participants lived with at least one smoker. Almost half of the children exposed to ETS lived with one or more smokers who do not observe any home smoking ban. Lower maternal or paternal educational levels significantly increase the risk of ETS exposure at home and the “worst case” is represented by both parents who smoke. Conclusions: More effective preventive interventions are needed to protect children from ETS exposure. Some interventions should be specifically dedicated to smokers with a low educational level and to mothers that smoke.
Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Pollution Evaluation of Soil Iron in the Middle Hanjiang River
Authors: Cheng Yuting , Li Peng , Xu Guoce , Lu Kexin , Wang Feichao , Zhang Tiegang , Feng Zhaohong
Published: October 2019

Soil iron has an important impact on the ecological environment and on crop growth. This study selected a typical small watershed basin in the middle reaches of the Han River (Yujiehe) at Ankang City and used geostatistical methods and kriging interpolation to analyze the spatial distribution and structure of soil iron content for different land uses and at different depths, using the single-factor pollution evaluation to evaluate the pollution degree of soil iron. The results showed that soil iron in the Yujie River basin decreased with increasing soil depth, with contents of 8.80 mg/kg, 5.52 mg/kg, and 4.92 mg/kg at depths A1 (0–20 cm), A2 (20–40 cm), and A3 (40–60 cm). According to the classification index of effective trace elements in soil, the average contents of soil iron at these three depths were between 4.5 and 10 mg/kg, which are all considered moderate values. The coefficients of variation of soil iron at the three soil depths were 59%, 75%, and 83%, all of which showed moderate spatial variability, and the coefficient of variation increased gradually with soil depth. With semi-variance calculated at the three soil depths, soil iron optimal theoretical models were all exponential models with nugget coefficients of 9.52%, 47.76%, and 33.93%, indicating that spatial correlation was very strong in the A1 layer and moderate in the A2 and A3 layers. The spatial distribution of soil iron showed some variation in the study area, and the soil content was higher in the midwestern part in the A1 and A2 layers; however, in the A3 layer, the higher content was in the center and lower content was in the southern region. Correlations were significant between soil iron content on the one hand and land-use type and topographic factors on the other. The pollution indices of soil iron at the three soil depths under different land uses were all greater than 1.0, with the A1 layer in farmland being the worst, at 3.34. In the study area, using the background value of soil iron as an evaluation standard, the soil iron content of more than 65% of the Yujiehe region exceeded this standard.
Effects of Fall Training Program on Automatization of Safe Motor Responses during Backwards Falls in School-Age Children
Authors: DelCastillo-Andrés Óscar , Toronjo-Hornillo Luis , Toronjo-Urquiza Luis
Published: October 2019

A significant number of children suffer injuries from falls. The current measures of prevention and education regarding falls are not sufficient, as falling is still the main cause of injury at this age. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of injury during a backward fall and assess the effect of the Safe Fall training program on this risk. 457 primary school children between the ages of 6 and 12 (mean age of 9) were enrolled in a 6-week randomized intervention. The program was carried out during physical education classes and consisted of an intervention group that followed the Safe Fall training program and a control group that was given equilibrium exercises. The risk of injury was assessed before and after the implementation using the Information Scale on Safe Ways of Falling observation scale, evaluating the responses of five different body parts (head, hip, knees, upper limbs and back). Students’ natural response to falls was associated with a high risk of injury in more than 90% of the cases. The implementation of the Safe Fall program resulted in a considerable decrease in this risk, with percentages lowered to levels between 8.7% and 18.3%.
Effects of School-Based Exergaming on Urban Children’s Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Ye Sunyue , Pope Zachary C. , Lee Jung Eun , Gao Zan
Published: October 2019

Background: Modern-day technology is appealing to children. Few studies, however, have conducted longitudinal analyses of a school-based exergaming program’s effect on physical activity (PA) behaviors and fitness in children. Therefore, this study examined the longitudinal effect of an 8-month school-based exergaming intervention on children’s objectively-measured PA and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Materials and Methods: Eighty-one fourth grade students ( X ¯ age = 9.23 ± 0.62; 39 girls; 54.3% African American, 30.9% Non-Hispanic White, 14.8% other) participated in this study from 2014–2015. The intervention school’s children participated in a once-weekly 50-min exergaming intervention during recess throughout the school year, while the control school continued regular recess. Children’s in-school PA and sedentary behavior (SB) were measured with ActiGraphGT3X+ accelerometers, with CRF assessed via the half-mile run. All measurements were taken at baseline, mid-intervention (four months) and post-intervention (eight months). Repeated-measures two-way ANCOVAs using age and race as covariates were conducted to examine between-school differences over time for SB, light PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and CRF. Results: Significant time by group interactions were observed for LPA, F(1, 79) = 7.82, η2 = 0.09, p < 0.01, and MVPA, F(1, 79) = 4.58, η2 = 0.06, p < 0.05, as LPA increased among the control group, while MVPA increased among intervention group. Children in both groups experienced decreased SB during the intervention (intervention: −7.63 min; control: −17.59 min), but demonstrated lower CRF over time (intervention: +46.73 s; control: +61.60 s). Conclusions: Observations suggested that school-based exergaming implementation may be effective in increasing children’s MVPA and decreasing their SB over the course an academic year (i.e., ~eight months). More research is needed, however, to discern how modifications to school-based exergaming might also promote improved CRF in children.
Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Use for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Tsai Meng-Chuan , Kuo Yu-Hsien , Muo Chih-Hsin , Chou Li-Wei , Lu Chung-Yen
Published: October 2019

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common musculoskeletal disorder and an occupational disease caused by repeated exercise or overuse of the hand. We investigated the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use by practitioners in CTS patients, including demographic variables, socioeconomic status, previous medical conditions, health care use, and hospital characteristics for TCM health care. This cross-sectional study identified 25,965 patients newly diagnosed with CTS based on the first medical diagnosis recorded between 1999 and 2013 in the nationwide representative insurance database of Taiwan. The date of initial CTS diagnosis in outpatient data was defined as the index date, and four patients were excluded because of missing gender-related information. Patients who used TCM care as the first option at their diagnosis were classified as TCM users (n = 677; 2.61%), and all others were TCM non-users (n = 25,288; 97.4%). In the all variables-adjusted model, female patients had an adjusted odds ratio (OR; 95% CI) of TCM use of 1.35 (1.11–1.66). National Health Insurance (NHI) registration was associated with higher odds ratios of TCM use in central, southern, and eastern Taiwan than in northern Taiwan (ORs = 1.43, 1.86, and 1.82, respectively). NHI registration was associated with higher odds ratios of TCM use in rural cities than in urban cities (OR (95% CI) = 1.33 (1.02–1.72)). The TCM group had a 20% less likelihood of exhibiting symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions and injury and poisoning. The TCM group had a 56% lower likelihood of having diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. Multi-level model outcomes were similar to the results of the all variables-adjusted model, except for the NHI registration outcome in rural and urban cities (OR [95% CI] = 1.33 [0.98–1.81]). Significant associations between the number of TCM visits and TCM use were observed in all logistic regression models. The study presented key demographic characteristics, health care use, and medical conditions associated with TCM use for CTS. Previous experience of TCM use may affect the use of TCM for CTS treatment. This information provides a reference for the allocations of relevant medical resources and health care providers.
A Novel Preference Elicitation Technique Based on a Graph Model and Its Application to a Brownfield Redevelopment Conflict in China
Authors: Zhao Shinan , Xu Haiyan
Published: October 2019

Disputes are very common and pervasive in brownfield redevelopment projects, in which multiple stakeholders or decision-makers (DMs) strategically interact with each other with a conflict of interest. The preference information of DMs involved plays a vital role in identifying possible outcomes or resolutions for resolving a tough brownfield conflict. In this research, a novel preference ranking technique is purposefully proposed within the graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR) paradigm to effectively and accurately garner DMs’ actual preferences, in which states are ranked according to their similarities and closeness to the most and least preferred states instead of subjective option statements or weights in traditional preference ranking methods. Finally, a real-world brownfield conflict which occurred in China is utilized to show how the proposed preference ranking method can be applied for conveniently obtaining the true preference information of DMs and strategically determining the equilibria of a given dispute. The case study indicates that the novel preference elicitation approach is more objective and reasonable than the traditional option prioritization method. Moreover, there exists an equilibrium which can provide strategic advice and meaningful insights for addressing the brownfield conflict.
Stratified Diabetes Mellitus Prevalence for the Northwestern Nigerian States, a Data Mining Approach
Authors: Muhammad Musa Uba , Jiadong Ren , Muhammad Noman Sohail , Nawaz Bilal
Published: October 2019

An accurate classification for diabetes mellitus (DBM) allows for the adequate treatment and handling of its menace, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. This study proposes data mining techniques for the classification and identification of the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes cases, stratified by age, gender, diabetic conditions and residential area in the northwestern states of Nigeria, based on the real-life data derived from government-owned hospitals in the region. A K-mean assessment was used to cluster the instances, after 12 iterations the instances classified out of 3022: 2662 (88.09%) non-insulin dependent (NID), 176 (5.82%) insulin-dependent (IND) and 184 (6.09%) gestational diabetes (GTD). The total number of diagnosed diabetes cases was 3022: 1380 males (45.66%) and 1642 females (54.33%). The higher prevalence was found to be in females compared to males, and in cities and towns, rather than in villages (36.5%, 34.2%, and 29.3%, respectively). The highest prevalence among the age groups was in the age group 50–69 years, which constituted 43.9% of the total diagnosed cases. Furthermore, the NID condition had the highest prevalence of cases (88.09%). These were the first findings of the stratified prevalence in the region, and the figures have been of utmost significance to the healthcare authorities, policymakers, clinicians, and non-governmental organizations for the proper planning and management of diabetes mellitus.
Observation of Dispersion in the Japanese Coastal Area of Released 90Sr, 134Cs, and 137Cs from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to the Sea in 2013
Authors: Tazoe Hirofumi , Yamagata Takeyasu , Tsujita Kazuki , Nagai Hisao , Obata Hajime , Tsumune Daisuke , Kanda Jota , Yamada Masatoshi
Published: October 2019

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami resulted in significant damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) and the subsequent release of radionuclides into the ocean. Here, we investigated the spatial distribution of strontium-90 (90Sr) and cesium-134/cesium-137 (134, 137Cs) in surface seawater of the coastal region near the FDNPP. In the coastal region, 90Sr activity was high, from 0.89 to 29.13 mBq L−1, with detectable FDNPP site-derived 134Cs. This indicated that release of 90Sr from the power plant was ongoing even in May 2013, as was that of 134Cs and 137Cs. 90Sr activities measured at open ocean sites corresponded to background derived from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing fallout. The FDNPP site-derived 90Sr/137Cs activity ratios in seawater were much higher than those in the direct discharge event in March 2011, in river input, and in seabed sediment; those ratios showed large variability, ranging from 0.16 to 0.64 despite a short sampling period. This FDNPP site-derived 90Sr/137Cs activity ratio suggests that these radionuclides were mainly derived from stagnant water in the reactor and turbine buildings of the FDNPP, while a different source with a low 90Sr/137Cs ratio could contribute to and produce the temporal variability of the 90Sr/137Cs ratio in coastal water. We estimated the release rate of 90Sr from the power plant as 9.6 ± 6.1 GBq day−1 in May 2013 on the basis of the relationship between 90Sr and 137Cs activity (90Sr/137Cs = 0.66 ± 0.05) and 137Cs release rate.
Levels of NP and BPA in the Pearl River Estuary, China: Fluctuations with Country Policy Changes over the Past 40 Years
Authors: Chen Qi , Lan Yu , Shi Jian , Liu Weijie , Zhu Bo , Sun Dong , Duan Shunshan
Published: October 2019

Sediment cores were collected from four outlets in the Pearl River Estuary (Guangdong Province, China) and dated using the 210Pb method to investigate the pollution history of the area due to its relatively stable sedimentation status and hydrographic conditions in recent decades. The ages of the sediment cores were dated over 40 years (1968–2015). The concentrations at the four outlets ranged from 2.21 to 48.52 ng g−1 dw for nonylphenol and were non-detectable for 23.64 ng g−1 dw for bisphenol A (BPA), which exhibited a decreasing trend from north to south as well as seaward. The fluxes (2.84 to 112.91 ng cm−2 yr−1 and non-detectable to 59.33 ng cm−2 yr−1 for nonylphenol and bisphenol A, respectively) stabilized in the 1980s to 1990s due to the construction of sewage treatment systems. The fluxes increased again in the 21st century, which reached a peak ca. 2010 but declined in recent years due to the establishment of regulations and the decreasing number of industrial enterprises. Fluctuations in the pollution composition coincided with industrial development and governmental policies.