bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
School Principals in Spain: Interplay of Leaders, Teachers and Context
Authors: García-Martínez Inmaculada , Molina-Fernández Elvira , Ubago-Jiménez José Luis
Published: February 2020

This paper analyzes the Spanish school principal figures and their future patterns of leadership and development, according to educational policies in Europe. The first part presents a comprehensive overview of the situation of school principals in Spain, according to the Spanish policy; in the second part, its real practice in a secondary school is evidenced based on the results of a conducted research. The tensions and dilemmas currently faced by school principals in Spain will be analyzed: pedagogical leadership versus management-oriented principals. The interviews carried out reveal the meaning that the different agents give to “leadership”. A climate of trust and collaboration has been established between the management team, middle leaders and teaching staff, necessary conditions for the development of a shared school project and ensure its sustainability for achieve school improvement.
Estimating Soil Arsenic Content with Visible and Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Reflectance
Authors: Han Lei , Chen Rui , Zhu Huili , Zhao Yonghua , Liu Zhao , Huo Hong
Published: February 2020

Soil arsenic (AS) contamination has attracted a great deal of attention because of its detrimental effects on environments and humans. AS and inorganic AS compounds have been classified as a class of carcinogens by the World Health Organization. In order to select a high-precision method for predicting the soil AS content using hyperspectral techniques, we collected 90 soil samples from six different land use types to obtain the soil AS content by chemical analysis and hyperspectral data based on an indoor hyperspectral experiment. A partial least squares regression (PLSR), a support vector regression (SVR), and a back propagation neural network (BPNN) were used to establish a relationship between the hyperspectral and the soil AS content to predict the soil AS content. In addition, the feasibility and modeling accuracy of different interval spectral resampling, different spectral pretreatment methods, feature bands, and full-band were compared and discussed to explore the best inversion method for estimating soil AS content by hyperspectral. The results show that 10 nm + second derivative (SD) + BPNN is the optimum method to predict soil AS content estimation; R v 2 is 0.846 and residual predictive deviation (RPD) is 2.536. These results can expand the representativeness and practicability of the model to a certain extent and provide a scientific basis and technical reference for soil pollution monitoring.
Mediating Effect of Positive Psychological Strength and Study Skills on Examination Anxiety among Nigerian College Students
Authors: Khan Aqeel , Grema Mustapha Alhaji , Latif Adibah Binti Abdul , Bahar Herwina , Iswan Iswan , S Sriyanto , Baranovich Diana Lea , Mohd Kosnin Azlina Binti , Rosman Arieff Salleh , Mokhtar Mahani , Hassan Zainudin , Ismail Sarimah , Panatik Siti Aisyah
Published: February 2020

Examination plays a vital role in the present contemporary educational setting as well as serving as an indicator and yardstick to place students in relation to their examination scores after they undergo the examination. However, students at different educational levels experience examination anxiety, which can interfere with making right decisions either before or during examinations and is considered to be a phenomenon associated with low examination scores. Therefore, the present research study was aimed at determining the mediating effect of positive psychological strengths between study skills and examination anxiety among Nigerian college students. The study employed survey research on 315 Nigerian college students. The result of the path analysis shows that study skills (SSK) have a significant and direct relationship on examination anxiety. The mediation between positive psychological strength (PPS) and examination anxiety is identified as being effective and significant. Therefore, positive psychological strength (PPS) acts as an effective mediator towards examination anxiety.
Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Railway Network Performance in Countries of the TEN-T Orient–East Med Corridor
Authors: Stoilova Svetla , Munier Nolberto , Kendra Martin , Skrúcaný Tomáš
Published: February 2020

Railway networks have different levels of development, which affects the overall transport process and integrated sustainable development. This paper presents a methodology to assess and classify the railway network performance along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) core network corridor. The Orient–East Med corridor (OEM) has been examined. Twenty-two infrastructural, economic and technological criteria for assessment of railway transport have been proposed. The countries were ranked used multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), by applying the Sequential Interactive Modelling for Urban Systems (SIMUS). A sensitivity analysis was performed regarding each objective, and then, their allowable range of variation was determined without modifying the whole ranking of countries. The criteria weights have been determined on the basis of the output of using the SIMUS method. It was found that the main criteria for ranking the countries are: length of the connecting railway lines of the corridor in the country, length of the railway lines in the country, number of intermodal terminals, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, passengers transport performance, freight transport performance for the railway network, corridor freight usage intensity. It was found that the railway transport in the area of the OEM corridor located in Central Europe is better developed than in the Southeast European area. A cluster analysis was performed to classify countries into groups to verify the results. The results show that the eight countries included in the OEM corridor can be classified into three groups. The methodology could be used to make decisions about transport planning and improvement of the connectivity and sustainability of the railway transport, considering their development.
Design for Divestment in a Circular Economy: Stimulating Voluntary Return of Smartphones through Design
Authors: Poppelaars Flora , Bakker Conny , van Engelen Jo
Published: February 2020

For the transition toward a circular economy, it is essential that products are returned for reuse, refurbishing or recycling. In order to address the lack of literature on the topic from a user perspective, this paper explores how users can be stimulated to return used smartphones. Taking a Research through Design approach, we developed a novel set of “design for divestment” principles. Divestment is the process users experience when separating from a product. After introducing a conceptual model of divestment based on an extension of the Consumer Decision Process model by Blackwell, Engel, and Miniard, we describe seven empirical studies (i.e., design projects) into smartphone divestment. The studies explore factors that influence a successful divestment process. We report on a highly complex process with interrelated factors changing over time. While it is impossible to define a blueprint for an ideal divestment process, several patterns emerged such as the need to emotionally support users, to give them confidence regarding data security, and to provide information at the right moment. These unique insights contribute to consumer research (i.e., circular consumption); and by translating the insights to ten design principles for divestment, a novel contribution is made to the field of design research.
Group Decision-Making Support for Sustainable Governance of Algal Bloom in Urban Lakes
Authors: Yang Yi , Bai Yuting , Wang Xiaoyi , Wang Li , Jin Xuebo , Sun Qian
Published: February 2020

Algal bloom is a typical pollution of urban lakes, which threatens drinking safety and breaks the urban landscape. It is pivotal to select a reasonable governance approach for sustainable management. A decision-making support method was studied in this paper. First, a general framework was designed to organize the rational decision-making processes. Second, quantitative calculation methods were proposed, including expert selection and opinion integration. The methods can determine the vital decision elements objectively and automatically. Third, the method was applied in Yuyuantan Lake in Beijing, China. The monitoring information and decision-making process are presented and the rank of governance alternatives is given. The comparison and discussion show that the group decision-making method is feasible and effective. It can assist the sustainable management of algal bloom.
Household Food Waste: A Case Study in Southern Italy
Authors: Annunziata Azzurra , Agovino Massimiliano , Ferraro Aniello , Mariani Angela
Published: February 2020

To achieve the goal of reducing consumer-related food waste in developed countries, it is necessary to have an in-depth understanding of the factors shaping food waste, both in the household as well as at the point of purchase. Despite a growing number of studies on the subject, especially in recent years, the evidence on drivers of food waste and barriers to its reduction is somewhat conflicting. The current paper contributes to existing knowledge on food waste behaviour at the consumer level, providing original results from a direct survey conducted with a sample randomly selected in southern Italy to reveal consumer awareness, concerns and intentions towards food waste and to ascertain the existence of different consumer profiles with similar food waste behaviour. Since southern Italian regions have been shown to produce lower levels of food waste than regions in northern Italy, an in-depth analysis of the drivers behind food waste in this area could be considered an interesting case study. Our findings showed the existence of several consumer behaviour profiles that influenced household food waste generation. Strategies to reduce waste should take such differences into account in order to promote changes in food waste behaviour.
Proposal of an Architecture for the Integration of a Chatbot with Artificial Intelligence in a Smart Campus for the Improvement of Learning
Authors: Villegas-Ch William , Arias-Navarrete Adrián , Palacios-Pacheco Xavier
Published: February 2020

Traditional teaching based on masterclasses or techniques where the student develops a passive role has proven to be inefficient methods in the learning process. The use of technology in universities helps to generate active learning where the student’s interest improves making him the main actor in his education. However, implementing an environment where active learning takes place requires a great deal of effort given the number of variables involved in this objective. To identify these variables, it is necessary to analyze the data generated by the students in search of patterns that allow them to be classified according to their needs. Once these needs are identified, it is possible to make decisions that contribute to the learning of each student; for this, the use of artificial intelligence is considered. These techniques emulate the processes of human thought using structures that contain knowledge and experience of human experts.
Applying Social Network Analysis to Identify Project Critical Success Factors
Authors: Nunes Marco , Abreu António
Published: February 2020

A key challenge in project management is to understand to which extent the dynamic interactions between the different project people—through formal and informal networks of collaboration that temporarily emerge across a project´s lifecycle—throughout all the phases of a project lifecycle, influence a project’s outcome. This challenge has been a growing concern to organizations that deliver projects, due their huge impact in economic, environmental, and social sustainability. In this work, a heuristic two-part model, supported with three scientific fields—project management, risk management, and social network analysis—is proposed, to uncover and measure the extent to which the dynamic interactions of project people—as they work through networks of collaboration—across all the phases of a project lifecycle, influence a project‘s outcome, by first identifying critical success factors regarding five general project collaboration types ((1) communication and insight, (2) internal and cross collaboration, (3) know-how and power sharing, (4) clustering, and (5) teamwork efficiency) by analyzing delivered projects, and second, using those identified critical success factors to provide guidance in upcoming projects regarding the five project collaboration types.
Does the Mark-to-Model Fair Value Measure Make Assets Impairment Noisy?: A Literature Review
Authors: Dudycz Tadeusz , Praźników Jadwiga
Published: February 2020

With the purpose of reporting high-quality, transparent, and comparable information in financial statements, there is a strong, visible trend towards the implementation and use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which represent the Anglo-American accounting model. According to IFRS, the fair value has become a dominant measurement paradigm. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of the implementation of the mark-to-model fair value measures for asset impairment tests on the relevance and reliability of information presented in financial reports. Among the three levels of the fair value hierarchy, mark-to-model is most controversial because it is susceptible to manipulation and has poor verifiability. After a systematic literature review and a synthesis of high-quality contributions in this field, we conclude that the implementation of asset impairment tests, that use the mark-to-model fair value measures, is not promising for increasing the quality and reliability of the information presented in financial statements. Unfortunately, research has shown that companies are using that tool to manage their earnings and promote managers’ unethical behaviour. Furthermore, capital markets’ reaction to asset impairment announcements is negative. Performed analysis can provide valuable pointers for standard setters, accounting policy makers, and researchers.
Emotional Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing Intentions in the Context of Competitive Knowledge Network
Authors: Jeon Hyeon Gyu , Lee Kun Chang
Published: February 2020

This study deals with a competitive knowledge network (CKN) where participants desire to pass their personally important exams, and henceforth want to contribute and seek knowledge about exam-related issues they need to solve. Besides, CKN members are basically competing with each other since they all aim to pass the same exams. Therefore, from the contributor’s perspective, if the advisor fears that his/her advice can be detrimental to his or her own benefits, knowledge sharing (KS) intention within the CKN may be hindered by their expectation of competitive advantage. However, few studies were done about the effects of such fear and a sense of competition on KS continuance intention in the context of CKN. In this sense, our study aims to elucidate the effects of competition and fear on KS continuance intention in a mobile CKN. By using 296 valid questionnaires, we obtained very meaningful conclusions such that competition is a driving force rather than an obstacle to KS among CKN members, and fear also enhances members’ sustainable KS intention.
Prediction of Risk Delay in Construction Projects Using a Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Model
Authors: Yaseen Zaher Mundher , Ali Zainab Hasan , Salih Sinan Q. , Al-Ansari Nadhir
Published: February 2020

Project delays are the major problems tackled by the construction sector owing to the associated complexity and uncertainty in the construction activities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) models have evidenced their capacity to solve dynamic, uncertain and complex tasks. The aim of this current study is to develop a hybrid artificial intelligence model called integrative Random Forest classifier with Genetic Algorithm optimization (RF-GA) for delay problem prediction. At first, related sources and factors of delay problems are identified. A questionnaire is adopted to quantify the impact of delay sources on project performance. The developed hybrid model is trained using the collected data of the previous construction projects. The proposed RF-GA is validated against the classical version of an RF model using statistical performance measure indices. The achieved results of the developed hybrid RF-GA model revealed a good resultant performance in terms of accuracy, kappa and classification error. Based on the measured accuracy, kappa and classification error, RF-GA attained 91.67%, 87% and 8.33%, respectively. Overall, the proposed methodology indicated a robust and reliable technique for project delay prediction that is contributing to the construction project management monitoring and sustainability.
Quantifying Uncertainty in Machine Learning-Based Power Outage Prediction Model Training: A Tool for Sustainable Storm Restoration
Authors: Yang Feifei , Wanik David W. , Cerrai Diego , Bhuiyan Md Abul Ehsan , Anagnostou Emmanouil N.
Published: February 2020

A growing number of electricity utilities use machine learning-based outage prediction models (OPMs) to predict the impact of storms on their networks for sustainable management. The accuracy of OPM predictions is sensitive to sample size and event severity representativeness in the training dataset, the extent of which has not yet been quantified. This study devised a randomized and out-of-sample validation experiment to quantify an OPM’s prediction uncertainty to different training sample sizes and event severity representativeness. The study showed random error decreasing by more than 100% for sample sizes ranging from 10 to 80 extratropical events, and by 32% for sample sizes from 10 to 40 thunderstorms. This study quantified the minimum number of sample size for the OPM attaining an acceptable prediction performance. The results demonstrated that conditioning the training of the OPM to a subset of events representative of the predicted event’s severity reduced the underestimation bias exhibited in high-impact events and the overestimation bias in low-impact ones. We used cross entropy (CE) to quantify the relatedness of weather variable distribution between the training dataset and the forecasted event.
The Impact of Environmental Risk Exposure on the Determinants of Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Authors: Middermann Laura H. , Kratzer Jan , Perner Susanne
Published: February 2020

Does the increasing awareness of environmental risk exposure also affect intentions to create enterprises which address these social and environmental failures? Besides economic explanations that social and environmental needs and market failure create opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship, it is less clear how cognitive processes and motivations related to sustainable entrepreneurship are shaped by its context. This research integrates environmental risk exposure as a contextual variable into the theory of planned behavior and uses data gathered in the course of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. We provide empirical evidence for the impact of environmental risk exposure on the determinants of sustainable entrepreneurial intention and contribute to a deeper understanding of the formation of sustainable entrepreneurial intention.
Implementing Blockchain Technology in Irrigation Systems That Integrate Photovoltaic Energy Generation Systems
Authors: Enescu Florentina Magda , Bizon Nicu , Onu Adrian , Răboacă Maria Simona , Thounthong Phatiphat , Mazare Alin Gheorghita , Șerban Gheorghe
Published: February 2020

Traditionally, the energy industry has been slow in adopting new disruptive technologies and the transition to a new energy market will require a new digital transformation plan, involving all parties from the energy market. Although it now seems to be an impossible and hard-to-accept scenario, especially by the big players in the industry, the pilot projects so far demonstrate that blockchain can play a major role in the future energy market, even if the technology is still in the first stages of the adoption life cycle. This article attempts to describe a solution to provide alternative irrigation systems for small farmers. The solution involves creating associations of small farmers that will use green energy from photovoltaic panels for the irrigation of agricultural lands. The efficiency of the proposed system can be monitored not only through digital hardware connected to photovoltaic panels and water pumps, but also by using the new blockchain technology that stimulates innovation and growth in the energy and a high level of automation though smart contracts. To accelerate the transition to the green energy economy, a SolarCoin version similar to the Bitcoin cryptocurrency has also been proposed, which is a utility token that creates new possibilities for energy and water trading.
Dynamic Analysis of China’s Imported Raw Milk Powder Consumption
Authors: Wang Yuting , Wang Lei , Li Zhemin
Published: February 2020

Raw milk powder is one of most important raw materials for dairy processing and manufacturing. In the past decade, the rapid growth of imported raw milk powder (IMP) consumption has brought about significant impacts on China’s social economy. For more in-depth analysis of such impacts, this study develops a comprehensive IMP consumption model for China covering 2007–2015 based on the input-output analysis method from the perspective of material metabolism. In detail, material flows and consumption analysis are employed to reveal the direct and indirect IMP consumption and supply of various sectors. Using an innovative hierarchy analysis and network utility analysis, the internal structure of the IMP consumption system and consumption relationships between different sectors are identified. Due to the increasing intensive production activities between the manufacture and processing of the dairy products sector and others, its downstream sectors have grown rapidly and the consumption relationships with others are mostly mutualism. The surge in IMP has caused dramatic changes in consumption relationships, which has the greatest impact on the service sectors, followed by manufacturing sectors. The rapid increase in IMP consumption has put great pressure on the supply and consumption of intermediate products of many sectors.
Rethinking the Identification of Urban Centers from the Perspective of Function Distribution: A Framework Based on Point-of-Interest Data
Authors: Yu Lu , Yu Tao , Wu Yongxiang , Wu Guangdong
Published: February 2020

Urban spatial structure has a significant impact on the sustainable development of cities. An important step of urban spatial structure analysis is the identification of urban centers. From the perspective of urban function distribution, this study developed a theoretical framework of three layers for urban center identification. In the first layer, point-of-interest data were collected from geospatial databases and utilized to capture the spatial distribution of urban functions. In the second layer, the density-based spatial clustering of application with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm was employed to group points of interest into urban centers according to their inter-distances and urban functions. In the third layer, the spatial distribution of the identified urban centers was visualized by the ArcGIS platform. This framework was applied in the urban center analysis of Beijing. The results showed that Beijing is in the process of transitioning from monocentric to polycentric with urban functions distributed unevenly throughout the city. To facilitate this transition, strategies such as the construction of super-large communities, the development of branch campuses and higher-education parks, and the enhancement of modern culture industries should be considered for the 11 new towns of Beijing.
The Spatial Spillover Effect in Hi-Tech Industries: Empirical Evidence from China
Authors: Chen Yu , Shi Haoming , Ma Jun , Shi Victor
Published: February 2020

With ever-increasing economic globalization and rapid advancement of science and technology, developing high-tech industries have become an important way for many countries to achieve sustainable and environmentally friendly economic development. In this article, we aim to empirically test the critical factors, which can influence the spatial spillover of a country’s high-tech industries. Using data from the high-tech industries in China during the years of 2007–2016, we establish a space lag model and a space error model to examine the space fixed effect, the time fixed effect, and the space-time double mixed effect in spatial spillover in high-tech industries. We compare the results of these two spatial panel models with those from a general panel model and find that the spatial spillover effect within high-tech industries is rather significant. Moreover, we find that the spatial-time double mixed of the spatial lag model is the best fitting effect. Our empirical results also show that the research and development (R&D) investment and international trade can positively promote spatial spillover of high-tech industries among different regions. In terms of policy insights, our results imply that the government can establish a technology transfer platform to promote the spillover in high-tech industries. This can help achieve a sustainable and balanced development of high-tech industries.
Institutional and Legal Framework of the Brazilian Energy Market: Biomass as a Sustainable Alternative for Brazilian Agribusiness
Authors: Pereira Ribeiro Marcia Carla , Paglia Nadal Caroline , da Rocha Junior Weimar Freire , de Sousa Fragoso Rui Manuel , Lindino Cleber Antonio
Published: February 2020

The present article discusses the institutional model adopted in Brazil regarding energy production through biomass. The utilization of renewable energy and clean sources of energy is a characteristic of Brazil’s energy matrix. Recently, the production of energy through biogas—and biomass in general—started to gain force. The concessionaires of energy, as well, started to discipline its utilization and selling, creating an impediment to the commercialization of energy produced by micro or mini generation outside the free energy market, as well as a prohibition of binding the contracts to the value of electric energy. Even though, it is possible to create a network of contracts that interconnect the producers and the consumers. In this line, the theoretical-empirical method was used to conclude that the model’s difficulties—and specially the legal limitations—can be overcome by adopting a network of contracts capable of subjecting renewable energy generation to an energy compensation model.
In-Situ Yeast Fermentation to Enhance Bioconversion of Coconut Endosperm Waste into Larval Biomass of Hermetia illucens: Statistical Augmentation of Larval Lipid Content
Authors: Wong Chung Yiin , Mohd Aris Muhammad Naeim , Daud Hanita , Lam Man Kee , Yong Ching Seong , Abu Hasan Hadura , Chong Siewhui , Show Pau Loke , Hajoeningtijas Oetami Dwi , Ho Yeek Chia , Goh Pei Sean , Kausarian Husnul , Pan Guan-Ting , Lim Jun Wei
Published: February 2020

The aim of this study was to spur the lipid accumulation by larvae of Hermetia illucens or black soldier fly (BSFL) via feeding with yeast fermented medium. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a single cell yeast, was introduced at different concentrations (0.02, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 wt %) to execute an in-situ fermentation on coconut endosperm waste. The rearing of BSFL was started simultaneously and the rearing was stopped once the BSFL reached the fifth instar. With the increasing of yeast concentration, the rearing duration of BSFL was shortened from 15.5 to 13.5 days. Moreover, it was found that at 0.5 to 1.0 wt % yeast concentration, the lipid yield and lipid productivity of BSFL were statistically enhanced to their highest peaks, namely, at 49.4% and 0.53 g/day, respectively. With regard to biodiesel composition, BSFL-derived biodiesel contained mainly C12:0, C14:0, C16:0 and C18:1. The higher amount of saturated fatty acids could strengthen the oxidative stability biodiesel produced as compared with non-edible oils or microalgal lipid. At last, the addition of yeast was also found to improve the waste reduction index of coconut endosperm waste (CEW) from 0.31 to 0.40 g/day, heralding the capability of BSFL to valorize organic waste via bioconversion into its biomass to serve as a feedstock for biodiesel production.
Building Consensus with Local Residents in Community-Based Adaptation Planning: The Case of Bansong Pilbongoreum Community in Busan, South Korea
Authors: Kim Donghyun , Kang Jung Eun
Published: February 2020

Climate change adaptation is challenging in community planning because of the conflict between planners’ scientific knowledge and residents’ local knowledge. Focusing on the Bansong Pilbongoreum community in South Korea, we suggest a community-based adaption plan that uses local knowledge and builds consensus between local residents and planners by identifying problems and planning objectives. We applied this plan to our case study, using in-depth interviews, a community workshop, local knowledge, and scientific climate adaptation measures to identify the community’s problems and develop a plan. Planners and residents must communicate so that planners can incorporate local knowledge into effective planning objectives for community adaptation.
The Application of the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process in the Assessment and Improvement of the Human Settlement Environment
Authors: Zhang Yangli , Fan Qiang
Published: February 2020

With the development of urbanization in developing countries, some large cities have experienced rapid population growth and industrial expansion in a short period of time. In order to reasonably expand the scale of the city and guide the orderly outward movement of population and industries, it is urgent to improve the human settlement environment (THSE) in the surrounding areas of large cities. In the case of limited financial funds, different areas around the city need to be improved one by one according to the order of improvement grades. Since THSE is a comprehensive system involving multiple levels and indexes, it is difficult to assess it in a simple way. The previous assessment of THSE mainly focused on qualitative and semi-quantitative aspects, with poor accuracy. In this paper, the author takes JianYang County under the jurisdiction of Chengdu City in Southwest China as an example and uses the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to quantitatively calculate the improvement grade of THSE in 55 townships of JianYang County. The author carried out an investigation for more than one year. According to the actual situation of JianYang County, five primary indexes and 22 secondary indexes were selected to establish a comprehensive evaluation index system. This index system contains 1210 statistical data points, and more than 30,000 data points were calculated and derived in this article. Finally, the author calculated the improvement grade of 55 townships by FAHP quantitatively and carried out a horizontal comparison of townships within the same grade to further determine the order of improvement of THSE.
An IoT-Based Thermoelectric Air Management Framework for Smart Building Applications: A Case Study for Tropical Climate
Authors: Irshad Kashif , Almalawi Abdulmohsen , Khan Asif Irshad , Alam Md Mottahir , Zahir Md. Hasan , Ali Amjad
Published: February 2020

This study investigates the performance of the thermoelectric air conditioning (TE-AC) system smartly controlled by the Internet of Things (IoT)-based configuration for real tropical climatic application. Air cooling management was done through thermoelectric coolers, and an Arduino microcontroller with various sensors such as a temperature sensor, simple RF modules, and actuators was used to control the indoor climatic conditions based on outdoor conditions. The result shows that when the input power supply to the IoT-based TE-AC system is increased, the cooling capacity of the framework is also enhanced. Significant power and carbon emission reduction was observed for the IoT-based TE-AC system as compared to the TE-AC system without IoT. The IoT-incorporated system also ensures better microclimatic temperature control. Additionally, the system cooling capacity improves by 14.0%, and the coefficient of performance is increased by 46.3%. Thus, this study provides a smart solution to the two major energy harvesting issues of traditional air conditioners—an increase in energy efficiency by employing a TE-AC system and a further improvement in efficiency by using an IoT-based thermal management system.
Transferability of Process Parameters in Laser Powder Bed Fusion Processes for an Energy and Cost Efficient Manufacturing
Authors: Pannitz Oliver , Sehrt Jan T.
Published: February 2020

In the past decade, the sales of metal additive manufacturing systems have increased intensely. In particular, PBF-LB/M systems (powder bed fusion of metals using a laser-based system) represent a technology of great industrial interest, in which metallic powders are molten and solidified layer upon layer by a focused laser beam. This leads to a simultaneous increase in demand for metallic powder materials. Due to adjusted process parameters of PBF-LB/M systems, the powder is usually procured by the system’s manufacturer. The requirement and freedom to process different feedstocks in a reproducible quality and the economic and ecological factors involved are reasons to have a closer look at the differences between the quality of the provided metallic powders. Besides, different feedstock materials require different energy inputs, allowing a sustainable process control to be established. In this work, powder quality of stainless steel 1.4404 and the effects during the processing of metallic powders that are nominally the same were analyzed and the influence on the build process followed by the final part quality was investigated. Thus, a correlation between morphology, particle size distribution, absorptivity, flowability, and densification depending on process parameters was demonstrated. Optimized exposure parameters to ensure a more sustainable and energy and cost-efficient manufacturing process were determined.
Stimulating Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and Conservation Action: Predicting Future Land Use/Cover Change in Virunga National Park, Congo
Authors: Christensen Mads , Jokar Arsanjani Jamal
Published: February 2020

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) presents a roadmap and a concerted platform of action towards achieving sustainable and inclusive development, leaving no one behind, while preventing environmental degradation and loss of natural resources. However, population growth, increased urbanisation, deforestation, and rapid economic development has decidedly modified the surface of the earth, resulting in dramatic land cover changes, which continue to cause significant degradation of environmental attributes. In order to reshape policies and management frameworks conforming to the objectives of the SDG’s, it is paramount to understand the driving mechanisms of land use changes and determine future patterns of change. This study aims to assess and quantify future land cover changes in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by simulating a future landscape for the SDG target year of 2030 in order to provide evidence to support data-driven decision-making processes conforming to the requirements of the SDG’s. The study follows six sequential steps: (a) creation of three land cover maps from 2010, 2015 and 2019 derived from satellite images; (b) land change analysis by cross-tabulation of land cover maps; (c) submodel creation and identification of explanatory variables and dataset creation for each variable; (d) calculation of transition potentials of major transitions within the case study area using machine learning algorithms; (e) change quantification and prediction using Markov chain analysis; and (f) prediction of a 2030 land cover. The model was successfully able to simulate future land cover and land use changes and the dynamics conclude that agricultural expansion and urban development is expected to significantly reduce Virunga’s forest and open land areas in the next 11 years. Accessibility in terms of landscape topography and proximity to existing human activities are concluded to be primary drivers of these changes. Drawing on these conclusions, the discussion provides recommendations and reflections on how the predicted future land cover changes can be used to support and underpin policy frameworks towards achieving the SDG’s and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Archetypical CBMs in Construction and a Translation to Industrialized Manufacture
Authors: Heesbeen Charlotte , Prieto Alejandro
Published: February 2020

The circular economy is a widely accepted concept that various governments have started to adopt. Still, a major consumer of resources, the construction industry, struggles to implement business models that answer to the opportunity and generate value beyond economical. At the same time, the industry is at a threshold of intensifying their production by industrialized manufacture. This type of construction offers practical benefits and should be developed whilst prioritizing a sustainably built environment. A circular economy business model (CBM) offers all stakeholders long term value and revenue whilst moving towards a sustainable environment. The business model canvas (BMC) is a tool to shed light on the essential characteristics of a CBM, its value, and alignment in a multi-life cycle perspective. It can contribute to accelerating circular innovation in construction. This study aims to provide an overview of archetypical CBMs in construction based on a literature review and a systematic coding exercise using the BMC. The archetypes found are used to describe the characteristics of industrialized manufacture in the various circular economy construction scenarios.
A Study of the Water and Sediment Transport Laws and Equilibrium Stability of Fluvial Facies in the Ningxia Section of the Yellow River under Variable Conditions
Authors: Yuan Ximin , Yue Zhichun , Tian Fuchang , Cao Lugan , Song Tianhua
Published: February 2020

Recently, construction of many large-scale water conservancy projects, as well as the vegetation protection and restoration projects in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, have led to serious changes in water inflow processes, sediment inflow processes, and scour and silting situation in the Ningxia section of the Yellow River (NSYR). This study explored the relationship between the sediment scouring and the silting law of the sediment-laden rivers and the equilibrium fluvial facies in the NSYR. The double cumulative curves of the annual silting amounts and annual incoming sediment amounts in the Qingtongxia–Shizuishan section were then established. It has been previously proven the fluvial facies coefficient increases year by year with the increase in the silting amounts in the watercourse, which lead to the evolution of the watercourse toward the wandering reach. The fluvial facies relationships of their cross-sections under an equilibrium state in the NSYR were established using a Yalin fluvial facies method. The Fr values under an equilibrium state and the actual state were analyzed. The results showed the Xiaheyan section was in an equilibrium state, and the Qingtongxia and Shizuishan cross-section were in a scouring state. This conclusion was confirmed by the actual measured results for numerous years.
Resources and Environmental Pressure, Carrying Capacity, And Governance: A Case Study of Yangtze River Economic Belt
Authors: Bao Haijun , Wang Chengcheng , Han Lu , Wu Shaohua , Lou Liming , Xu Baogen , Liu Yanfang
Published: February 2020

The analysis of the relationship between regional resources and environment and human activities plays an important role in sustainable regional development. This study proposes the pressure–capacity–governance (PCG) model, an analytic framework for the assessment of the resources and environmental pressure (REP), carrying capacity (RECC) and governance (REG) levels over a large watershed scale, with the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as the study area. A limiting factor analysis is used to recognize the limiting factors of the regional RECC. The coupling analysis of resources and environmental pressure–capacity–governance identifies the regional potential and utilization direction. The research results are as follows. (1) The REP, RECC and REG levels of the YREB exhibit spatial differences. The REPs of the upper reaches are lower than those of the lower reaches, which does not match the RECC but matches the REG levels. (2) The proportions of unused land, water resources, and atmospheric environmental quality are the main limiting factors of the regional RECC. (3) The PCG analysis framework is used as the basis to divide the YREB into several subareas to analyse the resources and environmental potential carrying capacity and utilization direction of different types of region. This research may provide decision-making references for regional sustainable development at the large watershed scale.
Greening Vienna. The Multi-Level Interplay of Urban Environmental Policy–Making
Authors: Mocca Elisabetta , Friesenecker Michael , Kazepov Yuri
Published: February 2020

Vienna is widely recognised as an example of urban sustainability, crowned as one of the most liveable cities worldwide by several quality of life rankings. Despite being highly committed to incorporating the ecological and social dimension into its urban development strategy, Vienna is undergoing a deep transition, orienting its urban policy more closely toward economic criteria and techno-managerial solutions to climate change. While European capitals have been extensively studied, research on Vienna’s environmental policy strategies lacks international visibility in urban studies. To address this paucity of research, this article identifies and unpacks critical junctures, moments characterised by policy shifts occurred in the last 30 years. The article disentangles the synchronisation or de-synchronisation of the inter- and cross-level relations underpinning Vienna’s policy changes. From a methodological standpoint, we employ a process tracing method relying on evidence gathered through the analysis of regulatory and policy documents complemented by interviews with key informants involved in the policy-making process at different territorial levels. The findings cast light on the benefits of and barriers to multilevel coordination in the realm of climate policy and adaptation strategies, pinning down the critical junctures and the multilevel interaction in Vienna’s climate policy evolution.
Study on Unsteady Flow Based on Optimized Water Distribution Model in Irrigation District
Authors: Wu Jingjing , Chen Jian , Han Yu , Li Tongshu
Published: February 2020

The canal delivery system is the main infrastructure of agricultural irrigation. The efficiency of water use in agriculture can be achieved by mastering the dynamic process of unsteady flow in the channel. In this study, an unsteady flow model for the calculation of the water flow transition information of the river channel during the water distribution process was established, based on the water distribution scheme given by the backtracking-search algorithm (BSA). This model was more suitable for areas with inefficient channel systems. The research areas included the main irrigation channels in Xiying City, which is one of the typical agricultural areas in northwestern China. The scheme obtained by optimal solution proposed for Xiying Irrigation District was feasible. According to the results of the flow simulations, the sluice gate calculation correlation could determine the change process of the gate opening of each channel, which provided a basis to realize the modernization of the irrigation area.
Sustainable Masonry Made from Recycled Aggregates: LCA Case Study
Authors: Pešta Jan , Pavlů Tereza , Fořtová Kristina , Kočí Vladimír
Published: February 2020

For a sustainable building industry, reusable construction with a low demand for primary resources is needed. Moreover, if we want to reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste, construction with recycled aggregate should be considered. To investigate the environmental impacts of such concrete construction, life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare the following types of concrete construction: Reusable blocks with recycled brick aggregate, reusable blocks with recycled concrete, reusable blocks with natural aggregate, and regular concrete wall. Firstly, the properties of new concrete with recycled aggregate were measured, such as physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Then, different constructions were designed and assessed using the method of Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML2001) and the method of National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (ReCiPe 2016) as characterization methods. Unsurprisingly, the regular concrete wall had a higher impact on most of the impact categories, e.g., 113 kg CO2 eq. (in the first scenario, using CML2001). In accordance with the circular principles, the reusability of blocks and recycling of aggregate are the main factors that affect the environmental impact of the constructions. Thus, the global warming potential (GWP) of construction with reusable recycled concrete blocks was only 53 kg CO2 eq. (in the second scenario). Moreover, we show differences in the results of CML2001 and ReCiPe 2016, e.g., in the Photochemical Oxidant Creation category.
Accumulation of Urban Insect Pests in China: 50 Years’ Observations on Camphor Tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
Authors: Xiang Zhiyuan , Zhao Meifang , Ogbodo U. S.
Published: February 2020

Since China experienced a rapid and unprecedented process of urbanization and climate change from 1978 onwards, pest outbreaks were frequently reported on urban forests, which reflects a significant imbalance between natural regulation and human control. Based on information extracted from all journal articles and reports about insect pests on camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) in urban China, we characterized historical patterns and trends in pest outbreaks over large areas. Our results suggested that (1) most distribution areas of C. camphora in urban China had pest records (14 provinces) over the last 50 years, especially at the south-eastern coastal areas; (2) pests on camphor tree in urban China showed an accelerated growth since the 1990s; and (3) pests on camphor tree in urban China were characterized by native and leaf-feeding species. Urbanization seems to positively correlate with urban pest outbreaks. Changes of urban pest outbreaks could largely be described by synchronic changes of socio-economic indicators, of which CO2 emissions as metric tons per capita is the most significant predictor, followed by GDP and human population. Thus, managers and city planners should allocate resources to socio-economic-related pest outbreaks for a sustainable ecosystem.