bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extraction of Bridge Fundamental Frequencies Utilizing a Smartphone MEMS Accelerometer
Authors: Elhattab Ahmed , Uddin Nasim , OBrien Eugene
Published: July 2019

Smartphone MEMS (Micro Electrical Mechanical System) accelerometers have relatively low sensitivity and high output noise density. Therefore, it cannot be directly used to track feeble vibrations such as structural vibrations. This article proposes an effective increase in the sensitivity of the smartphone accelerometer utilizing the stochastic resonance (SR) phenomenon. SR is an approach where, counter-intuitively, feeble signals are amplified rather than overwhelmed by the addition of noise. This study introduces the 2D-frequency independent underdamped pinning stochastic resonance (2D-FI-UPSR) technique, which is a customized SR filter that enables identifying the frequencies of weak signals. To validate the feasibility of the proposed SR filter, an iPhone device is used to collect bridge acceleration data during normal traffic operation and the proposed 2D-FI-UPSR filter is used to process these data. The first four fundamental bridge frequencies are successfully identified from the iPhone data. In parallel to the iPhone, a highly sensitive wireless sensing network consists of 15 accelerometers (Silicon Designs accelerometers SDI-2012) is installed to validate the accuracy of the extracted frequencies. The measurement fidelity of the iPhone device is shown to be consistent with the wireless sensing network data with approximately 1% error in the first three bridge frequencies and 3% error in the fourth frequency.
Alternative Green Extraction Phases Applied to Microextraction Techniques for Organic Compound Determination
Authors: Carasek Eduardo , Bernardi Gabrieli , do Carmo Sângela N. , Vieira Camila M.S.
Published: July 2019

The use of green extraction phases has gained much attention in different fields of study, including in sample preparation for the determination of organic compounds by chromatography techniques. Green extraction phases are considered as an alternative to conventional phases due to several advantages such as non-toxicity, biodegradability, low cost and ease of preparation. In addition, the use of greener extraction phases reinforces the environmentally-friendly features of microextraction techniques. Thus, this work presents a review about new materials that have been used in extraction phases applied to liquid and sorbent-based microextractions of organic compounds in different matrices.
On-Ice Measures of External Load in Relation to Match Outcome in Elite Female Ice Hockey
Authors: Douglas Adam , Johnston Kathryn , Baker Joseph , Rotondi Michael A. , Jamnik Veronica K. , Macpherson Alison K.
Published: July 2019

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences between select on-ice measures using inertial movement sensors based on match outcome, and to determine changes in player movements across three periods of play. Data were collected during one season of competition in elite female ice hockey players (N = 20). Two-factor mixed effects ANOVAs for each skating position were performed to investigate the differences in match outcome, as well as differences in external load measures during the course of a match. For match outcome, there was a small difference for forwards in explosive ratio (p = 0.02, ES = 0.26) and percentage high force strides (p = 0.04, ES = 0.50). When viewed across three periods of a match, moderate differences were found in skating load (p = 0.01, ES = 0.75), explosive efforts (p = 0.04, ES = 0.63), and explosive ratio (p = 0.002, ES = 0.87) for forwards, and in PlayerLoad (p = 0.01, ES = 0.70), explosive efforts (p = 0.04, ES = 0.63), and explosive ratio (p = 0.01, ES = 0.70) for defense. When examining the relevance to match outcome, external load measures associated with intensity appear to be an important factor among forwards. These results may be helpful for coaches and sport scientists when making decisions pertaining to training and competition strategies.
Quality in Tourism Literature: A Bibliometric Review
Authors: Garrigos-Simon Fernando J. , Narangajavana-Kaosiri Yeamduan , Narangajavana Yeamdao
Published: July 2019

The literature about quality has experienced an important expansion in the tourism sector in the last decade. This is a result of the importance of quality issues when attempting to maintain and expand sustainable business models for tourism organizations and destinations, which are critical to strengthen competitiveness in the new framework. This relevance has been reflected in the tourism literature, with numerous papers focusing on the topic of quality. Nevertheless, despite its importance, there is a lack of studies and reviews of this literature. In order to overcome this problem, this paper develops a bibliometric and visualization analysis of the literature that examines the topics of tourism and quality together. Specifically, the article studies the 4625 documents on this issue published until the end of 2018 in the Web of Science Core Collection database, by using the co-occurrence of keywords, co-citation, bibliographic coupling, and co-authorship analyses. In addition, the VOSviewer program was used to map the diverse clusters or relationships among the literature. The results showed the trends and impact of this literature, and also the main papers, authors, journals, institutions, and even countries that focus on tourism and quality aspects together. They are useful for researchers and practitioners when dealing with this topic, in order to better understand the situation of this issue and its development.
Phenyl-C61-Butyric Acid Methyl Ester Hybrid Solution for Efficient CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Kim MiJoung , Kim MoonHoe , Oh JungSeock , Kwon NamHee , Kang Yoonmook , Yang JungYup
Published: July 2019

Organic–inorganic halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have excellent chemical, electronic, and optical properties, making them attractive next-generation thin-film solar cells. Typical PSCs were fabricated with a perovskite absorber layer between the TiO2 electron-transport layer (ETL) and the 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis-(N,N-di-4-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD) hole-transport layer (HTL). We examined the influence of phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) on the PSC device. PSCs using the PCBM layer as an ETL were investigated, and the absorber layer was coated by dissolving PCBM in a methyl ammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) precursor solution to examine the changes at the perovskite interface and inside the perovskite absorber layer. The PSCs fabricated by adding a small amount of PCBM to the MAPbI3 solution exhibited a significantly higher maximum efficiency of 16.55% than conventional PSCs (14.34%). Fabricating the PCBM ETL and PCBM-MAPbI3 hybrid solid is expected to be an efficient route for improving the photovoltaic performance.
A Comparative Study of En Route Refuelling Behaviours of Conventional and Electric Vehicles in Beijing, China
Authors: Zhuge Chengxiang , Shao Chunfu , Li Xia
Published: July 2019

A comparative study is carried out to investigate the differences among conventional vehicles (CVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the maximum acceptable time of diverting to a refuelling station, maximum acceptable time of queueing at a refuelling station, refuelling modes and desirable electric driving ranges, using Beijing, China, as a case study. Here, several multinomial logit (MNL) models are developed to relate the diverting and waiting times to individual attributes. The results suggest that, (1) the diverting time roughly follows a normal distribution for both CVs and electric vehicles (EVs), but the difference between them is slight; (2) EVs tend to bear longer waiting time above 10 min; (3) the MNL models indicate that income and the level of education tend to be more statistically significant to both the diverting and waiting times; (4) the most preferred driving ranges obtained for BEVs and PHEVs are both around 50 km, indicating that EV drivers may just prefer to charge for a specific time ranging from 8 to 10 min. Finally, ways to apply the empirical findings in planning refuelling and charging stations are discussed with specific examples.
Market Power and Technology Diffusion in an Energy-Intensive Sector Covered by an Emissions Trading Scheme
Authors: Zeng Bingxin , Zhu Lei
Published: July 2019

The emissions trading scheme (ETS) has been long advocated to address climate change not only because it is cost effective but also because it can provide economic incentives for the adoption of new technologies. The emissions abatement of the energy-intensive sector covered by ETS is of great significance for the whole nation to attain sustainable and low-carbon development, especially for developing countries. This paper investigates the effect of market power in the emissions trading market on the diffusion of a new emissions abatement technology when firms in the energy-intensive sector interact in an imperfectly competitive output market. In the model, each firm needs to determine the optimal time to adopt the new emissions abatement technology, taking into account its benefits and costs, as well as its rival’s strategic behavior. With this framework, the results suggest that firms will delay adoption of the new emissions abatement technology in the presence of market power. Moreover, when the output demand is larger and more elastic, emissions abatement technology diffusion will occur earlier. It implies that the technology diffusion in the weak elastic sector, such as the Chinese iron and steel sector, may have more barriers than that in the strong elastic sector, such as the Chinese nonferrous metals sector.
Media Use and Environmental Public Service Satisfaction—An Empirical Analysis Based on China
Authors: Hu Shujia , Zeng Runxi , Yi Chengzhi
Published: July 2019

Previous research has produced conflicting findings on the relationship between media use and environmental public service satisfaction. Using survey data from the China General Social Survey 2015 (hereafter referred to as CGSS2015), this study examined the impact of media use on environmental public service satisfaction. The findings showed that traditional media use was positively associated and new media use was negatively associated with environmental public service satisfaction. Individuals who used new media as their primary source of information were less satisfied with environmental public services than individuals whose primary source of information was traditional media. This study confirmed that authoritative value propositions and government trust have a significant mediating effect between traditional media use and environmental public service satisfaction, and government trust has a significant mediating effect between individuals’ main information sources and their environmental public service satisfaction.
Roadmapping to Enhance Local Food Supply: Case Study of a City-Region in Austria
Authors: Berner Simon , Derler Hartmut , Rehorska René , Pabst Stephan , Seebacher Ulrike
Published: July 2019

Due to the current challenges of climate change, population growth in urban settlements and resource depletion, agri-food researchers have put an increasing emphasis on the sustainability transitions of food systems. In this regard, there has been an increasing interest in the local food supply of cities and their surrounding regions, as local food is considered to be a contributing factor toward more sustainable, resilient and just urban food systems. Based on this background, a roadmapping process was conducted to assess the status quo and to identify measures to enhance the local food supply in the city-region of Graz in Austria. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 47 stakeholders, analysed textual materials and calculated food carrying capacities. The obtained data served as input for a series of three workshops, where measures were derived. Our results suggest that cooperation among agri-food stakeholders should be facilitated by local decision makers in order to promote food from regional sources within the target area. Furthermore, smart technologies can help to scale-up local food supply schemes, and to track down food stocks and flows more efficiently. Besides, food policy councils and open food labs can help to incubate food product innovations and to support partnerships among agri-food stakeholders, including local small-scale farmers. In the future, engagement and empowerment processes with local food stakeholders should be addressed to enable transformational processes. Roadmaps can help to initiate such processes.
How to Assess Urban Regeneration Proposals by Considering Conflicting Values
Authors: Capolongo Stefano , Sdino Leopoldo , Dell’Ovo Marta , Moioli Rossella , Della Torre Stefano
Published: July 2019

Urban regeneration has to be based on rigorous methodological frameworks able to find a balance among preservation instances, economic development, urban quality and the well-being of the population. Considering these premises, this research is focused on the definition of the decision-aiding process for the reuse of an abandoned health care facility with several historic buildings. Both public and private interests have been taken into consideration, since they play an important role for the urban regeneration project and for the definition of urban regeneration policies. Given the complexity of this issue, the evaluation process has been structured by combining different methodologies to support the policy cycle: Stakeholder Analysis, to identify the actors engaged (Social sustainability); Nara Grid for the values elicitation of the Built Cultural Heritage (Cultural and environmental sustainability); and the subsequent definition of different sustainable scenarios evaluated by the Discounted Cash Flow Analysis (Economic sustainability). Four alternatives have been assessed with the support of a Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) aimed at defining the most balanced one considering heritage significance retention and urban regeneration. This work contributes to the literature on soft OR by exploring interactions among different stakeholders and addresses policy instances by providing a transparent methodology based on value elicitation.
Arterial Offset Optimization Considering the Delay and Emission of Platoon: A Case Study in Beijing
Authors: Ding Shenzhen , Chen Xumei , Yu Lei , Wang Xu
Published: July 2019

The effective setting of offsets between intersections on arterial roads can greatly reduce the travel time of vehicles through intersections. However, coordinated control systems of urban arterial roads often do not achieve the desired effect. On the contrary, they are very likely to increase the traffic congestion on arterial roads, resulting in more delays of the platoon with more exhaust emissions, if the coordinated control system does not have effective settings. Meanwhile, taking into account increasing environmental pollution, measures are needed to solve the conflict between environmental and traffic management. Thus, in order to ensure the smooth flow of urban arterial roads while considering the environment, this paper develops a bi-objective offset optimization model, with reducing delays of the platoon on arterial roads as the primary objective, and reducing exhaust emissions as the secondary objective. The proposed bi-objective model is based on the division of platoon operating modes on arterial roads, and more pollutant types, including NOx, HC, and CO, are considered when measuring environmental impact. Further, the modified hierarchical method, combining the branch and bound approach with the introductions of a relaxation coefficient, is employed to solve the model. By introducing a relaxation coefficient, the modified hierarchical method overcomes the defects of the traditional one. Finally, Xi Dajie Road in Beijing was taken as an example. The results showed that the bi-objective offset optimization model, considering both the delays and emissions of the platoon reduced delays by up to 20% and emissions by 7% compared with the existing timing plan. If compared with the offset optimization model considering delays only, such a model increases delays no more than 3% and reduces emissions by 6%.
Assessment of Tourism Impact on the Socio-Economic Spheres of the Issyk-Kul Region (Kyrgyzstan)
Authors: Kozhokulov Sadyrbek , Chen Xi , Yang Degang , Issanova Gulnura , Samarkhanov Kanat , Aliyeva Selvina
Published: July 2019

Based on the quantitative assessment methodology, the study examined the socio-economic impact of tourism in the region. The study proposed and tested on the example of the Issyk-Kul region, as it is the most visited region of Kyrgyzstan. Accordingly, economic and social efficiency was estimated by the integral indicators formed at the use of the weight coefficients calculated on the statistical data, and the forecast for tourism development in the region. The study showed that the impact of tourism on economic and social growth in the Issyk-Kul region is positive. Tourism in the region as a whole supports the growth of the economy, and the economic sphere of tourism has a strong impact on the social. According to forecasts, tourism will have a stable growth trend. Unlike previous studies, this study promotes a new understanding of the socio-economic impacts of tourism in the region.
An Integrated Rural Development Mode Based on a Tourism-Oriented Approach: Exploring the Beautiful Village Project in China
Authors: Gao Chunliu , Cheng Li , Iqbal Javed , Cheng Deqiang
Published: July 2019

To solve the decline of rural development, an effective development mode is indispensable. Rural tourism is a key approach in poverty alleviation and rural revitalization in China. The comparative analysis of the 50 most beautiful villages as awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture of China shows that the rural tourism development mode with the integration of production, village and scenery realizes the sustainable development of rural areas. To examine this further, this study takes Qinggangshu Village as a case study and constructs a systematic rural tourism-based sustainable development model called Aims, Measures, Demands (AMD). The results show that Qinggangshu Village has changed from a single farming village to a mature tourism village due to the Beautiful Village Project’s support. In this process, the production, village and scenery have made great change by promoting rural tourism development. Land consolidation and land asset activation is at the core of rural transformation and development, which can drive the reorganization and flow of labor and capital and can also make rebuilt villages more comfortable living spaces. Furthermore, a good landscape environment can stimulate development and competition. This study could be used as an example of attaining sustainable development for other rural areas.
Modelling Development, Territorial and Legislative Factors Impacting the Changes in Use of Agricultural Land in Slovakia
Authors: Palšová Lucia , Melichová Katarína , Melišková Ina
Published: July 2019

The conflict of interests in agricultural land use based on the diversity of needs of private and public interest is the main problem of the current protection of agricultural land in Slovakia. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to identify factors affecting the withdrawal of agricultural land, i.e., conversion of the agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes, and to initiate a professional discussion on the concept of protection and use of the agricultural land in Slovakia. Through panel regression models, the developmental, territorial, and legislative factors affecting land withdrawal for the purpose of housing, industry, transport, mining, and other purposes were analyzed. Research has shown that developmental factors, compared to legislative ones, affect the total volume of agricultural land withdrawn in bigger scope. From the perspective of the conflict of interests between the individuals and state regarding land protection, the private interest prevails over the public one. As a consequence, agricultural land is withdrawn in suburbanized and attractive areas, where the land of the highest quality is mostly located. In accordance with the precautionary principle, the state should adopt a long-term conceptual document defining the areas of agricultural land use taking into account the impact of the developmental factors on the land protection.
Challenges for Sustainable Water Use in the Urban Industry of Korea Based on the Global Non-Radial Directional Distance Function Model
Authors: Wang Na , Choi Yongrok
Published: July 2019

Since water stress and industrial water pollution pose a huge threat to South Korea’s sustainable water use, it is an urgent task to assess industrial water green use efficiency (GUEIW). Based on the global non-radial directional distance function (GNDDF) model, this paper calculated GUEIW in 16 Korean local governments from 2006 to 2015 using two decomposition indicators: Economic efficiency of industrial water use (ECEIW) and environmental efficiency of industrial water use (ENEIW). The growth of GUEIW is mainly driven by ECEIW, and subsequent environmental problems are obstacles to achieving green use of Korean industrial water. The regional heterogeneity of GUEIW is so important that the downstream region outperformed the upstream region in all three indicators. The government’s efforts to ensure water quality inhibits industrial development in upstream areas, where incomes are much lower than in downstream areas, and downstream industrial areas have to pay upstream industrial areas extra for water. However, regarding upstream industrial areas, low prices easily promote water waste. Because of relatively high water use costs, downstream producers are encouraged to save water. To improve the economic efficiency of industrial water use in upstream areas, advanced water technology should be developed or introduced to make full use of water resources in industrial production.
Series of Semihypergroups of Time-Varying Artificial Neurons and Related Hyperstructures
Authors: Chvalina Jan , Smetana Bedřich
Published: July 2019

Detailed analysis of the function of multilayer perceptron (MLP) and its neurons together with the use of time-varying neurons allowed the authors to find an analogy with the use of structures of linear differential operators. This procedure allowed the construction of a group and a hypergroup of artificial neurons. In this article, focusing on semihyperstructures and using the above described procedure, the authors bring new insights into structures and hyperstructures of artificial neurons and their possible symmetric relations.
ThingsLocate: A ThingSpeak-Based Indoor Positioning Platform for Academic Research on Location-Aware Internet of Things
Authors: De Nardis Luca , Caso Giuseppe , Di Benedetto Maria Gabriella
Published: July 2019

Seamless location awareness is considered a cornerstone in the successful deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT). Support for IoT devices in indoor positioning platforms and, vice versa, availability of indoor positioning functions in IoT platforms, are however still in their early stages, posing a significant challenge in the study and research of the interaction of indoor positioning and IoT. This paper proposes a new indoor positioning platform, called ThingsLocate, that fills this gap by building upon the popular and flexible ThingSpeak cloud service for IoT, leveraging its data input and data processing capabilities and, most importantly, its native support for cloud execution of Matlab code. ThingsLocate provides a flexible, user-friendly WiFi fingerprinting indoor positioning service for IoT devices, based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) information. The key components of ThingsLocate are introduced and described: RSSI channels used by IoT devices to provide WiFi RSSI data, an Analysis app estimating the position of the device, and a Location channel to publish such estimate. A proof-of-concept implementation of ThingsLocate is then introduced, and used to show the possibilities offered by the platform in the context of graduate studies and academic research on indoor positioning for IoT. Results of an experiment enabled by ThingsLocate with limited setup and no coding effort are presented, focusing on the impact of using different devices and different positioning algorithms on positioning accuracy.
Report of the IVth Workshop of the Spanish National Network on Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Fungi and Their Decontamination Processes (MICOFOOD), Held in Pamplona, Spain, 29–31 May 2019
Authors: González-Peñas Elena , Vettorazzi Ariane , Lizarraga Elena , Azqueta Amaya , López de Cerain Adela
Published: July 2019

The present publication collects the communications presented in the IV Workshop of the Spanish National Network on Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Fungi and their Decontamination Processes (MICOFOOD), held in the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition of the Universidad de Navarra (Pamplona, Spain) from the 29 to the 31 May 2019. More than 70 professionals from academia, the industry and public services have participated. The scientific program included: five sessions: sponsors (presentation and services), toxigenic fungi, toxicology, analysis and control, and reduction and prevention strategies. In total, 18 oral communications and 24 posters were presented. It is worth mentioning the high participation and quality of the communications from PhD students. The invited conference, entitled: “Mycotoxins within the framework of exposure assessment: past present and future”, was given by Dr. Barbara de Santis (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy). The meeting ended with the roundtable: “From feed to fork: safe food without mycotoxins”, where representatives of feed and agrofood companies and public administrations discussed about the current situation and problems related with mycotoxins. Different prizes were awarded for the best oral presentation (Effect of Staphylococcus xylosus on the growth of toxigenic moulds in meat substrates, by E. Cebrian et al., University of Extremadura), and the best posters (Combined toxicity of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A: A systematic review by M. Alonso-Jaúregui et al., Universidad de Navarra; and Application of natamycin in products affected by toxigenic fungi by Torrijos et al., Universitat de València). The participants had the opportunity to learn about the history and gastronomy of Pamplona. Situated in the north of Spain, Pamplona is a city of Roman origin featuring a large gothic cathedral complex and a Vauban citadel of the 16th century.
Transmission of Porcine Circovirus 3 (PCV3) by Xenotransplantation of Pig Hearts into Baboons
Authors: Krüger Luise , Längin Matthias , Reichart Bruno , Fiebig Uwe , Kristiansen Yannick , Prinz Carolin , Kessler Barbara , Egerer Stefanie , Wolf Eckhard , Abicht Jan-Michael , Denner Joachim
Published: July 2019

Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) is a newly described member of the virus family Circoviridae. PCV3 is highly distributed among pigs and wild boars worldwide. A sudden introduction of PCV3 was recently observed in a herd of triple genetically modified pigs generated for xenotransplantation. These animals were used as donor pigs for orthotopic heart transplantation into baboons. In four cases, PCV3-positive hearts were transplanted, and transmission of PCV3 to the recipient was observed. PCV3 was found in all organs of the recipient baboons and a higher virus load was found in animals with a longer survival time of the transplant, indicating replication of the virus. This is the first report showing trans-species transmission of PCV3 to baboons by transplantation of a heart from a PCV3-positive donor pig. Sequence analysis showed that PCV3a and PCV3b were present in the infected pigs and were transmitted. Experiments to infect human 293 cells with PCV3 failed.
Effects of Moloney Leukemia Virus 10 Protein on Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Viral Replication
Authors: Puray-Chavez Maritza , Farghali Mahmoud , Yapo Vincent , Huber Andrew , Liu Dandan , Ndongwe Tanyaradzwa , Casey Mary , Laughlin Thomas , Hannink Mark , Tedbury Philip , Sarafianos Stefan
Published: July 2019

Moloney leukemia virus 10 (MOV10) is an RNA helicase that has been shown to affect the replication of several viruses. The effect of MOV10 on Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is not known and its role on the replication of this virus is poorly understood. We investigated the effect of MOV10 down-regulation and MOV10 over-expression on HBV in a variety of cell lines, as well as in an infection system using a replication competent virus. We report that MOV10 down-regulation, using siRNA, shRNA, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, resulted in increased levels of HBV DNA, HBV pre-genomic RNA, and HBV core protein. In contrast, MOV10 over-expression reduced HBV DNA, HBV pre-genomic RNA, and HBV core protein. These effects were consistent in all tested cell lines, providing strong evidence for the involvement of MOV10 in the HBV life cycle. We demonstrated that MOV10 does not interact with HBV-core. However, MOV10 binds HBV pgRNA and this interaction does not affect HBV pgRNA decay rate. We conclude that the restriction of HBV by MOV10 is mediated through effects at the level of viral RNA.
Pertussis Vaccination Failure in the New Zealand Pediatric Population: Study Protocol
Authors: Chisholm Hannah , Howe Anna , Best Emma , Petousis-Harris Helen
Published: July 2019

Pertussis vaccines have been effective at reducing pertussis-associated morbidity and mortality. However, they have a complex array of limitations, particularly associated with the duration of protection against clinical disease and imperfect immunity (carriage and transmission). Little is known about risk factors for pertussis vaccination failure. Understanding pertussis vaccination failure risk is most important in the paediatric population. This study aims to investigate risk factors for pertussis vaccination failure in (1) infants between birth and six weeks of age born to mothers who received pertussis booster vaccinations during pregnancy and (2) infants after the completion of the primary series (approximately five months old) to four years old. This will be achieved in a two-step process for each study group. Pertussis vaccination failure cases will first be described using a case series study design, relevant case characteristics will be sourced from six national administrative datasets. The case series study results will help select candidate risk factors (hypothesis generating step) to be tested in the retrospective cohort study (hypothesis testing step). Pattern analysis will be used to investigate risk factor patterns in the cohort study. The identification of higher risk groups enables targeting strategies, such as additional doses, to better prevent pertussis disease.
Performance of a Hydraulically Linked and Physically Decoupled Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) System with Potentially Heterogeneous Native Soil
Authors: Tu Min-cheng , Traver Robert
Published: July 2019

This study shows that a physically decoupled but hydraulically linked design focusing on surface infiltration components (i.e., excluding underdrain and infiltration bed systems) can be the preferred way to have a low-cost and robust stormwater control measure (SCM) system. The SCM under investigation in Philadelphia, PA, is a green infrastructure (GI) and has a mirrored design of two sets of hydraulically linked planters. Each planter has an overflow pipe connected to an underground infiltration bed. The system showed excellent overall performance as no overflow/bypass entering the combined sewer. A large variation of saturated hydraulic conductivity was found for the planter soil, and the planter with lower saturated hydraulic conductivity created surface runoff that overflows to the next planter in line. Due to the linked design, the unexpected deviation of performance of a single planter did not affect overall system performance. The infiltration bed showed great variation in water drawdown rate at different water depth, which could be caused by the possible high heterogeneity of the native soil. The study argued that overflow systems, which handled only about 18% of runoff in this study, can be replaced by slightly larger surface area for lower building cost, lower maintenance cost, and more reliable performance.
Natural Variability and Vertical Land Motion Contributions in the Mediterranean Sea-Level Records over the Last Two Centuries and Projections for 2100
Authors: Vecchio Antonio , Anzidei Marco , Serpelloni Enrico , Florindo Fabio
Published: July 2019

We analyzed a set of geodetic data to investigate the contribution of local factors, namely the sea level natural variability (SLNV) and the vertical land motion (VLM), to the sea-level trend. The SLNV is analyzed through the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) on tidal data (>60 years of recordings) and results are used to evaluate its effects on sea levels. The VLM is measured at a set of continuous GPS (cGPS) stations (>5 years of recordings), located nearby the tide gauges. By combining VLM and SLNV with IPCC-AR5 regional projections of climatic data (Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6 and 8.5), we provide relative sea-level rise projections by 2100. Results show that the combined effects of SLNV and VLM are not negligible, contributing between 15% and 65% to the sea-level variability. Expected sea levels for 2100 in the RCP8.5 scenario are between 475 ± 203 (Bakar) and 818 ± 250 mm (Venice). In the Venice Lagoon, the mean land subsidence at 3.3 ± 0.85 mm a−1 (locally up to 8.45 ± 1.69 mm a−1) is driving the local sea-level rise acceleration.
SPEI-Based Approach to Agricultural Drought Monitoring in Vojvodina Region
Authors: Bezdan Jovana , Bezdan Atila , Blagojević Boško , Mesaroš Minučer , Pejić Borivoj , Vranešević Milica , Pavić Dragoslav , Nikolić-Đorić Emilija
Published: July 2019

This paper presents the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI)-based approach to agricultural drought monitoring (ADM-SPEI approach) combining well-known methods, expert’ critical opinions, and local agro-climatic specificities. The proposed approach has been described in detail in three phases. This allows its application in any region and modification according to different agro-climatic conditions. The application of the ADM-SPEI approach has resulted in obtaining a modified SPEI for different crops (agricultural drought SPEI (AD-SPEIcrop)) in the Vojvodina region. In the first phase of the proposed approach, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used to obtain an experts’ group decision regarding the most suitable method for calculating evapotranspiration for a particular analyzed region. In the second phase, SPEI was modified and adjusted to the conditions in Vojvodina, where ET0 was replaced by ETc. In the validation phase, the results of the application of AD-SPEIcrop were compared to crop yields and well-known indices and evaluated by the experts’ feedback. The statistically significant correlations were achieved between AD-SPEIcrop and crop yields. The highest correlations were achieved in the months when the analyzed crops were in the developmental stages when they are most sensitive to drought. The AD-SPEIcrop better correlates to the crop yields compared to SPEI. The comparison of AD-SPEIcrop to the standardized precipitation index (SPI), SPEI, and self-calibrated Palmer drought severity index (SC-PDSI) shows that it can successfully detect dry and wet periods. The results have indicated that the proposed approach can be successfully applied, and AD-SPEIcrop has shown a good performance for agricultural drought monitoring.
Influencing Factors of the Spatial–Temporal Variation of Layered Soils and Sediments Moistures and Infiltration Characteristics under Irrigation in a Desert Oasis by Deterministic Spatial Interpolation Methods
Authors: Li Xin , Lu Yudong , Zhang Xiaozhou , Zhang Rong , Fan Wen , Pan Wangsheng
Published: July 2019

Soil moisture is the main limiting factor for crop growth and the sustainable development of oases in arid desert areas. Therefore, the temporal and spatial variation and infiltration laws of oasis soil moisture should be studied. The objective of this study is to reveal the influencing factors of the spatial–temporal variation of layered soil and sediment moisture and infiltration characteristics under irrigation in desert oases. Hydraulic conductivities were measured using the double-ring infiltrometer, while the regional and site soil moistures were measured and calibrated using weighted method and neutron moisture meter. Deterministic spatial interpolation methods, including multiquadric radial basis function, inverse distance weighted, and local polynomial regression isogram, were adopted to map the regional distribution of hydraulic conductivities, spatial soil moistures, and spatial–temporal isogram of the point site soil moistures in Yaoba Oasis, respectively. Results showed that the leading influencing factors of the (1) regional spatial soil moisture were soil and sediment permeability, stream link direction, microclimate, and dewfalls; (2) spatial layered soil and sediment moistures were microclimate and dew condensation; and (3) spatial–temporal variation at the point site profiles were soil texture, water requirement, and preferential flow. Under irrigation, soil moisture increased significantly, in which the maximum increase was 10.8 times the original state, while the recharging depth substantially increased up to 580 cm with the preferential flow. The spatial–temporal variation of the soil moisture under irrigation indicated that the best irrigation frequency should be 15 days per time. Moreover, the infiltration process can be divided into the preferential flow, piston flow, and balanced infiltration stages.
New Approach in COD Fractionation Methods
Authors: Płuciennik-Koropczuk Ewelina , Myszograj Sylwia
Published: July 2019

Conventional quality parameters such as Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) or Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) give information about the quantity of organic matter present in wastewater, but do not give a clear indication of the biodegradability of the pollutants flowing in the WWTP. Detailed knowledge can be obtained by dividing the total COD into fractions. Fractionation and balancing of COD can be determined in various ways and with varying accuracy. Good wastewater characteristics are obtained on the basis of COD fractionation in accordance with ATV-A 131 guidelines, especially when the wastewater characteristics are in high compliance with the assumptions of the method. The article proposes a modification of the ATV-A131 method that increases the accuracy of determining the COD fraction. In order to reduce errors in the calculation of COD fractions, the value of fraction XS was calculated on the basis of the biochemical degradation rate determined in studies (k) for raw wastewater, whereas the SI fraction was calculated from the difference between SCOD and BODTot of filtered treated wastewater. BODTot of the treated wastewater was calculated taking into account the rate of biochemical degradation determined in the studies (k) for treated wastewater. The shares of individual COD fractions in raw wastewater calculated on the basis of the standard and modified procedure differed by approx. 10% in the case of suspension fractions. Modification of the methodology to determine the COD of the treated wastewater SS fraction significantly influenced the contents of all fractions in treated wastewater.
A Framework to Evaluate Urban Flood Resilience of Design Alternatives for Flood Defence Considering Future Adverse Scenarios
Authors: Rezende Osvaldo M. , Miranda Francis M. , Haddad Assed N. , Miguez Marcelo G.
Published: July 2019

In urbanized plains that are subject to flooding, the socioeconomic aspects, climate characteristics, built environment, and riverine processes exhibit bi-univocal relationships with the flood formation itself, creating a pattern of development without a predefined equilibrium state. The complexity of processes involved in flood management and the need for a comparative assessment method to hierarchise different design alternatives or planning scenarios requires practical and quantitative methods for urban diagnoses, including flood risk and resilience aspects. This paper proposes an alternative pathway to evaluate design alternatives for urban flood mitigation, assessing resilience in quantitative terms. In this way, a methodological framework is presented with which to evaluate flood resilience in urban watersheds planning, through the application of the Urban Flood Resilience Index (UFRI) and Future Scenarios Criteria (FSC). A case study illustrates the method using an urban watershed in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil. This study considered two possible design alternatives for flood control, with concentrated and distributed measures. The resilience mapping using the UFRI showed that the adoption of distributed measures could increase the areas classified as showing very high resilience by 41%, while very low resilience areas would be reduced by 87%. The FSC is able to present the integrated results of resilience variation from present and future conditions, considering, for example, climate change effects or unplanned urbanisation scenarios. The framework is able to perform comparisons between alternatives, showing the advantages associated with adopting distributed measures over the watershed, which reflected in a resilience value that was 24% higher when compared to the results obtained for the concentrated solutions scenario.
ANALISIS DAN PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI ADMINISTRASI PEMBAYARAN BIAYA PENDIDIKAN BERBASIS WEB DAN SMS GATEWAY PADA PONDOK PESANTREN NURUL IMAN MUARO SEBAPO
Authors: Ahadi Ahmad Husna , Effiyaldi Effiyaldi
Published: July 2019

Pondok Pesantren Nurul Iman is a religious education institution that has a number of santri as 621people. In the administrative activities of the payment education fees at Pondok Pesantren Nurul Imanstill use manual recording system that experienced various obstacles such as the length of time required toget information on payment of education fee and often the information is not up to the parents of thesantri. Therefore, need a tool in the form of Information Administration System Payments Education Feethat work in computerized, so that can be a solution of the problem. In this research, system design usingUML modeling that produce use case diagram, activity diagram and class diagram. The results of thisresearch is a prototype of the Information System Administration Payment Education Fees based web andSMS Gateway in the hope to help overcome the problems that occur
ACOLHIMENTO NA PERCEPÇÃO DE ESTUDANTES DE MEDICINA
Authors: Nilson Luana Gabriele , Maeyama Marcos Aurélio , Kaminagakura Fabrício Golono , De Souza Thiago Campos , Dolny Luise Lüdke
Published: July 2019

A criação do Sistema Único de Saúde determina a criação de um novo modelo de atenção à Saúde, cujo eixo de organização é a integralidade. Para tanto, o Ministério da Saúde cria o Programa de Saúde da Família em 1994, com o intuito de estruturar seu sistema de saúde a partir da Atenção Primária à Saúde. Sua implementação e expansão não foram suficientes para transformar as práticas hegemônicas de saúde de cunho estritamente biomédico. Assim, com o objetivo de rediscutir e transformar as práticas sanitárias, o Ministério da Saúde lança a Política Nacional de Humanização, apresentando o acolhimento como diretriz operacional para mudança do processo de trabalho. O ordenamento legal ou políticas indutoras não tem se mostrado capazes de transformar as práticas sanitárias, mantendo o modelo biomédico que segue soberano nos serviços de saúde. A universidade como instrumento de transformação social e pensamento crítico e reflexivo, tem o papel de induzir e fomentar novas práticas sanitárias, tendo como referência as necessidades de saúde da população e as políticas governamentais. Levando isso em conta, o objetivo da pesquisa foi identificar a percepção dos acadêmicos de Medicina sobre Acolhimento e auxiliar no processo de reflexão e transformação das práticas de formação, tendo como referência as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais e o Sistema Nacional de Saúde. A pesquisa foi de cunho qualitativo, realizada por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com acadêmicos do décimo segundo período do curso de medicina da UNIVALI. Os resultados apontaram que ainda existe uma forte influência do Modelo Biomédico na formação, sustentados especialmente pelos cenários de prática do SUS, com alguns lampejos por parte dos acadêmicos, em forma de crítica, apontando ainda de forma desordenada a integralidade na atenção à saúde.
CONSTRUINDO A LINHA DE CUIDADO DO PACIENTE ONCOLÓGICO PALIATIVO EM UM MUNICÍPIO DO SUL DO BRASIL: RELATO DE EXPERIÊNCIA.
Authors: Silva Kauana Flores da , Pucci Vanessa Rodrigues , Flores Thamires Graciela , Giaretton Daynah Waihrich Leal , Weiller Teresinha Heck , Concatto Marcelo Endrigo Peres , Damaceno Adalvane Nobres
Published: July 2019

Objetivo: O objetivo deste trabalho é relatar a experiência vivenciada por residentes multiprofissionais acerca da intervenção realizada junto à rede de Atenção Básica de um município do Sul do Brasil, a fim de identificar demandas dos profissionais da saúde, frente a esses pacientes. Método: Trata-se do relato da intervenção com profissionais da Atenção Básica, Agentes Comunitários de Saúde e trabalhadores de Unidade de Pronto Atendimento. Resultados: Foi realizado pré-diagnóstico empírico e diagnóstico com questões semiestruturadas, fundamentando o encontro de aprimoramento entre Atenção Básica e hospital, sendo realizada avaliação das ações para reorientar novas intervenções. Conclusão: Pode-se observar interesse dos profissionais ao paciente oncológico paliativo e troca de experiências, articulando a efetivação da linha de cuidado. As lacunas trazidas propiciam novos estudos sobre o tema.Descritores: Atenção Primária à Saúde. Cuidados paliativos. Oncologia. Enfermagem. Assistência à Saúde.
O AUTOCUIDADO EM INDIVÍDUOS COM DIABETES MELLITUS NA ATENÇÃO PRIMÁRIA À SAÚDE: COMPREENSÃO SOBRE O PAPEL DA ALIMENTAÇÃO
Authors: Pucci Vanessa Rodrigues , Cassola Talita Portela , Weiller Teresinha Heck , Blümke Adriane Cervi
Published: July 2019

A diabetes é considerada um importante problema de saúde pública em todos os países. As Doenças Crônicas não Transmissíveis, dentre a quais encontra-se a diabetes, podem ser gerenciadas, mas não curadas, assim, os tratamentos vão além da redução da morbimortalidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi conhecer as práticas construídas sobre autocuidado, especialmente no que diz respeito à adesão e às escolhas terapêuticas relacionadas à alimentação de pessoas com Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2. Trata-se de uma pesquisa do tipo exploratória, descritiva e de abordagem qualitativa. Foram incluídos no estudo indivíduos com Diabetes Mellittus tipo 2, usuários de Unidades de Estratégia de Saúde da Família. Para a seleção dos participantes utilizou-se a técnica de “Bola de Neve” e como instrumento de pesquisa foi usado entrevistas norteadas por um roteiro. Para a análise das informações foi utilizada a análise temática, possibilitando a definição de três categorias principais: “Estratégias de enfrentamento e o cotidiano do autocuidado dos indivíduos com Diabete Mellitus”, “Sentimentos e percepções despertados a partir do diagnóstico do Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2” e “O lugar do serviço de saúde no cuidado da Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2”. Do ponto de vista das participantes do estudo, estas se julgam capazes de controlar a doença, sobretudo com a medicação e seleção de uma única fonte de amido durante as refeições.