bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in precipitation and air temperature contribute comparably to permafrost degradation in a warmer climate
Authors: Mekonnen Zelalem A , Riley William J , Grant Robert F , Romanovsky Vladimir E
Published: January 2021

Surface energy budgets of high-latitude permafrost systems are poorly represented in Earth system models (ESMs), yet permafrost is rapidly degrading and these dynamics are critical to future carbon-climate feedback predictions. A potentially important factor in permafrost degradation neglected so far by ESMs is heat transfer from precipitation, although increases in soil temperature and thaw depth have been observed following increases in precipitation. Using observations and a mechanistic ecosystem model, we show here that increases in precipitation hasten active layer development beyond that caused by surface air warming across the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) under recent and 21st century climate (RCP8.5). Modeled active layer depth (ALD) in simulations that allow precipitation heat transfer agreed very well with observations from 28 Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring sites (R2 = 0.63; RMSE = 10 cm). Simulations that ignored precipitation heat transfer resulted in lower spatially-averaged soil temperatures and a 39 cm shallower ALD by 2100 across the NSA. The results from our sensitivity analysis show that projected increases in 21st century precipitation deepen the active layer by enhancing precipitation heat transfer and ground thermal conductivity, suggesting that precipitation is as important an environmental control on permafrost degradation as surface air temperature. We conclude that ESMs that do not account for precipitation heat transfer likely underestimate ALD rates of change, and thus likely predict biased ecosystem responses.
Air quality and health implications of 1.5 °C–2 °C climate pathways under considerations of ageing population: a multi-model scenario analysis
Authors: Rafaj Peter , Kiesewetter Gregor , Krey Volker , Schoepp Wolfgang , Bertram Christoph , Drouet Laurent , Fricko Oliver , Fujimori Shinichiro , Harmsen Mathijs , Hilaire Jérôme , Huppmann Daniel , Klimont Zbigniew , Kolp Peter , Aleluia Reis Lara , van Vuuren Detlef
Published: January 2021

Low-carbon pathways consistent with the 2 °C and 1.5 °C long-term climate goals defined in the Paris Agreement are likely to induce substantial co-benefits for air pollution and associated health impacts. In this analysis, using five global integrated assessment models, we quantify the emission reductions in key air pollutants resulting from the decarbonization of energy systems and the resulting changes in premature mortality attributed to the exposure to ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter. The emission reductions differ by sectors. Sulfur emissions are mainly reduced from power plants and industry, cuts in nitrogen oxides are dominated by the transport sector, and the largest abatement of primary fine particles is achieved in the residential sector. The analysis also shows that health benefits are the largest when policies addressing climate change mitigation and stringent air pollution controls are coordinated. We decompose the key factors that determine the extent of health co-benefits, focusing on Asia: changes in emissions, urbanization rates, population growth and ageing. Demographic processes, particularly due to ageing population, counteract in many regions the mortality reductions realized through lower emissions.
Assessment of wind power generation impact on the distance protection operation
Authors: Ruban N Yu , Askarov A B , Kievets A V , Rudnik V E
Published: January 2021

In the article an experimental power system consisting of Russian equipment, as well as 220 kV power line distance protection, are simulated in the RTDS Simulator. The settings were calculated and the polygonal characteristics of distance protection were constructed. A sequential installation of wind turbines into various nodes of the power system was carried out and the correct operation of the protection was verified. As a result of the study, the impact of wind turbines on the distance protection when they are connected between the protection installation site and the point of the short circuit is revealed. The analysis of this impact is made. Possible ways to solve the identified problems are proposed, such as the use of adaptive distance protection, as well as numerous studies of the behaviour of wind turbines in various operating modes for further analysis and possible adjustment of guidelines for relay protection using new algorithms for calculating and configuring of distance protection. The results of this work can be used to improve and clarify the recommendations for tuning, produced by manufacturers of relay protection devices, which currently do not take into account the impact of wind power generation.
Mathematical model of power supply system for remotely operated underwater vehicle with dc power transmission line and load voltage feedback
Authors: Chekh V , Lyapunov D , Pravikova A
Published: January 2021

The paper deals with a mathematical model of the closed loop power supply system for a remotely operated underwater vehicle with a DC transmission line via a rope-cable and the load voltage feedback. The state-space method is used to develop the mathematical model. Using differential equations in the form of Cauchy alleviates significantly the mathematical description. The results for both simulation and mathematical models of the closed loop system are compared, thus, confirming the adequacy of mathematical description and prospects for further application in the design of a versatile tool for calculating and adjusting the parameters of the control system for the power supply system under study.
Particularities of spatial kinetics of hybrid thorium reactor installation containing the long neutron source based on magnetic trap
Authors: Shamanin I V , Bedenko S V , Lutsik I O , Polozkov S D , Arzhannikov A V
Published: January 2021

In this work, we study the features of the spatial kinetics of installation as a hybrid thorium reactor with an elongated plasma neutron source based on a magnetic trap. The active zone of the installation under study consists of an assembly of hexagonal fuel blocks of a unified design and a long solenoid with a high-temperature plasma column passing through the axial region of the core. Combining engineering expertise in creating nuclear reactors with a physics-technical potential for obtaining high-temperature plasma in a long magnetic trap we ensure the solution of the multidisciplinary problem posed. These studies are of undoubted practical interest, since they are necessary to substantiate the safety of operation of such hybrid systems. The research results will allow optimizing the active zone of the hybrid system with leveling the resulting offset radial and axial energy release distributions. Results of our study will be the basis for the development of new and improvement of existing methods of criticality control in related systems such as “pulsed neutron source – subcritical fuel assembly”
Information support of stakeholder cooperation: technology for formation of a digital footprint of companies
Authors: Milekhina O V , Adova I B , Fomin V A
Published: January 2021

The paper presents a tool for the formation of a digital footprint of companies focused on supporting the processes of strategy with the further search for potential stakeholders, the formation of proposals for cooperation and establishing contacts with them. The world-class head Hunter recruiting company was chosen as the object of the study, its REST API was considered as a data source. The architecture of the system, which provides the ability to collect and store relevant information. It secures the monitoring the digital footprint of personnel needs (vacancies) of companies. Implementation of the proposed tool for the formation of a digital footprint is carried out within the framework of interaction between universities and the business community in the process of formation of professional competencies of students. An interactive map with data on profession vacancies has been developed, which allows supporting the processes of stakeholder interaction.
Characteristic barriers to the implementation of the roadmap for augmented reality technology development program
Authors: Zhmud V , Liapidevskiy A , Avrmachuk V
Published: January 2021

The paper gives the author’s vision of what the main barriers to the creation and implementation of new technologies in the field of virtual and augmented reality may exist during the implementation of the Digital Economy of the Russian Federation program. Since some of the authors took part in the development of roadmaps for this program, there is a two-sided vision of the problem. Authors can put themselves in the shoes of both the funding organization for this project and the campaign that is developing concretely in this area. Almost two years have passed since this program was launched. The conclusions of the article can be useful both for organizations funding this program and for grant recipients
Concept of the comprehension level of situation awareness using an expert system
Authors: Nine J , Manoharan S , Hardt W
Published: January 2021

One of the major hurdles in high level autonomous driving is the integration of software that has the ability to understand its surrounding situations. Situation awareness is to perceive information, take actions based on that perception and to predict the future events based on the taken actions. Mica R. Endsley introduced the term “Situation Awareness” where the concept was applied only for humans. Expert Systems, on the other hand is a rule based system that is used to make critical and fast decisions. In this paper a concept on the comprehension (understanding) level of situation awareness using an expert system is presented for high level autonomous vehicles. This concept will be realized on the “CE-Box” component of the hardware demonstrator “BlackPearl” from the department of Computer Engineering in TU Chemnitz. Perception is done with the help of sensing data from the sensors from the ECU’s of “BlackPearl”. This data is provided to the comprehension level to make an assessment and take a decision. The goal of this paper is to provide a conceptual method to extract these decisions based on an expert system.
Compressive strength and durability of Metakaolin blended concrete exposed to acid and sulphate attack
Authors: Viswanadha Varma D , Rama Rao G V , Markandeya Raju P , Pavan Kumar M
Published: January 2021

Sustainable development of the cement and concrete industry requires the utilization of industrial and agricultural waste components. At present, for a variety of reasons, the concrete construction industry is not sustainable. In general, high strength concrete made with ordinary cement is not durable and does not have good resistance to acids except for some weak acids if the exposure is occasional. Metakaolin is a supplementary cementitious material used as an admixture to produce high strength and high-performance concrete. The objective of this study is to arrive at Optimal quality of metakaolin that can partially replace the cement for M20, M30, M40, M50, M60, M70, M80 grades of concrete to get better strength and durability. The mix proportions of OPC concrete are obtained for M20, M30, M40, M50, M60, M70, M80 as per IS 10262 2009 [1]. Mix proportions with partial replacements of cement by 0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% of Metakaolin with concrete were determined. Concrete specimens for compressive strength (150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm cubes) are cast and Durability studies are conducted for all grades with partial replacement of cement by Metakaolin for 1% and 0.5% concentrations of HCl and H2SO4. From the results, it was concluded that the compressive strength of concrete is maximum at 15% replacement of cement by Metakaolin. The compressive strength of concrete showed better result at 15% replacement of Metakaolin for 0.5% and 1% HCl and H2SO4 at the age of 28days of strength. The effect of HCl on strength of the Metakaolin concrete is lower than the effect of H2SO4.
Subgrade CBR improvement with fly ash as mineral and NaOH as a chemical admixture
Authors: Ponnada Sudheer , Rajeswara Rao K , Gopala Raju SSSV
Published: January 2021

Increase in the rate of traffic volume and heavy vehicle loads gave a revolution in highway construction technology, this increase is due to continuous growth in economic activities. Therefore, it is necessary to construct highly durable and serviceable road structures on any type of soil. In continuation, a good subgrade can influence the thickness of road structure, increases the strength pavement, and reduce the cost of road structure construction. California bearing ratio (CBR) is a generally used in-direct method to estimate the strength of sub-grade and it directly gives the pavement thickness in pavement analysis and design work. So, if increasing in the CBR value results thicknesses of the pavement will decrease and it, in turn, reduces the construction cost of the pavement structure. In the present investigation, the collected soil samples are Black Cotton soils from Dharmapuri, Vizianagaram, AP. Same soil stabilized with various replace percentages of Fly ash (i.e.10, 20, 30, and 40%) and NaOH (i.e. 3, 5, and 7%). The Atterberg limits, Free swell Index, and CBR tests were completed on original and stabilized soils. Finally, authors observed that the considered BC soil stabilized with mineral admixture (Fly ash) and chemical admixture (NaOH) results in more than 400% increase in CBR with 40% decrease in pavement thickness, and 25% decrease in pavement construction cost.
Strength properties of ceramic waste concrete
Authors: Atkuri Venkata Krishna , Rama Rao G V
Published: January 2021

Today significant research study is ongoing into the use of waste materials like, fly ash, GGBS, waste glass powder etc. as Portland cement replacements. A ceramic waste powder is used as a binder with partial replacement of cement which takes some part of reaction at the time of hydration, and also it acts as a filler material. This study is focused on the waste ceramic powder used as a replacement to the concrete ingredient i.e. cement and the strength properties like compressive, split tensile and flexural strengths were measured and the size effect of ceramic waste powder on strength of concrete. To check the strength effect of replacement of cement by ceramic waste powder, the cement ingredient in concrete is replaced at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. This paper focuses on the size effect of ceramic waste powder, having a size less than 90 micron and another size ranges from 90 microns to 150 microns. For this study, concrete mixtures were prepared, for low-grade M20 and medium grade M40. Strength studies like compressive, split tensile and flexural strengths were conducted and comparisons have to be made with the conventional concrete.
Hardened properties of pervious concrete using mixed aggregate blended with admixtures
Authors: Vinay V , Adiseshu S , Chandramouli S
Published: January 2021

In the present study, a new combination of materials for making pervious concrete have been obtained based on compressive strength and permeability. The investigation is done for finding hardened properties and its main aim is to know the improvement in compressive strength and permeability by different combinations of materials. Also, different tests for void ratio, porosity and water absorption are conducted. The different sizes of aggregate used are 20mm, 12.5mm and 10mm with cement replacement with fly-ash 10%, 20%, 25% and 30% and with maximum cement content 450kg/m3, 500kg/m3 of 53 grade. It is observed that the strength and other properties are highly fluctuating. The maximum compressive strength obtained is 21.3MPa with 450kg/m3 cement content of aggregate combination 60-20-20 with 30% of fly ash. The maximum permeability obtained is 2.87 cm/sec with 450kg/m3 cement content of aggregate combination 20-40-40 with 20% fly-ash. The maximum water absorption obtained is 4.087% with500kg/m3of aggregate combination 50-20-30 with 30% fly-ash. The maximum void ratio obtained is 37.545% with 500kg/m3 cement content of aggregate combination 40-30-30 with 25%fly-ash. The maximum porosity obtained is 68.912% with 500kg/m3 cement content of aggregate combination 40-30-30 with 25% fly-ash.
Effect of ferrochrome slag and fly ash on the mechanical properties of concrete
Authors: S Priyatham B P R V , Chaitanya D V S K , Prasanna Kumar G
Published: January 2021

Now a day’s construction industry is focusing on various wastes from other industries to use them as substitutes for construction materials which will reduce their initial cost and impact on the environment. Use of industrial waste materials in concrete is a substitute for the shortage of natural resources. Waste disposal from steel manufacturing industries and power plants are increasing day by day and creating a lot of environmental pollution due to lack of utilizing them. There is a lot of wastes from industries like fly ash, GGBS, and slag-based compounds which can be used as replacement materials for aggregates. The present experimental investigation examines the possibility of replacing coarse aggregate with ferrochrome slag waste obtained from steel manufacturing industries and cement with fly ash obtained from power plants in concrete mix design for many construction practices. The experiments were conducted on the concrete mix in which natural coarse aggregate is replaced with ferrochrome slag to achieve optimal replacement of ferrochrome slag and the effect of fly ash along with the optimal ferrochrome slag on the mechanical properties of concrete.
Enhancing Seismic Resistance of G+10 MSB by Introducing FVD System
Authors: Phanindranath T S D , Balaji K V G D , Markandeya Raju P
Published: January 2021

Lateral load resisting systems (LLRS) play a key role in reducing or eliminating the damage of the structure due to the earthquake. The damping system is one of the LLRS which controls the vibrations when an earthquake occurs. Fluid Viscous damping decreases tension and deflection because due to flexing the columns, the energy from the damping is totally out of phase with stresses. This is valid only for viscous fluid damping, where the damping force varies with the velocity of the stroke. Other types of damping do not vary their performance with velocities, such as yielding components, friction devices, plastic hinges, and visco-elastic elastomers; hence, they can increase column stress while reducing deflection, and typically do so. While coming to this work, under the seismic coefficient method for seismic zone-5, G+10 multistoried buildings were modelled and analyzed in ETABS along with limit state of collapse and limit state of serviceability load combinations. The response of the building was examined by introducing viscous dampers to the structure by varying the position of FVD in the building (S-1, S-2, and S-3), which are regular and irregular in plan, and by altering the width of the bay, by inserting the dampers at the four corners of the building in the first stage, by inserting the dampers at the four edges of the building in the second stage (S-2), and by inserting the dampers at the centre of the building in the third stage (S-3). Dampers are introduced from top to bottom storey of the building. Placement of FVD device system plays a key role against earthquake forces which are acting on the structure during the event of an earthquake. After the comparison in between above-defined stages and various parameters, when dampers are inserted at the edges of the building (S-3), the entire building is displaced identically with lesser values of displacement and inter-storey drifts, which are significant parameters in the event of an earthquake.
Defluorination of groundwater by low-cost adsorbents
Authors: Prasad K S B , Jakeer Hussain P , Bharath Kumar P
Published: January 2021

India is among nation higher in percentage suffer s from fluorosis through consumption of groundwater. Fluoride content in natural water has become a major issue in major parts of the world and should be in 0.6 to 1.5 mg/l. Investigations in the removal of fluoride content have been carried in various techniques. This paper speaks on treating fluoride content and to utilize it as drinking water at low-cost techniques by natural adsorbents for a sustainable environment. In this process adsorption time effects, concentration of fluoride at varied adsorbent dosage with maintained temperature are studied. Adsorbents such as dry ginger powder, spinach, turmeric powder, orange peel powder were used.
Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classification with wasteland demarcation using Remote sensing and GIS Techniques
Authors: Ramanamurthy B V , Victorbabu N
Published: January 2021

Land use and land cover changes are derived by natural process and anthropogenic interference in the ecosystem. Appropriate management of natural resources requires quick and up-to-date information for effective decision making. This study aims to generate land use land cover information using Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) technology to support the land use planning and strategy formulation of the newly emerging problem of the study area. Vizianagaram Mandal of the Vizianagaram district (Andhra Pradesh, India) covering 83°18‘0“E to 83°29‘0“E longitude and 18°2‘0“N to 18°10‘0“N latitude of total area 12437 hectares had been taken as a study area. The software Arc GIS and ERDAS used in this study for obtaining better outcomes. Two satellite imageries of Landsat TM, MSS 2000, and Landsat MSS 2010 were downloaded from USGS, and supervised classification carried out for the detection of Land use Land cover (LULC) classification. The ten-land use/land cover classes have been identified from the classification processes. The study focused to identify the wasteland demarcation and analyze the land cover changes between the years 2000 and 2010.
6LoWPAN network analysis using simulations and experiments
Authors: Haka A M , Aleksieva V P , Valchanov H G
Published: January 2021

The constant expansion of Internet consumption increases the communication traffic on the network both locally and globally. To meet the needs of such consumption, technologies such as 4G, 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) are increasingly being developed. Remote monitoring of environmental parameters or the condition of patients in real time can be organised using the capabilities of IoT networks. This paper presents a study of end-to-end delay and throughput in a 6LoWPAN IoT network through real network construction and simulation.
Deployment and analysis of Bluetooth low energy network
Authors: Haka A M , Aleksieva V P , Valchanov H G
Published: January 2021

Along with the development of modern communication technologies such as 4G and 5G, Internet of Thing (IoT) technologies are being implemented more widely. The need for remote monitoring of environmental and patient parameters can be realised by means that represent IoT technologies. The localisation of mobile sensor nodes for low power IoT can be realised by tracking the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values. This paper examines the RSSI values of sensor nodes in the Bluetooth Low Energy network for IoT.
Objects distance measurement in augmented reality for providing better user experience
Authors: Neshov N , Manolova A
Published: January 2021

In this paper we present an algorithm for providing better user experience in AR applications based on HMD (Head Mounted Display), pair of cameras and Deep Learning semantic segmentation. The user can view the scene, captured by the cameras using HMD along with augmented information regarding distances to all detected objects. The cameras are attached to the HMD and must be located as close as possible each other. Moreover one of the cameras is shifted at a known distance closer to the scene with respect to the other camera. Based on the traditional pinhole camera model and estimating the size of the projection of a given object in pixel coordinate systems in both of the cameras, we are able to calculate the distance from the cameras to the object. For location and calculation of the size of projected objects we used a semantic segmentation based on deep learning algorithm.
Analysis of energy consumption in the industrial sector in the European Union
Authors: Georgeva Nely , Tsankov Petko
Published: January 2021

The European Union (EU) pursues a coherent policy to reduce the carbon footprint of human impact on the climate, with one of the main strategies being to reduce the use of energy resources. On the other hand, the EU is the world’s largest importer of energy and making it highly energy dependent which is reduced the competitiveness of Member States’ economies. Reducing the energy resources used leads to political, economic, social and environmental benefits. All this explains the EU’s motivation to make energy efficiency a key goal in development policy for the Union. At the level of the European Union a number of normative documents have been adopted, related to increasing the energy efficiency of the two largest areas of energy consumption - buildings and manufacturing systems. In the share of energy consumption in the EU, manufacturing production has a significant share, which represents the potential for increasing energy efficiency. This article analyses the dynamics of energy intensity of the European economy and consumption of energy in the manufacturing sector of the EU member states, compares the situation in Bulgaria. The efficiency of the undertaken measures for stimulating the increase of the energy efficiency in the sector is analysed. Conclusions from the study are formulated
The gaps of renewable energy legislation in Bulgaria
Authors: Stankova T D , Toneva D S
Published: January 2021

Nowadays when the climate changes are of a worldwide vital importance, the European Union is on the way to trach the 2020 targets for smart and sustainable development. The set in 2007 targets are on the way to be even exceeded till the end of 2020 when EU is expecting to report at least a 20% greenhouse emission reduction from their levels in 1990, 20 % gross final energy consumption by renewable energy sources and 20% energy efficiency improvement. That satisfactory result isn’t enough to reflect the climate changes with the speed of their consequences. Namely, because of this the EU has put in place a legislation frames to achieve new climate and energy targets up to 2030. While the EU is working on fulfilling a decarbonisation strategy and insuring a legislative framework via Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources for all EU member states, Bulgarian parliament transposed the Directive into a Law for energy from renewable sources which from 2011 after its’ first acceptance till 2019 was changes 18 times, 4 of which in only 1 year (2013). This paper underlines some of the legislative gaps between the Directive 2009/28/EC and the Bulgarian legislation, the contraries between the EU and Bulgarian kind of fulfilment of a main target to stimulate the investments in renewable energy and on the other side the contraries in the internal Bulgarian regulation papers which negatively reflect the investment intends in the country.
Real-time monitoring and hydrodynamic scaling of shear exfoliated graphene
Authors: Stafford Jason , Uzo Nwachukwu , Farooq Usmaan , Favero Silvia , Wang Si , Chen Hsueh-Hung , L’Hermitte Anouk , Petit Camille , Matar Omar K
Published: January 2021

Shear-assisted liquid exfoliation is a primary candidate for producing defect-free two-dimensional (2D) materials. A range of approaches that delaminate nanosheets from layered precursors in solution have emerged in recent years. Diverse hydrodynamic conditions exist across these methods, and combined with low-throughput, high-cost characterization techniques, strongly contribute to the wide variability in performance and material quality. Nanosheet concentration and production rate are usually correlated against operating parameters unique to each production method, making it difficult to compare, optimize and predict scale-up performance. Here, we reveal the shear exfoliation mechanism from precursor to 2D material and extract the derived hydrodynamic parameters and scaling relationship that are key to nanomaterial output and common to all shear exfoliation processes. Our investigations use conditions created from two different hydrodynamic instabilities—Taylor vortices and interfacial waves—and combine materials characterization, fluid dynamics experiments and numerical simulations. Using graphene as the prototypical 2D material, we find that scaling of concentration of few-layer nanosheets depends on local strain rate distribution, relationship to the critical exfoliation criterion, and precursor residence time. We report a transmission-reflectance method to measure concentration profiles in real-time, using low-cost optoelectronics and without the need to remove the layered precursor material from the dispersion. We show that our high-throughput, in situ approach has broad uses by controlling the number of atomic layers on-the-fly, rapidly optimizing green solvent design to maximize yield, and viewing live production rates. Combining the findings on the hydrodynamics of exfoliation with this monitoring technique, we unlock targeted process intensification, quality control, batch traceability and individually customizable 2D materials on-demand.
EPOC outside the shield: comparing the performance of a consumer-grade EEG device in shielded and unshielded environments
Authors: Wehrman Jordan , Sörensen Sidsel , de Lissa Peter , Badcock Nicholas A
Published: January 2021

Low-cost, portable electroencephalography (EEG) devices have become commercially available in the last 10 years. One such system, Emotiv’s EPOC, has been modified to allow event-related potential (ERP) research. Although the EPOC has been shown to provide data comparable to research-grade equipment and has been used in real-world settings, how EPOC performs without the electrical shielding, commonly used in research-grade laboratories, is yet to be systematically tested. In the current article we address this gap by conducting a simple EEG experiment in shielded and unshielded contexts. Participants (n = 13, mean age = 23.2 years, SD = 7.9) monitored the presentation of human versus wristwatch faces, responding whether the images were inverted or not. This method elicited the face-sensitive N170 ERP. In both shielded and unshielded contexts, the N170 amplitude was larger when participants viewed human faces and peaked later when a human face was inverted. More importantly, Bayesian analysis showed no difference in the N170 measured in the shielded and unshielded contexts. Further, the signal recorded in both contexts was highly correlated. The EPOC appears to reliably record EEG signals without a purpose-built electrically-shielded room.
Bifurcation curves of a Dirichlet problem with geometrically concave nonlinearity and an application to the generalized logistic growth model
Authors: Hung Kuo-Chih
Published: January 2021

We study the bifurcation curves for a Dirichlet problem with geometrically concave nonlinearity. We give an application to the generalized logistic growth model
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="StartLayout Enlarged left-brace 1st Row u double-prime left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis plus lamda f left-parenthesis u right-parenthesis equals 0 comma negative 1 greater-than x greater-than 1 comma reverse-solidus u left-parenthesis negative 1 right-parenthesis equals u left-parenthesis 1 right-parenthesis equals 0 comma 2nd Row f left-parenthesis u right-parenthesis equals u Superscript alpha Baseline left-bracket 1 minus left-parenthesis StartFraction u Over upper K EndFraction right-parenthesis Superscript beta Baseline right-bracket Superscript gamma Baseline comma alpha comma beta comma gamma greater-than 0 period EndLayout">

{

u

′
′

(
x
)
+
λ
f
(
u
)
=
0
,

−
1
>
x
>
1
, \ 
u
(
−
1
)
=
u
(
1
)
=
0
,

f
(
u
)
=

u

α

[
1
−

(

u
K

)

β

]

γ

, 
α
,
β
,
γ
>
0
.

\begin{equation*} \left \{ \begin {array}{l} u^{\prime \prime }(x)+\lambda f(u)=0\text {,}\;-1>x>1\text {, \ }u(-1)=u(1)=0 \text {,} \\ f(u)=u^{\alpha }\left [ 1-\left ( \frac {u}{K}\right ) ^{\beta }\right ] ^{\gamma }\text {, }\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma >0\text {.}\end{array}\right . \end{equation*}

There are totally six qualitatively bifurcation curves of order relations for

(
α
,
β
,
γ
)

(\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma )

.
Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Cheung Mike W.-L.
Published: January 2021

Meta-analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) are two popular statistical models in the social, behavioral, and management sciences. Meta-analysis summarizes research findings to provide an estimate of the average effect and its heterogeneity. When there is moderate to high heterogeneity, moderators such as study characteristics may be used to explain the heterogeneity in the data. On the other hand, SEM includes several special cases, including the general linear model, path model, and confirmatory factor analytic model. SEM allows researchers to test hypothetical models with empirical data. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) is a statistical approach combining the advantages of both meta-analysis and SEM for fitting structural equation models on a pool of correlation matrices. There are usually two stages in the analyses. In the first stage of analysis, a pool of correlation matrices is combined to form an average correlation matrix. In the second stage of analysis, proposed structural equation models are tested against the average correlation matrix. MASEM enables researchers to synthesize researching findings using SEM as the research tool in primary studies. There are several popular approaches to conduct MASEM, including the univariate-r, generalized least squares, two-stage SEM (TSSEM), and one-stage MASEM (OSMASEM). MASEM helps to answer the following key research questions: (a) Are the correlation matrices homogeneous? (b) Do the proposed models fit the data? (c) Are there moderators that can be used to explain the heterogeneity of the correlation matrices? The MASEM framework has also been expanded to analyze large datasets or big data with or without the raw data.
Harold Innis’s Concept of Bias: Its Intellectual Origins and Misused Legacy
Authors: Comor Edward
Published: January 2021

Harold Innis is one of the foundational theorists of media and communications studies. In the mid-20th century, he developed his concept of media bias (also called the bias of communication). It remains Innis’s most cited concept, but it is also significantly misunderstood. For example, since his death in 1952, bias has often been applied in ways that are akin to a form of technological or media determinism. This has been an ongoing problem despite the fact that Innis developed his concept as a means of compelling analysts to reject such mechanistic formulations. Indeed, his goal was to promote more self-reflective modes of scholarship and, by extension, a recognition that such intellectual capacities—which he believed were essential for civilization’s survival—would be lost if they were not recognized and defended. More generally, Innis contextualized his work regarding media bias in terms of interrelated historical conditions involving political economic dynamics. Through his application of the concept to over 4000 years of history, he sought to provide his contemporaries with the reflective perspective needed to comprehend the underpinnings of modern biases that stressed present-mindedness and spatial control to the neglect of creativity and duration.

Bias was derived from Innis’s studies on Canadian economic development involving the exploitation of its resources (an approach to history called the staples thesis). Several of the insights he garnered in those studies need to be recognized if we are to fully understand his subsequent communications research. Also, tracing the origins of his concept of bias enables us to fully assess the nature of Innis’s supposed media determinism. Typical uses of bias today focus on the spatial or temporal orientations that many assume are compelled through the use of a specific medium or set of media technologies. This misreading, inspired mainly by Marshall McLuhan’s representations of Innis, has led to assumptions regarding Innis’s determinism and a general neglect of the complexity of his original work. To repeat, Innis developed bias in order to redress the mechanistic and unreflective thinking of his day and always conceptualized it in terms of factors that are salient to the place and time being examined. Moreover, he applied bias alongside now largely forgotten concepts ranging from unused capacity to classic power–knowledge dialectics. Lastly, he situated the development and implications of a particular medium in relation to both old and new media (not just technologies, but organizations and institutions also). In sum, to comprehend Innis’s concept of bias, its intellectual and political underpinnings need to be acknowledged, the political economic dynamics of its development and application understood, and the implications of McLuhan’s influence recognized.
Adopting the Internet in Urban China
Authors: Jin Jianbin , Cheng Xiaoxiao , Yang Jing , Wang Hui
Published: January 2021

This century is marked by a burgeoning information society around the globe; accordingly, the adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in general and the Internet in particular have been one of the most fruitful domains in the broader field of communication sciences. The observed persistent academic interest can, to a large extent, be attributed to the polymorphic nature of ICTs of various modalities, functioning as ICTs technology clusters and/or meta operating systems that accommodate numerous technologies, functions and applications. Beyond that, ICTs or Internet adoption is reflective of a social process of development, during which the informational mode of development is interwoven with other social systems and varies across diverse social settings. Most existing empirical research and theoretical approaches have overwhelmingly focused on the Internet adoption in developed economies, but in-depth investigations on the developing economies such as China are scarce, if any. Compared to most developed countries, China’s informatization-urbanization model marks a unique path of modernization, which further provides a huge opportunity to build momentum for the rapid and large-scale Internet adoption in urban China. In order to present a whole-range holistic portrait of China’s Internet development, the intrinsic logics and social outcomes of China’s informatization-urbanization model necessitate in-depth investigations.
LGBT Movements in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China
Authors: Kong Travis S. K. , Kuan Hsiao-wei , Lau Sky H. L. , Friedman Sara L.
Published: January 2021

Although Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China broadly share common social and cultural norms rooted in Confucian values and culturally Chinese family ideals, they have developed distinct political and economic trajectories since 1949 that have created very different possibilities for LGBT movements. Coming from the conservative political, social, and moral milieu of the 1950s through the 1970s, in the 1980s and 1990s, these societies witnessed a blooming of sexually alternative, even queer, cultural productions, commercial venues, and political activism, together with distinctive “gay,” “lesbian,” or tongzhi identities, among other self-identification labels. By the late 20th century, flows of people, ideas, concepts, and relationships had grown increasingly salient for emerging terms of identification and modes of organizing in all three societies. The diverse combinations of democracy, socialism, authoritarianism, and postcolonialism have shaped the content and direction of sexuality-based identities and sexual rights movements in these three societies. How explicitly these communities pursued visibility and claimed sexually specific identities, however, varied significantly both internally and in comparison across the three societies. The shared histories have created significant commonalities across the region; yet the different degrees of physical and societal openness and the extent of access to domestic and foreign interlocutors in these three societies have produced striking differences in LGBT citizens’ ability to claim diverse rights and protections under multifaceted forms of sexual citizenship.
Social Media in Emergency Management
Authors: Wukich Clayton
Published: January 2021

Social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter enable the rapid transmission of public warning messages in the event of a disaster. This augments traditional channels such as television and radio and may indeed save lives. The interactive nature of social media enables other types of information exchange beyond the one-way broadcast of warnings and guidance that has long characterized risk communication. Authorities monitor social media data for situational awareness, and they can solicit input from the public and engage in more deliberative conversations. In turn, the public initiates communication by asking questions, providing input, and requesting help. They expand the reach of official messages by sharing with friends and followers. Therefore, from an emergency management perspective, social media applications can disrupt the traditional one-way mode of communication and improve the efficacy of efforts to communicate risk. Research from across academic disciplines (e.g., computer science, communication, information systems, public administration, and sociology) illustrates: (a) the need for social media in emergency management; (b) the related benefits of use; and (c) the best practices used to attain those benefits. This offers a roadmap for authorities to effectively implement social media in their organizations while avoiding potential pitfalls.
Climate Change Politics in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Franchini Matías
Published: January 2021

What is the role of the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) countries in the global governance of climate change? Are they contributing to the intensification of the climate crisis or mitigating it? To answer these questions, we must examine these countries’ participation in international climate negotiations, the path of their domestic climate policies, and the trajectory of their greenhouse gas emissions. The LAC region is a moderate conservative actor in climate governance because it is not a major emitter (8% of the world total) and its average level of per capita emissions is slightly lower than the world’s average. However, the diverse climate policy experiences in the LAC region have not been able to significantly reduce emissions or change the path of development toward a low emission future. In the international realm, the region has failed to meaningfully cooperate in the United Nations climate change negotiations or incorporate climate change into their regional integration initiatives.

However, the patterns of diversity and fragmentation in terms of climate commitment are probably more visible than the common ones, as LAC countries vary widely in terms of volume and trajectory of emissions, climate political instruments at the domestic level, and cooperative efforts in the international arena.

As the climate crisis deepens, LAC countries will face a monumental test to adapt to increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, enhanced climate variability, and extreme weather events. It is also imperative for the region’s countries to increase their level of climate commitment and implement stronger measures both nationally and internationally, finding deeper ways to cooperate in managing one of the major global governance problems facing humanity.
Public Opinion Toward LGBT People and Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Chaux Enrique , León Manuela , Cuellar Lina , Martínez Juliana
Published: January 2021

Important changes toward more acceptance of homosexuality seem to be occurring in many countries around the world. However, large differences exist between individuals, societal groups, countries, and regions in attitudes toward homosexuality. Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LatAmC) are not an exception in either of these trends.

More positive attitudes toward homosexuality in LatAmC countries and significant legal and political changes in favor of LBGT rights have been occurring in the region since the third wave of democratization in the 1980s. Nonetheless, there are important limitations to these advancements: they are highly uneven; they are fragile and likely to become targets of politically motivated public outrage; enforcement is irregular and often faces hostile resistance from the civil servants appointed to enact and uphold them; and LGBT individuals continue to face high levels of violence, making the region one of the deadliest for sexual and gender minorities, particularly trans women.

Analyses from two large surveys, conducted periodically in several LatAmC countries, which include questions about homophobic attitudes (the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, or ICCS, and the Latin American Public Opinion Project, or LAPOP) show a clear historical pattern of increased acceptance toward homosexuality in most countries. They also reveal large differences between countries with high (e.g., Uruguay) or low (e.g., Haiti) levels of acceptance of homosexuality. Multiple variables are associated with these differences. In almost all countries, women and more educated, less religious, and more politically active participants show more positive attitudes toward homosexuality than men and less educated, more religious (especially evangelical) and less politically involved participants. The analysis of attitudes toward homosexuality in LatAmC shows that (a) change in attitudes at a large scale is possible and is occurring relatively fast in LatAmC; (b) some countries are greatly lagging behind in these changes, especially in the Caribbean; and (c) policies and programs are urgently needed in the region, not only to facilitate changes in those countries where homophobic attitudes are still very common, but also to consolidate changes that have already been occurring.
The Yellow River, the Chinese State, and the Ecology of North China
Authors: Pietz David A.
Published: January 2021

Flowing through the North China Plain, one of China’s major agricultural regions, the Yellow River has long represented a challenge to Chinese governments to manage. Preventing floods has been an overriding concern for these states in order to maintain a semblance of ecological equilibrium on the North China Plain. This region’s environment is heavily influenced by seasonal fluctuations in precipitation, leading to a long history of famine, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when water management structures disintegrated with the deterioration of the imperial system. In the 20th century, new civil and hydraulic engineering techniques and technologies held the promise for enhanced management of the region’s waterways. After 1949, the new government of the People’s Republic used a hybrid approach consisting of the tenets of multipurpose water management combined with the tools of mass mobilization that were hallmarks of the Chinese Communist Party. The wide-ranging exploitation of surface and groundwater resources during the Maoist period left a long shadow for the post-Mao period that witnessed rapid consumption of water to fuel agricultural, industrial, and urban reforms. The challenge for the contemporary state in China is creating a system of water allocation through increased supply and demand management that can sustain the economic and social transformations of the era.