bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does the Presence of Cognitive Impairment Exacerbate the Risk of Falls in People with Peripheral Neuropathy? An Application of Body-Worn Inertial Sensors to Measure Gait Variability
Authors: Kang Gu Eon , Yang Jacqueline , Najafi Bijan
Published: March 2020

People with peripheral neuropathy (PN) are at risk of falling. Many people with PN have comorbid cognitive impairment, an independent risk factor of falls, which may further increase the risk of falling in people with PN. However, the negative synergic effect of those factors is yet to be reported. We investigated whether the presence of cognitive impairment exacerbates the risk of falls in people with PN by measuring gait variability during single-task walking and dual-task walking. Forty-four adults with PN were recruited. Based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores, 19 and 25 subjects were cognitively impaired and intact, respectively. We measured coefficients of variation of gait speed, stride length, and stride time using validated body-worn sensors. During single-task walking, no between-group differences were observed (all p > 0.05). During dual-task walking, between-group differences were significant for gait variability for gait speed and stride length (51.4% and 71.1%, respectively; p = 0.014 and 0.011, respectively). MoCA scores were significantly correlated with gait variability for gait speed (r = 0.319, p = 0.035) and stride length (r = 0.367, p = 0.014) during dual-task walking. Our findings suggest that the presence of cognitive impairment exacerbates the risk of falls in people with PN.
Study on Dynamic Behavior of Unmanned Surface Vehicle-Linked Unmanned Underwater Vehicle System for Underwater Exploration
Authors: Vu Mai The , Van Mien , Bui Duc Hong Phuc , Do Quang Thang , Huynh Tuan-Tu , Lee Sang-Do , Choi Hyeung-Sik
Published: March 2020

This paper focuses on motion analysis of a coupled unmanned surface vehicle (USV)–umbilical cable (UC)–unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) system to investigate the interaction behavior between the vehicles and the UC in the ocean environment. For this, a new dynamic modeling method for investigating a multi-body dynamics system of this coupling system is employed. Firstly, the structure and hardware composition of the proposed system are presented. The USV and UUV are modeled as rigid-body vehicles, and the flexible UC is discretized using the catenary equation. In order to solve the nonlinear coupled dynamics of the vehicles and flexible UC, the fourth-order Runge–Kutta numerical method is implemented. In modeling the flexible UC dynamics, the shooting method is applied to solve a two-point boundary value problem of the catenary equation. The interaction between the UC and the USV–UUV system is investigated through numerical simulations in the time domain. Through the computer simulation, the behavior of the coupled USV–UC–UUV system is analyzed for three situations which can occur. In particular, variation of the UC forces and moments at the tow points and the configuration of the UC in the water are investigated.
An Analytical Approach to Flow-Guided Nanocommunication Networks
Authors: Asorey-Cacheda Rafael , Canovas-Carrasco Sebastian , Garcia-Sanchez Antonio-Javier , Garcia-Haro Joan
Published: March 2020

Continuous progress of nanocommunications and nano-networking is opening the door to the development of innovative yet unimaginable services, with a special focus on medical applications. Among several nano-network topologies, flow-guided nanocommunication networks have recently emerged as a promising solution to monitoring, gathering information, and data communication inside the human body. In particular, flow-guided nano-networks display a number of specific characteristics, such as the type of nodes comprising the network or the ability of a nano-node to transmit successfully, which significantly differentiates them from other types of networks, both at the nano and larger scales. This paper presents the first analytical study on the behavior of these networks, with the objective of evaluating their metrics mathematically. To this end, a theoretical framework of the flow-guided nano-networks is developed and an analytical model derived. The main results reveal that, due to frame collisions, there is an optimal number of nano-nodes for any flow-guided network, which, as a consequence, limits the maximum achievable throughput. Finally, the analytical results obtained are validated through simulations and are further discussed.
Hybrid Deep Learning Predictor for Smart Agriculture Sensing Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition and Gated Recurrent Unit Group Model
Authors: Jin Xue-Bo , Yang Nian-Xiang , Wang Xiao-Yi , Bai Yu-Ting , Su Ting-Li , Kong Jian-Lei
Published: March 2020

Smart agricultural sensing has enabled great advantages in practical applications recently, making it one of the most important and valuable systems. For outdoor plantation farms, the prediction of climate data, such as temperature, wind speed, and humidity, enables the planning and control of agricultural production to improve the yield and quality of crops. However, it is not easy to accurately predict climate trends because the sensing data are complex, nonlinear, and contain multiple components. This study proposes a hybrid deep learning predictor, in which an empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method is used to decompose the climate data into fixed component groups with different frequency characteristics, then a gated recurrent unit (GRU) network is trained for each group as the sub-predictor, and finally the results from the GRU are added to obtain the prediction result. Experiments based on climate data from an agricultural Internet of Things (IoT) system verify the development of the proposed model. The prediction results show that the proposed predictor can obtain more accurate predictions of temperature, wind speed, and humidity data to meet the needs of precision agricultural production.
ARNS: Adaptive Relay-Node Selection Method for Message Broadcasting in the Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Cao Dun , Jiang Yuchen , Wang Jin , Ji Baofeng , Alfarraj Osama , Tolba Amr , Ma Xiaomin , Liu Yonghe
Published: March 2020

The proper utilization of road information can improve the performance of relay-node selection methods. However, the existing schemes are only applicable to a specific road structure, and this limits their application in real-world scenarios where mostly more than one road structure exists in the Region of Interest (RoI), even in the communication range of a sender. In this paper, we propose an adaptive relay-node selection (ARNS) method based on the exponential partition to implement message broadcasting in complex scenarios. First, we improved a relay-node selection method in the curved road scenarios through the re-definition of the optimal position considering the distribution of the obstacles. Then, we proposed a criterion of classifying road structures based on their broadcast characteristics. Finally, ARNS is designed to adaptively apply the appropriate relay-node selection method based on the exponential partition in realistic scenarios. Simulation results on a real-world map show that the end-to-end broadcast delay of ARNS is reduced by at least 13.8% compared to the beacon-based relay-node selection method, and at least 14.0% compared to the trinary partitioned black-burst-based broadcast protocol (3P3B)-based relay-node selection method. The broadcast coverage is increased by 3.6–7% in curved road scenarios, with obstacles benefitting from the consideration of the distribution of obstacles. Moreover, ARNS achieves a higher and more stable packet delivery ratio (PDR) than existing methods profiting from the adaptive selection mechanism.
Analyzing the Satellite-Induced Code Bias Variation Characteristics for the BDS-3 Via a 40 m Dish Antenna
Authors: Hong Ju , Tu Rui , Zhang Rui , Fan Lihong , Zhang Pengfei , Han Junqiang , Lu Xiaochun
Published: March 2020

The satellite-induced code bias variation of geostationary satellite orbit satellites and medium earth orbit satellites of the second-generation BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS-2) exceeds 1 m, which severely affects the accuracy and stability of the ambiguity resolution and high-precision positioning. With the development of the third-generation BDS (BDS-3) with a new system design and new technology, analysis of the satellite-induced code variation characteristics of BDS-3 has become increasingly important. At present, many scholars have explored the satellite-induced code bias of BDS-3, but most of them focus on BDS-3 experimental satellites via normal geodetic antenna. Compared to normal geodetic antenna, the 40-m dish antenna from the National Time Service Center can accurately detect satellite-induced code variations with low noise and high gain. Thus, observational data from fifteen BDS-3 medium earth orbit satellites are collected with the B1I/B2b/B3I/B1C/B2a frequency bands on the day of year (DOY) 199–206 in 2019, the PRN numbers of which are C19/C20/C21/C22/C23/C24/C25/C26/C27/C28/C30/C32/C33 /C35/C37, via the 40 m dish antenna to analyze the code bias variation characteristics. The results show that the obvious satellite-induced elevation‑dependent code bias variations exist in the B1I/B2b/B3I/B1C/B2a frequency bands of C28, compared with other satellites. Similarly, the multipath (MP) combination of B3I has an obvious elevation‑dependent variation within a range of 0.1 m for C21/C24/C27/C28/C37 and elevation‑dependent variation of the B2a and B2b frequency bands also exists in most satellites with a range of 0.1 m. However, the MP combination values of some satellites are asymmetric with respect to elevation, which is different from BDS-2 satellites and especially obvious for BDS-3 satellites B1I and BIC frequency bands with elevation‑dependent variations of 0.2 m, indicating that the code bias variation is not uniquely related to elevation, especially for the B1I/BIC frequency bands. What’s more, the satellite-induced code bias variation of the BDS-3 satellites is greatly reduced compared with that of the BDS-2 satellites. In addition, the similar code bias variation appears at the Xia1 station with a normal geodetic antenna of B1I/B1C/B3I/B2a/B2b of C21, B3I/B2a/B2b of C24 and B2b of C28 among B1I/B1C/B3I/B2a/B2b of C21/C24/C27/C28/C37. The influence of the BDS-3 satellite-induced elevation‑dependent code bias on precision positioning and ambiguity fixing is worth further study using different antennas or receivers.
SKINNY-Based RFID Lightweight Authentication Protocol
Authors: Xiao Liang , Xu He , Zhu Feng , Wang Ruchuan , Li Peng
Published: March 2020

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things and the popularization of 5G communication technology, the security of resource-constrained IoT devices such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based applications have received extensive attention. In traditional RFID systems, the communication channel between the tag and the reader is vulnerable to various threats, including denial of service, spoofing, and desynchronization. Thus, the confidentiality and integrity of the transmitted data cannot be guaranteed. In order to solve these security problems, in this paper, we propose a new RFID authentication protocol based on a lightweight block cipher algorithm, SKINNY, (short for LRSAS). Security analysis shows that the LRSAS protocol guarantees mutual authentication and is resistant to various attacks, such as desynchronization attacks, replay attacks, and tracing attacks. Performance evaluations show that the proposed solution is suitable for low-cost tags while meeting security requirements. This protocol reaches a balance between security requirements and costs.
Joint Sensor Selection and Power Allocation Algorithm for Multiple-Target Tracking of Unmanned Cluster Based on Fuzzy Logic Reasoning
Authors: Zhang Yuanshi , Pan Minghai , Han Qinghua
Published: March 2020

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) cluster is gradually attracting more attention, which takes advantage over a traditional single manned platform. Because the size of the UAV platform limits the transmitting power of its own radar, how to reduce the transmitting power while meeting the detection accuracy is necessary. Aim at multiple-target tracking (MTT), a joint radar node selection and power allocation algorithm for radar networks is proposed. The algorithm first uses fuzzy logic reasoning (FLR) to obtain the priority of targets to radars, and designs a radar clustering algorithm based on the priority to form several subradar networks. The radar clustering algorithm simplifies the problem of multiple-radar tracking multiple-target into several problems of multiple-radar tracking a single target, which avoids complex calculations caused by multiple variables in the objective function of joint radar node selection and power allocation model. Considering the uncertainty of the target RCS in practice, the chance-constraint programming (CCP) is used to balance power resource and tracking accuracy. Through the joint radar node selection and power allocation algorithm, the radar networks can use less power resource to achieve a given tracking performance, which is more suitable for working on drone platforms. Finally, the simulation proves the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Experimental and Theoretical Study of Multifrequency Surface Acoustic Wave Devices in a Single Si/SiO2/ZnO Piezoelectric Structure
Authors: Caliendo Cinzia , Laidoudi Farouk
Published: March 2020

The propagation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) along a ZnO/SiO2/Si piezoelectric structure is experimentally and theoretically studied. Six surface acoustic modes were experimentally detected in the 134 to 570 MHz frequency range, for acoustic wavelength λ = 30 μm, and for SiO2 and ZnO layers with a thickness of 1 and 2.4 μm. The numerical and three-dimensional (3D) finite element method analysis revealed that the multilayered substrate supports the propagation of Rayleigh and Sezawa modes (Rm and Sm), their third and fifth harmonics at λ/3 and λ/5. The velocity of all the modes was found in good agreement with the theoretically predicted values. Eigenfrequency, frequency domain, and time domain studies were performed to calculate the velocity, the electroacoustic coupling coefficient, the shape of the modes, the propagation loss, and the scattering parameter S21 of the SAW delay lines based on the propagation of these modes. The sensitivity to five different gases (dichloromethane, trichloromethane, carbontetrachloride, tetrachloroethylene, and trichloroethylene) was calculated under the hypothesis that the ZnO surface is covered by a polyisobutylene (PIB) layer 0.8 µm thick. The results show that the modes resonating at different frequencies exhibit different sensitivities toward the same gas. The multi-frequency ZnO/SiO2/Si single device structure is a promising solution for the development of a multiparameters sensing platform; multiple excitation frequencies with different sensing properties can allow the parallel analysis of the same gas with improved accuracy.
Optical Fibre Sensor for Simultaneous Measurement of Capillary Refill Time and Contact Pressure
Authors: Liu Chong , Correia Ricardo , Ballaji Hattan , Korposh Serhiy , Hayes-Gill Barrie , Morgan Stephen
Published: March 2020

The widely applied capillary refill time (CRT) measurement is currently performed by manually applying pressure and using a stopwatch to record the time taken for the skin to recover its normal colour after a blanching pressure is applied. This method is highly subjective and observer-dependent. This paper presents a new, integrated optical sensor probe, combining monitoring of the capillary refilling process with the blanching pressure applied. The sensor consists of an optical fibre-based reflectance photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to measure the reflected light signal, as well as a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) to measure the applied blanching pressure and to indicate the time when pressure is released. This sensor was applied to calculate the CRT (1.38 ± 0.66 s) of 10 healthy adult volunteers with (55.2 ± 21.8 kPa) blanching pressures. The form of the capillary refilling data was investigated by fitting using an exponential regression model (R2 > 0.96). The integrated probe has the potential to improve the reliability of CRT measurements by standardising the optimum duration and magnitude of the pressure.
Roots, Tissues, Cells and Fragments—How to Characterize Peat from Drained and Rewetted Fens
Authors: Michaelis Dierk , Mrotzek Almut , Couwenberg John
Published: March 2020

We present analyses of macroscopic and microscopic remains as a tool to characterise sedge fen peats. We use it to describe peat composition and stages of peat decomposition, to assess the success of rewetting of a formerly drained fen, and to understand the workings of these novel ecosystems. We studied two percolation fen sites, one drained and one drained and rewetted 20 years ago. Years of deep drainage have resulted in a layer of strongly decomposed peat which lacks recognizable macro-remains. We could associate micro-remains with macro-remains, and thus still characterise the peat and the plants that once formed it. We show that the strongly decomposed peat is of the same origin as the slightly decomposed peat below, and that is was ploughed. We present descriptions of eight types of the main constituent of sedge peat: plant roots, including Carex rostrata type, C. lasiocarpa/rostrata type, C. limosa type, C. acutiformis type, C. echinata type, Phragmites australis type, Cladium type, Equisetum type. We describe three new non-pollen palynomorph types (microscopic remains) and five new subtypes. The rewetted fen provides insights into plant succession after rewetting and the formation of peat that predominantly consists of roots. Results indicate that leaf sheaths may be a consistent component of the peat.
Acute Effects of Intermittent and Continuous Static Stretching on Hip Flexion Angle in Athletes with Varying Flexibility Training Background
Authors: Donti Olyvia , Gaspari Vasiliki , Papia Kostantina , Panidi Ioli , Donti Anastasia , Bogdanis Gregory C.
Published: March 2020

Τhis study examined changes in hip joint flexion angle after an intermittent or a continuous static stretching protocol of equal total duration. Twenty-seven female subjects aged 19.9 ± 3.0 years (14 artistic and rhythmic gymnasts and 13 team sports athletes), performed 3 min of intermittent (6 × 30 s with 30 s rest) or continuous static stretching (3 min) of the hip extensors, with an intensity of 80–90 on a 100-point visual analogue scale. The order of stretching was randomized and counterbalanced, and each subject performed both conditions. Hip flexion angle was measured with the straight leg raise test for both legs after warm-up and immediately after stretching. Both stretching types equally increased hip flexion angle by ~6% (continuous: 140.9° ± 20.4° to 148.6° ± 18.8°, p = 0.047; intermittent: 141.8° ± 20.3° to 150.0° ± 18.8°, p = 0.029) in artistic and rhythmic gymnasts. In contrast, in team sports athletes, only intermittent stretching increased hip flexion angle by 13% (from 91.0° ± 7.2° to 102.4° ± 14.5°, p = 0.001), while continuous stretching did not affect hip angle (from 92.4° ± 6.9° vs. 93.1° ± 9.2°, p = 0.99). The different effect of intermittent vs. continuous stretching on hip flexion between gymnasts and team sports athletes suggests that responses to static stretching are dependent on stretching mode and participants training experience.
Decelerations of Passenger Vehicles on Gravel Arrester Beds
Authors: Ambrož Miha , Trajkovski Jovan , Kunc Robert
Published: March 2020

Gravel-filled arrester beds, also called safety-escape ramps or vehicle run-out areas, have long been a road-safety feature for safely stopping heavy road vehicles from running off the road. In the recent past, there has been consideration given to installing these features on highway access ramps to provide safe areas to stop passenger cars driving at highway speeds. The work presented in this article was performed to investigate the behaviour of standard-size passenger cars on gravel-filled arrester beds, with a particular focus on the achievable vehicle decelerations and the ability of the arrester beds to safely stop a passenger car coasting in an uncontrolled manner. The findings show that the achievable average decelerations are in the range of 0.3 g for coasting vehicles and up to 0.9 g when the vehicles are braking. The results prove that more research is required to quantify the influence of the gravel parameters on the achievable decelerations.
Commuting Pattern Recognition Using a Systematic Cluster Framework
Authors: Hong Rongrong , Rao Wenming , Zhou Dong , An Chengchuan , Lu Zhenbo , Xia Jingxin
Published: March 2020

Identifying commuting patterns for an urban network is important for various traffic applications (e.g., traffic demand management). Some studies, such as the gravity models, urban-system-model, K-means clustering, have provided insights into the investigation of commuting pattern recognition. However, commuters’ route feature is not fully considered or not accurately characterized. In this study, a systematic framework considering the route feature for commuting pattern recognition was developed for urban road networks. Three modules are included in the proposed framework. These modules were proposed based on automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) data. First, the temporal and spatial features of individual vehicles were extracted based on the trips detected by ALPR sensors, then a hierarchical clustering technique was applied to classify the detected vehicles and the ratio of commuting trips was derived. Based on the ratio of commuting trips, the temporal and spatial commuting patterns were investigated, respectively. The proposed method was finally implemented in a ring expressway of Kunshan, China. The results showed that the method can accurately extract the commuting patterns. Further investigations revealed the dynamic temporal-spatial features of commuting patterns. The findings of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in mining commuting patterns at urban traffic networks.
Research on Transmission Network Expansion Planning Considering Splitting Control
Authors: Tang Fei , Xiao Chufei , Gao Xin , Zhang Yifan , Du Nianchun , Hu Benxi
Published: March 2020

A robust and reliable grid is one of the core elements for power network planning. Specifically, splitting is an effective way for power grid out-of-step oscillation. Since the cross-section of system out-of-step is mostly found on the weak connection lines, reducing the number of those lines can be conducive to the system partition, save the finding time of the optimal splitting cross-section, and improve the performance of the splitting control. This paper proposed an enhanced method based on slow coherence theory for weak connection lines’ identification and monitoring. The ratio of the number of weak connection lines to the number of all the lines, called weak connection coefficient, is considered as a crucial factor. A bi-level programming model, which perceives the minimum connection coefficient as the optimization goal, is built for the transmission network. Additionally, a fused algorithm, consisting of Boruvka algorithm and particle swarm optimization with adaptive mutation and inertia weight, is employed to solve the proposed method in the instances of an 18-node IEEE Graver system and a practical power grid in East China. Simulation results in PSD-BPA are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the weak connection monitoring method and transmission network planning model.
Influencing Factors of Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intention to Sustainable Apparel Products: Exploring Consumer “Attitude–Behavioral Intention” Gap
Authors: Jung Hye Jung , Choi Yun Jung , Oh Kyung Wha
Published: March 2020

As the rapid economic growth and over-consumption within the largest population worldwide has resulted in harmful environment deterioration, a shift to more sustainable consumption behaviors is required in China. Although public interests in sustainability have increased and consumers’ attitudes are positive, their behavioral intentions are not consistent with attitudes. This study aims to uncover psychological drivers and barriers (consumption values, social norms, and attitudes to sustainable apparel products) of Chinese consumers’ behavioral intentions toward sustainable apparel products (SAP) by exploring the attitude–behavioral intention gap. Online survey data were used to examine the moderating impacts of consumption values and social norms on relationship between Chinese consumers’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward SAP. Results from moderating regression analysis suggest that (1) Chinese consumers’ SAP attitudes had a strong positive effect on the purchase intention toward SAP, (2) aesthetic values positively moderated the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention, whereas conspicuous values negatively moderated the relationship, and (3) utility values and social norms did not show any significant moderating influences on the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention. Our study validates the attitude–behavior gap model in sustainable consumer behavior and discusses how the current findings can assist researchers and practitioners in the Clothing and Textiles field alike to fine-tune sustainable programs and marketing strategies in China.
Testing McClelland at the Academy: An Analysis of Entrepreneurial Behavioral Characteristics
Authors: Mourão Paulo , Schneider Locatelli Débora Regina
Published: March 2020

The aim of this study was to test whether Entrepreneurial Behavioral Characteristics (EBC) develop in Brazilian university students as described by McClelland. Methodological procedures tested McClelland’s (1963;1987) perspective with a sample of university students, also emphasizing the dimensions leading to sustainable businesses. Data collection was performed using a closed questionnaire with fifty-five questions using the Likert scale, applied manually for five years, at the beginning of seven different semesters. The questionnaire was answered by a sample of 238 university students from bachelor’s degrees at a Brazilian public university. Data analysis was based on exploratory factor analysis using the main component method and Varimax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis. It has been pointed out that the 10 dimensions of the EBCs are a single factor which also poses methodological challenges as a tendency of homogenization observed in the respondents, which, in itself, can be challenging for the entrepreneurship strategies expected of universities in the future.
Climate Change Implications for Water Availability: A Case Study of Barcelona City
Authors: Forero-Ortiz Edwar , Martínez-Gomariz Eduardo , Monjo Robert
Published: March 2020

Barcelona city has a strong dependence on the Ter and Llobregat reservoir system to provide drinking water. One main concern for the next century is a potential water scarcity triggered by a severe and persistent rainfall shortage. This is one of the climate-driven impacts studied within the EU funded project RESCCUE. To evaluate potential drought scenarios, the Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV) hydrological model reproduces the water contributions by month that have reached the reservoirs, regarding the accumulated rainfall over each sub-basin, representing the available historical-observed water levels. For future scenarios, we adjusted the input data set using climate projections of rainfall time series data of the project RESCCUE. Local outputs from 9 different climate models were applied to simulate river basins’ responses to reservoirs’ incoming water volume. Analyzing these results, we obtained average trends of the models for each scenario, hypothetical extreme values, and quantification for changes in water availability. Future water availability scenarios for Barcelona central water sources showed a mean decrease close to 11% in comparison with the period 1971–2015, considering the representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) climate change scenario in the year 2100. This research forecasts a slight downward trend in water availability from rainfall contributions from the mid-21st century. This planned future behavior does not mean that the annual water contributions are getting lower than the current ones, but rather, identifies an escalation in the frequency of drought cycles.
Characterization of Excavated Waste of Different Ages in View of Multiple Resource Recovery in Landfill Mining
Authors: Pecorini Isabella , Iannelli Renato
Published: March 2020

With the aim of examining the forcing factors in postmanagement landfills, in this study, excavation waste from nonhazardous municipal waste landfill in Tuscany was characterized for the first time. The specific objective was to estimate the feasibility of sampling and analyzing the excavated waste in order to define its properties and provide information about possible landfill mining projects. Based on the biochemical methane potential assays, it was shown that the excavated waste had not yet been stabilized (i.e., with a production of 52.2 ± 28.7 NlCH4/kgTS) in the landfill, probably due to the low excavated waste moisture content (36% ± 6% w/w). Furthermore, excavated waste has a high calorific value, i.e., 15.2 ± 4.1 MJ/kg; the quantity of combustibles in the industrial shredder waste (16 MJ/kg) was rather modest compared to that of municipal solid waste (20.8 MJ/Kg). In conclusion, during large scale excavation of the landfill, it was possible to evaluate how a dedicated treatment plant could be designed to treat and select waste which might appear in a different category. For excavated industrial waste, detailed mechanical sorting may be convenient for end-of-waste recovery to improve calorific value.
How Overtourism Threatens Large Urban Areas: A Case Study of the City of Wrocław, Poland
Authors: Fedyk Wojciech , Sołtysik Mariusz , Olearnik Janusz , Barwicka Katarzyna , Mucha Anna
Published: March 2020

Excessive tourist traffic concentration in cities of high tourist attractiveness often leads to overtourism, manifested, among others, by overcrowding in appealing areas and means of transport, rising prices, or degradation of natural and cultural resources. The effects of an excessive number of tourists include an unfavourable change in the local community’s attitude towards tourists. The paper determines the extent and forms of overtourism symptoms in Wrocław, Poland. The research allowed for the identification of negative and positive effects of tourist traffic in Wrocław as perceived by three groups of respondents: experts, Wrocław residents: key experts from the scientific, administrative, planning, and business communities; people directly involved in tourist services; and students of tourism. The crucial part was direct research, conducted in November 2019 with a questionnaire technique. The results confirm symptoms of overtourism in Wrocław, but the threat is not significant. The article shows specific potential overtourism threat factors; the respondents’ opinions did not significantly differ between the groups. The presented findings and conclusions may be useful in developing the tourism policy of this and other cities, especially regarding sustainable development of tourism and the potential threat imposed by overtourism. The methodology may be used in similar comparative studies in other cities.
Are You Environmentally Conscious Enough to Differentiate between Greenwashed and Sustainable Items? A Global Consumers Perspective
Authors: Urbański Mariusz , ul Haque Adnan
Published: March 2020

Environmentally sustainable (green) products are frequently advertised to consumers, yet it is debatable whether the consumers are aware whether these green labelled products are environmentally friendly or not. Greenwashing is a phenomenon used by companies to sell their products. Through stratified (probability) and purposive and convenience (non-probability) sampling techniques, an online survey was circulated to gather information from 768 participants from the UK, Canada, and Pakistan to determine consumers’ perspectives on subjects including awareness, trust, and effectiveness regarding greenwashed labelled products. The results were tested using the Chi-Square test for ranked data and structural equation modelling (SEM) for ordinal data. The study found that participants ranking themselves High environmentalists in comparison to Low and Moderate environmentalists, despite being skeptical, fall into the trap of identifying greenwashed products as sustainable. It has been proven that greenwashing negatively impacts the green purchasing behavior of the consumers. Participants reported that products are believed to be sustainable due to the overall perception of the product labelled as greenwashed. There is statistical evidence that purchase intent is not affected by greenwashing. It is also reported that younger people in comparison to older people have less trust and often believe greenwashing is problematic. Consumers were found to be vulnerable and more sensitive when their attention was drawn towards greenwashing. There is a need to educate consumers and improve policies to ensure consumers understand the real labels as greenwashed products are used in daily life.
Assessment of the Impact of Climate Change Policies on the Market for Forest Industrial Residues
Authors: Hope Emily , Gagnon Bruno , Avdić Vanja
Published: March 2020

As part of the Pan-Canadian Framework (PCF) on Clean Growth and Climate Change, the Government of Canada (GoC) introduced carbon pricing and is in the process of developing a Clean Fuel (CF) Standard. Both policies are key elements of the PCF and aim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the use of lower carbon fuels, including bioenergy. Carbon pricing and the CF Standard are expected to increase the demand for biomass feedstocks, possibly threatening feedstock availability for existing forest industrial residues users, including composite panel manufacturers. To assess the potential impact of carbon pricing and the CF Standard on Canadian composite panel producers, a Monte Carlo-based model was developed to estimate possible increases in feedstock price-points that composite panel manufacturers may face as a result of increases in bioenergy consumption. Results suggest that the composite panel industry may be negatively impacted in the long-term (2030) by the relative price increase of fossil fuels covered by carbon pricing and additional revenues for biofuel suppliers from CF Standard credits, assuming no other adjustments to the market. Although these results are preliminary in that the analysis excludes external market factors that could influence the outcome, there is evidence that such policies have the potential to generate supply risks for the Canadian composite panel industry without careful consideration of the associated externalities.
Impact of Carbon Emission Trading System Participation and Level of Internal Control on Quality of Carbon Emission Disclosures: Insights from Chinese State-Owned Electricity Companies
Authors: Tan Duojiao , Bilal  , Gao Simon , Komal Bushra
Published: March 2020

In recent years, the quality of carbon emission disclosures has become a central area of concern for different stakeholders of companies. Specifically, stakeholders of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) want these companies to legitimize their actions regarding carbon emissions reductions reporting. The current study aims to explore the impact of carbon emission trading system participation and the level of internal control on the quality of carbon emission disclosures. Using a sample of Chinese state-owned electricity companies from 2012 to 2018 and employing the difference-in-differences (DID) method, we find a positive impact of the carbon emission trading system participation on the quality of carbon emission disclosures, which suggests that the state-owned electricity companies’ participation in the carbon emission trading system leads to the higher quality of carbon emission disclosures. Likewise, we find a positive relationship between the level of internal control and the quality of carbon emission disclosures, which suggests that the state-owned electricity companies with stronger internal control provide the higher quality of carbon emission disclosures. In addition, we find that the findings are only significant in the case of central SOEs as compared to local SOEs. Our findings contribute to the practical, policy, and research implications as the quality of carbon disclosures is the primary concern from a variety of stakeholders.
Developing an Adaptive Pathway to Mitigate Air Pollution Risk for Vulnerable Groups in South Korea
Authors: Park Sugyeong , Kim Sea Jin , Yu Hangnan , Lim Chul-Hee , Park Eunbeen , Kim Jiwon , Lee Woo-Kyun
Published: March 2020

Air pollution is one of the most significant environmental hazards. The elderly, young, and poor are more vulnerable to air pollution. The risk of air pollution was assessed based on the risk framework published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in terms of three aspects: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. This study determined the concentrations of hazardous pollutants using satellite images from 2015 at 1 km2 spatial resolution. In addition, the study identified vulnerable groups who are exposed to hazardous air pollutants. The study highlighted the degree of vulnerability based on environmental sensitivity and institutional abilities, such as mitigation and social adaption policies, using statistical data. Based on the results, Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province have low air pollution risk owing to good institutional abilities, while the western coastal area has the highest air pollution risk. Three adaption pathway scenarios were assessed in terms of the effect of increases in the budget for social adaptation policies on the level of risk. The study found that the risk can be reduced when the social adaptation budget of 2015 base level is increased by 20% in Gyeonggi Province and by 30% in the western coastal area. In conclusion, this risk assessment can support policy-making to target more vulnerable groups based on scientific evidence and to ensure environmental justice at the national level.
Circular-Looking Makes Green-Buying: How Brand Logo Shapes Influence Green Consumption
Authors: Xu Liying , Yu Feng , Ding Xiaojun
Published: March 2020

Despite the development of green products, convincing consumers to engage in green consumption is still a difficult task. This research attempts to help solve this problem from the perspective of brand logo design. Specifically, this research explores how circular and angular logo shapes influence green consumption. Three studies provide support for our basic prediction that a circular (vs. angular) logo is more effective in promoting green consumption. Self-construal plays a mediating role in this mechanism. However, the logo shape effect disappears when consumers are primed with high sense of power. When taken together, this research not only has theoretical contributions to green consumption and visual marketing, it also provides practical implications for firms manufacturing green products.
A Retrospective Analysis of Energy Access with a Focus on the Role of Mini-Grids
Authors: Korkovelos Alexandros , Zerriffi Hisham , Howells Mark , Bazilian Morgan , Rogner H-Holger , Fuso Nerini Francesco
Published: March 2020

Achieving universal access to electricity by 2030 is a key part of the Agenda for Sustainable Development, and has its own Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 7.1. This is because electricity services are required for almost all aspects of a modern economy, from the cooling of vaccines to irrigation pumping, to manufacturing and running a business. The achievement of SDG 7.1 will require a thoughtful mix of policy, finance, and technology to be designed and implemented at scale. Yet, the pressing need for an electrification ramp-up is not unprecedented. Many countries (now considered “industrialized”) faced similar challenges about a century ago. Although the existing literature covers a great deal of power systems evolution, there is a gap around the specific role and impact of small, isolated power systems in the early stages of electricity uptake. In this paper, we provide insights based on the review of the historical electrification efforts in four (now middle and high-income) countries. The drivers and context of electrification efforts in early stages are described. Those focus particularly on the role of dispersed, small-scale generation systems (mini-grids). Our analysis shows that electrification follows four loosely defined phases, namely: pilot projects, technological roll-out, economic expansion, and social scale-up. We report a selection of historical mistakes and advances that offer lessons of striking importance for today´s energy access efforts, particularly in regards to the development of mini-grids. We find that today, as historically, multi-stakeholder (e.g., planners, regulators, developers, investors, third party actors) collaboration is key and can help build locally adaptable, economically sustainable and community compatible mini-grids that can accelerate—and lower the societal costs of—universal access to electricity.
Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability Indicators Applied to Food Services: A Systematic Review
Authors: Maynard Dayanne , Vidigal Mayara , Farage Priscila , Zandonadi Renata , Nakano Eduardo , Botelho Raquel
Published: March 2020

Sustainability is the integration of actions focused on three pillars: environmental, social, and economical. Implementing sustainable development ranges from the pursuit of quality of life, and from environmental balance to break with the current pattern of development. Therefore, the objective of this work was to understand and analyze the sustainability indicators implemented in the production of meals in food services. The authors developed specific search strategies for Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, Lilacs, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global to perform the systematic review. The authors evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies using the Meta-analysis Statistical Assessment and Review Instrument (MASTARI). A total of 31 cross-sectional studies were analyzed. Twenty four (77.41%) of the studies had activities that covered the three indicators (environmental, social, and economic); 22.59% (n = 7) used two indicators in which 12.90% (n = 4) presented environmental and economic indicators and 9.67% (n = 3) with environmental and social indicators. This research indicates that the studies in food services are seeking to insert indicators that cover the three pillars of sustainable meal production. It is worth mentioning that in the literature, many works encompasses the importance of sustainability, but few explore which indicators are most applied or detail their implementation in food services. More studies are needed to estimate better the indicators being applied in food services.
An Interdisciplinary Research on Students’ Employability in Technology Education to Advance Higher Education Enrollment Sustainability
Authors: Huang Yueh-Min , Hsieh Ming-Yuan
Published: March 2020

Nowadays, with respect to the rapid development of technology education, the rigorous issue of students’ employability, and the swift awareness of University Social Responsibility (USR), a majority of higher education institutions have necessarily dedicated themselves to discovering the most effective sustainable strategies in order to survive in the current hyper-competitive and low birthrate era. Therefore, this research creatively employed the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to interdisciplinarily and mutually assay the correlationships among technology education, students’ employability, and institutions’ developmental sustainability. Further, it also cross-applied and consolidated the Factor Analysis (FA) approach and the Entropy Analysis (EA) model to comprehensively probe in-depth into the results from a large-scale questionnaire completed by various experts in order to delve into the most critical determinants of students’ employability in technology education to advance higher education enrollment sustainability. As a result, the most valuable finding of this research is to directly point out “poverty, unemployment, and educational equitability” as the three most materially considered factors by students during their higher education institution selection process. As a result, higher education institutions have necessarily developed the Concurrent Usages Convenience Technological Feature (CUCTF, Information Immediacy Usability Openness Technological Feature (IIUOTF), Course-Professionalization Technology Assessment (CPTA), and Course-evaluation Technology Analysis System (CTAS) of technology education to strengthen the covered Self-control Capability (SCC), Communication Expression Ability (CEA), Active Attitude and Ambition (AAA), and Problem-solving Ability (PSA) of students’ employability to interdisciplinarily explore the most critical determinants of students’ employability in technology education to advance higher education enrollment sustainability.
Nonlinear Effects of Human Capital and R&D on TFP: Evidence from European Regions
Authors: Kijek Arkadiusz , Kijek Tomasz
Published: March 2020

The aim of the paper is to study the impact of human capital and R&D on Total Factor Productivity (TFP) from a nonlinear perspective. In the spirit of the theory of innovation-driven growth and models with thresholds in human capital and low-growth equilibria, we hypothesize that the impact of human capital and R&D on TFP is nonlinear. We also make an attempt to explain complementarities between R&D expenditures and human capital, applying developments in the R&D-based growth models. We use spatial panel data models to estimate the link among R&D, human capital, and TFP across the European regions between 2009 and 2014. Empirical evidence shows that there are decreasing returns to human capital and R&D in the European regional space. Moreover, R&D and human capital turn out to be strategic complements. Finally, regional TFP is found to be positively affected by TFP of neighboring regions.
The Sedentary Process and the Evolution of Energy Consumption in Eight Native American Dwellings: Analyzing Sustainability in Traditional Architecture
Authors: Montero Burgos María Jesús , Sanchiz Álvarez de Toledo Hipólito , González Lezcano Roberto Alonso , Galán de Mera Antonio
Published: March 2020

According to the research developed by André Leroi-Gourhan in 1964, entitled “Gesture and speech”, the evolution of human beings during Prehistory was linked to the search for work efficiency. As time passed, man designed increasingly complex tools whose production implied a decreasing amount of energy. The aim of the present research was to determine if this evolution, which occurred in parallel to the sedentary process, also affected architecture, specifically if it can be detected on traditional dwellings, particularly in those built by the Native American Indians during the pre-Columbian period. Due to their great diversity, since both nomad and sedentary models can be found among them, and to the available information about their morphology and technical characteristics, these models offer a unique opportunity to study the consequences of this process for architecture. In order to achieve it, an alternative parameter that can be determined for any type of building was designed. It allows us to establish the amount of energy an envelope is equal to. The results obtained suggest that the efficiency of the dwellings decreased as this process went forward, but this pattern changed in its last step, when agriculture appeared and permanent settlements started to be built. Besides, statistical graphs were used in order to show graphically the relationship between it, the climate, the morphology of the dwellings and their technical characteristics.