bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensor Fusion for Recognition of Activities of Daily Living
Authors: Wu Jiaxuan , Feng Yunfei , Sun Peng
Published: November 2018

Activity of daily living (ADL) is a significant predictor of the independence and functional capabilities of an individual. Measurements of ADLs help to indicate one’s health status and capabilities of quality living. Recently, the most common ways to capture ADL data are far from automation, including a costly 24/7 observation by a designated caregiver, self-reporting by the user laboriously, or filling out a written ADL survey. Fortunately, ubiquitous sensors exist in our surroundings and on electronic devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) era. We proposed the ADL Recognition System that utilizes the sensor data from a single point of contact, such as smartphones, and conducts time-series sensor fusion processing. Raw data is collected from the ADL Recorder App constantly running on a user’s smartphone with multiple embedded sensors, including the microphone, Wi-Fi scan module, heading orientation of the device, light proximity, step detector, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, etc. Key technologies in this research cover audio processing, Wi-Fi indoor positioning, proximity sensing localization, and time-series sensor data fusion. By merging the information of multiple sensors, with a time-series error correction technique, the ADL Recognition System is able to accurately profile a person’s ADLs and discover his life patterns. This paper is particularly concerned with the care for the older adults who live independently.
Message Integration Authentication in the Internet-of-Things via Lattice-Based Batch Signatures
Authors: Lu Xiuhua , Yin Wei , Wen Qiaoyan , Liang Kaitai , Chen Liqun , Chen Jiageng
Published: November 2018

The internet-of-things (also known as IoT) connects a large number of information-sensing devices to the Internet to collect all kinds of information needed in real time. The reliability of the source of a large number of accessed information tests the processing speed of signatures. Batch signature allows a signer to sign a group of messages at one time, and signatures’ verification can be completed individually and independently. Therefore, batch signature is suitable for data integration authentication in IoT. An outstanding advantage of batch signature is that a signer is able to sign as many messages as possible at one time without worrying about the size of signed messages. To reduce complexity yielded by multiple message signing, a binary tree is usually leveraged in the construction of batch signature. However, this structure requires a batch residue, making the size of a batch signature (for a group of messages) even longer than the sum of single signatures. In this paper, we make use of the intersection method from lattice to propose a novel generic method for batch signature. We further combine our method with hash-and-sign paradigm and Fiat–Shamir transformation to propose new batch signature schemes. In our constructions, a batch signature does not need a batch residue, so that the size of the signature is relatively smaller. Our schemes are securely proved to be existential unforgeability against adaptive chosen message attacks under the small integer solution problem, which shows great potential resisting quantum computer attacks.
Comparison of CO2 Vertical Profiles in the Lower Troposphere between 1.6 µm Differential Absorption Lidar and Aircraft Measurements Over Tsukuba
Authors: Shibata Yasukuni , Nagasawa Chikao , Abo Makoto , Inoue Makoto , Morino Isamu , Uchino Osamu
Published: November 2018

A 1.6 μm differential absorption Lidar (DIAL) system for measurement of vertical CO2 mixing ratio profiles has been developed. A comparison of CO2 vertical profiles measured by the DIAL system and an aircraft in situ sensor in January 2014 over the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in Tsukuba, Japan, is presented. The DIAL measurement was obtained at an altitude range of between 1.56 and 3.60 km with a vertical resolution of 236 m (below 3 km) and 590 m (above 3 km) at an average error of 1.93 ppm. An in situ sensor for cavity ring-down spectroscopy of CO2 was installed in an aircraft. CO2 mixing ratio measured by DIAL and the aircraft sensor ranged from 398.73 to 401.36 ppm and from 399.08 to 401.83 ppm, respectively, with an average difference of −0.94 ± 1.91 ppm below 3 km and −0.70 ± 1.98 ppm above 3 km between the two measurements.
Stackelberg Dynamic Game-Based Resource Allocation in Threat Defense for Internet of Things
Authors: Liu Bingjie , Xu Haitao , Zhou Xianwei
Published: November 2018

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, there are a series of security problems faced by the IoT devices. As the IoT devices are generally devices with limited resources, how to effectively allocate the restricted resources facing the security problems is the key issue at present. In this paper, we study the resource allocation problem in threat defense for the resource-constrained IoT system, and propose a Stackelberg dynamic game model to get the optimal allocated resources for both the defender and attackers. The proposed Stackelberg dynamic game model is composed by one defender and many attackers. Given the objective functions of the defender and attackers, we analyze both the open-loop Nash equilibrium and feedback Nash equilibrium for the defender and attackers. Then both the defender and attackers can control their available resources based on the Nash equilibrium solutions of the dynamic game. Numerical simulation results show that correctness and effeteness of the proposed model.
Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements
Authors: Kuester Matthew , Intaratep Nanyaporn , Borgoltz Aurélien
Published: November 2018

Wind tunnel measurements of two-dimensional wing sections, or airfoils, are the building block of aerodynamic predictions for many aerodynamic applications. In these experiments, the forces and pitching moment on the airfoil are measured as a function of the orientation of the airfoil relative to the incoming airflow. Small changes in this angle (called the angle of attack, or α ) can create significant changes in the forces and moments, so accurately measuring the angle of attack is critical in these experiments. This work describes the implementation of laser displacement sensors in a wind tunnel; the sensors measured the distance between the wind tunnel walls and the airfoil, which was then used to calculate the model position. The uncertainty in the measured laser distances, based on the sensor resolution and temperature drift, is comparable to the uncertainty in traditional linear encoder measurements. Distances from multiple sensors showed small, but statistically significant, amounts of model deflection and rotation that would otherwise not have been detected, allowing for an improved angle of attack measurement.
Perceived Safety Benefits of Aftermarket Driver Support Systems: Results from a Large Scale European Field Operational Test (FOT)
Authors: Welsh Ruth , Morris Andrew
Published: November 2018

A field operational test (FOT) is a technique used within traffic safety to evaluate the overall value of in-vehicle information systems (IVISs) under normal operating conditions. In this study, a pan-European FOT was used to evaluate Navigation, Speed Information/Alert, Traffic Information, and Green Driving Support functions together with participants’ perceptions of safety’ before, during, and after using the functions. Through utilization and adherence to the FOT methodology, data were collected over a period ranging from 8 to 16 months in five European countries in order to assess the driver pre-conceived ideas and subsequent subjective and objective experiences with the IVIS functions. Several analyses of data were conducted, and this paper describes the results relating to the ‘user-experience’ as evaluated through subjective responses. The study showed that before the FOTs started, overall participants expected a higher safety benefit through using Speed Alert compared to the other functions. This function was also perceived to offer the highest safety benefit after the FOT had been completed. Perceptions of safety were found to be lowest for the green-driving function. The results offer insights into public expectations of IVIS functions and how these change with experience and overall; they suggest that, in some cases, the perception to safety benefits could be somewhat misplaced.
A Low-Cost Approach Using Diatomaceous Earth Biosorbent as Alternative SPME Coating for the Determination of PAHs in Water Samples by GC-MS
Authors: Reinert Naysla Paulo , Vieira Camila M. S. , Da Silveira Cristian Berto , Budziak Dilma , Carasek Eduardo
Published: November 2018

In this study, the use of recycled diatomaceous earth as the extraction phase in solid phase microextraction (SPME) technique for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in river water samples, with separation/detection performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), is proposed. The optimized extraction conditions are extraction time 70 min at 80 °C with no addition of salt. The limits of quantification were close to 0.5 μg L−1 with RSD values lower than 25% (n = 3). The linear working range was 0.5 μg L−1 to 25 μg L−1 for all analytes. The method was applied to samples collected from the Itajaí River (Santa Catarina, Brazil) and the RSD values for repeatability and reproducibility were lower than 15% and 17%, respectively. The efficiency of the recycled diatomaceous earth fiber was compared with that of commercial fibers and good results were obtained, confirming that this is a promising option to use as the extraction phase in SPME.
The Lightness of the Sexual Being: A Short Reflection on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”
Authors: Lee Seungyeon
Published: November 2018

Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Little Mermaid,” has been adored by both children and parents for decades. The tale shows an astonishingly different quality to Andersen’s early genre of fairy tales, which allows the reader to sense his keenness on the meaning of human sexuality. The author used the short narrative form, becoming more conservative, cautious, and concise in his ideological compromise between religiosity and human nature. “The Little Mermaid” is a tale that draws the reader in about “universal preoccupations” of femininity, self-concept, and self-actualization. Andersen’s intentions and the authenticity of this tale should not be overlooked.
Selected Social Policy Instruments in Relation to Tax Policy
Authors: Žofčinová Vladimíra , Horváthová Zuzana , Čajková Andrea
Published: November 2018

Tax sovereignty is now an expression of the phenomenon of state power. In general, there is a widespread but also accepted view that a citizen is dependent on the state and the state is dependent on tax resources. The social status of a citizen in the state is of great importance; it affects the development of personality and, last but not least, reflects the degree of democracy acquired in a particular state. Various tax law measures for the benefit of the citizen are important for the identification of social behavior and are an attempt to improve certain ways of life. The aim and ambition of this article is to emphasize the tools of social policy (e.g., minimum wage, subsistence minimum, social right to work) that are related to the social function of taxing income. In this context, the authors deal with a social function of tax collection and imposing of taxes, justice in taxation, and point out social aspects of the system of taxes in the Slovak Republic. In this article, the authors present the attitudes of both critics and proponents. It also deals with tax justice, which is often a category subjective to the evaluator. The benchmarking attribute of tax collection should be that citizens will have the certainty of social justice in the state and will therefore pay attention to the minimum wage and subsistence minimum as an integral part of tax policy under the legal conditions of the Slovak Republic. All tax legislation, especially tax reform, is perceived with a certain sensitivity regarding tax subjects.
Social Co-Governance for Food Safety Risks
Authors: Wu Linhai , Liu Pingping , Lv Yuxin , Chen Xiujuan , Tsai Fu-Sheng
Published: November 2018

We review relevant literature to propose the connotation and operation logic of food safety co-governance, systematically constitute by roles, functions, as well as the boundaries of public government, enterprise, and social forces. The major thesis is that social co-governance is a kind of societal-wide innovation (i.e., social innovation) that integrates diverse resources and efforts from multiple stakeholders for better and sustainable development of an economy’s food institution and system. We then put forward a prospect of the future research on food safety risk co-governance. Theoretical, practical, and policy implications are discussed.
An Exploratory Analysis of Curve Trajectories on Two-Lane Rural Highways
Authors: Mauriello Filomena , Montella Alfonso , Pernetti Mariano , Galante Francesco
Published: November 2018

This paper is aimed at obtaining a better understanding of driving behavior on horizontal curves of two-lane rural highways in terms of trajectories in relation to the different curve radii and directions by a driving simulator experiment. The driving simulator experiment involved 50 drivers and eight classes of curve radii, ranging from 125 m to 800 m. Overall, 2000 curve trajectories were analyzed and classified. Six major classes were defined: (1) ideal behavior, (2) normal behavior, (3) driving close to the centerline, (4) driving outside in curve approach, (5) cutting, and (6) correcting. Furthermore, 21 sub-classes were introduced to consider both lane departures and location of the corrective actions. The CATANOVA tests and Bhapkar’s tests showed that both the curve radius and the curve direction had a significant effect on the classification results. To get a clearer understanding of the effect of the curve radius and direction on curve negotiation, three macro-classes corresponding to safe, intermediate, and dangerous behavior were introduced. The safest behaviors significantly increased with the curve radius while the most dangerous behaviors significantly decreased with the curve radius. Furthermore, left curves showed a higher proportion of dangerous trajectories. Overall, it seems that the driving trajectories are a promising surrogate measure of safety as highlighted by the correlation between the trajectories identified as dangerous and the radii of the curves.
Achieving Sustainable Valuations of Biotopes and Ecosystem Services
Authors: Seják Josef , Pokorný Jan , Seeley Karl
Published: November 2018

The results of a broader notion of value for measuring ecosystem services (ESs) are presented, as recently demanded by R. Costanza, with attention to the biophysical, thermodynamic aspects of value. The unifying basis in any ecosystem is the solar energy inflow and the growing efficiency of its use with higher stages of self-organized succession processes. The authors utilize two methods of nonmarket valuation (Biotope Valuation Method, Energy-Water-Vegetation Method) which show the range of the environmental values of nature, from how costly it is for nations to restore the quality of a landscape (biotopes as specific habitats for specific species) to their real abilities to replace the core supporting and regulating services of ecosystems (climatizing service, water-retention service, oxygen production, habitats for biodiversity). The role of natural forests and wetlands as the most effective solar energy users is shown and compared with agricultural lands and other human-altered ecosystem groups. A comparison of ESs value ratios with the welfare-method results of Costanza’s team shows much higher importance of natural forests as the best climatic and water regulators in sustainable landscape decision-making. The authors show that it is not the replacement-cost method that overestimates, but rather, preferential methods that underestimate the values of ESs.
Exploring the Effect of Different Performance Appraisal Purposes on Miners’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Role of Organization Identification
Authors: Lu Hui , Yue Ailing , Han Yu , Chen Hong
Published: November 2018

This study theorized and examined the effect of performance appraisal purposes on miners’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) via organizational identification. Survey data from 700 miners in state-owned Chinese coal mine enterprises were analyzed using multiple regression and bootstrap sampling. Results indicated that both developmental purpose of the performance appraisal and evaluative purpose of the performance appraisal had positive effects on overall OCB and its four dimensions via organizational identification. Furthermore, developmental purpose of the performance appraisal had a stronger relationship with overall OCB and its four dimensions than evaluative purpose of the performance appraisal. This study provides practical guidance to assist Chinese and even Asian coal mining enterprises in deciding how to motivate miners’ OCB through improving a performance appraisal system and how to strengthen miners’ organizational identification.
A Sustainable Metropolis: Perspectives of Population, Productivity and Parity
Authors: Chang Youngho , Fang Zheng , Hamori Shigeyuki , Chow Dawn
Published: November 2018

Research on countries’ sustainable development has called for more complete assessments of sustainability. Indeed, integrated studies coupling human and natural systems reveal new and complex patterns and processes not evident when studied in isolation. In line with the need to construct an index that takes into account a more holistic notion of sustainability, this study investigates the overall sustainable development of a metropolis through three dimensions, population, productivity and parity, and takes Singapore as a case study. We incorporate these three dimensions in our construction of a total sustainability index. We find that the population dimension has remained relatively unchanged, while the productivity dimension has gradually moved towards sustainability. The parity dimension has moved towards sustainability before 2002, but it shows ups and downs until 2012 when an upward trend toward sustainability appeared again. Results from this study imply that the government should pay attention to controlling the size of the population of temporary residents, and increasing the government budget for the environment.
FDI Spillovers on Corporate Social Responsibility: The Channel of Labor Mobility
Authors: Zhang Yi , Shang Qianqian , Liu Chun
Published: November 2018

This paper examines the spillover effects of foreign direct investment on corporate social responsibility of domestic firms, with a focus on the channel of labor mobility. With a corporate social responsibility measure based on corporate responsibility toward the environment, the public, the employees, and the consumers, we test whether and how foreign direct investment affects corporate social responsibility of Chinese firms. Our results show that firms run by entrepreneurs who have work experience and, especially, management experience in multinational enterprises investing in China conduct more corporate social responsibility activities compared with firms run by entrepreneurs without such experience. We further find that multinational enterprise management experience may enhance the entrepreneurial self-assessment of social status, broaden the international vision of entrepreneurs, and reduce the level of firm family control, which help increase firms’ uptake of corporate social responsibility activities. Our results suggest that foreign direct investment can serve as a vehicle for sustainable development, through the transfer of corporate social responsibility-related managerial knowledge from foreign to local firms.
Does Rural–Urban Migration Improve Employment Quality and Household Welfare? Evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Mukhtar Umar , Zhong Zhangbao , Tian Beihai , Razzaq Amar , Naseer Muhammad Asad ur Rehman , Hina Tayyaba
Published: November 2018

Urban migration unlocks new employment opportunities for rural dwellers in a productive manner. This study assessed the quality of employment of migrant workers, and its effect on rural households’ welfare. To this end, we used primary data collected from the four major districts of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Sialkot in Punjab, Pakistan. These data include 504 immigrant and non-immigrant families in rural areas, and 252 migrant workers in urban destinations. We use IV probit and two-step sequential estimation methods for the empirical analysis. The study provides new insights for migration in Pakistan. First, migrant workers are better off in their new urban settings in terms of improved incomes and living conditions, but their social protection status is still poor. Second, the results of the employment quality models show that migration is a successful strategy for rural households to improve the quality of their employment. In addition, the characteristics of migrants and native households affect the relative improvement in the quality of employment and migrants’ conditions. Third, the results of the propensity score matching technique suggest that migration has a positive impact on rural households’ income, and these impacts are more pronounced in large cities. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the government should invest in quality education in rural areas, and ensure that social security schemes are provided for migrant workers in urban areas.
Factors Influencing Farmer’s Decision-Making Behavior on Rural Construction Land Transformation
Authors: Sun Xuesong , Zhang Zaisheng , Zhang Yiye
Published: November 2018

In order to protect cultivated land and balance farmers’ needs and shortage of land, the Chinese government introduced policies to rearrange land use in rural areas. However, many problems, such as unused rural construction land and illegally occupied land, have occurred through implementing land use policies. Rural construction land transformation has been promoted to solve these problems. This transformation was designed to let farmers voluntarily transforming their idle rural construction land. Then, local government could rearrange village layout for developing cultivation, industry and green space. Therefore, in order to analyze the factors that influenced farmers’ decision-making behavior in rural construction land transformation, household surveys were conducted in four typical villages in Jizhou District. After using the Probit model to analyze the data, the results indicated that the willingness to settle in the city, the mode of housing resettlement, the mode of compensation, the rationality of the measurement standards, and the annual total household income positively affected the willingness of farmers to transform their rural construction land. The strong willingness to settle in the city dominated the other factors. Moreover, the age and amount of construction land, the method of construction land acquisition, and the amount of cultivated land negatively affected the decision-making behavior during the transformation of rural construction land. Based on the influencing factors, policy suggestions are proposed from the perspectives of establishing an orderly transformation mechanism, implementing priority transformation, and providing compensation for transforming rural construction land.
BIM-Based Incremental Cost Analysis Method of Prefabricated Buildings in China
Authors: Qi Yuan , Chang Siwei , Ji Yingbo , Qi Kai
Published: November 2018

In order to achieve the sustainable growth of its urbanization and natural resources, China has been making great efforts to develop prefabricated construction technologies. However, the high incremental cost of prefabricated buildings (PRBs) is a fundamental obstacle to the latter. The current study mainly focuses on analyzing the incremental cost of the on-site construction stage. It is hard to comprehensively identify the incremental cost composition without considering the incremental cost caused by prefabricated components (PFCs) production. Moreover, the results of incremental cost calculation are not accurate enough by comparing the cost of two similar but different PRB and traditional buildings (TRB), and the case-based calculation results suffer from a lack of representation. To address these issues, we first establish a two-dimensional incremental cost index system from the dimension of cost items and prefabricated technologies to study the incremental cost composition of the whole construction stage. Additionally, based on China’s latest policies documents, the applicability of incremental cost composition items can also be improved. Then a building information modeling (BIM)-based calculation model is presented to avoid the calculation error caused by comparing the cost of two different PRBs and TRBs. To validate the proposed index system and calculation method, an actual prefabricated project in China is also conducted as a case study. The results suggest that: (1) Incremental cost is composed of band bearing and retaining walls and inner walls PFCs production, PFCs hoisting and grouting, post-pouring concrete, and full decoration. (2) The BIM-based incremental calculation result of a PRB case from Shanghai is within the range of the national average PRB incremental estimation results. The incremental cost composition items and BIM-based calculation approach can greatly help investors to identify the largest increase in cost and make effective cost optimization strategies.
Do Consumers Care about the Energy Efficiency of Buildings? Understanding Residential Choice Based on Energy Performance Certificates
Authors: Lee Hyunjoo , Lee Misuk , Lim Sesil
Published: November 2018

Disclosing the energy performance information for buildings has been expected to become an important policy for controlling energy demand and reducing CO2 emissions, but its effectiveness remains controversial. This study investigates the effect of energy performance information on consumer residential choice by using a discrete choice experiment in South Korea. The estimation results confirmed that the energy efficiency level of the given housing has a significant effect on consumer residential choice when the related information is actually delivered. Combined with evidence from the simulation study, we suggest that obligating the owners to provide energy performance information to potential buyers/tenants would be necessary for enhancing the use of the information during the consumer decision-making process. Additionally, the simulation result implies that the effectiveness of the policy can be underestimated by the price premium related to energy efficiency. Therefore, we suggest that the government should control the price premium for high-efficiency buildings at the early stage so that the policy related to disclosing the energy performance can be on track.
An Event Study Analysis of Political Events, Disasters, and Accidents for Chinese Tourists to Taiwan
Authors: Chang Chia-Lin , Hsu Shu-Han , McAleer Michael
Published: November 2018

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan has been closely related to the political relationship across the Taiwan Strait. The occurrence of political events and disasters or accidents have had, and will continue to have, a huge impact on the Taiwan tourism market. To date, there has been relatively little empirical research conducted on this issue. Tourists are characterized as being involved in one of three types of tourism: group tourism (group-type), individual tourism (individual-type), and medical cosmetology (medical-type). We use the fundamental equation in tourism finance to examine the correlation that exists between the rate of change in the number of tourists and the rate of return on tourism. Second, we use the event study method to observe whether the numbers of tourists have changed abnormally before and after the occurrence of major events on both sides of the Strait. Three different types of conditional variance models, namely, the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity, GARCH (1,1), Glosten, Jagannathan and Runkle, GJR (1,1) and Exponential GARCH, EGARCH (1,1), are used to estimate the abnormal rate of change in the number of tourists. The empirical results concerning the major events affecting the changes in the numbers of tourists from China to Taiwan are economically significant, and confirm the types of tourists that are most likely to be affected by such major events.
Evaluation of Physical and Economic Water-Saving Efficiency for Virtual Water Flows Related to Inter-Regional Crop Trade in China
Authors: Liu Jing , Zhang Yu , Yu Zhongbo
Published: November 2018

If products were traded from regions with relatively high water productivity to regions with relatively low water productivity, water saving could be achieved. In this study, two indices—physical water-saving efficiency (volume of water savings per cubic meter of virtual water flows) and economic water-saving efficiency (value of water savings per cubic meter of virtual water flows considering water right trading)—were proposed to analyze the efficiency of inter-regional virtual water flows related to crop trade in China. Results indicated that the volume of inter-regional virtual water flows was 1.61 × 109 m3, more than 90% of which was occupied by oil-bearing crops, cereals, and beans. In terms of physical efficiency, only cereals and vegetables presented negative values. All kinds of crop trades were economically efficient, while most crops’ economic water-saving efficiency was less than 10 × 103 Yuan/m3. The application of advanced water-saving technologies, the cultivation of new crop varieties, the adjustment of regional cropping patterns, or consumption and trade patterns, could contribute to more water savings and higher physical water-saving efficiency, while the possible social, economic, and environmental tradeoffs should be considered simultaneously. Water right trading and virtual water compensation could contribute to sustainable water consumption, and full-cost pricing should be adapted in the future.
Soil Quality Change after Reclaiming Subsidence Land with Yellow River Sediments
Authors: Duo Linghua , Hu Zhenqi
Published: November 2018

With continuous population growth and decreasing cultivated land area, China’s food security is greatly threatened. Additionally, coal mining in China is primarily underground mining, which causes land subsidence and destroys existing cultivated land. This effect aggravates the contradiction between a growing population and a shrinking area of cultivated land. The purpose of this study was to introduce a method of filling reclamation with Yellow River sediments to restore farmland and realize the sustainable utilization of cultivated land. The properties of the soil and crop yields in reclaimed farmland were assessed. This study examined farmland reclaimed with Yellow River sediments at an experimental site located in Jining City, Shandong Province, China. Filling reclamation procedures with Yellow River sediments were applied. The reclaimed farmland (RF) and unaltered farmland (CK) were continuously monitored for three years, and the soil was sampled six times. A total of 180 soil samples were collected from RF and CK. The soil properties were measured at three depths: 0–20 cm, 20–50 cm, and 50–80 cm. Crop yields were monitored regularly. The results indicate that filling reclamation with Yellow River sediments is an effective method for restoring farmland. The RF and CK soils were weakly alkaline, non-saline soils. The RF soil was suitable for the growth of local crops. With an increasing number of farming years, both the quality of cultivated land and crop yields have increased. Therefore, filling reclamation with Yellow River sediments is an effective way to realize the sustainable utilization of cultivated land.
A Comparison of Machine-Learning Methods to Select Socioeconomic Indicators in Cultural Landscapes
Authors: Maldonado Ana D. , Ramos-López Darío , Aguilera  Pedro A.
Published: November 2018

Cultural landscapes are regarded to be complex socioecological systems that originated as a result of the interaction between humanity and nature across time. Cultural landscapes present complex-system properties, including nonlinear dynamics among their components. There is a close relationship between socioeconomy and landscape in cultural landscapes, so that changes in the socioeconomic dynamic have an effect on the structure and functionality of the landscape. Several numerical analyses have been carried out to study this relationship, with linear regression models being widely used. However, cultural landscapes comprise a considerable amount of elements and processes, whose interactions might not be properly captured by a linear model. In recent years, machine-learning techniques have increasingly been applied to the field of ecology to solve regression tasks. These techniques provide sound methods and algorithms for dealing with complex systems under uncertainty. The term ‘machine learning’ includes a wide variety of methods to learn models from data. In this paper, we study the relationship between socioeconomy and cultural landscape (in Andalusia, Spain) at two different spatial scales aiming at comparing different regression models from a predictive-accuracy point of view, including model trees and neural or Bayesian networks.
Does Participation Foster Transformation Processes towards Sustainable Energy Systems? A Case Study of the German Energy Transformation
Authors: Ernst Anna
Published: November 2018

Sustainable energy transformation depends on learning processes, which allow us to cope with constantly changing environmental and social systems. Participation processes are viewed as a means of fostering social learning. In this paper, social learning is applied as an analytical concept to investigate the cognitive effects of participation such as knowledge acquisition, changes of perspective, and knowledge dissemination. Previous studies have indicated that certain characteristics of the participation process foster social learning. However, empirical evidence is still inconclusive, which is why this paper investigates which factors foster social learning. An empirical analysis was conducted on the basis of a quantitative online survey (N = 516), which questioned people who are in some way involved in the German energy transformation (Energiewende). The results show that social learning can be enhanced through participation. In particular, moderated processes—which foster a productive exchange, encourage the building of trust among participants, and allow easy access to relevant information—are likely to provide the appropriate conditions for social learning. Personal characteristics such as an individual’s degree of knowledge might have a greater influence on why people change their perspectives than the intensity of participation.
Central-Eastern Europe in the Global Context
Authors: Kołodziejczyk Dariusz
Published: November 2018

L’article examine d’abord la notion d’Europe centrale et orientale en tant que région qui, ayant rejoint l’Europe chrétienne latine peu avant l’an 1000, lutte depuis des siècles pour « rattraper » l’Occident. Pourtant, dans le même temps, cette région a facilité l’émergence globale de l’Occident en fournissant un modèle pertinent d’économie dépendante « proto-coloniale », à travers le commerce de blé dans la mer Baltique. De plus, sa conquête s’est avérée cruciale pour la montée des empires des Habsbourg et de la Russie et leur statut de grandes puissances. Bordant la steppe tatare et l’Empire ottoman, l’Europe centrale et orientale a également contribué aux contacts avec l’Islam, dont la longue tradition ne se limitait pas à la guerre.
Bifidobacterium longum IM55 and Lactobacillus plantarum IM76 alleviate allergic rhinitis in mice by restoring Th2/Treg imbalance and gut microbiota disturbance
Authors: Kim W.-G. , Kang G.-D. , Kim H.I. , Han M.J. , Kim D.-H.
Published: November 2018

This study aimed to examine whether probiotics, which suppressed the differentiation of splenic T cells into type 2 helper T (Th2) cells and induced into regulatory T cells in vitro, alleviate allergic rhinitis (AR) and gut microbiota disturbance. We isolated Bifidobacterium longum IM55 and Lactobacillus plantarum IM76 from human faecal microbiota and kimchi, respectively, and examined their effects on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR and gut microbiota disturbance in mice. Treatment with IM55, IM76, or their probiotic mixture (PM) significantly reduced OVA-induced allergic nasal symptoms and blood immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in mice. These also reduced OVA-induced interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 levels in nasal tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) but increased OVA-suppressed IL-10 levels. Treatment with IM55, IM76, or PM reduced OVA-induced increase in the populations of mast cells, eosinophils, and Th2 cells and increased OVA-suppressed population of regulatory T cells in the BALF. Treatment with IM55, IM76, or PM also inhibited OVA-induced expression of IL-5 in lung and colon tissues and restored OVA-disturbed composition of gut microbiota Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. These results suggest that IM55 and IM67 can alleviate AR by restoring Th2/Treg imbalance and gut microbiota disturbance.
Arunachal’s Adi and Apatani tribes’ traditional knowledge of harvesting and using edible insects
Authors: Chakravorty J. , Jugli S. , Boria M. , Meyer-Rochow V.B.
Published: November 2018

At least 65 insect species of 30 families and 9 orders, namely Orthoptera (15 species), Odonata (12), Coleoptera (11), Hymenoptera (10), Hemiptera (9), Lepidoptera (5) and one species each of Ephemeroptera, Isoptera and Mantodea find acceptance as food by Adi and Apatani tribals. Adi use overall more species than Apatani: 53 species of 24 families and 8 orders versus 49 species of 21 families and 8 orders. Odonata are highly appreciated by the Apatani whereas Adi consume more Orthopterans. Various harvesting systems exist and often methods like handpicking or using simple tools are involved with minimal environmental impact. However, depreciation of the environment, increased availability of conventional foodstuffs, rapid population growth and rising influence of westernisation collectively affect diversity, abundance and use of edible insects, leading to a decline of entomophagy among the tribal people.
Tugwaardige sondes in drie gereformeerde kerkordes
Authors: Strauss Piet J.
Published: November 2018

Sin which should be disciplined according to three church orders. The orders of three reformed churches, namely those of the Dutch Reformed Church, the Christian Reformed Church in North America and the Reformed Churches in South Africa have consensus about the need for an officially punishable sin to be of a public and offensive nature. The reason is that a sin must be openly against the Word of God and the confessions of the church. The approach of the church as an institution of faith carrying the love and righteousness of God, should be to maintain the spiritual nature of church discipline and to aim for the spiritual purpose of its discipline. Church discipline should be aimed at convincing the sinner and assuring church members of its desire to keep the demands of the Word and justice in tact.
A result on a singular Cauchy problem with a radial point revisited using microdifferential calculus
Authors: Getmanenko Alexander
Published: November 2018

We study the ramified Cauchy problem for a linear PDE with a radial point using the theory of microdifferential operators.
A brief journey through extensions of rational groups
Authors: Friedenberg Stefan , Wolf Paul
Published: November 2018

Let

A

and

B

be rational groups, i.e. torsion-free groups of rank-1 and thus subgroups of the rational numbers. This paper gives a short overview of the structure of Ext(

A,B

) especially considering some interesting classes of torsion-free pairs.
Semisimple groups that are quasi-split over a tamely ramified extension
Authors: Gille Philippe
Published: November 2018

Let

K

be a discretly henselian field whose residue field is separably closed. Answering a question raised by G. Prasad, we show that a semisimple

K

-group

G

is quasi-split if and only if it quasi–splits after a finite tamely ramified extension of

K

.
On the uniqueness of the factorization of power digraphs modulo $n$
Authors: Sawkmie Amplify , Singh Madan Mohan
Published: November 2018

For each pair of integers

n=\prod_{i=1}^{r}p_i^{e_i}

and

k \geq 2

, a digraph

G(n,k)

is one with vertex set

\{0,1,\ldots ,n-1\}

and for which there exists a directed edge from

x

to

y

if

x^k \equiv y \pmod n

. Using the Chinese Remainder Theorem, the digraph

G(n,k)

can be written as a direct product of digraphs

G(p_i^{e_i},k)

for all

i

such that

1 \leq i \leq r

. A fundamental constituent

G_{P}^{*}(n,k)

, where

P \subseteq Q=\{p_1,p_2,\ldots,p_r\}

, is a subdigraph of

G(n,k)

induced on the set of vertices which are multiples of

\prod_{{p_i} \in P}p_i

and are relatively prime to all primes

p_j \in Q \smallsetminus P

. In this paper, we investigate the uniqueness of the factorization of trees attached to cycle vertices of the type

0

,

1

, and

(1,0)

, and in general, the uniqueness of

G(n,k)

. Moreover, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition for the isomorphism of the fundamental constituents

G_{P}^{*}(n,k_1)

and

G_{P}^{*}(n,k_2)

of

G(n,k_1)

and

G(n,k_2)

respectively for

k_1 \neq k_2

.
Implementing Solomon Islands’ Protected Areas Act: opportunities and challenges for World Heritage conservation
Authors: Price Stephanie
Published: November 2018

The inscription of East Rennell in Solomon Islands on the World Heritage List was a landmark in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. However, the site is now on the List of World Heritage in Danger, threatened by resource development, invasive species, climate change and the over-harvesting of certain animals. This article examines the scope for the Protected Areas Act of 2010 to be used to safeguard the site, and the challenges that may be encountered if the Act is implemented there. It explains how the Act provides direct protection against some (but not all) of the threats to East Rennell. Furthermore, the approach to conservation facilitated by the Act is appropriate for Solomon Islands, where most land is under customary tenure, many people rely on natural resources to support their subsistence lifestyles and the government's capacity to enforce legislation is limited. The article argues that the relationship between the legislation and custom must be considered in the design of the landowner consent process, the preparation of the site's management plan, and the selection of its management committee. Additionally, the protected area should aim to improve the livelihoods of the East Rennellese, as well as safeguarding the site's heritage values.
Emoções e valores: uma abordagem sentimentalista
Authors: Ribeiro Leonardo De Mello
Published: November 2018

Neste artigo, uma tese sentimentalista qualificada é formulada para explicar a relação entre emoção e valor, em especial a aquisição de conceitos e de competências valorativas. Esta tese defende, por um lado, que sentimentos são os elementos essenciais para a caracterização de emoções e, por outro lado, que valores devem ser compreendidos em referência a emoções. Duas objeções à tese serão consideradas: as objeções da recalcitrância e da circularidade. Para responder a estas, será defendida a ideia de que sentimentos podem possuir objetos intencionais, juntamente com a ideia de que conceitos valorativos são conceitos de ordem superior sobre condições de adequação de experiências emocionais valorativas. No que diz respeito especificamente à objeção da recalcitrância, argumentaremos que a tese sentimentalista está em melhor situação do que a sua principal rival, a tese judicativa. Por último, mostraremos como o sentimentalista pode explicar níveis de complexidade entre emoções e valores. O resultado final é uma tentativa de mostrar como uma tese sentimentalista pode ser coerente sobre a relação entre emoção e valor.
Educação continuada para agentes comunitários de saúde: uma visão acadêmica
Authors: Guerra Heloísa Silva , Melo Júnior Charles Alberto Da Cunha , Frota Raissa Silva
Published: November 2018

Os estudantes por meio de relato de experiência avaliaram a situação de vulnerabilidade da população do município de Goianésia através da disciplina Medicina Integrada à Saúde da Comunidade e visitas domiciliares em locais pré-estabelecidos pela instituição de ensino no período de maio a junho do ano de 2016. O objetivo do presente relato é suscitar uma reflexão acerca do cenário atual da educação e saúde empregado para os profissionais de saúde, em especial o ACS. O método utilizado para realizar o proposto baseou-se na observação e avaliação da realidade na área adstrita, o que demonstrou, como resultado, a necessidade da implementação no campo prático da educação continuada dos agentes comunitários de saúde, visando suprimir as principais questões e problemas demandados pela comunidade. Por conseguinte, entende-se que a Saúde da Família deve ser priorizada seguindo os preceitos do SUS para que dessa forma os profissionais estejam capacitados à promover a saúde social.
Análise e perspectiva sobre a formação do profissional de saúde para o atendimento à mulher negra
Authors: Tavares Helen Hana Fernandes , Moraes Bibiana Arantes , Matias Amanda Gomez , Silva Hellen Bárbara Souza , Bernardo Lana Nicolle Gomes
Published: November 2018

A mulher, principalmente a negra, encontra-se em uma situação de vulnerabilidade tanto na questão econômica, social, cultural e na área da saúde. E para um atendimento integralista desta população, o profissional de saúde precisa ser qualificado, para orientar as mulheres a adotarem comportamentos preventivos. Este trabalho teve objetivo de descrever a atuação e importância da capacitação do profissional de saúde para proporcionar atendimento qualificado as populações vulneráveis, principalmente a mulher negra. Os maiores fatores responsáveis pela prevalência de determinadas patologias na mulher negra, se dá pela situação de vulnerabilidade causada por fatores como racismo, gênero e desigualdade de classes. Portanto, é necessário a conscientização da população e dos profissionais de saúde, quanto às diferenças inter-étnicas e seu impacto na saúde, além da formulação e execução de atividades educativas que gerem mudanças e promovam práticas equânimes no SUS.
Conflitos ambientais e desenvolvimento rural: problematização e uso de recurso audiovisual como auxilio à ação extensionista
Authors: Machado José Tobias Marks , Figueiró Lucas Woltmann
Published: November 2018

A implantação da Barragem Marrecas, projeto de “desenvolvimento” promovido no município de Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, desencadeou a configuração de um cenário de conflito ambiental, caracterizado pela sobreposição das formas de ocupação e produção tradicionais nos distritos de Vila Seca e Criúva. O presente trabalho, neste contexto, consiste na problematização deste cenário e na exposição de uma ferramenta de Extensão Universitária construída, ação que visa fomentar a mobilização dos sujeitos envolvidos e servir como subsídio para debates futuros sobre esse e outros empreendimentos semelhantes que, como projetado pelo Serviço Autônomo Municipal de Água e Esgoto (SAMAE), continuarão a ser implementados no intuito de manter o abastecimento da região urbana do município de Caxias do Sul mediante à exploração das micro bacias da Mulada e Sepultura.