bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial Structure Evolution of Urban Agglomerations and Its Driving Factors in Mainland China: From the Monocentric to the Polycentric Dimension
Authors: Lan Feng , Da Huili , Wen Haizhen , Wang Ying
Published: January 2019

Urban agglomerations (UAs) have become the urbanized “growth poles”, especially against the background of increasing population flow to cities. The spatial structure of UAs has been deemed the essential factor affecting regional function and sustainable development. Although there have been many meaningful studies on spatial structure changes in China, a systematically comparative work of UAs is still absent. Under this context, this paper examines the changing process of spatial structure in 20 Chinese UAs from monocentric to polycentric during the years 1992–2012 by using the night-time light data—an alternative to census data—and explores the major driving forces underlying the evolution. Our empirical results suggest that there is an obvious polycentric tendency of UAs, the spatial distribution pattern of which is not apparent. Panel regression models reveal that the economic level, the population size, the foreign direct investment (FDI), the human capital, and the transport infrastructure play significant positive roles in shaping the polycentric changing process, while the growth of the government expenditure does the opposite. Moreover, transport infrastructure and FDI are positively associated with polycentric spatial structure in mature UAs; on the contrary, they are negatively associated with it in the emerging UAs. Our study results have important policy implications for rapid Chinese urbanization—the policy whereby “China’s future urbanization development model is to limit the agglomeration of large cities while focusing on developing small and medium-sized cities” may be more efficient in mature UAs.
Awareness Training for Sustainable Development: Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Mobile Application
Authors: Turan Çimşir Burcu , Uzunboylu Hüseyin
Published: January 2019

In achieving sustainable development goals, every society and person has the responsibility to attempt to eliminate poverty, protect the environment, and ensure that all people live in peace and prosperity. In order to fulfill this responsibility, it is necessary to organize activities to support sustainable development goals. When the increasing daily use of mobile technologies in education is considered, it is thought that these technologies exhibit important potential in raising awareness for sustainable development goals. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a mobile application for the awareness of university students about sustainable development goals. As a result of this research, the developed mobile application had a positive effect on university students’ awareness of sustainable development goals, and students were glad to use the application.
Is Sustainability about Education for Life Satisfaction?
Authors: Salonen Arto O.
Published: January 2019

Our planet is undergoing a comprehensive transformation [...]
Segmentation of Coffee Consumers Using Sustainable Values: Cluster Analysis on the Polish Coffee Market
Authors: Maciejewski Grzegorz , Mokrysz Sylwia , Wróblewski Łukasz
Published: January 2019

Producers and retailers are the driving force behind the adoption of the idea of sustainability. It has been found that while preparing their product range offer, many still pay attention to the same set of criteria: size of the customers’ earnings, how often they shop, and how much they buy when shopping. In general, sustainable values applied by consumers in their purchasing decisions are rarely taken into account in consumer segmentation. The aim of this study is to recognize if values such as environmental protection, producers’ ethical behavior, fair trade or maximizing the utility function of consumption are important factors in the purchasing process of coffee and if they can be used as segmentation variables. The discussed findings come from a standardized online survey conducted on a sample of 800 Polish coffee consumers in July 2018. The obtained results are discussed by employing multi-dimensional analyses, such as exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and cluster analysis (CA). In consequence, six segments of coffee consumers are identified and described: “responsible, aspiring to be connoisseurs”, “loyal coffee enthusiasts”, “pragmatic users”, “coffee laypersons”, “sophisticated connoisseurs”, and “consumerists, connoisseurs, but not at any price”. Among the identified segments, the most often indicated sustainable consumption values refer to “responsible, aspiring to be connoisseurs”, and the least often to “consumerists, connoisseurs, but not at any price”. The conclusions may be used by manufacturing and trade enterprises operating in the coffee market to respond to the identified needs and expectations of consumers.
The Drivers and Performance of Environmental Practices in the Chinese Construction Industry
Authors: Li Ying , Ding Ronggui , Sun Tao
Published: January 2019

With the global concern of environmental protection and sustainability, construction firms are required to develop and implement environmental practices (EP) to mitigate the negative impacts of project activities on the environment. This paper attempts to explore two potential drivers (i.e., government regulations and project team’s knowledge and skills) and performance outcomes (i.e., environmental performance and organizational performance) when the firm implementing EP in construction projects. A survey-based research design was developed to measure the drivers, EP implementation, and performance and to collect data in the Chinese construction industry. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that a project team’s knowledge and skills, rather than government regulations, are the key driving factors for the implementation of EP in construction projects. EP implementation is proved to have a positive impact on both environmental and organizational performance. This study provides empirical evidence for project environmental management research and offers managerial insights on how to promote EP in the construction industry.
Risk Assessment Using Fuzzy TOPSIS and PRAT for Sustainable Engineering Projects
Authors: Koulinas G.K. , Demesouka O.E. , Marhavilas P.K. , Vavatsikos A.P. , Koulouriotis D.E.
Published: January 2019

In this study, we propose a safety risk assessment process using the fuzzy extension of the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) for assigning priorities to risks in worksites, in order to promote the health, safety and well-being of workers, issues that are embedded within the concept of sustainability, specifically belonging to the social sphere of sustainability. The multicriteria method works in cooperation with a simple quantitative risk analysis and assessment process, the proportional risk assessment technique (PRAT), the functionality of which is based on real data. The efficiency of this approach is validated through treating a construction project example in Greece, and the results are compared with real fatal and non-fatal accidents data for the years 2014–2016. This integrated multicriteria approach can be used by risk managers as a tool for assessing safety risks and making informed decisions about the manner that a constraint budget would be spent in order to maximize health and safety in workplace.
Decision-Making Method based on Mixed Integer Linear Programming and Rough Set: A Case Study of Diesel Engine Quality and Assembly Clearance Data
Authors: Chang Wenbing , Yuan Xinglong , Wu Yalong , Zhou Shenghan , Lei Jingsong , Xiao Yiyong
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this paper is to establish a decision-making system for assembly clearance parameters and machine quality level by analyzing the data of assembly clearance parameters of diesel engine. Accordingly, we present an extension of the rough set theory based on mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) for rough set-based classification (MILP-FRST). Traditional rough set theory has two shortcomings. First, it is sensitive to noise data, resulting in a low accuracy of decision systems based on rough sets. Second, in the classification problem based on rough sets, the attributes cannot be automatically determined. MILP-FRST has the advantages of MILP in resisting noisy data and has the ability to select attributes flexibly and automatically. In order to prove the validity and advantages of the proposed model, we used the machine quality data and assembly clearance data of 29 diesel engines of a certain type to validate the proposed model. Experiments show that the proposed decision-making method based on MILP-FRST model can accurately determine the quality level of the whole machine according to the assembly clearance parameters.
How New HRM Practices, Organizational Innovation, and Innovative Climate Affect the Innovation Performance in the IT Industry: A Moderated-Mediation Analysis
Authors: Waheed Abdul , Miao Xiaoming , Waheed Salma , Ahmad Naveed , Majeed Abdul
Published: January 2019

Considering the cutthroat competition in IT organizations, public and state-based organizations are trying to develop strategies to promote innovation in the organizations. However, due to monopolistic structure, employee rigidness, and lack of innovation climate, employees are reluctant to perform innovatively in such organizations. New HRM practices (NHRM) can enrich the talented, motivated, committed, and innovative staff to enhance innovation. However, empirical evidence to prove this relationship is insufficient. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of NHRM practices on innovation performance with the mediating role of organizational innovation and the moderating role of the innovation climate. Data collected from semi-government IT-based organizations provide results that there is a significant positive relationship between NHRM practices and innovation performance. The mediating role of organizational innovation was also found. Moreover, the results of the moderated-mediation show that the mediating role of organizational innovation is also strong if the organizational climate is more innovative. These results provide managerial guidelines to promote NHRM practices to enhance innovation performance in the semi-government IT-based organizations of Pakistan.
Analysis to Improve the Strength of Beds Due to the Excess Weight of Users in Slovakia
Authors: Réh Roman , Krišťák Ľuboš , Hitka Miloš , Langová Nadežda , Joščák Pavol , Čambál Miloš
Published: January 2019

Good quality sleep is a prerequisite for regenerating the human body, hence, beds should be optimized for specific group of users, taking into consideration their size or age. Current research studies show similar trends in adult populations around the world, where increases in height as well as in weight can be observed. Not only the ergonomics but also the safety of beds, which is determined by the quality and dimensions of structural elements, must be taken into account in bed design. Designing the structural elements for users with a high body weight is presented in the paper. The properties of a bed’s structural elements, which ensure comfort as well as the safety of a bed are affected by the excess weight of users. New requirements for cross sections, suitable materials and construction of structural elements were set in accordance with the standard EN 1725:1998. Also, an analysis of stresses was done using the finite element method (FEM) and the calculation of allowable stresses related to a user weighing 150 kg. The results of our research provide complete standards and regulations associated with the safety requirements of bedroom furniture for users with a weight more than 110 kg to ensure that the manusfacture of quality products in Slovakia.
New Dimensions for Circularity on Campus—Framework for the Application of Circular Principles in Campus Development
Authors: Hopff Birgit , Nijhuis Steffen , Verhoef Leendert A.
Published: January 2019

To what extent can transformation and development processes on a university or other campus fit in with the principles of circularity? This paper builds a bridge between the more theoretical approach of the circular economy and daily practice in campus development, using semi-structured in-depth interviews with a broad range of stakeholders in university management in Dutch universities. The study aims to show possible perspectives and offers insight into which factors are important for the sustainable development of a university or other campus, taking into account the principles of the circular economy. The paper introduces a framework for understanding the various dimensions and scales of campus operations. The aim is to make a practical contribution to the implementation of circular principles in campus development. The main conclusions are that circularity is an organisational issue, complexity must be reduced, and integral policy and specialised knowledge are required. Five recommendations towards an integrated strategy for circularity in campus development are given.
Preface to Dust Events in the Environment
Authors: Doronzo Domenico M. , Al-Dousari Ali
Published: January 2019

The special volume entitled ‘‘Dust Events in the Environment’’ updates the state of the art and perspectives focused on the interactions between natural and urban events of dust with the environment, keeping an eye to the associated impacts and to sustainable development. The volume updates previous studies on dust as the topic is timely and future discussions are necessary to further investigate such events.
Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Polycrystalline Platinum: On the Activity Enhancing Effect of Polyvinylidene Difluoride
Authors: Zana Alessandro , Wiberg Gustav , Arenz Matthias
Published: January 2019

There have been several reports concerning the performance improving properties of additives, such as polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), to the membrane or electrocatalyst layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). However, it is not clear if the observed performance enhancement is due to kinetic, mass transport, or anion blocking effects of the PVDF. In a previous investigation using a thin-film rotating disk electrode (RDE) approach (of decreased complexity as compared to membrane electrode assembly (MEA) tests), a performance increase for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) could be confirmed. However, even in RDE measurements, reactant mass transport in the catalyst layer cannot be neglected. Therefore, in the present study, the influence of PVDF is re-examined by coating polycrystalline bulk Pt electrodes by PVDF and measuring ORR activity. The results on polycrystalline bulk Pt indicate that the effects of PVDF on the reaction kinetics and anion adsorption are limited, and that the observed performance increase on high surface area Pt/C most likely is due to an erroneous estimation of the electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) from CO stripping and Hupd.
Categorification of the Müller-Wichards System Performance Estimation Model: Model Symmetries, Invariants, and Closed Forms
Authors: Parks Allen D. , Marchette David J.
Published: January 2019

The Müller-Wichards model (MW) is an algebraic method that quantitatively estimates the performance of sequential and/or parallel computer applications. Because of category theory’s expressive power and mathematical precision, a category theoretic reformulation of MW, i.e., CMW, is presented in this paper. The CMW is effectively numerically equivalent to MW and can be used to estimate the performance of any system that can be represented as numerical sequences of arithmetic, data movement, and delay processes. The CMW fundamental symmetry group is introduced and CMW’s category theoretic formalism is used to facilitate the identification of associated model invariants. The formalism also yields a natural approach to dividing systems into subsystems in a manner that preserves performance. Closed form models are developed and studied statistically, and special case closed form models are used to abstractly quantify the effect of parallelization upon processing time vs. loading, as well as to establish a system performance stationary action principle.
A Comprehensive Review of RFID and Bluetooth Security: Practical Analysis
Authors: Figueroa Lorenzo Santiago , Añorga Benito Javier , García Cardarelli Pablo , Alberdi Garaia Jon , Arrizabalaga Juaristi Saioa
Published: January 2019

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides the ability to digitize physical objects into virtual data, thanks to the integration of hardware (e.g., sensors, actuators) and network communications for collecting and exchanging data. In this digitization process, however, security challenges need to be taken into account in order to prevent information availability, integrity, and confidentiality from being compromised. In this paper, security challenges of two broadly used technologies, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and Bluetooth, are analyzed. First, a review of the main vulnerabilities, security risk, and threats affecting both technologies are carried out. Then, open hardware and open source tools like: Proxmark3 and Ubertooth as well as BtleJuice and Bleah are used as part of the practical analysis. Lastly, risk mitigation and counter measures are proposed.
A Review of Periocular Botulinum Neurotoxin on the Tear Film Homeostasis and the Ocular Surface Change
Authors: Ho Ren-Wen , Fang Po-Chiung , Chang Cheng-Hsien , Liu Yu-Peng , Kuo Ming-Tse
Published: January 2019

Clinical usage of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) in ophthalmology has dramatically increased since the 1980s and has become one of the most widely used agents for treating facial movement disorders, autonomic dysfunction and aesthetic wrinkles. Despite its high efficacy, there are some complications with periocular BoNT injections due to its chemodenervation effect. Among these, there is still controversy over the BoNT effect on tear film homeostasis and the ocular surface. A periocular BoNT injection could dry the eye by reducing tear production of the lacrimal gland and increase tear evaporation due to potential eyelid malposition and abnormal blinks. On the contrary, the injection of BoNT in the medial eyelids could treat dry eye disease by impairing lacrimal drainage. Regarding the ocular surface change, corneal astigmatism and high-order aberrations may decrease due to less eyelid tension. In conclusion, the entire awareness of the effect of BoNT and the patients’ ocular condition is crucial for successful and safe results.
Transcriptomic Analysis of the Spider Venom Gland Reveals Venom Diversity and Species Consanguinity
Authors: Hu Zhaotun , Chen Bo , Xiao Zhen , Zhou Xi , Liu Zhonghua
Published: January 2019

Selenocosmia jiafu (S. jiafu) has been recently identified as a new species of spider in China. It lives in the same habitat as various other venomous spiders, including Chilobrachys jingzhao (C. jingzhao), Selenocosmia huwena (S. huwena), and Macrothele raveni (M. raveni). The venom from these different species of spiders exhibits some similarities and some differences in terms of their biochemical and electrophysiological properties. With the objective to illustrate the diversity in venom peptide toxins and to establish the evolutionary relationship between different spider species, we first performed transcriptomic analysis on a cDNA library from the venom gland of S. jiafu. We identified 146 novel toxin-like sequences, which were classified into eighteen different superfamilies. This transcriptome was then compared with that of C. jingzhao, which revealed that the putative toxins from both spider venoms may have originated from the same ancestor, although novel toxins evolved independently in the two species. A BLAST search and pharmacological analysis revealed that the two venoms have similar sodium channel modulation activity. This study provides insights into the venom of two closely related species of spider, which will prove useful towards understanding the structure and function of their toxins.
Equivalence of Models in Loop Quantum Cosmology and Group Field Theory
Authors: Baytaş Bekir , Bojowald Martin , Crowe Sean
Published: January 2019

The paradigmatic models often used to highlight cosmological features of loop quantum gravity and group field theory are shown to be equivalent, in the sense that they are different realizations of the same model given by harmonic cosmology. The loop version of harmonic cosmology is a canonical realization, while the group-field version is a bosonic realization. The existence of a large number of bosonic realizations suggests generalizations of models in group field cosmology.
Effective Field Theory of Loop Quantum Cosmology
Authors: Bojowald Martin
Published: January 2019

Quantum cosmology is traditionally formulated in a minisuperspace setting, implicitly averaging fields over space to obtain homogeneous models. For universal reasons related to the uncertainty principle, quantum corrections then depend on the size of the averaging volume. In minisuperspace truncations, the value of this volume remains an arbitrary parameter devoid of physical meaning, but in an effective field theory it is identified with the infrared scale of inhomogeneous modes. Moreover, the infrared scale is running during gravitational collapse, when regions in which homogeneity remains approximately valid shrink to increasingly smaller co-moving sizes. Conceptual implications of this infrared renormalization for perturbative inhomogeneity in quantum cosmology are presented here, mainly for the example of loop quantum cosmology. Several claims made in this framework are altered by infrared renormalization.
Quantum Measurements in a Finite Space–Time Domain
Authors: Shevchenko Vladimir
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we discuss the quantum Unruh–DeWitt detector, which couples to the field bath for a finite amount of its proper time. It is demonstrated that due to the renormalization procedure, a new dimensionful parameter appears, having the meaning of a detector’s recovery proper time. It plays no role in the leading order of the perturbation theory, but can be important non-perturbatively. We also analyze the structure of finite time corrections in two cases—perturbative switching on, and switching off when the detector is thermalized.
Symmetry Constrained Decoherence of Conditional Expectation Values
Authors: Mohammady M. , Romito Alessandro
Published: January 2019

Conditional expectation values of quantum mechanical observables reflect unique non-classical correlations, and are generally sensitive to decoherence. We consider the circumstances under which such sensitivity to decoherence is removed, namely, when the measurement process is subjected to conservation laws. Specifically, we address systems with additive conserved quantities and identify sufficient conditions for the system state such that its coherence plays no role in the conditional expectation values of observables that commute with the conserved quantity. We discuss our findings for a specific model where the system-detector coupling is given by the Jaynes-Cummings interaction, which is relevant to experiments tracking trajectories of qubits in cavities. Our results clarify, among others, the role of coherence in thermal measurements in current architectures for quantum thermodynamics experiments.
Metagenomic Characterization of the Viral Community of the South Scotia Ridge
Authors: Yang Qingwei , Gao Chen , Jiang Yong , Wang Min , Zhou Xinhao , Shao Hongbing , Gong Zheng , McMinn Andrew
Published: January 2019

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities in aquatic ecosystems and harbor an enormous amount of genetic diversity. Whereas their influence on marine ecosystems is widely acknowledged, current information about their diversity remains limited. We conducted a viral metagenomic analysis of water samples collected during the austral summer of 2016 from the South Scotia Ridge (SSR), near the Antarctic Peninsula. The taxonomic composition and diversity of the viral communities were investigated, and a functional assessment of the sequences was performed. Phylotypic analysis showed that most viruses belonged to the order Caudovirales, especially the family Podoviridae (41.92–48.7%), which is similar to the situation in the Pacific Ocean. Functional analysis revealed a relatively high frequency of phage-associated and metabolism genes. Phylogenetic analyses of phage TerL and Capsid_NCLDV (nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses) marker genes indicated that many sequences associated with Caudovirales and NCLDV were novel and distinct from known phage genomes. High Phaeocystis globosa virus virophage (Pgvv) signatures were found and complete and partial Pgvv-like were obtained, which influence host–virus interactions. Our study expands existing knowledge of viral communities and their diversities from the Antarctic region and provides basic data for further exploring polar microbiomes.
Viroid-infected Tomato and Capsicum Seed Shipments to Australia
Authors: Constable Fiona , Chambers Grant , Penrose Lindsay , Daly Andrew , Mackie Joanne , Davis Kevin , Rodoni Brendan , Gibbs Mark
Published: January 2019

Pospiviroid species are transmitted through capsicum and tomato seeds. Trade in these seeds represents a route for the viroids to invade new regions, but the magnitude of this hazard has not been adequately investigated. Since 2012, tomato seed lots sent to Australia have been tested for pospiviroids before they are released from border quarantine, and capsicum seed lots have been similarly tested in quarantine since 2013. Altogether, more than 2000 seed lots have been tested. Pospiviroids were detected in more than 10% of the seed lots in the first years of mandatory testing, but the proportion of lots that were infected declined in subsequent years to less than 5%. Six pospiviroid species were detected: Citrus exocortis viroid, Columnea latent viroid, Pepper chat fruit viroid, Potato spindle tuber viroid, Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid and Tomato apical stunt viroid. They were detected in seed lots exported from 18 countries from every production region. In many seed lots, the detectable fraction (prevalence) of infected seeds was estimated to be very small, as low as 6 × 10−5 (~1 in 16,000; CI 5 × 10−6 to 2.5 × 10−4) for some lots. These findings raise questions about seed production practices, and the study indicates the geographic distributions of these pathogens are uncertain, and there is a continuing threat of invasion.
T-Cell Response to Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
Authors: Perdomo-Celis Federico , Salvato Maria S. , Medina-Moreno Sandra , Zapata Juan C.
Published: January 2019

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) are a group of clinically similar diseases that can be caused by enveloped RNA viruses primarily from the families Arenaviridae, Filoviridae, Hantaviridae, and Flaviviridae. Clinically, this group of diseases has in common fever, fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches, and other associated symptoms that can progress to vascular leakage, bleeding and multi-organ failure. Most of these viruses are zoonotic causing asymptomatic infections in the primary host, but in human beings, the infection can be lethal. Clinical and experimental evidence suggest that the T-cell response is needed for protection against VHF, but can also cause damage to the host, and play an important role in disease pathogenesis. Here, we present a review of the T-cell immune responses to VHF and insights into the possible ways to improve counter-measures for these viral agents.
Effects of Ionic Components of Saline Water on Irrigated Sunflower Physiology
Authors: Li Changsheng , Zhang Zhishan
Published: January 2019

The characteristics of ions in saline water can be significantly different along the water salinity gradient. The physiologic processes of plants that are irrigated with this kind of water are remarkably influenced. Based on the field sampling data, the chemical components of irrigation water were studied, and their influence on sunflower nutrient uptake, water content, and dry weight were evaluated. The results demonstrated that irrigation water salinity was mainly controlled by Na, SO4, Mg, and Cl concentrations and the ionic characteristics changed as soon as water becomes saline. The concentrations of Na, Ca, Mg, and N in sunflower leaves changed slightly with increasing irrigation salinity, whereas the concentration of leaf C decreased steadily. The ions in irrigation water had significantly different effects on leaf nutrient uptake. The Ca and Cl concentrations in irrigation water significantly influenced the Ca-related ionic exchange and C- and N-assimilation processes in sunflower leaves. The water content in the stem rose positively with irrigation salinity, whereas we observed little response in the leaves, fruits, and roots, although they were all mainly affected by the concentrations of Ca, Cl, Na, NO3, and SO4 in irrigation water. The biomass in leaves, stems, flower discs, and seeds all significantly reduced with irrigation salinity increase, and a loss of about 25% in stem biomass was detected. The concentrations of Na, Ca, Mg, K, Cl, and SO4 in irrigation water influenced the dry weight of different organs. The results presented here demonstrate that the ionic effects of irrigation water on plant physiologic processes are complex, which is concerning in terms of improving plant salt tolerance and managing saline water resources.
Ebbs and Flows of Authority: Decentralization, Development and the Hydrosocial Cycle in Lesotho
Authors: Workman Cassandra L.
Published: January 2019

Dominant development discourse holds that water scarcity reflects geophysical limitations, lack of infrastructure or lack of government provision. However, this paper outlines the ways in which scarcity can only be fully explained in the context of development, specifically, neoliberal economic policies and related notions of good governance. Water is Lesotho’s primary natural resource, yet many of its inhabitants remain severely water insecure. Presently, decentralization and Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) are embraced in Lesotho as a philosophy and method to engage varied stakeholders and to empower community members. Using a water committee in Qalo, Lesotho as a case study, this paper explores the micro-politics of water governance. As individuals contest who is responsible for managing water resources for the village—by aligning themselves with traditional chiefs, elected officials, or neither—they transform or reinforce specific hydro-social configurations. While decentralized resource management aims to increase equity and local ownership over resources, as well as moderate the authority of traditional chiefs, water access is instead impacted by conflicts over management responsibility for water resources. Drawing on theories of political ecology and governmentality to extend recent scholarship on IWRM, this paper re-centers the political in water governance by situating local tensions within national policies and development agendas and demonstrating how scarcity is hydro-social.
Characteristics of Heavy Storms and the Scaling Relation with Air Temperature by Event Process-Based Analysis in South China
Authors: Pan Cuilin , Wang Xianwei , Liu Lin , Wang Dashan , Huang Huabing
Published: January 2019

The negative scaling rate between precipitation extremes and the air temperature in tropic and subtropic regions is still a puzzling issue. This study investigates the scaling rate from two aspects, storm characteristics (types) and event process-based temperature variations. Heavy storms in South China are developed by different weather systems with unique meteorological characteristics each season, such as the warm-front storms (January), cold-front storms (April to mid-May), monsoon storms (late May to June), convective storms, and typhoon storms (July to September). This study analyzes the storm characteristics using the hourly rainfall data from 1990 to 2017; compares the storm hyetographs derived from the one-minute rainfall data during 2008–2017; and investigates the interactions between heavy storms and meteorological factors including air temperature, relative humidity, surface pressure, and wind speed at 42 weather stations in Guangzhou during 2015–2017. Most storms, except for typhoon and warm-front storms, had a short duration (3 h) and intense rates (~13 mm/h) in Guangzhou, South China. Convective storms were dominant (50%) in occurrence and had the strongest intensity (15.8 mm/h). Storms in urban areas had stronger interactions with meteorological factors and showed different hyetographs from suburban areas. Meteorological factors had larger variations with the storms that occurred in the day time than at night. The air temperature could rise 6 °C and drop 4 °C prior to and post-summer storms against the diurnal mean state. The 24-h mean air temperature prior to the storms produced more reliable scaling rates than the naturally daily mean air temperature. The precipitation extremes showed a peak-like scaling relation with the 24-h mean air temperature and had a break temperature of 28 °C. Below 28 °C, the relative humidity was 80%–100%, and it showed a positive scaling rate. Above 28 °C, the negative scaling relation was likely caused by a lack of moisture in the atmosphere, where the relative humidity decreased with the air temperature increase.
Assessment of Recommendation for the Containment and Disinfection of Human Excreta in Cholera Treatment Centers
Authors: Trajano Gomes da Silva Diogo , Ives Kevin , Fesselet Jean-Francois , Ebdon James , Taylor Huw
Published: January 2019

Containment, safe handling and disinfection of human excreta in cholera treatment centers (CTC) are key to preventing the onward spread of the disease. This study compared the efficacy of three chlorine-based approaches at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, and 2% and one hydrated lime-based (Ca(OH)2 at 30% w:v) approach. Experiments followed existing Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cholera guidelines. Three simulated human excreta matrices consisting of either raw municipal wastewater (4.5 liters), or raw municipal wastewater plus 1%, or 20% faecal sludge (w:v), were treated in 14 liter Oxfam® buckets containing 125 mL of chlorine solution or hydrated lime suspension. Bacterial indicators (faecal coliforms (FC) and intestinal enterococci (IE)) and viral indicator (somatic coliphages (SOMPH)) were used to determine treatment efficacy following contact times of 10, 30 and 60min. Results showed that efficacy improved as chlorine concentrations increased. No statistical differences were observed with respect to the various contact times. Overall median log removal for 0.5% chlorine were: FC (1.66), IE (1.41); SOMPH (1.28); for 1% chlorine: FC (1.98), IE (1.82); SOMPH (1.79); and for 2% chlorine: FC (2.88), IE (2.60), SOMPH (2.38). Hydrated lime (30%) provided the greatest overall log removal for bacterial indicators (FC (3.93) and IE (3.50), but not for the viral indicator, SOMPH (1.67)). These findings suggest that the use of 30% hydrated lime suspensions or 2% chlorine solutions may offer a simple public health protection measure for the containment, safe handling, and disinfection of human excreta during humanitarian emergencies.
Treatment of Landfill Leachates with Combined Acidification/Coagulation and the Fe0/H2O2 Process
Authors: Bogacki Jan , Marcinowski Piotr , El-Khozondar Balkess
Published: January 2019

One of the major environmental concerns associated with waste disposal is the large amount of generated landfill leachates (LL), which are considered a type of wastewater with a complex composition. There is an urgent need to find an effective LL treatment method. LL were subjected to pretreatment followed by the Fe0/H2O2 process. Pretreatment efficiency was coagulation at pH 6.0 >> coagulation at pH 9.0 > acidification at pH 3.0. Coagulation at pH 6.0 in an optimal Fe3+ dose of 1000 mg/L decreased total organic carbon (TOC) from the initial concentration of 1061 mg/L to 491 mg/L while acidification to pH 3.0 decreased TOC to 824 mg/L. After acidification, the Fe0/H2O2 process with 8000/9200 mg/L Fe0/H2O2 reagent doses decreased TOC to 499 mg/L after a processing time of 60 min. Performance of the Fe0/H2O2 process after coagulation at pH 6.0 for optimal Fe0/H2O2 8000/5540 mg/L reagent doses decreased TOC to 268 mg/L (75% TOC removal). Treatment of landfill leachates with combined process coagulation and Fe0/H2O2 also increased their susceptibility to biodegradation, expressed as the biochemical oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand (BOD5/COD) ratio from 0.13 to 0.43, allowing LL to be considered as susceptible to biodegradation. Fe0/H2O2 process kinetics was described. A statistical analysis confirmed the obtained results. The proposed method can be successfully applied for LL treatment.
Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Water Access in Rural Areas of Low and Middle Income Countries
Authors: Gomez Mabel , Perdiguero Jordi , Sanz Alex
Published: January 2019

Worldwide, 844 million people still lack access to basic drinking water, especially in the rural areas of low and middle income countries. However, considerable progress has been made in recent years due to work on the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, countries’ national characteristics have often impacted on this progress. This paper analyzes whether specific socioeconomic factors affect access to improved water sources in the rural areas of developing countries. In particular, we analyze access to ‘total improved’, piped on premises, as well as other improved sources of access in rural areas for low income, low-middle income, and high-middle income countries. Our results suggest that gross national income (GNI); female primary completion rate; agriculture; growth of rural population; and governance indicators, such as political stability, control of corruption, or regulatory quality are variables related to water access, although specific associations depend on the source of water and income group examined. Understanding these interrelations could be of great importance for decision makers in the water sector as well as for future research on this topic.
Family practitioners' top medical priorities when managing patients with multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Herzig Lilli , Mueller Yolanda , Haller Dagmar M , Zeller Andreas , Neuner-Jehle Stefan , Déruaz-Luyet Anouk , Cohidon Christine , Streit Sven , Burnand Bernard , Zuchuat Jean-Christophe
Published: January 2019

Background

Managing multiple chronic and acute conditions in patients with multimorbidity requires setting medical priorities. How family practitioners (FPs) rank medical priorities between highly, moderately, or rarely prevalent chronic conditions (CCs) has never been described. The authors hypothesised that there was no relationship between the prevalence of CCs and their medical priority ranking in individual patients with multimorbidity.

Aim

To describe FPs’ medical priority ranking of conditions relative to their prevalence in patients with multimorbidity.

Design & setting

This cross-sectional study of 100 FPs in Switzerland included patients with ≥3 CCs on a predefined list of 75 items from the International Classification of Primary Care 2 (ICPC-2); other conditions could be added. FPs ranked all conditions by their medical priority.

Method

Priority ranking and distribution were calculated for each condition separately and for the top three priorities together.

Results

The sample contained 888 patients aged 28–98 years (mean 73), of which 48.2% were male. Included patients had 3–19 conditions (median 7; interquantile range [IQR] 6–9). FPs used 74/75 CCs from the predefined list, of which 27 were highly prevalent (>5%). In total, 336 different conditions were recorded. Highly prevalent CCs were only the top medical priority in 66%, and the first three priorities in 33%, of cases. No correlation was found between prevalence and the ranking of medical priorities.

Conclusion

FPs faced a great diversity of different conditions in their patients with multimorbidity, with nearly every condition being found at nearly every rank of medical priority, depending on the patient. Medical priority ranking was independent of the prevalence of CCs.
Eccentric Black Hole Mergers in Dense Star Clusters: The Role of Binary–Binary Encounters
Authors: Zevin Michael , Samsing Johan , Rodriguez Carl , Haster Carl-Johan , Ramirez-Ruiz Enrico
Published: January 2019

We present the first systematic study of strong binary–single and binary–binary black hole (BH) interactions with the inclusion of general relativity. By including general relativistic effects in the equations of motion during strong encounters, the dissipation of orbital energy from the emission of gravitational waves (GWs) can lead to captures and subsequent inspirals with appreciable eccentricities when entering the sensitive frequency ranges of the LIGO and Virgo GW detectors. It has been shown that binary–single interactions significantly contribute to the rate of eccentric mergers, but no studies have looked exclusively into the contribution from binary–binary interactions. To this end, we perform binary–binary and binary–single scattering experiments with general relativistic dynamics up through the 2.5 post-Newtonian order included, both in a controlled setting to gauge the importance of non-dissipative post-Newtonian terms and derive scaling relations for the cross section of GW captures, as well as experiments tuned to the strong interactions from state-of-the art globular cluster (GC) models to assess the relative importance of the binary–binary channel in facilitating GW captures and the resultant eccentricity distributions of inspiral from channel. Although binary–binary interactions are 10–100 times less frequent in GCs than binary–single interactions, their longer lifetime and more complex dynamics leads to a higher probability for GW captures to occur during the encounter. We find that binary–binary interactions contribute 25%–45% of the eccentric mergers that occur during strong BH encounters in GCs, regardless of the properties of the cluster environment. The inclusion of higher multiplicity encounters in dense star clusters therefore have major implications on the predicted rates of highly eccentric binaries potentially detectable by the LIGO/Virgo network. Because gravitational waveforms of eccentric inspirals are distinct from those generated by merging binaries that have circularized, measurements of eccentricity in such systems would highly constrain their formation scenario.
The Lithium Test for Multiple Populations in Globular Clusters: Lithium in NGC 2808
Authors: D’Antona Francesca , Ventura Paolo , Marino Anna Fabiola , Milone Antonino P. , Tailo Marco , Criscienzo Marcella Di , Vesperini Enrico
Published: January 2019

In the globular cluster (GC) NGC 2808, a quasi-standard initial lithium abundance is derived for a red giant belonging to the “extreme” population, characterized by a large helium overabundance and by abundances of proton-capture elements typical of nuclear processing in gas at very high temperatures, where the initial lithium has been fully destroyed. The observations of lithium in such extreme cluster stars are important to test different models for the formation of multiple populations in old GCs. In the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) scenario, fresh lithium is synthesized during the initial phases of hot bottom burning which, afterwards, synthesize the other p-capture elements. We model the abundance of lithium in the ejecta of super-AGB models, finding values consistent or larger than observed in the “extreme” giant; these same models describe correctly the magnesium depletion and silicon enrichment of the extreme population of NGC 2808, so the overall agreement provides further support to the AGB scenario. In the models involving massive or supermassive stars, the lithium observed requires a mixture of the lithium-free ejecta of the polluting population with more than 40% of standard-lithium pristine gas. The extended chemical anomalies of NGC 2808 stars are thus all explained within at most 60% of the possible dilution range, the initial helium mass fraction in the ejecta should be Y ≳ 0.5, to account for the Y

e
 ∼ 0.38–0.40 of the extreme population, and further observations of p-capture elements are needed to check the model.
Opiliones of Canada
Authors: Shultz Jeffrey W.
Published: January 2019

The taxonomic diversity of the Opiliones fauna of Canada is reviewed and summarised. At present, 36 native and seven non-native species have been documented in Canada using traditional morphological taxonomy, although more than 20 species may remain undiscovered based on species diversity in the adjacent United States and evidence from DNA barcoding. Consequently, the native fauna is yet to be fully explored and the number, distribution and ecological effects of non-native species remain unclear. Until the 1960s, work on the Canadian Opiliones fauna was largely conducted by researchers based outside the country. From that time on, several Canadian workers became active. However, these taxonomists have now retired and no one has assumed their role. Thus, there is a need to invigorate taxonomic research on the harvestmen of Canada and for the production of easy-to-use identification tools for use by non-taxonomists.
Dancing with carniolan bee / Plešemo s kranjsko čebelo
Authors: Božič Janko
Published: January 2019

AbstractSlovene heritage in beekeeping is based on knowledgeable bee management practice documented well in 18th century. Well described mating biology of honeybees was first detailed description of specific behavior of honeybees based on observation in well know subspecies of Carniolan bee. Later in 20th century special focus was on dance communication, which was described by von Frisch (1965) as a dance language. In the work alone it was not described as a special cognitive capability of the honeybees but rather instinctive highly specialized behavior pattern. From original work to nowadays many detailed studies of the dance communication were published and also used as a tool to study orientation and learning during foraging behavior. New concept have been involved, especially in sense of new views and methods in cognitive science. How much cognition is involved in foraging behavior of honeybees depends on how wide we accept definition of cognition. Key words: Apis mellifera carnica, communication, waggle dance, recruitment, foraging, information transfer IzvlečekSlovenska čebelarska dediščina temelji na dobrem poznavanju čebelarske prakse, ki je bila dokumentirana že v 18. stoletju. Dobro opisana biologija parjenja medonosne čebele je bil prvi podroben opis posameznega vedenja medonosne čebele temelječe na opazovanjih dobro poznane podvrste kranjske čebele. Kasneje v 20. stoletju je bila posebna pozornost na plesnem sporazumevanju čebel, ki jo je opisal von Frisch (1965) kot čebelji jezik. V samem njegovem delu sicer ni bilo opisano kot posebna razumska zmožnost čebel ampak bolj kot močno usmerjen nagonski vedenjski vzorec. Od originalnega dela pa do danes je bilo objavljenih veliko podrobnih raziskav plesnega sporazumevanja in tudi uporabljeno kot orodje za raziskavo orientacije in učenja med pašnim vedenjem. Razvili so se novi koncepti, še posebej v smislu novih pogledov in metod v kognitivni znanosti. Koliko razuma je vključeno v pašno vedenje čebel je odvisno od tega, kako na široko sprejmemo definicijo razuma. Ključne besede: Apis mellifera carnica, sporazumevanje, zibajoči ples, novačenje, paša, prenos informacije
Sobre la difusió de les obres de Pleyel a Catalunya
Authors: Vilar Josep M.
Published: January 2019

Not available
Langage du Fandango. De la poétique musicale au sens poétique du cante jondo
Authors: Sellen Jean Marc
Published: January 2019

Not available
El Cardenal Alejandro Farnese en la corte pontificia de Rodrigo Borja y Lorenzo de Mediéis
Authors: Llorens Cisteró Josep María
Published: January 2019

No disponible
Una nova antología de polifonía religiosa (segles XVII-XVIII)
Authors: Codina i Giol Daniel
Published: January 2019

Not available