bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coupling Atmospheric and Biological Remote Sensing to Investigate Boundary-Layer Evolution and Animal Flight Behavior as Affected by the 2017 North American Solar Eclipse
Authors: Stepanian Phillip M. , Wainwright Charlotte E.
Published: February 2020

The daytime atmospheric boundary layer is characterized by vertical convective motions that are driven by solar radiation. Lift provided by thermal updrafts is sufficiently ubiquitous that some diurnal birds and arthropods have evolved specialized flight behaviors to soar or embed in these atmospheric currents. While the diel periodicity of boundary-layer dynamics and animal flight has been characterized, rare disruptions to this cycle provide a chance to investigate animal behavioral responses to boundary layer motion and photoperiod that are disjointed from their expected circadian rhythm. To analyze these interactions, we couple radar-derived animal observations with co-located lidar measurements of the convective boundary layer over north-central Oklahoma, USA during the solar eclipse of 21 August 2017. Analysis of animal flight behavior confirmed that ascending and descending flight effort did change in the time period encompassing the solar eclipse, however, the response in behavior was coincident with proximate changes in boundary-layer turbulence. Both the animal behavioral response and decrease in atmospheric turbulence lagged changes in solar irradiance by approximately 30 min, suggesting that changes in flight activity were not cued by the eclipse directly, but rather by the modification of vertical air motions caused by the eclipse.
Quality Assessment and Practical Interpretation of the Wave Parameters Estimated by HF Radars in NW Spain
Authors: Basañez Ana , Lorente Pablo , Montero Pedro , Álvarez-Fanjul Enrique , Pérez-Muñuzuri Vicente
Published: February 2020

High-frequency (HF) radars are efficient tools for measuring vast areas and gathering ocean parameters in real-time. However, the accuracy of their wave estimates is under analysis. This paper presents a new methodology for analyzing and validating the wave data estimated by two CODAR SeaSonde radars located on the Galician coast (NW Spain). Approximately one and a half years of wave data (January, 2014–April, 2015) were obtained for ten range cells employing two different sampling times used by the radar software. The resulting data were screened by an updated method, and their abundance and quality were described for each radar range cell and different wave regime; the latter were defined using the spectral significant wave height (Hm0) and mean wave direction (Dm) estimated by two buoys and three SIMAR points (SImulación MARina in Spanish, from the wave reanalysis model by Puertos del Estado (PdE)). The correlation between the results and the particularities of the different sea states (broadband or bimodal), the wind and the operation of the devices are discussed. Most HF radar wave parameters’ errors occur for waves from the NNE and higher than 6 m. The best agreement between the Vilán radar and the Vilano-Sisargas buoy wave data was obtained for the dominant wave regime (from the northwest) and the southwest wave regime. However, relevant contradictions regarding wave direction were detected. The possibilities of reducing the wave parameters’ processing time by one hour and increasing the numbers of range cells of the radars have been validated.
Multi-Model- and Soft-Transition-Based Height Soft Sensor for an Air Cushion Furnace
Authors: Hou Shuai , Zhang Xinyuan , Dai Wei , Han Xiaolin , Hua Fuan
Published: February 2020

The floating height of the strip in an air cushion furnace is a key parameter for the quality and efficiency of production. However, the high temperature and high pressure of the working environment prevents the floating height from being directly measured. Furthermore, the strip has multiple floating states in the whole operation process. It is thus difficult to employ a single model to accurately describe the floating height in different states. This paper presents a multi-model soft sensor to estimate the height based on state identification and the soft transition. First, floating states were divided using a partition method that combined adaptive k-nearest neighbors and principal component analysis theories. Based on the identified results, a hybrid model for the stable state, involving a double-random forest model for the vibration state and a soft-transition model, was created to predict the strip floating height. In the hybrid model for the stable state, a mechanistic model combined thick jet theory and the equilibrium equation of force to cope with the lower floating height. In addition, a novel soft-transition model based on data gravitation that further reflects the intrinsic process characteristic was developed for the transition state. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was validated using a self-developed air cushion furnace experimental platform. This study has important value for the process prediction and control of air cushion furnaces.
Active 3D Imaging of Vegetation Based on Multi-Wavelength Fluorescence LiDAR
Authors: Zhao Xingmin , Shi Shuo , Yang Jian , Gong Wei , Sun Jia , Chen Biwu , Guo Kuanghui , Chen Bowen
Published: February 2020

Comprehensive and accurate vegetation monitoring is required in forestry and agricultural applications. The optical remote sensing method could be a solution. However, the traditional light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scans a surface to create point clouds and provide only 3D-state information. Active laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) only measures the photosynthesis and biochemical status of vegetation and lacks information about spatial structures. In this work, we present a new Multi-Wavelength Fluorescence LiDAR (MWFL) system. The system extended the multi-channel fluorescence detection of LIF on the basis of the LiDAR scanning and ranging mechanism. Based on the principle prototype of the MWFL system, we carried out vegetation-monitoring experiments in the laboratory. The results showed that MWFL simultaneously acquires the 3D spatial structure and physiological states for precision vegetation monitoring. Laboratory experiments on interior scenes verified the system’s performance. Fluorescence point cloud classification results were evaluated at four wavelengths and by comparing them with normal vectors, to assess the MWFL system capabilities. The overall classification accuracy and Kappa coefficient increased from 70.7% and 0.17 at the single wavelength to 88.9% and 0.75 at four wavelengths. The overall classification accuracy and Kappa coefficient improved from 76.2% and 0.29 at the normal vectors to 92.5% and 0.84 at the normal vectors with four wavelengths. The study demonstrated that active 3D fluorescence imaging of vegetation based on the MWFL system has a great application potential in the field of remote sensing detection and vegetation monitoring.
Emphasis Learning, Features Repetition in Width Instead of Length to Improve Classification Performance: Case Study—Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis
Authors: Akramifard Hamid , Balafar MohammadAli , Razavi SeyedNaser , Ramli Abd Rahman
Published: February 2020

In the past decade, many studies have been conducted to advance computer-aided systems for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis. Most of them have recently developed systems concentrated on extracting and combining features from MRI, PET, and CSF. For the most part, they have obtained very high performance. However, improving the performance of a classification problem is complicated, specifically when the model’s accuracy or other performance measurements are higher than 90%. In this study, a novel methodology is proposed to address this problem, specifically in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis classification. This methodology is the first of its kind in the literature, based on the notion of replication on the feature space instead of the traditional sample space. Briefly, the main steps of the proposed method include extracting, embedding, and exploring the best subset of features. For feature extraction, we adopt VBM-SPM; for embedding features, a concatenation strategy is used on the features to ultimately create one feature vector for each subject. Principal component analysis is applied to extract new features, forming a low-dimensional compact space. A novel process is applied by replicating selected components, assessing the classification model, and repeating the replication until performance divergence or convergence. The proposed method aims to explore most significant features and highest-preforming model at the same time, to classify normal subjects from AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. In each epoch, a small subset of candidate features is assessed by support vector machine (SVM) classifier. This repeating procedure is continued until the highest performance is achieved. Experimental results reveal the highest performance reported in the literature for this specific classification problem. We obtained a model with accuracies of 98.81%, 81.61%, and 81.40% for AD vs. normal control (NC), MCI vs. NC, and AD vs. MCI classification, respectively.
IoT-Stream: A Lightweight Ontology for Internet of Things Data Streams and Its Use with Data Analytics and Event Detection Services
Authors: Elsaleh Tarek , Enshaeifar Shirin , Rezvani Roonak , Acton Sahr Thomas , Janeiko Valentinas , Bermudez-Edo Maria
Published: February 2020

With the proliferation of sensors and IoT technologies, stream data are increasingly stored and analysed, but rarely combined, due to the heterogeneity of sources and technologies. Semantics are increasingly used to share sensory data, but not so much for annotating stream data. Semantic models for stream annotation are scarce, as generally, semantics are heavy to process and not ideal for Internet of Things (IoT) environments, where the data are frequently updated. We present a light model to semantically annotate streams, IoT-Stream. It takes advantage of common knowledge sharing of the semantics, but keeping the inferences and queries simple. Furthermore, we present a system architecture to demonstrate the adoption the semantic model, and provide examples of instantiation of the system for different use cases. The system architecture is based on commonly used architectures in the field of IoT, such as web services, microservices and middleware. Our system approach includes the semantic annotations that take place in the pipeline of IoT services and sensory data analytics. It includes modules needed to annotate, consume, and query data annotated with IoT-Stream. In addition to this, we present tools that could be used in conjunction to the IoT-Stream model and facilitate the use of semantics in IoT.
A Robust and Real-Time Capable Envelope-Based Algorithm for Heart Sound Classification: Validation under Different Physiological Conditions
Authors: Thalmayer Angelika , Zeising Samuel , Fischer Georg , Kirchner Jens
Published: February 2020

This paper proposes a robust and real-time capable algorithm for classification of the first and second heart sounds. The classification algorithm is based on the evaluation of the envelope curve of the phonocardiogram. For the evaluation, in contrast to other studies, measurements on 12 probands were conducted in different physiological conditions. Moreover, for each measurement the auscultation point, posture and physical stress were varied. The proposed envelope-based algorithm is tested with two different methods for envelope curve extraction: the Hilbert transform and the short-time Fourier transform. The performance of the classification of the first heart sounds is evaluated by using a reference electrocardiogram. Overall, by using the Hilbert transform, the algorithm has a better performance regarding the F1-score and computational effort. The proposed algorithm achieves for the S1 classification an F1-score up to 95.7% and in average 90.5%. The algorithm is robust against the age, BMI, posture, heart rate and auscultation point (except measurements on the back) of the subjects.
Democratic Frustration: Concept, Dimensions and Behavioural Consequences
Authors: Harrison Sarah
Published: February 2020

Using insights from the psychology literature, this article introduces and operationalises the concept of ‘democratic frustration’ to shed new light on the pathologies of democratic crises. While political scientists have devoted ample attention to democratic crises and dissatisfaction, this article suggests that citizens’ frequent references to their “frustration” should be taken more literally. Specifically, it suggests that citizens become frustrated when a perceived democratic delivery deficit interacts with a strong democratic expectation or desire. The article tests this model using two original surveys run in the UK during the 2017 General Election and 2019 European Parliament elections. By measuring expectations and delivery deficit separately, the article maps democratic frustration vis-à-vis alternative concepts such as apathy, criticality, and cynicism, and shows that it is more widespread as an expectation–deficit combination than any of them. It suggests that democratic frustration comprises of three dimensions: ideological, institutional and political. Adapting insights from the psychology of frustration that show it usually results in expressions of withdrawal, anger, or aggression, the article then explores how the three dimensions of frustration typically result in different pathologies. Ideological frustration leads to abstention (withdrawal), institutional frustration to peaceful demonstrations or radical vote (anger) and to envisage leaving one’s country, whilst political and institutional frustrations combine and lead citizens to consider taking part in violent demonstrations or even joining a revolution (aggression).
Coordinating a Green Agri-Food Supply Chain with Revenue-Sharing Contracts Considering Retailers’ Green Marketing Efforts
Authors: Cui Li , Guo Siwei , Zhang Hao
Published: February 2020

Serious environmental issues have drawn the attention of the agricultural sector. Consumers’ concerns about their personal health and food safety have stimulated the demand for green agri-food, which has also made it important to focus on the green agri-food supply chain to improve the food quality and reduce the associated environmental concerns. This paper discusses coordination issues of the green agri-food supply chain under the background of farmers’ green farming and retailers’ green marketing, and the impact of a revenue-sharing contract on key decisions of supply chain participants. On the basis of the two-echelon green agri-food supply chain composed of a farmer and a retailer, a revenue-sharing contract was established that takes the cost of farmer’s green farming and retailer’s green marketing into account. Through the comparison of the model results, it is concluded that the revenue-sharing contract is beneficial to not only increase the greening level, but also improve both the farmer’s profit and the retailer’s profit. Moreover, the effectiveness of the revenue-sharing contract is positively correlated with consumers’ sensitivity to the greening level. Finally, the conclusion is verified by numerical simulation and some management suggestions are given.
Identifying Motives for Implementing eHealth by using Activity Theory
Authors: Svensson Ann
Published: February 2020

eHealth interventions are utilized as a solution to address the current demographic challenges in society, as the number of old people increases. Thus, working life, work practice, and professional requirements needed for providing healthcare services will be transformed. The aim of this paper is to explore contradictive motives regarding the professionals’ work practice when introducing innovative eHealth technologies in Scandinavian healthcare services at a municipal level. The study is based on two qualitative group interviews where nurses, assistant nurses, occupational and physiotherapists, as well as project managers participated. Two persons from an IT department were also interviewed. The interviews were analyzed by thematic analysis. The activity theory is used to explore the individuals’ different contradictive motives in this work practice. The work practice consists of a collaborative activity, where expansive learning is important in this transformation of work to obtain a sustainable society. The motives identified in this study are to 1) improve quality of life for the patients, 2) create attractive and interesting work for the employees, 3) save money for the municipality, 4) learn about new technology, and 5) use the municipality’s resources effectively.
Phreatic Water Quality Assessment and Associated Hydrogeochemical Processes in an Irrigated Region Along the Upper Yellow River, Northwestern China
Authors: Liu Fei , Zhao Zhipeng , Yang Lihu , Ma Yuxue , Li Bingliang , Gong Liang , Liu Haiyan
Published: February 2020

Groundwater resources are playing an increasingly vital role in water supply for domestic and irrigation purposes in the Yinchuan Plain, along with the reduction in water transfer from the Yellow River. This study aimed to identify the current status of phreatic water quality and associated hydrogeochemical processes in an irrigated region along the upper Yellow River. A total of 78 water samples were collected in September 2018 for chemical analysis. Results showed that the phreatic water was excellent or good in most areas west of the Yellow River, while it was poor or very poor quality in some places east of the Yellow River. The nitrate contamination is particularly severe in the pluvial-alluvial plain, relating to the localized fine-grained zone with low permeability. Most samples had no sodium hazard but had magnesium hazard. Additionally, the overall evolutionary trend of the phreatic water showed the transformation of Ca-Mg-HCO3 into Na-Cl-SO4 type. Rock weathering and evaporation jointly predominate the evolution of phreatic water chemistry. The main geochemical processes involve the dissolution/precipitation of gypsum, halite, dolomite. and calcite, along with the cation exchange. Insights from this work have important implications for groundwater sustainable management in such irrigated regions along the upper Yellow River.
Microbial Assisted Hexavalent Chromium Removal in Bioelectrochemical Systems
Authors: Beretta Gabriele , Daghio Matteo , Espinoza Tofalos Anna , Franzetti Andrea , Mastorgio Andrea Filippo , Saponaro Sabrina , Sezenna Elena
Published: February 2020

Groundwater is the environmental matrix that is most frequently affected by anthropogenic hexavalent chromium contamination. Due to its carcinogenicity, Cr(VI) has to be removed, using environmental-friendly and economically sustainable remediation technologies. BioElectrochemical Systems (BESs), applied to bioremediation, thereby offering a promising alternative to traditional bioremediation techniques, without affecting the natural groundwater conditions. Some bacterial families are capable of oxidizing and/or reducing a solid electrode obtaining an energetic advantage for their own growth. In the present study, we assessed the possibility of stimulating bioelectrochemical reduction of Cr(VI) in a dual-chamber polarized system using an electrode as the sole energy source. To develop an electroactive microbial community three electrodes were, at first, inserted into the anodic compartment of a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell, and inoculated with sludge from an anaerobic digester. After a period of acclimation, one electrode was transferred into a polarized system and it was fixed at −0.3 V (versus standard hydrogen electrode, SHE), to promote the reduction of 1000 µg Cr(VI) L−1. A second electrode, served for the set-up of an open circuit control, operated in parallel. Cr(VI) dissolved concentration was analysed at the initial, during the experiment and final time by spectrophotometric method. Initial and final microbial characterization of the communities enriched in polarized system and open circuit control was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The bioelectrode set at −0.3 V showed high Cr(VI) removal efficiency (up to 93%) and about 150 µg L−1 day−1 removal rate. Similar efficiency was observed in the open circuit (OC) even at about half rate. Whereas, purely electrochemical reduction, limited to 35%, due to neutral operating conditions. These results suggest that bioelectrochemical Cr(VI) removal by polarized electrode offers a promising new and sustainable approach to the treatment of groundwater Cr(VI) plumes, deserving further research.
Possible Hydrochemical Processes Influencing Dissolved Solids in Surface Water and Groundwater of the Kaidu River Basin, Northwest China
Authors: Li Dalong , Chen Haiyan , Jia Shaofeng , Lv Aifeng
Published: February 2020

Hydrochemical processes under intense human activities were explored on the basis of the hydrochemical characteristics of 109 surface water samples and 129 groundwater samples collected during August 2015 to September 2016, in the Kaidu River Basin. Results obtained in this study indicated that the water in the basin was neutral to slightly alkaline with low total dissolved solids. Rock weathering and evaporation controlled the natural hydrochemical mechanisms. Mountain groundwater and stream water were dominated by Ca2+-HCO3− type water, whereas the plains groundwater was dominated by mixed type water. The results of principal component analysis demonstrated that water-rock interaction and human activity explained 71.6% and 12.9% of surface water hydrochemical variations, respectively, and 75.1% and 14.2% of groundwater hydrochemical variations, respectively. Sulfate, chloride, and carbonate weathering were the major water-rock interaction processes. Livestock farming and agricultural activities were the primary human activities influencing the water hydrochemistry. In addition, cation exchange is another important process influencing the hydrochemical characteristics in the study area. This study would be helpful in forecasting of water quality in arid areas.
Field Investigation on Hydroabrasion in High-Speed Sediment-Laden Flows at Sediment Bypass Tunnels
Authors: Müller-Hagmann Michelle , Albayrak Ismail , Auel Christian , Boes Robert M.
Published: February 2020

Wear due to sediment particles in fluid flows, also termed ‘hydroabrasion’ or simply ‘abrasion’, is an omnipresent issue at hydraulic structures as well as in bedrock rivers. However, interactions between flow field, particle motion, channel topography, material properties and abrasion have rarely been investigated on a prototype scale, leaving many open questions as to their quantitative interrelations. Therefore, we investigated hydroabrasion in a multi-year field study at two Swiss Sediment Bypass Tunnels (SBTs). Abrasion depths of various invert materials, hydraulics and sediment transport conditions were determined and used to compute the abrasion coefficients kv of different abrasion models for high-strength concrete and granite. The results reveal that these models are useful to estimate spatially averaged abrasion rates. The kv‑value is about one order of magnitude higher for granite than for high-strength concrete, hence, using material-specific abrasion coefficients enhances the prediction accuracy. Three-dimensional flow structures, i.e., secondary currents occurring both, in the straight and curved sections of the tunnels cause incision channels, while also longitudinally undulating abrasion patterns were observed. Furthermore, hydroabrasion concentrated along joints and protruding edges. The maximum abrasion depths were roughly twice the mean abrasion depths, irrespective of hydraulics, sediment transport conditions and invert material.
Modeling of Future Extreme Storm Surges at the NW Mediterranean Coast (Spain)
Authors: Lin-Ye Jue , García-León Manuel , Gràcia Vicente , Ortego María , Lionello Piero , Conte Dario , Pérez-Gómez Begoña , Sánchez-Arcilla Agustín
Published: February 2020

Storm surges are one of the main drivers for extreme flooding at the coastal areas. Such events can be characterized with the maximum level in an extreme storm surge event (surge peak), as well as the duration of the event. Surge projections come from a barotropic model for the 1950–2100 period, under a severe climate change scenario (RCP 8.5) at the northeastern Spanish coast. The relationship of extreme storm surges to three large-scale climate patterns was assessed: North Atlantic Oscillation ( N A O ), East Atlantic Pattern ( E A W R ), and Scandinavian Pattern ( S C ). The statistical model was built using two different strategies. In Strategy #1, the joint probability density was characterized by a moving-average series of stationary Archimedean copula, whereas in Strategy #2, the joint probability density was characterized by a non-stationary probit copula. The parameters of the marginal distribution and the copula were defined with generalized additive models. The analysis showed that the mean values of surge peak and event duration were constant and were independent of the proposed climate patterns. However, the values of N A O and S C influenced the threshold and the storminess of extreme events. According to Strategy #1, the variance of the surge peak and event duration increased with a fast shift of negative S C and a positive N A O , respectively. Alternatively, Strategy #2 showed that the variance of the surge peak increased with a positive E A W R . Both strategies coincided in that the joint dependence of the maximum surge level and the duration of extreme surges ranged from low to medium degree. Its mean value was stationary, and its variability was linked to the geographical location. Finally, Strategy #2 helped determine that this dependence increased with negative N A O .
An Overview of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Mexico and Its Legal Framework
Authors: Cruz-Ayala Mary Belle , Megdal Sharon B.
Published: February 2020

In Mexico, one hundred of the 188 most important aquifers dedicated to agriculture and human consumption are over-exploited and 32 are affected by seawater intrusion in coastal areas. Considering that Mexico relies on groundwater, it is vital to develop a portfolio of alternatives to recover aquifers and examine policies and programs regarding reclaimed water and stormwater. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) may be useful for increasing water availability and adapting to climate change in semi-arid regions of Mexico. In this paper, we present an overview of water recharge projects that have been conducted in Mexico in the last 50 years, their methods for recharge, water sources, geographical distribution, and the main results obtained in each project. We found three types of MAR efforts: (1) exploratory and suitability studies for MAR, (2) pilot projects, and (3) MAR facilities that currently operate. This study includes the examination of the legal framework for MAR to identify some challenges and opportunities that Mexican regulation contains in this regard. We find that beyond the technical issues that MAR projects normally address, the regulatory framework is a barrier to increasing MAR facilities in Mexico.
Institutional Structure, Participation, and Devolution in Water Institutions of Eastern India
Authors: Gandhi Vasant P. , Johnson Nicky , Neog Kangkanika , Jain Dinesh
Published: February 2020

The paper examines the nature and development of the participatory water institutions in the eastern Indo-Gangetic plains of India, focusing on the aspects of structure, participation, and devolution. Though the physical development of irrigation has made considerable progress in India, the proper management and distribution of water has poised many difficulties. The consequences of this are poor efficiency in water use, inequity in distribution, disputes, high cost, and substantial under-utilization of the potential created. On the other hand, institutional initiatives that aim to improve water management and distribution are seen in some areas/locations, and show a process of arriving at better institutional arrangements. Water institutions are crucial for eastern India and though there are a few examples of spontaneous bottom-up initiatives, much of this development is driven by external interventions including laws, policies, and government programs. Even though under the government interventions, the guidelines and policies are usually uniform and top-down, the local uptake and adoption show substantial variation and divergence and this deserves study. The research is based on review of the literature as well as on six in-depth case studies, and also responses of 510 households involved with 51 participatory water institutions in the setting of the eastern Indo-Gangetic plains states of Assam and Bihar. The paper first takes a brief look at the literature on the foundations and experiences of participatory irrigation management (PIM), and then examines through the case studies and data, the development and variation in the PIM water institution in the given setting. It examines features such as laws, membership, structure, inclusion, participation/involvement and devolution. It finds that inclusion of various groups of people in the institutions is quite good except for women and youth. However, actual involvement of different people varies substantially. The issue of devolution/decentralization versus centralization in decision-making is very important to PIM, and varies across the structure and functions. The association of involvement and devolution to performance indicates that the active involvement of some functionaries and groups is very important, and that devolution in several decisions can considerably enhance performance. The observations provide many useful insights for policy and institutional design which can help improve water resource management in the eastern Indo-Gangetic plains.
Purification of Forest Clear-Cut Runoff Water Using Biochar: A Meso-Scale Laboratory Column Experiment
Authors: Kakaei Lafdani Elham , Saarela Taija , Laurén Ari , Pumpanen Jukka , Palviainen Marjo
Published: February 2020

Biochar can be an effective sorbent material for removal of nutrients from water due to its high specific surface area, porous structure, and high cation and anion exchange capacity. The aim of this study was to test a biochar reactor and to evaluate its efficiency in runoff water purification and consecutive nutrient recycling in clear-cut peatland forests. The goodness of the method was tested in a meso-scale (water volume thousands of liters) reactor experiment by circulating runoff water through wood biochar-filled columns and by determining water nutrient concentrations in the column inlet and outlet. The pseudo-first and second order kinetic models were fitted to the experimental data and the adsorption rate (Kad) and maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) of the biochar reactor were quantified. The concentration of total nitrogen (TN) decreased by 58% during the 8-week experiment; the majority of TN adsorption occurred within the first 3 days. In addition, NO3-N and NH4-N concentrations decreased below the detection limit in 5 days after the beginning of the experiment. The maximum adsorption capacity of the biochar reactor varied between 0.03–0.04 mg g−1 biochar for NH4-N, and was equal to 0.02 mg g−1 biochar for TN. The results demonstrated that the biochar reactor was not able to adsorb TN when the water TN concentration was below 0.4 mg L−1. These results suggest that a biochar reactor can be a useful and effective method for runoff water purification in clear-cut forests and further development and testing is warranted. Unlike traditional water protection methods in peatland forestry, the biochar reactor can effectively remove NO3-N from water. This makes the biochar reactor a promising water protection tool to be tested in sites where there is the risk of a high rate of nutrient export after forest harvesting or drainage.
Effect of Land Use on the Benthic Diatom Community of the Danube River in the Region of Budapest
Authors: Trábert Zsuzsa , Duleba Mónika , Bíró Tibor , Dobosy Péter , Földi Angéla , Hidas András , Kiss Keve Tihamér , Óvári Mihály , Takács Anita , Várbíró Gábor , Záray Gyula , Ács Éva
Published: February 2020

(1) Urbanization significantly influences the ecosystems of rivers in various ways, including the so-called loading effect of wastewater production. Benthic diatoms are used in ecological status assessments of waters. Beside species composition, traits can be used as indicators. We aimed to evaluate how the loading of the large city of Budapest manifests in the physico-chemical variables of the River Danube and what species composition and trait response this loading results in for the benthic diatom communities. (2) Weekly samplings were performed at points upstream and downstream of Budapest on both riverbanks. Samples were compared, based on general physical-chemical variables and the concentration of thirty-four elements, as well as species composition and seven traits of species of diatom communities. Ecological status was assessed using the Specific Pollution Sensitivity Index (IPS). (3) Only a few measured environmental variables showed differences between the sampling points, suggesting that the nutrient loading has significantly decreased due to the installation of several efficiently working wastewater treatment plants since the introduction of the European Union Water Framework Directive. In contrast, the species composition and traits of species showed the effect of land use. Benthic diatoms indicate the environmental changes caused by land use in the longer-term, while chemical measurements reflect instantaneous status.
Performance Evaluation of Bias Correction Methods for Climate Change Monthly Precipitation Projections over Costa Rica
Authors: Mendez Maikel , Maathuis Ben , Hein-Griggs David , Alvarado-Gamboa Luis-Fernando
Published: February 2020

Six bias correction (BC) methods; delta-method (DT), linear scaling (LS), power transformation of precipitation (PTR), empirical quantile mapping (EQM), gamma quantile mapping (GQM) and gamma-pareto quantile mapping (GPQM) were applied to adjust the biases of historical monthly precipitation outputs from five General Circulation Models (GCMs) dynamically downscaled by two Regional Climate Models (RCMs) for a total of seven different GCM-RCM pairs over Costa Rica. High-resolution gridded precipitation observations were used for the control period 1951–1980 and validated over the period 1981–1995. Results show that considerable biases exist between uncorrected GCM-RCM outputs and observations, which largely depend on GCM-RCM pair, seasonality, climatic region and spatial resolution. After the application of bias correction, substantial biases reductions and comparable performances among most BC methods were observed for most GCM-RCM pairs; with EQM and DT marginally outperforming the remaining methods. Consequently, EQM and DT were selectively applied to correct the biases of precipitation projections from each individual GCM-RCM pair for a near-future (2011–2040), mid-future (2041–2070) and far-future (2071–2100) period under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 using the control period 1961–1990. Results from the bias-corrected future ensemble-mean anticipate a marked decreasing trend in precipitation from near to far-future periods during the dry season (December, January, February (DJF) and March, April, May (MAM)) for RCP4.5 and 8.5; with pronounced drier conditions for those climatic regions draining towards the Pacific Ocean. In contrast, mostly wetter conditions are expected during the dry season under RCP2.6, particularly for the Caribbean region. In most of the country, the greatest decrease in precipitation is projected at the beginning of the rainy season (June, July, August (JJA)) for the far-future period under RCP8.5, except for the Caribbean region where mostly wetter conditions are anticipated. Regardless of future period, slight increases in precipitation with higher radiative forcing are expected for SON excluding the Caribbean region, where precipitation is likely to increase with increasing radiative forcing and future period. This study demonstrates that bias correction should be considered before direct application of GCM-RCM precipitation projections over complex territories such as Costa Rica.
Environmental Sustainability Assessment of a New Sewage Treatment Plant in China Based on Infrastructure Construction and Operation Phases Emergy Analysis
Authors: Zhang Junxue , Ma Lin
Published: February 2020

Due to excessive resource consumption and pressing environmental issues of the sewage treatment industry, there is extensive attention in China. Given the unique craft production process in the sewage treatment system, a series of integral emergy indicators have been used to evaluate the environmental sustainability based on infrastructure construction and operation stage emergy analysis. Taking a new typical sewage treatment plant as an example, this paper performed a case study. The results illustrate that (1) the infrastructure construction process emergy (approximate 92.6%) is more critical than sewage treatment process emergy; (2) nonrenewable resource is the primary factor for the emergy analysis, followed by energy (23.5%) and purchased supply (7%); (3) cement, steel, and gravel have dominant impacts on the nonrenewable resource emergy; (4) the emergy sustainability index is 0.001101, which displays weak environmental sustainability; (5) the unit emergy value (UEV) of the new sewage treatment plant is 3.40 × 1012 sej/m3; (6) sensitivity analysis results of the hypothesis demonstrate that nonrenewable resources have significant fluctuations (6.903%) while, for the indicators, emergy sustainability index (ESI) (4.8072%) has the most significant impact; and (7) wastewater is a major contributor. In light of comprehensive discussions, two positive measures are proposed in order to ameliorate the environmental sustainability.
Evaluation of the Egg Bank of Two Small Himalayan Lakes
Authors: Piscia Roberta , Bovio Sara , Manca Marina , Lami Andrea , Guilizzoni Piero
Published: February 2020

High mountain lakes are biodiversity treasures. They host endemic taxa, adapted to live in extreme environments. Among adaptations, production of diapausing eggs allows for overcoming the cold season. These diapausing eggs can rest in the sediments, providing a biotic reservoir known as an egg bank. Here, we estimated changes in abundance of the egg bank in two lakes in the Khumbu Region of the Himalayas, during the last ca. 1100 and 500 years, respectively, by analyzing two sediment cores. We tested viability of the diapausing eggs extracted from different layers of the sediment cores under laboratory conditions. We found that only diapausing eggs of the Monogont rotifer Hexarthra bulgarica nepalensis were able to hatch, thus suggesting that a permanent egg bank is lacking for the other taxa of the lakes, not least for the two Daphnia species described from these sites. Our results confirm previous studies suggesting that in high mountain lakes, the production of diapausing is mainly devoted to seasonal recruitment, therefore leading to a nonpermanent egg bank. The different ability of different taxa to leave viable diapausing eggs in the sediments of high mountain lakes therefore poses serious constraints to capability of buffering risk of biodiversity loss in these extremely fragile environments.
Lideranças femininas nas Folias de Reis, nas Umbandas e Candomblé: uma análise de fluxos e refluxos
Authors: Barbosa Neder Andiara , Paulo Franco Gilciana
Published: February 2020

De cunho popular e devocional, a Folia de Reis era uma festa exclusivamente masculina. Entretanto, a mulher sempre esteve inserida, mas nas funções invisibilizadas. Atualmente, elas buscam sua inserção também na esfera ritual, e surgem as folionas e donas de folias. Não por coincidência, dentre os grupos pesquisados, aqueles liderados por mulheres são de pertença umbandista. Por outro lado, nas religiões afro-brasileiras a tradicional liderança feminina vem perdendo espaço. O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir a relação inversa observada entre o aumento gradativo de autonomia e visibilidade femininas no universo androcêntrico da Folia de Reis e a paulatina perda de relevância no cenário atual da Umbanda e Candomblé, que historicamente contaram com a participação feminina efetiva.
ANALISA EXERGI SISTEM KOGENERASI SIKLUS KOMBINASI
Authors: Intang Ambo
Published: February 2020

Salah satu sektor pemakai terbesar energi fosil adalah Pusat Listrik Tenaga Gas, sehingga optimalisasi konservasi energi pada pusat listrik ini menjadi signifikan. Untuk mengetahui dimana konservasi energi dapat dilakukan pada peralatan maupun sistem yang ditinjau, hal penting yang harus dilakukan adalah dengan membuat analisis kesetimbangan massa dan kesetimbagan exergi, dan selajutnya melakukan analisa exergi pada sistem tersebut sehingga dapat diketahui besaran peningkatan efisiensi pemakaian energi bahan bakar. Sistem kogenerasi dapat meningkatkan efisiensi pemakain bahan bakar, yang tepat dalam hal ini adalah Sistem Kogenerasi Siklus Kombinasi. Pada aplikasinya dapat dilihat pada Sistem Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Gas (PLTG) yang gasbuangnya masih dapat dimanfaataatkan untuk pembangkit steam/uap untuk memutar turbin yang selanjutnya berguna untuk pembangkit listrik lanjutan. Analisa exergi dilakukan pada sistem kogenerasi siklus kombinasi pusat pembangkit tenaga gas uap milik PT. PLN PJB Unit Pembangkitan Muara Tawar yang menyuplai listrik untuk sistem Jawa Bali dimana pembangkit listrik ini mempunyai kapasitas 950 MegaWatt yang terdiri dari ( 5x145 MW Gas Turbine dan 1x225 MW Steam Turbin) . Dari hasil analisa peluang efisiensi pemakaian bahan bakar didapatkan sebesar 77,83%.

Kata Kunci: Kogenerasi Siklus Kombinasi, Exergi, Exergi Rate, Exergi Loss.
ADSORPSI KARBON AKTIF DARI TONGKOL JAGUNG SEBAGAI ADSORBEN ION LOGAM Cu2+
Authors: Yuniarti Dewi Putri
Published: February 2020

Many reseerches about agricultural waste shows potency from this waste to be used as high quality of active carbon that can be used as (adsorbent) on gasoline and substances dissolved at solution. One of agricultural result in South Sumatera that is enough corn cob, where is solid waste that throun just. It is impossible since corncob contains about 40 % of cellulose. So, cellulose which can be used as an active carbon. There are two basic processes in the active carbon making, those are carbonization and activation. The aim of this study was to find out how the activated time gave influence to the adsorption capacity of active carbon as the metal ion Cu2+ adsorbent. The obtained data were analysed by using Atomic Adsorption Spectrophotometry (SNI 06-6989.6-2009). Moreover, the characteristic of the active carbon was ansalysed by Standart Nacional Indutrial (SNI 06-3730-1995). From the result of study, it was obtained that the activated time of 60 minutes with the activator H3PO4 0,5 M had the best adsorption capacity of 1.97 mg/g with the metal ion Cu2­+ concentration was 0,80 ppm. The characteristic of the missing part 9500C  20.54 %, water content of 11 %, ash content of 7 % and iodine number of 750.35 mg/g, pure active carbon 72.46 %, the density of bulk 0.31 g/ml, pass for the mesh size of 325 is 98 %. The adsorption capacity of active carbon from the corncob to the metal ion Cu2+ taken from the waste water sample at the shipyard painting work shop in Palembang was 0.1644 mg/g (97.60 %).

Key words : Activated Carbon, Corn cob, Adsorption, AAS,  Copper (II) Metal Ion.
ANALISIS DAN PERHITUNGAN BIAYA OPERASIONAL KAPAL TERHADAP TARIF ANGKUTAN KAPAL CEPAT STUDI KASUS : KM. EXPRES BAHARI LINTAS PALEMBANG-MUNTOK.
Authors: Ramadhani Ramadhani , Alfarizi Achmad Mahdor
Published: February 2020

Transportasi merupakan sesuatu yang penting dan stategis dalam memperlancar roda pembangunan, sebagai penunjang, pendorong dan penggerak bagi pertumbuhan daerah yang berpotensi namun belum berkembang dalam  upaya peningkatan dan pemerataan pembangunan serta hasil-hasilnya. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah menghitung biaya operasional kapal cepat KM. Expres Bahari yang beroperasi pada lintasan Palembang-Muntok dan menghitung tarif yang sesuai dengan faktor muat rata-rata lalu lintas dan yang sesuai dengan Load Faktor. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu survei langsung kelokasi penelitian, dan pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menganalisa biaya operasional kapal, menghitung biaya operasional kapal,  dan fakor muat (Load Factor). Hasil dari penelitian ini diketahui bahwa Biaya langsung sangat dipengaruhi oleh biaya tidak tetap sebesar 98% dan biaya tetap hanya 2% sedangkan biaya tidak langsung hanya 37% untuk biaya tetap dan 63% untuk biaya tidak tetap sedangkan faktor load faktor 70%  yaitu sebesar Rp 151.600. 

Kata Kunci:  tinjauan,  tarif,  angkutan.
ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN PERENCANAAN BAJA PROFIL TUNGGAL WF DENGAN PROFIL TERSUSUN (BUILT-UP) KANAL PADA BANGUNAN GABLE FRAME
Authors: Meidiani Sri Kirana , Juita Imelda
Published: February 2020

Gable Frame adalah struktur yang terdiri dari elemen-elemen linear, umumnya balok dan kolom yang saling dihubungkan pada ujung-ujungnya oleh joints (titik hubung). Pada umumnya bangunan Gable Frame lebih sering menggunakan profil baja tunggal WF, tetapi yang jadi masalah adalah berat sendiri baja tunggal cukup besar terutama untuk bentang yang panjang. Pemakaian profil baja tersusun (built-up) kanal yang memiliki berat lebih ringan namun memiliki kekakuan yang tinggi. Penelitian ini membandingkan 5 jenis mutu baja konvensional (Bj.37, Bj.41, Bj.44, Bj.50 dan Bj.52) pada struktur gable frameganda yang direncanakan dengan bentang 40 M dan tinggi kolom 7,5 M.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan jika ditinjau dari berat pemakaian baja profil tersusun (built-up) kanal lebih berat dibandingkan baja profil tunggal WF.  Dimana dari profil tunggal WF pada mutu baja BJ 37 dan mutu baja BJ 41  beratnya adalah 17772,84 kg  lebih ringan 11,96% dibanding dari profil tersusun kanal (Built-up). Pada mutu BJ 44 berat naik menjadi 18945,07 kg lebih ringan 14,42% dibanding dari profil tersusun kanal (Built-Up), pada mutu baja BJ 50 berat menjadi 18507,33 kg, lebih ringan 16,40% dibanding profil tersusun kanal (Built-Up) dan mutu BJ 52 berat menjadi 18351,53 kg lebih ringan 17,10%  dibanding profil tersusun kanal (Built-Up).Ditinjau dari harga profil built-up kanal lebih ekonomis dibandingkan profil Wf. Pada mutu baja BJ 37 dan mutu BJ 41 mempunyai harga yang sama sebesar Rp. 196.352.379 lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan harga profil Wf.  Pada mutu baja BJ 44, mutu baja 50, mutu baja 52 mempunyai harga yang sama sebesar Rp. 215.338.648 lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan harga profil WF. 

Kata Kunci: baja konvensional, profil tunggal wf, profil tersusun kanal, mutu baja,  gable frame.
RESPON SPEKTRA GEMPA DESAIN BERDASARKAN SNI 03-1726-2012 UNTUK WILAYAH KOTA BENGKULU
Authors: Farlianti Sari , Sapta Sapta
Published: February 2020

Pada makalah ini penulis membuat respon spektra desain berdasarkan SNI 03-1726-2012 untuk wilayah Kota Bengkulu  yang terletak pada 102o 15’ 11,65” BT. dan 3o 47’ 39” LS., mengingat dimana pada peta gempa SNI 03-1726-2002 terletak pada wilayah zone gempa 6 yang mempunyai resiko gempa kuat tentunya perlu perhatian khusus dalam perencanaan struktur bangunan yang akan didirikan pada daerah tersebut terhdapap beban gempa. Selain itu dengan adanya revisi SNI 03-1726-2002 yang dituangkan pada SNI 03-1726-2012, tentunya perlu adanya tinjauan perhitungan respon spektrum dengan menggunakan SNI 03-1726-2012. Dari hasil analisa terhadap respon spektra disain didapatkan nilai respon spektrum desain dengan menggunakan SNI 03-1726-2012 lebih rendah dibandingkan dari hasil perhitungan yang menggunakan SNI 03-1726-2002, untuk jenis tanah lunak -29%, sedang -12% dan keras -9% pada T £ Tc. Pada T ³ Tc, untuk jenis tanah lunak -14%, sedang -6% dan keras +5%. Dapat disimpulkan percepatan spektral berdasarkan SNI 03-1726-2012 terjadi penurunan pada T £ Tc untuk semua jenis tanah dan pada saat T ³ Tc terjadi kenaikan hanya pada jenis tanah keras sebesar +5%. 

Kata kunci : SNI 03-1726-2012, SNI 03-1726-2002,  Respon spektra desain