bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Field Monitoring Based on Multitask Learning in Sensor Networks
Authors: Wang Di , Zhang Xi
Published: March 2019

Field monitoring serves as an important supervision tool in a variety of engineering domains. An efficient monitoring would trigger an alarm timely once it detects an out-of-control event by learning the state change from the collected sensor data. However, in practice, multiple sensor data may not be gathered appropriately into a database for some unexpected reasons, such as sensor aging, wireless communication failures, and data reading errors, which leads to a large number of missing data as well as inaccurate or delayed detection, and poses a great challenge for field monitoring in sensor networks. This fact motivates us to develop a multitask-learning based field monitoring method in order to achieve an efficient detection when considerable missing data exist during data acquisition. Specifically, we adopt a log likelihood ratio (LR)-based multivariate cumulative sum (MCUSUM) control chart given spatial correlation among neighboring regions within the monitored field. To deal with the missing data problem, we integrate a multitask learning model into the LR-based MCUSUM control chart in the sensor network. Both simulation and real case studies are conducted to validate our proposed approach and the results show that our approach can achieve an accurate and timely detection for an out-of-control state when a large number of missing data exist in the sensor database. Our model provides an effective field monitoring strategy for engineering applications to accurately and timely detect the products with abnormal quality during production and reduce product losses.
An Application of Deep Learning to Tactile Data for Object Recognition under Visual Guidance
Authors: Rouhafzay Ghazal , Cretu Ana-Maria
Published: March 2019

Drawing inspiration from haptic exploration of objects by humans, the current work proposes a novel framework for robotic tactile object recognition, where visual information in the form of a set of visually interesting points is employed to guide the process of tactile data acquisition. Neuroscience research confirms the integration of cutaneous data as a response to surface changes sensed by humans with data from joints, muscles, and bones (kinesthetic cues) for object recognition. On the other hand, psychological studies demonstrate that humans tend to follow object contours to perceive their global shape, which leads to object recognition. In compliance with these findings, a series of contours are determined around a set of 24 virtual objects from which bimodal tactile data (kinesthetic and cutaneous) are obtained sequentially and by adaptively changing the size of the sensor surface according to the object geometry for each object. A virtual Force Sensing Resistor array (FSR) is employed to capture cutaneous cues. Two different methods for sequential data classification are then implemented using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and conventional classifiers, including support vector machines and k-nearest neighbors. In the case of conventional classifiers, we exploit contourlet transformation to extract features from tactile images. In the case of CNN, two networks are trained for cutaneous and kinesthetic data and a novel hybrid decision-making strategy is proposed for object recognition. The proposed framework is tested both for contours determined blindly (randomly determined contours of objects) and contours determined using a model of visual attention. Trained classifiers are tested on 4560 new sequential tactile data and the CNN trained over tactile data from object contours selected by the model of visual attention yields an accuracy of 98.97% which is the highest accuracy among other implemented approaches.
Multi-Cue-Based Circle Detection and Its Application to Robust Extrinsic Calibration of RGB-D Cameras
Authors: Kwon Young Chan , Jang Jae Won , Hwang Youngbae , Choi Ouk
Published: March 2019

RGB-Depth (RGB-D) cameras are widely used in computer vision and robotics applications such as 3D modeling and human–computer interaction. To capture 3D information of an object from different viewpoints simultaneously, we need to use multiple RGB-D cameras. To minimize costs, the cameras are often sparsely distributed without shared scene features. Due to the advantage of being visible from different viewpoints, spherical objects have been used for extrinsic calibration of widely-separated cameras. Assuming that the projected shape of the spherical object is circular, this paper presents a multi-cue-based method for detecting circular regions in a single color image. Experimental comparisons with existing methods show that our proposed method accurately detects spherical objects with cluttered backgrounds under different illumination conditions. The circle detection method is then applied to extrinsic calibration of multiple RGB-D cameras, for which we propose to use robust cost functions to reduce errors due to misdetected sphere centers. Through experiments, we show that the proposed method provides accurate calibration results in the presence of outliers and performs better than a least-squares-based method.
Performance Analysis of the IEEE 802.11ax MAC Protocol for Heterogeneous Wi-Fi Networks in Non-Saturated Conditions
Authors: Lee Kyu-haeng
Published: March 2019

The IEEE 802.11ax standard, which realizes multi-user transmission based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), has been highlighted as a key technology to meet high future demand for Wi-Fi systems. Since this standard is still being developed, performance analysis through mathematical modeling is of paramount importance; however, existing studies have several limitations. Firstly, most of these consider only the saturation network throughput, whereas for 802.11ax in particular, the access delay of the nodes needs to be studied carefully, since they no longer acquire the medium independently but depend solely on the access point’s (AP’s) schedule. Secondly, since the network performance may be affected to a greater extent by legacy nodes than by 802.11ax nodes, it is desirable to consider various heterogeneous cases of networks with existing legacy nodes. In this paper, a new analytical framework for the 802.11ax MAC protocol is provided. Markov-chain-based models are developed to represent the behavior of the 802.11ax nodes, and both non-saturated traffic conditions and co-existence with the legacy nodes are considered. Through both analysis and MATLAB simulations, it is shown that the proposed model accurately evaluates the throughput and the delay performance under various network conditions.
Multi-Sensor Passive Localization Using Direct Position Determination with Time-Varying Delay
Authors: Zhang Shangyu , Huang Zhen , Feng Xuefeng , He Jiazhi , Shi Lei
Published: March 2019

This paper focuses on passive emitter localization using moving sensors. The increase in observation time is beneficial to improve the localization accuracy, but it could cause deterioration of the relative motion between the emitter and the sensors, especially the nonlinear motion. The common localization algorithms typically have two steps: (1) parameter estimation and (2) position determination, where the parameters are assumed to be constant, and it is not applicable for long observation times. We proposed the time-varying delay-based direct position determination (DPD-TVD) method, regarding the variation in the propagation time delay during the observation time. Using one step, the proposed algorithm can obtain the emitter’s position directly from the received signals by calculating the cost function corresponding to the map grid. By better adapting to highly dynamic scenarios, the proposed algorithm can achieve better localization accuracy than that of constant parameters using one-step or two-step procedures, which is demonstrated by the simulation results.
Identification of Arable Marginal Lands under Rainfed Conditions for Bioenergy Purposes in Spain
Authors: Ciria Carlos S. , Sanz Marina , Carrasco Juan , Ciria Pilar
Published: March 2019

The cultivation of bioenergy crops could be considered as sustainable; however, its use in fertile lands could conflict with food production. The general purpose of this study is to identify areas where traditional food crops are not economically sustainable, but where they could be substituted by energy crops without changing the land use in Spain. We studied the profit margin of the main crops of the country, which are wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), the spatial location of the growing areas, and the biophysical constraints. Spain has an extended area of 9.93 million hectares, with biophysical and/or economic constraints in rainfed arable areas. Grain yields ≤1.5 Mg ha−1 are not profitable; low organic matter content is the principal biophysical constraint. The average results showed a potential of 83.33 GJ ha−1 using triticale (x Triticosecale) and 174.85 GJ ha−1 using cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) in arable marginal lands. The production of biomass in this area would serve to cover between 3%–5% of primary energy needs in Spain for triticale or cardoon. In this respect, establishing energy crops in marginal lands could be an instrument to enhance rural development, boost the bio-economy, and reach environmental targets.
How Can a Firm Innovate When Embedded in a Cluster?—Evidence from the Automobile Industrial Cluster in China
Authors: Li Shuaishuai , Han Suyang , Shen Tiyan
Published: March 2019

In the era of the knowledge economy, knowledge management is increasingly important. Knowledge management ability is one of the core factors influencing enterprise competitiveness, affecting innovation performance and sustainable development. To test the impact mechanism of the knowledge management of enterprises on innovation performance, a multilevel structural equation model was established using data from the automobile industry in China, with “knowledge management” (KM) as the independent variable, the three dimensions of absorptive capacity as the mediating variables, and “innovation performance” (IP) as the dependent variable at the firm level. At the cluster level, the innovation milieu of the cluster was introduced into the model. The results show that the three dimensions of absorptive capacity all significantly mediate the relationship between knowledge management and innovation performance. The innovation milieu of the cluster had a direct cross-level effect on the innovation performance of enterprises and a positive cross-level moderated effect on the relationship between explorative learning and innovation performance. These results support the promotion of enterprise innovation ability and the creation of an innovation milieu in the automobile industry in China.
Spatial–Temporal Analysis of Urban Land-Use Efficiency: An Analytical Framework in Terms of Economic Transition and Spatiality
Authors: Liu Shuchang , Ye Yanmei , Li Linlin
Published: March 2019

Rapid urban expansion may cause a decline in land-use efficiency and result in a series of social and ecological problems. Economic transition has significantly influenced urban land development, and provides a good perspective for analyzing changes in land-use efficiency. This paper primarily discusses the theoretical influence of economic transition on urban land-use efficiency. Using 126 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Zone as examples, we explore the spatial–temporal characteristics of changes in land-use efficiency, and estimate the relationship between land-use efficiency and economic transition with econometric models. The results show that the land-use efficiency of the Yangtze River Economic Zone has generally been improved over time, and presented significant clustering effects around urban agglomerations. Panel data analysis suggests that foreign direct investment in the globalization process and tax burdens, which were further aggravated by the reform of the responsibility and revenue assignment between local and central government, have had a significant negative effect on land-use efficiency. On the contrary, marketization, urbanization, and fiscal expenditure decentralization have exerted significant positive effects. We also found that agglomeration effects and location advantages did play a positive role in improving land-use efficiency, which accounted for the spatial inequality. This paper concludes with policy proposals to improve the intensification and economization level of urban land use.
Conceptual Framework for Biodiversity Assessments in Global Value Chains
Authors: Maier Stephanie D. , Lindner Jan Paul , Francisco Javier
Published: March 2019

Land use and land use change are among the main drivers of the ongoing loss of biodiversity at a global-scale. Although there are already Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods to measure this impact, they are still rarely used by companies and municipalities in the life cycle assessment of products and processes. Therefore, this paper highlights four main requirements for a biodiversity methodological framework within LCIA in order to facilitate biodiversity assessments: first, to consider the global uneven distribution of biodiversity and its risks with respect to vulnerability and irreplaceability; second, to account for the need to regionalize the impacts of land use; third, to consider the specific impacts that different land use types have on biodiversity; and fourth, to analyze the biodiversity impacts of different land use management parameters and their influence on the intensity of land use. To this end, we provided a review of existing methods in respect to conformity and research gaps. The present publication describes the development of a new methodological framework that builds on these requirements in a three-level hierarchical framework, which enables the assessment of biodiversity in LCA at a global-scale. This publication reveals research gaps regarding the inclusion of proactive and reactive conservation concepts as well as methods of land management into LCIA methodology. The main objective of this concept paper is therefore to describe a new methodological framework for the assessment of biodiversity in the LCA that could fill some of the research gaps, including compilation and suggestion of suitable data sets. The conclusion discusses both the benefits and limitations of this framework.
Households’ Assets Dynamics and Ecotourism Choices in the Western Highlands of Cameroon
Authors: Kimengsi Jude Ndzifon , Kechia Mukong Alfred , Azibo Balgah Roland , Pretzsch Jürgen , Kwei Jude
Published: March 2019

Ecotourism is increasingly accepted as a suitable alternative for sustaining rural livelihoods. In spite of this trend, quantitative assessments of relationships between household assets and ecotourism choices, and the policy implications thereof, currently account for only a negligible number of studies in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper contributes to this evidence gap by analyzing the extent to which households’ assets drive ecotourism choices on a representative sample of 200 households in Cameroon. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Human Development Index (HDI) were used to construct indices for ecotourism choices. The ordinary least square and logit models were also employed to estimate the effect of various household assets on ecotourism choices. A high preference was observed for the production and sale of arts and crafts items and the promotion of cultural heritage sites as key ecotourism choices. More women are found to participate in conservation education, as opposed to culture-related activities such as arts and crafts. Access to education and training were inversely related to cultural festival promotion. The results suggest the need to: (i) stem the overdependence on conservation sites for wood supply to the arts and crafts sector, (ii) enforce endogenous cultural institutional regulations, including those that increase female participation in guiding future ecotourism choices. This paper contributes to ecotourism development and conservation theory, with regards to unbundling household level predictors of ecotourism choices, and has implications on the design of policies to implement environmentally less-demanding ecotourism activities.
Multitemporal Geospatial Evaluation of Urban Agriculture and (Non)-Sustainable Food Self-Provisioning in Milan, Italy
Authors: Pulighe Giuseppe , Lupia Flavio
Published: March 2019

Urban agriculture in Global North cities is strongly promoted as a sustainable solution to achieve different goals, such as food production, quality of life, and well-being. Although several attempts have been made to evaluate urban agriculture production, few studies have investigated food production in a multitemporal geospatial way and considered per capita population needs, gender, and age strata consumption. This study presents a spatiotemporal quantification of urban agriculture in the city of Milan (Italy) for assessing food self-provisioning potential. We utilized high-resolution Google Earth images and ancillary data to create a detailed cadaster of urban agriculture for the years 2007 and 2014. Based on four scenarios of food production and statistical data on vegetables and cereals consumption, we estimated current total production and requirements for the city dwellers. Our results showed that the actual extension of vegetable gardens (98 ha) and arable land (2539 ha) in the best scenario could satisfy approximately 63,700 and 321,000 consumers of vegetables and cereal products, respectively. Overall, current urban agriculture production is not able to meet vegetables and cereal consumption for more than 1.3 million city residents. Scenario estimates suggest rethinking land use promoting horticultural production to achieve more sustainable food systems.
Quantifying Farmers’ Initiatives and Capacity to Cope with Drought: A Case Study of Xinghe County in Semi-Arid China
Authors: Guo Hao , Wu Yaoyao , Shang Yanrui , Yu Hao , Wang Jing’ai
Published: March 2019

Farmers living in a state of poverty in semi-arid areas are the main victims of drought. They suffer most from drought, which makes it particularly important to assess their capacity to cope with it. The present study developed a new approach for such assessment. Famers’ resources and initiatives to deal with drought were evaluated, and appropriate coping strategies are proposed by analyzing the differences between the coping capacities of two categories of farmers; tenants (with large holdings) and smallholders. Tenants’ capacity to cope with drought was 1.7 times that of smallholders. Also, tenants showed greater initiative during droughts, whereas smallholders made greater efforts in preparing for droughts. Farmers’ resources were positively correlated to the degree of their initiative (correlation coefficient = 0.49). Farmers showed greater initiative when they had larger holdings and were less dependent on agricultural income. The state should give more financial support to subsidy-dependent farmers and encourage smallholders—whose major income comes from crops—to augment their income through livestock husbandry. Such a policy would prove more conducive to increasing the capacity of not only local farmers but also of the entire region to cope with droughts and to promote sustainable development of local agriculture.
University-Community Partnerships: A Local Planning Co-Production Study on Calabarzon, Philippines
Authors: Mores Lovely S. , Lee Jeongwoo , Bae Woongkyoo
Published: March 2019

University-community partnerships provide opportunities for collaborations and meaningful engagement with community partners, in order to promote sustainable community development. To date, studies on university-community partnerships have largely neglected partnership potential and readiness prior to partnership formation. These factors enable expectations and targets to be negotiated and potential problems to be anticipated, prior to any formal collaboration. Hence, this study investigates the optimal preconditions—including environment, resources, and motivation—to facilitate successful university-community collaboration for local urban planning. Specifically, a sample of local government units (LGUs) and universities in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines were interviewed and observed to determine their needs and access to planning resources at universities, as well as factors that would ensure sustained partnerships. The results show that there is a need for university-community partnerships in local planning, since LGUs have limited technical capacity in preparing comprehensive land use plans, particularly with respect to data analysis, technical writing, project development, and hazard mapping. Conversely, LGUs have more financial resources than universities. Local universities were determined to be uniquely suited to meet the technical and human resource needs of LGUs. Importantly, though, previous partnership experience was found to dramatically influence both parties’ decisions regarding whether or not to pursue a partnership. Accordingly, there is a need to temper the desires and expectations of partner organizations, and lay down the foundations of sustainable university-community partnership prior to partnership formation. Toward this end, policies that bolster partnership institutionalization, funding, and systematic monitoring and evaluation systems can enhance the utility of such partnerships moving forward.
Application and Validation of a Municipal Administrative Area Spatial Zoning Model in Village-Town System Planning
Authors: Zhao Yujing , Leng Hong , Sun Pingjun , Yuan Qing
Published: March 2019

The overall planning of urban and rural areas is the focus of municipal administrative area (MAA) planning in the process of economic globalization, and village-town system planning is the key to the overall planning of urban and rural areas. Based on the theory of spatial equilibrium and economic logic, an objective municipal administrative area spatial zoning model (M-MSZ) was constructed in our previous study. The M-MSZ model can provide guidance in the planning of a village-town system. This paper takes a city in the south of Heilongjiang Province in China as an example and compares the M-MSZ model with six traditional MAA spatial zoning models (the urban growth boundary model, land use planning model, spatial governance zoning model, major MAA location, layout and planning model, development timing-order and zoning model, and scale and function zoning model) to verify the value and superiority of the M-MSZ model in the planning of a village-town system. The consistency Kappa values were 78.2%, 83.3%, 82.3%, 79.8%, 75.7%, and 83.9%, respectively, which means that the M-MSZ model was highly consistent with those comparison models. Meanwhile, the regression coefficient R2 is higher than that of the traditional spatial zoning models, which means that the objectivity of the M-MSZ model is higher than that of traditional models. The superiority of the M-MSZ model over the traditional MAA spatial zoning model lies not only in its capacity to grasp the core content of village-town system planning, but also in its capacity to unify the decentralized urban system planning models that are used for village-town system planning, while realizing the objectivity of a weight assignment. Its unified model structure, objective integrated model system, and high accuracy make the M-MSZ model capable of solving the key problems associated with village-town system planning, with many advantages, such as easy operation, high efficiency, good inheritance, low cost, and greater objectivity, detail, and accuracy. In addition, it can provide a reference for the development model of a MAA village-town system.
An Efficiency-Based Approach for Selecting Electronic Markets in Sustainable Electronic Business: A SME’s Perspective
Authors: Deng Hepu , Duan Sophia Xiaoxia , Jie Donghui , Fu Jiangjing
Published: March 2019

This paper develops an efficiency-based approach for evaluating the performance of available electronic markets (e-markets) in the active pursuit of sustainable electronic business through the selection of specific e-markets for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). An efficiency-oriented evaluation model using data envelopment analysis is developed first for identifying efficient e-markets. A multicriteria decision making model is then proposed for solving the e-markets selection problem with respect to the specific characteristics of e-markets and the unique nature of SMEs in specific situations. Such a model can adequately consider the imprecision and uncertainty in the decision-making process using linguistic variables approximated by fuzzy numbers to express the subjective assessments of the decision maker when evaluating the overall performance of individual e-markets. As a result, the most appropriate e-market in a specific situation for individual SMEs can be selected for the development of a sustainable electronic business. A real-life example is given for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach for addressing the e-market selection problem in the real world.
Drought Management Planning Policy: From Europe to Spain
Authors: Hervás-Gámez Carmen , Delgado-Ramos Fernando
Published: March 2019

Climate change is anticipated to exacerbate the frequency, the intensity, and the duration of droughts, especially in Mediterranean countries. This might lead to more serious water scarcity episodes and fierce competition among water users. Are we really prepared to deal efficiently with droughts and water scarcity events? This paper sheds light on this question by reviewing the evolution of European drought management planning policy, recently developed scientific and technical advances, technical guidance documents, and an extensive number of journal papers. More specifically, Spain presents an ideal context to assess how drought risk has been historically addressed because this country has periodically suffered the impacts of intense droughts and water scarcity episodes, and has developed a long track record in water legislation, hydrological planning, and drought risk management strategies. The most recent Drought Management Plans (DMPs) were approved in December 2018. These include an innovative common diagnosis system that distinguishes droughts and water scarcity situations in terms of indicators, triggers, phases, and actions. We can conclude that DMP should be a live and active document able to integrate updated knowledge. The DMP needs also to set out a clear strategy in terms of water use priorities, drought monitoring systems, and measures in each river basin in order to avoid generalist approaches and possible misinterpretation of the DMP that could lead to increase existing and future conflicts.
Effects of Human Factors and Lean Techniques on Just in Time Benefits
Authors: García-Alcaraz Jorge Luis , Realyvasquez-Vargas Arturo , García-Alcaraz Pedro , Pérez de la Parte Mercedes , Blanco Fernández Julio , Jiménez Macias Emilio
Published: March 2019

A successful Just in Time (JIT) implementation is based on human resources integration (managers, operators and suppliers) and other lean manufacturing techniques applied in the production process. However, the relationship between these variables is not easily quantified. This paper reports a structural equation model that integrates variables associated with JIT implementation: management commitment, human resources integration, suppliers and production tools and technique, which affect the benefits gained, and are integrated into nine hypotheses or relationships among then. The model is evaluated with information from 352 responses to a questionnaire applied to manufacturing industry, and partial least squares technique is used to evaluate it. The direct effects, sum of indirect effects, and total effects are quantified, and a sensitivity analysis based on conditional probabilities is reported to know scenarios associated with low and high levels in variables’ execution and how they impact the benefits obtained. Findings indicate that managerial commitment is the most important variable in the JIT implementation process, since managers are the ones that determine the relationships with suppliers, integrate human resources, and approve the lean manufacturing techniques and tools that support the JIT.
Changes in Teacher Training within the TPACK Model Framework: A Systematic Review
Authors: Rodríguez Moreno Javier , Agreda Montoro Miriam , Ortiz Colón Ana María
Published: March 2019

The TPACK model represents a high-impact advance in teacher training regarding their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. This research presents an analysis of several publications in international databases that address the matter of the TPACK model. Accordingly, a review of the scientific literature applying the documentation as a systematization method was performed. The present study analyses 37 contributions, published between 2014 and 2017, indexed in the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases, with TPACK and TPCK as the applied descriptors. Thus, the documentary analysis was based on four different criteria: public, topic, main results, and methodological design. Results show that all the reviewed publications are mainly focused on studies of basic and higher education where case studies, quantitative empirical studies, and mixed studies are predominant. Consequently, regarding the studies analyzed, there is a lack of longitudinal studies showing the teachers’ actions when applying TPACK in their daily practice.
Development of Macro-Level Safety Performance Functions in the City of Naples
Authors: Montella Alfonso , Marzano Vittorio , Mauriello Filomena , Vitillo Roberta , Fasanelli Roberto , Pernetti Mariano , Galante Francesco
Published: March 2019

This paper presents macro-level safety performance functions and aims to provide empirical tools for planners and engineers to conduct proactive analyses, promote more sustainable development patterns, and reduce road crashes. In the past decade, several studies have been conducted for crash modeling at a macro-level, yet in Italy, macro-level safety performance functions have neither been calibrated nor used, until now. Therefore, for Italy to be able to fully benefit from applying these models, it is necessary to calibrate the models to local conditions. Generalized linear modelling techniques were used to fit the models, and a negative binomial distribution error structure was assumed. The study used a sample of 15,254 crashes which occurred in the period of 2009–2011 in Naples, Italy. Four traffic analysis zones (TAZ) levels were used, as one of the aims of this paper is to check the extent to which these zoning levels help in addressing the issue. The models were developed by the stepwise forward procedure using explanatory Socio-Demographic (S-D), Transportation Demand Management (TDM), and Exposure variables. The most significant variables were: children and young people placed in re-education projects, population, population aged 65 and above, population aged 25 to 44, male population, total vehicle kilometers traveled, average congestion level, average speed, number of trips originating in the TAZ, number of trips ending in the TAZ, number of total trips and, number of bus stops served per hour. An important result of the study is that children and young people placed in re-education projects negatively affects the frequency of crashes, i.e., it has a positive safety effect. This demonstrates the effectiveness of education projects, especially on children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
An Integrated Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model Based on Prospect Theory for Green Supplier Selection under Uncertain Environment: A Case Study of the Thailand Palm Oil Products Industry
Authors: Phochanikorn Patchara , Tan Chunqiao
Published: March 2019

Environmental concerns have globally driven the encouragement of green supply chain management. Accordingly, business and industrial organizations try to seek green supply chain strategies to respond to market pressure regarding corporate social responsibility. Green supplier selection is one of the practical strategies for modern enterprises. With the large-scale development of the palm oil products industry, green supplier selection technique is the key for decision making when dealing with mass information and possible risks of biased data. For instance, the preference of decision makers possibly causes a misleading decision, thus leading to unnecessary waste of resources. Therefore, the contribution of this paper is to apply the integrated multi-criteria decision method using the ‘fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory’ (fuzzy DEMATEL) method to consider the cause and effect relationship and then using fuzzy analytic network process (fuzzy ANP) to assign the weight of each relevant criteria. The initial results are useful for strategic procurement planning. In the final step, we adopt the prospect theory to synthesize procurement’s psychological and behavioral factors when selecting green suppliers. The final result refers to the comprehensive prospect value to rank the eligible suppliers into orders. Moreover, the results of both sensitivity analysis and comparison method confirm that the proposed model is adequately realistic and robust.
How Consistent Contributors Inspire Individuals to Cooperate: The Role of Moral Elevation and Social Value Orientation
Authors: Zhang Qionghan , Chen Yingyuan , Tao Yuan , Farid Tahir , Ma Jianhong
Published: March 2019

Achieving cooperation to address social dilemmas has long been a global problem. This study examined, using an environment-focused step-level public-goods-dilemma game, the effect a consistent contributor (CC) has on group cooperation, as well as the mediating role moral elevation and the moderating role social value orientation (SVO) play in this process. A total of 196 students were recruited and classified as “pro-selfs” or “pro-socials” based on their SVOs; individuals with the same SVO characterization were randomly allocated to groups of four, and then randomly assigned to the CC condition or the control condition to play 15 rounds of public-goods-dilemma games. In the CC condition, additional computer-controlled players represented the CCs. The results showed that the CC groups cooperated and earned more than the control groups did. Multi-level mediation analysis confirmed that moral elevation partially mediates the CC effect. Although the CCs had a direct impact on both pro-socials and pro-selfs, multi-level moderated-mediation analysis demonstrated that CCs influenced pro-socials directly, but affected pro-selfs’ decision-making indirectly, through moral elevation. This study contributes to a better understanding of sustainability of cooperation in social dilemmas by showing that consistent cooperative behaviors are contagious, and that their effects differ based on an individuals’ SVO.
Assessing the Carbon Emission Driven by the Consumption of Carbohydrate-Rich Foods: The Case of China
Authors: Yang Xiaoke , Zhang Zhihang , Chen Huangyixin , Zhao Rongrong , Xu Zhongyue , Xie Anguo , Chen Qiuhua
Published: March 2019

Background: Carbohydrate-rich (CR) foods are essential parts of the Chinese diet. However, CR foods are often given less attention than animal-based foods. The objectives of this study were to analyze the carbon emissions caused by CR foods and to generate sustainable diets with low climate impact and adequate nutrients. Methods: Twelve common CR food consumption records from 4857 individuals were analyzed using K-means clustering algorithms. Furthermore, linear programming was used to generate optimized diets. Results: Total carbon emissions by CR foods was 683.38g CO2eq per day per capita, accounting for an annual total of 341.9Mt CO2eq. All individuals were ultimately divided into eight clusters, and none of the popular clusters were low carbon or nutrient sufficient. Optimized diets could reduce about 40% of carbon emissions compared to the average current diet. However, significant structural differences exist between the current diet and optimized diets. Conclusions: To reduce carbon emissions from the food chain, CR foods should be a research focus. Current Chinese diets need a big change to achieve positive environmental and health goals. The reduction of rice and wheat-based foods and an increase of bean foods were the focus of structural dietary change in CR food consumption.
A Bibliometric Analysis of International Competitiveness (1983–2017)
Authors: Capobianco-Uriarte María de las Mercedes , Casado-Belmonte María del Pilar , Marín-Carrillo Gema María , Terán-Yépez Eduardo
Published: March 2019

The objective of this paper is to determine the current state of scientific production regarding “competitiveness” in the international context through a bibliometric analysis. This study presents a review of 2293 documents published about competitiveness in the international context from the Scopus database (1983–2017). Two different processing software applications were used, Vosviewer and Scimat. Although very recent bibliometric analyses of the topic exist, the methodology applied in the search term is restricted due to the separate use of a single search combination “national competitiveness” or “international competitiveness”. For this work, three combinations of words with logical operators were used, TITLE-ABS-KEY (“international competitiveness”) OR (“national competitiveness”) OR (“export competitiveness”), thus managing to span the concept of competitiveness in the international context in a broader sense. Our results show that competitive research is in a period of high production. The most productive authors and journals are not the most cited on competitiveness. Only three countries stand out with the largest scientific production about this topic. The trend of the most recent research points to knowledge areas in environmental sciences. The most researched geographical areas in international competitiveness encompass the whole world and especially Southeast Asia.
Disgusting or Innovative-Consumer Willingness to Pay for Insect Based Burger Patties in Germany
Authors: Kornher Lukas , Schellhorn Martin , Vetter Saskia
Published: March 2019

Insects represent an excellent source of food due to their density in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, while their production is associated with lower emissions of greenhouse gases and resource use as compared to other conventional protein sources. In most Western countries, the human consumption of insects is very low and often perceived as culturally inappropriate. In this study, we analyzed the preferences of German consumers for insect-based products to intensify the knowledge about specific consumer segments that are willing to adopt insects into their diet. For this purpose, an online based choice experiment was conducted in 2016, in which respondents chose between an ordinary burger and a burger with a beef burger patty fortified with insect flour. We detect three homogeneous consumer segments in our sample. The largest group of respondents is willing to consume insect-fortified burgers with only a small price discount, while the other respondents had a prohibitively low willingness-to-pay. The readiness of consumers to adopt insects into their diet is strongly related to attitudinal variables, such as preferences for an environmental friendly production method and health aspects. On the other hand, disgust and the aversion towards insects seem to be the main reasons to abstain from eating insects.
Modelling Sustainable Urban Transport Performance in the Jakarta city Region: A GIS Approach
Authors: Nadi Puji Adiatna , Murad AbdulKader
Published: March 2019

Measuring performance of Sustainable Urban Transport is an important effort to face the challenges of future trends. This study used Geographic Information System (GIS) application for modelling the performance of Sustainable Urban Transport (SUT) in the Jakarta city Region (JCR). The GIS applications include identifying the existing performance of SUT in Jakarta city, exploring the relationships between indicators of SUT, and producing a prediction model of SUT. Research methods used in this study were GIS techniques with geo-reference, classifications, polygon to raster, re-classifications, sum-weighted, ordinary least square (OLS), exploratory regression, and geographic weighted regression (GWR). The results revealed that the SUT model have more capability in measuring the performance of SUTs spatially and simply. This model is to visualize the effect of the indicator on the SUT performance and its influence, respectively. The results of this study also discovered that the JCR’s Sustainable Urban Transport Performance was in medium level. The outputs of this modelling were useful for evaluating the level of SUT performances in the city based on districts area. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the SUT performance of the JCR, also highlights some important challenges faced in the future of SUT program development.
Waste Heat and Water Recovery System Optimization for Flue Gas in Thermal Power Plants
Authors: Shamsi Syed Safeer Mehdi , Negash Assmelash A. , Cho Gyu Baek , Kim Young Min
Published: March 2019

Fossil-fueled power plants present a problem of significant water consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and environmental pollution. Several techniques have been developed to utilize flue gas, which can help solve these problems. Among these, the ones focusing on energy extraction beyond the dew point of the moisture present within the flue gas are quite attractive. In this study, a novel waste heat and water recovery system (WHWRS) composed of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and cooling cycles using singular working fluid accompanied by phase change was proposed and optimized for maximum power output. Furthermore, WHWRS configurations were analyzed for fixed water yield and fixed ambient temperature, covering possible trade-off scenarios between power loss and the number of stages as per desired yields of water recovery at ambient temperatures in a practical range. For a 600 MW power plant with 16% water vapor volume in flue gas at 150 °C, the WHWRS can produce 4–6 MWe while recovering 50% water by cooling the flue gas to 40 °C at an ambient temperature of 20 °C. Pragmatic results and design flexibility, while utilizing single working fluid, makes this proposed system a desirable candidate for practical application.
Water Security Assessment of the Grand River Watershed in Southwestern Ontario, Canada
Authors: Kaur Baljeet , Shrestha Narayan Kumar , Daggupati Prasad , Rudra Ramesh Pal , Goel Pradeep Kumar , Shukla Rituraj , Allataifeh Nabil
Published: March 2019

Water security is the capability of a community to have adequate access to good quality and a sufficient quantity of water as well as safeguard resources for the future generations. Understanding the spatial and temporal variabilities of water security can play a pivotal role in sustainable management of fresh water resources. In this study, a long-term water security analysis of the Grand River watershed (GRW), Ontario, Canada, was carried out using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). Analyses on blue and green water availability and water security were carried out by dividing the GRW into eight drainage zones. As such, both anthropogenic as well as environmental demand were considered. In particular, while calculating blue water scarcity, three different methods were used in determining the environmental flow requirement, namely, the presumptive standards method, the modified low stream-flow method, and the variable monthly flow method. Model results showed that the SWAT model could simulate streamflow dynamics of the GRW with ‘good’ to ‘very good’ accuracy with an average Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency of 0.75, R2 value of 0.78, and percentage of bias (PBIAS) of 8.23%. Sen’s slope calculated using data from over 60 years confirmed that the blue water flow, green water flow, and storage had increasing trends. The presumptive standards method and the modified low stream-flow method, respectively, were found to be the most and least restrictive method in calculating environmental flow requirements. While both green (0.4–1.1) and blue (0.25–2.0) water scarcity values showed marked temporal and spatial variabilities, blue water scarcity was found to be the highest in urban areas on account of higher water usage and less blue water availability. Similarly, green water scarcity was found to be highest in zones with higher temperatures and intensive agricultural practices. We believe that knowledge of the green and blue water security situation would be helpful in sustainable water resources management of the GRW and help to identify hotspots that need immediate attention.
M-Government Cooperation for Sustainable Development in China: A Transaction Cost and Resource-Based View
Authors: Li Xuesong , Ding Yunlong , Li Yuxuan
Published: March 2019

Mobile government (m-Government) is highly valued by many countries and governments worldwide for its important technical, economic, and political benefits. A development trend worthy of attention in China is that various public mobile services are provided through the cooperation between governments and Internet enterprises. The m-Government cooperation, as component of the public service system, has both a benefit safeguard function by mitigating transaction hazards and a value creation function by sharing advantageous resources. Previous studies have not explained both functions for m-Government cooperation. This study addresses this research gap. We establish a theoretical model by developing hypotheses from integrating model of Transaction Costs Theory (TCT) and Resource-based Theory (RBT). The OLS and Poisson regression method are used to test the proposed model by using cross-sectional data collected from 284 cities in China. Results show that strategy alliance, technology-specific knowhow, and financial security positively influence m-Government cooperation, asset specificity negatively influences the m-Government cooperation, and environmental certainty has no significant impact on m-Government cooperation. From the perspectives of technology, policy, and culture, the article puts forward suggestions on how to better promote m-Government cooperation in China, including promoting the government’s digital capabilities, improving the citizen’ privacy protection system and cultivating a public-private cooperative culture of mutual trust.