bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Waveform Design Using Frequency-Modulated Pulse Trains for Active Sonar
Authors: Guan Chengyu , Zhou Zemin , Zeng Xinwu
Published: September 2019

Frequency-modulated pulse trains can be applied in active sonar systems to improve the performance of conventional transmitted waveforms. Recently, two pulse trains have been widely researched as the transmitted waveforms for active sonars. The LFM-Costas pulse train was formed by modulating the linear frequency-modulated (LFM) waveform via the Costas sequence to remove the Doppler ambiguity of LFM pulses. The generalized sinusoidal frequency-modulated (GSFM) waveform, another frequency-modulated pulse train, achieved an ideal ambiguity function shape with thumbtack mainlobe. In this paper, we focus on constructing an optimization model to optimize the LFM-Costas and GSFM pulse trains with the genetic algorithm. The pulse trains can be improved on properties of both ambiguity function and correlations between sub-pulses. The optimized pulse trains are proven to have better detection performance than those of the initial pulse trains, including the lower sidelobe levels of ambiguity function, as well as lower cross-correlation property. Moreover, it is affirmed that the reverberation suppression performance of pulse trains has also been improved through the optimization model.
Research Series Review for Transdisciplinarity Assessment—Validation with Sustainable Consumption and Production Research
Authors: Sakao Tomohiko
Published: September 2019

In light of the escalating challenges for the sustainability of our societies, the need for improving the research of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) aiming to make real changes on the societies towards sustainability is evident. Transdisciplinary (TD) research is a promising way to enhance SCP research; however, insights to operationalize the concept of TD research are needed for both funders and researchers. Therefore, this article proposes an innovative way to capture and analyse a research series for transdisciplinarity assessment in qualitative and quantitative terms. This new way is termed research series review (RSR). This article adopted literature analysis and partly reflexive retrospective reasoning. In particular, citation content analysis was carried out in relation to two research series selected as the cases. The results show that RSR has advantages such as clearer traceability with cause-and-effect relationships. Furthermore, a successful SCP research series is hypothesised to form an iterative process between practical and theoretical fields as well as finding opportunities and proposing solutions.
A Systemic-Relational Ethical Framework for Aquatic Ecosystem Health Research and Management in Social–Ecological Systems
Authors: Odume Oghenekaro Nelson , de Wet Chris
Published: September 2019

This paper argues that if the goal of slowing global ecological degradation, and of sustained improvement in aquatic ecosystem health is to be achieved, then a departure is required from the traditional, discipline-focused approach to aquatic ecosystem health research and management. It argues that a shift needs to be made towards systemic, integrative, and holistic approaches, drawing on diverse disciplines, with values and ethics as fundamental to such approaches. The paper proposes the systemic-relational (SR) ethical framework to aquatic ecosystem health research and management as an essential contribution to addressing the potential intractability of the continuing deterioration of aquatic ecosystem health. The framework recognises the centrality of values in aquatic ecosystem health management, and the role of ethics in negotiating, and constructively balancing, conflicting values to realise healthy ecosystems in social–ecological systems (SES). The implications of the framework in terms of the research-practice interface, decision making, policy formulation, and communication are discussed.
(Re)storying Sustainability: The Use of Story Cubes in Narrative Inquiries to Understand Individual Perceptions of Sustainability
Authors: Weder Franzisca , Lemke Stella , Tungarat Amornpan
Published: September 2019

Narratives represent storied ways of knowing and communicating. Therefore, storytelling, framing and narrative analyses have always been a key feature in media and communication research. In this paper, an innovative approach to narrative inquiries is introduced to capture reflections on individual experiences of sustainability over time. Storytelling is perceived as an act of problematization and, at the same time, as method of analysis. Using Rory’s Story Cubes® (dices with pictograms), we stimulated 35 interviewees from various cultural backgrounds (Asian, European, Anglo-American) to story life events that they relate to sustainability and put it into order and meaning. Our analysis and evaluation of the interviews focused on the story as a whole, which was then linked to the individual biographical background to understand motives and the moral frame(work) for problematizing (un)sustainable behavior. In particular, we focus on problematization as core process of storytelling and complement existing approaches coming from actor-network theory and Foucault’s discourse analysis with Entman’s concept of framing. In this paper, this innovative form of a narrative inquiry is put up for discussion for environmental communication research in order to create a better understanding of individual perceptions of sustainability and sustainability related issues.
From the Host to the Home Country, the International Upgradation of EMNEs in Sustainability Industries—The Case of a Chinese PV Company
Authors: Jin Jun , Zhang Zhengyi , Wang Liying
Published: September 2019

With the internationalization of firms from emerging-markets, the upgradation along the global value chain of emerging-market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) has attracted the attention of academics and industries. However, the role of upgradation of EMNEs in a host country to the transition of EMNEs in the home country is ignored. This study explored how EMNEs from emerging-markets could upgrade their operations in their home countries driven by the transformation of subsidiaries in host countries. An in-depth analysis of Company S was conducted to elaborate on the resources and trigger time a firm needs to transform the function of a subsidiary in the host country, and the upgradation of the firm in the home country during the internationalization process. Research on the internationalization of Company S suggested that with the complementary capabilities and markets as the fundamental basic resources, the industrial crisis triggers the firm’s upgrading in the host country. In addition, the intrafirm (internal) market mechanism makes it possible to sustain the upgrading process without conflicts between subsidiaries. Moreover, synergies will develop through interactions with subsidiaries, owing to complementary capabilities and the internal market. The synergetic development promotes the transition of firms in the home country and emphasizes the complementarity of the manufacturing and engineering service. Finally, this study demonstrates the two-stage international upgrading process, in which the international upgrading of firms in the home country is driven by the development and transition of the subsidiary in the host country, which provides contributions to the internationalization upgrading strategy and process of firms from emerging-markets.
Higher Effectiveness of New Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Germplasm Acquisition by Collecting Expeditions Associated with Molecular Analyses
Authors: Šajgalík Michal , Ondreičková Katarína , Hauptvogel Pavol , Mihálik Daniel , Glasa Miroslav , Kraic Ján
Published: September 2019

A remarkable portion of crop genetic diversity is represented by landraces and obsolete cultivars, that have not yet been integrated into the collections of genetic resources in genebanks. Fortunately, they are still maintained by small farmers in rural areas. Their acquisition is an important goal for collecting expeditions, followed by the evaluation of their genetic background. Molecular markers are powerful tools to evaluate the effectiveness of acquisition of new genetic variants. This approach was used for common bean landraces, that were collected through expeditions in the Slovak and Ukrainian Carpathians. In this study, microsatellite markers, developed from expressed sequence tags, were used for genotyping the collected materials. The sub-population of collected landraces contained higher total and average number of different alleles in comparison to equally large sub-populations of already-maintained cultivars. The same was true for the Shannon’s information index, observed heterozygosity, and expected heterozygosity. Both sub-populations showed the presence of private alleles: Average values of 0.500 and 0.833 private alleles per genotype were detected in landraces, and cultivars, respectively. Obtained results emphasized the importance of collecting expeditions to specific regions where landraces are cultivated, even at the present time. The effectiveness of the acquisition of new genetic variability can be determined by molecular tools, as confirmed by microsatellite markers in this study.
Investigate the Conduction Path of Stakeholder Conflict of Urban Regeneration Sustainability in China: the Application of Social-Based Solutions
Authors: Wang Yiming , Xiang Pengcheng
Published: September 2019

Urban regeneration, as an important way to enhance urban sustainable development capacity, is advancing at a high speed in China. However, urban regeneration involves various stakeholders, and there are frequent conflicts between these stakeholders due to the vast differences in their interests. When conflicts among stakeholders are not effectively controlled, they can have serious negative social and economic impacts, such as increased pressure on the government to maintain stability, increased costs to developers and reduced willingness of property owners to participate. These are all critical factor affecting the sustainability of urban regeneration. Therefore, this paper explored the mechanism underlying stakeholder conflict conduction in urban regeneration. Next, a literature review and case study were conducted to identify key conflict factors. Then, the factors of stakeholder conflict were assessed using questionnaire survey. Finally, the structural equation model (SEM) was used to analyze the pathways of stakeholder conflict conduction in urban regeneration; and 35 conflict conduction paths were found. Based on Pareto’s Law, 7 of the 35 stakeholder conflict paths were identified as critical paths with coefficients between 0.245–0.364. Empirical results revealed that different types of conflict factors have different impacts on stakeholder conflict conduction, among which interest distribution and stakeholder coordination were the critical factors to be considered. The findings provide alternatives Social-Based Solutions (SBS) for resolving stakeholder conflicts and provide practical guidance for integrating stakeholders, which is important to ensuring the sustainability of urban regeneration.
A Critical Review of Policies on Pedestrian Safety and a Case Study of New Zealand
Authors: Soathong Ajjima , Wilson Douglas , Ranjitkar Prakash , Chowdhury Subeh
Published: September 2019

Vulnerable road users contribute to nearly half of road deaths globally. In New Zealand, this group accounts for 26% of road deaths, which includes 8% of pedestrian crashes. This paper provides a critical review of the road safety policies from the pedestrian’s viewpoint for some of the best performing countries and discusses their effectiveness for the future. A case study is conducted for New Zealand to identify factors contributing to the pedestrian crashes and investigate the impact of the road safety policies on pedestrian crash trends. The policies are predominantly well informed by evidence-based approaches contributing to an overall reduction in the number of road crashes. However, little attention has been paid on pedestrian behaviour related to crashes. Finally, the paper makes recommendations for improving pedestrian safety to enable better safety outcomes that are closer to vision zero.
Forest Management and Climate Change Mitigation: A Review on Carbon Cycle Flow Models for the Sustainability of Resources
Authors: Nunes Leonel J.R. , Meireles Catarina I.R. , Pinto Gomes Carlos J. , Almeida Ribeiro Nuno M.C.
Published: September 2019

With climate change being a certainty, which today is probably the biggest challenge humanity is facing, and also accepting that greenhouse gas emissions are the main cause accelerating climate change, there is an urgent need to find solutions that lead to the mitigation of the already intense, and in some cases, even violent, effects. Forests can most easily work as carbon sinks. However, it is convenient to analyze the residence time of this carbon in forests, as this residence time will depend on the type of forest management used. This paper aims to analyze forest management models from a perspective of carbon residence time in forests, dividing the models into three types: carbon conservation, carbon storage, and carbon substitution. Carbon conservation models are those models in which the amounts of carbon stored only replace the carbon released, mainly by the industrial use of raw materials. Carbon storage models are models that foster the growth of forest areas to ensure that the amount of carbon stored grows, and where the ratio clearly leans towards sequestration and storage. Carbon substitution models are models that move towards the substitution of fossil carbon by renewable carbon, thus contributing to the creation of a neutral flow.
Impacts of U.S. Carbon Tariffs on China’s Foreign Trade and Social Welfare
Authors: Zhang Wenwen , Xu Shichun , He Zhengxia , Sharp Basil , Zhao Bin , Wang Shuxiao
Published: September 2019

A recursive multisector dynamic computable general equilibrium (DCGE) model simulates the economic impacts of carbon tariffs, as proposed by the USA, ranging from $40/t to $60/t CO2. We examine a carbon tax and export subsidy as response policies to the U.S. carbon tariff, respectively. The dynamic model shows the possible impacts of these policies on China’s economic structure, carbon emissions, and social welfare from 2020 to 2030. Simulations show that a carbon tariff changes the structure of China’s exports and promotes trade diversion from the USA to other countries and regions. A domestic carbon tax and subsidy policy can dampen the adverse impacts of carbon tariffs on trade. A carbon tax shows an effective impact on increasing clean energy use, decreasing the carbon intensity of output, and reducing carbon emissions. A subsidy on exports to the USA reduces the adverse impact of a carbon tariff on China’s social welfare in the short term.
Sustainability in Lifelong Learning: Learners’ Perceptions from a Turkish Distance Language Education Context
Authors: İlin Gülden
Published: September 2019

This descriptive study, which adopts a mixed-methods approach, investigates whether the language learning component of the distance education program at a vocational school of higher education contributes to the students’ lifelong learning propensities, 21st-century skills and sustainability of their language education. A questionnaire eliciting answers from four standpoints were administered to students receiving English language instruction in the program. As for the qualitative side of the study, group interviews were held with volunteers. The quantitative data were analyzed by a statistical program while the interview data were subjected to content analysis. The findings reveal that although the students have a positive attitude toward language learning in a distance education program, they frequently refer to the need for the presence of a teacher for a variety of reasons. On the other hand, it appears that the requirements of the language component of the program contributed to the students’ plans for sustainability of their education after graduation. The results further indicate a need for more interaction and collaboration to be incorporated in the activities and that the philosophy underpinning the program, curriculum and materials need to be reconsidered to equip the students to compete with the dynamics of the educational world.
Roadmap for Valuing Soil Ecosystem Services to Inform Multi-Level Decision-Making in Agriculture
Authors: Brady Mark V. , Hristov Jordan , Wilhelmsson Fredrik , Hedlund Katarina
Published: September 2019

Agricultural soils contribute to human welfare through their generation of manifold ecosystem services such as food security, water quality and climate regulation, but these are degraded by common farming practices. We have developed a roadmap for evaluating the contribution of both private- and public-good ecosystem services generated by agricultural soils to societal welfare. The approach considers the needs of decision-makers at different levels, from farmers to policy-makers. This we achieve through combining production functions—to quantify the impacts of alternative management practices on agricultural productivity and soil ecosystem services—with non-market valuation of changes in public-good ecosystem services and benefit–cost analysis. The results show that the net present value to society of implementing soil-friendly measures are substantial, but negative for farmers in our study region. Although we apply our roadmap to an intensive farming region in Sweden, we believe our results have broad applicability, because farmers do not usually account for the value of public-good ecosystem services. We therefore conclude that market outcomes are not likely to be generating optimal levels of soil ecosystem services from society’s perspective. Innovative governance institutions are needed to resolve this market failure to safeguard the welfare of future generations.
Interaction Analysis and Sustainable Development Strategy between Port and City: The Case of Liaoning
Authors: Liu Jiaguo , Zhou Jinxia , Liu Fan , Yue Xiaohang , Kong Yudan , Wang Xiaoye
Published: September 2019

Although port-city interaction and sustainability are becoming increasingly essential, prospering regional economy and facilitating international shipping trade, problems of their mismatch and incoordination have also been aroused. Thus, research on their relationship is necessary to generate profound enlightenment on how to achieve healthy and benign development for ports and cities. In this paper, a typical Chinese port-city group, six ports and their corresponding port cities in Liaoning are selected as research objects. Firstly, a grey relative relational model and a coupling coordination degree model based on entropy weight method are applied to analyse the port-city interactive trend and degree as well as exploring the relative impacts among internal factors in port and city subsystems. Then, a sustainability analysis box of correlation–coordination is constructed to further investigate the sustainable development status. Finally, strategies for the port-city sustainable development are proposed. The results indicate the six port-city systems have not strongly correlated and are in the stage of coordinated development. Only Dalian and Yingkou have realized sustainable development. Thus, there is still much room for improvement. Measures such as resources integration and dislocation development should be taken into account to optimize the sustainable and coordinated development of the port-city systems.
Eco-Efficiency Assessment of Intensive Rice Production in Japan: Joint Application of Life Cycle Assessment and Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Masuda Kiyotaka
Published: September 2019

To promote sustainable agriculture worldwide, it is important to understand what constitutes eco-efficiency for rice, a staple food in many countries. This study examined whether expanding the scale of rice farming contributed to the improved eco-efficiency of intensive rice production in Japan. Both life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) were used to measure comprehensively the eco-efficiency of rice production. A DEA window analysis technique with two DEA inputs (global warming and eutrophication from the LCA results) and one DEA output (weight-based rice yield) was applied to the statistical data for 2005–2011 categorized by the size of rice farms. The results indicate that expanding the size of rice farms is an effective way of improving the eco-efficiency of intensive rice production in Japan. The important factors for improving eco-efficiency are the implementation of economies of scale, reduced outsourcing of farm work, and savings in chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Expansion of the size of rice farms through the recent abolition of the rice production adjustment program will also contribute to improving the eco-efficiency of Japanese rice production.
Understanding Consumers’ Loyalty to an Online Outshopping Platform: The Role of Social Capital and Perceived Value
Authors: Luo Yumei , Ye Qiongwei
Published: September 2019

We draw upon the social capital theory in order to discuss how three dimensions of social capital affect consumer value and loyalty to online outshopping platforms. After considering the characteristics of consumers, we propose that the structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions of social capital promote consumers’ perceptions of utilitarian and idea shopping value, and that those perceived values increase loyalty to online outshopping platforms. The survey data of 291 Chinese consumers with online outshopping platform experience are used to test the model. The results show that different dimensions of consumers’ social capital influence their loyalty through different values. Utilitarian value mediates the effects of structural capital and cognitive capital on loyalty, whereas hedonic value (ideal shopping value) mediates the effects of structural and relational capital on loyalty.
Drivers for Pursuing Sustainability through IoT Technology within High-End Hotels—An Exploratory Study
Authors: Eskerod Pernille , Hollensen Svend , Morales-Contreras Manuel Francisco , Arteaga-Ortiz Jesús
Published: September 2019

A growing hotel sector makes a significant environmental footprint. Due to a contemporary focus on climate change and high competition within tourism, enhancing sustainability through energy savings is a priority for many hotels. Through technological innovations, Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology provides the opportunity to integrate more systems (e.g., heating, air-conditioning, window-openings) on a platform (also known as smart management), making it easy for a hotel guest to operate room conditions through a single device while also optimizing hotel operations. A research gap on the likelihood of adopting IoT technology to pursue sustainability in the hotel sector exists. Based on explorative case studies of five high-end hotels, this paper offers propositions on drivers for hotels’ use of IoT to deliver on their sustainability goals. This study suggests that a hotel is more inclined to implement IoT if (1) the hotel is focused on energy savings, e.g., due to green certificates; (2) it belongs to an international hotel group; (3) decision makers perceive sustainability to be important for their customers; (4) the target group is more B2B (business) than B2C (leisure); (5) the hotel a five star one; and (6) the hotel guests come from Northern Europe or North America.
Low Carbon Scheduling Optimization of Flexible Integrated Energy System Considering CVaR and Energy Efficiency
Authors: Liu Hang , Nie Shilin
Published: September 2019

With the rapid transformation of energy structures, the Integrated Energy System (IES) has developed rapidly. It can meet the complementary needs of various energy sources such as cold, thermal, and electricity in industrial parks; can realize multi-energy complements and centralized energy supplies; and can further improve the use efficiency of energy. However, with the extensive access of renewable energy, the uncertainty and intermittentness of renewable energy power generation will greatly reduce the use efficiency of renewable energy and the supply flexibility of IES so as to increase the operational risk of the system operator. With the goal of minimum sum of the system-operating cost and the carbon-emission penalty cost, this paper analyzes the combined supply of cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) influence on system efficiency, compared with the traditional IES. The flexible modified IES realizes the decoupling of cooling, thermal, and electricity; enhances the flexibility of the IES in a variety of energy supply; at the same time, improves the use efficiency of multi-energy; and reasonably avoids the occurrence of energy loss and resource waste. With the aim of reducing the risk that the access of renewable energy may bring to the IES, this paper introduces the fuzzy c-mean-clustering comprehensive quality (FCM-CCQ) algorithm, which is a novel method superior to the general clustering method and performs cluster analysis on the output scenarios of wind power and photovoltaic. Meanwhile, conditional value at risk (CVaR) theory is added to control the system operation risk, which is rarely applied in the field of IES optimization. The model is simulated in a numerical example, and the results demonstrate that the availability and applicability of the presented model are verified. In addition, the carbon dioxide emission of the traditional operation mode; thermoelectric decoupling operation mode; and cooling, thermal, and electricity decoupling operation mode of the IES decrease successively. The system flexibility is greatly enhanced, and the energy-use rate of the system is improved as a whole. Finally, IES, after its flexible transformation, significantly achieve energy conservation, emission reduction, and environmental protection.
Scenario Analysis on Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions Reduction Potential in Building Heating Sector at Community Level
Authors: Tian Chuan , Feng Guohui , Li Shuai , Xu Fuqiang
Published: September 2019

Energy consumption and carbon emissions of building heating are increasing rapidly. Taking Liaobin coastal economic zone as an example, two scenarios are built to analyze the potential of energy consumption and CO2 emissions reduction from the aspects of laws, regulations, policies and planning. The baseline scenario refers to the traditional way of energy planning and the community energy planning scenario seeks to apply community energy planning within the zone. Energy consumption and CO2 emission are forecast in two scenarios with the driving factors including GDP growth, changes in population size, energy structure adjustment, energy technology progress, and increase of energy efficiency. To improve accuracy of future GDP and population data prediction, an ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model) (1,1,1) model is introduced into GDP prediction and a logistics model is introduced into population prediction. Results show that compared with the baseline scenario, energy consumption levels in the community energy planning scenario are reduced by 140% and CO2 emission levels are reduced by 45%; the short-term and long-term driving factors are analyzed. Policy implications are given for energy conservation and environmental protection.
Residents’ Willingness to Participate in Green Infrastructure: Spatial Differences and Influence Factors in Shanghai, China
Authors: Yu Yang , Xu Hui , Wang Xiaohan , Wen Jiahong , Du Shiqiang , Zhang Min , Ke Qian
Published: September 2019

Green infrastructure (GI) plays a fundamental role in achieving urban pluvial flood management, mitigating urban heat island effect, and improving living suitability. Residents’ participation is the main driving force of GI implementation. Based on semi-structured interviews, GIS spatial analysis, and multiple regression, we investigated residents’ willingness to participate in the implementation of GI in public and private space and identified the influence factors in Shanghai, China. The results show that, compared with private space, residents prefer to implement GI in public space, where they have different preferences of GI measures. On urban scale, residents’ willingness to participate in the implementation of GI in private space is characterized as “high in the inner city, low in the suburban areas”, while the spatial difference is insignificant for public space. In addition, the factors affecting residents’ willingness to participate in the implementation of GI are different in private and public space. The deterministic factors of GI participation are gender, education level, and floor for private space, while only include building age for public space, in addition to the common factors of free time, cognition of GI, perception of pluvial flood risk, supportive factors, and environment-improving factors that can influence both private and public space GI participation. Our analysis therefore provides valuable information for policymakers concerning nature-based solutions to climate change adaptation and urban sustainability.
Sports Industry Agglomeration and Green Economic Growth—Empirical Research Based on Panel Data of 30 Provinces and Cities in China
Authors: Xu Jinfu , Yang Ruoyu
Published: September 2019

Based on the panel data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2008 to 2017, this paper empirically analyzes the current situation of the development of China’s sports industry and the impact of the concentration of sports industry on green economic growth by using the exploratory spatial data analysis method (ESDA), static panel model and dynamic panel model. The empirical results show that the sports industry in the southeast coastal provinces of China has a good foundation for concentration. The sports industry concentration in the provinces along the Yangtze River Economic Belt is in the stage of rapid development. The development of sports industry concentration has obvious positive spatial aggregation characteristics, and the spatial spillover effect is obvious; The concentration of sports industry has a significant influence on green economic growth, which expresses the “inverted U-type” relationship. There are significant differences in influence between regions, which show the greatest influence in the middle, followed by the east and the smallest in the west.
Environmental Risk Assessment of Accidental Pollution Incidents in Drinking Water Source Areas: A Case Study of the Hongfeng Lake Watershed, China
Authors: Tian Pei , Wu Huaqing , Yang Tiantian , Zhang Wenjie , Jiang Faliang , Zhang Zhaoyi , Wu Tieniu
Published: September 2019

Accidental pollution incidents have caused a major threat to water safety of drinking water sources. However, few studies have focused on quantitative risk assessment of pollution incidents in a watershed which contains drinking water sources. A coupling model consisting of the Seveso III Directive, SWAT, and MIKE21 models was constructed for risk assessment of sudden pollution incidents at the watershed scale. The potential hazard of risk sources (e.g., industrial enterprises), the vulnerability of risk receptors (e.g., drinking water intakes), and the environmental risk of different sub-regions of the watershed were evaluated by this model. In addition, a case study was applied in Hongfeng Lake watershed (HLW), where the Hongfeng Lake drinking water source is located. The results showed that about 68% of the industrial enterprises in the HLW were potentially hazardous according to the Seveso III Directive, including 5 high hazard enterprises, 13 medium hazard enterprises, and 37 low hazard enterprises, most of which were concentrated in the coal mining, chemical production, and building material industries. The HLW was divided into the Yangchang River watershed (YRW), the Maiweng River watershed (MRW1), the Maxian River watershed (MRW2), the Houliu River watershed (HRW), and the lake area by the hydrological characteristics, among which, the vulnerability index of YRW was the largest. Besides, it was essential to consider the vulnerability assessment of drinking water intakes when conducting an environmental risk assessment in the HLW. Regional environmental risk grade of YRW, MRW1, MRW2, HRW, and the lake area was high, medium, low, low, and none, respectively. The environmental risk assessment results showed good consistency with the pollution characteristics and spatial distribution of industrial enterprises in the HLW. Furthermore, the theory of a three-level prevention system for “risk sources–water body connection–water intakes” was proposed for environmental risk management in the HLW. Overall, the case study in the HLW indicated that the coupling model proposed in this study had a good compatibility for environmental risk assessment of sudden water pollution incidents in a watershed.
Influences of Nitrogen Application Levels on Properties of Humic Acids in Chernozem Amended with Different Types of Organic Materials
Authors: Wang Shuai , Zhang Zhenyu , Yin Xinhua , Wang Nan , Chen Dianyuan
Published: September 2019

The objective of this study was to examine the structure changes in humic acids (HAs) in Chernozem after the application of different types of organic materials (OMs) under an indoor simulation condition for plastic mulched drip irrigation, measured with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The biotechnological extract of fulvic acid (BFA), decomposed sheep manure (M), corn straw pellets (Ps) and corn straw powder (Pr) were used as the four OMs for testing, and they were applied to Chernozem at the same amount of actual material; three nitrogen (N) levels (no N, low N, and high N supply) were applied to each type of (OMs), separately. The total culture period was set to 90 days and soil sampling was taken at 0, 30, 60 and 90 days, respectively. The results showed that different types of OMs exerted different effects on Chernozem based on the FTIR spectra of HAs. The application of M combined with high N supply was the best way to fertilize Chernozem, under which the H-bonded OH groups and aromatic compounds were enhanced, resulting in increased soil carbon (C) sequestration; while the carbohydrates in HAs was easily consumed as microbial energy substance. The HAs from the Chernozem amended with BFA became more aliphatic, simpler and younger. High N supply was beneficial for increasing the complexity of HAs from Chernozem amended with Ps, but was not conducive to soil cation retention. Within a short time of incubation, the application of Pr combined with high N was detrimental to the C sequestration in Chernozem, and inhibited the consumption of carbohydrates by microorganisms.
Exploring Relationships among Organizational Culture, Empowerment, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior in the South Korean Professional Sport Industry
Authors: Jeong Yunduk , Kim Euisoo , Kim Minhong , Zhang James J.
Published: September 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships among organizational culture, empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of professional sports organizations in South Korea. In particular, this study emphasized the mediating effect of empowerment on the relationship between organizational culture and OCB. Research participants were 606 employees affiliated with 42 professional sports teams. The validity and reliability of the involved measures were examined through conducting confirmatory factor, Cronbach’s alpha, and correlation analyses. A structural equation modeling analysis with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to test the relationships among the research variables. The findings revealed that all of the sub-factors of organizational culture (i.e., clan culture, adhocracy culture, and market culture), with the exception of hierarchy culture, were positively influential of perceived empowerment, which was in turn positively influential of OCB. The path coefficients were statistically significant. The findings further revealed that perceived empowerment partially or fully mediated relationships between the sub-factors of organizational culture and OCB. Unlike previous studies, our study focused on studying organizational culture at a specific managerial level, an underdeveloped area of research in sport management. In particular, the findings of this study contribute to sport management practices by uncovering the mediating function of empowerment on the relationship between organizational culture and OCB, indicating the importance of empowering employees when managing professional sports organizations.
Environmental Performance, Customer Satisfaction, and Profitability: A Study among Large U.S. Companies
Authors: De Mendonca Taryn Renatta , Zhou Yan
Published: September 2019

The academic community has been advocating for companies to focus on improving their environmental performance. While companies are increasingly taking environmental action driven mainly by top management commitment, there is interest in understanding whether by contributing to the sustainability of the natural environment companies can gain the satisfaction of their other stakeholders and in a manner that facilitates their competitiveness. With the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling among a sample of large U.S. publicly traded companies, this study investigates the role of customer satisfaction in driving an effect of companies’ environmental performance on their long-term oriented profitability. The results show that customer satisfaction positively affects the long-term oriented profitability of companies. However, customers are generally not satisfied with companies’ environmental performance. An opportunity, therefore, exists for companies to adopt new approaches to their environmental performance that are particularly focused away from reducing the use of environmental resources. An opportunity also exists for guidance to companies on environmental performance measurement metrics that reflect their involvement in the promotion of the sustainability of the natural environment.
Mixed Layer Heat Variations in the South China Sea Observed by Argo Float and Reanalysis Data during 2012–2015
Authors: Liang Zhanlin , Xing Tao , Wang Yinxia , Zeng Lili
Published: September 2019

The atmospheric and oceanic causes of mixed layer heat variations in the South China Sea (SCS) are examined using data from six long-lived Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography (Argo) floats. The mixed layer heat budget along each float trajectory is evaluated based on direct measurements, satellite and reanalysis datasets. Our results suggest that the mixed layer heat balance in the SCS has distinct spatial and seasonal variations. The amplitude of all terms in the mixed layer heat budget equation is significantly larger in the northern SCS than in the southern SCS, especially in winter. In the northern SCS, the mixed layer heat budget is controlled by the local surface heat flux and horizontal advection terms in winter, and the net heat flux term in summer. In the western and southeastern SCS, the mixed layer heat budget is dominated by the net surface heat flux in both winter and summer. Further analysis shows that in the SCS, surface shortwave radiation and geostrophic heat advection are major contributors to net heat flux and horizontal advection, respectively. Unlike the net heat flux and horizontal advection, the vertical entrainment is a sink term in general. The rate of mixed layer deepening is the most important factor in the entrainment rate, and a barrier layer may decrease the temperature difference between the bottom of the mixed layer and the water beneath. Residual analysis suggests that the residual term in the equation is due to the inexact calculation of heat geostrophic advection, other missing terms, and unresolved physical ocean dynamic processes.
The Rediscovery of Brand Experience Dimensions with Big Data Analysis: Building for a Sustainable Brand
Authors: Oh JooSeok , Connerton Timothy Paul , Kim Hyun-Jung
Published: September 2019

The brand experience research of Brakus et al. has provided new momentum in marketing literature with the concept of brand experience and predicting consumer behavior in 2009. Since then, brand experience has emerged as one of the solid academic constructs for branding and marketing scholars and practitioners who pursue this competitive strategy for sustainable growth in corporate management. The authors explore the new dimensions of brand experience with big data analytics for the first time in academic research. We propose a possible sixth dimension (“External”) of brand experience which includes sensory, affective, intellectual, behavioral, and social aspects drawn from previous studies. A new methodology for combining topic modeling and conjoint analysis is tested with big data-based multi-level compositions that overcome the limits of the traditional survey-based analysis. Moreover, the study reveals the decision-making frame which combines conjoint analysis and the dimensions of brand experience for practical implications. The novelty of this data-driven research and results contribute to new approaches in academia from the perspectives of brand experience dimensions, topic modeling, and conjoint analysis methodology development. Building sustainable brands, this study contributes to the ways of reading consumer behavior, evaluating the current status of the market and deciding the stimuli to affect consumer behavior.
Fault Diagnosis System for Induction Motors by CNN Using Empirical Wavelet Transform
Authors: Hsueh Yu-Min , Ittangihal Veeresh Ramesh , Wu Wei-Bin , Chang Hong-Chan , Kuo Cheng-Chien
Published: September 2019

Detecting the faults related to the operating condition of induction motors is a very important task for avoiding system failure. In this paper, a novel methodology is demonstrated to detect the working condition of a three-phase induction motor and classify it as a faulty or healthy motor. The electrical current signal data is collected for five different types of fault and one normal operating condition of the induction motors. The first part of the methodology illustrates a pattern recognition technique based on the empirical wavelet transform, to transform the raw current signal into two dimensional (2-D) grayscale images comprising the information related to the faults. Second, a deep CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) model is proposed to automatically extract robust features from the grayscale images to diagnose the faults in the induction motors. The experimental results show that the proposed methodology achieves a competitive accuracy in the fault diagnosis of the induction motors and that it outperformed the traditional statistical and other deep learning methods.
Symmetry and Dissymmetry in Protein Structure—System-Coding Its Biological Specificity
Authors: Banach Mateusz , Konieczny Leszek , Roterman Irena
Published: September 2019

The solenoid is a highly ordered structure observed in proteins, characterized by a set of symmetries. A group of enzymes—lyases containing solenoid fragments—was subjected to analysis with focus on their distribution of hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity, applying the fuzzy oil drop model. The model differentiates between a monocentric distribution hydrophobic core (spherical symmetry—mathematically modeled by a 3D Gaussian) and linear propagation of hydrophobicity (symmetry based on translation of structural units, i.e., chains—evident in amyloids). The linearly ordered solenoid carries information that affects the structure of the aqueous solvent in its neighborhood. Progressive disruption of its symmetry (via incorporation of asymmetrical fragments of varying size) appears to facilitate selective interaction with the intended substrate during enzymatic catalysis.
Using Statistical Phylogenetics for Investigation of Enterovirus 71 Genotype A Reintroduction into Circulation
Authors: Vakulenko Yulia , Deviatkin Andrei , Lukashev Alexander
Published: September 2019

Neurovirulent enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) caused a massive epidemic in China in 2008–2011. While subgenotype C4 was the major causative agent, a few isolates were almost identical to the prototype EV-A71 strain and belonged to genotype A. This variant was allegedly extinct since 1970, and its identification in this epidemic suggests reintroduction of the archive virus. Regression analysis of genetic distances (TempEst software) was of moderate utility due to the low resolution of classical phylogenetic methods. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis (BEAST software) suggested artificial introduction event based on highly aberrant phylogenetic tree branch rates that differed by over three standard deviations from the mean substitution rate for EV71. Manual nucleotide-level analysis was used to further explore the virus spread pattern after introduction into circulation. Upon reintroduction, the virus accumulated up to seven substitutions in VP1, most of them non-synonymous and located within the capsid’s canyon or at its rims, compatible with readaptation of a lab strain to natural circulation.
Feline Virome—A Review of Novel Enteric Viruses Detected in Cats
Authors: Di Martino Barbara , Di Profio Federica , Melegari Irene , Marsilio Fulvio
Published: September 2019

Recent advances in the diagnostic and metagenomic investigations of the feline enteric environment have allowed the identification of several novel viruses that have been associated with gastroenteritis in cats. In the last few years, noroviruses, kobuviruses, and novel parvoviruses have been repetitively detected in diarrheic cats as alone or in mixed infections with other pathogens, raising a number of questions, with particular regards to their pathogenic attitude and clinical impact. In the present article, the current available literature on novel potential feline enteric viruses is reviewed, providing a meaningful update on the etiology, epidemiologic, pathogenetic, clinical, and diagnostic aspects of the infections caused by these pathogens.
Rivalry Onset in and around the Fovea: The Role of Visual Field Location and Eye Dominance on Perceptual Dominance Bias
Authors: Stanley Jody , Forte Jason D. , Carter Olivia
Published: September 2019

When dissimilar images are presented to each eye, the images will alternate every few seconds in a phenomenon known as binocular rivalry. Recent research has found evidence of a bias towards one image at the initial ‘onset’ period of rivalry that varies across the peripheral visual field. To determine the role that visual field location plays in and around the fovea at onset, trained observers were presented small orthogonal achromatic grating patches at various locations across the central 3° of visual space for 1-s and 60-s intervals. Results reveal stronger bias at onset than during continuous rivalry, and evidence of temporal hemifield dominance across observers, however, the nature of the hemifield effects differed between individuals and interacted with overall eye dominance. Despite using small grating patches, a high proportion of mixed percept was still reported, with more mixed percept at onset along the vertical midline, in general, and in increasing proportions with eccentricity in the lateral hemifields. Results show that even within the foveal range, onset rivalry bias varies across visual space, and differs in degree and sensitivity to biases in average dominance over continuous viewing.