bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation and Characterization of Superabsorbent Polymers Based on Starch Aldehydes and Carboxymethyl Cellulose
Authors: Lee Jungmin , Park Soohee , Roh Hyun-gyoo , Oh Seungtaek , Kim Sunghoon , Kim Myounguk , Kim Donghyun , Park Jongshin
Published: June 2018

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are crosslinked hydrophilic polymers that are capable of absorbing large amounts of water. Commercial SAPs are mostly produced with acrylic acid that cannot be easily biodegraded. Therefore, in this study, polysaccharide-based SAPs using carboxymethyl cellulose as a major component were prepared. Starch aldehydes and citric acid were selected due to their environment-friendly, non-toxic, and biodegradable properties compared to conventional crosslinking agents. Starch aldehydes were prepared by periodate oxidation, which forms aldehyde groups by taking the places of C–OH groups at C-2 and C-3. Furthermore, starch aldehydes were analyzed through the change in FT-IR spectra, the aldehyde quantitation, and the morphology in FE-SEM images. In the crosslinking of polysaccharide-based SAPs, the acetal bridges from starch aldehydes led to a large amount of water entering the network structure of the SAPs. However, the ester bridges from citric acid interfered with the water penetration. In addition, the swelling behavior of the SAPs was analyzed by the Fickian diffusion model and the Schott’s pseudo second order kinetics model. The relationship between swelling behavior and morphology of the SAPs was analyzed by FE-SEM images. In conclusion, polysaccharide-based SAPs were well prepared and the highest equilibrium swelling ratio was 87.0 g/g.
Effect of Moisture Content on the Grinding Process and Powder Properties in Food: A Review
Authors: Jung Hwabin , Lee Youn , Yoon Won
Published: June 2018

Grinding is a staple size-reduction process to produce food powders in which the powdered form is chemically and microbiologically stable and convenient to use as end products or intermediate products. The moisture content of food materials before grinding is a particularly important factor, since it determines the materials’ physical properties and the powder properties, such as flowability after grinding. Generally, the moisture content of food materials is closely related to its energy requirement for grinding, because the energy expenditure required to create new surfaces varies. Grinding models used to analyze and predict the grinding characteristics, including energy, have been developed in many studies. The moisture content also influences powder flow properties. The inter-particle liquid bridges among the particles are due to the moisture in powders; therefore, the flowability of powders is interrupted because of the increase of the cohesiveness of the powder. Understanding the grinding characteristics related to various moisture contents is, theoretically and experimentally, an important cornerstone in optimizing the grinding processes used in food industries. In this review, comprehensive research of the effect of moisture content on the grinding process and powder properties is presented.
Production and Evaluation of Composite Rainwater Storage Tanks from Recycled Materials Part 2: Stored Water Quality Assessment
Authors: Olorunnisola Abel O. , Alaka Amarachi C.
Published: June 2018

This paper presents the concluding part of the study on the development cement-bonded composite tanks for rainwater storage. Water containers were fabricated using four composite mixtures (cement + sawdust, cement + sawdust + water sachets, cement + sawdust + acrylic plastic waste, and cement + sawdust + water sachet + acrylic plastic waste) and tested. The quality of the rainwater samples tested immediately after harvesting and samples stored in the composite tanks, a traditional clay pot and a plastic bucket (controls) for four and eight weeks, respectively, were analyzed. The cooling effects of the composite tanks on the stored rainwater were also investigated. Results indicated that the harvested rainwater was free of contaminants. However, there were some preliminary negative interactions between cement and the stored water. Within the first four weeks in storage, the water quality deteriorated with the pH and total suspended solids exceeding acceptable limits. A marked reduction in the salinity, total hardness, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and turbidity was observed by the eighth week. Acrylic plastic waste particles generally had minimal negative interaction with the stored rainwater. The cooling effects of the tanks were positively correlated with the density and thermal conductivity of the composite materials.
Internal Solitary Waves in the Andaman Sea: New Insights from SAR Imagery
Authors: Magalhaes Jorge M. , Da Silva José C. B.
Published: June 2018

The Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean has been a classical study region for Internal Solitary Waves (ISWs) for several decades. Papers such as Osborne and Burch (1980) usually describe mode-1 packets of ISWs propagating eastwards, separated by distances of around 100 km. In this paper, we report on shorter period solitary-like waves that are consistent with a mode-2 vertical structure, which are observed along the Ten Degree Channel, and propagate side-by-side the usual large mode-1 solitary wave packets. The mode-2 waves are identified in TerraSAR-X images because of their distinct surface signatures, which are reversed when compared to those that are typical of mode-1 ISWs in the ocean. These newly observed regularly-spaced packets of ISW-like waves are characterized by average separations of roughly 30 km, which are far from the nominal mode-1 or even the mode-2 internal tidal wavelengths. On some occasions, five consecutive and regularly spaced mode-2 ISW-like wave envelopes were observed simultaneously in the same TerraSAR-X image. This fact points to a tidal generation mechanism somewhere in the west shallow ridges, south of the Nicobar Islands. Furthermore, it implies that unusually long-lived mode-2 waves can be found throughout the majority of the fortnightly tidal cycle. Ray tracing techniques are used to identify internal tidal beams as a possible explanation for the generation of the mode-2 solitary-like waves when the internal tidal beam interacts with the ocean pycnocline. Linear theory suggests that resonant coupling with long internal waves of higher-mode could explain the longevity of the mode-2 waves, which propagate for more than 100 km. Owing to their small-scale dimensions, the mode-2 waves may have been overlooked in previous remote sensing images. The enhanced radiometric resolution of the TerraSAR-X, alongside its wide coverage and detailed spatial resolutions, make it an ideal observational tool for the present study.
Implementation of the Principal Component Analysis onto High-Performance Computer Facilities for Hyperspectral Dimensionality Reduction: Results and Comparisons
Authors: Martel Ernestina , Lazcano Raquel , López José , Madroñal Daniel , Salvador Rubén , López Sebastián , Juarez Eduardo , Guerra Raúl , Sanz César , Sarmiento Roberto
Published: June 2018

Dimensionality reduction represents a critical preprocessing step in order to increase the efficiency and the performance of many hyperspectral imaging algorithms. However, dimensionality reduction algorithms, such as the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), suffer from their computationally demanding nature, becoming advisable for their implementation onto high-performance computer architectures for applications under strict latency constraints. This work presents the implementation of the PCA algorithm onto two different high-performance devices, namely, an NVIDIA Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and a Kalray manycore, uncovering a highly valuable set of tips and tricks in order to take full advantage of the inherent parallelism of these high-performance computing platforms, and hence, reducing the time that is required to process a given hyperspectral image. Moreover, the achieved results obtained with different hyperspectral images have been compared with the ones that were obtained with a field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based implementation of the PCA algorithm that has been recently published, providing, for the first time in the literature, a comprehensive analysis in order to highlight the pros and cons of each option.
Influence of Axial Load on Electromechanical Impedance (EMI) of Embedded Piezoceramic Transducers in Steel Fiber Concrete
Authors: Wang Zhijie , Chen Dongdong , Zheng Liqiong , Huo Linsheng , Song Gangbing
Published: June 2018

With the advantages of high tensile, bending, and shear strength, steel fiber concrete structures have been widely used in civil engineering. The health monitoring of concrete structures, including steel fiber concrete structures, receives increasing attention, and the Electromechanical Impedance (EMI)-based method is commonly used. Structures are often subject to changing axial load and ignoring the effect of axial forces may introduce error to Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), including the EMI-based method. However, many of the concrete structure monitoring algorithms do not consider the effects of axial loading. To investigate the influence of axial load on the EMI of a steel fiber concrete structure, concrete specimens with different steel fiber content (0, 30, 60, 90, 120) (kg/m3) were casted and the Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT)-based Smart Aggregate (SA) was used as the EMI sensor. During tests, the step-by-step loading procedure was applied on different steel fiber content specimens, and the electromechanical impedance values were measured. The Normalized root-mean-square deviation Index (NI) was developed to analyze the EMI information and evaluate the test results. The results show that the normalized root-mean-square deviation index increases with the increase of the axial load, which clearly demonstrates the influence of axial load on the EMI values for steel fiber concrete and this influence should be considered during a monitoring or damage detection procedure if the axial load changes. In addition, testing results clearly reveal that the steel fiber content, often at low mass and volume percentage, has no obvious influence on the PZT’s EMI values. Furthermore, experiments to test the repeatability of the proposed method were conducted. The repeating test results show that the EMI-based indices are repeatable and there is a great linearity between the NI and the applied loading.
Assessing the Performance of GPS Precise Point Positioning Under Different Geomagnetic Storm Conditions during Solar Cycle 24
Authors: Luo Xiaomin , Gu Shengfeng , Lou Yidong , Xiong Chao , Chen Biyan , Jin Xueyuan
Published: June 2018

The geomagnetic storm, which is an abnormal space weather phenomenon, can sometimes severely affect GPS signal propagation, thereby impacting the performance of GPS precise point positioning (PPP). However, the investigation of GPS PPP accuracy over the global scale under different geomagnetic storm conditions is very limited. This paper for the first time presents the performance of GPS dual-frequency (DF) and single-frequency (SF) PPP under moderate, intense, and super storms conditions during solar cycle 24 using a large data set collected from about 500 international GNSS services (IGS) stations. The global root mean square (RMS) maps of GPS PPP results show that stations with degraded performance are mainly distributed at high-latitude, and the degradation level generally depends on the storm intensity. The three-dimensional (3D) RMS of GPS DF PPP for high-latitude during moderate, intense, and super storms are 0.393 m, 0.680 m and 1.051 m, respectively, with respect to only 0.163 m on quiet day. RMS errors of mid- and low-latitudes show less dependence on the storm intensities, with values less than 0.320 m, compared to 0.153 m on quiet day. Compared with DF PPP, the performance of GPS SF PPP is inferior regardless of quiet or disturbed conditions. The degraded performance of GPS positioning during geomagnetic storms is attributed to the increased ionospheric disturbances, which have been confirmed by our global rate of TEC index (ROTI) maps. Ionospheric disturbances not only lead to the deteriorated ionospheric correction but also to the frequent cycle-slip occurrence. Statistical results show that, compared with that on quiet day, the increased cycle-slip occurrence are 13.04%, 56.52%, and 69.57% under moderate, intense, and super storms conditions, respectively.
Design and Manufacturing of an Ultra-Low-Cost Custom Torque Sensor for Robotics
Authors: Ubeda Rodrigo Pérez , Gutiérrez Rubert Santiago C. , Zotovic Stanisic Ranko , Perles Ivars Ángel
Published: June 2018

This article describes a new, very low-cost torque sensor. It was designed to obtain a geometric shape suitable for very affordable manufacturing by machining. The torque sensor was developed under the principle of measurement by strain gauges. It has been designed in order to make manufacturing operations as simple as possible. Optimization was achieved through finite element analysis. Three test sensors for 1, 5, and 20 Nm were designed and machined. Calibration of the three sensors has been carried out obtaining excellent results. An analysis of the dimensional quality of the product and associated costs demonstrates that manufacturing is possible with very simple machining operations, standard tools, and economic equipment.
A Mission Planning Approach for Precision Farming Systems Based on Multi-Objective Optimization
Authors: Zhai Zhaoyu , Martínez Ortega José-Fernán , Lucas Martínez Néstor , Rodríguez-Molina Jesús
Published: June 2018

As the demand for food grows continuously, intelligent agriculture has drawn much attention due to its capability of producing great quantities of food efficiently. The main purpose of intelligent agriculture is to plan agricultural missions properly and use limited resources reasonably with minor human intervention. This paper proposes a Precision Farming System (PFS) as a Multi-Agent System (MAS). Components of PFS are treated as agents with different functionalities. These agents could form several coalitions to complete the complex agricultural missions cooperatively. In PFS, mission planning should consider several criteria, like expected benefit, energy consumption or equipment loss. Hence, mission planning could be treated as a Multi-objective Optimization Problem (MOP). In order to solve MOP, an improved algorithm, MP-PSOGA, is proposed, taking advantages of the Genetic Algorithms and Particle Swarm Optimization. A simulation, called precise pesticide spraying mission, is performed to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed approach works properly. This approach enables the PFS to plan missions and allocate scarce resources efficiently. The theoretical analysis and simulation is a good foundation for the future study. Once the proposed approach is applied to a real scenario, it is expected to bring significant economic improvement.
Crack Damage Detection Method via Multiple Visual Features and Efficient Multi-Task Learning Model
Authors: Wang Baoxian , Zhao Weigang , Gao Po , Zhang Yufeng , Wang Zhe
Published: June 2018

This paper proposes an effective and efficient model for concrete crack detection. The presented work consists of two modules: multi-view image feature extraction and multi-task crack region detection. Specifically, multiple visual features (such as texture, edge, etc.) of image regions are calculated, which can suppress various background noises (such as illumination, pockmark, stripe, blurring, etc.). With the computed multiple visual features, a novel crack region detector is advocated using a multi-task learning framework, which involves restraining the variability for different crack region features and emphasizing the separability between crack region features and complex background ones. Furthermore, the extreme learning machine is utilized to construct this multi-task learning model, thereby leading to high computing efficiency and good generalization. Experimental results of the practical concrete images demonstrate that the developed algorithm can achieve favorable crack detection performance compared with traditional crack detectors.
Reactive Sputtering of Aluminum Nitride (002) Thin Films for Piezoelectric Applications: A Review
Authors: Iqbal Abid , Mohd-Yasin Faisal
Published: June 2018

We summarize the recipes and describe the role of sputtering parameters in producing highly c-axis Aluminum Nitride (AlN) films for piezoelectric applications. The information is collated from the analysis of around 80 journal articles that sputtered this film on variety of substrate materials, processes and equipment. This review will be a good starting point to catch up with the state-of-the-arts research on the reactive sputtering of AlN (002) thin film, as well as its evolving list of piezoelectric applications such as energy harvesters.
Study on the Optimal Groove Shape and Glue Material for Fiber Bragg Grating Measuring Bolts
Authors: Zhao Yiming , Zhang Nong , Si Guangyao , Li Xuehua
Published: June 2018

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) measuring bolts, as a useful tool to evaluate the behaviors of steel bolts in underground engineering, can be manufactured by gluing the FBG sensors inside the grooves, which are usually symmetrical cuts along the steel bolt rod. The selection of the cut shape and the glue types could perceivably affect the final supporting strength of the bolts. Unfortunately, the impact of cut shape and glue type on bolting strength is not yet clear. In this study, based on direct tension tests, full tensile load–displacement curves of rock bolts with different groove shapes were obtained and analyzed. The effects of groove shape on the bolt strength were discussed, and the stress redistribution in the cross-section of a rock bolt with different grooves was simulated using ANSYS. The results indicated that the trapezoidal groove is best for manufacturing the FBG bolt due to its low reduction of supporting strength. Four types of glues commonly used for the FBG sensors were assessed by conducting tensile tests on the mechanical testing and simulation system and the static and dynamic optical interrogators system. Using linear regression analysis, the relationship between the reflected wavelength of FBG sensors and tensile load was obtained. Practical recommendations for glue selection in engineering practice are also provided.
Average Accumulative Based Time Variant Model for Early Diagnosis and Prognosis of Slowly Varying Faults
Authors: Zhou Funa , Park Ju H. , Wen Chenglin , Hu Po
Published: June 2018

Early detection of slowly varying small faults is an essential step for fault prognosis. In this paper, we first propose an average accumulative (AA) based time varying principal component analysis (PCA) model for early detection of slowly varying faults. The AA based method can increase the fault size as well as decrease the noise energy. Then, designated component analysis (DCA) is introduced for developing an AA-DCA method to diagnose the root cause of the fault, which is helpful for the operator to make maintenance decisions. Combining the advantage of the cumulative sum (CUSUM) based method and the AA based method, a CUSUM-AA based method is developed to detect faults at earlier times. Finally, the remaining useful life (RUL) prediction model with error correction is established by nonlinear fitting. Once online fault size defined by detection statistics is obtained by an early diagnosis algorithm, real-time RUL prediction can be directly estimated without extra recursive regression.
Food Sample Preparation for the Determination of Sulfonamides by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: State-of-the-Art
Authors: Bitas Dimitrios , Kabir Abuzar , Locatelli Marcello , Samanidou Victoria
Published: June 2018

Antibiotics are a common practice in veterinary medicine, mainly for therapeutic purposes. Sectors of application include livestock farming, aquacultures, and bee-keeping, where bacterial infections are frequent and can be economically damaging. However, antibiotics are usually administered in sub-therapeutic doses as prophylactic and growth promoting agents. Due to their excessive use, antibiotic residues can be present in foods of animal origin, which include meat, fish, milk, eggs, and honey, posing health risks to consumers. For this reason, authorities have set maximum residue limits (MRLs) of certain antibiotics in food matrices, while analytical methods for their determination have been developed. This work focuses on antibiotic extraction and determination, part of which was presented at the “1st Conference in Chemistry for Graduate, Postgraduate Students and PhD Candidates at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki”. Taking a step further, this paper is a review of the most recent sample preparation protocols applied for the extraction of sulfonamide antibiotics from food samples and their determination with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), covering a five-year period.
Canadian Disability Policies in a World of Inequalities
Authors: Stienstra Deborah
Published: May 2018

Canadian disability-related policies are shaped within a global system of inequalities, including colonialism and neoliberalism. Using a critical theory framework, this article examines the complicated material inequalities experienced by people with disabilities and evident in the intersections of disability, gender, Indigenousness, race, and age. The collectively held ideas that give context to disability policies are at odds. Human rights protections are found in the foundational documents of Canadian society and part of its international commitments, yet these commitments often become window-dressing for a pervasive logic that it is better to be dead than disabled, and medical assistance in dying legislation supports this choice. While human rights protections are essential, they are not sufficient for decolonizing inclusion. Constructive actions between Indigenous peoples and settlers may help to find new ways of addressing disability and inclusion in Canada.
Collaboration Vouchers: A Policy to Increase Population Wellbeing
Authors: Heslop Benjamin , Drew Antony , Stojanovski Elizabeth , Bailey Kylie , Paul Jonathan
Published: June 2018

Abstract: While economic liberalism has delivered national wealth, substantial portions of the population have been left behind. The precariously and unemployed experience reduced wellbeing that may be remedied by their greater involvement in egalitarian, purposive collaborative groups. Policy to achieve this objective may be assisted by an understanding of how positive psychology interacts with social psychology. The PILAR model of collaboration is postulated to translate between an individual’s psychological capital (PsyCap) and their meeting of basic psychological needs (BPN). In a proposed cyclical model, a collaborating individual will meet BPN, thereby experience enhanced wellbeing, which bolsters PsyCap, and hence promotes further collaboration. Given collaboration is amenable to incentivisation, a policy of collaboration vouchers might cost-effectively promote individual wellbeing throughout society, whilst having complementary effects such as social cohesion.
The Effect of Corporate Governance on the Corruption of Firms in BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India & China)
Authors: Na Kyunga , Kang Young-Hee , Kim Yang
Published: May 2018

This study examines the correlation between corporate governance and corruption (firm bribery) using 8885 firms in four emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRICs). The sample firms are collected from the World Bank Enterprise Survey database. To estimate the corruption of a firm, a logistics regression is used. The dependent variable of the logistics regression is a dummy variable on firm bribery while the test variables are a corporate governance metric composed of an ownership structure proxied by the percentage of the largest ownership and that of foreign ownership, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) characteristics proxied by CEO gender and CEO experience in the same sector, and an external audit on a firm’s financial statements. We find that firm bribery is negatively associated with the percentage of the largest ownership and external audit on financial statements, but is positively related to CEO experience. These results suggest that increases in the largest ownership, external audits on financial statements, and a shorter tenure of a CEO in the same sector are negatively associated with firm bribery in BRICs.
Morphology Dependent Assessment of Resilience for Urban Areas
Authors: Fischer Kai , Hiermaier Stefan , Riedel Werner , Häring Ivo
Published: May 2018

The formation of new threats and the increasing complexity of urban built infrastructures underline the need for more robust and sustainable systems, which are able to cope with adverse events. Achieving sustainability requires the strengthening of resilience. Currently, a comprehensive approach for the quantification of resilience of urban infrastructure is missing. Within this paper, a new generalized mathematical framework is presented. A clear definition of terms and their interaction builds the basis of this resilience assessment scheme. Classical risk-based as well as additional components are aligned along the timeline before, during and after disruptive events, to quantify the susceptibility, the vulnerability and the response and recovery behavior of complex systems for multiple threat scenarios. The approach allows the evaluation of complete urban surroundings and enables a quantitative comparison with other development plans or cities. A comprehensive resilience framework should cover at least preparation, prevention, protection, response and recovery. The presented approach determines respective indicators and provides decision support, which enhancement measures are more effective. Hence, the framework quantifies for instance, if it is better to avoid a hazardous event or to tolerate an event with an increased robustness. An application example is given to assess different urban forms, i.e., morphologies, with consideration of multiple adverse events, like terrorist attacks or earthquakes, and multiple buildings. Each urban object includes a certain number of attributes, like the object use, the construction type, the time-dependent number of persons and the value, to derive different performance targets. The assessment results in the identification of weak spots with respect to single resilience indicators. Based on the generalized mathematical formulation and suitable combination of indicators, this approach can quantify the resilience of urban morphologies, independent of possible single threat types and threat locations.
Understanding Consumers’ Sustainable Consumption Intention at China’s Double-11 Online Shopping Festival: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Model
Authors: Yang Shuai , Li Lei , Zhang Jiemin
Published: May 2018

Double-11 shopping festival has become the largest national shopping festival in China. This study investigates the effect of the atmosphere during the Double-11 shopping festival on Chinese people’s sustainable consumption by extending the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A survey on a sample of 404 Chinese consumers showed that the atmosphere specific to China’s Double-11 shopping festival was negatively associated with consumers’ purchase intention toward sustainable consumption. Moreover, the negative relationship was mediated by consumers’ attitude toward sustainable consumption, the subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control.
A Preliminary Investigation of the Transition from Green Building to Green Community: Insights from LEED ND
Authors: Wu Peng , Song Yongze , Hu Xin , Wang Xiangyu
Published: May 2018

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) rating system has been considered one of the major tools to assess the performance of green communities. However, few studies have been conducted on how the traditional focus on green building can be effectively transitioned to green communities. In order to facilitate the transition process, this paper reviews and analyzes the credits obtained from LEED ND 2009 certified plans. A total of 55 projects were identified from the LEED project directory of the U.S. Green Building Council. The performance of these neighborhood development projects, including project landscape, percentage of achievement and predictors of LEED ND rating, was analyzed. The performance was then compared with the performance of green buildings certified under LEED New Construction (LEED NC). The results indicate that there is an unbalanced allocation of credits to economic, social and environmental sustainability in the LEED ND rating. In addition, green infrastructure and building credits, such as wastewater management, on-site renewable energy and solar orientation, have extremely low percentage of achievement, indicating that these credits should be redesigned. The results provide useful insights for developers to prepare for LEED ND certification and for regulatory bodies to improve the performance of the current LEED ND rating system.
Life Cycle Environmental Impact Assessment of Circular Agriculture: A Case Study in Fuqing, China
Authors: Fan Weiguo , Zhang Peng , Xu Zihan , Wei Hejie , Lu Nachuan , Wang Xuechao , Weng Boqi , Chen Zhongdian , Wu Feilong , Dong Xiaobin
Published: May 2018

The process for reasonably evaluating the potential impacts of circular agriculture on the environment has become a key issue in the sustainable development of circular agriculture. Based on this consideration, by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and focusing on the circular agriculture industry company of Xingyuan, Fuqing, this paper evaluates the potential impacts of the pig farming industry-dragon fruit planting-forage planting-fishery industry-mushroom planting-biogas generating-organic fertilizer production circular agriculture model compared to a main agriculture industrial model, the pig farming industry, from environmental and environmental-economic perspectives. Moreover, this paper determines key elements that restrict the development of circular agriculture through a sensitivity analysis. The results show that if we simply consider the potential environmental impacts, circular agriculture does not produce better results than those of the main agricultural production model. In addition, if we consider reducing the potential environmental impact as well as improving the economic benefits from the perspective of a “reduction ring”, we should consider removing mushroom planting and organic fertilizer from the circular agriculture framework. Moreover, if we want to reduce the potential environmental impact without changing the current recycling model, we should focus on the premix components, especially the three main components of corn, soybean meal, and whey protein concentrate.
The Marginal Value of Heat in the Korean Manufacturing Industry
Authors: Kim Hyo-Jin , Kim Hee-Hoon , Yoo Seung-Hoon
Published: June 2018

Thirty industrial heat (IH) providers in Korea have better energy efficiency and emit lower air pollutants than individual companies that produce and consume heat for their industrial production. Because these providers collect waste heat from garbage incineration plants, power plants, or industrial processes of steel and chemical companies, as well as heat generated through combined heat and power plants and boilers. IH is an important input, used in industrial production as a form of hot water or steam. This note tries to assess the marginal value (MV) of IH in the manufacturing industry, using the specific case of Korea. To this end, a trans-log production function is estimated using the data gathered from a survey of 256 manufacturing firms in Korea. The MV of IH is estimated to be KRW 203,696 (USD 175.40) per tonne. This estimate is statistically significant at the 1% level. The average price of IH, defined as total expenditure on IH purchased in 2016 divided by total amount of IH purchased in 2016, is KRW 39,455 (USD 34.00) per tonne. Therefore, the MV of IH is about five times as large as the average price of IH.
Market Reaction to Other Comprehensive Income
Authors: Park HeeJin
Published: June 2018

The comprehensive income statement was adopted as the standard type of financial statement in 2011, and other comprehensive income (OCI) was included in the text of the financial statements. While OCI (unrealized income) is less sustainable than net income, it can help to assess a firm’s value. Therefore, testing the usefulness of OCI is important in analyzing whether persistence of earning information affects a firm’s value. The text of the financial statements enables market participants to access not only the realized net income (operating income, non-operating income), but also information on comprehensive income, which has not yet been realized. Although levels of realized and unrealized income indicate an increase in net worth, changes in realized and unrealized income differ in terms of uncertainty; it is, therefore, more important for market participants to judge information’s usefulness. This study examines whether OCI increases earnings response coefficients (ERC). We analyzed the information content of OCI before and after international financial reporting standards (IFRS) to verify whether the information content varies as the format of OCI reporting changes from a footnote to the main text of the financial statement. In addition, we analyzed dividing OCI into positive OCI and negative OCI. The analysis showed that under the condition in which the realized income is constant, OCI (which is unrealized earnings) has additional information effects. This means that differences might be observed in the decision-making process depending on whether or not the OCI information is used.
Tendency of Embodied Carbon Change in the Export Trade of Chinese Manufacturing Industry from 2000 to 2015 and Its Driving Factors
Authors: Guo Ji , Zhou Lei , Wu Xianhua
Published: June 2018

The manufacturing industry is an important part of the national industrial system, and is usually an industry with high carbon content. However, few studies have been carried out on the total amount, structure and the trend of the embodied carbon emission in the international trade of the Chinese manufacturing industry. Based on the input–output method, the thesis proposes the coefficient of direct carbon emission and complete carbon emission and a method for calculating the embodied carbon of the export trade. It also calculates the coefficient of direct carbon emission and complete carbon emission for the Chinese manufacturing sector from 2000 to 2015 and breaks down the embodied carbon change of export trade in the manufacturing industry to a technological effect, structural effect and scale effect by using the method of structural decomposition. Several inspiring conclusions could be drawn from the thesis. For example: (1) the coefficient of both the direct carbon emission and the complete carbon emission has been decreasing significantly, indicating the achievements of the energy saving and emission reduction of the Chinese manufacturing industry. (2) The embodied carbon emission from the manufacturing exports remains high and presents a rising tendency. The main sectors that export the embodied carbon includes “S10 mechanical equipment and instruments”, “S9 metal products”, “S6 chemical industry”, etc., which should be the key sectors on reducing embodied carbon in exports. (3) The driving force of the embodied carbon exports lies in the scale effect of the manufacturing industry, on which the technical effect of the industry has a significant negative effect. The structural effect should have a positive influence that takes on a rising tendency; generally, this effect is only two-thirds of the scale effect. Finally, the corresponding policy suggestions have been made.
Comprehensive Assessment for Post-Disaster Recovery Process in a Tourist Town
Authors: Yang Byungyun , Jahan Israt
Published: June 2018

This paper develops a comprehensive assessment of post-disaster housing and tourism resource recovery. It enables us to address how many natural and man-made features in a tourist town have recovered after a hurricane event. The assessment uses a variety of sources, at different spatial scales and at different points in time. Furthermore, this study develops a measurement scale to quantify damage and recovery appropriate for the available resources. In particular, the study focuses on the development of a methodological approach to tracking housing and tourism resource recovery and helping local communities recover faster the damaged areas after disaster. The effort uses multiple sources of data, including questionnaire data, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) damage data, airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, and remote sensing satellite images. The data are quantitatively analyzed to fulfill the objectives of assessing housing recovery rate over time and are represented on maps. The maps are used to represent the status of damaged buildings (e.g., no damage, minor or major damage, affected or destroyed). Furthermore, repaired buildings in specified time intervals are represented on the maps. Eventually, this study develops two schematic diagrams illustrating the average damage and the weighed recovery from multiple data sources. The outcomes of this study will help decision makers emphasize on the locations identified as experiencing differential progress in the reconstruction, rebuilding, and repairing of houses or tourism resources.
The Explanatory Power of Reciprocal Behavior for the Inter-Organizational Exchange Context
Authors: Pieperhoff Martina
Published: June 2018

In order to create sustainable competitive advantages, organizations are embedded in dyadic exchange relationships, which depend on the coordination of the behavior of the actors involved. Often, coordinated behavior is explained by trust. Since trust develops in a process of reciprocal responses to presumed trustworthy behavior, it is a reciprocity-based concept. While inter-organizational exchange relationships can appear in different stages (forming, establishing, broken), different reciprocity types (direct, indirect, negative) can be distinguished. The study links reciprocal behavior to different stages of inter-organizational exchange relationships in order to investigate reciprocity as a possible coordination mechanism of behavior and thus explore the basis of coordination of trust-based behavior. Qualitative Comparative Analysis as a set-theoretic approach is applied to analyze the empirical data consisting of 78 qualitative semi-structured interviews with managers of small-, medium- and large-sized companies. The results show that different reciprocity types become effective in different stages of an inter-organizational exchange relationship: For forming inter-organizational exchange relationships indirect reciprocal behavior, besides direct reciprocity, becomes effective while in establishing inter-organizational exchange relationships, direct reciprocal behavior is evident. Negative reciprocal behavior leads to a break up of relationships. Using these results, on the one hand, the concept of trust can be sharpened by deepening the understanding of the trust-building mechanisms and on the other hand, reciprocity can be seen as coordination mechanism in exchange relationships of different stages. In doing so, with this knowledge, relationships can be coordinated towards a long-term orientation in order to create sustainable advantages.
“The First Generation to End Poverty and the Last to Save the Planet?”—Western Individualism, Human Rights and the Value of Nature in the Ethics of Global Sustainable Development
Authors: Spahn Andreas
Published: June 2018

The UN Agenda 2030 lends itself to an interpretation in light of the human rights framework and related contractualist ethical theories. These frameworks have been developed in the context of Western individualism. This paper analyses the sustainable development goals in light of the debate between human rights on the one side and the rights of nature on the other side. It argues that human rights are often (though not exclusively) linked to social contract theories. The paper points out strengths and weaknesses of contractualist individualism. It discusses various challenges to the contractualist framework. How can contractualist individualism deal with the representation of future generations? What assumptions does the social contract make with regard to the nature of the individual? Should we conceive of them, e.g., as utility maximizers or as idealized rational agents? A final weakness of the framework is that contractualism seems to ignore other values, especially the value of nature. The paper therefore sketches recent developments in ethical theory that attempt to go beyond Western individualism.
Sustainable Construction Risk Perceptions in the Kuwaiti Construction Industry
Authors: Ismael Dalya , Shealy Tripp
Published: June 2018

Sustainable construction is fundamentally different than traditional construction because it requires whole systems thinking, early collaboration across stakeholders, and core principles like reducing resource consumption, eliminating toxins, and applying life cycle costing. Construction professionals unfamiliar with this mindset and approach may perceive sustainable construction as risky. One of the global regions in need of more sustainable construction is the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region. The MENA region is one of the fastest developing in the world. However, it is the slowest one in implementing sustainable construction practices. Kuwait, in particular, contributes 53% more carbon emissions per capita than the United States. To understand how the Kuwaiti construction industry perceives risks associated with more sustainable construction, a survey was developed with 52 risk elements in which 131 industry professionals responded. The results indicate that industry professionals perceive a lack of public awareness as the risk element with the highest probability of occurrence. The risk element with the highest possible negative impact on future projects is designers’ and contractors’ inexperience with sustainable construction. Other risks were found to include a high initial cost for materials and overall project costs. Educational interventions, changes in risk allocation, and behavioral science to reframe upfront costs as long-term savings are offered as possible solutions.
Vulnerability Assessment of Rural Households to Urmia Lake Drying (the Case of Shabestar Region)
Authors: Maleki Rasoul , Nooripoor Mehdi , Azadi Hossein , Lebailly Philippe
Published: June 2018

One of the most important environmental problems in Iran is the destruction and drying of Urmia Lake (UL). UL is one of the main causes of suitable weather for agricultural boom and tourist attraction and it should be considered that the villagers exposed to UL drying have a strong dependence on vulnerable resources such as water, air, soil and plants for their livelihoods and have low adaptive capacity with this crisis for reasons such as poverty, lack of awareness and lack of infrastructure. This study was designed to evaluate the vulnerability of rural households to UL drying in the Shabestar region. The vulnerability was calculated based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) definition and using vulnerability index (VI). Research population included rural households of Shabestar region (N = 19,249) and about 347 households were selected as the research sample using multistage cluster sampling technique. Results showed that the average score of respondents was 0.455 (moderate) in exposure, 0.359 (moderate to low) in sensitivity, 0.404 (moderate to low) in adaptive capacity and finally, the vulnerability index (VI) was 0.470 (range of 0 to 1). 12.8% of households had low, 70.5% had medium and 16.7% had high vulnerability towards UL drying.
Determinants of Enterprises Radical Innovation and Performance: Insights into Strategic Orientation of Cultural and Creative Enterprises
Authors: Shih Tsui-Yii
Published: June 2018

A firm’s strategic orientation determine its business direction and scope of operation. Several researchers have tried to identify how strategic orientations affect business development. However, only a few scholars have explored how strategic orientations shape a firm’s organizational capability. In addition, the extent to which radical innovation contributes to a firm’s operations has not been well researched. Given these research shortcomings, this study explores the integration of firms’ strategic orientations, radical innovation, competitive advantages, and business performance within a conceptual framework. A sample of 86 cultural and creative firms was obtained. The results of the regression analysis and of the PLS SEM model are compared in this study. Our findings suggest that factors from either market orientation or entrepreneurial orientation add to a firm’s radical innovation capability and adoption. Lastly, the brand advantage is identified to be the most important factor in firms’ performance after a radical innovation capability and product advantage. This paper offers several contributions to the research. First, it advances knowledge of the strategic orientations of cultural and creative firms in a developing market. Second, it demonstrates the usefulness of radical innovation capability in profiling the development of competitive advantages. Lastly, it adds to our understanding of factors that facilitate the business performance of cultural and creative entrepreneurs.
Peculiarities of the Twinning in Silicon during Ball Milling in the Presence of Two Different Materials
Authors: Kulnitskiy Boris A. , Perezhogin Igor A. , Popov Mikhail Yu. , Ovsyannikov Danila A. , Blank Vladimir D.
Published: June 2018

The structure of silicon, along with mixtures of silicon and boron carbide (B4C) powders and silicon and diamond powders with different proportions after mechanoactivation, has been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. It was shown that silicon and boron carbide experience twinning according to the known twinning mechanisms. In addition to the initial phase with a diamond lattice, the particles of two other phases were detected for silicon, including: the Kasper phase (SiIII) and lonsdaleite (SiIV). We established that the phase transformations in silicon can happen due to different mechanisms.
Conceptual Framework for Product Service Systems
Authors: Pirayesh Amir , Doumeingts Guy , Seregni Marco , Gusmeroli Sergio , Westphal Ingo , Gonzalez Lara , Hans Carl , Núñez Ariño María José , Canepa Eugenio Alessandro , Laskurain Andoni
Published: June 2018

To remain competitive in the current market, an enterprise must differentiate itself based on higher value propositions. For this purpose, since improving the product or service performance can reach some limits, one potential solution is to move towards new combinations of products and services. This evolution, called servitization, leads to the generation of Product Service Systems (PSS). Servitization requires not only a clear understanding of enterprise core business, but also a clear vision of the prevailing trends and challenges of PSS development from both the business and technological points of view. In addition, the evolution path should be aligned with the enterprise strategy. This paper first highlights the notion of symbiotic PSS where product systems and service systems, and their stakeholders, interoperate seamlessly based on a win-win approach. Then, it proposes a PSS Conceptual Framework (PSS-CF), which can be applied in the early stages of servitization to increase the understating of PSS dimensions and to facilitate the prioritization of the servitization investments. The framework dimensions were discussed in several iterations, from both the academic and industrial points of view, in the frame of a European research project. Moreover, the applicability of the framework was studied in four different industrial use-cases.