bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bio-Compatible Ca-BDC/Polymer Monolithic Composites Templated from Bio-Active Ca-BDC Co-Stabilized CO2-in-Water High Internal Phase Emulsions
Authors: Yang Xule , Hao Youwei , Cao Liqin
Published: April 2020

Because of the nontoxic solvents contained in CO2-in-water emulsions, porous polymer composites templated from these emulsions are conducive for bio-applications. Herein, bio-active rod-like calcium-organic framworks (Ca-BDC MOFs, BDC= 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate anion) particles co-stabilized CO2-in-water high internal phase emulsion (C/W HIPE) in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is first presented. After curing of the continuous phase, followed by releasing CO2, integral 3D macro-porous Ca-BDC monolith and Ca-BDC/Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-acrylamide) HIPEs monolithic composites [Ca-BDC/P(AM-co-HEMA)HIPEs] with open-cell macro-porous structures were successfully prepared. The pore structure of these porous composite can be tuned by means of tailoring the Ca-BDC dosage, carbon dioxide pressure, and continuous phase volume fractions in corresponding C/W HIPEs. Results of bio-compatibility tests show that these Ca-BDC/P(AM-co-HEMA)HIPEs monoliths have non-cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells; also, the E. coli can grow either on the surfaces or inside these monoliths. Furthermore, immobilization of β-amylase on these porous composite presents that β-amylase can be well-anchored into the porous polymer composites, its catalytic activity can be maintained even after 10 cycles. This work combined bio-active MOFs Ca-BDC, bio-compatible open-cell macroporous polymer PAM-co-HEMA and green C/W HIPEs to present a novel and facile way to prepare interconnected macro-porous MOFs/polymer composites. Compared with the existing other well-known materials such as hydrogels, these porous composites possess well-defined tunable pore structures and superior bio-activity, thereby have promising applications in bio-tissue engineering, food, and pharmaceutical.
Temperature-Dependence of Rubber Hyperelasticity Based on the Eight-Chain Model
Authors: Fu Xintao , Wang Zepeng , Ma Lianxiang , Zou Zhaoxuan , Zhang Qingling , Guan Xinxin
Published: April 2020

Rubber-based materials are widely used in a variety of industrial applications. In these applications, rubber components withstand various loading conditions over a range of temperatures. It is of great significance to study the mechanical behavior of vulcanized rubber at different temperatures, especially in a range of high temperatures. The temperature dependence of the constitutive behavior of filled rubber is important for the performance of the rubber. However, only a few constitutive models have been reported that investigate the stress–temperature relationship. In this paper, based on an analysis of experimental data, the effects of temperature on the hyperelastic behaviors of both natural rubber and filled rubber, with different mass fractions of carbon black, were studied. The regulation of stress and strain of natural rubber and filled rubber with temperature was revealed. In addition, an eight-chain model that can reasonably characterize the experimental data at different temperatures was proved. An explicit temperature-dependent constitutive model was developed based on the Arruda-Boyce model to describe the stress–strain response of filled rubber in a relatively large temperature range. Meanwhile, it was proved that the model can predict the effect of temperature on the hyperelastic behavior of filled rubber. Finally, the improved Arruda-Boyce model was used to obtain the material parameters and was then successfully applied to finite element analysis (FEA), which showed that the model has high application value. In addition, the model had a simple form and could be conveniently applied in related performance test of actual production or finite element analysis.
Low-Temperature Plasma Modification of Styrene–Butadiene Block Copolymer Surfaces for Improved Adhesion—A Kinetic Approach
Authors: Tyczkowski Jacek , Kierzkowska-Pawlak Hanna , Sielski Jan , Krawczyk-Kłys Iwona
Published: April 2020

This paper proposed a kinetic model that can describe the changes in the adhesion properties of styrene–butadiene (SBS) block copolymer surfaces under the influence of low-temperature plasma treatment. As a measure of these changes, the peel strength of joints formed between the copolymer surface and the polyurethane adhesive was chosen. Five types of low-temperature low-pressure RF plasma, two inert plasmas (Ar and He), and three reactive plasmas (O2, CO2, and CCl4) were tested. It was found that for all these types of plasma, the peel strength with the plasma treatment time first increases rapidly reaching a maximum value, and then there is a visible decrease in peel strength, after which the peel strength increases again. This dependence of the peel strength on the plasma treatment time is very well described by the proposed model, which considers three processes: (1) the generation of radical states followed by the creation of functional groups involved in the adhesive bonding process, (2) the surface cross-linking that decreases the concentration of these functional groups, and (3) the formation of nano-roughness. The model analysis revealed differences between the action of reactive and inert plasmas in the SBS surface cross-linking mechanism and preferential etching process, as well as differences in the generation of radical states between the O2 plasma (electron process) and other plasmas tested (ionic processes).
Performance of a Biodegradable Composite with Hydroxyapatite as a Scaffold in Pulp Tissue Repair
Authors: Okamoto Motoki , Matsumoto Sayako , Sugiyama Ayato , Kanie Kei , Watanabe Masakatsu , Huang Hailing , Ali Manahil , Ito Yuki , Miura Jiro , Hirose Yujiro , Uto Koichiro , Ebara Mitsuhiro , Kato Ryuji , Yamawaki-Ogata Aika , Narita Yuji , Kawabata Shigetada , Takahashi Yusuke , Hayashi Mikako
Published: April 2020

Vital pulp therapy is an important endodontic treatment. Strategies using growth factors and biological molecules are effective in developing pulp capping materials based on wound healing by the dentin-pulp complex. Our group developed biodegradable viscoelastic polymer materials for tissue-engineered medical devices. The polymer contents help overcome the poor fracture toughness of hydroxyapatite (HAp)-facilitated osteogenic differentiation of pulp cells. However, the composition of this novel polymer remained unclear. This study evaluated a novel polymer composite, P(CL-co-DLLA) and HAp, as a direct pulp capping carrier for biological molecules. The biocompatibility of the novel polymer composite was evaluated by determining the cytotoxicity and proliferation of human dental stem cells in vitro. The novel polymer composite with BMP-2, which reportedly induced tertiary dentin, was tested as a direct pulp capping material in a rat model. Cytotoxicity and proliferation assays revealed that the biocompatibility of the novel polymer composite was similar to that of the control. The novel polymer composite with BMP-2-induced tertiary dentin, similar to hydraulic calcium-silicate cement, in the direct pulp capping model. The BMP-2 composite upregulated wound healing-related gene expression compared to the novel polymer composite alone. Therefore, we suggest that novel polymer composites could be effective carriers for pulp capping.
An Eco-Effective Soybean Meal-Based Adhesive Enhanced with Diglycidyl Resorcinol Ether
Authors: Luo Jing , Zhou Ying , Zhang Yi , Gao Qiang , Li Jianzhang
Published: April 2020

Soybean meal-based adhesive is a good wood adhesive mainly due to its renewable, degradable, and environmentally friendly features. To improve the enhancement efficiency for adhesives, diglycidyl resorcinol ether (DRE) containing a benzene ring and flexible chain structure was used as an efficient cross-linker to enhance the adhesive in the study. The physicochemical properties of adhesives, the dry shear strength, and wet shear strength of plywood were measured. Results suggested that DRE reacted with the functional groups of soybean meal adhesive and formed a cross-linking network during hot press process in a ring-opening reaction through a covalent bond. As expected, compared to adhesive control, the soybean meal adhesive with 4 wt% DRE incorporation showed a significant increment in wet shear strength by 227.8% and in dry shear strength by 82.7%. In short, soybean meal adhesive enhanced with DRE showed considerable potential as a wood adhesive for industrial applications.
Removal of Lindane from Aqueous Solution Using Aluminum Hydroxide Nanoparticles with Surface Modification by Anionic Surfactant
Authors: Nguyen Thi Hang , Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh , Pham Tien Duc , Le Thanh Son
Published: April 2020

In the present study, we investigated the removal of an emerging pesticide lindane from aqueous solution using synthesized aluminum hydroxide Al(OH)3 (bayerite) nanomaterials with surface modification by an anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The Al(OH)3 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and zeta potential. The lindane removal using SDS-modified nano-aluminum hydroxide nanoparticles (SMNAH) achieved removal of up to 93.68%, which was 3.3 times higher than that of nano-aluminum hydroxide nanoparticles. The adsorptive removal conditions were studied and found to have an adsorption time of 60 min, a pH of 6, an adsorbent dosage of 25 mg/mL and an ionic strength of 10 mM NaCl. After reusing four times, the removal efficiency of lindane using SMNAH still reached 75%. Two-step adsorption can fit adsorption isotherms of lindane onto SMNAH at two salt concentrations. On the basis of the change in zeta potential, surface functional groups and adsorption isotherms, we suggest that the formation of a bilayer micelle induced the removal of lindane.
The Virgin of the Vulnerable Lake: Catholic Engagement with Climate Change in the Philippines
Authors: Peracullo Jeane
Published: April 2020

In the Philippines, popular belief has it that the image of the Virgen de Caysasay was fished out of the Pansipit River in 1603. Since then, many miraculous healing events, mostly involving water, have been credited to it. The prevalence of water highlights the vulnerability of physical bodies against the onslaught of environmental destruction that comes with climate change. In the Climate Links Report on Climate Change Vulnerability (2017), it was shown that the Philippines’ agricultural and water resources are already strained due to multiple factors, including susceptibility to extreme weather conditions. Using the example of the Virgen de Caysasay, this paper examines Catholic engagement with climate change, specifically the pastoral letters of the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) pertaining to climate change and the various responses of the faithful vis-a-vis the extreme vulnerability of the different bodies of water in the Caysasay region. I argue that, in the case of the Virgen de Caysasay, the vulnerabilities of the community—of the bodies of water and of sacred spaces by virtue of them being assigned as such due to religious practices—reveal the dissonance between what the local Catholic Church imparts and communicates through its CBCP pastoral letters on the environment to the faithful community and the realities on the ground.
Eating and Being Eaten: Interspecies Vulnerability as Eucharist
Authors: Dahill Lisa
Published: April 2020

Living in a time of urgent ecological crisis, Christians need outdoor ritual experience of their faith: of what is wild, of the living Earth, stranger faces of the divine: taking eco-alienated people out of the building and into the streets, the river, the forest. Moving liturgy outdoors makes possible an opening to both human and more-than-human strangeness on their own terms, in actual, present, sensory experience. It also opens worshipers’ experience of the Christian sacraments into the disconcerting realm of our bodies’ physical edibility to other creatures: the possibility of our own flesh becoming food. Using the work of Val Plumwood, David Abram, and Eric Meyer, this paper examines Eucharistic ritual language and theologies of resurrection as these contribute to a worldview that maintains a human versus food dualism incommensurate with biological processes. Ultimately, the paper calls for Eucharistic practices that allow participants to pray being prey.
Stability Assessment of OCO-2 Radiometric Calibration Using Aqua MODIS as a Reference
Authors: Yu Shanshan , Rosenberg Robert , Bruegge Carol , Chapsky Lars , Fu Dejian , Lee Richard , Taylor Thomas , Cronk Heather , O’Dell Christopher , Angal Amit , Xiong Xiaoxiong , Crisp David , Eldering Annmarie
Published: April 2020

With three imaging grating spectrometers, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) measures high spectral resolution spectra ( λ / Δ λ ≈ 19,000) of reflected solar radiation within the molecular oxygen (O 2 ) A-band at 0.765 μ m and two carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) bands at 1.61 and 2.06 μ m. OCO-2 uses onboard lamps with a reflective diffuser, solar observations through a transmissive diffuser, lunar measurements, and surface targets for radiometric calibration and validation. Separating calibrator aging from instrument degradation poses a challenge to OCO-2. Here we present a methodology for trending the OCO-2 Build 8R radiometric calibration using OCO-2 nadir observations over eight desert sites and nearly simultaneous observations from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) with sensor viewing zenith angles of 15 ± 0.5 ∘ . For the O 2 A-band, this methodology is able to quantify a drift of −0.8 ± 0.1% per year and capture a small error in correcting the aging of the solar calibrator. For the other two OCO-2 bands, no measurable changes were seen, indicating less than 0.1% and less than 0.3% per year drift in the radiometric calibration of Band 2 and Band 3, respectively.
Editorial for Special Issue “Radar Imaging in Challenging Scenarios from Smart and Flexible Platforms”
Authors: Perna Stefano , Soldovieri Francesco , Amin Moeness
Published: April 2020

Microwave radar imaging plays a key role in several civilian and defense applications, such as security, surveillance, diagnostics and monitoring in civil engineering and cultural heritage, environment observation, with particular emphasis on disasters and crisis management, where it is required to remotely sense the area of interest in a timely, safe and effective way. To address these constraints, a technological opportunity is offered by radar systems mounted onboard smart and flexible platforms, such as ground-based ones, airplanes, helicopters, drones, unmanned aerial and ground vehicles (UAV and UGV). For this reason, radar imaging based on data collected by such platforms is gaining interest in the remote sensing community. However, a full exploitation of smart and flexible radar systems requires the development and use of image formation techniques and reconstruction approaches able to exploit and properly deal with non-conventional data acquisition configurations. The other main issue is related to the need to operate in challenging environments, and still deliver high target detection, localization and tracking. These environments include through the wall imaging, rugged terrain and rough surface/subsurface. In these cases, one seeks mitigation of the adverse effects of clutter and multipath via the implementation of effective signal processing strategies and electromagnetic modeling.
A Novel Deep Learning Method to Identify Single Tree Species in UAV-Based Hyperspectral Images
Authors: Miyoshi Gabriela Takahashi , Arruda Mauro dos Santos , Osco Lucas Prado , Marcato Junior José , Gonçalves Diogo Nunes , Imai Nilton Nobuhiro , Tommaselli Antonio Maria Garcia , Honkavaara Eija , Gonçalves Wesley Nunes
Published: April 2020

Deep neural networks are currently the focus of many remote sensing approaches related to forest management. Although they return satisfactory results in most tasks, some challenges related to hyperspectral data remain, like the curse of data dimensionality. In forested areas, another common problem is the highly-dense distribution of trees. In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning approach for hyperspectral imagery to identify single-tree species in highly-dense areas. We evaluated images with 25 spectral bands ranging from 506 to 820 nm taken over a semideciduous forest of the Brazilian Atlantic biome. We included in our network’s architecture a band combination selection phase. This phase learns from multiple combinations between bands which contributed the most for the tree identification task. This is followed by a feature map extraction and a multi-stage model refinement of the confidence map to produce accurate results of a highly-dense target. Our method returned an f-measure, precision and recall values of 0.959, 0.973, and 0.945, respectively. The results were superior when compared with a principal component analysis (PCA) approach. Compared to other learning methods, ours estimate a combination of hyperspectral bands that most contribute to the mentioned task within the network’s architecture. With this, the proposed method achieved state-of-the-art performance for detecting and geolocating individual tree-species in UAV-based hyperspectral images in a complex forest.
Evaluation of Prescribed Fires from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Imagery and Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Pérez-Rodríguez Luis A. , Quintano Carmen , Marcos Elena , Suarez-Seoane Susana , Calvo Leonor , Fernández-Manso Alfonso
Published: April 2020

Prescribed fires have been applied in many countries as a useful management tool to prevent large forest fires. Knowledge on burn severity is of great interest for predicting post-fire evolution in such burned areas and, therefore, for evaluating the efficacy of this type of action. In this research work, the severity of two prescribed fires that occurred in “La Sierra de Uría” (Asturias, Spain) in October 2017, was evaluated. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with a Parrot SEQUOIA multispectral camera on board was used to obtain post-fire surface reflectance images on the green (550 nm), red (660 nm), red edge (735 nm), and near-infrared (790 nm) bands at high spatial resolution (GSD 20 cm). Additionally, 153 field plots were established to estimate soil and vegetation burn severity. Severity patterns were explored using Probabilistic Neural Networks algorithms (PNN) based on field data and UAV image-derived products. PNN classified 84.3% of vegetation and 77.8% of soil burn severity levels (overall accuracy) correctly. Future research needs to be carried out to validate the efficacy of this type of action in other ecosystems under different climatic conditions and fire regimes.
Fusion of MODIS and Landsat-Like Images for Daily High Spatial Resolution NDVI
Authors: Filgueiras Roberto , Mantovani Everardo Chartuni , Fernandes-Filho Elpídio Inácio , Cunha Fernando França da , Althoff Daniel , Dias Santos Henrique Brant
Published: April 2020

One of the obstacles in monitoring agricultural crops is the difficulty in understanding and mapping rapid changes of these crops. With the purpose of addressing this issue, this study aimed to model and fuse the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using Landsat-like images to achieve daily high spatial resolution NDVI. The study was performed for the period of 2017 on a commercial farm of irrigated maize-soybean rotation in the western region of the state of Bahia, Brazil. To achieve the objective, the following procedures were performed: (i) Landsat-like images were upscaled to match the Landsat-8 spatial resolution (30 m); (ii) the reflectance of Landsat-like images was intercalibrated using the Landsat-8 as a reference; (iii) Landsat-like reflectance images were upscaled to match the MODIS sensor spatial resolution (250 m); (iv) regression models were trained daily to model MODIS NDVI using the upscaled Landsat-like reflectance images (250 m) of the closest day as the input; and (v) the intercalibrated version of the Landsat-like images (30 m) used in the previous step was used as the input for the trained model, resulting in a downscaled MODIS NDVI (30 m). To determine the best fitting model, we used the following statistical metrics: coefficient of determination (r2), root mean square error (RMSE), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency index (NSE), mean bias error (MBE), and mean absolute error (MAE). Among the assessed regression models, the Cubist algorithm was sensitive to changes in agriculture and performed best in modeling of the Landsat-like MODIS NDVI. The results obtained in the present research are promising and can enable the monitoring of dynamic phenomena with images available free of charge, changing the way in which decisions are made using satellite images.
Continuous Detection of Small-Scale Changes in Scots Pine Dominated Stands Using Dense Sentinel-2 Time Series
Authors: Grabska Ewa , Hawryło Paweł , Socha Jarosław
Published: April 2020

Climate change and severe extreme events, i.e., changes in precipitation and higher drought frequency, have a large impact on forests. In Poland, particularly Norway spruce and Scots pine forest stands are exposed to disturbances and have, thus experienced changes in recent years. Considering that Scots pine stands cover approximately 58% of forests in Poland, mapping these areas with an early and timely detection of forest cover changes is important, e.g., for forest management decisions. A cost-efficient way of monitoring forest changes is the use of remote sensing data from the Sentinel-2 satellites. They monitor the Earth’s surface with a high temporal (2–3 days), spatial (10–20 m), and spectral resolution, and thus, enable effective monitoring of vegetation. In this study, we used the dense time series of Sentinel-2 data from the years 2015–2019, (49 images in total), to detect changes in coniferous forest stands dominated by Scots pine. The simple approach was developed to analyze the spectral trajectories of all pixels, which were previously assigned to the probable forest change mask between 2015 and 2019. The spectral trajectories were calculated using the selected Sentinel-2 bands (visible red, red-edge 1–3, near-infrared 1, and short-wave infrared 1–2) and selected vegetation indices (Normalized Difference Moisture Index, Tasseled Cap Wetness, Moisture Stress Index, and Normalized Burn Ratio). Based on these, we calculated the breakpoints to determine when the forest change occurred. Then, a map of forest changes was created, based on the breakpoint dates. An accuracy assessment was performed for each detected date class using 861 points for 46 classes (45 dates and one class representing no changes detected). The results of our study showed that the short-wave infrared 1 band was the most useful for discriminating Scots pine forest stand changes, with the best overall accuracy of 75%. The evaluated vegetation indices underperformed single bands in detecting forest change dates. The presented approach is straightforward and might be useful in operational forest monitoring.
Mapping and Assessment of Tree Roots Using Ground Penetrating Radar with Low-Cost GPS
Authors: Zou Lilong , Wang Yan , Giannakis Iraklis , Tosti Fabio , Alani Amir M. , Sato Motoyuki
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we have presented a methodology combining ground penetrating radar (GPR) and a low-cost GPS receiver for three-dimensional detection of tree roots. This research aims to provide an effective and affordable testing tool to assess the root system of a number of trees. For this purpose, a low-cost GPS receiver was used, which recorded the approximate position of each GPR track, collected with a 500 MHz RAMAC shielded antenna. A dedicated post-processing methodology based on the precise position of the satellite data, satellite clock offsets data, and a local reference Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Earth Observation Network System (GEONET) Station close to the survey site was developed. Firstly, the positioning information of local GEONET stations was used to filter out the errors caused by satellite position error, satellite clock offset, and ionosphere. In addition, the advanced Kalman filter was designed to minimise receiver offset and the multipath error, in order to obtain a high precision position of each GPR track. Kirchhoff migration considering near-field effect was used to identify the three-dimensional distribution of the root. In a later stage, a novel processing scheme was used to detect and clearly map the coarse roots of the investigated tree. A successful case study is proposed, which supports the following premise: the current scheme is an affordable and accurate mapping method of the root system architecture.
Learning to Describe: A New Approach to Computer Vision Based Ancient Coin Analysis
Authors: Cooper Jessica , Arandjelović Ognjen
Published: April 2020

In recent years, a range of problems under the broad umbrella of computer vision based analysis of ancient coins have been attracting an increasing amount of attention. Notwithstanding this research effort, the results achieved by the state of the art in published literature remain poor and far from sufficiently well performing for any practical purpose. In the present paper we present a series of contributions which we believe will benefit the interested community. We explain that the approach of visual matching of coins, universally adopted in existing published papers on the topic, is not of practical interest because the number of ancient coin types exceeds by far the number of those types which have been imaged, be it in digital form (e.g., online) or otherwise (traditional film, in print, etc.). Rather, we argue that the focus should be on understanding the semantic content of coins. Hence, we describe a novel approach—to first extract semantic concepts from real-world multimodal input and associate them with their corresponding coin images, and then to train a convolutional neural network to learn the appearance of these concepts. On a real-world data set, we demonstrate highly promising results, correctly identifying a range of visual elements on unseen coins with up to 84% accuracy.
Pathways towards Sustainability in Organizations: Empirical Evidence on the Role of Green Human Resource Management Practices and Green Intellectual Capital
Authors: Malik Saqib Yaqoob , Cao Yukun , Mughal Yasir Hayat , Kundi Ghulam Muhammad , Mughal Mudassir Hayat , Ramayah T.
Published: April 2020

According to the resource-based view (RBV), an organization can be viewed as a collection of human, physical and organizational resources. These resources are valuable and inimitable, and are the main source of sustainable competitive advantage and sustained higher performance. Green human resource management (GHRM) practices help organizations to obtaina competitive advantage and align business strategies with the environment. In the same way, increases in environmental awareness and strict implementation of international environmental regulations havea greater impact on business sustainability. Environmentalism and sustainability are becoming more of a concern for organizations. For this reason, green human resource managementpractices and green intellectual capital are the main elements of business sustainability. Based on the resource-based view and intellectual capital-based view theory, this study investigated the impact of GHRM practices and green intellectual capital on sustainability, using cross-sectional data. The results show that the two dimensions of GHRM practices (green recruitment and selection, and green rewards) and green intellectual capital (green human capital, green structural capital and green relational capital) have a positive effect on a firm’s sustainability. GHRM practices and green intellectual capital have a positive role in this model. Practitioners, scholars and academics all may take benefits from the findings of this study.Limited variables andemerging and developingeconomies were the scope of this study. Future studies could investigate and explore the impact of green HRM practices and the role of management and stakeholder pressureonnew areas of sustainability.
Cover Crop Impact on Soil Organic Carbon, Nitrogen Dynamics and Microbial Diversity in a Mediterranean Semiarid Vineyard
Authors: Novara Agata , Catania Valentina , Tolone Marco , Gristina Luciano , Laudicina Vito Armando , Quatrini Paola
Published: April 2020

Cover crop (CC) management in vineyards increases sustainability by improving soil chemical and biological fertility, but knowledge on its effects in semiarid soils is lacking. This study evaluated the effect of leguminous CC management on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, soil nitrate content and microbial diversity in a semiarid vineyard, in comparison to conventional tillage (CT). SOC and nitrate were monitored during vine-growing season; soil respiration, determined by incubation experiments, microbial biomass and diversity was analyzed after CC burial. The microbial diversity was evaluated by bacterial and fungal automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and high-throughput sequencing of 16SrDNA. CC increased nitrate content and, although it had no relevant effect on SOC, almost doubled its active microbial component, which contributes to SOC stabilization. An unexpected stability of the microbial communities under different soil managements was assessed, fungal diversity being slightly enhanced under CT while bacterial diversity increased under CC. The complete nitrifying genus Nitrospira and plant growth-promoting genera were increased under CC, while desiccation-tolerant genera were abundant in CT. Findings showed that temporary CC applied in semiarid vineyards does not optimize the provided ecosystem services, hence a proper management protocol for dry environments should be set up.
Addressing Sustainable Development: Promoting Active Informed Citizenry through Trans-Contextual Science Education
Authors: Chowdhury TBM , Holbrook Jack , Rannikmäe Miia
Published: April 2020

This article seeks to identify the role of science education in promoting an active, scientifically literate, citizenry ready to address sustainable development goals as envisaged by the United Nations (2015). In so doing, a conceptual model is put forward to address citizenry development, extending beyond an informed scientific and technological decision making ability and encompassing constructive activities addressing sustainable development at the local, national and global level. The operationalisation of the model builds on an initial student-relevant, societal issue-related contextualisation involving STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) while focusing on developing science conceptual learning. The model extends to not only considering socio-scientific issues, but seeks to promote trans-contextualisation beyond the school setting, seeking to raise awareness of an active informed citizenry, related to environmental, economic and social sustainability. The components of active informed citizenry are described and a trans-contextual science teaching example based on the model is put forward in this article.
Is Bioenergy Truly Sustainable When Land-Use-Change (LUC) Emissions Are Accounted for? The Case-Study of Biogas from Agricultural Biomass in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy
Authors: Tamburini Elena , Gaglio Mattias , Castaldelli Giuseppe , Fano Elisa Anna
Published: April 2020

Bioenergies are considered sustainable alternatives to fossil energy sources in the European Union (EU) renewable energy targets for 2030. However, their performances in terms of greenhouse gases (GHG) savings may be affected by indirect emissions related to the required land-use-change (LUC) that should be taken into account when modelling their sustainability. The European Renewable Energy Directive (RED) introduced a number of GHG emission criteria, in comparison with fossil fuels, that bioenergy deriving from agricultural biomasses must comply with. The Emilia-Romagna region (North-Eastern Italy), the second largest Italian biogas producer, has recently issued its Regional Energy Plan (REP), which set an ambitious increase of about 40% of the current installed electric power from biogas up to 2030. The aim of this study is to assess the sustainability of Emilia-Romagna REP accounting for the required indirect land-use-change (ILUC), due to the bioenergy crop expansion, potentially needed to reach the targets. Based on regional data available on biogas production, the amount of land used for maize silage to be destined to biogas production (as a model agricultural feedstock) has been calculated for the actual state-of-the art and towards 2030 scenarios provided by the REP. Starting from average GHG emissions associated with biogas production from 100% maize silage of 35 gCO2 eq/MJ, a further contribution of 8–18.5 gCO2 eq/MJ due to LUC has been found. Our findings indicate that it is difficult to assess the global GHG savings from the bioenergy targets fixed by regional energy plans when LUC effects are considered. Careful analysis is necessary in each case to avoid creating negative impacts.
Understanding Public Transport Ridership in Developing Countries to Promote Sustainable Urban Mobility: A Case Study of Mexicali, Mexico
Authors: Sánchez-Atondo Alejandro , García Leonel , Calderón-Ramírez Julio , Gutiérrez-Moreno José Manuel , Mungaray-Moctezuma Alejandro
Published: April 2020

Some small- and medium-sized Global South cities have unsustainable transport systems and no information to plan interventions in addition to having limited resources for data collection. This study proposes a method to understand Public Transport (PT) ridership in cities of these characteristics, based on previous studies and by analysing available indicators related to Manheim’s macro-variables, to identify their influence on the PT ridership. The method was applied in the city of Mexicali, Mexico. The results help to understand the causes of the low PT ridership and have implications for achieving sustainable urban mobility in the city. Findings reveal that mobility planning in Mexicali has been occurring without properly considering activity system related variables, so it is necessary to integrate urban and transport administration. Moreover, to increase PT demand in Mexicali, mobility strategies to discourage the use of private cars are necessary. The proposed method can be applied in other cities of the Global South with characteristics similar to the case study to understand the causes of PT ridership, so these can be considered by the agencies responsible for the planning of the city’s transportation system to promote a sustainable urban mobility.
Toxicity and Hazards of Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Sunscreens to Aquatic Life of Quintana Roo, Mexico
Authors: Hernández-Pedraza Miguel , Caballero-Vázquez José Adán , Peniche-Pérez Jorge Carlos , Pérez-Legaspi Ignacio Alejandro , Casas-Beltran Diego Armando , Alvarado-Flores Jesús
Published: April 2020

Sunscreens have spread widely into aquatic systems over the last 18 years in Quintana Roo, Mexico. This contamination is caused by intensive use as a result of leisure activities, as sunbathers apply the substances intensively (up to 83.75% of tourists and locals). Moreover, 25% of the compounds are mainly released into the water through topical products washing off. On average, 300,000 tourists arrive every week in Quintana Roo, increasing the contamination. In addition, there are no recent studies on sunscreen toxicity and the hazards this represents for the native zooplankton of Quintana Roo. In order to assess their adverse effects, acute toxicity was assessed for nine sunscreens (five non-biodegradable and four biodegradable) in four zooplankton species (Brachionus cf ibericus, Cypridopsis vidua, Diaphanocypris meridana, and Macrothrix triserialis). In total, 21 LC50 values were obtained, which are the baseline values for estimating risk and for determining the expected maximum permissible concentration. Our data on toxicity to freshwater species compared to marine species indicate that freshwater species are more sensitive than marine species. In conclusion, biodegradable sunscreen posed a moderate risk, and non-biodegradable posed a high risk. Our outcomes suggested that the maximum permissible concentrations for the contamination of sunscreens were 8.00E-05 g/L for non-biodegradable and 1.60E-04 g/L for biodegradable sunscreens.
Sustainable Business in Norway: The Firm or the Industry Effect?
Authors: Qureshi Muhammad Azeem , Strønen Fred H. , Tyseng Marius , Urdal Marius
Published: April 2020

Explaining sources of profitability has been a major research stream in corporate finance and strategic management literature for decades. However, we have limited understanding of the sources of variations in firm profitability, especially in Norway, where the linkage of the sustainability of business entities and the economic sustainability of Norway is quite pronounced due to the extended role of the state actively engaged in business activities. Using a unique and all-inclusive dataset of all businesses in all sectors having various ownership forms over 2008–2016 of this advanced service economy, this study opens the black box of variations in profitability of Norwegian businesses. Overall, firm characteristics explain most of the variation in profitability, but we identify one industry where the industry effect dominates. Among several variables, long-term finance and short-term finance explain most of the variations in profitability.
The Model of Knowledge Management Based on Organizational Climate
Authors: Jokanović Bojana , Zivlak Nikola , Okanović Andrea , Ćulibrk Jelena , Duđak Ljubica
Published: April 2020

Keeping in mind the fact that organizations in the region of Vojvodina are moving from a negotiated to market economy, this study aims to analyze how the dimensions of collaborative climate affect the various activities of knowledge management. The degree to which collaborative climate influences knowledge work is investigated on 190 participants in the region of the Province of Vojvodina (Serbia). Two standardized questionnaires were used to collect data: a knowledge management questionnaire, which included 32 questions, and a collaborative climate questionnaire of 20 questions. To test the hypothesis of the study, the technique used was descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The results show that only the organizational culture as a dimension of collaborative climate contributes to the explanation of all the activities of knowledge management, except the activity of leaving knowledge, which fails to achieve a statistical relationship with any dimension of collaborative climate. This study provides useful insights for practitioners wanting to improve an organization’s performance and to increase organizational sustainability and learning. It is a useful base to expand further research in a way of better understanding the impact that collaborative climate has on the implementation of knowledge management in a transition towards a knowledge economy.
Canonical Correlation Study on the Relationship between Shipping Development and Water Environment of the Yangtze River
Authors: Que Sisi , Luo Hanyu , Wang Liang , Zhou Wenqiang , Yuan Shaochun
Published: April 2020

The sustainable development of the Yangtze River will affect the lives of the people who live along it as well as the development of cities beside it. This study investigated the relationship between shipping development and the water environment of the Yangtze River. Canonical correlation analysis is a multivariate statistical method used to study the correlation between two groups of variables; this study employed it to analyze data relevant to shipping and the water environment of the Yangtze River from 2006 to 2016. Furthermore, the Yangtze River Shipping Prosperity Index and Yangtze River mainline freight volume were used to characterize the development of Yangtze River shipping. The water environment of the Yangtze River is characterized by wastewater discharge, ammonia nitrogen concentration, biochemical oxygen demand, the potassium permanganate index, and petroleum pollution. The results showed that a significant correlation exists between Yangtze River shipping and the river’s water environment. Furthermore, mainline freight volume has a significant impact on the quantity of wastewater discharged and petroleum pollution in the water environment.
Stochastic Differential Game in the Closed-Loop Supply Chain with Fairness Concern Retailer
Authors: Huang Zongsheng
Published: April 2020

This paper addresses the stochastic used-product return problem in a closed-loop supply chain consisting of one manufacturer and one retailer concerned with fairness. We resolve the equilibrium feedback control strategies with no fairness concern retailer, gap fairness concern retailer, and self-due fairness concern retailer. We find only under a specific condition, the feedback Markov equilibrium exists, and the expected return rate would approach to the stable state, regardless of the fairness type the retailer is. The equilibrium prices are decreasing over the return rate, and the equilibrium collecting control strategy is increasing over the return rate. The increasing of stochastic disturbance intensity can be beneficial to the supply chain members. The manufacturer should shift profit to the retailer since the retailer is fairness concern. By the comparison analysis, we find the gap fairness concern retailer is more aggressive, while the self-due fairness concern retailer is more reasonable for both the manufacturer and the retailer. Furthermore, we design a hybrid coordinate contract for the manufacturer to coordinate with the retailer.
Open Innovation as a Value Chain for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Determinants of the Use of Open Innovation
Authors: Stanisławski Robert
Published: April 2020

The concept of open innovation is currently one of the key issues regarding the innovative development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs). It has been the subject of research both in the theoretical and empirical context. At present, there is no unambiguous definition conceptualizing the conceptual scope of open innovation (OI). However, enterprises do not always decide by themselves to be open to the environment. Therefore, determinants are important, as they encourage enterprises to greater openness, which can be treated as a key element of a value chain for SMEs, contributing to their innovative development. Classification of these determinants (also named as factors) is very poor in the literature. Generally, internal and external determinants are identified. Authors decide on the selection of these factors and their division by themselves. The research presented in this article has indicated the existence of several significant regularities. Firstly, larger entities are more likely to use the OI concept. Secondly, market determinants are the most important for the use of OI among SMEs. Thirdly, both internal and external determinants have a huge impact on the application of the OI concept, with external determinants being more significant for smaller rather than larger entities. The conclusions drawn were a consequence of the assumed aim of the article: The assessment of the influence of determinants that affect the use of the OI concept among SMEs in Poland.
Innovative Behaviors, Employee Creativity, and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Moderated Mediation
Authors: Nasifoglu Elidemir Servet , Ozturen Ali , Bayighomog Steven W.
Published: April 2020

It is challenging for enterprises that lack innovation and creativity to survive successfully in the market. Employee top role performance is not always sufficient to gain a competitive advantage, in which innovative behaviors and creativity can be counted as necessary ingredients to build. This study proposed and tested employee innovative behaviors (IB) and creativity as mediator and moderator, respectively, of the impact of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) on sustainable competitive advantage (CA). The resource-based view and job demands resources model provided the theoretical underpinnings for the developed hypotheses that were tested using a sample of 323 customer-contact employees of 4- and 5-star hotels. The results indicated that HPWP indirectly predicted CA via IB. Also, creativity moderated the impact of HPWPs on innovative behaviors positively and on competitive advantage negatively. Employee innovative behaviors can generate substantial returns to service organizations competing with quasi-homogeneous end-products. The relevant theoretical and practical implications are further discussed. The scope of the study calls for caution in the generalizability of the overall findings. The research acknowledges the need to extend the findings by explicitly accounting for national cultural profiles. This study fills the dearth of research in service innovation in the hotel industry by testing the mediating effect of IB on the HPWPs CA nexus and reveals the moderating role that employee creative traits have in these relationships.
Furfural Analogs as Sustainable Corrosion Inhibitors—Predictive Efficiency Using DFT and Monte Carlo Simulations on the Cu(111), Fe(110), Al(111) and Sn(111) Surfaces in Acid Media
Authors: Bourzi Hassan , Oukhrib Rachid , El Ibrahimi Brahim , Abou Oualid Hicham , Abdellaoui Youness , Balkard Bouchra , El Issami Souad , Hilali Mustapha , Bazzi Lahcen , Len Christophe
Published: April 2020

Nowadays, theoretical calculation tools have become powerful in predicting the behavior of corrosion inhibitors on the surface of metals and, therefore, avoiding energy consumption and the cost of experimental tests. This work aims to predict the inhibitory power of some furan derivatives on Cu (111), Fe (110), Al (111) and Sn (111) surfaces in acidic media. For this purpose, three furan derivatives—furan-2-carbaldehyde (FF1), 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (FF2) and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furoic acid (FF3)—have been selected to compare their intrinsic properties against corrosion as well as their behavior on iron (Fe), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al) and tin (Sn) surfaces in acid medium. Typically, the anti-corrosive properties of FF1, FF2 and FF3 were studied by using quantum chemical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations. Density Functional Theory (DFT), lowest unoccupied (ELUMO) and highest occupied (EHOMO) molecular orbital energies, energy gap (∆E), chemical hardness (η), softness (σ), electronegativity (χ), electrophilicity (ω) and nucleophilicity (ε) have been calculated and discussed. Theoretical vibrational spectra were also calculated to exhibit the functional groups in the selected chemicals. On the other hand, the adsorption behaviors of FF1, FF2 and FF3 were studied on the Fe(110), Cu(111), Al(111) and Sn(111) surfaces. As a result, the adsorption energies of all molecules are ordered as Fe(110) < Cu(111) < Al(111) < Sn(111) and FF3 seems to be more effective as a corrosion inhibitor due to the existence of both carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups, which consist of favorable sites of adsorption into the metal surface.