bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adding Active Slot Joint Larger Broadcast Radius for Fast Code Dissemination in WSNs
Authors: Yang Wei , Liu Wei , Zeng Zhiwen , Liu Anfeng , Huang Guosheng , Xiong Neal N. , Cai Zhiping
Published: November 2018

By using Software Defined Network (SDN) technology, senor nodes can get updated program code which can provide new features, so it has received extensive attention. How to effectively spread code to each node fast is a challenge issue in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, an Adding Active Slot joint Larger Broadcast Radius (AAS-LBR) scheme is proposed for fast code dissemination. The AAS-LBR scheme combines the energy of data collection and code dissemination, making full use of the remaining energy in the far-sink area to increase the active slot and the broadcast radius to speed up the code dissemination. The main contributions of the proposed AAS-LBR scheme are the following: (1) Make full use of the remaining energy of the far sink area to expand the broadcast radius, so that the node broadcasts a longer distance. The wide range of broadcasts makes the number of nodes receiving code more, which speeds up the spread of code dissemination. (2) AAS-LBR uses two improved methods to further reduce the number of broadcasts and speed up the code dissemination: (a) When constructing the broadcast backbone whose nodes dominate all nodes in network and are responsible for broadcasting code, the active slot is added to the next hop node in a pipeline style on the diffusion path, which enables the code dissemination process to continue without pause. Thus, the code can quickly spread to the entire broadcast backbone. (b) For the nodes in the non-broadcast backbone whose nodes are dominated by the broadcast backbone and only for receiving code, an active slot is added coincident with its broadcast backbone’ active slot, which can reduce the time required for code dissemination and reduce the number of broadcasts. A lot of performance analysis and simulation results show that compared to previous schemed, the AAS-LBR scheme can balance energy consumption, the transmission delay can be reduced 43.09–78.69%, the number of broadcasts can be reduced 44.51–86.18% and the energy efficiency is improved by about 24.5%.
NLOS Identification in WLANs Using Deep LSTM with CNN Features
Authors: Nguyen Viet-Hung , Nguyen Minh-Tuan , Choi Jeongsik , Kim Yong-Hwa
Published: November 2018

Identifying channel states as line-of-sight or non-line-of-sight helps to optimize location-based services in wireless communications. The received signal strength identification and channel state information are used to estimate channel conditions for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems in indoor wireless local area networks. This paper proposes a joint convolutional neural network and recurrent neural network architecture to classify channel conditions. Convolutional neural networks extract the feature from frequency-domain characteristics of channel state information data and recurrent neural networks extract the feature from time-varying characteristics of received signal strength identification and channel state information between packet transmissions. The performance of the proposed methods is verified under indoor propagation environments. Experimental results show that the proposed method has a 2% improvement in classification performance over the conventional recurrent neural network model.
Accuracy Assessment of Semi-Automatic Measuring Techniques Applied to Displacement Control in Self-Balanced Pile Capacity Testing Appliance
Authors: Muszyński Zbigniew , Rybak Jarosław , Kaczor Paulina
Published: November 2018

Static load tests of foundation piles are the basic method for the designing or verification of adopted design solutions which concern the foundation of a building structure. Preparation of a typical test station using the so-called inverted beam method is very expensive and labor-intensive. The settlement values of the loaded pile are usually recorded using accurate dial gauges. These gauges are attached to a reference beam located in close proximity to the pile under test, which may cause systematic errors (difficult to detect) caused by the displacement of the adopted reference beam. The application of geodetic methods makes it possible to maintain an independent, external reference system, and to verify the readouts from dial gauges. The article presents an innovative instrumentation for a self-balanced stand for the static load test made from a closed-end, double steel pipe. Instead of typical, precise geometric leveling, the semi-automatic measuring techniques were used: motorized total station measurement and terrestrial laser scanning controlled by a computer. The processing of the acquired data made it possible to determine the vertical displacements of both parts of the examined pile and compare displacements with the results from the dial gauges. On the basis of the excess of the collected observations, it was possible to assess the accuracy, which confirmed the usefulness of measuring techniques under study.
Gaussian Process Based Bayesian Inference System for Intelligent Surface Measurement
Authors: Ren Ming Jun , Cheung Chi Fai , Xiao Gao Bo
Published: November 2018

This paper presents a Gaussian process based Bayesian inference system for the realization of intelligent surface measurement on multi-sensor instruments. The system considers the surface measurement as a time series data collection process, and the Gaussian process is used as mathematical foundation to establish an inferring plausible model to aid the measurement process via multi-feature classification and multi-dataset regression. Multi-feature classification extracts and classifies the geometric features of the measured surfaces at different scales to design an appropriate composite covariance kernel and corresponding initial sampling strategy. Multi-dataset regression takes the designed covariance kernel as input to fuse the multi-sensor measured datasets with Gaussian process model, which is further used to adaptively refine the initial sampling strategy by taking the credibility of the fused model as the critical sampling criteria. Hence, intelligent sampling can be realized with consecutive learning process with full Bayesian treatment. The statistical nature of the Gaussian process model combined with various powerful covariance kernel functions offer the system great flexibility for different kinds of complex surfaces.
Frequency Offset Tolerant Synchronization Signal Design in NB-IoT
Authors: Zou Jun , Xu Chen
Published: November 2018

Timing detection is the first step and very important in wireless communication systems. Timing detection performance is usually affected by the frequency offset. Therefore, it is a challenge to design the synchronization signal in massive narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) scenarios where the frequency offset is usually large due to the low cost requirement. In this paper, we firstly proposed a new general synchronization signal structure with a couple of sequences which are conjugated to remove the potential timing error that arises from large frequency offset. Then, we analyze the suitable sequence for our proposed synchronization signal structure and discuss a Zadoff–Chu (ZC) sequence with root 1 as an example. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate that our proposed synchronization signal can work well when the frequency offset is large. It means that our proposed synchronization signal design is very suitable for the massive NB-IoT.
A Handheld Real-Time Photoacoustic Imaging System for Animal Neurological Disease Models: From Simulation to Realization
Authors: Liu Yu-Hang , Xu Yu , Liao Lun-De , Chan Kim Chuan , Thakor Nitish V.
Published: November 2018

This article provides a guide to design and build a handheld, real-time photoacoustic (PA) imaging system from simulation to realization for animal neurological disease models. A pulsed laser and array-based ultrasound (US) platform were utilized to develop the system for evaluating vascular functions in rats with focal ischemia or subcutaneous tumors. To optimize the laser light delivery, finite element (FE)-based simulation models were developed to provide information regarding light propagation and PA wave generation in soft tissues. Besides, simulations were also conducted to evaluate the ideal imaging resolution of the US system. As a result, a PA C-scan image of a designed phantom in 1% Lipofundin was reconstructed with depth information. Performance of the handheld PA system was tested in an animal ischemia model, which revealed that cerebral blood volume (CBV) changes at the cortical surface could be monitored immediately after ischemia induction. Another experiment on subcutaneous tumors showed the anomalous distribution of the total hemoglobin concentration (HbT) and oxygen saturation (SO2), while 3D and maximum intensity projection (MIP) PA images of the subcutaneous tumors are also presented in this article. Overall, this system shows promise for monitoring disease progression in vascular functional impairments.
Improvement of Detection Sensitivity of Microbubbles as Sensors to Detect Ambient Pressure
Authors: Li Fei , Li Deyu , Yan Fei
Published: November 2018

Microbubbles are considered a promising tool for noninvasive estimation of local blood pressure. It is reported that the subharmonic scattering amplitude of microbubbles decreases by 9 to 12 dB when immersed in the media under an ambient pressure variation from 0 to 180 mmHg. However, the pressure sensitivity still needs to be improved to satisfy clinical diagnostic requirements. Here, we investigated the effects of acoustic parameters on the pressure sensitivity of microbubbles through measuring the acoustic attenuation and scattering properties of commercially available SonoVue microbubbles. Our results showed that the first harmonic, subharmonic, and ultraharmonic amplitudes of microbubbles were reduced by 6.6 dB, 10.9 dB, and 9.3 dB at 0.225 mechanical index (MI), 4.6 dB, 19.8 dB, and 12.3 dB at 0.25 MI, and 18.5 dB, 17.6 dB, and 12.6 dB at 0.3 MI, respectively, when the ambient pressure increased from 0 to 180 mmHg. Our finding revealed that a moderate MI (0.25–0.4) exciting microbubbles could significantly improve their sensitivities to detect ambient pressure.
Effects of Strength Training Program and Infrared Thermography in Soccer Athletes Injuries
Authors: Menezes Pedro , Rhea Matthew R. , Herdy Carlos , Simão Roberto
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of a periodized strength training program and the use of infrared thermography (IRT) in injuries mapping in under 20-year-old (U-20) soccer players. In this study, 26 professional soccer players participated in strength training (ST) twice a week and were tested with IRT consistently across the 1-year. Strength, vertical jump, heat differences and injuries were tracked and analyzed. Results: 69 injuries occurred during 12 months of tracking; most identified injuries were: contusions, sprains, strains to the thigh (n = 16), ankle (n = 15) and knee (n = 12). Differences (>7 °C) in IRT patterns were noted among injured and non-injured athletes. Significant improvements in strength (p < 0.005) were found for vertical jump, bench press, front lat pull down, shoulder press, leg press, leg curl and squat. Number of injuries decreased from 23 (33.3%) to 14 (20.3%) when early year rates were compared to late year (p < 0.005). Combined ST and IRT represent useful strategies for reducing injuries among U-20 soccer players.
Using Portable Force Plates to Assess Vertical Jump Performance: A Metrological Appraisal
Authors: Raymond François , Lussier Benoit , Dugas François , Charbonneau Mathieu , Croteau Félix , Kennedy Cory , Berryman Nicolas
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this study was to verify the metrological properties of portable force plates that are used to assess countermovement jump performance. While 88 participants (38 males, 50 females) were included in the agreement analyses, 84 participants (37 males and 47 females) completed the reliability part of the study. This randomized crossover design suggests that portable force plates could be used interchangeably with a reference system. Indeed, the differences between both devices were all considered trivial (effect size (ES) < 0.20), and the mean bias was never greater than 3.41% in comparison to the reference system. In addition, the absolute and relative reliability parameters were found to be acceptable for clinical use, even when used on different floor surfaces. However, it was found that the ratio between flight time and contraction time (FTCT) showed questionable reliability when tests were conducted on different surfaces (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.49; coefficient of variation = 26.72%). Therefore, practitioners should be careful when installing the portable device on different floor surfaces in order to optimize the reliability and the ability to detect real change in the context of a countermovement jump monitoring process.
Reproducibility of Blood Lactate Concentration Rate under Isokinetic Force Loads
Authors: Nitzsche Nico , Baumgärtel Lutz , Maiwald Christian , Schulz Henry
Published: November 2018

(1) Background: Maximum isokinetic force loads show strongly increased post-load lactate concentrations and an increase in the maximum blood lactate concentration rate ( V ˙ Lamax), depending on load duration. The reproducibility of V ˙ Lamax must be known to be able to better assess training-related adjustments of anaerobic performance using isokinetic force tests. (2) Methods: 32 subjects were assigned to two groups and completed two unilateral isokinetic force tests (210° s−1, Range of Motion 90°) within seven days. Group 1 (n = 16; age 24.0 ± 2.8 years, BMI 23.5 ± 2.6 kg m−2, training duration: 4.5 ± 2.4 h week−1) completed eight repetitions and group 2 (n = 16; age 23.7 ± 1.9 years, BMI 24.6 ± 2.4 kg m−2, training duration: 5.5 ± 2.1 h week−1) completed 16 repetitions. To determine V ˙ Lamax, capillary blood (20 µL) was taken before and immediately after loading, and up to the 9th minute post-load. Reproducibility and variability was determined using Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses, and variability were determined using within-subject standard deviation (Sw) and Limits of Agreement (LoA) using Bland Altman plots. (3) Results: The correlation of V ˙ Lamax in group 1 was r = 0.721, and in group 2 r = 0.677. The Sw of V ˙ Lamax was 0.04 mmol L−1 s−1 in both groups. In group 1, V ˙ Lamax showed a systematic bias due to measurement repetition of 0.02 mmol L−1 s−1 in an interval (LoA) of ±0.11 mmol L−1 s−1. In group 2, a systematic bias of −0.008 mmol L−1 s−1 at an interval (LoA) of ±0.11 mmol L−1 s−1 was observed for repeated measurements of V ˙ Lamax. (4) Conclusions: Based on the existing variability, a reliable calculation of V ˙ Lamax seems to be possible with both short and longer isokinetic force loads. Changes in V ˙ Lamax above 0.11 mmol L−1 s−1 due to training can be described as a non-random increase or decrease in V ˙ Lamax.
Income Vulnerability of West African Farming Households to Losses in Pollination Services: A Case Study from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Authors: Stenchly Kathrin , Hansen Marc , Stein Katharina , Buerkert Andreas , Loewenstein Wilhelm
Published: November 2018

Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in West African countries is developing rapidly in response to population growth and changing consumer preferences. Furthermore, UPA offers opportunities to secure income and social integration for the urban poor. However, little is known about household (HH) income security effects of the ongoing shift in UPA land use from crops that do not rely on insect pollinators for fruit development (e.g., sorghum and millet) to pollinator-dependent crops. In our study we developed a Household Vulnerability Index (HVI) for 224 HHs along a rural–urban gradient of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The HVI indicates to which degree total HH revenue could be affected by a decline in insect pollinators. HH specific relative reduction of agricultural revenue ranged from 0 to −0.83, a reduction in HHs’ revenue of up to 83%, depending on the crops’ level of pollinator dependency. Half of the studied HHs (n = 108) showed an HVI of 0 and remained unaffected by a decline in pollinators. Nevertheless, mean HVI was highest for urban HHs; making these HHs most vulnerable for loss of pollination services. As in urban areas changes in insect-mediated pollination services are expected, the development of resilient UPA systems must consider “pollinator-friendly” landscape management.
Differences in Urban Built-Up Land Expansion in Zhengzhou and Changsha, China: An Approach Based on Different Geographical Features
Authors: Wang Zhanqi , Zhang Hongwei , Chai Ji
Published: November 2018

The disorderly expansion of urban built-up land is a global issue. It is of great significance to guide urban land use scientifically through the analysis of geographical features to identify the mechanisms that underlie differences in urban built-up land expansion. We selected Changsha and Zhengzhou in China, whose built-up areas during the initial period of study had different natural geographical features, but similar human geographical features, and systematically explored the development and evolution characteristics of the natural and human geographical features from 1990 to 2010 using a landscape metrics analysis and an urban built-up land intensive use analysis. We found that (1) although human beings have a strong ability to transform nature, they have to rely on the natural endowment of the land to develop the cities and, thus, have formed different landscape patterns and levels of urban built-up land intensive use; (2) in places where the natural geographical features are more restrictive, land-use policy-makers are more cautious in their decision-making, which more closely links the land-use policies and human geographical features, thereby simultaneously increasing the degree of intensive built-up land use and reducing the number of problems that arise from urban built-up land expansion. This research can provide a reference for the development of policies for urban built-up land use in Changsha and Zhengzhou. It also can provide ideas for how to implement different built-up land management policies for other cities with different natural and human geographical features.
Evaluation of Sustainability of Maize Cultivation in Poland. A Prospect Theory—PROMETHEE Approach
Authors: Król Aleksandra , Księżak Jerzy , Kubińska Elżbieta , Rozakis Stelios
Published: November 2018

This study aims at exploiting research outcomes concerning tillage practices in order to make solutions available to farmers to mitigate negative environmental impact to soils. Two alternative practices have been analysed against conventional full tillage based on data provided by a long-term experiment conducted at the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (IUNG) farm in Grabów, Central Poland. Reduced Tillage and Direct Sowing are evaluated against Full Tillage on the basis of socio-economic and environmental criteria. Multi-criteria decision analysis undertaken using the PROMETHEE method provided evidence that the ‘optimal’ maize cultivation system depends on the decision maker’s viewpoint and preferences. In fact, criteria selected and related weights elicited from representative farmers, as well as from an expert agronomist, reveal different viewpoints. Direct sowing was the most preferable for the large farm and expert perspective, whereas in case of small farm reduced tillage ranked first. Prospect theory developed by behavioural economists was incorporated to take into account decision biases. As a matter of fact, based on Prospect Theory-PROMETHEE from the small farm and the expert perspective, the conventional system was now ranked first, while for the large farm, the most preferable practice was still direct sowing.
The Problem of Sustainable Intermodal Transportation: A Case Study of an International Logistics Company, Turkey
Authors: Göçmen Elifcan , Erol Rızvan
Published: November 2018

Environmental and social concerns force logistics firms to evaluate various risk factors for intermodal transportation systems. In this context, this paper takes into account economic, social, and ecological risk factors that have attracted considerable attention toward sustainable transportation. In this paper, the allocation of export containers to transportation modes, by incorporating social and ecological risks with a main focus on the minimization of transportation costs, was examined. A mixed-integer-programming-based mathematical model was proposed to decide how the containers can be allocated to different transportation modes. In addition, a fuzzy-based approach was performed to determine the social and ecological risk weights of the transportation modes within the decision process. Each mode was evaluated with social risks (e.g., human accidents and deaths) and ecological risks (e.g., emission values and noise pollution) by decision makers via the assignment of numerical scores. The obtained results show that optimal transportation modes more economical and environmentally friendly were provided by the proposed methods.
Development of Green Ports with the Consideration of Coastal Wave Energy
Authors: Li Li , Zhu Jiadong , Ye Guanqiong , Feng Xuehao
Published: November 2018

Considering the rapid development of maritime logistics, the reduction of energy consumption at ports is important in the sustainable development of global economics. Oceans have been known as sources of clean energy, and wave energy is attracting more and more attention from both scholars and practitioners. Even though much effort has been made to develop advanced technologies of wave energy, it is still not clear how ports and electricity plants will evaluate its performance and make decisions on the investment. This paper analyzed the decision framework of ports and electricity plants that can decide how much to invest into wave energy converters, by considering the uncertainty of wave energy supply. A mathematical model is developed to obtain the optimal decisions of a single port and electricity plant for different cases. We show that in most cases, the port has a no lower motivation for investing in the wave energy than the electricity plant. Our theoretical analyses also shed light on the impacts of the parameters on the optimal decisions. Considering the difficulty in estimating the uncertainty of wave energy supply, we extend the distribution-free model to our problem which can make our model more practical.
Do Credit Ratings Take into Account the Sustainability Performance of Companies?
Authors: Cubas-Díaz Maite , Martínez Sedano Miguel Ángel
Published: November 2018

In the last few decades, sustainability performance measuring has become a widely-studied issue, and various measurement proposals have been put forward. However, it is also important to know whether those measures are actually being used in the real world. In this case, we take one very important indicator used by investors when they make investment decisions: the credit rating of the potential investment. We test whether credit ratings take into account the above-mentioned measures. Following the literature, we conduct a fixed-effects ordered probit analysis, using as controls the variables usually found in the related literature on credit rating analysis. The dependent variables are S&P ratings. We find that companies with higher sustainability performance tend to have higher credit ratings, though having a less consistent performance over time seems to have no effect. To check the robustness of our results, we also perform the analysis for different sectors and sub-periods. In addition, we conduct the analysis using sustainability scores provided by ASSET4 (Datastream) as an explanatory variable and using Fitch credit ratings as the explained variable.
Drumming the Barrels of Hope? Bioeconomy Narratives in the Media
Authors: Peltomaa Juha
Published: November 2018

Bioeconomy as one mode of the transition towards a more sustainable mode of production and consumption has been addressed in several policy fields. Bioeconomy has raised hope not only in the quest for a more sustainable future, but also offers new possibilities, especially in countries with vast natural resources. By using the Narrative Policy Framework, I assess the kinds of bioeconomy narratives promoted by the media and the future they suggest, for the case of Finland. Flexible concepts such as bioeconomy can be harnessed to promote different, and even contrasting, objectives. Besides growth-oriented promises, bioeconomy seems to simultaneously raise controversial questions related to techno-social path dependencies and the sustainability of natural resource use. The narratives seem also to lack roles for certain actor groups, such as citizens, which might challenge the legitimacy and, thus, the future of bioeconomy. The role of civil society should also be better addressed by scholars in the field, as it plays an important role in the sustainability of bioeconomy.
A Small-Scale Event and a Big Impact—Is This Relationship Possible in the World of Sport? The Meaning of Heritage Sporting Events for Sustainable Development of Tourism—Experiences from Poland
Authors: Malchrowicz-Mośko Ewa , Poczta Joanna
Published: November 2018

The theoretical part of this article presents the meaning of sporting events for the tourism industry and the importance of sporting events at a small scale, as well as heritage sporting events for sustainable development of tourist destinations. The literature review shows that there is a clear research gap with respect to the analysis of economic and social impacts of small-scale events. The empirical research was conducted by the method of a diagnostic survey during three sporting events of different rank, which took place in Poland and represented various sports disciplines—running, horse riding, and swimming. A total of 2098 respondents took part in the study, including sports tourists and resident-hosts who took part in the studied events. The aim of the study was to examine whether there is a link between the rank of a sporting event, the development of tourism, and the impact on the host city’s image. The results of the study showed that the highest additional tourism activity in the city on the occasion of participation in an event as an athlete or supporter was undertaken by the participants of the lowest ranked sporting event (Half-Marathon). They also gave the highest rating of the positive impact of a sporting event on the host city’s image. The hosts also rated the highest social impact from the Half-Marathon (i.e., increased sense of pride, social integration, and local identity). Events related to the heritage of the sport of a given region and other smaller-scale sporting events, including mass sports and recreation events (e.g., marathons and other running events), provide an alternative to homogenized, commercial, and very expensive sporting events in the world and may contribute to the sustainable development of tourist regions. The research results show that big social potential lies in the organization of small-scale sports events. The reflections contained in this article may inspire the organization of small-scale sporting events and the continued care for sporting events related to the cultural heritage of a given region. Events of this kind successfully impact tourist revival and improvement of the regions’ image.
Enhancement of Material Properties of Lime-Activated Slag Mortar from Intensified Pozzolanic Reaction and Pore Filling Effect
Authors: Kwon Yang-Hee , Kang Sung-Hoon , Hong Sung-Gul , Moon Juhyuk
Published: November 2018

To utilize alkali-activated materials widely, this study investigates the effects of an intensified pozzolanic reaction and pore filling by silica fume on various material properties of lime-activated slag mortar. Although ground-granulated blast-furnace slag is classified as a cementitious material, it commonly requires an activator to enhance the performance of structural materials. In the first step of the improvement strategy, slag reaction is activated by hydrated lime. Next, silica fume is added to densify the microstructure by the physical pore filling effect and/or the pozzolanic reaction that additionally forms hydration products. This increased the compressive strength by 18% at 28 days and by 25% at 91 days under ambient curing condition, mainly due to the physical effect. Moreover, elevated temperature curing for three days was highly effective to further improve the strength, and to accelerate strength development. This is because both the physical effect and the chemical reaction are effective at the high temperature curing condition. The conducted microstructural investigation provided the evidence for the intensified pozzolanic reaction and pore filling effect, both of which are closely related to the mechanical properties. It is also found that the use of silica fume positively contributes to the dimensional stability. Since the developed material exhibits high strength (>40 MPa after 14 days) without Portland cement or highly toxic chemicals, it can be practically used as an eco-friendly structural mortar.
Impact of Public Management Approaches on Municipal Real Estate Management in Poland and The Netherlands
Authors: Marona Bartłomiej , Van den Beemt-Tjeerdsma Annette
Published: November 2018

Since the economic crisis (2008) municipalities became more aware of their real estate portfolio. Their first reaction to the sense of urgency to pay more attention to this extensive property was to improve their real estate administration. Now, ten years later, municipalities are ready to focus more on the professionalization of the management of their real estate. The purpose of this study is to present the role of individual concepts of public management in Polish and Dutch municipal (public) real estate management. The paper is based on the results on survey research based on public real estate management theory and two public management approaches: new public management and good governance. First, preliminary research was carried out in a Polish metropolitan area after which all Polish metropolitan areas where questioned about their real estate management issues. This questionnaire was also sent to all Dutch municipalities one year later. The Hellwig’s taxonomic method was performed on both separately to assess the level of implementation of good governance and new public management principles in real estate management practices. The research shows that new public management standards are applied at a similar level in municipal real estate management in Poland and The Netherlands. Good governance standards are used a little more broadly in Poland than in The Netherlands. The research shows that in Poland and The Netherlands the concepts of new public management and good governance are not applied as a whole but are deployed as a collection of instruments. Most municipalities choose some of these instruments to apply to their municipal real estate (MREM). Both in Poland and in The Netherlands there are differences noticed in the application of new public management and good governance principles depending on the type of municipality. Besides this originality and scientific relevance, municipalities of both countries could benefit from this comparison by learning from best practices. Practical recommendations and suggestions for public administration concern: (i) the necessity to develop municipal real estate management plans; (ii) increase regularity of asset valuation and (iii) assessment of real estate management performance; (iv) greater transparency in real estate management; and (v) increasing the participation of citizens in the process of managing real estate.
International Students’ Conceptions of the Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Liwen , Chen Tung-Liang
Published: November 2018

This qualitative study was conducted to investigate international students’ conception of the internationalization of business education in Taiwan. Qualitative data was collected in the form of field notes and transcripts of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 32 international students from various business schools in Taiwan. The participants expressed four descriptive categories of conception, which were identified using a phenomenographic approach. These findings led to several implications, as well as some recommendations to improve the content and context of the sustainable international program in order to ensure more effective learning outcomes in this era of mandatory educational reform.
Trade Unions in Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives: What Shapes Their Participation?
Authors: Martens Deborah , Gansemans Annelien , Orbie Jan , D'Haese Marijke
Published: November 2018

There is a growing concern about the extent to which multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), designed to improve social and environmental sustainability in global supply chains, give a meaningful voice to less powerful stakeholders. Trade unions are one particular civil society group whose participation in MSIs has received little scholarly attention so far. The objective of this paper is to examine the determinants that enable and constrain trade union participation in MSIs. Based on interviews, focus groups, observations and document analysis we determine local trade union participation in three MSIs, operating at company, national and transnational level respectively, in the Costa Rican pineapple industry. To explain the limited encountered trade union participation, an analytical framework is developed combining structural and agency dimensions, namely the MSI design and trade union’s power resources. The findings show shortcomings in the representativeness, procedural fairness and consensual orientation in the design and implementation of the MSIs. These are, however, not sufficient to explain weak trade union participation as trade union power resources also have an influence. Strong network embeddedness and improved infrastructural resources had a positive effect, whereas the lack of internal solidarity and unfavourable narrative resources constrained the unions’ participation.
Do International Capabilities and Resources Configure Firm’s Sustainable Competitive Performance? Research within Pakistani SMEs
Authors: Degong Ma , Ullah Farid , Khattak Muhammad Sualeh , Anwar Muhammad
Published: November 2018

Market conditions in emerging economies are often reported as less stable and volatile. The business sector, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies, face several shortcomings including lack of resources, lack of finance, lack of support and lack of human skills, etc. Hence, they look to international support and resources to survive in a long run in the dynamic markets. This research examines the role of international finance, international technology, international experience and international network in SME firms’ Sustainable Competitive Performance (SCP) in Pakistan. SMEs are a major source of employment and value creation and, therefore, are very relevant to Pakistan economic and social development and improved sustainability. Hypotheses were tested on the data set collected from 304 emerging SMEs. After Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied in Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS), the results indicate that international finance, international experience and international network significantly positively contribute to SCP, but international technology is not a significant predictor of SCP. This research recommends top managers and policy makers to give enough attention to the particular international resources and capabilities in order to configure their firm survival in the turbulent market.
Evaluation of Landscape Ecological Integrity in the Yulin Region, China
Authors: Shi Yuqiong , Wang Ninglian , Li Tuansheng , Wang Han , Kang Huanhuan , Shi Xiaohui
Published: November 2018

We developed a framework and an index to evaluate landscape ecological integrity. The framework was applied to the Yulin region (Shaanxi Province, China) to evaluate its overall ecological integrity and the effect of the Grain for Green Project on landscape ecological integrity. Landscape ecological integrity (LEI) is the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its self-organization capacity, stability, and diversity in structure and function. A landscape having high ecological integrity has three major characteristics: complex structure, high self-organization capacity, and a high level of stability. The LEI can be evaluated using five indicators: landscape fragmentation, connectance, ecological sensitivity, diversity, and vegetation productivity. The results indicate that the LEI in the Yulin region was relatively low during the period from 2000 to 2015. From 2000 to 2005, areas of very low and low LEI decreased, and areas of moderate and high LEI increased. From 2005 to 2010, areas of low and high LEI decreased, and areas of moderate LEI increased. Furthermore, from 2010 to 2015, areas of very low and low LEI increased, and areas of moderate and high LEI decreased. Overall, the LEI of the region was low, but increased between 2000 and 2010, and decreased between 2010 and 2015. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the Grain for Green Project in the Yulin region has been successful in improving regional LEI.
Circular Economy and the Role of Universities in Urban Regeneration: The Case of Ortigia, Syracuse
Authors: De Medici Stefania , Riganti Patrizia , Viola Serena
Published: November 2018

Regeneration processes activate stable regimes of interaction and interdependence among the architectural, economic, cultural and social sub-systems in settlements. The thesis of this paper is that in order to progress towards sustainable and inclusive cities, urban governance should widen the decision-making arena, promoting virtuous circular dynamics based on knowledge transfer, strategic decision making and stakeholders’ engagement. The historic urban landscape is a privileged la b for this purpose. The paper adapts the Triple-Helix model of knowledge-industry-government relationships to interpret the unexpected regimes of interaction between Local Authority and Cultural Heritage Assets triggered in the late 90es by the establishment of a knowledge provider such as a Faculty of Architecture in the highly degraded heritage context of the city of Syracuse, Italy. Following this approach, the authors explain the urban regeneration happened over the last 20 years in the port city of Syracuse, based on knowledge sharing and resources’ protection that promoted processes of social engagement and institutional empowerment for both new residents and entrepreneurs.
Irrational Beliefs and Social Adaptation of Online Sports Gamblers According to Addiction Level: A Comparative Study
Authors: Bum Chul-Ho , Choi Chulhwan , Lee Kyongmin
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in psychological characteristics (i.e., irrational beliefs) and social adaptation according to a participant’s level of addiction to online sports gambling (i.e., non-problem, low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk gamblers). A survey was completed by participants of online sports gambling, aged 19 years or older; 291 completed questionnaires were obtained and analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). As results of this study, according to the level of addiction to online sports gambling, there were significant differences on people’s mental state and social adaptation. Specifically, the more people are attached to a group that is exposed to high gambling addiction risk, the more they tend to become irrational while gambling, adopt an overconfident viewpoint, and overestimate their techniques. Moreover, as addiction to online sports gambling worsens, adaptation problems begin to appear in their work and family lives. This study demonstrated that people who are addicted to online sports gambling tend to find difficulties in thinking reasonably and logically and struggle to lead normal lives. By raising awareness on online sports gambling addiction, this study could suggest a way out of the difficulty.
Poverty Traps in the Municipalities of Ecuador: Empirical Evidence
Authors: Correa-Quezada Ronny , García-Vélez Diego Fernando , Del Río-Rama María de la Cruz , Álvarez-García José
Published: November 2018

The objective of this research is to identify from a spatial and temporal perspective the territories that are located in a “poverty trap” scenario. This is a scenario that does not allow overcoming the conditions and determinants that gave rise to this precarious situation, creating a vicious circle where the conditions of poverty endure through time. The methodology applied is an exploratory analysis of spatial dependence through Moran’s scatterplot and local indicators of spatial association (LISA) maps to visualize the spatial clusters of poverty. The database used is that of the population and housing censuses of 1990, 2001, and 2010 at the cantonal level. The results determine that 73 cantons were in a poverty trap over the period 1990–2001, while from 2001–2010, there were 75 cantons in this situation, which were located mainly in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, and Loja.
Contribution à l'étude de l'empoussiérage minéral dans des tissus bronchiques
Authors: Capitant M. , Goñi Juan C. , Rose Y. , Roujeau J.
Published: November 2018

Étude préliminaire clinique et physique des particules minérales décelées dans les parois bronchiques par biopsie. Douze observations de sujets exposés à un empoussiérage le plus souvent professionnel ont été étudiées.

L'étude physique a comporté la recherche des particules minérales à la microsonde et au microscope polarisant. Après repérage des particules et identification, le cas échéant, on a pu montrer l'existence de particules minérales exogènes ou même endogènes et préciser leur siège au sein du tissu par une étude histologique sommaire.

Cette étude préliminaire sera suivie d'une étude sur les corrélations entre les constatations par biopsie bronchique et les constatations par biopsie pulmonaire ou pièce d'exérèse. L'identité de ces lésions, si elle est confirmée, sera d'un secours précieux pour le diagnostic par simple biopsie bronchique des broncho˗pneumopathies professionnelles par particules minérales.
Étude cristallographique des orthoniobates et orthotantalates de lithium
Authors: Grenier Jean-Claude , Martin Claude , Durif-Varambon André
Published: November 2018

NbLi₃O₄ et TaLi₃O₄ possèdent tous deux une forme basse température cubique de type NaCl. A plus haute température l'orthoniobate de lithium est cubique avec une maille a₀ = 8,429 Å correspondant à 2a NaCl. On a affaire à un ordre 1/3 niobium˗lithium. La structure de ce composé a été étudiée par diffraction de rayons X et de neutrons.

La forme haute température de l'orthotantalate est quadratique centrée avec

 a₀ = 6,055 Å  c₀ = 16,76 Å

 a₀ ~ √2 a NaCl  c₀ ~ 4 a NaCl.

Il s'agit encore d'un autre type d'ordre 1/3 des cations penta et monovalents. La détermination de la structure de ce dernier composé est en cours.
Types de réactions d'oxydation observés au cours de l'analyse thermique différentielle, dans l'air, de minéraux sulfurés et arséniés de Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag et Pb
Authors: Maurel Colette
Published: November 2018

On étudie les produits d'oxydation formés au cours de l'analyse thermique différentielle, dans l'air, d'une vingtaine de minéraux sulfurés et arséniés de Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag et Pb. Les réactions d'oxydation observées peuvent se ramener à cinq types : 1) Volatilisation partielle du métalloïde, il reste un sulfure ou un arséniure plus riche en métal. 2) Volatilisation totale du métalloïde et oxydation du métal. 3) Oxydation en un sulfate ou un arséniate. 4) Oxydation et volatilisation sélective de l'arsenic, dans le cas d'un sulfoarséniure, il reste un sulfure. 5) Oxydation sélective de l'un des deux métaux présents dans le même minéral.
Étude minéralogique et géochimique d'une latite vitreuse à biotite et plagioclase
Authors: Christophe Michel-Lévy Mireille , Goñi Juan C.
Published: November 2018

Analyses chimiques (éléments principaux et traces) et étude minéralogique de la latite de Guilliz, avec séparation de la biotite, du plagioclase et du verre. Le mica est une oxybiotite pauvre en Al, riche en Fe3+ et en Ti ; le plagioclase zoné, andésinique, présente un remarquable excédent de silice modifiant sensiblement les propriétés optiques ; le verre est rhyolitique.
Épitaxie des métaux cubiques sur halogénures alcalins clivés sous vide
Authors: Jaunet J. , Sella C.
Published: November 2018

Un des facteurs les plus importants dans la croissance épitaxique de métaux condensés sur des surfaces de clivage de cristaux ioniques est l'orientation des premiers germes. Dans le cas des cristaux clivés à l'air cette orientation peut être perturbée par la présence de couches adsorbées. Cet inconvénient est évité au moyen d'un dispositif permettant le clivage du cristal sous vide et la condensation simultanée du film métallique. L'épitaxie se produit alors à des températures inférieures de 150 à 200° à celles observées pour des cristaux clivés à l'air. En outre les surfaces clivées sous vide ont une topographie fine très différente de celle des surfaces exposées à l'air.
Enhancing action recognition of construction workers using data-driven scene parsing
Authors: Yang Jun
Published: November 2018

Vision-based action recognition of construction workers has attracted increasing attention for its diverse applications. Though state-of-the-art performances have been achieved using spatial-temporal features in previous studies, considerable challenges remain in the context of cluttered and dynamic construction sites. Considering that workers actions are closely related to various construction entities, this paper proposes a novel system on enhancing action recognition using semantic information. A data-driven scene parsing method, named label transfer, is adopted to recognize construction entities in the entire scene. A probabilistic model of actions with context is established. Worker actions are first classified using dense trajectories, and then improved by construction object recognition. The experimental results on a comprehensive dataset show that the proposed system outperforms the baseline algorithm by 10.5%. The paper provides a new solution to integrate semantic information globally, other than conventional object detection, which can only depict local context. The proposed system is especially suitable for construction sites, where semantic information is rich from local objects to global surroundings. As compared to other methods using object detection to integrate context information, it is easy to implement, requiring no tedious training or parameter tuning, and is scalable to the number of recognizable objects.
Haplophyllum ermenekense (Rutaceae), a new species from Turkey
Authors: Ulukuş Deniz , Tugay Osman
Published: November 2018

A new species ofHaplophyllum,Haplophyllumermenekense(Rutaceae) is described and illustrated in line drawing. It grows on stony slopes of Ermenek town, Karaman province, in southern Turkey. It is compared with the closely related speciesH.myrtifolium.H.ermenekenseis distinguished from the morphologically similarH myrtifoliumchiefly by sepal shape, petal size, capsule size, presence of capsule hair and appendage form. On the other hand, the seed coat and pollen grains surface ofH.ermenekenseandH.myrtifoliumare demonstrated in SEM photographs. In addition to the detailed description, the illustration, distribution map, conservation status and ecology of the new species are also provided.