bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methodology for Determining the Location of Intermodal Transport Terminals for the Development of Sustainable Transport Systems: A Case Study from Slovakia
Authors: Ližbetin Ján
Published: February 2019

A high-quality infrastructure and technical base is a vital factor in the development of intermodal transport in transport systems. Intermodal transport terminals are the most important component of a combined transport infrastructure, providing an essential connection between different modes of transport. This article deals with the issue of where to locate intermodal transport terminals within a transport network. In reality, this decision comes down to the potential of a particular location (e.g., an industrial park) and the critical role of private investors. These are mostly subjective factors, whereby little or no consideration is given to objective criteria. Within this context, it is extremely important that decisions are taken with regards to the development and construction of public networks, and economically neutral intermodal transport terminals by independent subjects are based on a non-discriminatory approach. In other words, it is essential that such terminals are built in places that comply with the stated priorities of the transport policy of a specific state. In this article, the author puts forward a method for determining the location of terminals that are based on the optimisation of several influential factors. The specified methodology is applied to a case study in Slovakia. The theoretical part of the article deals with the nature of the method to be applied. The discussion part involves a case study concerning the (potential) location of intermodal transport terminals in the Slovak Republic.
Fault Ride through Capability Augmentation of a DFIG-Based Wind Integrated VSC-HVDC System with Non-Superconducting Fault Current Limiter
Authors: Alam Md Shafiul , Abido Mohammad Ali Yousef , Hussein Alaa El-Din , El-Amin Ibrahim
Published: February 2019

This paper proposes a non-superconducting bridge-type fault current limiter (BFCL) as a potential solution to the fault problems of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) integrated voltage source converter high-voltage DC (VSC-HVDC) transmission systems. As the VSC-HVDC and DFIG systems are vulnerable to AC/DC faults, a BFCL controller is developed to insert sizeable impedance during the inception of system disturbances. In the proposed control scheme, constant capacitor voltage is maintained by the stator VSC (SVSC) controller, while current extraction or injection is achieved by rotor VSC (RVSC) controller. Current control mode-based active and reactive power controllers for an HVDC system are developed. Balanced and different unbalanced faults are applied in the system to show the effectiveness of the proposed BFCL solution. A DFIG wind-based VSC-HVDC system, BFCL, and their controllers are implemented in a real time digital simulator (RTDS). The performance of the proposed BFCL control strategy in DFIG-based VSC-HVDC system is compared with a series dynamic braking resistor (SDBR). Comparative RTDS implementation results show that the proposed BFCL control strategy is very efficient in improving system fault ride through (FRT) capability and outperforms SDBR in all cases considered.
The Impact of Disaster of a National Airline on the Nation’s Tourism: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Fan Ting , Pu Bo , Powpaka Samart , Hao Liaogang
Published: February 2019

This study contributes to the area of tourism research by investigating the process by which the air disaster of a national airline affects tourists’ attitude and intention to fly the airline as well as attitude and intention to visit the country. A survey with potential Chinese tourists on visiting Malaysia and flying Malaysia Airlines was conducted. Results show that intention to visit Malaysia is positively affected by attitude toward visiting Malaysia and intention to fly Malaysia Airlines. Attitude toward visiting Malaysia is positively affected by attitude toward flying Malaysia Airlines and negatively by perceived risk of visiting Malaysia. Perceived risk of visiting Malaysia is, in turn, negatively affected by subjective knowledge about Malaysia and attitude toward flying Malaysia Airlines, and positively by perceived risk of flying Malaysia Airlines. Intention to fly Malaysia Airlines, on the other hand, is positively affected by attitude toward flying Malaysia Airlines. Attitude toward flying Malaysia Airlines is negatively affected by perceived risk of flying Malaysia Airlines, which is, in turn, positively affected by usefulness of (negative) public opinion. The theoretical contribution, managerial implications, limitations, and future research direction are also discussed.
Residential Consumers’ Willingness to Pay Price Premium for Renewable Heat in South Korea
Authors: Kim Hee-Hoon , Lim Seul-Ye , Yoo Seung-Hoon
Published: February 2019

Heat accounts for about one-third of the final energy use and it is mostly produced using fossil fuels in South Korea. Thus, heat production is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions. However, using renewable heat that is directly produced from renewable energy, such as bioenergy, geothermal, or solar heat can save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rather than transforming conventional fuel into heat. Therefore, an energy policy for renewable heat urgently needs to be established. It is such situations that this paper attempts to assess the consumers’ additional willingness to pay (WTP) or the price premium for renewable heat over heat that is produced from fossil fuels for residential heating. To that end, a nationwide contingent valuation survey of 1000 households was conducted during August 2018. Employing the model allowing for zero WTP values, the mean of the additional WTP or premium for one Gcal of heat produced using renewable energy rather than fossil fuels was estimated to be KRW 3636 (USD 3.2), which is statistically meaningful at the 1% level. This value represents the price premium for renewable heat over heat that is based on fossil fuels. Given that the heat price for residential heating was approximately KRW 73,000 (USD 65.1) per Gcal at the time of the survey, the additional WTP or the price premium corresponds to about 5% of that. When considering that the cost of producing renewable heat is still significantly higher than the cost of producing fossil fuels-based heat, more efforts to lower the production costs of renewable heat as well as financial support of the government for producing and supplying renewable heat are needed to ensure residential consumers’ acceptance of renewable heat.
The Moderating Effect of R&D Investment on Income and Carbon Emissions in China: Direct and Spatial Spillover Insights
Authors: Qi Shaozhou , Peng Huarong , Tan Xiujie
Published: February 2019

R&D investment plays a great role in achieving China’s low-carbon economy goals, which has a moderating effect on the relationship between income and carbon emissions. Furthermore, such a moderating effect may have spatial differences, given the possible spatial dependence of carbon emissions. Therefore, this paper explores the direct and spatial spillover moderating effects of R&D investment by adopting the panel spatial Durbin model and data of 30 provinces in China during 1998–2015. The empirical results firstly indicate that R&D investment moderates the positive impact of income on local carbon emissions for both the non-spatial and spatial model, and that more R&D investment can make carbon emissions reach the turning point earlier. Secondly, R&D investment in the local province increases the positive influence of local income on neighboring carbon emissions, which mainly results from the transfer effect of carbon emissions rather than the knowledge spillovers effect. The results are indicated to be robust by three types of robustness analyses. Finally, FDI and patents are the main constrained forces of local and neighboring carbon emissions; coal consumption is the main driver of local carbon emissions.
Effective Segmentation of Organic Food Consumers in Vietnam Using Food-Related Lifestyles
Authors: Van Huy Le , Chi Mai Thi Thao , Lobo Antonio , Nguyen Ninh , Long Phan Hoang
Published: February 2019

The consumer purchase of environmentally friendly products like organic food is essential to environmental sustainability. This study applies the unique food-related lifestyles (FRL) approach to segment organic food consumers in Vietnam, a country in which there is increasing concern about food safety and quality. The FRL model was intentionally selected because it enables better understanding of how consumers employ food and its culinary aspects to achieve certain values in their lives. Data were obtained from 203 organic food consumers, and a two-step cluster analysis established three identifiable market segments which we named “Conservatives”, “Trendsetters”, and “Unengaged”. The Conservatives were interested in the health aspects of food and preferred natural products. The Trendsetters were interested in healthy food, liked to cook, and held a positive attitude toward organic food and local food products. The Unengaged consumers were not concerned about food-related issues, and they reported the least consumption of organic food. The findings of this study have important academic and practical implications for marketers, policymakers, organizations dealing with food, and socio-environmental organizations that aim to promote organic food consumption. Importantly, marketing efforts should focus on enhancing consumers’ knowledge about organic food and their love of cooking, as well as ensuring adequate availability of organic food.
Social Sustainability and Professional Development: Assessing a Training Course on Intercultural Education for In-Service Teachers
Authors: Biasutti Michele , Concina Eleonora , Frate Sara
Published: February 2019

Background: World-wide migration is one of the most important issues of the 21st century. One crucial problem that has arisen as a result of mass migration is how school teachers are taught to use methods and tools that both support intercultural education and the promotion of inclusion as a core pedagogical construct. For these reasons, it is unsurprising that there is an increased need for studies within the field of social sustainability that consider the effects of professional development for teachers. Methods: The current paper presents the assessment of a professional development training course on intercultural education addressed to Italian primary and middle school teachers. The course was framed within a sociocultural approach and had a learner-centered focus. The research methodology used within our research involved a qualitative method to assess the effects of the training course activities. The perceived professional development was analyzed through the administration of an open question survey addressed to the teachers that attended the training course. Results: The qualitative analysis revealed the following themes: Teachers’ attitudes, teaching methods and instruments, community of practice, positive features of the course, course weaknesses, and suggestions for improvement. The results of this analysis showed that the training course was an occasion for teachers to discuss different pedagogical approaches, teaching strategies, and practices in intercultural education. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the activities created an environment for teachers to reflect upon their teaching approaches and practices. Our research shows that professional development interventions of this kind may help to improve intercultural pedagogical abilities among primary and middle school teachers.
Assessing the Implementation of Best Productivity Practices in Maintenance Activities, Shutdowns, and Turnarounds of Petrochemical Plants
Authors: Krishnankutty Pramesh , Hwang Bon-Gang , Caldas Carlos H. , Muralidharan Sriya , de Oliveira Daniel P.
Published: February 2019

This paper describes the development of a method to assess the level of implementation of best productivity practices in the petrochemical industry. The proposed methodology focuses on construction, maintenance activities, shutdowns, and turnarounds. Its novelty and importance are emphasized by the lack of productivity studies that target these types of projects. This article reports the research methodology steps including tool development and detailed case study assessments of projects in Singapore. The approach involved the verification of best productivity practices and the development of an assessment method designed to fit the characteristics of petrochemical projects. The assessment points out productivity practices with low implementation levels and provides recommendations to increase their usage. The results showed that the level of implementation of productivity practices in the petrochemical projects investigated was 68.42%, out of a maximum score of 100%. Practices related to Material Management and Equipment Logistics received the lowest scores and recommendations on how to bridge this productivity practice implementation gap were provided. The adoption of the Best Productivity Practices Implementation Index (BPPII) as a Productivity management tool will help the petrochemical plants to improve productivity in their projects and to be resilient during the pre-planning phase. This should also allow the petrochemical industry to attract more investments and remain competitive in order to be sustainable. The identification and analysis of practices related to maintenance activities, shutdowns, and turnarounds of petrochemical plants will significantly contribute to the body of knowledge on best productivity practice.
The German Permaculture Community from a Community of Practice Perspective
Authors: Ulbrich Raissa , Pahl-Wostl Claudia
Published: February 2019

The permaculture community is a grassroots initiative that challenges current mainstream practices. Such grassroots initiatives are seen as promising incubators of learning processes that can guide transformations. However, there is ambivalence between the wish of grassroots initiatives to reach people and reoccurring claims of insularity. We use the concept of Communities of Practice to answer important questions concerning community dynamics and learning processes: How are individual perspectives turned into a joint endeavour? How do the community and its respective relation to its members affect the interactions with external actors? Drawing on qualitative data from twelve semi-structured interviews with teachers from Germany’s biggest education body on permaculture, the Permakultur Akademie, our goal was to gain insights into the community’s self-organisation and learning interfaces. Findings suggest that the German permaculture community displays key characteristics of a Community of Practice with developed shared values as well as education and organisational structures, while being embedded in an international community. At the time of the research, internal challenges were the absence of a common strategy that effectively linked individuals to coordinated activities. The results led to implications for a more diverse use of the concept to inform actions and several questions for future research.
Rural Entrepreneurship Strategies: Empirical Experience in the Northern Sub-Plateau of Spain
Authors: López Miriam , Cazorla Adolfo , Panta Milagros del Pilar
Published: February 2019

Entrepreneurship initiatives that could have an impact in rural areas are embedded in broader agricultural, rural development or structural policies at the European Union level. Nevertheless, there is a prevailing lack of rural strategies focused on entrepreneurship, especially in aging and depopulated EU rural regions. In this context, the need to have real experiences as an empirical contribution to the academic, political and professional spheres is identified. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the current empirical research throughout a real experience and its capitalization. The paper portrays the design and implementation of a rural entrepreneurship strategy, in a very depopulated area, engaging civil society participation by adapting the ‘Working With People’ model to the idiosyncratic conditions of the context. The study then considers the main factors of this strategy by analyzing its application in a wider area in the province of Ávila, Spain. We find that rural entrepreneurship can be enriched by strategies designed and assessed by the beneficiaries from the early stages of formulation. This experience is supported by the ‘Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno’, a non-profit institution that manages its legacy to achieve social goals in youth training, scientific research and environmental fields.
Burnout Precursors in Oncology Nurses: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study with a Systemic Organizational Analysis
Authors: Bonetti Loris , Tolotti Angela , Valcarenghi Dario , Pedrazzani Carla , Barello Serena , Ghizzardi Greta , Graffigna Guendalina , Sari Davide , Bianchi Monica
Published: February 2019

Burnout negatively affects nurses’ health and performance. Healthcare managers have an ethical duty to create healthy organizations that reduce burnout, especially within critical settings such as oncology. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to measure the presence of nurses’ burnout to formulate organizational strategies to prevent the syndrome onset, and (2) to evaluate the effect of recent organizational changes on the burnout phenomenon. A descriptive, cross-sectional design supported by a systemic organizational analysis was conducted in a Swiss Oncology Institute in 2013. Of 103 nurses working in the Institute, 52 (51.4%) completed the Burnout Potential Inventory (BPI) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Burnout risk levels were low to moderate. Only 2 nurses out of the 52 showed moderate burnout risk levels. Inpatient nurses showed a higher risk of burnout than outpatient nurses, particularly due to ambiguity and feelings of powerlessness. Nurses with post-basic education showed a higher risk when considering poor teamwork values and ambiguity in the workplace. Poor middle-management was found to negatively influence worker wellbeing. The working environment set by management resulted in low burnout risk levels. Managers must carefully select middle-management because inappropriate leadership might promote the onset of burnout.
MultiBac: Baculovirus-Mediated Multigene DNA Cargo Delivery in Insect and Mammalian Cells
Authors: Gupta Kapil , Tölzer Christine , Sari-Ak Duygu , Fitzgerald Daniel J. , Schaffitzel Christiane , Berger Imre
Published: February 2019

The baculovirus/insect cell system (BICS) is widely used in academia and industry to produce eukaryotic proteins for many applications, ranging from structure analysis to drug screening and the provision of protein biologics and therapeutics. Multi-protein complexes have emerged as vital catalysts of cellular function. In order to unlock the structure and mechanism of these essential molecular machines and decipher their function, we developed MultiBac, a BICS particularly tailored for heterologous multigene transfer and multi-protein complex production. Baculovirus is unique among common viral vectors in its capacity to accommodate very large quantities of heterologous DNA and to faithfully deliver this cargo to a host cell of choice. We exploited this beneficial feature to outfit insect cells with synthetic DNA circuitry conferring new functionality during heterologous protein expression, and developing customized MultiBac baculovirus variants in the process. By altering its tropism, recombinant baculovirions can be used for the highly efficient delivery of a customized DNA cargo in mammalian cells and tissues. Current advances in synthetic biology greatly facilitate the construction or recombinant baculoviral genomes for gene editing and genome engineering, mediated by a MultiBac baculovirus tailored to this purpose. Here, recent developments and exploits of the MultiBac system are presented and discussed.
Ecological and Conservation Value of Small Standing-Water Ecosystems: A Systematic Review of Current Knowledge and Future Challenges
Authors: Bolpagni Rossano , Poikane Sandra , Laini Alex , Bagella Simonetta , Bartoli Marco , Cantonati Marco
Published: February 2019

A small standing-water ecosystem (SWE) is a shallow (<20 m) lentic water body with a surface of a few hectares (≤10 ha). Compared to larger counterparts, they exhibit wider ecotones, sometimes even equaling their whole surface, which maximizes structural heterogeneity, supporting exceptionally high biodiversity, metabolic rates, and functionality. Surprisingly, no binding regulations support global strategies for SWE conservation. This work consists of a literature review performed for the period 2004–2018 to assess the ecological and conservation value of SWEs and the contribution of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in promoting their conservation. Outcomes from this work open new perspectives on SWEs, which emerge as valuable ecosystems, and confirm their pivotal contribution to watershed biodiversity, resilience, and functionality. Results also suggest clear narrative trends and large knowledge gaps across geographical areas, biological components, and target issues. Additionally, we note that SWEs are under-represented in the frame of WFD implementation, stressing their marginality into assessing procedures. All of this calls for further studies, especially outside Europe and with a global, multi-taxon perspective. These should be devoted to quantitatively assess the roles of SWEs in maintaining global water ecosystem quality, biodiversity, and services, and to prioritize management actions for their conservation.
An Improved Method Constructing 3D River Channel for Flood Modeling
Authors: Hu Pengbo , Hou Jingming , Zhi Zaixing , Li Bingyao , Guo Kaihua
Published: February 2019

The high-resolution topography is very crucial to investigate the hydrological and hydrodynamic process. To resolve the deficiency problem of high resolution terrain data in rivers, the Quartic Hermite Spline with Parameter (QHSP) method constructing the river channel terrain based on the limited cross-section data is presented. The proposed method is able to not only improve the reliability of the constructed river terrain, but also avoid the numerical oscillations caused by the existing constructing approach, e.g., the Cubic Hermite Spline (CHS) method. The performance of the proposed QHSP method is validated against two benchmark tests. Comparing the constructed river terrains, the QHSP method can improve the accuracy by at least 15%. For the simulated flood process, the QHSP method could reproduce more acceptable modeling results as well, e.g., in Wangmaogou catchment, the numerical model applying the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) produced by the QHSP method could increase the reliability by 18.5% higher than that of CHS method. It is indicated that the QHSP method is more reliable for river terrain model construction than the CHS and is a more reasonable tool investigating the hydrodynamic processes in river channels lacking of high resolution topography data.
Green Smart Technology for Water (GST4Water): Water Loss Identification at User Level by Using Smart Metering Systems
Authors: Luciani Chiara , Casellato Francesco , Alvisi Stefano , Franchini Marco
Published: February 2019

A real-time household water consumption monitoring and processing system aimed at leakage identification at user level is presented here. The system, developed within the GST4Water project, allows consumption data sent by a generic smart meter installed in a user’s house to be received and transferred to a cloud platform. Here, the consumption data are stored and processed through an empirical algorithm able to automatically identify leakage at the individual user level by looking for non-consumption in certain periods of the day. With reference to a real-life case study, the results obtained show that the algorithm enables leakages on users’ properties to be identified with an accuracy of more than 90%. Therefore, the implementation of this algorithm within a highly innovative smart metering system can represent an efficient tool for reducing water losses at user level.
Hydraulic Order and the Politics of the Governed: The Baba Dam in Coastal Ecuador
Authors: Hidalgo-Bastidas Juan Pablo , Boelens Rutgerd
Published: February 2019

Mega-dams are commonly designed, constructed, and implemented under governors’ rule and technocrats’ knowledge. Such hydraulic infrastructures are characteristically presented as if based on monolithic technical consensus and unidirectional engineering. However, those who are affected by these water interventions, and eventually governed by the changes brought by them, often dispute the forms of knowledge, norms, morals, and operation and use rules embedded in mega-hydraulic engineers’ designs. Protests may also deeply influence the design and development of the technological artifacts. By using approaches related to the Social Construction of Technology and Partha Chatterjee’s politics of the governed, this article shows (i) how protests against the Baba dam in coastal Ecuador greatly influenced the dam’s designs, protecting communities’ lands from being flooded; and (ii) how, at the same time, techno-political decision-makers deployed hydraulic design as a dividing rule, turning potentially affected communities against each other. We conclude that megadam designs are shaped by the power interplay among governors and governed, with the latter being internally differentiated. By critically analyzing the role of technology development—materializing changing ‘political context and relationships’—we show how contested and adapted dam design may favor some stakeholders while simultaneously affecting others and weakening united dam-resistance movements.
Hydropower in the Himalayan Hazardscape: Strategic Ignorance and the Production of Unequal Risk
Authors: Huber Amelie
Published: February 2019

Rapidly expanding hydropower development in areas prone to geological and hydro-climatic hazards poses multiple environmental and technological risks. Yet, so far these have received scant attention in hydropower planning processes, and even in the campaigns of most citizen initiatives contesting these dams. Based on qualitative empirical research in Northeast India, this paper explores the reasons why dam safety and hazard potential are often marginal topics in hydropower governance and its contestation. Using a political ecology framework analyzing the production of unequal risks, I argue that a blind-eye to environmental risks facilitates the appropriation of economic benefits by powerful interest groups, while increasing the hazardousness of hydropower infrastructure, accelerating processes of social marginalization. More specifically, this paper brings into analytical focus the role of strategic ignorance and manufactured uncertainty in the production of risk, and explores the challenges and opportunities such knowledge politics create for public resistance against hazardous technologies. I posit that influencing the production of knowledge about risk can create a fertile terrain for contesting hazardous hydropower projects, and for promoting alternative popular conceptions of risk. These findings contribute to an emerging body of research about the implications of hydropower expansionism in the Himalayan hazardscape.
What Hirschman’s Hiding Hand Hid in San Lorenzo and Chixoy
Authors: Lynch Barbara
Published: February 2019

Implementation of big water projects requires that their funders, contractors, and government officials will move projects forward ignorant of their potential social and environmental costs. Economist Albert O. Hirschman raised the issue of ignorance in a widely-read analysis of the factors driving the project process in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and southern Europe. This ignorance, which Hirschman referred to as ‘the hiding hand,’ led to creativity in the case of the San Lorenzo irrigation system in northern Peru, but had lethal consequences in the case of Guatemala’s Chixoy dam project. While Hirschman saw what he called ‘the hiding hand’ as accidental, examination of documents related to large hydraulic infrastructure projects in Peru and Guatemala suggests that in the late twentieth century it was systematically produced by resistance on the part of international financial institutions to addressing the broader political context for project development, or to adequately addressing potential social and environmental impacts early in the project process.
Reflections: Contested Epistemologies on Large Dams and Mega-Hydraulic Development
Authors: Shah Esha , Boelens Rutgerd , Bruins Bert
Published: February 2019

The contributions to the Special Issue on Contested Knowledges: Water Conflicts on Large Dams and Mega-Hydraulic Development have looked at the politics of contested knowledge as manifested in the conceptualization, design, development, implementation and governance of large dams and mega-hydraulic infrastructure projects in various parts of the world [...]
Design and Optimization of a Fully-Penetrating Riverbank Filtration Well Scheme at a Fully-Penetrating River Based on Analytical Methods
Authors: Jiang Ya , Zhang Junjun , Zhu Yaguang , Du Qingqing , Teng Yanguo , Zhai Yuanzheng
Published: February 2019

In order to maintain the sustainable development of pumping wells in riverbank filtration (RBF) and simultaneously minimize the possible negative effects induced, it is vital to design and subsequently optimize the engineering parameters scientifically. An optimizing method named Five-Step Optimizing Method was established by using analytic methods (Mirror-Image Method, Dupuit Equation and the Interference Well Group Method, etc.) systematically in this study considering both the maximum allowable drawdown of the groundwater level and the water demand as the constraint conditions, followed by a case study along the Songhua River of northeast China. It contained three parameters (number of wells, distance between wells, and distance between well and river) for optimizing in the method, in which the well type, depth and radius were beforehand designed and fixed, without the need of optimizing. The interference between wells was found to be a decisive factor that significantly impacts the optimizing effort of all the three parameters. The distance between the well and the river was another decisive factor impacting the recharge from the river and subsequently, the well water yield. There would be more than one optional scheme sometimes in the optimized result, while it’s not yet difficult in practice to single out the optimal one considering both the field setting and the water demand. The established method proved to be applicable in the case study.
Reservoir Operation Policy based on Joint Hedging Rules
Authors: Men Baohui , Wu Zhijian , Li Yangsong , Liu Huanlong
Published: February 2019

When the water supply capacity of the reservoir is small, hedge rule (HR) can be applied to reduce the risk of unacceptably large damage from water shortage during drought. Moreover, in water-receiving areas of water diversion project, it is important to reduce transfer based on HR when the water-receiving area is in a wet period so as to reduce the water transfer cost. This paper improved the traditional HR and proposed a new kind of hedging rule named joint hedging rule (JHR). JHR was applied to Yuqiao Reservoir of Tianjin in China and was compared with HR and standard operation policy (SOP) as two control groups. The result indicates that JHR performs better than HR and SOP, which cannot only mitigate the risk of unacceptably large damage from water shortage by one hedge process but also reduce the transferred water by another hedge process. In addition, the number of days of different water shortage, the storage ratio at the end of the year, and transferred water result indicates that JHR is of high reliability and practicability.
Blue Water in Europe: Estimates of Current and Future Availability and Analysis of Uncertainty
Authors: Sordo-Ward Alvaro , Granados Isabel , Iglesias Ana , Garrote Luis
Published: February 2019

This study presents a regional assessment of future blue water availability in Europe under different assumptions. The baseline period (1960 to 1999) is compared to the near future (2020 to 2059) and the long-term future (2060 to 2099). Blue water availability is estimated as the maximum amount of water supplied at a certain point of the river network that satisfies a defined demand, taking into account specified reliability requirements. Water availability is computed with the geospatial high-resolution Water Availability and Adaptation Policy Assessment (WAAPA) model. The WAAPA model definition for this study extends over 6 million km2 in Europe and considers almost 4000 sub-basins in Europe. The model takes into account 2300 reservoirs larger than 5 hm3, and the dataset of Hydro 1k with 1700 sub-basins. Hydrological scenarios for this study were taken from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Inter-Comparison Project and included simulations of five global climate models under different Representative Concentration Pathways scenarios. The choice of method is useful for evaluating large area regional studies that include high resolution on the systems´ characterization. The results highlight large uncertainties associated with a set of local water availability estimates across Europe. Climate model uncertainties for mean annual runoff and potential water availability were found to be higher than scenario uncertainties. Furthermore, the existing hydraulic infrastructure and its management have played an important role by decoupling water availability from hydrologic variability. This is observed for all climate models, the emissions scenarios considered, and for near and long-term future. The balance between water availability and withdrawals is threatened in some regions, such as the Mediterranean region. The results of this study contribute to defining potential challenges in water resource systems and regional risk areas.
Knowledge and practice of injection safety among healthcare workers in a Nigerian secondary healthcare facility
Authors: Abubakar Salisu , Usman Ruqayya Hamza , Idris Abdulrashid , Muhammad Ibrahim , Haddad Mahfuz Muhammad , Mba Chioma Judith
Published: February 2019

Injection safety is important in today’s healthcare delivery particularly in settings with a high burden of blood-borne viruses. A safe injection protects the patient, the healthcare worker and the community from avoidable infections. In Nigeria, the national policy on injection safety and healthcare waste management were developed in 2007. The development of the policy was followed by series of training on safe injection and behavioural change. Despite this, high burden of unsafe injections was reported in many parts of the country. This study assessed the level of knowledge and practice of injection safety among healthcare workers in a secondary healthcare facility in north-western Nigeria. The study targeted all the healthcare workers employed in the hospital. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all the available healthcare workers.

A total of 80/88 questionnaires were returned and analysed. Majority of the respondents were male in their early career who were within the age range of 31-40years. The results showed that 88.75% of the healthcare workers correctly described injection safety as defined by the WHO. However, only 18.75% and 40.0% had good knowledge of risks associated with, and diseases that can be transmitted through unsafe injections respectively. In addition, only 25.0% reported safe injection practices. Reuse of syringe was reported by 37.50% of the respondents and over 88% recap used needles. Majority of the healthcare workers reported a previous history of needlestick injury which was not associated with their professional cadre p-value = 0.146.

Despite injection safety training, inadequate knowledge with poor injection practice was found among the surveyed healthcare workers. The reuse of syringes and needles underscores the need for adequate and safe injection commodities at all levels of healthcare delivery.

Keywords: healthcare workers, injection safety, knowledge, practice
Sex differences in fitness to practise test scores: a cohort study of GPs
Authors: Unwin Emily , Woolf Katherine , Dacre Jane , Potts Henry WW
Published: February 2019

Background

Tests of competence are written and clinical assessments taken by doctors under investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC) who have significant performance concerns. Male doctors on average perform more poorly in clinical assessments than female doctors, and are more likely to be sanctioned. It is unclear why.

Aim

To examine sex differences in the tests of competence assessment scores of GPs under investigation by the GMC, compared with GPs not under investigation, and whether scores mediate any relationship between sex and sanction likelihood.

Design and setting

Retrospective cohort study of GPs’ administrative tests of competence data.

Method

Analysis of variance was undertaken to compare written and clinical tests of competence performance by sex and GP group (under investigation versus volunteers). Path analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between sex, written and clinical tests of competence performance, and investigation outcome.

Results

On the written test, female GPs under investigation outperformed male GPs under investigation (Cohen’s d = 0.28, P = 0.01); there was no sex difference in the volunteer group (Cohen’s d = 0.02, P = 0.93). On the clinical assessment, female GPs outperformed male GPs in both groups (Cohen’s d = 0.61, P<0.0001). A higher clinical score predicted remaining on the UK medical register without a warning or sanction, with no independent effect of sex controlling for assessment performance.

Conclusion

Female GPs outperform male GPs on clinical assessments, even among GPs with generally very poor performance. Male GPs under investigation may have particularly poor knowledge. Further research is required to understand potential sex differences in doctors who take tests of competence and how these impact on sex differences in investigation outcomes.
Direct observation of the CVD growth of monolayer MoS2 using in situ optical spectroscopy
Authors: López-Posadas Claudia Beatriz , Wei Yaxu , Shen Wanfu , Kahr Daniel , Hohage Michael , Sun Lidong
Published: February 2019

Real-time monitoring is essential for understanding and precisely controlling of growth of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (2D TMDC) materials. However, it is very challenging to carry out such studies during chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Here, we report the first, real time, in situ study of the CVD growth of 2D TMDCs. More specifically, the CVD growth of a molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) monolayer on sapphire substrates has been monitored in situ using differential transmittance spectroscopy (DTS). The growth of the MoS2 monolayer can be precisely followed by observation of the evolution of the characteristic optical features. Consequently, a strong correlation between the growth rate of the MoS2 monolayer and the temperature distribution in the CVD reactor has been revealed. Our results demonstrate the great potential of real time, in situ optical spectroscopy to assist the precisely controlled growth of 2D semiconductor materials.
What Works in Early Reading Materials
Authors: Robledo Ana , Gove Amber
Published: February 2019

Access to books is key to learning to read and sustaining a love of reading. Yet many low- and middle-income countries struggle to provide their students with reading materials of sufficient quality and quantity. Since 2008, RTI International has provided technical assistance in early reading assessment and instruction to ministries of education in dozens of low- and middle-income countries. The central objective of many of these programs has been to improve learning outcomes—in particular, reading—for students in the early grades of primary school. Under these programs, RTI has partnered with ministry staff to produce and distribute evidence-based instructional materials at a regional or national scale, in quantities that increase the likelihood that children will have ample opportunities to practice reading skills, and at a cost that can be sustained in the long term by the education system. In this paper, we seek to capture the practices RTI has developed and refined over the last decade, particularly in response to the challenges inherent in contexts with high linguistic diversity and low operational capacity for producing and distributing instructional materials. These practices constitute our approach to developing and producing instructional materials for early grade literacy. We also touch upon effective planning for printing and distribution procurement, but we do not consider the printing and distribution processes in depth in this paper. We expect this volume will be useful for donors, policymakers, and practitioners interested in improving access to cost-effective, high-quality teaching and learning materials for the early grades.
Centipedes (Myriapoda, Chilopoda) of Biologia Centrali-Americana: Current status of the names
Authors: Cupul Fabio
Published: February 2019

For the last 100 years, Biologia Centrali-Americana has been an important source of information for many groups of Mexican and Central American arthropods and remains a keystone for taxonomic work. However, many included names are now out of date. I provide an updated list of names of Chilopoda as cited in Vol. 14 of Biologia Centrali-Americana to use as a complement to that work. The Chilopoda of Biologia Centrali-Americana included 52 names for 51 species and 1 subspecies. Of those, 18 names (35%) were described as new in Pocock´s work. Currently 24 remain as valid names in the same genus, 17 have been transferred to other genera and 11 have been treated as synonyms.
Primary Angiosarcoma Of the Breast: A Case Report
Authors: Varghese Beenu , Deshpande Pooja , Dixit Santosh , Koppiker Chaitanyanand , Jalnapurkar Neeti
Published: February 2019

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare (0.04% of all malignant breast tumors) and potentially life-threatening disease. Given its variable and non-specific clinical, radiological and pathological presentation, accurate diagnosis is a challenge. Primary angiosarcoma of the breast predominantly occurs in younger patients and it is often overlooked and misdiagnosed at radiology and pathology. To ensure that this aggressive malignancy is not overlooked, radiologists need to be aware of the fact that such tumors may present with non-specific imaging features. We report a case of a 32-year-old female with primary angiosarcoma of the breast presenting with non-specific imaging features. It was initially interpreted as a capillary cavernous hemangioma at histopathology following an ultrasound-guided biopsy. This eventually turned out to be angiosarcoma after a second histopathology opinion was sought in light of the radiology-pathology discordance.
Conserver, restaurer et transmettre : le cas des sculptures en marbre des jardins de Versailles
Authors: Maral Alexandre
Published: February 2019

Constitué essentiellement par la volonté de Louis XIV, l’immense patrimoine sculpté des jardins de Versailles comporte plus d’un millier d’œuvres. Sa mise en place fut liée à des enjeux politiques et culturels majeurs qui firent de Versailles une nouvelle Rome. Au sein de ce patrimoine marqué par la diversité, les sculptures en marbre sont l’objet d’une attention soutenue depuis quelques années. Aidée par le mécénat, une campagne pluriannuelle de restauration lancée en 2005 a permis de traiter près de l’intégralité de la collection des quelque trois cents œuvres concernées. Depuis 2008, l’état de surface alarmant de plusieurs sculptures en marbre, dont l’épiderme est soumis à un inéluctable processus d’érosion, a conduit à concevoir une politique de mise à l’abri des œuvres les plus importantes et de leur remplacement par des répliques.
Impact of Personality Traits on Risk Tolerance and Investors' Decision Making
Authors: Sadiq Misbah , Amna Hareem
Published: February 2019

This article investigates the relationships between personality traits, risk tolerance, and investment decisions and highlights the importance of personality traits in determining risk tolerance levels and investment decisions. Personality traits are classified according to the Big Five taxonomy: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience. Primary data was collected from 330 individual investors from Islamabad. Descriptive analysis of the data was run on SPSS, reliability of the constructs was assessed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), whereas, Structural Equational Modelling (SEM) was used to conduct hypothesis testing through path analysis. As per the results of CFA, the constructs were found to be reliable. Mediation analysis confirmed that risk tolerance partially mediated the relationship between personality traits and investment decisions. This study and results have theoretical and practical implications for the investors, financial planners and managers.
A Model of Spontaneous Remission From Addiction
Authors: Mocenni Chiara , Montefrancesco Giuseppe , Tiezzi Silvia
Published: February 2019

This article develops a formal model of spontaneous recovery from pathological addiction. It regards addiction as a progressive susceptibility to stochastic environmental cues and introduce a cognitive appraisal process in individual decision making depending on past addiction experiences and on their future expected consequences. This process affects consumption choices in two ways. The reward from use decreases with age. At the same time, cognitive incentives emerge that reduce the probability of making mistakes. In addition to modeling the role of cue-triggered mistakes in individual decision making, the analysis highlights the role of other factors such as subjective self-evaluation and cognitive control. The implications for social policy and for the treatment of drug and alcohol dependence are discussed.
A Study of Use Cases for Smart Contracts Using Blockchain Technology
Authors: Sekhar S R Mani , Siddesh G M  , Kalra Swapnil , Anand Shaswat
Published: February 2019

Blockchain technology is an emerging and rapidly growing technology in the current world scenario. It is a collection of records connected through cryptography. They play a vital role in smart contracts. Smart contracts are present in blockchains which are self-controlled and trustable. It can be integrated across various domains like healthcare, finance, self-sovereign identity, governance, logistics management and home care, etc. The purpose of this article is to analyze the various use cases of smart contracts in different domains and come up with a model which may be used in the future. Subsequently, a detailed description of a smart contract and blockchain is provided. Next, different case-studies related to five different domains is discussed with the help of use case diagrams. Finally, a solution for natural disaster management has been proposed by integrating smart contract, digital identity, policies and blockchain technologies, which can be used effectively for providing relief to victims during times of natural disaster.