bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Impact of Responsible Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment: A Leadership Identity Perspective
Authors: Zhao Hongdan , Zhou Qiongyao
Published: February 2019

Drawing on social identity theory, the authors demonstrated how and when responsible leadership might relate to employee’s organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE). Using data collected from 302 subordinates from one service chain hotel in China across 2 phases, this study discussed the influence mechanism of responsible leadership on OCBE, as well as the roles of leader identification and the perceived role of ethics and social responsibility (PRESOR). Empirical results revealed that responsible leadership was positively related to OCBE, and that leader identification played a mediating role between responsible leadership and OCBE. The relationship between leader identification and OCBE was positively moderated by PRESOR, which also moderated the indirect effect of responsible leadership on OCBE through leader identification, such that this relationship was stronger when PRESOR was high. Finally, we outlined the theoretical and practical implications and proposed some promising aspects and value variables for future research.
Assessing Teacher’s Attitude, Knowledge, and Application (AKA) on STEM: An Effort to Foster the Sustainable Development of STEM Education
Authors: Wahono Bevo , Chang Chun-Yen
Published: February 2019

This study focuses on assessing the growth of the latest developments of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as part of an effort to maintain the progress of STEM education. Assessment is necessary for every educational activity, including in the field of STEM education. However, there are limited comprehensive reports on the progress and development of STEM education inside individual Asian countries. An attempt to bring up the sustainable development of STEM education is conducted by using an exhaustive assessment. The assessment, within this study, includes three domains, namely attitudes, knowledge, and applications (AKA) regarding STEM education. The comparison of these three domains based on demographic data, teachers’ difficulties perception, and its contribution to the sustainable development of STEM education is, likewise, discussed. This type of research is a mix of both qualitative and quantitative research methodology. The quantitative analysis method was performed to address the level position and the comparative value of the three domains. In comparison, the qualitative analysis method was employed to strengthen the quantitative result analysis, as well as to deal with the teachers’ perception. Results show that science teachers have a very good attitude, a moderate-level category in the application, and a low-level category in knowledge regarding STEM education. Further, there are differences in knowledge and the application of STEM education, based on educational background and teaching experience of the teachers, yet there are no differences regarding teachers’ attitudes. Other components are discussed in detail, such as the teacher’s perception of STEM teaching difficulties. Providing challenges and opportunities for improving the quality of education in the future are discoursed. The results of this study suggest that knowledge and attitudes are fundamental domains for the proper implementation, as well as sustainability, of STEM education (especially in Indonesia).
Standalone Renewable Energy and Hydrogen in an Agricultural Context: A Demonstrative Case
Authors: Carroquino Javier , Bernal-Agustín José-Luis , Dufo-López Rodolfo
Published: February 2019

Standalone renewable energy is widely used to power irrigation systems. However, in agricultural facilities, electricity from the grid and diesel are also consumed. The design and sizing of renewable generation involves difficulties derived from the different seasonal profiles of production and demand. If the generation is 100% renewable, a considerable energy surplus is usually included. This paper is focused on a renewable energy system, which has been installed in a vineyard, located in the northeast of Spain. With energy from the photovoltaic fields, the wastewater treatment plant of the winery, a drip irrigation system and other ancillary consumptions are fed. The favourable effect of combining consumptions with different seasonal profiles is shown. The existence of some deferrable loads and the energy management strategy result in an aggregate consumption curve that is well suited to production. Besides, the required energy storage is relatively small. The surplus energy is used for the on-site production of hydrogen by the electrolysis of water. The hydrogen refuels a hybrid fuel cell electric vehicle, used for the mobility of workers in the vineyard. In summary, electricity and hydrogen are produced on-site (to meet the energy needs) from 100% renewable sources and without operating emissions.
Ownership Concentration and Performance Recovery Patterns in the European Union
Authors: Horobet Alexandra , Belascu Lucian , Curea Ștefania Cristina , Pentescu Alma
Published: February 2019

Our study addresses the link between ownership concentration and corporate performance in the manufacturing sector in the European Union in an economic environment stressed by the global financial and sovereign debt crises. This is, to our knowledge, the first attempt to tackle differences between companies with different origin-countries in EU from the perspective of ownership concentration and corporate performance in a period marked by the adverse impact of the global financial crisis. Ownership concentration is measured by the number of shareholders and the percentage of their individual and collective holdings, while performance is measured by accounting-based and market-based indicators. Our results, based on a detailed and methodical statistical analysis, show a clear division between Western and Eastern companies in terms of ownership concentration and performance, with an impact on businesses’ recovery patterns. Overall, there is a positive link between ownership concentration and corporate performance in the case of Western companies, but not for Eastern-based companies. Moreover, ownership concentration has supported business recovery in EU, but particularly for Western companies. On the other hand, our results suggest that market investors’ assessment of corporate performance is disconnected from business fundamentals and do not acknowledge the role of ownership concentration (either beneficial of detrimental) for performance assessment.
Developing Sustainable Healthcare Systems in Developing Countries: Examining the Role of Barriers, Enablers and Drivers on Knowledge Management Adoption
Authors: Karamat Jawad , Shurong Tong , Ahmad Naveed , Afridi Sana , Khan Shahbaz , Khan Nidha
Published: February 2019

Knowledge management (KM) adoption is crucial to integrating sustainable development within the healthcare sector. Different barriers, enablers, and drivers affect KM adoption. Identifying these barriers, enablers, and drivers and their role in KM adoption is the core of successful KM adoption. However, there is scarcity of studies applying quantitative models and combing barriers, enablers and drivers to check their effect on KM adoption, especially form a developing country’s perspective such as Pakistan. Therefore, this study explores the role of barriers, enablers and drivers on KM adoption in Pakistan. Healthcare professionals participated in the data collection process, and results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings described that: (1) organizational and strategic barriers have significant negative association with KM adoption; (2) government related enablers have significant positive association with KM adoption; (3) healthcare related drivers, and performance-based drivers have significant positive association with KM adoption. This study concludes that government intervention to promote KM adoption is necessary especially in developing countries. These findings will be helpful for the healthcare professionals and policy makers to promote KM adoption in healthcare sector. Current study contributes to the healthcare literature and body of knowledge by providing the empirical evidence of checking the quantitative effect of barriers, enablers and drivers on KM adoption.
Erratum: Ryu, Y., et al. Fragility Assessments of Multi-Story Piping Systems within a Seismically Isolated Low-Rise Building. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3775
Authors:   Editorial Office
Published: February 2019

The authors wish to make the following corrections about the published paper [...]
Repair of Fire-Damaged Reinforced Concrete Members with Axial Load: A Review
Authors: Zhou Jun , Wang Lu
Published: February 2019

It is common knowledge that structural fires have led to a great loss of buildings and damage to property in the past two decades. Therefore, there is a growing need to provide approaches for post-fire repair of structural members to enhance their structural safety. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review on the repair of fire-damaged reinforced concrete (RC) members with axial load. The investigations into the effects of loading method, physical dimension and bonding behavior on the residual strength of members are presented. In the meantime, the available experimental investigations on the performance of fire-damaged RC members with axial load repaired with concrete jacketing, steel jacketing and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) jacketing are summarized. Moreover, models for predicting the residual strength of fire- damaged columns are reviewed.
Towards a Rubric for Stimulating and Evaluating Sustainable Learning
Authors: Gulikers Judith , Oonk Carla
Published: February 2019

Preparing students for dealing with sustainability issues is a challenge in the field of education. This is a challenge because we don’t know exactly what we are educating for, as there are no defined answers or outcomes to the issues; the future is unpredictable. Dealing with these issues requires crossing boundaries between people coming from different ‘practices’, e.g., disciplines, cultures, academia versus society, thereby making the learning and working process a challenging but critical learning experience in itself. We argue that education for sustainability should not primarily focus on student content knowledge or development of certain products or answers. It should focus on stimulating students to go through boundary-crossing learning processes critical for getting a grip on the unpredictable future. This allows students to learn to work with ‘others’ around the boundaries, and thereby to develop the ability to co-create new knowledge and work towards innovation or transformation for sustainable practice. Building on the boundary crossing theory and using mixed methods and interventions, this design-based study iteratively develops a boundary crossing rubric as an instrument to operationalise student learning in transdisciplinary projects into concrete student behaviour. This rubric in turn can explicate, stimulate and assess student learning and development in transdisciplinary sustainability projects.
Building Asset Value Mapping in Support of Flood Risk Assessments: A Case Study of Shanghai, China
Authors: Wu Jidong , Ye Mengqi , Wang Xu , Koks Elco
Published: February 2019

Exposure is an integral part of any natural disaster risk assessment, and damage to buildings is one of the most important consequence of flood disasters. As such, estimates of the building stock and the values at risk can assist in flood risk management, including determining the damage extent and severity. Unfortunately, little information about building asset value, and especially its spatial distributions, is readily available in most countries. This is certainly true in China, given that the statistical data on building floor area (BFA) is collected by administrative entities (i.e. census level). To bridge the gap between census-level BFA data and geo-coded building asset value data, this article introduces a method for building asset value mapping, using Shanghai as an example. This method consists of a census-level BFA disaggregation (downscaling) by means of a building footprint map extracted from high-resolution remote sensing data, combined with LandScan population density grid data and a financial appraisal of building asset values. Validation with statistical data and field survey data confirms that the method can produce good results, but largely constrained by the resolution of the population density grid used. However, compared with other models with no disaggregation in flood exposure assessment that involves Shanghai, the building asset value mapping method used in this study has a comparative advantage, and it will provide a quick way to produce a building asset value map for regional flood risk assessments. We argue that a sound flood risk assessment should be based on a high-resolution—individual building-based—building asset value map because of the high spatial heterogeneity of flood hazards.
Edible City Solutions—One Step Further to Foster Social Resilience through Enhanced Socio-Cultural Ecosystem Services in Cities
Authors: Säumel Ina , Reddy Suhana E. , Wachtel Thomas
Published: February 2019

Nature-based solutions have not been able to actively involve citizens and to address successfully food security, poverty alleviation, and inequality in urban areas. The Edible City approach promises a strategic step towards the development of sustainable, livable, and healthy cities. We introduce the conceptional framework of Edible City Solutions (ECS), including different forms of urban farming combined with closed loop systems for sustainable water, nutrient, and waste management. We review scientific evidence on ECS benefits for urban regeneration and describe the status quo of ECS in Rotterdam, Andernach, Oslo, Heidelberg, and Havana as case studies. We provide an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to explore the capacity of ECS to enhance multifunctionality of urban landscapes with special focus on social cohesion and quality of life. Based on this we identify and discuss strategies for fostering socially relevant implementations for the case study cities and beyond.
Comparison of CO2 emissions reduction efficiency of household fuel consumption in China
Authors: Xu Bingjie , Zhong Ruoyu , Liu Yifeng
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the correlations among per capita gross domestic product (GDP), household fuel (natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas) consumption, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) at the regional and national level in China using data from 2003 to 2015. The results validate the EKC assumption and show that per capita GDP is positively related to CO2 emissions; per capita natural gas consumption has a negative impact on CO2 emissions; however, per capita liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption has a positive effect on CO2 emissions. Therefore, increasing natural gas consumption can effectively slow down the environmental degradation of China. Given rapid economic growth, changing the energy structure can improve the environment.
Insufficient Consumption Demand of Chinese Urban Residents: An Explanation of the Consumption Structure Effect from Income Distribution Change
Authors: Su Peng , Jiang Xiaochun , Yang Chengbo , Wang Ting , Feng Xing
Published: February 2019

China’s consumption rate has continued to decline since 2000, which has retarded the sustainable growth of China’s economy. The dramatic changes in China’s income distribution have been very significant social characteristics, and they are also a very important factor for consumption. Therefore, this study analyzes the problem of insufficient domestic demand from the perspective of the effects of the income distribution changes on the consumption structure. The Almost Ideal Demand System model is improved by relaxing its assumption that expenditure equals income and giving it a dynamic form that includes the three characteristics of the income distribution evolution (the mean, variance, and residual effects) and measuring these. The results show that the mean effect is the largest one, and it basically determines the size and direction of the total effect. The variance effect is much smaller, but it may have some positive effects on the individual markets. The residual effect is the smallest and has a certain randomness. The income gap is not the main cause of the insufficient domestic demand. It is more likely to be caused by the decline of the mean effect, and the main driver of this is the irrationality of the supply side and excessive housing prices.
Exploring Factors, and Indicators for Measuring Students’ Sustainable Engagement in e-Learning
Authors: Lee Jeongju , Song Hae-Deok , Hong Ah Jeong
Published: February 2019

The topic of engagement has been attracting increasing amounts of attention in the field of e-learning. Research shows that multifarious benefits occur when students are engaged in their own learning, including increased motivation and achievement. Previous studies have proposed many scales for measuring student engagement. However, very few have been developed to measure engagement in e-learning environments. Thus, developing an instrument for measuring student engagement in e-learning environments is the purpose of this study. The participants of this study were 737 Korean online university students. Initial items were designed based on the literature. The instrument items were reduced from an initial 48 to 24 items after obtaining expert opinion and then validity and reliability analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were also conducted. Six factors, including psychological motivation, peer collaboration, cognitive problem solving, interaction with instructors, community support, and learning management emerged in the 24-item scale. This scale is expected to help instructors and curriculum designers to find conditions to improve student engagement in e-learning environments, and ultimately prevent students from dropping out of online courses.
MAIAD: A Multistage Asymmetric Information Attack and Defense Model Based on Evolutionary Game Theory
Authors: Yang Yu , Che Bichen , Zeng Yang , Cheng Yang , Li Chenyang
Published: February 2019

With the rapid development and widespread applications of Internet of Things (IoT) systems, the corresponding security issues are getting more and more serious. This paper proposes a multistage asymmetric information attack and defense model (MAIAD) for IoT systems. Under the premise of asymmetric information, MAIAD extends the single-stage game model with dynamic and evolutionary game theory. By quantifying the benefits for both the attack and defense, MAIAD can determine the optimal defense strategy for IoT systems. Simulation results show that the model can select the optimal security defense strategy for various IoT systems.
Normalized Weighted Bonferroni Harmonic Mean-Based Intuitionistic Fuzzy Operators and Their Application to the Sustainable Selection of Search and Rescue Robots
Authors: Zhou Jinming , Baležentis Tomas , Streimikiene Dalia
Published: February 2019

In this paper, Normalized Weighted Bonferroni Mean (NWBM) and Normalized Weighted Bonferroni Harmonic Mean (NWBHM) aggregation operators are proposed. Besides, we check the properties thereof, which include idempotency, monotonicity, commutativity, and boundedness. As the intuitionistic fuzzy numbers are used as a basis for the decision making to effectively handle the real-life uncertainty, we extend the NWBM and NWBHM operators into the intuitionistic fuzzy environment. By further modifying the NWBHM, we propose additional aggregation operators, namely the Intuitionistic Fuzzy Normalized Weighted Bonferroni Harmonic Mean (IFNWBHM) and the Intuitionistic Fuzzy Ordered Normalized Weighted Bonferroni Harmonic Mean (IFNONWBHM). The paper winds up with an empirical example of multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) based on triangular intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. To serve this end, we apply the IFNWBHM aggregation operator.
EasyStego: Robust Steganography Based on Quick-Response Barcodes for Crossing Domains
Authors: Luo Zhenhao , Xie Wei , Wang Baosheng , Tang Yong , Xing Qianqian
Published: February 2019

Despite greater attention being paid to sensitive-information leakage in the cyberdomain, the sensitive-information problem of the physical domain remains neglected. Anonymous users can easily access the sensitive information of other users, such as transaction information, health status, and addresses, without any advanced technologies. Ideally, secret messages should be protected not only in the cyberdomain but also in the complex physical domain. However, popular steganography schemes only work in the traditional cyberdomain and are useless when physical distortions of messages are unavoidable. This paper first defines the concept of cross-domain steganography, and then proposes EasyStego, a novel cross-domain steganography scheme. EasyStego is based on the use of QR barcodes as carriers; therefore, it is robust to physical distortions in the complex physical domain. Moreover, EasyStego has a large capacity for embeddable secrets and strong scalability in various scenarios. EasyStego uses an AES encryption algorithm to control the permissions of secret messages, which is more effective in reducing the possibility of sensitive-information leakage. Experiments show that EasyStego has perfect robustness and good efficiency. Compared with the best current steganography scheme based on barcodes, EasyStego has greater steganographic capacity and less impact on barcode data. In robustness tests, EasyStego successfully extracts secret messages at different angles and distances. In the case of adding natural textures and importing quantitative error bits, other related steganography techniques fail, whereas EasyStego can extract secret messages with a success rate of nearly 100%.
Bilateral Symmetry Strengthens the Perceptual Salience of Figure against Ground
Authors: Dresp-Langley Birgitta
Published: February 2019

Although symmetry has been discussed in terms of a major law of perceptual organization since the early conceptual efforts of the Gestalt school (Wertheimer, Metzger, Koffka and others), the first quantitative measurements testing for effects of symmetry on processes of Gestalt formation have seen the day only recently. In this study, a psychophysical rating study and a “foreground”-“background” choice response time experiment were run with human observers to test for effects of bilateral symmetry on the perceived strength of figure-ground in triangular Kanizsa configurations. Displays with and without bilateral symmetry, identical physically-specified-to-total contour ratio, and constant local contrast intensity within and across conditions, but variable local contrast polarity and variable orientation in the plane, were presented in a random order to human observers. Configurations with bilateral symmetry produced significantly stronger figure-ground percepts reflected by greater subjective magnitudes and consistently higher percentages of “foreground” judgments accompanied by significantly shorter response times. These effects of symmetry depend neither on the orientation of the axis of symmetry, nor on the contrast polarity of the physical inducers. It is concluded that bilateral symmetry, irrespective of orientation, significantly contributes to the, largely sign-invariant, visual mechanisms of figure-ground segregation that determine the salience of figure-ground in perceptually ambiguous configurations.
Polynomial Decay Rate for Kirchhoff Type in Viscoelasticity with Logarithmic Nonlinearity and Not Necessarily Decreasing Kernel
Authors: Boulaaras Salah , Draifia Alaeddin , Alnegga Mohammad
Published: February 2019

This paper describes a polynomial decay rate of the solution of the Kirchhoff type in viscoelasticity with logarithmic nonlinearity, where an asymptotically-stable result of the global solution is obtained taking into account that the kernel is not necessarily decreasing.
A Bibliographic and Visual Exploration of the Historic Impact of Soft Systems Methodology on Academic Research and Theory
Authors: Warren Scott , Sauser Brian , Nowicki David
Published: February 2019

Soft systems methodology (SSM), an analytic method commonly employed in engineering and business research, produces models focused on human activities and relevant structures used to explain complex, engineered systems. The original version of SSM involves seven stages; five address real-world aspects and observable data, while two stages leverage a systems thinking viewpoint. This approach allows the development of a simplified depiction of complex systems representative of the multi-perspective lenses used to comprehend the systemic complexity of a problem and provide a clearer picture to analysts and decision makers. This bibliometric meta-analysis of 286 relevant publications in engineering, business, and other social sciences fields explores the historic impacts of SSM on academic research and systems thinking in relevant publications that described or employed SSM for research from 1980–2018. This study produced descriptive narrative outcomes and data visualizations including information about top SSM authors, author citation impacts, common dissemination outlets for SSM work, and other relevant metrics commonly used to measure academic impact. The goal of this piece is to depict who, what, why, when, and where SSM had the greatest impact on research, systems thinking, and methodology after nearly 40 years of use, as we look towards its future as a methodological approach used to comprehend complex problem situations.
Two Types of Jets and Quark and Chromon Model in QCD
Authors: Cho Yongmin
Published: February 2019

We discuss the importance of the color reflection symmetry of the Abelian decomposition in QCD. The Abelian decomposition breaks up the color gauge field to three parts, the neuron, chromon, and the topological monopole, gauge independently. Moreover, it refines the Feynman diagram in such a way that the conservation of color is explicit. This leads us to generalize the quark model to the quark and chromon model. We show how the Abelian decomposition reduces the non-Abelian color gauge symmetry to the simple discrete 24 element color reflection symmetry which assumes the role of the color gauge symmetry and plays the central role in the quark and chromon model.
Interferon Regulatory Factor 3-Mediated Signaling Limits Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Coronavirus Propagation in Cells from an Insectivorous Bat
Authors: Banerjee Arinjay , Falzarano Darryl , Rapin Noreen , Lew Jocelyne , Misra Vikram
Published: February 2019

Insectivorous bats are speculated to be ancestral hosts of Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (CoV). MERS-CoV causes disease in humans with thirty-five percent fatality, and has evolved proteins that counteract human antiviral responses. Since bats experimentally infected with MERS-CoV do not develop signs of disease, we tested the hypothesis that MERS-CoV would replicate less efficiently in bat cells than in human cells because of its inability to subvert antiviral responses in bat cells. We infected human and bat (Eptesicus fuscus) cells with MERS-CoV and observed that the virus grew to higher titers in human cells. MERS-CoV also effectively suppressed the antiviral interferon beta (IFNβ) response in human cells, unlike in bat cells. To determine if IRF3, a critical mediator of the interferon response, also regulated the response in bats, we examined the response of IRF3 to poly(I:C), a synthetic analogue of viral double-stranded RNA. We observed that bat IRF3 responded to poly(I:C) by nuclear translocation and post-translational modifications, hallmarks of IRF3 activation. Suppression of IRF3 by small-interfering RNA (siRNA) demonstrated that IRF3 was critical for poly(I:C) and MERS-CoV induced induction of IFNβ in bat cells. Our study demonstrates that innate antiviral signaling in E. fuscus bat cells is resistant to MERS-CoV-mediated subversion.
Immune Exhaustion: Past Lessons and New Insights from Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus
Authors: Kahan Shannon M. , Zajac Allan J.
Published: February 2019

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a paradigm-forming experimental system with a remarkable track record of contributing to the discovery of many of the fundamental concepts of modern immunology. The ability of LCMV to establish a chronic infection in immunocompetent adult mice was instrumental for identifying T cell exhaustion and this system has been invaluable for uncovering the complexity, regulators, and consequences of this state. These findings have been directly relevant for understanding why ineffective T cell responses commonly arise during many chronic infections including HIV and HCV, as well as during tumor outgrowth. The principal feature of exhausted T cells is the inability to elaborate the array of effector functions necessary to contain the underlying infection or tumor. Using LCMV to determine how to prevent and reverse T cell exhaustion has highlighted the potential of checkpoint blockade therapies, most notably PD-1 inhibition strategies, for improving cellular immunity under conditions of antigen persistence. Here, we discuss the discovery, properties, and regulators of exhausted T cells and highlight how LCMV has been at the forefront of advancing our understanding of these ineffective responses.
Vehicles: A New Open Access Journal to Publish Your Ground Vehicle Research Results
Authors: Liao Y. Gene
Published: February 2019

The broad definition of a vehicle includes any type of mechanism that transports people or cargo in the air or space, on or under the surface of the water, or on the surface of the ground [...]
Tumor–Microenvironment Interaction: Analysis of Mast Cell Populations in Normal Tissue and Proliferative Disorders of the Canine Prostate
Authors: Defourny Sabrina Vanessa Patrizia , Romanucci Mariarita , Grieco Valeria , Quaglione Gina Rosaria , Santolini Chiara , Della Salda Leonardo
Published: February 2019

Mast cells (MCs) are involved in angiogenesis, tissue remodeling and immunomodulation in several human and animal tumors, although their exact role is still controversial. Since no information is available in canine prostate carcinoma (PC) and normal prostate tissues, the aims of this study were to evaluate the possible correlations between MC distribution, molecular expression and microvessel density (MVD) in normal prostatic tissue and proliferative disorders of the canine prostate. All samples (6 normal, 15 benign prostate hyperplasia-BPH, 8 PC) were stained with Toluidine Blue and immunohistochemically evaluated for tryptase, c-Kit (CD117) and CD31. Mast cell density (MCD) and MVD were quantified by the hot-spot method. MCD was significantly increased in periglandular/peritumoral areas, when compared with intraglandular/intratumoral areas, in all groups (p = 0.03). C-Kit expression was strongly associated with PC (ρ = 0.75 p = 0.03), whereas positive correlation between tryptase and c-Kit expression (ρ = 0.64 p = 0.01) was observed in periglandular areas of BPH. MVD showed a correlation with MCD in BPH (ρ = 0.54 p = 0.04). Our data support the importance of c-Kit in regulating MC proliferation. The predominant location of MCs in peritumoral areas of canine PC was similar to the human counterpart, in which PC cells are supposed to produce substances attracting MCs to the tumor microenvironment.
Large-Scale Performance Testing of Temporary Sediment Basin Treatments and High-Rate Lamella Settlers
Authors: Perez Michael A. , Zech Wesley C. , Vasconcelos Jose G. , Fang Xing
Published: February 2019

Sediment basins are temporary practices commonly used to detain stormwater runoff and capture suspended sediment on construction sites. A 79.0 m3 (2790 ft3) sediment basin testing apparatus at the Auburn University—Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility was used to provide a series of controlled and repeatable, large-scale tests to understand the performance of sediment basins and provide improvements. This research evaluated five sediment basin configurations over the course of 27 individual tests, including: (1) a standard configuration, (2) the addition of an excavated sump upstream of a ditch check, (3) the modification of the first baffle, (4) a high-rate lamella settler in upward flow, and (5) a high-rate lamella settler in parallel flow. The primary metric for evaluating performance and the treatment effectiveness of a configuration’s ability in capturing sediment was assessed from turbidity measured across the basin surface. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that an excavated sump provided insignificant improvement in sediment capture effectiveness. Furthermore, the modification to the first baffle was deemed ineffective in improving treatment efficiency. Lamella settler results indicated a 18.2% and 29.0% reduction in turbidity across the basin for upward and parallel flow configurations, respectively.
A Multi-Dimensional Hydro-Climatic Similarity and Classification Framework Based on Budyko Theory for Continental-Scale Applications in China
Authors: Liu Jintao , Xu Shanshan , Han Xiaole , Chen Xi , He Ruimin
Published: February 2019

Our knowledge of the similarities and differences in ecological systems is vital to understanding the co-evolution of ecological factors. This study proposes a multi-dimensional hydro-climatic similarity and classification framework based on Budyko theory. The framework employs the dryness index (DI), evaporative index (EI), and an empirical parameter (ω) to further sub-divide four climatic zones (humid, semi-humid, semi-arid, and arid zones) in terms of DI. A criterion that define the similarities between stations is proposed to verify the classification to obtain optimal results. This method is applied to Mainland China, and 637 stations are adopted for continental-scale classification experiments. The point cloud of the Budyko curve for all the stations in Mainland China is plotted. We find that the hydrothermal conditions of the vertically distributed stations on the Budyko curve can be quite different in the same climatic zone when DI < 4.0. The higher the vertical locations of the stations on the Budyko curve are, the drier and colder the climates and corresponding natural landscapes. Under the proposed hydro-climatic classification framework, the four climatic zones are further divided into 17 sub-regions, and the hydrothermal conditions for each sub-region are discussed. The results suggest that regional differences of long-term water balance are resulted by not only mean annual hydrothermal factors and catchment forms but also annual distribution of hydrothermal factors. Our framework can provide hydrologically-based classification across continental scale and, thus, provide a profound understanding of hydrothermal conditions of continental-scale hydrological cycles.
Stormwater Reservoir Sizing in Respect of Uncertainty
Authors: Szeląg Bartosz , Kiczko Adam , Dąbek Lidia
Published: February 2019

The sizing of the stormwater reservoir, as the design of its properties, usually requires simulations of a basin runoff for a long rainfall series using a hydrodynamic model. In the case of insufficient observations, the rainfall series can be reproduced using empirical approaches. One of the crucial elements in the sizing of the stormwater reservoir is determination of duration time and intensity of rainfall (design rainfall event), for which the maximum reservoir capacity is being obtained. The outcome is, however, affected by significant uncertainty of runoff modeling. The aim of the study is to analyze the effect of the uncertainty of a rainfall-runoff model on calculated capacities of stormwater reservoirs, along with estimated duration times of the design rainfall. The characteristics of the rainfall events—intensity, duration, and frequency—were reproduced using an empirical approach of IDF (Intensity–Duration–Frequency). The basin response to the precipitation was modeled using the SWMM (Storm Water Management Model) and its uncertainty was estimated on the basis of the GLUE (Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation) method. The obtained probabilistic solution was compared with the deterministic one, neglecting the uncertainty. Duration times of the design rainfall determined in respect of the reservoir outflow using the probabilistic model were longer than those found with a deterministic approach. This has an effect on the desired capacities of the stormwater reservoir, which were overestimated when uncertainty was neglected.
A Study of the Impact of Different Flow Velocities and Light Colors at the Entrance of a Fish Collection System on the Upstream Swimming Behavior of Juvenile Grass Carp
Authors: Mu Xiangpeng , Zhen Wanyue , Li Xiang , Cao Ping , Gong Li , Xu Fengran
Published: February 2019

When designing a fish collection system for fishpass facilities, considering the approach–avoidance behavior of fish under different flow velocities and light colors, is essential to ensure a good fishpass efficiency. In this study, a generalized physical model for a fish collection system entrance, including the fish collection system channel, the fish luring channel, and the mainstream channel was designed. Grass carp, a representative fish of “four major Chinese carps”, was selected as the research object, and the approach–avoidance behavior of 660 juvenile grass carps (8–12cm), under different flow velocity and light color at a water temperature of 28 ± 1 °C, were investigated. Three general indicators that reflect the fish-luring ability of a fish collection system were proposed, including the optimal flow velocity at the fish collection system entrance, the optimal ratio between the flow velocities at the entrances of the fish luring channel and the fish collection system channel, and the optimal light colors for approach–avoidance behaviors of the fish. Results indicate that (1) there was an optimal flow velocity (approximately 0.3 m/s) at the fish collection system entrance; (2) there existed an optimal ratio (approximately 2.3:1) between the flow velocities at the entrances of the fish luring channel and the fish collection system channel; (3) there were different approach–avoidance behaviors of the fish to various light colors, and the percentages of successful migration of the juvenile grass carps were 0.4%, 0.57%, 0.88%, and 1.43% of that obtained under natural light, when red, white, green, and blue light were used, respectively, at the fish collection system entrance, indicating that the juvenile grass carps would avoid the red light while approaching the blue light. The three proposed general indicators are the keys in the design of a fish collection system entrance, for successful migration of grass carps. The generalized physical model and the experimental devices and methods will provide important references for studying a fish collection system entrance for other fish species.
Decision Support System Tool to Reduce the Energy Consumption of Water Abstraction from Aquifers for Irrigation
Authors: Córcoles Juan Ignacio , Gonzalez Perea Rafael , Izquiel Argenis , Moreno Miguel Ángel
Published: February 2019

In pressurized irrigation networks that use underground water resources, submersible pumps are one of the highest energy consumers. The objective of this paper was to develop a decision support system, implemented in MATLAB®, to reduce the energy consumption of the water abstraction process, from an aquifer to a reservoir in existing wells, by installing a frequency speed drive. An economic module with the aim to assess the economic profitability of the investment cost of the variable speed drive was also developed. This tool was used in three wells that were located in the Eastern Mancha Aquifer. Several scenarios and irrigation seasons were analyzed while considering the interannual and annual variation in ground water depth. In the three analyzed irrigation societies (named A, B, and C), energy savings were achieved using a variable speed frequency when compared with fixed speed. Considering the analyzed cases, when the dynamic water table level is higher, energy savings ranged from 4.4% and 24.4%, using a variable speed ratio of 0.9 and 0.82. The energy savings based on the variable speed frequency increased when the dynamic water table level was lower, with the average energy savings close to 23%, 22% and 6.8% for irrigation societies A, B, and C, respectively. The results also show that the investment costs of the variable speed drive in two of the three irrigation societies studied were highly profitable, with a payback that ranged from 4.5 to 10 years.
Process Optimization Study of Zn2+ Adsorption on Biochar-Alginate Composite Adsorbent by Response Surface Methodology (RSM)
Authors: Biswas Subrata , Bal Manisha , Behera Sushanta Kumar , Sen Tushar Kanti , Meikap Bhim Charan
Published: February 2019

A novel biochar alginate composite adsorbent was synthesized and applied for removal of Zn2+ ions from aqueous solution. Kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamic studies showed the suitability of the adsorbent. From a Langmuir isotherm study, the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of the composite adsorbent was found to be 120 mg/g. To investigate the effect of process variables like initial Zn2+ concentration (25–100 mg/L), adsorbent dose (0.4–8 g/L) and temperature (298–318 K) on Zn2+ adsorption, response surface methodology (RSM) based on a three independent variables central composite design of experiments was employed. A quadratic model equation was developed to predict the relationship between the independent variables and response for maximum Zn2+ removal. The optimization study reveals that the initial Zn2+ concentration and adsorbent dose were the most effective parameters for removal of Zn2+ due to higher magnitude of F-statistic value which effects to a large extent of Zn2+ removal. The optimum physicochemical condition for maximum removal of Zn2+ was determined from the RSM study. The optimum conditions are 43.18 mg/L initial metal ion concentration, 0.062 g adsorbent dose and a system temperature of 313.5 K. At this particular condition, the removal efficiency of Zn2+ was obtained as 85%.
Actors in Water Governance: Barriers and Bridges for Coordination
Authors: Lieberherr Eva , Ingold Karin
Published: February 2019

Multiple actors across different institutional levels play a role in water governance. The coordination of these actors is important for effective water governance. However, the joining together of multiple actors can have several implications, such as a redistribution of power across actors, a change in democratic control and citizen influence as well as shifting accountability structures. These implications can involve different barriers and bridges that might impede or foster coordination. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, we assess the following barriers and bridges for coordination: (1) reputational power in terms of who is perceived as important for coordination in the water sector; (2) democratic legitimacy in terms of actors’ value of local control of water services; and (3) accountability in terms of the regional actors’ capacity to steer in the water sector. This article focuses on three cases in a Swiss region that has experienced water provision challenges due to its highly fragmented water supply structures. We find that reputational power serves as a bridge in our three cases: when the actors responsible for water supply regard potential coordination partners as important, then we observe coordination. In contrast, we do not find conclusive evidence to support the assumption that a fear of losing local control is a barrier for coordination. Instead, our results indicate that accountability, in the form of vertical steering by the regional actors, serves as a bridge for coordination, and that this could help mitigate some of the potentially negative effects of democratic legitimacy perceptions: through convening local actors or providing positive incentives to municipalities to work together, regional actors can foster coordination.
Evaluating the Effect of Numerical Schemes on Hydrological Simulations: HYMOD as A Case Study
Authors: Zhang Shiyan , Al-Asadi Khalid
Published: February 2019

The importance of numerical schemes in hydrological models has been increasingly recognized in the hydrological community. However, the relationship between model performance and the properties of numerical schemes remains unclear. In this study, we employed two types of numerical schemes (i.e., explicit Runge-Kutta schemes with different orders of accuracy and partially implicit Euler schemes with different implicit factors) in the hydrological model (HYMOD) to simulate the flow hydrograph of the Leaf River basin from 1948 to 1988. Results computed by different numerical schemes were compared and the relationships between model performance and two scheme properties (i.e., the order of accuracy and the implicit factor) were discussed. Results showed that the more explicit schemes generally lead to the overestimation of flow hydrographs, whereas the more implicit schemes lead to underestimation. In addition, the numerical error tended to decrease with increasing orders of accuracy. As a result, the optimal parameter sets found by low-order schemes significantly deviated from those found by the analytical solution. The findings of this study can provide useful implications for designing suitable numerical schemes for hydrological models.
ANALYSIS OF LOCOMOTIVE WHEEL SETS WEARING
Authors: Mikaliūnas Šarūnas , Lingaitis Leonas Povilas , Subačius Rimantas
Published: February 2019

Wearing dynamics of traction rolling-stock wheel tyres of diesel locomotives was investigated. Based on research results it is possible to predict wheel-tyre safety margin, to improve maintenance and state periodicity of repair, as well as to use traction rolling-stock repair funds most efficiently.
MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF DYNAMIC INTERACTION BETWEEN WHEEL-SET AND RAIL TRACK
Authors: Bureika Gintautas , Subačius Rimantas
Published: February 2019

The main goal of this title is to show how the effects on maximum bending tensions at different locations in the track caused by simultaneous changes of the various parameters can be estimated in a rational manner The dynamic of vertical interaction between a moving rigid wheel and a flexible railway track is investigated. A round and smooth wheel tread and an initially straight and non-corrugated rail surface are assumed in the present optimisation study. Asymmetric linear three-dimensional beam structure model of a finite length of the track is suggested including rail, pads. sleepers and ballast with spatially non-proportional damping. Transient bending tensions in sleepers and rail are calculated. The influence of eight selected track parameters on the dynamic behaviour of the track is investigated. A two-level fractional factmial design method is used in the search for a combination of numerical levels of these parameters making the maximum bending tensions the minimum. Finally, the main conclusions are given.
SEARCH FOR THE OPTIMAL WAY IN THE NETWORK OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
Authors: Keršys Artūras , Jurkauskas Algirdas
Published: February 2019

The problem of searching the optimal way in the network of public communication is investigated in the article. The modified Minieka algorithm and designed combined search into depth and Dijkstra algorithm method, operating by the basis of graphs are presented. In order to evaluate practically the efficiency and applicability of algorithms experimental calculating of route search in the model of public transport communication network has been made. Public transport network changed in to graph is a real public transport network segment in Kaunas. Having compared their efficiency (memory size and calculating time) it has been proved that both methods might be applied to solve the problem as well as be integrated into the prediction models of communication processes. The combined depth-first search and Dijkstra algorithm method are better.