bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corporate–NGO Partnerships through Sustainability Labeling Schemes: Motives and Risks
Authors: Poret Sylvaine
Published: May 2019

This article examines the development of partnerships between multinational companies (MNCs) and large nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) through voluntary product labeling schemes. First, the economics, management, and business literature are reviewed to highlight cross-checking, consistencies, and complementarities among these disciplines to identify and analyze the motives of partnering via voluntary product labeling. This analysis shows that, through such partnerships, companies and NGOs share similar objectives, viability and visibility and exchange essential resources, information and legitimacy. The development of shared goals and the complementarity of resources are the basis for successful partnerships, but they also create a phenomenon of blurred roles between companies and NGOs. Each partner enters the other’s sphere, which allows for better communication among partners, a clear and common vision of the partnership, a mutual trust, and a symmetric commitment of partners, necessary conditions for successful partnerships. However, I show that this phenomenon also leads to new risks for partners: competition, “NGO-capture”, and inconsistency.
The Fear of Not Flying: Achieving Sustainable Academic Plane Travel in Higher Education Based on Insights from South Australia
Authors: Nursey-Bray Melissa , Palmer Robert , Meyer-Mclean Bridie , Wanner Thomas , Birzer Cris
Published: May 2019

Universities are both disseminators and producers of the climate knowledge needed to institute the social and cultural change required for climate adaptation and mitigation to occur. They also have the opportunity to lead and model pro-environmental behavior, yet often have large carbon budgets, partly caused by staff travel. This paper explores this topic via an institutional case study of what factors motivate the academic community to undertake plane travel and the implications this has for wielding wider societal influence in terms of pro-environmental behavior. We report on a year-long qualitative social science study of academic plane travel at the University of Adelaide, South Australia where we investigated the tension between academic requirements to travel and the institution’s formal commitment to sustainability within the Campus Sustainability Plan. We found that, while many academics were worried about climate change, very few were willing to change their current practice and travel less because they are not institutionally incentivized to do so. There is a fear of not flying: plane travel is perceived as a key driver for career progression and this is an ongoing barrier to pro-environmental behavior. We conclude that institutional and political change will be required for individual change to occur and sustainable agendas to be met within academic communities.
Serpentinite from Moeche (Galicia, North Western Spain). A Stone Used for Centuries in the Construction of the Architectural Heritage of the Region
Authors: Nespereira José , Navarro Rafael , Monterrubio Serafín , Yenes Mariano , Pereira Dolores
Published: May 2019

Serpentinites are characterized by highly variable mineralogical, physical, and mechanical properties. Serpentinites from Moeche (North Western Spain) have been studied to establish their mineralogical, petrographic, and textural characteristics, as well as their physical and mechanical parameters and the factors influencing rock failure, to evaluate the possible use of these rocks either for new construction or for conservation-restoration of the architectonic heritage of the region. In this paper, we highlight the importance of a detailed mineralogical and petrographic characterization in the fracture zones, which will determine the viability of quarrying the stone. A strong correlation between the petrographic features and the uniaxial compression strength values has been observed. The most important aspects were found to be the rock texture, the mineralogical composition of the fracture area and foliation, although mineralogy was also found to be involved (% of carbonates) in the strength of the stone. An important preliminary result of the study was the low asbestos content of these serpentinites, which will help in the potential re-opening of the quarries.
Attitude towards Bike Use in Rende, a Small Town in South Italy
Authors: Festa Demetrio , Forciniti Carmen
Published: May 2019

The bike can contribute to the development of sustainable mobility. This requires interventions to promote bike use, such as increasing the cyclist safety, construction of bikeways, and provision of ancillary services and bike sharing activities. In the literature many studies focus on bike use and agree with the application of such interventions. However, these studies are often related to specific urban areas that are very different; the transferability of results and models has not been adequately analyzed. This work investigates the attitudes towards cycling in Rende, a small town in Southern Italy. The aim is to determine in what conditions the users would be willing to use bicycles in relation to the trip purpose, the presence or absence of cycle paths, and the availability of bike sharing services. Different factors, such as age, gender, and occupation, are taken into account. The results show that the bike use could be incentivized by enlarging the existent bike network, adopting bike sharing systems, and promoting specific policies oriented to sustainable transport modes. Furthermore, two aspects emerged from the analysis: the importance of studying the propensity to use bikes by different groups of users and the importance of focusing interventions on market segments with greater willingness to bike.
Effects of Saline and Deficit Irrigation on Soil-Plant Water Status and Potato Crop Yield under the Semiarid Climate of Tunisia
Authors: Ghazouani Hiba , Rallo Giovanni , Mguidiche Amel , Latrech Basma , Douh Boutheina , Boujelben Abdelhamid , Provenzano Giuseppe
Published: May 2019

Water supplies have been decreasing in several semi-arid regions, and it is therefore necessary to adopt irrigation strategies aimed at maximizing water use efficiency. In this paper, the effects of saline and deficit irrigation on water use efficiency and on potato crop response, based on observations of soil and plant water status, were investigated. Experiments were carried out in Central Tunisia, by monitoring potato crop growth during two seasons in four distinct treatments (T1–T4), represented by two different irrigation doses and two water qualities. For irrigation scheduling purposes, thresholds of soil matric potential, soil water content and Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) were identified with the aim to quantify the effects of water and/or salinity stress on the achievable yield. Experiments allowed verifying that crop yield is strongly affected by the seasonal amount and quality of applied water. Despite differences of crop yield between treatments T2, T3 and T4 not being statistically significant (P < 0.05), crop yield varied between 26.3 t/ha (T3 in 2015) to 16.3 t/ha (T4 in 2015). However, crop yield decline of 17.0 t/ha and 12.0 t/ha per each 100 mm decrease of applied water were observed under the application of water electrical conductivity of 1.6 dS/m and 4.1 dS/m respectively. On the other hand, an increase of 1.0 dS/m in water electrical conductivity caused a yield decline rate of about 10%. The results achieved showed that under the semi-arid climate of Tunisia, potato crop irrigation should be scheduled to avoid water deficit; however, the possibility to reduce water supply can be envisaged when water availability is limited, but with the awareness to accept the shortage of production. Finally, when saline water is the only source available to the farm, it is necessary to avoid the reduction of irrigation doses, to prevent excessive salt accumulation in the root zone with unavoidable effects on crop yield.
Modeling Soil Nitrogen Content in South Patagonia across a Climate Gradient, Vegetation Type, and Grazing
Authors: Peri Pablo L. , Rosas Yamina M. , Ladd Brenton , Toledo Santiago , Lasagno Romina G. , Martínez Pastur Guillermo
Published: May 2019

Soil total nitrogen (N) stock in rangelands, shrublands, and forests support key ecological functions such as the capacity of the land to sustain plant and animal productivity and ecosystem services. The objective of this study was to model soil total N stocks and soil C/N ratio from 0–30 cm depth across the region using freely accessible information on topography, climate, and vegetation with a view to establishing a baseline against which sustainable land management practices can be evaluated in Southern Patagonia. We used stepwise multiple regression to determine which independent variables best explained soil total N variation across the landscape in Southern Patagonia. We then used multiple regression models to upscale and produce maps of soil total N and C/N across the Santa Cruz province. Soil total N stock to 30 cm ranged from 0.13 to 2.21 kg N m−2, and soil C/N ratios ranged from 4.5 to 26.8. The model for variation of soil total N stock explained 88% of the variance on the data and the most powerful predictor variables were: isothermality, elevation, and vegetation cover (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)). Soil total N and soil C/N ratios were allocated to three categories (low, medium, high) and these three levels were used to map the variation of soil total N and soil C/N ratios across Southern Patagonia. The results demonstrate that soil total N decreases as desertification increases, probably due to erosional processes, and that soil C/N is lower at low temperatures and increased with increasing precipitation. Soil total N and soil C/N ratios are critical variables that determine system capacity for productivity, especially the provisioning ecosystem services, and can serve as baselines against which efforts to adopt more sustainable land management practices in Patagonia can be assessed.
Telecoupled Sustainable Livelihoods in an Era of Rural–Urban Dynamics: The Case of China
Authors: Peng Wenjia , Robinson Brian E. , Zheng Hua , Li Cong , Wang Fengchun , Li Ruonan
Published: May 2019

Recently, increasingly sophisticated studies have investigated the relationship between agrarian livelihoods and the environment, as well as rural–urban interactions in developing countries. The policies developed to respond to these dynamics can constrain livelihood options or provide additional opportunities. In the present study, using a modified version of the telecoupled sustainable livelihood framework to generalize dynamic livelihood strategies in the context of rural–urban transformation and by focusing on recent research in China, we review important factors that shape rural livelihood strategies as well as the types of strategies that typically intersect with livelihood and environmental dynamics. We then examine telecoupled rural–urban linkages given that the dynamics of the livelihood strategies of farmers can cause flows of labor, capital, ecosystem services, and other processes between rural and urban areas, thereby placing livelihood strategies in a dynamic context, which has not been considered widely in previous research. We show that most previous studies focused on the reduction of environmental impacts via livelihood diversification and rural–urban migration. We propose several areas for future policy development and research.
Formic Acid Oxidation on Pd Thin Film Coated Au Nanocrystals
Authors: Tang Yongan , Zou Shouzhong
Published: May 2019

Cubic, octahedral, and rhombic dodecahedral gold nanocrystals enclosed by {100}, {111}, and {110} facets, respectively, were prepared by a seed-mediated growth method at the room temperature. Palladium thin films were coated on these Au nanocrystals by a redox replacement approach to explore their catalytic activities. It is revealed that formic acid and carbon monoxide oxidation in 0.1 M HClO4 on Au nanocrystals coated with one monolayer (ML) of Pd are facet-dependent and resemble those obtained from corresponding Pd single crystals and Pd films deposited on bulk Au single crystals, suggesting epitaxial growth of Pd overlayers on the Au nanocrystal surfaces. As the Pd film thickness increased, formic acid oxidation current density decreased and the CO oxidation potential moved to more negative. The catalytic activity remained largely unchanged after 3–5 MLs of Pd deposition. The specific adsorption of (bi)sulfate was shown to hinder the formic acid oxidation and the effect decreased with the increasing Pd film thickness. These observations were explained in the framework of the d-band theory. This study highlights the feasibility of engineering high-performance catalysts through deposition of catalytically active metal thin films on facet-controlled inert nanocrystals.
Iteration Process for Fixed Point Problems and Zeros of Maximal Monotone Operators
Authors: Nandal Ashish , Chugh Renu , Postolache Mihai
Published: May 2019

We introduce an iterative algorithm which converges strongly to a common element of fixed point sets of nonexpansive mappings and sets of zeros of maximal monotone mappings. Our iterative method is quite general and includes a large number of iterative methods considered in recent literature as special cases. In particular, we apply our algorithm to solve a general system of variational inequalities, convex feasibility problem, zero point problem of inverse strongly monotone and maximal monotone mappings, split common null point problem, split feasibility problem, split monotone variational inclusion problem and split variational inequality problem. Under relaxed conditions on the parameters, we derive some algorithms and strong convergence results to solve these problems. Our results improve and generalize several known results in the recent literature.
Effect of Time Delay on Laser-Triggered Discharge Plasma for a Beyond EUV Source
Authors: Xu Qiang , Tian He , Zhao Yongpeng , Wang Qi
Published: May 2019

We demonstrate the beyond extreme ultraviolet (BEUV) emission by a laser-triggered discharge source with the laser-current delay between 0.6 µs and 3 µs. The spectra at different electron temperatures are simulated theoretically, and the spectra at different laser-current delays are measured experimentally. The theoretical and experimental results show that the lower vapor velocity at longer laser-current delay time is beneficial for increasing the steady-state time of plasma at high temperature, thereby increasing the output intensity and spectral purity of 6.76 nm. The radiation intensity of 6.76 nm (0.6% bandwidth) increases about 240% when the delay increases from 0.6 to 3 μs.
Homochirality: A Perspective from Fundamental Physics
Authors: Dorta-Urra Anaís , Bargueño Pedro
Published: May 2019

In this brief review, possible mechanisms which could lead to complete biological homochirality are discussed from the viewpoint of fundamental physics. In particular, the role played by electroweak parity violation, including neutrino-induced homochirality, and contributions from the gravitational interaction, will be emphasized.
The Symmetric Difference Distance: A New Way to Evaluate the Evolution of Interfaces along Molecular Dynamics Trajectories; Application to Influenza Hemagglutinin
Authors: Ozeel Valentin , Perrier Aurélie , Vanet Anne , Petitjean Michel
Published: May 2019

We propose a new and easy approach to evaluate structural dissimilarities between frames issued from molecular dynamics, and we test this methodology on human hemagglutinin. This protein is responsible for the entry of the influenza virus into the host cell by endocytosis, and this virus causes seasonal epidemics of infectious disease, which can be estimated to result in hundreds of thousands of deaths each year around the world. We computed the three interfaces between the three protomers of the hemagglutinin H1 homotrimer (PDB code: 1RU7) for each of its conformations generated from molecular dynamics simulation. For each conformation, we considered the set of residues involved in the union of these three interfaces. The dissimilarity between each pair of conformations was measured with our new methodology, the symmetric difference distance between the associated set of residues. The main advantages of the full procedure are: (i) it is parameter free; (ii) no spatial alignment is needed and (iii) it is simple enough so that it can be implemented by a beginner in programming. It is shown to be a relevant tool to follow the evolution of the conformation along the molecular dynamics trajectories.
Effects of Subcutaneous Ochratoxin-A Exposure on Immune System of Broiler Chicks
Authors: Khan Shahzad Akbar , Venancio Emerson J. , Ono Mario A. , Fernandes Eduardo V. , Hirooka Elisa Y. , Shimizu Cleverson F. , Oba Alexandre , Flaiban Karina K. M. C. , Itano Eiko N.
Published: May 2019

Ochratoxin A (OTA), an immunosuppressive mycotoxin, can increase the risk of many infectious diseases and contribute to economic losses to the poultry industry. The immunosuppressive effect has mainly been investigated through oral exposure; however, birds may also be contaminated through skin absorption. The present study investigated the influence of OTA exposure on the defense system of broiler chicks through the subcutaneous route and including low doses. Groups of broiler chicks (Cobb), 05 days old, were exposed to subcutaneous inoculation of OTA at concentrations of 0.1; 0.5; 0.9; 1.3; and 1.7 mg OTA/kg body weight. The size of the lymphoid organs, circulating immune cells, and total IgY and IgA levels were evaluated 21 days post inoculation. Subcutaneous OTA exposure decreased the weight of the thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius, and leukocytopenia (p < 0.05) was detected in chicks of the OTA treated groups. In a dose-dependent way, decreased levels of circulating lymphocytes and heterophils (p < 0.05), and increased levels of monocytes (p < 0.05) were detected. Decreased IgY and IgA serum concentrations were noted in the OTA treated groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, subcutaneous OTA exposure induces immunosuppression even at low levels.
The Ecological Importance of Toxicity: Sea Anemones Maintain Toxic Defence When Bleached
Authors: Hoepner Cassie M. , Abbott Catherine A. , Burke da Silva Karen
Published: May 2019

Cnidarians are amongst the most venomous animals on the planet. They are also under significant threat due to the impacts of climate change. Corals and anemones undergo climate-induced bleaching during extreme environmental conditions, where a loss of symbiotic photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) causes whitening in colour, loss of internal food supply, and reduction in health, which can ultimately lead to death. What has yet to be determined is whether bleaching causes a reduction in the production or quality of venom. In this study, the sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor was exposed to long-term light-induced bleaching to examine the effect that bleaching has on venom. Venom quality and quantity, as determined through lethality and haemolysis measures and nematocyst production was highly preserved over the five-month imposed bleaching event. Maintenance of venom and nematocyst production, despite a loss of an internal food source provided by endosymbiotic algae, indicates both the ecological importance of maintaining toxicity and a remarkable resilience that anemones have to major environmental stressors.
Parvovirus B19 Uncoating Occurs in the Cytoplasm without Capsid Disassembly and It Is Facilitated by Depletion of Capsid-Associated Divalent Cations
Authors: Caliaro Oliver , Marti Andrea , Ruprecht Nico , Leisi Remo , Subramanian Suriyasri , Hafenstein Susan , Ros Carlos
Published: May 2019

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) traffics to the cell nucleus where it delivers the genome for replication. The intracellular compartment where uncoating takes place, the required capsid structural rearrangements and the cellular factors involved remain unknown. We explored conditions that trigger uncoating in vitro and found that prolonged exposure of capsids to chelating agents or to buffers with chelating properties induced a structural rearrangement at 4 °C resulting in capsids with lower density. These lighter particles remained intact but were unstable and short exposure to 37 °C or to a freeze-thaw cycle was sufficient to trigger DNA externalization without capsid disassembly. The rearrangement was not observed in the absence of chelating activity or in the presence of MgCl2 or CaCl2, suggesting that depletion of capsid-associated divalent cations facilitates uncoating. The presence of assembled capsids with externalized DNA was also detected during B19V entry in UT7/Epo cells. Following endosomal escape and prior to nuclear entry, a significant proportion of the incoming capsids rearranged and externalized the viral genome without capsid disassembly. The incoming capsids with accessible genomes accumulated in the nuclear fraction, a process that was prevented when endosomal escape or dynein function was disrupted. In their uncoated conformation, capsids immunoprecipitated from cytoplasmic or from nuclear fractions supported in vitro complementary-strand synthesis at 37 °C. This study reveals an uncoating strategy of B19V based on a limited capsid rearrangement prior to nuclear entry, a process that can be mimicked in vitro by depletion of divalent cations.
Quantitative Single-Cell Transcript Assessment of Biomarkers Supports Cellular Heterogeneity in the Bovine IVD
Authors: Li Kangning , Kapper Devin , Mondal Sumona , Lufkin Thomas , Kraus Petra
Published: May 2019

Severe and chronic low back pain is often associated with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. While imposing a considerable socio-economic burden worldwide, IVD degeneration is also severely impacting on the quality of life of affected individuals. Cell-based regenerative medicine approaches have moved into clinical trials, yet IVD cell identities in the mature disc remain to be fully elucidated and tissue heterogeneity exists, requiring a better characterization of IVD cells. The bovine coccygeal IVD is an accepted research model to study IVD mechano-biology and disc homeostasis. Recently, we identified novel IVD biomarkers in the outer annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) of the mature bovine coccygeal IVD through RNA in situ hybridization (AP-RISH) and z-proportion test. Here we follow up on Lam1, Thy1, Gli1, Gli3, Noto, Ptprc, Scx, Sox2 and Zscan10 with fluorescent RNA in situ hybridization (FL-RISH) and confocal microscopy. This permits sub-cellular transcript localization and the addition of quantitative single-cell derived values of mRNA expression levels to our previous analysis. Lastly, we used a Gaussian mixture modeling approach for the exploratory analysis of IVD cells. This work complements our earlier cell population proportion-based study, confirms the previously proposed biomarkers and indicates even further heterogeneity of cells in the outer AF and NP of a mature IVD.
Comparison of Acoustic to Optical Backscatter Continuous Measurements of Suspended Sediment Concentrations and Their Characterization in an Agriculturally Impacted River
Authors: Sirabahenda Zacharie , St-Hilaire André , Courtenay Simon C. , van den Heuvel Michael R.
Published: May 2019

The increased soil loss in an agricultural watershed raises challengers for river water quality and a reliable automated monitoring for suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) is crucial to evaluate sediment budgets variation in systems. The aims of this study were (1) to test if an acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) would give similar results to turbidity probe measurements as a high frequency monitoring tool for suspended sediment; and (2) to analyze the relationship between sediment drivers and SSC in a typical agricultural drainage basin. The acoustic and optical backscatter sensors were used to collect SSC data during the ice-free seasons of four consecutive years in the Dunk River (PEI, Canada). The slopes of the relationships between the two SSC indirect measurements were not significantly different than 1. Correlations between SSC and hydro-meteorological variables showed that the high SSC values were more associated with the streamflow and water velocity than precipitation. This study highlighted the great potential of ADCP for the continuous monitoring of suspended sediment in an agricultural watershed. For summer periods the prevalence of clockwise hysteresis (74.1% of measured rainstorm events with SSC > 25 mg L−1) appeared related to rainstorm behaviors.
Impact of the Artificial Strait in the Vistula Spit on the Hydrodynamics of the Vistula Lagoon (Baltic Sea)
Authors: Szydłowski Michał , Kolerski Tomasz , Zima Piotr
Published: May 2019

In the Vistula Lagoon, storm surges are induced by variable sea levels in the Gulf of Gdańsk and wind action. The rising of the water level in the southern part of the basin, exceeding 1.0 m above mean sea level, can be dangerous for the lowland area of Żuławy Elbląskie, causing the inundation of the polders adjacent to the lagoon. One of the potential possibilities to limit the flood risk is to decrease the water level in the lagoon during strong storm surges by opening an artificial canal to join the lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk. The decision to build a new strait in the Vistula Spit was made in 2017. In order to analyze the impact of the artificial connection between the sea and the lagoon during periods of high water stages in the southern part the lagoon, mathematical modelling of the hydrodynamics of the Vistula Lagoon is required. This paper presents the shallow water equations (SWEs) model adapted to simulate storm surges driven by the wind and sea tides, and the numerical results obtained for the present (without the new strait) and future (with the new strait) configuration of the Vistula Lagoon.
Evaluation of Future Flood Risk According to RCP Scenarios Using a Regional Flood Frequency Analysis for Ungauged Watersheds
Authors: Kim Nam Won , Lee Jin-Young , Park Dong-Hyeok , Kim Tae-Woong
Published: May 2019

According to the accepted climate change scenarios, the future rainfall in the Korean peninsula is expected to increase by 3–10%. The expected increase in rainfall leads to an increase of runoff that is directly linked to the stability of existing and newly installed hydraulic structures. It is necessary to accurately estimate the future frequency and severity of floods, considering increasing rainfall according to different climate change scenarios. After collecting observed flood data over twenty years in 12 watersheds, we developed a regional frequency analysis (RFA) for ungauged watersheds by adjusting flood quantiles calculated by a design rainfall-runoff analysis (DRRA) using natural flow data as an index flood. The proposed RFA was applied to estimate design floods and flood risks in 113 medium-sized basins in South Korea according to representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios. Regarding the future of the Korean peninsula, compared with the present, the flood risks were expected to increase by 24.85% and 20.28% on average for the RCP 8.5 and 4.5 scenarios, respectively.
Assessing Hydrological Effects of Bioretention Cells for Urban Stormwater Runoff in Response to Climatic Changes
Authors: Wang Mo , Zhang Dongqing , Lou Siwei , Hou Qinghe , Liu Yijie , Cheng Yuning , Qi Jinda , Tan Soon Keat
Published: May 2019

An investigation into the effectiveness of bioretention cells (BCs) under potential climatic changes was conducted using representative concentration pathways. A case study of Guangzhou showed changes in peak runoff in climate change scenarios, with obvious growth in RCP8.5 and slight growth in RCP2.6. The performance of BCs on multiple parameters, including reduction of runoff volume, peak runoff, and first flush, were examined in different design storms using a hydrology model (SWMM). The effectiveness of BCs varied non-linearly with scale. Their performance fell by varying amounts in the various scenarios. BCs could provide sufficient effects in response to short-return-period and short-duration storms, but the performance of BCs decreased with heavy storms, especially considering climate change. Hence, BCs cannot replace grey infrastructure but should be integrated with them. The method developed in this study could be useful in the planning and design of low impact development in view of future climate changes.
A Targeted Grouting and Water Blocking Method Based on Hydrological Tracer Testing and Its Engineering Applications
Authors: Zhang Yijie , Wang Shugang , Wang Jing , Zhang Bo , Li Haiyan , Li Liping , Lin Chunjin , Xu Zhenhao , Zhao Guodong , Han Junfei
Published: May 2019

Hydrological tracer testing is an effective way to determine the law of recharge and the transport of groundwater. In karst collapse mine water treatment, the hydrological tracing test can determine information such as the runoff velocity and the pattern of underground runoff, so that targeted grouting becomes possible. In this paper, NaCl was used as a tracer, and the content of the tracer was determined by the chloride ion selective electrode method. The NaCl concentration–time curve was plotted, and we obtained a tracer test method that can determine the runoff of the karst quantificationally. The method can quantificationally obtain the groundwater transport velocity, runoff pattern, and connectivity. This combination of grouting rate, grouting pressure, and setting time realized the localized targeted grouting and achieved a significant water damage control effect.
TO THE QUESTION OF ACCESSORIES OF JUDICIAL EXAMINATION TO INVESTIGATIVE ACTIONS
Authors: Pyrih I.
Published: May 2019

The article deals with problematic issues related to the norms of criminal procedure legislation, considering the involvement of an expert as an investigative action. Among criminal scientists and proceduralists there is no consensus on the procedural definition of forensic examination. Most of them include forensics to investigative actions. By the definition of a forensic examination, it is clear that an integral feature of a procedural action is to conduct it exclusively by officials of state bodies authorized by law to conduct criminal proceedings. These include: employees of the operational units, an investigator, a prosecutor, a judge. The subject of the examination is an expert – a person not authorized by law to conduct investigative actions. That is why, in our opinion, it is impossible to refer an examination to investigative actions.

Proponents of referring a forensic examination to investigative actions most often mean it as «the appointment and conduct of a forensic examination». It is argued that actions regarding the appointment and conduct of the examination are different in nature and subjects of conduct. If we consider the stage of appointment of the examination, and for the current Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine – the involvement of an expert, then its subject is the investigator. The subject of the examination is an expert. Considering the characteristic features of the investigative action, it can be concluded that the stage of appointment of the examination or the involvement of an expert, which scientists consider as preparatory to the examination, has all the signs inherent in an independent investigative action. It is governed by the rules of procedural law, carried out in the framework of criminal proceedings, authorized by the person. When an expert is involved, the investigator conducts certain actions, the result of which is reflected in the ruling of the investigating judge. The purpose of the examination is to obtain, research and verify evidence.

Considering the involvement of an expert as a separate investigative action, we define its content, divided into generally accepted stages: preparatory, working and final. To the preparatory stage, we include such actions: the decision to conduct an examination; selection of an expert institution or a private expert; determination of the type of examination and subject of study; determining the order of appointment of examinations in relation to the same objects; timing of appointment examination. The following should be attributed to the working stage: selection of objects for examination; receipt of the decision of the investigating judge for the examination. The final stage consists of the following stages: determining the circle of persons who may be present during the examination; referrals and necessary materials to the expert institution.

Key words: investigative (search) action, forensic examination, appointment of expertise, involvement of an expert.
PREPARATION AND CONDUCT OF INSPECTION IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE CREATION OF MILITARIZED OR ARMED GROUPS NOT PROVIDED FOR BY LAW
Authors:   V. Halahan; R. Dudarets
Published: May 2019

The article focuses on the importance of the successful conduct of investigative actions aimed at gathering evidence in the investigation of the creation of militarized or armed groups not provided for by law. Among these procedural actions, a special role belongs to the inspection. After the inspection, the investigator has a real opportunity to use the obtained evidence to verify existing evidence and to obtain new evidence, to substantiate important procedural decisions in a particular criminal proceeding.

However, the inspection on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine is associated with a few features. First of all these include the need to conduct an inspection in a combat zone, with the involvement of sappers and other specialists, in order to maximally secure the life and health of the members of the investigative team. In addition, it complicates the inspection of the delivery of suspected persons to the investigator after a considerable period. However, despite these circumstances, which significantly complicate the investigation, an inspection of the scene of an incident must be carried out in each specific case of the creation of militarized or armed formations not provided for by law. It is advisable to entrust the investigation of these crimes to the investigative and operational group, which includes the investigator of the security agencies, the investigator of the National Police, employees of the operational units of these agencies, the forensic inspector, explosives (sapper), dog handlers with an investigative dog (if necessary), military personnel specialists in the field of rocket troops and artillery, military personnel of the Military service of law and order in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The algorithm of activities that need to be carried out before going to the scene of action includes actions aimed at verifying the objectivity of the message received, promptly collecting all specialists, going to the scene of the incident, equipping the team leader with a radio station. Work at the scene is preceded by preparatory activities: assisting possible victims, defining the boundaries of the inspection, guarding it, taking photos, video filming, and preliminary survey of the territory by sappers to identify unexploded whizz-bang. What the peculiarities of direct inspection of the scene of an incident is its maximally limited time of holding, fixing with the help of specialistsʼ traces of the crime, their withdrawal for further necessary examinations. Abidance of the procedural order and tactical recommendations of the inspection will contribute to the work of the investigative and operational team in terms of maximally preventing a real threat to the life and health of its participants.

Key words: creation of paranoid or armed formations not provided by law, pre-trial investigation, review, tactical recommendations, investigation-operational group.
THE USE BY THE INVESTIGATOR OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FORENSIC CHARACTERIZATION OF “CONTRACT” MURDERS WHEN INSPECTING THE SCENE
Authors: Korg V.
Published: May 2019

The article analyzes the scientific approaches to the conceptual apparatus of forensic characterization of crimes and suggests that the forensic characterization of “contract” murders be considered as a system of significant forensic information about the signs of the preparation of the organizer (“customer”) to commit a murder, the identity of the perpetrator, the identity of the victim, typical murder methods, the circumstances of its commission, typical traces of a crime, the use of which allows the investigator, taking into account the specific situation determine the inspection tasks of the scene, investigative techniques. The main elements of the forensic characterization of the “ordered” murder are considered. An important element of the forensic characterization is the method of murder, which includes a method of preparing for a crime, a method of committing murder, a method of hiding traces of murder. Knowledge by the investigator of typical methods of murder will contribute to promptness in the search for the murder weapon, the identity of the criminal, traces, physical evidence, the solution of the main tasks of inspecting the scene, and solving the crime in hot pursuit. Forensic knowledge of the investigator on the preparatory actions of the organizer, the stages of the preparation of the “customer” and the executor (killer) of the murder are essential for the investigation of the “ordered” murders. In the process of preparing for the murder, the “executor” plans in advance how to conceal traces of the murder. Identifying and fixing the material traces at the scene of the incident will help the investigator to simulate the “trail picture” of the “contract” murder, to put forward versions of the identity of the perpetrator, the person of the victim. Using the investigator, tactical rules, forensic recommendations when inspecting the scene of the incident will quickly reveal and investigate the “ordered” murder.

Key words: forensic characteristic, typical method of killing “by order”, the preparatory action of the “customer”, the typical traces of the murder, a crime scene examination.
THE PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR’S TASKS FOR TESTIMONIES VERIFICATION
Authors: Tsilmak A.
Published: May 2019

In this article there were proposed author’s definitions for “testimonies verification” and “capability to perceive”. It was emphasized that testimonies verification is the way for determination the objective truth of fact or statement of a person relating to the circumstances of criminal offence.

A possibility to perceive – is the process of formulation of holistic subject subjective of criminal offence. It was pointed, that the process of perception is interrelated with such psychological cognitive processes of personality as aesthesia, memory, ideation, imagination and speech. That’s why, the certainty of information relating to the circumstances of criminal offence is conditioned by the ability of personality not only to perceive, but to: 1) feel; 2) order perceived objectively; 3) memorize, keep and reproduce perceived objectively; 4) form the subject’s image or phenomenon that is not being perceived at the moment, but it had been perceived before; 5) explain objectively that is subjectively perceived.

There were concretized by the author the primary tasks of investigator for testimony verification during certain stages of interrogation (preparatory, principal and final). It was mentioned, that the primary tasks on the preparatory stage are: 1) to research the circumstances of forensic offence; 2) to collect the data about the personality of witness that is about: a) the character of relations with suspect and victim; b) his reputation; c) the presence of chronic psychological disease, natural or acquired abnormalities of the development of perception bodies; d) his individual and psychological characteristics (type of character, peculiarities of psychological perceptional processes, level of intellectual development) and etc.; 3) the composition of questions’ list, that will provide the testimonies verification.

It was determined, that testimonies verification during interrogation may take place by means of testimonies comparison with available facts and methods of audiovisual psychodiagnostics.

On final stage (after interrogation) investigator`s tasks are the: 1) comparison of testimonies with other persons` evidences; 2) estimation of testimonies and determination their gaps and inaccuracies; 3) preparation of clarifying questions to the witness (on necessity); 4) collection of additional information, that concretizes and clarify the circumstances of criminal offence.

It was accentuated that verification’s method appliance is uninterrupted process, that comprises almost all investigative (inquiry) actions. That’s why, investigator should be aware of its essence and peculiarities of its appliance.

Key words: verification, testimonies, witness, investigator, task, criminal offence.
THE GENESIS OF APPLYING IT TECHNOLOGIES IN PROPHYLAXIS AND CRIME INVESTIGATION USING FIREWORKS
Authors:   A. Kofanov; V. Areshonkov
Published: May 2019

In the article, on the basis of the analysis of scientific literature and expert practice, the question of the use of modern information technologies in the prevention and investigation of crimes committed with the use of firearms is disclosed. The emphasis is placed on the fact that today in Ukraine due to the large number of crimes involving firearms, which has not significantly decreased in comparison with previous years, the issue of the introduction of modern IT technologies into expert work remains relevant, including the field of expertise of weapons and ballistic record keeping.

As a result of studying the experience of using IT-technologies in this industry in Ukraine, existing problems and certain ways of their solution are outlined. Among such problems it is necessary to note: firstly, the very slow introduction of ballistic systems by Ukrainian expert divisions. Today, these systems have a relatively small number of expert departments. Others continue to carry out identification tests in manual mode, do not mention the operational checking of records; secondly, the identification systems which used by expert units in Ukraine, in the vast majority, are, nevertheless, automatized, and not information retrieval, which in turn prevents the creation of a single data bank of image surfaces of bullets and sleeves with the subsequent automatic search. Thereafter, it is quite difficult to carry out inspections for the existing collection of bullets and cartridges in operational mode.

To solve these issues, it is necessary: firstly, if possible, to create its own automated information retrieval identification ballistic system which can be made on the basis of existing domestic automated ballistic systems, to implement it in the practical activities of all regional expert departments; second, to develop a single application software that would allow creating a single data bank of images of ballistic nature objects; thirdly, to ensure the interconnection and exchange of information between regional and central databases, and to ensure the protection of information from unauthorized interference; fourthly, to organize the training of relevant personnel and their studying.

Key words: genesis, prevention, crime investigation, IT technology, firearms.
EXPERT-CRIMINAL PROVIDING PROCESS OF INVESTIGATION OF STORES INVOLVED IN USE OF BANK PAYMENT CARD
Authors: Voytenko I.
Published: May 2019

The concept, legal support, significance and procedure of forensic examination in the investigation of fraud committed with the use of bank payment cards are analyzed. The value of the technical and forensic expert research of bank payment cards is determined. The knowledge of objects of forensic examination of bank payment cards is noted. The article notes the importance of the examination of electronic signature in these cases. The order of appointment of forensic accounting examinations in the investigation of fraud committed with the use of bank payment cards is analyzed. The objects of expertise here are the primary documents and financial statements. The importance of the expert’s conclusion as a source of evidence in the investigation of fraudulent use of bank payment cards is analyzed.

Key words: fraud, bank payment cards, document, forensic accounting expertise, software and technical expertise.
APPLICATION OF THE “FRAUD TRIANGLE” CONCEPT IN THE DETECTION OF ECONOMIC CRIMES
Authors:   J. Liodorova; J. Ievitis
Published: May 2019

The concept of the “Fraud Triangle” is not an innovation to identify fraudulent transactions and in the auditing and to detect criminals acts of an economic nature in the practice of foreign countries. This concept is recommended for use in the European Union countries, including Latvia. Analyzing the “Fraud Triangle” model, the authors did not determine inconsistencies of this concept with Latvian legislation prohibiting its use for the detection of economic crimes.

Based on the scientific studies and practical recommendations of professional organizations, the authors identified indicators of the elements of the “Fraud Triangle” and approach to their determination, suitable for investigating a criminal act and a person who is capable a committing it. Analyzing the identified indicators and ways to identify them, as well as based on the complexity and transnationality of economic crimes, the authors showed that investigation of such crimes requires a comprehensive approach of at least two specialties – a lawyer and an economist.

The authors recommend expanding the scope of application of the “Fraud Triangle” concept and starting its practical application to detect economic crimes in Latvia, as well as continuing to study this concept in the scientific filed.

Key words: of the “fraud triangle”, motive, opportunity, self-justification, element indicators, and economic crimes.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT OF THE INVESTIGATION OF CRIMES RELATED TO THE USE OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS AT THE UP-TO-DATE LEVEL
Authors:   Yu. Prykhodko; S. Lutsenko
Published: May 2019

This article analyzes the capabilities of the technical forensic support for the investigation of crimes related to the use of explosive devices and explosive materials. Technical and forensic support for the investigation of criminal offenses related to the use of explosive materials requires the use of certain scientific knowledge and approaches. Applied scientific and technical means for forensic research, along with already existing scientific knowledge, are diverse. In some cases, these connections are direct if scientific provisions are used for forensic research without appropriate revision (for example, scientific statements on the theory and practice of an explosion, the properties of explosives and means of detonation, methods of handling them and the nature of the explosion process). In other cases, these links are indirect when scientific provisions are improved and special tools, techniques and methods are developed on their basis.

Considering the specificity of this type of crime, the sets of technical means used in the inspection of the scene of the incident after the explosion, as well as those technical tools that are used in detecting, neutralizing explosive objects and their research in forensic laboratories. In the description of technical and forensic means, a modern special equipment used in the investigation of criminal explosions, with a description of the possibilities of its use, is in a separate category. The information presented in the article may be useful for the improvement of existing technical means and the development of new ones, taking into account their use in the investigation of criminal explosions.