bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flow Microbalance Simulation of Pumping and Injection Unit in In Situ Leaching Uranium Mining Area
Authors: Zhang Chong , Tan Kaixuan , Xie Tingting , Tan Yahui , Fu Lingdi , Gan Nan , Kong Lingzhen
Published: July 2021

In situ leaching (ISL) uranium mining technology is an in situ mining technology in which the chemical solution is injected into the ore-bearing strata through drilling wells, and the solution moves along the ore bed by controlling the hydraulic gradient of the flow field and reacts with the ore to form uranium-bearing solution. To reduce leaching dead angle in the process of leaching, each pumping and injection unit should achieve uniform leaching at the end of production, and appropriate pumping and injection mode should be adopted for pumping and injection wells of each unit in the mining area. In this paper, on the basis of the actual production data of a sandstone uranium mine, we established the unit flow model of ISL uranium mining area by using GMS software. The unit flow balance of 72 boreholes in the whole mining area was analyzed and optimized through the model. The concept of flow microbalance of pumping and injection unit in the mining area is put forward for the first time, and the calculation equation of supply and receive the flow of pumping and injection well is determined. The calculation and analysis process of flow microbalance of pumping and injection unit in mining area is established. The simulation results showed that the application effect of the model was good, and the correlation coefficient of the solute transport model reached 0.8.
Bioenergy Potential of Albumin, Acetic Acid, Sucrose, and Blood in Microbial Fuel Cells Treating Synthetic Wastewater
Authors: Tariq Madiha , Wang Jin , Bhatti Zulfiqar Ahmad , Bilal Muhammad , Malik Adeel Jalal , Akhter Mohammad Salim , Mahmood Qaisar , Hussain Shahid , Ghfar Ayman , Al-Anazy Murefah Mana , Ouladsmane Mohamed
Published: July 2021

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a recent biotechnology that can simultaneously produce electricity and treat wastewater. As the nature of industrial wastewater is very complex, and it may contain a variety of substrates—such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, etc.—previous investigations dealt with treatment of individual pollutants in MFCs; the potential of acetic acid, sucrose, albumin, blood, and their mixture has rarely been reported. Hence, the current investigation explored the contribution of each substrate, both separately and in mixture. The voltage generation potential, current, and power density of five different substrates—namely, acetic acid, sucrose, albumin, blood, and a mixture of all of the substrates—was tested in a dual-chambered, anaerobic MFC operated at 35 °C. The reaction time of the anaerobic batch mode MFC was 24 h, and each substrate was treated for 7 runs under the same conditions. The dual-chambered MFC consisted of anode and cathode chambers; the anode chamber contained the biocatalyst (sludge), while the cathode chamber contained the oxidizing material (KMnO4). The maximum voltage of 769 mV was generated by acetic acid, while its corresponding values of current and power density were 7.69 mA and 347.85 mW, respectively. Similarly, being a simple and readily oxidizable substrate, acetic acid exhibited the highest COD removal efficiency (85%) and highest Coulombic efficiency (72%) per run. The anode accepted the highest number of electrons (0.078 mmol/L) when acetic acid was used as a substrate. The voltage, current, and power density generated were found to be directly proportional to COD concentration. The least voltage (61 mV), current (0.61 mA), and power density (2.18 mW) were observed when blood was treated in the MFC. Further research should be focused on testing the interaction of two or more substrates simultaneously in the MFC.
Loving My New Neighbor: The Korean-American Methodists’ Response to the UMC Debate over LGBTQ Individuals in Everyday Life
Authors: Choi Jeyoul
Published: July 2021

The recent nationwide debate of American Protestant churches over the ordination and consecration of LGBTQ clergymen and laypeople has been largely divisive and destructive. While a few studies have paid attention to individual efforts of congregations to negotiate the heated conflicts as their contribution to the denominational debate, no studies have recounted how post-1965 immigrants, often deemed as “ethnic enclaves apart from larger American society”, respond to this religious issue. Drawing on an ethnographic study of a first-generation Korean Methodist church in the Tampa Bay area, Florida, this article attempts to fill this gap in the literature. In brief, I argue that the Tampa Korean-American Methodists’ continual exposure to the Methodist Church’s larger denominational homosexuality debate and their personal relationships with gay and lesbian friends in everyday life together work to facilitate their gradual tolerance toward sexual minorities as a sign of their accommodation of individualistic and democratic values of American society.
Evaluation of the Different Compatibility Indices to Model and Predict Oil Colloidal Stability and Its Relation to Crude Oil Desalting
Authors: Shishkova Ivelina K. , Stratiev Dicho S. , Tavlieva Mariana P. , Dinkov Rosen K. , Yordanov Dobromir , Sotirov Sotir , Sotirova Evdokia , Atanassova Vassia , Ribagin Simeon , Atanassov Krassimir , Stratiev Danail D. , Todorova-Yankova Liliana , Nenov Svetoslav
Published: July 2021

Thirty crude oils, belonging to light, medium, heavy, and extra heavy, light sulfur, and high sulfur have been characterized and compatibility indices defined. Nine crude oil compatibility indices have been employed to evaluate the compatibility of crude blends from the thirty individual crude oils. Intercriteria analysis revealed the relations between the different compatibility indices, and the different petroleum properties. Tetra-plot was employed to model crude blend compatibility. The ratio of solubility blending number to insolubility number was found to best describe the desalting efficiency, and therefore could be considered as the compatible index that best models the crude oil blend compatibility. Density of crude oil and the n-heptane dilution test seem to be sufficient to model, and predict the compatibility of crude blends.
Development of a Comprehensive Conceptual Framework for Biogas Technology Adoption in South Africa
Authors: Uhunamure Solomon E. , Nethengwe Nthaduleni S. , Tinarwo David
Published: July 2021

This article focuses on the development of a conceptual framework guiding the adoption of biogas technology in selected rural areas of the Limpopo province. The theoretical framing of the study emanated from the critical evaluation of models and work that privileged the technical design and optimisation of a biogas system over the adoption of the technology at the household level. Based on the empirical evidence, and using logistic regression analysis, the study highlighted that determinants of biogas technology adoption in communities are complex, context-dependent and spatially varied. Hence, the policy of biogas adoption should be tailored based on the principle of fit-for-purpose, instead of using existing unimodal approaches for all settings. Based on the findings, the study developed a robust conceptual framework that harnesses the relationships between the influencing variables that can enhance the adoption of biogas technology.
A Novel Method for Fast Positioning of Non-Standardized Ground Control Points in Drone Images
Authors: Zhu Zheng , Bao Tengfei , Hu Yuhan , Gong Jian
Published: July 2021

Positioning the pixels of ground control points (GCPs) in drone images is an issue of great concern in the field of drone photogrammetry. The current mainstream automatic approaches are based on standardized markers, such as circular coded targets and point coded targets. There is no denying that introducing standardized markers improves the efficiency of positioning GCP pixels. However, the low flexibility leads to some drawbacks, such as the heavy logistical input in placing and maintaining GCP markers. Especially as drone photogrammetry steps into the era of large scenes, the logistical input in maintaining GCP markers becomes much more costly. This paper proposes a novel positioning method applicable for non-standardized GCPs. Firstly, regions of interest (ROIs) are extracted from drone images with stereovision technologies. Secondly, the quality of ROIs is evaluated using image entropy, and then the outliers are filtered by an adjusted boxplot. Thirdly, pixels of interest are searched with a corner detector, and the precise imagery coordinates are obtained by subpixel optimization. Finally, the verification was carried out in an urban scene, and the results show that this method has good applicability to the GCPs on road traffic signs, and the accuracy rate is over 95%.
Fire Diurnal Cycle Derived from a Combination of the Himawari-8 and VIIRS Satellites to Improve Fire Emission Assessments in Southeast Australia
Authors: Zheng Yueming , Liu Jian , Jian Hongdeng , Fan Xiangtao , Yan Fuli
Published: July 2021

The violent and persistent wildfires that broke out along the southeast coast of Australia in 2019 caused a large number of pollutant emissions, which seriously affected air quality and the global climate. The existing two methods for estimating combustion emissions based on burned area and fire radiative power mainly use a medium resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) on the Aqua and Terra satellites. However, the low temporal resolution of MODIS and insensitivity to small fires lead to deviation in the estimation of fire emissions. In order to solve this problem, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) with better performance is adopted in this paper, combined with the fire diurnal cycle information obtained by geostationary satellite Himawari-8, to explore the spatio-temporal model of biomass combustion emissions. Using this, a high-spatial- and -temporal-resolution fire emission inventory was generated for southeastern Australia from November 2019 to January 2020, which aims to fully consider the highly dynamic nature of fires and small fires (low FRP) that are much lower than the MODIS burned area or active fire detection limit, with emphasis on dry matter burned (DMB). We found that during the study period, the fire gradually moved from north to south, and the diurnal cycle of the fire in the study area changed greatly. The peak time of the fire gradually delayed as the fire moved south. Our inventory shows that the DMB in southeast Australia during the study period was about 146 Tg, with major burned regions distributed along the Great Dividing Range, with December 2019 being the main burning period. The total DMB we calculated is 0.5–3.1 times that reported by the GFAS (Global Fire Assimilation System) and 1.5 to 4 times lower than that obtained using the traditional “Burned Area Based Method (FINN)”. We believe that the GFAS may underestimate the results by ignoring a large number of small fires, and that the excessive combustion rate used in the FINN may be a source of overestimation. Therefore, we conclude that the combination of high-temporal-resolution and high-spatial-resolution satellites can improve FRE estimation and may also allow further verification of biomass combustion estimates from different inventories, which are far better approaches for fire emission estimation.
Evaluation of an Air Pollution Forecasting System Based on Micro-Pulse Lidar Cruising Measurements in the South China Sea
Authors: Tang Yuzhang , Ji Zhenming , Li Yuan , Hu Zhiyuan , Zhu Xian , Dong Wenjie
Published: July 2021

In this study, we evaluated the performance of an air pollution forecasting system during a scientific cruise in the South China Sea (SCS) from 9 August to 7 September 2016. The air pollution forecasting system consisted of a Lagrangian transport and dispersion model, the flexible particle dispersion model (FLEXPART), coupled with a high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). The model system generally reproduced the meteorological variability and reasonably simulated the distribution of aerosols both vertically and horizontally along the cruise path. The forecasting system was further used to study the regional transport of non-local aerosols over the SCS and track its sources during the cruise. The model results showed that Southeast Asia contributed to more than 90% of the non-local aerosols over the northern region of the SCS due to the southwesterly prevailing winds. Specifically, the largest mean contribution was from Vietnam (39.6%), followed by Thailand (25.1%). This study indicates that the model system can be applied to study regional aerosols transport and provide air pollution forecasts in the SCS.
Comparison of UAV and Boat Surveys for Detecting Changes in Breeding Population Dynamics of Sea Turtles
Authors: Yaney-Keller Adam , San Martin Ricardo , Reina Richard D.
Published: July 2021

Surveying the breeding population of a given species can be difficult for many logistic reasons. Marine turtles are a challenging taxon for the study of reproductive ecology and breeding strategies, because turtles aggregate off-shore and males remain exclusively at sea. For successful management of sea turtle populations, determining operational sex ratios (OSRs) on a continuing basis is critical for determining long-term population viability, particularly in the context of changing hatchling sex ratios due to temperature-dependent sex determination in a warming climate. To understand how survey technique and stage of the breeding season might influence the ability to detect turtles and determine OSRs, we surveyed the presence and identified the sex of adult male and female green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) using a boat and small commercial unoccupied/unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), at the start (October) and peak (December) of a nesting season at an important breeding site at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The ratio of males to females within the breeding ground detected by both survey methods changed from being male-biased in October to heavily female-biased in December, indicating that most males cease their reproductive effort and depart before the peak of the nesting season. Surveying with a UAV more than doubled the rate of turtles seen per minute of survey effort compared with surveying solely from the boat and allowed surveys to be conducted at times and/or places unsafe or inaccessible for boats. The sex of a slightly greater proportion of turtles seen could not be identified by observers using a UAV versus a boat, although more turtles were detected using the UAV. The departure of many males during the peak of the nesting season is likely due to an increasing biological cost of residency in the area because males encounter fewer receptive females as the season progresses and the limited foraging opportunity is insufficient to support the number of males present. Overall, we found that UAVs are an effective tool for studying important but difficult to observe aspects of sea turtle biology.
Multi-Scene Building Height Estimation Method Based on Shadow in High Resolution Imagery
Authors: Xie Yakun , Feng Dejun , Xiong Sifan , Zhu Jun , Liu Yangge
Published: July 2021

Accurately building height estimation from remote sensing imagery is an important and challenging task. However, the existing shadow-based building height estimation methods have large errors due to the complex environment in remote sensing imagery. In this paper, we propose a multi-scene building height estimation method based on shadow in high resolution imagery. First, the shadow of building is classified and described by analyzing the features of building shadow in remote sensing imagery. Second, a variety of shadow-based building height estimation models is established in different scenes. In addition, a method of shadow regularization extraction is proposed, which can solve the problem of mutual adhesion shadows in dense building areas effectively. Finally, we propose a method for shadow length calculation combines with the fish net and the pauta criterion, which means that the large error caused by the complex shape of building shadow can be avoided. Multi-scene areas are selected for experimental analysis to prove the validity of our method. The experiment results show that the accuracy rate is as high as 96% within 2 m of absolute error of our method. In addition, we compared our proposed approach with the existing methods, and the results show that the absolute error of our method are reduced by 1.24 m–3.76 m, which can achieve high-precision estimation of building height.
Advancing Tassel Detection and Counting: Annotation and Algorithms
Authors: Karami Azam , Quijano Karoll , Crawford Melba
Published: July 2021

Tassel counts provide valuable information related to flowering and yield prediction in maize, but are expensive and time-consuming to acquire via traditional manual approaches. High-resolution RGB imagery acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), coupled with advanced machine learning approaches, including deep learning (DL), provides a new capability for monitoring flowering. In this article, three state-of-the-art DL techniques, CenterNet based on point annotation, task-aware spatial disentanglement (TSD), and detecting objects with recursive feature pyramids and switchable atrous convolution (DetectoRS) based on bounding box annotation, are modified to improve their performance for this application and evaluated for tassel detection relative to Tasselnetv2+. The dataset for the experiments is comprised of RGB images of maize tassels from plant breeding experiments, which vary in size, complexity, and overlap. Results show that the point annotations are more accurate and simpler to acquire than the bounding boxes, and bounding box-based approaches are more sensitive to the size of the bounding boxes and background than point-based approaches. Overall, CenterNet has high accuracy in comparison to the other techniques, but DetectoRS can better detect early-stage tassels. The results for these experiments were more robust than Tasselnetv2+, which is sensitive to the number of tassels in the image.
Design of Free Stalls for Dairy Herds: A Review
Authors: van Eerdenburg Frank , Ruud Lars
Published: July 2021

Lying is an important behavior of dairy cattle. Cows should spend more than 50% of a day lying as it has a high impact on their milk yield and animal welfare. The design, size, and flooring properties of the free stalls influence the time cows spend lying, the way they lie down, and their rising movements. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the currently available information with the aim to assist farmers and advisors to come to an optimal design of the free stalls. The design of the free stalls should enable the cows to move and lie in positions as natural as possible. Cows should rest, with all parts of the body, on a clean, dry and soft bed, be able to stretch their front legs forward, lie on their sides with unobstructed space for their neck and head, and rest with their heads against their flanks without hindrance from a partition. When they stand, they should not be hindered by neck rails, partitions, or supports. A comfortable place for cows to lie down helps cows to stay healthy, improve welfare, and increase milk yield. Hence, the probability of a longer productive life for the cows increases and the number of replacements per year decreases.
Differentiation of Saccadic Eye Movement Signals
Authors: Becerra-García Roberto A. , García-Bermúdez Rodolfo , Joya Gonzalo
Published: July 2021

Saccadic electrooculograms are discrete biosignals that contain the instantaneous angular position of the human eyes as a response to saccadic visual stimuli. These signals are essential to monitor and evaluate several neurological diseases, such as Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 2 (SCA2). For this, biomarkers such as peak velocity, latency and duration are computed. To compute these biomarkers, we need to obtain the velocity profile of the signals using numerical differentiation methods. These methods are affected by the noise present in the electrooculograms, specially in subjects that suffer neurological diseases. This noise complicates the comparison of the differentiation methods using real saccadic signals because of the impossibility of establishing exact saccadic onset and offset points. In this work, we evaluate 16 differentiation methods by the design of an experiment that uses synthetic saccadic electrooculograms generated from parametric models of both healthy subjects and subjects suffering from Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 2 (SCA2). For these synthetic electrooculograms the exact velocity profile is known, hence we can use them as a reference for comparison and error computing for the tasks of saccade identification and saccade biomarker computing. Finally, we identify the best fitting method or methods for each evaluated task.
Intelligent Network Applications Monitoring and Diagnosis Employing Software Sensing and Machine Learning Solutions
Authors: Minea Marius , Dumitrescu Cătălin Marian , Minea Viviana Laetitia
Published: July 2021

The article presents a research in the field of complex sensing, detection, and recovery of communications networks applications and hardware, in case of failures, maloperations, or unauthorized intrusions. A case study, based on Davis AI engine operation versus human maintenance operation is performed on the efficiency of artificial intelligence agents in detecting faulty operation, in the context of growing complexity of communications networks, and the perspective of future development of internet of things, big data, smart cities, and connected vehicles. (*). In the second part of the article, a new solution is proposed for the detection of applications faults or unauthorized intrusions in traffic of communications networks. The first objective of the proposed method is to propose an approach for predicting time series. This approach is based on a multi-resolution decomposition of the signals employing the undecimate wavelet transform (UWT). The second approach for assessing traffic flow is based on the analysis of long-range dependence (LRD) (for this case, a long-term dependence). Estimating the degree of long-range dependence is performed by estimating the Hurst parameter of the analyzed time series. This is a relatively new statistical concept in communications traffic analysis and can be implemented using UWT. This property has important implications for network performance, design, and sizing. The presence of long-range dependency in network traffic is assumed to have a significant impact on network performance, and the occurrence of LRD can be the result of faults that occur during certain periods. The strategy chosen for this purpose is based on long-term dependence on traffic, and for the prediction of faults occurrence, a predictive control model (MPC) is proposed, combined with a neural network with radial function (RBF). It is demonstrated via simulations that, in the case of communications traffic, time location is the most important feature of the proposed algorithm.
Alternative Formulation of Antenna Arrays for DF Systems Considering Active-Element Patterns and Scattering Matrices
Authors: Fabiani Bernardo , Sakomura Eduardo , Silveira Eduardo , Nascimento Daniel , Ferreira Daniel , Pinho Marcelo
Published: July 2021

Direction finding (DF) systems are used to determine the direction-of-arrival (DoA) of electromagnetic waves, thus allowing for the tracking of RF sources. In this paper, we present an alternative formulation of antenna arrays for modeling DF systems. To improve the accuracy of the data provided by the DF systems, the effects of mutual coupling in the array, polarization of the received waves, and impedance mismatches in the RF front-end receiver are all taken into account in the steering vectors of the DoA algorithms. A closed-form expression, which uses scattering parameter data and active-element patterns, is derived to compute the receiver output voltages. Special attention is given to the analysis of wave polarization relative to the DF system orientation. Applying the formulation introduced here, a complete characterization of the received waves is accomplished without the need for system calibration techniques. The validation of the proposed model is carried out by measurements of a 2.2 GHz DF system running a MUSIC algorithm. Tests are performed with a linear array of printed monopoles and with a planar microstrip antenna array having polarization diversity. The experimental results show DoA estimation errors below 6° and correct classification of the polarization of incoming waves, confirming the good performance of the developed formulation.
Development of a Modified QuEChERS Procedure for the Isolation of Pesticide Residues from Textile Samples, Followed by GC–MS Determination
Authors: Hrouzková Svetlana , Szarka Agneša
Published: July 2021

Due to the use of pesticides during cotton production and/or textile storage, it is necessary to assure textile and clothing safety in order to improve the protection of human health. In this work, an efficient method was established for a multiresidue determination of 33 pesticides covering several pesticide classes such as organochlorine, organophosphate, pyrethroides, triazines, etc., in textiles by modified QuEChERS and followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Optimal conditions were selected, including the amount of the sample, type of the extraction solvent and cleaning up sorbents, until the method was finally validated. Sufficient accuracy and precision were presented by the method using spiked samples between 10 and 250 μg/kg, while recoveries from 70 to 120% and an RSD < 20% for all the pesticides were obtained; the limits of quantification were below 5 μg/kg for all studied pesticides. The presented method showed high separation efficiency with minimal sample and sorbent consumption. The validated method was successfully applied to the analysis of real samples and proved to be applicable to routine analyses.
Responsible Leadership in Sport: An Ethical Dilemma
Authors: Rodenburg Kathleen , Hayes Louise , Foti Lianne , Pegoraro Ann
Published: July 2021

Sports, apart from providing entertainment, can provide an escape from everyday troubles, a community to belong to, and an opportunity to connect to the wider world. As such, sports have contributed to the unification of people, the development of peace and tolerance, and the empowerment of women and young people globally. However, sports’ widespread popularity has also contributed to “big money” opportunities for sports organizations, sporting venues, athletes, and sponsors that have created an environment riddled with ethical dilemmas that make headlines, resulting in protests and violence, and often leave society more divided. A current ethical dilemma faced by agents associated with the Olympic games serves to demonstrate the magnitude and challenges related to resolving ethical dilemmas in the sport industry. A decision-making framework is applied to this current sport’s ethical dilemma, as an example of how better ethical decision making might be achieved.
Dealing with the ‘Crimmigrant Other’ in the Face of a Global Public Health Threat: A Snapshot of Deportation during COVID-19 in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: McNeill Henrietta
Published: July 2021

While global travel largely stopped and borders closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, states continued to deport individuals who had been sentenced for committing criminal offences. In Australia and New Zealand, questions over whether and how deportation of migrants during a global pandemic should occur were raised: weighing up arguments of legality, public health, and security. This left many migrants uncertain, isolated in immigration detention waiting for an unknown departure date. The decision was made to continue the deportation process for many, and in some cases breaches of public health restrictions were the basis for deportation. Once deported, mandatory quarantine on arrival under COVID-19 restrictions highlights and exacerbates the challenges that returning offenders normally face. These include extended detention periods; surveillance through detention and monitoring; and securitised discourse by the media and public creating ongoing stigma. This snapshot enables us to understand how states prioritised the removal of ‘the crimmigrant other’, a securitised threat, while facing the material threat of COVID-19.
Normative Reference of the Single Leg, Medial Countermovement Jump in Adolescent Youth Ice Hockey Players
Authors: Donskov Anthony S. , Brooks Jeffrey S. , Dickey James P.
Published: July 2021

Functional performance tests provide quantitative information on specialized sport movements and are important for documenting training and fatigue. The single leg, medial countermovement jump provides objective measures of frontal plane force, velocity and power, and is relevant for ice hockey players given the similar lateral movement to ice skating. This study measured normative single leg, medial countermovement jump parameters (i.e., vertical and lateral maximum force, average concentric power and average concentric power during the last 100 ms) amongst male youth ice hockey players and assessed interlimb asymmetry in these healthy athletes. Ninety-one elite youth players participated in the study. Participants completed three right and three left jumps. Non-parametric tests were performed to evaluate between-jump and between-group comparisons. Many differences in jump force and power parameters were observed between the 10U/11U and 12U/13U age groups, and the 12U/13U and 14U/15U age groups, but differences were not as consistent between older or younger players. The average asymmetry index for each age group was less than 15% for force parameters, while the power parameters had larger asymmetry indices (between 9% and 22%). Our results provide age-specific reference values and asymmetry indices for male elite youth ice hockey players aged 10–18 years performing the single leg, medial countermovement jump.
Review of Remediation Solutions for Acid Mine Drainage Using the Modified Hill Framework
Authors: Thisani Sandisiwe Khanyisa , Kallon Daramy Vandi Von , Byrne Patrick
Published: July 2021

This paper reviews the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation potential and operational costs of twelve existing AMD remediation methods against Class 0 and Class I AMD geochemical characteristics as defined in the Modified Hill Framework. Of the twelve remediation options reviewed in this study, eleven required additional process steps either for further treatment to achieve the discharge limits or for the safe management of hazardous waste by-products. Chemical desalination showed the greatest potential with high quality treated water and operational costs between USD 0.25 and USD 0.75 per cubic meter treated. The management of the toxic metal and sulphide by-products remains a key challenge that requires further research for sustainable mine water remediation. Further development of end-to-end methods suitable for Class 0 AMD with economical operational costs is recommended in order to effectively address the ongoing environmental challenges posed by AMD globally.
Real-Time Implementation of an Optimized Model Predictive Control for a 9-Level CSC Inverter in Grid-Connected Mode
Authors: Alquennah Alamera Nouran , Trabelsi Mohamed , Rayane Khaled , Vahedi Hani , Abu-Rub Haitham
Published: July 2021

The Crossover Switches Cell (CSC) is a recent Single DC-Source Multilevel Inverter (SDCS-MLI) topology with boosting abilities. In grid-connected PV applications, the CSC should be controlled to inject a sinusoidal current to the grid with low THD% and unity power factor, while balancing the capacitor voltage around its reference. These two objectives can be met through the application of a finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) method. Thus, this paper proposes a design of an optimized FCS-MPC for a 9-level grid-tied CSC inverter. The switching actions are optimized using the redundant switching states. The design is verified through simulations and real-time implementation. The presented results show that the THD% of the grid current is 1.73%, and the capacitor voltage is maintained around its reference with less than 0.5 V mean error. To test the reliability of the control design, different scenarios were applied, including variations in the control reference values as well as the AC grid voltage. The presented results prove the good performance of the designed controller in tracking the reference values and minimizing the steady-state errors.
Towards Sustainable I4.0: Key Skill Areas for Project Managers in GCC Construction Industry
Authors: Al Amri Tariq , Puskas Khetani Katalin , Marey-Perez Manuel
Published: July 2021

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) grew from and is guided by smart manufacturing. The fourth industrial revolution’s I4.0 would induce radical changes and transformations in the everyday operations of businesses and people’s life. Due to these major changes impacting all sectors and industries worldwide, the sustainability of the new future systems and operations is pertinent. The current research literature points out that the social (human factor) aspect is relatively underrepresented in the I4.0 sustainability-related studies. The few studies related to the social aspect usually investigate the so-called ‘techno-centric’ approach to the subject. This study aimed to investigate the I4.0 construction project management (PM) profession from the socially sustainable ‘worker-centric’ approach. Five key assets of the new I4.0 project managers role, specifically in the construction industry, were explored to achieve this goal. This was conducted through a survey questionnaire aimed at 100 construction project managers based in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The overall research results showed that academic and professional qualifications were found to be key factors in the process of adapting to the new I4.0 methodologies.
Green Supply Chain Management: Conceptual Framework and Models for Analysis
Authors: Herrmann Felipe Fehlberg , Barbosa-Povoa Ana Paula , Butturi Maria Angela , Marinelli Simona , Sellitto Miguel Afonso
Published: July 2021

Sustainability and environmental concerns have been important topics of discussion in recent decades. Green supply chain management assures the effectiveness of public and company policies in greening their operations, increasing the market share, improving the company image and reputation, and increasing profits. The objective of this article is to propose a conceptual framework that considers dimensions, categories, and practices in green supply chain management. After an extensive review of the literature, we identified models and a set of green dimensions, categories, and practices used for green supply chain management. From the analysis of the findings, we propose a conceptual framework that is organized into 3 environmental dimensions, 21 categories, and 64 green practices. The framework can contribute to the literature, given that empirical studies mostly select a limited set of dimensions to evaluate supply chain green practices. Finally, this study offers directions for future research.
Sustainability-Based Characteristics of Abrasives in Blasting Industry
Authors: Zulkarnain Iskandar , Mohamad Kassim Nor , Syakir M. , Abdul Rahman Azhar , Md Yusuff Mohamad , Mohd Yusop Rosdin , Keat Ng
Published: July 2021

The abrasive blasting industry is identified as the most unsafe operation in terms of potential exposure to airborne crystalline silica. This is due to the free silica content in the common abrasives that are used for blasting activities. This paper will identify a sustainability-based or green blasting media to replace free silica content abrasives for blasting activities. The characteristics of sustainability-based abrasives are determined based on systematic review procedure. The combination keywords of “Abrasive blasting”, “Garnet’’, “Free Silica Media”, “Sustainable blasting”, “Eco-friendly blasting”, “Glass Bead blasting” and “Green blasting” were used to collect the existing studies on abrasive blasting operations. Six characteristics of green abrasives were identified: (1) zero content of free silica, (2) high efficiency and productivity, (3) low consumption media (4) low amount of waste generation and emission potentials (5) high recyclability and (6) environmentally friendly in line with sustainable development goals SDG3, SDG12, SDG13, SDG14 and SDG15. The application of green abrasives as substitution to free silica media is therefore important not only for safety and health reasons, but also for the environmental protection and sustainable business operations.
Abbreviated or Micro-Entity Accounts? Effect of Financial Reporting Format on the Availability of Trade Credit
Authors: Saerens Farah , Ceustermans Stefanie
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the financial statement format (abbreviated or micro) and the level of trade credit. To test this relationship, we used a sample of 76,490 company-year observations of small companies in Belgium over the period of 2017–2019. We found that micro-entity accounts are negatively associated with the level of trade credit. Hence, our results provide evidence that more detailed financial statements are associated with higher levels of trade credit. In addition, we show that suppliers increase their reliance on the financial statement format when companies have lower inventory levels. Our results provide additional insights into the value of financial statements of small companies in the context of trade credit decisions. This study is set within the wider context of the simplification measures taken by the European Union (EU) to reduce the administrative burdens for small companies. The recent policy measures have further extended the debate on financial reporting regulation for small companies. A primary topic in this context is the discussion of the value of publicly available financial information in a small company context.
Modelling Long-Term Urban Temperatures with Less Training Data: A Comparative Study Using Neural Networks in the City of Madrid
Authors: Núñez-Peiró Miguel , Mavrogianni Anna , Symonds Phil , Sánchez-Guevara Sánchez Carmen , Neila González F. Javier
Published: July 2021

In the last decades, urban climate researchers have highlighted the need for a reliable provision of meteorological data in the local urban context. Several efforts have been made in this direction using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), demonstrating that they are an accurate alternative to numerical approaches when modelling large time series. However, existing approaches are varied, and it is unclear how much data are needed to train them. This study explores whether the need for training data can be reduced without overly compromising model accuracy, and if model reliability can be increased by selecting the UHI intensity as the main model output instead of air temperature. These two approaches were compared using a common ANN configuration and under different data availability scenarios. Results show that reducing the training dataset from 12 to 9 or even 6 months would still produce reliable results, particularly if the UHI intensity is used. The latter proved to be more effective than the temperature approach under most training scenarios, with an average RMSE improvement of 16.4% when using only 3 months of data. These findings have important implications for urban climate research as they can potentially reduce the duration and cost of field measurement campaigns.
Post-Industrial Tourism as a Driver of Sustainable Development
Authors: Kuzior Aleksandra , Lyulyov Oleksii , Pimonenko Tetyana , Kwilinski Aleksy , Krawczyk Dariusz
Published: July 2021

The accepted Sustainable Development Goals aim at reorienting the tourism industry to sustainable tourism and enhancing post-industrial tourism. In this case, it is necessary to identify the statistically significant determinants which affect post-industrial tourism development. In this paper, we aim to analyse: (1) the impact of economic and environmental dimensions, and of digital marketing on supporting post-industrial tourism development and (2) the difference between attitude to post-industrial tourism on the gender, age, and education dimensions and digital channels on post-industrial tourism development. The data was collected from questioning 2334 respondents during April–November 2020. The study applied the following methods: frequencies, percentages, t-test, and one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis. The findings confirmed the statistically significant impact of the economic and environmental dimensions, as well as digital marketing on post-industrial tourism development. The results of the analysis justified that digital marketing was a catalysator of post-industrial tourism development. In addition, the findings confirmed that there is no difference in attitudes towards post-industrial tourism with respect to the dimensions of age, gender, and education.
Public–Private Partnership Infrastructure Investment and Sustainable Economic Development: An Empirical Study Based on Efficiency Evaluation and Spatial Spillover in China
Authors: Chen Bingyao
Published: July 2021

Public–private partnership (PPP), an innovative mode of infrastructure investment, has been widely applied in China and has become an essential policy tool with which to promote sustainable economic development. In order to comprehensively evaluate the economic consequences, using 31 provinces in China from 2003 to 2018 as samples, first, stochastic frontier analysis was performed to measure the input–output efficiency of infrastructure investment to evaluate the economic sustainability and efficiency of PPP compared to single government-led investment mode. Next, the overall economic growth effect of PPP was verified. Further, from the perspective of sustainable development of regional economies, the double-fixed effect spatial Durbin model was adopted to empirically test the spatial spillover effect of PPP and clarify its industrial heterogeneity. The results show the following. (1) The average input–output efficiency of infrastructure is 0.449, revealing a distribution law of decreasing from east to west and remarkable regional variation. However, a good trend of improvement emerged, reflecting the economic sustainability of infrastructure investment, and PPP has played a positive role in promoting it. (2) PPP has significant and positive economic growth and spatial spillover effects, which can promote regional economic integration, embodying its economic sustainability function. (3) The economic impact of PPP has significant industrial heterogeneity. Transportation PPP can bring greater economic benefits, confirming the vital position of transportation infrastructure in the sustainable development of regional economies. Energy and water PPP have positive externalities. All of this provides powerful and reliable proof of the realization of sustainable economic development under the regional virtuous circle driven by infrastructure investment through PPP.
Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability: A Policy Coherence Analysis of Current Italian Subsidies
Authors: Molocchi Andrea
Published: July 2021

Policy instruments for a circular economy and for environmental protection both aim at sustainable development, but do not necessarily share the same goals. The purpose of the paper is to assess the coherence with the EU-recognized circular economy principles of a large set of subsidies currently in force in Italy: those listed in the Italian Catalogue of Environmentally Harmful Subsidies and Environmentally Friendly Subsidies. The method is inspired by the OECD’s “Checklist” method and “Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development” approach recommended by the UN 2030 Agenda, which can be usefully applied to all policy instruments, including subsidies and green budgeting. The analysis allows one to identify as many as 56 potentially harmful subsidies for the circular economy in Italy, for a financial value of at least 13.5 billion euros in 2019, and 75 potentially friendly subsidies for the circular economy, for at least 13.0 billion euros. A total of 25% of subsidy schemes analyzed with a circular economy perspective have contradictory effects when compared to the Catalogue’s results obtained with an environmental perspective. The results of the study underline the importance of coordination between environmental and circular economy policies in achieving sustainable development goals. The analysis can be considered a “pilot study” on a national case; its method can be easily replicated by administrations also in ex-ante evaluation of new subsidy schemes.
Innovation Management Systems and Standards: A Systematic Literature Review and Guidance for Future Research
Authors: Idris M-Chukri , Durmuşoğlu Alptekin
Published: July 2021

In order to establish an innovation culture, a set of organizational procedures and practices called “Innovation Management”, which may differ among companies, should be followed. At the enterprise level, systematic innovation management becomes more complicated. A number of works covering various aspects of this subject have been published. However, a systematic synthesis of all of these contributions is still lacking in management literature. In this review, we aim to analyze and classify the main contributions published on the topic of innovation management systems/standards in management literature, seeking to discover the gaps which still remain in the literature, and to outline future avenues of research in this domain. More than 70 articles in Innovation Management Systems/Standards (IMS/St) studies published in peer-reviewed journals during 2006–2020 are reviewed and analyzed systematically by searching the science databases ScienceDirect, Scopus and Emerald, etc., and using Google Scholar and Mendeley Elsevier to identify related terms. A complete and accurate view of the latest literature on IMS/St is provided, which identifies the main topics developed in the management literature on IMS/St, as well as significant gaps, and demonstrates the low maturity level of the current state of the field. This paper contributes theoretically to the development of literature on IMS/St and provides a clear understanding of the state of the field during the period 2006–2020, shedding light on the research needed in the future in this field of study. From a managerial perspective, it can help companies to better understand the implications of IMS/St, and to harvest the best benefits from the implementation of IMS/St. Our study also answers these three important questions: 1. What are the main topics developed in the management literature on IMS/St so far? 2. Are innovation management standards mature from a practical point of view? 3. What are the main research gaps in management literature, and how could future avenues of research be shaped?