bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Formulation and Characterization of Aceclofenac-Loaded Nanofiber Based Orally Dissolving Webs
Authors: Sipos Emese , Kósa Nóra , Kazsoki Adrienn , Szabó Zoltán-István , Zelkó Romána
Published: August 2019

Aceclofenac-loaded poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone)-based nanofiber formulations were prepared by electrospinning to obtain drug-loaded orally disintegrating webs to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of the poorly soluble anti-inflammatory active that belongs to the BCS Class-II. Triethanolamine-containing ternary composite of aceclofenac-poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone) nanofibers were formulated to exert the synergistic effect on the drug-dissolution improvement. The composition and the electrospinning parameters were changed to select the fibrous sample of optimum fiber characteristics. To determine the morphology of the nanofibers, scanning electron microscopy was used. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were applied for the solid-state characterization of the samples, while the drug release profile was followed by the in vitro dissolution test. The nanofibrous formulations had diameters in the range of few hundred nanometers. FT-IR spectra and DSC thermograms indicated the amorphization of aceclofenac, which resulted in a rapid release of the active substance. The characteristics of the selected ternary fiber composition (10 mg/g aceclofenac, 1% w/w triethanolamine, 15% w/w PVPK90) were found to be suitable for obtaining orally dissolving webs of fast dissolution and potential oral absorption.
The Investigation of Flory–Huggins Interaction Parameters for Amorphous Solid Dispersion Across the Entire Temperature and Composition Range
Authors: Tian Yiwei , Qian Kaijie , Jacobs Esther , Amstad Esther , Jones David S. , Stella Lorenzo , Andrews Gavin P.
Published: August 2019

Amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) is one of the most promising enabling formulations featuring significant water solubility and bioavailability enhancements for biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) class II and IV drugs. An accurate thermodynamic understanding of the ASD should be established for the ease of development of stable formulation with desired product performances. In this study, we report a first experimental approach combined with classic Flory–Huggins (F–H) modelling to understand the performances of ASD across the entire temperature and drug composition range. At low temperature and drug loading, water (moisture) was induced into the system to increase the mobility and accelerate the amorphous drug-amorphous polymer phase separation (AAPS). The binodal line indicating the boundary between one phase and AAPS of felodipine, PVPK15 and water ternary system was successfully measured, and the corresponding F–H interaction parameters (χ) for FD-PVPK15 binary system were derived. By combining dissolution/melting depression with AAPS approach, the relationship between temperature and drug loading with χ (Φ, T) for FD-PVPK15 system was modelled across the entire range as χ = 1.72 − 852/T + 5.17·Φ − 7.85·Φ2. This empirical equation can provide better understanding and prediction for the miscibility and stability of drug-polymer ASD at all conditions.
Redox-Active Gel Electrolyte Combined with Branched Polyaniline Nanofibers Doped with Ferrous Ions for Ultra-High-Performance Flexible Supercapacitors
Authors: Mo Youtian , Meng Wei , Xia Yanlin , Du Xusheng
Published: August 2019

In this work, the effects of utilizing an Fe2+/Fe3+ redox-active electrolyte and Fe2+-doped polyaniline (PANI) electrode material on the performance of an assembled supercapacitor (SC) were studied. The concentration of the redox couple additive in the electrolyte of the SC was optimized to be 0.5 M. With the optimized concentration of 0.4 M Fe2+, the doped PANI branched nanofibers electropolymerized onto titanium mesh were much thinner, cleaner, and more branched than normal PANI. A specific capacitance (Cs) of 8468 F g−1 for the 0.4 M Fe2+/PANI electrode in the 1 M H2SO4 + 0.5 M Fe2+/Fe3+ gel electrolyte and an energy density of 218.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1854.4 W kg−1 for the resultant SC were achieved, which were much higher than those of the conventional PANI electrode tested in a normal H2SO4 electrolyte (404 F g−1 and 24.9 Wh kg−1). These results are among the highest reported for PANI-based SCs in the literature so far and demonstrate the potential effectiveness of this strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of flexible SCs by modifying both the electrode and electrolyte.
Functionalized Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Potential Fire Retardant for Polymer Composites
Authors: Bajwa Dilpreet S , Rehovsky Chad , Shojaeiarani Jamileh , Stark Nicole , Bajwa Sreekala , Dietenberger Mark A
Published: August 2019

The flammability of synthetic thermoplastic polymers has been recognized as an increasingly important safety problem. The goal of this study was to evaluate a green and safe fire-retardant system comprising of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO). CNCs coated with nano ZnO were incorporated in the high-density polyethylene polymer (HDPE) matrix at different concentrations. Fire testing results of different formulations of HDPE containing 0.4 to 1.0% zinc oxide coated CNC exhibited a substantial decrease in the average mass loss, peak heat release rate and total smoke release. The time to ignition exhibited a positive correlation with CNC-ZnO concentration. Modest improvement in the flexural strength and moduli of composites was noticed validating no adverse effects of CNC-ZnO complex. The transmission electron microscopy further confirmed dispersion of nanoparticles as well as the presence of some nanoparticle aggregates in the matrix. The uniform dispersion of CNC-ZnO complex is expected to further improve fire and mechanical properties of polymer.
Israel and Zionism in the Eyes of Palestinian Christian Theologians
Authors: Quer Giovanni Matteo
Published: August 2019

Christian activism in the Arab–Israeli conflict and theological reflections on the Middle East have evolved around Palestinian liberation theology as a theological–political doctrine that scrutinizes Zionism, the existence of Israel and its policies, developing a biblical hermeneutics that reverses the biblical narrative, in order to portray Israel as a wicked regime that operates in the name of a fallacious primitive god and that uses false interpretations of the scriptures. This article analyzes the theological political–theological views applied to the Arab–Israeli conflict developed by Geries Khoury, Naim Ateek, and Mitri Raheb—three influential authors and activists in different Christians denominations. Besides opposing Zionism and providing arguments for the boycott of Israel, such conceptualizations go far beyond the conflict, providing theological grounds for the denial of Jewish statehood echoing old anti-Jewish accusations.
“Perugia Upside-Down”: A Multimedia Exhibition in Umbria (Central Italy) for Improving Geoheritage and Geotourism in Urban Areas
Authors: Melelli Laura
Published: August 2019

Multimedia materials represent a promising approach to the promotion of geoheritage. Despite geology being normally associated with natural environments, new tendencies are noted towards better knowledge of the “geological reason” for the selection of a location and the development of urban settlements. The urban environment is, in fact, a perfect laboratory for opening the scientific topics to a broad audience. In this paper, the experience of a geological exhibition organized in the city of Perugia (Umbria, central Italy) is discussed, highlighting the SECRET (SEe and CREaTe) for creating an effective dissemination activity. Panels, interactive tools, laboratories, and trekking tours outside the museum are the main activities, which hosted more than eight thousand visitors in a few months. Moreover, the exhibition was the starting point for ongoing projects on geotourism in the city, with important consequences in terms of visibility and financial return.
Exploring Renewable Energy Resources Using Remote Sensing and GIS—A Review
Authors: Avtar Ram , Sahu Netrananda , Aggarwal Ashwani Kumar , Chakraborty Shamik , Kharrazi Ali , Yunus Ali P. , Dou Jie , Kurniawan Tonni Agustiono
Published: August 2019

Renewable energy has received noteworthy attention during the last few decades. This is partly due to the fact that fossil fuels are depleting and the need for energy is soaring because of the growing population of the world. This paper attempts to provide an idea of what is being done by researchers in remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) field for exploring the renewable energy resources in order to get to a more sustainable future. Several studies related to renewable energy resources viz. geothermal energy, wind energy, hydropower, biomass, and solar energy, have been considered in this paper. The focus of this review paper is on exploring how remote sensing and GIS-based techniques have been beneficial in exploring optimal locations for renewable energy resources. Several case studies from different parts of the world which use such techniques in exploring renewable energy resource sites of different kinds have also been included in this paper. Though each of the remote sensing and GIS techniques used for exploration of renewable energy resources seems to efficiently sell itself in being the most effective among others, it is important to keep in mind that in actuality, a combination of different techniques is more efficient for the task. Throughout the paper, many issues relating to the use of remote sensing and GIS for renewable energy are examined from both current and future perspectives and potential solutions are suggested. The authors believe that the conclusions and recommendations drawn from the case studies and the literature reviewed in the present study will be valuable to renewable energy scientists and policymakers.
Land-Cover Classification of Coastal Wetlands Using the RF Algorithm for Worldview-2 and Landsat 8 Images
Authors: Wang Xiaoxue , Gao Xiangwei , Zhang Yuanzhi , Fei Xianyun , Chen Zhou , Wang Jian , Zhang Yayi , Lu Xia , Zhao Huimin
Published: August 2019

Wetlands are one of the world’s most important ecosystems, playing an important role in regulating climate and protecting the environment. However, human activities have changed the land cover of wetlands, leading to direct destruction of the environment. If wetlands are to be protected, their land cover must be classified and changes to it monitored using remote sensing technology. The random forest (RF) machine learning algorithm, which offers clear advantages (e.g., processing feature data without feature selection and preferable classification result) for high spatial image classification, has been used in many study areas. In this research, to verify the effectiveness of this algorithm for remote sensing image classification of coastal wetlands, two types of spatial resolution images of the Linhong Estuary wetland in Lianyungang—Worldview-2 and Landsat-8 images—were used for land cover classification using the RF method. To demonstrate the preferable classification accuracy of the RF algorithm, the support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) methods were also used to classify the same area of land cover for comparison with the results of RF classification. The study results showed that (1) the overall accuracy of the RF method reached 91.86%, higher than the SVM and k-NN methods by 4.68% and 4.72%, respectively, for Worldview-2 images; (2) at the same time, the classification accuracies of RF, SVM, and k-NN were 86.61%, 79.96%, and 77.23%, respectively, for Landsat-8 images; (3) for some land cover types having only a small number of samples, the RF algorithm also achieved better classification results using Worldview-2 and Landsat-8 images, and (4) the addition texture features could improve the classification accuracy of the RF method when using Worldview-2 images. Research indicated that high-resolution remote sensing images are more suitable for small-scale land cover classification image and that the RF algorithm can provide better classification accuracy and is more suitable for coastal wetland classification than the SVM and k-NN algorithms are.
Validating the Predictive Power of Statistical Models in Retrieving Leaf Dry Matter Content of a Coastal Wetland from a Sentinel-2 Image
Authors: Ali Abebe Mohammed , Darvishzadeh Roshanak , Shahi Kasra Rafiezadeh , Skidmore Andrew
Published: August 2019

Leaf dry matter content (LDMC), the ratio of leaf dry mass to its fresh mass, is a key plant trait, which is an indicator for many critical aspects of plant growth and survival. Accurate and fast detection of the spatiotemporal dynamics of LDMC would help understanding plants’ carbon assimilation and relative growth rate, and may then be used as an input for vegetation process models to monitor ecosystems. Satellite remote sensing is an effective tool for predicting such plant traits non-destructively. However, studies on the applicability of remote sensing for LDMC retrieval are scarce. Only a few studies have looked into the practicality of using remotely sensed data for the prediction of LDMC in a forest ecosystem. In this study, we assessed the performance of partial least squares regression (PLSR) plus 11 widely used vegetation indices (VIs), calculated based on different combinations of Sentinel-2 bands, in predicting LDMC in a coastal wetland. The accuracy of the selected methods was validated using LDMC, destructively measured in 50 randomly distributed sample plots at the study site in Schiermonnikoog, the Netherlands. The PLSR applied to canopy reflectance of Sentinel-2 bands resulted in accurate prediction of LDMC (coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.71, RMSE = 0.033). PLSR applied to the studied VIs provided an R2 of 0.70 and RMSE of 0.033. Four vegetation indices (enhanced vegetation index(EVI), specific leaf area vegetation index (SLAVI), simple ratio vegetation index (SRVI), and visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI)) computed using band 3 (green) and band 11 of the Sentinel-2 performed equally well and achieved a good measure of accuracy (R2 = 0.67, RMSE = 0.034). Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of using Sentinel-2 surface reflectance data to map LDMC in a coastal wetland.
Compensation of Dispersion in Sinuous Antennas for Polarimetric Ground Penetrating Radar Applications
Authors: Crocker Dylan A. , Scott Waymond R.
Published: August 2019

In order to improve the accuracy of subsurface target classification with ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems, it is desired to transmit and receive ultra-wide band pulses with varying combinations of polarization (a technique referred to as polarimetry). The sinuous antenna exhibits such desirable properties as ultra-wide bandwidth, polarization diversity, and low-profile form factor, making it an excellent candidate for the radiating element of such systems. However, sinuous antennas are dispersive since the active region moves with frequency along the structure, resulting in the distortion of radiated pulses. This distortion may be compensated in signal processing with accurately simulated or measured antenna phase information. However, in a practical GPR, the antenna performance may deviate from that simulated, accurate measurements may be impractical, and/or the dielectric loading of the environment may cause deviations. In such cases, it may be desirable to employ a simple dispersion model based on antenna design parameters which may be optimized in situ. This paper explores the dispersive properties of the sinuous antenna and presents a simple, adjustable, model that may be used to correct dispersed pulses. The dispersion model is successfully applied to both simulated and measured scenarios, thereby enabling the use of sinuous antennas in polarimetric GPR applications.
Meta-Analysis to Determine Normative Values for the Special Judo Fitness Test in Male Athletes: 20+ Years of Sport-Specific Data and the Lasting Legacy of Stanisław Sterkowicz
Authors: Sterkowicz-Przybycień Katarzyna , Fukuda David H. , Franchini Emerson
Published: August 2019

The aim of this study was to evaluate Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) results specific to the population of male judoka and to develop age category norms for junior and senior athletes. A systematic review of the existing literature was conducted to identify 281 publications reporting SJFT results between 1995 and 2018. The final meta-analysis included data from 37 relevant studies that reported SJFT results from 51 individual samples of 515 senior and 209 junior male athletes. The combined mean and SD for SJFT variables were calculated, and the Cohen’s d effect size with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the senior and junior age classifications were compared. Senior athletes demonstrated higher total number of throws (d = 0.41, CI = 0.25–0.57, p <0.001) and heart rate (HR) immediately after the SJFT (d = 0.18, CI = 0.02–0.35, p = 0.025) with limited differences for HR one minute after the SJFT between groups. The SJFT index was lower for seniors compared to juniors (d = 0.38, CI = 0.22–0.54, p <0.001) indicating better overall performance by the more advanced athletes. Percentile rankings were used to develop SJFT classificatory tables for male senior and junior judo athletes. Training staff can use the age group classifications in the evaluation process of their athletes and for the purpose of monitoring training.
“Smart Is Not Smart Enough!” Anticipating Critical Raw Material Use in Smart City Concepts: The Example of Smart Grids
Authors: David Martin , Koch Florian
Published: August 2019

Globally emerging smart city concepts aim to make resource production and allocation in urban areas more efficient, and thus more sustainable through new sociotechnical innovations such as smart grids, smart meters, or solar panels. While recent critiques of smart cities have focused on data security, surveillance, or the influence of corporations on urban development, especially with regard to intelligent communication technologies (ICT), issues related to the material basis of smart city technologies and the interlinked resource problems have largely been ignored in the scholarly literature and in urban planning. Such problems pertain to the provision and recovery of critical raw materials (CRM) from anthropogenic sources like scrap metal repositories, which have been intensely studied during the last few years. To address this gap in the urban planning literature, we link urban planning literatures on smart cities with literatures on CRM mining and recovery from scrap metals. We find that underestimating problems related to resource provision and recovery might lead to management and governance challenges in emerging smart cities, which also entail ethical issues. To illustrate these problems, we refer to the smart city energy domain and explore the smart city-CRM-energy nexus from the perspectives of the respective literatures. We show that CRMs are an important foundation for smart city energy applications such as energy production, energy distribution, and energy allocation. Given current trends in smart city emergence, smart city concepts may potentially foster primary extraction of CRMs, which is linked to considerable environmental and health issues. While the problems associated with primary mining have been well-explored in the literature, we also seek to shed light on the potential substitution and recovery of CRMs from anthropogenic raw material deposits as represented by installed digital smart city infrastructures. Our central finding is that the current smart city literature and contemporary urban planning do not address these issues. This leads to the paradox that smart city concepts are supporting the CRM dependencies that they should actually be seeking to overcome. Discussion on this emerging issue between academics and practitioners has nevertheless not taken place. We address these issues and make recommendations.
HR Practices for Supporting Interpersonal Trust and Its Consequences for Team Collaboration and Innovation
Authors: Bulińska-Stangrecka Helena , Bagieńska Anna
Published: August 2019

Innovation fosters sustainable management and allows managers to achieve a competitive advantage. Understanding the mechanisms that explain innovation’s antecedents provides an important contribution to theory and practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the importance of human resources (HR) practices in developing trust-based cooperation, which facilitates organizational innovation. Using the foundation of the Shea and Guzzo model, the roles of HR mechanisms were investigated. This study analyzes how effective cooperation can increase innovation and how certain HR practices can help to nurture a trust-based work environment. The conceptual model was developed by drawing on social exchange theory (SET). An empirical analysis of the results of a survey conducted on telecommunications companies (n = 175) aimed to verify the conceptual model. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the data. The findings indicated that competency development opportunities, team interdependence, and group rewards were the most significant determinants of interpersonal trust. As a consequence, a trust-based team generates effective cooperation, and as a result organizational innovation is strengthened. This study was based on large-scale survey data and provides a comprehensive outlook on how to promote organizational innovation through HR practices. This is the first study linking HR practices with trust, collaboration, and innovation.
Predicting First-Year College Student Retention: Validation of the College Persistence Questionnaire in a Spanish Sample
Authors: García-Ros Rafael , Pérez-Gónzalez Francisco , Castillo Fuentes María , Cavas-Martínez Francisco
Published: August 2019

This paper analyzes the factorial and predictive validity of a Spanish adaptation of the College Persistence Questionnaire (SCPQ) on the retention of first year students (FYS) at university. The participants were 490 FYS from two public universities in Southern Europe (Spain). Factorial analysis of the SCPQ (χ2/gl = 1.66, CFI = 0.92, NNFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.04) showed six reliable dimensions, similar to those found in the original study: Academic Integration, Social Integration, Supportive Services Satisfaction, Academic Conscientiousness, Degree Commitment and Institutional Commitment. Logistic regression showed that institutional commitment significantly predicted FYS’ permanence. The results support SCPQ’s validity as an adequate and useful tool for assessing FYS’ academic experiences involved in student retention.
The Military’s Links with Local Communities in the Context of Sustainable Development
Authors: Sirko Stanisław , Kozuba Jarosław , Piotrowska-Trybull Marzena
Published: August 2019

This article focuses on the analysis of the military links with local communities in the context of sustainable development, in particular the social and economic aspects of development. The aim of the article is to identify and characterize the links between military units and entities in the local environment on the example of selected municipalities in Poland and to assess these links in the opinion of residents, local authorities, and soldiers. Between military units and local communities, there are relations of different nature and intensity, conditioned by internal and external factors. The military stationed on the territory of individual municipalities makes a direct and indirect contribution to building the social and economic potential of these places, as well as providing public goods in the form of the national defence. The links between the military and local communities are discussed in the source literature with reference to examples from different countries. While the scale and scope of these links vary, these impacts follow similar patterns.
Research on Comprehensive Multi-Infrastructure Optimization in Transportation Asset Management: The Case of Roads and Bridges
Authors: Chen Zhang , Liang Yuanlu , Wu Yangyang , Sun Lijun
Published: August 2019

Optimization is the core of transportation asset management, but current optimization approaches are still in the stage of single infrastructure management, which seriously hinders the development and application of transportation asset management. This paper establishes a comprehensive multi-infrastructure optimization model for transportation assets consisting of roads and bridges, which is aimed at achieving the goal of transportation asset comfort, integrity, and security, taking budget funds as constraint conditions, and applying the optimization technique of goal programming and integer programming. An interactive fuzzy linear-weighted optimum-order algorithm is presented to solve the comprehensive optimization model. Finally, the comprehensive multi-infrastructure optimization model and algorithm are verified to be effective by practical data in a case study. The results indicate that the model and algorithm can provide a satisfactory and reasonable maintenance and rehabilitation schedule for transportation asset management agencies.
Towards Resilient Civil Infrastructure Asset Management: An Information Elicitation and Analytical Framework
Authors: Yang Yifan , Ng S. Thomas , Xu Frank J. , Skitmore Martin , Zhou Shenghua
Published: August 2019

It is rather difficult for the stakeholders to understand and implement the resilience concept and principles in the infrastructure asset management paradigm, as it demands quality data, holistic information integration and competent data analytics capabilities to identify infrastructure vulnerabilities, evaluate and predict infrastructure adaptabilities to different hazards, as well as to make damage restoration and resilience improvement strategies and plans. To meet the stakeholder’s urgent needs, this paper proposes an information elicitation and analytical framework for resilient infrastructure asset management. The framework is devised by leveraging the best practices and processes of integrated infrastructure asset management and resilience management in the literature, synergizing the common elements and critical concepts of the two paradigms, ingesting the state-of-the-art interconnected infrastructure systems resilience analytical approaches, and eliciting expert judgments to iteratively improve the derived framework. To facilitate the stakeholders in implementing the framework, two use case studies are given in this paper, depicting the detailed workflow for information integration and resilience analytics in infrastructure asset management. The derived framework is expected to provide an operational basis to the quantitative resilience management of civil infrastructure assets, which could also be used to enhance community resilience.
In Which Time Slots Can People Save Power? An Analysis Using a Japanese Survey on Time Use
Authors: Nakano Satoshi , Washizu Ayu
Published: August 2019

Residential demand-side management (DSM) of electricity has been gaining attention as a way to reduce energy consumption at home and as a way of maximizing the utilization of fluctuating solar power generation. To promote the smooth introduction of DSM into homes, power usage trends according to the time of the day should be examined for individuals in relation to their lifestyles. The analyses of power usage trends can identify the types of home appliances that should be utilized differently in order to increase energy efficiency. Such analyses can also predict the individual behavioral changes that should result in home appliances being used in the time slots in which solar power is more conveniently available. The purpose of this research was to estimate and observe the amount of power saving potential for each daily time slot with respect to an individual’s particular attributes, and to derive the power saving potential of the whole country by accumulating these data on individuals. This was achieved by using the Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities (STULA) and Energy-Saving Performance Catalog (ESPC) in Japan. According to the results of our estimation, a meaningful power saving potential is sufficient to address a power supply shortage after a disaster such as an earthquake. It is possible to save power by replacing existing home appliances with more energy efficient ones, by making environmentally conscious choices when using home appliances, and by discontinuing the use of home appliances during electricity shortages within the community as a whole. Using the estimated power saving potentials, we examined the effects of two DSMs: (1) adjusting the time for which home appliances are used; and (2) aggregating the power demand of households with different attributes. The results showed that these DSMs would contribute to a more stable power system operation. Future research might address the rapid penetration of community energy management systems and demand response systems.
Contrasting Trends of Forest Coverage between the Inland and Coastal Urban Groups of China over the Past Decades
Authors: Zhu Qingsong , Jin Jiaxin , Wang Pengxiang , Ji Yingying , Xiao Yuanyuan , Guo Fengsheng , Deng Changsheng , Qu Lisha
Published: August 2019

China is building forest urban groups through reforestation and afforestation. However, the fast process of urbanization inevitably conflicts with multiple vegetated areas around cities. Hence, it is critical to evaluate the changes in regional vegetation cover and its spatial pattern due to complex natural and anthropogenic factors. Nevertheless, systematic studies to quantify and compare the development of forest urban agglomerations were rarely reported. Based on a remote sensing landcover dataset from 1992 to 2015, this study investigated forest cover changes and the impacts on landscape pattern in several urban groups, and tried to explore their differences between the inland and coastal regions of China. The results showed that over the past 24 years, the forest coverage in the coastal urban agglomerations declined (103 km2/year) while it increased (26 km2/year) in the inland urban agglomerations. There was a certain conflict between forest and cropland for the coastal urban agglomerations where the forest area converted to cropland accounted for 61.9% of the total forest loss. The increase in forests coverage in inland urban agglomerations mainly came from grassland which nearly accounted for 66.47% of the total increase. The landscape diversity has also changed in areas where forests have changed significantly (e.g., Shanghai, Changzhi, and Jincheng).
Towards Analytics-Enabled Efficiency Improvements in Maritime Transportation: A Case Study in a Mediterranean Port
Authors: Zerbino Pierluigi , Aloini Davide , Dulmin Riccardo , Mininno Valeria
Published: August 2019

The current digitalization trend, the increased attention towards sustainability, and the spread of the business analytics call for higher efficiency in port operations and for investigating the quantitative approaches for maritime logistics and freight transport systems. Thus, this manuscript aims at enabling analytics-driven improvements in the port transportation processes efficiency by streamlining the related information flow, i.e., by attaining shorter time frames of the information and document sharing among the export stakeholders. We developed a case study in a mid-sized European port, in which we applied Process Mining (PM)—an emerging type of business analytics—to a seven-month dataset from the freight export process. Four process inefficiencies and an issue that can jeopardize the reliability of the time performance measurements were detected, and we proposed a draft of solutions to cope with them. PM enabled enhancements in the overall export time length, which might improve the vessels’ turnover and reduce the corresponding operational costs, and supported the potential re-design of performance indicators in process control and monitoring. The results answer the above-mentioned calls and they offer a valuable, analytics-based alternative to the extant approaches for improving port performance, because it focuses on the port information flow, which is often related to sustainability issues, rather than the physical one.
Issues and Impacts of the Apricot Value Chain on the Upland Farmers in the Himalayan Range of Pakistan
Authors: Kousar Rakhshanda , Makhdum Muhammad Sohail Amjad , Abbas Azhar , Nasir Javaria , Naseer Muhammad Asad ur Rehman
Published: August 2019

The livelihood of the people in the Himalayan range of Pakistan is largely dependent on the cultivation of fruits. Apricot and apple are the major fruits of this region, which are marketed throughout the country and also exported to other countries. Due to high perishability and the poor farm-to-market infrastructure in the region, farmers are unable to get maximum returns. This study was conducted keeping in view the importance of the region and the impacts of fruits on the livelihood of the farmhands. Cross-sectional data from 200 respondents were collected through a multistage random sampling technique. Factor analysis was employed to find out the constraint in the apricot production and propensity score matching estimates were employed to see the impact of apricot production on the farming communities in the study area. The results of the factor analysis show the most important group of constraints in the growth of the apricot industry is awareness, which is an internal factor. This is followed by production, policy, and marketing constraints. The least important is processing technology. Furthermore, the results show that apricot production has a significant positive impact on decreasing the poverty level of the household, depicting a great potential for the development of resilient livelihoods.
Ethical Leadership, Affective Commitment, Work Engagement, and Creativity: Testing a Multiple Mediation Approach
Authors: Asif Muhammad , Qing Miao , Hwang Jinsoo , Shi Hao
Published: August 2019

This study aimed to explore the relationships among ethical leadership (EL), affective commitment (AC), work engagement (WE), and employees’ creativity (EC). In total, 233 Chinese public sector employees completed the survey in three phases. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the data. The paper found positive relationships between EL and WE and with EL and EC. The results further revealed that AC partially mediates the EL-WE relationship, while both AC and WE fully mediate the relationship between EL and EC. Testing these relationships via a multiple-mediated approach significantly contributed to the existing research on leadership.
Surface-Modified Chitosan: An Adsorption Study of a “Tweezer-Like” Biopolymer with Fluorescein
Authors: Vafakish Bahareh , Wilson Lee D.
Published: August 2019

Tweezer-like adsorbents with enhanced surface area were synthesized by grafting aniline onto the amine sites of a chitosan biopolymer scaffold. The chemical structure and textural properties of the adsorbents were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and spectral methods, including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H- and, 13C-NMR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Equilibrium solvent swelling results for the adsorbent materials provided evidence of a more apolar biopolymer surface upon grafting. Equilibrium uptake studies with fluorescein at ambient pH in aqueous media reveal a high monolayer adsorption capacity (Qm) of 61.8 mg·g−1, according to the Langmuir isotherm model. The kinetic adsorption profiles are described by the pseudo-first order kinetic model. 1D NMR and 2D-NOESY NMR spectra were used to confirm the role of π-π interactions between the adsorbent and adsorbate. Surface modification of the adsorbent using monomeric and dimeric cationic surfactants with long hydrocarbon chains altered the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) of the adsorbent surface, which resulted in attenuated uptake of fluorescein by the chitosan molecular tweezers. This research contributes to a first example of the uptake properties for a tweezer-like chitosan adsorbent and the key role of weak cooperative interactions in controlled adsorption of a model anionic dye.
Evaluating Urban Odor with Field Olfactometry in Camden, NJ
Authors: Kitson Jennifer , Leiva Monica , Christman Zachary , Dalton Pamela
Published: August 2019

Odor annoyance negatively impacts residents of communities adjacent to persistent nuisance industries. These residents, often with a high percentage of minority or otherwise marginalized residents, experience subjective and objective impacts on health and well-being; yet, reliable methods for quantifying and categorizing odors have been elusive. Field olfactometry is integral to the study of odor annoyance experienced by communities as it includes both qualitative (human perception) and quantitative (intensity measurement) dimensions of human odor experience and has been employed by municipalities in the U.S. to evaluate odor pollution levels. Cartographic visualization of odor data recorded using a field olfactometer offers further opportunity to evaluate potential patterns of odor annoyance, yet the use of field olfactometry and geographic information systems have not been frequently employed by geographers. By employing a mixed-methods approach to evaluate odor pollution, this study addresses the environmental justice context by quantifying and categorizing the presence of odor pollution in Waterfront South, a neighborhood in Camden, NJ previously identified for its disproportionate malodor burden. This study offers support to mixed methods research and the need for monitoring subjective and objective impacts in communities with compounding odor nuisance industries.
An Influenza A Vaccine Based on the Extracellular Domain of Matrix 2 Protein Protects BALB/C Mice Against H1N1 and H3N2
Authors: Ong Hui Kian , Yong Chean Yeah , Tan Wen Siang , Yeap Swee Keong , Omar Abdul Rahman , Abdul Razak Mariatulqabtiah , Ho Kok Lian
Published: August 2019

Current seasonal influenza A virus (IAV) vaccines are strain-specific and require annual reconstitution to accommodate the viral mutations. Mismatches between the vaccines and circulating strains often lead to high morbidity. Hence, development of a universal influenza A vaccine targeting all IAV strains is urgently needed. In the present study, the protective efficacy and immune responses induced by the extracellular domain of Matrix 2 protein (M2e) displayed on the virus-like particles of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (NvC-M2ex3) were investigated in BALB/c mice. NvC-M2ex3 was demonstrated to be highly immunogenic even in the absence of adjuvants. Higher anti-M2e antibody titers corresponded well with increased survival, reduced immunopathology, and morbidity of the infected BALB/c mice. The mice immunized with NvC-M2ex3 exhibited lower H1N1 and H3N2 virus replication in the respiratory tract and the vaccine activated the production of different antiviral cytokines when they were challenged with H1N1 and H3N2. Collectively, these results suggest that NvC-M2ex3 could be a potential universal influenza A vaccine.
Capability of Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy to Predict Soil Water Retention and Related Soil Properties in an Irrigated Lowland District of Southern Italy
Authors: Leone Antonio , Leone Guido , Leone Natalia , Galeone Ciro , Grilli Eleonora , Orefice Nadia , Ancona Valeria
Published: August 2019

In this study, we examined the potential of vis-NIR reflectance spectroscopy, coupled with partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis, for the evaluation and prediction of soil water retention at field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP) and related basic soil properties [organic carbon (OC), sand, silt, and clay contents] in an agricultural irrigated land of southern Italy. Soil properties were determined in the laboratory with reference to the Italian Official Methods for Soil Analysis. Vis-NIR reflectance spectra were measured in the laboratory, using a high-resolution spectroradiometer. All soil variables, with the exception of silt, evidently affected some specific spectral features. Multivariate calibrations were performed to predict the soil properties from reflectance spectra. PLSR was used to calibrate the spectral data using two-thirds of samples for calibration and one-third for validation. Spectroscopic data were pre-processed [multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), standard normal variance (SNV), wavelet detrending (WD), first and second derivative transformation, and filtering] prior to multivariate calibration. The results revealed very good models (2.0 < RPD < 2.5) for the prediction of FC, PWP and sand, and excellent (RPD > 2.5) models for the prediction of clay and OC, whereas a poor (RPD < 1.4) prediction model was obtained for silt.
Assessing the Efficiency of Alternative Best Management Practices to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution in a Rural Watershed Located in Louisiana, USA
Authors: Pokhrel Bijay K. , Paudel Krishna P.
Published: August 2019

We conducted biophysical simulations using MapShed to determine the effects of adopting best management practices (BMPs) to reduce nutrients and sediment pollution in a watershed dominated by poultry production in the Saline Bayou Watershed, Louisiana, USA. The reduction of three water pollutants, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from adopting different BMPs were assessed using a linear programming model with the cost minimization objective. We considered three weather scenarios (dry, normal, and wet) and BMP parameter efficiencies obtained from linear regression models. Optimization results showed that nutrient management and agricultural land retirement reduced most of the phosphorus runoff in the watershed at the lowest cost. Results were robust to alternative weather (dry, normal, and wet) scenarios.
Effect of Sediment Load Boundary Conditions in Predicting Sediment Delta of Tarbela Reservoir in Pakistan
Authors: Tarar Zeeshan Riaz , Ahmad Sajid Rashid , Ahmad Iftikhar , Hasson Shabeh ul , Khan Zahid Mahmood , Washakh Rana Muhammad Ali , Ateeq-Ur-Rehman Sardar , Bui Minh Duc
Published: August 2019

Setting precise sediment load boundary conditions plays a central role in robust modeling of sedimentation in reservoirs. In the presented study, we modeled sediment transport in Tarbela Reservoir using sediment rating curves (SRC) and wavelet artificial neural networks (WA-ANNs) for setting sediment load boundary conditions in the HEC-RAS 1D numerical model. The reconstruction performance of SRC for finding the missing sediment sampling data was at R2 = 0.655 and NSE = 0.635. The same performance using WA-ANNs was at R2 = 0.771 and NSE = 0.771. As the WA-ANNs have better ability to model non-linear sediment transport behavior in the Upper Indus River, the reconstructed missing suspended sediment load data were more accurate. Therefore, using more accurately-reconstructed sediment load boundary conditions in HEC-RAS, the model was better morphodynamically calibrated with R2 = 0.980 and NSE = 0.979. Using SRC-based sediment load boundary conditions, the HEC-RAS model was calibrated with R2 = 0.959 and NSE = 0.943. Both models validated the delta movement in the Tarbela Reservoir with R2 = 0.968, NSE = 0.959 and R2 = 0.950, NSE = 0.893 using WA-ANN and SRC estimates, respectively. Unlike SRC, WA-ANN-based boundary conditions provided stable simulations in HEC-RAS. In addition, WA-ANN-predicted sediment load also suggested a decrease in supply of sediment significantly to the Tarbela Reservoir in the future due to intra-annual shifting of flows from summer to pre- and post-winter. Therefore, our future predictions also suggested the stability of the sediment delta. As the WA-ANN-based sediment load boundary conditions precisely represented the physics of sediment transport, the modeling concept could very likely be used to study bed level changes in reservoirs/rivers elsewhere in the world.
Extreme Floods and Droughts under Future Climate Scenarios
Authors: Markus Momcilo , Cai Ximing , Sriver Ryan
Published: August 2019

Climate projections indicate that in many regions of the world the risk of increased flooding or more severe droughts will be higher in the future. To account for these trends, hydrologists search for the best planning and management measures in an increasingly complex and uncertain environment. The collection of manuscripts in this Special Issue quantifies the changes in projected hydroclimatic extremes and their impacts using a suite of innovative approaches applied to regions in North America, Asia, and Europe. To reduce the uncertainty and warrant the applicability of the research on projections of future floods and droughts, their continued development and testing using newly acquired observational data are critical.
ENTERTAINMENT SHOW IN TELEVISION AS AUTHORIZER’S HEGEMONY TOOL IN “MOCKINGJAY’ NOVEL
Authors: Juanda Juanda
Published: August 2019

This article analyzes about television as medium to do hegemony which is executed by President Alma Coin, one of authorizers in “Mockingjay” novel which is the focus of the performer of hegemony in this article. Coin is the authorizer of District 13—outcast region of a state named Panem. She wants to overthrow President Coriolanus Snow from his position as the authorizer of Panem. To do her hegemony, Coin ignites uprising movement by using Katniss Everdeen as Mockingjay—face of the uprising—and make Propos—propaganda spots—which is broadcasted to all over Panem through television. Katniss is used by Coin as puppet to deliver her government speeches because Katniss has huge influence in Panem. Coin also makes Propos which contains footage videos of Snow’s cruel authorization which will doctrine Panem subjects and lead them into their belief alteration to Coin as a purpose. This article uses qualitative descriptive method to analyze television which is used as medium of authorizer’s hegemony in “Mockingjay” novel. The result of this article shows that television certainly can be a medium of authorizer, in this case is Coin, to do hegemony. Coin makes Propos and broadcasts it in television which aims to impose her political opponent, Snow, and to earned the whole Panem subjects’ voice. In addition, Coin also uses Katniss as the main star of her Propos because of the influence that Katniss has.
SEMANTICS IN OBEY CLOTHING T-SHIRT DISCOURSE: A STUDY OF SEMANTICS
Authors: Jati Raden Risman
Published: August 2019

In this study, it is analyzed lexical meaning in a text of written language which is applied on Obey’s T-shirt. These meanings furthermore constructed descriptive interpretations. The theory used in this study is theories of lexical semantics in Mansoer Pateda (2010). Reseach method in this study is descriptive analysis which is conducted by using analytic approach and operational approach of lexical meaning. This approach includes meaning component segmentation and lexical meaning analysis. The result of this study which is conducted on eight product samples is that each product has its own characteristic which can be constructed through interpretation based on lexical meaning of each entity in the product. The lexical meaning which is analyzed is capable to construct meaning related to the object outside the language. Both meaning, lexical and cognitive meanings are able to construct an interpretation as a meaning representation of a text as a whole part.