bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Operation of Integrated Electrical and Natural Gas Networks with a Focus on Distributed Energy Hub Systems
Authors: Hemmati Mohammad , Abapour Mehdi , Mohammadi-Ivatloo Behnam , Anvari-Moghaddam Amjad
Published: October 2020

Coordinated multi-carrier energy systems with natural gas and electricity energies provide specific opportunities to improve energy efficiency and flexibility of the energy supply. The interdependency of electricity and natural gas networks faces multiple challenges from power and gas flow in corresponding feeders and pipes and connection points between two infrastructures’ points of view. However, the energy hub concepts as the fundamental concept of multi-carrier energy systems with multiple conversion, storage, and generation facilities can be considered as a connection point between electricity and gas grids. Hence, this paper proposes an optimal operation of coordinated gas and electricity distribution networks by considering interconnected energy hubs. The proposed energy hub is equipped with combined heat and power units, a boiler, battery energy storage, a heat pump, and a gas-fired unit to meet the heating and electrical load demands. The proposed model is formulated as a two-stage scenario-based stochastic model aiming to minimize total operational cost considering wind energy, electrical load, and real-time power price uncertainties. The proposed integrated energy system can participate in real-time and day-ahead power markets, as well as the gas market, to purchase its required energy. The AC-power flow and Weymouth equation are extended to describe power and gas flow in feeders and gas pipelines, respectively. Therefore, a realistic model for the integrated electricity and gas grids considering coupling constraints is satisfied. The proposed model is tested on the integrated energy system and consists of a 33-bus electrical network and a 6-node gas grid with multiple interconnected energy hubs, where the numerical results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Woody Plant Encroachment and the Sustainability of Priority Conservation Areas
Authors: Fogarty Dillon T. , Roberts Caleb P. , Uden Daniel R. , Donovan Victoria M. , Allen Craig R. , Naugle David E. , Jones Matthew O. , Allred Brady W. , Twidwell Dirac
Published: October 2020

Woody encroachment is a global driver of grassland loss and management to counteract encroachment represents one of the most expensive conservation practices implemented in grasslands. Yet, outcomes of these practices are often unknown at large scales and this constrains practitioner’s ability to advance conservation. Here, we use new monitoring data to evaluate outcomes of grassland conservation on woody encroachment for Nebraska’s State Wildlife Action Plan, a statewide effort that targets management in Biologically Unique Landscapes (BULs) to conserve the state’s natural communities. We tracked woody cover trajectories for BULs and compared BUL trajectories with those in non-priority landscapes (non-BULs) to evaluate statewide and BUL-scale conservation outcomes more than a decade after BUL establishment. Statewide, woody cover increased by 256,653 ha (2.3%) from 2000–2017. Most BULs (71%) experienced unsustainable trends of grassland loss to woody encroachment; however, management appeared to significantly reduce BUL encroachment rates compared to non-BULs. Most BULs with early signs of encroachment lacked control strategies, while only one BUL with moderate levels of encroachment (Loess Canyons) showed evidence of a management-driven stabilization of encroachment. These results identify strategic opportunities for proactive management in grassland conservation and demonstrate how new monitoring technology can support large-scale adaptive management pursuits.
The Intensity Analysis of Production Living Ecological Land in Shandong Province, China
Authors: Sun Xiaofang , Yu Chao , Wang Junbang , Wang Meng
Published: October 2020

Due to the limitedness of land, the coordinated development of production, living, and ecological (PLE) land is essential for sustainable development. A clear understanding of PLE land change is necessary given the increased human activities, especially in developing regions. This study first reclassified remotely sensed landuse maps in Shandong province into PLE land. Then the spatiotemporal change of PLE land between 2000 and 2015 was analyzed using spatial trajectory and intensity analysis methods. The results show that the rate of PLE land change in the interval of 2000–2005 was the highest, and it kept decreasing during 2005–2010 and 2010–2015. The overall quantity component accounts for more difference than the exchange and shift components for all intervals. At the category level, the largest quantity component of change was PE land loss, followed by LP land gain. LP land gain targeted PE land intensively in each interval. The loss of E land was mainly to PE land in terms of size, and to PL land in terms of intensity. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the spatiotemporal transitions of PLE land in Shandong province, which could help policy making for PLE land regulation.
Research on the Efficiency of Composite Beam Application in Multi-Storey Buildings
Authors: Kinderis Tomas , Daukšys Mindaugas , Mockienė Jūratė
Published: October 2020

Over the past decade, several types of composite slim floor constructions have been used in multi-storey buildings in Lithuania. In order to study the efficiency of composite beam application in steel-framed multi-storey buildings, Thorbeam (A1), Deltabeam (A2), slim floor beam (A3) and asymmetric slim floor beam (A4) were chosen and evaluated according to nine assessment criteria (beam cost (K1), initial preparation on site (K2), installation time (K3), complexity of installation technology (K4), labour costs (K5), fire resistance (K6), load bearing capacity (K7), beam versatility (K8), and availability of beams (K9)). First, the significance of the rating criteria was selected and the order of the ranking criteria was obtained (K1˃K7˃K3˃K6˃K4˃K5˃K2˃K8˃K9) by means of a survey questionnaire. Second, the beams were ranked according to the points given by the questionnaire respondents as follows: 160 points were given to A2, 144 points to A1, 129 points to A4, and 111 points to A3. Deltabeam is considered to be the most rational alternative of the four beams compared. Calculations done using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) analysis method revealed that composite beam A2 was the best slim floor structure alternative for an eight-storey high-rise commercial residential building frame, A1 ranked second, A4 ranked third, and A3 ranked fourth. In addition, the four composite beams were compared to a reinforced concrete beam (A5) according to three assessment criteria (beam cost including installation (C1), beam self-weight (C2) and fire resistance (C3)). Deltabeam was found to be efficient for use as a slim floor structure in a multi-story building due to having the lowest cost, including installation, and self-weight, and the highest fire resistance compared to other composite beams studied. Although Deltabeams are 1.4 times more expensive than reinforced concrete beams, including installation costs, they save about 2.5% of the building’s height compared to reinforced concrete beams.
Utilization of Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger to Pre-Cool/Heat Ventilation Air and Its Annual Energy Performance Evaluation: A Case Study
Authors: Zhang Chong , Wang Jinbo , Li Liao , Wang Feifei , Gang Wenjie
Published: October 2020

An earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) system utilizes the low-grade thermal energy of underground soil to warm up and cool down the flowing air within an underground buried pipe. Integrating the EAHE system with building ventilation can reduce the energy demand for conditioning ventilation air. The main purposes of this paper are to estimate the year-round energy-saving potential of the EAHE-assisted building ventilation system and provide its design guidelines in a hot-summer and cold-winter climate. A steady-state heat transfer model was proposed to calculate the outlet air temperature of an EAHE and further identify its ability to preheat and precool ventilation air. Influences of depth, length, and diameter of a buried pipe on the year-round thermal performance of the EAHE system were evaluated. The results show that considering the compromise between thermal performance and construction costs of the EAHE system, a depth of 5 m and a length of 80 m are recommended. The EAHE system can provide a mean daily cooling and heating capacity of 19.6 kWh and 19.3 kWh, respectively. Moreover, the utilization of the EAHE system can reduce by 16.0% and 50.1% the energy demand for cooling and heating ventilation air throughout the whole year.
Attribution and Effectiveness of Cause-Related Marketing: The Interplay between Cause–Brand Fit and Corporate Reputation
Authors: Zhang Anran , Scodellaro Alex , Pang Bo , Lo Hui-Yi , Xu Zhengliang
Published: October 2020

In cause-related marketing (CRM) programs, the fit between the cause and brand is an important factor influencing consumer perceptions and behavior. However, the literature demonstrates that there is disagreement regarding the effect of cause–brand fit on consumer responses with varying corporate reputation. This study aims to examine the influence of cause–brand fit on consumer attitudes, attributed company motives, and the moderating role of corporate reputation. With a two (fit: high/low) by three (reputation: low/medium/high) experimental study, we reveal that consumers hold positive attitudes toward companies that engage in CRM campaigns. The effect of cause–brand fit on consumer-attributed company motives is moderated by corporate reputation. For low-reputation companies, a high cause–brand fit CRM campaign resulted in consumers attributing more negative motives to companies than low-fit campaigns. The opposite was true for medium-reputation companies. Meanwhile, high-reputation companies with a high cause–brand fit elicit greater value-driven attributed motives from consumers than other motives. Recommendations for implementing CRM programs and for future research are discussed.
Municipal Green Purchasing in Mexico: Policy Adoption and Implementation Success
Authors: Leal Ana R. , Perez-Castillo David , Amorós José Ernesto , Husted Bryan W.
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we seek to determine what factors drive the adoption of green purchasing among municipalities in Mexico and the success of their implementation. Given the lack of research and theory in the area, this study is exploratory in nature. We applied the green purchasing survey developed by Arizona State University to all municipalities in Mexico with a population of 25,000 or more inhabitants. Using the least absolute shrinkage and selector operator method (LASSO), we reduced the set of measures, which we then employed in a logistic regression to predict whether the municipality would adopt a green purchasing policy. We found that complementary environmental practices, department rules, and city-wide contracts to reduce purchasing costs have a positive and significant effect on the propensity to adopt green purchasing policies, but the time for routine low-cost purchases has a negative effect on green purchasing policy adoption. Then, using two-stage least squares, we developed a model of the factors leading to successful implementation of green purchasing. We found that complementary environmental policies, environmental practices, environmental program knowledge, and city-wide contracts to reduce purchasing costs are positively and significantly related to successful implementation. However, department resources and the time for routine low-cost purchase are significant, but negatively related.
A Strategic Location Decision-Making Approach for Multi-Tier Supply Chain Sustainability
Authors: Sirilertsuwan Petchprakai , Thomassey Sébastien , Zeng Xianyi
Published: October 2020

Few studies on supply location decisions focus on enhancing triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability in supply chains; they rarely employ objective quantifiable measurements which help ensure consistent and transparent decisions or reveal relationships between business and environmental trade-off criteria. Therefore, we propose a decision-making approach for objectively selecting multi-tier supply locations based on cost and carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) from manufacturing, logistics, and sustainability-assurance activities, including certificate implementation, sample-checking, living wage and social security payments, and factory visits. Existing studies and practices, logic models, activity-based costing, and feedback from an application and experts help develop the approach. The approach helps users in location decisions and long-term supply chain planning by revealing relationships among factors, TBL sustainability, and potential risks. This approach also helps users evaluate whether supplier prices are too low to create environmental and social compliance. Its application demonstrates potential and flexibility in revealing both lowest- and optimized-cost and CO2e supply chains, under various contexts and constraints, for different markets. Very low cost/CO2e supply chains have proximity between supply chain stages and clean manufacturing energy. Considering sustainability-assurance activities differentiates our approach from existing studies, as the activities significantly impact supply chain cost and CO2e in low manufacturing unit scenarios.
How Geography Textbook Tasks Promote Comparison Competency—An International Analysis
Authors: Simon Marine , Budke Alexandra
Published: October 2020

Comparison is an important competency for gaining and linking knowledge. It can be learned in geography classes to help students understand complex concepts and develop autonomous geographical thinking. However, we do not currently have any model to assess comparison as a competency in geography classes. In addition, little is known about how textbook tasks promote comparison competency. Therefore, in this study, a competency model for comparison in geography education was developed. It consists of four dimensions of comparison competency, which relate either to the mastering of comparison processes or to content-related elements of comparisons. Then, via a qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics, the competency model was used to assess which dimensions of comparison competency were featured in 981 tasks from 20 German, English and French textbooks. Results showed that comparison tasks largely failed to promote autonomous and argumentative comparison process planning. However, numerous tasks performed better on the content-related aspects of comparison. Thus, the competency model presented in this study is a valuable tool to assess and enhance comparison competency in geography education and to promote students’ autonomous geographical thinking.
Walkable Urban Environments: An Ergonomic Approach of Evaluation
Authors: Appolloni Letizia , Giretti Alberto , Corazza Maria Vittoria , D’Alessandro Daniela
Published: October 2020

Background. The salutogenicity of urban environments is significantly affected by their ergonomics, i.e., by the quality of the interactions between citizens and the elements of the built environment. Measuring and modelling urban ergonomics is thus a key issue to provide urban policy makers with planning solutions to increase the well-being, usability and safety of the urban environment. However, this is a difficult task due to the complexity of the interrelations between the urban environment and human activities. The paper contributes to the definition of a generalized model of urban ergonomics and salutogenicity, focusing on walkability, by discussing the relevant parameters from the large and variegated sets proposed in the literature, by discussing the emerging model structure from a data mining process, by considering the background of the relevant functional dependency already established in the literature, and by providing evidence of the solutions’ effectiveness. The methodology is developed for a case study in central Italy, with a focus on the mobility issue, which is a catalyst to generate more salutogenic and sustainable behaviors.
Supporting Children’s Independent Activities in Smart and Playable Public Places
Authors: Garau Chiara , Annunziata Alfonso
Published: October 2020

The global process of urbanization, and the modification of social interaction determined by the pandemic crisis, poses the issue of the place of vulnerable users and, in particular, children, within the contemporary city. This research aimed to elaborate a theoretical and methodological framework, based on the concepts of affordance and capability, for analyzing the potential of public spaces to enable and support children’s independent activities. This potential, or meaningful usefulness, is expressed by the Index of Meaningful Usefulness of public Urban Spaces (IUIS). The latter is calculated via the tool ‘Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces’ (OCUS). This methodology is applied to the analysis of significant public spaces within the historic center of the city of Iglesias in Sardinia, Italy. The results reveal adequate usefulness of the selected spaces, while underlining criticalities related to intrinsic spatial and physical attributes. The application to the case study confirms the validity of the theoretical and methodological framework embodied in the OCUS tool for supporting urban design and planning by orienting place-shaping processes towards the acknowledgement of children’s needs.
Analysis and Evaluation of Historical Public Spaces in Small Towns in the Polish Region of Warmia
Authors: Zagroba Marek , Szczepańska Agnieszka , Senetra Adam
Published: October 2020

Public spaces play a special role in the social life, culture, and traditions of historical towns. Public spaces are defined by their urban layout and architectural design and they embody the unique identity of old towns. They integrate local communities and contribute to the formation of social bonds. Urban planning and architecture play an important role in this process. The historical character of public spaces is a prerequisite for social interactions. The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate historical urban public spaces (market squares) in three small towns in the region of Warmia in north-eastern Poland. Architectural features, urban layout, and the composition of urban and architectural factors, which are largely responsible for synthetic perception of multidimensional space, were evaluated. These goals were achieved with the use of an interpretive historical research method based on original evaluation criteria. The results were used to identify public spaces that require revitalization. Revitalization programs help preserve or revive attractive locations by restoring the right balance between economic and social factors and cultural heritage. The study demonstrated that orderly and harmonious planning of public spaces considerably influences perceptions of space.
Individual Investors, Average Skewness, and Market Returns
Authors: Kim Jungmu , Park Yuen Jung
Published: October 2020

Understanding individual investors’ short-term behavior toward skewness is essential for the management and investment of corporate social responsibility because the skewness-seeking behavior of individual investors, which causes a bubble in the market, makes the market as a whole more vulnerable, and it is difficult for the market to be sustainable. In the Korean stock market, we investigated whether average skewness can predict future market returns at the market level and whether the mispricing is associated with demand for the skewness of individual noise traders. Measuring the demand for skewness by the proportion of trading money of individual investors, we found that average skewness negatively predicts future market excess return when the demand for skewness is strong. The result is robust to controlling for market variance as well as other predictors. Our finding indicates that the overall market is overpriced when individual investors excessively trade to seek huge returns in spite of a small probability.
Efficacy of Supplemental Irrigation and Nitrogen Management on Enhancing Nitrogen Availability and Urease Activity in Soils with Sorghum Production
Authors: Sigua Gilbert C. , Stone Kenneth C. , Bauer Phil J. , Szogi Ariel A.
Published: October 2020

The soil nitrogen (N) availability and urease activity (UA) in a humid ecosystem with variable rainfall distribution and poor soil fertility are not well understood. A complete appreciation of N cycling in the soil–water–plant continuum is needed to better manage N and water in regions that will be strongly affected by climate change. A sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) study located in Florence, South Carolina, USA, was conducted using a variable-rate pivot system. We hypothesized that supplemental irrigation (SI) and N would enhance UA and N uptake while minimizing the concentration of N in porewater (TINW). The aim of the study was to assess the impact of SI (0, 50, and 100%) and N fertilization (0, 85, and 170 kg N ha−1) on: UA; total N (TNS); total inorganic N (TINS); TINW; and N uptake of sorghum. Results support our research hypothesis. The greatest UA was from 0% SI and 170 kg ha−1 (18.7 µg N g−1 ha−1). Porewater N (mg L−1), when averaged across SI and N showed a significantly lower concentration at lower soil depth (9.9 ± 0.7) than the upper depth (26.1 ± 2.4). The 100% SI had the greatest biomass N uptake (NUPB) of 67.9 ± 31.1 kg ha−1 and grain N uptake (NUG) of 52.7 ± 20.5 kg ha−1. The greatest NUPB (70.9 ± 30.3 kg ha−1) and NUG (55.3 ± 16.5 kg ha−1) was from the application of 170 kg N ha−1. Overall, results showed that proper use of water and N enhanced soil N dynamics, and improved biomass productivity and N uptake of sorghum.
Are Global Companies Better in Environmental Efficiency in India? Based on Metafrontier Malmquist CO2 Performance
Authors: Choi Yongrok , Lee Hyoungsuk , Debbarma Jahira
Published: October 2020

There is a rapid increase in inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) into developing countries such as India. Some researchers argue that FDI has a positive impact on sustainable development in terms of environmental efficiency and brings innovative green technology to the host country. In contrast, others claim that FDI brings considerable pollution to the host country, and their motive is only to yield profit. To address this issue, this paper analyzes environmental efficiency between FDI and domestic firms in India for seven years between 2012 and 2018. The research aims to evaluate the performance of FDI firms in terms of environmental efficiency in India after implementing certain policy regulations, nationally and globally. In this analysis, we use the non-radial metafrontier Malmquist CO2 performance index (NMMCPI) with three decomposition indices: efficiency change index, best practice gap index, and technological gap change index. Our empirical results indicate that domestic firms have performed well in terms of better catch-up and innovation performance. On the other hand, FDI firms only demonstrated higher technology leadership performance, indicating weaker catch-up performance and weaker innovation performance. From the results, we proposed that policymakers should harmonize between the FDI promotion and regulation in its sustainable performance because global companies are not sensitive to the local regulations, and not very proactive in implementing the global standard of eco-friendliness.
The Effect of Carbon Nanotubes on the Flowability, Mechanical, Microstructural and Durability Properties of Cementitious Composite: An Overview
Authors: Adhikary Suman Kumar , Rudžionis Žymantas , Rajapriya R
Published: October 2020

Excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability make carbon nanotubes (CNTs) some of the most promising nanomaterials that can be used in cementitious composites to improve their performance. However, the difficulty of CNTs’ dispersion within the cementitious structure still exists and thus prevents the homogeneous distribution of CNTs. The homogeneous distribution of CNTs within a composite structure plays an essential role that can have a positive effect on the mechanical performance of CNT-cement composites. This paper introduces the methods for the production of CNTs and provides useful information about the influence of CNTs on the flowability, mechanical performance, microstructural changes and hydration of cement composites. The influences of water-cement ratio, used surfactants and various doses of CNTs on the properties of cementitious composites were also studied.
Saving with a Social Impact: Evidence from Trento Province
Authors: Basiglio Stefania , Rossi Mariacristina , Salomone Riccardo , Torricelli Costanza
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we investigate the determinants of investing, focusing on its potential social impact. In particular, we consider whether there is room for expanding impact investing through social savings. The increasing trend in the demand for social finance makes the topic of unique interest, particularly when data on preferences for social saving can be collected at the individual level. We investigate the determinants and drivers of saving with a social goal running a survey conducted in Trentino-Alto Adige in which respondents are asked to allocate their portfolio to possible social investments. In line with the evidence collected in the Netherlands by Riedl and Smeets (2014), our results show a strong preference for a lower return, with the condition that the return is invested in a community programme, and little interest in the monetary return of the investment. Respondents are either inclined to put their entire portfolio into saving for the community or not to invest at all. This result suggests that there is a consistent demand, only partially accommodated by the supply, for financial products investing in the community, rather than for a monetary return.
A Comprehensive Model of Teaching Digital Design in Architecture that Incorporates Sustainability
Authors: Xiang Xingwei , Yang Xiaolong , Chen Jixi , Tang Renzhong , Hu Luoke
Published: October 2020

Digital technology and its use in architecture support the construction industry in transitioning to more sustainable building development. Digital technology is widely taught in architecture programs in China, but there are few consistent strategies for combining digital architectural design with traditional architectural design in architectural education. Consequently, sustainable design concepts are not included in digital architectural design courses, and thus architectural education is not concerned with sustainable development. In this paper, we focus on the teaching of digital design in architecture and investigate how digital architectural design teaching can incorporate sustainability. Data from 15 universities were qualitatively analyzed, leading to the development of four models of teaching digital architectural design. Development of the models revealed that there are three increasing levels in digital architectural design teaching and that there is a close relationship between the teaching level and the transfer of architectural knowledge. This recognition led to the development of a single comprehensive model of digital architectural design teaching that is universally applicable. This research increases our understanding of digital architectural design teaching in architecture programs and strengthens the multi-level connections between digital architectural design teaching and designing and constructing sustainable built objects.
Clustering Koreans’ Environmental Awareness and Attitudes into Seven Groups: Environmentalists, Dissatisfieds, Inactivators, Bystanders, Honeybees, Optimists, and Moderates
Authors: Yoon Tae Kyung , Ahn SoEun
Published: October 2020

We attempted to characterize different groups of environmental awareness and attitudes and to interpret the public’s diverse interests in the environment. Responses of a five-year public survey in South Korea were clustered by k-means algorithms into the following seven groups: environmentalists, dissatisfieds, inactivators, bystanders, honeybees, optimists, and moderates. The environmentalists, who were dissatisfied with the status of the environment, had a strong orientation toward pro-environmental attitudes and practices. The inactivators revealed a discrepancy between high orientation in pro-environmental perception and attitude and weak participation in pro-environmental practices. The optimists and dissatisfieds stood distinct against each other, while the former were satisfied with the status of the environment and the environmental protection efforts of government and enterprises, the latter were not. The honeybees, who were older than others, had little knowledge of the environment but engaged in more environmental protection practices; the younger bystanders were less interested in environmental issues and practices. The moderates gave average answers to the overall questions. Cluster analysis could help in understanding the complex landscape of the public’s environmental awareness and attitudes beyond a straightforward scale from anti- to pro-environment and support the establishment of environmental policy customized to the different groups.
The Impact of Implementing Talent Management Practices on Sustainable Organizational Performance
Authors: Al Aina Riham , Atan Tarik
Published: October 2020

As organizations operate in an inexorable marketplace, there are always new and unpredictable difficulties that make managerial roles harder and the achievement of organizational goals and objectives more critical. Recently, the implementation of talent management practices in achieving sustainable organizational performance that will match the firms’ operational and strategic goals have been the concern of both academics and practitioners, but the issue has not been exhaustively investigated. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of talent management practices on the sustainable organizational performance in real estate companies located in the United Arab Emirates. This paper seeks to make contributions through an empirical evaluation of talent management in the United Arab Emirates. A structured questionnaire was distributed to collect data from a study sample of 306 managers working in real estate companies. The proposed hypotheses were verified by structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of this study show that talent attraction and talent retention had no impact on the sustainable organizational performance, whereas learning and development and career management were found to have significantly positive impacts. The study suggests that learning and development, and employee career management, should be leveraged on by the management by concentrating on the coaching and training programs and job rotation so that the firm can achieve sustainable organizational performance.
Improving Approaches to Strategic Enterprise Management in the Context of Sustainable Development
Authors: Khudyakova Tatyana , Zhuravlyov Vladimir , Varkova Natalia , Aliukov Sergei , Shmidt Svetlana , Zhuravlyov Nicolay
Published: October 2020

This article discusses the issues of improving strategic management of sustainable development of enterprises of the Russian Federation. The management of many companies continues to demonstrate an inadequate attitude to the development and implementation of a system of measures to ensure the proper level of sustainability of an industrial company. The main problem considered in the study is the insufficiently perfect mechanism for the strategic management of the investment policy of industrial enterprises in the Ural region of Russia. The management of many enterprises does not conduct a comprehensive assessment of sustainability and does not rely on the triad of sustainable development indicators—economic, environmental, and social. This negatively affects the strategic management decisions made. Under an insufficiently perfect mechanism, in this study, we refer to the following: At Russian regional enterprises, there is no close connection between the processes of making strategic decisions and the investment policy of the enterprise. This leads to certain errors in the formation of the enterprise strategy. The connecting element of these processes is highlighted. It is a comprehensive assessment of sustainability. The main objective of this study is to improve the model and mechanism of strategic management of the investment policy of the enterprise in the context of the environmental and economic status of the business. The proposed model is based on the principles considered from the perspective of three directions—economic, social, and environmental. This model provides for a close interconnection of components: management decision-making, investment policy development, and comprehensive assessment of sustainable development strategy. Based on the analysis of scientific works, the practice of managing industrial enterprises and certain gaps have been identified in theoretical sources related to the topic, problem, and objectives of the article. The methodological base of the study is determined, and methodological aspects of the analysis of the ecological state of business projects and the formation of strategic management of investment activity of an industrial enterprise are substantiated. The model for managing sustainable enterprise development is presented. This model provides for close interaction between the mechanisms for developing strategic decisions and managing the investment policy of the enterprise based on the environmental component of the business as a factor in sustainable development. Tools are proposed that ensure interconnection and synergy between the components of strategic management of the investment policy of the company and improve the quality of management decisions.
The Effects of Restoration Practices on a Small Watershed in China’s Loess Plateau: A Case Study of the Qiaozigou Watershed
Authors: Luo Qi , Zhen Lin , Hu Yunfeng
Published: October 2020

Soil erosion and restoration affect the structure and function of ecosystems and society, and have attracted worldwide attention. Changes in runoff and sediment transport after restoration practices in China’s Loess Plateau have been widely studied and many valuable results have been reported. However, this research was mainly conducted in large watersheds, and quantified the effects of restoration practices through the restoration period. In this study, we compared two adjacent watersheds (one restored and the other natural) in a hill and gully region of China’s Loess Plateau to reveal the impacts of restoration practices. We collected annual rainfall, runoff, and sediment transport data from 1988 to 2018, then investigated temporal variation of runoff and sediment transport to examine their relationships with rainfall. We also calculated the retention rate of soil and water under the restoration practices. The restored watershed showed a significantly decreased sediment modulus (the amount per unit area); the natural watershed showed no significant change. In addition, the restored watershed had lower runoff and sediment modulus values than the natural watershed, with greater effectiveness as rainfall increased. Revegetation and terrace construction contributed more to the retention of soil and water (65.6 and 69.7%, respectively) than check dams (<10%). These results improve our understanding of the effects of restoration practices, and provide guidance on ways to preserve soil and water through restoration in a small watershed in the Loess Plateau.
Employee Volunteerism—Conceptual Study and the Current Situation
Authors: Kolnhofer Derecskei Anita , Nagy Viktor
Published: October 2020

The purpose of the study is to analyze employee volunteerism. This issue had not been studied on a broader international level earlier. This research firstly discovers altruism and volunteerism values in the economy. Then, based on the third-party model, observes each part, where participants are the (1) volunteer (employee) (2) company (and its CSR activity) and (3) an external organization, which manages this type of formal volunteerism. Each participant was analyzed through comprehensive analysis using descriptive and inference statistics and classification methods on complex, extensive secondary databases. Altogether, more than 10,000 respondents’ answers are examined from two worldwide surveys, and further ten international statistical indicators and indices are explored. These methods result in volunteer characteristics on a personal level, afterwards in country classification, which provides a cultural comparison of the employee volunteerism. Our findings prove that demographical differences do not, but company-level actions influence the intensity of formal volunteerism. Moreover, three main clusters (formed from 43 countries) show different values. This diversity might partly be caused by measurement fragmentations and lack of internationally accepted definitions and theories. This paper aims to provide a broader overview of the topic, which might be a useful starting point for the forthcoming aggregated conceptualization. Employee volunteers’ behavior arises from the personal value of volunteerism. However, the attendance and intensity of voluntary activity are primarily influenced by the environment (e.g., life period, living and working situation). Employee volunteerism programs are an important and essential part of CSR at the company level, and strongly frames this activity, where employee volunteerism could associate each participant’s interests and improve their values. However, the practices may differ in each country and in each sector. The current pandemic rewrote the traditional volunteerism model and our projection. The last chapter provides a preliminary study about how employee volunteerism could work in this extraordinary, COVID-19 situation.
Power Generation Optimization of the Combined Cycle Power-Plant System Comprising Turbo Expander Generator and Trigen in Conjunction with the Reinforcement Learning Technique
Authors: Kim Hyoung Tae , Song Gen Soo , Han Sangwook
Published: October 2020

In this paper, a method that utilizes the reinforcement learning (RL) technique is proposed to establish an optimal operation plan to obtain maximum power output from a trigen generator. Trigen is a type of combined heat and power system (CHP) that provides chilling, heating, and power generation, and the turbo expander generator (TEG) is a generator that uses the decompression energy of gas to generate electricity. If the two are combined to form a power source, a power generation system with higher efficiency can be created. However, it is very difficult to control the heat and power generation amount of TEG and trigen according to the flow rate of natural gas that changes every moment. Accordingly, a method is proposed to utilize the RL technique to determine the operation process to attain an even higher efficiency. When the TEG and trigen are configured using the RL technique, the power output can be maximized, and the power output variability can be reduced to obtain high-quality power. When using the RL technique, it was confirmed that the overall efficiency was improved by an additional 3%.
Laboratory Evaluation of the Residue of Rubber-Modified Emulsified Asphalt
Authors: Ge Dongdong , Zhou Xiaodong , Chen Siyu , Jin Dongzhao , You Zhanping
Published: October 2020

Emulsified asphalt has been widely used in various surface treatment methods such as chip seal for low-volume road preservation. Using modified emulsified asphalt made it possible to use chip seal technology on medium- and even high-volume traffic pavements. The main objective of the study is to quantify the residue characteristics of rubber-modified emulsified asphalt and to assess the effectiveness of using crumb rubber to modify emulsified asphalt binder. The four emulsified asphalt residues used the distillation procedure. Then, the rheology characteristics of emulsified asphalt residue were evaluated. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test analyzed the chemical change of emulsified asphalt during the aging procedure. The results indicate that the evaporation method cannot remove all the water in emulsified asphalt. The mass change during the rolling thin film oven (RTFO) process only represented the component change of emulsified asphalt binder residue. Both the high-temperature and low-temperature performance grade of the two emulsified asphalt binders with rubber were lower. The original asphalt binder adopted to emulsification had a crucial influence on the performance of emulsified asphalt. The rubber modification enhanced the property of the emulsified asphalt binder at low temperatures, and the improvement effect was enhanced as the rubber content in the emulsified asphalt was raised. The C=O band was more effective in quantifying the aging condition of the residue. The findings of this study may further advance the emulsified asphalt technology in pavement construction and maintenance.
Spatio-Temporal Variations of CO2 Emission from Energy Consumption in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China and Its Relationship with Nighttime Land Surface Temperature
Authors: Zhao Juchao , Zhang Shaohua , Yang Kun , Zhu Yanhui , Ma Yuling
Published: October 2020

The rapid development of industrialization and urbanization has resulted in a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which are closely related to the long-term stability of urban surface temperature and the sustainable development of cities in the future. However, there is still a lack of research on the temporal and spatial changes of CO2 emissions in long-term series and their relationship with land surface temperature. In this study, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) data, Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) composite data, energy consumption statistics data and nighttime land surface temperature are selected to realize the spatial informatization of long-term series CO2 emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region, which reveals the spatial and temporal dynamic characteristics of CO2 emissions, spatial autocorrelation distribution patterns and their impacts on nighttime land surface temperature. According to the results, CO2 emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region show an obvious upward trend from 2000 to 2017, with an average annual growth rate of 6.26%, but the growth rate is gradually slowing down. In terms of spatial distribution, the CO2 emissions in that region have significant regional differences. Shanghai, Suzhou and their neighboring cities are the main distribution areas with high CO2 emissions and obvious patch distribution patterns. From the perspective of spatial trend, the areas whose CO2 emissions are of significant growth, relatively significant growth and extremely significant growth account for 8.78%, 4.84% and 0.58%, respectively, with a spatial pattern of increase in the east and no big change in the west. From the perspective of spatial autocorrelation, the global spatial autocorrelation index of CO2 emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region in the past 18 years has been greater than 0.66 (p < 0.01), which displays significant positive spatial autocorrelation characteristics, and the spatial agglomeration degree of CO2 emissions continues to increase from 2000 to 2010. From 2000 to 2017, the nighttime land surface temperature in that region showed a warming trend, and the areas where CO2 emissions are positively correlated with nighttime land surface temperature account for 88.98%. The increased CO2 emissions lead to, to a large extent, the rise of nighttime land surface temperature. The research results have important theoretical and practical significance for the Yangtze River Delta region to formulate a regional emission reduction strategy.
Plant Pellets: A Compatible Vegan Feedstock for Preparation of Plant-Based Culture Media and Production of Value-Added Biomass of Rhizobia
Authors: A. Daanaa Hassan-Sibroe , Abdou Mennatullah , Goda Hanan A. , Abbas Mohamed T. , Hamza Mervat A. , Sarhan Mohamed S. , Youssef Hanan H. , Hamed Reem , El-Tahan Mahmoud , Fayez Mohamed , Ruppel Silke , Hegazi Nabil A.
Published: October 2020

Although plant-based culture media enhances in vitro cultivation of rhizobacteria, studies assessing their biomass potential for large-scale applications are lacking. Here, we advance plant pellets (PPs) as a novel technology to unlock the potential of such vegan culture media for biomass production of Rhizobium leguminosarum. PP formulations were based on mixtures of Egyptian clover powder and the agro-byproducts glycerol and molasses. These mixtures were either contained or not contained in teabags during culture media preparation. Metrics of biomass included colony forming units, optical density (OD600nm), and cell dry weight (DW). Biomass comparisons between culture media based on PPs and standard yeast extract mannitol (YEM) revealed that the following PPs composition, contained in teabags, cultivated rhizobia at levels comparable to YEM: 16 g clover powder, 5% molasses, and 0.8% glycerol. This PPs composition enabled shorter generation times of rhizobia (PP: 3.83 h, YEM: 4.28 h). Strikingly, PPs mixtures supplemented with 10% molasses and not contained in teabags promoted rhizobia without apparent lag phases and produced 25% greater DW than YEM. PPs potentiate the use of dehydrated vegan feedstocks for both plant microbiota cultivation and biomass production and appear as cost- and labor-effective tools, easy to handle and store for plant-based culture media preparation.
Factors Influencing Exhibitor Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Meta-Analysis on the Chinese Exhibition Market
Authors: Liu Linyan , Xiang Zheng , Liu Yuyao , Zach Florian J. , McGehee Nancy
Published: October 2020

With the exhibition sector becoming increasingly important for the hospitality and tourism industry, it is critical to understand what drives the success of an exhibition. Through a comprehensive literature review, we first identified two broad categories of factors, namely exhibition attributes and exhibitor perceptions, that influence exhibitor satisfaction and loyalty. Next, a meta-analysis was conducted based on 26 empirical papers studying the Chinese exhibition market to quantitatively evaluate these relationships. The results show that among the exhibition attributes, booth management, service personnel, and exhibition environment are the most important factors affecting exhibitor satisfaction, while exhibition brand is the most important factor affecting loyalty. Among exhibitor perceptions, service quality is more important for satisfaction, while perceived value is more meaningful to loyalty. This study offers insights into strategies for exhibition organizers to cultivate long-term relationships, and to better cope with the challenges of emerging forces such as the Internet.