bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deep Learning Based Retrieval of Forest Aboveground Biomass from Combined LiDAR and Landsat 8 Data
Authors: Zhang Linjing , Shao Zhenfeng , Liu Jianchen , Cheng Qimin
Published: June 2019

Estimation of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) is crucial for various technical and scientific applications, ranging from regional carbon and bioenergy policies to sustainable forest management. However, passive optical remote sensing, which is the most widely used remote sensing data for retrieving vegetation parameters, is constrained by spectral saturation problems and cloud cover. On the other hand, LiDAR data, which have been extensively used to estimate forest structure attributes, cannot provide sufficient spectral information of vegetation canopies. Thus, this study aimed to develop a novel synergistic approach to estimating biomass by integrating LiDAR data with Landsat 8 imagery through a deep learning-based workflow. First the relationships between biomass and spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) and LiDAR metrics were separately investigated. Next, two groups of combined optical and LiDAR indices (i.e., COLI1 and COLI2) were designed and explored to identify their performances in biomass estimation. Finally, five prediction models, including K-nearest Neighbor, Random Forest, Support Vector Regression, the deep learning model, i.e., Stacked Sparse Autoencoder network (SSAE), and multiple stepwise linear regressions, were individually used to estimate biomass with input variables of different scenarios, i.e., (i) all the COLI1 (ACOLI1), (ii) all the COLI2 (ACOLI2), (iii) ACOLI1 and all the optical (AO) and LiDAR variables (AL), and (iv) ACOLI2, AO and AL. Results showed that univariate models with the combined optical and LiDAR indices as explanatory variables presented better modeling performance than those with either optical or LiDAR data alone, regardless of the combination mode. The SSAE model obtained the best performance compared to the other tested prediction algorithms for the forest biomass estimation. The best predictive accuracy was achieved by the SSAE model with inputs of combined optical and LiDAR variables (i.e., ACOLI1, AO and AL) that yielded an R2 of 0.935, root mean squared error (RMSE) of 15.67 Mg/ha, and relative root mean squared error (RMSEr) of 11.407%. It was concluded that the presented combined indices were simple and effective by integrating LiDAR-derived structure information with Landsat 8 spectral data for estimating forest biomass. Overall, the SSAE model with inputs of Landsat 8 and LiDAR integrated information resulted in accurate estimation of forest biomass. The presented modeling workflow will greatly facilitate future forest biomass estimation and carbon stock assessments.
Patterns of Arctic Tundra Greenness Based on Spatially Downscaled Solar-Induced Fluorescence
Authors: Fu Dongjie , Su Fenzhen , Wang Juan , Sui Yijie
Published: June 2019

A general greening trend in the Arctic tundra biome has been indicated by satellite remote sensing data over recent decades. However, since 2011, there have been signs of browning trends in many parts of the region. Previous research on tundra greenness across the Arctic region has relied on the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). In this research, we initially used spatially downscaled solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) data to analyze the spatiotemporal variation of Arctic tundra greenness (2007–2013). The results derived from the SIF data were also compared with those from two NDVIs (the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies NDVI3g and MOD13Q1 NDVI), and the eddy-covariance (EC) observed gross primary production (GPP). It was found that most parts of the Arctic tundra below 75° N were browning (–0.0098 mW/m2/sr/nm/year, where sr is steradian and nm is nanometer) using SIF, whereas spatially and temporally heterogeneous trends (greening or browning) were obtained based on the two NDVI products. This research has further demonstrated that SIF data can provide an alternative direct proxy for Arctic tundra greenness.
Relating X-band SAR Backscattering to Leaf Area Index of Rice in Different Phenological Phases
Authors: Asilo Sonia , Nelson Andrew , de Bie Kees , Skidmore Andrew , Laborte Alice , Maunahan Aileen , Quilang Eduardo Jimmy P.
Published: June 2019

The objective of this study is to provide complete information on the dynamic relationship between X-band (3.11 cm) backscattering intensity (σ°) and rice crop’s leaf area index (LAI) at all growth phases. Though the relationship between X-band σ° and LAI has been previously explored, details on the relationship at the reproductive phase remain unstudied. LAI at the reproductive phase is important particularly at the heading stage where LAI reaches its maximum as it is closely related to grain yield, and at flowering stage where the total leaf area affects the amount of photosynthates. Therefore, this study examined the relationship of increasing LAI (vegetative to reproductive phase) and decreasing LAI (ripening phase) with TerraSAR-X (TSX) ScanSAR (3.11 cm) σ° at HH polarisation and 45° incidence angle. The results showed a statistically significant (R2 = 0.51, p value < 0.001) non-linear relationship of LAI with σ° at the vegetative to reproductive phase while no significant linear relationship was found at the ripening phase. This study completes the response curve of X-band σ° to LAI by filling in the information on the reproductive phase which more accurately characterises the dynamic relationship between the rice crop’s LAI and X-band’s σ°. This contributes to improved knowledge on the use of X-band data for estimating LAI for the whole crop cycle which is essential for the modelling of crop growth and estimation of yield.
Estimation of Soil Heavy Metal Content Using Hyperspectral Data
Authors: Liu Zhenhua , Lu Ying , Peng Yiping , Zhao Li , Wang Guangxing , Hu Yueming
Published: June 2019

Quickly and efficiently monitoring soil heavy metal content is crucial for protecting the natural environment and for human health. Estimating heavy metal content in soils using hyperspectral data is a cost-efficient method but challenging due to the effects of complex landscapes and soil properties. One of the challenges is how to make a lab-derived model based on soil samples applicable to mapping the contents of heavy metals in soil using air-borne or space-borne hyperspectral imagery at a regional scale. For this purpose, our study proposed a novel method using hyperspectral data from soil samples and the HuanJing-1A (HJ-1A) HyperSpectral Imager (HSI). In this method, estimation models were first developed using optimal relevant spectral variables from dry soil spectral reflectance (DSSR) data and field observations of soil heavy metal content. The relationship of the ratio of DSSR to moisture soil spectral reflectance (MSSR) with soil moisture content was then derived, which built up the linkage of DSSR with MSSR and provided the potential of applying the models developed in the laboratory to map soil heavy metal content at a regional scale using hyperspectral imagery. The optimal relevant spectral variables were obtained by combining the Boruta algorithm with a stepwise regression and variance inflation factor. This method was developed, validated, and applied to estimate the content of heavy metals in soil (As, Cd, and Hg) in Guangdong, China, and the Conghua district of Guangzhou city. The results showed that based on the validation datasets, the content of Cd could be reliably estimated and mapped by the proposed method, with relative root mean square error (RMSE) values of 17.41% for the point measurements of soil samples from Guangdong province and 17.10% for the Conghua district at the regional scale, while the content of heavy metals As and Hg in soil were relatively difficult to predict with the relative RMSE values of 32.27% and 28.72% at the soil sample level and 51.55% and 36.34% at the regional scale. Moreover, the relationship of the DSSR/MSSR ratio with soil moisture content varied greatly before the wavelength of 1029 nm and became stable after that, which linked DSSR with MSSR and provided the possibility of applying the DSSR-based models to map the soil heavy metal content at the regional scale using the HJ-1A images. In addition, it was found that overall there were only a few soil samples with the content of heavy metals exceeding the health standards in Guangdong province, while in Conghua the seriously polluted areas were mainly distributed in the cities and croplands. This study implies that the new approach provides the potential to map the content of heavy metals in soil, but the estimation model of Cd was more accurate than those of As and Hg.
Improvement and Assessment of the Absolute Positioning Accuracy of Chinese High-Resolution SAR Satellites
Authors: Deng Mingjun , Zhang Guo , Cai Chenglin , Xu Kai , Zhao Ruishan , Guo Fengchen , Suo Jing
Published: June 2019

In recent years, China has launched YaoGan-13 and GaoFen-3, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites that can acquire global high-resolution images. The absolute positioning accuracy of such satellites is important for mapping areas without ground reference points and for automated processing. However, satellites without geometric calibration have poor absolute positioning accuracy, greatly restricting their application (e.g., land resource surveys). Therefore, they cannot meet national demands for high-resolution SAR images with good geometric accuracy. Here, we propose a series of methods to improve the absolute positioning accuracy of YaoGan-13 and GaoFen-3, such as the multiple-image combined calibration strategy and geometric calibration model for a real continuously moving configuration, including consideration of atmospheric propagation delay. Using high-accuracy ground control data collected from different areas, the 2-D and 3-D absolute positioning accuracies of YaoGan-13 and GaoFen-3 were assessed after implementation of the improvement measures. Experimental results showed that, after calibration, the 2-D absolute positioning accuracy of YaoGan-13 and GaoFen-3 are improved from 43.86 m to 2.57 m and from 30.34 m to 4.29 m, respectively. In addition, the 3-D absolute positioning accuracies of YaoGan-13 in plane and elevation are 3.21 m and 2.22 m, respectively. Improving the absolute positioning accuracy of these satellites could broaden the scope of their potential applications in the future.
Assessment of Water Storage Change in China’s Lakes and Reservoirs over the Last Three Decades
Authors: Fang Yu , Li Huan , Wan Wei , Zhu Siyu , Wang Zhongjing , Hong Yang , Wang Hao
Published: June 2019

Lakes and reservoirs are essential elements of the hydrological and biochemical cycles, considered sentinels of global climate change. However, comprehensive quantifications of their water storage changes (∆V) at a large spatiotemporal scale are still rare. Here, we integrated a global surface water dataset and SRTM digital elevation models, both available from Google Earth Engine platform at a spatial resolution of 30 m, to evaluate ∆V for a total of 760 lakes and reservoirs across China at an annual timescale since 1984. The results indicated that (1) the aggregated water storage went through a slight increase of 41.5 Gt (1.7 Gt/yr) during 1985–2005, a significant decrease of 100 Gt (−20.6 Gt/yr) during 2005–2009, and then increased by 136.3 Gt (21.3 Gt/yr) during 2009–2015. (2) The increasing trend was largely attributed to lakes and reservoirs in the Tibetan Plateau Lake Zone, and the decreasing trend was mainly due to the North and Northwest Lake Zone, with little variations observed for the Northeast and Southwest Lake Zones. (3) Qinghai lake was associated with the largest increase (18.3 Gt) and Poyang lake presented the largest decline (−9.2 Gt). The results can help advance our understanding of the impact of climate change and improve future projection.
SAW Torque Sensor Gyroscopic Effect Compensation by Least Squares Support Vector Machine Algorithm Based on Chaos Estimation of Distributed Algorithm
Authors: Han Wei , Bu Xiongzhu , Cao Yihan , Xu Miaomiao
Published: June 2019

As this study examined the issue of surface acoustic wave (SAW) torque sensor which interfered in high rotational speed, the gyroscopic effect generated by rotation was analyzed. Firstly, the SAW coupled equations which contained torque and rotation loads were deduced, and the torque calculation error caused by rotation was solved. Following this, the hardware of the SAW gyroscopic effect testing platform and the turntable experiment were designed to verify the correctness of the theoretical calculation. Finally, according to the experimental data, the gyroscopic effect was compensated by multivariate polynomial fitting (MPF), Gaussian processes regression (GPR), and least squares support vector machine algorithms (LSSVM). The comparison results showed that the LSSVM has the obvious advantage. For improving the function of LSSVM model, chaos estimation of distributed algorithm (CEDA) was proposed to optimize the super parameters of the LSSVM, and numerical simulation results showed that: (1) CEDA is superior to traditional estimation of distributed algorithms in convergence speed and anti-premature ability; (2) the performance of CEDA-LSSVM is better than genetic algorithms (GA)-LSSVM and particle swarm optimization (PSO)-LSSVM. After compensating by CEDA-LSSVM, the magnitude of the torque calculation relative error was 10−4 in any direction. This method has a significant effect on reducing gyroscopic interference, and it lays a foundation for the engineering application of SAW torque sensor.
Estimating the Vertical Structure of Weather-Induced Mission Costs for Small UAS
Authors: Bird John J. , Richardson Scott J. , Langelaan Jack W.
Published: June 2019

The performance of small uninhabited aerial systems (UAS) is very sensitive to the atmospheric state. Improving awareness of the environment and its impact on mission performance is important to enabling greater autonomy for small UAS. A modeling system is proposed that allows a small UAS to build a model of the atmospheric state using computational resources available onboard the aircraft and relate the atmospheric state to the cost of completing a mission. In this case, mission cost refers to the energy required per distance traveled. The system can use in situ observations made by the aircraft, but can also incorporate observations from other aircraft and sensors. The modeling system is demonstrated in a flight test aboard a small UAS and validated against radiosondes and numerical weather model analyses. The test demonstrates that the modeling system can represent the atmospheric state and identifies times where significant error exists between the state expected by the numerical weather model and that observed. Transformation of the atmospheric state into a mission performance cost identifies cases where the mission performance cost predicted by a numerical weather model differs from that observed by more than 30%.
Interfacial Debonding Detection for Rectangular CFST Using the MASW Method and Its Physical Mechanism Analysis at the Meso-Level
Authors: Chen Hongbing , Xu Bin , Wang Jiang , Luan Lele , Zhou Tianmin , Nie Xin , Mo Yi-Lung
Published: June 2019

In this study, the transient multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) is proposed to detect the existence, the location and the length of interface debonding defects in rectangular concrete-filled steel tubes (CFST). Mesoscale numerical analysis is performed to validate the feasibility of MASW-based interfacial debonding detection. Research findings indicate that the coaxial characteristics in the Rayleigh wave disperse at the starting point of the debonding area and gradually restores at the end of the defect. For healthy specimens, the surface wave mode in CFST is closer to the Rayleigh wave. However, it can be treated as a Lamb wave since the steel plate is boundary-free on both sides in the debonding area. The displacement curves are further investigated with forward analysis to obtain the dispersion curves. The mesoscale numerical simulation results indicate that the propagation characteristic of the surface wave is dominated by the debonding defect. The detectability of interfacial debonding detection for rectangular CFST using the MASW approach is numerically verified in this study. The proposed MASW-based nondestructive testing technique can achieve bond-slip detection by comparing the variation trend of the coaxial characteristics in the time-history output signals and the dispersion curves obtained from the forward analysis, for avoiding misjudgment of the experimental observations.
Motives for Exercising and Associations with Body Composition in Icelandic Adolescents
Authors: Galan-Lopez Pablo , Ries Francis
Published: June 2019

The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the motives that lead Icelandic teenagers to engage in physical exercise and the possible associations with variables of their body composition. For this purpose, the Self-Report of Reasons for the Practice of Physical Exercise questionnaire (AMPEF) was administered to 387 students (54% boys and 46% girls, Mage = 13.38 years) from Reykjavik (Iceland). The results reveal the subscales Revitalization and Enjoyment, Strength and Endurance, Challenge and Competition as the main motives for exercising among the participants. Boys score higher in all subscales than girls except for Revitalization and Enjoyment. Associations between the motive Weight Management and Appearance, and BMI and Fat % levels were found. It can be concluded that the participants’ physical exercise practice is based on the feelings and experiences they perceive in the sports practice process.
Soil Reclamation of Abandoned Mine Lands by Revegetation in Northwestern Part of Transylvania: A 40-Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Buta Mihai , Blaga Gheorghe , Paulette Laura , Păcurar Ioan , Roșca Sanda , Borsai Orsolya , Grecu Florina , Sînziana Pauliuc Ecaterina , Negrușier Cornel
Published: June 2019

Mining activities for mineral resources over the years have resulted in major soil damage. Due the removal process of desired mineral materials, soil textures have been destroyed, various nutrient cycles have been disturbed, and microbial communities have been altered, affecting vegetation and leading to the destruction of wide areas of land in many countries. Therefore, soil restoration of abandoned mining lands became a very important part of sustainable development strategies and also prescribed by law in several countries. The main aims of this study were to develop an ecological land restoration strategy to the degraded lands due former kaolin, quartz sand, and iron mining located in Aghireșu and Căpușu Mare in Cluj County, in the Northwestern part of Transylvania from Romania and monitor soil quality changes over 40 years. To assess the effectiveness of soil reclamation of mine lands, 30 soil profiles were examined and 450 soil samples were collected from three depths (0–20 cm, 20–50 cm, and 50–80 cm) and subjected to physical and chemical analyses, and compared for their sustainable and beneficial use. All the proposed plant covers (natural grassland, pasture cover, black locust, Norway spruce, and scots pine) significantly improved the overall soil quality with the increasing years of reclamation following various patterns. Pasture cover most significantly enhanced the soil’s microbial activity, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content followed by natural grassland. The results of this study show that considerable changes in soil quality was reached by revegetation of these abandoned mine lands restoring their ecological integrity and self-sustainability.
Impact of Climate Change on the Optimization of Mixture Design of Low-CO2 Concrete Containing Fly Ash and Slag
Authors: Wang Xiao-Yong
Published: June 2019

Fly ash and slag have been widely used to produce low-CO2 concrete. However, previous studies have not paid enough attention to the lower carbonation resistance of fly-ash-and-slag-blended concrete and the aggravations of carbonation due to climate change. This study proposes a technique for the design of fly-ash-and-slag-blended concrete considering carbonation durability coupled with various climate change scenarios. First, CO2 emissions are evaluated from concrete mixtures. Concrete strength and carbonation depth are evaluated using efficiency factors of fly ash and slag. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to find the optimal mixture with the lowest CO2 emissions considering the requirements of strength, carbonation durability, and workability. Second, we clarify the effect of cost on the mixture design of low-CO2 concrete. A genetic algorithm is also used to find the optimal mixture with the lowest cost. We found that the optimal mixture with the lowest cost is different from that with the lowest CO2 emissions. Third, by adding the additional constraint of cost, Pareto optimal mixtures are determined, which consider both lower CO2 emissions and lower material cost. The analysis results show that carbonation durability is the control factor of mixture design of fly ash-slag blended concrete. To mitigate the challenge of climate change, the binder content of blended concrete should be increased.
The Relationship between Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model of Strategic Similarity and Organization Slack
Authors: Dang Van Thac , Nguyen Ninh , Bu Xiangzhi , Wang Jianming
Published: June 2019

There has been growing interest among business managers and academics in corporate environmental responsibility (CER), which represents a company’s focus on its long-term sustainability and society. Past research, however, has reported inconsistent and mixed results with regard to the link between CER and firm performance. This study, therefore, proposes and validates a moderated mediation model of strategic similarity and organizational slack to better explain the relationship between CER and firm performance. Data were obtained from 260 listed firms in China from 2015 to 2017, resulting in 780 firm-year observations. Multivariate data analysis indicates that strategic similarity mediates the relationship between CER and firm performance. Furthermore, organizational slack moderates the relationship between CER and strategic similarity and the indirect effect of CER on firm performance through strategic similarity. The findings of this study provide insights for business managers attempting to understand and enhance the quality of their decision making regarding CER. Importantly, business managers should engage in CER activity and pursue strategic similarity to deal with pressure from stakeholders while following the competitive speed of competitors in the marketplace.
Sustaining Students’ Cultures and Identities. A Qualitative Study Based on the Funds of Knowledge and Identity Approaches
Authors: Esteban-Guitart Moises , Lalueza José Luis , Zhang-Yu Cristina , Llopart Mariona
Published: June 2019

Recently, the notion of culturally sustaining pedagogy has been suggested to refer to different educational practices that share the will to recognize, maintain and develop cultural diversity in the classroom. The study presented here describes two empirical examples that illustrate teaching and learning processes in which the curriculum is channeled through the references of meaning, life events and experiences of students and their families. In the first example, curriculum—natural science and language—was linked with the experience of some families with the use of peanuts. In the second example, a discussion was generated around students’ cultural identities. These examples are based on funds of knowledge and funds of identity participatory research-action projects, and are the result of broader projects carried out in two specific educational contexts in Catalonia (Spain, Europe), a region characterized by a considerable increase in diversity and geographical heterogeneity in recent decades. These empirical cases are discussed within the framework of the development of inclusive pedagogies which, in addition to recognizing the living cultures and practices of students, allow these cultural references to be maintained and sustained, and encourage the construction of hybrid and transcultural identities in which ways of being and understanding life shared by the family culture and/or culture of origin are intertwined with the hegemonic culture and society.
Planned Happenstance Skills as Personal Resources for Students’ Psychological Wellbeing and Academic Adjustment
Authors: Valickas Andrius , Raišienė Agota Giedrė , Rapuano Violeta
Published: June 2019

Transition from the academic setting to the turbulent labour market requires more personal resources than ever before. In order to successfully enter and perform in professional life one must be ready to respond adequately to conditions of uncertainty and complexity. The concept of planned happenstance skills presents a set of competencies to deal effectively with unplanned events generated by chaotic environment. These career-related resources are extremely important for students pursuing successful adaption to professional environments and seeking to prepare for personal career management. The present article aims to analyze the role of planned happenstance skills when predicting psychological wellbeing and academic adjustment. Lithuania was chosen as a case study since there is a high percentage of people with higher education. The study was conducted using the quantitative method of questionnaire survey. Data of the survey were analyzed using correlation and multiple regression analyses. It was found that planned happenstance skills had a significant positive relationship with study variables and were a significant predictor of academic achievement and psychological wellbeing.
Empirical Study on Behavioral Intentions of Short-Term Rental Tenants—The Moderating Role of Past Experience
Authors: Chen Xiaoyi , Cheah Sarah , Shen Ao
Published: June 2019

Existing sharing economy (SE) studies tend to focus on the nature of SEs, their business models, and impact. However, there are limited in-depth studies on what motivates consumers’ participation in sustainable SE context, particularly in short-term rentals involving safety risks arising from face-to-face engagement with strangers while consuming the services. Applying the perceived value theory and extended theory of planned behavior, this study examines the relationships among consumers’ perceived value (gain versus loss), past experience, and behavioral intentions in sustainable consumption of short-term rentals offered on smart online matching platforms. Based on a survey of 421 Chinese consumers, our study has demonstrated that social appeal and economic appeal (gains) are positively related to behavioral intentions. Second, we establish that the relationship between perceived risk (loss) and behavioral intentions is inverted U-shaped, enriching the existing literature which has assumed a linear relationship. Finally, our study shows that past experience positively moderates the influence of social appeal on behavioral intentions. This suggests that, compared with consumers having little or no past experience, the positive relationship between social appeal and behavioral intentions is stronger for consumers having much past experience. On the other hand, past experience has no effect on the relationship between economic appeal and behavioral intentions.
An Assessment of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) Using the OECD Principles on Water Governance
Authors: Jetoo Savitri
Published: June 2019

This paper uses the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) water governance principles to assess the governance of the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), with a focus on the eutrophication segment. Whilst governance assessments can be used as auditing functions, this study was done with the goal of stimulating reflection, in order to investigate whether the governance systems have made any improvements. This is especially needed, since the BSAP is to be renewed in 2021, so that any assessment of it at this moment is timely. This review has focused on the 12 principles of water governance and the three complementary drivers into which the principles are grouped: Effectiveness, efficiency and trust, and engagement. This paper focuses on national implementation actions. It uses qualitative thematic analysis to analyze the content of the national implementation plans for Baltic Sea Coastal countries. It identifies gaps in water governance and makes recommendations for enhancing effectiveness, efficiency and trust, and engagement in the governance of the Baltic Sea, including improved stakeholder participation, the establishment of a permanent lead agency for the implementation of BSAP, increased funding for implementation actions, and a better governance of trade-offs.
The Collapse of Venezuela vs. The Sustainable Development of Selected South American Countries
Authors: De la Vega Iván , Puente José Manuel , Sanchez R Magaly
Published: June 2019

The purpose of the study is to examine the longitudinal trajectories of five selected South American countries in the period between 1990 and 2018, applying the Quintuple Helix Innovation Model (QHIM). The aim is to analyse the trends of each country through the relationship of its helices using indicators extracted from an international database in order to establish their articulation and synergies to go in search of sustainable development. Within this dynamic, Venezuela represents the axis country of the study and Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru make up the group that allows the comparison. The research focuses attention on two periods of Venezuelan politics since they allow measuring the variations of the countries under study. The base year is 1996 and is called the pre-Hugo Chávez Frias (HCF) period; the cutoff year for the comparison is 2014 and is called the post-HCF period. The study is longitudinal and descriptive. For the analysis, the five knowledge subsystems (helices) of the QHIM were redefined in order to have precise concepts; a database was designed based on World Bank indicators that were later thematically related to each of the helices. The interrelationships between the helices of each country were also specified in order to determine which were the weakest and which had the most positive or negative influence. In order to calculate the percentage variation of the countries, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method was applied. In this sense, the most relevant finding is related to the decisions made in the last twenty years from the political helix in Venezuela because it deactivated and disarticulated the others, causing that country to collapse.
A Spatial Fuzzy Multicriteria Analysis of Accessibility: A Case Study in Brazil
Authors: Lima Josiane Palma , Abitante Juliana da Camara , Pons Nívea Adriana Dias , Senne Clara Moreira
Published: June 2019

Accessibility is a well-established concept in sustainable transportation literature; however, it is often measured through accessibility models that are still being developed. This article presents an accessibility evaluation model that applies multiple attributes, fuzzy functions, and spatial analysis tools. The model determines indices that reflect an average level of attractiveness for each potential destination (deemed a location of interest—LI). Each destination has different weights based on its degree of importance. Moreover, the model was developed in two phases: The first considered cost–distance metrics, and the second incorporated ground friction factors. The application of the model provides great contribution to the region under study (Campos do Jordão, a city located in a mountainous region of the state of São Paulo), thus presenting some implications for sustainable urban planning and mobility policies, especially in segregated areas with mixed inhabitant populations between tourists and local residents. The results have shown that special attention should be paid to planning new school facilities and city transportation systems. Most of these services are currently concentrated in the city’s downtown area, making access to urban facilities inefficient and unfair. Using the results in urban projects, the allocation of future urban facilities or the reallocation of current urban facilities contributes to reduced impacts on urban mobility caused by individual motorized transportation in daily activities.
A Bidirectional Searching Strategy to Improve Data Quality Based on K-Nearest Neighbor Approach
Authors: Ma Minghui , Liang Shidong , Qin Yifei
Published: June 2019

Traffic data are the basis of traffic control, planning, management, and other implementations. Incomplete traffic data that are not conducive to all aspects of transport research and related activities can have adverse effects such as traffic status identification error and poor control performance. For intelligent transportation systems, the data recovery strategy has become increasingly important since the application of the traffic system relies on the traffic data quality. In this study, a bidirectional k-nearest neighbor searching strategy was constructed for effectively detecting and recovering abnormal data considering the symmetric time network and the correlation of the traffic data in time dimension. Moreover, the state vector of the proposed bidirectional searching strategy was designed based the bidirectional retrieval for enhancing the accuracy. In addition, the proposed bidirectional searching strategy shows significantly more accuracy compared to those of the previous methods.
On Two Conjectures of Abel Grassmann’s Groupoids
Authors: Zhang Xiaohong , Ma Yingcang , Yu Peng
Published: June 2019

The quasi-cancellativity of Abel Grassmann‘s groupoids (AG-groupoids) are discussed and two conjectures are partially solved. First, the following conjecture is proved to be true: every AG-3-band is quasi-cancellative. Moreover, a new notion of AG-(4,1)-band is proposed, and it is also proved that every AG-(4,1)-band is quasi-cancellative. Second, the notions of left (right) quasi-cancellative AG-groupoids and power-cancellative AG-groupoids are proposed, and the following results are obtained: for an AG*-groupoid or AG**-groupoid, it is left quasi-cancellative if and only if it is right quasi-cancellative; for a power-cancellative and locally power-associative AG-groupoid, it is left quasi-cancellative if and only if it is right quasi-cancellative. Finally, a general result is proved, that for any AG-groupoid, if it is left quasi-cancellative then it is right quasi-cancellative.
Radial and Bilateral Fluctuating Asymmetry of Iris pumila Flowers as Indicators of Environmental Stress
Authors: Barišić Klisarić Nataša , Miljković Danijela , Avramov Stevan , Živković Uroš , Tarasjev Aleksej
Published: June 2019

In this study we compared the biomonitoring potential of various types of flower asymmetry indices in Iris pumila (Dwarf Bearded Iris). We chose 197 naturally growing clones from the arid steppe habitat in the largest sandy area in Europe (Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve), and we transplanted two replicates of each clone to a polluted highway site with a heavy traffic flow. After a period of acclimatization, lower levels of photosynthetic pigment concentrations and higher stomatal density and specific leaf area in transplants verified that the chosen highway site was indeed more stressful and therefore suitable for estimation of the flower asymmetry biomonitoring potential. We analyzed radially and bilaterally symmetrical flower structures (radial fluctuating asymmetry (RA) and bilateral fluctuating asymmetry (FA)) on three perianth parts—falls, standards, and styles—and calculated various asymmetry indices based on linear and geometric morphometrics. Despite utilizing a heavily polluted environment and fairly large sample sizes, only one asymmetry index was significantly higher on the polluted site with demonstrated stressful effects on utilized plants, indicating that flower asymmetry was not an efficient method for biomonitoring in the case of I. pumila RA and FA indices.
Asymptotic Semicircular Laws Induced by p-Adic Number Fields

ℚ
p

and C*-Algebras over Primes p
Authors: Cho Ilwoo
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we study asymptotic semicircular laws induced both by arbitrarily fixed C * -probability spaces, and p-adic number fields { Q p } p ∈ P , as p→ ∞ in the set P of all primes.
Partial Loss of Inheritable Type I Resistance of Codling Moth to Cydia pomonella granulovirus
Authors: Fan Jiangbin , Wennmann Jörg , Jehle Johannes
Published: June 2019

Current knowledge of the field resistance of codling moth (CM, Cydia pomonella, L) against Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) is based mainly on the interaction between the Mexican isolate CpGV-M and CpRR1, a genetically homogeneous CM inbreed line carrying type I resistance. The resistance level of laboratory-reared CpRR1 to CpGV-M was recently found to have decreased considerably, compared to the initially high resistance. To understand the background of this phenomenon, CpRR1 larvae were exposed over several generations to CpGV-M for re-selection of the original resistance level. After five and seven generations of selection, new CpRR1_F5 and CpRR1_F7 lines were established. The resistance ratio of these selected lines was determined by full range bioassays. The CpRR1_F5 strain regained a higher level of resistance against CpGV up to 104-fold based on LC50 values compared to susceptible larvae (CpS), which indicated that the absence of virus selection had resulted in a reduction of resistance under laboratory rearing conditions. In addition, some fitness costs of fecundity were observed in CpRR1_F5. Single-pair crossings between CpRR1_F5 or CpRR1_F7 with susceptible CpS moths revealed a dominant but not fully sex-linked inheritance, which suggests a partial loss of previous resistance traits in CpRR1.
New Rabies Vaccines for Use in Humans
Authors: Ertl Hildegund C. J.
Published: June 2019

Although vaccines are available, rabies still claims more than 55,000 human lives each year. In most cases, rabies vaccines are given to humans after their exposure to a rabid animal; pre-exposure vaccination is largely reserved for humans at high risk for contacts with the virus. Most cases of human rabies are transmitted by dogs. Dog rabies control by mass canine vaccination campaigns combined with intensive surveillance programs has led to a decline of human rabies in many countries but has been unsuccessful in others. Animal vaccination programs are also not suited to control human rabies caused by bat transmission, which is common in some Central American countries. Alternatively, or in addition, more widespread pre-exposure vaccination, especially in highly endemic remote areas, could be implemented. With the multiple dose regimens of current vaccines, pre-exposure vaccination is not cost effective for most countries and this warrants the development of new rabies vaccines, which are as safe as current vaccines, but achieve protective immunity after a single dose, and most importantly, are less costly. This chapter discusses novel rabies vaccines that are in late stage pre-clinical testing or have undergone clinical testing and their potential for replacing current vaccines.
Unmapped Water Access: Locating the Role of Religion in Access to Municipal Water Supply in Ahmedabad
Authors: Mawani Vrushti
Published: June 2019

Poor access to municipal water in Ahmedabad’s Muslim areas has been tied to the difficulties of implementing a planning mechanism called the town planning scheme, which, in turn, have been premised on widespread illegal constructions that have developed across these sites. Residents, local politicians, and activists associate this causal explanation offered by engineers and planners for poor water access with a deliberate state-led intent to discriminate against them on the basis of religion. Using this causal association as a methodological entry-point, I examine through this paper how religious difference mediates decision-making and outcomes embodied by technical plans. Demonstrating how the uneven implementation of plans is not always a state-driven exercise as is often imagined, but instead a culmination of intense mediations between influential state and non-state actors with varying interests, I offer the following insights on water governance for sites divided by religion: (a) Negotiations driven by discourses on religious difference are a powerful force influencing the formulation of plans facilitating water access. However, these negotiations and plans are, simultaneously, also vulnerable to other political, legal, and economic pressures. Water governance across such sites thus often unfolds in an unstable landscape of unmapping and mapping; (b) influential legal actors from both majority and minority communities exert pressures obstructing the formulation and implementation of technical plans. The production of observable unmapped water access in minority areas thus, in reality, might not be contained within neat divides such as religion or illegality, but instead be a culmination of shifting interests, contestations, and negotiations confounding such categories; (c) institutionalized planning practices implicated in the intentional production of unmapping in such contexts might instead simply be discursive categories around which uneven water access coalesces.
A 60-Year Time Series Analyses of the Upwelling along the Portuguese Coast
Authors: Leitão Francisco , Baptista Vânia , Vieira Vasco , Laginha Silva Patrícia , Relvas Paulo , Alexandra Teodósio Maria
Published: June 2019

Coastal upwelling has a significant local impact on marine coastal environment and on marine biology, namely fisheries. This study aims to evaluate climate and environmental changes in upwelling trends between 1950 and 2010. Annual, seasonal and monthly upwelling trends were studied in three different oceanographic areas of the Portuguese coast (northwestern—NW, southwestern—SW, and south—S). Two sea surface temperature datasets, remote sensing (RS: 1985–2009) and International Comprehensive Ocean—Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS: 1950–2010), were used to estimate an upwelling index (UPWI) based on the difference between offshore and coastal sea surface temperature. Time series analyses reveal similar yearly and monthly trends between datasets A decrease of the UPWI was observed, extending longer than 20 years in the NW (1956–1979) and SW (1956–1994), and 30 years in the S (1956–1994). Analyses of sudden shifts reveal long term weakening and intensification periods of up to 30 years. This means that in the past 60 years a normal climate UPWI occurred along the Portuguese coast. An intensification of UPWI was recorded in recent decades regardless of the areas (RS: 1985–2009). Such an intensification rate (linear increase in UPWI) is only significant in S in recent decades (increase rate: ICOADS = 0.02 °C decade-1; RS = 0.11 °C decade-1) while in NW and SW the increase rate is meaningless. In NW more stable UPWI conditions were recorded, however average UPWI values increased in autumn and winter in NW in recently decades (RS: 1985–2009). An intensification rate of UPWI was recorded during summer (July, August and September) in SW and S in latter decades (RS: 1985–2009). The average UPWI values increased in recent decades in autumn in S. Marked phenological changes were observed in S in summer (before downwelling conditions prevail whilst recently when UPWI regimes prevail) with UPWI seasonal regime in S in recent decades becoming similar to those found in SW and NW. Results of this work can contribute to a better understanding of how upwelling dynamics affect/are correlated with biological data.
River Bathymetry Model Based on Floodplain Topography
Authors: Bures Ludek , Sychova Petra , Maca Petr , Roub Radek , Marval Stepan
Published: June 2019

An appropriate digital elevation model (DEM) is required for purposes of hydrodynamic modelling of floods. Such a DEM describes a river’s bathymetry (bed topography) as well as its surrounding area. Extensive measurements for creating accurate bathymetry are time-consuming and expensive. Mathematical modelling can provide an alternative way for representing river bathymetry. This study explores new possibilities in mathematical depiction of river bathymetry. A new bathymetric model (Bathy-supp) is proposed, and the model’s ability to represent actual bathymetry is assessed. Three statistical methods for the determination of model parameters were evaluated. The best results were achieved by the random forest (RF) method. A two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic model was used to evaluate the influence of the Bathy-supp model on the hydrodynamic modelling results. Also presented is a comparison of the proposed model with another state-of-the-art bathymetric model. The study was carried out on a reach of the Otava River in the Czech Republic. The results show that the proposed model’s ability to represent river bathymetry exceeds that of his current competitor. Use of the bathymetric model may have a significant impact on improving the hydrodynamic model results.
Evaluating the Hydrologic Benefits of a Bioswale in Brunswick County, North Carolina (NC), USA
Authors: Purvis Rebecca A. , Winston Ryan J. , Hunt William F. , Lipscomb Brian , Narayanaswamy Karthik , McDaniel Andrew , Lauffer Matthew S. , Libes Susan
Published: June 2019

Bioswales are a promising stormwater control measure (SCM) for roadway runoff management, but few studies have assessed performance on a field scale. A bioswale is a vegetated channel with underlying engineered media and a perforated underdrain to promote improved hydrologic and water quality treatment. A bioswale with a rip-rap lined forebay was constructed along state highway NC 211 in Bolivia, North Carolina, USA, and monitored for 12 months. Thirty-seven of the 39 monitored rain events exfiltrated into underlying soils, resulting in no appreciable overflow or underdrain volume. The bioswale completely exfiltrated a storm event of 86.1 mm. The one event to have underdrain-only flow was 4.8 mm. The largest and third-largest rainfall depth events (82.6 and 146 mm, respectively) had a large percentage (85%) of volume exfiltrated, but also had appreciable overflow and underdrain volumes exiting the bioswale, resulting in no peak flow mitigation. Overall, this bioswale design was able to capture and manage storms larger than the design storm (38 mm), showing the positive hydrologic performance that can be achieved by this bioswale. The high treatment capabilities were likely due to the high infiltration rate of the media and the underlying soil, longer forebay underlain with media, gravel detention layer with an underdrain, and shallow slope.