bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling the Steady-State Performance of Coiled Falling-Film Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems Using Rated Data
Authors: Manouchehri Ramin , Collins Michael R.
Published: June 2020

Falling-film drain water heat recovery (DWHR) systems are heat exchangers used to recover energy from warm water travelling down vertical drainpipes. DWHR systems are rated at constant inlet temperatures at multiple flow rates while maintaining an equal flow rate through both sides of the heat exchanger. The outcome of the rating system is an effectiveness value that is the main metric used to sell DWHR systems to the public. Unfortunately, the rated conditions may not be representative of what occurs during operation in a typical house. The present work aims to bridge this gap by presenting several semi-empirical correlations that are combined into a model capable of predicting the steady-state performance of a DWHR system at variable temperatures and flow rates, based on data generated during the rating process. This model is then validated experimentally for eight different DWHR systems for a total of 135 validation cases. The results show that the model is very effective at estimating the performance of DWHR systems for validation cases, and the mean absolute percentage error for the model predictions versus the experimental results is less than 3%.
Evaluation of Six High-Spatial Resolution Clear-Sky Surface Upward Longwave Radiation Estimation Methods with MODIS
Authors: Qin Boxiong , Cao Biao , Li Hua , Bian Zunjian , Hu Tian , Du Yongming , Yang Yingpin , Xiao Qing , Liu Qinhuo
Published: June 2020

Surface upward longwave radiation (SULR) is a critical component in the calculation of the Earth’s surface radiation budget. Multiple clear-sky SULR estimation methods have been developed for high-spatial resolution satellite observations. Here, we comprehensively evaluated six SULR estimation methods, including the temperature-emissivity physical methods with the input of the MYD11/MYD21 (TE-MYD11/TE-MYD21), the hybrid methods with top-of-atmosphere (TOA) linear/nonlinear/artificial neural network regressions (TOA-LIN/TOA-NLIN/TOA-ANN), and the hybrid method with bottom-of-atmosphere (BOA) linear regression (BOA-LIN). The recently released MYD21 product and the BOA-LIN—a newly developed method that considers the spatial heterogeneity of the atmosphere—is used initially to estimate SULR. In addition, the four hybrid methods were compared with simulated datasets. All the six methods were evaluated using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products and the Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD) in situ measurements. Simulation analysis shows that the BOA-LIN is the best one among four hybrid methods with accurate atmospheric profiles as input. Comparison of all the six methods shows that the TE-MYD21 performed the best, with a root mean square error (RMSE) and mean bias error (MBE) of 14.0 and −0.2 W/m2, respectively. The RMSE of BOA-LIN, TOA-NLIN, TOA-LIN, TOA-ANN, and TE-MYD11 are equal to 15.2, 16.1, 17.2, 21.2, and 18.5 W/m2, respectively. TE-MYD21 has a much better accuracy than the TE-MYD11 over barren surfaces (NDVI < 0.3) and a similar accuracy over non-barren surfaces (NDVI ≥ 0.3). BOA-LIN is more stable over varying water vapor conditions, compared to other hybrid methods. We conclude that this study provides a valuable reference for choosing the suitable estimation method in the SULR product generation.
Evaluation of GPM-Era Satellite Precipitation Products on the Southern Slopes of the Central Himalayas Against Rain Gauge Data
Authors: Sharma Shankar , Chen Yingying , Zhou Xu , Yang Kun , Li Xin , Niu Xiaolei , Hu Xin , Khadka Nitesh
Published: June 2020

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission provides high-resolution precipitation estimates globally. However, their accuracy needs to be accessed for algorithm enhancement and hydro-meteorological applications. This study applies data from 388 gauges in Nepal to evaluate the spatial-temporal patterns presented in recently-developed GPM-Era satellite-based precipitation (SBP) products, i.e., the Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), satellite-only (IMERG-UC), the gauge-calibrated IMERG (IMERG-C), the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP), satellite-only (GSMaP-MVK), and the gauge-calibrated GSMaP (GSMaP-Gauge). The main results are as follows: (1) GSMaP-Gauge datasets is more reasonable to represent the observed spatial distribution of precipitation, followed by IMERG-UC, GSMaP-MVK, and IMERG-C. (2) The gauge-calibrated datasets are more consistent (in terms of relative root mean square error (RRMSE) and correlation coefficient (R)) than the satellite-only datasets in representing the seasonal dynamic range of precipitation. However, all four datasets can reproduce the seasonal cycle of precipitation, which is predominately governed by the monsoon system. (3) Although all four SBP products underestimate the monsoonal precipitation, the gauge-calibrated IMERG-C yields smaller mean bias than GSMaP-Gauge, while GSMaP-Gauge shows the smaller RRMSE and higher R-value; indicating IMERG-C is more reliable to estimate precipitation amount than GSMaP-Gauge, whereas GSMaP-Gauge presents more reasonable spatial distribution than IMERG-C. Only IMERG-C moderately reproduces the evident elevation-dependent pattern of precipitation revealed by gauge observations, i.e., gradually increasing with elevation up to 2000 m and then decreasing; while GSMaP-Gauge performs much better in representing the gauge observed spatial pattern than others. (4) The GSMaP-Gauge calibrated based on the daily gauge analysis is more consistent with detecting gauge observed precipitation events among the four datasets. The high-intensity related precipitation extremes (95th percentile) are more intense in regions with an elevation below 2500 m; all four SBP datasets have low accuracy (<30%) and mostly underestimated (by >40%) the frequency of extreme events at most of the stations across the country. This work represents the quantification of the new-generation SBP products on the southern slopes of the central Himalayas in Nepal.
Secchi Disk Depth Estimation from China’s New Generation of GF-5 Hyperspectral Observations Using a Semi-Analytical Scheme
Authors: Liu Yao , Xiao Chenchao , Li Junsheng , Zhang Fangfang , Wang Shenglei
Published: June 2020

Water clarity, commonly measured as the Secchi disk depth ( Z s d ), is an important parameter that depicts water quality in aquatic ecosystems. China’s new generation Advanced HyperSpectral Imager (AHSI) on board the GF-5 satellite has significant potential for applications of more accurate water clarity estimation compared with existing multispectral satellite imagery, considering its high spectral resolution with a 30-m spatial resolution. In this study, we validate the semi-analytical model with various Quasi-Analytical Algorithms (QAA), including Q A A V 5 , Q A A V 6 , Q A A L 09 and Q A A M 14 , for the AHSI images with concurrent in situ measurements in four inland water bodies with a Z s d range of 0.3–4.5 m. The semi-analytical method with Q A A V 5 can yield the most accurate Z s d predictions with approximated atmospheric-corrected remote sensing reflectance. For 84 concurrent sampling sites, the estimated Z s d had a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.35 m, while the mean relative error (MRE) was 25.3%. Specifically, the MAEs of estimated Z s d were 0.22, 0.46, and 0.24 m for Z s d of 0.3–1, 1–3, and 3–4.5 m, respectively. The corresponding MREs were 33.1%, 29.1% and 6.3%, respectively. Although further validation is still required, especially in terms of highly turbid waters, this study indicates that AHSI is effective for water clarity monitoring.
Source Model for Sabancaya Volcano Constrained by DInSAR and GNSS Surface Deformation Observation
Authors: Boixart Gregorio , Cruz Luis F. , Miranda Cruz Rafael , Euillades Pablo A. , Euillades Leonardo D. , Battaglia Maurizio
Published: June 2020

Sabancaya is the most active volcano of the Ampato-Sabancaya Volcanic Complex (ASVC) in southern Perú and has been erupting since 2016. The analysis of ascending and descending Sentinel-1 orbits (DInSAR) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) datasets from 2014 to 2019 imaged a radially symmetric inflating area, uplifting at a rate of 35 to 50 mm/yr and centered 5 km north of Sabancaya. The DInSAR and GNSS data were modeled independently. We inverted the DInSAR data to infer the location, depth, and volume change of the deformation source. Then, we verified the DInSAR deformation model against the results from the inversion of the GNSS data. Our modelling results suggest that the imaged inflation pattern can be explained by a source 12 to 15 km deep, with a volume change rate between 26 × 106 m3/yr and 46 × 106 m3/yr, located between the Sabancaya and Hualca Hualca volcano. The observed regional inflation pattern, concentration of earthquake epicenters north of the ASVC, and inferred location of the deformation source indicate that the current eruptive activity at Sabancaya is fed by a deep regional reservoir through a lateral magmatic plumbing system.
Deriving Stand Structural Complexity from Airborne Laser Scanning Data—What Does It Tell Us about a Forest?
Authors: Seidel Dominik , Annighöfer Peter , Ehbrecht Martin , Magdon Paul , Wöllauer Stephan , Ammer Christian
Published: June 2020

The three-dimensional forest structure is an important driver of several ecosystem functions and services. Recent advancements in laser scanning technologies have set the path to measuring structural complexity directly from 3D point clouds. Here, we show that the box-dimension (Db) from fractal analysis, a measure of structural complexity, can be obtained from airborne laser scanning data. Based on 66 plots across different forest types in Germany, each 1 ha in size, we tested the performance of the Db by evaluating it against conventional ground-based measures of forest structure and commonly used stand characteristics. We found that the Db was related (0.34 < R < 0.51) to stand age, management intensity, microclimatic stability, and several measures characterizing the overall stand structural complexity. For the basal area, we could not find a significant relationship, indicating that structural complexity is not tied to the basal area of a forest. We also showed that Db derived from airborne data holds the potential to distinguish forest types, management types, and the developmental phases of forests. We conclude that the box-dimension is a promising measure to describe the structural complexity of forests in an ecologically meaningful way.
Deep Learning Based Electric Pylon Detection in Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Qiao Sijia , Sun Yu , Zhang Haopeng
Published: June 2020

The working condition of power network can significantly influence urban development. Among all the power facilities, electric pylon has an important effect on the normal operation of electricity supply. Therefore, the work status of electric pylons requires continuous and real-time monitoring. Considering the low efficiency of manual detection, we propose to utilize deep learning methods for electric pylon detection in high-resolution remote sensing images in this paper. To verify the effectiveness of electric pylon detection methods based on deep learning, we tested and compared the comprehensive performance of 10 state-of-the-art deep-learning-based detectors with different characteristics. Extensive experiments were carried out on a self-made dataset containing 1500 images. Moreover, 50 relatively complicated images were selected from the dataset to test and evaluate the adaptability to actual complex situations and resolution variations. Experimental results show the feasibility of applying deep learning methods to electric pylon detection. The comparative analysis can provide reference for the selection of specific deep learning model in actual electric pylon detection task.
Analysis of Sustainable Public Transportation and Mobility Recommendations for Montevideo and Parque Rodó Neighborhood
Authors: Hipogrosso Silvina , Nesmachnow Sergio
Published: June 2020

This article presents an analysis and characterization of recent sustainable initiatives developed for the public transportation of Montevideo, Uruguay. In addition, specific analysis and recommendations are proposed for the Parque Rodó neighborhood, based on a survey performed to people that commute to/from that area. The analysis considers the main concepts from related works, evaluating relevant quantitative (coverage, accessibility, affordability, etc.) and qualitative (public finance, integration, comfort and pleasure, etc.) indicators. Three sustainable public transportation initiatives are studied: electric bus, public bicycles, and electric scooters. Results of the analysis for each transportation mode suggest that the first initiatives focus on specific sectors of the population and should be improved in order to extend their accessibility and affordability. In turn, coverage must also be expanded. Regarding the analysis of the Parque Rodó neighborhood, results indicate that people are willing to perform the modal shift to more sustainable transportation modes, but several improvements are needed to improve the quality of service. All these aspects are considered in the proposed guidelines for a sustainable mobility plan in the area and also for suggestions and recommendations formulated to develop and improve sustainable mobility in Montevideo.
The Use of Facility Dogs to Bridge the Justice Gap for Survivors of Sexual Offending
Authors: Spruin Elizabeth , Mozova Katarina , Dempster Tammy , Freeman Rachel
Published: June 2020

The current study investigated the support that a facility dog can provide to survivors of sexual crimes when undergoing video-recorded police interviews. In total, 13 survivors of sexual offences, who were undergoing a video-recorded interview, were provided with a facility dog for the interview process. For each case, data were collected via interviews, observations and surveys. Using a multiple case study approach, qualitative data were analysed to identify patterns, with observational and survey data used to provide further support to these outcomes. A total of four main themes emerged from the data: (1) a change in focus for the survivor, (2) a difference in the survivors’ engagement, (3) the dog as a comforter to keep the survivor calm and (4) a positive environment. Overall, the findings suggest that the facility dog provided a much needed and beneficial service to survivors, helping them feel calmer and more comfortable. The dog also provided survivors with a more positive environment, allowing them to focus on the interview and communicate more openly about their experiences. The current study, therefore, presents very positive findings relating to improving survivors’ perspectives of justice within the framework of kaleidoscopic justice, bridging their perceived justice gap.
Environmental Efficiency Measurement and Convergence Analysis of Interprovincial Road Transport in China
Authors: Xu Hao , Wang Yeqing , Liu Hongwei , Yang Ronglu
Published: June 2020

Although road transport plays a vital role in promoting the development of China’s national economy, it also produces much harmful output in the process of road transport. Various types of harmful output generate high social costs. In order to improve efficiency and protect the environment at the same time, a variety of undesirable outputs need to be considered when evaluating the environmental efficiency of road transport. In this paper, the performance of the road transport systems in 30 regions of China is evaluated considering multiple harmful outputs (noise, carbon emission, direct property losses), by employing the directional distance function. Further, a convergence analysis of the environmental efficiency of road transport is carried out. The empirical results show that the environmental efficiency of overall road transport in China increased from 0.8851 to 0.9633 from 2010 to 2017. Moreover, the environmental efficiency gaps between the eastern, central and western areas have narrowed over time, but still exist. Additionally, the results of σ convergence analysis show that convergence of environmental efficiency exists in the whole country and the western area, while only weak convergence exists in the eastern and central areas. Both absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence exist in the eastern, central and western areas. While the environmental efficiency improved over the study period, the environmental efficiencies of road transport in some provinces remain inefficient, which deserves more attention from those seeking to improve environmental efficiency. The paper concludes with suggestions for improving the environmental efficiency of road transport.
Actinomycete Strains Isolated from Saline Soils: Plant-Growth-Promoting Traits and Inoculation Effects on Solanum lycopersicum
Authors: Djebaili Rihab , Pellegrini Marika , Smati Maria , Del Gallo Maddalena , Kitouni Mahmoud
Published: June 2020

Excessive use of chemical products in agriculture is causing significant environmental pollution and the loss of lands and fertility of agricultural soils. Plant-growth-promoting bacteria are a valid alternative strategy for sustainable agriculture. The aim of this study was to select actinomycete strains based on their plant-growth-promoting traits and to investigate their root association abilities and biostimulant effects on Solanum lycopersicum. The strains were investigated for their phosphate solubilization ability, production of indole-3-acetic acid, hydrocyanic acid, and ammonia, and several enzymatic activities. Bacteria–plant-root associations were studied by scanning electron microscopy. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to assess inoculation effects. Of sixty isolates, fourteen strains showed significant plant-growth-promoting traits. All fourteen strains solubilized phosphate, produced ammonia, and showed several enzymatic activities at different rates. The production of indole-3-acetic acid was shown by nine strains, while hydrocyanic acid production was observed in eleven of them. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that strains have good in vitro plant root association and colonization abilities. In planta inoculation by actinomycete strains positively influenced plant growth parameters. The best results were shown by seven actinomycete strains, suggesting their possible utilization as biofertilizer agents for sustainable agriculture.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a Questionnaire for Evaluating Online Training in the Workplace
Authors: Rodríguez-Santero Javier , Torres-Gordillo Juan Jesús , Gil-Flores Javier
Published: June 2020

(1) Background: The objective of this research is to analyse the validated psychometric characteristics of a reduced version of the Questionnaire to Evaluate Online Training in the Workplace (CEFOAL), developed to evaluate the impact of online training processes in terms of satisfaction with lived experience. (2) Methods: This instrument has a factor design structure of five latent factors, obtained through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The factors are pedagogical design, tutor performance, virtual environment design, timing, and transfer of learning. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 471 participants several months after they took courses on occupational health and the environment. The courses were provided through the ISTAS (Trade Union Institute for Labour, Environment and Health; Spain) e-learning platform. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed using the maximum likelihood method. (3) Results: We were able to explain 71.58% of the total variance. Reliability, calculated with Cronbach’s alpha, achieved an overall value greater than 0.90 (α = 0.95). (4) Conclusions: This valid and reliable questionnaire, which incorporates a dimension that measures learning transfer to the job, can be applied in the evaluation of online training processes.
Rank-size Distribution of Cities and Municipalities in Bangladesh
Authors: Bajracharya Pankaj , Sultana Selima
Published: June 2020

This paper examines and updates the rank-size distribution of cities and municipalities in Bangladesh between 1990 and 2019 based on two criteria: (1) built-up urban areas; and (2) population. The distribution of built-up urban areas and population are compared to provide a robust theoretical underpinning of Zipf’s law for future urban developmental planning framework. The data on built-up urban areas is extracted from land cover classification using Google Earth Engine and the population data is obtained from the decennial censuses. The comparison of the conformity to Zipf’s law indicated contradictory results. While a greater proportion of the population has been increasingly concentrated in the smaller and midsized cities over the last three decades, built-up urban areas, on the other hand, have been mostly clustered in two largest cities— Dhaka and Chittagong—accounting for 50 to nearly 60 percent of the total built-up urban areas. These results shed light on the magnitude of continued spatial inequalities in urban development amongst cities and municipalities in Bangladesh despite there being an overall increase of evenness in the distribution of population over time. These results imply an unsustainable rate of urban expansion in Bangladesh and reinforce the need for the exploration of policies and regulations targeted at guiding the rate and direction of evenness in urban expansion.
Blue Economy: Community Case Studies Addressing the Poverty–Environment Nexus in Ocean and Coastal Management
Authors: Chen Sulan , De Bruyne Charlotte , Bollempalli Manasa
Published: June 2020

The objective of this paper is to examine how local practices of blue economy succeed in addressing the poverty–environment nexus in coastal communities. While many disciplines touch upon the concept of blue economy, little literature exists on how a sustainable blue economy approach can help bridge poverty–environment challenges, particularly at the community level. To illustrate this, we present three case studies of blue economy practices initiated and implemented by coastal communities in China, Samoa, and Vietnam. The outcomes from each case study are examined based on both their environmental and socio-economic impact. Lessons learned include the significant role of science and technology in innovating solutions, the crucial impact of community leaders in encouraging and amplifying both local needs and solutions, continuous advocacy, fulfilling the very important need for communities to witness tangible benefits of project implementation, and last but not least the availability of resources and know-how resulting from multi-stakeholder partnerships including local governing councils, NGOs, and community members. Local communities have an unrecognized potential for adaptation and innovation and that more proactive public policies are required to achieve environmental and poverty reduction objectives simultaneously.
Integrating a Cross-Reference List and Customer Journey Map to Improve Industrial Design Teaching and Learning in “Project-Oriented Design Based Learning”
Authors: Ai Xianfeng , Jiang Zhigang , Hu Kang , Chandrasekaran Siva , Wang Yan
Published: June 2020

To train students’ practical ability in design, enterprise projects are often introduced into the industrial design courses of Chinese universities. However, such project-oriented learning activity (POA) is often not well designed. This not only makes it difficult to improve learning effectiveness, but also may bring the unpleasant learning experience to students. The learning experience and learning effectiveness are equally important, and they are mutually conditional and complementary. To consider both, POA needs to be elaborately designed. To this end, a variety of mature POA organization forms, such as project-based learning (PBL), design-based learning (DBL), and project-oriented design-based learning (PODBL), are discussed firstly. PODBL integrates and inherits the advantages of other learning models, and it has been preliminarily proved to improve the learning effectiveness of engineering design courses. Therefore, a cross-reference list was proposed for upgrading POA to PODBL. A lamp design course was developed based on this checklist and students were organized to study. The customer journey map tool was used to analyze the learning experience of students in the course journey, and the emotions and pain points were obtained, as well as some critical factors leading to a positive learning experience. Finally, to demonstrate the availability of the cross-reference list and critical factors, a baby strollers design project course was developed and participants were interviewed. The results show that the cross-reference list and critical factors could improve learning effectiveness and enhance the learning experience significantly.
A Mixed-Method Study of Design Practices and Designers’ Roles in Sustainable-Minded Clothing Companies
Authors: Karell Essi , Niinimäki Kirsi
Published: June 2020

The way in which the current fashion industry operates needs to fundamentally change. In this endeavour, designers are considered central figures throughout the sustainable fashion literature. However, too little is known about clothing designers’ practical contributions to sustainability. Therefore, this study investigates how sustainability is integrated into design practices in sustainable-minded clothing companies and determines the role of clothing designers in this respect. A mixed-method study was conducted based on a sequential exploratory strategy. The data were collected in two stages: a preliminary phase based on five expert interviews and a survey phase, which involved 31 clothing designers from around Europe. The data analysis was also divided into two phases: thematic analysis of the interviews and content analysis of the survey. The findings indicate that the sustainable design practices within these companies predominantly focus on material choices and aspects that support product longevity. Yet, there is little empirical evidence to support claims regarding garments’ true longevity. Knowledge regarding materials, recycling and best practices is also lacking among clothing designers. Lack of knowledge and company strategies frequently dictate and restrict the design work. This further highlights the fact that designers’ opportunities to influence environmental and social change are more limited than earlier literature suggests.
Monitoring Bioeconomy Transitions with Economic–Environmental and Innovation Indicators: Addressing Data Gaps in the Short Term
Authors: Jander Wiebke , Wydra Sven , Wackerbauer Johann , Grundmann Philipp , Piotrowski Stephan
Published: June 2020

Monitoring bioeconomy transitions and their effects can be considered a Herculean task, as they cannot be easily captured using current economic statistics. Distinctions are rarely made between bio-based and non-bio-based products when official data is collected. However, production along bioeconomy supply chains and its implications for sustainability require measurement and assessment to enable considered policymaking. We propose a starting point for monitoring bioeconomy transitions by suggesting an adapted framework, relevant sectors, and indicators that can be observed with existing information and data from many alternative sources, assuming that official data collection methods will not be modified soon. Economic–environmental indicators and innovation indicators are derived for the German surfactant industry based on the premise that combined economic–environmental indicators can show actual developments and trade-offs, while innovation indicators can reveal whether a bioeconomy transition is likely in a sector. Methodological challenges are discussed and low-cost; high-benefit options for further data collection are recommended.
Do High Oil Prices Obstruct the Transition to Renewable Energy Consumption?
Authors: Mukhtarov Shahriyar , Mikayilov Jeyhun I. , Humbatova Sugra , Muradov Vugar
Published: June 2020

The study analyzes the impact of economic growth, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and oil price on renewable energy consumption in Azerbaijan for the data spanning from 1992 to 2015, utilizing structural time series modeling approach. Estimation results reveal that there is a long-run positive and statistically significant effect of economic growth on renewable energy consumption and a negative impact of oil price in the case of Azerbaijan, for the studied period. The negative impact of oil price on renewable energy consumption can be seen as an indication of comfort brought by the environment of higher oil prices, which delays the transition from conventional energy sources to renewable energy consumption for the studied country case. Also, we find that the effect of CO2 on renewable energy consumption is negative but statistically insignificant. The results of this article might be beneficial for policymakers and support the current literature for further research for oil-rich developing countries.
Regions and Economic Resilience: New Perspectives
Authors: Mayor Matías , Ramos Raul
Published: June 2020

The term “resilience” originated in environmental studies and describes the biological capacity to adapt and thrive under adverse environmental conditions. Regional economic resilience is defined as the capacity of a territory’s economy to resist and/or recover quickly from external shocks, even improving its situation from the pre-shock status. This editorial introduction provides a summary of the eleven contributions included in the special issue on regions and economic resilience. These eleven articles focus on different channels related to processes of mitigation (resistance-recovery) and adaptive resilience (reorientation-renewal) in a wide variety of geographical settings and scales. They include methodological advances and also relevant results from a policy perspective. The editorial concludes by providing some directions for future research.
Impact of Geographic Distribution of COVID-19 Cases on Hotels’ Performances: Case of Polish Cities
Authors: Napierała Tomasz , Leśniewska-Napierała Katarzyna , Burski Rafał
Published: June 2020

The main goal of the article is to describe the short-term impacts of reported new cases and deaths of the COVID-19 disease on hotels’ performances in the nine major Polish urban hotel markets: Kraków, Warszawa, Poznań, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Lublin, Łódź, Katowice, and Sopot. Time range of the analysis covers the period from January 5, 2020 (the beginning of the very first week when the COVID-19 cases were evidenced) to March 14, 2020 (the initial phase of lockdown was introduced by the Polish government). Various geographical contexts of the COVID-19 impacts are considered: national, European, and global. Generalized method of moments was applied to investigate the influence of reported COVID-19 cases (deaths) on both occupancy and revenue per available room. The results show that the most significant, negative impact of the pandemic on hotel performances is confirmed at the European level of the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the negative influence of national cases of COVID-19 is more significant in less internationalized (or less-populated) urban destinations. Thus, the hotel industry (especially in the most internationalized, biggest Polish cities) might be recovered only when issues of the COVID-19 epidemic will be solved at the European level.
Sustainable vs. Unsustainable Food Consumption Behaviour: A Study among Students from Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova
Authors: Pocol Cristina Bianca , Marinescu Valentina , Amuza Antonio , Cadar Roxana-Larisa , Rodideal Anda Anca
Published: June 2020

The importance of studying the aspects related to the sustainable food consumption behaviour of students lies in the fact that, at this age, they begin to develop certain consumption patterns that will have long-term effects. The study aimed to identify the type of eating behaviour—sustainable vs. unsustainable—and the socio-demographic factors that influence it, among students in Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. The research method was a survey based on a questionnaire administered to a sample of 2378 subjects in the 2017–2018 period. The ANOVA test and simple linear regression were used to identify the correlation between the various variables analysed. The results indicate both positive aspects, which characterise a sustainable diet—high consumption of fruits and vegetables, and negative—the adoption of a mixed diet, which will have a long-term impact on the environment. Age is a good predictor of unhealthy eating habits among students, as this behaviour leads to weight gain. Gender, number of household members, rural/urban and country residence are also influencing factors for food consumption behaviour. Eating while standing and having the last meal of the day after 23:00 are practices that also have negative consequences for health. Conducting campaigns to educate students on the adoption of sustainable food consumption is necessary for all three countries to empower them to choose a healthy lifestyle.
Comparative Life-Cycle Assessment of a High-Rise Mass Timber Building with an Equivalent Reinforced Concrete Alternative Using the Athena Impact Estimator for Buildings
Authors: Chen Zhongjia , Gu Hongmei , Bergman Richard , Liang Shaobo
Published: June 2020

Buildings consume large amounts of materials and energy, making them one of the highest environmental impactors. Quantifying the impact of building materials can be critical to developing an effective greenhouse gas mitigation strategy. Using Athena Impact Estimator for Buildings (IE4B), this paper compares cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment (LCA) results for a 12-story building constructed from cross-laminated timber (CLT) and a functionally equivalent reinforced concrete (RC) building. Following EN 15978 framework, environmental impacts for stages A1–A5 (product to construction), B2, B4, and B6 (use), C1–C4 (end of life), and D (beyond the building life) were evaluated in detail along resource efficiency. For material resource efficiency, total mass of the CLT building was 33.2% less than the alternative RC building. For modules A to C and not considering operational energy use (B6), LCA results show a 20.6% reduction in embodied carbon achieved for the CLT building, compared to the RC building. For modules A to D and not considering B6, the embodied carbon assessment revealed that for the CLT building, 6.57 × 105 kg CO2 eq was emitted, whereas for the equivalent RC building, 2.16 × 106 kg CO2 eq was emitted, and emissions from CLT building was 70% lower than that from RC building. Additionally, 1.84 × 106 kg of CO2 eq was stored in the wood material used in the CLT building during its lifetime. Building material selection should be considered for the urgent need to reduce global climate change impacts.
Global Marine Fishing across Space and Time
Authors: Carlson Andrew K. , Taylor William W. , Rubenstein Daniel I. , Levin Simon A. , Liu Jianguo
Published: June 2020

Human health and livelihoods are threatened by declining marine fisheries catches, causing substantial interest in the sources and dynamics of fishing. Catch analyses in individual exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and the high seas are abundant, and research across multiple EEZs is growing. However, no previous studies have systematically compared catches, intranational versus international fish flows, and fishing nations within all of the world’s EEZs and across adjacent and distant EEZs and the high seas to inform “metacoupled” fisheries management. We use the metacoupling framework—a new approach for evaluating human–nature interactions within and across adjacent and distant systems (metacouplings)—to illustrate how fisheries catches were locally, regionally, and globally interconnected in 1950–2014, totaling 5.8 billion metric tons and increasing by 298% (tonnage) and 431% (monetary value) over this time period. Catches by nations in their own EEZs (largest in Peru) and adjacent EEZs (largest in Indonesia) constituted 86% of worldwide catches, growing in 1950–1996 but declining in 1997–2014. In contrast, catches in distant EEZs and the high seas—largest in Morocco, Mauritania, and Canada—peaked in 1973 and have since represented 9–21% of annual catches. Our 65-year, local–regional–global analysis illustrates how metacoupled fisheries governance—holistic management of multiscalar catches, flows, and tradeoffs within and among fisheries—can improve food and nutrition security, livelihood resilience, and biodiversity conservation across the world.
Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC) as Local and Sustainable Systems
Authors: Jarzębowski Sebastian , Bourlakis Michael , Bezat-Jarzębowska Agnieszka
Published: June 2020

We distinguish different types of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC); nevertheless, their common main characteristic relate to reduced numbers of intermediaries between farmers/food producers and consumers. The aim of the paper is to present the SFSCs as local and sustainable food systems with their possible development. The SFSC idea follows the concept of sustainability, which is based on three pillars: environmental, social, and economic. In the paper, the authors also highlight other barriers to growth, and challenges faced by local food systems.
Learning from the Past in the Transition to Open-Pollinated Varieties
Authors: Freshley Dana , Delgado-Serrano Maria Mar
Published: June 2020

In Nepal, hybrid seed introduction caused major yield gains in agricultural production, but at high environmental costs. The development of high-yielding open-pollinated varieties has spurred hope for more sustainable production systems. Nepal’s government is interested in boosting their use. This research aimed to identify farmer perceptions on the factors behind the past adoption of hybrid seeds in order to propose guidelines to support the diffusion of open-pollinated varieties. Using in-depth interviews, a focus group and participant observation we explored how the process of hybrid seed diffusion has taken place in Panchkhal valley, a representative case study. Social influencers such as change agents, peers, neighbours and seed sellers, as well as economic gains emerged as major reasons for hybrid seed adoption. We learnt that the role of external agents, on which most of the governmental strategies rely, changed over time as peer-based strategies became essential after the diffusion process started. To boost the adoption of open-pollinated seeds, efforts should concentrate in developing high-yielding varieties, engaging early-adopters among influential caste members and seed sellers, distributing seeds to both disadvantaged and wealthy farmers, and using different instruments, from institutional agencies to NGOs, to deliver training on sustainable farming techniques and their economic and environmental advantages.
Human-Induced Enrichment of Potentially Toxic Elements in a Sediment Core of Lake Balkhash, the Largest Lake in Central Asia
Authors: Huang Kun , Ma Long , Abuduwaili Jilili , Liu Wen , Issanova Gulnura , Saparov Galymzhan , Lin Lin
Published: June 2020

Over the past century, the impacts of human activities on the natural environment have continued to increase. Historic evolution of the environment under anthropogenic influences is an important reference for sustainable social development. Based on the geochemical analyses of a short sediment core of 49 cm from Lake Balkhash, the largest lake in Central Asia, potential factors historically influencing geochemical variation were revealed, and influences of human activity on regional environmental change were reconstructed over the past 150 years. The results showed that the dominant factor inducing changes in potentially toxic elements (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb) is the physical weathering of the terrestrial materials. The variation in Ca content was influenced by the formation of authigenic carbonate. Since 1930, potentially toxic elements (Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb) in the lake sediments have obviously been affected by human activities, but the impact of human activities has not exceeded that of natural terrestrial weathering. In particular, the enrichment factors (EFs) for Cd and Pb reached 1.5. The average ecological risks of Cd were higher than the criterion of 30, suggesting a moderate risk to the local ecosystem in recent years. Total risk indices indicated moderate potential ecological risk for the lake ecology. The results will provide support for the environmental protection and better management practices of the Lake Balkhash watershed.
Socio-Economic and Environmental Analyses of Sustainable Public Transport in the Philippines
Authors: Agaton Casper Boongaling , Collera Angelie Azcuna , Guno Charmaine Samala
Published: June 2020

Electric vehicles are regarded as energy transition technology towards more sustainable and environment-friendly transportation systems. Despite the benefits of reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, the adoption of electric vehicles faces several obstacles ranging from financing issues, government policies, and public acceptance. This study aims to identify the economic, environmental, and social impact of the adoption of electric vehicles for public transportation. Using the Philippines as a case study, the findings highlight the economic advantage of investing in electric public transportation with high public acceptance. The results further identify significant decrease in air pollution, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and encourage lowering the reliance on imported fossil fuels by shifting the public transport from conventional to electric transport system. This study recommends stricter implementation of government policies on modernized public transportation, stronger government support on financing mechanisms, establishment of charging stations in public and private terminals, and boosting programs for developing local-made electric vehicles. To make electric vehicle more environment-friendly, the government must accelerate the energy transition by increasing the electricity share from renewable sources and investing in more sustainable sources of energy.
Decentralized Broadcast Encryption Schemes with Constant Size Ciphertext and Fast Decryption
Authors: Malluhi Qutaibah , Tran Vinh Duc , Trinh Viet Cuong
Published: June 2020

Broadcast encryption ( BE ) allows a sender to encrypt a message to an arbitrary target set of legitimate users and to prevent non-legitimate users from recovering the broadcast information. BE has numerous practical applications such as satellite geolocation systems, file sharing systems, pay-TV systems, e-Health, social networks, cloud storage systems, etc. This paper presents two new decentralized BE schemes. Decentralization means that there is no single authority responsible for generating secret cryptographic keys for system users. Therefore, the scheme eliminates the concern of having a single point of failure as the central authority could be attacked, become malicious, or become unavailable. Recent attacks have shown that the centralized approach could lead to system malfunctioning or to leaking sensitive information. Another achievement of the proposed BE schemes is their performance characteristics that make them suitable for environments with light-weight clients, such as in Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications. The proposed approach improves the performance over existing decentralized BE schemes by simultaneously achieving constant size ciphertext, constant size secret key and fast decryption.
Symmetry Analysis of the Stochastic Logistic Equation
Authors: Gaeta Giuseppe
Published: June 2020

We apply the recently developed theory of symmetry of stochastic differential equations to stochastic versions of the logistic equation; these may have environmental or demographical noise, or both—in which case we speak of the complete model. We study all these cases, both with constant and with non-constant noise amplitude, and show that the only one in which there are nontrivial symmetries is that of the stochastic logistic equation with (constant amplitude) environmental noise. In this case, the general theory of symmetry of stochastic differential equations is used to obtain an explicit integration, i.e., an explicit formula for the process in terms of any single realization of the driving Wiener process.
Analysis of an Optical Lattice Methodology for Detection of Atomic Parity Nonconservation
Authors: Kastberg Anders , Sahoo Bijaya Kumar , Aoki Takatoshi , Sakemi Yasuhiro , Das Bhanu Pratap
Published: June 2020

We present an extension and a deepened analysis of a suggested experimental scheme for detecting atomic parity violation, previously published in Phys. Rev. A 2019, 100, 050101. The experimental concept is described in more detail and we compute new ab initio data necessary for assessing the plausibility of the approach. Original theoretical data for transition matrix elements on the electric dipole forbidden transition in caesium 6 s 2 S 1 / 2 – 5 d 2 D 3 / 2 are reported, as are a range of electric dipole matrix elements connected to the ground state 6s. The latter is used for an analysis of the wavelength-dependent light shift in Cs. A range of experimental details is presented, combined with a survey of realistic lasers parameters. These are adopted to project the feasibility of the scheme to eventually be capable of delivering data beyond the standard model of particle physics.
Multi-Criteria Decision Model for the Selection of Suppliers in the Textile Industry
Authors: Wang Chia-Nan , Viet Van Tran Hoang , Ho Thanh Phong , Nguyen Van Thanh , Nguyen Viet Tinh
Published: June 2020

In recent years, the market of textile and garment materials has been volatile, and the ongoing US-China trade war is creating good opportunities for other markets such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and Mexico to continue to expand their market share in the United States. Vietnam is expected to have great advantages thanks to cheap labor cost and strong production capacity. Raw material supplier selection in a volatile competitive environment is crucial for a company to succeed, and supplier selection is a complicate process in which decision-makers must consider multiple quantitative and qualitative features, along with their symmetrical impact, in order to achieve an optimal result. The purpose of selecting the right supplier is to improve competitiveness and product quality, while satisfying customer demand at a minimum production cost. The aim of this paper is to propose a multicriteria decision making model (MCDM) for garment and textile supplier selection. In the first stage, all criteria affecting this process are defined by using the supply chain operations reference model (SCOR) and experts’ opinion. Incorporating hybrid fuzzy set theory into the analytical network process (ANP) model is the most effective tool for addressing complex problems of decision-making, which has a connection with various qualitative criteria; thus, the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was applied for determining the weight of all potential suppliers, and the preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations (PROMETHEE II) was used for ranking the supplier. The results of this research will assist researchers and decision makers in identifying, adapting and applying appropriate methods to identify the optimal material suppliers in the textile and garment industry. This research can also be used to support supplier selection decisions in other industries.