bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Dynamic Relationship between Inequality and Sustainable Economic Growth
Authors: Seo Hwan-Joo , Kim HanSung , Lee Young Soo
Published: July 2020

This study empirically tests the effects of income inequality on growth for 43 countries from 1991 to 2014 based on a cumulative growth model. The results show that, first, the estimation results using a reduced equation reveal a positive correlation between the income inequalities of lagging countries and the respective growth gaps with the frontier country. This confirms that the increase in income inequality negatively affects growth. Secondly, a cumulative growth model using 3SLS estimation shows that income inequality has a negative effect only on investment. However, we fail to find correlations between technological innovation and income inequality and between human capital accumulation and income inequality. Considering that investment has a positive impact on productivity, we conclude that income inequality has a negative impact on investment and that the resulting sluggish investment has a negative impact on productivity, which in turn negatively influences growth. Third, contrary to Kaldor and Barro’s prediction, we find that income inequality in developing countries is negatively correlated with growth, particularly for investment. The effects of income inequality on investment are found to be similar in both developed and developing countries. We also find region-specific differences in the paths through which income inequality affects sustainable economic growth.
Waste-to-Energy in the EU: The Effects of Plant Ownership, Waste Mobility, and Decentralization on Environmental Outcomes and Welfare
Authors: Levaggi Laura , Levaggi Rosella , Marchiori Carmen , Trecroci Carmine
Published: July 2020

Waste-to-energy (WtE) could prevent the production of up to 50 million tons of CO2 emissions that would otherwise be generated by burning fossil fuels. Yet, support for a large deployment of WtE plants is not universal because there is a widespread concern that energy from waste discourages recycling practices. Moreover, incineration plants generate air pollution and chemical waste residuals and are expensive to build compared to modern landfills that have appropriate procedures for the prevention of leakage of harmful gasses. In the context of the EU, this paper aims to provide a picture of the actual role of WtE as a disposal option for municipal solid waste (MSW), enabling it to be utilized as a source of clean energy, and to address two important aspects of the debate surrounding the use of WtE; namely, (i) the relationship between WtE and recycling, and (ii) the effects of decentralization, waste mobility, and plant ownership. Finally, it reviews the role of the EU as a supranational regulator, which may allow the lower government levels (where consumer preferences are better represented) to take decisions, while taking spillovers into account.
The Role of Childhood Participation in Cultural Activities in the Promotion of Pro-Social Behaviours in Later Life
Authors: Garrod Brian , Dowell David
Published: July 2020

Cultural organisations often serve as guardians of cultural heritage and, as such, cultural sustainability depends on their ongoing vitality. Many organisations in the cultural sector are, however, presently experiencing intense financial pressures. With their traditional sources of funding being progressively cut off, such organisations are focusing increasingly on monetary donations and the volunteering of time on the part of the general public to help plug the financial gap. Promoting and managing such pro-social behaviours can, however, be costly activities in themselves, so it is critical for cultural organisations to be able to target those segments of the public with the greatest propensity to give. This study sets out to address that need. The findings indicate that individuals who were involved in cultural activities as children are statistically more likely to volunteer their time in later life, not only with cultural organisations but also with good causes in general. In certain circumstances, this is also true of donating money. The cultural organisations benefiting from these pro-social behaviours need not be those with which the individual was involved in their childhood; nor need they be associated with the same form of culture. Importantly, continuous involvement in an activity from childhood into adulthood is not a necessary pre-condition for pro-social behaviour in later life.
Measuring Perceived Service Quality and Its Impact on Golf Courses Performance According to Types of Facilities and User Profile
Authors: Serrano-Gómez Virginia , García-García Óscar , Gambau i Pinasa Vicente , Fernández-Liporace Mercedes , Hernández-Mendo Antonio , Rial-Boubeta Antonio
Published: July 2020

The study was aimed at: (1) Analysing the psychometric features of the QGolf scale, (2) examining the relation between the user’s perceived quality, the club service dimensions, and the golf club performance and, (3) exploring whether a better performance could vary depending on the player’s profile and/or the type of golf course. To do so, 968 users from 13 clubs in north-western Spain golf courses were interviewed. Psychometric and theoretical findings are introduced regarding their further use in field marketing. The causal analysis of covariance structure leads us to state that the human and organisational dimension of the service is key to assess perceived quality. When comparing models, the explanatory power of the Handicap ≥ 20 model was higher than the one concerning Handicap < 20. Thus, the strategy to increase user satisfaction should be quite different depending on whether users are beginners or advanced golf players. Therefore, managers should consider the users’ profiles diversity, their specific needs, and the variety of target-groups involved, on account of the golf course’s interests. This seems the best pathway to achieve sustainability and survival in the area.
Explaining Peasants’ Intention and Behavior of Farmland Trusteeship in China: Implications for Sustainable Agricultural Production
Authors: Xiao Jianying , Song Yan , You Heyuan
Published: July 2020

Developing countries generally face the problem of sustainable agricultural production during the process of agricultural modernization. Farmland trusteeship is an emerging mode of sustainable agricultural production and has played an important role in China. At present, the Chinese government has taken it as a pilot mode, but its effect also depends on the extensive participation of peasants. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and structural equation model (SEM) method, the paper analyzed peasants’ participation intention, behavior, drivers, and the influence of policy support on peasants’ participation behavior, using survey data of Jiangsu province and peasants’ participation variables. The results suggest that: (1) The behavioral attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control variables of peasants’ participation in farmland trusteeship have a significant direct impact on peasants’ willingness to participate, and these three factors indirectly influence peasants’ participation behavior by influencing peasants’ intention; (2) perceptual behavioral control variables such as the size of farmland trusteeship organization had no significant influence on peasants’ participation behaviors; (3) government policy support has a direct and significant impact on peasants’ participation behaviors. These findings not only generate broad direct implications for Chinese policymakers to improve peasants’ participation for sustainable agricultural production, but also provide lessons for other developing countries for agricultural modernization.
Presentation and Evaluation of a New Graduate Unit of Study in Engineering Product Development
Authors: Bodisco Timothy A. , Palmer Stuart
Published: July 2020

Engineering education has a key role to play in equipping engineers with the design skills that they need to contribute to national competitiveness. Product design has been described as “the convergence point for engineering and design thinking and practices”, and courses in which students design, build, and test a product are becoming increasingly popular. A sound understanding of product development and the implications associated with developing a product have been strongly linked to sustainability outcomes. This paper presents an evaluation of a new Master level engineering unit offered at Deakin University in product development technology. The unit allowed the students an opportunity to engage with the entire product development cycle from the initial idea to prototyping and testing through strategic assessment, which drove the unit content and student learning. Within this, students were also afforded an opportunity to explore resource usage and subsequent minimisation. Student evaluation surveys over two successive years found that students were responsive to this type of learning and appreciated the opportunity to do hands-on work. Improved student effort and engagement indicate that the students likely had better learning outcomes, as compared to traditionally taught units.
Application of Waste Lemon Extract to Toxic Metal Removal through Gravitational Soil Flushing and Composting Stabilization
Authors: Zhang Pei-Wen , Huang Ya-Zhen , Fan Chihhao , Chang Tsun-Kuo
Published: July 2020

The present study aims to investigate the treatment efficiency of soil flushing using waste lemon extract for samples collected from contaminated farmland, in which the copper concentration was measured as 2487 ± 139 mg/kg. The flushing solution, containing 9.9 g/L citric acid, was prepared from the waste lemon extraction process. The soil-flushing treatment using a solution containing commercial citric acids of 10 g/L was also conducted for comparison. Additionally, the collected soil was mixed with crushed waste lemons and the mixture was subjected to a composting process for subsequent stabilization study. After 120-min batch experiments, the desorbed copper concentration for waste lemon-extract experiment was 36.9 mg/L, which was higher than that (28.6 mg/L) for commercial citric solution experiment. The reduction in soil copper concentration (1504 mg/kg) treated by waste lemon-extract flushing was more than that treated by commercial citric solution (1256 mg/kg) at the comparable citric acid concentration. More metals were removed by waste lemon-extract flushing. This is because the waste lemon-extract solution contains additional co-dissolved organic substances with a longer flushing time, which allows more exchange reactions between adsorbed metals and flushing solution. For the treatment with waste lemon extract, the soil pH values were 4.56, 5.70 and 6.29 before, after flushing and after compost treatment, respectively. The observed variation in soil pH also showed that waste lemon extract might be a better flushing agent, while flushing with commercial citric solution decreased the pH in the soil environment. The plant copper availability dropped from 677 mg/kg to 156 mg/kg after waste lemon-extract flushing and stabilization with composted waste lemon. Therefore, the use of waste lemon extract for soil flushing not only removed toxic metals from the soil but also prevented the occurrence of soil acidification, an often-observed phenomenon using an acidic solution in conventional soil flushing. After soil flushing, the application of composted waste lemon could stabilize the toxic metals and increase the pH to a range suitable for plant growth.
Application of a Surrogate Model for a Groundwater Numerical Simulation Model for Determination of the Annual Control Index of the Groundwater Table in China
Authors: Wang Xiaowei , Shao Jingli , Cui Yali , Zhang Qiulan
Published: July 2020

The Chinese government hopes to implement groundwater table control to realize the sustainable utilization of groundwater resources based on controlling the current groundwater exploitation amount. In this study, a method to determine the control index of the groundwater table is proposed. In the method, the reasonable relationship between the groundwater table and groundwater exploitation amount is ensured using the groundwater numerical simulation model. The operability of the index determination is improved using a surrogate numerical model, and the annual hydrological dynamic is simplified to three scenarios of dry, flat, and wet. To verify this method, the Minqin Basin in Northwest China was chosen as a typical study area. It is assumed that the control index of groundwater exploitation in 2020 is 85,000 × 103m3. Then, the preset annual water table index is calculated as [−0.70, 0.62, 1.13, −1.25, 1.36, 3.09] m [−0.77, 0.53, 1.05, −1.33, 1.27, 2.96] m, and [−0.83, 0.46, 0.99, −1.40, 1.20, 2.85] m for the chosen six monitoring wells, varying over the years with wet, flat, and dry scenarios. This method can ensure high precision, operability, and dynamic management when determining the control index of the groundwater table and satisfy the demand of managers.
A Systematic Literature Review on Safety Research Related to Chemical Industrial Parks
Authors: Zeng Tao , Chen Guohua , Yang Yunfeng , Reniers Genserik , Zhao Yixin , Liu Xia
Published: July 2020

The increasing demand for chemical products has driven the construction and development of chemical industrial areas, or so-called ‘chemical industrial parks’ (CIPs), but this has intrinsically raised the risk of major accidents. Therefore, it is significant and urgent to summarize the state of art and research needs in the field of CIP safety. In this paper, a keyword co-occurrence analysis of 116 scientific articles was conducted to support the classification of research topics in this field, then an overview of those research topics was presented to investigate the evolution of safety research with respect to CIPs. Specifically, the way that safety assessments are conducted, as well as how safety management and safety technology in such areas are classified and investigated, followed by detailed descriptions of representative methods and their contributions to CIP safety, are discussed. An integrated safety framework for CIPs is proposed to organize safety approaches and measures systematically. Based on the classification and analysis of studies on management, assessment, and technology related to CIP safety, the research trends and future directions and challenges are discussed and outlined. Those results are useful for improving theoretical method and industrial strategies, and can advance the safety and sustainability development of CIPs.
Integrating Deep Ecology and Adaptive Governance for Sustainable Development: Implications for Protected Areas Management
Authors: Akamani Kofi
Published: July 2020

Since the late 1980s, the idea of sustainable development has been gaining widespread recognition as a guiding framework for policies on development and the environment. However, the concept of sustainable development has received a number of criticisms, including its over-emphasis on meeting human needs through economic growth, as well as its failure to recognize dynamic human–environment interactions. In response to these shortfalls, the concepts of resilience and adaptive governance have emerged as alternative perspectives for pursuing sustainable development. Resilience in social-ecological systems emphasizes the capacity of coupled human–environment systems to deal with change, while continuing to develop. Adaptive governance relies on diverse and nested institutional mechanisms for connecting actors across multiple scales to manage conflicts and uncertainties in ecosystem management processes. However, the ethical dimensions of resilience and adaptive governance have not received enough attention. A promising ethical perspective for guiding policies on human–environment interactions is the philosophy of deep ecology, which highlights the need for recognition of the intrinsic values of all living things, as well as the nurturing of ecological and cultural diversity. In this paper, I argue that an integration of the principles of deep ecology and adaptive governance provides a complementary set of ethical principles and institutional attributes that offers better prospects for pursuing sustainable development in the era of the Anthropocene. The implications of this integrative agenda include: the adoption of a holistic conception of dynamic human–environment interactions; the recognition of diverse knowledge systems through an anti-reductionist approach to knowledge; the promotion of long term sustainability through respect for ecological and cultural diversity; and embracing decentralization and local autonomy. I further illustrate this integrative agenda using the management of protected areas as a case study.
Optimization of Wind Turbine Interconnections in an Offshore Wind Farm Using Metaheuristic Algorithms
Authors: El Mokhi Chakib , Addaim Adnane
Published: July 2020

Wind energy is currently one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the world. For this reason, research on methods to render wind farms more energy efficient is reasonable. The optimization of wind turbine positions within wind farms makes the exploitation of wind energy more efficient and the wind farms more competitive with other energy resources. The investment costs alone for substation and electrical infrastructure for offshore wind farms run around 15–30% of the total investment costs of the project, which are considered high. Optimizing the substation location can reduce these costs, which also minimizes the overall cable length within the wind farm. In parallel, optimizing the cable routing can provide an additional benefit by finding the optimal grid network routing. In this article, the authors show the procedure on how to create an optimized wind farm already in the design phase using metaheuristic algorithms. Besides the optimization of wind turbine positions for more energy efficiency, the optimization methods of the substation location and the cable routing for the collector system to avoid cable losses are also presented.
Landscape Connectivity and Suitable Habitat Analysis for Wolves (Canis lupus L.) in the Eastern Pyrenees
Authors: Garcia-Lozano Carla , Varga Diego , Pintó Josep , Roig-Munar Francesc Xavier
Published: July 2020

Over the last few decades, much of the mountain area in European countries has turned into potential habitat for species of medium- and large-sized mammals. Some of the occurrences that explain this trend are biodiversity protection, the creation of natural protected areas, and the abandonment of traditional agricultural activities. In recent years, wolves have once again been seen in forests in the eastern sector of the Pyrenees and the Pre-Pyrenees. The success or failure of their permanent settlement will depend on several factors, including conservation measures for the species, habitat availability, and the state of landscape connectivity. The aim of this study is to analyze the state of landscape connectivity for fragments of potential wolf habitat in Catalonia, Andorra, and on the French side of the Eastern Pyrenees. The results show that a third of the area studied constitutes potential wolf habitat and almost 90% of these spaces are of sufficient size to host stable packs. The set of potential wolf habitat fragments was also assessed using the probability of connectivity index (dPC), which analyses landscape connectivity based on graph structures. According to the graph theory, the results confirm that all the nodes or habitat fragments are directly or indirectly interconnected, thus forming a single component. Given the large availability of suitable habitat and the current state of landscape connectivity for the species, the dispersal of the wolf would be favorable if stable packs are formed. A new established population in the Pyrenees could lead to more genetic exchange between the Iberian wolf population and the rest of Europe’s wolf populations.
Sustainable Weed Control and Enhancing Nutrient Use Efficiency in Crops through Brassica (Brassica compestris L.) Allelopathy
Authors: Ullah Raza , Aslam Zubair , Maitah Mansoor , Zaman Qamar uz , Bashir Safdar , Hassan Waseem , Chen Zhongbing
Published: July 2020

Weed–crop competition and reduced soil fertility are some of the main reasons for decreased crop yields in Pakistan. Allelopathy can be applied to combat the problems of environmental degradation by reducing pesticide use and through reduction of herbicide-resistant weeds. A two-year field experiment (2014–2015) was conducted to assess the impact of incorporation of various levels of brassica residues and brassica water extract on the growth of mung bean and soil attributes. Two brassica water extract levels (10, 20 L/ha) and two residue levels (4, 6 t/ha) were tested, and a treatment with no water extract and residue incorporation was used as the control. The results showed that the water extract and residue incorporation had diverse impacts on soil fertility indices and weed dynamics, where treatment with 6 t/ha had more significant impacts. Compared with the control, reductions of 61% in dry weight of weeds and 52% in weed density were observed. After cropping, improved soil properties in terms of available potassium, available phosphorus, soil organic matter, and total nitrogen were higher in the rhizosphere (0–15 cm) soil after the treatments of residue incorporation, i.e., 59–91%, 62–84%, 29–45%, and 52–65% higher than the control, respectively. Meanwhile, alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase concentrations in the rhizosphere soil were 26–41% and 52–74% higher than with the control, respectively. The highest economic return with a high benefit–cost ratio was recorded with residue incorporation. In conclusion, addition of crop residues at 6 t/ha was the most effective and economical treatment with the highest net benefit rate of returns. This approach can provide a potential alternative for implementing sustainable weed control in mung bean with significant improvement in soil properties and can be a part of sustainable and eco-friendly agriculture.
Simultaneous NOx and Dioxin Removal in the SNCR Process
Authors: Wielgosiński Grzegorz , Czerwińska Justyna , Szymańska Olga , Bujak Janusz
Published: July 2020

Nitrogen oxides, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans are pollutants formed during thermal processes, in particular during the combustion of various fuels, including waste. They are classified as dangerous and highly toxic environmental pollutants whose emissions are strictly regulated. Many methods for reducing their emissions are known, but all involve additional production costs. For this reason, effective and cheap methods for removing these pollutants from exhaust gases are still sought. Selective non-catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides is one of the more effective and cheaper methods for reducing these emissions. However, an alternative to expensive methods for dioxin and furan removal (catalysis, adsorption, etc.) may include using dioxin synthesis inhibitors. The authors propose a method for the simultaneous removal of both pollutants from flue gases using selective non-catalytic reduction technologies with dioxin synthesis inhibitors used as reducing agents.
Correction: Ludvig, A.; et al. Governance of Social Innovation in Forestry. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1065
Authors: Ludvig Alice , Rogelja Todora , Asamer-Handler Marelli , Weiss Gerhard , Wilding Maria , Zivojinovic Ivana
Published: July 2020

Replacing the email of the fifth author Wilding Maria [...]
Sustainability Inclusion in Informatics Curriculum Development
Authors: Mishra Deepti , Mishra Alok
Published: July 2020

(1) Background: Presently, sustainability is a crucial issue for human beings due to many disasters owing to climate change. Information Technology (IT) is now part of everyday life in society due to the proliferation of gadgets such as mobile phones, apps, computers, information systems, web-based systems, etc. (2) Methods: The analysis is based on recent ACM/IEEE curriculum guidelines for IT, a rigorous literature review as well as various viewpoints and their relevance for sustainability-oriented curriculum development; it also includes an assessment of key competencies in sustainability for proposed units in the IT curriculum. (3) Results: Sustainability is a critical subject for prospective IT professionals. Therefore, it is imperative to motivate and raise awareness among students and the faculty community regarding sustainability through its inclusion in the Informatics curriculum. This paper focuses on how sustainability can be included in various courses of the Informatics curriculum. It also considers recent ACM/IEEE curriculum guidelines for IT professionals, which assert that IT students should explore IT strategies required for developing a culture of green and sustainable IT. (4) Conclusions: This paper provides guidelines for IT curriculum development by incorporating sustainable elements in courses, so that future IT professionals can learn and practice sustainability in order to develop a sustainable society.
Analysis of Safety Management Characteristics Using Network Analysis of CEO Messages in the Construction Industry
Authors: Choi Yun Gil , Cho Keun Tae
Published: July 2020

Chief executive officer (CEO) messages are important in communicating with employees. In terms of sustainability management, it is important to study these messages for their finance and safety content; however, previous studies have focused mostly on the financial aspects. Therefore, our approach is to: (1) focus on safety management, (2) use text mining and network analysis to extract the keywords emphasized by the CEOs, (3) analyze safety management characteristics through factor mapping and network analysis, (4) make recommendations. When the results from the CEO communications of 100 global construction companies were reviewed, keywords including “management”, “value”, “employee”, “system”, “project”, “culture”, “new”, “occupational”, “practice”, and “basis” were deduced. The words “management”, “employee”, and “culture” were the common keywords considered important by CEOs and were highlighted in literature reviews as significant words. Both the deduced keywords and the words deemed important by the CEOs have similar connotations. Motivation, Rules and Regulations, and Resources and Equipment were the factors that exhibited the highest centrality, while Culture and Climate had a structurally high connection. Based on our results, we suggest selecting appropriate words to form consensus with the workers, supplementing the factors related to safety investment with low centrality, and using direct “safety” words, and other relevant words.
Application of Natural Carbon Isotopes for Emission Source Apportionment of Carbonaceous Particulate Matter in Urban Atmosphere: A Case Study from Krakow, Southern Poland
Authors: Zimnoch Miroslaw , Samek Lucyna , Furman Leszek , Styszko Katarzyna , Skiba Alicja , Gorczyca Zbigniew , Galkowski Michal , Rozanski Kazimierz , Konduracka Ewa
Published: July 2020

Successful mitigation of air pollution in large cities requires information about the structure of emission sources and their contribution to total atmospheric load. The presented research demonstrates a possibility of application of isotope tracers for the estimation of contribution of different sources to the carbonaceous fraction of PM2.5 (Particulate Matter containing fraction below 2.5 μm) collected in the urban atmosphere of Krakow, Poland during the summer and winter seasons. Isotope mass balance approach was used to perform source apportionment analysis for those two seasons. The analysis showed that the dominant source of the carbonaceous fraction of PM2.5 in Krakow is coal burning during the winter season and biogenic emissions during the summer season. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the uncertainty of the percentage contribution of different sources to the overall carbon load of the analyzed PM2.5 fraction is in order of a few percent.
Effects of Circular Economy Policies on the Environment and Sustainable Growth: Worldwide Research
Authors: Abad-Segura Emilio , Fuente Ana Batlles de la , González-Zamar Mariana-Daniela , Belmonte-Ureña Luis Jesús
Published: July 2020

The challenge of transitioning from a linear to a circular economy model is still ongoing and requires the development and application of new knowledge, leading to innovative, technological, and sustainable processes, products, and services. The evolution of global research on this topic from 2004 to 2019 was studied in this work. For this purpose, a bibliometric analysis of 1366 articles was applied, producing results on the scientific productivity of the driving agents that most contribute to this theme. The findings show a growing interest, especially in the last four years, in the study of circular economy (CE) policies on the environment. The main subject area that articles address is environmental science. Five research lines have been identified, which mainly study the efficient management of energy resources and the economic factors that make the CE model possible: Environmental pollution and agricultural activity; waste management to avoid a negative environmental impact; improvement of the environmental impact through ecological products; the product life cycle, and the consequences of climate change. The implementation of CE policies will contribute to making economies less dependent and unprotected and more competitive. Global research has exhibited an upward trend during the period analyzed and has grown exponentially since 2015, coinciding with the publication of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.
Movements and Habitat Use of Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the East China Sea
Authors: Lin Shian-Jhong , Chiang Wei-Chuan , Musyl Michael K. , Wang Sheng-Ping , Su Nan-Jay , Chang Qi-Xuan , Ho Yuan-Shing , Nakamura Itsumi , Tseng Chen-Te , Kawabe Ryo
Published: July 2020

To refine the regional and global stock and ecological assessments of dolphinfish in fisheries, it is necessary to have information on the species habitat use, fisheries interaction, migration corridors, and on changes in spatial-temporal patterns over their ontogeny. In order to inform management, pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were deployed on dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the Northern East China Sea to get data on the movement patterns and habitat utilization of this species in this location. During October–November 2018, four dolphinfish (94–102 cm fork length) were captured by set-nets and PSAT tagged. Tagged dolphinfish retained PSATs for 5–31 days-at-liberty (total 69 days) and linear dispersion from deployment to pop-up locations ranged from 63 to 204 km. According to most probable tracks, tagged fish made primarily northward movements. Tagged fish reached depths of ~94 m and experienced ambient temperatures from 17.8 to 23 °C. Movements appeared to be limited by a 3 °C change relative to sea surface temperature (SST) and were confined to the mixed-layer. Diel diving patterns indicated dolphinfish spent >80% of daytime activity and 40% of nighttime activity near the surface, where variability in diving patterns was more pronounced. The vertical diving patterns showed pronounced changes during dawn and dusk, where dolphinfish mirrored the movements of diel migrating prey organisms. Our preliminary results provide vertical distribution patterns of dolphinfish in a location that supports important fisheries. This information will be useful for management to develop stock assessments which support the sustainable use of this species.
An AHP-Based Methodology for the Evaluation and Choice of Integrated Interventions on Historic Buildings
Authors: Fiore Pierfrancesco , Sicignano Enrico , Donnarumma Giuseppe
Published: July 2020

Historic buildings are at the center of cultural and economic interests, due to issues related to their conservation and protection as well as their use and technical-performance efficiency. They are often considered within the accepted meaning of ‘assets-resource’. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the research and development of methodologies to appropriately intervene on this type of heritage assets. This contribution defines a methodology to select interventions capable of combining protection requirements with performance upgrading, as part of integrated seismic improvement and energy-environmental retrofit strategies. The aim is to develop a tool that not only supports Public Administrations in the planning/designing of appropriate interventions but also private investors in a partnership perspective. Given the need to use a multidisciplinary and multi-criteria approach, the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method has been used; it allows for the comparison of various intervention alternatives on the basis of certain evaluation criteria, aimed at obtaining a preference index. This approach allows us to support the decision-maker in making the most appropriate choice, according to a rationally structured procedure.
Qualitative Study on Electricity Consumption of Urban and Rural Households in Chiang Rai, Thailand, with a Focus on Ownership and Use of Air Conditioners
Authors: Yoshida Aya , Manomivibool Panate , Tasaki Tomohiro , Unroj Pattayaporn
Published: July 2020

This study investigated the differences in household energy consumption between urban and rural households in northern Thailand, with a particular focus on air-conditioner ownership and use. In-depth visits to 32 households in Chiang Rai were undertaken in 2016 and 2017. The data collection covered six aspects: household attributes, ownership of electric appliances, use of air conditioners (ACs), intentions to conserve electricity, desire to purchase electric appliances in the future, and prospects for a future lifestyle. Traditional stilt houses can still be found in rural areas, but ACs have been introduced as rural houses have modernized. The typical period of AC use in rural areas was 2 to 4 months during summer. In urban households, ACs were used for a longer period, from 3 to 12 months each year. In addition, rural households usually used ACs for only a few hours each day before sleeping, whereas urban households often used them while they slept and some used them throughout the day. Households with children and grandchildren tended to use the AC for longer periods. These results suggest that promotion of environmentally friendly lifestyles for younger adults to control overuse of ACs would be key to reducing energy consumption in the future.
Can Differing Opinions Hinder Partnerships for the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals? Evidence from Marginalized Urban Areas in Andalusia
Authors: Sianes Antonio , Vela-Jiménez Rocío
Published: July 2020

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were set up under the idea that no one—and no place—be left behind. Today, the tendency for population growth concentrates in cities, causing social segregation and the proliferation of marginalized urban areas. In this global context, SDG 11, which addresses the urban dimension of the 2030 Agenda, is becoming crucial. To achieve inclusive and sustainable development, especially in disadvantaged urban areas, collaborative partnerships have been suggested as essential to building habitable spaces where life is worth living. However, the literature reveals how the commitment to multistakeholder partnerships depends on many factors, such as the perceptions the participants have about their reality and the problems they face. In this study, we rely on the information collected from 118 surveys conducted among the leaders of private, public, and civil society organizations already collaborating in six disadvantaged neighborhoods in Andalusia. The results show how and where their perceptions about their own neighborhoods differ and the intersectional reasons behind these differing opinions. This is a critical starting point to elucidate how to enable and sustain local collective actions to start the process of fighting for human dignity.
Optimal Reconfiguration of a Parallel Robot for Forward Singularities Avoidance in Rehabilitation Therapies. A Comparison via Different Optimization Methods
Authors: Llopis-Albert Carlos , Valero Francisco , Mata Vicente , Pulloquinga José L. , Zamora-Ortiz Pau , Escarabajal Rafael J.
Published: July 2020

This paper presents an efficient algorithm for the reconfiguration of a parallel kinematic manipulator with four degrees of freedom. The reconfiguration of the parallel manipulator is posed as a nonlinear optimization problem where the design variables correspond to the anchoring points of the limbs of the robot on the fixed platform. The penalty function minimizes the forces applied by the actuators during a specific trajectory. Some constraints are imposed to avoid forward singularities and guarantee the feasibility of the active generalized coordinates for a certain trajectory. The results are compared with different optimization approaches with the aim of avoiding getting trapped into a local minimum and undergoing forward singularities. The comparison covers evolutionary algorithms, heuristics optimizers, multistrategy algorithms, and gradient-based optimizers. The proposed methodology has been successfully tested on an actual parallel robot for different trajectories.
Environmental Risk Evaluation and Source Identification of Heavy Metal(loid)s in Agricultural Soil of Shangdan Valley, Northwest China
Authors: Zhuang Sukai , Lu Xinwei
Published: July 2020

To understand the environmental quality and heavy metal(loid) pollution of farmlands in Shangdan Valley, the contents of macroelements (Na, K, Si, Mg, Ca, Al, Fe, Ti, P, S, Cl, Br) and heavy metal(loid)s (Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Ni, V, Co, Cr, As) were surveyed by the X-ray fluorescence method. The pollution degree and ecological risk of the heavy metal(loid)s were judged by the Nemerow synthetic pollution index, geo-accumulation index, and potential ecological risk index, and their sources were identified by the multivariate statistic method. The mean contents of nine heavy metal(loid)s in Shangdan Valley farmland soil exceeded their corresponding reference values. Soils were not contaminated with As, Cr, Mn, and Ni but were slightly contaminated with Co, Cu, Pb, V, and Zn. Their comprehensive pollution levels were moderate to serious. The ecological risk index of single heavy metal(loid) decreased in the sequence As > Pb > Co > Cu > Ni > V > Zn > Cr > Mn. The source analysis results indicated that Cu, Pb, Zn, and As were highly affected by anthropogenic inputs, e.g., metal smelting and agricultural activities, while Mn, Ni, Cr, and V were principally derived from a natural source. As for Co, it was affected by a mixture source of nature, fossil fuel combustion, and fertilizer.
Improvement of Disability Rights via Geographic Information Science
Authors: Kocaman Sultan , Ozdemir Nadire
Published: July 2020

Rights, legal regulations, and practices often arise from societal and scientific developments, and societal transformations may originate from new legal regulations as well. Basic rights can be re-defined with advancements in science and technology. In such an evolutional loop, where mutual supply is obvious, combined legal and technological frameworks should be exercised and developed for practicing human rights. The main aim of this article is to propose a conceptual and methodological framework for the improvement of disability rights in the light of recent advancements in geographic information science (GIScience), in particular for those with motor disabilities, for whom questions related to “where” are essential. The concept of disability is discussed, considering different aspects, and a new methodological framework is proposed in which Geographic Information Systems (GIS), volunteered geographic information (VGI) and citizen science are at the core. In order to implement the framework at the national and international levels, a spatial data model should be developed first. The new data collection and interpretation approaches based on VGI, citizen science, and machine learning methods may help to realize equal rights for people with motor disabilities, by enabling improved access to education, health, and travel.
Karren Habitat as the Key in Influencing Plant Distribution and Species Diversity in Shilin Geopark, Southwest China
Authors: Li Kun , Zhang Mengyuan , Li Yilun , Xing Xiaoyi , Fan Shuxin , Cao Yu , Dong Li , Chen Desheng
Published: July 2020

Karst rocky desertification (KRD) is one of the biggest challenges in the karst ecological restoration of Southwest China, and a thorough understanding of the plant community characteristics in various karren habitats provides a basis for mitigating KRD and restoring the degraded ecosystem. To improve our knowledge of the detailed characteristics and impact mechanisms of karren habitats on the species distribution and species diversity patterns of woody and herbaceous plants to benefit sustainable management and planting design for revegetation establishment in the karst region, a field investigation was carried out in the natural restoration vegetation of Shilin Geopark. The results indicated that karren habitats apparently determine the species diversity and composition. At the arbor layer, the habitat with the highest α diversity was solution corridor (SC), and at the shrub layer, grikes (GR) were the karren habitats with the most diverse communities. At the herb layer, solution rock debris (SRD) showed the highest richness of herbaceous species. The karren habitat features and topographic factors significantly influence plant α diversity and distribution. Soil area (SA) and canopy density (CD) were the dominant factors influencing plant diversity at the arbor, shrub and herb layers, soil thickness (ST) was significantly effective at the arbor and herb layers. Karren habitat height (KHH), litter thickness (LT), and slope gradient (SG) were significantly influential at the herb layer. The impacts of the karren habitat width (KHW), slope aspect (SAS), and SG on woody species distribution were significant. Knowledge obtained from this study will be helpful guidance for future sustainable restored vegetation design and management with high biodiversity and regional characteristics in the karst area of Southwest China and other fragile karst ecosystems in the world.
Integration of PCA and Fuzzy Clustering for Delineation of Soil Management Zones and Cost-Efficiency Analysis in a Citrus Plantation
Authors: Zeraatpisheh Mojtaba , Bakhshandeh Esmaeil , Emadi Mostafa , Li Tengfei , Xu Ming
Published: July 2020

Citrus spp. are one of the most important commercial crops with global marketing potential in the world, as in Iran. A soil management zone (MZ) as an appropriate approach is necessary to achieve sustainable production, along with improving soil management and increasing economic benefits in the commercial citrus plantations of northern Iran. As the first report, the biological and terrain attributes along with the physicochemical properties (57 soil samples, 0–30 cm) were used for MZ delineation using the integration of principal component analysis (PCA) and the fuzzy c-means clustering methods. An economic analysis based on the MZ results was also performed to determine the changes in each MZ using a relative cost (RC) value. The high correlation between soil properties and terrain attributes and the considerable spatial variation of these factors in the study area call for site-specific nutrient management. The optimal number of MZs was six and there was a significant heterogeneity variation among different MZs. The ranking of the MZs were MZ5 > MZ2 > MZ6 > MZ1 > MZ3 > MZ4 based on higher soil quality and lower costs per tree. The MZ4, MZ3, MZ1, MZ6, and MZ2 required 34.4, 30.6, 29.4, 9.77, and 9.44% more costs than MZ5 (as reference MZ) for achieving similar productivity, respectively. Therefore, this simple and cost-effective approach could be an initial step to utilize fertilizers site-specifically for data-scarce areas and reduce the soil property variability within the delineated MZs, which is fundamental for precision agriculture management.
Personality Traits and Motivation as Factors Associated with Symptoms of Problematic Binge-Watching
Authors: Starosta Jolanta , Izydorczyk Bernadetta , Dobrowolska Małgorzata
Published: July 2020

Advance in new technologies has created a new form of consuming television. Binge-watching can be highly entertaining behavior, but its excessive forms could lead to development of risk of addiction. The aim of the study was to identify psychological factors associated with symptoms of problematic binge-watching and to establish on what devices and platforms young people tend to binge-watch. The results of the study indicate that Polish university students usually binge-watch on laptops and smartphones by using the Internet—streaming platforms or other websites. Low Conscientiousness was the strongest variable related to symptoms of binge-watching from all the personality traits. Furthermore, results show that there is a significant relationship between low Agreeableness, low Emotional Stability, low Intellect and problematic binge-watching. Moreover, escape motivation was the strongest factor from all motivational variables.
Effect of Seed Meals on Weed Control and Soil Physical Properties in Direct-Seeded Pumpkin
Authors: Saini Rupinder , Singh Atinderpal , Deb Sanjit K.
Published: July 2020

Mustard (Brassica sp.) seed meal (MSM) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seed meal (SSM) are the byproducts of the seed oil extraction process. They release biologically active allelochemicals that can provide a resource for supplemental nutrients and weed suppression in vegetable cropping systems. Our field experiment aimed to assess the phytotoxic impact of MSM and SSM on weeds and seedling establishment of direct-seeded pumpkin under semi-arid conditions and to study the impact of MSM and SSM on soil physical properties and soil water retention characteristics. The meals were incorporated into the soil 2 weeks before pumpkin planting at two rates (1150 and 2250 kg ha−1). MSM at both rates reduced early season grass and broadleaf weeds by 75 to 82% and 69 to 76%, respectively, as compared to the untreated control. However, SSM at both rates provided 59 to 65% and 54 to 59% controls of narrow and broadleaf weeds, respectively. Both MSM and SSM provided significantly better weed control and pumpkin yield as compared to the untreated control, but higher pumpkin yield was recorded with a lower rate of MSM. In addition, soils amended by both the seed meals had higher saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water content, and lower bulk density than the untreated control. Overall, our findings suggest that the use of both MSM and SSM as an organic adjuvant is effective in controlling weeds and improving soil physical properties; however, additional research is required to further evaluate these findings and improve the reliability of MSM and SSM for weed suppression following application to agricultural soils.
Prospects for Electric Vehicles
Authors: Barkenbus Jack N.
Published: July 2020

The transformation from conventional vehicles to electric vehicles is underway, but its timeline is still uncertain. The battle against climate change provides the essential backdrop, leading governments to encourage this transformation by providing both consumer incentives to purchase electric vehicles and by establishing regulations requiring automakers to produce them. Behind this prodding are a set of fundamental forces that both encourage and discourage consumer interest, as set forth in the text. Fortunately, intensive battery research and development is proceeding that should alter market forces and make electric vehicles more attractive to segments of the population not now in the market for an electric vehicle. Hence, even if the timeline for battery improvement cannot be predicted with certainty, continued government support, and upstart automakers, such as Tesla, should ensure that the transformation will proceed over time.