bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Informing the Public and Educating Students on Plastic Recycling
Authors: Bennett Ethan M. , Alexandridis Paschalis
Published: October 2021

Approximately 300 million tons of plastic waste is generated per year. The major portion of this plastic waste is landfilled, while part of it leaks into the environment. When plastic waste enters the terrestrial or aqueous environment, it can have negative impacts on ecosystems, human health, and wildlife. Increasing the amount of plastic waste that is recycled will correspondingly reduce the amount of plastic waste that enters the environment. By educating the public and industry on plastic recycling, current recycling programs can be used more efficiently, and new programs can be created. Education material on plastic recycling is available through professional and industry associations, foundations with an environmental focus, university courses, and short courses offered with private companies. This review assembles and analyzes the current education material on plastic recycling that is available from these providers. The material compiled here can be used to gain insight into specific plastic recycling-related topics, to identify areas of recycling education that can be improved, and as a resource to help build university level courses. There is currently a dearth of plastic recycling courses offered at the university level. Educating more students on plastic recycling will equip them with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions as consumers, and to implement plastic recycling systems at the professional level.
Spirituality and Well-Being: Theory, Science, and the Nature Connection
Authors: Ryff Carol D.
Published: October 2021

The links between spirituality and eudaimonic well-being are examined, beginning with a look at theoretical issues as to whether spirituality is best construed as part of well-being, or as a possible influence on well-being. A brief review of scientific findings from the MIDUS study linking religion and spirituality to well-being and other outcomes is then provided to show recent empirical work on these topics. Suggestions for future work are also provided. The third section is forward-thinking and addresses the power of nature to nurture spirituality and well-being, beginning with a look at how current research has linked nature to human flourishing. Issues of spirituality are rarely mentioned in this literature, despite evidence that nature has long been a source of inspiration in poetry, literature, art, and music. These works reveal that the natural world speaks to the human soul. To explore such ideas, parts of Jungian psychology are revisited: the soul’s longing for poetry, myth, and metaphor; the importance of animism, which sees nature as a field inhabited by spirit; and the devaluing of ancient cultures. The final section considers the wisdom of the indigenous peoples who saw spirit in everything. Their inputs, exemplified with “Two-Eyed Seeing”, offer new visions for thinking about the interplay of spirituality, well-being, and the natural world.
Audience Competency in Romans and Paul’s Flexible Use of Scripture
Authors: Oropeza B. J.
Published: October 2021

A phenomenon noticeable in many of Paul’s quotations of Scripture is the way that they do not follow the texts he cites verbatim. This prompts the question as to whether his audience would be competent enough to detect these differences. This study considers aspects such as text variations, memory, notetaking, and rhetorical argument as potential factors related to Paul’s flexible use of Scripture in Romans. The study then probes whether Paul’s audience, particularly believing gentiles in Rome, would have known Jewish Scripture well enough to evaluate Paul’s use of Scripture. Through congregational longevity, plurality of audience, synagogue influence, and other factors, it is concluded that there is indeed competency among Paul’s auditors, but there is no evidence suggesting that he is concerned about their reacting negatively to the elasticity of his quotations.
Religious Minorities in Europe: A Memory Mutates
Authors: Pace Enzo
Published: October 2021

In 1843, in Paris, Karl Marx wrote the article Zur Judenfrage (On the Jewish Question) (Marx and Engels 1975, p [...]
The Competency Niche: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Dobrowolski Zbysław , Drozdowski Grzegorz , Ledzianowski Józef
Published: October 2021

In the era of a turbulent and less-predictable business environment, as confirmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to efficiently use human resources has become particularly important. There is a need to reduce employees' competency niche, and competency mismatches have become noticeable in the European Union. We performed qualitative interviews (n = 282) to determine the competency niche of employees from private firms in Poland. Results show that employees were passive in identifying their competence needs. Moreover, firms did not use the weak signals methodology to eliminate the competency niche. This novel study found that firms should be more active in identifying employee competency niches by analyzing early signs to be ready for any changes without delays. The findings create a basis for proposing preventive measures, and we point out avenues for future research.
Equity Risk and Return across Hidden Market Regimes
Authors: Endovitsky Dmitry A. , Korotkikh Viacheslav V. , Khripushin Denis A.
Published: October 2021

The key to understanding the dynamics of stock markets, particularly the mechanisms of their changes, is in the concept of the market regime. It is regarded as a regular transition from one state to another. Although the market agenda is never the same, its functioning regime allows us to reveal the logic of its development. The article employs the concept of financial turbulence to identify hidden market regimes. These are revealed through the ratio of the components, which describe single changes of correlated risks and volatility. The combinations of typical and atypical variates of correlational and magnitude components of financial turbulence allowed four hidden regimes to be revealed. These were arranged by the degree of financial turbulence, conceptually analyzed and assessed from the perspective of their duration. The empirical data demonstrated ETF day trading profits for S&P 500 sectors, covering the period of January 1998–August 2020, as well as day trade profits of the Russian blue chips within the period of October 2006–February 2021. The results show a significant difference in regard to the market performance and volatility, which depend on hidden regimes. Both sample data groups demonstrated similar contemporaneous and lagged effects, which allows the prediction of volatility jumps in the periods following atypical correlations.
Assessment of Shoreline Transformation Rates and Landslide Monitoring on the Bank of Kuibyshev Reservoir (Russia) Using Multi-Source Data
Authors: Yermolaev Oleg , Usmanov Bulat , Gafurov Artur , Poesen Jean , Vedeneeva Evgeniya , Lisetskii Fedor , Nicu Ionut Cristi
Published: October 2021

This study focuses on the Kuibyshev reservoir (Volga River basin, Russia)—the largest in Eurasia and the third in the world by area (6150 km2). The objective of this paper is to quantitatively assess the dynamics of reservoir bank landslides and shoreline abrasion at active zones based on the integrated use of modern instrumental methods (i.e., terrestrial laser scanning—TLS, unmanned aerial vehicle—UAV, and a global navigation satellite system—GNSS) and GIS analysis of historical imagery. A methodology for the application of different methods of instrumental assessment of abrasion and landslide processes is developed. Different approaches are used to assess the intensity of landslide and abrasion processes: the specific volume and material loss index, the planar displacement of the bank scarp, and the planar-altitude analysis of displaced soil material based on the analysis of slope profiles. Historical shoreline position (1958, 1985, and 1987) was obtained from archival aerial photo data, whereas data for 1975, 1993, 2010, 2011, and 2012 were obtained from high-resolution satellite image interpretation. Field surveys of the geomorphic processes from 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2014 were carried out using Trimble M3 and Trimble VX total stations; in 2012–2014 and 2019 TLS and UAV surveys were made, respectively. The monitoring of landslide processes showed that the rate of volumetric changes at Site 1 remained rather stable during the measurement period with net material losses of 0.03–0.04 m−3 m−2 yr−1. The most significant contribution to the average annual value of the material loss was snowmelt runoff. The landslide scarp retreat rate at Site 2 showed a steady decreasing trend, due to partial overgrowth of the landslide accumulation zone resulting in its relative stabilization. The average long-term landslide scarp retreat rate is—2.3 m yr−1. In 2019 earthworks for landscaping at this site have reduced the landslide intensity by more than 2.5 times to—0.84 m yr−1.
Regional High-Resolution Benthic Habitat Data from Planet Dove Imagery for Conservation Decision-Making and Marine Planning
Authors: Schill Steven R. , McNulty Valerie Pietsch , Pollock F. Joseph , Lüthje Fritjof , Li Jiwei , Knapp David E. , Kington Joe D. , McDonald Trevor , Raber George T. , Escovar-Fadul Ximena , Asner Gregory P.
Published: October 2021

High-resolution benthic habitat data fill an important knowledge gap for many areas of the world and are essential for strategic marine conservation planning and implementing effective resource management. Many countries lack the resources and capacity to create these products, which has hindered the development of accurate ecological baselines for assessing protection needs for coastal and marine habitats and monitoring change to guide adaptive management actions. The PlanetScope (PS) Dove Classic SmallSat constellation delivers high-resolution imagery (4 m) and near-daily global coverage that facilitates the compilation of a cloud-free and optimal water column image composite of the Caribbean’s nearshore environment. These data were used to develop a first-of-its-kind regional thirteen-class benthic habitat map to 30 m water depth using an object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach. A total of 203,676 km2 of shallow benthic habitat across the Insular Caribbean was mapped, representing 5% coral reef, 43% seagrass, 15% hardbottom, and 37% other habitats. Results from a combined major class accuracy assessment yielded an overall accuracy of 80% with a standard error of less than 1% yielding a confidence interval of 78–82%. Of the total area mapped, 15% of these habitats (31,311.7 km2) are within a marine protected or managed area. This information provides a baseline of ecological data for developing and executing more strategic conservation actions, including implementing more effective marine spatial plans, prioritizing and improving marine protected area design, monitoring condition and change for post-storm damage assessments, and providing more accurate habitat data for ecosystem service models.
Hexagonal Grid-Based Framework for Mobile Robot Navigation
Authors: Duszak Piotr , Siemiątkowska Barbara , Więckowski Rafał
Published: October 2021

The paper addresses the problem of mobile robots’ navigation using a hexagonal lattice. We carried out experiments in which we used a vehicle equipped with a set of sensors. Based on the data, a traversable map was created. The experimental results proved that hexagonal maps of an environment can be easily built based on sensor readings. The path planning method has many advantages: the situation in which obstacles surround the position of the robot or the target is easily detected, and we can influence the properties of the path, e.g., the distance from obstacles or the type of surface can be taken into account. A path can be smoothed more easily than with a rectangular grid.
MADNet 2.0: Pixel-Scale Topography Retrieval from Single-View Orbital Imagery of Mars Using Deep Learning
Authors: Tao Yu , Muller Jan-Peter , Xiong Siting , Conway Susan J.
Published: October 2021

The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provides remotely sensed imagery at the highest spatial resolution at 25–50 cm/pixel of the surface of Mars. However, due to the spatial resolution being so high, the total area covered by HiRISE targeted stereo acquisitions is very limited. This results in a lack of the availability of high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) which are better than 1 m/pixel. Such high-resolution DTMs have always been considered desirable for the international community of planetary scientists to carry out fine-scale geological analysis of the Martian surface. Recently, new deep learning-based techniques that are able to retrieve DTMs from single optical orbital imagery have been developed and applied to single HiRISE observational data. In this paper, we improve upon a previously developed single-image DTM estimation system called MADNet (1.0). We propose optimisations which we collectively call MADNet 2.0, which is based on a supervised image-to-height estimation network, multi-scale DTM reconstruction, and 3D co-alignment processes. In particular, we employ optimised single-scale inference and multi-scale reconstruction (in MADNet 2.0), instead of multi-scale inference and single-scale reconstruction (in MADNet 1.0), to produce more accurate large-scale topographic retrieval with boosted fine-scale resolution. We demonstrate the improvements of the MADNet 2.0 DTMs produced using HiRISE images, in comparison to the MADNet 1.0 DTMs and the published Planetary Data System (PDS) DTMs over the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover’s landing site at Oxia Planum. Qualitative and quantitative assessments suggest the proposed MADNet 2.0 system is capable of producing pixel-scale DTM retrieval at the same spatial resolution (25 cm/pixel) of the input HiRISE images.
Potential Contributors to Common Mode Error in Array GPS Displacement Fields in Taiwan Island
Authors: Ma Xiaojun , Liu Bin , Dai Wujiao , Kuang Cuilin , Xing Xuemin
Published: October 2021

The existence of the common mode error (CME) in the continuous global navigation satellite system (GNSS) coordinate time series affects geophysical studies that use GNSS observations. To understand the potential contributors of CME in GNSS networks in Taiwan and their effect on velocity estimations, we used the principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) to filter the vertical coordinate time series from 44 high-quality GNSS stations in Taiwan island in China, with a span of 10 years. The filtering effects have been evaluated and the potential causes of the CME are analyzed. The root-mean-square values decreased by approximately 14% and 17% after spatio-temporal filtering using PCA and ICA, respectively. We then discuss the relationship between the CME sources obtained by ICA and the environmental loads. The results reveal that the independent displacements extracted by ICA correlate with the atmospheric mass loading (ATML) and land water storage mass loading (LWS) of Taiwan in terms of both its amplitude and phase. We then use the white noise plus power law noise model to quantitatively estimate the noise characteristics of the pre- and post-filtered coordinate time series based on the maximum likelihood estimation criterion. The results indicate that spatio-temporal filtering reduces the amplitude of the PL and the periodic terms in the GPS time series.
Detecting Low-Intensity Fires in East Asia Using VIIRS Data: An Improved Contextual Algorithm
Authors: Zhang Ning , Sun Lin , Sun Zhendong , Qu Yu
Published: October 2021

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) fire detection algorithm mostly relies on thermal infrared channels that possess fixed or context-sensitive thresholds. The main channel used for fire identification is the mid-infrared channel, which has relatively low temperature saturation. Therefore, when the high temperature of a fire in this channel is used for initial screening, the threshold is relatively high. Although screening results are tested at different levels, few small fires will be lost under these strict test conditions. However, crop burning fires often occur in East Asia at a small scale and relatively low temperature, such that their radiative characteristics cannot meet the global threshold. Here, we propose a new weighted fire test algorithm to accurately detect small-scale fires based on differences in the sensitivity of test conditions to fire. This method reduces the problem of small fires being ignored because they do not meet some test conditions. Moreover, the adaptive threshold suitable for small fires is selected by bubble sorting according to the radiation characteristics of small fires. Our results indicate that the improved algorithm is more sensitive to small fires, with accuracies of 53.85% in summer and 73.53% in winter, representing an 18.69% increase in accuracy and a 28.91% decline in error rate.
USA Crop Yield Estimation with MODIS NDVI: Are Remotely Sensed Models Better than Simple Trend Analyses?
Authors: Johnson David M. , Rosales Arthur , Mueller Richard , Reynolds Curt , Frantz Ronald , Anyamba Assaf , Pak Ed , Tucker Compton
Published: October 2021

Crop yield forecasting is performed monthly during the growing season by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The underpinnings are long-established probability surveys reliant on farmers’ feedback in parallel with biophysical measurements. Over the last decade though, satellite imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has been used to corroborate the survey information. This is facilitated through the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies/Global Agricultural Monitoring system, which provides open access to pertinent real-time normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data. Hence, two relatively straightforward MODIS-based modeling methods are employed operationally. The first model constitutes mid-season timing based on the maximum peak NDVI value, while the second is reflective of late-season timing by integrating accumulated NDVI over a threshold value. Corn model results nationally show the peak NDVI method provides a R2 of 0.88 and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 3.5%. The accumulated method, using an optimally derived 0.58 NDVI threshold, improves the performance to 0.93 and 2.7%, respectively. Both these models outperform simple trend analysis, which is 0.48 and 7.4%, correspondingly. For soybeans the R2 results of the peak NDVI model are 0.62, and 0.73 for the accumulated using a 0.56 threshold. CVs are 6.8% and 5.7%, respectively. Spring wheat’s R2 performance with the accumulated NDVI model is 0.60 but just 0.40 with peak NDVI. The soybean and spring wheat models perform similarly to trend analysis. Winter wheat and upland cotton show poor model performance, regardless of method. Ultimately, corn yield forecasting derived from MODIS imagery is robust, and there are circumstances when forecasts for soybeans and spring wheat have merit too.
Estimating Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) over Rice–Wheat-Rotation Croplands by Using the Random Forest Model and Eddy Covariance Measurements: Upscaling and Comparison with the MODIS Product
Authors: Duan Zexia , Yang Yuanjian , Zhou Shaohui , Gao Zhiqiu , Zong Lian , Fan Sihui , Yin Jian
Published: October 2021

Despite advances in remote sensing–based gross primary productivity (GPP) modeling, the calibration of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) GPP product (GPPMOD) is less well understood over rice–wheat-rotation cropland. To improve the performance of GPPMOD, a random forest (RF) machine learning model was constructed and employed over the rice–wheat double-cropping fields of eastern China. The RF-derived GPP (GPPRF) agreed well with the eddy covariance (EC)-derived GPP (GPPEC), with a coefficient of determination of 0.99 and a root-mean-square error of 0.42 g C m−2 d−1. Therefore, it was deemed reliable to upscale GPPEC to regional scales through the RF model. The upscaled cumulative seasonal GPPRF was higher for rice (924 g C m−2) than that for wheat (532 g C m−2). By comparing GPPMOD and GPPEC, we found that GPPMOD performed well during the crop rotation periods but underestimated GPP during the rice/wheat active growth seasons. Furthermore, GPPMOD was calibrated by GPPRF, and the error range of GPPMOD (GPPRF minus GPPMOD) was found to be 2.5–3.25 g C m−2 d−1 for rice and 0.75–1.25 g C m−2 d−1 for wheat. Our findings suggest that RF-based GPP products have the potential to be applied in accurately evaluating MODIS-based agroecosystem carbon cycles at regional or even global scales.
IMU-Based Hand Gesture Interface Implementing a Sequence-Matching Algorithm for the Control of Assistive Technologies
Authors: Schweitzer Frédéric , Campeau-Lecours Alexandre
Published: October 2021

Assistive technologies (ATs) often have a high-dimensionality of possible movements (e.g., assistive robot with several degrees of freedom or a computer), but the users have to control them with low-dimensionality sensors and interfaces (e.g., switches). This paper presents the development of an open-source interface based on a sequence-matching algorithm for the control of ATs. Sequence matching allows the user to input several different commands with low-dimensionality sensors by not only recognizing their output, but also their sequential pattern through time, similarly to Morse code. In this paper, the algorithm is applied to the recognition of hand gestures, inputted using an inertial measurement unit worn by the user. An SVM-based algorithm, that is aimed to be robust, with small training sets (e.g., five examples per class) is developed to recognize gestures in real-time. Finally, the interface is applied to control a computer’s mouse and keyboard. The interface was compared against (and combined with) the head movement-based AssystMouse software. The hand gesture interface showed encouraging results for this application but could also be used with other body parts (e.g., head and feet) and could control various ATs (e.g., assistive robotic arm and prosthesis).
An Anthropocentric and Enhanced Predictive Approach to Smart City Management
Authors: Carneiro Davide , Amaral António , Carvalho Mariana , Barreto Luís
Published: October 2021

Cities are becoming increasingly complex to manage, as they increase in size and must provide higher living standards for their populations. New technology-based solutions must be developed towards attending this growth and ensuring that it is socially sustainable. This paper puts forward the notion that these solutions must share some properties: they should be anthropocentric, holistic, horizontal, multi-dimensional, multi-modal, and predictive. We propose an architecture in which streaming data sources that characterize the city context are used to feed a real-time graph of the city’s assets and states, as well as to train predictive models that hint into near future states of the city. This allows human decision-makers and automated services to take decisions, both for the present and for the future. To achieve this, multiple data sources about a city were gradually connected to a message broker, that enables increasingly rich decision-support. Results show that it is possible to predict future states of a city, in aspects such as traffic, air pollution, and other ambient variables. The key innovative aspect of this work is that, as opposed to the majority of existing approaches which focus on a real-time view of the city, we also provide insights into the near-future state of the city, thus allowing city services to plan ahead and adapt accordingly. The main goal is to optimize decision-making by anticipating future states of the city and make decisions accordingly.
The Relationship between Academic Dishonesty, Ethical Attitude and Ethical Climate: The Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Cheng Yao-Chung , Hung Fang-Chih , Hsu Hung-Ming
Published: October 2021

Academic dishonesty has become a global issue widely studied in many countries. Plagiarism using the Internet is prevalent across the world and seems to be increasing, affecting the reputation of schools and even countries. On the basis of the social cognitive theory and the theory of planned behavior, this study explored the relationship between ethical attitude and academic dishonesty, and we focused on the moderating effect of ethical climate on the relationship. A survey of 1271 students (745 female students, 526 male students; mean age = 16.38 years, SD = 0.76) from 31 senior high schools in Taiwan was conducted and analyzed using hierarchical regression by SPSS 26 to test the hypotheses of this study. The result shows that: (1) Compared with male students, female students had a more positive attitude towards ethical attitude and showed less academic dishonesty. Compared with general senior high school students, vocational senior high school students showed a more positive ethical attitude and a positive ethical climate; (2) ethical attitude was negatively related to academic dishonesty; (3) high ethical climate strengthened the negative relationship between ethical attitude and academic dishonesty. In addition, the theoretical implications, practical implications, and directions for future research are also discussed in this article. The result of the study can be a credible reference for educational researchers and educational administrative systems, when planning ethical-related courses or educational policies for high schools with more emphasis on academic dishonesty and other relevant issues.
The Influence of Earnings Management and Board Characteristics on Company Efficiency
Authors: Huang Hsueh-Li , Liang Lien-Wen , Chang Hai-Yen , Hsu Hsiu-Yuan
Published: October 2021

Earnings management is a means by which managers manipulate earnings to conceal the true performance of a company. The characteristics of the board of directors can also influence firm performance. This study applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Tobin regression model to investigate the influence of earnings management and board characteristics on company efficiency. The data sample includes 396 Taiwanese electronics and biotechnology companies from 2009 to 2017. The results indicate that earnings management has an insignificant influence on company efficiency with mixed results on the interactions between earnings management and board characteristics. When companies practiced earnings management, director experiences, a higher proportion of female directors, and a higher number of board meetings increased company efficiency. In contrast, a higher number of independent directors and a higher attendance rate of the directors at the board meeting decreased company efficiency. The results of this study suggest that board diversity, more female directors, and meetings could still improve firm performance despite companies’ engagement in earnings management.
The Influence of Farm Characteristics and Feed Compositions on the Environmental Impact of Pig Production in Flanders: Productivity, Energy Use and Protein Choices Are Key
Authors: Van Mierlo Klara , Baert Louise , Bracquené Ellen , De Tavernier Johan , Geeraerd Annemie
Published: October 2021

The growing pig production sector is a large contributor of negative impacts to the environment and feed production is responsible for a large part of these impacts. Pig production systems, including feed compositions, are variable, resulting in variable potential environmental impacts. This study investigated the influence of different farm characteristics and feed compositions on the environmental impact of pig production in Flanders. A Life Cycle Assessment approach was followed, including data from 39 farms and monthly feed compositions in the year 2018. Even though feed production contributes significantly to the overall environmental impact of pig production, the results show that environmental impacts are more affected by variabilities in farm characteristics than by fluctuating feed compositions. A higher productivity, in terms of feed conversion efficiency and the number of pigs produced per sow, is generally related to lower environmental impacts. Another influencing factor is the type and amount of energy used. For feed consumption, high variabilities are observed for water use, mainly caused by varying levels of sugar cane molasses. Climate change impacts and variabilities are mainly caused by soy ingredients and their origin. Finally, amino acids show large contributions to the environmental impact of pig feed consumption. Our research highlights that future developments for reducing the environmental impact of pig production should target animal productivity, the type and amount of energy used and selection of protein sources in pig feed.
Circular Carbon Economy (CCE): A Way to Invest CO2 and Protect the Environment, a Review
Authors: Alsarhan Latifah M. , Alayyar Alhanouf S. , Alqahtani Naif B. , Khdary Nezar H.
Published: October 2021

Increased levels of carbon dioxide have revolutionised the Earth; higher temperatures, melting icecaps, and flooding are now more prevalent. Fortunately, renewable energy mitigates this problem by making up 20% of human energy needs. However, from a “green environment” perspective, can carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere be reduced and eliminated? The carbon economic circle is an ideal solution to this problem, as it enables us to store, use, and remove carbon dioxide. This research introduces the circular carbon economy (CCE) and addresses its economic importance. Additionally, the paper discusses carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the utilisation of CO2. Furthermore, it explains current technologies and their future applications on environmental impact, CO2 capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). Various opinions on the best way to achieve zero carbon emissions and on CO2 applications and their economic impact are also discussed. The circular carbon economy can be achieved through a highly transparent global administration that is supportive of advanced technologies that contribute to the efficient utilisation of energy sources. This global administration must also provide facilities to modernise and develop factories and power stations, based on emission-reducing technologies. Monitoring emissions in countries through a global monitoring network system, based on actual field measurements, linked to a worldwide database allows all stakeholders to track the change in greenhouse gas emissions. The process of sequestering carbon dioxide in the ocean is affected by the support for technologies and industries that adopt the principle of carbon recycling in order to maintain the balance. This includes supporting initiatives that contribute to increasing vegetation cover and preserving oceans from pollutants, especially chemicals and radioactive pollutants, which will undoubtedly affect the process of sequestering carbon dioxide in the oceans, and this will contribute significantly to maintaining carbon dioxide at acceptable levels.
Culture’s Influence on the Design and Delivery of the Marketing Mix Elements in Tourism and Hospitality
Authors: Koc Erdogan , Ayyildiz Ahu Yazici
Published: October 2021

This review study presents intercultural research findings relating to elements or aspects of the marketing mix (7Ps) in tourism and hospitality. The study aims to present a comprehensive and compact document on almost all cultural variables/characteristics and all marketing mix elements based on data collected from a wide range of countries supported by several research studies. It is believed that the study will have significant value for researchers, practitioners, and students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, as at present there is no compact and comprehensive document that brings together research findings to establish a cumulative or overall cross-cultural understanding of the design and delivery of the tourism and hospitality marketing mix elements. Currently, studies on culture and tourism and hospitality mainly focus only on one or few cultural variables/dimensions, one or few countries, and one marketing mix element, or various sub-elements of the marketing mix, e.g., sales promotions or advertisements under the promotion element.
Analysis on the Effectiveness of the Input in Household Waste Classification of Residents—Taking S City in China as an Example
Authors: Zhang Yangyang , Huang Wenfang
Published: October 2021

S city in China has implemented a waste classification system and constructed a waste classification model with government-led market and public participation. In order to explore the effectiveness of waste classification input in S city, this paper conducts analyses from the points of view of the classification facility’s construction, environmental effectiveness, social acceptability and operation sustainability, based on interviews with and questionnaire surveys completed by related parties. The results show that the current waste classification facility system in S city is basically completed; high rates of both properties and residents comply with the waste classification system. S city has established a government-led waste classification pattern that depends on social participation. This pattern has been recognized and accepted by residents and is economically sustainable. At the same time, it is pointed out that the current marginal effectiveness of the waste classification input is showing a declining trend. Future investment should shift from investment in facilities and equipment to incentives for autonomous management by residents, and the corresponding evaluation of investment and effectiveness should also change accordingly. This requires the government to guide the refined management system.
The Experience of Emotional Labor and Its Related Factors among Nurses in General Hospital Settings in Republic of Korea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Ha Da-Jung , Park Jung-Hyun , Jung Su-Eun , Lee Boram , Kim Myo-Sung , Sim Kyo-Lin , Choi Yung-Hyun , Kwon Chan-Young
Published: October 2021

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the status of emotional labor and its related factors among nurses in general hospital settings in Korea. A total of seven electronic databases were comprehensively searched to find relevant cross-sectional studies published up to 28 January 2021. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata version 13.1. In total, 131 studies were included. The population showed a standardized mean difference of 3.38 (95% confidence interval, 3.34 to 3.42) in emotional labor assessed by a 1–5 Likert scale. The level of emotional labor had significant negative correlations with job satisfaction, social support, organizational engagement, coworker support, resilience, and nurses’ work environment, while it had significant positive correlations with emotional labor and burnout, turnover intention, and job stress. Although the methodological quality of the included studies was generally good, 24 of the included studies (18.32%) were evaluated as lacking generalization potential or otherwise as unclear. In conclusion, nurses in general hospital settings in Korea experience mild-to-moderate levels of emotional labor. There is some evidence that the emotional labor of nurses and its detrimental effects can be buffered at both the individual and hospital levels, and future research should focus on developing targeted interventions and evaluating their effectiveness.
Schoolyard Affordances for Physical Activity: A Pilot Study in 6 Nordic–Baltic Countries
Authors: Rutkauskaite Renata , Gisladottir Thordis , Pihu Maret , Kjonniksen Lise , Lounassalo Irinja , Huovinen Terhi , Gruodyte-Raciene Rita , Visagurskiene Kristina , Olafson Orn , Kull Merike , Rudzinska Ieva , Fjørtoft Ingun
Published: October 2021

Environmental settings influence children’s and adolescents’ physical activity (PA) in neighborhoods and schoolyards. This study aimed to explore the main characteristics of schoolyards in six Nordic–Baltic countries, to document how those facilities provide affordances for PA in 7–18 year–old schoolchildren, and how the schoolyard meets children’s preferences. One schoolyard was studied in each included country: Iceland, Norway, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The affordances, facilities, and equipment for PA in schoolyards were identified through orthophoto maps and standard registration forms. Children’s preferences were collected through group interviews at each participating school. A common design of schoolyards across countries indicated mostly flat topography with sparse vegetation and green areas dominated by large traditional sport arenas such as a football field, areas suitable for ball games, and track and field activities. Green spaces and varied topography were more prominent in Nordic countries. Across nationalities, the responses from pupils regarding the schoolyard were similar: they liked it though they wished for more variety of activities to do during recess. National regulations/recommendations for schoolyard design differed across the countries, being more restricted to sport fields and sport-related activities in Latvia and Lithuania, while in Nordic countries, the recommendations focused more on versatile schoolyard design.
Numerical Analysis of the Structural Resistance and Stability of Masonry Walls with an AAC Thermal Break Layer
Authors: Deyazada Mohammed , Degée Hervé , Vandoren Bram
Published: October 2021

Since energy efficiency has become the main priority in the design of buildings, load-bearing walls in modern masonry constructions nowadays include thermal break elements at the floor–wall junction to mitigate thermal bridges. The structural stability of these bearing walls is consequently affected. In the present paper, a numerical study of the resistance and stability of such composite masonry walls, including AAC thermal break layers, is presented. A finite element mesoscopic model is successfully calibrated with respect to recent experimental results at small and medium scale, in terms of resistance and stiffness under vertical load with or without eccentricity. The model is then used to extend the numerical models to larger-scale masonry walls made of composite masonry, with the aim of investigating the consequences of thermal elements on global resistance and stability. The results confirm that the resistance of composite walls is governed by the masonry layer with the lowest resistance value, except for walls with very large slenderness and loaded eccentrically: composite walls with low slenderness or loaded by a vertical load with limited eccentricities are failing due to the crushing of the AAC layer, while the walls characterized by large slenderness ratios and loaded eccentrically tend to experience buckling failure in the main clay masonry layer.
Efficiency Enhancement in Double-Pass Perforated Glazed Solar Air Heaters with Porous Beds: Taguchi-Artificial Neural Network Optimization and Cost–Benefit Analysis
Authors: Vaziri Roozbeh , Oladipo Akeem Adeyemi , Sharifpur Mohsen , Taher Rani , Ahmadi Mohammad Hossein , Issakhov Alibek
Published: October 2021

Analyzing the combination of involving parameters impacting the efficiency of solar air heaters is an attractive research areas. In this study, cost-effective double-pass perforated glazed solar air heaters (SAHs) packed with wire mesh layers (DPGSAHM), and iron wools (DPGSAHI) were fabricated, tested and experimentally enhanced under different operating conditions. Forty-eight iron pieces of wool and fifteen steel wire mesh layers were located between the external plexiglass and internal glass, which is utilized as an absorber plate. The experimental outcomes show that the thermal efficiency enhances as the air mass flow rate increases for the range of 0.014–0.033 kg/s. The highest thermal efficiency gained by utilizing the hybrid optimized DPGSAHM and DPGSAHI was 94 and 97%, respectively. The exergy efficiency and temperature difference (∆T) indicated an inverse relationship with mass flow rate. When the DPGSAHM and DPGSAHI were optimized by the hybrid procedure and employing the Taguchi-artificial neural network, enhancements in the thermal efficiency by 1.25% and in exergy efficiency by 2.4% were delivered. The results show the average cost per kW (USD 0.028) of useful heat gained by the DPGSAHM and DPGSAHI to be relatively higher than some double-pass SAHs reported in the literature.
Stand Structure and Local Landscape Variables Are the Dominant Factors Explaining Shrub and Tree Diversity in Mediterranean Forests
Authors: Ghadban Siba , Ameztegui Aitor , Rodrigues Marcos , Chocarro Cristina , Alcasena Fermín , Vega-Garcia Cristina
Published: October 2021

Plant diversity is a core value of forests and is rapidly becoming a primary management goal under the threat of global environmental changes. Changing conditions, including forestry interventions, or lack of them, may endanger its preservation. Abandonment of management in forests previously subjected to a multipurpose silviculture and secondary succession is hypothesized to have altered the biodiverse Mediterranean forests in recent years and affected plant diversity. We used data in national forest inventory plots and local landscape ecology metrics from forest cartography, combined with artificial neural networks, to predict richness and Shannon diversity indices for the tree and shrub layers of several Mediterranean forest types. We found that richness and diversity depend on forest structure and on local landscape patterns, and also, though to a lesser degree, on site conditions (mainly soil pH), but not on forest intervention. In order to benefit plant diversity in the forest landscapes analyzed, forest management practices need to promote diameter variety, the presence of large trees, tree cover, variation in the height of trees and shrubs, and a heterogeneous local landscape at the stand level. Aleppo pine forests and Scots pine forests showed more consistent results in their models than cork oak and black pine forests, both of which require further research.
Traces of Honeybees, Api-Tourism and Beekeeping: From Past to Present
Authors: Topal Erkan , Adamchuk Leonora , Negri Ilaria , Kösoğlu Mustafa , Papa Giulia , Dârjan Maria Sorina , Cornea-Cipcigan Mihaiela , Mărgăoan Rodica
Published: October 2021

Throughout history, honey has been used for many different purposes and due to its medicinal properties, has been one of the products marketed by traders. The figure of the bee first appeared in drawings on rock with the history of humanity, then on statues, as a logo, on money or stamps, and also in movies. Beekeeping museums, which present the historical process of beekeeping, also reflect an important culture with their ancient hives, documents, beekeeping materials, and historical antiquities. The contribution of bees to the sustainability of natural life is very important and has a history of 100 million years. The importance of bees and their by-products is increasing day by day, and the demand for the beekeeping industry as alternative income determines the emergence of new products and activities. Based on its health properties, apitherapy is the basis of activities such as api-air and api-diet. In natural regions (i.e., mountainous areas, forests) where beekeeping is carried out, people’s tradition, food culture, and healthy lifestyle attract society’s attention. In this context, api-tourist activity appears as a new phenomenon. In this article, the existing literature was scanned to create a resource about these new fields triggered by the beekeeping sector.
Here, There, and Everywhere: Applying Vignettes to Investigate Appraisals of Job Demands
Authors: Langseth-Eide Benedicte , Vittersø Joar
Published: October 2021

The job characteristics literature has revealed that job demands can be differentiated into hindrance and challenge demands. However, there has been little consensus on this categorization. Additionally, studies have revealed that job demands can be perceived as hindering and challenging at the same time. The present study aims to bring nuance to this topic by investigating two job demands (i.e., time pressure and emotionally demanding situations) and to what degree they are appraised as challenging and hindering for two occupational groups (i.e., nurses and real estate agents). This study also investigates the impact of emotional dispositions on demand appraisals. A convenience sample (N = 851 Norwegian students) read vignettes and reported their appraisals for six different job situations. A factor analysis revealed that our measures of demand appraisals differed from those reported in previous studies. We therefore labeled the two kinds of appraisals as hindrance-like and challenge-like since they overlap without being identical to the previously reported labels of hindrance and challenge, respectively. Furthermore, we found that job demands were appraised as hindrance-like and challenge-like at the same time but to different degrees. Job demands for core tasks were typically appraised as more challenge-like than hindrance-like. Job demands for non-core tasks were typically appraised as more hindrance-like than challenge-like. Positive trait emotions predicted challenge-like appraisals. By documenting how imagined job demands appear as hindrances and challenges, our study supports previous studies showing that challenge-like demands may play a role in the motivational process in the job demands–resources model. Limitations to vignette studies are discussed.
Development of a Software System for Selecting Steam Power Plant to Convert Municipal Solid Waste to Energy
Authors: Ibikunle Rotimi A. , Titiladunayo Isaac F. , Akinnuli Basil O.
Published: October 2021

A software system that enhances the selection of appropriate power plant capacity that will convert combustible municipal solid waste (MSW) into energy was developed. The aggregate of waste to be converted was determined and the corresponding heating value was established. The capacities of steam power plants’ components required for the conversion were determined, using thermodynamic mathematical models. An algorithm based on models used to determine the energy potential, the power potential of MSW, the capacities of the components of the steam power plant, were translated into computer soft code using Java programming language; saturated steam and superheated steam tables, together with the thermodynamic properties of the power plant required were incorporated into the soft code. About 584 tons of MSW having a heating value of 20 MJ/kg was the quantity of waste experimented for energy generation. This information was input into the software as data and was processed. Then, the software was able to predict 3245.54 MWh energy potential for the quantity of waste, and electrical power potential of 40.54 MW. The capacities of the steam power plant components that were predicted include 100.35 MW of boiler power, 40.54 MW of turbine power, and 59.80 MW of condenser power. The methodology adopted will make it easy for the managers in the waste-to-energy sector to appropriately select the suitable capacity of the required steam power plant that can convert any quantify of MSW at any geographical location, without going through the engineering calculation and stress or rigor involved in the plant capacity design. Moreover, the accuracy obtained for the software is greater than 99%.