bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of ecosystem services in enhancing climate change resilience of local communities: the case of Ngarambe-Tapika Wildlife Management Area, Rufiji district, Tanzania.
Authors: Katondo Richard J.M. , Nyomora Agnes M.S. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

This study examined the role of ecosystem services in enhancing climate change resilience of local communities in Ngarambe-Tapika Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The study aimed to identify forms of ecosystem services that can be gained from conservation of a WMA in relation to climate change adaptation. The design for this study adopted both a quantitative and a qualitative research approach. The study was undertaken in Ngarambe-Tapika WMA located between latitude 39° S and 39°30' S and between longitude 12°30' E and 13° E. It is located alongside the north-eastern border of the Selous Game Reserve. The area is also the home of local people whose lifestyles and livelihoods are intricately tied to the biological diversity and the functioning of this natural system. Purposive sampling was employed in selecting respondents for the household questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. This study found that income obtained from Ngarambe-Tapika ecosystems by the communities were invested in material welfare and livelihoods that enhance resilience to climate change, primarily social services (54.9%) such as construction of houses, dispensaries and rehabilitation of the primary schools, and some of the money was spent on electricity provision for the community and energy for light and water pumps. Other benefits included employment (16.5%), protection from dangerous and problematic wildlife (14.3%) and petty business (14.3%). Generally, in Ngarambe-Tapika WMA there is a need to emphasize conservation awareness and extension programmes which advocate sustainable utilization of wildlife resources, and adopt an integrated approach of climate-smart agriculture to address the challenges related to food insecurity and climate change and variability. The latter would enable increased agricultural productivity to support equitable increases in farm incomes, improve food security and build resilience of agricultural and food security systems to adapt to climate change and variability.
Effectiveness of existing climate smart agricultural practices in Tehuledere district, north-eastern Ethiopia.
Authors: Wassie Adera S. , Pauline Noah M. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

This study sought to understand the effectiveness of existing climate smart agricultural (CSA) practices used by smallholder farmers in Tehuledere District, north-eastern Ethiopia, using empirical data collected over 3 months in 2016. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources, including historical climatic records and perceptions, indicatiors of climate change, impacts and responses. The study employed focus group discussions and a household questionnaire survey during data collection. Findings reveal that the majority of participants are aware of climate change and variability. The indicators of climate change include drought, off-season rainfall, too little and/or too much rainfall, and high temperature. The impact of climate variability observed by participants include: (i) decreasing crop yields and livestock production; (ii) increasing pests and disease; and (iii) decreasing water quantity and quality. The adaptation measures embraced to mitigate negative climate change effects include: (i) changing crop varieties; (ii) integrating livestock and crop production; and (iii) soil and water conservation practices. As far as CSA practices were found to be viable and effective response measures, support from innovative polices and strategies should be emphasized so as to address the barriers and bring about widespread adoption.
Community livelihoods and ecosystem integrity in makere forest reserve, western Tanzania.
Authors: Yanda Pius Z. , Mabhuye Edmund B. , Mwajombe Anselm R. , Johnson Namkunda 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Wealth creation and poverty alleviation processes in the forest-bounded areas entail the use of such forests to a greater extent. Studies elsewhere show that there is often a tendency to use such forests until they are depleted before technology comes in to improve livelihoods. In this chapter, we examine community livelihoods in relation to ecosystem integrity for communities surrounding the Makere Forest Reserve, particularly socio-economic characteristics of communities, their links to forest utilization and implications for ecosystem integrity. We used mixed methods to collect data: (i) a household questionnaire; (ii) focus group discussions; (iii) key informant interviews; and (iv) a literature review, backed up with satellite imagery. Quantitative and qualitative data collected were subjected to statistical and non-statistical tests, respectively, with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software for quantitative data analysis. Livelihood activities in the area include shifting cultivation, livestock keeping, firewood fetching, charcoal making, harvesting timber and illegal logging. The motive for such forest exploitation is both for meeting household needs as well as for wealth accumulation. Forest users take part in such activities regardless of the distance they have to travel from their villages to come to the forest areas. We found education is an integral part of wealth status, but had nothing to do in terms of improving livelihood activities for ecosystem integrity. The absence of livelihood diversification of farm-related activities penetrates into weak forest governance strategies resulting in proliferation of deforestation and forest degradation. To maintain forest integrity, integrated approaches in forest management and alternative livelihood activities are needed such as beekeeping, fishing and modernized livestock keeping. These activities have the potential to increase household food and income and alleviate poverty levels without compromising ecosystem integrity.
Answers.
Authors: Rees Paul A. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

A multiple choice question has a stem (the 'question'), a key (the 'answer') and a number of distracters (wrong answers intended to distract the student from the key). This part of the book contains the key to each question along with a brief explanation of why this is correct and, in some cases, what the distracters mean. The questions are grouped into 10 major topic areas: (1) The history and foundations of ecology, (2) Abiotic factors and environmental monitoring, (3) Taxonomy and biodiversity, (4) Energy flow and production ecology, (5) Nutrient and material cycles, (6) Ecophysiology, (7) Population ecology, (8) Community ecology and species interactions, (9) Ecological genetics and evolution, (10) Ecological methods and statistics.
Frequency synchronization of single flux quantum oscillators
Authors: Yamanashi Yuki , Kinoshita Ryo , Yoshikawa Nobuyuki 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
We demonstrate the frequency synchronization of multiple single-flux quantum (SFQ) oscillators with different oscillation frequencies. To synchronize these SFQ oscillators, a common constant bias current is supplied to the SFQ oscillators without any bias resistors. When an SFQ oscillator oscillates at a frequency of f, the average voltage across the Josephson junction comprising the SFQ oscillator is

f

Φ

0

, where

Φ

0

is the flux quantum in the superconductor. The bias currents supplied to the SFQ oscillators are redistributed to eliminate the average voltage difference output from the SFQ oscillators. As a result, the oscillation frequencies of all the SFQ oscillators are synchronized. Simulation results indicate that SFQ oscillators with an oscillation frequency difference of more than 50 GHz can be synchronized. We experimentally demonstrate the frequency synchronization of two SFQ oscillators composed of circular Josephson transmission lines. Frequency synchronization is expected to contribute toward the development of a low-power stable clock source stabilizing SFQ circuit operation.
The influence of the architecture form in the performance analysis of a passive house in Moldavia
Authors: Cojocaru A , Isopescu D N 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Over time, a building’s energy consumption in the use phase was not decisive in the design process. However, in recent years, energy efficiency and energy autonomy have become a defining criteria in buildings’ performance. In 2020, residential buildings became the space for rest, recreation, personal activities, but also for professional activities. Thus, it is essential to ensure optimal temperature, air, humidity and psychological comfort due to architectural quality. The passive house concept sets the maximum allowable energy consumption to heat the building and limit the total primary energy consumption. Passive houses improve energy-efficient buildings by ensuring a comfortable indoor environment in all seasons without requiring a conventional heat distribution system. Based on local characteristics, creating and analysing model study cases is important and could solve cities’ fast development. The shape of a building influences the solar input and the total energy consumption through the total surface exposed to the outside and subject to heat loss. In order to gain knowledge about the influence of the buildings’ form on energy balance, this paper presents a case study of simple shape buildings with numerical analysis according to the passive house principles in the Moldavia area of Romania. The case study of a parallelepiped model with various dimensions, varying aspect ratio and storey, was made with the planning tool Passive House Planning Package. The conclusions suggest further case studies with various roof shapes and windows’ areas.
Project management software in Ukraine
Authors: Azhaman I , Petryshchenko N , Hronska M , Pandas A , Pushchina N 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Modern consumers are interested in receiving goods within a specified time frame, of the required quality and quantity. Such requirements apply to all goods and services, including those in the construction industry. Features of the construction industry are due to a variety of technologies, materials, equipment used for the construction of facilities. This justifies the need to implement automation tools for planning processes, determining the volume and delivery schedule of production stocks, using labour resources, forming a financing schedule, identifying risks affecting processes and approaches to minimizing them. To solve such problems, special attention in modern conditions is paid to project management in construction and its software. A project is understood as a process which is a set of sequential actions, the implementation of which contributes to the achievement of the set goal. The project is characterized by limitations in terms of time, cost and resources used. In project management, software products such as Primavera Systems, Inc (Oracle), Spider Project, Microsoft Office Project, YouControl. It is their use, advantages and disadvantages that are discussed in the paper. Particular attention is paid to the Microsoft Office Project software product, which has the following advantages: user-friendly interface and ease of use, flexibility of adaptation to user needs, clear and convenient analytical charts and the ability to manage them, availability of support that allows you to quickly master and use the software product, availability of reference materials.
The concept of an automatic system for preliminary entry of hazardous facility into emergency mode with an approaching earthquake
Authors: Zhukovsky V , Rusu I , Zavoloka M , Grynyova I 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
The article discusses the concept of introducing an automatic system for preliminary input of hazardous facilities into emergency mode in the event of an approaching earthquake, developed at the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushinsky. Theoretical prerequisites for the study of heterogeneities, using a passive method based on the location of secondary waves reflected from the inhomogeneities under the basements and foundations of buildings of already operated building structures, were taken as the basis of the proposed system. Due to the finite speed of propagation of seismic waves and having a sensor in the focus of an earthquake, it is possible for distant objects to learn about an impending disaster in a few tens of seconds. The effective use of the time window from the focus of the earthquake to hazardous facilities requires the development of: measuring equipment, data transmission systems, automatic event recognition, elements for automating the process of putting hazardous objects into emergency mode- all this is the goal and objectives of this article.
Performance analysis for an improved strategy in optimal control of civil engineering structures
Authors: Păuleț-Crăiniceanu F , Florea V , Pastia C , Luca S G , Roșca O V 
Published: August 2021

AbstractCivil Engineering structures are already an important part in the Smart Cities concept. In connection to this, integration of new technologies is under way in the field of Structural Engineering as in all Civil and Buildings/Bridges Engineering. One of the main goals is to protect structures from possible harm from earthquakes. In order to achieve this goal, Optimal Active Control has been proposed and used with a high degree of success. However, the application strategies are continuously improving. A strategy consisting in simplifying the Optimal Active control for full states has been proposed by the authors and relatively recently modified for an increased efficiency. That was a theoretical research taking into account the possibility to reduce the order of magnitude of matrices involved in computations. The present paper is assuming the previous theoretical result and simulates its application to the structural model of a ground floor plus ten floors building specially designed for this purpose. The reinforced concrete frame building’s behaviour is analysed under seismic actions. Efficiency and the control strategy are observed in different scenarios. The structural response is revealing that the new strategy is working faster in limiting the effects of earthquake input. In addition, the reduced computational time leads to a faster control and smaller phase-shift in practical use.
Seismic vulnerability of pre-code reinforced concrete shear wall buildings in Romania
Authors: Barnaure M 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Prior to 1963, when the first earthquake design code was implemented in Romania, mid height (over 8 storeys) shear wall buildings were already being built in some of the major cities. These buildings have important structural weaknesses when assessed using the current regulations. An 11 storeys residential building in Bucharest built in 1962 is analysed. Results show that the building is extremely vulnerable on the longitudinal direction, where the lateral resisting system is composed by only two shear walls. If bending capacity is lacking mainly at the base of the building, shear strength deficiencies are present over the entire height of the building, due to a lack of shear reinforcement in the walls. An analysis of several possible strengthening solutions is made, and conclusions are drawn regarding the feasibility of these solutions.
The effects of parameter uncertainties on the numerical plastic analysis of non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams
Authors: Khaleel Ibrahim S , Movahedi Rad M , Habashneh M A 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Structural models and parameters are usually considered deterministic in most studies. However, test results revealed that uncertainties exist in most of these cases due to natural variability or lack of awareness. Therefore, uncertainty in structures is taking huge attention as it has an important role in the structures analysis and the calibration of designing code factors where it enhances the prediction of the models’ behavior. Despite this significance, existing knowledge concerning uncertainties and their parameters seems to suffer from a lack of knowledge especially in unique structures like non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams which are considered a special case in structural engineering for having variable depth across beam section. The present paper aims to examine some uncertainties facing structural engineers and their role in the non-prismatic reinforced concrete beam behavior considering different variables and parameters. Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) constitutive model is used to calibrate the numerical model according to the data obtained experimentally. Then different uncertainty parameters were studied by applying several simulations to find out their effect on models’ behavior. The results seem to provide a better understanding of the uncertainties and their effect on the non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams. Lastly, finite element simulations are applied using ABAQUS.
FEM computational models of shear walls with openings
Authors: Handruleva A , Dimitrova A 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
This study is devoted to the comparison of shear wall computational models and the juxtaposition of displacement and stress fields. Two types of numerical models are compared. The first type concerns discretization of the geometry by using the beam finite elements model, and the second type-with plane finite elements. The displacements and the internal forces are used as the key indicators for the comparison of the mechanical behaviour. Some conclusions have been drawn, as well as recommendations have been made on the application of the juxtaposed type computational models and their practical application in real life.
Finite element analysis of square concrete columns strengthened with carbon fiber composites in different configurations
Authors: Almagsoosi A N A , Georgescu D P 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
This paper offers the findings of numerical study carried out to evaluate the behavior of low strength concrete columns in square section strengthen by Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites and subjected to axial compression load. In this study, a three dimensional non-linear finite element formulation model has been presented using ANSYS-16.1 (software computer program) to analyse low strength concrete columns in square section strengthen by CFRP composites in different configurations, to evaluate the improvement in the ultimate load capacities of columns as a result of CFRP confinement, and to study the impact of the most important parameters such as: compressive strength of concrete, thickness of the CFRP layers jacket/strips and the presence of steel reinforcement on the performance of th modelled columns subjected to compression load. A comparison has been made between the results obtained from the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and experimental data. The results of the numerical FEA study showed that, external strengthening with CFRP composites are very effective in upgrading the ultimate load of square concrete columns. In addition, the findings revealed good agreement between the ANSYS and the experimental test results. The results obtained from the parametric study revealed that when the CFRP layers increased from 2 to 3 layers and from 2 to 4 layers the ultimate loads of the columns increased about (2%-10%) and (7%-15%) respectively. While the compressive strength showed significant effect on the upgrade of the ultimate load, when increase the compressive strength to 42MPa and to 60 MPa, the ultimate load increased to about 220% and to about 300% respectively. The presence of steel reinforcing did not show reasonable effect on the ultimate load.
Preparation of MSBF reinforced PP composites & research on their mechanical and sound insulation properties
Authors: Zhao Lei , Qian Fei , Liu Ling , Wei Li 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Nowadays, most researchers at home and abroad are studying the planting of seashore mallow and the efficient extraction of mallow seed oil, while the remaining mallow stems are generally incinerated or discarded. In fact, there are a lot of bundle fibers in mallow stem bark(MSB), and their physical properties such as strength and modulus are close to those of jute and flax. So developing the fiber-reinforced composites of mallow stem bark fiber(MSBF) has high potential application value. Using mallow stem bark as raw material, MSBF was extracted by alkali degumming process, and MSBF reinforced polypropylene(PP) composites with fiber mass fraction of 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% and 0% were prepared by using alkali-treated MSBF as reinforcement and PP fiber as matrix. The effects of fiber mass fraction on tensile, bending and sound insulation properties of MSBF reinforced PP composites were discussed. The results show that when the fiber mass fraction was 30%, the tensile breaking strength, tensile modulus and bending modulus of the composite were the highest, and the bending strength gradually enchanes with the increase of the fiber mass fraction of MSBF. When the fiber mass fraction exceeds 10%, the voltage peak attenuation rate of MSBF reinforced PP composites increases first and then decreases with the increase of sounding frequency. When the sound frequency is the same, the lower the fiber mass fraction, the worse the sound insulation performance of the composite. When the fiber mass fraction exceeds 30%, the voltage peak attenuation rate decreases.
Methylmercury in lake bed soils during re-flooding of an Appalachian reservoir in the northeastern USA
Authors: Eklöf Karin , Drohan Patrick , Needoba Joseph , Landefeld Sally , Peterson Tawnya D , Hu Haiyan , Iavorivska Lidiia , Boyer Elizabeth W 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Mercury methylation, where inorganic mercury (Hg) is converted to methylmercury (MeHg), can increase in soils when flooded. While effects of the initial flooding of soils on MeHg production have been well studied, less is known about impacts of re-flooding on MeHg production. Lake Perez, an impounded recreational reservoir in the Appalachian Highlands, was completely drained then re-filled 7 years later. We use a combination of chemical, soil physical, and microbial data to quantify changes in MeHg before and after re-flooding of the lakebed. Portions that were transiently saturated due to pluvial flooding had the highest pre-flooded MeHg concentrations. When the lake was re-flooded, concentrations of MeHg in subaqueous soils increased by a factor of 2.74 (+174%) on average. Substantial variability was observed among the sampling sites, with smaller increases in MeHg at sites subjected to seasonal flooding during periods when the reservoir was drained. The increase of soil MeHg after re-flooding was lower in this study compared to studies that evaluated soil MeHg after initial flooding, indicating that re-flooding of a former lake bed caused a smaller response in MeHg production compared to initial flooding of terrestrial land. This study advances understanding of the environmental impact of impounded reservoirs.
Radio-frequency characterization of a supercurrent transistor made of a carbon nanotube
Authors: Mergenthaler M , Schupp F J , Nersisyan A , Ares N , Baumgartner A , Schönenberger C , Briggs G A D , Leek P J , Laird E A 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
A supercurrent transistor is a superconductor–semiconductor hybrid device in which the Josephson supercurrent is switched on and off using a gate voltage. While such devices have been studied using DC transport, radio-frequency measurements allow for more sensitive and faster experiments. Here a supercurrent transistor made from a carbon nanotube is measured simultaneously via DC conductance and radio-frequency reflectometry. The radio-frequency measurement resolves all the main features of the conductance data across a wide range of bias and gate voltage, and many of these features are seen more clearly. These results are promising for measuring other kinds of hybrid superconducting devices, in particular for detecting the reactive component of the impedance, which a DC measurement can never detect.