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Found 6327 publications
Optimization of Surface Cleaning and Painting Methods for DIC Measurements on Automotive and Railway Aluminum Materials
Publication Name: Infrastructures
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The preparatory operations of DIC (Digital Image Correlation) tests were investigated in this study, with special emphasis on specimen cleaning and painting operations. As it is well known, DIC tests are non-contact and applied in materials research, the analysis of complex structures, and, nowadays, the construction industry. The use of DIC technologies has seen a dynamic increase in all scientific fields. In our study, aluminum body panels for automotive and railway applications were tested using this technique. There are many articles on proper patterning in the literature but fewer on preparation and priming. These are critical for a successful DIC measurement. This paper looks at different surface cleaners and primers with different grading procedures and will also determine the time window within which the paint should be applied. Finally, the GOM ARAMIS system was applied to measure and characterize the painted surface and visible deformation defects resulting from inadequate painting.
Open Access: Yes
Exploring the role of blockchain technology in value creation: a multiple case study approach
Publication Name: Quality and Quantity
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 57
Issue: 1
Page Range: 427-451
Description:
The value creation potentials of blockchain technology have attracted significant attention from academia and industry. To address how blockchain technology could impact value creation at the business level, this study adopted an inductive multiple case study approach. As part of this focus, fifty-five (55) cases were selected based on maximum-variation and theoretical sampling methods. Selected cases were investigated by conducting with-in case analysis, constant comparative analysis, cross-case analysis, and synthesis and thematic analysis methods. Initially, potential sources of value creation were explored and then the business model innovations were examined to exploit pre-identified value drivers. The findings revealed that blockchain has five potential sources of value creation, including access domain extension, cost reduction, reinforcement and enrichment, new business practices, and social base enrichment. Further, several business model innovations were proposed based on the data-driven exploration to help practitioners exploit identified opportunities or value drivers. This study not only applies the current body of strategic, economics and entrepreneurship knowledge in a new field, but it also adds conceptually and empirically to the current body of blockchain literature. Furthermore, business practitioners could increase their understanding of blockchain’s opportunities to address current business challenges, make operations more efficient, foster innovation, and co-create value with stakeholders.
Open Access: Yes
Biocontrol Activity of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants and Their Bioactive Components against Soil-Borne Pathogens
Publication Name: Plants
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 12
Issue: 4
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Soil-borne phytopathogens can have detrimental effects on both cereal and horticultural crops resulting in serious losses worldwide. Due to their high efficiency and easy applicability, synthetic pesticides are still the primary choice in modern plant disease control systems, but stringent regulations and increasing environmental concerns make the search for sustainable alternatives more pressing than ever. In addition to the incorporation of botanicals into agricultural practices, the diversification of cropping systems with aromatic and medicinal plants is also an effective tool to control plant diseases through providing nutrients and shaping soil microbial communities. However, these techniques are not universally accepted and may negatively affect soil fertility if their application is not thoroughly controlled. Because the biocontrol potential of aromatic and medicinal plants has been extensively examined over the past decades, the present study aims to overview the recent literature concerning the biopesticide effect of secondary metabolites derived from aromatic and medicinal plants on important soil-borne plant pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and nematodes. Most of the investigated herbs belong to the family of Lamiaceae (e.g., Origanum spp., Salvia spp., Thymus spp., Mentha spp., etc.) and have been associated with potent antimicrobial activity, primarily due to their chemical constituents. The most frequently tested organisms include fungi, such as Rhizoctonia spp., Fusarium spp., and Phytophthora spp., which may be highly persistent in soil. Despite the intense research efforts dedicated to the development of plant-based pesticides, only a few species of aromatic herbs are utilized for the production of commercial formulations due to inconsistent efficiency, lack of field verification, costs, and prolonged authorization requirements. However, recycling the wastes from aromatic and medicinal plant-utilizing industries may offer an economically feasible way to improve soil health and reduce environmental burdens at the same time. Overall, this review provides comprehensive knowledge on the efficiency of aromatic herb-based plant protection techniques, and it also highlights the importance of exploiting the residues generated by aromatic plant-utilizing sectors as part of agro-industrial processes.
Open Access: Yes
Can social enterprises aid sustainable development? Evidence from multi-stage investigations
Publication Name: Plos One
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 18
Issue: 2 February
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Background Social enterprises must balance between profitability and sustainability. The impetus on sustainability grew further after the adaption of the SDG agenda by the United Nations (UN). Objective This paper examines the role of social enterprises in helping attain sustainable development goals in India. Research design This multi-stage paper comprises three studies directed at scale development, scale refinement, pre-testing, and construct validity. The scale development stage is conducted through a combination of extensive literature review and focused group discussions. Expert discussions and item-reduction techniques have been used in the second stage aimed at scale refinement and pre-testing. The third stage of testing construct validity is carried out through Partial Least Square–Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Results The findings suggest that all the competencies of social enterprises identified in the study i.e. social mission, collaborative networks, innovation, financial viability and level of scalability significantly impact sustainable development. Conclusion Because the goals of social enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are mutually reinforcing and complementary, the study suggests that social enterprises have a lot of potential for achieving the SDGs. The study also suggests future research directions and policy implications that can be replicated in other countries.
Open Access: Yes
Decision on single-use and reusable food packaging: searching for the optimal solution using a fuzzy mathematical approach
Publication Name: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 103
Issue: 3
Page Range: 1042-1048
Description:
BACKGROUND: In modern food supply chains it is becoming increasingly important for companies to have sustainable product packaging systems. Deciding the protection, marketing, and logistical function of packaging, at optimal cost, is a very complex matter for professionals. The decision is usually between disposable (single-use) and reusable (returnable) packaging solutions and their special characteristics. In practice, the focus of this decision is based on historical experience and traditions, taking a cost-based and/or a criteria-based approach. This considers a wide range of cost factors. Packaging cost is an important factor, but not the only one, in determining the optimal solution. RESULTS: This study presents a three-dimensional fuzzy signature model with a fuzzy method that can be applied to the packaging decision problem to investigate the interconnections among factors that affect the final results, beyond simple binary logic. Two types of food packaging, beverage glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, were chosen to validate the usability of the model. CONCLUSION: Fuzzy signatures can model the subjectivity of human definitions and criteria using the knowledge of professionals – human knowledge, which is experienced under real conditions and is used in practice in the food-packaging decision process. Food-packaging decision components and the final decision can be determined by fuzzy algorithms using membership functions on aggregation and weighted values. © 2022 The Author. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.11745
Limited Optimal Plastic Behavior of RC Beams Strengthened by Carbon Fiber Polymers Using Reliability-Based Design
Publication Name: Polymers
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The plastic behavior of strengthened haunched beams utilizing carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) was investigated using a probabilistic design that took into account random concrete properties, CFRP properties, and complementary strain energy values, with the reliability index serving as a limiting index, as the proposed method considers a novel method that deals with probabilistic parameters for models with limited plastic behavior designed based on the reliability index. The data used in this research were gathered and evaluated in a recent study on simply supported haunched beams reinforced with carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. The purpose of this research was to use the reliability limitation index for simulated strengthened haunched beams by taking into account randomness in concrete and CFRP properties and the complementary strain energy value, which is considered a plastic behavior controller that provides an illustration of the damage amount within the reinforcement steel bars. The results indicate how randomness affects the behavior of the presented models, which are chosen to have different numbers of CFRP strips. The variable randomness affects load and deflection values where the reliability index value increases as the corresponding load value decrease, reflecting the increased probability of failure in models subjected to higher loading conditions, while tension concrete damage percentages are reflected in the damage pattern presented in the results, showing that as the produced load increases, so does the damage intensity. It is also obvious that the reliability index served as a limitation index while taking concrete characteristics and complementary strain energy as random variables.
Open Access: Yes
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY-FRIENDLY CITIES: A REVIEW
Publication Name: Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Page Range: 74-84
Description:
This paper describes the features that make a city „family-friendly”. The actuality of the topic is given by the fact that the preferences of some young parents for choosing a place of living have changed in recent years, and families increasingly want to live in cities, close to urban cores. The study reviews the main characteristics of family-friendly cities in the light of some initatives aimed at creating family-friendly cities. It reveals the aspects of UNICEF’s „Child-Friendly Cities Initiative”, some American approaches and strategies for creating family-friendly environment, and the criteria for joining the „European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities”. Based on all the above, the study summarizes the key features of family-friendly urban development. In the author's interpretation, creating family-friendly cities means building a sustainable community that integrates the environmental, social and economic needs of the families living there. It is a multifaceted task which can only be realized within the framework of a long-term development strategy. The author of the study emphasizes the role of cooperation between municipalities, local companies, civil society, as well as the importance of involving families in urban planning and development process.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: DOI not available
The effect of transportation vibration on the microbiological status of bottled mineral water
Publication Name: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 103
Issue: 3
Page Range: 1059-1068
Description:
BACKGROUND: Microbiological status and stability are important in mineral waters because of increased global demand. An increase in distribution and supply chains has led to prolonged periods of transportation, causing microbiological changes. Therefore, this study examines the effect of vibration on mineral water quality. Freshly bottled and previously sterilized mineral waters inoculated with microbes isolated from freshly bottled water were tested. The water samples were exposed to random vibration using ASTM (D4169) truck level I, II and III standard vibration protocol for truck transportation at 4 × 1 h at 22 ± 1 °C. After agitation their microbiological status was determined. RESULTS: Under the influence of low-intensity mechanical impact, the growth rate of autochthonous species in the freshly bottled natural mineral water tripled (μcontrol = 0.036 h−1, μvibrated = 0.093 h−1) and that of allochthonous species doubled (μcontrol = 0.035 h−1, μvibrated = 0.069 h−1). The latter was also observed in the case of high-intensity vibration (μcontrol = 0.102 h−1, μvibrated = 0.200 h−1). The effect of the medium intensity of the standard was manifested in the delay in microbial growth. CONCLUSION: The impact of transportation vibrations on microbiological status changes in mineral water could be observed when subjected to vibration. The native and allochthonous species of mineral water respond differently to changes in intensity. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.11787
Investigation of “Open” Superstructure Tramway Tracks in Budapest
Publication Name: Infrastructures
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The most important thing nowadays is to use available resources to develop infrastructure as efficiently as possible. In this regard, evaluating the deterioration of tramway tracks is critical from both a technical and an economic viewpoint. In Hungary, seven types of superstructure systems are currently differentiated in the case of tramway transport, but the geometrical deterioration, lifecycle, and lifecycle cost of the tramway tracks are not accurately known. The current study aimed to evaluate and compare the results of track geometry measurements of two different “open” tramway superstructure systems depending on their traffic load and age. The geometry measurements we re executed by TrackScan 4.01 instrument, developed and maintained by a Hungarian developer company called Metalelektro Méréstechnika Ltd. The evaluation of the measurements showed a clear relationship between the traffic load, age, and track deterioration. Based on the results, it can be generally stated, concerning “open” superstructure systems, that regardless of the “open” superstructure system or the level of traffic load, the average value of alignment is decreasing; however, the average value of the longitudinal level is increasing. Furthermore, the deterioration of an older ballasted track with lower traffic is similar to that of a younger ballasted track that has a higher traffic load. Another significant result was that the deterioration of the track gauge parameter in the case of concrete slab tracks is clearly described as the broadening of the track gauge.
Open Access: Yes
