text: Environmental & Earth Sciences http://www.mdpi.com/journal/environment Latest open access articles published in Environmental & Earth Sciences at http://www.mdpi.com/journal/environment http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/713 In this study, six Arctic sea ice thickness products are compared: the AVHRR Polar Pathfinder-extended (APP-x), ICESat, CryoSat-2, SMOS, NASA IceBridge aircraft flights, and the Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (PIOMAS). The satellite products are based on three different retrieval methods: an energy budget approach, measurements of ice freeboard, and the relationship between passive microwave brightness temperatures and thin ice thickness. Inter-comparisons are done for the periods of overlap from 2003 to 2013. Results show that ICESat sea ice is thicker than APP-x and PIOMAS overall, particularly along the north coast of Greenland and Canadian Archipelago. The relative differences of APP-x and PIOMAS with ICESat are −0.48 m and −0.31 m, respectively. APP-x underestimates thickness relative to CryoSat-2, with a mean difference of −0.19 m. The biases for APP-x, PIOMAS, and CryoSat-2 relative to IceBridge thicknesses are 0.18 m, 0.18 m, and 0.29 m. The mean difference between SMOS and CryoSat-2 for 0~1 m thick ice is 0.13 m in March and −0.24 m in October. All satellite-retrieved ice thickness products and PIOMAS overestimate the thickness of thin ice (1 m or less) compared to IceBridge for which SMOS has the smallest bias (0.26 m). The spatial correlation between the datasets indicates that APP-x and PIOMAS are the most similar, followed by APP-x and CryoSat-2. Remote Sensing 2016-08-30 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090713 713 2072-4292 2016-08-30 doi: 10.3390/rs8090713 Xuanji Wang Jeffrey Key Ron Kwok Jinlun Zhang http://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/5/9/156 Social media activity has become an important component of daily life for many people. Messages from Twitter (US) and Weibo (China) have shown their potential as important data sources for detecting and analyzing infectious diseases. Such emerging and dynamic new data sources allow us to predict how infectious diseases develop and evolve both spatially and temporally. We report the dynamics of dengue fever in China using messages from Weibo. We first extract and construct a list of keywords related to dengue fever in order to analyze how frequently these words appear in Weibo messages based on the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). Spatial analysis is then applied to detect how dengue fever cases cluster spatially and spread over time. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2016-08-30 5 9 Article 10.3390/ijgi5090156 156 2220-9964 2016-08-30 doi: 10.3390/ijgi5090156 Xinyue Ye Shengwen Li Xining Yang Chenglin Qin http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/712 The vocalization behavior of humpback whales was monitored over vast areas of the Gulf of Maine using the passive ocean acoustic waveguide remote sensing technique (POAWRS) over multiple diel cycles in Fall 2006. The humpback vocalizations comprised of both song and non-song are analyzed. The song vocalizations, composed of highly structured and repeatable set of phrases, are characterized by inter-pulse intervals of 3.5 ± 1.8 s. Songs were detected throughout the diel cycle, occuring roughly 40% during the day and 60% during the night. The humpback non-song vocalizations, dominated by shorter duration (≤3 s) downsweep and bow-shaped moans, as well as a small fraction of longer duration (∼5 s) cries, have significantly larger mean and more variable inter-pulse intervals of 14.2 ± 11 s. The non-song vocalizations were detected at night with negligible detections during the day, implying they probably function as nighttime communication signals. The humpback song and non-song vocalizations are separately localized using the moving array triangulation and array invariant techniques. The humpback song and non-song moan calls are both consistently localized to a dense area on northeastern Georges Bank and a less dense region extended from Franklin Basin to the Great South Channel. Humpback cries occur exclusively on northeastern Georges Bank and during nights with coincident dense Atlantic herring shoaling populations, implying the cries are feeding-related. Remote Sensing 2016-08-30 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090712 712 2072-4292 2016-08-30 doi: 10.3390/rs8090712 Wei Huang Delin Wang Purnima Ratilal http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/692 A recent increase in the number of diverse leisure activities and family outdoor activities has increased the need for the automobile-embedded vacuum cleaner. To date, this technology has not been applied in Korea and development efforts are not underway. Many of the existing portable cleaners connecting to the lighter jack of the vehicle use a direct current motor (DC motor). However, they do not have sufficient suction power to satisfy consumers; moreover, they have low durability and efficiency. In this paper, we therefore propose a technology for increasing the efficiency of the low-voltage automobile vacuum cleaner by replacing the existing DC motor with a switched reluctance motor (SRM), which has superior durability and efficiency. Energies 2016-08-30 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090692 692 1996-1073 2016-08-30 doi: 10.3390/en9090692 Han-Geol Seon Man-Seung Han Hyun-Jin Ahn Jaehyuck Kim Young-Cheol Lim http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/861 A conceptual framework was constructed for United Nations' complex Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 4.7 focusing on education for sustainable development (ESD), and used to analyse the usefulness and character of indicators produced from a values-based approach called ESDinds, compared to a UN process. The analysis shows that the latter generated very few indicators concerning the wider aspects of knowledge such as 'critical thinking' or 'learning to learn'. The values-based approach, created for a different purpose, produced complementary if not better coverage of Target 4.7, including finely-developed concepts for competencies and less tangible aspects. It is suggested that the UN process would benefit from ESDinds design elements such as intersubjective and slightly disruptive elements, purposeful contextualisation at group level, and a holistic and inductive consideration of values. The use of a reference 'fuzzy framework' of slightly generalised proto-indicators suited for deep contextualisation locally is recommended, rather than any rigid global-level indicator with unclear local value. It is recommended that ESD practitioners immediately develop localised interpretations of valid measures for whatever final Target 4.7 indicator is selected by the UN, as this localisation process will itself cause important learning towards local ESD achievements. Sustainability 2016-08-30 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090861 861 2071-1050 2016-08-30 doi: 10.3390/su8090861 Gemma Burford Peter Tamás Marie Harder http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/860 This study determined whether there is an association between social capital and a composite outcome of decline in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and death by gender. A prospective 3.5 year cohort study was conducted in a rural town in Japan. The study participants were 984 individuals aged 65 years and older with not impaired on ADL at 2010 baseline survey. Social participation and generalized trust were measured as social capital. The individual level responses were dichotomized and aggregated into the community level (eight areas). Multilevel logistic regression adjusting for covariates revealed that social participation at the individual level was significantly associated with higher odds of composite outcome (OR of "not participate" = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.38–2.81). Regarding generalized trust, only in men, there was an inverse association at the community level (OR of "low" = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.32–0.96), and a positive association at the individual level (OR of "tend to be careful" = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.27–3.90). These results suggest that social capital were associated with a decline in ADL and death and that the association may differ by gender. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-29 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090860 860 1660-4601 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090860 Haruhiko Imamura Tsuyoshi Hamano Takehiro Michikawa Fujimi Takeda-Imai Takahiro Nakamura Toru Takebayashi Yuji Nishiwaki http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/859 This paper describes the relationship between temperature change and diarrhoea in under five-year-old children in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area (CTMA) of South Africa. The study used climatic and aggregated surveillance diarrhoea incidence data of two peak periods of seven months each over two consecutive years. A Poisson regression model and a lagged Poisson model with autocorrelation was performed to test the relationship between climatic parameters (minimum and maximum temperature) and incidence of diarrhoea. In total, 58,617 cases of diarrhoea occurred in the CTMA, which is equivalent to 8.60 cases per 100 population under five years old for the study period. The mixed effect overdispersed Poisson model showed that a cluster adjusted effect of an increase of 5 °C in minimum and maximum temperature results in a 40% (Incidence risk ratio IRR: 1.39, 95% CI 1.31–1.48) and 32% (IRR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.22–1.41) increase in incident cases of diarrhoea, respectively, for the two periods studied. Autocorrelation of one-week lag (Autocorrelation AC 1) indicated that a 5 °C increase in minimum and maximum temperature led to 15% (IRR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.09–1.20) and 6% (IRR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01–1.12) increase in diarrhoea cases, respectively. In conclusion, there was an association between an increase in minimum and maximum temperature, and the rate at which diarrhoea affected children under the age of five years old in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area. This finding may have implications for the effects of global warming and requires further investigation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-29 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090859 859 1660-4601 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090859 Gentille Musengimana Fidele Mukinda Roderick Machekano Hassan Mahomed http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/859 Agricultural practices in Jiangnan water towns have historically been identified as maintaining a balance between human activity and the local environment, but are now a significant local source of water pollution. Using a multi-methods approach, this study deduces the environmental impact of traditional practices, and the socially desired conditions for successfully reintroducing critical ones. Oral histories from 31 farmers in Tianshanzhuang village, South Yangtze River were in order to chart changes in farming practices over four historic periods, and used to estimate the nitrogen and phosphorus burdens per acre. Findings show that the use of Lan River Mud—dredged mud for fertilizer—was key in producing a positive impact, but abandoned after the 1980s. Four criteria hindering reintroduction of traditional practices were identified, and potentially useful but fragmented emerging local candidate practices are considered against these, as are recent practices in Japan. We propose that the cooperation of several stakeholders with various related government departments in China could lead to a portfolio of effective policy changes and should be studied further: to include new methods and uses of Lan River Mud; the integration of aquaculture, leisure and tourism industries with agriculture; and the production of organic produce with well-planned internet-linked sales, delivery and coordination mechanisms. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090859 859 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090859 Pingyang Liu Juan Moreno Peiying Song Elona Hoover Marie Harder http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/8/9/370 In order to assess water efficiency options on the European scale, a multi-criteria integrative hydro-economic modeling framework has been developed. With this framework, it is possible to assess combinations of measures which could help reducing the gap between water demand and water availability, while taking into account ecological, water quality, flood risk and economic aspects. The assessed measures include water retention, water savings and nutrient reduction measures. The presented work was carried out within the framework of the "Blueprint to safeguard Europe's waters" policy initiative of the European Commission. Contrary to earlier studies concentrating on single measures in single river basins, this study shows that this modeling environment can evaluate combinations of measures in multiple river basins that meet the considered objectives, and in general can improve various water quantity and quality indicators as compared to the baseline situation. However, additional work is needed on for example quantifying the economics of damage and benefits before the modelling environment may be used for policy advice. Water 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/w8090370 370 2073-4441 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/w8090370 Angel Udias Alessandro Gentile Peter Burek Ad de Roo Faycal Bouraoui Ine Vandecasteele Carlo Lavalle Giovanni Bidoglio http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/866 Logistics plays an important role in globalized companies and contributes to the development of foreign trade. A large number of external conditions, such as recession and inflation, affect logistics. Therefore, managers should find ways to improve operational performance, enabling them to increase efficiency while considering environmental sustainability due to the industry's large scale of energy consumption. Based on data collected from the financial reports of top global logistics companies, this study uses a DEA model to calculate corporate efficiency by implementing a Grey forecasting approach to forecast future sustainability values. Consequently, the study addresses the problem of how to enhance operational performance while accounting for the impact of external conditions. This research can help logistics companies develop operation strategies in the future that will enhance their competitiveness vis-à-vis rivals in a time of global economic volatility. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090866 866 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090866 Min-Chun Yu Chia-Nan Wang Nguyen-Nhu-Y Ho http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/688 The abundant wind resources in the Penghu area, where the capacity factor of wind turbines can reach 45%, have inspired authorities to build more wind turbines in a diesel-based power system. However, because the wind turbine output is unstable, high wind power penetration in the system may relatively affect the power quality (voltage and frequency) and reliability of the system. Previous studies have suggested that the optimal penetration level for wind power generation under the present dispatching criteria in Penghu is 26.3%. The present study suggests that the criteria for current unit scheduling should be modified; in particular, the spinning reserve (SR) capacity of the diesel engines should be increased without affecting the reliability and power quality of the power system. Such an increase could help avoid the construction of high-cost energy storage systems. Energies 2016-08-29 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090688 688 1996-1073 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/en9090688 Chia-An Chang Yuan-Kang Wu Bin-Kwie Chen http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/869 Urban ecosystem health evaluation can assist in sustainable ecological management at a regional level. This study examined urban agglomeration ecosystem health in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River with entropy weight and extension theories. The model overcomes information omissions and subjectivity problems in the evaluation process of urban ecosystem health. Results showed that human capital and education, economic development level as well as urban infrastructure have a significant effect on the health states of urban agglomerations. The health status of the urban agglomeration's ecosystem was not optimistic in 2013. The majority of the cities were unhealthy or verging on unhealthy, accounting for 64.52% of the total number of cities in the urban agglomeration. The regional differences of the 31 cities' ecosystem health are significant. The cause originated from an imbalance in economic development and the policy guidance of city development. It is necessary to speed up the integration process to promote coordinated regional development. The present study will aid us in understanding and advancing the health situation of the urban ecosystem in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and will provide an efficient urban ecosystem health evaluation method that can be used in other areas. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090869 869 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090869 Qian Yang Aiwen Lin Zhenzhen Zhao Ling Zou Cheng Sun http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/868 This paper proposes a cost-benefit framework to address the role of parcel and neighborhood conditions, as well as government policies, and investigates the spatial determinants of urban land expansion in Nanjing, one of the sub-centers of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Using spatial regression models, we find the significance of the economy of scale, agglomeration, accessibility, and government policies in Nanjing's urban growth. In the earlier stage, urban expansion in Nanjing was mainly driven by the development of infrastructure. Since entering the 21st century, the emerging commercial and industrial sub-centers have become the major centers of growth, which has changed Nanjing's spatial structure from compact monocentric to a polycentric one. We also highlight the importance of government policies that have been strengthened by various national strategies, including the "New-type Urbanization" and "Beautiful China" strategies. Different from cities in the Pearl River Delta, Nanjing has a more significant top-down process in its development, which indicates that the municipal government of Nanjing is playing a more important role in urban growth. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090868 868 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090868 Jianglong Chen Jinlong Gao Feng Yuan Yehua Wei http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/7/9/190 Eucalyptus globulus is widely planted in temperate regions to produce pulp for its high performance but few studies of the impact of Mycosphaerella Leaf Disease (MLD) have been documented. This study aimed to explore and provide knowledge on disease in the management of young Eucalyptus globulus stands in the north of Spain. The influences of subspecies, cloning, and fertilization on the degree of severity of the disease were analyzed. The study was conducted with different material plants of Eucalyptus globulus, of Australian origin, from other sources, open-pollinated families, clones, and families of controlled pollination. Each series tested different vegetal material, except for a number of control codes that were used as reference samples for MLD evaluation. Severity, height at which foliage changes from juvenile to adult, total height, and volume were all measured. There were significant correlations in the average MLD severity of families and provenances obtained from the different trials. ANOVA revealed important differences between subspecies of E. globulus. A correlation was found between the percentage of adult leaf and the severity. There were differences in the impact of MLD between plant material non-selected and selected by its tolerance (p < 0.0001). There was a significant effect on the severity between mature cuttings and families from seed non-selected in their tolerance to MLD. Their tolerance was lower than that achieved from seed selected by its tolerance to MLD. Genetic selection was shown as the best strategy since there are individuals exceptionally tolerant to MLD. Forests 2016-08-29 7 9 Article 10.3390/f7090190 190 1999-4907 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/f7090190 Severiano Pérez Carlos Renedo Alfredo Ortiz Felix Ortiz Carlos Tejedor http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/864 Mainstream dynamic simulation tools used by designers do not have a built-in capability to accurately simulate the effect of hemp-lime on building temperature and relative humidity. Due to the specific structure of hemp-lime, heat travels via a maze of solid branches whilst the capillary tubes absorb and release moisture. The resultant heat and moisture transfer cannot be fully represented in mainstream simulation tools, causing a significant performance gap between the simulation and the actual performance. The author has developed an analysis method, based on a numerical procedure for digital signal filtering using Fourier series. The paper develops and experimentally validates transfer functions that enhance simulation results and enable accurate representation of behaviour of buildings built from hemp-lime material using the results of a post-occupancy research project. As a performance gap between design simulation and actual buildings occurs in relation to all buildings, this method has a wider scope of application in reducing the performance gap. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090864 864 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090864 Ljubomir Jankovic http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/865 This study explored the social science-orientated literature on genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe and compared it with the corresponding literature on GM crops in African contexts, in order to determine the nature and extent of north-south cross-fertilisation in the literature. A total of 1625 papers on GM crops and agriculture falling within the 'social science and humanities' subject area in the Scopus abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature were analysed for major trends relating to geographical areas. More detailed analysis was performed on papers discussing African (56 papers) and European (127 papers) contexts. The analysis revealed that studies on policy and politics were common in both strands of the literature, frequently focusing on effects of the relatively restrictive European Union regulations on GM crops. There were also clear differences, however. For example, papers focusing on Africa frequently examined farm-level impacts and production, while this theme was almost non-existent in the Europe literature. It focused instead on policy impacts on trade and consumer attitudes to GM products. The lack of farm-level studies and of empirical studies in general in the European literature indicates a need for empirical research on GM crops in European farming. Social science research on GM crop production in Europe could draw lessons from the African literature. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Review 10.3390/su8090865 865 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090865 Klara Fischer Camilla Eriksson http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/711 Unreliable electricity supplies are common in developing countries and impose large socio-economic costs, yet precise information on electricity reliability is typically unavailable. This paper presents preliminary results from a machine-learning approach for using satellite imagery of nighttime lights to develop estimates of electricity reliability for western India at a finer spatial scale. We use data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar Partnership (SNPP) satellite together with newly-available data from networked household voltage meters. Our results point to the possibilities of this approach as well as areas for refinement. With currently available training data, we find a limited ability to detect individual outages identified by household-level measurements of electricity voltage. This is likely due to the relatively small number of individual outages observed in our preliminary data. However, we find that the approach can estimate electricity reliability rates for individual locations fairly well, with the predicted versus actual regression yielding an R2 > 0.5. We also find that, despite the after midnight overpass time of the SNPP satellite, the reliability estimates derived are representative of daytime reliability. Remote Sensing 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090711 711 2072-4292 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/rs8090711 Michael Mann Eli Melaas Arun Malik http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/863 The electricity power sector plays an important role in both CO2 emissions as well as the target contribution of non-fossil energy. Although the target for the reduction of CO2 emission intensity in Guangdong (GD) has not been released by the central government, GD has set a goal for increasing the share of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption to 25% in the provincial 13th Five-Year Plan. In this study, the CO2 emissions from the electric power sector and the corresponding share of non-fossil fuels in total energy consumption between 2005 and 2014 were analyzed. The logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) technique was applied for investigating the factors affecting the changes in CO2 emissions. The main results are as follows: in 2014, the CO2 emissions from the electric power sector were 286.54 Mt, of which the net purchased electricity accounted for 22.4%. Economic growth is the main contributor for the increase in CO2 emissions from the electric power sector. Electricity intensity, thermal generation efficiency, CO2 emission coefficient, and electricity supply mix slowed the growth of CO2 emissions. Several energy scenarios were developed, and results showed that the provincial target for the share of non-fossil fuels by 2020 would be achieved by all of the scenarios. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090863 863 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090863 Zhong-Hua Tian Ze-Liang Yang http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/3/88 Marine phosphorites are known to concentrate rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) during early diagenetic formation. Much of the REY data available are decades old and incomplete, and there has not been a systematic study of REY distributions in marine phosphorite deposits that formed over a range of oceanic environments. Consequently, we initiated this study to determine if marine phosphorite deposits found in the global ocean host REY concentrations of high enough grade to be of economic interest. This paper addresses continental-margin (CM) and open-ocean seamount phosphorites. All 75 samples analyzed are composed predominantly of carbonate fluorapatite and minor detrital and authigenic minerals. CM phosphorites have low total REY contents (mean 161 ppm) and high heavy REY (HREY) complements (mean 49%), while seamount phosphorites have 4–6 times higher individual REY contents (except for Ce, which is subequal; mean ΣREY 727 ppm), and very high HREY complements (mean 60%). The predominant causes of higher concentrations and larger HREY complements in seamount phosphorites compared to CM phosphorites are age, changes in seawater REY concentrations over time, water depth of formation, changes in pH and complexing ligands, and differences in organic carbon content in the depositional environments. Potential ore deposits with high HREY complements, like the marine phosphorites analyzed here, could help supply the HREY needed for high-tech and green-tech applications without creating an oversupply of the LREY. Minerals 2016-08-29 6 3 Article 10.3390/min6030088 88 2075-163X 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/min6030088 James Hein Andrea Koschinsky Mariah Mikesell Kira Mizell Craig Glenn Ray Wood http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/3/89 Hydrometallurgical processing of chalcopyrite is hindered predominantly due to the passivation layers formed on the chalcopyrite surface. However, the effects of impurity cations released from the gangue are not yet well understood. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to investigate monovalent cations of Na+ and K+ on chalcopyrite (001)-S surface using Materials Studio. The results show that the 3d orbital of Fe and 3p orbital of S predominantly contribute to their activities during chalcopyrite oxidation and dissolution processes. In addition, SO42− is more likely to be adsorbed on one Fe site in the presence of Na+, while it is preferentially adsorbed on two Fe sites in the presence of K+. However, the adsorption of both Na2SO4 and K2SO4 on the chalcopyrite (001)-S surface contributes to the breakage of S–S bonds, indicating that the impurity cations of Na+ and K+ are beneficial to chalcopyrite leaching in a sulfuric environment. The adsorption energy and partial density of states (PDOS) analyses further indicate that the adsorption of Na2SO4 on chalcopyrite (001)-S surface is favored in both -BB (bidentate binuclear ) and -BM (bidentate mononuclear) modes, compared to the adsorption of K2SO4. Minerals 2016-08-29 6 3 Article 10.3390/min6030089 89 2075-163X 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/min6030089 Zhenlun Wei Yubiao Li Qing Xiao Shaoxian Song http://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/1/2/254 Developing cities have historically looked to developed cities as exemplary models for waste management systems and practices without considering the consequent resource requirements or the key characteristics of the local setting. However, direct adoption of developed cities' approaches without proper consideration of the local circumstances may lead to unsustainable future waste management in developing cities. This study evaluates waste management in London and Kuala Lumpur, representing developed and developing cities, focusing on the integration of policy changes, socio-economic background and waste data trends on a multi-decadal scale. This analysis reveals the gradual implementation of initiatives, the challenges faced and the attempted solutions that were applied differently in both cities. Conceptual models of waste management status in different scenarios for both cities were developed. These models highlight that societal behaviour shifts from minimal waste generation (wasteless) to throw-away society (wasteful) and a drive to achieve sustainable waste behaviour with integration of resource recovery and waste minimization (wasting less). A detailed understanding of the evolution of waste management systems towards fulfilling public needs alongside rapid urbanization can provide new perspectives on future waste scenarios, especially in developing cities. Ultimately, reliable and accurate data are crucial to avoid inaccuracies in planning for future waste management. Recycling 2016-08-29 1 2 Article 10.3390/recycling1020254 254 270 2313-4321 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/recycling1020254 Erni Mukhtar Ian Williams Peter Shaw Francis Ongondo http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/691 In smart cities, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) of the smart grid facilitates automated metering, control and monitoring of power distribution by employing a wireless network. Due to this wireless nature of communication, there exist potential threats to the data privacy in AMI. Decoding the energy consumption reading, injecting false data/command signals and jamming the networks are some hazardous measures against this technology. Since a smart meter possesses limited memory and computational capability, AMI demands a light, but robust security scheme. In this paper, we propose a localization-based key management system for meter data encryption. Data are encrypted by the key associated with the coordinate of the meter and a random key index. The encryption keys are managed and distributed by a trusted third party (TTP). Localization of the meter is proposed by a method based on received signal strength (RSS) using the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). The received packets are decrypted at the control center with the key mapped with the key index and the meter's coordinates. Additionally, we propose the k-nearest neighbors (kNN) algorithm for node/meter authentication, capitalizing further on data transmission security. Finally, we evaluate the security strength of a data packet numerically for our method. Energies 2016-08-29 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090691 691 1996-1073 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/en9090691 Imtiaz Parvez Arif Sarwat Longfei Wei Aditya Sundararajan http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/7/9/191 Illegal logging, with its related trade of illegally harvested timber, is one of the main environmental and economic problems worldwide. Eliminating illegal timber consumption and production are two practical means to reduce illegal logging. However, the problem of determining which of the two means is more economical remains to be analyzed. In this study, an input–output analysis was conducted to evaluate the consumption and production of illegal timber in different countries. The Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) was employed to analyze the effects of eliminating illegal timber consumption and production on the added value of the forest sector at global and national levels. Results indicated that eliminating illegal timber production is more economical than eliminating consumption at the global level. The former is estimated to decrease the added value of the global forest sector only by 3.37% compared to 7.31% by the latter in 2030. Eliminating the production of illegal timber will result in uneven distribution of social wealth in the forest sector, and will pass the cost of reducing illegal logging onto developing countries. Developed countries would gain more added value and market scale than the global average, whereas developing countries would suffer a loss if illegal timber production is eliminated. Hence, developed countries are encouraged to provide financial support to help developing countries reduce illegal logging. Forests 2016-08-29 7 9 Article 10.3390/f7090191 191 1999-4907 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/f7090191 Xiaobiao Zhang Bin Xu Lei Wang Aijun Yang Hongqiang Yang http://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/5/9/155 Looking back at the last four decades, the technologies that have been developed for Earth observation and mapping can shed a light on the technologies that are trending today and on their challenges. Forty years ago, the first digital pictures decided the fate of remote sensing, photogrammetric engineering, GIS, or, for short: of geomatics. This sudden wave of volumes of data triggered the research in fields that Big Data is plowing today: this paper will examine this transition. First, a rapid survey of the technology through the succession of selected terms, will help identify two main periods in the last four decades. Spatial information appears in 1970 with the preparation of Landsat, and Big Data appears in 2010. The method for exploring geomatics' contribution to Big Data, is to examine each of the "Vs" that are used today to characterize the latter: volume, velocity, variety, visualization, value, veracity, validity, and variability. Geomatics has been confronted to each of these facets during the period. The discussion compares the answers offered early by geomatics, with the situation in Big Data today. Over a very large range of issues, from signal processing to the semantics of information, geomatics has made contributions to many data models and algorithms. Big Data now enables geographic information to be disseminated much more widely, and to benefit from new information sources, expanding through the Internet of Things towards a future Digital Earth. Some of the lessons learned during the four decades of geomatics can also be lessons for Big Data today, and for the future of geomatics. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2016-08-29 5 9 Review 10.3390/ijgi5090155 155 2220-9964 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/ijgi5090155 Robert Jeansoulin http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/687 This paper is focused on the discussion and comparison of characteristics and behavior of three low frequency ac (LFAC) transmission system configurations operating under the same control scheme and conditions to identify the most promising operation system for LFAC. Merits of LFAC over high voltage direct current (HVDC) are mentioned first. By changing power flow direction without auxiliary switches in multi-terminal application and easiness of short circuit protection are explained. The three configurations of LFACs are described and applied by the control scheme with the aid of the tool of the PSCAD/EMTDC software to consider the behavior of each LFAC system on line frequency and low frequency sides. For two-phase system, no fluctuation occurs on the line frequency side, which is the advantage over single-phase system. Furthermore, current rating on thyristor devices during operation and number of devices that used in each type of LFAC are calculated and compared. These results can lead to determine the most suitable transmission system for the LFAC system operation. Energies 2016-08-29 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090687 687 1996-1073 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/en9090687 Achara Pichetjamroen Toshifumi Ise http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/6/9/51 Heat exposure (HE) results in decreased production in ruminant species and betaine is proposed as a dietary mitigation method. Merino ewes ( n = 36, 40 kg, n = 6 per group) were maintained at thermoneutral (TN, n = 18, 21 °C) or cyclical HE ( n = 18, 18–43 °C) conditions for 21 days, and supplemented with either 0 (control), 2 or 4 g betaine/day. Sheep had ad libitum access to water and were pair fed such that intake of sheep on the TN treatment matched that of HE animals. Heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), rectal (T R ) and skin temperatures (T S ) were measured 3 times daily (0900 h, 1300 h, 1700 h). Plasma samples were obtained on 8 days for glucose and NEFA analysis. The HE treatment increased T R by 0.7 °C (40.1 vs. 39.4 °C for HE and TN respectively p < 0.001), T S by +1.8 °C (39.3 vs. 37.5 °C, p < 0.001) and RR by +46 breaths/min (133 vs. 87 breaths/min, p < 0.001) compared to TN. The 2 g betaine/day treatment decreased T R (39.8, 39.6 and 39.8 °C, p < 0.001), T S (38.7, 38.0 and 38.5 °C, p < 0.001) and RR (114, 102 and 116 breaths/min for control, 2 and 4 g betaine/day, p < 0.001) compared to control. Betaine supplementation decreased plasma NEFA concentrations by ~25 μM (80, 55 and 54 μmol/L for 0, 2 and 4 g/day respectively, p = 0.05). These data indicate that dietary betaine supplementation at 2 g betaine/day provides improvements in physiological responses typical of ewes exposed to heat stress and may be a beneficial supplement for the management of sheep during summer. Animals 2016-08-29 6 9 Article 10.3390/ani6090051 51 2076-2615 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/ani6090051 Kristy DiGiacomo Sarah Simpson Brian Leury Frank Dunshea http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/689 Motivated by the potential ability of air conditioning (A/C) units in demand response, this paper explores how to utilize A/C units to increase the profit of a smart community. A coalitional game between the households and the load serving entity (LSE) in a smart community is studied, where the LSE joins by selling renewable energy to householders and providing an energy saving service to them through an A/C controller. The A/C controller is designed to reduce the amount of electricity purchased from the main grid by controlling A/C units. An online A/C energy management algorithm is developed, based on Lyapunov optimization, that considers both the A/C energy consumption and the thermal comfort level of consumers. In order to quantify the contribution of A/C units, the Shapley value is adopted for distribution of the reward among the participating householders and the LSE, based on their contribution. The simulation result verifies the effectiveness of the proposed coalitional game for a smart community and the algorithm for A/C. Energies 2016-08-29 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090689 689 1996-1073 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/en9090689 Wei Fan Nian Liu Jianhua Zhang Jinyong Lei http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/5/3/26 The U.S. generates more than 37 million metric tons of food waste each year, and over 95% of it is disposed of at U.S. landfills. This paper describes the development of a novel food waste collection kiosk and business model called "Greenbox" that will collect and store food waste from households and restaurants with incentives for user participation to spur food waste-to-energy production in a local community. Greenbox offers a low-cost collection point to divert food waste from landfills, reduce greenhouse gases from decomposition, and aid in generating cleaner energy. A functional prototype was successfully developed by a team of engineering students and a business model was created as part of a senior design capstone course. Each Greenbox unit has the potential to reduce 275 metric tons of food waste per year, remove 1320 kg of greenhouse gases, and create 470,000 liters of methane gas while providing a payback period of 4.2 years and a rate of return of 14.9%. Resources 2016-08-29 5 3 Article 10.3390/resources5030026 26 2079-9276 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/resources5030026 Matthew Franchetti http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/6/9/52 Physical castration (PC) is painful and stressful for nursing piglets. One alternative to PC is immunological castration (IC), but the pain and stress of handling associated with injections have not been assessed. The objectives of this study were to measure the pain and distress of subcutaneous (SQ) and intramuscular (IM) injections compared to PC in piglets, and to compare SQ or IM injections in finishing pigs. After farrowing, 3 to 5 d old male piglets were randomly assigned to (control) no handling treatment (NO), sham-handling (SHAM), IM, SQ, or PC. Finishing pigs were assigned to NO, SHAM, IM, or SQ. Behavior was monitored for 1 h prior and 1 h post treatment in each age group. Social, feeding behaviors, and signs of pain were recorded. Finishing pigs treated with SQ injections had higher feeding behaviors pre-treatment than they did post-treatment. Overall, physical castrations caused measurable pain-like behaviors and general behavioral dysregulation at a much higher level than the other treatment groups. SQ and IM injections did not cause either significant behavioral or physiological alterations in piglets. SQ injections caused a decrease in finishing pig feed behaviors post treatment ( p = 0.02) and SHAM treated finishing pigs spent significantly more time lying than the other treatment groups. In general IM and SQ injections did not cause any other significant changes in behavior or physiology. Animals 2016-08-29 6 9 Article 10.3390/ani6090052 52 2076-2615 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/ani6090052 John McGlone Kimberly Guay Arlene Garcia http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/846 Environmental friendly renewable energy plays an indispensable role in energy industry development. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in advanced renewable energy technology spillover is promising to improve technological capability and promote China's energy industry performance growth. In this paper, the impacts of FDI renewable energy technology spillover on China's energy industry performance are analyzed based on theoretical and empirical studies. Firstly, three hypotheses are proposed to illustrate the relationships between FDI renewable energy technology spillover and three energy industry performances including economic, environmental, and innovative performances. To verify the hypotheses, techniques including factor analysis and data envelopment analysis (DEA) are employed to quantify the FDI renewable energy technology spillover and the energy industry performance of China, respectively. Furthermore, a panel data regression model is proposed to measure the impacts of FDI renewable energy technology spillover on China's energy industry performance. Finally, energy industries of 30 different provinces in China based on the yearbook data from 2005 to 2011 are comparatively analyzed for evaluating the impacts through the empirical research. The results demonstrate that FDI renewable energy technology spillover has positive impacts on China's energy industry performance. It can also be found that the technology spillover effects are more obvious in economic and technological developed regions. Finally, four suggestions are provided to enhance energy industry performance and promote renewable energy technology spillover in China. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090846 846 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090846 Weiwei Liu Xiandong Xu Zhile Yang Jianyu Zhao Jing Xing http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/690 This paper presents the design and analysis of nano-structured gratings to improve the conversion efficiency in GaAs solar cells by reducing the light reflection losses. A finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulation tool is used to design and simulate the light reflection losses of the subwavelength grating (SWG) structure in GaAs solar cells. The SWG structures perform as an excellent alternative antireflective (AR) coating due to their capacity to reduce the reflection losses in GaAs solar cells. It allows the gradual change in the refractive index that confirms an excellent AR and the light trapping properties, when compared with the planar thin film structures. The nano-rod structure performs as a single layer AR coating, whereas the triangular (i.e., conical or perfect cone) and parabolic (i.e., trapezoidal/truncated cone) shaped nano-grating structures perform as a multilayer AR coating. The simulation results confirm that the reflection loss of triangular-shaped nano-grating structures having a 300-nm grating height and a 830-nm period is about 2%, which is about 28% less than the flat type substrates. It also found that the intermediate (i.e., trapezoidal and parabolic)-shaped structures, the light reflection loss is lower than the rectangular shaped nano-grating structure, but higher than the triangular shaped nano-grating structure. This analysis confirmed that the triangular shaped nano-gratings are an excellent alternative AR coating for conversion efficiency improvement in GaAs solar cells. Energies 2016-08-29 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090690 690 1996-1073 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/en9090690 Narottam Das Syed Islam http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/849 A scientific definition of the type of mountain area and an exploration of the spatial correlation between different types of mountain areas and regional land use at the county level are important for reasonable land resource utilization and regional sustainable development. Here, a geographic information system was used to analyze digital elevation model data and to define the extent of mountainous land and types of mountain areas in Guizhou province. Exploratory spatial data analysis was used to study the spatial coupling relation between the type of mountain area and land use degree in Guizhou province at the county level. The results were as follows: (1) Guizhou province has a high proportion of mountainous land, with a ratio of mountainous land to non-mountainous land of 88:11. The county-level administrative units in Guizhou province were exclusively mountainous, consisting of eight semi mountainous counties, nine quasi mountainous counties, 35 apparently mountainous counties, 13 type I completely mountainous counties, and 23 type II completely mountainous counties; (2) The land use degree at the county level in Guizhou province have remarkable spatial differentiation characteristics. Counties with a high cultivation coefficient are mainly located in the western area along the line between Yinjiang county and Anlong county in west Guizhou province. Counties with a large proportion of construction land or a high integrated index of land use degree are mainly distributed in the economically developed area of central Guizhou province, including parts of the counties (districts/cities) administrated by Guiyang, Zunyi, Liupanshui, Anshun, Duyun, and Kaili; (3) County-level administrative units with relatively flat topography and a low proportion of mountainous land have a large proportion of construction land and a large degree of regional land exploitation. However, the extent of cultivation of county-level administrative units under similar topography differs considerably; (4) The increase in urban land intensity and the decrease in cultivated land intensity are distinctive features of land system change in mountain areas, which is conducive to the sustainable development of mountain. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090849 849 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090849 Yuluan Zhao Xiubin Li http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/853 This study investigates small-scale variability in ecosystem services and disservices that is important for sustainable planning in urban areas (including suburbs surrounding the urban core). We quantified and valued natural capital (tree and soil carbon stocks) ecosystem services (annual tree carbon sequestration and pollutant uptake, and stormwater runoff reduction) and disservices (greenhouse gas emissions and soil soluble reactive phosphorus) within a 30-hectare heterogeneous green space that included approximately 13% wetland, 13% prairie, 16% forest, and 55% subdivision. We found similar soil organic carbon across green space types, but spatial heterogeneity in other ecosystem services and disservices. The value of forest tree carbon stock was estimated at approximately $10,000 per hectare. Tree carbon sequestration, and pollutant uptake added benefits of $1000+ per hectare per year. Annual per hectare benefits from tree carbon stock and ecosystem services in the subdivision were each 63% of forest values. Total annual greenhouse gas emissions had significant spatial and temporal variation. Soil soluble reactive phosphorus was significantly higher in the wetland than in forest and prairie. Our results have implications for urban planning. Adding or improving ecosystem service provision on small (private or public) urban or suburban lots may benefit from careful consideration of small-scale variability. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090853 853 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090853 Christie Klimas Allison Williams Megan Hoff Beth Lawrence Jennifer Thompson James Montgomery http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/860 The present study examines the association between team incivility climate and team members' perceived support for innovation. To extend findings on the negative effects of incivility (which are low intensity deviant behaviors, such as rudeness) in studies focusing on the individual level, the effects of organizational incivility are examined at the work team level. Drawing on the spiral model of incivility and the literature on teams, this study suggests that team incivility climate has a negative impact on perceived support for innovation through team members' teamwork behaviors. Using data collected from 411 subordinates on 62 work teams, the hypothesized mediation model is tested. The results show a negative effect of team incivility climate on teamwork and a positive effect of teamwork on perceived support for innovation, supporting the hypothesized negative indirect effect. Research and practical implications for organizational sustainability are discussed. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090860 860 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090860 Jaewan Yang http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/6/3/41 The doubling of the world's agricultural production for the past four decades has been associated with a seven-fold increase in nitrogen (N) fertilization [1] which has caused major detrimental impacts onthediversityandfunctioningofthenon-agriculturalbacterial,animalandplantecosystems,notably through the process of freshwater and marine ecosystem eutrophication [2].[...] Agronomy 2016-08-29 6 3 Editorial 10.3390/agronomy6030041 41 2073-4395 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/agronomy6030041 Bertrand Hirel Anne Krapp http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/855 Environmental awareness has led to an increased concern about low carbon technologies implementation. Among these technologies, the following research is focused on the natural ventilation effect evaluation in buildings prior to its construction. The aim is to select the most suitable architectural solution to ensure comfortable indoor environment in the most efficient way in the early building design stage. The design approach takes into account the wind conditions in the region and the building surroundings to evaluate the façade opening distribution impact on natural ventilation performance. The design approach is based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this article, a case study located in the Valencian Community (Spain) is depicted. The Valencian Community coastal climatic conditions are evaluated to assess the low carbon technology energy saving potential. Moreover, the main drivers and barriers involved in the design approach implementation in the region are discussed. The conclusions show that the natural ventilation design approach can improve up to 9.7% the building energy performance respect an initial building design, in which natural ventilation has not been considered. The results contribute to an assessment of the complete low carbon technology effect in the region. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090855 855 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090855 Miguel Mora-Pérez Ignacio Guillen-Guillamón Gonzalo López-Patiño Petra López-Jiménez http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/856 In this study, the quantitative determination of eight biogenic amines (cadaverine, serotonin, histamine, spermidine, spermine, tyramine, putrescine and β-phenylethylamine) by an liquid chromatography method with evaporative light scattering detection was performed. The analysis of several samples of conventional, organic and fair trade cocoa-derivatives showed that organic and fair trade samples always contain much lower amine concentrations in comparison with their conventional counterparts, supporting the idea that biogenic amines can be regarded as cocoa quality markers. Irrespective of the kind of sample, results also showed that the most abundant amines were histamine, tyramine, spermidine, putrescine and spermine while β-phenylethylamine, cadaverine and serotonine have been found more rarely, all the amines never reaching dangerous amounts for consumer health. With the aim to confirm the experimental results, clustering analysis was performed on samples and instrumental results using principal component analysis. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090856 856 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090856 Donatella Restuccia Umile Spizzirri Michele Luca Ortensia Parisi Nevio Picci http://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/5/3/57 An active packaging system has been designed for the shelf life extension of ready to eat meat products. The package included an inner surface coated with a chitosan film with thyme essential oil (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%) not in direct contact with the meat. Our aim was to reduce the impact of thyme essential oil (EO) on meat sensory properties by using a chemotype with low odor intensity. The pH, color parameters, microbial populations, and sensory properties were assessed during 4 weeks of refrigerated storage. The presence of EO films reduced yeast populations, whereas aerobic mesophilic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and enterobacteria were not affected by the presence of the EO in the films. Meat color preservation (a *) was enhanced in the presence of EO, giving a better appearance to the packaged meat. The presence of the chitosan-EO layer reduced water condensation inside the package, whereas packages containing only chitosan had evident water droplets. Thyme odor was perceived as desirable in cooked meat, and the typical product odor intensity decreased by increasing the EO concentration. Further studies should point towards developing oil blends or combinations with natural antimicrobial agents to be incorporated into the film to improve its antimicrobial properties. Foods 2016-08-29 5 3 Article 10.3390/foods5030057 57 2304-8158 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/foods5030057 Jesús Quesada Esther Sendra Casilda Navarro Estrella Sayas-Barberá http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/852 Air analysis inside vehicles is a problem that can be interpreted from several perspectives. This research is oriented towards the perception of air quality within a car, regarding a situation of cars in stationary traffic. Carbon dioxide measurements were made using a Trotec Data Logger Air Quality CO2 BZ30 machine inside different standing vehicles with up to five occupants, with and without circulating air. The perception of the air quality was measured on a Likert-type scale with seven levels on a sample group of 60 students. The results highlight, on the one hand, the conditions under which the CO2 in the cabin air can reach concentrations which are, according to new data, considered to influence the cognitive capacity of occupants in the car, and on the other hand, they present a global assessment of the air quality in the vehicle when critical values of CO2 have been reached. If the air exchange rates inside a car are low, this degrades the air quality in such a way that it affects the concentration and reactions necessary for safe driving without perceiving any discomfort that would put the drivers or the passengers on alert. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090852 852 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090852 Doru Constantin Crisanta-Alina Mazilescu Mihai Nagi Anca Draghici Ana-Andreea Mihartescu http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/8/9/362 Precipitation totals at annual and monthly scale are key elements affecting water availability for a number of human activities. Thus, the multi-year variability and probability distribution of precipitation form the basis information for water management and damage risk assessment (caused by drought and heavy rains). The main goal of this paper is to analyse the precipitation patterns and to determine the non-exceedance probability (p, %) of extreme monthly precipitation in the region influenced by lignite mining and dominated by traditional agricultural production. Monthly precipitation totals recorded in 1961–2010 at four weather stations close to the analysed region were examined, including comparative analysis of precipitation patterns between the stations. Different non-exceedance probability (p, %) was determined with focus on extreme precipitation. Annual and monthly precipitation was characterised by a large variation of values. Temporal variability was larger than the spatial variability. The highest average sums were registered in July and the lowest in February. Minimum monthly precipitation (<10 mm) were recorded between January and April, and in October at all four weather stations. Maximum totals, amounting to more than 200 mm, were noted in July. The largest share of absolute minimum and maximum monthly precipitation was recorded at the turn of 20th and 21st centuries. Temporal and spatial distribution of precipitation for very dry, abnormally dry and extremely dry months (p ≤ 20%) were characterised by lower dispersion of values compared with wet months (p ≥ 80%). The precipitation probability distribution at p ≤ 20% may be useful to determine agricultural drought risk assessment in the region. Monthly precipitation at p ≥ 80% may be the background for planning drainage system efficiency and assessment of flooding risk of lignite deposits. Water 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/w8090362 362 2073-4441 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/w8090362 Wiesława Kasperska-Wołowicz Karolina Smarzyńska Zygmunt Miatkowski Tymoteusz Bolewski Ryszard Farat http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/854 Despite the growing demand for organic products, research on organic farming (OF) such as genotype screening, fertilizer application and nutrition uptake remains limited. This study focused on comparisons of the apparent recovery efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer (REN) in rice grown under OF and conventional farming (CF). Thirty-two representative conventional Japonica rice varieties were field grown under five different treatments: control check (CK); organic farming with low, medium and high levels of organic fertilizer (LO, MO and HO, respectively); and CF. Comparisons of REN between OF and CF classified the 32 genotypes into four types: high REN under both OF and CF (type-A); high REN under OF and low REN under CF (type-B); low REN under OF and high REN under CF (type-C); and low REN under both OF and CF (type-D). Though the yield and REN of all the rice varieties were higher with CF than with OF, organic N efficient type-A and B were able to maintain relatively high grain yield under OF. Physiological activities in flag leaves of the four types from booting to maturity were subsequently investigated under OF and CF. Under OF, high values of soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) and N were observed in type-B varieties, while in contrast, both indexes slowly decreased in type-C varieties under CF. Moreover, the decline in N content in type-C and D varieties was greater under OF than CF. The decrease in glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activity in flag leaves was smaller under OF than CF in type-A and B varieties, while in contrast, type-C and D varieties showed an opposite trend. The findings suggest that OF slows the decline in key enzymes of N metabolism in organic N-efficient type rice, thus maintaining a relatively high capacity for N uptake and utilization and increasing yield during the late growth period. Accordingly, we were able to screen for varieties of rice with synergistically high REN and high grain yield under OF. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090854 854 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090854 Lifen Huang Jie Yang Xiaoyi Cui Huozhong Yang Shouhong Wang Hengyang Zhuang http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/685 Although it is well known that low nitrogen stimulates lipid accumulation, especially for algae and some oleaginous yeast, few studies have been conducted in fungal species, especially on the impact of different nitrogen deficiency strategies. In this study, we use two promising consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) candidates to examine the impact of two nitrogen deficiency strategies on lipid production, which are the extensively investigated oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, and the commercial cellulase producer Trichoderma reesei. We first utilized bioinformatics approaches to reconstruct the fatty acid metabolic pathway and demonstrated the presence of a triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis pathway in Trichoderma reesei. We then examined the lipid production of Trichoderma reesei and Y. lipomyces in different media using two nitrogen deficiency strategies of nitrogen natural repletion and nitrogen depletion through centrifugation. Our results demonstrated that nitrogen depletion was better than nitrogen repletion with about 30% lipid increase for Trichoderma reesei and Y. lipomyces, and could be an option to improve lipid production in both oleaginous yeast and filamentous fungal species. The resulting distinctive lipid composition profiles indicated that the impacts of nitrogen depletion on yeast were different from those for fungal species. Under three types of C/N ratio conditions, C16 and C18 fatty acids were the predominant forms of lipids for both Trichoderma reesei and Y. lipolytica. While the overall fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of Trichoderma reesei were similar, the overall FAME profiles of Y. lipolytica observed a shift. The fatty acid metabolic pathway reconstructed in this work supports previous reports of lipid production in T. reesei, and provides a pathway for future omics studies and metabolic engineering efforts. Further investigation to identify the genetic targets responsible for the effect of nitrogen depletion on lipid production improvement will facilitate strain engineering to boost lipid production under more optimal conditions for productivity than those required for nitrogen depletion. Energies 2016-08-29 9 9 Brief Report 10.3390/en9090685 685 1996-1073 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/en9090685 Shihui Yang Wei Wang Hui Wei Stefanie Van Wychen Philip Pienkos Min Zhang Michael Himmel http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/686 The diffusion length (L) of photogenerated carriers in the nanoporous electrode is a key parameter that summarizes the collection efficiency behavior in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). At present, there are few techniques able to spatially resolve L over the active area of the device. Most of them require contact patterning and, hence, are intrinsically destructive. Here, we present the first electron diffusion length mapping system for DSCs based on steady state incident photon to collected electron (IPCE) conversion efficiency ( η I P C E ) analysis. The measurement is conducted by acquiring complete transmittance ( T DSC ) and η I P C E spectra from the photo electrode (PE) and counter electrode (CE) for each spatial point in a raster scan manner. L ( x , y ) is obtained by a least square fitting of the IPCE ratio spectrum ( I P C E R = η I P C E -CE η I P C E -PE ). An advanced feature is the ability to acquire η I P C E spectra using low-intensity probe illumination under weakly-absorbed background light (625 nm) with the device biased close to open circuit voltage. These homogeneous conditions permit the linearization of the free electron continuity equation and, hence, to obtain the collection efficiency expressions ( η COL-PE and η COL-CE ). The influence of the parameter's uncertainty has been quantified by a sensitivity study of L. The result has been validated by quantitatively comparing the average value of L map with the value estimated from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Energies 2016-08-29 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090686 686 1996-1073 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/en9090686 Lucio Cinà Babak Taheri Andrea Reale Aldo Di Carlo http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/841 Unsustainable farming practices such as shifting cultivation and slash-and-burn agriculture in the humid tropics threaten the preservation of the rainforest and the health of the local and global environment. In weathered soils prone to cohesion in humid tropic due to low Fe and carbon content and the enormous amounts of P that can be adsorbed, sustainable soil use is heavily dependent on the availability and efficient use of nutrients. This paper reviews the literature in the field and provides some insights about sustainable soil use in the humid tropics, mainly for the Brazilian Amazonia region. Careful management of organic matter and physical and chemical indicators is necessary to enhance root growth and nutrient uptake. To improve the rootability of the arable layer, a combination of gypsum with continuous mulching to increase the labile organic matter fraction responsible for the formation of a short-lived structure important for root growth is recommended, rather than tillage. Unlike mulching, mechanical disturbance via ploughing of Amazonian soils causes very rapid and permanent soil organic matter losses and often results in permanent recompaction and land degradation or anthropic savannization; thus, it should be avoided. Unlike in other regions, like southeast Brazil, saturating the soil solely with inorganic potassium and nitrogen soluble fertilizers is not recommended. Nutrient retention in the root zone can be enhanced if nutrients are added in a slow-release form and if biologically mediated processes are used for nutrient release, as occurs in green manure. Therefore, an alternative that favors using local resources to increase the supply of nutrients and offset processes that impair the efficiency of nutrient use must be pursued. Sustainability 2016-08-29 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090841 841 2071-1050 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/su8090841 Emanoel Moura Christoph Gehring Heder Braun Altamiro Ferraz Junior Fabricio Reis Alana Aguiar http://www.mdpi.com/2313-576X/2/3/16 This Commentary addresses the ongoing disagreements between many safety advocates who endorse traditional models of prevention and those who oppose them, arguing that safety measures are offset by risk compensation (RCT). The debate is especially heated with respect to regulatory or legislative prevention measures. After explaining the rationale behind risk compensation (aka risk homeostasis theory) (RHT), I provide examples of RCT studies to explain why I believe they should be rejected. The main basis for my rebuttal, however, rests on data that show steady declines in unintentional injury mortality, which, according to RCT, should not have occurred. There are many other reasons for rejecting this theory, and it seems that the time has come for the debate to finally be concluded. Safety 2016-08-29 2 3 Commentary 10.3390/safety2030016 16 2313-576X 2016-08-29 doi: 10.3390/safety2030016 Barry Pless http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/709 With the urgent demand for automatic management of large numbers of high-resolution remote sensing images, content-based high-resolution remote sensing image retrieval (CB-HRRS-IR) has attracted much research interest. Accordingly, this paper proposes a novel high-resolution remote sensing image retrieval approach via multiple feature representation and collaborative affinity metric fusion (IRMFRCAMF). In IRMFRCAMF, we design four unsupervised convolutional neural networks with different layers to generate four types of unsupervised features from the fine level to the coarse level. In addition to these four types of unsupervised features, we also implement four traditional feature descriptors, including local binary pattern (LBP), gray level co-occurrence (GLCM), maximal response 8 (MR8), and scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT). In order to fully incorporate the complementary information among multiple features of one image and the mutual information across auxiliary images in the image dataset, this paper advocates collaborative affinity metric fusion to measure the similarity between images. The performance evaluation of high-resolution remote sensing image retrieval is implemented on two public datasets, the UC Merced (UCM) dataset and the Wuhan University (WH) dataset. Large numbers of experiments show that our proposed IRMFRCAMF can significantly outperform the state-of-the-art approaches. Remote Sensing 2016-08-27 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090709 709 2072-4292 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/rs8090709 Yansheng Li Yongjun Zhang Chao Tao Hu Zhu http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/856 To date, there has been no study done investigating the relationship between the components of height and blood pressure (BP) in rural South African children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between height, sitting height (SH), leg length (LL), and SH-to-height ratio (SH/H) with BP in Ellisras rural children. All children underwent anthropometric and BP measurements using standard procedure. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between height, SH, LL, SH/H, and BP. The regression showed a positive significant (p < 0.001) association between systolic BP (SBP) with height and SH (β ranged from 0.127 to 0.134 and 95% CI ranged from 0.082 to 0.415). Diastolic BP (DBP) also showed a positive significant (p < 0.001) association with height and SH (β ranged from 0.080 to 0.088 and 95% CI ranged from 0.042 to 0.259). After having been adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, and waist circumference, DBP showed a positive significant (p < 0.05) association with height. There was a positive significant association between DBP and SBP together with the components of height amongst Ellisras rural children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-27 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090856 856 1660-4601 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090856 Nthai Ramoshaba Kotsedi Monyeki Leon Hay http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/862 Quantifying the landscape pattern change can effectively demonstrate the ecological progresses and the consequences of urbanization. Based on remotely sensed land cover data in 1994, 2000, 2006 and a gradient analysis with landscape metrics at landscape- and class- level, we attempted to characterize the individual and entire landscape patterns of Shanghai metropolitan during the rapid urbanization. We highlighted that a roadscape transect approach that combined the buffer zone method and the transect-based approach was introduced to describe the urban-rural patterns of agricultural, residential, green, industrial, and public facilities land along the railway route. Our results of landscape metrics showed significant spatiotemporal patterns and gradient variations along the transect. The urban growth pattern in two time spans conform to the hypothesis for diffusion–coalescence processes, implying that the railway is adaptive as a gradient element to analyze the landscape patterns with urbanization. As the natural landscape was replaced by urban landscape gradually, the desakota region expanded its extent widely. Suburb areas witnessed the continual transformation from the predominantly rural landscape to peri-urban landscape. Furthermore, the gap between urban and rural areas remained large especially in public service. More reasonable urban plans and land use policies should push to make more efforts to transition from the urban-rural separation to coordinated urban-rural development. This study is a meaningful trial in demonstrating a new form of urban–rural transects to study the landscape change of large cities. By combining gradient analysis with landscape metrics, we addressed the process of urbanization both spatially and temporally, and provided a more quantitative approach to urban studies. Sustainability 2016-08-27 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090862 862 2071-1050 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/su8090862 Zhonghao Zhang Yaojen Tu Xin Li http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/708 Accurate building information plays a crucial role for urban planning, human settlements and environmental management. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, which deliver images with metric resolution, allow for analyzing and extracting detailed information on urban areas. In this paper, we consider the problem of extracting individual buildings from SAR images based on domain ontology. By analyzing a building scattering model with different orientations and structures, the building ontology model is set up to express multiple characteristics of individual buildings. Under this semantic expression framework, an object-based SAR image segmentation method is adopted to provide homogeneous image objects, and three categories of image object features are extracted. Semantic rules are implemented by organizing image object features, and the individual building objects expression based on an ontological semantic description is formed. Finally, the building primitives are used to detect buildings among the available image objects. Experiments on TerraSAR-X images of Foshan city, China, with a spatial resolution of 1.25 m × 1.25 m, have shown the total extraction rates are above 84%. The results indicate the ontological semantic method can exactly extract flat-roof and gable-roof buildings larger than 250 pixels with different orientations. Remote Sensing 2016-08-27 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090708 708 2072-4292 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/rs8090708 Rong Gui Xin Xu Hao Dong Chao Song Fangling Pu http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/707 In this paper, a semi-empirical algorithm for significant wave height (Hs) and mean wave period (Tmw) retrieval from C-band VV-polarization Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is presented. We develop a semi-empirical function for Hs retrieval, which describes the relation between Hs and cutoff wavelength, radar incidence angle, and wave propagation direction relative to radar look direction. Additionally, Tmw can be also calculated through Hs and cutoff wavelength by using another empirical function. We collected 106 C-band stripmap mode Sentinel-1 SAR images in VV-polarization and wave measurements from in situ buoys. There are a total of 150 matchup points. We used 93 matchups to tune the coefficients of the semi-empirical algorithm and the rest 57 matchups for validation. The comparison shows a 0.69 m root mean square error (RMSE) of Hs with a 18.6% of scatter index (SI) and 1.98 s RMSE of Tmw with a 24.8% of SI. Results indicate that the algorithm is suitable for wave parameters retrieval from Sentinel-1 SAR data. Remote Sensing 2016-08-27 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090707 707 2072-4292 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/rs8090707 Weizeng Shao Zheng Zhang Xiaofeng Li Huan Li http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/858 Environmental health inequalities refer to health hazards disproportionately or unfairly distributed among the most vulnerable social groups, which are generally the most discriminated, poor populations and minorities affected by environmental risks. Although it has been known for a long time that health and disease are socially determined, only recently has this idea been incorporated into the conceptual and practical framework for the formulation of policies and strategies regarding health. In this Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), "Addressing Environmental Health Inequalities—Proceedings from the ISEE Conference 2015", we incorporate nine papers that were presented at the 27th Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. This small collection of articles provides a brief overview of the different aspects of this topic. Addressing environmental health inequalities is important for the transformation of our reality and for changing the actual development model towards more just, democratic, and sustainable societies driven by another form of relationship between nature, economy, science, and politics. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-27 13 9 Editorial 10.3390/ijerph13090858 858 1660-4601 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090858 Nelson Gouveia http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/857 This study aimed to comprehensively compare the general characteristics, lifestyles, serum parameters, ultrasonic cardiogram (UCG) parameters, depression, quality of life, and various comorbidities between empty nest and non-empty nest elderly among rural populations in northeast China. This analysis was based on our previous study which was conducted from January 2012 to August 2013, using a multistage, stratified, random cluster sampling scheme. The final analyzed sample consisted of 3208 participants aged no less than 60 years, which was further classified into three groups: non-empty nest group, empty nest group (living as a couple), and empty nest group (living alone). More than half of the participants were empty nest elderly (60.5%). There were no significant statistical differences for serum parameters, UCG parameters, lifestyles, dietary pattern, and scores of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire, abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF) among the three groups. Empty nest elderly showed no more risk for comorbidities such as general obesity, abdominal obesity, hyperuricemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, diabetes, dyslipidemia, left atrial enlargement (LAE), and stroke. Our study indicated that empty nest elderly showed no more risk for depression, low quality of life and comorbidities such as general obesity, abdominal obesity, hyperuricemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, diabetes, dyslipidemia, LAE, and stroke among rural populations in northeast China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-27 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090857 857 1660-4601 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090857 Ye Chang Xiaofan Guo Liang Guo Zhao Li Hongmei Yang Shasha Yu Guozhe Sun Yingxian Sun http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/8/9/369 Coastal zones support fisheries that provide food for humans and feed for animals. The decline of fisheries worldwide has fostered the development of aquaculture. Recent research has shown that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) synthesized by microorganisms contribute to sustainable aquaculture production, providing feed to the cultured species, removing waste and contributing to the hygiene of closed systems. As ubiquitous components of coastal microbial habitats at the air–seawater and seawater–sediment interfaces as well as of biofilms and microbial aggregates, EPS mediate deleterious processes that affect the performance and productivity of aquaculture facilities, including biofouling of marine cages, bioaccumulation and transport of pollutants. These biomolecules may also contribute to the persistence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their impact on cultured species. EPS may also exert a positive influence on aquaculture activity by enhancing the settling of aquaculturally valuable larvae and treating wastes in bioflocculation processes. EPS display properties that may have biotechnological applications in the aquaculture industry as antiviral agents and immunostimulants and as a novel source of antifouling bioproducts. Water 2016-08-27 8 9 Review 10.3390/w8090369 369 2073-4441 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/w8090369 Juan Camacho-Chab Fabiola Lango-Reynoso María Castañeda-Chávez Itzel Galaviz-Villa Demian Hinojosa-Garro Benjamín Ortega-Morales http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/7/9/189 Throughout much of eastern North America, quantitative records of historical fire regimes and interactions with humans are absent. Annual resolution fire scar histories provide data on fire frequency, extent, and severity, but also can be used to understand fire-climate-human interactions. This study used tree-ring dated fire scars from red pines (Pinus resinosa) at four sites in the Northern Sands Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin to quantify the interactions among fire occurrence and seasonality, drought, and humans. New methods for assessing the influence of human ignitions on fire regimes were developed. A temporal and spatial index of wildland fire was significantly correlated (r = 0.48) with drought indices (Palmer Drought Severity Index, PDSI). Fire intervals varied through time with human activities that included early French Jesuit missions, European trade (fur), diseases, war, and land use. Comparisons of historical fire records suggest that annual climate in this region has a broad influence on the occurrence of fire years in the Great Lakes region. Forests 2016-08-27 7 9 Article 10.3390/f7090189 189 1999-4907 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/f7090189 Richard Guyette Michael Stambaugh Daniel Dey Joseph Marschall Jay Saunders John Lampereur http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/853 Due to changes in the drilling industry, oil spills are impacting large expanses of coastlines, thereby increasing the potential for people to come in contact with oil spill chemicals. The objective of this manuscript was to evaluate the health risk to children who potentially contact beach sands impacted by oil spill chemicals from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. To identify chemicals of concern, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) monitoring data collected during and immediately after the spill were evaluated. This dataset was supplemented with measurements from beach sands and tar balls collected five years after the spill. Of interest is that metals in the sediments were observed at similar levels between the two sampling periods; some differences were observed for metals levels in tar balls. Although PAHs were not observed five years later, there is evidence of weathered-oil oxidative by-products. Comparing chemical concentration data to baseline soil risk levels, three metals (As, Ba, and V) and four PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene) were found to exceed guideline levels prompting a risk assessment. For acute or sub-chronic exposures, hazard quotients, computed by estimating average expected contact behavior, showed no adverse potential health effects. For cancer, computations using 95% upper confidence limits for contaminant concentrations showed extremely low increased risk in the 10−6 range for oral and dermal exposure from arsenic in sediments and from dermal exposure from benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]anthracene in weathered oil. Overall, results suggest that health risks are extremely low, given the limitations of available data. Limitations of this study are associated with the lack of toxicological data for dispersants and oil-spill degradation products. We also recommend studies to collect quantitative information about children's beach play habits, which are necessary to more accurately assess exposure scenarios and health risks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-27 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090853 853 1660-4601 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090853 Jennifer Black Jennifer Welday Brian Buckley Alesia Ferguson Patrick Gurian Kristina Mena Ill Yang Elizabeth McCandlish Helena Solo-Gabriele http://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/5/3/56 The chamazulene and α-(−)-bisabolol contents and quality of the chamomile oil are affected by genetic background and environmental conditions. Salicylic acid (SA), as a signaling molecule, plays a significant role in the plant physiological processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical profile, quantity, and improve the essential oil quality as a consequence of the increase of chamazulene and α-(−)-bisabol using salicylic acid under normal and heat stress conditions by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The factorial experiments were carried out during the 2011–2012 hot season using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The factors include four salicylic acid concentrations (0 (control), 10, 25 and 100 mg·L−1), and three chamomile cultivars (Bushehr, Bona, Bodegold) were sown on two different planting dates under field conditions. Fourteen compounds were identified from the extracted oil of the samples treated with salicylic acid under normal and heat stress conditions. The major identified oil compositions from chamomile cultivars treated with salicylic acid were chamazulene, α-(−)-bisabolol, bisabolone oxide, β-farnesene, en-yn-dicycloether, and bisabolol oxide A and B. Analysis of variance showed that the simple effects (environmental conditions, cultivar and salicylic acid) and their interaction were significant on all identified compounds, but the environmental conditions had no significant effect on bisabolol oxide A. The greatest amount of chamazulene obtained was 6.66% at the concentration of 10 mg·L−1 SA for the Bona cultivar under heat stress conditions, whereas the highest α-(−)-bisabolol amount attained was 3.41% at the concentration of 100 mg·L−1 SA for the Bona cultivar under normal conditions. The results demonstrated that the application of exogenous salicylic acid increases the quantity and essential oil quality as a consequence of the increase of chamazulene and α-(−)-bisabolol under normal and heat stress conditions. Foods 2016-08-27 5 3 Article 10.3390/foods5030056 56 2304-8158 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/foods5030056 Mojtaba Ghasemi Nadali Babaeian Jelodar Mohammad Modarresi Nadali Bagheri Abbas Jamali http://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/5/9/152 We study the double-cross matrix descriptions of polylines in the two-dimensional plane. The double-cross matrix is a qualitative description of polylines in which exact, quantitative information is given up in favour of directional information. First, we give an algebraic characterization of the double-cross matrix of a polyline and derive some properties of double-cross matrices from this characterisation. Next, we give a geometric characterization of double-cross similarity of two polylines, using the technique of local carrier orders of polylines. We also identify the transformations of the plane that leave the double-cross matrix of all polylines in the two-dimensional plane invariant. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2016-08-27 5 9 Article 10.3390/ijgi5090152 152 2220-9964 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/ijgi5090152 Bart Kuijpers Bart Moelans http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/7/9/188 This case study analyzed the performance of a start-up cable yarding crew in southern China through operational monitoring by consecutive time studies, long-term log book recordings and efficiency evaluation by stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). The crew, which used a KOLLER K303 H mobile tower yarder, was monitored for two years. During this period, detailed data recordings of 687 yarding cycles of 12 yarding corridors as well as log book recordings of an additional 1122 scheduled system hours (SSH, including all delays) were generated. Mean extraction productivity of the system ranged between 5.23 and 6.40 m3 per productive system hour (PSH0, excluding all delays), mostly depending on slope yarding distance and lateral distance. Corresponding gross-productivity ranged from 1.91 to 2.24 m3/SSH, with an overall mean machine utilization rate of 31%. Unproductive yarding times and delays associated with the relative low utilization rate were mainly caused by lengthy rigging processes, as well as organizational deficiencies and not yet fully developed skill sets of the operating crew. The latter was reflected in a mean efficiency effect frontier value of 0.62 based on evaluation of data sets of individual yarding cycles recorded during detailed assessments, suggesting a mean improvement potential of 38% based on the SFA, translating in a potentially achievable gross-productivity of 2.64 to 3.09 m3/SSH. We conclude that current local operating conditions including insufficient planning, implementation and logistics and in particular, frequent discontinuations of system operations of up to three months all resulting in generally low operation hours per shift and per year, inhibit efficient operations and rapid skill development. These circumstances also inhibit an economic utilization of the equipment. Nevertheless, from a technical perspective, yarding systems have a promising potential in southern China. Forests 2016-08-27 7 9 Article 10.3390/f7090188 188 1999-4907 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/f7090188 Stephan Hoffmann Dirk Jaeger Marcus Lingenfelder Siegmar Schoenherr http://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/4/3/19 Neurotransmission is the basis of neuronal communication and is critical for normal brain development, behavior, learning, and memory. Exposure to drugs and chemicals can alter neurotransmission, often through unknown pathways and mechanisms. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) model system is increasingly being used to study the brain and chemical neurotoxicity. In this review, the major neurotransmitter systems, including glutamate, GABA, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, acetylcholine, histamine, and glutamate are surveyed and pathways of synthesis, transport, metabolism, and action are examined. Differences between human and zebrafish neurochemical pathways are highlighted. We also review techniques for evaluating neurological function, including the measurement of neurotransmitter levels, assessment of gene expression through transcriptomic analysis, and the recording of neurobehavior. Finally examples of chemical toxicity studies evaluating alterations in neurotransmitter systems in the zebrafish model are reviewed. Toxics 2016-08-27 4 3 Review 10.3390/toxics4030019 19 2305-6304 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/toxics4030019 Katharine Horzmann Jennifer Freeman http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/706 Monitoring the dynamics in wheat crops requires near-term observations with high spatial resolution due to the complex factors influencing wheat growth variability. We studied the prospects for monitoring the biophysical parameters and nitrogen status in wheat crops with low-cost imagery acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over an 11 ha field. Flight missions were conducted at approximately 50 m in altitude with a commercial copter and camera system—three missions were performed between booting and maturing of the wheat plants and one mission after tillage. Ultra-high resolution orthoimages of 1.2 cm·px−1 and surface models were generated for each mission from the standard red, green and blue (RGB) aerial images. The image variables were extracted from image tone and surface models, e.g., RGB ratios, crop coverage and plant height. During each mission, 20 plots within the wheat canopy with 1 × 1 m2 sample support were selected in the field, and the leaf area index, plant height, fresh and dry biomass and nitrogen concentrations were measured. From the generated UAV imagery, we were able to follow the changes in early senescence at the individual plant level in the wheat crops. Changes in the pattern of the wheat canopy varied drastically from one mission to the next, which supported the need for instantaneous observations, as delivered by UAV imagery. The correlations between the biophysical parameters and image variables were highly significant during each mission, and the regression models calculated with the principal components of the image variables yielded R2 values between 0.70 and 0.97. In contrast, the models of the nitrogen concentrations yielded low R2 values with the best model obtained at flowering (R2 = 0.65). The nitrogen nutrition index was calculated with an accuracy of 0.10 to 0.11 NNI for each mission. For all models, information about the surface models and image tone was important. We conclude that low-cost RGB UAV imagery will strongly aid farmers in observing biophysical characteristics, but it is limited for observing the nitrogen status within wheat crops. Remote Sensing 2016-08-27 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090706 706 2072-4292 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/rs8090706 Michael Schirrmann Antje Giebel Franziska Gleiniger Michael Pflanz Jan Lentschke Karl-Heinz Dammer http://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/5/9/153 As one of the key operators of automated map generalization, algorithms for the line simplification have been widely researched in the past decades. Although many of the currently available algorithms have revealed satisfactory simplification performances with certain data types and selected test areas, it still remains a challenging task to solve the problems of (a) how to properly divide a cartographic line when it is too long to be dealt with directly; and (b) how to make adaptable parameterizations for various geo-data in different areas. In order to solve these two problems, a new line-simplification approach based on the Oblique-Dividing-Curve (ODC) method has been proposed in this paper. In this proposed model, one cartographic line is divided into a series of monotonic curves by the ODC method. Then, the curves are categorized into different groups according to their shapes, sizes and other geometric characteristics. The curves in different groups will trigger different strategies as well as the associated criteria for line simplification. Whenever a curve is simplified, the whole simplified cartographic line will be re-divided and the simplification process restarts again, i.e., the proposed simplification approach is iteratively operated until the final simplification result is achieved. Experiment evidence demonstrates that the proposed approach is able to handle the holistic bend-trend of the whole cartographic line during the simplification process and thereby provides considerably improved simplification performance with respect to maintaining the essential shape/salient characteristics and keeping the topological consistency. Moreover, the produced simplification results are not sensitive to the parameterizations of the proposed approach. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2016-08-27 5 9 Article 10.3390/ijgi5090153 153 2220-9964 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/ijgi5090153 Haizhong Qian Meng Zhang Fang Wu http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/858 As the basic cell of social structures and spatial units, rural settlement is now experiencing profound changes through the rapid urbanization process underway in China, particularly in peri-urban areas which serve as the main platform and battlefield for urban–rural integration in China's latest round of new urbanization. Therefore, how to achieve better planning for rural settlement in peri-urban areas is becoming a pressing and paramount research agenda. This paper attempts to explore the possible reasons for the underperformance of planning practice for rural settlement in peri-urban areas of China by taking the Mentougou district of Beijing as a case study. Following a quick and comprehensive review of planning in Mentougou district, a systematic and critical evaluation is then conducted accordingly. It shows that the plans generally play a positive role in development orientation and implementation. Yet, there is still a lot of room for improvement, particularly in the following aspects: (1) lack of initiative and innovation at the local level; (2) lack of long-term vision and consistent implementation; (3) lack of rationale-oriented approach; (4) lack of scientific and in-depth research; (5) lack of multi-stakeholder participation. As a way forward, this paper thus proposes a revised planning scheme for local practice, including classification of typologies and the customized planning design for each typology. At last, this paper calls for more in-depth scientific research on some key topics in the planning field, domestically and internationally. Sustainability 2016-08-27 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090858 858 2071-1050 2016-08-27 doi: 10.3390/su8090858 Jing Lin Jianming Cai Fei Han Yan Han Junping Liu http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/852 The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) among a mixed-gender sample of 782 Portuguese youth (M = 15.87 years; SD = 1.72), in a school context. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the expected three-factor first-order structure. Cross-gender measurement invariance and cross-sample measurement invariance using a forensic sample of institutionalized males were also confirmed. The Portuguese version of the YPI demonstrated generally adequate psychometric properties of internal consistency, mean inter-item correlation, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity of statistically significant associations with conduct disorder symptoms, alcohol abuse, drug use, and unprotected sex. In terms of known-groups validity, males scored higher than females, and males from the school sample scored lower than institutionalized males. The use of the YPI among the Portuguese male and female youth population is psychometrically justified, and it can be a useful measure to identify adolescents with high levels of psychopathic traits. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-26 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090852 852 1660-4601 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090852 Pedro Pechorro Diana Ribeiro da Silva Henrik Andershed Daniel Rijo Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/851 Although the health effects of ambient ozone have been widely assessed, their tempo-spatial variations remain unclear. We selected 20 communities (ten each from southern and northern USA) based on the US National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS) dataset. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to estimate the season-specific association between each 10 ppb (lag0-2 day average) increment in daily 8 h maximum ozone concentration and mortality in every community. The results showed that in the southern communities, a 10 ppb increment in ozone was linked to an increment of mortality of −0.07%, −0.17%, 0.40% and 0.27% in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. For the northern communities, the excess risks (ERs) were 0.74%, 1.21%, 0.52% and −0.65% in the spring, summer, autumn and winter seasons, respectively. City-specific ozone-related mortality effects were positively related with latitude, but negatively related with seasonal average temperature in the spring, summer and autumn seasons. However, a reverse relationship was found in the winter. We concluded that there were different seasonal patterns of ozone effects on mortality between southern and northern US communities. Latitude and seasonal average temperature were identified as modifiers of the ambient ozone-related mortality risks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-26 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090851 851 1660-4601 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090851 Tao Liu Weilin Zeng Hualiang Lin Shannon Rutherford Jianpeng Xiao Xing Li Zhihao Li Zhengmin Qian Baixiang Feng Wenjun Ma http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/848 This article illustrates the multi-faceted notion of hazard vulnerability and the complicated relations a community has with a hazardous area based on a joint urban planning and design studio between Seoul National University and Diponegoro University in 2014. The study focused on an area in Central Java, Indonesia, surrounded by four active volcanic mountains, and explored the economic, environmental and social vulnerability associated with the site. Although initially the study focused on drawing up and improving the relocation plan, it was soon discovered that eliminating environmental vulnerability by relocating residents to new sites may in fact increase their economic vulnerability. This led the study to embrace the concept of living in harmony with disaster. In conclusion, the results of the study are discussed in terms recognizing environmental hazards as a vehicle for understanding local perceptions, and utilizing these perceptions to suggest mitigation measures that are more responsive to the site at risk. Sustainability 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090848 848 2071-1050 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/su8090848 Sea Cho Sehyung Won Saehoon Kim http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/847 Academic attention to local climate policy usually focuses on large-sized cities. Given the climate challenges ahead this seems unjustified. Small and medium-sized cities (SMCs) deserve scholarly attention as well. The main question is: What factors influence climate change policy and local climate actions in SMCs? In this article we present an analytical framework to analyze climate change policy and local climate actions of SMCs. The framework addresses different aspects: policy-input, -throughput, -output, -outcome, characteristics of the local environment, local action arenas, influence by higher government levels, and interaction with climate change issue networks. The framework is used to analyze and compare four case studies of SMCs in the Dutch region of Twente (two urban and two rural municipalities, and addresses both adaptation and mitigation). Results show that both 'localist', 'multi-level' and issue network membership factors influence local climate policy action. Governance modes discerned concern mostly 'governing by authority' and 'self-governing'. When reflecting on the role of SMCs in climate action the study revealed the importance of local capacity building schemes issued by provincial government, inter-municipal network collaboration, and the potential for local governments to mobilize and organize citizen action. Sustainability 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090847 847 2071-1050 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/su8090847 Thomas Hoppe Arjen van der Vegt Peter Stegmaier http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/844 Eighty-five percent of United States citizens live in urban areas. However, research surrounding the resilience and sustainability of complex urban systems focuses largely on coastal megacities (>1 million people). Midsize cities differ from their larger counterparts due to tight urban-rural feedbacks with their immediate natural environments that result from heavy reliance and close management of local ecosystem services. They also may be less path-dependent than larger cities due to shorter average connection length among system components, contributing to higher responsiveness among social, infrastructural, and ecological feedbacks. These distinct midsize city features call for a framework that organizes information and concepts concerning the sustainability of midsize cities specifically. We argue that an integrative approach is necessary to capture properties emergent from the complex interactions of the social, infrastructural, and ecological subsystems that comprise a city system. We suggest approaches to estimate the relative resilience of midsize cities, and include an example assessment to illustrate one such estimation approach. Resilience assessments of a midsize city can be used to examine why some cities end up on sustainable paths while others diverge to unsustainable paths, and which feedbacks may be partially responsible. They also provide insight into how city planners and decision makers can use information about the resilience of midsize cities undergoing growth or shrinkage relative to their larger and smaller counterparts, to transform them into long-term, sustainable social-ecological systems. Sustainability 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090844 844 2071-1050 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/su8090844 Craig Allen Hannah Birge Shannon Bartelt-Hunt Rebecca Bevans Jessica Burnett Barbara Cosens Ximing Cai Ahjond Garmestani Igor Linkov Elizabeth Scott Mark Solomon Daniel Uden http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/851 Sustainability is increasing in importance in relation to the competitiveness of winter tourism, particularly when considering mountain destinations. Exploring in more detail winter tourism related to ski resorts, operators are especially concerned about environmental issues caused by climate change. Therefore, they have gradually become aware of the importance of finding adequate solutions to cope with such issues as well as being able to sensitize tourists. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the different sustainable tools that can be adopted by the ski industry. In this field there appear to be two main approaches. The first line is that of sustainable labels being applied to local ski resorts; whereas the second consists in operators—such as the managers of cable cars—making use of specific labels or management systems that are environmentally oriented. Sustainability 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090851 851 2071-1050 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/su8090851 Stefano Duglio Riccardo Beltramo http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/705 Supervised land-use/land-cover (LULC) classifications are typically conducted using class assignment rules derived from a set of multiclass training samples. Consequently, classification accuracy varies with the training data set and is thus associated with uncertainty. In this study, we propose a bootstrap resampling and reclassification approach that can be applied for assessing not only the uncertainty in classification results of the bootstrap-training data sets, but also the classification uncertainty of individual pixels in the study area. Two measures of pixel-specific classification uncertainty, namely the maximum class probability and Shannon entropy, were derived from the class probability vector of individual pixels and used for the identification of unclassified pixels. Unclassified pixels that are identified using the traditional chi-square threshold technique represent outliers of individual LULC classes, but they are not necessarily associated with higher classification uncertainty. By contrast, unclassified pixels identified using the equal-likelihood technique are associated with higher classification uncertainty and they mostly occur on or near the borders of different land-cover. Remote Sensing 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090705 705 2072-4292 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/rs8090705 Lin-Hsuan Hsiao Ke-Sheng Cheng http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/7/3/43 We conducted a laboratory study to determine the impact of ground-applied termiticides on the above-ground foraging behavior of Coptotermes formosanus. Two concentrations (1 and 10 ppm) each of three termiticides, viz. fipronil, imidacloprid and chlorantraniliprole, were tested. After one month post-treatment (fipronil 10 ppm was run for 12 days only and all other treatments were run for one month), fipronil had the lowest percentage of survival (3%–4%) at both concentrations. Termite survival ranged from 31% to 40% in the case of imidacloprid treatments and 10 ppm chlorantraniliprole. However, 1 ppm chlorantraniliprole did not cause significant mortality compared to the controls. Foraging on the bottom substrate was evident in all replicates for all chemicals initially. However, a portion of the foraging population avoided the ground treatment toxicants after several days of bottom foraging. Only the slower-acting non-repellents created this repellent barrier, causing avoidance behavior that was most likely due to dead termites and fungus buildup on the treated bottom substrate. Fipronil appeared more toxic and faster acting at the concentrations tested, thus limiting this repellent effect. Suggestions by the pest control industry in Louisiana that some non-repellents can create a repellent barrier stranding live termites above ground are supported by this laboratory study. Insects 2016-08-26 7 3 Article 10.3390/insects7030043 43 2075-4450 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/insects7030043 Gregg Henderson Bal Gautam Cai Wang http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/850 Background: Low 25(OH) vitamin D levels have been associated with several autoimmune diseases and recently with autoimmune thyroiditis (AT). The aim of the study was to investigate the association of AT with low 25(OH) vitamin D levels in the elderly. Methods: One hundred sixty-eight elderly subjects (mean age: 81.6 ± 9.4 years) were enrolled. Serum levels of 25(OH) vitamin D, anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO-Ab), anti-thyroglobulin (TG-Ab) antibodies, free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured. Results: The prevalence of AT was significantly higher in subjects with vitamin D deficiency (25(OH) vitamin D < 20 ng/mL) when compared with subjects with normal 25(OH) vitamin D (25(OH) vitamin D ≥ 20 ng/mL) levels (28% vs. 8%, respectively, p = 0.002). Patients with AT and vitamin D deficiency had a comparable hormonal profile compared to patients with AT and vitamin D sufficiency in terms of TSH (p = 0.39), FT3 (p = 0.30), FT4 (p = 0.31), TG-Ab (0.44) and TPO-Ab (0.35). Interestingly, a significant correlation between 25(OH) vitamin D and TPO-Ab (r = −0.27, p = 0.03) and FT3 (r = 0.35, p = 0.006) has been found in subjects with AT while no correlation was found between 25(OH) vitamin D levels and TG-Ab (r = −0.15, p = 0.25), TSH (r = −0.014, p = 0.09) and FT4 (r = 0.13, p = 0.32). Conclusions: These findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with AT in the elderly. Therefore, the screening for AT should be suggested in subjects with vitamin D deficiency. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-26 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090850 850 1660-4601 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090850 Giovanna Muscogiuri Daniela Mari Silvia Prolo Letizia Fatti Maria Cantone Paolo Garagnani Beatrice Arosio Carolina Di Somma Giovanni Vitale http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/684 This paper addresses the problem of energy consumption prediction using neural networks over a set of public buildings. Since energy consumption in the public sector comprises a substantial share of overall consumption, the prediction of such consumption represents a decisive issue in the achievement of energy savings. In our experiments, we use the data provided by an energy consumption monitoring system in a compound of faculties and research centers at the University of Granada, and provide a methodology to predict future energy consumption using nonlinear autoregressive (NAR) and the nonlinear autoregressive neural network with exogenous inputs (NARX), respectively. Results reveal that NAR and NARX neural networks are both suitable for performing energy consumption prediction, but also that exogenous data may help to improve the accuracy of predictions. Energies 2016-08-26 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090684 684 1996-1073 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/en9090684 Luis Ruiz Manuel Cuéllar Miguel Calvo-Flores María Jiménez http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/8/9/368 Water quality samples are typically collected less frequently than flow since water quality sampling is costly. Load Estimator (LOADEST), provided by the United States Geological Survey, is used to predict water quality concentration (or load) on days when flow data are measured so that the water quality data are sufficient for annual pollutant load estimation. However, there is a need to identify water quality data requirements for accurate pollutant load estimation. Measured daily sediment data were collected from 211 streams. Estimated annual sediment loads from LOADEST and subsampled data were compared to the measured annual sediment loads (true load). The means of flow for calibration data were correlated to model behavior. A regression equation was developed to compute the required mean of flow in calibration data to best calibrate the LOADEST regression model coefficients. LOADEST runs were performed to investigate the correlation between the mean flow in calibration data and model behaviors as daily water quality data were subsampled. LOADEST calibration data used sediment concentration data for flows suggested by the regression equation. Using the mean flow calibrated by the regression equation reduced errors in annual sediment load estimation from −39.7% to −10.8% compared to using all available data. Water 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/w8090368 368 2073-4441 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/w8090368 Youn Park Bernie Engel http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/6/3/41 Biocultural heritage-based products, including regional specialty foods, are increasingly part of sustainable rural development strategies. While export-oriented biocultural products are often the most visible, we examine the role of campesino gastronomic heritage in the Central Valley of Tarija, Bolivia, as a case study of a local market-centered biocultural resource-based development strategy reflected in an alternative agri-food network. We develop a biocultural sustainability framework to examine this network from ecological, economic and sociocultural perspectives. Data are drawn from interviews (n = 77), surveys (n = 89) and participant observation, with primary and secondary producers of traditional and new products, as well as restaurant owners, market vendors and local consumers. We find that campesino biocultural heritage and the alternative agri-food network surrounding it represent an influential territorial project that underpins many household economies, particularly for women. We conclude that the relatively small investments by local governments to promote campesino gastronomic heritage are having positive ripple effects on small-scale producer livelihoods and on biocultural sustainability. We suggest that further support to increase market access and reduce other barriers to participation in alternative food networks will likely increase the options and benefits available to small-scale producers mobilising campesino gastronomic heritage within the local economy. Agriculture 2016-08-26 6 3 Article 10.3390/agriculture6030041 41 2077-0472 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/agriculture6030041 Katherine Turner Iain Davidson-Hunt Annette Desmarais Ian Hudson http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/7/9/187 Wildfires are a common disturbance event in the Canadian boreal forest. Within event boundaries, the level of vegetation mortality varies greatly. Understanding where surviving vegetation occurs within fire events and how this relates to pre-fire vegetation, topography, and fire weather can inform forest management decisions. We used pre-fire forest inventory data, digital elevation maps, and records of fire weather for 37 naturally-occurring wildfires (1961 to 1982; 30 to 5500 ha) covering a wide range of conditions in the western Canadian boreal forest to investigate these relationships using multinomial logistic models. Overall, vegetation mortality related to a combination of factors representing different spatial scales. Lower vegetation mortality occurred where there was lower fuel continuity and when fires occurred under non-drought conditions. Higher classification accuracy occurred for class extremes of no mortality (i.e., unburned areas within the burn event) and high mortality; partial vegetation mortality classes were harder to distinguish. This research contributes to the knowledge required for natural pattern emulation strategies, and developing responses to climate change. Forests 2016-08-26 7 9 Article 10.3390/f7090187 187 1999-4907 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/f7090187 Colin Ferster Bianca Eskelson David Andison Valerie LeMay http://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/5/9/154 Land-cover datasets are crucial for earth system modeling and human-nature interaction research at local, regional and global scales. They can be obtained from remotely sensed data using image classification methods. However, in processes of image classification, spectral values have received considerable attention for most classification methods, while the spectral curve shape has seldom been used because it is difficult to be quantified. This study presents a classification method based on the observation that the spectral curve is composed of segments and certain extreme values. The presented classification method quantifies the spectral curve shape and takes full use of the spectral shape differences among land covers to classify remotely sensed images. Using this method, classification maps from TM (Thematic mapper) data were obtained with an overall accuracy of 0.834 and 0.854 for two respective test areas. The approach presented in this paper, which differs from previous image classification methods that were mostly concerned with spectral "value" similarity characteristics, emphasizes the "shape" similarity characteristics of the spectral curve. Moreover, this study will be helpful for classification research on hyperspectral and multi-temporal images. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2016-08-26 5 9 Article 10.3390/ijgi5090154 154 2220-9964 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/ijgi5090154 Yuanyuan Chen Quanfang Wang Yanlong Wang Si-Bo Duan Miaozhong Xu Zhao-Liang Li http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/7/9/112 Fundamental properties of multiply charged molecular ions, such as energetics, structure, stability, lifetime and fragmentation dynamics, are relevant to understand and model the behavior of gaseous plasmas as well as ionosphere and astrophysical environments. Experimental determinations of the Kinetic Energy Released (KER) for ions originating from dissociations reactions, induced by Coulomb explosion of doubly charged molecular ions (molecular dications) produced by double photoionization of CO2, N2O and C2H2 molecules of interest in planetary atmospheres, are reported. The KER measurement as a function of the ultraviolet (UV) photon energy in the range of 28–65 eV was extracted from the electron-ion-ion coincidence spectra obtained by using tunable synchrotron radiation coupled with ion imaging techniques at the ELETTRA Synchrotron Light Laboratory Trieste, Italy. These experiments, coupled with a computational analysis based on a Monte Carlo trajectory simulation, allow assessing the probability of escape for simple ionic species in the upper atmosphere of Mars, Venus and Titan. The measured KER in the case of H+, C+, CH+, CH2+, N+, O+, CO+, N2+ and NO+ fragment ions range between 1.0 and 5.5 eV, being large enough to allow these ionic species to participate in the atmospheric escape from such planets into space. In the case of Mars, we suggest a possible explanation for the observed behavior of the O+ and CO22+ ion density profiles. Atmosphere 2016-08-26 7 9 Article 10.3390/atmos7090112 112 2073-4433 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/atmos7090112 Stefano Falcinelli Fernando Pirani Michele Alagia Luca Schio Robert Richter Stefano Stranges Nadia Balucani Franco Vecchiocattivi http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/704 Increasing attention is being paid on leaf area index (LAI) retrieval in mountainous areas. Mountainous areas present extreme topographic variability, and are characterized by more spatial heterogeneity and inaccessibility compared with flat terrain. It is difficult to collect representative ground-truth measurements, and the validation of LAI in mountainous areas is still problematic. A cost-constrained sampling strategy (CSS) in support of LAI validation was presented in this study. To account for the influence of rugged terrain on implementation cost, a cost-objective function was incorporated to traditional conditioned Latin hypercube (CLH) sampling strategy. A case study in Hailuogou, Sichuan province, China was used to assess the efficiency of CSS. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land cover type, and slope were selected as auxiliary variables to present the variability of LAI in the study area. Results show that CSS can satisfactorily capture the variability across the site extent, while minimizing field efforts. One appealing feature of CSS is that the compromise between representativeness and implementation cost can be regulated according to actual surface heterogeneity and budget constraints, and this makes CSS flexible. Although the proposed method was only validated for the auxiliary variables rather than the LAI measurements, it serves as a starting point for establishing the locations of field plots and facilitates the preparation of field campaigns in mountainous areas. Remote Sensing 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090704 704 2072-4292 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/rs8090704 Gaofei Yin Ainong Li Yelu Zeng Baodong Xu Wei Zhao Xi Nan Huaan Jin Jinhu Bian http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/703 FengYun-3B (FY-3B) soil moisture product, retrieved from passive microwave brightness temperature data based on the Qp model, has rarely been applied at the catchment and region scale. One of the reasons for this is its coarse spatial resolution (25-km). The study in this paper presented a new method to obtain a high spatial resolution soil moisture product by downscaling FY-3B soil moisture product from 25-km to 1-km spatial resolution using the theory of Apparent Thermal Inertia (ATI) under bare surface or sparse vegetation covered land surface. The relationship between soil moisture and ATI was first constructed, and the coefficients were obtained directly from 25-km FY-3B soil moisture product and ATI derived from MODIS data, which is different from previous studies often assuming the same set of coefficients applicable at different spatial resolutions. The method was applied to Naqu area on the Tibetan Plateau to obtain the downscaled 1-km resolution soil moisture product, the latter was validated using ground measurements collected from Soil Moisture/Temperature Monitoring Network on the central Tibetan Plateau (TP-STMNS) in 2012. The downscaled soil moisture showed promising results with a coefficient of determination R2 higher than 0.45 and a root mean-square error (RMSE) less than 0.11 m3/m3 when comparing with the ground measurements at 5 sites out of the 9 selected sites. It was found that the accuracy of downscaled soil moisture was largely influenced by the accuracy of the FY-3B soil moisture product. The proposed method could be applied for both bare soil surface and sparsely vegetated surface. Remote Sensing 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090703 703 2072-4292 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/rs8090703 Chengyun Song Li Jia http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/683 Silicone rubber insulators are replacing the conventional ceramic and porcelain insulators rapidly in power transmission and distribution industry. Very limited field knowledge is available about the performance of silicone rubber insulators in polluted and contaminated environments and therefore need further investigation. A comprehensive analysis of silicone rubber sheets (intended for coating outdoor insulators) was carried out in this paper based on experimental results. The main performance parameters analyzed were arc inception voltage and flashover voltage. Dependence of these parameters on equivalent salt deposit density (ESDD), non-soluble salt deposit density (NSDD), relative humidity, ambient temperature, fog rate, dry band formation, dry band location and number of dry bands were investigated extensively. Insulator orientation and its effect on performance were also studied. The authors believe that this paper will provide a comprehensive knowledge about the flashover characteristics of silicone rubber insulators under humid, contaminated and dry band conditions. These results could be used in the selection and design of silicone rubber insulators for polluted environments. Energies 2016-08-26 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090683 683 1996-1073 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/en9090683 Arshad Azam Nekahi Scott McMeekin Masoud Farzaneh http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/702 The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) is located near the western border of China. Xinjiang has a high frequency of dust storms, especially in late winter and early spring. Geostationary satellite remote sensing offers an ideal way to monitor the regional distribution and intensity of dust storms, which can impact the regional climate. In this study observations from the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) 3D are used for dust storm detection in Xinjiang because of the frequent 30-min observations with six bands. An analysis of the optical properties of dust and its quantitative relationship with dust storms in Xinjiang is presented for dust events in April 2014. The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) derived using six predefined aerosol types shows great potential to identify dust events. Cross validation between INSAT-3D retrieved AOD and MODIS AOD shows a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.92). Ground validation using AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) AOD also shows a good correlation with R2 of 0.77. We combined the apparent reflectance (top-of-atmospheric reflectance) of visible and shortwave infrared bands, brightness temperature of infrared bands and retrieved AOD into a new Enhanced Dust Index (EDI). EDI reveals not only dust extent but also the intensity. EDI performed very well in measuring the intensity of dust storms between 22 and 24 April 2014. A visual comparison between EDI and Feng Yun-2E (FY-2E) Infrared Difference Dust Index (IDDI) also shows a high level of similarity. A good linear correlation (R2 of 0.78) between EDI and visibility on the ground demonstrates good performance of EDI in estimating dust intensity. A simple threshold method was found to have a good performance in delineating the extent of the dust plumes but inadequate for providing information on dust plume intensity. Remote Sensing 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090702 702 2072-4292 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/rs8090702 Aojie Di Yong Xue Xihua Yang John Leys Jie Guang Linlu Mei Jingli Wang Lu She Yincui Hu Xingwei He Yahui Che Cheng Fan http://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/3/3/31 The Ogallala Aquifer is an important source of irrigation water on the Texas High plains; however, significant decreases in saturated thickness threaten its future use for irrigation. A better understanding of the roles of playas, ephemeral surface ponds, in aquifer recharge is needed to establish levels of withdrawals that will meet either established desired future conditions or sustainability. In this study, data regarding playa inundation, depth to groundwater, precipitation and land cover from 2001 to 2011 were collected and analyzed to ascertain associations between these characteristics for four study areas on the Texas High plains. Each area covered 40,000–70,000 ha. Three of the study areas in Hockley, Floyd and Swisher counties were chosen because their center contained a playa instrumented to measure weather and depth of inundation. There were 20 distinct inundation events at the three instrumented playas between 2006 and 2010. For each of these inundations, water loss exceeded rates of potential evapotranspiration (ET) by a factor of 1.6–15.7 times, implying that infiltration was occurring. Playa inundation in all four study areas was also assessed by analyzing images from the National Agricultural Imaginary program. Data on depth to groundwater were analyzed from 2000 to 2010 to determine annual changes of stored water. Annual changes in groundwater were weakly associated with surface area of inundated playas in late summer, but was strongly associated with annual rainfall. Rates of infiltration based on playa water loss versus potential ET, and volume of water in playas was more than sufficient to account for annual changes in groundwater. Land use adjoining the playas had less of influence on playa inundation than annual rainfall. These results strengthen the argument that water storage in playas on the Texas High Plains is an important source of water for aquifer recharge. Hydrology 2016-08-26 3 3 Article 10.3390/hydrology3030031 31 2306-5338 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/hydrology3030031 Dennis Gitz David Brauer http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/9/701 The search for sustainable land use has increased in Brazil due to the important role that agriculture plays in the country. Soil detailed classification is related with texture attribute. How can one discriminate the same soil class with different textures using proximal soil sensing, as to reach surveys, land use planning and increase crop productivity? This study aims to evaluate soil texture using a regional spectral library and its usefulness on classification. We collected 3750 soil samples covering 3 million ha within strong soil class variations in São Paulo State. The spectral analyses of soil samples from topsoil and subsoil were measured in laboratory (400–2500 nm). The potential of a regional soil spectral library was evaluated on the discrimination of soil texture. We considered two types of soil texture systems, one related with soil classification and another with soil managements. The soil line technique was used to assess differentiation between soil textural groups. Soil spectra were summarized by principal component analysis (PCA) to select relevant information on the spectra. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to predict texture. Spectral curves indicated different shapes according to soil texture and discriminated particle size classes from clayey to sandy soils. In the visible region, differences were small because of the organic matter, while the short wave infrared (SWIR) region showed more differences; thus, soil texture variation could be differentiated by quartz. Angulation differences are on a spectral curve from NIR to SWIR. The statistical models predicted clay and sand levels with R2 = 0.93 and 0.96, respectively. Indeed, we achieved a difference of 1.2% between laboratory and spectroscopy measurement for clay. The spectral information was useful to classify Ferralsols with different texture classification. In addition, the spectra differentiated Lixisols from Ferralsols and Arenosols. This work can help the development of computer programs that allow soil texture classification and subsequent digital soil mapping at detailed scales. In addition, it complies with requirements for sustainable land use and soil management. Remote Sensing 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/rs8090701 701 2072-4292 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/rs8090701 Marilusa Lacerda José Demattê Marcus Sato Caio Fongaro Bruna Gallo Arnaldo Souza http://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/4/3/41 The present study aimed at analyzing the synoptic pattern of atmospheric thickness of winter pervasive frosts in Iran. To this end, the data related to the daily minimum temperature of a 50-year period (1961–2010) were gathered from 451 synoptic and climatology stations. Then, the instances in which the temperature was below 0 °C for at least two consecutive days and this phenomenon covered at least 50% of the entirety of Iran were selected. Subsequently, the atmosphere thickness pattern was extracted for these days, with the representative day being identified and analyzed through cluster analysis. The results showed that the Siberian high pressure plays a significant role in the occurrence of pervasive frosts in Iran. In some other cases, the northeast–southwest direction of this pattern leads to its combination with the East Europe high pressure, causing widespread frosts in Iran. Furthermore, the interaction between counter clockwise currents in this system and the clockwise currents in the Azores high pressure tongue directs cold weather from northern parts of Europe toward Iran. The formation of blocking systems leads to the stagnation of cold weather over Iran, a phenomenon that results in significant reduction of temperature and severe frosts in these areas. In addition, the omega pattern (the fifth pattern) and Deep Eastern European trough and polar low pressure pattern (the fourth pattern) were the most dominant and severe frost patterns in Iran respectively. Climate 2016-08-26 4 3 Article 10.3390/cli4030041 41 2225-1154 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/cli4030041 Iman Rousta Mehdi Doostkamian Esmaeil Haghighi Bahare Mirzakhani http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/850 Somatotype and habitus parameters may affect physiological control system, so the changes of physiological parameters are not the same when various people work in hot-dry and warm-wet climates. In this paper, a chamber built in Tianjin University was used to simulate comfortable, hot-dry and warm-wet climates. Sixty healthy university students were selected as subjects who were divided into four groups based on somatotype and habitus differences. The subjects were asked to exercise on a treadmill at moderate and heavy work intensities. Physiological parameters (rectal temperature and heart rate) were measured after every 10-min work in the climate chamber. For different groups, the change trends of physiological parameters were different. With the enhancement of experimental conditions, the differences among four groups were weakened. Body surface area per unit of body mass (BSA/mass), percentage of body fat (%fat), and maximum oxygen consumption per unit of body mass (VO2max/mass) were adopt to establish a revised body characteristic index (RBCI). RBCI was proved having significant correlation with physiological parameters, which means RBCI as the combined factors of somatotype and habitus parameters can be applied to evaluate the effect of individual characteristics on physiological systems. Sustainability 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090850 850 2071-1050 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/su8090850 Shilei Lu Linwei Sun Huaiyu Peng Liran Ji http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/799 Spatial planning aims to improve the socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of a region, yet, in the spatial planning framework, it is difficult to capture the environmental impacts of the lifestyle of residents as a whole. We use carbon load as an indicator for environmental pressure and explore the spatial variations in carbon load from transport, domestic energy use, and the consumption of goods based on data obtained from the Household Budget Survey in Estonia, in an attempt to understand how residential location is related to the environmental load of household consumption. We use environmentally extended input-output computing for carbon accounting, multiple regression models for statistical analysis, and settlement hierarchy as an analytic tool for characterizing residential location. The results show that the capital region and other higher-level settlements provide favorable conditions for the consumption of leisure-related goods and services even when other socioeconomic variables are taken into account. Industrial cities dominated by apartment block housing are characterized by conservative consumption patterns of residents. For rural residents, a lower carbon load imposed from other consumption categories compensates for their higher dependency on cars. We conclude that there is a need for an integrated and balanced spatial planning policy that considers the entire consumption pattern of populations in different settlement types. Sustainability 2016-08-26 8 9 Article 10.3390/su8090799 799 2071-1050 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/su8090799 Age Poom Rein Ahas http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/682 In this paper, an optimization method is proposed for the energy link in a wireless power transfer grid, which is a regional smart microgrid comprised of distributed devices equipped with wireless power transfer technology in a certain area. The relevant optimization model of the energy link is established by considering the wireless power transfer characteristics and the grid characteristics brought in by the device repeaters. Then, a concentration adaptive genetic algorithm (CAGA) is proposed to optimize the energy link. The algorithm avoided the unification trend by introducing the concentration mechanism and a new crossover method named forward order crossover, as well as the adaptive parameter mechanism, which are utilized together to keep the diversity of the optimization solution groups. The results show that CAGA is feasible and competitive for the energy link optimization in different situations. This proposed algorithm performs better than its counterparts in the global convergence ability and the algorithm robustness. Energies 2016-08-26 9 9 Article 10.3390/en9090682 682 1996-1073 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/en9090682 Zhihao Zhao Yue Sun Aiguo Hu Xin Dai Chunsen Tang http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/7/9/185 Human-caused wildfires are often regarded as unpredictable, but usually occur in patterns aggregated over space and time. We analysed the spatio-temporal configuration of 7790 anthropogenic wildfires (2007–2013) in nine study areas distributed throughout Peninsular Spain by using the Ripley's K-function. We also related these aggregation patterns to weather, population density, and landscape structure descriptors of each study area. Our results provide statistical evidence for spatio-temporal structures around a maximum of 4 km and six months. These aggregations lose strength when the spatial and temporal distances increase. At short time lags after a wildfire (<1 month), the probability of another fire occurrence is high at any distance in the range of 0–16 km. When considering larger time lags (up to two years), the probability of fire occurrence is high only at short distances (>3 km). These aggregated patterns vary depending on location in Spain. Wildfires seem to aggregate within fewer days (heat waves) in warm and dry Mediterranean regions than in milder Atlantic areas (bimodal fire season). Wildfires aggregate spatially over shorter distances in diverse, fragmented landscapes with many small and complex patches. Urban interfaces seem to spatially concentrate fire occurrence, while wildland-agriculture interfaces correlate with larger aggregates. Forests 2016-08-26 7 9 Article 10.3390/f7090185 185 1999-4907 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/f7090185 Sergi Costafreda-Aumedes Carles Comas Cristina Vega-Garcia http://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/4/3/18 The developmental period of the nervous system is carefully orchestrated and highly vulnerable to alterations. One crucial factor of a properly-functioning nervous system is the synapse, as synaptic signaling is critical for the formation and maturation of neural circuits. Studies show that genetic and environmental impacts can affect diverse components of synaptic function. Importantly, synaptic dysfunction is known to be associated with neurologic and psychiatric disorders, as well as more subtle cognitive, psychomotor, and sensory defects. Given the importance of the synapse in numerous domains, we wanted to delineate the effects of pesticide exposure on synaptic function. In this review, we summarize current epidemiologic and molecular studies that demonstrate organochlorine, organophosphate, and pyrethroid pesticide exposures target the developing synapse. We postulate that the synapse plays a central role in synaptic vulnerability to pesticide exposure during neurodevelopment, and the synapse is a worthy candidate for investigating more subtle effects of chronic pesticide exposure in future studies. Toxics 2016-08-26 4 3 Review 10.3390/toxics4030018 18 2305-6304 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/toxics4030018 Aimee Vester W. Caudle http://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/4/3/40 Future of the crucial Himalayan water supplies has generally been assessed under the anthropogenic warming, typically consistent amid observations and climate model projections. However, conflicting mid-to-late melt-season cooling within the upper Indus basin (UIB) suggests that the future of its melt-dominated hydrological regime and the subsequent water availability under changing climate has yet been understood only indistinctly. Here, the future water availability from the UIB is presented under both observed and projected—though likely but contrasting—climate change scenarios. Continuation of prevailing climatic changes suggests decreased and delayed glacier melt but increased and early snowmelt, leading to reduction in the overall water availability and profound changes in the overall seasonality of the hydrological regime. Hence, initial increases in the water availability due to enhanced glacier melt under typically projected warmer climates, and then abrupt decrease upon vanishing of the glaciers, as reported earlier, is only true given the UIB starts following uniformly the global warming signal. Such discordant future water availability findings caution the impact assessment communities to consider the relevance of likely (near-future) climate change scenarios—consistent to prevalent climatic change patterns—in order to adequately support the water resource planning in Pakistan. Climate 2016-08-26 4 3 Article 10.3390/cli4030040 40 2225-1154 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/cli4030040 Shabeh Hasson http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/679 The condition of the internal cellulosic paper and oil insulation are of concern for the performance of power transformers. Over the years, a number of methods have been developed to diagnose and monitor the degradation/aging of the transformer internal insulation system. Some of this degradation/aging can be assessed from electrical responses. Currently there are a variety of electrical-based diagnostic techniques available for insulation condition monitoring of power transformers. In most cases, the electrical signals being monitored are due to mechanical or electric changes caused by physical changes in resistivity, inductance or capacitance, moisture, contamination or aging by-products in the insulation. This paper presents a description of commonly used and modern electrical-based diagnostic techniques along with their interpretation schemes. Energies 2016-08-26 9 9 Review 10.3390/en9090679 679 1996-1073 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/en9090679 Issouf Fofana Yazid Hadjadj http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/7/3/42 The potential of a dry powder co-formulant, kaolin, to improve the control of storage beetles by the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, isolate IMI389521, was investigated. The response of Oryzaephilus surinamensis adults to the fungus when applied to wheat at 1 × 1010 conidia per kg with and without kaolin at 1.74 g per kg wheat was assessed. Addition of kaolin increased control from 46% to 88% at day 7 and from 81% to 99% at day 14 post-treatment. Following this the dose response of O. surinamensis and Tribolium confusum to both kaolin and the fungus was investigated. Synergistic effects were evident against O. surinamensis at ≥0.96 g of kaolin per kg of wheat when combined with the fungus at all concentrations tested. For T. confusum, adult mortality did not exceed 55%, however, the larvae were extremely susceptible with almost complete suppression of adult emergence at the lowest fungal rate tested even without the addition of kaolin. Finally, the dose response of Sitophilus granarius to the fungus at 15 and 25 °C, with and without kaolin at 1 g per kg of wheat, was examined. Improvements in efficacy were achieved by including kaolin at every fungal rate tested and by increasing the temperature. Kaolin by itself was not effective, only when combined with the fungus was an effect observed, indicating that kaolin was having a synergistic effect on the fungus. Insects 2016-08-26 7 3 Article 10.3390/insects7030042 42 2075-4450 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/insects7030042 Clare Storm Freya Scoates Adam Nunn Olivier Potin Aoife Dillon http://www.mdpi.com/2227-7080/4/3/26 The process of changing the neuronal activity of the brain to acquire rewards in a broad sense is essential for utilizing brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), which is essentially operant conditioning of neuronal activity. Currently, this is also known as neural biofeedback, and it is often referred to as neurofeedback when human brain activity is targeted. In this review, we first illustrate biofeedback and operant conditioning, which are methodological background elements in neural operant conditioning. Then, we introduce research models of neural operant conditioning in animal experiments and demonstrate that it is possible to change the firing frequency and synchronous firing of local neuronal populations in a short time period. We also debate the possibility of the application of neural operant conditioning and its contribution to BMIs. Technologies 2016-08-26 4 3 Review 10.3390/technologies4030026 26 2227-7080 2016-08-26 doi: 10.3390/technologies4030026 Yoshio Sakurai Kichan Song http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/843 Cattle manure harbors microbial constituents that make it a potential source of pollution in the environment and infections in humans. Knowledge of, and microbial assessment of, manure is crucial in a bid to prevent public health and environmental hazards through the development of better management practices and policies that should govern manure handling. Physical, chemical and biological methods to reduce pathogen population in manure do exist, but are faced with challenges such as cost, odor pollution, green house gas emission, etc. Consequently, anaerobic digestion of animal manure is currently one of the most widely used treatment method that can help to salvage the above-mentioned adverse effects and in addition, produces biogas that can serve as an alternative/complementary source of energy. However, this method has to be monitored closely as it could be fraught with challenges during operation, caused by the inherent characteristics of the manure. In addition, to further reduce bacterial pathogens to a significant level, anaerobic digestion can be combined with other methods such as thermal, aerobic and physical methods. In this paper, we review the bacterial composition of cattle manure as well as methods engaged in the control of pathogenic microbes present in manure and recommendations that need to be respected and implemented in order to prevent microbial contamination of the environment, animals and humans. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-25 13 9 Review 10.3390/ijerph13090843 843 1660-4601 2016-08-25 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090843 Christy Manyi-Loh Sampson Mamphweli Edson Meyer Golden Makaka Michael Simon Anthony Okoh http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/849 Given the primacy of Iowa in pork production for the U.S. and global markets, we sought to understand if the same relationship with traditional environmental justice (EJ) variables such as low income and minority populations observed in other concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) studies exists in the relationship with swine CAFO densities in Iowa. We examined the potential for spatial clustering of swine CAFOs in certain parts of the state and used spatial regression techniques to determine the relationships of high swine concentrations to these EJ variables. We found that while swine CAFOs do cluster in certain regions and watersheds of Iowa, these high densities of swine are not associated with traditional EJ populations of low income and minority race/ethnicity. Instead, the potential for environmental injustice in the negative impacts of intensive swine production require a more complex appraisal. The clustering of swine production in watersheds, the presence of antibiotics used in swine production in public waterways, the clustering of manure spills, and other findings suggest that a more literal and figurative "downstream" approach is necessary. We document the presence and location of antibiotics used in animal production in the public waterways of the state. At the same time, we suggest a more "upstream" understanding of the structural, political and economic factors that create an environmentally unjust landscape of swine production in Iowa and the Upper Midwest is also crucial. Finally, we highlight the important role of publicly accessible and high quality data in the analysis of these upstream and downstream EJ questions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-25 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090849 849 1660-4601 2016-08-25 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090849 Margaret Carrel Sean Young Eric Tate http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/848 This study assessed the knowledge of the harmful effects of tobacco use among vulnerable populations in Bangladesh and whether vulnerability was associated with the presence of complete home smoking bans. Data came from Wave 3 (2011–2012) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Bangladesh Survey, a nationally-representative survey of 3131 tobacco users and 2147 non-users. Socio-demographic measures of disadvantage were used as proxy measures of vulnerability, including sex, residential location, education and income. Outcome measures were awareness of the harmful effects of (a) cigarette smoking and (b) smokeless tobacco use and (c) whether respondents had complete smoking bans in their homes. Logistic regression was used to examine whether the adjusted prevalence of each outcome differed by socio-demographic proxies of vulnerability. Smaller percentages of women, the illiterate, urban slum residents and low-income Bangladeshis were aware of the health harms of tobacco. These vulnerable groups generally had lower odds of awareness compared to the least disadvantaged groups. Incomplete knowledge of tobacco's harms may prevent vulnerable groups from taking steps to protect their health. Development goals, such as increasing literacy rates and empowering women, can complement the goals of WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-25 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090848 848 1660-4601 2016-08-25 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090848 Pete Driezen Abu Abdullah Nigar Nargis A. Hussain Geoffrey Fong Mary Thompson Anne Quah Steve Xu http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/846 A promising long-term and sustainable solution to the growing scarcity of water worldwide is to recycle and reuse wastewater. In wastewater treatment plants, the biodegradation of contaminants or pollutants by harnessing microorganisms present in activated sludge is one of the most important strategies to remove organic contaminants from wastewater. However, this approach has limitations because many pollutants are not efficiently eliminated. To counterbalance the limitations, bioaugmentation has been developed and consists of adding specific and efficient pollutant-biodegrading microorganisms into a microbial community in an effort to enhance the ability of this microbial community to biodegrade contaminants. This approach has been tested for wastewater cleaning with encouraging results, but failure has also been reported, especially during scale-up. In this review, work on the bioaugmentation in the context of removal of important pollutants from industrial wastewater is summarized, with an emphasis on recalcitrant compounds, and strategies that can be used to improve the efficiency of bioaugmentation are also discussed. This review also initiates a discussion regarding new research areas, such as nanotechnology and quorum sensing, that should be investigated to improve the efficiency of wastewater bioaugmentation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-25 13 9 Review 10.3390/ijerph13090846 846 1660-4601 2016-08-25 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090846 Alexis Nzila Shaikh Razzak Jesse Zhu http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/845 This study assessed the public's health risk awareness of urban air pollution triggered by three megacities in China, and the data are the responses from a sample size of 3868 megacity inhabitants from Shanghai, Nanchang and Wuhan. Descriptive analyses were used to summarize the respondents' demographics, perceived health risks from air pollution and sources of health-related knowledge on urban air pollution. Chi-square tests were used to examine if participants' demographics were associated with participant's general attitudes towards current air quality and the three perceived highest health risks due to urban air pollution. We found low rate of satisfaction of current urban air quality as well as poor knowledge of air pollution related indicator. Participants' gender, age and travel experience were found to be associated with the satisfaction of current air quality. The knowledge of air pollution related indicator was significantly affected by respondents' education, monthly income, health status, and sites of study. As many as 46.23% of the participants expressed their feelings of anxiety when exposed to polluted air, especially females, older adults and those with poor health conditions. Most participants believed that coughs/colds, eye problems and skin allergies were the three highest health risks due to urban air pollution based on public education through television/radio, internet and newspaper/magazine. Further public health education is needed to improve public awareness of air pollution and its effects. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-25 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090845 845 1660-4601 2016-08-25 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090845 Xiaojun Liu Hui Zhu Yongxin Hu Sha Feng Yuanyuan Chu Yanyan Wu Chiyu Wang Yuxuan Zhang Zhaokang Yuan Yuanan Lu http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/847 Understanding the processes of historical land-use change is crucial to the research of global environmental sustainability. Here we examine and attempt to disentangle the evolutionary interactions between land-use change and its underlying causes through a historical lens. We compiled and synthesized historical land-use change and various biophysical, political, socioeconomic, and technical datasets, from the Qing dynasty to modern China. The analysis reveals a clear transition period between the 1950s and the 1980s. Before the 1950s, cropland expanded while forested land diminished, which was also accompanied by increasing population; after the 1980s land-use change exhibited new characteristics: changes in cropland, and decoupling of forest from population as a result of agricultural intensification and globalization. Chinese political policies also played an important and complex role, especially during the 1950s–1980s transition periods. Overall, climate change plays an indirect but fundamental role in the dynamics of land use via a series of various cascading effects such as shrinking agricultural production proceeding to population collapse and outbreaks of war. The expected continuation of agricultural intensification this century should be able to support increasing domestic demand for richer diets, but may not be compatible with long-term environmental sustainability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-25 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090847 847 1660-4601 2016-08-25 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090847 Lijuan Miao Feng Zhu Zhanli Sun John Moore Xuefeng Cui http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/9/844 Black youth are more likely than white youth to grow up in poor, segregated neighborhoods. This racial inequality in the neighborhood environments of black youth increases their contact with hazardous neighborhood environmental features including violence and toxic exposures that contribute to racial inequality in youth health and well-being. While the concept of neighborhood effects has been studied at length by social scientists, this work has not been as frequently situated within an environmental justice (EJ) paradigm. The present study used youth perceptions gained from in-depth interviews with youth from one Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhood to identify neighborhood environmental health hazards. We then mapped these youth-identified features to examine how they are spatially and racially distributed across the city. Our results suggest that the intersection of race and poverty, neighborhood disorder, housing abandonment, and crime were salient issues for youth. The maps show support for the youths' assertions that the environments of black and white individuals across the city of Pittsburgh differ in noteworthy ways. This multi-lens, mixed-method analysis was designed to challenge some of the assumptions we make about addressing environmental inequality using youths' own opinions on the issue to drive our inquiry. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2016-08-25 13 9 Article 10.3390/ijerph13090844 844 1660-4601 2016-08-25 doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090844 Samantha Teixeira Anita Zuberi