Global remote sensing research trends during 1991–2010: a bibliometric analysis

According to the articles related to remote sensing of SCI and SSCI databases during 1991–2010, this study evaluated the geographical influence of authors by the new index (geographical impact factor), and revealed the auctorial, institutional, national, and spatiotemporal patterns in remote sensing research. Remote sensing research went up significantly in the past two decades. Imaging science & photographic technology was the important subject category. International Journal of Remote Sensing was the top active journal. All authors were mainly concentrated in North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. Jackson TJ from USDA ARS was the most productive author, Coops NC from University of British Columbia had more high-quality articles, and Running SW from University of Montana carried the greatest geographical influence. The USA was the largest contributor in global remote sensing research with the most single-country and internationally collaborative articles, and the NASA was the most powerful research institute. The international cooperation of remote sensing research increased distinctly. Co-word analysis found the common remote sensing platform and sensors, revealed the widespread adoption of major technologies, and demonstrated keen interest in land cover/land use, vegetation, and climate change. Moreover, the remote sensing research was closely correlated with the satellite development.     

Ecolabels: boon for the environment or confusion for the consumer?

The rise of green consumerism led to a proliferation of products claiming to be environmentally friendly, however consumers often found the statements given in support of these claims confusing. `Ecolabels' are intended to help consumers recognise products which have been manufactured and which perform their intended function in an environmentally friendly way. This article gives an overview of the current position regarding ecolabelling within the Member States of the European Union (EU) and proposals for strengthening the EU Ecolable Regulations     

Efficient parallel algorithms for elastic–plastic finite element analysis

This paper presents our new development of parallel finite element algorithms for elastic–plastic problems. The proposed method is based on dividing the original structure under consideration into a number of substructures which are treated as isolated finite element models via the interface conditions. Throughout the analysis, each processor stores only the information relevant to its substructure and generates the local stiffness matrix. A parallel substructure oriented preconditioned conjugate gradient method, which is combined with MR smoothing and diagonal storage scheme are employed to solve linear systems of equations. After having obtained the displacements of the problem under consideration, a substepping scheme is used to integrate elastic–plastic stress–strain relations. The procedure outlined controls the error of the computed stress by choosing each substep size automatically according to a prescribed tolerance. The combination of these algorithms shows a good speedup when increasing the number of processors and the effective solution of 3D elastic–plastic problems whose size is much too large for a single workstation becomes possible.     

Motor ability: protective or risk for school injuries?

The study aims were to assess the independent contribution of motor ability to the incidence of school injuries. The study included 2057 pupils in grades 3-6 of primary schools in a city in the north of Israel. A surveillance system gathered information about injuries that occurred on school premises or during school related activities and required medical treatment or caused limitation of usual activities. Children provided information on sensation seeking, self-appraisal of health, academic performance, physical activity, and dominant hand; anthropometric measurements and motor ability tests were performed.The incidence of injury events was 4% (95% CI=3.2-5.0). Injuries increased with increased balance and agility, but there were no differences according to reaction time. No other study variables were associated with the incidence of injuries. Our findings of an increase in the incidence of injuries with better motor ability may express differences in exposure to risk situations between children with better and poorer motor abilities.     

Evolution or revolution: where next for impact assessment?

Impact assessment (IA) has become one of the most prevalent environmental policy instruments today. Its introduction under the National Environmental Policy Act (US) in 1969 was revolutionary. Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that such a widely used tool has received its share of criticism, including that it fails to meet some of its fundamental goals. Over the last fifty years, IA has broadened in scope and application and embraced new techniques. It has followed evolved, but has not changed fundamentally.

We believe that IA must continue to change to meet the societal and environmental challenges of the 21^st century. But will it be enough for IA to progress through incremental change (evolution), or is a complete overhaul of impact assessment (revolution) needed? We provide some ideas as to what ‘evolution’ and ‘revolution’ may look like, but rather then offering a definitive way forward now, we invite stakeholders to present their thoughts and suggestions at the IAIA19 Annual Conference in Brisbane, which carries the same theme as the title of this article.     

Predicting publication productivity for authors: Shallow or deep architecture?

Scientometrics - Academic administrators and funding agencies must predict the publication productivity of research groups and individuals to assess authors’ abilities. However, such...     

Cost‐effective algorithms for processor arrays with reconfigurable bus systems

Abstract

A processor array with a reconfigurable bus system (abbreviated to PARBS) is a computation model which consists of a processor array and a reconfigurable bus system. It is a very powerful computation model in that it possesses the ability to solve many problems efficiently. However, most existing efficient algorithms on PARBS's use a large number of processors to solve problems. For example, to determine the maximum (minimum) of n data items in O(l) time, O(n ²) processors are required [12]. To solve the all‐pairs shortest paths and the minimum spanning tree problems in O(log n) time, O(n ⁴) processors are required [20]. These networks will therefore become very expensive for large n. In this paper, we introduce the concept of iterative‐PARBS, which is similar to the FOR‐loop construct in sequential programming languages. The iterative‐PARBS is a building block through which the processing data can be routed several times. We can think of it as a “hardware subroutine.’’ Based on this scheme, it is possible to explore more cost‐effective, time‐efficient parallel algorithms for use in a PARBS. The following new results are derived in this study: 1. The minimum (maximum) of n data items can be determined in O(l) time on a PARBS with O(n ^1+? ) processors for any fixed 8 > 0.

2. The all‐pairs shortest paths and the minimum spanning tree problems can be solved in O (log n) time on a PARBS with O(n ^3+? ) processors for any fixed 8 > 0.

     

Molecular Semiconductors for Logic Operations: Dead-End or Bright Future?

The field of organic electronics has been prolific in the last couple of years, leading to the design and synthesis of several molecular semiconductors presenting a mobility in excess of 10 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. However, it is also started to recently falter, as a result of doubtful mobility extractions and reduced industrial interest. This critical review addresses the community of chemists and materials scientists to share with it a critical analysis of the best performing molecular semiconductors and of the inherent charge transport physics that takes place in them. The goal is to inspire chemists and materials scientists and to give them hope that the field of molecular semiconductors for logic operations is not engaged into a dead end. To the contrary, it offers plenty of research opportunities in materials chemistry.     

Melting pot or tossed salad? Implications for designing effective multicultural workgroups

Abstract and Key Results

ZnO:Co diluted magnetic semiconductor or hybrid nanostructure for spintronics?

We have studied the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic defects in the magnetic and electrical transport properties of Co-doped ZnO thin films. X-ray absorption measurements show that Co substitute Zn in the ZnO structure and it is in the 2+ oxidation state. Magnetization (M) measurements show that doped samples are mainly paramagnetic. From M vs. H loops measured at 5 K we found that the values of the orbital L and spin S numbers are between 1 and 1.3 for L and S = 3/2, in agreement with the representative values for isolated Co 2+. The obtained negative values of the Curie–Weiss temperatures indicate the existence of antiferromagnetic interactions between transition metal atoms.     

Optimization of composite patch repair processes with?the?use of genetic algorithms

The aim of this contribution is the optimization of some parameters of the composite patch repair technique (CPR). This technique is mainly used by the aircraft industry, as it offers high reliability, short repair times and reduced cost in compare to other methods, such as the riveted joints. CPR consists of adhesively bonding thin composite patches over cracked or corroded areas with heat supply. As the polymer-matrix composite patch is heated, it cures and toughens. Proper curing insures structural reliability of the repair. Short duration curing cycles are of great importance for the aircraft availability. With the use of Genetic Algorithms, we design minimum time curing cycles. The optimization is subjected to the following constraints: (1) Maximum allowed temperature in order to avoid residual stresses, (2) Minimum temperature in order to initiate the cure reaction, (3) Sufficient degree of cure at the end of the process and (4) Maximum heat generation rate that can be achieved by the device. Our design vector contains the duration of the plateau stage of the cure cycle and the characteristic thermal profile. The degree of cure is estimated with the use of the Kamal cure rate model for thermosetting polymers. For the numerical time integration of the cure rate equation, a second order, implicit Runge-Kutta scheme is employed.     

RGO–MWCNT–ZnO based polypyrrole nanocomposite for ammonia gas sensing

Polypyrrole (PPy) nanocomposites were synthesized using ferric chloride (FeCl₃) as an oxidant by in situ polymerization at room temperature in which reduced graphene oxide- multi-walled carbon nanotubes (RGO–MWCNT) and zinc oxide (ZnO) were used as fillers. RGO–MWCNT and ZnO were synthesized by solution mixing and surfactant assistant precipitation respectively. The RGO–MWCNT–ZnO /PPy nanocomposites were prepared by loading 2, 5, 10 and 20 wt% of RGO–MWCNT:ZnO (1:1) in PPy to measure the electrical conductivity. The PPy nanocomposites were characterized by using FTIR, X-ray diffraction and FESEM. Furthermore, these RGO–MWCNT–ZnO/PPy nanocomposites were investigated to study sensing of ammonia gas at room temperature. The response of 20 wt% loading RGO–MWCNT–ZnO/PPy was observed to be 325% towards 200 ppm of ammonia gas.     

The kinetics of Langmuir–Blodgett ZnO nano-film deposition for sensing electrodes

The kinetics of the monolayer formation of zinc oxide nanoparticles on water subphase was studied at different sample concentrations and barrier speeds. The recorded isotherms indicate that stearic acid can act as a suitable microenvironment for the deposition of zinc oxide when the spreading solution contains ~ 50% sample. The AFM image of the double layer shows that the film is nearly homogeneous with average thickness ~ 15 nm. The sensing ability of the nano-films was studied by cyclic voltammetry using ITO substrates, coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles as working electrode. It gave different reduction peaks for different pH electrolytes.     

More on ‘Models and algorithms for the dynamic-demand joint replenishment problem’

This paper presents tight mathematical programming formulations for the dynamic demand joint replenishment problem (DJRP). Experimental studies using general-purpose software document the improved computational efficiency of the new formulations versus the earlier models of Boctor et al. (Boctor, F.F., Laporte, G. and Renaud, J., Models and algorithms for the dynamic-demand joint replenishment problem. Int. J. Prod. Res., 2004, 42, 2667–2678.) and Robinson and Gao (Robinson, E.P. and Gao, L., A dual-ascent procedure for multi-product dynamic demand coordinated replenishment with backlogging. Manag. Sci., 1996, 42, 1556–1564.). The findings encourage the development of specialized algorithms for their solution. The paper also evaluates the performance of the perturbation and dual-ascent heuristics for solving DJRP finding the perturbation heuristic is superior at relatively low set-up cost ratios and high joint set-up cost levels, while the dual-ascent heuristic strongly dominates at relatively high set-up cost ratios and low joint set-up costs. Considering that both heuristics are computationally efficient, the best application strategy is to solve the problem with both heuristics and implement the best found solution.     

Off-grid hybrid wind–diesel power plant for application in remote Jordanian settlements

Wind penetration into existing diesel systems to meet the load of a remote Jordanian village was assessed. Techno-economical analysis and thousands of hourly simulations were performed to design an optimal hybrid wind–diesel power plant to serve the loads of the village. The hybrid plant with 24% of wind-energy penetration, and comprised of five wind turbines and three diesel generators was found to be the optimal plant and it becomes feasible for wind speeds in the order of 5 m/s and more regardless of the diesel fuel cost. Utilizing this plant for electricity generation decreased the operational hours of the diesel generators by 10.3% in comparison with the diesel only situation. This led to a decrease of 21.3% in the diesel consumption. Consequently, 13.25 tons of greenhouse gas emissions can be avoided annually utilizing the proposed hybrid power plant for electricity generation in place of the existing diesel only system. Based on the obtained results, the studied village in particular and the remote Jordanian settlements in general are prospective candidates for deployment of the proposed hybrid wind–diesel power plant for electricity generation.     

Oxide single crystals for research and production—an adventure for producer and user or functional technique?

Oxide single crystals have been used during the last 100 years in very different industries. In the first 50 years the jewellery and watch industries were the main users of oxide single crystals like ruby, sapphire and spinel. At that time Europe was the main producer of oxide crystals. Production plants were in France, Switzerland and Germany. In the Second World War the aviation industry started to use these materials for instrumentation systems. This production was mainly in the USA, Russia and Germany. Today, the use of all kinds of oxide single crystals is well established within many industries. However, only a small range of crystals is used in very high quantities. These are crystals such as quartz, aluminium oxide, titanium dioxide, strontium titanate, lithium niobate and tantalate, BBO and garnets. The other crystal materials are widely developed at R&D centres and universities but not really in industrial production. Among the problems are the unstable market places and the rapid change in material specifications from OEM customers.     

Conformity or Nonconformity in Multinationality? Performance Implications for the Italian Ceramic Tile Manufacturers

To date international management studies have found mixed results on the relationship between multinationality and performance. We address the multinationality–performance relationship by exploring the concept of conformity in multinationality, which expresses the extent to which a firm’s multinationality resembles the multinationality of its peers at a particular point in time. Our results show that, ceteris paribus, the best performing firms are those with high levels of conformity in multinationality to the strategic group peers as well as those with high levels of conformity to the market leader. Hypotheses are tested with data on the conformity in multinationality of 61 Italian ceramic tile manufacturers in the 2005–2009 time period.