Green Ones Research Articles

A Complexity-theoretic Analysis of Green Pickup-and-Delivery Problems

In a Green Pickup-and-Delivery problem (GPD), vehicles traveling in a transport network achieving pickup-and-delivery tasks are in particular subject to the two \textit{green} constraints: limited vehicle fuel capacity thus short vehicle traveling range, and limited availability of refueling infrastructure for the vehicles. GPD adds additional but probably insignificant computational complexity to the classic and already NP-hard Pickup-and-Delivery problem and Vehicle Routing Problem. Nevertheless, we demonstrate in this paper an inherent intractability of these green components themselves. More precisely, we show that GPD problems whose total constraints are reduced to almost the green ones only, remain to be NP-complete in the strong sense. We figure out a specifically constrained variant of GPD that, however, is weakly NP-complete -- a practical pseudo-polynomial time algorithm solving the variant problem is identified. Insight obtained from this complexity-theoretic analysis would shed light for a deeper understanding of GPDs, and on better development of heuristics for solving these problems, leading to promisingly many real-world applications.

Compost Heat Recovery Systems: An alternative to produce renewable heat and promoting ecosystem services

Aerobic biodegradation of biomass can release considerable heat, reaching temperatures of up to 65 °C. This heat can be recovered and used for domestic purposes through the implementation of Compost Heat Recovery System (CHRS). In this study, data were collected from a full-scale CHRS, fed with tree-pruning residues, installed in a farmhouse located in Northern Italy. The CHRS (2.75 kW average heating power) worked in conjunction with a pellet combustor for one year.Energy and carbon balances were analyzed and compared (over a 15-year life-time) with combinations of alternative heating systems (both traditional and green ones). The real case study provided a heat supply at a competitive cost (0.087 € kWh−1). A scenario with two CHRSs would further decrease costs (0.074 € kWh−1). In terms of the carbon balance, a CHRS can save up to 0.252 kgCO2-eq kWh−1 of energy produced, compared to a fossil-fuel alternative (natural-gas), while promoting carbon storage for around 0.05 kgCO2-eq kWh−1 in agricultural soils by compost amendment. Over a 15-year period, each module can potentially substitute fossil-derived heat for around 264 MgCO2-eq, while increasing soil carbon pool by around 20 MgCO2-eq, as C-stock calculated on a medium-term scenario (100-years).CHRSs have great potential to furnish renewable heat at competitive prices, while providing other ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and nutrients cycling to soil. Economic valorization of tree-pruning residues could also be an incentive for the implementation of agroforestry practices and landscape features. Further studies are needed in this relatively unexplored field, which might be of interest in the context of EU regulatory frameworks such as the EU Directive 2018/2001 and the upcoming Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2021 – 2027.

Stable zero-dimensional cesium indium bromide hollow nanocrystals emitting blue light from self-trapped excitons

The growing demand for lighting and displays has motivated intensive research in metal-halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) recently. However, the development of blue-emissive perovskite NCs lag behind those of green and red ones severely; moreover, the conventional lead-halide perovskites contain toxic element lead. In this study, zero-dimensional Cs3InBr6 NCs with intrinsic broadband blue emission (~ 450 nm) were developed for the first time. Joint experiment-theory characterizations reveal the excited-state structural distortion of [InBr6]3− cluster enables the formation of self-trapped excitons, which contribute the broadband emission. Apart from the solid structure, hollow NCs with controlled particle and pore sizes were obtained resulting from the Ostwald ripening mechanisms. Theoretical calculations show that the easy diffusion of Br vacancies in Cs3InBr6 lattices assist the formation of hollow structure. Encouraged by the remarkable structural and optical stability of hollow Cs3InBr6 NCs, such lead-free NCs may open up new avenues for manufacture of optoelectronic devices.

White light-emitting diodes based on quaternary Ag–In-Ga-S quantum dots and their influences on melatonin suppression index

Light sources have effect on the circadian rhythms so as to the health of human. Therefore, both visual and non-visual effects should be considered when designing and fabricating light sources. Quantum dot (QD) materials have been extensively used as color converters to fabricate white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, most of the work on the photoluminescent QD-based LEDs (QLEDs) are focused on the improvement of visual performances. Here, quaternary Ag–In-Ga-S (AIGS)/ZnS QDs are synthesized for the application of white QLEDs taking both visual and non-visual performances into consideration. Theoretical calculation is carried out and the results show that QLEDs based on the combination of red emission QDs and green emission ones can exhibit a high color rendering index (CRI) of 90.8 and a color correlated temperature (CCT) of 5669 K, a melatonin suppression index (MSI) of 0.788. Furthermore, the combination of red 670 nm emission and green 550 nm AIGS/ZnS QDs are integrated with a blue-emission chip to fabricate QLEDs. The as fabricated devices exhibit a maximum CRI of 90.33, a CCT of 5947 K and an MSI of 0.7866, which are all consistent with the simulation results. These experimental results are comparable to those of some commercial white light sources. We discuss non-visual effects of QLEDs for the first time, and our research results show that AIGS/ZnS QDs, which are free-of heavy metal elements and have wide full-width of half maximums (FWHMs), are suitable for the fabrication white light sources with highly visual performances and tunable MSI values, which have many potential applications in the field of healthy lighting and environmentally friendly light sources.

Specular Highlight Detection Based on Color Distribution for Endoscopic Images

Endoscopic imaging systems have been widely used in disease diagnosis and minimally invasive surgery. Practically, specular reflection (a.k.a. highlight) always exists in endoscopic images and significantly affects surgeons’ observation and judgment. Motivated by the fact that the values of the red channel in nonhighlight area of endoscopic images are higher than those of the green and blue ones, this paper proposes an adaptive specular highlight detection method for endoscopic images. Specifically, for each pixel, we design a criterion for specular highlight detection based on the ratio of the red channel to both the green and blue channels. With the designed criteria, we take advantage of image segmentation and then develop an adaptive threshold with respect to the differences between the red channel and the other ones of neighboring pixels. To validate the proposed method, we conduct experiments on clinical data and CVC-ClinicSpec open database. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method yields an averaged Precision, Accuracy, and F1-score rate of 88.76%, 99.60% and 72.56%, respectively, and outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches based on color distribution reported for endoscopic highlight detection.

Performance and Factor Structure of Green, Grey and Red Securities

The purpose of this research is to determine the factors that are important in explaining the Green (eco-friendly), Grey (neutral), and Red (eco-enemy) EU securities returns. This study investigates the factors that influence performance over time, before and after the crisis (breakpoint, 2009) — the analysis is divided into two parts. In the first part, we study the factor structure of our specific universe stocks in each category, and in the second part, we distinguish the financial performance between Green and Red stock. We define Green stocks, those in the primary business that are relatively beneficial to the environment, and Red as, harmful to the environment. Our analysis applies the asset pricing models from the Fama-French Model (3-factor model and 5-factor model) and the Carhart Model (4-factor model) and two-step regression for the comparison models. The research findings show that our asset class underperforms relative to the applied signals from the market index and the other macro-factors. Moreover, the exposures from the global factors are changing from period to period, which shows the depression affected the asset class's sensitivity. However, we observed that the Grey and Red assets were affected more than the Green ones after the slump. Lastly, our firm evidence shows that the Red securities initiate a superior performance compared to Green securities.

How Does Green Marketing Claim Affect Brand Image, Perceived Value, and Purchase Decision?

The rise of pro-environmental awareness has promoted a new innovative local brand that considers sustainable society life. This study analyses how the green marketing claim of new local cleaner products influences the brand image, perceived value, and consumer purchase decisions. The respondents of this study are consumers of local shoe cleaner products claimed as green ones. The setting is a new brand of shoe cleaner introduced in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This brand is a green product developed with a green marketing program. Using the purposive sampling method, we chose one hundred fifty respondents. The data analysis is using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) of AMOS 21. Our result shows that green marketing significantly impacts brand image, perceived value, and purchase decisions. Brand image and perceived value affect purchase decisions substantially.

Green technologies, complementarities, and policy

The present study explores the technological complementarities between green and non-green inventions. First, we look at whether inventive activities in climate-friendly domains depend on patenting in related technological domains that are not green. Based on patent data filed over the 1978–2014 period, we estimate a spatial autoregressive model using co-occurrence matrices to capture technological interdependencies. Our first finding highlights that the development of green technologies strongly relies on advances in other green and in particular non-green technological domains, whose relevance for the green economy is usually neglected. Building on this insight, we detect the non-green complementary technologies that co-occur with green ones and assess whether environmental policies affect this particular instantiation of technologies at the country level. The results of the instrumental variable approach confirm that while environmental policies spur green patenting, they do not displace the development of the non-green technological pillars upon which green inventions develop.

Features of pubertas of young egg chickens when grown under monochromatic and white lighting

The work was carried out in the Amur region at the Belogorsk poultry farm. In the period from 2015 to 2019, five experiments were carried out taking into account the seasonality. The aim of the study was to identify the influence of the spectral composition of light sources on the pubertation of replacement young egg chickens at the age of 15 weeks: the development of the pineal gland, pituitary gland and genital organs of the youngs. The study on replacement young egg crosses of Hisex White and Decalb White chickens was carried out. In the breeding workshop, four groups of day-old chickens were formed, 200 heads each. From one day of age to 15 weeks, young birds were kept under light of different colors in conditions of gradually decreasing daylight hours from 24 to 12 hours a day and an illumination level from 50-30 to 7-6 lux. White, yellow, green and blue compact fluorescent lamps were used as light sources. In young birds at the age of 30, 60 and 90 days, the live weight was determined by weighing 100 heads from each group. A 15-week-old bird was bled for β-estradiol content at a random selection of 30 birds from each group. For anatomical examination, 5 pullets from each group were sacrificed at the age of 15 weeks, taking into account the body weight required by the norm. The absolute mass of the pineal gland, pituitary gland, ovary, oviduct was determined in the bird, the length of the oviduct was measured. Regardless of the season of the year, the live weight of 90-day-old young in groups under white and yellow illumination had the upper values of the norm, with green and blue it could be at its lower border. Under white and yellow illumination, pullets at 15 weeks of age have higher serum β-estradiol levels. At anatomical examination in 15-week-old chickens under white and yellow lamps, the absolute mass of the pineal gland is less by 10.5 - 41.7% than under green and blue ones, and the mass of the pituitary gland, on the contrary, is more by 4.8 - 8.3%. Pullets with different color illumination did not have significant differences in the mass of the ovary and oviduct, as well as the length of the oviduct, the level of development of which corresponded to a given age. Under white and yellow lighting, the first signs of the onset of puberty at 15 weeks of age are slightly more pronounced than under green and blue light sources.

Modeling the green bond yield on bond offering

Subject. The article addresses the green bond pricing as compared to bonds other than green ones. Objectives. The aims are to determine how the fact that a bond is identified as a green one, the issue amount, and the availability of third-party verification, influence the yield to maturity; to make recommendations on effective green bond pricing. Methods. The study employs econometric testing of hypotheses, using the multiple linear regression. The sample includes 318 green and 1695 conventional bonds. Results. Green bonds have a lower yield to maturity in comparison with conventional bonds. The yield to maturity of green bonds with third-party verification is lower, as contrasted with green bonds without verification. Conclusions. The next step in the green bond market development is creating a benchmark yield curve for sovereign green bonds, with parallel issuance of conventional, non-green bonds. The yield curve is crucial for effective bond pricing. Two yield curves, i.e. for green and non-green bonds, will enable investors to estimate the fair price on issuance, as well as to define, if there is a difference in pricing.

Особливості трансформації фітопланктону Житомирського водосховища (р. Тетерів, басейн Дніпра, Україна)

Stable functioning of the ecosystem of the Zhytomir reservoir, which is indicated by the absence of directed changes in the primary production over a long period, is pro­bably supported by the alterations of the algae groups at the level of their structure, by the high speed of incorporation of organic matter into the bio-water cycle, and by large areas of water levels. Over the last 10 years, the role of blue-green algae has decreased in the taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton of the Zhytomir reservoir, while the species richness of green, euglenic and golden ones has increased; there were minor alterations to the phytoplankton structure at the class level and more noticeable changes at the order, family, and birth levels. Over a period of almost ten years the species saturation of the genus Chlamydomonas Ehrenb., Euglena Ehrenb., Cyclotella Kützing., Peridinium Ehrenb. Generally, the generic coefficients and the saturation of species with intraspecific taxa increased (which was also observed for the small Denyshivske reservoir), whereas for large reservoirs of the Dnipro and Volga there is a tendency to simplify the taxonomic structure of phytoplankton with their age. Phytoplankton biomass indicators remained unchanged for almost ten years, however, there was a shift in biomass peaks from summer to autumn. The number of algae cells decreased. Phytoplankton alignment decreased. Inadequacy has been established in the trophic status of the Zhytomir Reservoir, determined by biomass and primary phytoplankton production. The higher trophic level, determined by the intensity of photosynthesis, is probably due to the predominance in the dominant complexes of small-cell highly productive species that support the high trophic status of aquatic ecosystems with relatively low phytoplankton biomass. At the present stage, there is a tendency to improve the water quality of the reservoir according to the saprobiological indicators of phytoplankton development in comparison with 2003–2007.

Visualizing the distribution of strawberry plant metabolites at different maturity stages by MALDI-TOF imaging mass spectrometry

This study aimed to visualize differences in the distribution of citric acid, soluble sugars, and anthocyanins in strawberries at four different maturity stages (green to red strawberries) by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF IMS). Results demonstrated citric acid and sugars are evenly distributed in the entire fruit at all maturity stages, while most of anthocyanins are mainly located in the periphery of fruit with increased abundance in red strawberries, indicating a correlation with the colour attributes. Sugar in red strawberries (11.92 brix) increased by two-fold compared to the green ones (6.23 brix). Finally, absolute quantitation of each compound from HPLC analyses support the quantitative results from MALDI-TOF IMS. The results provide a deeper understanding in the changes and distribution of phytochemicals during the growth of strawberries, and demonstrates the usefulness of IMS for plant breeding and postharvest technology.

CURRENT STATE OF MICROALGAE OF THE LOWER DANUBE LAKES

Introduction. Microscopic algae form organic matter, oxygen and geological rocks (diatomitis, stromatolitis, chalk) in reservoirs, clean them from contaminants, take part in the circulation of various chemical elements (C, N, P, O, Si), are food for hydrobions (infusoria, worms, molluscs, crustaceans, fish).The aim of the work was to study the currents state of phytoplankton of the Lower Danube Lakes.Results. As a result of the researches of Lower Danube Lakes (Kagul, Katlabug, Kytai, Kugurlui, Yalpug) it was determined that 125 species of microscopic algae, belonging to 78 genera, 37 families, 23 orders, 10 classes and 7 divisions, were identified in the phytoplankton of the studied reservoirs. The representatives of green (46 species), diatoms (35) and blue-green (23) ones prevailed among the algae. 11 species from the identified algae turned out to be new for the Lower Danube Lakes. Genera of Closterium (5 species), Nitzschia (5), Lepocinclis (4), Monoraphidium (4), Oscillatoria (4), Tetrastrum (4), Cymbella (3), Crucigenia (3) and Tetraedron (3) formed the basis of specific variety of the Lower Danube Lakes. 92 species of algae were found in lake Yalpug 87, Katlabug – 81, Kytai – 72, Kugurlui – 70 and Kagul – 67 species of algae. Algal flora of the Lower Danube Lakes is freshwater, alkaliphilic, β-mesosaprobic and cosmopolitan. The quantity of algae varied within the range (70-3331)·106 cells·m-3, biomass – 0.66-5.60 g·m-3.Conclusion. The obtained data can serve for monitoring and calculation of feed base for hydrobionts of the Lower Danube Lakes.Key words: microalgae, phytoplankton, species composition, quantity, biomass, the Lower Danube Lakes.

Strategies for improving luminescence efficiencies of blue-emitting metal halide perovskites

Lead halide perovskites (LHPs) are suitable as the emissive layers in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The external quantum efficiency of green LEDs based on LHPs is now over 20%. Nevertheless, the blue LHP LEDs lag behind the green ones in terms of efficiency. Photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) and stability of the NCs under various operating conditions are two major factors that influence the LED performance. Therefore, to promote the efforts towards achieving improved LED efficiencies, herein, we summarize several synthetic methods that produce blue-emitting LHP NC, followed by several approaches devised to boost their PL QYs up to near unity. Light-induced anion segregation is one of the limitations of using blue-emitting mixed-halide LHPs, which triggers the attention to single halide, quantum-confined LHP nanoplatelets (NPLs). Syntheses, structure, and luminescent properties of organic–inorganic and all-inorganic blue-emitting LHP NPLs are discussed elaborately. In the last portion, the luminescent properties of lead-free metal halides, which are of current interest, are discussed, followed by an outlook and future directions. In conclusion, our review discusses various literature attempts to obtain stable blue-emitting LHP NCs, which can be helpful in a better design of the blue-emitting LHP NCs towards various light-emitting applications.

Стратагема: спилловер-эффект от применения инноваций в средних промышленно развитых городах

The spatial development of cities in the crisis period associated with the COVID-19 pandemic requires a new toolkit for developing stratagems. The converged platform has a significant number of models of cities of the future, including green and smart ones, created by the initiative of authorities or corporations. Russia has some experience in the development of such cities as well. The article presents materials that reveal the main areas of implementing smart technologies in cities (Smart Energy, Smart Water, Smart Buildings, Smart Transportation, Smart Government), approaches to assessing the actions of local authorities on implementing the IQ Cities Project. On the example of the city of Volzhsky, Volgograd Region, which is part of the group of medium-sized industrialized cities, a mechanism for developing a stratagem is shown – the spillover effect from the introduction of innovations into the citys economy. The use of an information and reference system (ISSMSE), which simulates spillover effects in different areas of urban and regional economy, is justified. It is explained why the prevailing ideas of people about cities of the future do not coincide with projects being implemented and that tools of neuromarketing and crowdsourcing are able to bring these two components of the process closer together. Todays social life focuses the attention of residents on the process of mass consumption, displacing all other semantic patterns from consciousness. The aim of the study was to substantiate the formation of a stratagem of the spillover effect of introducing innovations into the economy of medium-sized industrialized cities with a target vector for the introduction of smart technologies.

Sustainable Oleo Polymers: A promising Alternative Resource for Petro-Energy

The growth and development of all countries, in terms of their economic infrastructure and the quality of their citizen’s life, depend on energy. Particularly, in developing economies, the demand for energy is high in various sectors including residential, agricultural, industrial, medical and economy. The energy for these sectors comes from conventional (e.g. fossil fuels) and non-conventional (e.g. wind, solar, biomass, biofuels) sources. The production of petroleum-based products, i.e. the main conventional resource, was increased by 2.2 million b/d (barrels per day), while the natural gas consumption grew by 195 billion cubic meters. Thus, the annual growth in the consumption of conventional sources of energy favors their exhaustion in the near future. Besides, their extensive consumption causes severe environmental pollutions that risks the health of human as well as other beings. Therefore, we must switch from the consumption of polluting-conventional resources to green and renewable ones. In this regard, the production of biodiesel/biofuels, which are produced from the green and environmentally friendly resources, like vegetable and animal oils, have attracted the attention of various sectors. Among these, the utilization of vegetable oils as feedstock for the production of biodiesels is found to be more effective, owing to their availability, diversity, and their versatile properties. According to Statista, the annual production of various vegetable oils was ~ 204 million metric tons (mmt) in 2018-19, which was higher than 2017-18 by ~ 6.7 mmt. The extensive production of these vegetable oils (VOs) has also facilitated their application in the production of functional materials and compounds, which directly reduced the production cost and consumption of fossil-based products. During the past decades, our group has extensively utilized vegetable oils as active materials and synthetic medium for the synthesis and development of functional polymers, paints, nanomaterials, hydrogels, artificial tissues, etc. that confirms the diversity and applicability of VOs as promising alternates. This suggest “that everything made from fossil fuels (materials) today can be made from a tree (sustainable resource) tomorrow”.

Ovitrap Modification in Improving the Ability of Aedes Sp. Egg Trapping in Banjarbaru City

Introduction: Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a vector-borne disease that spreads through the bite of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Until recently, vector control still becomes an essential step in breaking the dengue transmission chain. Besides of imago or larvicide method, the ovitrap way is also often used to trap the eggs of Aedes sp. This study aims to determine the trapping ability of modified ovitrap with various container colors and shrimp-paste attractant concentration levels. Method: This study was an experimental study using a post-test only design. This Research’s object was Aedes sp eggs trapped in modified ovitrap at 20 research locations in Banjarbaru City. The data obtained were analyzed statistically using the Kruskal Wallis test. The Research used The Mann-Whitney test to perform a post-hoc analysis. Result and Discussion: Results have shown that differences in attractant concentration and color of ovitrap have a significant effect in attracting Aedes sp to lay eggs. Zero percent concentration (without attractants) has a substantial difference in trapping Aedes sp with 10, 20, and 30% concentrations. Colorless ovitrap is also significantly different from black and green ones in trapping Aedes sp eggs. Conclusion: The use of attractants with a 10% shrimp-paste concentration solution and a black ovitrap can be an alternative to control DHF vectors affordable and safer for the environment and humans.

Nostalgia decreases green consumption: The mediating role of past orientation

Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one’s past, can influence consumption behavior. The present research investigates how nostalgia affects green consumption. Specifically, we propose that high nostalgia, chronic or primed, can lower consumers’ preference for green (vs regular) products. Results across four studies show that high-nostalgia consumers have lower preference for green products compared with low-nostalgia consumers. This effect is mediated by past orientation, such that high-nostalgia consumers tend to dwell on the past, which brings preference to the older products, usually regular rather than green ones that have future connotations, they grew up with. In addition, we find that mortality salience (MS) moderates the effect of nostalgia on green product preference, such that the negative effect of nostalgia on the preference for green products would be enhanced (vs mitigated) when MS is high (vs low). Implications for research and practice are discussed. JEL CLASSIFICATION M3

Towards green extraction methods from microalgae learning from the classics.

Microalgae started receiving attention as producers of third generation of biofuel, but they are rich in many bioactive compounds. Indeed, they produce many molecules endowed with benefic effects on human health which are highly requested in the market. Thus, it would be important to fractionate algal biomass into its several high-value compounds: this represents the basis of the microalgal biorefinery approach. Usually, conventional extraction methods have been used to extract a single class of molecules, with many side effects on the environment and on human health. The development of a green downstream platform could help in obtaining different class of molecules with high purity along with low environmental impact. This review is focused on technical advances that have been performed, from classic methods to the newest and green ones. Indeed, it is fundamental to set up new procedures that do not affect the biological activity of the extracted molecules. A comparative analysis has been performed among the conventional methods and the new extraction techniques, i.e., switchable solvents and microwave-assisted and compressed fluid extractions.

Inaugural editorial: Energy Conversion and Economics

Inaugural editorial: <i>Energy Conversion and Economics</i>