Monitoring and Evaluation of the Lateral Stability of CWR Track

Continuous welded rail (CWR) track has great advantages of low-cost maintenance, environmental influence, and ride comfort. However, the CWR track is subjected to the longitudinal stresses in rails due to temperature influence as well the inhomogeneous stress accumulation due to train loadings. The stresses cause the accelerated track lateral irregularity accumulation that without timely maintenance can cause track buckling. The present paper present a method of the CWR track lateral stability estimation during its lifecycle using the track geometry monitoring information from the track measurement cars. The methods proposes a systematic approach of track stability evaluation based on multiple criteria of track stability evaluation. It takes into account the lateral resistance of the track, actual temperatures, and the lateral geometry condition of the track. The presented case study of a half-year track geometry monitoring and the track stability evaluation in a track curve shows the practical possibility of the recent detection of the track sections with low lateral stability and buckling prevention.

Online Food Delivery Services Among Young Adults in Depok: Factors Affecting the Frequency of Online Food Ordering and Consumption of High-risk Food

BackgroundThe increasing desire of the community towards fulfilling the practical needs of life is currently accommodated by the rapid development of communication technology in the last five years in Indonesia. One example is the emergence of various food delivery applications. This will affect the pattern of daily food consumption in the community. Therefore, this study determined the personal and socio-environmental factors that influence the frequency of online food ordering (OFO) behavior and also high-risk food consumption through online food delivery services (OFDS) among young adults in Depok City. MethodsThis research was a cross-sectional study conducted with 686 participants of young adults aged 20–39 years that lived in Depok City, West Java Province, Indonesia, for minimal the last six months. They were administered a questionnaire through Alchemer, formerly SurveyGizmo. Descriptive statistics were employed for all variables measured. A T-test and a Chi-square test were conducted to determine the factors influencing the OFO frequency and high-risk food consumption through OFDS. Predictor variables were generated using multi-logistic regression models. The predictor for the frequency of OFO behavior was satisfaction toward OFDS (ß = 3.3; CI: 2.4–4.7; p-value = 0.000), while those for high-risk food consumption were personal and socio-environmental factors (ß = 1.8; CI: 1.3–2.5; p-value = 0.001 and ß = 1.7; CI: 1.2–2.4; p-value = 0.001, respectively).ResultsThe personal and socio-environmental factors related to the frequency of OFO behavior were attitudes toward risk, benefit, barriers, features of OFDS, satisfaction with OFDS, socio-environmental influence, perception about OFDS, and online food preference. Furthermore, the factors associated with high-risk food consumption through OFDS were attitudes toward benefit, features, satisfaction with OFDS, socio-environmental influence, perception about OFDS, online food preference, and knowledge of OFDS. ConclusionsSatisfaction, social environment, and food preference play essential roles in OFDS. The findings demonstrated the urgency of conducting further studies to elaborate on the association of OFDS with non-communicable diseases.

MIKHAIL FREIDENBERG AND HIS FAMILY: THE ODESSA TRACE IN RUSSIAN CULTURE

Research traditions that have developed in relation to certain cultural phenomena are often limited by the framework of national cultures, the specifics of the studied personality and its creative activity. At the same time, the cultural and social demands underlying these studies do not actually imply the conversion of the identified cultural values from one national (cultural) tradition to another. Thus, it is unlikely that representatives of border territories, as well as territories that had actual ex-territoriality and freedom to choose cultural identification, can give in to an unambiguous definition of cultural identity. Odessa was good example of it. Here the marginality of the frontier cultural zone created its own unique cultural topos, with its “mixed” identity, for which the territorial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic boundaries were not absolute, were mobile, created conditions for the formation of seemingly contradictory ideas about the “eastern West”, about “imperial Jewishness”, “Jewish Russianity”, etc. For the Jewish citizen of Odessa, the national (Jewish) or imperial (Russian) component played a great role. The internal contradictions that exist in these identification models were either resolved in favor of one of the models, or removed due to the local identification model provided by the immediate environment, which we called the environment. In this article, we would like to show this environmental influence through the personality of Mikhail Filippovich Freidenberg, who is known to historians of science and technology as an inventor, but little known to literary historician (mainly as the father of Olga Mikhailovna Freidenberg and the uncle of Boris Leonidovich Pasternak). In our opinion, the description of the artistic and journalistic, as well as satirical works of Mikhail Freidenberg deserves attention. With his name, the intellectual environment of Odessa at the end of the XIX century takes on a holistic appearance, at the same time exposing the problem of “intellectual crowding” of the imperial province. The phenomenon of the environment is conceptualized by the example of the family of Mikhail Freidenberg and relations with relatives, as well as by describing the influence of this environment on Russian culture in the late XIX – first half of the XX century through the formation of the personalities of Olga Freidenberg and Boris Pasternak. It is important to overcome disciplinary boundaries and show how the environment promotes the realization of creative opportunities and how it sets these opportunities. We do it based on the available biographical data, memoirs, diaries and other documents.

THE INFLUENCE OF WORK MOTIVATION AND WORK ENVIRONMENT ON ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR WITH JOB SATISFACTION AS AN INTERVENING VARIABLE AT THE YOUTH AND SPORTS OFFICE OF NORTH SUMATRA PROVINCE

This study aims to determine the effect of work motivation and work environment on organizational citizenship behavior in mediating job satisfaction at the Youth and Sports Office of North Sumatra Province. In this study using associative research with a sample of 52 respondents who are employees of the Department of Youth and Sports of North Sumatra Province. Data collection techniques using questionnaires and data analysis techniques using Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) to test the seven hypotheses proposed in this study. The results of this study indicate that the effect of motivation on satisfaction has a positive and not significant effect; the influence of motivation on OCB has a positive and significant effect; the influence of the environment on satisfaction has a positive and significant effect; environmental influence on OCB has a negative and insignificant effect; the effect of satisfaction on OCB has a positive and significant effect; the effect of motivation on OCB mediated by satisfaction has no significant effect, which means that job satisfaction does not play a role in mediating work motivation on OCB; The influence of the environment on OCB mediated by satisfaction has a significant effect, which means that job satisfaction plays a role in mediating the work environment on OCB.

Quantitative Estimation of Land Surface Temperature and Its Relationship with Land Use/Cover around Sonipat District, Haryana, India

Urbanization is a human activity that changes the surface of the earth and degrades the surroundings of major cities all over the world. The problem is more acute in many developing cities with a high population and rapid economic growth. The present study focuses on the effect of land use/land cover (LULC) on the land surface temperature (LST) in Sonipat district, Haryana India. The LULC derived from multispectral satellite data of two periods, 2011 and 2021, indicated a significant increase in urban areas by (3%) and barren and fallow land by (7%), whereas crop land has decreased by (11%) and water bodies have remained the same, in comparison with 2011. The LST, derived from a thermal infrared sensor, showed an overall increase in LST by 5 °C from 2011 to 2021. The results also showed that there was a significant LST difference across the LULC units. Pearson’s correlation analysis results showed an inverse correlation between LST and NDVI across urban areas and other land use classes, whereas a positive correlation over water bodies were observed in the study area. Therefore, LST and its relationship with NDVI via LULC, is a key parameter to investigate the thermal glitches in an urban ecosystem. This can be adopted as a useful tool for analyzing the environmental influence on the ecological unit.

Seismic velocity changes at White Island volcano, New Zealand, using ten years of ambient noise interferometry

<p>Seismic velocity changes at volcanoes carry information about stresses present within hydrothermal and magmatic systems. In this thesis, temporal velocity changes are measured at White Island volcano using ambient noise interferometry between 2007–2017. This period contains multiple well-documented eruptions starting in 2012, following an inactive period that extends back over a decade. Three primary objectives are identified: (1) investigate what seismic velocity changes can tell us about dynamic changes beneath the volcano, (2) investigate non-volcanic sources and their possible influence on interpretations, and (3) consider the potential for real-time monitoring using ambient-noise. These objectives extend beyond White Island volcano, with implications for ambient noise monitoring of volcanoes globally. Two different approaches are used to measure velocity changes at White Island. The first involves cross-correlating noise recorded by pairs of seismic stations. Velocity changes are sought by averaging changes recorded across ten station-pairs that consist of an onshore station and a station on the volcano. The second approach involves cross-correlating the different components of individual seismic stations. This represents a less traditional approach to monitoring volcanoes, but is well-suited to White Island which has one permanent station active throughout eruptive activity. Single seismic stations located onshore are also processed to investigate background regional changes. Two periods of long-term velocity increases are detected at the volcano. The first occurs during a highly active period in 2012–2013 and the second occurs in the months preceding an explosive eruption in April 2016. Comparison with velocities recorded by onshore stations suggest a meteorological source for these changes is unlikely. Velocity increases are therefore interpreted to reflect cracks closing under increased pressures beneath the volcano. Similarly, a rapid decline in the velocity within 2–3 months of the April 2016 eruption is interpreted to reflect depressurization of the system. In addition to volcanic sources, we also find clear evidence of non-volcanic processes influencing velocity changes at the volcano. Two clear co-seismic velocity decreases of approximately 0.05–0.1% are associated with a Mw 5.2 earthquake in 2008 — within 10 km of the volcano — and the Mw 7.1 East Cape earthquake in 2016. The East Cape earthquake — located 200 km away from the volcano — produces significant velocity decreases over a large region, as detected by stations onshore and on White Island. This likely reflects dynamic stress changes as a result of passing seismic waves, with an eruption two weeks later interpreted here to have been triggered by this event. Finally, we identify similarities between annual variations recorded by onshore stations and changes at the volcano, suggesting an environmental influence. Velocity changes at White Island therefore represent a complex interaction of volcanic and non-volcanic processes, highlighting the need for improved understanding of external sources of change to accurately detect short-term eruptive precursors.</p>

Seismic velocity changes at White Island volcano, New Zealand, using ten years of ambient noise interferometry

<p>Seismic velocity changes at volcanoes carry information about stresses present within hydrothermal and magmatic systems. In this thesis, temporal velocity changes are measured at White Island volcano using ambient noise interferometry between 2007–2017. This period contains multiple well-documented eruptions starting in 2012, following an inactive period that extends back over a decade. Three primary objectives are identified: (1) investigate what seismic velocity changes can tell us about dynamic changes beneath the volcano, (2) investigate non-volcanic sources and their possible influence on interpretations, and (3) consider the potential for real-time monitoring using ambient-noise. These objectives extend beyond White Island volcano, with implications for ambient noise monitoring of volcanoes globally. Two different approaches are used to measure velocity changes at White Island. The first involves cross-correlating noise recorded by pairs of seismic stations. Velocity changes are sought by averaging changes recorded across ten station-pairs that consist of an onshore station and a station on the volcano. The second approach involves cross-correlating the different components of individual seismic stations. This represents a less traditional approach to monitoring volcanoes, but is well-suited to White Island which has one permanent station active throughout eruptive activity. Single seismic stations located onshore are also processed to investigate background regional changes. Two periods of long-term velocity increases are detected at the volcano. The first occurs during a highly active period in 2012–2013 and the second occurs in the months preceding an explosive eruption in April 2016. Comparison with velocities recorded by onshore stations suggest a meteorological source for these changes is unlikely. Velocity increases are therefore interpreted to reflect cracks closing under increased pressures beneath the volcano. Similarly, a rapid decline in the velocity within 2–3 months of the April 2016 eruption is interpreted to reflect depressurization of the system. In addition to volcanic sources, we also find clear evidence of non-volcanic processes influencing velocity changes at the volcano. Two clear co-seismic velocity decreases of approximately 0.05–0.1% are associated with a Mw 5.2 earthquake in 2008 — within 10 km of the volcano — and the Mw 7.1 East Cape earthquake in 2016. The East Cape earthquake — located 200 km away from the volcano — produces significant velocity decreases over a large region, as detected by stations onshore and on White Island. This likely reflects dynamic stress changes as a result of passing seismic waves, with an eruption two weeks later interpreted here to have been triggered by this event. Finally, we identify similarities between annual variations recorded by onshore stations and changes at the volcano, suggesting an environmental influence. Velocity changes at White Island therefore represent a complex interaction of volcanic and non-volcanic processes, highlighting the need for improved understanding of external sources of change to accurately detect short-term eruptive precursors.</p>

Effect of Genetic / Environmental Influence on Growth of Newborn in Himachal Pradesh

Introduction: The effects of altitudinal variation on child growth and development have long been a center of attention for researcher. We believe that hereditary factor primarily affects on child growth and development however environment has secondary effect on it. The available literature on newborns in Himachal Pradesh establishes the fact that as altitude increases the crown heel length decreases. A comprehensive significant finding was also available in both the regions of Himachal Pradesh in terms of head length, foot length, nasal height etc. the comparison between the neonates of the two zones of Himachal Pradesh explains the difference in physical appearance of people of both zones. These features may be biological or behavioral in nature, genetic or developmental in origin. Most instances, a combination of factors are involved. Methods: The present study included 185 parents and their newborns from two zones (Lower zone and Middle zone) of Himachal Pradesh and separated as per the criteria. Measurement of newborn parameters was taken in 12-24 hours after birth by using digital vernier caliper. Ethical clearance from university and permission from Himachal Pradesh government was taken. All the newborns were separated as per criteria 1. Mother / Father from Lower Zone. (Zone category 1) 2. Mother / Father from Middle Zone. (Zone category 2) 3. Mother from Lower Zone / Father from Middle Zone. (Zone category 3) 4. Mother from Middle Zone / Father from Lower Zone. (Zone category 4) Results: Statistically significant difference was obtained in all the four categories. Different parameters were compared across different parent- zone categories by one way ANOVA. The results showed that four parameters shows significantly across groups, viz, Weight, Facial Length, Nasal Height and Philtrum width in all the Zone categories. Conclusions: The early historical studies mention that people living in Himachal Pradesh have migrated from different geographical locations hence their genetics, as well as culture is different from each other. This study clearly demonstrates the effects of environmental factors on child growth and development in Himachal Pradesh. KEY WORD: Anthropometry, Newborn, Himachal, Environment, Genetics.