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Article
Publication date: 20 April 2010

Guang Jin, A.J. Englande and Chih‐Yang Hu

The purpose of this paper is to describe the investigation of distribution of metals in water and sediment samples of Poydras‐Verret wetland, an area that has received…

623

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the investigation of distribution of metals in water and sediment samples of Poydras‐Verret wetland, an area that has received approximately 40 years input of secondarily treated municipal effluent.

Design/methodology/approach

Water and sediment samples were analyzed for metals for a period of 18 months. These metals were also monitored for the secondarily treated effluent, and at a reference/control wetland that does not receive wastewater. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student Newman‐Keuls post‐hoc ANOVA analysis were conducted to evaluate the pattern of metal distribution within the Poygras‐Verret wetland and compare results to the reference wetland. Heavy metal criteria established by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and State of Louisiana were also used to assess the potential chronic and acute health impacts of heavy metals in the Poydras‐Verret wetland.

Findings

Concentrations of metals of the Poydras‐Verret wetland water are not different from those found in the reference wetland water, suggesting no observed accumulation of these metals within the receiving wetland water. All metals are below the acute criteria.

Originality/value

Historical data regarding metal accumulation in wetlands in the published literature is limited. This paper provides supporting evidence that using wetlands to assimilate wastewater could be a long‐term, practical solution with the side benefits including wetland restorations and protection from wave erosion and storm surge.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

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Article
Publication date: 14 June 2011

Chih‐Yang Hu, Guang Jin and A.J. Englande

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the water quality of the wetland that received treated municipal wastewater for 40 years and its application for nutrients removal and…

653

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the water quality of the wetland that received treated municipal wastewater for 40 years and its application for nutrients removal and wetland restoration.

Design/methodology/approach

To assess the water quality impact of the study, wetland sampling sites were selected to represent the receiving wetland, wetland background, effluent discharge point, and the adjacent canals. Water samples were taken in different seasons of the year and analyzed for water quality parameters including pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, chloride, total organic carbon, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, TKN and phosphorus. USEPA‐approved standard methods were followed and Quality Assurance/Quality Control procedures were compiled. Analysis of variance and Student Newman‐Keuls Post‐Hoc analysis were performed on the sampling results to evaluate the water quality differences among the sampling sites.

Findings

No water quality degradation was detected in the wetland study after receiving treated municipal wastewater for 40 years. Dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature were not different from the background level. Total organic carbon and nutrients levels reduced significantly in the receiving wetland, indicating effective waste assimilation. Salinity in the immediate receiving area was reduced substantially, which offers potential application to buffer saltwater intrusion and wetland restoration.

Practical implications

The practice in this study offers potential implications in wastewater nutrients removal, wetland restoration, minimizing saltwater intrusion in coastal wetland.

Originality/value

This study investigated the water quality impact in wetland after receiving municipal effluent for 40 years. Results provide evidence of effective assimilation in wetlands and offer potential applications in coastal wetland restoration.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 20 November 2017

Jia-Yen Huang

The prediction of pre-election polls is an issue of concern for both politicians and voters. The Taiwan nine-in-one election held in 2014 ended with jaw-dropping results;…

744

Abstract

Purpose

The prediction of pre-election polls is an issue of concern for both politicians and voters. The Taiwan nine-in-one election held in 2014 ended with jaw-dropping results; apparently, traditional polls did not work well. As a remedy to this problem, the purpose of this paper is to utilize the comments posted on social media to analyze civilians’ views on the two candidates for mayor of Taichung City, Chih-chiang Hu, and Chia-Lung Lin.

Design/methodology/approach

After conducting word segmentation and part-of-speech tagging for the collected reviews, this study constructs the opinion phrase extraction rules for identifying the opinion words associated with the attribute words. Next, this study classifies the attribute words into six municipal governance-related topics and calculates the opinion scores for each candidate. Finally, this study uses correspondence analysis to transform opinion information on the candidates into a graphical display to facilitate the interpretation of voters’ views.

Findings

The results show that the topics of candidates’ backgrounds and transport infrastructure were the two most critical factors for the election prediction. Based on the predication, Lin outscores Hu by 17.74 percent which is close to the real election results.

Research limitations/implications

This study proposes new rules for the extraction of Chinese opinion words associated with attribute words.

Practical implications

This study applies Chinese semantic analysis to assist in predicting election results and investigating the topics of concern to voters.

Originality/value

The proposed opinion phrase extraction rules for Chinese social media, as well as the election forecast process, can provide valuable references for political parties and candidates to plan better nomination and election strategies.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 69 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

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Article
Publication date: 5 August 2014

Chih-Yang Tsai, Paul Pancoast, Molly Duguid and Charlton Tsai

The purpose of this paper is to understand the time spent on various tasks during physician inpatient rounds and to examine the new electronic health records (EHRs) impact on time…

1208

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the time spent on various tasks during physician inpatient rounds and to examine the new electronic health records (EHRs) impact on time distribution.

Design/methodology/approach

Trained observers shadowed hospital physicians to record times for various tasks before and after EHR implementation.

Findings

Electronic records did not improve efficiency. However, task times were redistributed. Physicians spent more time reviewing patient charts using time saved from miscellaneous work.

Research limitations/implications

The study focusses solely on work distribution and the changes it underwent. It does not include quality measures either on patient results or physician satisfaction.

Practical implications

As EHR provides rich information and easier access to patient records, it motivates physicians to spend more time reviewing patient charts. Hospital administrators seeking immediate returns on EHR investment, therefore, may be disappointed.

Originality/value

Unlike previous work, this study was conducted in a non-teaching hospital, providing a task-time comparison without any educational and team factor influence. The result serves as a benchmark for many community hospital managers seeking to address the same issue.

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 27 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

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Article
Publication date: 3 June 2014

Chokri Abdelmoula, Fakher Chaari and Mohamed Masmoudi

The purpose of this paper is to propose a generic platform for a robotic mobile system, seeking to obtain a support tool for under-graduation and graduation activities. Another…

383

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a generic platform for a robotic mobile system, seeking to obtain a support tool for under-graduation and graduation activities. Another objective was to gather knowledge in the mobile robotic area in order to provide practical solutions for industrial problems.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed new integrated platform would serve as didactic material for many disciplines, shown to be an ideal platform to teach DC motor drives, stepper motor and motion-control systems. To reach this objective, the ability of the robot to plan its motion autonomously is of vital importance. The control of a mobile robot in dynamic and unstructured environments typically requires efficient processing of data/information to ensure precise navigation and many other applications. Path planning is also one common method of auto-navigation. After the computation of the shortest path, mobile robot can navigate safely and without occlusion.

Findings

The developed platform is an integrated system for intelligent software middleware to coordinate many activities in the field of electric drives, robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.

Originality/value

As a result of the study, this paper contributed to research in the industrial development, principally in the fields of industrial robotics and also in different application purposes such as entertainment, personal use, welfare, education, rehabilitation, etc.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

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