bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF WETLANDS DEGRADATION IN MAKURDI, NIGERIA
Authors: Anule P. , Ujoh F.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Globally, the amount of wetlands have being on the decline due to the fragile nature of these ecosystems and unplanned land consumption practices. This has created pressure on suitable land for cultivation in most developing countries where most of the growing food demand originates. Previous studies revealed that wetlands and agricultural landuse dominated the landscape of Makurdi. However, the trend is changing in recent times. Makurdi has undergone tremendous transformation in its landuse/landcover due to rapid urbanization since 1976 when it became the capital city of Benue State. To estimate the land cover change in Makurdi, Landsat ETM, ETM+ and OLI satellite data for 1996, 2006 and 2016, respectively were utilised. The study adapted the Kappa index for assessing accuracy of the land use/cover maps generated from the analysis to improve the accuracy of results. An accuracy level of 80 to 91 % was achieved. The results reveal an overall significant increase in built-up area and other land uses at the expense of wetlands from 26.3 % in 1996 to 18.1 % in 2016. Further analysis includes the land consumption rate (LCR) and land absorption coefficient (LAC) which reveals the role of population expansion in the recorded levels of wetland losses recorded in this study. The study projects a further decline of wetland cover by 33.15 km2 (or by 22.57 %) in 2026 if steps are not instituted to control the rate of decline. Suggestions are made to align with and incorporate into policy the strategic need to adopt the provisions of the SDGs at local levels if we intend to avert the massive failure recorded by the now rested MDGs.
EXPLORING POTENTIAL OF CROWDSOURCED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION IN STUDIES OF ACTIVE TRAVEL AND HEALTH: STRAVA DATA AND CYCLING BEHAVIOUR
Authors: Sun Y.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. In development of sustainable transportation and green city, policymakers encourage people to commute by cycling and walking instead of motor vehicles in cities. One the one hand, cycling and walking enables decrease in air pollution emissions. On the other hand, cycling and walking offer health benefits by increasing people’s physical activity. Earlier studies on investigating spatial patterns of active travel (cycling and walking) are limited by lacks of spatially fine-grained data. In recent years, with the development of information and communications technology, GPS-enabled devices are popular and portable. With smart phones or smart watches, people are able to record their cycling or walking GPS traces when they are moving. A large number of cyclists and pedestrians upload their GPS traces to sport social media to share their historical traces with other people. Those sport social media thus become a potential source for spatially fine-grained cycling and walking data. Very recently, Strava Metro offer aggregated cycling and walking data with high spatial granularity. Strava Metro aggregated a large amount of cycling and walking GPS traces of Strava users to streets or intersections across a city. Accordingly, as a kind of crowdsourced geographic information, the aggregated data is useful for investigating spatial patterns of cycling and walking activities, and thus is of high potential in understanding cycling or walking behavior at a large spatial scale. This study is a start of demonstrating usefulness of Strava Metro data for exploring cycling or walking patterns at a large scale.
CLUSTERING-BASED APPROACHES TO
THE EXPLORATION OF SPATIO-TEMPORAL DATA
Authors: Wu X. , Zurita-Milla R. , Kraak M.-J. , Izquierdo-Verdiguier E.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. As one spatio-temporal data mining task, clustering helps the exploration of patterns in the data by grouping similar elements together. However, previous studies on spatial or temporal clustering are incapable of analysing complex patterns in spatio-temporal data. For instance, concurrent spatio-temporal patterns in 2D or 3D datasets. In this study we present two clustering algorithms for complex pattern analysis: (1) the Bregman block average co-clustering algorithm with I-divergence (BBAC_I) which enables the concurrent analysis of spatio-temporal patterns in 2D data matrix, and (2) the Bregman cube average tri-clustering algorithm with I-divergence (BCAT_I) which enables the complete partitional analysis in 3D data cube. Here the use of the two clustering algorithms is illustrated by Dutch daily average temperature dataset from 28 weather stations from 1992 to 2011. For BBAC_I, it is applied to the averaged yearly dataset to identify station-year co-clusters which contain similar temperatures along stations and years, thus revealing patterns along both spatial and temporal dimensions. For BCAT_I, it is applied to the temperature dataset organized in a data cube with one spatial (stations) and two nested temporal dimensions (years and days). By partitioning the whole dataset into clusters of stations and years with similar within-year temperature similarity, BCAT_I explores the spatio-temporal patterns of intra-annual variability in the daily temperature dataset. As such, both BBAC_I and BCAT_I algorithms, combined with suitable geovisualization techniques, allow the exploration of complex spatial and temporal patterns, which contributes to a better understanding of complex patterns in spatio-temporal data.
CYBERNETIC BASIS AND SYSTEM PRACTICE OF REMOTE SENSING AND SPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE
Authors: Tan X. , Jing X. , Chen R. , Ming Z. , He L. , Sun Y. , Sun X. , Yan L.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Cybernetics provides a new set of ideas and methods for the study of modern science, and it has been fully applied in many areas. However, few people have introduced cybernetics into the field of remote sensing. The paper is based on the imaging process of remote sensing system, introducing cybernetics into the field of remote sensing, establishing a space-time closed-loop control theory for the actual operation of remote sensing. The paper made the process of spatial information coherently, and improved the comprehensive efficiency of the space information from acquisition, procession, transformation to application. We not only describes the application of cybernetics in remote sensing platform control, sensor control, data processing control, but also in whole system of remote sensing imaging process control. We achieve the information of output back to the input to control the efficient operation of the entire system. This breakthrough combination of cybernetics science and remote sensing science will improve remote sensing science to a higher level.
ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OF RECENT GLOBAL OCEAN TIDE MODELS AROUND ANTARCTICA
Authors: Lei J. , Li F. , Zhang S. , Ke H. , Zhang Q. , Li W.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Due to the coverage limitation of T/P-series altimeters, the lack of bathymetric data under large ice shelves, and the inaccurate definitions of coastlines and grounding lines, the accuracy of ocean tide models around Antarctica is poorer than those in deep oceans. Using tidal measurements from tide gauges, gravimetric data and GPS records, the accuracy of seven state-of-the-art global ocean tide models (DTU10, EOT11a, GOT4.8, FES2012, FES2014, HAMTIDE12, TPXO8) is assessed, as well as the most widely-used conventional model FES2004. Four regions (Antarctic Peninsula region, Amery ice shelf region, Filchner-Ronne ice shelf region and Ross ice shelf region) are separately reported. The standard deviations of eight main constituents between the selected models are large in polar regions, especially under the big ice shelves, suggesting that the uncertainty in these regions remain large. Comparisons with in situ tidal measurements show that the most accurate model is TPXO8, and all models show worst performance in Weddell sea and Filchner-Ronne ice shelf regions. The accuracy of tidal predictions around Antarctica is gradually improving.
MINI-UAV LIDAR FOR POWER LINE INSPECTION
Authors: Teng G. E. , Zhou M. , Li C. R. , Wu H. H. , Li W. , Meng F. R. , Zhou C. C. , Ma L.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) recently are in rapid advancement, meanwhile portable and flexible mini-UAV-borne laser scanners have been a hot research field, especially for the complex terrain survey in the mountains and other areas. This study proposes a power line inspection system solution based on mini-UAV-borne LIDAR system–AOEagle, developed by Academy of Opto-Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which mounted on a Multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle for complex terrain survey according to real test. Furthermore, the point cloud data was explored to validate its applicability for power line inspection, in terms of corridor and line laser point clouds; deformation detection of power towers, etc. The feasibility and advantages of AOEagle have been demonstrated by the promising results based on the real-measured data in the field of power line inspection.
SCENE SEMANTIC SEGMENTATION FROM INDOOR RGB-D IMAGES USING ENCODE-DECODER FULLY CONVOLUTIONAL NETWORKS
Authors: Wang Z. , Li T. , Pan L. , Kang Z.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. With increasing attention for the indoor environment and the development of low-cost RGB-D sensors, indoor RGB-D images are easily acquired. However, scene semantic segmentation is still an open area, which restricts indoor applications. The depth information can help to distinguish the regions which are difficult to be segmented out from the RGB images with similar color or texture in the indoor scenes. How to utilize the depth information is the key problem of semantic segmentation for RGB-D images. In this paper, we propose an Encode-Decoder Fully Convolutional Networks for RGB-D image classification. We use Multiple Kernel Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MK-MMD) as a distance measure to find common and special features of RGB and D images in the network to enhance performance of classification automatically. To explore better methods of applying MMD, we designed two strategies; the first calculates MMD for each feature map, and the other calculates MMD for whole batch features. Based on the result of classification, we use the full connect CRFs for the semantic segmentation. The experimental results show that our method can achieve a good performance on indoor RGB-D image semantic segmentation.
CHALLENGES IN FLYING QUADROTOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE FOR 3D
INDOOR RECONSTRUCTION
Authors: Yan J. , Grasso N. , Zlatanova S. , Braggaar R. C. , Marx D. B.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Three-dimensional modelling plays a vital role in indoor 3D tracking, navigation, guidance and emergency evacuation. Reconstruction of indoor 3D models is still problematic, in part, because indoor spaces provide challenges less-documented than their outdoor counterparts. Challenges include obstacles curtailing image and point cloud capture, restricted accessibility and a wide array of indoor objects, each with unique semantics. Reconstruction of indoor environments can be achieved through a photogrammetric approach, e.g. by using image frames, aligned using recurring corresponding image points (CIP) to build coloured point clouds. Our experiments were conducted by flying a QUAV in three indoor environments and later reconstructing 3D models which were analysed under different conditions. Point clouds and meshes were created using Agisoft PhotoScan Professional. We concentrated on flight paths from two vantage points: 1) safety and security while flying indoors and 2) data collection needed for reconstruction of 3D models. We surmised that the main challenges in providing safe flight paths are related to the physical configuration of indoor environments, privacy issues, the presence of people and light conditions. We observed that the quality of recorded video used for 3D reconstruction has a high dependency on surface materials, wall textures and object types being reconstructed. Our results show that 3D indoor reconstruction predicated on video capture using a QUAV is indeed feasible, but close attention should be paid to flight paths and conditions ultimately influencing the quality of 3D models. Moreover, it should be decided in advance which objects need to be reconstructed, e.g. bare rooms or detailed furniture.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF THREE DIFFERENT HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGES IN SEMI-AUTOMATIC URBAN ILLEGAL BUILDING DETECTION
Authors: Khalilimoghadama N. , Delavar M. R. , Hanachi P.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. The problem of overcrowding of mega cities has been bolded in recent years. To meet the need of housing this increased population, which is of great importance in mega cities, a huge number of buildings are constructed annually. With the ever-increasing trend of building constructions, we are faced with the growing trend of building infractions and illegal buildings (IBs). Acquiring multi-temporal satellite images and using change detection techniques is one of the proper methods of IB monitoring. Using the type of satellite images with different spatial and spectral resolutions has always been an issue in efficient detection of the building changes. In this research, three bi-temporal high-resolution satellite images of IRS-P5, GeoEye-1 and QuickBird sensors acquired from the west of metropolitan area of Tehran, capital of Iran, in addition to city maps and municipality property database were used to detect the under construction buildings with improved performance and accuracy. Furthermore, determining the employed bi-temporal satellite images to provide better performance and accuracy in the case of IB detection is the other purpose of this research. The Kappa coefficients of 70 %, 64 %, and 68 % were obtained for producing change image maps using GeoEye-1, IRS-P5, and QuickBird satellite images, respectively. In addition, the overall accuracies of 100 %, 6 %, and 83 % were achieved for IB detection using the satellite images, respectively. These accuracies substantiate the fact that the GeoEye-1 satellite images had the best performance among the employed images in producing change image map and detecting the IBs.
GENERATING HIGH-TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL RESOLUTION TIR IMAGE DATA
Authors: Herrero-Huerta M. , Lagüela S. , Alfieri S. M. , Menenti M.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Remote sensing imagery to monitor global biophysical dynamics requires the availability of thermal infrared data at high temporal and spatial resolution because of the rapid development of crops during the growing season and the fragmentation of most agricultural landscapes. Conversely, no single sensor meets these combined requirements. Data fusion approaches offer an alternative to exploit observations from multiple sensors, providing data sets with better properties. A novel spatio-temporal data fusion model based on constrained algorithms denoted as multisensor multiresolution technique (MMT) was developed and applied to generate TIR synthetic image data at both temporal and spatial high resolution. Firstly, an adaptive radiance model is applied based on spectral unmixing analysis of . TIR radiance data at TOA (top of atmosphere) collected by MODIS daily 1-km and Landsat – TIRS 16-day sampled at 30-m resolution are used to generate synthetic daily radiance images at TOA at 30-m spatial resolution. The next step consists of unmixing the 30 m (now lower resolution) images using the information about their pixel land-cover composition from co-registered images at higher spatial resolution. In our case study, TIR synthesized data were unmixed to the Sentinel 2 MSI with 10 m resolution. The constrained unmixing preserves all the available radiometric information of the 30 m images and involves the optimization of the number of land-cover classes and the size of the moving window for spatial unmixing. Results are still being evaluated, with particular attention for the quality of the data streams required to apply our approach.
CO-REGISTRATION OF MULTI-TEMPORAL DEM BASED ON SIFT ALGORITHM FOR CHANGE DETECTION OF GLACIERS
Authors: Huang Y. , Hu Q.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. To detect the change of geographic objects by using multi-temporal DEM, the data must be co-registered firstly. In this paper, the Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) algorithm is used to co-register multi-temporal DEM data and glacier change detection. Firstly, the DEM is converted into image space and extracts feature information, calculate multiple sets of match point coordinates, and achieve swift and accurate DEM data co-registration using SIFT algorithm. Secondly, the difference between co-registered DEM datasets are analysed. Total area change and average rate of change are calculated. Finally, the change of multi-temporal DEM data of glaciers in Langkazi County, Tibet from 2004 to 2014 is detected using the method proposed in this paper. The results indicate that the proposed method is able to detect change of the glaciers and the overall accuracy is higher than 85 %.
A SPIRAL-BASED DOWNSCALING METHOD FOR
GENERATING 30 M TIME SERIES IMAGE DATA
Authors: Liu B. , Chen J. , Xing H. , Wu H. , Zhang J.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. The spatial detail and updating frequency of land cover data are important factors influencing land surface dynamic monitoring applications in high spatial resolution scale. However, the fragmentized patches and seasonal variable of some land cover types (e. g. small crop field, wetland) make it labor-intensive and difficult in the generation of land cover data. Utilizing the high spatial resolution multi-temporal image data is a possible solution. Unfortunately, the spatial and temporal resolution of available remote sensing data like Landsat or MODIS datasets can hardly satisfy the minimum mapping unit and frequency of current land cover mapping / updating at the same time. The generation of high resolution time series may be a compromise to cover the shortage in land cover updating process. One of popular way is to downscale multi-temporal MODIS data with other high spatial resolution auxiliary data like Landsat. But the usual manner of downscaling pixel based on a window may lead to the underdetermined problem in heterogeneous area, result in the uncertainty of some high spatial resolution pixels. Therefore, the downscaled multi-temporal data can hardly reach high spatial resolution as Landsat data. A spiral based method was introduced to downscale low spatial and high temporal resolution image data to high spatial and high temporal resolution image data. By the way of searching the similar pixels around the adjacent region based on the spiral, the pixel set was made up in the adjacent region pixel by pixel. The underdetermined problem is prevented to a large extent from solving the linear system when adopting the pixel set constructed. With the help of ordinary least squares, the method inverted the endmember values of linear system. The high spatial resolution image was reconstructed on the basis of high spatial resolution class map and the endmember values band by band. Then, the high spatial resolution time series was formed with these high spatial resolution images image by image. Simulated experiment and remote sensing image downscaling experiment were conducted. In simulated experiment, the 30 meters class map dataset Globeland30 was adopted to investigate the effect on avoid the underdetermined problem in downscaling procedure and a comparison between spiral and window was conducted. Further, the MODIS NDVI and Landsat image data was adopted to generate the 30m time series NDVI in remote sensing image downscaling experiment. Simulated experiment results showed that the proposed method had a robust performance in downscaling pixel in heterogeneous region and indicated that it was superior to the traditional window-based methods. The high resolution time series generated may be a benefit to the mapping and updating of land cover data.
APPLICATION OF CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK IN CLASSIFICATION OF HIGH RESOLUTION AGRICULTURAL REMOTE SENSING IMAGES
Authors: Yao C. , Zhang Y. , Zhang Y. , Liu H.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. With the rapid development of Precision Agriculture (PA) promoted by high-resolution remote sensing, it makes significant sense in management and estimation of agriculture through crop classification of high-resolution remote sensing image. Due to the complex and fragmentation of the features and the surroundings in the circumstance of high-resolution, the accuracy of the traditional classification methods has not been able to meet the standard of agricultural problems. In this case, this paper proposed a classification method for high-resolution agricultural remote sensing images based on convolution neural networks(CNN). For training, a large number of training samples were produced by panchromatic images of GF-1 high-resolution satellite of China. In the experiment, through training and testing on the CNN under the toolbox of deep learning by MATLAB, the crop classification finally got the correct rate of 99.66 % after the gradual optimization of adjusting parameter during training. Through improving the accuracy of image classification and image recognition, the applications of CNN provide a reference value for the field of remote sensing in PA.
SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RESIDENT TRIP BASED ON POI AND
OD DATA OF FLOAT CAR IN BEIJING
Authors: Mou N. , Li J. , Zhang L. , Liu W. , Xu Y.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Due to the influence of the urban inherent regional functional distribution, the daily activities of the residents presented some spatio-temporal patterns (periodic patterns, gathering patterns, etc.). In order to further understand the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban residents, this paper research takes the taxi trajectory data of Beijing as a sample data and studies the spatio-temporal characteristics of the residents' activities on the weekdays. At first, according to the characteristics of the taxi trajectory data distributed along the road network, it takes the Voronoi generated by the road nodes as the research unit. This paper proposes a hybrid clustering method – based on grid density, which is used to cluster the OD (origin and destination) data of taxi at different times. Then，combining with the POI data of Beijing, this research calculated the density of the POI data in the clustering results, and analyzed the relationship between the activities of residents in different periods and the functional types of the region. The final results showed that the residents were mainly commuting on weekdays. And it found that the distribution of travel density showed a concentric circle of the characteristics, focusing on residential areas and work areas. The results of cluster analysis and POI analysis showed that the residents' travel had experienced the process of "spatial relative dispersion – spatial aggregation – spatial relative dispersion" in one day.
Widespread use of internet, applications, and social media in the professional life of urology residents
Authors: Salem Johannes , Borgmann Hendrik , Baunacke Martin , Boehm Katharina , Hanske Julian , MacNeily Andrew , Meyer Christian , Nestler Tim , Schmid Marianne , Huber Johannes
Published: September 2017

Introduction: Digital media have revolutionized communication and information dissemination in healthcare. We aimed to quantify and evaluate professional digital media use among urology residents.Methods: We designed a 17-item survey to assess usage and perceived usefulness of digital media, as well as communication type and device type and distributed it via email to 143 Canadian and 721 German urology residents.Results: In total, 58 (41% response rate) residents from Canada and 170 (24% response rate) from Germany reported professional usage rates of 100% on the internet, 89% on apps, and 46% on social media (SoMe). For professional use, residents spent a median of 30 minutes per day on the internet, 10 minutes on apps, and 15 minutes on SoMe. 100% rated the internet, 89% apps, and 31% SoMe as useful for clinical practice. Most (94%) used digital media for communication with colleagues and 23% for communication with patients. Digital media use was allocated to desktop computers (55%) and mobile devices (45%). Canadian residents had higher usage rates of apps (96% vs. 86%; p=0.042) and SoMe (65% vs. 39%; p=0.002) and longer daily usage times for the internet, apps, and SoMe than German residents (p<0.001 each).Conclusions: Digital media are an integral part of the daily professional practice of urology residents, reflected by high usage rates and perceived usefulness of the internet and apps, and the growing importance of SoMe. Urologists should strive to progressively exhaust the vast potential of digital media for academic and clinical practice.
Accuracy of kidney cancer diagnosis and histological subtype within Canadian cancer registry data
Authors: Himmelman Jeffrey G. , Merrimen Jennifer , Matheson Kara , Theriault Chris , Wood Lori A.
Published: September 2017

Introduction: Provincial/territorial cancer registries (PTCRs) are the mainstay for Canadian population-based cancer statistics. Each jurisdiction captures this data in a population-based registry, including the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry (NSCR). The goal of this study was to describe data from the NSCR regarding renal cell carcinoma (RCC) pathology subtype and method of diagnosis and compare it to the actual pathology reports to determine the accuracy of diagnosis and histological subtype assignment.Methods: This retrospective analysis included patients diagnosed with RCC in the NSCR from 2006‒2010 with an ICD-O-3 code C64.9 seen or treated in the largest NS health district. From the NSCR, method of diagnosis and pathological diagnosis was recorded. All diagnoses of non-clear-cell RCC (nonccRCC) from NSCR were compared to the actual pathology report for descriptive comparison and reasons for discordance.Results: 723 patients make up the study cohort. 81.3% of patients were diagnosed by nephrectomy, 11.1% radiography, 6.9 % biopsy, and 0.7% autopsy. By NSCR data, 52.8% had clear-cell (ccRCC), 20.5% RCC not otherwise specified (NOS), 12.7% papillary, 4% chromophobe, and the rest had other nonccRCC subtypes. By pathology reports, 69.5% had clear-cell, 15% papillary, 5% chromophobe, only 2.7% RCC NOS. There was a discordance rate of 15.4% between NSCR data and diagnosis from pathology report. Reasons for discordance were not enough information by the pathologist in 45.5%, misinterpretation of report by data coder in 22.2%, and true coding error in 32.3%.Conclusions: When using PTCR for RCC incidence data, it is important to understand how the diagnosis is made, as not all are based on pathological confirmation; in this cohort 11% were based on radiology. One must also be aware that clear-cell and non-clearcell subtypes may differ between the PTCR data and pathology reports. In this study, ccRCC made up 52.8% of the registry diagnoses, but increased to 69.6% on pathology report review. Use of synoptic reporting and ongoing education may improve accuracy of registry data.
Gentamicin bladder instillations decrease symptomatic urinary tract infections in neurogenic bladder patients on intermittent catheterization
Authors: Cox Lindsey , He Chang , Bevins Jack , Clemens J. Quentin , Stoffel John T. , Cameron Anne P.
Published: September 2017

Introduction: This study aimed to determine if gentamicin bladder instillations reduce the rate of symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) in neurogenic bladder (NGB) patients on intermittent self-catheterization (ISC) who have recurrent UTIs. Secondary aims were to examine the effects of intravesical gentamicin on the organism resistance patterns.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our prospective NGB database. Inclusion criteria were NGB patients performing ISC exclusively for bladder drainage with clinical data available for six months before and six months after initiating prophylactic intravesical gentamicin instillations. Symptomatic UTIs were defined as symptoms consistent with UTI plus the need for antibiotic treatment.Results: Twenty-two patients met inclusion criteria; etiology of NGB was 63.6% spinal cord injury, 13.6% multiple sclerosis. Median time since injury/diagnosis was 14 years and 6/22 (27.3%) hadundergone urological reconstruction. Patients had fewer symptomatic UTI’s (median 4 vs. 1 episodes; p<0.004) and underwent fewer courses of oral antibiotics after initiating gentamicin (median 3.5 vs. 1; p<0.01). Days of oral antibiotic therapy decreased from 15 before to five after gentamicin, but this did not reach significance. There were fewer telephone encounters for UTI concerns per patient (median 3 vs. 0; p=0.03). The proportion of multidrug-resistant organisms in urine cultures decreased from 58.3%to 47.1% (p=0.04) and the rate of gentamicin resistance did not increase. Adverse events were mild and rare.Conclusions: Gentamicin bladder instillations decrease symptomatic UTI episodes and reduce oral antibiotics in patients with NGB on ISC who were suffering from recurrent UTIs. Antibiotic resistancedecreased while on gentamicin instillations.
Personal and Academic Aspects that Contributed to the Development of the English Language Competence of Students from a Language Teacher Education Program
Authors: Herrera-Mosquera Leonardo , Tovar-Perdomo Alejandra
Published: September 2017

Students from the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Program targeted in the present study are expected to achieve a C1 level of English proficiency according to the Common European Framework (CEF). However, only a five per cent of the students has evidenced this level on the institutional English exam (Ileusco Test, henceforth IT) for the past five years. Through the present descriptive-exploratory qualitative study we have attempted to inquire about the personal and academic factors that may have contributed to the successful development of the L2 competence of those learners.We used a questionnaire, individual interviews and focus-group interviews to ask 12 students about learning strategies, experiences and actions they have implemented to develop their l2 competence. We concluded that it is mainly students’ commitment and self-discipline that helped them keep their L2 learning process successfully running; that despite the high quality of a school curriculum, a language program or a teaching methodology, it is students’ autonomous learning initiatives that mainly enhance their L2 proficiency; and that L2 instruction in higher education seems to convey a stronger impact than elementary and secondary education.
Awareness of Medical Survey among School Teachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: B Alghamdi Khalid
Published: September 2017

The study aims to evaluate the awareness level regarding the importance of medical survey among a sample of school teachers in public and the private sectors. The study has investigated the presence of Otolaryngologic diseases including Dysphonia among teachers. A cross-sectional sample was selected from different parts of Jeddah city to enroll the elementary, intermediate, and the high school teachers. There were more than 800 schools; however, the study has selected 26 schools only. The study was conducted during the academic year of 2014. The awareness about medical survey among public awareness is of paramount importance in the detection, management, and planning of health related problems. The study has depicted less than acceptable participation from the school teachers regarding the awareness and management of health problems, and more efforts have to be made to educate the public sectors about the importance of the medical survey.
Handhaving van de Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming vanuit Nederlands perspectief
Authors: Oude Elferink E. , Reus J.G.
Published: September 2017

Handhaving van de Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming vanuit Nederlands perspectief

De Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming zal op 25 mei 2018 van toepassing worden. Ten aanzien van de handhaving van regels op het vlak van gegevensbescherming gaat dat grote veranderingen teweegbrengen. In dit artikel wordt een toekomstbeeld geschetst.

Verordening (EU) 2016/679 van het Europees Parlement en de Raad van 27 april 2016 betreffende de bescherming van natuurlijke personen in verband met de verwerking van persoonsgegevens en betreffende het vrije verkeer van die gegevens en tot intrekking van Richtlijn 95/46/EG (algemene verordening gegevensbescherming), PbEU 2016, L 119/1
Validation of Modifications to the ANSR for Listeria Method for Improved Internal Positive Control Performance
Authors: Alles Susan , Meister Evan , Hosking Edan , Tovar Eric , Shaulis Rebecca , Schonfeld Mark , Zhang Lei , Li Lin , Biswas Preetha , Mozola Mark , Donofrio Robert , Chen Yi
Published: September 2017

A study was conducted to validate a minor reagent formulation change to the ANSR for Listeria method, Performance Tested MethodSM 101202. This change involves increasing the master mix volume prelyophilization by 40% and addition of salmon sperm DNA (nontarget DNA) to the master mix. These changes improve the robustness of the internal positive control response and reduce the possibility of obtaining invalid results due to weak-positive control curves. When three foods (hot dogs, Mexican-style cheese, and cantaloupe) and sponge samples taken from a stainless steel surface were tested, no significant differences in performance between the ANSR and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual or U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook reference culture procedures were observed for any of the matrixes as determined by probability of detection analysis. Inclusivity and exclusivity testing yielded 100% expected results for target and nontarget bacteria. Accelerated stability testing was carried out over a 7 week period and showed no decrease in assay performance over time.
Hydrology controls recruitment of two invasive cyprinids: bigheaded carp reproduction in a navigable large river
Authors: Gibson-Reinemer Daniel K. , Solomon Levi E. , Pendleton Richard M. , Chick John H. , Casper Andrew F.
Published: September 2017

In the Mississippi River Basin of North America, invasive bigheaded carp (silver carpHypophthalmichthys molitrixand bighead carpH. nobilis, also referred to as Asian carp) have spread rapidly over the past several decades. In the Illinois River, an important tributary of the Upper Mississippi River, reproduction appears to be sporadic and frequently unsuccessful, yet bigheaded carp densities in this river are among the highest recorded on the continent. Understanding the causative factors behind erratic recruitment in this commercially-harvested invasive species is important for both limiting their spread and managing their harvest. We analyzed weekly catch records from 15 years of a standardized monitoring program to document the emergence of age-0 bigheaded carp in relation to environmental conditions. The appearance of age-0 fish was generally linked to hydrographic attributes, which probably serve as a cue for spawning. However, we found profound differences in the number of age-0 fish among years, which varied by as much as five orders of magnitude in successive years. The strong link between summer flooding and age-0 fish production we observed emphasizes the importance of understanding the hydrologic context in which sustained invasions occur. Despite evidence of sporadic recruitment, bigheaded carp populations in the Illinois River appear to be consistent or increasing because of particularly strong, episodic year classes.
Curcumin longa extract-loaded nanoemulsion improves the survival of endotoxemic mice by inhibiting nitric oxide-dependent HMGB1 release
Authors: Ahn Min Young , Hwang Jung Seok , Lee Su Bi , Ham Sun Ah , Hur Jinwoo , Kim Jun Tae , Seo Han Geuk
Published: September 2017

Background

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a well-known damage-related alarmin that participates in cellular inflammatory responses. However, the mechanisms leading to HMGB1 release in inflammatory conditions and the therapeutic agents that could prevent it remain poorly understood. This study attempted to examine whether the Curcumin longa herb, which is known to have anti-inflammatory property, can modulate cellular inflammatory responses by regulating HMGB1 release.

Methods

The murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and/or a C. longa extract-loaded nanoemulsion (CLEN). The levels of released HMGB1, nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression, and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases were analyzed in RAW264.7 macrophages. The effects of CLEN on survival of endotoxemic model mice, circulating HMGB1 levels, and tissue iNOS expression were also evaluated.

Results

We have shown that a nanoemulsion loaded with an extract from the C. longa rhizome regulates cellular inflammatory responses and LPS-induced systemic inflammation by suppressing the release of HMGB1 by macrophages. First, treatment of RAW264.7 macrophages with the nanoemulsion significantly attenuated their LPS-induced release of HMGB1: this effect was mediated by inhibiting c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation, which in turn suppressed the NO production and iNOS expression of the cells. The nanoemulsion did not affect LPS-induced p38 or extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation. Second, intraperitoneal administration of the nanoemulsion improved the survival rate of LPS-injected endotoxemic mice. This associated with marked reductions in circulating HMGB1 levels and tissue iNOS expression.

Discussion

The present study shows for the first time the mechanism by which C. longa ameliorates sepsis, namely, by suppressing NO signaling and thereby inhibiting the release of the proinflammatory cytokine HMGB1. These observations suggest that identification of agents, including those in the herb C. longa, that can inhibit HMGB1 production and/or activity may aid the treatment of endotoxemia.
Os resultados das políticas públicas de ecoturismo em Unidades de Conservação no Brasil e no Canadá
Authors: Matheus Fabricio Scarpeta , Raimundo Sidnei
Published: September 2017

Propósito do tema: As políticas e definições sobre ecoturismo abordam basicamente três aspectos: a conservação do meio ambiente, a conscientização ambiental dos visitantes e o envolvimento da comunidade local. A partir desse enfoque, como objetivo analisou-se os resultados das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento do uso público em Unidades de Conservação. Metodologia e abordagem: A análise foi realizada em duas áreas protegidas, o Parque Estadual Turístico Alto do Ribeira (PETAR), localizado no Estado de São Paulo, no Brasil, e o Strathcona Provincial Park, situado na província de British Columbia, no Canadá. O estudo de casos múltiplos se utilizou de duas fontes de evidências, os documentos das políticas públicas identificadas e as entrevistas com os atores envolvidos: poder público, comunidade local e visitantes. A análise dos documentos e das entrevistas foi realizada por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo. Tais políticas públicas foram discutidas à luz de bases conceituais sobre áreas protegidas e uso público, bem como sobre os atos normativos sobre uso público em Unidade de Conservação nos dois países. Entre os principais resultados, destaca-se que o foco das políticas públicas em atividades mais permissivas, no caso canadense, ou na restrição de atividades, no caso brasileiro, não é preponderante para a conservação do meio ambiente. Originalidade do documento:  A política de terceirizações, adotada em British Columbia e que começa a ser implantada em São Paulo, tem impactado de forma mais direta os três aspectos analisados.
Erosion and Accretion on a Mudflat: The Importance of Very Shallow‐Water Effects
Authors: Shi Benwei , Cooper James R. , Pratolongo Paula D. , Gao Shu , Bouma T. J. , Li Gaocong , Li Chunyan , Yang S.L. , Wang Ya Ping
Published: September 2017

Understanding erosion and accretion dynamics during an entire tidal cycle is important for assessing their impacts on the habitats of biological communities and the long‐term morphological evolution of intertidal mudflats. However, previous studies often omitted erosion and accretion during very shallow‐water stages (VSWS, water depths < 0.20 m). It is during these VSWS that bottom friction becomes relatively strong and thus erosion and accretion dynamics are likely to differ from those during deeper flows. In this study, we examine the contribution of very shallow‐water effects to erosion and accretion of the entire tidal cycle, based on measured and modeled time‐series of bed‐level changes. Our field experiments revealed that the VSWS accounted for only 11% of the duration of the entire tidal cycle, but erosion and accretion during these stages accounted for 35% of the bed‐level changes of the entire tidal cycle. Predicted cumulative bed‐level changes agree much better with measured results when the entire tidal cycle is modeled than when only the conditions at water depths of >0.2 m (i.e., probe submerged) are considered. These findings suggest that the magnitude of bed‐level changes during VSWS should not be neglected when modeling morphodynamic processes. Our results are useful in understanding the mechanisms of micro‐topography formation and destruction that often occur at VSWS, and also improve our understanding and modeling ability of coastal morphological changes.
MJO‐Related Tropical Convection Anomalies Lead to More Accurate Stratospheric Vortex Variability in Subseasonal Forecast Models
Authors: Garfinkel C. I. , Schwartz C.
Published: September 2017

The effect of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) on the Northern Hemisphere wintertime stratospheric polar vortex in the period preceding stratospheric sudden warmings is evaluated in operational subseasonal forecasting models. Reforecasts which simulate stronger MJO‐related convection in the Tropical West Pacific also simulate enhanced heat flux in the lowermost stratosphere and a more realistic vortex evolution. The time scale on which vortex predictability is enhanced lies between 2 and 4 weeks for nearly all cases. Those stratospheric sudden warmings that were preceded by a strong MJO event are more predictable at ∼20 day leads than stratospheric sudden warmings not preceded by a MJO event. Hence, knowledge of the MJO can contribute to enhanced predictability, at least in a probabilistic sense, of the Northern Hemisphere polar stratosphere.
Future Changes in Tropical Cyclone Activity in High‐Resolution Large‐Ensemble Simulations
Authors: Yoshida Kohei , Sugi Masato , Mizuta Ryo , Murakami Hiroyuki , Ishii Masayoshi
Published: September 2017

Projected future changes in global tropical cyclone (TC) activity are assessed using 5,000 year scale ensemble simulations for both current and 4 K surface warming climates with a 60 km global atmospheric model. The global number of TCs decreases by 33% in the future projection. Although geographical TC occurrences decrease generally, they increase in the central and eastern parts of the extra tropical North Pacific. Meanwhile, very intense (category 4 and 5) TC occurrences increase over a broader area including the south of Japan and south of Madagascar. The global number of category 4 and 5 TCs significantly decreases, contrary to the increase seen in several previous studies. Lifetime maximum surface wind speeds and precipitation rate are amplified globally. Regional TC activity changes have large uncertainty corresponding to sea surface temperature warming patterns. TC‐resolving large‐ensemble simulations provide useful information, especially for policy making related to future climate change.
Flexural Isostasy: Constraints From Gravity and Topography Power Spectra
Authors: Watts A. B. , Moore J. D. P.
Published: September 2017

We have used spherical harmonic coefficients that describe Earth's gravity anomaly and topography fields to quantify the role of isostasy in contributing to crustal and upper mantle structure. Power spectra reveal that the gravity effect of topography and its flexural compensation contribute significantly to the observed free‐air gravity anomaly spectra for spherical harmonic degree 33 < n < 400, which corresponds to wavelength 100 < λ < 1200 km. The best fit is for an elastic plate (flexure) model with an elastic thickness, Te, of 34.0 ± 4.0 km. Smaller values underpredict the observed gravity spectra while higher values overpredict. The best fit Te is a global average and so there will be regions where Te is lower and higher. This is confirmed in studies of selected regions such as the Hawaiian‐Emperor seamount chain and the Himalaya fold and thrust belt where we show that flexural isostatic anomalies are near zero in regions where Te~34.0 km and of large amplitude in regions of lower and higher Te. Plate flexure may also contribute at higher (n > 400) and lower (n < 33) degrees, but topography appears either uncompensated or fully compensated at these degrees, irrespective of the actual Te. All isostatic models underpredict the spectra at 2 < n < 12 and so we interpret the low‐order Earth's gravity field as caused, at least in part, by nonisostatic processes due to dynamic motions such as those associated with convective upwellings and downwellings in Earth's mantle.
Irrationality
Authors: Kyriacou Andreas P.
Published: September 2017

At the individual level irrationality emerges when people fail to maximize a well‐ordered preference set or insofar as they entertain systematically biased beliefs about choice alternatives. Assuming that individuals have unbiased estimates of the price of irrationality, they will tend to behave more rationally as the private cost of irrational behavior increases. At the aggregate level, irrational outcomes may be less likely in market settings but more likely in large number public or collective choice ones. From a Weberian perspective, a rational society characterized by efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control may yield irrationalities in the guise of inefficiencies, homogenization, alienation, dehumanization, and disenchantment.
Situational Analysis
Authors: Clarke Adele E.
Published: September 2017

Situational analysis (SA) is an extension of the grounded theory (GT) method of analysis for qualitative research developed by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss in 1967, today the most popular form of interpretive analysis in the social sciences and humanities transnationally. Sociologist Adele Clarke, who studied with Strauss, developed SA by extending GT to include an array of poststructural and other contemporary concerns inspired by the work of Foucault, Deleuze, Guattari, and Haraway. In SA the situation itself becomes the unit of analysis, and the analyst makes three kinds of maps to analyze it: situational maps, social worlds/arenas maps, and positional maps. SA can be done with interview, ethnographic, historical, narrative, visual, and other discursive materials, hence it is particularly useful in multimodal research.
Household Registration
Authors: Wu Xiaogang
Published: September 2017

This entry introduces the origins and regulations of the Chinese household registration system, its evolution over the three decades of economic reform, and implications for changing pattern of social inequality in contemporary China.