bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cybersecurity
Authors: Al-Alawi Adel Ismail , Mehrotra Arpita A. , Al-Bassam Sara Abdulrahman
Published: March 2020

The internet has revolutionized the way people communicate, how they manage their business, and even how they conduct their studies. Organizations can conduct meetings virtually and store all their data online. With this convenience, however, comes the risk of cybercrime (CC). Some of the world's most renowned organizations have found themselves having to incur huge recovery costs after falling prey to CC. Higher learning institutions' databases are increasingly falling victim to CCs, owing to the vast amounts of personal and research data they harbor. Despite this, the area of CCs in learning institutions remains understudied. This chapter seeks to identify how CC is manifested in such institutions and the specific cybersecurity measures that stakeholders could use to minimize their exposure to the same. The qualitative case study was designed to explore the research questions, and collected data through semistructured interviews. The findings showed hacking, phishing, and spoofing as the most common manifestations of cybercrime in higher learning institutions.
Improving the Weather
Authors: Cruse Andrew
Published: March 2020

This chapter proposes an approach to thermal comfort that increases occupant pleasure and reduces energy use by connecting architecture's material and environmental dimensions. Today's dominant thermal comfort model, the predicted mean vote (PMV), calls for steady-state temperatures that are largely unrelated to building design decisions. A more recent alternative approach, the adaptive thermal comfort (ATC) model, ties comfort to outdoor conditions and individual experience. Yet reliance on HVAC technology to provide building comfort hampers how such ideas are integrated into building design. This chapter outlines the historical background of the PMV and ACT models to understand the current status of thermal comfort research and practice. It then uses four recent buildings to outline how the insights of adaptive comfort research can be translated to bespoke comforts through spatial, material, formal, and other design strategies.
Algorithmic Trading and Transaction Costs
Authors: Chalamandaris George , Antonopoulos Dimitrios
Published: March 2020

“Algos” are algorithmic trading strategies that are meant to optimize the execution quality of the trades in terms of transaction costs and market-timing. This chapter presents the transaction costs taxonomy and popular algorithmic execution strategies. Authors empirically examine a dataset of hedge fund transactions. Our results suggest that implicit transaction costs are characterized by a significant buy-sell asymmetry. To get some insight about the possible determinants of Implicit Transaction Costs, authors investigate the algo type and stock characteristics such as market capitalization, relative volume, inverse prior close, price momentum, buy indicator and trade duration. Both in-sample and out-of-sample tests show that a significant portion of transaction costs can be anticipated before the trade execution. Results show that high-level execution strategies can be constructed to optimize the algo choice.
The Construction and Development of the Academic Digital Library of Chinese Ancient Collections
Authors: Long Xiao , Yao Boyue
Published: March 2020

The Academic Digital Library of Chinese Ancient Collections (ADLCAC) is a cooperative project which originated at Peking University Library of Ancient Collection in 2000. The project is one of the largest databases of ancient Chinese materials among global academic institutions which was created to connect large-scale academic libraries with ancient collections, and to expand the number of ancient materials and full-text image databases held by China's universities. This section introduces its development history, member libraries, resources, service mechanism, characteristics, and future development.
Discussion on Digital Inclusion Good Practices at Europe's Libraries
Authors: Colmenero-Ruiz Maria-Jesús
Published: March 2020

In this chapter the social role of digital libraries as agents to promote digital inclusion is discussed. It analyzes how European policies of promotion of the Information Society, aimed at digital inclusion were developed and incorporated by the European Libraries, mainly through projects and efforts for the dissemination of good practices. Assuming a broad concept of what good practice is, some experiences considered good practice for digital inclusion in the various stages of this process in European Libraries are shown. Dissemination of good practices has had uneven success without having established a stable formal and institutional channel that favors it.
Digital Libraries and Copyright of Intellectual Property
Authors: Bakare Abdullahi A.
Published: March 2020

This chapter examines the ethical management of digital collections in a way that enhances compliance to copyright requirements. The chapter clarifies similarities and differences between the terms digital, electronic and virtual. The author emphasises that the digital librarians have a duty to preserve their professional integrity by committing to professional ideals in carrying out various information dissemination activities in a manner that guarantees positive consequences for the users, the library and all other stakeholders such as the owner of the intellectual property, the parent organization, the professional association and the society at large.
Digital Libraries, Copyright Limitations, and Access for Purposes of Subsequent Academic Publishing
Authors: Pina Pedro
Published: March 2020

The chapter aims to analyse the current European Union legislation on digital copyright from the perspective of the public interest in scientific research, by studying the digital exclusive rights framework granted to creators and to database owners and by contraposing it with the foreseen narrow field of public interest based limitations on exclusive rights. Concepts like digital libraries, fair use and limitations on exclusive rights, tpm and drm, copyleft and free/open source contents is analysed. The chapter concludes by identifying the necessity of a redefinition of a new internal balance of copyright law which can respect authors' and database owners' legitimate economic interests and simultaneously promote the dissemination and the access to works for scientific research and publishing purposes and the renewal of the creative cycle.
Legal Considerations of Providing Information in Support of Distance Learning by Digital Libraries in Universities in Kenya
Authors: Otike Japhet
Published: March 2020

This paper examines the legal challenges librarians managing university libraries in Kenya experience when providing information services in support of distance learning. Kenya is experiencing enormous socio-economic changes. These changes have exerted serious pressure on higher education resulting to phenomenal expansion of university education. Unfortunately, the demand for university education has not translated into infrastructural expansion of universities. While university intake continues to grow at an alarming rate, funding for universities including libraries continue to diminish. An option taken by many universities to meet increased demand for higher education has been to invest in distance education. This option has its own challenges. Distance learning like residential programmes, require adequate financial investment in print and electronic information resources; and ICT infrastructure. Since libraries in Kenya are underfunded, they are compelled to reproduce the scarce materials available with them to serve distant learners as opposed to acquiring additional materials. This arrangement has equally serious challenges. Top on the list is copyright infringement. Without adequate exceptions and limitations to copyright restrictions, university authorities and librarians are likely to be charged for infringement.
Management of Institutional Repositories (IR) in Developing Countries
Authors: Idiegbeyan-Ose Jerome , Ifijeh Goodluck , Iwu-James Juliana , Ilogho Julie
Published: March 2020

The chapter discusses the management of institutional repositories (IR) in developing countries. It starts with the introduction of the concept of institutional repositories and its origin. Various definitions of institutional repositories are highlighted. The chapter goes further to discuss the features of institutional repositories such as infrastructure, hosted service, customer support, content organization and control, content discovery, publication tools, reporting, multimedia, social features and notifications, and so on. It further analyses vital issues in management of institutional repositories. Peculiar issues in open access for developing countries are also identified and discussed. The chapter covers the roles of libraries and librarians in the management of institutional repositories; the roles include collection development and management, software acquisition and training, formulation of guidelines for standard metadata and catalogue system, assessment of submission for standard and quality, persuading authors to contribute their intellectual works, enlightenment on copyright issues, information literacy in the use of institutional repositories, promotion and marketing of institutional repositories. The chapter further highlights the challenges and intervention strategies in the management of institutional repositories in developing countries; it enumerates the challenges to include: personnel and technical staff, ICT equipment and infrastructure, lack of awareness and advocacy, inadequate funding, poor policy guidelines, poor power supply, open access, software, copyright law and inadequate internet bandwidth. Based on these, the chapter recommends that an aggressive enlightenment programme should be carried out from time to time; developing countries and their higher institutions should wake up to their responsibilities by formulating policies on institutional repositories (IR); developing countries should also come together to form consortia in the areas of software selection and deployment for institutional repositories. Management of institutions in these countries should make funds available for the smooth running of their institutional repositories, and so on. The chapter concludes with the need for academic institutions and their libraries to pay more attention to the funding and development of institutional repositories in order to provide more effective and efficient access to digital information services to the global academic community.
User Experience in Institutional Repositories
Authors: González-Pérez Laura Icela , Ramírez-Montoya María-Soledad , García-Peñalvo Francisco J.
Published: March 2020

Disruptive ideas and innovative business models take shape from observing and investigating the needs and demands of potential users and measuring their success based on the acceptance by users and their satisfaction. In an educational context, a new mission of the university has emerged, supported by the transfer of open access knowledge through Institutional Repositories (IR); it is important to know the motivations and needs of the academic community to promote scientific dissemination using these platforms. The present article uses the method of systematic literature review: using 29 studies from SCOPUS and WoS, involving the topics User-Centered Design (UCD) and repositories. The results show that two of the three UCD phases—evaluation and requirements—are closely linked and are the reiterative focus of UCD; thus, it is desirable to promote the design of custom-made prototypes according to the users' motivations. It is necessary to redefine methodologies for IR development within open-access ecosystems to guide them towards meeting their potential users' needs and motivations.
Product Backlog and Requirements Engineering for Enterprise Application Development
Authors: Pang Chung-Yeung
Published: March 2020

The combination of software engineering and agile development process can bring great benefits to the development and maintenance of enterprise applications. This chapter introduces the engineering of requirements in an agile Scrum development process. In Scrum, requirements are usually defined as user stories in a product backlog. Since many enterprise applications do not have intensive user actions, stories cannot be linked to users. Topics such as user and enabler stories, non-functional requirements, considerations of architecture and business components, business workflow, and breakdown of user stories are addressed. The requirements engineering of PBIs is illustrated by practical examples. Using UML use cases and collaboration models is recommended to transform the stories in the product backlog into formal requirements specifications. The proposed approach can be part of the agile development framework for flexible software products that are easy to customize and maintain.
Cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of industrialized powdered milk for infants and young children
Authors: Silva Geysa Janne Sousa , Santos Fabelina Karollyne Silva dos , Marques Márcia Maria Mendes , Peron Ana Paula
Published: March 2020

This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity and determine the LC50 concentration of powdered infant formulas widely marketed in South American countries. To this, milk samples, called as A, B, C and D, were analyzed in root meristem cells of Allium cepa, at concentrations of 0.075; 0.15 and 0.30 g mL-1, for 24 and 48 hours; and through cell viability in culture of normal line cells, via MTT test, for 24 hours, in the concentrations 0.018; 0.0375; 0.075 and 0.15 g mL-1. In A. cepa, all dairy products in the three concentrations caused significant inhibition of cell division in the meristems within the first 24 hours of exposure. In the in vitro evaluation, all milk formulas at 0.15 g mL-1, as well as milk A at a concentration of 0.037 g mL-1, C at 0.075 g mL-1 and D at 0.037 g mL-1, significantly reduced the cellular viability of the cell culture exposed to the foods studied, being potentially toxic. The milk A was considered the most toxic, with LC50 of 0.031 g mL-1, and B as the least toxic, with LC50 of 0.15 g mL-1. Therefore, the milk evaluated caused significant instability in cells of the test systems used and were characterized as cytotoxic.
Analysis of Tensile Deformation Behavior in Friction Stir Welded P91-316LN Dissimilar Joints Using Infrared Thermography
Authors: Venkatakrishna A. , Lakshminarayanan A.K. , Menaka M.
Published: March 2020

This research article highlights the application of Infra red thermography (IRT) technique for analyzing the surface temperature variations during the tensile deformation. Few comparative tensile deformation tests were conducted on friction stir welded (FSW) P91-316LN dissimilar joints. The rise in temperature during plastic deformation is monitored under different welding and offset conditions and the deformation behavior with respect to time is visualized through IR thermal patterns.
Investigation on Mechanical and Tribological Properties of AA7075 Alloy with B4C, Gr and Fly Ash Reinforced Hybrid Composites
Authors: Azhagarsamy P. , Sekar Kannan
Published: March 2020

The Aluminum alloys and its composites are used in the aerospace, automobile and marine industries due to their higher strength, stiffness and wear resistance properties. This study is focused on mechanical and tribological study of Al 7075 hybrid composite reinforced with B4C, Gr and Fly ash. The reinforcements are added to Al alloy in three different compositions such as (4wt% B4C/4wt% Gr/7wt% Fly ash, 4wt% B4C/5wt% Gr/8wt% Fly ash and 4wt% B4C/6wt% Gr/9wt% Fly ash). The stir casting machine was used for manufacturing hybrid composites. Hardness and wear tests were conducted for three different Al 7075 hybrid composites. The microstructure showed that the reinforcement was uniformly distributed in the matrix without agglomeration. The hardness and wear test results revealed that the composite with 4wt% B4C /6wt% Gr/9wt% Fly ash exhibited an increase in hardness value of about 22.69% and the minimum wear rate as compared to other composites.
Effect of ZnO Particles on Microstructure, Microhardness and Wear Behaviour of AA7068 Metal Matrix Composites Synthesized by Powder Metallurgy
Authors: Joshua K. John , Vijay S.J. , Ramkumar P. , Mohanasundaram S.
Published: March 2020

AA7068/ZnO composites were synthesized by powder metallurgy technique with different weight percentages of ZnO (5%, 10%, and 15%) along with as sintered AA7068. A low pressure of 318 MPa was applied for compaction and sintered at a temperature of 560°C for one hour. Microstructural behavior was studied using optical microscopy. Vickers microhardness test was conducted to find out the microhardness. Using pin-on-disc wear-tester experiments were conducted with a velocity of 1.2 m/s over a sliding distance of 2.5 km of load 5 N. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis was carried out to investigate the worn surface. Experimental results showed that the Vickers microhardness number have been increased to 66 by addition of 15% ZnO, which was double that of the matrix material. Wear experiments revealed improved wear resistance by the addition of ZnO particles. SEM analysis exposed that abrasion, delamination and oxidation were the predominant wear mechanisms for the matrix material and AA7068-5% ZnO composite and adhesion and oxidation for composites reinforced with 10% and 15% ZnO particles.
Effect of intravenous iron replacement therapy on exercise capacity in iron deficient anemic patients after cardiac surgery
Authors: Nugara Cinzia , Vitale Giuseppe , Caccamo Giuseppa , Sarullo Silvia , Giallauria Francesco , Di Franco Antonino , Vitale Silvia , Sarullo Filippo M.
Published: March 2020

Iron deficiency (ID) is recognized as an important comorbidity in patients undergoing cardiac surgery; however, it still remains under-diagnosed and under-treated in clinical practice. This study aims at comparing efficacy and the effects on exercise capacity of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) versus ferric gluconate (FG) in patients with ID anemia (IDA) resulting from cardiac surgery. We retrospectively analyzed data from our records of in-hospital patients with IDA after cardiac surgery undergoing cardiac rehabilitation. Group I was treated with FG, group II with FCM. Efficacy measures included changes (baseline vs discharge) in hemoglobin (Hb) and in distance traveled at six-minutes walking test (6MWT). Data from 74 in-patients (mean age 67.5±10.4 years, 43% women) were analyzed. At discharge, patients treated with FCM showed higher levels of Hb (11.1±1.2g/dl vs 10.2±1.1 g/dl; p=0.001), greater distance traveled at 6MWT (279.2±108.8 meters vs 236.3±72.7 meters; p=0.048), and lower in-hospital rehabilitation length of stay (20.3±7 vs 25.3±11.7 days; p=0.043) as compared to FG group. At multivariate analysis, the most powerful predictors of Hb increase >1 g/dl at discharge were transferrin levels (p=0.019) and treatment with FCM (p<0.001). FCM replacement therapy and iron serum levels were the most powerful predictors of 6MWT distance improvement (>100 meters) at discharge (p=0.13 and p=0.003, respectively). In patients with IDA following cardiac surgery, intravenous FCM is effective in restoring Hb levels and in improving exercise capacity after cardiac surgery.
FROM DANTEâ€™S UNIVERSE TO CONTEMPORARY COSMOLOGY
Authors: Bersanelli Marco
Published: March 2020

A reading of the Divina Commedia with the eyes of a modern scientist reveals that Dante devoted great attention to the description of a wide variety of natural phenomena, particularly those involving astronomy, optics and geometry. A remarkable case is the structure of the cosmos emerging from the Paradiso, which foreshadows a non-Euclidean geometrical structure with remarkable similarities to Einsteinâ€™s 1917 static cosmological solution. Such model, however, as well as other solutions with positive spatial curvature, are ruled out by current astrophysical observations. Here I discuss Danteâ€™s geometric intuition and show its close analogy with the shape of the observable cosmic space-time in the standard CDM expanding model, fully supported by present-day cosmological data.
GLI ESOSOMI NELLA COMUNICAZIONE CELLULA-CELLULA
Authors: Raimondo Stefania
Published: March 2020

Cell to cell communication is essential for the coordination and proper organization of different cell types in multicellular systems. Cells exchange information through a multitude of mechanisms such as secreted growth factors and chemokines, small molecules (peptides, ions, bioactive lipids and nucleotides), cell-cell contact and the secretion of extracellular matrix components. Over the last few years a new and sophisticated mechanism of cell-cell communication based on extracellular vesicles has been described. Extracellular vesicles are specialized vesicles released in the extracellular space by most of cell types, under physiological and pathological conditions. Among different extracellular vesicles subtypes, exosomes (30-100 nm) have recently received most of the attention do to their ability to be messenger in intercellular communication.
Influence of Sepitori on standard Setswana of its home language learners at three Tshwane townships
Authors: Wagner Valencia K. , Ditsele Thabo , Makgato Mary M.
Published: March 2020

This article established how a mixed language spoken as a lingua franca by black residents of Tshwane, known as Sepitori, influenced learners who studied Setswana as a home language at three high schools in GaRankuwa, Mabopane and Soshanguve; all these three townships are located north of Pretoria’s central business district. Data were gathered from 90 learners (30 from each school) and six Setswana educators from the same schools. Learners wrote an essay in Setswana on an interesting and contemporary topic ‘free education for all university students’, while educators were interviewed individually. Data analysis showed that Sepitori significantly influenced the written output of learners. Some educators were adamant that it was unreasonable to wish away Sepitori in Setswana classrooms because learners and many educators (regardless of the subjects they taught) ordinarily spoke Sepitori at the three townships be it at school or at home.
Occupational Hearing loss in Africa: An interdisciplinary view of the current status
Authors: Khoza-Shangase Katijah , Moroe Nomfundo F , Edwards Anita
Published: March 2020

Noise-induced hearing loss is 100% preventable if the collaborative stakeholders in the prevention process are fully committed to the process and implement effective measures timely. Audiologists have within their scope of practice the prevention of hearing loss and this needs to be at the forefront of all advocacy campaigns to prevent occupational hearing loss (OHL). In a systematic review by Moroe, Khoza-Shangase, Kanji and Ntlhakana (2018), where literature into the exposure to occupational noise in developing countries suggested that the prevalence of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is still high, significant gaps in locally relevant and responsive evidence were identified. There is also evidence that the mining industry is aware of this epidemic; however, the efforts to curb ONIHL are currently unsuccessful. These authors explored and documented current evidence reflecting trends in the management of ONIHL in the mining industry in Africa from 1994 to 2016 through the use of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Findings from this systematic review indicated that there is a dearth of research on the management of ONIHL in Africa. The limited research on the management of ONIHL focuses on some aspects of the hearing conservation programme pillars and not on all the pillars as suggested by some scholars in the field. Furthermore, they found that published studies had small sample sizes, thereby minimising their generalisation. This systematic review’s findings highlighted a need for more studies on the management of ONIHL in the mining sector, as evidence suggests that this condition in African countries is still on the rise; hence, there is the importance of this Special Issue, based on South Africa.
Long Non-coding RNA CCAT1 Sponges miR-454 to Promote Chemoresistance of Ovarian Cancer Cells to Cisplatin by Regulation of Surviving
Authors: Wang De-Ying , Li Na , Cui Yu-Lan
Published: March 2020

PurposeColon cancer-associated transcript 1 (CCAT1) was identified as an oncogenic long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in a variety of cancers. However, there was a lack of understanding of the mechanism by which CCAT1 conferred cisplatin (also known as DDP) resistance in ovarian cancer cells.Materials and MethodsCell viability of A2780, SKOV3, A2780/DDP, and SKOV3/DDP cells upon cisplatin treatment was monitored by MTT assay. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) detected the expression levels of CCAT1 and miR-454. The effect of sh-CCAT1 on cisplatin response was investigated in xenografts study. Bioinformatic analysis, luciferase reporter assay and qRT-PCR were conducted to validate the direct interaction among CCAT1, miR-454, and survivin. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry after dual staining of Annexin-V-FITC/propidium iodide, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax and survivin were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Xenograft study was conducted to monitor in vivo tumor formation.ResultsCCAT1 was highly expressed in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cell line A2780/DDP and SKOV3/DDP. Knockdown of CCAT1 restored sensitivity to cisplatin in vitro and in vivo. Our data revealed that silencing of CCAT1 promoted cisplatin-induced apoptosis via modulating the expression of pro- or anti-apoptotic proteins Bax, Bcl-2, and survivin. CCAT1 directly interacted with miR-454, and miR-454 overexpression potentiated cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Survivin was identified as a functional target of miR-454, restoration of survivin attenuated the effect of miR-454 on cisplatin response. In addition, miR-454 inhibitor or overexpression of survivin was found to abolish sh-CCAT1–induced apoptosis upon cisplatin treatment.ConclusionCCAT1/miR-454/survivin axis conferred cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells.
Subadditive and multiplicative ergodic theorems
Authors: Gouëzel Sébastien , Karlsson Anders
Published: March 2020

A result for subadditive ergodic cocycles is proved that provides more delicate information than Kingman’s subadditive ergodic theorem. As an application we deduce a multiplicative ergodic theorem generalizing an earlier result of Karlsson–Ledrappier, showing that the growth of a random product of semicontractions is always directed by some horofunction. We discuss applications of this result to ergodic cocycles of bounded linear operators, holomorphic maps and topical operators, as well as a random mean ergodic theorem.
On the Kramers–Fokker–Planck equation with decreasing potentials in dimension one
Authors: Novak Radek , Wang Xue Ping
Published: March 2020

For quickly decreasing potentials with one position variable, the first threshold zero is always a resonance of the Kramers–Fokker–Planck operator. In this article we study low-energy spectral properties of the operator and calculate large time asymptotics of solutions in terms of the Maxwellian.
Sobolev extension operators and Neumann eigenvalues
Authors: Gol'dshtein Vladimir , Pchelintsev Valerii , Ukhlov Alexander
Published: March 2020

In this paper we apply estimates of the norms of Sobolev extension operators to the spectral estimates of the first non-trivial Neumann eigenvalue of the Laplace operator in non-convex extension domains. As a consequence we obtain a connection between resonant frequencies of free membranes and the smallest-circle problem(initially proposed by J. J. Sylvester in 1857).
Introducción al Homenaje a Mary Shelley
Authors: Rivero Giovanna , Ginway M.
Published: March 2020

La idea de homenajear a Mary Shelley y su pulsión creativa apunta precisamente a mostrar el lado productivo y feminista del monstruo en las letras contemporáneas. La transgresión de Shelley ha sido definitoria en la sensibilidad y mirada ideológica de muchas escritoras occidentales, probablemente porque —si aludimos muy brevemente a los campos culturales en tanto espacios también orgánicos de escritura— muchas de estas escritoras están instaladas en espacios de enunciación semiperiféricos de Latinoamérica y España. Así, el monstruo escrito alcanza una escala orgánica continental y transoceánica que tiene que ver con tomar piezas de ese desmembrado cuerpo de saberes que no siempre el canon llega a reconocer como legítimo y, por tanto, a suturar en su último tejido.
Resistant Female Cyborgs in Brazil
Authors: Ginway M. Elizabeth
Published: March 2020

In her oft-cited “A Cyborg Manifesto,” Donna Haraway conceptualizes the cyborg as a feminist possibility, emphasizing the need for a self-created, self-engendered female (150). In How We Became Posthuman (1999), N. Katherine Hayles examines the development of cybernetic theory from the 1940s to the present, linking its history to portrayals of cyborgs and artificial intelligence in science fiction. I argue that the combination of change and tradition embodied by Brazilian cyborgs must be understood within the history and paradigms of Latin American culture and its ambivalent attitudes towards modernity. To understand Brazil’s female cyborgs, I apply Bolívar Echeverría’s concept of the Latin American “baroque ethos,” which acts a form of resistance to capitalism in the works by Caio Fernando Abreu, Roberto de Sousa Causo and João Paulo Cuenca, whose female cyborgs question or refute societal expectations, while searching for acceptance in romantic partnerships or family structures. The presence of female cyborgs in Brazil during distinct moments of economic and technological change—from the period of the military dictatorship and state sponsored industrialization in the 1970s to the contemporary digital global economy in the 2000s—illustrates how cyborg body functions as feminized avatars of labor, mourning, survival and resistance.
Toxicity of sediments and dredged material from a semi-arid coastal system to marine invertebrates
Authors: Moreira Lucas Buruaem , Saes Renan Vandre da Silva Toscano , Peres Tiago Farias , Taniguchi Satie , Bícego Márcia Caruso , Marins Rozane Valente , Abessa Denis Moledo de Souza
Published: March 2020

Dredging involves the sediment excavation in order to increase the bathymetry of harbors by different methods. In urbanized and Industrial areas, dredging pose risks of negative effects on the biota due to sediment contamination. The Brazilian criteria for characterizing dredged material include chemical analyzes and comparison with sediment quality guidelines and toxicity testing, which require the development of novel and different biological models to be used in bioassays. In this study, we aimed to assess the quality of sediments collected during dredging activities of Mucuripe Bay (Fortaleza city, NE Brazil). Sediments were characterized for the concentration of metals and hydrocarbons, in order to establish the contamination status. Whole sediment toxicity was assessed by means of mortality of the amphipod Tiburonella viscana and the polychaete worm Armandia agilis, while chronic effects were evaluated on the fecundity of the copepod Tisbe biminiensis. Liquid phase exposures were determined in the acute toxicity of sediment-water interface (ISA) on the mysid Mysidopsis juniae, while chronic toxicity of ISA and elutriates (ELU) assessed by the embryo-larval development of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Results revealed that contaminated samples exhibited both acute and chronic toxicity. An integrative method for integrating different endpoints was employed and classified samples related to dredging activities as the most degraded. Extracts obtained from the material collected within the dredge were also tested for acute and chronic effects and exhibited toxicity as well. Based on our findings we recommend the analysis of material from dredger cistern and application of a set of bioassays in order to properly determine the quality of dredged sediments.
Wintertime new particle formation and its contribution to cloud condensation nuclei in the Northeastern United States
Authors: Yu Fangqun , Luo Gan , Nair Arshad Arjunan , Schwab James J. , Sherman James P. , Zhang Yanda
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Atmospheric particles can act as cloud condensation
nuclei (CCN) and modify cloud properties and precipitation and thus
indirectly impact the hydrological cycle and climate. New particle formation
(NPF or nucleation), frequently observed at locations around the globe, is
an important source of ultrafine particles and CCN in the atmosphere. In
this study, wintertime NPF over the Northeastern United States (NEUS) is
simulated with WRF-Chem coupled with a size-resolved (sectional) advanced
particle microphysics (APM) model. Model-simulated variations in particle
number concentrations during a 2-month period (November–December 2013)
are in agreement with corresponding measurements taken at Pinnacle State
Park (PSP), New York, and Appalachian State University (APP), North Carolina.
We show that, even during wintertime, regional nucleation occurs and
contributes significantly to ultrafine-particle and CCN number
concentrations over the NEUS. The model shows that, due to low biogenic
emissions during this period, wintertime regional nucleation is solely
controlled by inorganic species and the newly developed ternary ion-mediated
nucleation scheme is able to capture the variations in observed particle
number concentrations (ranging from ∼200 to 20 000 cm−3)
at both PSP and APP. Total particle and CCN number concentrations
dramatically increase following NPF events and have the highest values over the Ohio Valley region, where elevated [SO2] is sustained by power plants.
Secondary particles dominate particle number abundance over the NEUS, and
their fraction increases with altitude from ≳85 % near the surface to ≳95 % in the upper
troposphere. The secondary fraction of CCN also increases with altitude,
from 20 %–50 % in the lower boundary layer to 50 %–60 % in the middle
troposphere to 70 %–85 % in the upper troposphere.
In situ vertical characteristics of optical properties and heating rates of aerosol over Beijing
Authors: Tian Ping , Liu Dantong , Zhao Delong , Yu Chenjie , Liu Quan , Huang Mengyu , Deng Zhaoze , Ran Liang , Wu Yunfei , Ding Shuo , Hu Kang , Zhao Gang , Zhao Chunsheng , Ding Deping
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Characterizing vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties is
important because relying on only the surface or column-integrated
measurements cannot unambiguously constrain the radiative impacts of
aerosol. This study presents series of vertical profiles of in situ measured
multi-wavelength optical properties of aerosols during three pollution
events from November to December 2016 over the Beijing region. For all pollution
events, the clean periods (CPs) before pollution initialization showed a
higher scattering Ångström exponent (SAE) and a smaller asymmetry
parameter (g) with relatively uniform vertical structures. The heavy pollution periods (HPs) showed an increased particle size, causing these
parameters to vary in the opposite way. During the transition periods (TPs),
regional transport of aged aerosols at higher altitudes was found. The
Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol optical depth (AOD) matched the in situ measurements within
10 %; however the AERONET absorption optical depth (AAOD) was 10 %–20 %
higher than the in situ measurements, and this positive discrepancy
increased to 30 % at shorter wavelengths. The absorption of brown carbon
(BrC) was identified by the increased-absorption Ångström exponent (AAE), and the heating rate of black carbon (BC) and BrC was estimated by
computing the spectral absorption coefficient and actinic flux calculated by
a radiative transfer model. BC and BrC had a heating rate of up to 0.18 and
0.05 K h−1 in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), respectively, during the
pollution period. The fraction of BrC absorption increased from 12 % to
40 % in the PBL from the CP to the HP. Notably, a higher contribution of
BrC heating was found above the PBL under polluted conditions. This study
paints a full picture of shortwave heating impacts of carbonaceous aerosols
during different stages of pollution events and highlights the increased
contribution of BrC absorption especially at higher altitudes during
pollution.
CRI-HOM: A novel chemical mechanism for simulating Highly Oxygenated Organic Molecules (HOMs) in global chemistry-aerosol-climate models
Authors: Weber James , Archibald Alexander , Griffiths Paul , Archer-Nicholls Scott , Berndt Torsten , Jenkin Michael , Gordon Hamish , Knote Christoph
Published: March 2020

Abstract. We present here results from a new mechanism, CRI-HOM, which we have developed to simulate the formation of highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) from the gas phase oxidation of α-pinene, one of the most widely emitted BVOCs by mass. This concise scheme adds 12 species and 66 reactions to the Common Representative Intermediates (CRI) mechanism v2.2 Reduction 5 and enables the representation of semi-explicit HOM treatment suitable for long term global chemistry- aerosol-climate modelling, within a comprehensive tropospheric chemical mechanism. The key features of the new mechanism are (i) representation of the autoxidation of peroxy radicals from the hydroxyl radical and ozone initiated reactions of α-pinene, (ii) formation of multiple generations of peroxy radicals, (iii) formation of accretion products (dimers) and (iv) isoprene-driven suppression of accretion product formation, as observed in experiments. The mechanism has been constructed through optimisation against a series of flow tube laboratory experiments. The mechanism predicts a HOM yield of 4–6 % under conditions of low to moderate NOx, in line with experimental observations, and reproduces qualitatively the decline in HOM yield and concentration at higher NOx. The mechanism gives a HOM yield that also increases with temperature, in line with observations, and our mechanism compares favourably to some of the limited observations of [HOM] observed in the boreal forest in Finland and in the south east USA. The reproduction of isoprene-driven suppression of HOMs is a key step forward as it enables global climate models to capture the interaction between the major BVOC species, along with the potential climatic feedbacks. This suppression is demonstrated when the mechanism is used to simulate atmospheric profiles over the boreal forest and rainforest; different isoprene concentrations result in different [HOM] distributions, illustrating the importance of BVOC interactions in atmospheric composition and climate. Finally particle nucleation rates calculated from [HOM] in present day and pre- industrial atmospheres suggest that sulphuric acid free nucleation can compete effectively with other nucleation pathways in the boreal forest, particularly in the pre-industrial, with important implications for the aerosol budget and radiative forcing.
Controls of fluorescent tracer retention by soils and sediments
Authors: Bork Marcus , Lange Jens , Graf-Rosenfellner Markus , Lang Friederike
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Fluorescent dyes like uranine (UR) and sulforhodamine B (SRB) have been used for decades as artificial tracers in hydrological studies.
Recently, attempts have been made to trace organic pollutants in soil with such dyes, but the knowledge of the controls of sorption of UR and SRB in soils is still incomplete and poorly standardised.
For this reason, we selectively controlled clay, organic matter (OM) and pH within batch experiments and quantified systematically the impact and possible interactions of these controls on the adsorption of UR and SRB.
Sorption isotherms were determined using a sandy sediment and a silty loamy subsoil and topsoil (0.6–2.8 % organic carbon (OC)) at pH values of 5.5, 6.5 and 7.5.
Additionally, OM was removed from topsoil and subsoil samples by H2O2 treatment and the clay mineral montmorillonite was added to the sandy sediment.
We found a negative relationship between the linear sorption coefficient Kd and pH that was stronger for UR than for SRB.
Increasing repulsion forces between negative sorption sites and tracer functional groups at higher pH values might explain these results.
Adsorption of UR and SRB increased with increasing clay content due to more specific surface area and associated sorption sites.
An addition of 4 % of the clay mineral montmorillonite sufficed to adsorb nearly 100 % of both tracers.
The influence of OM was more complex: while the adsorption of UR increased with increasing OC concentration, the opposite was observed for SRB.
Our study indicates the high relevance of physico-chemical properties of soils and sediments for the fate of applied tracers and for their more conservative or non-conservative behaviour.
Overall, the reported results will help to optimise the use of fluorescent tracers in terrestrial ecosystems and to increase their potential as a cheap and fast tool to gain insights into the fate of pollutants in soils and sediments.
Changing suspended sediment in United States rivers and streams: linking sediment trends to changes in land use/cover, hydrology and climate
Authors: Murphy Jennifer C.
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Sediment is one of the leading pollutants in rivers and
streams across the United States (US) and the world. Between 1992 and 2012,
concentrations of annual mean suspended sediment decreased at over half of
the 137 stream sites assessed across the contiguous US. Increases occurred
at less than 25 % of the sites, and the direction of change was uncertain
at the remaining 25 %. Sediment trends were characterized using the
Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) model, and decreases in
sediment ranged from −95 % to −8.5 % of the 1992 concentration. To
explore potential drivers of these changes, the sediment trends were (1) parsed into two broad contributors of change, changes in land management
versus changes in the streamflow regime, and (2) grouped by land use of the
watershed and correlated to concurrent changes in land use or land cover (land use/cover), hydrology
and climate variables and static/long-term watershed characteristics. At
83 % of the sites, changes in land management (captured by changes in the
concentration–streamflow relationship over time; C–Q relationship) contributed more to the
change in the sediment trend than changes in the streamflow regime alone
(i.e., any systematic change in the magnitude, frequency or timing of flows).
However, at >50 % of the sites, changes in the streamflow
regime contributed at least a 5 % change in sediment, and at 11 sites
changes in the streamflow regime contributed over half the change in
sediment, indicating that at many sites changes in streamflow were not the
main driver of changes in sediment but were often an important supporting
factor. Correlations between sediment trends and concurrent changes in land
use/cover, hydrology and climate were often stronger at sites draining
watersheds with more homogenous, human-related land uses (i.e., agricultural
and urban lands) compared to mixed-use or undeveloped lands. At many sites,
decreases in sediment occurred despite small-to-moderate increases in the
amount of urban or agricultural land in the watershed, suggesting
conservation efforts and best-management practices (BMPs) used to reduce sediment
runoff to streams may be successful, up to a point, as lands are converted
to urban and agricultural uses.
Exploring the change of Risk Perception and Adaptation Behavior among Varied Social Character Before and After Earthquake Disaster – A Case Study in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Tzu-Ling , Chao Tzu-Yuan , Cheng Hao-Tung
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Resilience has rapidly arisen in multiple disciplines and has been regarded as the key in disaster mitigation and adaptation. Objective indicator framework is a common way evaluating resilience while limited attention on measuring subjective resilience. In fact, subjective resilience might further explain how people respond to the uncertainty of disaster risks. Due to the limitation on predicting potential earthquake events, past studies put more efforts on discussing pre-disaster. Luckily, this paper could explore the change of risk perception and adaptation behavior in types of socio-economic groups through a comparative analysis between pre- and post- earthquake disaster, and one-way analysis of variance with Post Hoc test is applied to examining the change of risk perception and adaptation behavior. The results show that female might be much willing on house retrofit due to the fear and the worrisome. However, the elders might be less aware on earthquake than the young. Education indeed affects people’s risk perception and adaptive behavior. As a whole, the results could be referred to areas clustered of male, female, elder population, and lower education population by providing risk communication, risk education, and diverse disaster adaptation options. Although limitation exists, the results of comparative analysis between pre-disaster and post-disaster conditions could be referred to adequate strategies and decide the priority of risk management policies by governments.
Estimating ocean tide loading displacements with GPS and GLONASS
Authors: Matviichuk Bogdan , King Matt , Watson Christopher
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Ground displacements due to ocean tide loading have previously been successfully observed using GPS data, and such estimates for the principal lunar M2 constituent have been used to infer the rheology and structure of the asthenosphere. The GPS orbital repeat period is close to several other major tidal constituents (K1, K2, S2) thus GPS-estimates of ground displacement at these frequencies is subject to GPS systematic errors. We assess the addition of GLONASS to increase the accuracy and reliability over eight major ocean tide loading constituents: four semi-diurnal (M2, S2, N2, K2) and four diurnal constituents (K1, O1, P1, Q1). We revisit a previous GPS study, focusing on 21 sites in the UK and Western Europe, expanding it with an assessment of GLONASS and GPS+GLONASS estimates. In the region, both GPS and GLONASS data are abundant since 2010.0. We therefore focus on the period 2010.0–2014.0 which is considered long enough to reliably estimate the major constituents. Data were processed with a kinematic PPP strategy to produce site coordinate time series for each of 3 different modes: GPS, GLONASS and GPS+GLONASS. The GPS solution with ambiguities resolved was used as a baseline for performance assessment of the additional modes. GPS+GLONASS shows very close agreement with ambiguity resolved GPS for lunar constituents (M2, N2, O1, Q1) but substantial differences for solar-related constituents (S2, K2, K1, P1). While no single constellation mode performs best for all constituents and components, we propose to use a combination of constellation modes to recover tidal parameters: GPS+GLONASS for most constituents except for K2 and K1 where GLONASS (north and up) and GPS with ambiguities resolved (east), perform best.