bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Live Bacterial Vectors—A Promising DNA Vaccine Delivery System
Authors: Yurina Valentina
Published: March 2018

Vaccination is one of the most successful immunology applications that has considerably improved human health. The DNA vaccine is a new vaccine being developed since the early 1990s. Although the DNA vaccine is promising, no human DNA vaccine has been approved to date. The main problem facing DNA vaccine efficacy is the lack of a DNA vaccine delivery system. Several studies explored this limitation. One of the best DNA vaccine delivery systems uses a live bacterial vector as the carrier. The live bacterial vector induces a robust immune response due to its natural characteristics that are recognized by the immune system. Moreover, the route of administration used by the live bacterial vector is through the mucosal route that beneficially induces both mucosal and systemic immune responses. The mucosal route is not invasive, making the vaccine easy to administer, increasing the patient’s acceptance. Lactic acid bacterium is one of the most promising bacteria used as a live bacterial vector. However, some other attenuated pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp., have been used as DNA vaccine carriers. Numerous studies showed that live bacterial vectors are a promising candidate to deliver DNA vaccines.
Comparison of NF-RO and RO-NF for the Treatment of Mature Landfill Leachates: A Guide for Landfill Operators
Authors: Ramaswami Sreenivasan , Behrendt Joachim , Otterpohl Ralf
Published: March 2018

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) are among the state-of-the-art technologies for treating landfill leachates. Due to the complexity and variance in the composition of leachates, numerous combinations of multiple technologies are used for their treatment. One process chain for the treatment of raw leachate is RO followed by further concentration of RO-retentate using NF (RO-NF scheme). The aptness of this process train used by some landfill sites around the world (usually with the aim of volume reduction so as to re-inject the concentrate into the landfill) is questionable. This study investigated two schemes RO-NF and NF-RO (nanofiltration of raw leachate followed by reverse osmosis of NF permeate) to identify their merits/demerits. Experiments were conducted in bench scale using commercial membranes: DOW Filmtec NF270 and SW30HR. Filtration trials were performed at different pressures to compare the water and solute transports in the individual stages of the two schemes. Based on the water fluxes and compositions of retentates and permeates; osmotic pressures, energy demands, and other possible operational advantages were discussed. NF-RO offers some advantages and flexibility for leachate treatment besides being energy efficient compared to RO-NF, wherein osmotic pressure steadily increases during operation in turn increasing operation and maintenance costs.
Effects of Grain Boundary Microconstituents on Heat-Affected Zone Cracks in a Mar-M004 Weldment
Authors: Chen Tai-Cheng , Cheng Yi-Hsin , Tsay Leu-Wen , Shiue Ren-Kae
Published: March 2018

Repair-welding of a cast Mar-M004 superalloy by gas tungsten arc welding was performed. Liquation cracks of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in a Mar-M004 weldment were closely related to the presence of low-melting constituents along the solidified boundaries in the weld. The metal carbides (MC), M3B2 and M5B3 borides, Ni7(Hf,Zr)2 intermetallic compounds, and γ-γ′colonies were found at the interdendritic boundaries. Fine boride precipitates mixed with intermetallic compounds in lamellar form were more likely to liquate during repair-welding. The melting of borides and intermetallic compounds in 1180 °C/4 h treated samples confirmed the poor weldability of the Mar-M004 superalloy due to enhanced liquation cracking. In addition to boride formation, fractographs of liquation cracks revealed strong segregation of B element in carbides and intermetallics, which might further lower the solidus temperature of the repair weld.
Carbonic Anhydrases and Metabolism
Authors: Supuran Claudiu
Published: March 2018

Although the role of carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) in metabolism is well-established, pharmacological applications of this phenomenon started to be considered only recently. In organisms all over the phylogenetic tree, the seven CA genetic families known to date are involved in biosynthetic processes and pH modulation, which may influence metabolism in multiple ways, with both processes being amenable to pharmacologic intervention. CA inhibitors possess antiobesity action directly by inhibiting lipogenesis, whereas the hypoxic tumor metabolism is highly controlled by the transmembrane isoforms CA IX and XII, which contribute to the acidic extracellular environment of tumors and supply bicarbonate for their high proliferation rates. Many of the articles from this special issue deal with the role of cancer CAs in tumor metabolism and how these phenomena can be used for designing innovative antitumor therapies/imaging agents. The metabolic roles of CAs in bacteria and algae are also discussed.
Electrospun Blank Nanocoating for Improved Sustained Release Profiles from Medicated Gliadin Nanofibers
Authors: Liu Xinkuan , Shao Wenyi , Luo Mingyi , Bian Jiayin , Yu Deng-Guang
Published: March 2018

Nanomaterials providing sustained release profiles are highly desired for efficacious drug delivery. Advanced nanotechnologies are useful tools for creating elaborate nanostructure-based nanomaterials to achieve the designed functional performances. In this research, a modified coaxial electrospinning was explored to fabricate a novel core-sheath nanostructure (nanofibers F2), in which a sheath drug-free gliadin layer was successfully coated on the core ketoprofen (KET)-gliadin nanocomposite. A monolithic nanocomposite (nanofibers F1) that was generated through traditional blending electrospinning of core fluid was utilized as a control. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that both nanofibers F1 and F2 were linear. Transmission electron microscopy verified that nanofibers F2 featured a clear core-sheath nanostructure with a thin sheath layer about 25 nm, whereas their cores and nanofibers F1 were homogeneous KET-gliadin nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction patterns verified that, as a result of fine compatibility, KET was dispersed in gliadin in an amorphous state. In vitro dissolution tests demonstrated that the thin blank nanocoating in nanofibers F2 significantly modified drug release kinetics from a traditional exponential equation of nanofibers F1 to a zero-order controlled release model, linearly freeing 95.7 ± 4.7% of the loaded cargoes over a time period of 16 h.
Dietary Fiber and Telomere Length in 5674 U.S. Adults: An NHANES Study of Biological Aging
Authors: Tucker Larry
Published: March 2018

The relationship between fiber intake and telomere length was evaluated using a cross-sectional design and an NHANES sample of 5674 U.S. adults. Another purpose was to test the impact of potential confounders on the association. Fiber consumption was measured using a 24 h recall and telomere length was indexed using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Overall, the U.S. adults had low fiber intake (median: 6.6 g per 1000 kcal)—less than one-half the recommendation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. With age, gender, race, housing status, and misreported energy intake controlled, the relationship between fiber intake per 1000 kcal and telomere length was linear (F = 9.5, p = 0.0045). Specifically, for each 1 g increment in fiber intake per 1000 kcal, telomeres were 8.3 base pairs longer. Because each additional year of chronological age was associated with telomeres that were 15.5 base pairs shorter, results suggest that a 10 g increase in fiber intake per 1000 kcal would correspond with telomeres that are 83 base pairs longer. On average, this would equate to 5.4 fewer years of biologic aging (83 ÷ 15.5). With smoking, BMI, alcohol use, and physical activity controlled, as well as the other covariates, each 10 g increment in fiber accounted for telomeres that were 67 base pairs longer (F = 7.6, p = 0.0101), a biologic aging difference of about 4.3 years. In conclusion, significant fiber consumption accounts for longer telomeres and less biologic aging than lower levels of fiber intake.
Elucidating Adverse Nutritional Implications of Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Mycotoxins through Stable Isotope Techniques
Authors: Owino Victor , Cornelius Carolin , Loechl Cornelia
Published: March 2018

Multiple drivers of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) include a rapid shift from predominantly plant-based diets to energy-dense foods based on meats, milk, animal fats and vegetable oils. The shift to overweight and obesity is driven by increased exposure to mass media, urbanization, technological advances in food processing, rising income and increased population density associated with increased access to cheap foods. At the same time, undernutrition persists mainly due to food insecurity and lack of access to safe water, sanitation and adequate health care. All known nutrition interventions result in only one third reduction in stunting. Little consideration has been given to hazardous exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and microbial toxins as major components of the malnutrition-causal framework. These hazards include microbial toxins, for example, mycotoxins, and environmental pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), some of which are known to disrupt the endocrine system. These hazards sit at the cross road of undernutrition and overweight and obesity since the exposure cuts across the critical window of opportunity (the first 1000 days). In this review, we update on the role of food and environmental contaminants, especially EDCs and aflatoxins, in child growth and on the implications for metabolic dysfunction and disease risk in later life, and discuss potential applications of nuclear and isotopic techniques to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms, outcome indicators, as well as occurrence levels.
The Professional Culture of Community Pharmacy and the Provision of MTM Services
Authors: Rosenthal Meagen , Holmes Erin
Published: March 2018

The integration of advanced pharmacy services into community pharmacy practice is not complete. According to implementation research understanding professional culture, as a part of context, may provide insights for accelerating this process. There are three objectives in this study. The first objective of this study was to validate an adapted version of an organizational culture measure in a sample of United States’ (US) community pharmacists. The second objective was to examine potential relationships between the cultural factors identified using the validated instrument and a number of socialization and education variables. The third objective was to examine any relationships between the scores on the identified cultural factors and the provision of MTM services. This study was a cross-sectional online survey for community pharmacists in the southeastern US. The survey contained questions on socialization/education, respondents’ self-reported provision of medication therapy management (MTM) services, and the organizational culture profile (OCP). Analyses included descriptive statistics, a principle components analysis (PCA), independent samples t-test, and multivariate ordinal regression. A total of 303 surveys were completed. The PCA revealed a six-factor structure: social responsibility, innovation, people orientation, competitiveness, attention to detail, and reward orientation. Further analysis revealed significant relationships between social responsibility and years in practice, and people orientation and attention to detail and pharmacists’ training and practice setting. Significant positive relationships were observed between social responsibility, innovation, and competitiveness and the increased provision of MTM services. The significant relationships identified between the OCP factors and community pharmacist respondents’ provision of MTM services provides an important starting point for developing interventions to improve the uptake of practice change opportunities.
A Newly Designed Fiber-Optic Based Earth Pressure Transducer with Adjustable Measurement Range
Authors: Wei Hou-Zhen , Xu Dong-Sheng , Meng Qing-Shan
Published: March 2018

A novel fiber-optic based earth pressure sensor (FPS) with an adjustable measurement range and high sensitivity is developed to measure earth pressures for civil infrastructures. The new FPS combines a cantilever beam with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors and a flexible membrane. Compared with a traditional pressure transducer with a dual diaphragm design, the proposed FPS has a larger measurement range and shows high accuracy. The working principles, parameter design, fabrication methods, and laboratory calibration tests are explained in this paper. A theoretical solution is derived to obtain the relationship between the applied pressure and strain of the FBG sensors. In addition, a finite element model is established to analyze the mechanical behavior of the membrane and the cantilever beam and thereby obtain optimal parameters. The cantilever beam is 40 mm long, 15 mm wide, and 1 mm thick. The whole FPS has a diameter of 100 mm and a thickness of 30 mm. The sensitivity of the FPS is 0.104 kPa/με. In addition, automatic temperature compensation can be achieved. The FPS’s sensitivity, physical properties, and response to applied pressure are extensively examined through modeling and experiments. The results show that the proposed FPS has numerous potential applications in soil pressure measurement.
An Investigation of Global Reporting Initiative Performance Indicators in Corporate Sustainability Reports: Greek, Italian and Spanish Evidence
Authors: Tarquinio Lara , Raucci Domenico , Benedetti Roberto
Published: March 2018

This study has two main purposes. First, it explores the performance indicators disclosed in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-based Sustainability Reports (SRs) produced by the companies of three different countries: Italy, Spain and Greece. Second, it verifies how some corporate variables, country of origin variables and “attributes” of the SRs can explain the disclosure of GRI indicators. To verify the quantity and type of the indicators disclosed, we performed a content analysis of the SRs. We use a regression trees technique to describe how the companies’ variables explain a different use of the indicators. The findings show that Spanish companies, on average, disclose the greatest number of indicators. The social indicators related to Labour are those more frequently reported in the SRs of the three countries. The least reported are social indicators related to Human Rights. The results show the central role that assurance, ROA and sector may have in classifying the disclosure level of indicators. The study contributes both theoretical and empirical literature on sustainability indicators. It also sheds further light on the determinants of the disclosure of indicators.
Assessment of the Ecosystem Service Function of Sandy Lands at Different Times Following Aerial Seeding of an Endemic Species
Authors: Zhang Lei , Hong Guangyu , Li Zhuofan , Gao Xiaowei , Wu Yongzhi , Wang Xiaojiang , Wang Pingping , Yang Jie
Published: March 2018

Desertification is a global and pressing environmental problem in the course of environmental changes, and considerable efforts have been made to restore these degraded ecosystems. Aerial seeding has been widely used to accelerate ecological restoration around the world. However, few efforts have been made to assess the ecosystem service function after aerial seeding has occurred. In this study, we analyzed variations in the ecosystem service function after varying periods of elapsed time after aerial seeding of Hedysarum laeve Maxim. (14a, 30a and 38a) in the Mu Us Sandy Land, China. We also assessed the carbon sequestration ability, biodiversity, soil properties, wind-break and sand-fixation ability on a typical windward slope. We found that the overall assessment value of ecosystem services had generally increased with the elapsed time after aerial seeding. Additionally, the assessment values increased as the slope position moved downwards. Moreover, we observed a gradual replacement of H. laeve by Artemisia ordosica Krasch and grass species with the increase in elapsed years after aerial seeding, indicating a positive succession towards locally native vegetation. Compared with the local natural vegetation, our results suggest that the practice of aerial seeding stimulated vegetation restoration without the need for follow-up field interventions, and the practice of aerial seeding might fit more ecosystems with similar vegetation degradation problems.
Revisiting the Factors Shaping Outcomes for Forest and Landscape Restoration in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Way Forward for Policy, Practice and Research
Authors: Djenontin Ida , Foli Samson , Zulu Leo
Published: March 2018

A lack of systematic understanding of the elements that determine the success of forest and landscape restoration (FLR) investments leads to the inability to clearly articulate strategic and practical approaches to support natural resource restoration endeavors across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This review examines the different challenges and opportunities for effective restoration interventions. Using a structured literature review, we draw evidence from a broad range of scholarly works on natural resource conservation and governance to investigate the early dynamics of FLR in SSA. We first engage in a contextual clarification of FLR concepts and then provide a synthesis of the factors that influence the results of FLR interventions at the social and institutional level to inform relevant restoration stakeholders—policy makers, investors, and practitioners. The review finds that several interacting factors shape the outcomes of FLR interventions. We classified them into three categories based on their features, intensity, and scale of occurrence: (1) micro-scale factors that enable or limit individual engagement in FLR and sustainable management practices; (2) project/program-level factors, including the design and implementation stages; and (3) institutional, policy, and governance factors, and issues of inequity that operate at the local or national government scale. The review goes beyond underscoring funding constraints as a major challenge to the up- and out-scaling of restoration interventions and FLR success. The findings also set out a premise for future research to guide the design and implementation of successful FLR models in SSA.
How Personal Accessibility and Frequency of Travel Affect Ownership Decisions on Mobility Resources
Authors: Plevka Vaclav , Astegiano Paola , Himpe Willem , Tampère Chris , Vandebroek Martina
Published: March 2018

This paper presents a mobility-resource ownership model. The model captures inter-related personal mobility decisions: which transport mode (out of those available to a decision-maker) to use for a particular trip and which mobility resources (e.g., car, bicycle, transit season ticket or a combination) should the decision-maker own to enable the most “appropriate” set of transport modes. Importantly, the mobility decisions are not evaluated only for a single trip or a single day. In fact, for each decision-maker, an entire set of trips, observed over multiple days, is evaluated. We call this personal accessibility to travel. We present a two-step discrete choice model that includes both mode choice and ownership decisions. The model is estimated based on household travel survey data from Germany. This paper also investigates the simulation of travel times for non-chosen modes that are required as an input. The estimation results show significant effects of the personal accessibility and travel frequency on mobility-resource ownership decisions. To further validate the estimation, the forecasting and sensitivity analysis of the model for different scenarios is evaluated. The proposed model offers an efficient solution to situations when the impact of transport sustainability measures on mobility behaviour needs to be plausibly predicted.
Spatial–Temporal Analysis of the Relationships between Agricultural Production and Use of Agrochemicals in Eastern China and Related Environmental and Political Implications (Based on Decoupling Approach and LMDI Decomposition Analysis)
Authors: Lin Yaoben , Yang Jianhui , Ye Yanmei
Published: March 2018

Agrochemical inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been recognized as sources of agricultural non-point source pollution and are controlled in order to prevent further deterioration of water pollution. In consideration of the available and effective measures to improve agricultural output value in a long-term, the key to the adoption of reduction control on agrochemical inputs is to ensure the decoupling relationship of agrochemical inputs to agricultural economic growth and to find out the endogenous growth of agrochemical inputs. This paper analyzed the relationship of agrochemical input consumption and agricultural output value in Eastern China by the Topia decoupling model. Interestingly, the transformation of expansive negative decoupling—expansive coupling—weak decoupling—strong decoupling was exposed, which can be used as a theoretical support to the source reduction control on agricultural non-point source pollution. The source reduction can be influenced of three factors: area factor, agricultural productivity factor and efficiency factor, which were decomposed by applying a log-mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, and the efficiency factor can promote the slowing down of the increase of agrochemical input consumption, while the agricultural productivity factor was the main factor to increase agrochemical input consumption; the area factor was not obvious. In addition to that, the formulation and implementation of source reduction control policies was affected by the differences of the spatial framework in Eastern China, where the source reduction control in different regions would be used to move ahead (or to delay).
CSR Actions in Companies and Perception of Their Reputation by Managers: Analysis in the Rural Area of an Emerging Country in the Banking Sector
Authors: Ángel Del Brío Jesús , Lizarzaburu Bolaños Edmundo
Published: March 2018

This paper tests, from a managerial point of view, the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions directed towards health and environmental matters over the perception of a company’s reputation. The literature review suggests an absence of this kind of study focused on the banking sector of developing countries. CSR activities oriented to health and subsistence in the rural areas of emerging countries are proved to hold a positive influence on the perception of managers of the banking sector of corporate reputation. On the other hand, it has not been possible to validate whether CSR activities oriented to environmental issues (or infrastructure) in rural areas will positively influence the perception of Peruvian banking sector managers of corporate reputation. The outcomes mentioned seem plausible due to health and subsistence being undoubtedly the most valued factors among people living in rural areas, where there are the most development deficiencies. This work contributes by empirically analyzing a relationship barely addressed in the field of business administration: the influence of CSR and corporate reputation. Furthermore, the authors take the analysis to a context unexplored by previous researchers, applying the concepts to the banking sector of an emerging country.
Optimal Matched Filter in the Low-number Count Poisson Noise Regime and Implications for X-Ray Source Detection
Authors: Ofek Eran O. , Zackay Barak
Published: March 2018

Detection of templates (e.g., sources) embedded in low-number count Poisson noise is a common problem in astrophysics. Examples include source detection in X-ray images, γ-rays, UV, neutrinos, and search for clusters of galaxies and stellar streams. However, the solutions in the X-ray-related literature are sub-optimal in some cases by considerable factors. Using the lemma of Neyman–Pearson, we derive the optimal statistics for template detection in the presence of Poisson noise. We demonstrate that, for known template shape (e.g., point sources), this method provides higher completeness, for a fixed false-alarm probability value, compared with filtering the image with the point-spread function (PSF). In turn, we find that filtering by the PSF is better than filtering the image using the Mexican-hat wavelet (used by wavdetect). For some background levels, our method improves the sensitivity of source detection by more than a factor of two over the popular Mexican-hat wavelet filtering. This filtering technique can also be used for fast PSF photometry and flare detection; it is efficient and straightforward to implement. We provide an implementation in MATLAB. The development of a complete code that works on real data, including the complexities of background subtraction and PSF variations, is deferred for future publication.
The Resilience of Kepler Systems to Stellar Obliquity
Authors: Spalding Christopher , Marx Noah W. , Batygin Konstantin
Published: March 2018

The Kepler mission and its successor K2 have brought forth a cascade of transiting planets. Many of these planetary systems exhibit multiple members, but a large fraction possess only a single transiting example. This overabundance of singles has led to the suggestion that up to half of Kepler systems might possess significant mutual inclinations between orbits, reducing the transiting number (the so-called “Kepler Dichotomy”). In a recent paper, Spalding & Batygin demonstrated that the quadrupole moment arising from a young, oblate star is capable of misaligning the constituent orbits of a close-in planetary system enough to reduce their transit number, provided that the stellar spin axis is sufficiently misaligned with respect to the planetary orbital plane. Moreover, tightly packed planetary systems were shown to be susceptible to becoming destabilized during this process. Here, we investigate the ubiquity of the stellar obliquity-driven instability within systems with a range of multiplicities. We find that most planetary systems analyzed, including those possessing only two planets, underwent instability for stellar spin periods below ∼3 days and stellar tilts of order 30°. Moreover, we are able to place upper limits on the stellar obliquity in systems such as K2-38 (obliquity ≲20°), where other methods of measuring the spin–orbit misalignment are not currently available. Given the known parameters of T-Tauri stars, we predict that up to one-half of super-Earth-mass systems may encounter the instability, in general agreement with the fraction typically proposed to explain the observed abundance of single-transiting systems.
Merger of Multiple Accreting Black Holes Concordant with Gravitational-wave Events
Authors: Tagawa Hiromichi , Umemura Masayuki
Published: March 2018

Recently, the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO) has detected black hole (BH) merger events, most of which are sourced by BHs more massive than 30 M
⊙. Especially, the observation of GW170104 suggests dynamically assembled binaries favoring a distribution of misaligned spins. It has been argued that mergers of unassociated BHs can be engendered through a chance meeting in a multiple BH system under gas-rich environments. In this paper, we consider the merger of unassociated BHs, concordant with the massive BH merger events. To that end, we simulate a multiple BH system with a post-Newtonian N-body code incorporating gas accretion and general relativistic effects. As a result, we find that gas dynamical friction effectively promotes a three-body interaction of BHs in dense gas of n
gas ≳ 106 cm−3, so that BH mergers can take place within 30 Myr. This scenario predicts an isotropic distribution of spin tilts. In the concordant models with GW150914, the masses of seed BHs are required to be ≳25 M
⊙. The potential sites of such chance meeting BH mergers are active galactic nucleus (AGN) disks and dense interstellar clouds. Assuming the LIGO O1, we roughly estimate the event rates for PopI BHs and PopIII BHs in AGN disks to be ≃1–2 yr−1 and ≃1 yr−1, respectively. Multiple episodes of AGNs may enhance the rates by roughly an order of magnitude. For massive PopI BHs in dense interstellar clouds the rate is ≃0.02 yr−1. Hence, high-density AGN disks are a more plausible site for mergers of chance meeting BHs.
Energy Levels, Lifetimes, and Transition Rates for P-like Ions from Cr x to Zn xvi from Large-scale Relativistic Multiconfiguration Calculations
Authors: Wang K. , Jönsson P. , Gaigalas G. , Radžiūtė L. , Rynkun P. , Del Zanna G. , Chen C. Y.
Published: March 2018

The fully relativistic multiconfiguration Dirac–Hartree–Fock method is used to compute excitation energies and lifetimes for the 143 lowest states of the

, 3s3p
4,

, 3s3p
33d, 3p
5,

configurations in P-like ions from Cr x to Zn xvi. Multipole (E1, M1, E2, M2) transition rates, line strengths, oscillator strengths, and branching fractions among these states are also given. Valence–valence and core–valence electron correlation effects are systematically accounted for using large basis function expansions. Computed excitation energies are compared with the NIST ASD and CHIANTI compiled values and previous calculations. The mean average absolute difference, removing obvious outliers, between computed and observed energies for the 41 lowest identified levels in Fe xii, is only 0.057%, implying that the computed energies are accurate enough to aid identification of new emission lines from the Sun and other astrophysical sources. The amount of energy and transition data of high accuracy are significantly increased for several P-like ions of astrophysics interest, where experimental data are still very scarce.
Molecular Emission from a Galaxy Associated with a z ∼ 2.2 Damped Lyα Absorber
Authors: Neeleman Marcel , Kanekar Nissim , Prochaska J. Xavier , Christensen Lise , Dessauges-Zavadsky Miroslava , Fynbo Johan P. U. , Møller Palle , Zwaan Martin A.
Published: March 2018

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we have detected CO(3−2) line and far-infrared continuum emission from a galaxy associated with a high-metallicity ([M/H] = −0.27) damped Lyα absorber (DLA) at z
DLA = 2.19289. The galaxy is located 3.″5 away from the quasar sightline, corresponding to a large impact parameter of 30 kpc at the DLA redshift. We use archival Very Large Telescope-SINFONI data to detect Hα emission from the associated galaxy, and find that the object is dusty, with a dust-corrected star formation rate of

M⊙ yr−1. The galaxy’s molecular mass is large, Mmol = (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1011 × (α
CO/4.3) × (0.57/r
31) M
⊙, supporting the hypothesis that high-metallicity DLAs arise predominantly near massive galaxies. The excellent agreement in redshift between the CO(3–2) line emission and low-ion metal absorption (∼40 km s−1) disfavors scenarios whereby the gas probed by the DLA shows bulk motion around the galaxy. We use Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope H i 21 cm absorption spectroscopy to find that the H i along the DLA sightline must be warm, with a stringent lower limit on the spin temperature of T
s > 1895 × (f/0.93) K. The detection of C i absorption in the DLA, however, also indicates the presence of cold neutral gas. To reconcile these results requires that the cold components in the DLA contribute little to the H i column density, yet contain roughly 50% of the metals of the absorber, underlining the complex multi-phase nature of the gas surrounding high-z galaxies.
Ibn Rušd al-Ḥafīd (Averroes) y su exilio a Lucena: orígenes judíos, genealogía y conversión forzosa
Authors: Fierro Maribel
Published: March 2018

La acusación de orígenes judíos formulada contra Ibn Rušd al-Ḥafīd (Averroes) cuando fue exilado a Lucena es analizada teniendo en cuenta acusaciones similares formuladas contra otros andalusíes durante los periodos almorávide y almohade, así como las representaciones islámicas de los judíos en las que estos a menudo son descritos como agentes de herejías foráneas. También se analiza la influencia del contexto de sospecha y ansiedad creado por la conversión forzosa de los judíos que tuvo lugar en la primera época almohade en la formulación de esas acusaciones.
Quelques remarques sur l’origine des écritures coraniques arrondies en al-Andalus (Ve/XIe-VIe/XIIe siècles)
Authors: Bongianino Umberto
Published: March 2018

Dans cet article on analyse les graphies utilisées par les copistes andalous qui se consacrèrent à la production de manuscrits coraniques entre le Ve/XIe et le VIe/XIIe siècle. On examine aussi la transformation qui se produisit pendant cette époque dans la forme, l’aspect, et la conception du muṣḥaf en péninsule Ibérique. On démontrera que la notion de « graphies coraniques » en Occident islamique est tellement fluide qu’elle devient insaisissable pour la période qui va de l’introduction des graphies cursives dans les manuscrits du Coran à l’apogée de la domination Almoravide. On tentera aussi d’expliciter comment tous les traits calligraphiques de ces styles dérivent des écritures livresques de la même époque. Enfin, on traitera de l’activité de quelques copistes andalous de cette période, de leurs modèles esthétiques et statut social, et du contexte culturel qui émerge des aspects matériaux des manuscrits qu’ils produisirent.
El poblamiento andalusí en las tierras de secano: el área sudoriental de La Mancha (ss. XI-XIII)
Authors: Jiménez Castillo Pedro , Simón García José Luis
Published: March 2018

Desde los años 80 del pasado siglo, se ha avanzado mucho en el conocimiento del poblamiento rural andalusí vinculado a la agricultura de regadío, tanto en relación a las grandes huertas periurbanas como a los pequeños sistemas hidráulicos de las comunidades campesinas. En las extensas zonas donde escasea el agua, el poblamiento estaría aparentemente concentrado en ciudades y núcleos fortificados (ḥuṣūn), entre los que se extendían secanos deshabitados. Sin embargo, la prospección intensiva de una de estas comarcas, el sector sudoriental de La Mancha, nos está permitiendo documentar un intenso poblamiento rural que responde a un patrón hasta ahora desconocido. Se trata de alquerías (qurā) en llano, carentes de elementos de defensa comunitarios, que debieron de estar habitadas por campesinos humildes, a juzgar por la modestia de la arquitectura y de los ajuares domésticos. Seguramente explotarían los únicos recursos naturales existentes, que tradicionalmente han orientado la economía de la región hacia la ganadería y la agricultura de secano. De manera particular, el poblamiento estudiado se relacionaría con la demanda de lana para las producciones textiles de la comarca orientadas a la exportación, en el marco de la expansión comercial del periodo. Mayoritariamente estas alquerías parecen haberse desarrollado a partir del siglo XI, desapareciendo a mediados del siglo XIII con motivo de la conquista cristiana. Su existencia estaría asociada a un contexto general de crecimiento demográfico que empujó a la competencia entre las élites urbanas y los campesinos por los espacios agrícolas privilegiados, así como a la colonización de áreas productivas menos favorables.
La puerta principal de la aljama almohade de Išbīliya
Authors: Jiménez Martín Alfonso
Published: March 2018

Este artículo establece las fechas esenciales de la “puerta del Perdón”, como acceso principal de la mezquita mayor de Išbīliya, capital europea del imperio almohade. Actualmente es la entrada principal al “patio de los Naranjos” de la catedral de Sevilla (España). Este análisis se basa en las observaciones reunidas durante las obras de restauración que terminaron en 2014. También usamos datos de investigaciones arqueológicas, documentos de varios archivos y la interpretación de las traducciones de las crónicas almohades. Reunimos información literaria y gráfica de todos los elementos islámicos identificados, establecemos hipótesis sobre las disposiciones originales del conjunto y fijamos su cronología en cinco etapas esenciales: construcción de la sala de oración y contorno general del patio (1172-1182), reformas estructurales en el patio en conexión con el inicio de las obras de la torre (1184-1188), conclusión de la torre y reforma decorativa del edificio, incluyendo las hojas de la Puerta del Perdón (1188-1198), construcción de un mirador mudéjar sobre la Puerta (siglo XV) y construcción de un campanario sobre la puerta con su terminación decorativa (1578-1580).
Développement agricole et gouvernance foncière à Tioroniaradougou (Nord de la Côte d’Ivoire)
Authors: Aloko-N’guessan Jérôme , Koffi-Didia Marthe Adjoba , Coulibaly Hamed Tiécoura
Published: March 2018

La zone de Tioroniaradougou, à l’image des autres régions ivoiriennes, est confrontée à une évolution de la gouvernance foncière traditionnelle. Bien que ces transformations paraissent difficilement conciliables avec les exigences coutumières, elles tendent à se pérenniser sous l’effet du développement agricole conjugué à la pression démographique. La présente étude vise à connaître l’impact du développement agricole sur l’évolution des stratégies de gouvernance foncière à Tioroniaradougou. La démarche adoptée s’appuie sur la recherche bibliographique et l’enquête de terrain. Les résultats obtenus montrent que le développement agricole du terroir est lié à l’essor des cultures de rentes telles que le coton, l’anacarde et la mangue. Avec la diffusion de ces cultures, garantie de revenus certains et réguliers, les paysans établissent des stratégies d’affirmation de leur droit de propriété foncière là où la gouvernance foncière coutumière n’octroie qu’un droit d’usage temporaire. L’instauration du bocage foncier par les paysans constitue également une stratégie d’affirmation des droits d’aliénation sur des ressources foncières limitées.
Impact socio-économique de l’aménagement hydro-rizicole de Guiguidou dans la sous-préfecture de Divo (Côte d’Ivoire)
Authors: Kotchi Joachim Koffi , Ouattara-Coulibaly Yagnama Rokia , N’guessan Guillaume Kouassi
Published: March 2018

La présente étude a pour objectif de présenter l’impact socio-économique du projet sur les conditions de vie des populations bénéficiaires. La méthode utilisée s’appuie sur une approche quantitative à travers des questionnaires adressés aux bénéficiaires, aux gestionnaires de l’opérationnel (MATAC-chinois, L’ONDR et l’ANADER) et sur une approche qualitative basée sur des entretiens semi-directifs, des entretiens collectifs (focus groupe). L’analyse des données collectées montre que les bénéficiaires ont eu accès à de nouvelles techniques culturales et l’impact socio-économique est remarquable avec la création d’emplois. Cependant, on relève de nombreuses difficultés liées au foncier, à la gestion interne du projet, qui pourraient compromettre la durabilité de ce modèle de développement local participatif.
Investigation on Deep Learning Approach for Big Data
Authors: Rajput Dharmendra Singh , Reddy T. Sunil Kumar , Raju Dasari Naga
Published: March 2018

In recent years, big data analytics is the major research area where the researchers are focused. Complex structures are trained at each level to simplify the data abstractions. Deep learning algorithms are one of the promising researches for automation of complex data extraction from large data sets. Deep learning mechanisms produce better results in machine learning, such as computer vision, improved classification modelling, probabilistic models of data samples, and invariant data sets. The challenges handled by the big data are fast information retrieval, semantic indexing, extracting complex patterns, and data tagging. Some investigations are concentrated on integration of deep learning approaches with big data analytics which pose some severe challenges like scalability, high dimensionality, data streaming, and distributed computing. Finally, the chapter concludes by posing some questions to develop the future work in semantic indexing, active learning, semi-supervised learning, domain adaptation modelling, data sampling, and data abstractions.
Secure Opportunistic Routing for Vehicular Adhoc Networks
Authors: Vasudev Harsha , Das Debasis
Published: March 2018

More study is needed to make VANETs more relevant. Opportunistic routing (OR) is a new model that has been proposed for wireless networks. OR has emerged from the research communities because of its ability to increase the performance of wireless networks. It benefits from the broadcast characteristic of wireless mediums to improve network performance. The basic function of OR is its ability to overhear the transmitted packet and to coordinate among relaying nodes. In this chapter, an exhaustive survey of existing OR protocols is done by considering various factors. More precisely, existing secure OR protocols are deliberated. Future directions of research are also included, which provide a superior way to overcome some of the limitations of these existing protocols. Through this detailed survey, an outline and in-depth knowledge of existing OR protocols can be acquired.
Detection Approaches for Categorization of Spam and Legitimate E-Mail
Authors: Dubey Rachnana , Maurya Jay Prakash , Thakur R. S.
Published: March 2018

The internet has become very popular, and the concept of electronic mail has made it easy and cheap to communicate with many people. But, many undesired mails are also received by users and the higher percentage of these e-mails is termed spam. The goal of spam classification is to distinguish between spam and legitimate e-mail messages. But, with the popularization of the internet, it is challenging to develop spam filters that can effectively eliminate the increasing volumes of unwanted e-mails automatically before they enter a user's mailbox. The main objective of this chapter is to examine and identify the best detection approach for spam categorization. Different types of algorithms and data mining models are proposed, implemented, and evaluated on data sets. For improvement of spam filtering technique, the authors analyze the methods of feature selection and give recommendations of their use. The chapter concludes that the data mining models using a combination of supervised learning algorithms provide better results than single data models.
Leadership
Authors: Campbell Andrew H.
Published: March 2018

This chapter aims to drive peace actors into new ways of thinking in developing peacebuilding activities by applying leadership frameworks to stabilize and reconstruct national institutions in a post-conflict environment. The examination will highlight the role of global leadership constructs play within peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. The discussion presents a mixture of leadership and peacebuilding disciplines by examining the intersection of theoretical leadership models with international relations, and conflict resolution construct as peacebuilders reconstitute national instruments of power in a post-conflict environment. More importantly, the purpose is to generate new knowledge that overlays leadership theory and application frameworks with its impact on the organizational and operational effectiveness of peace development institutions and organizations.
Cultural Intelligence Among Organizational Leaders as a Way to Enhance Peace and Conflict Resolution Within Organizations
Authors: Zyl Ebben Stegmann , Dinan Ann , Harunawamwe Martha
Published: March 2018

Organizational leaders are facing different kinds of challenges in the current business world. One critical challenge is their interaction with and management of individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds. The objective of this conceptual research chapter is to indicate how cultural intelligence among organizational leaders can enhance peace and conflict resolution within organizations. A cultural intelligence improvement model, as well as a model of peace leadership from the inside out (as part of emotional intelligence), are discussed as a way in which peace and conflict resolution can be enhanced within an organizational context.
Traditional Leaders in the Reconciliation of Muslim-Christian Conflicts in Moluccas
Authors: Malik Ichsan , Putera Vici Sofianna , Putra Idhamsyah Eka
Published: March 2018

It has been known that leaders play key roles in the reconciliation of intergroup conflicts. In Indonesia, during 1999-2003 of Muslims-Christians conflicts in Moluccas islands, the role of traditional leaders was essential in the reconciliation process. In this chapter, the authors aim to describe the efforts of conflict reconciliation in the Moluccas that happened in 1999-2003 in Indonesia. The chapter will (1) explore the pre-conflict condition to explain factors that triggered the conflict, (2) explain what occurred during the conflict as well as the condition, and (3) explain the process of how the traditional leaders got actively involved in the reconciliation process.
The Effects of Probiotic Cultures in Functional Foods
Authors: Kilic Gulden Basyigit
Published: March 2018

Functional foods are an important part of an overall healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and physical activity. The consumption of probiotic foods has many benefits. Dairy products that contain probiotic bacteria are those that are produced with various fermentation methods, especially lactic acid fermentation, by using starter cultures and those that have various textures and aromas. Fermented dairy probiotic products are popular due to their differences in taste and their favourable physiological effects. However, recent upsurge in interest of consumers towards dairy alternatives has opened up new research areas for developing non-dairy probiotic products. Different substrates such as cereals, fruit juices, vegetables can be used utilized for delivering these beneficial microorganisms. This chapter provides an insight on the recent research/developments about selection criteria of bacteria as probiotics and in the field of technological properties of probiotics.
Competition and Coordination in a Dual-Channel Supply Chain With Asymmetric Retailers
Authors: Zhang YuHang , Wang Ying
Published: March 2018

This article studies competition and coordination in a dual-channel supply chain where one supplier supplies homogeneous products to multiple asymmetric retailers, meanwhile, selling products to the end consumers acting as retailers, through a two-level Stackelberg game. This article first studies the asymmetry among the retailers in terms of the different characteristics of the cost, price, quantity. This article finds that a supplier's profits increase when the number of retailers are high enough in the retail market, even though the retail price of the retailers is lower than that of the supplier, or the wholesale price is cut down when there are many retailers competing in the retail market. On the other hand, under certain conditions, the efficiency of supply chain goes to 1. In this article, the authors show that some traditional contracts that can perfectly coordinate the single-channel supply chain, while failing to coordinate the dual-channel supply chain. Therefore, this article puts forth a linear quantity discount contract and first proves it can be applicable to the dual-channel supply chain with asymmetric retailers under a certain special condition where the lead retailer exits the retail market. The authors examine contracts which can reduce the loss of the efficiency, though they cannot completely coordinate a dual-channel supply chain.