bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dental consultations in UK general practice and antibiotic prescribing rates: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Cope Anwen L , Chestnutt Ivor G , Wood Fiona , Francis Nick A
Published: March 2016

Background

The frequency of consulting for dental problems in general medical practice, and antibiotic prescribing associated with these consultations, is poorly described.

Aim

To describe consultation rates and antibiotic use for dental problems in UK general medical practice, and explore factors associated with antibiotic prescribing for dental conditions.

Design and setting

A retrospective cohort study using Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a database of general practice patient records in the UK.

Method

All dental consultations between 2004 and 2013 were identified. The main outcome was the prescription of an antibiotic during a dental consultation. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted to examine factors associated with antibiotic prescription.

Results

In all, 288 169 dental consultations were included in the cohort. The average rate of dental consultations was 6.06 consultations per 1000 patient-years. Rates of dental consultation decreased from 6.84 consultations per 1000 patient-years in 2008, to 4.23 consultations per 1000 patient-years in 2013. Consultation rates were higher among females than males and highest in patients aged 20–29 years. An antibiotic was prescribed in 57.1% of consultations. Significant predictors (P<0.001) of antibiotic prescribing included: patient middle age, male sex, and previous consultations for tooth-related problems. Antibiotics were more likely to be prescribed during consultations in December (odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13 to 1.24,P<0.001, reference month: June) and on a Monday (OR 1.10, 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.13,P<0.001) or a Friday (OR 1.15, 95% CI = 1.12 to 1.18,P<0.001, reference day: Wednesday).

Conclusion

Consultation rates for dental problems in UK general practice are relatively low but more than half result in the prescription of an antibiotic. This raises concerns about patient morbidity and contributions to antimicrobial resistance.
Antibiotics from predatory bacteria
Authors: Korp Juliane , Vela Gurovic María S , Nett Markus
Published: March 2016

Bacteria, which prey on other microorganisms, are commonly found in the environment. While some of these organisms act as solitary hunters, others band together in large consortia before they attack their prey. Anecdotal reports suggest that bacteria practicing such a wolfpack strategy utilize antibiotics as predatory weapons. Consistent with this hypothesis, genome sequencing revealed that these micropredators possess impressive capacities for natural product biosynthesis. Here, we will present the results from recent chemical investigations of this bacterial group, compare the biosynthetic potential with that of non-predatory bacteria and discuss the link between predation and secondary metabolism.
L’auditeur face aux dilemmes éthiques : l’impact d’une formation à l’éthique sur la conformité au code de déontologie
Authors: Chaplais Christelle , Mard Yves , Marsat Sylvain
Published: March 2016

Dans le cadre de l’exercice de leur profession, les auditeurs sont confrontés à des situations impliquant des dilemmes éthiques. Nous nous demandons si une formation peut influencer le raisonnement éthique de l’auditeur et sa perception d’un dilemme. Pour cela, nous avons procédé à une expérimentation afin de déterminer si un cours d’éthique avait une influence sur le processus de raisonnement éthique et la perception de l’intensité morale des dilemmes éthiques. Les résultats montrent que la formation augmente la capacité à identifier un dilemme éthique, mais semble en limiter l’intensité perçue. D’autre part, de façon contre-intuitive, la formation semble diminuer l’intention d’agir strictement en conformité avec la déontologie, au profit d’une action plus en adéquation avec l’éthique personnelle de l’auditeur.
La réforme européenne de l’audit : où sont les académiques ?
Authors: Hottegindre Géraldine , Belze Loïc , Loison Marie-Claire
Published: March 2016

La recherche en audit se réfère fréquemment aux évolutions réglementaires pour justifier l’intérêt de ses travaux. La LSF (Loi de Sécurité Financière), la SOX ( Sarbanes-Oxley Act ) et plus récemment le Livre vert en matière d’audit légal constituent autant de points d’ancrage que l’on peut retrouver dans les écrits académiques. Bien qu’une contribution institutionnelle ou managériale soit régulièrement soulignée dans ces derniers, l’impact réel de ces travaux sur la pratique est rarement évalué. Cet article propose d’analyser la façon dont les académiques ont participé à l’élaboration d’un nouveau cadre européen en matière d’audit légal. L’étude se fait par l’analyse d’un impact direct et indirect. L’impact direct évalue la participation des académiques dans la phase de consultation du processus de régulation. L’impact indirect propose une analyse quantitative et qualitative des travaux académiques en les comparant aux solutions finalement adoptées par le régulateur. Les résultats démontrent un apport académique limité dans l’élaboration de cette réforme.
An Advanced Educational Tool for Digital Forensic Engineering
Authors: Cigoj Primož , Jerman Blažič Borka
Published: March 2016

This paper presents a novel approach to education in the area of digital forensics based on a multi-platform cloud-computer infrastructure and an innovative computer based tool. The tool is installed and available through the cloud-based infrastructure of the Dynamic Forensic Education Alliance. Cloud computing provides an efficient mechanism for a wide range of services that offer real-life environments for teaching and training cybersecurity and digital forensics. The cloud-based infrastructure, the virtualized environment and the developed educational tool enable the construction of a dynamic e-learning environment making the training very close to reality and to real-life situations. The paper presents the Dynamic Forensic Digital tool named EduFors and describes the different levels of college and university education where the tool is introduced and used in the training of future investigators of cybercrime events.
Analyzing the Potential of Flipped Classroom in ESL Teaching
Authors: Kvashnina Olga Sergeevna , Martynko Ekaterina Andreevna
Published: March 2016

Despite the buzz around the flipped or inverted classroom as a new trend in educational practice and research, there is a limited number of studies on its effectiveness in English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching. This paper aims at contributing to the field of flipped classroom research by examining and analyzing the outcomes of the experiment conducted at the Tomsk Polytechnic University within the course of English for Engineering. Outlining several challenges, the authors conclude on the significant benefits of the flipped classroom model in ESL teaching including an increase in students’ overall performance on the course, enhancement of students’ motivation and improvement of their autonomous learning skills.
"Once upon a Time there was..." A Digital World for Junior High School Learners
Authors: Batsila Marianthi , Tsihouridis Charilaos
Published: March 2016

This paper looks into what Junior High School learners think of the Web 2.0 tool “Storyboard” for digital story telling purposes and investigates the extent to which it can enhance their receptive and productive skills of reading and writing in the English language. Fifty one randomly selected students, who created a digital story based on a relevant instructive scenario, and their teachers took part in the research. The quantitatively analyzed teachers’ and students’ interviews results and learners’ post-tests data revealed that the tool is considered very motivating and useful increasing learners’ aforementioned English language skills. As learners and teachers indicate “Storyboard” has offered them moments of happiness and joy during their school activities and made their lesson creative and interesting.
From Flagship Store to Factory: Tracing the Spaces of Transnational Clothing Production in Istanbul
Authors: Hagemann Anke
Published: March 2016

The globalized production of consumer goods and its specific settings and circulation routes have not yet played a significant role in research into the effects of globalization on cities and urban built structures – although industrial production for the world market is obviously shaping urban environments in newly industrialized countries across the globe. This article examines global commodity chains as an integral strand of urban research, in particular, by tracing a transnational production chain in the clothing industry and investigating the urban setting and architectural profile of selected stations thereof – from sites of clothing retail in Berlin to sites of wholesale, clothing production and home-based work in Istanbul and beyond. Aspects of representation and visibility are a primary focus: How does the position of a certain production step within the value chain correspond to its material presence in the city and the representative function of its architecture? Following commodities along their transnational production and trading routes offers a new perspective on globalization and the urban built environment. It reveals translocal connections between various urban places and exposes the spatial logic of a hierarchical production system.
What Can Reverse Mentoring Relationships Contribute to Communities of Practice involving Developed and Rising Economies?
Authors: Dunham Annette H. , Ross Madeleine
Published: March 2016

Communities of practice have been proposed as effective means of building cooperative knowledge sharing relationships between locals and experts from emerging and developed economies (including divisions within some multinational companies). Mentoring relationships in general have been found to support the work of communities of practice. Reverse mentoring relationships are the reverse to what is traditionally expected of a mentoring relationship; they involve the mentoring of a mature or more experienced employee by a younger or generally less experienced employee, but also have the potential to offer much to communities of practice. In the context of communities of practice involving developed and emerging economies, reverse mentoring relationships have the potential to facilitate nationals' (the reverse mentors) sharing of local knowledge while at the same time providing them with leadership development courtesy of the developed country's representative(s) (the reverse mentee(s)), a winning solution for communities of practice and multinational companies. This chapter outlines the benefits of reverse mentoring relationships for communities of practice, and identifies some potential challenges for these partnerships. The implications of these for managers and practitioners are outlined. An agenda for research into reverse mentoring arrangements will complete this chapter. The aim of the chapter is to show how reverse mentoring relationships can complement the work of communities of practice in fostering co-operative knowledge sharing between those in developed and emerging economies.
Bridging the digital divide in Sri Lanka: some challenges and opportunities in using Sinhala in ICT
Authors: Nandasara S. T. , Mikami Yoshiki
Published: March 2016

The "digital divide" is the gap in technology usage and access. The digital divide has been investigated by scholars [1] and policy makers [2] mainly as an economy-specific issue that permeates the population across all demographic profiles, such as income, gender, age, education, race, and region, but not specific to the languages of different communities. The lack of native language driven ICT is a major conducive factor in digital divide.Sinhala writing system used in Sri Lanka is a syllabic writing system derived from Brahmi which consist of vowels, consonants, diacritical marks and special symbols constructs. Several of these constructs are combined to form complex ligatures. The total number of different glyphs is almost close to 2300 in Sinhala language. Thus, all computer equipments that support Sinhala language needs to support a greater degree of complexity in both display and printing with near minimal changes to the keyboard or the input systems. In this paper we discuss (1) historical background of the Sinhala writing system, (2) Sinhala scripts’ characteristics and complexities and illustrate (3) how Sinhala computing technology has evolved over the last quarter century. Major steps are marked by the design of character code standards as a corner stone of whole architecture for text processing. A case described in this article of “Digital Inclusion” shows how small communities of non-Roman script users can connect to the Romanized system dominated cyberspace.
Low Frequency Based Seismic Data Processing: An Effective Tool for Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator in Complex Lithological Environment
Authors: Pandey Gayatri , Goel R. K. , Harilal Harilal
Published: March 2016

In seismic data processing removal of very low frequency is the conventional approach but the preservation of low frequency become important in highly absorptive media, where we are interested in extracting the geological information associated with low frequencies. The reflection coefficient is the function of frequency in fluid saturated media and anomalously high amplitude at low frequency can indicate presence of hydrocarbon which is normally not observed in conventional seismic data. Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is used for extraction of low frequency from the seismic data, which is a spectral decomposition method. The application of spectral decomposition includes layer thickness determination, stratigraphic visualization and direct hydrocarbon detection (DHI), which have a great significance in hydrocarbon exploration.

The concept of reflectivity of low frequency band of seismic energy related to presence of hydrocarbons is established theoretically for quite some time. Now efforts are made to establish this in the industry for detection of hydrocarbons. The present study is the case study from Western offshore basin, India where data is processed with preservation of low frequencies and taking utmost care while selecting input parameters like band pass filter, wavelet matching and amplitude matching. Broadly, the processing steps included standard signal processing techniques without affecting the relative amplitudes and preserving low end of frequency bandwidth.

To examine low frequency, input data has been analyzed for the maximum frequency present in the study area. The input data for low frequency analysis was taken as Pre Stack Time Migration (PSTM) volume. Using in-house developed program for complex continuous wavelet transform (CCWT) of seismic traces low frequency volumes from input PSTM data were extracted. We have analyzed where the peak amplitude has occurred with respect to scale in low frequency volume. This peak amplitude value with respect to low frequency extracted from the volume may signify the indication of hydrocarbon bearing zones. In a properly processed low frequency section/volume the amplitude brightening may be used as direct hydrocarbon indicator. The frequency dependent reflectivity which is supposed to be higher at lower frequency range for a fluid saturated interface should produce higher amplitude on a low frequency section compared to the surrounding (with no fluid saturation). From the seismic data suitable low frequency volume is generated using continuous wavelet transform (CWT) method.

The present study reveals that how low frequency based seismic data processing can help to identify the high amplitude at low frequency in fluid saturated zones, which is not observed in conventional processed data. This methodology is significantly useful for generation of locales for exploration/exploitation in complex lithological environment where other approaches fail.
Influence of Additional Heat Treatment on Performance of High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel
Authors: Kobayashi Kenji , Otome Yohei , Ohe Taro , Tomio Yusaku , Takabe Hideki , Amaya Hisashi
Published: March 2016

High chromium martensitic stainless steels (MSS), for example 13Cr steel, are widely used as OCTG tubing material for corrosive oil and gas wells. These materials are manufactured by quenching and tempering processes. Recently, the opportunities when the materials experience additional heat treatment (reheating) increase. However, influence of reheating on mechanical properties has not been clarified yet. In this study, influences of reheating on mechanical properties of martensitic stainless steel were investigated in order to clarify the behavior of 475 °C embrittlement in these materials. In addition, appropriate heat treatment conditions for these materials are proposed to provide martensitic stainless steel with good mechanical properties after reheating.

Three kinds of martensitic stainless steel pipes (0.2C-13Cr, 13Cr-5Ni-0.6Mo, and 12Cr-5.5Ni-2Mo) manufactured by quenching and tempering processes were used in this study. Several additional heat treatments were applied to these materials for simulating reheating by changing the temperature from 315 to 482 °C (600 to 900 °F) for 24 hours. Tensile test, hardness test and Charpy impact test were carried out to evaluate the change of mechanical properties by reheating. Furthermore, laser-assisted wide angle three-dimensional atom probe (LA-3DAP) was employed in order to observe the chromium-rich cluster produced by long-term reheating at a specific temperature condition.

The effect of reheating on mechanical properties of 0.2C-13Cr steel was not observed clearly in the range of test conditions. Modified 13Cr martensitic stainless steel containing nickel showed the increase of YS, TS, and hardness. In addition, deterioration of toughness by reheating around 400 °C for 24 hours was observed. The LA-3DAP analysis on modified 13Cr steel showed that chromium-rich clusters of a few nanometer size existed. To explain the 475 °C embrittlement of martensitic stainless steel, a thermodynamic calculation of critical condition of bcc phase separation was also conducted. From the results of the calculation and the estimated effective chromium of steel, the effect of reheating temperature on the embrittlement for martensitic stainless steel was discussed.

For martensitic stainless steel, reheating around 400 °C should be avoided because of 475 °C embrittlement. When the additional heat treatment is inevitable, the process condition should be carefully reflected to minimize the embrittlement, for example, low temperature, high temperature, and/or short duration.
Atmospheric speciated mercury concentrations on an island between China and Korea: sources and transport pathways
Authors: Lee Gang-San , Kim Pyung-Rae , Han Young-Ji , Holsen Thomas M. , Seo Yong-Seok , Yi Seung-Muk
Published: March 2016

Abstract. As a global pollutant, mercury (Hg) is of particular concern in East Asia, where anthropogenic emissions are the largest. In this study, speciated Hg concentrations were measured on Yongheung Island, the westernmost island in Korea, located between China and the Korean mainland to identify the importance of local and regional Hg sources. Various tools including correlations with other pollutants, conditional probability function, and back-trajectory-based analysis consistently indicated that Korean sources were important for gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) whereas, for total gaseous mercury (TGM) and particulate bound mercury (PBM), regional transport was also important. A trajectory cluster based approach, considering both Hg concentration and the fraction of time each cluster was impacting the site, was developed to quantify the effect of Korean sources and out-of-Korean sources. This analysis suggests that contributions from out-of-Korean sources were similar to Korean sources for TGM whereas Korean sources contributed slightly more to the concentration variations of GOM and PBM compared to out-of-Korean sources. The ratio of GOM/PBM decreased when the site was impacted by regional transport, suggesting that this ratio may be a useful tool for identifying the relative significance of local sources vs. regional transport. The secondary formation of PBM through gas-particle partitioning with GOM was found to be important at low temperatures and high relative humidity.
Atmospheric constraints on the methane emissions from the East Siberian Shelf
Authors: Berchet Antoine , Bousquet Philippe , Pison Isabelle , Locatelli Robin , Chevallier Frédéric , Paris Jean-Daniel , Dlugokencky Ed J. , Laurila Tuomas , Hatakka Juha , Viisanen Yrjo , Worthy Doug E. J. , Nisbet Euan , Fisher Rebecca , France James , Lowry David , Ivakhov Viktor , Hermansen Ove
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Subsea permafrost and hydrates in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) constitute a substantial carbon pool, and a potentially large source of methane to the atmosphere. Previous studies based on interpolated oceanographic campaigns estimated atmospheric emissions from this area at 8–17 TgCH4 yr−1. Here, we propose insights based on atmospheric observations to evaluate these estimates. The comparison of high-resolution simulations of atmospheric methane mole fractions to continuous methane observations during the whole year 2012 confirms the high variability and heterogeneity of the methane releases from ESAS. A reference scenario with ESAS emissions of 8 TgCH4 yr−1, in the lower part of previously estimated emissions, is found to largely overestimate atmospheric observations in winter, likely related to overestimated methane leakage through sea ice. In contrast, in summer, simulations are more consistent with observations. Based on a comprehensive statistical analysis of the observations and of the simulations, annual methane emissions from ESAS are estimated to range from 0.0 to 4.5 TgCH4 yr−1. Isotopic observations suggest a biogenic origin (either terrestrial or marine) of the methane in air masses originating from ESAS during late summer 2008 and 2009.
A new approach for measuring the UV-Vis optical properties of ambient aerosols
Authors: Bluvshtein Nir , Flores J. Michel , Segev Lior , Rudich Yinon
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosols play an important part in the Earth's energy budget by scattering and absorbing incoming solar and outgoing terrestrial radiation. To quantify the effective radiative forcing due to aerosol–radiation interactions, researchers must obtain a detailed understanding of the spectrally dependent intensive and extensive optical properties of different aerosol types. Our new approach obtains the optical coefficients and the single scattering albedo of the total aerosol population over 300–650 nm wavelength, using a broadband cavity-enhanced spectrometer (extinction), a photoacoustic cell coupled to a cavity ring down spectrometer (extinction and absorption), and a nephelometer (scattering). Combining these coefficients with aerosol size distribution data, we retrieved the time- and wavelength-dependent effective complex refractive index of the aerosols. Retrieval simulations and laboratory measurements of brown carbon proxies showed low absolute errors and good agreement with expected and reported values. Finally, we utilized our new broadband method to achieve continuous spectral and time-dependent monitoring of an ambient polydisperse aerosols population, including, for the first time, extinction measurements using cavity enhanced spectrometry in the 315 to 345 nm UV range, in which significant light absorption may occur.
Statistical framework for estimating GNSS bias
Authors: Vierinen Juha , Coster Anthea J. , Rideout William C. , Erickson Philip J. , Norberg Johannes
Published: March 2016

Abstract. We present a statistical framework for estimating global navigation satellite system (GNSS) non-ionospheric differential time delay bias. The biases are estimated by examining differences of measured line-integrated electron densities (total electron content: TEC) that are scaled to equivalent vertical integrated densities. The spatiotemporal variability, instrumentation-dependent errors, and errors due to inaccurate ionospheric altitude profile assumptions are modeled as structure functions. These structure functions determine how the TEC differences are weighted in the linear least-squares minimization procedure, which is used to produce the bias estimates. A method for automatic detection and removal of outlier measurements that do not fit into a model of receiver bias is also described. The same statistical framework can be used for a single receiver station, but it also scales to a large global network of receivers. In addition to the Global Positioning System (GPS), the method is also applicable to other dual-frequency GNSS systems, such as GLONASS (Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema). The use of the framework is demonstrated in practice through several examples. A specific implementation of the methods presented here is used to compute GPS receiver biases for measurements in the MIT Haystack Madrigal distributed database system. Results of the new algorithm are compared with the current MIT Haystack Observatory MAPGPS (MIT Automated Processing of GPS) bias determination algorithm. The new method is found to produce estimates of receiver bias that have reduced day-to-day variability and more consistent coincident vertical TEC values.
The WAIS Divide deep ice core WD2014 chronology – Part 2: Annual-layer counting (0–31 ka BP)
Authors: Sigl Michael , Fudge Tyler J. , Winstrup Mai , Cole-Dai Jihong , Ferris David , McConnell Joseph R. , Taylor Ken C. , Welten Kees C. , Woodruff Thomas E. , Adolphi Florian , Bisiaux Marion , Brook Edward J. , Buizert Christo , Caffee Marc W. , Dunbar Nelia W. , Edwards Ross , Geng Lei , Iverson Nels , Koffman Bess , Layman Lawrence , Maselli Olivia J. , McGwire Kenneth , Muscheler Raimund , Nishiizumi Kunihiko , Pasteris Daniel R. , Rhodes Rachael H. , Sowers Todd A.
Published: March 2016

Abstract. We present the WD2014 chronology for the upper part (0–2850 m; 31.2 ka BP) of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide (WD) ice core. The chronology is based on counting of annual layers observed in the chemical, dust and electrical conductivity records. These layers are caused by seasonal changes in the source, transport, and deposition of aerosols. The measurements were interpreted manually and with the aid of two automated methods. We validated the chronology by comparing to two high-accuracy, absolutely dated chronologies. For the Holocene, the cosmogenic isotope records of 10Be from WAIS Divide and 14C for IntCal13 demonstrated that WD2014 was consistently accurate to better than 0.5 % of the age. For the glacial period, comparisons to the Hulu Cave chronology demonstrated that WD2014 had an accuracy of better than 1 % of the age at three abrupt climate change events between 27 and 31 ka. WD2014 has consistently younger ages than Greenland ice core chronologies during most of the Holocene. For the Younger Dryas–Preboreal transition (11.595 ka; 24 years younger) and the Bølling–Allerød Warming (14.621 ka; 7 years younger), WD2014 ages are within the combined uncertainties of the timescales. Given its high accuracy, WD2014 can become a reference chronology for the Southern Hemisphere, with synchronization to other chronologies feasible using high-quality proxies of volcanism, solar activity, atmospheric mineral dust, and atmospheric methane concentrations.
Validation of the ALARO-0 model within the EURO-CORDEX framework
Authors: Giot Olivier , Termonia Piet , Degrauwe Daan , De Troch Rozemien , Caluwaerts Steven , Smet Geert , Berckmans Julie , Deckmyn Alex , De Cruz Lesley , De Meutter Pieter , Duerinckx Annelies , Gerard Luc , Hamdi Rafiq , Van den Bergh Joris , Van Ginderachter Michiel , Van Schaeybroeck Bert
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Using the regional climate model ALARO-0, the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium and Ghent University have performed two simulations of the past observed climate within the framework of the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). The ERA-Interim reanalysis was used to drive the model for the period 1979–2010 on the EURO-CORDEX domain with two horizontal resolutions, 0.11 and 0.44°. ALARO-0 is characterised by the new microphysics scheme 3MT, which allows for a better representation of convective precipitation. In Kotlarski et al. (2014) several metrics assessing the performance in representing seasonal mean near-surface air temperature and precipitation are defined and the corresponding scores are calculated for an ensemble of models for different regions and seasons for the period 1989–2008. Of special interest within this ensemble is the ARPEGE model by the Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM), which shares a large amount of core code with ALARO-0. Results show that ALARO-0 is capable of representing the European climate in an acceptable way as most of the ALARO-0 scores lie within the existing ensemble. However, for near-surface air temperature, some large biases, which are often also found in the ARPEGE results, persist. For precipitation, on the other hand, the ALARO-0 model produces some of the best scores within the ensemble and no clear resemblance to ARPEGE is found, which is attributed to the inclusion of 3MT. Additionally, a jackknife procedure is applied to the ALARO-0 results in order to test whether the scores are robust, meaning independent of the period used to calculate them. Periods of 20 years are sampled from the 32-year simulation and used to construct the 95 % confidence interval for each score. For most scores, these intervals are very small compared to the total ensemble spread, implying that model differences in the scores are significant.
Use of cosmic-ray neutron sensors for soil moisture monitoring in forests
Authors: Heidbüchel Ingo , Güntner Andreas , Blume Theresa
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Measuring soil moisture with cosmic-ray neutrons is a promising technique for intermediate spatial scales. To convert neutron counts to average volumetric soil water content a simple calibration function can be used (the N0-calibration of Desilets et al., 2010). The calibration is based on soil water content derived directly from soil samples taken within the footprint of the sensor. We installed a cosmic-ray neutron sensor (CRS) in a mixed forest in the lowlands of north-eastern Germany and calibrated it 10 times throughout one calendar year. Each calibration with the N0-calibration function resulted in a different CRS soil moisture time series, with deviations of up to 0.1 m3 m−3 (24 % of the total range) for individual values of soil water content. Also, many of the calibration efforts resulted in time series that could not be matched with independent in situ measurements of soil water content. We therefore suggest a modified calibration function with a different shape that can vary from one location to another. A two-point calibration was found to effectively define the shape of the modified calibration function if the calibration points were taken during both dry and wet conditions spanning at least half of the total range of soil moisture. The best results were obtained when the soil samples used for calibration were linearly weighted as a function of depth in the soil profile and nonlinearly weighted as a function of distance from the CRS, and when the depth-specific amount of soil organic matter and lattice water content was explicitly considered. The annual cycle of tree foliation was found to be a negligible factor for calibration because the variable hydrogen mass in the leaves was small compared to the hydrogen mass changes by soil moisture variations. As a final point, we provide a calibration guide for a CRS in forested environments.
Disentangling timing and amplitude errors in streamflow simulations
Authors: Seibert Simon Paul , Ehret Uwe , Zehe Erwin
Published: March 2016

Abstract. This article introduces an improvement in the Series Distance (SD) approach for improved discrimination and visualisation of timing and magnitude uncertainties in streamflow simulations. SD emulates visual hydrograph comparison by distinguishing periods of low-flow and periods of rise and recession in hydrological events. Within these periods, it determines the distance of two hydrographs not between points of equal time, but between points that are hydrologically similar. The improvement comprises an automated procedure to emulate visual "coarse-graining", i.e. the determination of an optimal level of generalization when comparing two hydrographs, a scaled error model which is better applicable across large discharge ranges than its non-scaled counterpart, and "error dressing", a concept to construct uncertainty ranges around deterministic simulations or forecasts. Error dressing includes an approach to sample empirical error distributions by increasing variance contribution, which can be extended from standard 1-dimensional distributions to the 2-dimensional distributions of combined time and magnitude errors provided by SD. In a case study we apply both the SD concept and a benchmark model (BM) based on standard magnitude errors to a six-year time series of observations and simulations from a small alpine catchment. Time-magnitude error characteristics for low-flow, rising and falling limbs of events were substantially different. Their separate treatment within SD therefore preserves useful information which can be used for differentiated model diagnostics, and which is not contained in standard criteria like the Nash-Sutcliffe-Efficiency. Construction of uncertainty ranges based on the magnitude of errors of the BM approach and the combined time- and magnitude errors of the SD approach revealed that the BM derived ranges were visually more narrow and statistically superior to the SD ranges. This suggests that the combined use of time- and magnitude errors to construct uncertainty envelopes implies a trade-off between the added value of explicitly considering timing errors and the associated, inevitable time-spreading effect which "inflates" the related uncertainty ranges. Which effect dominates depends on the characteristics of timing errors in the hydrographs at hand. Our findings corroborate that Series Distance is an elaborated concept for the comparison of simulated and observed stream flow time series which can be used for detailed hydrological analysis, model diagnostics and to inform about uncertainties related to hydrological predictions.
The effectiveness of jute and coir blankets for erosion control in different field and laboratory conditions
Authors: Kalibová Jana , Jačka Lukáš , Petrů Jan
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Vegetation cover is found to be an ideal solution to most problems of erosion on steep slopes. Biodegradable geotextiles (GTXs) have been proved to provide sufficient protection against soil loss in the period before vegetation reaches maturity, so favouring soil formation processes. In this study, 500 g m−2 jute (J500), 400 g m−2 (C400), and 700 g m−2 coir (C700) GTXs were first installed on a 9° slope under “no-infiltration” laboratory conditions, then on a 27° slope under natural field conditions. The impact of GTXs on run-off and soil loss was investigated to compare the performance of GTXs under different conditions. Laboratory run-off ratio (percentage portion of control plot) equalled 78, 83, and 91 %, while peak discharge ratio equalled 83, 91, and 97 % for J500, C700, and C400 respectively. In the field, a run-off ratio of 31, 62, and 79 %, and peak discharge ratio of 37, 74, and 87 % were recorded for C700, J500, and C400 respectively. All tested GTXs significantly decreased soil erosion. The greatest soil loss reduction in the field was observed for J500 (by 99.4 %), followed by C700 (by 97.9 %) and C400 (by 93.8 %). Irrespective of slope gradient or experimental condition, C400 performed with lower run-off and peak discharge reduction than J500 and C700. The performance ranking of J500 and C700 in the laboratory differed from the field, which may be explained by different slope gradients, and also by the role of soil, which was not included in the laboratory experiment.
Multi-phase classification by a least-squares support vector machine approach in tomography images of geological samples
Authors: Khan Faisal , Enzmann Frieder , Kersten Michael
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Image processing of X-ray-computed polychromatic cone-beam micro-tomography (μXCT) data of geological samples mainly involves artefact reduction and phase segmentation. For the former, the main beam-hardening (BH) artefact is removed by applying a best-fit quadratic surface algorithm to a given image data set (reconstructed slice), which minimizes the BH offsets of the attenuation data points from that surface. A Matlab code for this approach is provided in the Appendix. The final BH-corrected image is extracted from the residual data or from the difference between the surface elevation values and the original grey-scale values. For the segmentation, we propose a novel least-squares support vector machine (LS-SVM, an algorithm for pixel-based multi-phase classification) approach. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed on BH-corrected and uncorrected samples to show that BH correction is in fact an important prerequisite for accurate multi-phase classification. The combination of the two approaches was thus used to classify successfully three different more or less complex multi-phase rock core samples.
Analysis of Maize Processing in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria
Authors: J. Ovharhe O.
Published: March 2016

This article was centered on the analysis of maize processing in Ughelli-North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to identify the socio-economic characteristics of farmers involved in maize processing, analyze the methods of maize processing, ascertain the level of awareness of improved technology in maize processing and identify the various products of maize in the area. One Hundred questionnaires were administered to the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using simple statistical tools such as frequency distribution, percentages and regression model. Some findings from the analysis revealed that female (91%) were more into maize processing than male (9%). The research also revealed that 91% of the respondents used traditional processing method and their level awareness to improve maize varieties and product is 65%. The level of access to modern technology is low. The result from the analysis showed that R = 0.702, R2 = 0.690 at P = 0.034. This showed that some of the socio­economic characteristics of the farmers did affect maize processing. Necessary recommendations included males particularly youth should be encouraged to go into maize processing and should not be regarded as females’ jobs, all age categories and farmers with no formal education should be encouraged to go into maize processing, more awareness on improved varieties should be brought to farmers and credit facilities should be made available to farmers and increase in accessibility to modern maize processing techniques.
البيئة الرقمية المكتبة والمستفيد نظرة مستقبلية
Authors: Bouanaka Souad
Published: March 2016

البيئة الرقمية المكتبة والمستفيد نظرة مستقبلية

في مناخ عمل يتسم بالتطور السريع وخيارات عديدة أمام المستفيدين، تواجه المكتبات اليوم أكثر من أي وقت مضى تحديات عديدة و رغبات لا متناهية لمجتمعها، ما جعلها تعيش في مأزق متعدد الأوجه، سرعة تقادم منتجاتها من جهة وانصراف مستفيديها عنها وتعدد مناهل المعرفة لديهم من جهة ثانية، لذلك فهي تسعى حثيثة لمجابهة و تلبية رغباتهم وكسب ولائهم، لأنهم ضمان لاستقرارها ومبررا لوجودها.
لقد تغيرت بيئة المكتبة، فاستبدلت بدورها الكثير من المفاهيم التقليدية بمفاهيم جديدة، وبدأت في التحول من شكلها التقليدي إلى الحديث، كما أتاحت أساليب غير مسبوقة لتطوير المكتبات، ما أستوجب على مهني القطاع استشراف المستقبل، لتلبية احتياجات سوق المعلومات الحالية. تحاول هذه الدراسة استكشاف معالم المكتبة والمشهد المعلوماتي في المستقبل وكذا سبل وآليات دفع و إحياء العلاقة بين المكتبة و مستفيديها في بيئة رقمية تعددت مصادر المعرفة فيها
Employment for Librarians in the UAE: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Kaba Abdoulaye
Published: March 2016

Employment for Librarians in the UAE: Opportunities and Challenges

The success of an educational program can be measured by the employment opportunities occupied by the graduates in the market. The higher the successes of an educational program the higher employment opportunities for graduates. For more than centuries, library and information science schools have prepared and trained thousands of students in information management, cataloguing and classification, documentation, preservation and conservation of manuscript, collection management, etc. However, most of these students suffer from lack of employment opportunity compared to other disciplines and specializations.
The main purpose of this study is to investigate employment opportunities for library and information professionals in the UAE. The study will try to answer the following questions:
How librarians perceive employment of library professionals in the UAE?
What are the job opportunities for library professionals in the UAE?
What are the challenges facing library professionals in the UAE?
Do library schools in the Gulf countries offer programs that match job titles advertised in the UAE?
What can be done to improve employment opportunities for librarians in the Gulf countries?
The study will use survey questionnaire to collect data on the perceptions of librarians towards employment opportunities in the UAE. In addition, data of job advertisements published in the newspapers and websites of employment agents from January 2014 to December 2015 will be collected. The collected data will be analyzed and discussed using frequency distributions, percentages and percentages. Findings may contribute to the understanding and improvement of employment opportunities for library professionals in the UAE and Gulf countries.
الصور الذهنية لمهنة المكتبات والمعلومات ومستقبلها
Authors: قبلان القبلان نجاح
Published: March 2016

الصور الذهنية لمهنة المكتبات والمعلومات ومستقبلها

أن مواجهة التحديات التي تواجهه المكتبات ومؤسسات المعلومات والتطلع لريادة تطوير هذه المهنة ضمن التقدم الهائل للتقنية وحركة العولمة الشاملة لكل شيء في الحياة والمنافسة في مجال إدارة الأعمال والاقتصاد لابد ان ينطلق من الصورة الذهنية الاجتماعية بداية لهذه المهنة حيث تمثل الصورة الذهنية مجموعه المعارف والأفكار و المعتقدات التي تتكون في اذهان الناس عن ماضي هذه المؤسسات المعلوماتية و حاضرها و مستقبلها ودورها العلمي والاقتصادي والاجتماعي ويمكن السياسي أيضاً ... وسواء تكونت هذه الصورة من التجربة المباشرة أو غير المباشرة؛ وسواء كانت عقلانية تعتمد على الأدلة والوثائق أو أنها صور غير رشيدة تقوم على الإشاعات والأقوال غير الموثقة. لكنها في النهاية تمثل واقعاً صادقاً بالنسبة لمن يحملونها في رؤوسهم ولن تتطور هذه المؤسسات مالم تصحح تلك الصور في ذهان المجتمع لتعزيز مكانة المهنة ودعم مسارات تعليمها وانتاجها وخدمات مؤسساتها. وعليه يهدف هذا البحث إلى الكشف عن الصورة الذهنية لمهنة المكتبات والمعلومات من خلال دراسة منهجية تحاول المساهمة في التعرف كيف يرى المجتمع هذه المهنة، وبناء عليه يمكن اقتراح توصيات تعزز من الفهم الحقيق لمهنة المكتبات والمعلومات تسهم في وضع خطط واقعية لتطوير المؤسسات التعليمية والمؤسسات الخدمية وكذلك الجمعيات العلمية ترفع من الانطباعات الذاتية للأفراد والجماعات لتتوافق مع الطموح الحالي والمستقبلي لمهنة المكتبات والمعلومات.
نموذج أبوظبي للمكتبات العامة في الأماكن العامة
Authors: Abu Eid Emad
Published: March 2016

نموذج أبوظبي للمكتبات العامة في الأماكن العامة

تهدف الورقة إلى تسليط الضوء على تجربة إقامة مكتبات العامة في الأماكن العامة في مدينة أبوظبي بدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. يستخدم الباحث المنهج الوصفي التحليلي لاستعراض وضع المكتبات العامة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة بشكل عام، وتفاصيل إقامة مكتبات عامة في الحدائق والشواطئ العامة لتقديم الخدمات المكتبية فيها. ويستعرض الباحث مراحل العمل بدأ بالإعداد والتخطيط، ومن ثم التنفيذ، وصولا إلى التقييم، وانتهاء بمجالات التحسين. كما يوضح الباحث نتائج الدراسات المسحية الخمسة التي أجريت لمعرفة احتياجات سكان المناطق في مدينة أبوظبي من المكتبات العامة والخدمات المكتبية وتوجهاتهم المعرفية والقرائية. ومن أهم النتائج التي خلص إليها المشروع افتتاح أربع مكتبات عامة ومكتبة خامسة جاري العمل فيها حسب الخطة الخمسية المخطط لها ضمن البرنامج الزمني. ونتيجة لذلك حازت هذه المكتبات على مستويات رضا عالية من قبل المستفيدين حسب نتائج دراسات الرضا حيث وصلت نسبة الرضا إلى 93- 95% عام 2014.
Impact of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction on Writing Achievement of Upper-Intermediate EFL Learners
Authors: Solati-Dehkordi Seyed Amir , Salehi Hadi
Published: March 2016

Studying explicit vocabulary instruction effects on improving L2 learners’ writing skill and their short and long-term retention is the purpose of the present study. To achieve the mentioned goal, a fill-in-the blank test including 36 single words and 60 lexical phrases were administrated to 30 female upper-intermediate EFL learners. The EFL participants were asked to write a composition titled 'A Cruel Sport' after a reading activity on 'Bull Fighting'. Comparing this writing to the one written after target vocabulary instruction, it caused a significant increase in the number of vocabularies used productively in learners’ writing. The statistical analysis revealed that in delayed writing, the participant retained the newly-learned vocabularies even sometimes after the instruction. Based on the obtained results, this research offers below suggestions for L2 instructors: 1) productive use of words is not guaranteed by word comprehension per se, 2) learners are not only able to increase the active vocabulary under their control but also use the words they just learned, 3) in a writing task which was immediately fulfilled through explicit vocabulary instruction, vocabulary recognition is converted into a productive one, improving retention and leading to productive use of newly learned vocabulary at the same time. This productiveness, however, is loss prone and more practice is needed in producing newly learned vocabulary.
Some Factors that Affecting the Performance of Mathematics Teachers in Junior High School in Medan
Authors: Manullang Martua , Rajagukguk Waminton
Published: March 2016

Some Factor’s That Affecting The Mathematic Teacher Performance For Junior High School In Medan. This research will examine the effect of direct and indirect of the Organizational Knowledge towards the achievement motivation, decision making, organizational commitment, the performance of mathematics teacher. The research method is a method of surveying the number of respondents as many as 102 teachers of mathematics taken by stratified proportional random sampling. The research found there is a direct influence of organizational knowledge on achievement motivation, decision making, organizational commitment and the performance of math teacher respectively 16.3%, 13.1%, 12.2% and 4.54%. Achievement motivation, decision making, and organizational commitment have directly effects on the performance of mathematics teacher. The magnitude of changes in performance that can directly determine organizational knowledge, achievement motivation, decision-making and organizational commitment respectively are 10.24%, 12.32%, 3.42% and 2.92%. To teachers of mathematics, in order to improve the understanding of the knowledge of the organization, increase achievement motivation through desire superior achievement and improvement of organizational commitment. For heads and school inspectors, need to improve clinical supervision and foster good communication increases the openness and good cooperation with teachers of mathematics, and for the head of the city education field, is expected to give a briefing and training for teachers, race through the efforts competitions drafting paper development learning mathematics.