bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trends in Religiosity and Religious Affiliation
Authors: Christiano Kevin J.
Published: May 2015

This essay examines studies of trends in religion and religiosity, concentrating on the case of the United States but periodically comparing that country to other societies as well.

The summary of research opens with an overview of the putative wisdom received from the once‐dominant belief in the process of secularization. It proceeds to a consideration of American habits of religious affiliation and switching, followed by a discussion of rates of participation in religious activities (most notably, the reported reductions across denominations in attendance at church services over the past half‐century). Featured next are recognition of the rising proportions of people who claim no religious preference at all and of those who adhere to a world faith other than Judaism or Christianity.

Finally, the narrative ventures several informed predictions concerning the contours of religion's future and concludes by identifying some of the theoretical and methodological challenges that any disciplinary or interdisciplinary understanding of religion will confront in a changed and changing world.
Trends in the Analysis of Interstate Rivalries
Authors: Thompson William R.
Published: May 2015

The analysis of interstate rivalries is still a relatively new approach to studying conflict in world politics. The basic idea is that a disproportionate amount of interstate conflict is traceable to a very small number of state pairs that engage in recidivistic hostilities. Why not focus more on the recidivists? The question is what should we focus on? Six analytical categories are reviewed. It is argued that we have good foundations in terms of rivalry origins, maintenance/escalation, and termination/de‐escalation. We can certainly improve on the foundations but we also need to expand our understanding of rivalry “complexities,” rivalry effects, and domestic rivalries.
Trust and Economic Organization
Authors: Cook Karen S. , State Bogdan
Published: May 2015

During the past four decades, the role of trust in the economy has gained increasing attention beginning with economist Kenneth Arrow's contention that trust is the lubricant of the economy increasing efficiency and saving on transactions costs. It is also important in the political realm, facilitating collective action. Robert Putnam, among others, contends that trust, as one component of social capital, is a key factor in the vibrancy of civil society. Both economists and social psychologists have used game theory and experimental methods to investigate trust and reciprocity. A key question remains How is trust maintained in the absence of monitoring, especially in the case of principal–agent relations? Economic historians and anthropologists have identified several mechanisms that serve to facilitate trust‐based interactions across space and time. In the context of organizations and management, a wide range of trust‐related issues have been explored, especially in the wake of Enron (a company no longer in existence) and the more recent failure of investment banks and other large financial institutions. At the macro‐level, Francis Fukuyama, among others, has explored the cultural underpinnings of differences in levels of general trust in various societies and its consequences for economic development. More recently, trust has become a central theme in the study of the sharing economy in which an astonishing array of goods and services is now offered by auction or exchange on the Internet. Detailed research on such enterprises (e.g., eBay, CouchSurfing, and AirBnB) is now possible through the development of computational social science.
USUnion and Workers' Movements, Past and Future
Authors: Schneider Daniel , Stepan‐Norris Judith
Published: May 2015

The last half century of US labor movement history is characterized by dramatic decline in both density and (since 1979) real numbers. While unions and union federations in the mainstream union movement have attempted to adjust, developments outside their sphere have been especially prominent: the rise of independent unions and the initiation of alternative forms of workers movements. With union decline, community labor organizations [typified by Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)], worker centers, and living wage campaigns have risen to fill the void. These alternate paths for worker representation, like other forms developed in the past, bring new tactics, new activists, and new links to labor struggles and may yet contribute to the future of labor movements in the United States.
Understanding American Political Conservatism
Authors: Aberbach Joel D.
Published: May 2015

This essay examines contemporary American political conservatism from a variety of angles. It asks first what scholars and activists mean by conservative. It then turns to controversies about the meaning of the term to the general public and to the question of whether the United States is a conservative nation and, if so, how this came about. A central theme here is that the increasing link of conservative self‐identification and party identification grew out of reactions to events in the 1960s and early 1970s and that increased partisan polarization along ideological grounds, particularly in the South, has had a large impact on American politics at all levels (elite and general public) of the polity. After a brief look at the Tea Party phenomenon and its implications, the essay closes with a discussion of the future of American conservatism, with emphasis on the ability of conservative factions to coalesce, the evolving relationship between conservative self‐identification and issues attitudes, and the likelihood that political polarization will endure.
Understanding Biological Motion
Authors: van Boxtel Jeroen J. A. , Lu Hongjing
Published: May 2015

The ultimate goal of biological motion perception is to be able tounderstandactions so as to provide an answer to the question, “Who did what to whom and why?” This inference capacity enables humans to go beyond the surface appearance of behavior in order to successfully interact with others and with the environment. In addition to its functional importance, understanding biological motion bridges several major fields, including perception, reasoning, and social cognition. However, despite its paramount role in human perception and cognition, only limited progress has so far been made in understanding biological motion. After reviewing the relevant literature, this essay argues that future research needs to identify the contributions of three basic processes involved in understanding biological motion: perception of animacy, causality, and intention. The involvement of these basic processes needs to be investigated both in the typical healthy population as well as in populations with mental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. We also suggest that a productive research approach should focus on more interactive actions of the sort often observed in the natural social environment, rather than solely using the single‐actor displays that have been typical in previous work. It is further emphasized that there is a need for a theoretical and computational framework within which these different types of processing can be united. We propose that the predictive coding framework provides a good candidate.
Understanding Risk‐Taking Behavior: Insights from Evolutionary Psychology
Authors: Machluf Karin , Bjorklund David F.
Published: May 2015

Evolutionary developmental psychology posits that natural selection has operated across the lifespan, but especially in childhood, shaping psychological mechanisms that foster survival during the early years of life and also preparing children for life as adults. The tenets of evolutionary developmental psychology are briefly reviewed, along with a summary of life‐history theory. Differential susceptibility theory and biological sensitivity to context theory are also outlined and applied to mental health. Adolescent risk‐taking behavior is then examined from an evolutionary developmental perspective, assessing the independent contributions of environmental harshness and unpredictability in early childhood to later psychological functioning.
Understanding the Adaptive Functions of Morality from a Cognitive Psychological Perspective
Authors: Dungan James , Young Liane
Published: May 2015

What are the possible functions of moral cognition? Addressing this question has proved difficult, leading to disagreement among moral psychologist. Researchers claiming that morality is composed of many distinct domains have posited multiple functions, whereas researchers focusing on the features that are unique to and common across all moral judgments have suggested a unified evolutionary function. In this review, we suggest that the limitations of these accounts can be overcome by systematically investigating the cognitive mechanisms that support moral judgments across descriptively distinct domains. As a case study, we focus on the contrast between harm and purity morals, and we argue for a novel functional difference on the basis of differences in the underlying psychological processes. Understanding the psychology behind distinct morals will pave the way for understanding the distinct functions of moral cognition.
Varieties of Capitalism
Authors: Hall Peter A.
Published: May 2015

Scholarship on varieties of capitalism (VofC) explores the ways in which the institutions structuring the political economy affect patterns of economic performance or policy making and the distribution of well‐being. Contesting the claim that there is one best route to superior economic performance, a number of schemas have been proposed to explain why countries have often been able to secure substantial rates of growth in different ways, often with relatively egalitarian distributions of income. Prominent among them is a VofC analysis focused on the developed democracies that distinguishes liberal and coordinated market economies according to the ways in which firms coordinate their endeavors. On the basis of institutional complementarities among subspheres of the political economy, it suggests that the institutional structure of the political economy confers comparative institutional advantages, notably for radical and incremental innovation, which explains why economies have not converged in the context of globalization. Although this framework is contested, it has inspired new research on many subjects, including the basis for innovation, the determinants of social policy, the grounds for international negotiation, and the character of institutional change. In this issue area, there is promising terrain for further research into the origins of varieties of capitalism, the factors that drive institutional change in the political economy, how institutional arrangements in the subspheres of the political economy interact with one another, the normative underlay for capitalism, and the effects of varieties of capitalism on multiple dimensions of well‐being.
Virtual Worlds as Laboratories
Authors: Ross Travis L. , Castronova Edward , Knowles Isaac
Published: May 2015

A virtual world is a persistent space where tens, hundreds, thousands, or even millions of users interact with each other and a mediated environment defined as a physical space through rules created by designers and enforced by computer code. Researchers have argued that these characteristics make virtual worlds particularly well suited for conducting parallel experiments to test macro‐level social theory. The purpose of this essay is to provide an introduction into virtual worlds research. It is not an exhaustive resource chronicling the history of virtual worlds, but rather an introduction broken into three sections for those wishing to learn more about the past, present, and future directions of the topic. First, it explores what researchers have said about using virtual worlds research and the fields of research where virtual worlds have been used. In doing so, it focuses on research in video games studies and complex systems. Second, it examines cutting‐edge work in virtual worlds research, identifying that both academia and the game industry will play a significant role in the success and direction. Third, it identifies six key issues that scholars using virtual worlds research will face as they move forward.
Visualizing Globalization
Authors: Mahutga Matthew C. , Nash‐Parkera Robert
Published: May 2015

This essay reviews current approaches to visualizing globalization. We give special attention to relational data‐analytic approaches that implement social network analysis and geographic information systems, and emphasize the social structure of globalization as revealed in cross‐national and city‐to‐city relations. Cross‐national relations include international trade, comemberships in international governmental organization (IGO) and international nongovernmental organization (INGO), and other kinds of cross‐national relations. City‐to‐city relations include air‐passenger flows, transnational corporation (TNC) headquarter–subsidiary relations, among others. We conclude by discussing future directions in visualizing globalization. The analytical frontier in visualizing globalization lies squarely in statistical/model‐based approaches to spatial and social network analysis. While these analytical approaches hold much promise for visualizing globalization, the dearth of geocoded subnational relational data and the complexity inherent to modeling them create significant obstacles.
Vocal Communication in Primates
Authors: Slocombe Katie E.
Published: May 2015

Vocal communication is common in the animal kingdom. Researchers often examine vocal communication in nonhuman primates (primates) with the aim of identifying similarities and differences with human language and speech, in order to trace the evolutionary origins of our complex communication system. Primates can produce distinct calls in response to specific events, such as the discovery of a certain predator, and listeners seem to understand what these calls refer to. Although on the surface there are similarities between this type of communication and human referential words, the mental processes that underlie them may be very different. While in general the flexibility shown by primate receivers may demonstrate some commonalities with humans, there is much more controversy over whether there are similarities between the production of primate vocalizations and language. It is widely accepted that primates, unlike humans, lack the ability to generate new vocalizations. Although this means primates have a closed repertoire of calls that cannot be expanded, primates are capable of combining their existing calls to generate new messages. The degree of voluntary control and intentionality involved in the use of calls is also a matter of debate, with recent evidence on both a neural and behavioral level challenging traditional assumptions that primate vocalizations are used in an automatic, reflexive manner. More research is needed to examine the mental processes underlying communicative behavior in both the producer and the receiver. In the future adopting a more holistic, multimodal approach to studying primate communication is likely to challenge and ultimately improve our understanding of primate communication and the evolution of human language.
War and Social Movements
Authors: Tarrow Sidney
Published: May 2015

In his scientific production, Charles Tilly broke new ground in two major areas: the study of war and state‐building and the study of contentious politics and social movements. Many scholars followed him and elaborated on each of these strands, but few—including Tilly—attempted to link them together. Both in the historical war and state‐building and in recent “new wars,” social movements—and contentious politics in general—play a vigorous but a poorly understood role. Drawing on Tilly's insights, this essay sets out five general hypotheses relating contention to war making and illustrates them with evidence from three historical episodes from French, American, and Italian history, and from the recent experience of the “global war on terror.”
What is Neuroticism, and Can We Treat it?
Authors: Ametaj Amantia , Sauer‐Zavala Shannon , Barlow David H.
Published: May 2015

We review the substantive role of neuroticism and related temperaments such as extroversion in the development and maintenance of anxiety, mood, and related disorders subsumed under the termemotional disorders(EDs). We note that splitting these disorders into discrete categories as in the currentDiagnostic and Statistical Manual(DSM‐5) diagnoses may be highlighting relatively superficial differences. Research on the structure of anxiety, mood, and related disorders indicates that neuroticism, emerging from genetic, neurobiological, and psychological factors, is central to the development of these disorders. We make a case for shifting the focus of psychological treatment of EDs to target core temperaments such as neuroticism, and discuss a dimensional approach to assessing EDs that focuses on the underlying temperament. We examine key issues requiring additional research to evaluate this possibility.
What is Special about Specialization?
Authors: Underhill Anne P.
Published: May 2015

This essay argues that several key issues regarding craft specialization deserve to be further investigated. These include how specialization develops, variation in strategies to achieve intensification of production, causal factors for technological innovation versus technological conservatism, and how specialization changes in relation to the development of urbanism. Recent studies moving us forward in productive directions with respect to methodology examine the value of goods in specific social contexts, consider the impact of ritual life on craft production, and more thoroughly assess the sources of variation in finished products.
Why Do Governments Abuse Human Rights?
Authors: Moore Will H. , Welch Ryan M.
Published: May 2015

Because the abuse of human beings is abhorrent, we normatively expect governments to respect those rights. However, throughout human history, abuse of human begins has been the norm. Governments abuse rights because doing so helps leaders exercise, expand, or retain their power. Normatively, this is troubling. Yet, as a positive matter, it should not be surprising. We begin the essay explaining why this is so, and then turn to the question that broadly captures the research agendas of those studying the topic of human rights: how can people constrain Leviathan? Over the course of the 1980s and 1990s, several foundational studies helped establish a generally agreed on account that governments respond to dissent with coercion. Domestically, democracy and economic output both reduce rights abuses, while large populations increase repression. The impact of international characteristics is less well developed. In fact, what is known is that the international human right regime is complex and that norms, treaties, and international courts do not have a consistent effect on a countrys' respect for rights. Researchers are now studying complex relationships between domestic and international factors. For instance, the domestic judiciary of a country influences the extent to which human rights treaties constrain government abuse of rights. Over the coming decade, we expect scholars to produce considerable new knowledge about the impact of norms, treaties, and international courts on the states' (lack of) respect for human rights.
Objects of Urban Security PartII: Emerging Trends
Authors: Molotch Harvey , Coe Martha
Published: May 2015

Securitythings––intrinsic aspects of the built environment––offer a way to understand an important subset of life encounters while offering up clues of surrounding social relations and political structures. Security projects inveigle citizens in pursuit of everyday goals. For authorities, they set up special challenges both for gaining public acquiescence and for dealing with those who oppose them. As with all public objects, including those as mundane as trash bins, outcomes––for better or worse––involve specific manipulations and negotiations, material as well as ideological. Especially when justified as “security,” they have––we argue––negative consequences on other individual and collective goals. We have detailed this argument in the companion piece to this essay (see Part I: Background & Research Starts by same authors in this volume; see also Molotch, 2012) and carry it forward here toward some larger implications.
Heuristics: Tools for an Uncertain World
Authors: Neth Hansjörg , Gigerenzer Gerd
Published: May 2015

We distinguish between situations ofrisk, where all options, consequences, and probabilities are known, and situations ofuncertainty, where they are not. Probability theory and statistics are the best tools for deciding under risk but not under uncertainty, which characterizes most relevant problems that humans have to solve. Uncertainty requires simple heuristics that are robust rather than optimal. We propose to think of the mind as anadaptive toolboxand introduce the descriptive study of heuristics, their building blocks, and the core capacities they exploit. The question of which heuristic to select for which class of problems is the topic of the normative study ofecological rationality. We discuss earlier views on the nature of heuristics that maintained that heuristics are always less accurate because they ignore information and demand less effort. Contrary to this accuracy–effort trade‐off view, heuristics can lead to more accurate inferences—under uncertainty—than strategies that use more information and computation. The study of heuristics opens up a new perspective on the nature of both cognition and rationality. In a world of uncertainty,Homo sapiensmight well be calledHomo heuristicus.
Cyclone contribution to dust transport over the Mediterranean region
Authors: Flaounas Emmanouil , Kotroni Vassiliki , Lagouvardos Konstantinos , Kazadzis Stelios , Gkikas Antonis , Hatzianastassiou Nikolaos
Published: May 2015

This study addresses the question of cyclone contribution to dust transport events over the Mediterranean. For this reason, we tracked and associated all intense cyclones in the period 2005–2012 with satellite estimations of the aerosol optical depth, the aerosol index and the aerosol Ångström exponent. Results show that cyclones are related with up to 20% of the total dust events over the Mediterranean, especially affecting its eastern side. When considering only the extreme dust events, the cyclone contribution may reach 70%, highlighting cyclones as one of the main factors for extreme dust transport events in the region.
Wax, sex and the origin of species: Dual roles of insect cuticular hydrocarbons in adaptation and mating
Authors: Chung Henry , Carroll Sean B.
Published: May 2015

Evolutionary changes in traits that affect both ecological divergence and mating signals could lead to reproductive isolation and the formation of new species. Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are potential examples of such dual traits. They form a waxy layer on the cuticle of the insect to maintain water balance and prevent desiccation, while also acting as signaling molecules in mate recognition and chemical communication. Because the synthesis of these hydrocarbons in insect oenocytes occurs through a common biochemical pathway, natural or sexual selection on one role may affect the other. In this review, we explore how ecological divergence in insect CHCs can lead to divergence in mating signals and reproductive isolation. We suggest that the evolution of insect CHCs may be ripe models for understanding ecological speciation.
Continuous Transfer Hydrogenation of Sugars to Alditols with Bioderived Donors over Cu–Ni–Al Catalysts
Authors: Scholz David , Aellig Christof , Mondelli Cecilia , Pérez‐Ramírez Javier
Published: May 2015

The front cover artwork for Issue 10/2015 is provided by the group of Prof. Javier Pérez‐Ramírez at the ETH Zurich. The cover depicts the give‐and‐take concept at the heart of an emerging continuous transfer hydrogenation process for the conversion of sugars to alditols. See the Full Paper itself at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201403005.
An exchanged folded hypercube‐based topology structure for interconnection networks
Authors: Qi Heng , Li Yang , Li Keqiu , Stojmenovic Milos
Published: May 2015

This paper focuses on the topology structure of interconnection networks. To overcome drawbacks in the existing hypercube structure, we present an exchanged folded hypercube (EFH) structure, which is an improvement of the exchanged hypercube. Compared with the existing hypercube structures, EFH shows better performance in terms of many metrics such as smaller diameter, lower cost factor, and constant node degree. In this paper, we first introduce the structure of an EFH; then, we propose a routing algorithm and a load‐balancing algorithm for EFHs. Finally, we analyze the fault tolerance characteristics of EFHs including fault diameter and the cost effectiveness factor. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Compiling Vector Pascal to the XeonPhi
Authors: Chimeh Mozhgan , Cockshott Paul , Oehler Susanne B. , Tousimojarad Ashkan , Xu Tian
Published: May 2015

Intel's XeonPhi is a highly parallel x86 architecture chip made by Intel. It has a number of novel features which make it a particularly challenging target for the compiler writer. This paper describes the techniques used to port the Glasgow Vector Pascal Compiler to this architecture and assess its performance by comparisons of the XeonPhi with 3 other machines running the same algorithms. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parallelization of a graph‐cut based algorithm for hierarchical clustering of web documents
Authors: Seshadri Karthick , Shalinie S. Mercy
Published: May 2015

We propose a parallelization scheme for an existing algorithm for constructing a web‐directory, that contains categories of web documents organized hierarchically. The clustering algorithm automatically infers the number of clusters using a quality function based on graph cuts. A parallel implementation of the algorithm has been developed to run on a cluster of multi‐core processors interconnected by an intranet. The effect of the well‐known Latent Semantic Indexing on the performance of the clustering algorithm is also considered. The parallelized graph‐cut based clustering algorithm achieves an F‐measure in the range [0.69,0.91] for the generated leaf‐level clusters while yielding a precision‐recall performance in the range [0.66,0.84] for the entire hierarchy of the generated clusters. As measured via empirical observations, the parallel algorithm achieves an average speedup of 7.38 over its sequential variant, at the same time yielding a better clustering performance than the sequential algorithm in terms of F‐measure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maintain motivation in your role as a DS provider
Authors: Gaddy Stephanie
Published: May 2015

As a disability services provider, your work is generally very rewarding. But there are those days when it seems everything is just routine and dull. On these days, you may simply lack the motivation and energy to complete your work. This can make your days long and unrewarding.
ato‐Gal4 fly lines for gene function analysis: Eya is required in late progenitors for eye morphogenesis
Authors: Yu Linlin , Zhou Qingxiang , Pignoni Francesca
Published: May 2015

The Gal4/UAS system is one of the most powerful tools for the study of cellular and developmental processes in Drosophila. Gal4 drivers can be used to induce targeted expression of dominant‐negative and dominant‐active proteins, histological markers, activity sensors, gene‐specific dsRNAs, modulators of cell survival or proliferation, and other reagents. Here, we describe novel atonal‐Gal4 lines that contain regions of the regulatory DNA of atonal, the proneural gene for photoreceptors, stretch receptors, auditory organ, and some olfactory sensilla. During neurogenesis, the atonal gene is expressed at a critical juncture, a time of transition from progenitor cell to developing neuron. Thus, these lines are particularly well suited for the study of the transcription factors and signaling molecules orchestrating this critical transition. To demonstrate their usefulness, we focus on two visual organs, the eye and the Bolwig. We demonstrate the induction of predicted eye phenotypes when expressing the dominant‐negative EGF receptor or a dsRNA against Notch in the developing eye disc. In another example, we show the deletion of the Bolwig's organ using the proapoptotic factor Hid. Finally, we investigate the function of the eye specification factor Eyes absent or Eya in late retinal progenitors, shortly before they begin morphogenesis. We show that Eya is still required in these late progenitors to promote eye formation, and show failure to induce the target gene atonal and consequent lack of neuron formation. genesis 53:347–355, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Hoxa13:Cre mouse strain for conditional gene manipulation in developing limb, hindgut, and urogenital system
Authors: Scotti Martina , Kherdjemil Yacine , Roux Marine , Kmita Marie
Published: May 2015

The developing limb is a useful model for studying organogenesis and developmental processes. Although Cre alleles exist for conditional loss‐ or gain‐of‐function in limbs, Cre alleles targeting specific limb subdomains are desirable. Here we report on the generation of the Hoxa13:Cre line, in which the Cre gene is inserted in the endogenous Hoxa13 gene. We provide evidence that the Cre is active in embryonic tissues/regions where the endogenous Hoxa13 gene is expressed. Our results show that cells expressing Hoxa13 in developing limb buds contribute to the entire autopod (hand/feet) skeleton and validate Hoxa13 as a distal limb marker as far as the skeleton is concerned. In contrast, in the limb musculature, Cre‐based fate mapping shows that almost all muscle masses of the zeugopod (forearm) and part of the triceps contain Hoxa13‐expressing cells and/or their descendants. Besides the limb, the activity of the Cre is detectable in the urogenital system and the hindgut, primarily in the epithelium and smooth muscles. Together our data show that the Hoxa13:Cre allele is a useful tool for conditional gene manipulation in the urogenital system, posterior digestive tract, autopod and part of the limb musculature. genesis 53:366–376, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Does flower phenology mirror the slowdown of global warming?
Authors: Jochner Susanne , Menzel Annette
Published: May 2015

Although recent global warming trends in air temperature are not as pronounced as those observed only one decade ago, global mean temperature is still at a very high level. Does plant phenology – which is believed to be a suitable indicator of climate change – respond in a similar way, that is, does it still mirror recent temperature variations? We explored in detail long‐term flowering onset dates of snowdrop, cherry, and lime tree and relevant spring temperatures at three sites in Germany (1901–2012) using the Bayesian multiple change‐point approach. We investigated whether mean spring temperature changes were amplified or slowed down in the past decade and how plant phenology responded to the most recent temperature changes. Incorporating records with different end points (i.e., 2002 and 2012), we compared differences in trends and inferred possible differences caused by extrapolating phenological and meteorological data. The new multiple‐change point approach is characterized by an enhanced structure and greater flexibility compared to the one change point model. However, the highest model probabilities for phenological (meteorological) records were still obtained for the one change point (linear) model. Marked warming trends in the recent decade were only revealed for mean temperatures of March to May, here better described with one or two change point models. In the majority of cases analyzed, changes in temperatures were well mirrored by phenological changes. However, temperatures in March to May were linked to less strongly advancing onset dates for lime tree flowering during the period 1901‐2012, pointing to the likely influence of photoperiodic constraints or unfulfilled chilling requirements. Due to the slowdown of temperature increase, analyses conducted on records ending in 2002 demonstrated distinct differences when compared with records ending in 2012. Extrapolation of trends could therefore (along with the choice of the statistical method) lead to distinctly different results and most recent data should be integrated in order not to over‐ or underestimate future phenological changes.
Incorporating climate change projections into riparian restoration planning and design
Authors: Perry Laura G. , Reynolds Lindsay V. , Beechie Timothy J. , Collins Mathias J. , Shafroth Patrick B.
Published: May 2015

Climate change and associated changes in streamflow may alter riparian habitats substantially in coming decades. Riparian restoration provides opportunities to respond proactively to projected climate change effects, increase riparian ecosystem resilience to climate change, and simultaneously address effects of both climate change and other human disturbances. However, climate change may alter which restoration methods are most effective and which restoration goals can be achieved. Incorporating climate change into riparian restoration planning and design is critical to long‐term restoration of desired community composition and ecosystem services.

In this review, we discuss and provide examples of how climate change might be incorporated into restoration planning at the key stages of assessing the project context, establishing restoration goals and design criteria, evaluating design alternatives, and monitoring restoration outcomes. Restoration planners have access to numerous tools to predict future climate, streamflow, and riparian ecology at restoration sites. Planners can use those predictions to assess which species or ecosystem services will be most vulnerable under future conditions, and which sites will be most suitable for restoration. To accommodate future climate and streamflow change, planners may need to adjust methods for planting, invasive species control, channel and floodplain reconstruction, and water management. Given the considerable uncertainty in future climate and streamflow projections, riparian ecological responses, and effects on restoration outcomes, planners will need to consider multiple potential future scenarios, implement a variety of restoration methods, design projects with flexibility to adjust to future conditions, and plan to respond adaptively to unexpected change. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Concomitant mineralization and detoxification of acid red 88 by an indigenous acclimated mixed culture
Authors: Anil Kumar Madhava , Vinoth Kumar Vaidyanathan , Ponnusamy Ramalingam , Paul Daniel Frederick , Seenuvasan Muthulingam , Anuradha Dhanasekaran , Sivanesan Subramanian
Published: May 2015

An indigenous mixed bacterial culture was screened and acclimated to decolorize a sulfonated azo dye; Acid Red 88 (AR88) under changing growth conditions. The process parameters influencing the average decolorization rate, ADRAR88 (μg min−1) was optimized using Taguchi's orthogonal array (OA‐L25), under design of experiments. The value of ADRAR88 is 888.86 (μg min−1) when the operational parameters like pH, 8.0, temperature, 35°C and AR88 concentration, 500 (mg L−1) were maintained for 6 h. The mixed culture exhibited 87.89 and 90.58% reduction in the level of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and aromatic amines, respectively. It was found that increasing AR88 concentration, were found to be insignificant on the basis of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) variation for the obtained responses from Taguchi's OA experiments. The decolorization by the mixed culture was confirmed by UV–vis spectrophotometry, whereas biotransformation was evidenced by spectroscopic studies like Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR), and chromatographic techniques like high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) analyses. The induction and activities of various AR88 degrading oxido‐reductive enzymes was elucidated. The phytotoxicity test using plant seeds revealed the extent of detoxification of parent dye compound by the mixed culture. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 1455–1466, 2015
FERC Comes Under Fire for High‐Profile Prosecution in Powhatan
Authors: Schneider Jonathan D. , Trotta Jonathan P.
Published: May 2015

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finds itself in the public eye only so often, and the attention is almost always unwanted. Most recently, the Commission has come under fire for its prosecution of Powhatan Energy Fund,1 an electricity trading firm that has assembled a glittering case of consultants and representatives in defense of a trading scheme that Powhatan said the traders could not have known was prohibited. The case is being litigated in a public setting, with editorial support for the traders from the Wall Street Journal2 and intense criticism of the Commission in Congress.3
Wide Reach of Migratory Bird Treaty Act for Energy Projects
Authors: Rosen Julie A.
Published: May 2015

For nearly a century, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has been a tool used by the federal government to protect migratory bird species.1
Solar and Storage Offerings Have Long‐Term Implications for Electricity Markets
Authors: Kelly‐Detwiler Peter
Published: May 2015

It has recently been observed that energy storage feels much like the solar industry did five or so years ago.
Inhibition of connexin43 improves functional recovery after ischemic brain injury in neonatal rats
Authors: Li Xiaojing , Zhao Heqing , Tan Xianxing , Kostrzewa Richard M. , Du Gang , Chen Yuanyuan , Zhu Jiangtao , Miao Zhigang , Yu Hailong , Kong Jiming , Xu Xingshun
Published: May 2015

Connexin43 (Cx43) is one of the most abundant gap junction proteins in the central nervous system. Abnormal opening of Cx43 hemichannels after ischemic insults causes apoptotic cell death. In this study, we found persistently increased expression of Cx43 8 h to 7 d after hypoxia/ischemia (HI) injury in neonatal rats. Pre‐treatment with Gap26 and Gap27, two Cx43 mimetic peptides, significantly reduced cerebral infarct volume. Gap26 treatment at 24 h after ischemia improved functional recovery on muscle strength, motor coordination, and spatial memory abilities. Further, Gap26 inhibited Cx43 expression and reduced active astrogliosis. Gap26 interacted and co‐localized with Cx43 together in brain tissues and cultured astrocytes. After oxygen glucose deprivation, Gap26 treatment reduced the total Cx43 level in cultured astrocytes; but Cx43 level in the plasma membrane was increased. Degradation of Cx43 in the cytoplasm was mainly via the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. Concurrently, phosphorylated Akt, which phosphorylates Cx43 on Serine373 and facilitates the forward transport of Cx43 to the plasma membrane, was increased by Gap26 treatment. Microdialysis showed that increased membranous Cx43 causes glutamate release by opening Cx43 hemichannels. Extracellular glutamate concentration was significantly decreased by Gap26 treatment in vivo. Finally, we found that cleaved caspase‐3, an apoptosis marker, was attenuated after HI injury by Gap26 treatment. Effects of Gap27 were analogous to those of Gap26. In summary, our findings demonstrate that modulation of Cx43 expression and astroglial function is a potential therapeutic strategy for ischemic brain injury. GLIA 2015;63:1553–1567
Efficient image compression techniques for compressing multimodal medical images using neural network radial basis function approach
Authors: Balasubramani Perumal , Murugan Pallikonda Rajasekaran
Published: May 2015

Image compression technique is used to reduce the number of bits required in representing image, which helps to reduce the storage space and transmission cost. Image compression techniques are widely used in many applications especially, medical field. Large amount of medical image sequences are available in various hospitals and medical organizations. Large images can be compressed into smaller size images, so that the memory occupation of the image is considerably reduced. Image compression techniques are used to reduce the number of pixels in the input image, which is also used to reduce the broadcast and transmission cost in efficient form. This is capable by compressing different types of medical images giving better compression ratio (CR), low mean square error (MSE), bits per pixel (BPP), high peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), input image memory size and size of the compressed image, minimum memory requirement and computational time. The pixels and the other contents of the images are less variant during the compression process. This work outlines the different compression methods such as Huffman, fractal, neural network back propagation (NNBP) and neural network radial basis function (NNRBF) applied to medical images such as MR and CT images. Experimental results show that the NNRBF technique achieves a higher CR, BPP and PSNR, with less MSE on CT and MR images when compared with Huffman, fractal and NNBP techniques.
FPGA implementation of particle swarm optimization based on new fitness function for MRI images segmentation
Authors: Hamdaoui Fayçal , Sakly Anis , Mtibaa Abdellatif
Published: May 2015

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered as a key part in therapeutic procedures because it clearly defines the aim. It also avoids sensitive organs and it determines the desired paths. This phenomenon requires image processing operations such as segmentation to locate the tumor. Medical image segmentation is still an important topic in the field of brain tumor. In the present article, we propose a Hardware Architecture of segmentation based on a Modified Particle Swarm Optimization (HAMPSO) algorithm for MRI images segmentation. To achieve this, we use the Xilinx System Generator (XSG) to be implemented on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This architecture is based on a new variant of objective function. These performances of the proposed method are proved using a set of MRI images and were compared to the Hardware Architecture of segmentation based on Particle Swarm Optimization (HAPSO) in terms of either device utilization, execution time, qualitatively or quantitatively results.
Participatory Irrigation Management Practices In Azerbaijan and Future Development Needs
Authors: Ağarza Oğlu Rzayev Mehman
Published: May 2015

During the last two decades Azerbaijan has initiated reform of irrigation water management through a complex of measures, including realization of irrigation management transfer (IMT) for decentralization and redelegating of management responsibilities at on‐farm level by establishment of water users’ associations (WUAs). The purpose of this study is to analyse and demonstrate experience gained from the past, success and difficulties arising from IMT policy in the country in a local and international comparative context and, based on the current situation, to propose development needs. WUA concept development is being implemented under World Bank rehabilitation programmes, but not all WUAs have yet been covered with the rehabilitation programme. Considering this situation, the measures should be elaborated for three types of WUA, which are: (i) already rehabilitated; (ii) WUAs under rehabilitation: (iii) those not yet included in the rehabilitation programme due to lack of investment and insufficient eligibility criteria of their current performance. International experience with different development backgrounds shows similarity and difference in realization of IMT in Azerbaijan and supports better understanding of the emergence of WUAs. Besides institutional development of WUAs, improvement works should cover the entire service area, including on‐farm infrastructure, land reorganization and levelling works. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysing Climate Change Impacts on Water Productivity of Cropping Systems in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia
Authors: Kang Yinhong , Khan Shahbaz , Ma Xiaoyi
Published: May 2015

Climate change impacts on food production and water use efficiency are becoming more and more important. This paper mainly discusses the climate change effects on water use indices and maize yield under rainfed and irrigated conditions projected by three climate models in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia in 2020, 2050 and 2080 under A2 and B2 scenarios. The climate prediction results show that it is similar to the future precipitation and temperature projected by three climate models for the same time slices. For rainfed and irrigated maize, the crop yield, the potential and actual evapotranspiration will increase by 3–32, 3–12, 30–45 and 32–45, 3–15, 6–15% under both scenarios in the future during the maize growth period compared with the baseline respectively. Water use indices of maize under rainfed conditions will decrease and the variable increment will gradually be larger in the future, including evapotranspiration efficiency, crop water use efficiency and total water use efficiency. However, all the water use indices analysed under irrigated conditions will increase. The variation for evapotranspiration efficiency, ratio of evapotranspiration and irrigation is around 20%, but the variation for the other three indices is more than 30%. The projection results also indicate that the indices under the B2 scenario are smaller than those under A2 although the variable tendency and range are consistent. The conclusions suggest that it is significant to develop irrigated agriculture so as to mitigate climate change effects on crop production in the Murray Darling Basin. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of radiopacifiers agents on pH, calcium release, radiopacity, and antimicrobial properties of different calcium hydroxide dressings
Authors: Ordinola‐Zapata Ronald , Bramante Clovis Monteiro , GarcÍa‐godoy Franklin , Moldauer Bertram Ivan , Minotti Paloma Gagliardi , TercíLIA Grizzo Larissa , Duarte Marco Antonio Hungaro
Published: May 2015

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity, pH level, calcium ion release, and radiopacity of calcium hydroxide pastes associated with three radiopacifying agents (iodoform, zinc oxide, and barium sulfate). For the pH and calcium release tests, 45 acrylic teeth were utilized and immersed in ultrapure water. After 24 h, 72 h, and 7 days the solution was analyzed by using a pH meter and an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Polyethylene tubes filled with the pastes were used to perform the radiopacity test. For the antimicrobial test, 25 dentin specimens were infected intraorally in order to induce the biofilm colonization and treated with the pastes for 7 days. The Live/Dead technique and a confocal microscope were used to obtain the ratio of live cells. Parametric and nonparametric statistical tests were performed to show differences among the groups (P < 0.05). The pH analysis at 7 days showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among the groups. No differences among the pastes were found in the calcium release test on the 7th day (P > 0.05). The calcium hydroxide/iodoform samples had the highest radiopacity and antimicrobial activity against the biofilm‐infected dentin in comparison to the other pastes (P < 0.05). Calcium hydroxide mixed with 17% iodoform and 35% propylene glycol into a paste had the highest pH, calcium ion release, radiopacity, and the greatest antimicrobial action versus similar samples mixed with BaSO4 or ZnO. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:620–625, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.