bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Key innovations and climatic niche divergence as drivers of diversification in subtropical Gentianinae in southeastern and eastern Asia
Authors: Matuszak Sabine , Favre Adrien , Schnitzler Jan , Muellner‐Riehl Alexandra N.
Published: May 2016

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:

Geological and climatic changes associated with the uplift of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP) have been suggested as drivers for biological diversification locally and in neighboring regions. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the niche evolution of Tripterospermum (Gentianaceae) and related Asian genera through time.

METHODS:

We conducted Species Distribution Modeling using Maximum Entropy Modeling (MaxEnt). Furthermore, we performed stochastic character mapping and produced disparity‐through‐time plots, and examined putative key innovations using the binary state speciation and extinction approach (BISSE).

KEY RESULTS:

Kuepferia and Sinogentiana prefer the coolest and driest habitat, having rather conserved niches. Despite a tendency for niche evolution, Crawfurdia and Metagentiana are probably restricted to a narrow distribution range because of their poor dispersal ability. In contrast, Tripterospermum has the broadest niche and occurs under the warmest and wettest conditions. A higher degree of niche evolution and a more efficient dispersal mechanism allowed this genus to diversify more and occupy a broader distribution range.

CONCLUSIONS:

The QTP genera producing dry capsules, whether displaying niche conservatism (Kuepferia and Sinogentiana) or a tendency for niche evolution (Crawfurdia and Metagentiana), are less species‐rich and have a more restricted distribution than Tripterospermum (stronger niche evolution and berry‐like fruits). The evolution of berry‐like fruits corresponds to increased speciation rates, and could therefore be viewed as a key innovation. In contrast to the majority of studies on plants occurring around the QTP, we find that speciation was probably mediated by niche breadth and dispersal ability rather than geophysical changes.
THE SPHERICAL DISTANCE FOR INTUITIONISTIC FUZZY SETS AND ITS APPLICATION IN DECISION ANALYSIS
Authors: GONG Zaiwu , XU Xiaoxia , YANG Yingjie , ZHOU Yi , ZHANG Huanhuan
Published: May 2016

Different from traditional distances between Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets (IFS), the spherical distance between two IFSs relies not only on their relative differences but also their absolute values. In this paper, we generalize the properties of spherical distance measures between IFSs, and investigate the applications of spherical distance measures in group decision making, pattern recognition and medical diagnosis. We develop an optimization spherical distance model with IFS preference in group decision making, and demonstrate that this model is feasible and practical with an evaluation model of drought risk. By using comparative analysis method, we show that this new spherical distance can also be applied in other fields such as pattern recognition and medical diagnosis.
Plagiarism and academic integrity in Germany
Authors: Ruipérez Germán , García-Cabrero José-Carlos
Published: May 2016

Since the 18th century, Germany is perhaps one of the European countries that has had the most intense public debate on dishonest scientific and academic practices, particularly in relation to doctoral theses. This debate was particularly productive in the late 19th century, giving rise thereafter to the obligatory publication of all doctoral theses as a prior requisite before the title of Doctor can be conferred by any German university. This paper presents the most significant progress regarding plagiarism and academic integrity, especially since the 2011 scandal concerning plagiarism in the doctoral thesis of the Minister Guttenberg, such as the creation of an effective collaborative investigation method for plagiarism in a scientific or academic work using the Internet and social media, which resulted in the «VroniPlag» Wiki. Also, the last two years have seen the definitive consolidation of the figure of «Ombudsman for Science» as a national instrument to prevent, manage and combat scientific dishonesty, as well as the publication in 2013 of a new version of the reference manual in this regard, «Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice». Finally, this paper analyses the conclusions of the German experience about academic ethics from a historical perspective, since its recent achievements and progress can serve as a reference for other European countries.

Alemania es quizá uno de los países europeos que, ya desde el siglo XVIII, ha mantenido un debate público más intenso sobre prácticas científicas y académicas deshonestas, relacionadas especialmente con tesis doctorales. Este debate fue especialmente productivo a finales del siglo XIX, dando lugar desde entonces, para evitar estas prácticas inaceptables, a la obligatoriedad de publicar todas las tesis doctorales, como requisito previo a la expedición del título de doctor por cualquier universidad alemana. Este trabajo analiza los avances más importantes en plagio e integridad académica en Alemania, especialmente después del escándalo surgido en 2011 a raíz del plagio de la tesis doctoral del Ministro de Defensa Guttenberg, como son la creación de una eficaz metodología colaborativa de investigación del plagio en trabajos científicos o académicos utilizando Internet y las redes sociales, materializada en la Wiki «VroniPlag». También se describe someramente en este trabajo la consolidación definitiva de la figura del «Defensor de la Ciencia», como instrumento de ámbito nacional para prevenir, gestionar y combatir la deshonestidad científica, aparte de la publicación en 2013 de una nueva versión del manual de referencia al respecto «Sicherung guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis». Por último se analizan las conclusiones de la experiencia alemana relacionada con la ética académica, también desde una perspectiva histórica, pues sus recientes logros y avances pueden servir de referencia a otros países europeos.
The impact of activity design in Internet plagiarism in Higher Education
Authors: Gómez-Espinosa María , Francisco Virginia , Moreno-Ger Pablo
Published: May 2016

In this work we aim to gain a better understanding of the nature of plagiarism in Higher Education. We analyse a set of different activities in an online university-level course, aiming to understand which tasks lead more naturally to plagiarism. This analysis concludes that the activities that have a lower rate of plagiarism are activities that encourage involvement, originality and creativity. Subsequently, we reformulate the task that presented the highest rate of plagiarism, taking into account the conclusions of the previous analysis and trying to maintain their relative effort and educational impact. We then compare the newly designed activities with their original counterparts to measure whether there is a significant reduction in plagiarism. The results are clear and show a significant drop in the percentages of plagiarism. In addition, we performed an additional validation to ensure that both groups were, in fact comparable. We found that both groups displayed similar plagiarism attitudes in other exercises that were not reformulated. This study shows that it is possible to reduce the incidence of plagiarism by designing activities in such a way that prompts students to propose their own ideas using information available on the Internet as a vehicle for their solutions rather than as solutions in themselves.

El objetivo de este trabajo es comprender mejor la naturaleza del plagio en la Educación Superior. Analizamos una serie de actividades en un curso on-line de nivel universitario, con el objetivo de encontrar qué tareas llevan más naturalmente al plagio. Este análisis concluye que las actividades que tienen una menor tasa de plagio son actividades que fomentan la participación, la originalidad y la creatividad. Posteriormente, reformulamos la tarea que presenta la mayor tasa de plagio, teniendo en cuenta las conclusiones del análisis anterior y tratando de mantener su esfuerzo relativo y el impacto educativo. A continuación, comparamos las actividades del nuevo diseño con las originales para medir si el rediseño conlleva una reducción significativa del plagio. Los resultados son claros y muestran una caída significativa en los porcentajes de plagio. Además, se realizó una validación adicional en la que se analizó la actividad con la segunda tasa de plagio más alta, encontrando que los grupos eran comparables y mostraban actitudes de plagio similares en otros ejercicios que no habían sido rediseñados. Este estudio muestra que es posible reducir la incidencia de plagio mediante el diseño de actividades de tal manera que los estudiantes se sientan motivados para proponer sus propias ideas utilizando la información disponible en Internet como vehículo para sus soluciones en lugar de como soluciones en sí mismas.
The audiovisual content downloads among university students
Authors: Duarte-Hueros Juliana , Duarte-Hueros Ana , Ruano-López Soledad
Published: May 2016

This article analyses the phenomenon of downloading audio-visual content –movies and television series– which is habitually practiced by university students via the Internet; their attitudes towards illegal downloads; and the education/training that they have about the legal status of this activity. These issues are a frequent reality but are little discussed in our academic context. Data was obtained from a questionnaire designed ad hoc. This was administered to students enrolled in different university degrees (Audio-visual Communication, Primary Education and Social Education). We believe that these college degrees require ethical and legal training on the issues regarding downloading of content from the web. This education is an urgently needed training for young people who will work in educating and informing the citizens of the 21st century. The study results show that university students habitually consume a high percentage of online content from the audio-visual industry (films and television series). Students have clearly favourable attitudes towards this form of consumption. However, students show little regards to the ethical and legal issues surrounding downloading from the Internet. In addition, they have a very low degree of education and training on these issues. The results suggest the need to implement training programs and to conduct information campaigns to improve their information and digital literacy.

El presente trabajo analiza el fenómeno de las descargas de contenidos audiovisuales –películas y series de televisión– que habitualmente practican los universitarios a través de Internet; sus actitudes ante las descargas ilegales y la formación que tienen en relación a la situación legal de las mismas. Estas cuestiones conforman una realidad que aunque a priori parece ser demasiado frecuente, se encuentra todavía muy poco explorada y es escasamente tratada desde una perspectiva científica en nuestro contexto. Los datos se obtuvieron a partir de un cuestionario diseñado ad hoc, administrado a estudiantes de tres Grados universitarios (Comunicación Audiovisual, Educación Primaria y Educación Social), por considerar que se trata de titulaciones en las que un conocimiento de base ético y legal ante las descargas de contenidos en la red es urgente y necesario para unos jóvenes que se están preparando con el propósito de dedicarse a la formación e información de los futuros ciudadanos del siglo XXI. Los resultados del estudio muestran cómo el consumo de contenidos procedentes de la industria audiovisual (televisiva y cinematográfica), es una práctica asentada entre los universitarios, que tienen actitudes claramente favorables hacia ella pero que prestan escasa importancia a cuestiones éticas y legales ante las descargas no legales, además de tener muy baja formación en estas cuestiones. Los resultados sugieren la necesidad de poner en marcha acciones educomunicativas para mejorar sus competencias informacionales y digitales.
Youth and the third sector media in Spain: Communication and social change training
Authors: Lema-Blanco Isabel , Rodríguez-Gómez Eduardo-Francisco , Barranquero-Carretero Alejandro
Published: May 2016

The aim of this paper is to examine the role of community, free and university media in Spain as tools for media literacy and as instruments for creating a more critical and communicative citizenry. After a conceptual section, we analyse training processes in this area with regard to the general population and their reference communities, devoting particular emphasis to the involvement of young people. The triangulation research method was based on quantitative (a survey) and qualitative (focus groups) techniques. The results show that the third sector media in Spain act as invaluable tools for the acquisition of skills and competences that are transferable into young people’s professional and experiential sphere, given the ability of these media outlets to identify with their interests, aspirations and difficulties. In a broad sense, these initiatives contribute to expanding the right of communication in two different ways: on the one hand, because they are open to citizen participation in both management responsibilities and content programming; and, on the other, because their decentralized practices provide a laboratory for creative journalism which, in turn, is linked to social movements and other means of expression for citizens (NGOs, associations, etc.).

El siguiente trabajo tiene por objeto acercarse al papel de los medios comunitarios, libres y universitarios del Estado español como instrumentos para la alfabetización mediática y en tanto que espacios para la conformación de ciudadanía crítica y comunicativa. Tras el apartado conceptual, se analizan los procesos de aprendizaje que se implementan con respecto a la ciudadanía en general y a las comunidades de referencia en particular, prestando especial atención al rol y a la participación de la juventud. A partir de la triangulación de técnicas cuantitativas (encuesta) y cualitativas (grupos de discusión), los resultados demuestran que los medios del tercer sector actúan como valiosas herramientas para la adquisición de habilidades y competencias críticas que pueden transferirse a la esfera profesional y vivencial de los jóvenes, dada la identificación de estos medios con los intereses, problemáticas y aspiraciones juveniles. En un sentido amplio, estas iniciativas contribuyen a la expansión del derecho a la comunicación en dos irecciones: por un lado, porque están abiertas a la participación ciudadana en las tareas de gestión y programación de los contenidos; y, por otro, porque sus prácticas descentralizadas constituyen un laboratorio de creatividad periodística que, a su vez, está vinculado al devenir de los movimientos sociales y otras formaciones de la ciudadanía organizada (ONG, asociaciones, etc.).
Congenital Cholesteatoma
Authors: Walker David , Shinners Michael J.
Published: May 2016

Congenital cholesteatoma is one of the more common causes of the onset of childhood conductive hearing loss unrelated to middle ear effusion. If undiagnosed, the disease can progress to irreversibly destroy the conductive hearing architecture, as well as the surrounding skull base of the lateral temporal bone. When diagnosed early, the growth can be removed and the conductive hearing mechanism preserved in the vast majority of patients. Because most children are asymptomatic, the burden falls on primary care providers to perform pneumatic otoscopy and visualize all quadrants of the tympanic membrane even in young children who frequently resist attempts to conduct a thorough examination to rule out suspicious lesions.

[
Pediatr Ann
. 2016;45(5):e167–e170.]
Patient Satisfaction and Functional Outcomes Following Secondary Patellar Resurfacing
Authors: van Jonbergen Hans-Peter W. , Boeddha Ashvin V. , M van Raaij Jos J. A.
Published: May 2016

When secondary patellar resurfacing is performed, a uniformly and widely used scoring system that is validated for anterior knee pain caused by a retropatellar degeneration will give more insight into the results of this procedure. The cause of anterior knee pain following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is not always related to the patella itself. Other causes have been identified, such as an insufficient posterior cruciate ligament in the case of a posterior cruciate–retaining TKA or an internally rotated femoral and/or tibial component. Treatment of anterior knee pain following primary TKA with secondary patellar resurfacing is a controversial procedure with uncertain outcomes. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the available peer-reviewed literature on patient satisfaction and functional outcomes of secondary resurfacing. The authors performed a systematic computerized database search of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, and EMBASE in October 2014. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. A total of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria. In total, 148 (64%) of 232 patients were satisfied with the outcomes of secondary patellar resurfacing. A statistically significant improvement in knee scores was noted in all 9 studies that reported functional outcomes, although no clinically significant improvement in knee scores was observed. Reported complications include infections and impaired wound healing, patellar instability, and patellar fracture. Because the available evidence is of generally low quality, the results of this systematic review only support a weak recommendation for secondary patellar resurfacing if patient satisfaction and clinically important improvement of functional outcomes are the desired endpoints. [
Orthopedics.
2016; 39(5):e850–e856.]
Formation professionnelle et technique au Québec : un besoin de réforme
Authors: Solar-Pelletier Laurence
Published: May 2016

Au Québec, la formation professionnelle se divise entre le « professionnel » au secondaire et le « technique » dans les cégeps. Ces cursus se font presque exclusivement en milieu scolaire et sont sous le quasi-monopole du réseau de l’éducation. Les intervenants du marché du travail y occupent un rôle assez marginal, bien qu’ils contribuent à l’identification des compétences nécessaires pour occuper un métier. Dans un contexte de croissance à prévoir d’embauche de main-d’œuvre diplômée au plan professionnel, plusieurs acteurs appellent à une réforme d’un système d’éducation qui a peu changé depuis les années 1960.
Correlations and Patterns of Food and Health Consumer Expenditure
Authors: Stancu Adrian
Published: May 2016

Human diet and health will always be a topical issue irrespective of the times, society, economic development, etc. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the presence or absence of correlations between food consumer expenditure and health goods and services consumer expenditure. Over three-quarters of the correlations between the consumer expenditure categories and subcategories are statistically significant and approximately a half of them underscore a moderate intensity. The patterns of the relationship between food consumer expenditure and health goods and services consumer expenditure for the same countries are identified. Twenty patterns which contain country groups are pointed out for the ten connections among consumer expenditure categories. The correlation between high food consumer expenditure and the high weight of people who are suffering from specific diseases is emphasized.
Developing Students' English Language Skills and Cultural Awareness by Means of Food Topics
Authors: Badea Mihaela , Presada Diana
Published: May 2016

The chapter tackles the topic of food in teaching English as a second language from different instructional perspectives, which include an integrated approach to skill-development, vocabulary acquisition as well as to American and British culture and civilization. The major purpose is to suggest various classroom activities based on topics related to food that can be used by ESL teachers in their classes. Consequently, the focus is on the strategies conducing to the development of receptive and productive language skills, practice of lexical items and enhancement of cultural awareness. Various theoretical elements regarding the teaching process lie at the basis of practical activities proposed by the chapter.
Health Determinants
Authors: Drăgoi Mihaela Cristina
Published: May 2016

The starting point of this chapter is the Lalonde health model, which takes into account the influence of non-medical factors upon human health. As it turns out, health services contribute to good health to a lesser extent than human behavior and genetic background. Since lifestyle choices and behavior prove to affect human health significantly – both as improvement or deterioration – nutrition habits determine some of the most severe illnesses that health care systems must deal with, also augmenting the burden of disease. This chapter aims at emphasizing the impact of nutrition on individual and societal health using a varied range of indicators regarding food consumption habits among various populations of the EU Member States within the wider context of economic development (GDP/capita, Actual Individual Consumption, access to basic utilities – drinkable water and sewage systems, standards of living etc.).
Interdisciplinaridade escolar no ensino médio: domínios epistêmicos como possibilidade para elaboração e avaliação de um trabalho coletivo
Authors: Oliveira Thais Benetti de , Caldeira Ana Maria Andrade
Published: May 2016

A Educação Científica obedece às contingências referentes à complexidade dos problemas atuais e, portanto, (re)configura condições didáticas para o Ensino de Ciências. A interdisciplinaridade emerge nesse contexto e carrega controvérsias semânticas, principalmente no que concerne à interdisciplinaridade escolar. Este trabalho procura relatar a importância da interdisciplinaridade escolar e do trabalho coletivo entre professores por meio dos dados obtidos por um projeto interdisciplinar realizado em uma escola pública. Para a realização do projeto, elaboramos uma tabela constituída pelos domínios epistêmicos do conhecimento (linguagens e seus valores e habilidades cognitivas) como uma forma de cada professor participante do projeto avaliar os alunos após as atividades propostas. A partir da análise da entrevista realizada com esses professores e do preenchimento das tabelas, concluímos que o instrumento permitiu o início de um trabalho coletivo, uma vez que professores de diferentes disciplinas tinham um objetivo de avaliação comum e dialogaram entre si, esboçando ideias e possibilidades sobre um trabalho interdisciplinar.
Educação na Federação Brasileira: federalismo, laicidade e religião
Authors: Carvalho Carlos Henrique de , Gonçalves Neto Wenceslau
Published: May 2016

Acta Scientiarum. Education v. 38, n. 2, 2016
Remote sensing of forest pest damage: a review and lessons learned from a Canadian perspective
Authors: Hall R.J. , Castilla G. , White J.C. , Cooke B.J. , Skakun R.S.
Published: May 2016

Outbreaks of insect pests periodically cause large losses of volume in Canada’s forests. Compounded with climate change, outbreaks create significant challenges for managing the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services. Current methods to monitor damage by these pests involve both field and aerial surveys. While relatively cost effective and timely, aerial survey consistency and spatial coverage may be insufficient for detailed monitoring across Canada’s vast forest-land base. Remote sensing can augment these methods and extend monitoring capabilities in time and space by incorporating knowledge of pest-host interactions and of how damage translates into a remote sensing signal for detection and mapping. This review provides a brief introduction to major forest insect pests in Canada (two bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and six defoliators) and the damage they cause, a synthesis of the literature involving aerial survey and remote sensing, and a discussion of how these two approaches could be integrated into future pest monitoring from a Canadian perspective. We offer some lessons learned, outline roles that remote sensing could serve in a management context, and discuss what ongoing and upcoming technological advances may offer to future forest health monitoring.
Preliminary application of heavy mineral analyses to metallogeny of carboniferous areas, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
Authors: Mccartney W D , Mcleod C R
Published: May 2016

As a preliminary field test of a method of mineral exploration, nineteen heavy mineral concentrates from stream gravels were collected by panning, concentrated, and analyzed for lead, zinc, barium, manganese and tin. Samples from a Carboniferous basin in eastern
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, known to contain a large, lowgrade deposit of galena in grey sandstone and siltstone, as well as galena in Windsor limestone, contained 1, 000 to 4, OOO parts per million zinc, 1, OOO to 3, OOO parts per million lead, and up to 1 1/2 per cent barium. Samples from an area
underlain by Mississippian sediments not known to contain sulphides in central Nova Scotia contained up to 460 parts per million zinc, up to 125 parts per million lead, and up to 0. 5 per cent barium. A tin content of 0. 2 per cent in one sample was probably derived from nearby Devonian granite. The
consistently low values near the presumably barren sediments, as opposed to consistently high values near galena-bearing sandstones, suggest that the method warrants further field tests as an aid to metallogenic study and mineral exploration in Carboniferous basins and elsewhere in is he Canadian
Appalachians.
Preliminary account of the Goulburn Group, Northwest Territories, Canada
Authors: Tremblay L P
Published: May 2016

The Goulburn Group outcrops over an area 5, OOO square miles extending from east of Bathurst Inlet in the east to west of Contwoyto Lake the west, a distance of more than 100 miles. In general the area is rugged and highly dissected with relief up to 1, 500 feet.
The rock succession is more than 15, OOO feet thick in the east and less than 3, OOO feet in the west It has been subdivided into five conformable formations from bottom to top the Western River Formation which is predominantly thinly bedded argillit the Burns ide River Formation (pink quartzite),
the Peacock Hills Formatic which is mainly thinly bedded argillites, the Kuuvik Formation (dolomite a limestone), and the Brown Sound Formation (first named in this paper) of thinly bedded argillites, siltstones , and buff sandstones . The Group rests uncomfortably on Archean granites and gneisses
dated at 2,490 m.y . and i overlain uncomfortably by the Tinney Cove Formation (sandstone and con glomerate) which is correlated with the Thelon Formation of the Dubawnt Group lo the east. It is not known if the Goulburn Group is cut by the IIudsonian granite but it is traversed by gabbro sill and
dykes dated at fron 1,550 to 1,050 m. y. The source rocks for this succession are not known I: the source area is probably to the southeast. Quiet environment and shallow water deposition a rededicated.
Modelling non-stationary annual maximum flood heights in the lower Limpopo River basin of Mozambique
Authors: Maposa Daniel , Cochran James J. , Lesaoana Maseka
Published: May 2016

In this article we fit a time-dependent generalised extreme value (GEV) distribution to annual maximum flood heights at three sites: Chokwe, Sicacate and Combomune in the lower Limpopo River basin of Mozambique. A GEV distribution is fitted to six annual maximum time series models at each site, namely: annual daily maximum (AM1), annual 2-day maximum (AM2), annual 5-day maximum (AM5), annual 7-day maximum (AM7), annual 10-day maximum (AM10) and annual 30-day maximum (AM30). Non-stationary time-dependent GEV models with a linear trend in location and scale parameters are considered in this study. The results show lack of sufficient evidence to indicate a linear trend in the location parameter at all three sites. On the other hand, the findings in this study reveal strong evidence of the existence of a linear trend in the scale parameter at Combomune and Sicacate, whilst the scale parameter had no significant linear trend at Chokwe. Further investigation in this study also reveals that the location parameter at Sicacate can be modelled by a nonlinear quadratic trend; however, the complexity of the overall model is not worthwhile in fit over a time-homogeneous model. This study shows the importance of extending the time-homogeneous GEV model to incorporate climate change factors such as trend in the lower Limpopo River basin, particularly in this era of global warming and a changing climate.Keywords: nonstationary extremes; annual maxima; lower Limpopo River; generalised extreme value
The use of semi-structured interviews for the characterisation of farmer irrigation practices
Authors: O'Keeffe Jimmy , Buytaert Wouter , Mijic Ana , Brozović Nicholas , Sinha Rajiv
Published: May 2016

Abstract. For the development of sustainable and realistic water security, generating information on the behaviours, characteristics, and drivers of users, as well as on the resource itself, is essential. In this paper we present a methodology for collecting qualitative and quantitative data on water use practices through semi-structured interviews. This approach facilitates the collection of detailed information on actors' decisions in a convenient and cost-effective manner. Semi-structured interviews are organised around a topic guide, which helps lead the conversation in a standardised way while allowing sufficient opportunity for relevant issues to emerge. In addition, they can be used to obtain certain types of quantitative data. While not as accurate as direct measurements, they can provide useful information on local practices and users' insights. We present an application of the methodology on farmer water use in two districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. By means of 100 farmer interviews, information was collected on various aspects of irrigation practices, including irrigation water volumes, irrigation cost, water source, and their spatial variability. Statistical analyses of the information, along with data visualisation, are also presented, indicating a significant variation in irrigation practices both within and between districts. Our application shows that semi-structured interviews are an effective and efficient method of collecting both qualitative and quantitative information for the assessment of drivers, behaviours, and their outcomes in a data-scarce region. The collection of this type of data could significantly improve insights on water resources, leading to more realistic management options and increased water security in the future.
High resolution monitoring of nutrients in groundwater and surface waters: process understanding, quantification of loads and concentrations and management applications
Authors: van Geer F. C. , Kronvang B. , Broers H. P.
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Four sessions on "Monitoring Strategies: temporal trends in groundwater and surface water quality and quantity" at the EGU-conferences in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and a special issue of HESS form the background for this overview of the current state of high resolution monitoring of nutrients. The overview includes a summary of technologies applied in high frequency monitoring of nutrients in the special issue. Moreover, we present a new assessment of the objectives behind high frequency monitoring as classified into three main groups: (i) improved understanding of the underlying hydrological, chemical and biological processes (PU); (ii) quantification of true nutrient concentrations and loads (Q); (iii) operational management, including evaluation of the effects of mitigation measures (M). The contributions in the special issue focus on the implementation of high frequency monitoring within the broader context of policy making and management in Europe for support of EU Directives such as the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Nitrate Directive. The overview presented based on the special issue and the presentations at the four EGU sessions enabled us to highlight the typical objectives encountered in the application of high frequency monitoring to support EU Directives, to assess the temporal and spatial scales and to reflect on future developments and research needs in this growing field of expertise.
Factors controlling erosion-deposition phenomena related to lahars at Volcán de Colima, Mexico
Authors: Vázquez Rosario , Capra Lucia , Coviello Velio
Published: May 2016

Abstract. One of the most common phenomenon at Volcán de Colima is the annual development of lahars that runs mainly through the southern ravines of the edifice. Since 2011 the study and the monitoring of these flows and of the associated rainfall has been achieved by means of an instrumented station located in Montegrande ravine, together with the systematic surveying of cross topographic profiles of the main channel. From these, we present the comparison of the morphological changes experimented by this ravine during the 2013, 2014, and 2015 rainy seasons. A total of 11 lahars occurred during this period of time, and their erosion/deposition effects were quantified by means of the cross-section areas determined from the profiles taken at the beginning and at the end of the rainy seasons and before and after the major lahar event of 11 June 2013. From the data compiled in these surveys, we identified two main zones: (i) an erosive zone between 2100–1950 m a.s.l., 8° in slope, with progressive channel bed deepening and/or widening, and with an annual erosional rate of 10.3 % due mainly to the narrowness of the channel and its high slope angle and, (ii) an erosive-depositional zone, between 1900–1700 m a.s.l., (~8 % erosion and ~16 % deposition), due to a wider channel and that decreases in slope angle (4°). These observations were confirmed by simulating with the FLO-2D code a flow with a hydrograph similar to the 11 June 2013 lahar, the largest event observed during the investigated period. Based on these observations, the major factors controlling the erosion/deposition rates are the channel-bed slope, the cross section width and the joint effect of sediment availability and accumulated rainfall. On the distal reach of the ravine, the erosion or deposition processes tends to be promoted preferentially one over the other depending mostly upon the width of the active channel. Only for extraordinary rainfall events, lahars are mostly erosive all along the ravine up to the distal fan where deposition take place. Finally, by comparing rainfalls associated to lahars originated after the last main eruptive episode that occurred in 2004–2005, we observed that higher accumulated rainfalls were needed to trigger lahars in 2013 and 2014 seasons, which point to a progressive stabilization of the volcano slope during a post eruptive period. These results can be used as a tool to foresee the effects of future laharic events in Volcán de Colima and to improve the input parameters for the modelling of these flows, in order to better constrain the hazard zonation for lahars in this volcano.
A socio-hydrological comparative assessment explaining regional variances in suicide rate amongst farmers in Maharashtra, India
Authors: den Besten Nadja I. , Pande Saket , Savenije Hubert H. G.
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Maharashtra is one of the states in India that has witnessed one of the highest rates of farmer suicides as proportion of total number of suicides. Most of the farmer suicides in Maharashtra are from semi-arid divisions such as Marathwada where cotton has been historically grown. Other dominant crops produced include cereals, pulses, oilseeds and sugarcane. Cotton (fibers), oilseeds and sugarcane providing highest value addition per unit cultivated area and cereals and pulses the least. Hence it is not surprising that smallholders take risks growing high value crops without “visualising” the risks it entails such as those corresponding to price and weather shocks.We deploy recently developed smallholder socio-hydrology modelling framework to understand the underlying dynamics of the crisis. It couples the dynamics of six main variables that are most relevant at the scale of a smallholder: water storage capacity (root zone storage and other ways of water storage), capital, livestock, soil fertility and fodder biomass. The hydroclimatic variability is accounted for at sub-annual scale and influences the socio-hydrology at annual scale. The model incorporates rule-based adaptation mechanisms (e.g., adjusting expenditures on food and fertilizers, selling livestocks) of smallholders when they face adverse conditions, such as high variability in rainfall or in agricultural prices. The model is applied to two adjoining divisions of Maharashtra: Marathwada and Desh. The former is the division with relatively higher farmer suicide rates than the latter. Diverse spatial data sets of precipitation, potential evaporation, soil, agricultural census based farm inputs, cropping pattern and prices are used to understand the dynamics of small farmers in these divisions, and to attribute farmer distress rates to soil types, hydroclimatic variability and crops grown.Comparative socio-hydrologic assessment across the two regions confirms existing narratives: low (soil) water storage capacities, no irrigation and poor access to alternative sources of incomes are to blame for the crisis, suggesting that smart indigenous solutions such as rain-water harvesting and better integration of smallholder systems to efficient agricultural supply chains are needed to tackle this development challenge.
Inflow forecasting using Artificial Neural Networks for reservoir operation
Authors: Chiamsathit Chuthamat , Adeloye Adebayo J. , Bankaru-Swamy Soundharajan
Published: May 2016

Abstract. In this study, multi-layer perceptron (MLP) artificial neural networks have been applied to forecast one-month-ahead inflow for the Ubonratana reservoir, Thailand. To assess how well the forecast inflows have performed in the operation of the reservoir, simulations were carried out guided by the systems rule curves. As basis of comparison, four inflow situations were considered: (1) inflow known and assumed to be the historic (Type A); (2) inflow known and assumed to be the forecast (Type F); (3) inflow known and assumed to be the historic mean for month (Type M); and (4) inflow is unknown with release decision only conditioned on the starting reservoir storage (Type N). Reservoir performance was summarised in terms of reliability, resilience, vulnerability and sustainability. It was found that Type F inflow situation produced the best performance while Type N was the worst performing. This clearly demonstrates the importance of good inflow information for effective reservoir operation.
Sustainable land and water management of River Oases along the Tarim River
Authors: Disse Markus
Published: May 2016

Abstract. The Tarim Basin in Xinjiang province in northwest China is characterized by a hyper arid climate. Climate change and a strong increase in agricultural land use are major challenges for sustainable water management. The largest competition for water resources exists between irrigated fields and natural riparian vegetation, which is dependent on seasonal flooding of the Tarim River. In addition to numerous water management measures implemented by the Chinese government, the Sino-German project SuMaRiO (Sustainable Management of River Oases along the Tarim River) provided a decision support system based on ecosystem services for the Chinese stakeholders. This tool will help to implement sustainable land and water management measures in the next 5-year plan.
Added-value from a multi-criteria selection of donor catchments in the prediction of continuous streamflow series at ungauged pollution control-sites
Authors: Drogue Gilles , Khediri Wiem Ben , Conan Céline
Published: May 2016

Abstract. We explore the potential of a multi-criteria selection of donor catchments in the prediction of continuous streamflow series by the spatial proximity method. Three criteria have been used: (1) spatial proximity; (2) physical similarity; (3) stream gauging network topology. An extensive assessment of our spatial proximity method variant is made on a 149 catchment-data set located in the Rhine-Meuse catchment. The competitiveness of the method is evaluated against spatial interpolation of catchment model parameters with ordinary kriging. We found that the spatial proximity approach is more efficient than ordinary kriging. When distance to upstream/downstream stream gauge stations is considered as a second order criterion in the selection of donor catchments, an unprecedented level of efficiency is reached for nested catchments. Nevertheless, the spatial proximity method does not take advantage from physical similarity between donor catchments and receiver catchments because catchments that are the most hydrologically similar to each catchment poorly match with the catchments that are the most physically similar to each catchment.
The value of weather radar data for the estimation of design storms – an analysis for the Hannover region
Authors: Haberlandt Uwe , Berndt Christian
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Pure radar rainfall, station rainfall and radar-station merging products are analysed regarding extreme rainfall frequencies with durations from 5 min to 6 h and return periods from 1 year to 30 years. Partial duration series of the extremes are derived from the data and probability distributions are fitted. The performance of the design rainfall estimates is assessed based on cross validations for observed station points, which are used as reference. For design rainfall estimation using the pure radar data, the pixel value at the station location is taken; for the merging products, spatial interpolation methods are applied. The results show, that pure radar data are not suitable for the estimation of extremes. They usually lead to an overestimation compared to the observations, which is opposite to the usual behaviour of the radar rainfall. The merging products between radar and station data on the other hand lead usually to an underestimation. They can only outperform the station observations for longer durations. The main problem for a good estimation of extremes seems to be the poor radar data quality.
Spatial variability of the parameters of a semi-distributed hydrological model
Authors: de Lavenne Alban , Thirel Guillaume , Andréassian Vazken , Perrin Charles , Ramos Maria-Helena
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Ideally, semi-distributed hydrologic models should provide better streamflow simulations than lumped models, along with spatially-relevant water resources management solutions. However, the spatial distribution of model parameters raises issues related to the calibration strategy and to the identifiability of the parameters. To analyse these issues, we propose to base the evaluation of a semi-distributed model not only on its performance at streamflow gauging stations, but also on the spatial and temporal pattern of the optimised value of its parameters. We implemented calibration over 21 rolling periods and 64 catchments, and we analysed how well each parameter is identified in time and space. Performance and parameter identifiability are analysed comparatively to the calibration of the lumped version of the same model. We show that the semi-distributed model faces more difficulties to identify stable optimal parameter sets. The main difficulty lies in the identification of the parameters responsible for the closure of the water balance (i.e. for the particular model investigated, the intercatchment groundwater flow parameter).
Multi-method observation and analysis of a tsunami caused by glacier calving
Authors: Lüthi Martin P. , Vieli Andreas
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Glacier calving can cause violent tsunami waves which, upon landfall, can cause severe destruction. Here we present data acquired during a calving event from Eqip Sermia, an ocean-terminating glacier in west Greenland. During an exceptionally well-documented event, the collapse of 9  ×  105 m3 ice from a 200 m high ice cliff caused a tsunami wave of 50 m height, traveling at a speed of 25–33 m s−1. This wave was filmed from a tour boat at 800 m distance from the calving face, and simultaneously measured with a terrestrial radar interferometer and a tide gauge. Tsunami wave run-up height on the steep opposite shore at a distance of 4 km was 10–15 m, destroying infrastructure and eroding old vegetation. These observations indicate that such high tsunami waves are a recent phenomenon in the history of this glacier. Analysis of the data shows that only moderately bigger tsunami waves are to be expected in the future, even under rather extreme scenarios.
Notas críticas y exegéticas sobre el capítulo 166 (Antonio Diógenes, Las maravillas de más allá de Tule) de la "Biblioteca" de Focio.
Authors: Bianchi Nunzio
Published: May 2016

Notas críticas y exegéticas sobre el capítulo 166 (Antonio Diógenes, Las maravillas de más allá de Tule) de la Biblioteca de Focio.
Null Subject in Lubukusu and the Extended Projection Principle
Authors: Mary Lonyangapuo
Published: May 2016

This paper analyses the null subject phenomenon in Lubukusu with special reference to the extended projection principle (EPP). The paper looks at conditions under which null subjects are allowed in this language. Lubukusu data is self-generated and the analysis is based on the principles and parameters approach (P&P) and the Minimalist program (MP). From the analysis of the data generated, it is shown that null subjects in Lubukusu are syntactically active categories. Though covert, they are Arguments that carry semantic content, hence satisfying the EPP requirements. Null subjects occur in this language because of its rich morphology; that is, whenever the subject agreement features are marked on the verb or any of the determiners, then the overt subject can be dropped without any negative implication on the grammaticality of the structure. Being an Argument position, it is theta-marked and as such the unpronounced null subject is pro (a pronoun). This being the case, it is argued that Lubukusu is a consistent null subject language and that in null subject constructions, the EPP is observed.