bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assimilation of GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Observations into a Land Surface Model for the Assessment of Regional Flood Potential
Authors: Reager John , Thomas Alys , Sproles Eric , Rodell Matthew , Beaudoing Hiroko , Li Bailing , Famiglietti James
Published: November 2015

We evaluate performance of the Catchment Land Surface Model (CLSM) under flood conditions after the assimilation of observations of the terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). Assimilation offers three key benefits for the viability of GRACE observations to operational applications: (1) near-real time analysis; (2) a downscaling of GRACE’s coarse spatial resolution; and (3) state disaggregation of the vertically-integrated TWSA. We select the 2011 flood event in the Missouri river basin as a case study, and find that assimilation generally made the model wetter in the months preceding flood. We compare model outputs with observations from 14 USGS groundwater wells to assess improvements after assimilation. Finally, we examine disaggregated water storage information to improve the mechanistic understanding of event generation. Validation establishes that assimilation improved the model skill substantially, increasing regional groundwater anomaly correlation from 0.58 to 0.86. For the 2011 flood event in the Missouri river basin, results show that groundwater and snow water equivalent were contributors to pre-event flood potential, providing spatially-distributed early warning information.
Transferring Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for the Scene Classification of High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Hu Fan , Xia Gui-Song , Hu Jingwen , Zhang Liangpei
Published: November 2015

Learning efficient image representations is at the core of the scene classification task of remote sensing imagery. The existing methods for solving the scene classification task, based on either feature coding approaches with low-level hand-engineered features or unsupervised feature learning, can only generate mid-level image features with limited representative ability, which essentially prevents them from achieving better performance. Recently, the deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which are hierarchical architectures trained on large-scale datasets, have shown astounding performance in object recognition and detection. However, it is still not clear how to use these deep convolutional neural networks for high-resolution remote sensing (HRRS) scene classification. In this paper, we investigate how to transfer features from these successfully pre-trained CNNs for HRRS scene classification. We propose two scenarios for generating image features via extracting CNN features from different layers. In the first scenario, the activation vectors extracted from fully-connected layers are regarded as the final image features; in the second scenario, we extract dense features from the last convolutional layer at multiple scales and then encode the dense features into global image features through commonly used feature coding approaches. Extensive experiments on two public scene classification datasets demonstrate that the image features obtained by the two proposed scenarios, even with a simple linear classifier, can result in remarkable performance and improve the state-of-the-art by a significant margin. The results reveal that the features from pre-trained CNNs generalize well to HRRS datasets and are more expressive than the low- and mid-level features. Moreover, we tentatively combine features extracted from different CNN models for better performance.
Classification of Several Optically Complex Waters in China Using in Situ Remote Sensing Reflectance
Authors: Shen Qian , Li Junsheng , Zhang Fangfang , Sun Xu , Li Jun , Li Wei , Zhang Bing
Published: November 2015

Determining the dominant optically active substances in water bodies via classification can improve the accuracy of bio-optical and water quality parameters estimated by remote sensing. This study provides four robust centroid sets from in situ remote sensing reflectance (Rrs (λ)) data presenting typical optical types obtained by plugging different similarity measures into fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering. Four typical types of waters were studied: (1) highly mixed eutrophic waters, with the proportion of absorption of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), phytoplankton, and non-living particulate matter at approximately 20%, 20%, and 60% respectively; (2) CDOM-dominated relatively clear waters, with approximately 45% by proportion of CDOM absorption; (3) nonliving solids-dominated waters, with approximately 88% by proportion of absorption of nonliving particulate matter; and (4) cyanobacteria-composed scum. We also simulated spectra from seven ocean color satellite sensors to assess their classification ability. POLarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER), Sentinel-2A, and MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) were found to perform better than the rest. Further, a classification tree for MERIS, in which the characteristics of Rrs (709)/Rrs (681), Rrs (560)/Rrs (709), Rrs (560)/Rrs (620), and Rrs (709)/Rrs (761) are integrated, is also proposed in this paper. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of the proposed classification tree are 76.2% and 0.632, respectively.
A Hybrid Lifetime Extended Directional Approach for WBANs
Authors: Li Changle , Yuan Xiaoming , Yang Li , Song Yueyang
Published: November 2015

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) can provide real-time and reliable health monitoring, attributing to the human-centered and sensor interoperability properties. WBANs have become a key component of the ubiquitous eHealth (electronic health) revolution that prospers on the basis of information and communication technologies. The prime consideration in WBAN is how to maximize the network lifetime with battery-powered sensor nodes in energy constraint. Novel solutions in Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are imperative to satisfy the particular BAN scenario and the need of excellent energy efficiency in healthcare applications. In this paper, we propose a hybrid Lifetime Extended Directional Approach (LEDA) MAC protocol based on IEEE 802.15.6 to reduce energy consumption and prolong network lifetime. The LEDA MAC protocol takes full advantages of directional superiority in energy saving that employs multi-beam directional mode in Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) and single-beam directional mode in Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) for alternative in data reservation and transmission according to the traffic varieties. Moreover, the impacts of some inherent problems of directional antennas such as deafness and hidden terminal problem can be decreased owing to that all nodes generate individual beam according to user priorities designated. Furthermore, LEDA MAC employs a Dynamic Polled Allocation Period (DPAP) for burst data transmissions to increase the network reliability and adaptability. Extensive analysis and simulation results show that the proposed LEDA MAC protocol achieves extended network lifetime with improved performance compared with IEEE 802.15.6.
Cell-to-Cell Propagation of the Bacterial Toxin CNF1 via Extracellular Vesicles: Potential Impact on the Therapeutic Use of the Toxin
Authors: Fabbri Alessia , Cori Sara , Zanetti Cristiana , Guidotti Marco , Sargiacomo Massimo , Loizzo Stefano , Fiorentini Carla
Published: November 2015

Eukaryotic cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), either constitutively or in a regulated manner, which represent an important mode of intercellular communication. EVs serve as vehicles for transfer between cells of membrane and cytosolic proteins, lipids and RNA. Furthermore, certain bacterial protein toxins, or possibly their derived messages, can be transferred cell to cell via EVs. We have herein demonstrated that eukaryotic EVs represent an additional route of cell-to-cell propagation for the Escherichia coli protein toxin cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1). Our results prove that EVs from CNF1 pre-infected epithelial cells can induce cytoskeleton changes, Rac1 and NF-κB activation comparable to that triggered by CNF1. The observation that the toxin is detectable inside EVs derived from CNF1-intoxicated cells strongly supports the hypothesis that extracellular vesicles can offer to the toxin a novel route to travel from cell to cell. Since anthrax and tetanus toxins have also been reported to engage in the same process, we can hypothesize that EVs represent a common mechanism exploited by bacterial toxins to enhance their pathogenicity.
Conformational equilibrium in supramolecular chemistry: Dibutyltriuret case
Authors: Mroczyńska Karina , Kaczorowska Małgorzata , Kolehmainen Erkki , Grubecki Ireneusz , Pietrzak Marek , Ośmiałowski Borys
Published: November 2015

The association of substituted benzoates and naphthyridine dianions was used to study the complexation of dibutyltriuret. The title molecule is the simplest molecule able to form two intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The naphthyridine salt was used to break two intramolecular hydrogen bonds at a time while with the use of substituted benzoates the systematic approach to study association was achieved. Both, titrations and variable temperature measurements shed the light on the importance of conformational equilibrium and its influence on association in solution. Moreover, the associates were observed by mass spectrometry. The DFT-based computations for complexes and single bond rotational barriers supports experimental data and helps understanding the properties of multiply hydrogen bonded complexes.
La psychanalyse en Argentine : histoire et perspectives
Authors: Dagfal Alejandro
Published: November 2015

Cet article essaie de rendre compte de la spécificité de la situation actuelle de la psychanalyse en Argentine à partir d’une étude historique de 1910 à nos jours. Il s’agit de parcourir les différentes étapes de l’histoire de la psychanalyse dans ce pays sud-américain dans le but de comprendre le processus par lequel l’Argentine est devenue une sorte de capitale internationale d’abord pour le freudisme, puis pour le kleinisme et, finalement, aussi pour le lacanisme. Ce récit, au-delà d’une histoire interne, tente de restituer le contexte sociopolitique et culturel. De la même façon, l’auteur cherche à comprendre les rapports entre la psychanalyse et les autres disciplines « psy », notamment la psychologie, dont l’essor au Río de la Plata facilita l’implantation et la diffusion des idées et des pratiques freudiennes.
Carta a mi mujer: un testamento lírico entre realidad y deseo
Authors: Castellani Jean Pierre
Published: November 2015

Los peores enemigos de Francisco Umbral reconocen su capacidad para crear un discurso lingüistico innovador tanto en sus textos autobiográficos, autoficcionales, ficcionales o periodísticos. Entre los 14 textos publicados durante la década 2000-2010 por Francisco Umbral, dos solamente pueden considerarse como pertenecientes stricto sensu a la prosa narrativa: son dos novelas, El socialista sentimental (2000) y Los metales nocturnos (2003), a los que hay que añadir, además de las columnas en prensa, un diario íntimo, Un ser de lejanías (2001), y un libro póstumo, Carta a mi mujer, que aparentemente Umbral escribió en los años 80 y que se publicó en 2008. Es precisamente en estos textos supuestamente narrativos donde observamos una marcada tendencia hacia un discurso esencialmente lírico. Nos centraremos esencialmente en este libro póstumo en el cual observamos una gran fuerza poética. En este discurso dirigido a su esposa María España, Umbral da muestra de una gran capacidad de creación en lo que se puede considerar como un testamento que da una imagen muy distinta de la relación del escritor con su esposa.
La esencia del cuento umbraliano
Authors: De Buron-Brun Bénédicte
Published: November 2015

El estudio de los numerosos cuentos de Umbral permite constatar su esencia hondamente poética. Son cuentos rigurosamente elaborados, técnicamente impecables y estilísticamente logrados, que rompen cánones en busca de una perenne innovación creativa. Francisco Umbral posee un don especial para recrear ambientes, atmósferas y climas; adapta el ritmo a la narración, ajustando el cantar y contar; a la musicalidad en el relato se añaden las imágenes, que surgen puras y bellas mediante abundantes sensaciones y emociones, con un vibrante juego de luces y colores.
Los políticos de Umbral: retratos poéticos y antipoéticos
Authors: Laín Corona Guillermo
Published: November 2015

En este artículo se aborda cómo funciona el fenómeno poético en Francisco Umbral a través de los retratos que hizo de políticos. Si bien Umbral no ejerció de poeta stricto sensu, su producción se caracteriza por un elevado uso de señales de poeticidad, y ello puede verse analizando los retratos en que alababa y criticaba a políticos.
La cuestión de la moral en Ser y tiempo de Martin Heidegger
Authors: Lozano Díaz Vicente
Published: November 2015

Se puede ver en Ser y tiempo el intento de establecer una moral de la autenticidad, pues la vida humana se considera como constante proyectarse hacia adelante, estableciendo metas e intentando cumplirlas a partir de la decisión y de la responsabilidad que surge de la propia comprensión de uno mismo como proyecto individual e intransferible. Pero esta moral de la autenticidad solo sería aceptable para Heidegger si se considerase como fundamento ontológico o metafísico independiente de las verdades, valores o principios que a su vez se utilizarían como criterios para las conductas o comportamientos concretos.
Output Performance Analysis on a Two-degrees-of-Freedom Bistable Piezoelectric Vibration Generator
Authors: He Qing , Mao Xinhua , Chu Dongliang
Published: November 2015

For harvesting the low-frequency and weak-amplitude vibration energy in real environment, a two-degrees-of-freedom bistable piezoelectric vibration generator is designed. And the dynamic model of the piezoelectric vibration generator system is established. And the influence of the external excitation on the output characteristics of the two-degree-freedom piezoelectric vibration generator system is simulated and analyzed. The results show that the two-degrees-of-freedom bistable piezoelectric vibration generator would do better in harvesting and converting for the low-frequency and weak-amplitude vibration energy.
Node Localization of Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Hybrid Bat-Quasi-Newton Algorithm
Authors: Sun Shunyuan , Xu Baoguo
Published: November 2015

Concerning the problem that the least square method in the third stage of DV-Hop algorithm has low positioning accuracy, a localization algorithm was proposed which is the fusion of hybrid bat-quasi-Newton algorithm and DV-Hop algorithm. First of all, the Bat Algorithm ( BA) was improved from two aspects: firstly, the random vector β was adjusted adaptively according to bats fitness so that the pulse frequency had the adaptive ability. Secondly, bats were guided to move by the average position of all the best individuals before the current iteration so that the speed had variable performance; Then in the third stage of DV-Hop algorithm the improved bat algorithm was used to estimate node location and then quasi-Newton algorithm was used to continue searching for the node location from the estimated location as the initial searching point. The simulation results show that, compared with the traditional DV-Hop algorithm and the improved algorithm of DV-Hop based on bat algorithm( BADV-Hop) , positioning precision of the proposed algorithm increases about 16. 5% and 5. 18%, and the algorithm has better stability, it is suitable for high positioning precision and stability situation.
Le projet Ar Parl : le point sur une enquête en cours
Authors: Aubert Gauthier , Hess-Miglioretti Aurélie , Mergey Anthony
Published: November 2015

Lancé en 2013 avec le soutien de la Maison des
sciences de l’homme de Bretagne, le programme Ar Parl (« Arrêts du
Parlement ») propose l’étude systématique des 6 000 arrêts sur
remontrances rendus par le parlement de Bretagne du xvie au xviiie siècle. Mobilisant
historiens et juristes, il consiste en la réalisation d’une base de
données, travail préparatoire à une analyse sur l’exercice du pouvoir
en province à l’époque moderne, en apportant un éclairage
complémentaire de ce que révèle l’étude des remontrances. Conçu à
partir du terreau breton, le programme pourrait être appliqué pour
d’autres territoires.
Impact of Climate Change on Groundwater Resources
Authors: Kumar C. P.
Published: November 2015

Climate change poses uncertainties to the supply and management of water resources. While climate change affects surface water resources directly through changes in the major long-term climate variables such as air temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration, the relationship between the changing climate variables and groundwater is more complicated and poorly understood. The greater variability in rainfall could mean more frequent and prolonged periods of high or low groundwater levels, and saline intrusion in coastal aquifers due to sea level rise and resource reduction. This chapter presents the likely impact of climate change on groundwater resources and methodology to assess the impact of climate change on groundwater resources.
Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Productivity
Authors: Senapati Sibananda , Gupta Vijaya
Published: November 2015

This paper attempts to understand the climatic and socio-economic factors influencing the efficiency and thereby the livelihood of fishing community in Mumbai. Efficiency in fishing is influenced by the scale of production, technology and inputs used, socio-economic and climate sensitive factors such as temperature, current, wind, rainfall etc. A primary survey of 164 fishing households is conducted in five fishing villages of Mumbai to collect input-output and other relevant data related to socioeconomic and climatic factors. Using stochastic frontier function, it is found that the number of working days, fuel costs, number of workers along with type of family, education, electronic gadgets used in fishing and observation on temperature change significantly affects the productivity and thereby their preparedness. The fishermen belonging to nuclear family and using advanced fishing equipments along with those are observing a rise in temperature successfully adapted and their efficiency level is increased. Mostly rich and affluent fishermen are more efficient than others. The estimated technical efficiencies for the fishing households range from 0.12 to 0.87, with a mean efficiency level of 0.39. Technological advancement in the production process with large scale of operation significantly influences fishermen's awareness, adaptability to climate change and also the efficiency.
Improving Sustainability of the Environment in a Changing Climate
Authors: Arhin Albert
Published: November 2015

The mechanism of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation plus conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of carbon stocks is emerging as one of the current efforts and actions being developed by the international climate change community to mitigate climate change. This chapter highlights the potentials as well as the challenges of this mechanism to reduce forest loss and improve the health and sustainability of the environment. Main potentials include its resolve to make trees worth more standing than cut, the transfer of funds to support conservation efforts and a focus on delivering social benefits. The main challenges include the less attention on unclear tenure and benefit-sharing framework; weak institutions and the complex historical, political and structural interests which have allowed powerful groups to expropriate the forest resources and trade-offs that may arise during implementation. It then outlines four broad areas where researchers can make contributions in national and local level policy-making and interventions related to REDD+.
Adaptation to Climate Change for Sustainable Development
Authors: Dinda Soumyananda
Published: November 2015

Climate change is an important global issue. For sustainable development human society must adopt the climate change and reduce vulnerability. This chapter provides an overview on the climate change and its effects, in response how human societies adopt it across the globe. Chapter reviews major papers on adaptation to climate change. Based on major important articles this chapter provides clarity of the concept of adaptation, types of adaptation, measurement of adaptation and determinants of adaptive capacity. It also highlights on sustainable development and shows possible future directions of adaptation and limitations.
A Framework for Understanding Adaptation by Manufacturing Industries
Authors: Ray Saon
Published: November 2015

This chapter discusses what constitutes adaptation responses by firms in the face of climate change. There are four integral components of adaptation activities undertaken by firms: assessment of risk, understanding of vulnerability, understanding the regulatory barriers to overcome the vulnerability, and, finally, adoption of policies to overcome the vulnerability. While it is easy to understand these components separately, their interdependencies make the overall picture more complicated. Also complicating the issue is the fact that most small and medium firms do not have the capacity and resources to predict the impact of such changes on their operations, and hence, to quickly make the adjustments necessary to overcome them. The response of firms also depends on the nature of the climate risk they face, whether it is sea-level rise, or temperature rise.
Social Innovation
Authors: Banerjee Sayan
Published: November 2015

In this paper an attempt has been made to link the understanding relating to innovation in organisations with that of societal innovation at large which was later on extended to summarise the literature of social innovation and climate change. The organisation forms part of (and exists in) the social system. From the view point of organisational studies the social system may be seen as consisting of two levels while the immediate vicinity of the organisation encompasses the various organisational stakeholders and correlates the second level pertains to society in general. According to Savvides (1979), the second level encompasses the first which in turn encompasses the organisation. In this paper a comprehensive review has been presented for a better understanding of social innovation its correlation with climate change through the concepts used to understand organisational innovation.
Moving forward a Parsimonious Model of Eco-Innovation
Authors: Fernando Yudi , Wah Wen Xin
Published: November 2015

Complexity of sustainability issue in operations management leads this study to determine a parsimonious model of eco-innovation. Most of research findings have been emphasized on the effect of innovation on company's economic benefits. However, there is inadequate study in respect to eco-innovation and impact to business and environmental sustainability. This is causing a lack of study on this topic. The paper focuses on determinants of drivers of eco-innovation and seeks the impact to the outcome of sustainable business performance. Content analysis is used in order to explain phenomena of eco-innovation in operations management and categorize the determinants of drivers. The unit of analysis of this study is driver or factor of eco-innovation which commonly uses in entire articles. The scope of review encompassed articles published during 1994 to 2012. Results indicate that a parsimonious model of eco-innovation was consisted of five drivers. More comprehensive and robust findings could be obtained by testing this model and broadening the scope of study.
An Ecological Model of Student Interaction in Online Learning Environments
Authors: Johnson Genevieve Marie , Cooke Audrey
Published: November 2015

Ecological theory conceptualized the student as surrounded by a series of environmental systems and the processes of learning as interaction between the student (i.e., bioecology) and the systems (i.e., microsystem, exosystem and macrosystem). This chapter synthesizes the literature and proposes an ecological model of student interaction in online learning environments. Specifically, learner-learner, learner-instructor and learner-content interactions occur in the microsystem and are mediated by the interface subsystem. Student microsystemic interactions influence and are influenced by the instructional design exosystem. The macrosystem reflects the indirect influence of university culture on all aspects of the microsystem, exosystem and interface subsystem. The chronosystem captures the effect of time on the student and on all ecological systems (e.g., students mature and university culture evolves)
The Pivotal Role of Faculty in Online Student Engagement and Retention
Authors: Estes Judi Simmons
Published: November 2015

The premise of this chapter is that higher education online faculty have a pivotal role in student retention; faculty participation is key to student engagement and engaged students tend to complete courses in which they are enrolled. However, frequently faculty members are unaware of the impact their active participation and visibility has on student engagement and retention. In addition, online courses are an important source of revenue for many institutions of higher education and attrition results in loss of revenue. Given that faculty have a pivotal role in retention, institutions of higher education can benefit fiscally from guiding and supporting online faculty in strategies of student engagement and retention. Faculty support is needed during the process of change inherent in faculty adapting to teaching online, through providing on-going faculty professional development and by creating a teaching culture inclusive of informal scholarly investigations related to instructional effectiveness in online course delivery.
Participation in Online Distance Learning Environments
Authors: Starr-Glass David
Published: November 2015

Participation is actively encouraged and promoted in online distance learning environments because it is associated with effective learning behaviors and with overall learner satisfaction. Participation is easily observed and measured; indeed, it is often seen as “making visible” underlying behaviors and dynamics at both the individual and group level. The reality, however, is that the ease with which participation can be assessed is in stark contrast with the complexity that surrounds its role in the productive distance online learning environments. This chapter explores the multiplicity of meanings, definitions, and attributions associated with participation. It attempts to make sense of this complexity, to consider a broader framework that makes a connection between participation and learning outcomes, and to examine the ways in which individual learning styles and national culture assumptions impact and mediate student participation in online learning contexts.
Preparing Online Learning Readiness with Learner-Content Interaction
Authors: Liu Juhong Christie , Kaye Elaine Roberts
Published: November 2015

Online learning readiness is fundamental to student successful participation, presence, and interaction in online courses. Effective facilitation of these key components depends on sound instructional design. In self-directed online environments, learner-content interaction and scaffolding self-regulated learning have been found of primary importance to generate meaningful learning. To provide a solution to the challenges of interoperability of various functions in synchronous online learning environments, this chapter presents a case study about the design and development of a self-paced orientation to help students acquire online learning readiness. Learner-content interaction is strategically utilized in the design to scaffold self-regulated learning. The results of the case study demonstrate that this orientation positively prepares students to be ready for learning in a synchronous online environment. The approach can be of practical use to individuals and groups.
Stylized Moments
Authors: McBride William Thomas
Published: November 2015

This chapter provides academic researchers and teachers with access to a unique pedagogical approach to teaching film online with a detailed exhibition of strategies and technological tools that have proven to encourage and ensure interaction, presence, and participation in an asynchronous online setting. With a persistent comparative eye toward both F2F and asynchronous online versions of the course, the chapter reveals both the content and the infrastructure as it is currently delivered to 100 students, detailing how each component works, and the advantages and disadvantages of delivering such a course online.
An Application of Knowledge Management and Human Capital Valuation
Authors: Robertson Sarah
Published: November 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of Knowledge Management (KM) and Human Capital Valuation (HCV) as it is applied in credit unions. Knowledge has been recognized as one of the most important assets, which if appropriately managed, provides a foundation for creating core competencies and competitive advantages for organizations. KM applications and strategies have become critical and significant in the credit union industry, as they operate in a highly competitive and knowledge-intensive financial marketplace. A few factors depict the level of KM maturity within an organization, the priority of implementation, and the availability and affordability of resources. HCV is the balance sheet metric from a development of systems and infrastructure, which can tie metrics of employee behavior of value offering back to the member owners (stakeholders). The case studies described in this chapter are based on the business experience of the author, a credit union CEO of 12 years and a business consultant to the Midwest-region of the United States, in the credit union industry for 6 years. A KM audit and an HCV were conducted in a mid-sized credit union. The appreciation of KM and HCV are developing in the credit union industry; however, it is found that organizations have not been able to capitalize on the expected benefits and leverage their performances with KM solutions and HC Strategies, unless it is priority and a planned event. This is a developing industry with signs of future improvement. There are examples siting various Midwest credit unions, where KM applications and HC Strategies are evident at various stages with opportunities for intellectual growth and learning.
Information Conversion with Intelligence Creation
Authors: Zhong Yixin
Published: November 2015

The law of “Information Conversion and Intelligence Creation”, which can also be regarded as a unified theory of information, knowledge and intelligence, is discovered recently and is presented in the paper for the first time. It is the author's belief that the law reported here is of great significance because it reveals in depth the really essential secrets of human cognitive informatics and that of human intelligence. Moreover, the law of information conversion and intelligence creation can universally be applicable to the entire spectrum of living worlds if the concepts related to the law are flexibly treated.
Hybridization of Social Spiders and Extractions Techniques for Automatic Text Summaries
Authors: Boudia Mohamed Amine , Hamou Reda Mohamed , Amine Abdelmalek , Rahmani Mohamed Elhadi , Rahmani Amine
Published: November 2015

The authors propose a new multilayer approach for automatic text summaries. In the first layer, they use two techniques of extraction, one after the other: scoring of phrases, and similarity that aims to eliminate redundant phrases without losing the theme of the text. While the second layer aims to optimize the results of the previous layer by a meta-heuristic based on social spiders. Its objective function of the optimization is to maximize the sum of similarity between phrases of the candidate summary in order to keep the theme of the text, minimize the sum of scores in order to increase the summarization rate; this optimization also will give a candidate's summary where the order of the phrases changes compared to the original text. The third and final layer concerned in choosing a best summary from all candidates summaries generated by optimization layer, we opted for the technique of voting with a simple majority.
An Adaptive Trustworthiness Modelling Approach for Ubiquitous Software Systems
Authors: Ali-Eldin Amr , Van Den Berg Jan , Daskapan Semir
Published: November 2015

With the growing interest in ubiquitous applications, attention should be given to privacy and trust issues. Since these environments are quite dynamic, and interactive where devices possess low computing resources, new trust models are required that suit this environment and help overcome its limitations. In this paper, the authors explore the possibility to settle trust in an adaptive way prior to any information disclosure to enable adaptive privacy and security. The proposed model is simulated in a commercial cluster scenario where users can clear all their payments with their short-range ubiquitous devices. In this domain, the authors assume that the user has to rely on what they call payment disclosure service (PDS) to control his or her disclosure decisions. The proposed model respects the limitations of wireless devices such as limited connectivity and processing resources, while enabling autonomous and secure operations.
A Lightweight Authentication Protocol for Secure Communications between Resource-Limited Devices and Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Książak Piotr , Farrelly William , Curran Kevin
Published: November 2015

The number of Resource-Limited Wireless Devices utilized in many areas of IT is growing rapidly. Some of the applications of these devices pose real security threats that can be addressed using authentication and cryptography. Many of the available authentication and encryption software solutions are predicated on the availability of ample processing power and memory. These demands cannot be met by the majority of ubiquitous computing devices, thus there is a need to apply lightweight cryptography primitives and lightweight authentication protocols that meet these demands in any application of security to devices with limited resources. A security framework is presented here that combines aspects of the Gossamer protocol and the Scalable Encryption Algorithm (SEA) to provide an implementation of inter-device security. The Gossamer Protocol is additionally used as a means of exchanging session keys for use with the SEA encryption protocol. Our system performed well with the code space requirements smaller than 600 bytes (excluding shared libraries) and a performance of 27 milliseconds per one 96-bit block of data.
Benchmark for Approximate Query Answering Systems
Authors: Di Tria Francesco , Lefons Ezio , Tangorra Filippo
Published: November 2015

The standard benchmark for Decision Support Systems is TPC-H, which is composed of a database, a workload, and a set of metrics for the performance evaluation. However, TPC-H does not include a methodology for the benchmark of Approximate Query Answering Systems, or the software tools used to obtain fast answers to analytical queries in the decision making process. In the paper, the authors present a methodology to evaluate and compare Approximate Query Answering Systems. To this aim, a methodology that extends the standard TPC-H and a set of new metrics that take into account the specific features of these systems are proposed. Experimental results show the application of these metrics to two systems based on the data analytic approximation by orthonormal series.
From Data Quality to Big Data Quality
Authors: Batini Carlo , Rula Anisa , Scannapieco Monica , Viscusi Gianluigi
Published: November 2015

This article investigates the evolution of data quality issues from traditional structured data managed in relational databases to Big Data. In particular, the paper examines the nature of the relationship between Data Quality and several research coordinates that are relevant in Big Data, such as the variety of data types, data sources and application domains, focusing on maps, semi-structured texts, linked open data, sensor & sensor networks and official statistics. Consequently a set of structural characteristics is identified and a systematization of the a posteriori correlation between them and quality dimensions is provided. Finally, Big Data quality issues are considered in a conceptual framework suitable to map the evolution of the quality paradigm according to three core coordinates that are significant in the context of the Big Data phenomenon: the data type considered, the source of data, and the application domain. Thus, the framework allows ascertaining the relevant changes in data quality emerging with the Big Data phenomenon, through an integrative and theoretical literature review.
Effect of Humidity on High Temperature Oxidation of AISI 430 Stainless Steel
Authors: Li Ning , Xiao Ji , Prudhomme Nathalie , Ji Vincent
Published: November 2015

In order to investigate the high temperature oxidation behavior of AISI 430 stainless steel in atmosphere with humidity, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been conducted for different duration under air with variable absolute humidity (from 0% to 5%) at 800 °C and 900 °C. XRD has been used to determine residual stresses in each layer and in substrate. It has been found that the oxidation kinetics and residual stresses were affected by the water vapor. After oxidation, the oxide scale composed of an inner Chromia (Cr2O3) layer and an outer Mn1.5Cr1.5O4 spinel layer, while breakaway oxidation happened with the introduction of water vapor at 900 °C. The residual stresses in each of oxide layer are in compression and their levels varied with oxidation conditions.
Reconstruction Method for Phase-Shifting Electron Holography Fitted with Fresnel Diffraction Affected Fringes
Authors: Lei Dan , Mitsuishi Kazutaka , Shimojo Masayuki , Takeguchi Masaki
Published: November 2015

Phase shifting electron holography is a transmission electron microscope technique that a number of holograms with different initial phases are acquired by changing the angle of the incident electron beam, and the intensity variation at a certain point on the holograms is fitted by sinusoidal curve to retrieve the object wave passing through a specimen. In reality, however, Fresnel fringes caused by the electrostatic biprism modulates the electron wave, limits the fitting accuracy and results in phase errors in phase reconstruction. In this study, we suggest a modified phase reconstruction method for phase shifting electron holography. The intensity variations at a certain point on each hologram are fitted not by sinusoidal curve, but by Fresnel diffraction affected curve to retrieve the object wave. This would provide better fitting accuracy, and has a potential to improve the precision of phase shifting electron holography. Simulations demonstrated the improvements of this method comparing with conventional phase shifting holography method.
Microstructure and Phase Transformation Behavior of Ni-Mn-Fe High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloys
Authors: Wang Cui Ping , Liu Yu Ding , Yang Shui Yuan , Liu Xing Jun
Published: November 2015

The microstructure and phase transformation behavior of Ni-Mn-Fe high-temperature shape memory alloys including Ni40+xFe10Mn50-x (x = 0, 10) were investigated. The results show that both two alloys exhibit single fcc γ phase annealed at 900°C for 1 day. When these quenched alloys are again annealed at 500°C for 20 days, they almost exhibit main tetragonal θ martensite. The microstructural evolutions are consistent with the results of phase transformation measurements. It is clearly found that there is an irreversible phase transformation around 480°C ~ 570°C, which is associated with the formation of tetragonal θ martensite from γ phase. Afterwards, the reversible martensitic transformation occurs during heating and cooling with very high transformation temperature.
Evaluation of the Influence on the Living Body as a New Transdermal Therapeutic System Magnetic Nanoparticles
Authors: An Gang , Ju Dong Ying , Kumazawa Takashi
Published: November 2015

As a delivery carrier, the nanoparticles are broadly applied in various fields for excellent infiltration characteristics. In recent years, there has been new rearch was investigated in the medical area, but the research of influence on a living body is seldom studied. In this study, the influence on the living body as new transdermal carrier system using magnetic nanoparticles was investigated. The application of magnetic nanoparticles coated medication on the mice model investigated that the effect of treatment on the atopic dermatitis. The skin tissues were stained, and the section of skin tissues was observed by the optical Microscope. In vivo efficacy studies in mice model revealed highly efficient improvement of AD-like skin lesions. Furthermore the magnetic nanoparticles are useful as novel delivery drug carrier via human dermal papilla cell experiment. The results indicated that the magnetic nanoparticles are useful as new the transdermal carrier , and it proved that it is a highly efficient system useful as novel medicine delivery system.
Spectroscopy Characterization of Multi-Treated Yellow Sapphire from Changle, China
Authors: Li Geng , Zhu You Nan
Published: November 2015

Be-diffused yellow sapphires from Changle, Shandong Province, are studied by using magnification observation, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) Spectroscopy, infrared (IR) Spectroscopy and Laser Ablation Inductively Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). The high content of Fe, Ti and Ga, is the typical for sapphire from basalt origin from Changle, while the Be concentrations indicate those sapphire are heated with Be Be diffused,. The IR absorption band at 3310 cm-1 of OH vibration disappears, which suggests those sapphires are heated at high temperature in a highly oxidizing atmosphere. The Fe3+ absorption bands in UV-Vis at 377, 380 and 450 nm, confirm the sapphires are heated in oxidizing atmosphere, while Fe2+-related absorption bands at 735 and 847 nm prove those yellow sapphires are from reducing atmosphere after Be-diffusion. The results of IR, UV-Vis and LA-ICP-MS indicate those yellow sapphire are originally from basalt in Changle and treated through multiple procedures, involved of Be-diffusion in highly oxidizing atmosphere and heat in reducing atmosphere. The Be-diffusion treatment diffuses beryllium into the crystal lattice in oxidizing atmosphere to lighten dark blue tones and make yellow color appear. Moreover, the sapphires undergo second heat treatment in reducing atmosphere after Be-diffusion to reduce the brown tunes of diffused sapphires.
Effect of Zirconium on Boron Removal in Electromagnetic Solidification Refinement of Silicon from Si-Al Melt
Authors: Lei Yun , Ma Wen Hui , Wei Kui Xian , Wu Ji Jun , Lv Guo Qiang , Dai Yong Nian , Morita Kazuki
Published: November 2015

This work investigates the removal of B in Si by the addition of Zr in the electromagnetic solidification refinement of silicon-aluminum melts. As Zr has a strong affinity for B and can form the thermodynamically stable compound of ZrB2, the B content of lower-grade Si is expected to be effectively removed by adding a small amount of Zr to the Si-55 at% Al melt. The results show that Zr is strongly responsible for the decrease in B content of refined Si. The removal fraction of B significantly increased from 60.2% to 97.3% by adding a small amount of Zr (0 to 3500 ppmw). In addition, the removal fraction of Zr from Si was found to be as high as 98.6%; however, its residual content in the refined Si was significantly larger than its solid solubility in Si, possibly due to the non-equilibrium solidification occurring during the refining process.
Microstructure-Property Correlations of Multifunctional Si-Fe Nanocomposite
Authors: Basu Kausik , Chatterjee Subhranshu , Roychowdhury Anirban , Das Dipankar , Basumallick Amitava
Published: November 2015

Multifunctional Si-Fe nanocomposites with varying atom percent of Fe were prepared by the high energy ball milling technique. Presence of pristine Fe and Si as separate entities in the nanocomposites was confirmed through the analyses of their Mössbauer spectrum and, x-ray diffraction patterns. The average grain size of Si has been found to be 40nm and the superparamagnetic Fe particles in the nanocomposite systems has been found to increase with increase in milling time. Transmission electron microscopic images revealed discontinuous distribution of Fe in the Si matrix. The Si-Fe nanocomposites exhibit both magnetic and photoluminescence properties at room temperature. The photoluminescence intensity was found to decrease with increase in Fe content in the nanocomposite samples, however, saturation magnetization and retentivity increases. Thus it is imperative that by adjusting the composition of Si-Fe nanocomposites their properties can be tailored to suit the desired requirements for applications in electronic devices.
Coordinated Regulation of miR-155 and miR-146a Genes during Induction of Endotoxin Tolerance in Macrophages
Authors: Doxaki Christina , Kampranis Sotirios C. , Eliopoulos Aristides G. , Spilianakis Charalampos , Tsatsanis Christos
Published: November 2015

Endotoxin tolerance occurs to protect the organism from hyperactivation of innate immune responses, primarily mediated by macrophages. Regulation of endotoxin tolerance occurs at multiple levels of cell responses and requires significant changes in gene expression. In the process of macrophage activation, induced expression of microRNA (miR)-155 and miR-146a contributes to the regulation of the inflammatory response and endotoxin tolerance. In this article, we demonstrate that expression of both miRNAs is coordinately regulated during endotoxin tolerance by a complex mechanism that involves monoallelic interchromosomal association, alterations in histone methyl marks, and transcription factor binding. Upon activation of naive macrophages, Histone3 was trimethylated at lysine4 and NFκBp65 was bound on both miR-155 and miR-146a gene loci. However, at the stage of endotoxin tolerance, both miR gene loci were occupied by C/EBPβ, NFκBp50, and the repressive Histone3 marks trimethylation of K9 of H3. DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments revealed monoallelic interchromosomal colocalization of miR-155 and miR-146a gene loci at the stage of endotoxin tolerance, whereas RNA-DNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments showed that the colocalized alleles were silenced, suggesting a common repression mechanism. Genetic ablation of Akt1, which is known to abrogate endotoxin tolerance, abolished induction of loci colocalization and C/EBPβ binding, further supporting that this mechanism occurs specifically in endotoxin tolerance. Overall, this study demonstrates that two miRNAs are coordinately regulated via gene colocalization at the three-dimensional chromatin space, same transcriptional machinery, and similar Histone3 methylation profile, contributing to the development of endotoxin tolerance.