bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parole(s) et savoir(s) des personnes directement concernées : l’exemple du programme expérimental « Un chez-soi d’abord »
Authors: Laval Christian
Published: March 2018

Le contexte expérimental du « Chez-soi d’abord » démultiplié par l’option « rétablissement » a été au carrefour de confrontation de différents savoirs (scientifiques, professionnels, expérientiels). L’évaluation de ce programme expérimental montre que les personnes directement concernées par un parcours de rue et des troubles mentaux sévères ne dissocient pas leurs vécus ayant trait à des situations vulnérables de ceux qui se caractériseraient par des capacités d’agir. En mettant particulièrement la focale sur la parole et sur les savoirs de ces personnes, comment la recherche, immergée dans cet environnement de savoirs multiples, peut-elle se situer ? La perspective ici tenue converge vers le fait que la voix des gens enquêtés est insubstituable en ce qui concerne notamment les choses qui comptent le plus pour elles (entendre des voix, « faire avec » une agoraphobie, traverser des épisodes anxieux ou dépressifs, avoir des ennuis administratifs, solder ses dettes avec la justice, etc.) et la manière dont elles font face à ces épreuves et trouvent les moyens de les dépasser ou sont en partie défaites par elles. In fine , notre posture de recherche a consisté à mieux comprendre comment la parole et les savoirs des personnes concernées rendent visible et documentent une situation de « relance personnelle » où vulnérabilité(s) et capabilité(s) sont inextricablement entrelacées.
Approche(s) narrative(s) et récit à la première personne. Généalogie et politiques de l’enquête
Authors: Grard Julien
Published: March 2018

Le courant des narrative studies est le fruit de translations et de transformations au sein des « humanités » – des études littéraires et de la narratologie aux sciences de l’éducation en passant par les sciences humaines et sociales. C’est également le fruit d’une histoire longue de près de quarante ans. Celle-ci a débouché sur plusieurs « tournants narratifs ». S’affranchissant de sa matrice littéraire, « l’approche narrative » a voyagé de champ disciplinaire en champ disciplinaire, devenant presque une discipline à part entière, au croisement de plusieurs autres. Chemin faisant, elle a bénéficié de nombreux apports, et permis la naissance de concepts au potentiel heuristique très fort. Simultanément, certains concepts ont parfois été galvaudés. Surtout, le fait de placer de façon croissante le récit à la première personne au cœur de l’approche peut se révéler problématique. Fétichisés, sanctuarisés, ils sont désormais au cœur d’enjeux politiques majeurs. Dans ce nouveau contexte, on verra comment le fait d’être en capacité de produire un discours à la première personne ou non peut constituer un obstacle ou, inversement, un facteur facilitant la recherche.
S’éduquer à la citoyenneté démocratique, par, pour et avec des personnes en situation de handicap : une recherche-action internationale
Authors: Dutoit Martine
Published: March 2018

Cet article présente un programme international francophone de recherche-action sur l’éducation à la citoyenneté démocratique, par, pour et avec des personnes en situation de handicap. Le piecd est une sorte de «  living lab  » développé par, pour et avec les personnes participantes. Il s’agit d’un lieu de métacommunication, d’action sociale et politique qui s’exerce dans la société civile. Chaque groupe présente les activités et les ressources et les projets menés, alimentant les travaux du séminaire international qui a lieu chaque année. L’association Advocacy Paris en est partie prenante depuis 2006 et cette participation au piecd est une manière d’amplifier, de stimuler les projets. Ainsi les initiatives locales qui se développent dans chaque pays sont consolidés dans le partage et la présentation faite aux différentes équipes lors des séminaires annuels du piecd .
Agent-based Individual Network Teaching System for Modern History Outline of China
Authors: Jia Xianguo
Published: March 2018

Individual distance teaching introduces individual services in traditional network teaching, overall considers learning conditions of students at different levels and the relevance of teaching contents so as to make the individual learning program for students in the learning process. Meanwhile, it provides students with the most matched teaching resources. At present, the common network teaching system has the problems of insufficient intelligence and lack of individuation. Agent-based individual network teaching system is an autonomous intelligence system with immediate feedback. It is provided with real-time monitoring and information filtering function as well as teaching analysis and collaborative learning function. Based on the study on Agent technology and current situation of network teaching, Agent-based individual network teaching system was constructed in this paper. The practical application effect of the network teaching system was analyzed by taking the course Modern History outline of China as the object of experiment. This paper provided theoretical and data support for the research on individual distance teaching and network teaching system so as to exploit the potential development direction of future network teaching.
Design of a Personalized Massive Open Online Course Platform
Authors: Xi Junfu , Chen Yehua , Wang Gang
Published: March 2018

Focusing on the massive open online course (MOOC) platform, the purpose of this study is to realize personalized adaptive learning according to the needs and abilities of each learner. To this end, the author created a personalized adaptive learning behaviour analysis model, and designed a personalized MOOC platform based on the model. Through the analysis of learning behaviours on the MOOC platform, the model digs deep into the pattern of learning behaviours, and lays the basis for personalized intervention in the learning process. The comparison ex-periments show that our prediction method is more accurate than the other predic-tion algorithms. This research sheds new light on the design of learner-specific MOOC platform.
Effectiveness of College Student English Writing Teaching Based on Data-driven Learning
Authors: Zhang Lei
Published: March 2018

This paper has been withdrawn on request of the author(s).
Design and Application of a Remote Electronic Communication Teaching System in a Network Environment
Authors: Zhai Wei
Published: March 2018

With the design and application of remote teaching system as the research target, this study uses the research methods of literature research method, website inves-tigation method and system development to make a detailed research on the theo-ry of remote collaborative learning and electronic communication technology. On the basis of web-based teaching platform of remote education, this study puts forward a long-remote collaborative teaching system of electronic communication along with the network environment, and designs the function modules of the system in detail, in which the communication effect of electronic communication technology on group members and teachers' creation of collaborative learning sit-uations are fully considered. Finally, the practicality and validity of the system are verified by the realization of the system, which provides a wider development space for the remote teaching system.
Opinions of Teacher Candidates on the Usage of Mobile Applications in the Multimedia Development Processes
Authors: Ozdamli Fezile , Ercag Erinc
Published: March 2018

In order that mobile applications can be employed successfully in education, the opinions of teachers for using these applications must be identified and improved. For these reasons, the purpose of this study is to identify the opinions of teacher candidates, who are teachers of the future, on the usage of mobile applications in the process of multimedia project development. This study which was conducted with the purpose of identifying the opinions of teacher candidates on usage of mobile applications in education as means of communication employed qualitative method. Results is that using mobile applications in multimedia project development process attracted the attention of students and ensured effective communication.

 
Real-Time Detection and Recognition of Road Traffic Signs using MSER and Random Forests
Authors: Kuang Xianyan , Fu Wenbin , Yang Liu
Published: March 2018

Real-time detection and recognition of road traffic signs plays an important role in advanced driving assistance system. Typically, the region of interest (ROI) method is effective in feature extraction but inefficient because it is sensitive to illumination changes. In this paper, we propose a maximally stable extremal regions (MSER) method with image enhancement to greatly improve ROI. Firstly, we employ gray world algorithm to process original images. And then potential areas of traffic signs are obtained through increasing the image contrast ratio and extracting the image-enhanced MSER. According to the characteristic variable and the geometry moment invariants, the geometric characteristics of traffic signs are extracted to obtain the ROIs. Finally, HSV-HOG-LBP feature is constructed and the random forests algorithm is used to identify the traffic signs. The experimental results show that our proposed method show strong robustness on illumination condition and rotation scale, and achieves a good performance by experiments with actual images and German traffic sign detection benchmark (GTSDB) data set.
Distributed Optimal Maximum Rate Allocation based on Data Aggregation in Rechargeable Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Gao Demin , Zhang Jinchi , Zhang Fuquan , Lin Haifeng
Published: March 2018

In Rechargeable Wireless Sensor Networks(R-WSNs), it is critical for data collection because a sensor has to operate in a very low and dynamic duty cycle owing to sporadic availability of energy. In this work, we propose a distribute maximum rate allocation based on data aggregation to compute an upper data generation rate by maximizing it as a linear programming problem. Subsequently, a dual problem by introducing Lagrange multipliers is constructed, and subgradient algorithms are used to solve it in a distributed manner. The resulting algorithms are guaranteed to converge to an optimal value with low computational complexity. Through extensive simulation and experiments, we demonstrate our algorithm is efficient to maximize data collection rate in rechargeable wireless sensor networks.
Volumetric Change as a Parameter for the Accuracy of Impression Materials
Authors: Vasiliu Mihaela Păpușa , Sachelarie Liliana , Stadoleanu Carmen , Gîrbea Cătălina , Zaharia Agripina
Published: March 2018

In this paper we studied the behavior of some impression materials such as alginate, condensation and addition silicones, considering the following parameters: the reproductive capacity of morphological details - dimensional stability - the ability to reproduce with accuracy the ratio between morphological elements. The essential conditions that an impression material should fulfill are plasticity, fidelity, flexibility, good mechanical strength, dimensional stability, suitable setting time and compatibility with materials from which the models are manufactured.The study results indicated that condensation silicones present the highest volumetric changes, their contraction being the result of the evaporation of volatile byproducts.The dimensional stability of fingerprint materials is one of the variables that contribute to the accuracy or inaccuracy of dental prostheses, other factors being represented by the changes occurring during the preparation of the fingerprint material as well as the fingerprinting techniques.
Numerical Shape Optimization of Cervical Spine Disc Prosthesis Prodisc-C
Authors: Amadji Moussa , Ameddah Hacene , Mazouz Hammoudi
Published: March 2018

Various ball and socket-type designs of cervical artificial discs are in use or under investigation. All these disc designs claim to restore the normal kinematics of the cervical spine. In this study, we are interested in the cervical prosthesis, which concerns the most sensitive part of the human body, given the movements generated by the head. The goal of this work is to minimize the constraints by numerical shape optimization in the prodisc-C cervical spine prosthesis in order to improve performance and bio-functionality as well as patient relief. Prodisc-C cervical spine prosthesis consists of two cobalt chromium alloy plates and a fixed nucleus. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, on each plate there is a keel to stabilize the prosthesis; this prosthesis allows thee degrees of freedom in rotation. To achieve this goal, a static study was carried out to determine the constraint concentrations on the different components of the prosthesis. Based on the biomechanical behaviour of the spine discs, we totally fixed the lower metal plate; a vertical load of 73.6 N to simulate the weight of the head was applied to the superior metallic endplate. After a static study on this prosthesis, using a finite element model, we noticed that the concentration of the Von-Mises stress is concentrated on the peripheral edge core and the concave articulating surface of the superior metallic endplate the numerical. We use the module optimization for 3D SolidWorks for optimize our design, based on the criteria of minimizing stress value. Shape optimization concluded to minimize the equivalent stress value on both joint surface (concave and convex) from 11.3 MPa to 9.1MPa corresponding to a percentage decrease of 19.4% from the original geometry. We conclude that despite the fact that maximum Von Mises stresses are higher in the case of the dynamic load, remains that they are weak. Which is an advantage for the durability of the prosthesis and-also for the bone, because a low stress concentration on the prosthesis will reduce stress concentration generated by the implant on the bone, therefore its risk of fracture reduces.
Data Aggregation in Smart Grid AMI Network for Secure Transfer of Energy User-Consumption Data
Authors: Diovu Remigius Chidiebere , Agee John Terhile
Published: March 2018

In a secured smart grid AMI environment, congestion management during data aggregation with security encryption for privacy preservation is a challenging issue. By introducing data communication network schemes into the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), network traffic congestion and service rates can be improved while preserving user’s privacy from the grid operator’s end. In this paper, a resilient architecture called Ring Triangulation Communication Architecture (RTCA) for data aggregation and user privacy protection is proposed. To preserve privacy as well as reducing traffic congestion in the architecture, DMF homomorphic encryption algorithms were formulated for local concentrators while using a global concentrator to check for anomalies in the AMI server clusters. With TCP/IP protocol and IEEE 802.11 MAC/PHY on the network, TCP message flooding was contextualized for congestion scenario. Stochastic TCP congestion management schemes with wired equivalent privacy (WEP) and the Data Minimizing Function (DMF) scheme were compared. Our proposed architecture significantly reduced transmission congestion and cryptographic overheads incurred during message aggregation. The results of the performance of the DMF Homomorphic encryption scheme incorporated into our proposed architecture for the SG AMI were discussed. These include service rate and other QoS metrics which are negatively affected by a congestive network condition.Keywords: Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Data Minimizing Function (DMF), Ring Triangulation Communication Architecture (RTCA), Data Aggregation, Smart Grid (SG), Smart Meter (SM).
An Improved Harmony Search Algorithm for a Planar Parallel Robot Synthesis
Authors: Aboulissane Badreddine , El Haiek Dikra , El Bakkali Larbi
Published: March 2018

The objective of kinematic synthesis is to determine the mechanism dimensions such as link lengths, positions or joint coordinates, in order to approximate its output parameters such as link positions, trajectory points, and displacement angles. Kinematic synthesis is classified into three categories: function generation, path generation, and motion generation. This paper is dedicated only to path generation. As the number of trajectory points increases, analytical methods are limited to obtain precisely mechanism solutions. In that case, numerical methods are more efficient to solve such problems. Our study proposes an improved heuristic algorithm applied to four-bar mechanism path-generation. The objective of this work is to find optimum dimensions of the mechanism and minimize the error between the generated trajectory and the desired one, taking into consideration constraints such as: Grashof condition, transmission angle, and design variables constraints. Finally, our results are compared with those found by other evolutionary algorithms in the literature.
Energy Consideration in Machining Titanium Alloys with a Low Carbon Manufacturing Requirements: A Critical Review
Authors: Sadiq Taoheed Olohunde , Olawore sulaiman , Idris Jamaliah
Published: March 2018

Machining of titanium alloys poses a serious challenge for the industry, due to its tendency to work harden during the machining process, high cutting temperatures, high cutting pressures, chatter, and its reactivity with tool materials over 500°C. In conjunction with its low thermal conductivity and low modulus of elasticity, these factors impede the machinability of titanium. This work presents an overview on machining the Titanium Alloy by considering the energy involved in the manufacturing processes in order to have a low carbon manufacturing requirements by evaluating carbon emission in the manufacturing process plan.
Canonical Wnt Signaling in CD11c+ APCs Regulates Microbiota-Induced Inflammation and Immune Cell Homeostasis in the Colon
Authors: Swafford Daniel , Shanmugam Arulkumaran , Ranganathan Punithavathi , Hussein Mohamed S. , Koni Pandelakis A. , Prasad Puttur D. , Thangaraju Muthusamy , Manicassamy Santhakumar
Published: March 2018

Aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling occurs in several inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and inflammatory bowel disease–associated colon carcinogenesis. However, its role in shaping mucosal immune responses to commensals in the gut remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the importance of canonical Wnt signaling in CD11c+ APCs in controlling intestinal inflammation. Using a mouse model of ulcerative colitis, we demonstrated that canonical Wnt signaling in intestinal CD11c+ APCs controls intestinal inflammation by imparting an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Genetic deletion of Wnt coreceptors, low-density lipoprotein receptor–related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6) in CD11c+ APCs in LRP5/6ΔCD11c mice, resulted in enhanced intestinal inflammation with increased histopathological severity of colonic tissue. This was due to microbiota-dependent increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and decreased expression of immune-regulatory factors such as IL-10, retinoic acid, and IDO. Mechanistically, loss of LRP5/6-mediated signaling in CD11c+ APCs resulted in altered microflora and T cell homeostasis. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that conditional activation of β-catenin in CD11c+ APCs in LRP5/6ΔCD11c mice resulted in reduced intestinal inflammation with decreased histopathological severity of colonic tissue. These results reveal a mechanism by which intestinal APCs control intestinal inflammation and immune homeostasis via the canonical Wnt-signaling pathway.
PD-L1–Independent Mechanisms Control the Resistance of Melanoma to CD4+ T Cell Adoptive Immunotherapy
Authors: Goding Stephen R. , Wilson Kyle A. , Rosinsky Carolyn , Antony Paul Andrew
Published: March 2018

Immunotherapy is becoming the standard of care for melanoma. However, resistance to therapy is a major problem. Previously, we showed that tumor-specific, cytotoxic CD4+ T cells from tyrosinase-related protein 1 transgenic mice could overcome secondary resistance to recurring melanoma when anti–programmed cell death 1 ligand (PD-L1) checkpoint blockade was combined with either anti–lymphocyte-activated gene 3 (LAG-3) Abs or depletion of tumor-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells. In this study, we show that PD-L1 expressed by the host, not B16 melanoma, plays a major role in the early stages of exhaustion or primary resistance. We observed durable regression of melanoma in tumor-bearing PD-L1−/−RAG−/− mice with transfer of naive tumor-specific CD4+ T cells. However, exhausted tumor-specific CD4+ T cells, which included tumor-specific Treg cells, failed to maintain durable regression of tumors in PD-L1−/−RAG−/− mice unless tumor-specific Treg cells were eliminated, showing nonredundant pathways of resistance to immunotherapy were present. Translating these findings to a clinically relevant model of cancer immunotherapy, we unexpectedly showed that anti–PD-L1 checkpoint blockade mildly improved immunotherapy with tumor-specific CD4+ T cells and irradiation in wild-type mice. Instead, anti–LAG-3 checkpoint blockade, in combination with tumor-specific CD4+ T cells and irradiation, overcame primary resistance and treated established tumors resulting in fewer recurrences. Because LAG-3 negatively regulates effector T cell function and activates Treg cells, LAG-3 blockade may be more beneficial in overcoming primary resistance in combination immunotherapies using adoptive cellular therapy and irradiation than blockade of PD-L1.
The impact of operating leverage on the capital structure of Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed firms before and after the 2008 global financial crisis
Authors: Mohohlo Matabane T. , Hall Johan H.
Published: March 2018

The financial leverage-operating leverage trade-off hypothesis states that as financial leverage increases, management of firms will seek to reduce the exposure to operating leverage in an attempt to balance the overall risk profile of a firm. It is the objective of this study to test this hypothesis and ascertain whether operating leverage can indeed be added to the list of factors that determine the capital structure of South African firms. Forty-six firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange between 1994 and 2015 are analysed and the impact of operating leverage is determined. The results are split into two periods, that is, the period before the global financial crisis (1994–2007) and after the global financial crisis (2008–2015). The impact of operating leverage during these two periods is then compared to determine whether a change in the impact of operating leverage on the capital structure can be observed especially following the crisis. The results show that the conservative nature of South African firms leading up to 2008 persisted even after the global financial crisis. At an industry level, the results reveal that operating leverage does not have a noticeable impact on capital structure with the exception of firms in the industrials sector of the South African economy.
First-language raters’ opinions when validating word recordings for a newly developed speech reception threshold test
Authors: Panday Seema , Kathard Harsha , Pillay Mershen , Wilson Wayne
Published: March 2018

Background: The purpose of this study was to consider the value of adding first-language speaker ratings to the process of validating word recordings for use in a new speech reception threshold (SRT) test in audiology. Previous studies had identified 28 word recordings as being suitable for use in a new SRT test. These word recordings had been shown to satisfy the linguistic criteria of familiarity, phonetic dissimilarity and tone, and the psychometric criterion of homogeneity of audibility. Objectives: The aim of the study was to consider the value of adding first-language speakers’ ratings when validating word recordings for a new SRT test. Method: A single observation, cross-sectional design was used to collect and analyse quantitative data in this study. Eleven first-language isiZulu speakers, purposively selected, were asked to rate each of the word recordings for pitch, clarity, naturalness, speech rate and quality on a 5-point Likert scale. The percent agreement and Friedman test were used for analysis. Results: More than 20% of these 11 participants rated the three-word recordings below ‘strongly agree’ in the category of pitch or tone, and one-word recording below ‘strongly agree’ in the categories of pitch or tone, clarity or articulation and naturalness or dialect. Conclusion: The first-language speaker ratings proved to be a valuable addition to the process of selecting word recordings for use in a new SRT test. In particular, these ratings identified potentially problematic word recordings in the new SRT test that had been missed by the previously and more commonly used linguistic and psychometric selection criteria.
Investigating Public Perception of Occupational Therapy: An Environmental Scan of Three Media Outlets
Authors: Walsh Wendy E.
Published: March 2018

Using a phenomenological approach, this study investigated visibility and perception of the profession of occupational therapy in three media outlets. Content analysis occurred on LexisNexis Academic (LNA), Google Images, and Twitter platforms. Analysis of LNA identified the prevalence of articles about occupational therapy in domestic newspapers and similar media avenues, MaxQDA qualitative software coded Google Images from a search on occupational therapy, and AnalyzeWords evaluated Twitter feeds of four health care professions for presence and tone in a social media context. Results indicate that although occupational therapy is 100 years old, its presence in news and online platforms could be stronger. This study suggests that a clear professional identity for occupational therapy practitioners must be strategically communicated through academic and social platforms. Such advocacy promotes the profession, meets the next iteration of occupational therapy’s professional vision, and allows occupational therapy to remain a prominent and formidable stakeholder in today’s health care marketplace.
Date-stamping US housing market explosivity
Authors: Balcilar Mehmet , Katzke Nico , Gupta Rangan
Published: March 2018

In this paper the authors set out to date-stamp periods of US housing price explosivity for the period 1830–2013. They make use of several robust techniques that allow them to identify such periods by determining when prices start to exhibit explosivity with respect to its past behaviour and when it recedes to long term stable prices. The first technique used is the Generalized supADF (GSADF) test procedure developed by Phillips et al. (Testing for multiple bubbles: Historical episodes of exuberance and collapse in the S&P 500, 2011a), which allows the recursive identification of multiple periods of price explosivity. The second approach makes use of Robinson’s test statistic (Efficient tests of nonstationary hypotheses, 1994), comparing the null of a unit root process against the alternative of specified orders of fractional integration. The analysis date-stamps several periods of US house price explosivity, allowing the authors to contextualize its historic relevance.
Dominant contribution of oxygenated organic aerosol to haze
particles from real-time observation in Singapore during an
Indonesian wildfire event in 2015
Authors: Budisulistiorini Sri Hapsari , Riva Matthieu , Williams Michael , Miyakawa Takuma , Chen Jing , Itoh Masayuki , Surratt Jason D. , Kuwata Mikinori
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Recurring transboundary haze from Indonesian wildfires in previous decades significantly elevated particulate matter (PM) concentrations in Southeast Asia. During that event on October 10 to 31, 2015, we conducted a real-time observation of non-refractory submicron PM (NR-PM1) in Singapore using an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer. Simultaneously, we characterized carbonaceous components and organic aerosol (OA) tracers from fine PM (PM2.5) samples to support source apportionment of the online measurements. The real-time analysis demonstrated that OA accounted for approximately 80 % of NR-PM1 mass during the wildfire haze period. Source apportionment analysis applied to the OA mass spectra using multilinear-engine (ME-2) approach resulted in four factors: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), biomass burning OA (BBOA), peat burning OA (PBOA), and oxygenated OA (OOA). The OOA can be considered as a surrogate of both secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and oxidized primary organic aerosol (OPOA), while the other factors are considered as surrogates of primary organic aerosol (POA). The OOA accounted for approximately 50 % of the total OA mass in NR-PM1, while POA subtypes from wildfires (BBOA and PBOA) contributed to approximately 30 % of the total OA mass. Our findings highlight the importance of atmospheric chemical processes, which likely include POA oxidation and SOA formation from oxidation of gaseous precursors, to the OOA concentration. As this research could not separately quantify the POA oxidation and SOA formation processes, further studies should attempt to investigate the contribution of gaseous precursors oxidation and POA aging to the OOA formation in wildfire plumes.
A neural network approach to estimate a posteriori distributions of Bayesian retrieval problems
Authors: Pfreundschuh Simon , Eriksson Patrick , Duncan David , Rydberg Bengt , Håkansson Nina , Thoss Anke
Published: March 2018

Abstract. This work is concerned with the retrieval of physical quantities from remote sensing measurements. A neural network based method, Quantile Regression Neural Networks (QRNNs), is proposed as a novel approach to estimate the a posteriori distribution of Bayesian remote sensing retrievals. The advantage of QRNNs over conventional neural network retrievals is that they not only learn to predict a single retrieval value but also the associated, case specific uncertainties. In this study, the retrieval performance of QRNNs is characterized and compared to that of other state-of-the-art retrieval methods. A synthetic retrieval scenario is presented and used as a validation case for the application of QRNNs to Bayesian retrieval problems. The QRNN retrieval performance is evaluated against Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation and another Bayesian method based on Monte Carlo integration over a retrieval database. The scenario is also used to investigate how different hyperparameter configurations and training set sizes affect the retrieval performance. In the second part of the study, QRNNs are applied to the retrieval of cloud top pressure from observations by the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS). It is shown that QRNNs are not only capable of achieving similar accuracy as standard neural network retrievals, but also provide statistically consistent uncertainty estimates for non-Gaussian retrieval errors. The results presented in this work show that QRNNs are able to combine the flexibility and computational efficiency of the machine learning approach with the theoretically sound handling of uncertainties of the Bayesian framework. Together with this article, a Python implementation of QRNNs is released through a public repository to make the method available to the scientific community.
The ability of macroalgae to mitigate the negative effects of ocean acidification on four species of North Atlantic bivalve
Authors: Young Craig S. , Gobler Christopher J.
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Coastal ecosystems can experience acidification via upwelling, eutrophication, riverine discharge, and climate change. While the resulting increases in pCO2 can have deleterious effects on calcifying animals, this change in carbonate chemistry may benefit some marine autotrophs. Here, we report on experiments performed with North Atlantic populations of hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), bay scallops (Argopecten irradians), and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) grown with and without North Atlantic populations of the green macroalgae, Ulva. In 6 of 7 experiments, exposure to elevated pCO2 levels (~ 1,700 µatm) resulted in depressed shell- and/or tissue-based growth rates of bivalves compared to control conditions (p
Intermediate water flows in the South West Pacific from OUTPACE and THOT Argo floats
Authors: Barbot Simon , Petrenko Anne , Maes Christophe
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Thanks to the autonomous Argo floats of the OUTPACE cruise and of the THOT project, some features of intermediate flow dynamics, around 1000 m depth, within the Southwest and Central Pacific Ocean (156° E–150° W, around 19° S) are described. In the Coral sea, we highlight minima in dissolved oxygen of 140 μmol kg−1 that are associated with the signature of a southward transport of waters between two zonal jets: from the North Vanuatu Jet to the North Caledonia Jet. This transport takes place in the core of a cyclonic eddy or via the path between a cyclonic eddy and an anticyclonic one, highlighting the importance of mesoscale dynamics in upper thermocline and surface layers. Further east, we observe a strong meridional velocity shear with long-term float trajectories going either eastward or westward in the lower thermocline. More interestingly, these trajectories also exhibit some oscillatory features. Those trajectories can be explained by a single Rossby wave of 160 days period and 855 km wavelength. Considering the thermohaline context, we confirm the meridional shear of zonal velocity and highlight a permanent density front that corresponds to the interface between Antarctic Intermediate Waters and North Pacific Deep Waters. Hence both circulation and thermohaline contexts are highly favorable to instabilities and wave propagation.
A coupled soilscape-landform evolution model: Model formulation and initial results
Authors: Welivitiya W. D. Dimuth P. , Willgoose Garry R. , Hancock Greg R.
Published: March 2018

Abstract. This paper describes the coupling of the State Space Soil Production and Assessment Model (SSSPAM) soilscape evolution model with a landform evolution model to integrate soil profile dynamics and landform evolution. SSSPAM is a computationally efficient soil evolution model which was formulated by generalising the mARM3D modelling framework to further explore the soil profile self-organization in space and time, and its dynamic evolution. The landform evolution was integrated into SSSPAM by incorporating the processes of deposition and elevation changes resulting from erosion and deposition. The complexities of the physically based process equations were simplified by introducing state-space matrix methodology that allows efficient simulation of mechanistically linked landscape and pedogenesis processes for catena spatial scales. The modelling approach and the physics underpinning the modelled processes are described in detail. SSSPAM explicitly describes the particle size grading of the entire soil profile at different soil depths, tracks the sediment grading of the flow, and calculates the elevation difference caused by erosion and deposition at every point in the soilscape at each time step. The landform evolution model allows the landform to change in response to (1) erosion and deposition, and (2) spatial organisation of the co-evolving soils. This allows comprehensive analysis of soil landform interactions and soil self-organization. SSSPAM simulates fluvial erosion, armouring, physical weathering, and sediment deposition. The modular nature of the SSSPAM framework allows integration of other pedogenesis processes in follow-on research projects. This paper presents the initial results of soil profile evolution on a dynamic landform. These simulations were carried out on a simple linear hillslope to understand the relationships between soil characteristics and the geomorphic attributes (e.g. slope, area). Process interactions which lead to such relationships were also identified. The influence of the depth dependent weathering function on soilscape and landform evolution was also explored. These simulations show that the balance between erosion rate and sediment load in the flow accounts for the variability in spatial soil characteristics while the depth dependent weathering function has a major influence on soil formation and landform evolution.
Error assessment of biogeochemical models by lower bound methods (NOMMA-1.0)
Authors: Sauerland Volkmar , Löptien Ulrike , Leonhard Claudine , Oschlies Andreas , Srivastav Anand
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Biogeochemical models, capturing the major feedbacks of the pelagic ecosystem of the world ocean, are today often embedded into Earth system models which are increasingly used for decision making regarding climate policies. These models contain poorly constrained parameters (e.g., maximum phytoplankton growth rate), which are typically adjusted until the model shows reasonable behavior. Systematic approaches determine these parameters by minimizing the misfit between the model and observational data. In most common model approaches, however, the underlying functions mimicking the biogeochemical processes are nonlinear and non-convex. Thus, systematic optimization algorithms are likely to get trapped in local minima and might lead to non-optimal results. To judge the quality of an obtained parameter estimate, we propose determining a preferably large lower bound for the global optimum that is relatively easy to obtain and that will help to assess the quality of an optimum, generated by an optimization algorithm. Due to the unavoidable noise component in all observations, such a lower bound is typically larger than zero. We suggest deriving such lower bounds based on typical properties of biogeochemical models (e.g., a limited number of extremes and a bounded time derivative). We illustrate the applicability of the method with two real-world examples. The first example uses real-world observations of the Baltic Sea in a box model setup. The second example considers a three-dimensional coupled ocean circulation model in combination with satellite chlorophyll a.
Observations of positive sea surface temperature trends in the
steadily shrinking Dead Sea
Authors: Kishcha Pavel , Pinker Rachel T. , Gertman Isaac , Starobinets Boris , Alpert Pinhas
Published: March 2018

Abstract. The steadily shrinking Dead Sea followed by sea surface warming compensates surface water cooling due to increasing evaporation, and even causes the observed positive Dead Sea surface temperature trends. Using observations from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), positive trends were detected in both daytime (0.06 °C year−1) and nighttime (0.04 °C year−1) Dead Sea surface temperature (SST) over the period of 2000–2016. These positive SST trends were observed in the absence of positive trends in surface solar radiation measured by the Dead Sea buoy pyranometer. Neither changes in water mixing in the Dead Sea nor changes in evaporation could explain surface temperature trends. There is a positive feedback loop between the shrinking of the Dead Sea and positive SST trends, which leads to the accelerating decrease in Dead Sea water levels during the period under study. Note that there are two opposite processes based on available measurements: on the one hand, the measured accelerating rate of Dead Sea water levels suggests a long-term increase in Dead Sea evaporation which is expected to be accompanied by a long-term decrease in sea surface temperature. On the other hand, the positive feedback loop leads to the observed shrinking of the Dead Sea area followed by sea surface warming year on year. The total result of these two opposite processes is the statistically significant positive sea surface temperature trends in both daytime (0.06 °C year−1) and nighttime (0.04 °C year−1) during the period under investigation, observed by the MODIS instrument. Our results shed light on the continuing hazard to the Dead Sea and possible disappearance of this unique site.
Can ice-cliffs explain the debris-cover anomaly? New insights
from Changri Nup Glacier, Nepal, Central Himalaya
Authors: Brun Fanny , Wagnon Patrick , Berthier Etienne , Shea Joseph M. , Immerzeel Walter W. , Kraaijenbrink Philip D. A. , Vincent Christian , Reverchon Camille , Shresta Dibas , Arnaud Yves
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Ice cliff backwasting on debris-covered glaciers is recognized as an important process, potentially responsible for the so-called debris-cover anomaly, i.e. the fact that debris-covered and debris-free glacier tongues appear to have similar thinning rates in Himalaya. In this study, we assess the total contribution of ice cliff backwasting to the net ablation of the tongue of the Changri Nup Glacier over two years. Detailed terrestrial photogrammetry surveys were conducted on select ice cliffs in November 2015 and 2016, and the entire glacier tongue was surveyed with unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and Pléiades tri-stereo imagery in November 2015, November 2016, and November 2017. The total difference between the volume loss from ice cliffs measured with the terrestrial photogrammetry, considered as the reference data, and the UAV and Pléiades was less than 3 % and 7 %, respectively, demonstrating the ability of these datasets to measure volume loss from ice cliffs. For the period November 2015–November 2016 (resp. November 2016–November 2017), using UAV and Pléiades over the entire glacier tongue, we found that ice cliffs, which cover 7 % (resp. 8 %) of the planar area, contribute to 23 ± 5 % (resp. 24 ± 5 %) of the total net ablation of Changri Nup Glacier. Ice cliffs have a net ablation rate 3.1 ± 0.6 (resp. 3.0 ± 0.6) times higher than the average glacier tongue surface. However, on Changri Nup Glacier, ice cliffs cannot compensate for the reduction of ablation due to debris-cover. Reduced ablation and lower emergence velocities on debris-covered glacier tongues could be responsible for the debris-cover anomaly.
Assessment on Acacia Woodland Degradation in Dire-Dawa Administration, Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Abay Nigus Gebremedhn , Haylemariyam Matiwos Belayhun
Published: March 2018

Dry woodlands are vegetation formations which comprise of scrubs, bush lands, thickets, wooded grasslands and dense woodlands. The largest share of Ethiopia’s landmass is categorized as dryland, experiencing moisture stress during most days of the year. Hence, lowland woodlands are the largest remaining forests in Ethiopia, covering an estimated 55 million ha (48-6 per cent) of land. Beyond the socio-economic and ecological importance of forests Ethiopia experienced rapid loss of woodland vegetation annually. At country level the loss is attributed to low level of standard of living of farming community and their close dependency on forest and woodlands. Jeldessa, Gerba-Anano and Chiri-miti kebelles of Dire-Dawa administration which is located in the eastern part of the Ethiopia has a dense acacia woodland species occupying a total area of at 12250 hectare mainly found in Hurso, Jeldessa, Gerba-Anano and Chiri-miti kebelles. The dry forest which was home and source of forage to wildlife and local pastoral communities is dwindling from time to time. As there has been no study on site specific, this study was conducted to assess the recent degradation of dry land forest in Jeldessa, Gerba-Anano and Chiri-miti kebelles of Dire-Dawa administration. The study has employed questionnaire, interview, group discussions and field observation. The findings of the study shows acacia woodland vegetation of the kebelles have been subjected to degradation due to the ease accessibility of the kebelles connected by all-weather  roads has triggered fetching of charcoal. Besides, easy money making from charcoal and its rising price has anticipated poor peoples to practice it as a means of livelihood. On the other hand, concentration of livestock, recurrent drought and prosopis juliflora invasion has perceived as major factors degradation. Therefore, the cumulative negative effect of the above factors has contributed to the fast deterioration of acacia woodland coverage. To this end, all concerned body’s particularly local customary institutions, agricultural and police departments have to work in harmony on providing alternative off farm activities. Furthermore, the government induced sedentary agriculture was widely practiced along the river sides of all kebelles therefore, further study on sustainable usage of grazing and woodland forest is very mandatory.
Dimensions of Regional Inequalities in Ghana: Assessing Disparities in the Distribution of Basic Infrastructure Among Northern and Southern Districts
Authors: Akrofi Mark M. , Akanbang Benard A. A. , Abdallah Clement K.
Published: March 2018

Researches on regional inequalities in Ghana have largely focused on principal cities and towns as well as urban and rural areas. Based on the traditional north-south divide in Ghana, this study explored a third dimension of regional disparities, by assessing the level of infrastructural inequalities among districts in northern and southern Ghana. The study is based on a documentary review of existing statistics on the availability of basic infrastructure in the selected districts. Twelve districts (2 each from 3 regions in the north and south respectively) were involved. The Composite Infrastructure Index (CII) method, Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient techniques were employed. Results showed that, the distribution of basic infrastructure among all twelve districts was skewed towards perfect equality (Gini coefficient= 0.20). Inequalities were however more significant among districts of the north (Gini coefficient= 0.22) than districts of the south (Gini coefficient= 0.12). Albeit positive, no significant correlation was found between CIIs and population (P< .001) as well as Internally Generated Funds (P< .001) of the districts. The study also revealed that, on the average, districts allocated 97.1% of their Internally Generated Funds to administrative costs rather than infrastructure projects.
Effective use of Language by Managers in Diverse Workforce
Authors: Mukherjee Babita , Yaswi Arooj , Das Ashavaree
Published: March 2018

Saudi Arabia has witnessed a high percentage of immigration in the past few decades as the influx of workers from different parts of the world has significantly increased during this time. This movement has caused an interaction between people having diverse languages, customs, and cultural backgrounds. Diversity has in turn led to a number of benefits, including enhanced employee creativity and competence. Due to the nature of the Saudi Arabian workplace; which is dominated by a foreign workforce, communication at workplace holds prime importance. A questionnaire was administered to 127 branch managers. This study aimed at demonstrating the effects of communication; particularly language used by the managers at the workplace, on organizational effectiveness and how it is used to leverage the existing diversity and set a vibrant workplace environment.
The forgotten cause of hypertension: A case report and literature review of the prevalence, diagnosis and management of primary aldosteronism
Authors: Barlow Mariah Pagath , Abdel-Latif Ahmed
Published: March 2018

In recent years, primary aldosteronism (PA) has been found to have a much higher prevalence than previously thought, especially among those with resistant hypertension. As hypertension has become a prominent public health issue affecting billions of people, the number of patients potentially affected by PA is a significant. Current medical and surgical therapies for PA are highly effective, and as untreated PA can lead to significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality this stresses the importance of astute diagnosis and management on part of physicians. We present a case of a patient presenting with cardiovascular complications of untreated primary aldosteronism and review recent guidelines regarding screening, diagnosis, and management.