bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Survival of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Watery Soil, a Potential Source of Buruli Ulcer
Authors: Tian Roger D. B. , Lepidi Hubert , Nappez Claude , Drancourt Michel
Published: November 2015

The reservoir of Mycobacterium ulcerans causing Buruli ulcer (BU) remains unknown. Here, sterilized watery soil was mixed with 2 × 106 colony-forming units (CFU)/g of M. ulcerans Agy99 or M. ulcerans ATCC 33728 and incubated in a microaerophilic atmosphere in the presence of negative controls. Both M. ulcerans strains survived in soil for 4 months with a final inoculum of 300–440 CFU/g. Further, three groups of five mice with and without footpad scarification were exposed to control soil or M. ulcerans-inoculated soil. Although no specific clinical and histopathological lesions were observed in control animals, red spots observed on 8/20 scarified feet in 8/10 challenged mice yielded inflammatory infiltrates and positive real-time polymerase chain reaction detection of M. ulcerans DNA in five mice. BU can be acquired as an inoculation infection with watery soil as a transient source of infection. These experimental observations warrant additional field observations.
Benefits of Student Engagement in Intervention Research
Authors: Schwartz Jaclyn K. , Smith Roger O.
Published: November 2015

OBJECTIVE. Accreditation standards require entry-level occupational therapy students to understand, critique, and design research. However, the extent to which students should be embedded in research projects is unclear. The purpose of this study was to understand the benefits of student immersion in research for student learning and research quality.

METHOD. Using a multiple case study design, the principal investigator trained six occupational therapy students to implement a manualized intervention with research participants. Learning quizzes, video analysis of research activities, a practical exam, student documentation, an exit interview, and an exit survey identified student learning and research outcomes.

RESULTS. Students successfully implemented the study protocols with good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .89) and fidelity (99%). Students also reported improvements in comfort with client interactions, confidence in practice skills, self-efficacy in research, and clinical reasoning.

CONCLUSION. Student participation in hands-on research supports researchers in attaining their research goals and provides students with valuable learning experiences.
Evolution of a Revolution in Occupational Therapy Education
Authors: Burke Janice Posatery , Harvison Neil
Published: November 2015

This issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy reflects an increase in the quantity and quality of scholarly projects submitted for publication in this special issue. The positive response to the call for papers is evidence of the focused interest that faculty, both academic and clinical, and practitioners have brought to their work of educating and preparing the next generation of occupational therapists. This article discusses educational issues from academic, student, and fieldwork points of view, further validating the pervasive commitment that is being made to further understanding of how occupational therapists are educated. The articles cover topics including the critical issues of curriculum, value and timing of fieldwork and simulation experiences, and documentation of strategies to measure the effects of comparative educational experiences.
Hydroxyl radicals from secondary organic aerosol decomposition in water
Authors: Tong H. , Arangio A. M. , Lakey P. S. J. , Berkemeier T. , Liu F. , Kampf C. J. , Pöschl U. , Shiraiwa M.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. We found that ambient and laboratory-generated secondary organic aerosols (SOA) form substantial amounts of OH radicals upon interaction with liquid water, which can be explained by the decomposition of organic hydroperoxides. The molar OH yield from SOA formed by ozonolysis of terpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene) is ~ 0.1 % upon extraction with pure water and increases to ~ 1.5 % in the presence of Fe2+ ions due to Fenton-like reactions. Our findings imply that the chemical reactivity and aging of SOA particles is strongly enhanced upon interaction with water and iron. In cloud droplets under dark conditions, SOA decomposition can compete with the classical H2O2 Fenton reaction as the source of OH radicals. Also in the human respiratory tract, the inhalation and deposition of SOA particles may lead to a substantial release of OH radicals, which may contribute to oxidative stress and play an important role in the adverse health effects of atmospheric aerosols.
High-voltage circuits for power management on 65 nm CMOS
Authors: Pashmineh S. , Killat D.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. This paper presents two high-voltage circuits used in power management, a switching driver for buck converter with optimized on-resistance and a low dropout (LDO) voltage regulator with 2-stacked pMOS pass devices. The circuit design is based on stacked MOSFETs, thus the circuits are technology independent. High-voltage drivers with stacked devices suffer from slow switching characteristics. In this paper, a new concept to adjust gate voltages of stacked transistors is introduced for reduction of on-resistance. According to the theory, a circuit is proposed that drives 2 stacked transistors of a driver. Simulation results show a reduction of the on-resistance between 27 and 86 % and a reduction of rise and fall times between 16 and 83 % with a load capacitance of 150 pF at various supply voltages, compared to previous work. The concept can be applied to each high-voltage driver that is based on a number (N) of stacked transistors. The high voltage compatibility of the low drop-out voltage regulator (LDO) is established by a 2-stacked pMOS transistors as pass device controlled by two regulators: an error amplifier and a 2nd amplifier adjusting the division of the voltages between the two pass transistors. A high GBW and good DC accuracy in line and load regulation is achieved by using 3-stage error amplifiers. To improve stability, two feedback loops are utilized. In this paper, the 2.5 V I/O transistors of the TSMC 65 nm CMOS technology are used for the circuit design.
Charge pump design in 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology for low-noise fractional-N PLLs
Authors: Kucharski M. , Herzel F.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. This paper presents a numerical comparison of charge pumps (CP) designed for a high linearity and a low noise to be used in a fractional-N phase-locked loop (PLL). We consider a PLL architecture, where two parallel CPs with DC offset are used. The CP for VCO fine tuning is biased at the output to keep the VCO gain constant. For this specific architecture, only one transistor per CP is relevant for phase detector linearity. This can be an nMOSFET, a pMOSFET or a SiGe HBT, depending on the design. The HBT-based CP shows the highest linearity, whereas all charge pumps show similar device noise. An internal supply regulator with low intrinsic device noise is included in the design optimization.
Statistical sensor fusion of ECG data using automotive-grade sensors
Authors: Koenig A. , Rehg T. , Rasshofer R.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. Driver states such as fatigue, stress, aggression, distraction or even medical emergencies continue to be yield to severe mistakes in driving and promote accidents. A pathway towards improving driver state assessment can be found in psycho-physiological measures to directly quantify the driver's state from physiological recordings. Although heart rate is a well-established physiological variable that reflects cognitive stress, obtaining heart rate contactless and reliably is a challenging task in an automotive environment. Our aim was to investigate, how sensory fusion of two automotive grade sensors would influence the accuracy of automatic classification of cognitive stress levels. We induced cognitive stress in subjects and estimated levels from their heart rate signals, acquired from automotive ready ECG sensors. Using signal quality indices and Kalman filters, we were able to decrease Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of heart rate recordings by 10 beats per minute. We then trained a neural network to classify the cognitive workload state of subjects from heart rate and compared classification performance for ground truth, the individual sensors and the fused heart rate signal. We obtained an increase of 5 % higher correct classification by fusing signals as compared to individual sensors, staying only 4 % below the maximally possible classification accuracy from ground truth. These results are a first step towards real world applications of psycho-physiological measurements in vehicle settings. Future implementations of driver state modeling will be able to draw from a larger pool of data sources, such as additional physiological values or vehicle related data, which can be expected to drive classification to significantly higher values.
Multi-view point cloud fusion for LiDAR based cooperative environment detection
Authors: Jaehn B. , Lindner P. , Wanielik G.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. A key component for automated driving is 360° environment detection. The recognition capabilities of modern sensors are always limited to their direct field of view. In urban areas a lot of objects occlude important areas of interest. The information captured by another sensor from another perspective could solve such occluded situations. Furthermore, the capabilities to detect and classify various objects in the surrounding can be improved by taking multiple views into account. In order to combine the data of two sensors into one coordinate system, a rigid transformation matrix has to be derived. The accuracy of modern e.g. satellite based relative pose estimation systems is not sufficient to guarantee a suitable alignment. Therefore, a registration based approach is used in this work which aligns the captured environment data of two sensors from different positions. Thus their relative pose estimation obtained by traditional methods is improved and the data can be fused. To support this we present an approach which utilizes the uncertainty information of modern tracking systems to determine the possible field of view of the other sensor. Furthermore, it is estimated which parts of the captured data is directly visible to both, taking occlusion and shadowing effects into account. Afterwards a registration method, based on the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm, is applied to that data in order to get an accurate alignment. The contribution of the presented approch to the achievable accuracy is shown with the help of ground truth data from a LiDAR simulation within a 3-D crossroad model. Results show that a two dimensional position and heading estimation is sufficient to initialize a successful 3-D registration process. Furthermore it is shown which initial spatial alignment is necessary to obtain suitable registration results.
Remote sensing and modeling of energetic electron precipitation into the lower ionosphere using VLF/LF radio waves and field aligned current data
Authors: Schmitter E. D.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. A model for the development of electron density height profiles based on space time distributed ionization sources and reaction rates in the lower ionosphere is described. Special attention is payed to the definition of an auroral oval distribution function for energetic electron energy input into the lower ionosphere based on a Maxwellian energy spectrum. The distribution function is controlled by an activity parameter which is defined proportional to radio signal amplitude disturbances of a VLF/LF transmitter. Adjusting the proportionality constant allows to model precipitation caused VLF/LF signal disturbances using radio wave propagation calculations and to scale the distribution function. Field aligned current (FAC) data from the new Swarm satellite mission are used to constrain the spatial extent of the distribution function. As an example electron precipitation bursts during a moderate substorm on the 12 April 2014 (midnight–dawn) are modeled along the subauroral propagation path from the NFR/TFK transmitter (37.5 kHz, Iceland) to a midlatitude site.
Validation of the radiation pattern of the VHF MST radar MAARSY by scattering off a sounding rocket's payload
Authors: Renkwitz T. , Schult C. , Latteck R. , Stober G.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) is a monostatic radar with an active phased array antenna designed for studies of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Its design, in particular the flexible beam forming and steering capability, makes it a powerful instrument to perform observations with high angular and temporal resolution. For the configuration and analysis of experiments carried out with the radar it is essential to have knowledge of the actual radiation pattern. Therefore, during the time since the radar was put into operation various active and passive experiments have been performed to gain knowledge of the radiation pattern. With these experiments the beam pointing accuracy, the beam width and phase distribution of the antenna array were investigated. Here, the use of a sounding rocket and its payload as a radar target is described which was launched in the proximity of the radar. The analysis of these observations allows the detailed investigation of the two-way radiation pattern for different antenna array sizes and beam pointing positions.
Impacts of prescribed burning on soil greenhouse gas fluxes in a suburban native forest of south-eastern Queensland, Australia
Authors: Zhao Y. , Wang Y. Z. , Xu Z. H. , Fu L.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. Prescribed burning is a forest management practice that is widely used in Australia to reduce the risk of damaging wildfires. Prescribed burning can affect both carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in the forest and thereby influence the soil-atmosphere exchange of major greenhouse gases, i.e. carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). To quantify the impact of a prescribed burning (conducted on 27 May 2014) on greenhouse gas exchange and the potential controlling mechanisms, we carried out a series of field measurements before (August 2013) and after (August 2014 and November 2014) the fire. Gas exchange rates were determined in four replicate plots which were burned during the combustion and in another four adjacent unburned plots located in green islands, using a set of static chambers. Surface soil properties including temperature, pH, moisture, soil C and N pools were also determined either by in situ measurement or by analysing surface 10 cm soil samples. All of the chamber measurements indicated a net sink of atmospheric CH4, with mean CH4 uptake ranging from 1.15 to 1.99 mg m−2 d−1. Prescribed burning significantly enhanced CH4 uptake as indicated by the significant higher CH4 uptake rates in the burned plots measured in August 2014. In the following 3 months, the CH4 uptake rate was recovered to the pre-burning level. Mean CO2 emission from the forest soils ranged from 2721.76 to 7113.49 mg m−2 d−1. The effect of prescribed burning on CO2 emission was limited within the first 3 months, as no significant difference was observed between the burned and the adjacent unburned plots in both August and November 2014. The CO2 emissions showed more seasonal variations, rather than the effects of prescribed burning. The N2O emission in the plots was quite low, and no significant impact of prescribed burning was observed. The changes in understory plants and litter layers, surface soil temperature, C and N substrate availability and microbial activities, following the prescribed burning, were the factors that controlled the greenhouse gas exchanges. Our results suggested that the low-intensity prescribed burning would decrease soil CO2 emission and increase CH4 uptake, but this effect would be present within a relatively short period. Only slight changes in the surface soil properties during the combustion and very limited impacts of prescribed burning on the mineral soils supported the rapid recovery of the greenhouse gas exchange rates.
Estimates of common ragweed pollen emission and dispersion over Europe using RegCM-pollen model
Authors: Liu L. , Solmon F. , Vautard R. , Hamaoui-Laguel L. , Torma Cs. Zs. , Giorgi F.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is a highly allergenic and invasive plant in Europe. Its pollen can be transported over large distances and has been recognized as a significant cause of hayfever and asthma (D'Amato et al., 2007; Burbach et al., 2009). To simulate production and dispersion of common ragweed pollen, we implement a pollen emission and transport module in the Regional Climate Model (RegCM) version 4 using the framework of the Community Land Model (CLM) version 4.5. In the online model environment where climate is integrated with dispersion and vegetation production, pollen emissions are calculated based on the modelling of plant distribution, pollen production, species-specific phenology, flowering probability, and flux response to meteorological conditions. A pollen tracer model is used to describe pollen advective transport, turbulent mixing, dry and wet deposition. The model is then applied and evaluated on a European domain for the period 2000–2010. To reduce the large uncertainties notably due to ragweed density distribution on pollen emission, a calibration based on airborne pollen observations is used. Resulting simulations show that the model captures the gross features of the pollen concentrations found in Europe, and reproduce reasonably both the spatial and temporal patterns of flowering season and associated pollen concentrations measured over Europe. The model can explain 68.6, 39.2, and 34.3 % of the observed variance in starting, central, and ending dates of the pollen season with associated root mean square error (RMSE) equal to 4.7, 3.9, and 7.0 days, respectively. The correlation between simulated and observed daily concentrations time series reaches 0.69. Statistical scores show that the model performs better over the central Europe source region where pollen loads are larger. From these simulations health risks associated common ragweed pollen spread are then evaluated through calculation of exposure time above health-relevant threshold levels. The total risk area with concentration above 5 grains m−3 takes up 29.5 % of domain. The longest exposure time occurs on Pannonian Plain, where the number of days per year with the daily concentration above 20 grains m−3 exceeds 30.
Late Cretaceous (Late Campanian–Maastrichtian) sea surface temperature record of the Boreal Chalk Sea
Authors: Thibault N. , Harlou R. , Schovsbo N. H. , Stemmerik L. , Surlyk F.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. The last 8 Myr of the Cretaceous greenhouse interval were characterized by a progressive global cooling with superimposed cool/warm fluctuations. The mechanisms responsible for these climatic fluctuations remain a source of debate that can only be resolved through multi-disciplinary studies and better time constraints. For the first time, we present a record of very high-resolution (ca. 4.5 kyr) sea-surface temperature (SST) changes from the Boreal epicontinental Chalk Sea (Stevns-1 core, Denmark), tied to an astronomical time scale of the late Campanian–Maastrichtian (74 to 66 Myr). Well-preserved bulk stable isotope trends and calcareous nannofossil palaeoecological patterns from the fully cored Stevns-1 borehole show marked changes in SSTs. These variations correlate with deep-water records of climate change from the tropical South Atlantic and Pacific oceans but differ greatly from the climate variations of the North Atlantic. We demonstrate that the onset and end of the early Maastrichtian cooling and of the large negative Campanian–Maastrichtian boundary carbon isotope excursion are coincident in the Chalk Sea. The direct link between SSTs and δ13C variations in the Chalk Sea reassesses long-term glacio-eustasy as the potential driver of carbon isotope and climatic variations in the Maastrichtian.
Two-dimensional prognostic experiments for fast-flowing ice streams from the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap: future modeled histories obtained for the reference surface mass balance
Authors: Konovalov Y. V. , Nagornov O. V.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. The prognostic experiments for fast-flowing ice streams on the southern side of the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap in the Komsomolets Island, Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, are implemented in this study. These experiments are based on inversions of basal friction coefficients using a two-dimensional flow-line thermo-coupled model and the Tikhonov's regularization method. The modeled ice temperature distributions in the cross-sections were obtained using the ice surface temperature histories that were inverted previously from the borehole temperature profiles derived at the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap. Input data included InSAR ice surface velocities, ice surface elevations, and ice thicknesses obtained from airborne measurements and the surface mass balance, were adopted from the prior investigations for the implementation of both the forward and inverse problems. The prognostic experiments reveal that both ice mass and ice stream extents decline for the reference time-independent surface mass balance. Specifically, the grounding line retreats (a) along the B–B' flow line from ~ 40 to ~ 30 km (the distance from the summit), (b) along the C–C' flow line from ~ 43 to ~ 37 km, and (c) along the D–D' flow line from ~ 41 to ~ 32 km considering a time period of 500 years and assuming time-independent surface mass balance. Ice flow velocities in the ice streams decrease with time and this trend results in the overall decline of the outgoing ice flux. Generally, the modeled histories are in agreement with observations of sea ice extent and thickness indicating a continual ice decline in the Arctic.
Construction of the SILAM Eulerian atmospheric dispersion model based on the advection algorithm of Michael Galperin
Authors: Sofiev M. , Vira J. , Kouznetsov R. , Prank M. , Soares J. , Genikhovich E.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. The paper presents the transport module of the System for Integrated modeLling of Atmospheric coMposition SILAM v.5 based on the advection algorithm of Michael Galperin. This advection routine, so far weakly presented in the international literature, is positively defined, stable at any Courant number, and efficient computationally. We present the rigorous description of its original version, along with several updates that improve its monotonicity and shape preservation, allowing for applications to long-living species in conditions of complex atmospheric flows. The scheme is connected with other parts of the model in a way that preserves the sub-grid mass distribution information that is a cornerstone of the advection algorithm. The other parts include the previously developed vertical diffusion algorithm combined with dry deposition, a meteorological pre-processor, and chemical transformation modules. The quality of the advection routine is evaluated using a large set of tests. The original approach has been previously compared with several classic algorithms widely used in operational dispersion models. The basic tests were repeated for the updated scheme and extended with real-wind simulations and demanding global 2-D tests recently suggested in the literature, which allowed one to position the scheme with regard to sophisticated state-of-the-art approaches. The advection scheme performance was fully comparable with other algorithms, with a modest computational cost. This work was the last project of Dr. Sci. Michael Galperin, who passed away on 18 March 2008.
Effect of gas-transfer-velocity parameterization choice on CO2 air–sea fluxes in the North Atlantic and European Arctic
Authors: Wróbel I. , Piskozub J.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. The ocean sink is an important part of the anthropogenic CO2 budget. Because the terrestrial biosphere is usually treated as a residual, understanding the uncertainties the net flux into the ocean sink is crucial for understanding the global carbon cycle. One of the sources of uncertainty is the parameterization of CO2 gas transfer velocity. We used a recently developed software tool, FluxEngine, to calculate monthly net carbon air–sea flux for the extratropical North Atlantic, European Arctic as well as global values (or comparison) using several available parameterizations of gas transfer velocity of different dependence of wind speed, both quadratic and cubic. The aim of the study is to constrain the uncertainty caused by the choice of parameterization in the North Atlantic, a large sink of CO2 and a region with good measurement coverage, characterized by strong winds. We show that this uncertainty is smaller in the North Atlantic and in the Arctic than globally, within 5 % in the North Atlantic and 4 % in the European Arctic, comparing to 9 % for the World Ocean when restricted to functions with quadratic wind dependence and respectively 42, 40 and 67 % for all studied parameterizations. We propose an explanation of this smaller uncertainty due to the combination of higher than global average wind speeds in the North Atlantic and lack of seasonal changes in the flux direction in most of the region. We also compare the available pCO2 climatologies (Takahashi and SOCAT) pCO2 discrepancy in annual flux values of 8 % in the North Atlantic and 19 % in the European Arctic. The seasonal flux changes in the Arctic have inverse seasonal change in both climatologies, caused most probably by insufficient data coverage, especially in winter.
MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and vegetation phenology dynamics in the Inner Mongolia grassland
Authors: Gong Z. , Kawamura K. , Ishikawa N. , Goto M. , Wulan T. , Alateng D. , Yin T. , Ito Y.
Published: November 2015

Abstract. The Inner Mongolia grassland, one of the most important grazing regions in China, has long been threatened by land degradation and desertification, mainly due to overgrazing. To understand vegetation responses over the last decade, this study evaluated trends in vegetation cover and phenology dynamics in the Inner Mongolia grassland by applying a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series obtained by the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) during 2002–2014. The results showed that the cumulative annual NDVI increased to over 77.10 % in the permanent grassland region (2002–2014). The mean value of the total change showed that the start of season (SOS) date and the peak vegetation productivity date of the season (POS) had advanced by 5.79 and 2.43 days, respectively. The end of season (EOS) was delayed by 5.07 days. These changes lengthened the season by 10.86 days. Our results also confirmed that grassland changes are closely related to spring precipitation and increasing temperature at the early growing period because of global warming. Overall, productivity in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region tends to increase, but in some grassland areas with grazing, land degradation is ongoing.
Change Order Management in Nigeria: The Current Context
Authors: Kolawole Richard Adegboyega , Kamau K. Peter , Gerryshom Munala
Published: November 2015

In order to curb the negative impact of changes on a project, it is crucial to implement change management. This study investigated the current practice of managing change order in the Nigerian Construction Industry. A wide-ranging literature review and questionnaire survey was conducted to gain in-depth understanding of change management. Stratified random sampling was used to sample 240 respondents (including architects, quantity surveyors, building engineers and building service engineers. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used for data analysis. The analysis results established that change management application is at 15 % in Nigeria which is relatively low. Contentment with outdated methods of construction and high application cost, as well as lack of knowledge was the major drawbacks to change management. Respondent perceived benefit included faster response to change order; reduce time and human resource use. Completion schedule delay; bureaucracy-based client management, and poor coordination and documentation were the three major problems associated with construction industry practice presently. The paper concludes that based on perceived benefits attributed to change management, it is important that professional institutions encourage the adoption of change management through organised workshops and training.
Relative index of ankle muscle activations on agonistic phase between subjects with and without flat foot
Authors: Sung Paul S.
Published: November 2015

Background: Although co-activation of ankle muscles has been reported, relative ankle muscle activation in subjects with flat foot has not been carefully investigated. The aim of this study was to compare the relative activation index (RAI) on the tibialis anterior (TA) and medial gastrocnemius (GTN) muscles during active ankle range of motion (ROM) between subjects with and without flat foot. Methods: There were 17 subjects with flat foot and 17 age- and gender-matched control subjects who participated in this study. The RAI based on electromyography (EMG) was measured during the agonist phase at a controlled velocity of ankle motion (10°/second). The subject was seated upright with the tested foot held firmly onto a footplate that was attached to a torque sensor. The ankle being measured was strapped to the leg support of the Intel stretch device at 60° of knee flexion. The RAI was analyzed by the summation of EMG activity from the agonistic time window divided by the total EMG activity during full active ankle ROM. Results: The RAI was significantly different on the TA muscle (t = 3.08, P = 0.004), but no difference was found on the GTN muscle (t = -1.24, P = 0.23) in subjects with flat foot. There was an interaction between group and RAI (F =7.89, P = 0.007); however, the RAI demonstrated no interaction with age (F = 2.59, P = 0.14), height (F = 3.73, P = 0.06), or weight (F = 2.96, P = 0.09). Conclusions: The RAI indicated a lack of TA muscle activation in the flat foot group. Such dissociated activation in the flat foot group might be relevant to the inefficiency of synergistic motions. The relative activation of the agonistic phase needs to be further investigated to compare co-activation of synergistic muscle activation with various functional tasks.
Remarks on Behavior of Horse Guard Wasps (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae, Bembicinae) and Interrupted Hematophagism of Horse Flies (Diptera, Tabanidae)
Authors: Guimaraes Ronald Rodrigues , Guimarães Junior Ronald Rodrigues , Buys Sandor , Storti Harlan Ronald Rodrigues , Guimarães Roney Rodrigues , Wermelinger Eduardo Dias , Carvalho Raimundo Wilson
Published: November 2015

During studies on tabanid fauna on Marambaia Island, Mangaratiba, Brazil, the authors captured 71specimens of two species of solitaire sand wasps hunting horseflies, Stictia punctata (Fabricius, 1775) and Stictia signata signata (Linnaeus, 1758). Wasps interact with horseflies demonstrating outstanding behavior, interrupting the hematophagism, which enhances tabanids ability to transmit pathogenic agents to natural hosts.
Hoe korter, des te langer?
Authors: Visser Jacomijn , Vollaard Hans , Meijerink Frits
Published: November 2015

The shorter, the longer? On the relationship between coalition agreements and conflicts in municipalities

The Dutch municipality of Leiden used to be a rather ‘politically troublesome’ municipality, but after the formulation of a short coalition agreement during the 2010 to 2014 term of office, for the first time in a long while, no alderman was sent away. So, could short coalition agreements help to diminish the number of political conflicts, so that aldermen can remain in office for a longer period? In the first place, the answer to this question is important from a societal point of view because in the Netherlands an increasing number of aldermen are sent away. In the second place, it is important from an academic point of view because there is a lack of studies into local coalition agreements. In the third place, it is important because the analysis of the length of coalition agreements and the number of conflicts in almost all Dutch municipalities in the period 2010 to 2014 offers a good opportunity to test the contradictory expectations on the relationship between coalition agreements and political conflicts in Dutch municipalities at a national level. From the analysis, the authors conclude that there is a relationship between a high number of coalition parties and a large municipality, on the one hand, and longer coalition agreements, on the other hand. The length of the coalition agreements is not necessarily related to the number of conflicts measured by the number of aldermen sent away for political reasons. It is clear that the higher the number of coalition parties, the more conflicts there are likely to be, which is not an inviting prospect considering the ongoing fragmentation of municipal councils.
Burgerparticipatie, stedelijke vernieuwing en bestuurlijk leiderschap: inzichten via KISS
Authors: Reussing Rik
Published: November 2015

Citizen participation, urban renewal and administrative leadership: insights through KISS

Since 2001, the Dutch province of Overijssel has had its own knowledge centre focusing on urban society, called the ‘KennisInstituut Stedelijke Samenleving’ (KISS), alongside national knowledge centres. This essay gives an overview of some relevant KISS meetings devoted to a many kinds of citizen participation. The overview is based on reports made by the author himself. Examples of citizen participation are: the new styles of neighbourhood governance, citizen participation through neighbourhood budgets, the strength of the city and location-based leadership, innovative urban renewal and the promotion of citizen initiatives in the province of Overijssel. Examples are not only from the province of Overijssel (situated in the east of the Netherlands), but also from other parts of the Netherlands and other countries (Flanders, United Kingdom, United States and all over the world). The subject of citizen participation (in connection with urban renewal and administrative leadership) enjoys an ever-increasing popularity as is shown by the number of KISS meetings devoted to this subject.
El mapa evolutivo de las estaciones del año
Authors: Navarro Pastor Manuel
Published: November 2015

Los mapas evolutivos son estructuras que representan la red de itinerarios que pueden seguir los niños en la conceptualización de temas específicos (en el ámbito del pensamiento concreto). Están constituidos por el conjunto de integraciones posibilitadas por la sucesión de diferenciaciones que realiza el sujeto de un aspecto de su realidad observacional (a partir de la percepción). En este escrito presentamos su aplicación a un nuevo tema (el ciclo anual del movimiento del Sol en el cielo), incluida la contrastación experimental, lo que ha revelado una panoplia de concepciones infantiles, reforzado la validez y versatilidad de la metodología, sugerido un mecanismo cognitivo de relevancia didáctica (los modelos observacionales deducidos) y proporcionado apoyo adicional a la necesidad de cimentar el aprendizaje infantil en la realidad empírica. Además, como todo mapa evolutivo, posibilita el diseño de objetivos y criterios de evaluación secuenciales coherentes con el desarrollo cognitivo, así como la identificación de la arquitectura precisa del cambio conceptual necesario en cada aprendiz.
Ignorancia consciente en el aprendizaje de las ciencias I: componentes de la incomprensión de un texto científico
Authors: Maturano Carla , Ishiwa Koto , Macías Ascensión , Otero José
Published: November 2015

La investigación en la didáctica de las ciencias ha examinado en detalle los procesos de adquisición de conocimiento y comprensión del contenido científico. Sin embargo, los papeles positivos del desconocimiento y la incomprensión han recibido considerablemente menos atención. Este artículo tiene como propósito contribuir al análisis de la incomprensión consciente. Se pretende identificar la incomprensión de la que es consciente un alumno que intenta construir el modelo de la situación correspondiente a un texto científico, analizando las preguntas que efectúa sobre este texto.El artículo se organiza en tres partes. En primer lugar se presenta un marco general para caracterizar la incomprensión consciente de un texto. A continuación se presentan resultados de algunos estudios que analizan la estructura de la incomprensión consciente de textos de ciencias. Finalmente se sintetizan algunas conclusiones a partir de los análisis anteriores.
Una travessa pel laberint: assaig d’interpretació de «Els jeroglífics i la pedra de Rosetta», de Carmelina Sánchez-Cutillas
Authors: Francés Díez M. Àngels
Published: November 2015

Resum: L’objectiu d’aquest article és estudiar una obra singular i sorprenent en el panorama de la poesia valenciana dels anys setanta: Els jeroglífics i la pedra de Rosetta (1976), de Carmelina Sánchez-Cutillas (1927-2009). Insòlita mostra de prosa poètica, aquesta obra significa un gir radical des del realisme que caracteritzava els primers poemaris de l’autora envers el formalisme més extrem i críptic, que desafia el silenci ancestral, jeroglífic, imposat per l’hostilitat de l’entorn. En el poemari, espai on es conjuminen paraules pròpies i manllevades a altres textos, es manifesten els conceptes bakhtinians de dialogisme, heteroglòssia i polifonia, i també la versió kristeviana d’intertextualitat. Així, un extraordinari bagatge de referències mitològiques, religioses, científiques i històriques, que semblen acusar la influència de la poesia de Salvador Espriu, construeixen el laberint inhòspit del poemari, en un intent per fer alquímia dels fonaments de la tradició cultural i transformar-los en l’expressió de la rebel·lia, de la ira que subjau, com en un palimpsest, sota els escrits. Paraules clau: Carmelina Sánchez-Cutillas, poesia valenciana, dialogisme, heteroglòssia, polifonia, intertextualitat.
Apunts sobre exili, llengua i traducció
Authors: Bacardí Montserrat
Published: November 2015

Resum: A l’exili del 1939, la traducció hi va tenir un paper més aviat subsidiari. L’obra original hi era prioritària, perquè salvar els mots es va convertir en una urgència. Els traductors «professionals» van haver de servir-se d’altres llengües (del castellà, sobretot), mentre que els traductors «vocacionals» traduïen al català per a ells mateixos, per a l’esdevenidor. La premsa exiliada tan sols podia acollir algunes versions literàries testimonials o bé trasllats anònims de textos informatius. Les revistes Full Català, Quaderns de l’Exili i Lletres, publicades a Mèxic els anys quaranta, il·lustren concepcions confrontades de la llengua i la traducció.Paraules clau: exili, traducció, llengua catalana, Full Català, Quaderns de l’Exili, Lletres, Lluís Ferran de Pol, Joan Sales, Agustí Bartra.
Jocs de llenguatge en escena
Authors: Sellent Arús Joan
Published: November 2015

Resum: Aquest article gira a l’entorn de la presència, en l’escena catalana, del contrast de registres lingüístics en unes versions que van més enllà del marc estricte de la normativa oficial. A aquest efecte, s’utilitzen com a objectes d’anàlisi les versions de dues peces teatrals dutes a terme en contextos històrics i sociopolítics molt diferents —la de Joan Oliver de Pygmalion, de G.B. Shaw (1957), i la de Joan Sellent de Translations, de Brian Friel (2014)— i se’n ressalten les afinitats i diferències, tant pel que fa a la tria dels materials lingüístics com als objectius dramatúrgics i ideològics.Tant en una versió com en l’altra, la transgressió freqüent de les normes de la Secció Filològica de l’Institut d’Estudis Catalans respon a unes finalitats que, en el fons, reivindiquen la genuïnitat, la força expressiva i l’eficàcia dramàtica d’unes opcions lingüístiques que la normativa oficial es resisteix a acceptar.Paraules clau: traducció teatral, normes gramaticals, registres, genuïnitat, adequació expressiva vs. correcció normativa.
Chewed out: an experimental link between food material properties and repetitive loading of the masticatory apparatus in mammals
Authors: Ravosa Matthew J. , Scott Jeremiah E. , McAbee Kevin R. , Veit Anna J. , Fling Annika L.
Published: November 2015

Using a model organism (rabbits) that resembles a number of mammalian herbivores in key aspects of its chewing behaviors, we examined how variation in dietary mechanical properties affects food breakdown during mastication. Such data have implications for understanding phenotypic variation in the mammalian feeding apparatus, particularly with respect to linking jaw form to diet-induced repetitive loading. Results indicate that chewing frequency (chews/s) is independent of food properties, whereas chewing investment (chews/g) and chewing duration(s), which are proportional to repetitive loading of the jaws, are positively related to food stiffness and toughness. In comparisons of displacement-limited and stress-limited fragmentation indices, which respectively characterize the intraoral breakdown of tough and stiff foods, increases in chewing investment and duration are linked solely to stiffness. This suggests that stiffer foods engender higher peak loadsandincreased cyclical loading. Our findings challenge conventional wisdom by demonstrating that toughness does not, by itself, underlie increases in cyclical loading and loading duration. Instead, tough foods may be associated with such jaw-loading patterns because they must be processed in greater volumes owing to their lower nutritive quality and for longer periods of time to increase oral exposure to salivary chemicals.
Removal of concentrated sulfamethazine by acclimatized aerobic sludge and possible metabolic products
Authors: Yang Na , Wan Junfeng , Zhao Shiju , Wang Yan
Published: November 2015

This article examined the biological removal of high concentrated sulfamethazine (SMZ) antibiotics by the acclimatized activated sludge in lab-scale SBRs system. The removal of SMZ was characterized by a quick adsorption and a slow process of biodegradation. The adsorption capacity of activated sludge for SMZ was 44 and 47 µg SMZ/g SS, respectively, with the initial SMZ concentrations of 1 and 2 mg/L. The adsorption process fitted pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In a series of batch studies, with the increase of initial SMZ concentration that were 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 mg/L, 56.0%, 51.3%, 42.2%, 29.5%, 25.0% and 20.8% of influent SMZ were biodegraded within 24 h of biological reaction, respectively. The Monod equation applied to simulate SMZ biodegradation had a good coefficient of determination (R2 > 0.99). Furthermore, the results of HPLC demonstrated that the SMZ was not completely removed by the acclimatized activated sludge. From the analysis of LC-MS, 4 intermediates of SMZ biodegradation were identified: Sulfanilic Acid, 4-amino-N-(4,6-dimethyl-2 pyrimidin) benzene sulfonamide, N-(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidin)-4-N-(benzene sulfonamide) benzene sulfonamide, N-(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidin)-4-N-(4,6-dimethyl pyrimidine) benzene sulfonamide, and N-(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidin)-4-N-(3-dimethyl-4-N sodium benzene sulfonamide) benzene sulfonamide.
The herbaceous landlord: integrating the effects of symbiont consortia within a single host
Authors: Vandegrift Roo , Roy Bitty A. , Pfeifer-Meister Laurel , Johnson Bart R. , Bridgham Scott D.
Published: November 2015

Plants are typically infected by a consortium of internal fungal associates, including endophytes in their leaves, as well as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) in their roots. It is logical that these organisms will interact with each other and the abiotic environment in addition to their host, but there has been little work to date examining the interactions of multiple symbionts within single plant hosts, or how the relationships among symbionts and their host change across environmental conditions. We examined the grassAgrostis capillarisin the context of a climate manipulation experiment in prairies in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Each plant was tested for presence of foliar endophytes in the genusEpichloë, and we measured percent root length colonized (PRLC) by AMF and DSE. We hypothesized that the symbionts in our system would be in competition for host resources, that the outcome of that competition could be driven by the benefit to the host, and that the host plants would be able to allocate carbon to the symbionts in such a way as to maximize fitness benefit within a particular environmental context. We found a correlation between DSE and AMF PRLC across climatic conditions; we also found a fitness cost to increasing DSE colonization, which was negated by presence ofEpichloëendophytes. These results suggest that selective pressure on the host is likely to favor host/symbiont relationships that structure the community of symbionts in the most beneficial way possible for the host, not necessarily favoring the individual symbiont that is most beneficial to the host in isolation. These results highlight the need for a more integrative, systems approach to the study of host/symbiont consortia.
Baseline coral disease surveys within three marine parks in Sabah, Borneo
Authors: Miller Jennifer , Sweet Michael J. , Wood Elizabeth , Bythell John
Published: November 2015

Two of the most significant threats to coral reefs worldwide are bleaching and disease. However, there has been a scarcity of research on coral disease in South-East Asia, despite the high biodiversity and the strong dependence of local communities on the reefs in the region. This study provides baseline data on coral disease frequencies within three national parks in Sabah, Borneo, which exhibit different levels of human impacts and management histories. High mean coral cover (55%) and variable disease frequency (mean 0.25 diseased colonies m−2) were found across the three sites. Highest disease frequency (0.44 diseased colonies per m2) was seen at the site closest to coastal population centres. Bleaching and pigmentation responses were actually higher at Sipadan, the more remote, offshore site, whereas none of the other coral diseases detected in the other two parks were detected in Sipadan. Results of this study offer a baseline dataset of disease in these parks and indicate the need for continued monitoring, and suggest that coral colonies in parks under higher anthropogenic stressors and with lower coral cover may be more susceptible to contracting disease.
Twentieth century increase in snowfall in coastal West Antarctica
Authors: Thomas E. R. , Hosking J. S. , Tuckwell R. R. , Warren R. A. , Ludlow E. C.
Published: November 2015

The Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass in recent decades; however, long records of snow accumulation are needed to place the recent changes in context. Here we present 300 year records of snow accumulation from two ice cores drilled in Ellsworth Land, West Antarctica. The records show a dramatic increase in snow accumulation during the twentieth century, linked to a deepening of the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL), tropical sea surface temperatures, and large‐scale atmospheric circulation. The observed increase in snow accumulation and interannual variability during the late twentieth century is unprecedented in the context of the past 300 years and evidence that the recent deepening of the ASL is part of a longer trend.