bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Greywater treatment by granular filtration system using volcanic tuff and gravel media
Authors: Albalawneh Abeer , Chang Tsun-Kuo , Alshawabkeh Heba
Published: February 2017

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a granular filtration system (GFS) in greywater treatment under arid and semi-arid conditions. Six GFSs were designed, constructed, and monitored for approximately 13 months. Each GFS served a single rural Jordanian home by treating their greywater. Volcanic tuff media were used as the filtration media in three of the GFSs while the remaining three GFSs used gravel media. Results show that the biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids of the effluent were significantly lower as compared to the influent and demonstrated a removal efficiency of 73%, 65%, and 85%, respectively, when using volcanic tuff media. The removal efficiency was 49%, 51%, and 76%, respectively, when using gravel media. There was a significant increase in the electrical conductivity, pH, potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), chloride (Cl−), sodium (Na+), sulfate (SO42−), bicarbonates (HCO3−), sodium adsorption ratio, and exchangeable sodium percentage in the effluents of the GFS that used volcanic tuff media. The study suggests that GFSs can adequately treat greywater under arid conditions. However, gravel media produce less concentrated effluent compared to the volcanic tuff media.
Chemical Composition, Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass Leaves
Authors: Maimulyanti Askal , Prihadi Anton Restu , Safrudin Iwan
Published: February 2017

Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass is widely used in traditional medicine and used in the treatment of many diseases. Extraction of component in leaves of Acmella uliginosa used methanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane solvent. The percentage yield of extract from the leaves in methanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane were 6.50, 0.49, and 0.66, respectively. Analysis of component in various extracts of Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass leaves used Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The various classes of phytochemicals were identified from fractions of methanolic leaves extract by GC-MS. Qualitative analysis of phytochemical constituents in methanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane extract were tannins, flavonoids, saponin, alkaloid and steroid. Antioxidant activity of Acmella uliginosa leaves from Indonesia was carried out by using 1,1,diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazine (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. The IC50 of three extract was calculated. A comparative study determined that Acmella uliginosa in ethyl acetate extract showed the highest antioxidant potential (IC50 = 28.09 µg/mL) compared to methanol extract (IC50 = 44.31 µg/mL) and n-hexane extract (181.23 µg/mL) against DPPH free radicals.
KAJIAN ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN JUMLAH PEMANFAATAN AIR TANAH
Authors: Hidayat Acep , Graha Gneis Setia
Published: February 2017

Perkembangan pertumbuhan kota meningkat sehingga fenomena yang berkaitan dengan sumber daya air semakin meningkat. Pertumbuhan penduduk setiap tahun bertambah menyertai pertumbuhan kota, menjadikan pemanfaatan air tanah semakin meningkat. Fenomena yang terjadi adalah bahwa ketersediaan lahan untuk prosesnya terjadinya resapan air ke dalam tanah semakin berkurang, dimana luasan lahan yang ada sangat tidak mencukupi resapan air ke dalam tanah. Di samping itu, resapan air ke dalam tanah dipengaruhi tingkat permeabilitas dari jenis tanah pada lingkungan daerah sekitar resapan. Akibat dari jumlah resapan air ke dalam tanah yang tidak seimbang dengan jumlah pemakaian air tanah yang digunakan mengakibatkan terjadinya penurunan muka air tanah dengan disertai penurunan lapisan tanah. Bila hal ini terjadi secara terus menerus menjadikan elevasi permukaan tanah akan lebih rendah dari permukaan laut. Untuk mengantisipasi hal tersebut terjadi, maka penelitian ini melakukan kajian tingkat permeabilitas daya resap air untuk macam jenis tanah dengan melakukan tes-tes tanah, sehingga dapat diketahui titik imbang antara jumlah air tanah yang dapat diambil dengan air yang dapat meresap ke dalam tanah. Berdasarkan perhitungan curah hujan didapat bahwa besar curah hujan dalam satu tahun sebesar 54.56 m3/detik dan yang meresap hanya 5.37 m3/detik atau 9.84 %. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa jenis tanah di sekitar wilayah penelitian berjenis lanau dan clay, sehingga mempunyai angka pori yang kecil. Dengan kondisi tersebut maka wilayah tersebut dapat diprogramkan dengan membuat folder-folder tampungan, sumur-sumur resapan, lubang-lubang biopori dan lainya.
Conservatism: an explanation of the financial choices of the small and medium family enterprise
Authors: Basly Sami
Published: February 2017

The financial behavior of the family firm is a recurring topic in the literature. Hirigoyen‘s pioneer research (1984) reveals the specificity of the financial behaviors of industrial family medium-sized companies24 compared to those of the other categories of firms. This type of firms set out effective structures enabling them a better financial management because, on the one hand, they have a long term vision and, on the other hand, are not accountable for short-term results (Dreux, 1990), especially for unquoted firms. In addition, the desire to transmit the firm to the next generations would more encourage the effective management of capital (Gallo and Vilaseca, 1996). Precisely, the long-term horizons of the family firm make it possible to qualify its capital as patient financial capital (Reynolds, 1992). Indeed, this capital is invested for long periods without threat of liquidation contrary to ordinary financial capital which generally have a due limit corresponding to the end of investment (Dobrzynski, 1993). The firms having this type of capital would be able to pursue more creative and innovating strategies.
Corporate governance in Estonia
Authors: Alas Ruth , Tafel Külliki
Published: February 2017

The corporate governance problems as known in a market economy arose in CEE countries in connection with the privatisation of large enterprises at the beginning of the 1990s, and to a large degree even afterwards. The emerging pattern of CG is quite difficult to interpret according to the traditional Western models and varied greatly from country to country, because in the case of transition countries various institutions and the environment as a whole do not work or at least do not work fully (Tafel et al, 2006). Therefore CEE-countries represent a very good testing ground for Corporate Governance (CG) related research. This paper studies forms of corporate governance in foreign owned companies situating in Estonia: cooperation between the owners, council and board in Estonian enterprises. The paper starts with the theoretical part followed by methodology and results of empirical study in Estonian companies
Desarrollo de Plataforma para la Gestión de Expediente Clínico Electrónico e Imágenes Médicas como complemento de Colposcopio para Clínicas de Primer Nivel
Authors: Peña Aguilar Juan Manuel , Zertuche Zuani José Gerardo , Ríos Hernández Ezequiel , Ramirez Diaz Denisse Perla
Published: February 2017

El presente artículo expone el desarrollo de un conjunto de sistemas que complementan el colposcopio de luz actínica, ya que permiten la captura y manipulación de imágenes médicas que posteriormente se anexan al expediente clínico electrónico incorporado en el primer sistema, una plataforma web, que cumple con las normas mexicanas de registro electrónico y expedientes clínicos para la salud.El segundo sistema es una aplicación de escritorio que permite la manipulación de las imágenes para una mejor visualización con herramientas como anotaciones, lupa, así como la visualización de múltiples imágenes. Este tipo de sistemas promueve el intercambio de información en salud al gestionar la información proporcionada por el paciente y llevar su registro, facilitando el seguimiento y la atención en clínicas de primer nivel, complementado con un sistema para el almacenamiento y distribución de imágenes médicas.
La regionalización en el estado de guerrero: antiguas y nuevas regiones
Authors: Martínez Rescalvo Mario , Díaz Vázquez Rosalba
Published: February 2017

El presente trabajo analiza las distintas etapas históricas y los criterios utilizados para definir la regionalización en el estado de Guerrero, para lo cual toma en cuenta la discusión de distintas disciplinas sobre el tema. Los criterios económico-geográficos y políticos siguen prevaleciendo por encima de otros criterios como la lengua, la cultura o la planeación. En la conformación de las regiones no sólo intervienen los grupos dominantes —los poderes central y local las planifican según sus intereses—, sino también las relaciones de parentesco, la identidad étnica y la cooperación intercomunal, lo que define espacios que no necesariamente coinciden con el ámbito de influencia de los núcleos de poder.
Nightcore and the Virtues of Virtuality
Authors: Winston Emma
Published: February 2017

Nightcore is a previously academically unexamined music scene, which exists entirely online and operates as a unique micro-subculture within the broader context of internet-based electronic music. A scene born on the internet in the early 2000s, nightcore has recently experienced something of a surge in popularity, and now refers most broadly to hyper-fast dance music with pitched-up vocals, which is based around sped-up tracks lifted wholesale from mainstream pop, rock, and EDM, often, but not always, with additional original production. Nightcore is remarkable both for its DIY attitude to deskilling electronic production, lowering the barrier to entry for producers to a point of near-nonexistence, and for its internet-centric, yet profoundly social approach to track dissemination and community.This article traces the history and present-day status of nightcore, providing brief multidisciplinary analyses of tracks and production styles from a musicological, feminist and accelerationist perspective, and examines, from a primarily observational ethnomusicological viewpoint, nightcore communities and live ‘shows’ which take place solely online and gear themselves towards listeners and producers from all over the world. Since this article represents the first piece of academic research into nightcore, it is by necessity broad in its scope. This article hopes to prompt further research and discussion both within the genre itself, and more generally around online musical communities and the work created within them.
The Many Ways to Count the World: Counting Terms in Indigenous Languages and Cultures of Rondônia, Brazil
Authors: Da Silva Sinha Vera , Sampaio Wany , Sinha Christopher
Published: February 2017

Linguistic theory has been preoccupied since midway through the twentieth century with the search for universals of language. However, more recently there has been increasing attention across the different disciplines that contribute to research in language to variation and difference. This goes together with a more recent focus on culture and language, approached through interdisciplinary research methods, including field research. In this article the authors report the results of a survey they conducted with the assistance of indigenous teachers about the counting term (number) systems of their native Amazonian languages. All the teachers were indigenous people from different communities living in the State of Rondônia, Brazil. This survey of twenty-three languages, belonging to seven different language families, confirms the observation that small counting term systems are a general feature of indigenous Amazonian languages. This article identifies two general features of counting term systems in the languages of Rondônia: a restricted number (less than five) of lexicalisations of number, and the productive combinatorial use of these terms to refer to larger quantities. It suggests that this is evidence of a way of thinking about and practicing counting that is shared across a cultural area. However, this generalization goes together with a high degree of of diversity in the specific patterns of lexicalisation and combination.
2014 UNESCO Lecture: ‘No-one died covering celebrity news’
Authors: Ellis Gavin
Published: February 2017

Commentary: We enjoy freedom of speech in New Zealand, even though the Bill of Rights Act guarantee can be over-ridden. We have a variety of privately owned news media, even though the vast majority are owned by overseas interests. We have state-owned radio and television, even though our major television network was freed of its public service broadcasting obligations in order to pursue commercial goals. We have high quality tertiary institutions to train our future journalists, even though the ranks of our newsrooms have been systematically depleted. We have sophisticated telecommunications services, even though only 1 percent of us have optical broadband. The qualifications will not be lost on you. In other words, when I reflect on our good fortune I see that it is tempered by shortcomings, actual and potential. In this address I argue that the shortcomings are increasing and, if unchecked, ultimately threaten the way we function as a society.
EDITORIAL: Finding the Pacific voice
Authors: Cass Philip Leslie , Robie David
Published: February 2017

Good journalism remains central to the needs of the Pacific and her people. Good journalism education is central to this issue of Pacific Journalism Review, which features a selection of papers on journalism education in the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. Drawn mostly from the papers presented to the Fourth World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC16), and the preconference organised by the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) and the Pacific Media Centre with the Media Educators Pacific (MeP) at the Auckland University of Technology in July, they all reflect the importance of good journalism and good journalism education. Speaking at the opening of the preconference, University of Auckland Associate Professor Toeolesulusulu Damon Salesa said the profession was vital for bringing the Pacific community together. Dr Salesa, director of the newly founded New Zealand Institute for Pacific Research, which sponsored five Pacific media educators to attend the conferences, said journalism helped people engage in the public sphere.
Economic Contribution of Home-stay in Nepal
Authors: Malla Thakuri Indra Bahadur , Nepal Govinda
Published: February 2017

Home-stay is new model of tourism development in Nepal which provides an excellent opportunity to share, see and feel the diverse countryside lifestyle, local culture, and tradition. It promotes the rural economy through the promotion of rural tourism. The article aims to assess the economic contribution of home-stay entities of Nepal, based on the descriptive and exploratory design. Data were collected from the 102 home-stay entities of Lamjung, Tanahu and Nawalparasi districts. Statistical result shows that there is a significant increase in income and expenditure of local people in all sample study areas. It is found that majority of respondents have managed their household expenditure from the income of home-stay entities. The income status of Nawalparasi district is better than in the other two districts whereas the expenditure of Tanahu district is higher than in the other two districts. It indicates the better economic status of Nawalparasi district. All home-stay operators have reported the increment in their savings, which directly contributes to the improvement in their economic status. However, it is also found that there is a need to improve the quality of service to increase the flow of local and foreign tourists to increase the income of home-stay operators.Journal of Advanced Academic Research Vol. 3, No.3, 2016, page:1-10
‘Time isn't after us’: some Tiresian Durations
Authors: Salah Trish
Published: February 2017

Drawing upon Jean Laplanche's thinking around afterwardness as translation, this article is an attempt to consider some temporal rhetorics conditioning contemporary possibilities for transgender, genderqueer and transsexual self-representation. It will look particularly to aesthetic problems of inscription, for instance texts figuring a wish for antecedents/ancestors (such as the Greek seer, Tiresias), as well as at the deferred action of fantasies underpinning early psychoanalytic interpretation of cross sex identification (‘the Schreber case’) and consider how such readings or fantasies might affect, even organize, contemporary sexual minority identities and relations. Further it will bring these questions into relation with the effacement of recent transsexual cultural production and activism at the transgender ‘tipping point’ while attempting to disinter and make available for re-translation subalterned histories and possibilities occluded by, if haunting, a century of psychoanalytic, feminist and queer progress.
Sensitivity of the Drift-Diffusion Approach in Estimating the Power Conversion Efficiency of Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells
Authors: Fallahpour Amir , Di Carlo Aldo , Lugli Paolo
Published: February 2017

There are numerous theoretical approaches to estimating the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs), ranging from the empirical approach to calculations based on general considerations of thermodynamics. Depending on the level of abstraction and model assumptions, the accuracy of PCE estimation and complexity of the calculation can change dramatically. In particular, PCE estimation with a drift-diffusion approach (widely investigated in the literature), strongly depends on the assumptions made for the physical models and optoelectrical properties of semiconducting materials. This has led to a huge deviation as well as complications in the analysis of simulated results aiming to understand the factors limiting the performance of OSCs. In this work, we intend to highlight the complex relation between mobility, exciton dynamics, nanoscale dimension, and loss mechanisms in one framework. Our systematic analysis represents key information on the sensitivity of the drift-diffusion approach, to estimate how physical parameters and physical processes bind the PCE of the device under the influence of structure, contact, and material layer properties. The obtained results ultimately led to recommendations for putting effort into certain properties to get the most out of avoidable losses, presented the impact and importance of modification of material properties, and in particular, recommended to what degree the design of new material could improve OSC performance.
The Endothelin Type A Receptor as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Preeclampsia
Authors: Bakrania Bhavisha , Duncan Jeremy , Warrington Junie , Granger Joey
Published: February 2017

Preeclampsia (PE) is a disorder of pregnancy typically characterized by new onset hypertension after gestational week 20 and proteinuria. Although PE is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and death worldwide, the mechanisms of the pathogenesis of the disease remain unclear and treatment options are limited. However, there is increasing evidence to suggest that endothelin-1 (ET-1) plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of PE. Multiple studies report that ET-1 is increased in PE and some studies report a positive correlation between ET-1 and the severity of symptoms. A number of experimental models of PE are also associated with elevated tissue levels of prepro ET-1 mRNA. Moreover, experimental models of PE (placental ischemia, sFlt-1 infusion, Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α infusion, and Angiotensin II type 1 receptor autoantibody (AT1-AA) infusion) have proven to be susceptible to Endothelin Type A (ETA) receptor antagonism. While the results are promising, further work is needed to determine whether ET antagonists could provide an effective therapy for the management of preeclampsia.
Influence of Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Gibberellic Acid on Phenylpropanoid Accumulation in Common Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) Sprouts
Authors: Park Chang , Yeo Hyeon , Park Yun , Morgan Abubaker , Valan Arasu Mariadhas , Al-Dhabi Naif , Park Sang
Published: February 2017

We investigated the effects of natural plant hormones, indole-3-acetic (IAA) acid and gibberellic acid (GA), on the growth parameters and production of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds in common buckwheat sprouts. A total of 17 phenolic compounds were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Among these, seven compounds (4-hydroxybenzoic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, epicatechin, rutin, and quercetin) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after treating the common buckwheat sprouts with different concentrations of the hormones IAA and GA. At a concentration of 0.5 mg/L, both IAA and GA exhibited the highest levels of growth parameters (shoot length, root length, and fresh weight). The HPLC analysis showed that the treatment of sprouts with IAA at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 mg/L produced higher or comparable levels of the total phenolic compounds than the control sprout and enhanced the production of rutin. Similarly, the supplementation with 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L GA increased the content of rutin in buckwheat sprouts. Our results suggested that the treatment with optimal concentrations of IAA and GA enhanced the growth parameters and accumulation of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds in buckwheat sprouts.
Peripheral and Cerebral Resistance Arteries in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Heart Failure Rat: Effects of Stilbenoid Polyphenols
Authors: Lee Danielle , Acosta Crystal , Anderson Christopher , Anderson Hope
Published: February 2017

Hypertension is associated with aberrant structure and mechanical properties of resistance arteries. We determined the effects of resveratrol, a non-flavonoid polyphenol found in foods such as red grapes, and structurally-similar analogues (pterostilbene and gnetol) on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and resistance arteries from the spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rat. SBP was elevated in 17-week-old SHHF vs. Sprague-Dawley rats (normotensive control; 194 ± 3 vs. 142 ± 6 mmHg, p < 0.01) and was unaffected by resveratrol, pterostilbene, or gnetol (2.5 mg/kg/d). Geometry and mechanical properties of pressurized mesenteric resistance arteries and middle cerebral arteries were calculated from media and lumen dimensions measured at incremental intraluminal pressures. SHHF arteries exhibited remodeling which consisted of augmented media-to-lumen ratios, and this was attenuated by stilbenoid treatment. Compliance was significantly reduced in SHHF middle cerebral arteries but not mesenteric arteries vis-à-vis increased wall component stiffness; stilbenoid treatment failed to normalize compliance and wall component stiffness. Our data suggest that neither AMPK nor ERK mediate stilbenoid effects. In conclusion, we observed arterial bed-specific abnormalities, where mesenteric resistance arteries exhibited remodeling and cerebral arteries exhibited remodeling and stiffening. Resveratrol, pterostilbene, and gnetol exhibited similar abilities to attenuate vascular alterations.
Quantum Beam Science—Applications to Probe or Influence Matter and Materials
Authors: Liss Klaus-Dieter
Published: February 2017

The concept of quantum beams unifies a multitude of different kinds of radiation that can be considered as both waves and particles [...]
Error-Based Observer of a Charge Couple Device Tracking Loop for Fast Steering Mirror
Authors: Tang Tao , Deng Chao , Yang Tao , Zhong Daijun , Ren Ge , Huang Yongmei , Fu Chengyu
Published: February 2017

The charge couple device (CCD) tracking loop of a fast steering mirror (FSM) is usually used to stabilize line of sight (LOS). High closed-loop bandwidth facilitates good performance. However, low-rate sample and time delay of the CCD greatly limit the high control bandwidth. This paper proposes an error-based observer (EBO) to improve the low-frequency performance of the CCD tracking system. The basic idea is by combining LOS error from the CCD and the controller output to produce the high-gain observer, forwarding into the originally closed-loop control system. This proposed EBO can improve the system both in target tracking and disturbance suppression due to LOS error from the CCD’s sensing of the two signals. From a practical engineering view, the closed-loop stability and robustness of the EBO system are investigated on the condition of gain margin and phase margin of the open-loop transfer function. Two simulations of CCD experiments are provided to verify the benefits of the proposed algorithm.
Structuring Legacy Pathology Reports by openEHR Archetypes to Enable Semantic Querying
Authors: Krücken Peter , Mueller Wolf , Denecke Kerstin , Kropf Stefan
Published: February 2017

Background: Clinical information is often stored as free text, e.g. in discharge summaries or pathology reports. These documents are semi-structured using section headers, numbered lists, items and classification strings. However, it is still challenging to retrieve relevant documents since keyword searches applied on complete unstructured documents result in many false positive retrieval results.

Objectives: We are concentrating on the processing of pathology reports as an example for unstructured clinical documents. The objective is to transform reports semi- automatically into an information structure that enables an improved access and retrieval of relevant data. The data is expected to be stored in a standardized, structured way to make it accessible for queries that are applied to specific sections of a document (section-sensitive queries) and for information reuse.

Methods: Our processing pipeline comprises information modelling, section boundary detection and section-sensitive queries. For enabling a focused search in unstructured data, documents are automatically structured and transformed into a patient information model specified through openEHR archetypes. The resulting XML-based pathology electronic health records (PEHRs) are queried by XQuery and visualized by XSLT in HTML.

Results: Pathology reports (PRs) can be reliably structured into sections by a keyword- based approach. The information modelling using openEHR allows saving time in the modelling process since many archetypes can be reused. The resulting standardized, structured PEHRs allow accessing relevant data by retrieving data matching user queries.

Conclusions: Mapping unstructured reports into a standardized information model is a practical solution for a better access to data. Archetype-based XML enables section-sensitive retrieval and visualisation by well-established XML techniques. Focussing the retrieval to particular sections has the potential of saving retrieval time and improving the accuracy of the retrieval.
Cosmic Web of Galaxies in the COSMOS Field: Public Catalog and Different Quenching for Centrals and Satellites
Authors: Darvish Behnam , Mobasher Bahram , Martin D. Christopher , Sobral David , Scoville Nick , Stroe Andra , Hemmati Shoubaneh , Kartaltepe Jeyhan
Published: February 2017

We use a mass complete (log(

)

) sample of galaxies with accurate photometric redshifts in the COSMOS field to construct the density field and the cosmic web to z = 1.2. The comic web extraction relies on the density field Hessian matrix and breaks the density field into clusters, filaments, and the field. We provide the density field and cosmic web measures to the community. We show that at z ≲ 0.8, the median star formation rate (SFR) in the cosmic web gradually declines from the field to clusters and this decline is especially sharp for satellites (∼1 dex versus ∼0.5 dex for centrals). However, at z ≳ 0.8, the trend flattens out for the overall galaxy population and satellites. For star-forming (SF) galaxies only, the median SFR is constant at z ≳ 0.5 but declines by ∼0.3–0.4 dex from the field to clusters for satellites and centrals at z ≲ 0.5. We argue that for satellites, the main role of the cosmic web environment is to control their SF fraction, whereas for centrals, it is mainly to control their overall SFR at z ≲ 0.5 and to set their fraction at z ≳ 0.5. We suggest that most satellites experience a rapid quenching mechanism as they fall from the field into clusters through filaments, whereas centrals mostly undergo a slow environmental quenching at z ≲ 0.5 and a fast mechanism at higher redshifts. Our preliminary results highlight the importance of the large-scale cosmic web on galaxy evolution.
Measuring Alignments between Galaxies and the Cosmic Web at z ∼ 2–3 Using IGM Tomography
Authors: Krolewski Alex , Lee Khee-Gan , Lukić Zarija , White Martin
Published: February 2017

Many galaxy formation models predict alignments between galaxy spin and the cosmic web (i.e., directions of filaments and sheets), leading to an intrinsic alignment between galaxies that creates a systematic error in weak-lensing measurements. These effects are often predicted to be stronger at high redshifts (z ≳ 1) that are inaccessible to massive galaxy surveys on foreseeable instrumentation, but IGM tomography of the Lyα forest from closely spaced quasars and galaxies is starting to measure the z ∼ 2–3 cosmic web with requisite fidelity. Using mock surveys from hydrodynamical simulations, we examine the utility of this technique, in conjunction with coeval galaxy samples, to measure alignment between galaxies and the cosmic web at z ∼ 2.5. We show that IGM tomography surveys with ≲5 h
−1 Mpc sightline spacing can accurately recover the eigenvectors of the tidal tensor, which we use to define the directions of the cosmic web. For galaxy spins and shapes, we use a model parameterized by the alignment strength,

, with respect to the tidal tensor eigenvectors from the underlying density field, and also consider observational effects such as errors in the galaxy position angle, inclination, and redshift. Measurements using the upcoming ∼1 deg2 CLAMATO tomographic survey and 600 coeval zCOSMOS-Deep galaxies should place 3σ limits on extreme alignment models with

, but much larger surveys encompassing >10,000 galaxies, such as Subaru PFS, will be required to constrain models with

. These measurements will constrain models of galaxy–cosmic web alignment and test tidal torque theory at z ∼ 2, improving our understanding of the physics of intrinsic alignments.
Revisiting the Redshift Distribution of Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era
Authors: Le Truong , Mehta Vedant
Published: February 2017

Le & Dermer developed a gamma-ray burst (GRB) model to fit the redshift and the jet opening angle distributions measured with pre-Swift and Swift missions and showed that GRBs do not follow the star formation rate. Their fitted results were obtained without the opening angle distribution from Swift with an incomplete Swift sample, and the calculated jet opening angle distribution was obtained by assuming a flat

spectrum. In this paper, we revisit the work done by Le & Dermer with an assumed broken power law GRB spectrum. Utilizing more than 100 GRBs in the Swift sample that include both the observed estimated redshifts and jet opening angles, we obtain a GRB burst rate functional form that gives acceptable fits to the pre-Swift and Swift redshift and jet opening angle distributions with an indication that an excess of GRBs exists at low redshift below

. The mean redshifts and jet opening angles for pre-Swift (Swift) are

(1.7) and

(

), respectively. Assuming a GRB rate density (SFR9), similar to the Hopkins & Beacom star formation history and as extended by Li, the fraction of high-redshift GRBs is estimated to be below 10% and 5% at

and

, respectively, and below 10% at

.
The Role of the Preparatory Year in the Selection of Engineering Specialization: A Case Study
Authors: Asfour Omar S
Published: February 2017

At many universities, students who get enrolled at faculties of engineering are required to study a preparatory year before they begin their specialized academic programs. This year includes several general engineering and basic science modules. It is claimed that this year gives students the required time and knowledge to decide on which engineering department they would select. This study aims to investigate this issue from students’ and academics’ points of view. Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) has been taken as a case study. The study carried out a survey that includes a questionnaire directed to the students and a structured interview directed to the academic staff. Results showed that the majority of students do not think they need an entire academic year to get a clear perception for the different engineering specialities. They think it would be better if they get specialized directly upon their entry to the university. This is also the recommendation of the academic staff. Despite the benefits claimed for the preparatory year, greater ones could be achieved if students are given the chance to get specialized earlier. This includes giving engineering departments more flexibility in the selection of the first year modules
Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. LI. Ticks infesting leopard tortoises Stigmochelys pardalis, hingeback tortoises Kinixys zombensis and angulate tortoises Chersina angulata
Authors: Horak Ivan G. , Pearcy Ashley , Lloyd Kyle J.
Published: February 2017

The objective of the study was to record the tick species collected from three species of tortoise, each in a different province of South Africa. Ticks were collected from leopard tortoises, Stigmochyles pardalis, in the southern region of the Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga province; from hingeback tortoises, Kinixys zombensis, in the Enseleni Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal province and from angulate tortoises, Chersina angulata, in the West Coast National Park, Western Cape province. Of the 63 leopard tortoises examined, 58 were infested with Amblyomma marmoreum and 49 with Amblyomma hebraeum, and all stages of development of both species were recovered. Amblyomma nuttalli was collected from 25 hingeback tortoises, and all stages of development were present. All 24 angulate tortoises examined were infested with Amblyomma sylvaticum, and large numbers of larvae, nymphs and adults were collected. Three snake species and a sand lizard were also infested with A. sylvaticum. The adults of A. marmoreum, A. nuttalli and A. sylvaticum were identified as specific parasites of the family Testudinidae, whereas all stages of development of A. hebraeum were classified as generalists.
Utilisation of poultry management information in three rural districts of Tanzania
Authors: Msoffe Grace , Ngulube Patrick
Published: February 2017

Background: In Tanzania, poultry farming plays an important role in improving rural livelihoods and contributes to the national economy. Promoting utilisation of poultry management information can support farmers in making good decisions and translate into efficiency in poultry production.Objective: Being part of a PhD project, this study assessed the utilisation of poultry management information among farmers in three rural districts of Tanzania. The objective was to establish the extent of information use, types of information used, the constraints faced by farmers in using information and the strategies used by information providers to ensure farmers use the information.Method: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using the SPSS© software, and the meaning of qualitative data was established using content analysis.Results: The findings revealed that most of the farmers used poultry management information. Information on disease control, poultry protection and markets was the most used. Information on poultry production and hatching were the least used. Poultry farmers faced various challenges in the course of using poultry management information. Most of the challenges were linked to poverty, ignorance and limited literacy.Conclusion: The study concludes that farmers in the surveyed communities had limited skills on utilising information. The findings necessitate a need for information providers to ensure that farmers are well informed of the benefits of utilising information. It is recommended that imparting skills for information use be considered as part of information provision in rural communities, as it would facilitate use of information.
Potential pitfalls in the anorectal region during CT colonography: A discussion and pictorial overview of common pitfalls
Authors: Bortz Joel
Published: February 2017

Common potential anorectal pitfalls are presented with accompanying CT colonography images. Although most lesions are benign, care must be taken in not missing an underlying cancer.
The Palaeoclimate and Terrestrial Exoplanet Radiative Transfer Model Intercomparison Project (PALAEOTRIP): experimental design and protocols
Authors: Goldblatt Colin , Kavenagh Lucas
Published: February 2017

Abstract. Accurate radiative transfer calculation is fundamental to all climate modelling. For deep palaeoclimate, and increasingly terrestrial exoplanet climate science, this brings both the joy and the challenge of exotic atmospheric compositions. The challenge here is that most standard radiation codes for climate modelling have been developed for modern atmospheric conditions, and may perform poorly away from these. The palaeoclimate or exoclimate modeller must either rely on these or use bespoke radiation codes, and in both cases rely on either blind faith or ad hoc testing of the code. In this paper, we describe the protocols for the Palaeoclimate and Terrestrial Exoplanet Radiative Transfer Model Intercomparison Project (PALAEOTRIP) to systematically address this. This will compare as many radiation codes used for palaeoclimate or exoplanets as possible, with the aim to constrain the ranges of far-from-modern atmospheric compositions in which the codes perform well. This paper describes the experimental protocol and invites community participation in the project through 2017.
Return Migration after Natural Disasters
Authors: Nakayama Mikiyasu , Nicholas Bryner Nicholas , Mimura Satoru
Published: February 2017

This special issue features policy priorities, public perceptions, and policy options for addressing post-disaster return migration in the United States, Japan, and a couple of Asian countries. It includes a series of case studies in these countries, which are based on a sustained dialogue among scholars and policymakers about whether and how to incentivize the return of displaced persons, considering social, economic, and environmental concerns. The research team, composed of researchers from Indonesia, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the United States, undertook a collaborative and interdisciplinary research process to improve understanding about how to respond to the needs of those displaced by natural disasters and to develop policy approaches for addressing post-disaster return. The research focused on the following three key issues: objectives of return migration (whether to return, in what configuration, etc.), priorities and perceptions that influence evacuees’ decision-making regarding return, and policies and practices that are used to pursue return objectives. This special issue includes ten articles on the following disaster cases: the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Great Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, and the Great Sumatra Island Earthquake in 2009. Important lessons for the future were secured out of these case studies, covering the entire phase of return, namely planning, implementation, and monitoring.
The Interplay between Dividends and Leverage inside Commercial Banks
Authors: Bressan Silvia
Published: February 2017

The paper analyzes the dividends paid by a large sample of commercial banks in the United States during 2006-2011. The most interesting findings arise after the end of 2008. Our measures for the probability of paying dividends and for the dividend payout ratio are positively related to the banks´ non-deposit leverage. Conversely, banks´ dividends correlate negatively to deposit leverage. We argue that during the crisis of 2007-2009 the liquidity needs of banks resorted more to deposits, than to non-deposit debt. This, in turn, had an impact on banks´ dividend policies, to the extent that firms which could raise deposits preferred to preserve their financial stability, and did not pay huge dividends.
Investigating a Japanese Authenticity-Blurring Mechanism in Discourse: “It’s the Mood which has the Last Say in Our Discussion.”
Authors: Hamamoto Hideki
Published: February 2017

Every culture has its own repertoire of characteristic discourse patterns. In a discourse, authenticity, which is related to socio-pragmatic strategies, is also culturally influenced. As is often noted, Japanese discourse patterns deviate from the Western norm in that the source of the influential view is intentionally blurred so that it is not easily traceable to its asserters. When the decision process is criticized, people concerned can say, “the mood had the last say in our discussion.” This discourse pattern is referred to as atmospheric dominance. The purpose of this research is to identify sources of the phenomenon through philological research, citing data from the Seventeen-Article Constitution (compiled in 604), Manyousyu (the 8th century anthology of poetry), Kojiki (the oldest chronicle, compiled around the 8th century), and Nihon Shoki (the second oldest chronicle, completed approximately 8th century). Our main point is that the concepts of Wa (harmony) and kotodama (language spirits) pertain to and constitute atmospheric dominance, which are defined with semantic metalanguage. This research clarifies how these two concepts are intertwined and work behind atmospheric dominance by citing documentaries, monologues, and newspaper articles, including the delay of publication of the meltdown incident in 2011.
Developing Algebra Structure Module and Model of Cooperative Learning Helping Concept Map Media for Improving Proofing Ability
Authors: Syafari Syafari
Published: February 2017

This research was purposed to develop module and learning model and instrument of proofing ability in algebra structure through cooperative learning with helping map concept media for students’ of mathematic major and mathematics education in State University and Private University in North Sumatra province. The subject of this research was the students’ of mathematic and mathematics education in Medan State University and Qualitye University. Developmental Research that oriented on developing product at stage and first year was done identification of proofing and positive behavior on algebra structure based on curriculum and was developed module and model cooperative learning with helping concept media map. The result that got at the first stage was the formula of proofing ability and positive behavior on algebra structure with first module and model cooperative learning assisting concept media map that assumed effective, efficient in algebra structure. Module and model of this learning consist of the book of lecturing guiding (lecturing unity schedule, lecturing contract, and lesson plan), module, and book of students’ assignment.
Conflict Detection in the Ownership Documents and Procedure to Deal with It
Authors: Hasani Alireza , Nouri Zahra
Published: February 2017

This research is procedure of dealing with adverse ownership documents that research method is analytical and library and descriptive and has been collected by relying on the texts of laws and procedures and circulars, articles, researches, and books that have been published on this subject and as well as experimental observations of the author. Reference to adjust and register contracts and ownership documents are notary public offices in accordance with Article one of a law of notary public offices approved 25 July 1977. Registration offices as higher than the reference of notary public offices have had a major and fundamental role in issuing ownership documents in accordance with provisions of the law the Real Estate Registration approved in 1931, as in accordance with Article 22 of law of Real Estate Registration as soon as the land property was registered in a notary public office, the government will know only a person as an owner who the land property has been registered in his/her name or a person who mentioned land property has been transferred to him/her and this transfer has been registered in a notary public office or the mentioned land property is reached from formal owner for him/her by inheritance. With increasing population growth, the differences have been achieved and courts of Iran have been encountered for years with the problem of litigation arising from the way of transfer of immovable land property. Islamic law has allowed this transition only with the agreement of two people, but the text of the law of registration has created this suspicion that the transfer must be done by an official document. It has been tried in this research that we examine the conditions of meeting the conflict of land property and conflict detection in ownership documents and we explain the role of court in addressing the adverse estates and administrative penalties for offenders with the duties of the Supreme Council for Registration.
Judicial Institutionalization and Judicial Activism of the Post-Communist Constitutional Courts
Authors: Bumin Kirill M.
Published: February 2017

In applying constitutional review, post-communist constitutional courts are affected by the existing political and institutional environments, as well as by their own institutional capabilities. However, our understanding of the activity of the post-communist constitutional courts remains incomplete because the existing research fails to consider how the institutional changes on these courts affect their decision-making behavior. In this study, I examine the activity of nineteen post-communist constitutional courts during the 1992-2006 period. I use an aggregate, time-series measure of judicial institutionalization to show that higher levels of institutionalization enhance these constitutional courts’ ability to pursue their policy goals and influence the degree to which they invalidate policy choices of other major political actors, while lower levels of institutionalization limit the courts’ impact on legal and political issues. The findings of this analysis thus provide the first empirical confirmation of the importance of judicial institutionalization to the policy outputs of the post-communist constitutional courts. I also illustrate how various institutional and contextual influences, such as executive power, legislative fragmentation, economic conditions, EU accession process, the identity of the litigants, and the nature of the litigated issues, influence the activity of post-communist constitutional courts.
Introduction to Thematic Section on Business Rhetoric
Authors: The Business Rhetoric Research Group -
Published: February 2017

No abstract.