bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards a Chronology of the Eritrean Red Sea Port of Adulis (1st – Early 7th Century AD)
Authors: Zazzaro Chiara , Cocca Enzo , Manzo Andrea
Published: June 2014

The Eritrean coastal site of Adulis has been known to archaeologists since the second half of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Italian archaeologist Roberto Paribeni conducted extensive excavations in different areas of the site which uncovered the remains of monumental buildings, churches and houses, as well as rich deposits of related material culture. Since then, archaeological investigations have been limited to the activities of Francis Anfray in 1961–62 and to a survey conducted by the University of Southampton in 2003–04. Our team’s first excavations in stratified deposits began in 2011, and soon revealed a complex chronological sequence of great importance for the understanding of the cultural history of the southern Red Sea region and the Horn of Africa. The project’s main efforts were directed towards the identification of the main phases of occupation at Adulis, the establishment of a typological sequence of pottery, and the analysis of architectural change.
The Political and/or Politics
Authors: Nancy Jean-Luc
Published: June 2014

If our politics is no longer simply and strictly that of sovereign states, then it is no longer ‘politics’ as we have known it for a very long time. Where then to put ‘politics’ if its place is no longer identifiable? This is one way to put the question that comes to me after and according to Derrida. An uncertain and erratic question, because the ‘where’ of that question remains obscure to me: where indeed are the possible ‘places’? Without a doubt it is necessary to rework the entire topography. But still, it is all the same a question of ‘place’: we need the right place for politics, a place that is neither ‘all’ nor ‘nothing’.
Art is Messianicity: Radical Illustration in the Face of God — Romeo Castellucci and Antonello da Messina
Authors: Haverkamp Anselm
Published: June 2014

Messianicity is not. Art is. Derrida, however, was not into pictures; his relationship with art remained in the quasi-transcendental mode of frames. Romeo Castellucci's use of a painting by Antonello da Messina exposes the Derridean non-messianism through art's power to illustrate – a mode abandoned by Derrida in the Heidegger-Schapiro debate on Van Gogh. In Castellucci, on the contrary, art illustrates what ‘messianicity’ is unable to illustrate and thus is bound to deny even in the negative.
Carriers in Cell-Based Therapies for Neurological Disorders
Authors: Wong Francisca , Chan Barbara , Lo Amy
Published: June 2014

There is a pressing need for long-term neuroprotective and neuroregenerative therapies to promote full function recovery of injuries in the human nervous system resulting from trauma, stroke or degenerative diseases. Although cell-based therapies are promising in supporting repair and regeneration, direct introduction to the injury site is plagued by problems such as low transplanted cell survival rate, limited graft integration, immunorejection, and tumor formation. Neural tissue engineering offers an integrative and multifaceted approach to tackle these complex neurological disorders. Synergistic therapeutic effects can be obtained from combining customized biomaterial scaffolds with cell-based therapies. Current scaffold-facilitated cell transplantation strategies aim to achieve structural and functional rescue via offering a three-dimensional permissive and instructive environment for sustainable neuroactive factor production for prolonged periods and/or cell replacement at the target site. In this review, we intend to highlight important considerations in biomaterial selection and to review major biodegradable or non-biodegradable scaffolds used for cell transplantation to the central and peripheral nervous system in preclinical and clinical trials. Expanded knowledge in biomaterial properties and their prolonged interaction with transplanted and host cells have greatly expanded the possibilities for designing suitable carrier systems and the potential of cell therapies in the nervous system.
Improving the Pass-Band Return Loss in Liquid Crystal Dual-Mode Bandpass Filters by Microstrip Patch Reshaping
Authors: Torrecilla Javier , Urruchi Virginia , Sánchez-Pena José , Bennis Noureddine , García Alejandro , Segovia Daniel
Published: June 2014

In this paper, the design and experimental characterization of a tunable microstrip bandpass filter based on liquid crystal technology are presented. A reshaped microstrip dual-mode filter structure has been used in order to improve the device performance. Specifically, the aim is to increase the pass-band return loss of the filter by narrowing the filter bandwidth. Simulations confirm the improvement of using this new structure, achieving a pass-band return loss increase of 1.5 dB at least. Because of the anisotropic properties of LC molecules, a filter central frequency shift from 4.688 GHz to 5.045 GHz, which means a relative tuning range of 7.3%, is measured when an external AC voltage from 0 Vrms to 15 Vrms is applied to the device.
Fundamental Study on the Development of Structural Lightweight Concrete by Using Normal Coarse Aggregate and Foaming Agent
Authors: Lee Han-Seung , Ismail Mohamed , Woo Young-Je , Min Tae-Beom , Choi Hyun-Kook
Published: June 2014

Structural lightweight concrete (SLWC) has superior properties that allow the optimization of super tall structure systems for the process of design. Because of the limited supply of lightweight aggregates in Korea, the development of structural lightweight concrete without lightweight aggregates is needed. The physical and mechanical properties of specimens that were cast using normal coarse aggregates and different mixing ratios of foaming agent to evaluate the possibility of creating structural lightweight concrete were investigated. The results show that the density of SLWC decreases as the dosage of foaming agent increases up to a dosage of 0.6%, as observed by SEM. It was also observed that the foaming agent induced well separated pores, and that the size of the pores ranged from 50 to 100 μm. Based on the porosity of concrete specimens with foaming agent, compressive strength values of structural lightweight foam concrete (SLWFC) were obtained. It was also found that the estimated values from proposed equations for compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of SLWFC, and values obtained by actual measurements were in good agreement. Thus, this study confirms that new structural lightweight concrete using normal coarse aggregates and foaming agent can be developed successfully.
Immobilization of Trichoderma harzianum α-Amylase on Treated Wool: Optimization and Characterization
Authors: Mohamed Saleh , Khan Jalaluddin , Al-Bar Omar , El-Shishtawy Reda
Published: June 2014

α-Amylase from Trichoderma harzianum was covalently immobilized on activated wool by cyanuric chloride. Immobilized α-amylase exhibited 75% of its initial activity after 10 runs. The soluble and immobilized α-amylases exhibited maximum activity at pH values 6.0 and 6.5, respectively. The immobilized enzyme was more thermally stable than the soluble one. Various substrates were hydrolyzed by immobilized α-amylase with high efficiencies compared to those of soluble α-amylase. The inhibition of the immobilized α-amylase by metal ions was low as compared with soluble enzyme. On the basis of the results obtained, immobilized α-amylase could be employed in the saccharification of starch processing.
Impacts of Public-Private Partnership on Local Livelihoods and Natural Resource Dynamics: Perceptions from Eastern Zambia
Authors: Nshimbi Muleba , Vinya Royd
Published: June 2014

This study evaluated the long-term implications of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) on livelihoods and natural resource (NR) dynamics under a market-oriented approach to conservation. Drawing examples from the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia, the study sought to answer questions on two closely interrelated aspects. These included the contribution of PPP to sustainable livelihoods in and around Protected Areas (PAs) and its impacts on natural resources in Game Management Areas (GMAs). Quantitative data were collected from PPP participating and non-PPP households using standardized structured interviews, while qualitative data were obtained from three chiefdoms using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Taking the case of Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) in eastern Zambia, results of this study showed that PPP contributed to sustainable livelihoods and overall natural resources management through varied ways. These include promotion of conservation farming, agroforestry, poacher transformation (individuals who have given up poaching due to PPP interventions) and provision of markets for the produce of participating households. Further, impacts of PPP on soil fertility, crop, and honey yields were statistically significant (p ˂ 0.05). A combination of increased crop productivity and household incomes has seen a 40-fold increase in poacher transformation. The results of this study suggest that PPPs, if well-structured, have the potential to address both livelihoods and enterprise needs with an ultimate benefit of promoting both sustainable livelihoods and natural resources management around PAs in tropical Africa.
Towards an Open Software Platform for Field Robots in Precision Agriculture
Authors: Jensen Kjeld , Larsen Morten , Nielsen Søren , Larsen Leon , Olsen Kent , Jørgensen Rasmus
Published: June 2014

Robotics in precision agriculture has the potential to improve competitiveness and increase sustainability compared to current crop production methods and has become an increasingly active area of research. Tractor guidance systems for supervised navigation and implement control have reached the market, and prototypes of field robots performing precision agriculture tasks without human intervention also exist. But research in advanced cognitive perception and behaviour that is required to enable a more efficient, reliable and safe autonomy becomes increasingly demanding due to the growing software complexity. A lack of collaboration between research groups contributes to the problem. Scientific publications describe methods and results from the work, but little field robot software is released and documented for others to use. We hypothesize that a common open software platform tailored to field robots in precision agriculture will significantly decrease development time and resources required to perform experiments due to efficient reuse of existing work across projects and robot platforms. In this work we present the FroboMind software platform and evaluate the performance when applied to precision agriculture tasks.
Stereo Camera Based Virtual Cane System with Identifiable Distance Tactile Feedback for the Blind
Authors: Kim Donghun , Kim Kwangtaek , Lee Sangyoun
Published: June 2014

In this paper, we propose a new haptic-assisted virtual cane system operated by a simple finger pointing gesture. The system is developed by two stages: development of visual information delivery assistant (VIDA) with a stereo camera and adding a tactile feedback interface with dual actuators for guidance and distance feedbacks. In the first stage, user’s pointing finger is automatically detected using color and disparity data from stereo images and then a 3D pointing direction of the finger is estimated with its geometric and textural features. Finally, any object within the estimated pointing trajectory in 3D space is detected and the distance is then estimated in real time. For the second stage, identifiable tactile signals are designed through a series of identification experiments, and an identifiable tactile feedback interface is developed and integrated into the VIDA system. Our approach differs in that navigation guidance is provided by a simple finger pointing gesture and tactile distance feedbacks are perfectly identifiable to the blind.
De la dé-paysannisation à la dé-ruralisation ? (From de-peasantification to de-ruralisation ? )
Authors: Maurel Marie-Claude
Published: June 2014

Depuis le début des années 90, les agricultures et les territoires ruraux des pays d'Europe centrale ont connu des transformations de grande ampleur. Au moment de leur entrée dans l'UE, la question se pose d'apprécier si les restructurations accomplies vont faciliter ou non le processus d'intégration. Si l'agriculture conserve un rôle dans l'économie des territoires ruraux, celui-ci est de moins en moins déterminant en termes d'emplois et de revenus. L 'analyse tend à se déplacer vers le rapport existant entre agriculture et ruralité. Dé-paysanniser et dé-ruraliser, tels apparaissent les enjeux de l 'intégration.
Les changements fonctionnels dans les territoires ruraux des nouveaux Länder allemands (The functionnal changes in rural areas of the german new Länder)
Authors: Lacquement Guillaume
Published: June 2014

Dans les nouveaux Länder allemands, la politique d'aménagement du territoire a programmé la reconversion fonctionnelle des espaces ruraux. Dans des campagnes profondément marquées par l'héritage de la collectivisation et l'ampleur de la crise de transition, les changements fonctionnels en cours dessinent une nouvelle mosaïque territoriale qui se construit sur la base de la restauration de l'autonomie politique locale et la mise en concurrence des « aménités » rurales. Ils suscitent alors un questionnement sur l'évolution de la ruralité dans les territoires post-socialistes.
Devenir métropole ? Stratégies de développement des agglomérations de taille moyenne (Metropolis ? Development strategies of middle-size conurbations)
Authors: Demazière Christophe
Published: June 2014

This paper analyses how local authorities contribute to economic development in medium-sized French conurbations (between 100 and 300,000 inhabitants). Industial zones and business property have a greater impact when local authorities 'views converge. A recent form of co-peration is studied, the "communauté d'agglomération" .
Géographie de l'audiovisuel au Brésil (Brazil's television and cinema geography)
Authors: Abrantes M.
Published: June 2014

The Brazilian television and cinema industry is concentrated in the South-East region, the country's richest. Its main characteristic, in comparison to other industries, is the hierarchy between Rio de Janeiro and Saõ Paulo. Rio gathers the most skilled production, both in the movie and TV industries. How can this be accounted for ?
Que sait-on des savoirs géographiques vernaculaires ? (What do we know about vernacular geographic knowledges)
Authors: Collignon Beatrice
Published: June 2014

Les articles réunis dans ce numéro sont issus d'une séance de l'Association de Géographes Français consacrée aux savoirs vernaculaires en géographie. Après avoir brossé le contexte dans lequel s'est inscrite cette séance de travail, ce texte introductif propose une définition du savoir vernaculaire, suivie d'un rapide historique des conditions d'émergence de cette thématique encore nouvelle en géographie. Pour finir, les principaux enjeux de la prise en compte des savoirs vernaculaires en géographie sont présentés.
La géographie spontanée, ou la rose des vents de Diamandis Galanos (Spontaneous geography, or Diamandis Galanos' compass card)
Authors: Sivignon Michel
Published: June 2014

Chacun porte en lui-même une géographie spontanée, construite inconsciemment depuis l'enfance, et qui constitue le premier stade de nos savoirs sur l'espace. Les savoirs vernaculaires viennent s'y ajouter, puis les savoirs scientifiques.
Les enjeux de la qualification des savoirs : l'exemple afro-américain (Qualifying knowledges : the african-american example)
Authors: Chivallon Christine
Published: June 2014

A partir de l 'exemple afro-américain, cet article propose d 'examiner comment le « savoir vernaculaire » peut recevoir des contenus très différents selon les thèses qui servent à décrire et analyser les cultures noires des Amériques. Les trois principales interprétations mobilisées pour qualifier ces cultures sont tour à tour examinées pour montrer ensuite de quelle manière le « savoir vernaculaire » intervient pour en démontrer la pertinence. Le contenu de ce savoir se révèle ainsi très variable et soumis aux enjeux de la qualification des cultures afro-américaines pour les modèles identitaires qu 'elles concernent.
Volcano plots in hydrogen electrocatalysis – uses and abuses
Authors: Quaino Paola , Juarez Fernanda , Santos Elizabeth , Schmickler Wolfgang
Published: June 2014

Sabatier’s principle suggests, that for hydrogen evolution a plot of the rate constant versus the hydrogen adsorption energy should result in a volcano, and several such plots have been presented in the literature. A thorough examination of the data shows, that there is no volcano once the oxide-covered metals are left out. We examine the factors that govern the reaction rate in the light of our own theory and conclude, that Sabatier’s principle is only one of several factors that determine the rate. With the exception of nickel and cobalt, the reaction rate does not decrease for highly exothermic hydrogen adsorption as predicted, because the reaction passes through more suitable intermediate states. The case of nickel is given special attention; since it is a 3d metal, its orbitals are compact and the overlap with hydrogen is too low to make it a good catalyst.
ON THE SELF-REGULARIZATION OF ILL-POSED PROBLEMS BY THE LEAST ERROR PROJECTION METHOD
Authors: Ganina Alina , Hamarik Uno , Kangro Urve
Published: June 2014

We consider linear ill-posed problems where both the operator and the right hand side are given approximately. For approximate solution of this equation we use the least error projection method. This method occurs to be a regularization method if the dimension of the projected equation is chosen properly depending on the noise levels of the operator and the right hand side. We formulate the monotone error rule for choice of the dimension of the projected equation and prove the regularization properties.
Cantines d'entreprise et discours hygiénistes dans l'industrie britannique de l'entre-deux-guerres
Authors: Long Vicky
Published: June 2014

L’implantation de cantines au sein d’un grand nombre d’usines britanniques pendant la Première Guerre mondiale a été le fruit de l’intervention du gouvernement, puis à nouveau pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il serait pourtant trompeur d’affirmer que l’existence de cantines d’entreprise en Grande-Bretagne ne fut que le résultat de l’intervention étatique. L’idéal de santé au travail qui a pris corps durant la Grande Guerre, et dont les cantines d’entreprise sont le reflet, permet d’expliquer pourquoi celles-ci sont devenues la pierre angulaire de l’action sociale patronale pendant l’entre-deux-guerres. Les cantines incarnaient en effet une vision englobante de la santé au travail, mettant l’accent sur la responsabilité de l’ouvrier dans l’entretien de sa santé à travers l’alimentation, l’hygiène et l’exercice physique. Minorant la responsabilité de l’employeur dans la santé de ses employés et occultant les risques sanitaires spécifiques au lieu de production industriel, elles ont constitué un outil efficace aux mains de ceux qui voulaient repousser l’adoption d’une législation sur la santé et la sécurité en entreprise. La cantine apparaît ainsi comme un élément-clé d’un programme d’action sociale au cœur duquel persiste la recherche de rendement. Les cantines peuvent aussi être vues comme l’expression même de la rationalisation industrielle puisqu’elles servaient à lutter contre l’indiscipline tout en assurant l’entretien du facteur humain de la production.
La gamelle ou la cantine ? Formes et enjeux de la restauration dans les témoignages écrits ouvriers depuis 1945
Authors: Le Port Éliane
Published: June 2014

Les pratiques alimentaires sur le lieu de travail occupent une place particulière dans les témoignages écrits ouvriers de type autobiographique. L’examen des comportements et des stratégies alimentaires renseigne à la fois sur les lieux et les temps de repas et de pause, sur les types de nourriture ainsi que sur les sociabilités à l’œuvre. L’atelier apparaît comme un lieu important de consommation, notamment dans les récits publiés dans l’immédiat après-guerre. Si plusieurs témoignages révèlent des habitudes ancrées, une fidélité au repas sur le lieu du travail, répondant au besoin de recréer un espace familier, d’autres ouvriers préfèrent les espaces extérieurs à l’usine ou au chantier et « sortent du travail », dans les restaurants ouvriers, au café, mettant à distance le lieu du travail. Qu’elles soient ordinaires ou festives, les pratiques alimentaires s’inscrivent dans les rythmes quotidiens du travail et les témoignages révèlent des liens complexes entre des temps a priori différenciés, celui de la production et celui du repas. Derrière la grande variété de comportements, les témoignages laissent voir une forte socialisation de l’acte alimentaire : se mettre à table au travail demeure le plus souvent un temps partagé. En cela le repas représente une des pierres de touche des sociabilités ouvrières que traduit l’écriture.
La cantine à l'ère des « réformes ». Le repas du midi dans une grande entreprise publique en France dans les années 1990
Authors: Jamard Marie-Line
Published: June 2014

Au milieu des années 1990, une enquête de type ethnographique s’est intéressée aux modes d’alimentation sur le lieu de travail à EDF-GDF, particulièrement à la pause méridienne. Qu’il s’agisse du réfectoire, de la cantine ou du bureau, l’analyse des pratiques alimentaires hors domicile permet de saisir ce que les individus mettent en jeu dans l’usage pratique qu’ils font de ce temps de pause de 35 minutes. Le réfectoire est, historiquement, un lieu fort de l’identité ouvrière lié aux particularités des métiers d’EGF. Malgré les tensions nées du processus de standardisation de la pause méridienne, la restauration collective demeure dans l’entreprise une pratique majoritaire, hommes et femmes confondus. Le repas peut aussi se prendre au bureau ou au réfectoire, la première pratique étant plus féminine et la seconde plus masculine. Au-delà des façons de faire à l’égard de ce temps et des façons de le penser, qui varient sensiblement selon les sexes, prédomine une même logique, celle d’échapper aux contraintes inhérentes au système de dépendance ou de domination dans lequel chacun se trouve, ou du moins de les détourner à son profit.
Go-go managers contre futurs prix Nobel d'économie
Authors: Montagne Sabine
Published: June 2014

résumé La « révolution de l’investissement », saluée par les chroniqueurs financiers étatsuniens des années 1970, constitue l’une des conversions de la finance au nouvel ordre politico-économique monétariste qui remplace le keynésianisme de l’aprèsguerre. À partir de la littérature sur les nouvelles pratiques des professionnels financiers, durant la décennie 1960, l’article analyse comment une fraction de ceux-ci, les go-go managers, construit une figure de l’investisseur qui répond simultanément aux exigences de leurs clients et à la concurrence des universitaires. Caractérisée par le culte de la personnalité, cette figure va ensuite perdurer dans les organisations financières en dépit de la rationalisation du processus d’investissement, prescrite par la nouvelle théorie financière puis mise en oeuvre par les firmes. Elle est constitutive de l’ambivalence de l’investisseur financier contemporain, entre individualisme et standardisation.
Décompter le futur
Authors: Doganova Liliana
Published: June 2014

Résumé Parmi les outils de l’investisseur, la formule des flux actualisés (discounted cash flow, ou DCF) occupe une place capitale. Elle dérive la valeur d’une chose des flux d’argent que celle-ci produira dans le futur, en les réduisant d’un facteur d’autant plus grand qu’ils sont éloignés dans le temps. Cet article examine les fondements de cette formule et identifie trois configurations – des ensembles de problèmes, d’acteurs et d’objets – dans son développement. Solution à un problème pratique de valorisation et de gestion des forêts dans les calculs de forestiers allemands au milieu du XIXe siècle, puis expression d’une définition universelle de la valeur dans la théorie économique au début du XXe siècle, la formule devient, à partir des années 1950, un instrument de gouvernement des investissements et se répand dans la pratique des entreprises. L’article met en lumière le rôle joué par l’État, des économistes et des consultants dans la constitution de cette formule comme principal outil d’évaluation des investissements. Il décrit les effets que la formule DCF induit sur les objets auxquels elle se voit appliquer et la figure de l’utilisateur – un « manager-investisseur » – qu’elle dessine et équipe.
Análisis de resultados métricos de una nube de puntos y una medición directa en el patrimonio edificado. El Santuario de La Montaña en Cáceres
Authors: Serrano F. , Saumell J. , Berenguer F.
Published: June 2014

El objetivo del presente artículo consiste en realizar un estudio comparativo entre dos procedimientos utilizados en el levantamiento de un edificio: método directo sin instrumentación y escaneado láser que proporciona nubes de puntos de gran densidad. Se pretende analizar el grado de exactitud de los resultados y los recursos y medios técnicos precisos para llevar a cabo cada una de las tecnologías. La metodología consistirá en comparar dos trabajos relativos al mismo edificio. Por un lado, se cuenta con unos planos de planta y sección de un proyecto orientado a la rehabilitación del edificio. Por otra parte, se utiliza un escaneado con tecnología láser, del que se tomará una selección de puntos precisa para obtener la información necesaria para poder realizar los planos de planta y sección, equivalentes a los anteriores. El resultado consistirá en tener una información del grado de exactitud de cada método, valorando el esfuerzo técnico que requiere cada uno de ellos.
La peligrosidad sísmica y el factor de riesgo
Authors: Perepérez B.
Published: June 2014

Los terremotos se encuentran entre los desastres naturales que causan mayor número de víctimas y pérdidas económicas más cuantiosas. Este trabajo repasa el concepto de riesgo sísmico, la peligrosidad sísmica de la Península Ibérica y aspectos básicos de las normas sísmicas española (NCSE-02) y europea (EN 1998-1). Se han deducido relaciones analíticas entre el factor de importancia del Eurocódigo 8 (factor de riesgo en NCSE-02) y el período medio de retorno, el período de exposición y la probabilidad de superación durante éste del parámetro elegido de la intensidad sísmica. Se han efectuado consideraciones acerca del requisito de limitación de los daños y de la importancia de abordar su comprobación con más rigor.
La expansión del quejigo (Quercus faginea) en el Prepirineo Aragonés durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX
Authors: Kouba Y. , Alados C. L.
Published: June 2014

Se investigó la expansión de Quercus faginea Lam. (quejigo) debida a la disminución de la presión antrópica en siete municipios del Prepirineo Aragonés durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX. La emigración rural que ha ocurrido en esta zona a partir de los años sesenta ha producido un abandono masivo de las tierras agrícolas junto con la disminución de la presión pastoral. Como resultado algunos de los campos abandonados han sido colonizados por el quejigo, sobre todo en los municipios con una disminución notable en el número de agricultores y cabezas de ganado. Se espera que, con la continua disminución de la presión humana en el territorio, los quejigares colonicen nuevas áreas en los próximos años como resultado de la sucesión secundaria.
The Goa-Ceylon religious connection: a review of the ‘The Indian Cry’ of Alvares Mar Julius, Archbishop of Ceylon, Goa and India
Authors: Kamat Pratima P.
Published: June 2014

Goa, a former Portuguese colony and, at present, a state of the Republic of India, located on the west coast of the subcontinent, has an interesting history of commercial and cultural contacts with Ceylon that were nurtured through the maritime route, especially during the colonial period. Portuguese Goa enjoyed thriving trade relations with the Ilha de Ceilão. It also participated in the Christianisation of this island both under the Portuguese and later, in the seventeenth century, when the Goan priest, Fr. Joseph Vaz, and other Oratorians, made a bid to revive Roman Catholicism there. In 1885, Msgr. Sebastião Rodolfo Dalgado was deputed to Ceylon as its Vicar-General. He served there for two years and with the surrender of their mission of Ceylon by the Portuguese, he returned to Goa in 1887. And in the very same year, 1887, another Goan priest, Padre Alvares, journeyed to Ceylon to contribute to its religious history: initially, to rally the Goan clergy posted there in their fight against the Concordat of 1886, and later to perform his episcopal duties as the Archbishop of Ceylon, Goa and India. Alvares Mar Julius, also known as Padre Alvares, was an editor, writer, founder of educational and social institutions, patriot and, above all, a dedicated social worker. In the pursuit of the spiritual and socio-political uplift of his people, Padre Alvares was branded seditious by the colonial Government of Goa, ex-communicated by the Roman Catholic Church, and elevated to episcopal stature by the Syrian Orthodox Church in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The present article focuses on the socio-political contributions of Alvares Mar Julius both before he joined the Syrian Orthodox Church and after. It examines the ideology of economic nationalism espoused by Padre Alvares, the “swadeshi” (nationalist) ideology, and attempts to situate this revolutionary priest in the context of local resistance to colonial hegemony in nineteenth century Goa. Further, it reviews the contributions of Alvares Mar Julius to the Syrian Orthodox Church which have been many-fold, with a special focus on his activities in Ceylon in the context of The Padroado Defence Association, the Independent Catholic Mission, and as his mission-field.“I have fought the Good Fight I have finished the race I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v12i1.7024 Sabaragamuwa University Journal 2013; V. 12 No. 1 pp 61-82
Reproductive Outcome in Carrier Couples of β-Thalassemia Disorders in a Tertiary Hospital in Central India
Authors: Balgir Ranbir S.
Published: June 2014

The β-thalassemia syndromes and hemoglobin disorders are the major genetic and public health challenges in Central India. In view of dubious credit of the highest infant mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh (62 as against 47 per 1000 live-births of India in 2011) it was presumed that carrier couples of β-thalassemia disorders might be one of the contributing factors to high mortality. A total of 280 couples including their offspring with at least one affected and/or suspected case of β-thalassemia/sickle cell disorders referred to our Centre from a tertiary hospital, Jabalpur during March 2010 to February 2013 were consecutively studied as matched case controls. Out of 280 couples, 200 were found normal and 80 couples had different β-thalassemia disorders. β-thalassemia carrier couples had significantly higher relative fertility (mean number of conceptions, i.e., 2.457 versus 1.480), higher infant mortality (3.5% versus 1.3%), higher below 10 years mortality (7.0% versus 2.7%) and lower surviving offspring (925.9 versus 970.6) than of controls. Still-births were three times lower (12.3), neonatal deaths almost two folds higher (24.7), three folds higher infant mortality (37.0) and almost three times higher below 10 years mortality per 1000 live-births were observed in carriers of β-thalassemia major than in controls. The present study indicated that afflicted couples of these hereditary disorders are increasing the afflicted offspring, being 60.7% surviving against controls (39.3%). This increased production of afflicted (heterozygous and homozygous) offspring leads to increased morbidity and mortality and might be contributing towards increased neonatal/infant mortality in Madhya Pradesh of Central India. As a preventive measure, affected families were imparted genetic/marriage counseling.
Perceived leisure satisfaction of participants in the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program
Authors: Zych, MSEd Anna , Yang, PhD, CTRS Heewon , Malkin, EdD, CTRS Marjorie J.
Published: June 2014

Arthritis is the second most commonly reported chronic condition and the leading cause of disability among older adults in the United States. Previous studies of aquatic-based interventions for arthritis have focused on physical benefits. In this study, some psychosocial benefits as well as physiological benefits are examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived leisure satisfaction of participants who were involved in the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program in order to determine some factors that might be associated with persistence of participation in this program. Forty-nine subjects participated in the six-week program and completed the Leisure Satisfaction Measure (LSM) both at the beginning and at the end of the six weeks. There was no significant difference found for the overall scores of the LSM. However, there were significant mean differences at the 0.05 level found for three of the subscales on the LSM (ie, psychological, relaxation, and physiological), indicating that participating in the six-week aquatic exercise program increased the participants’ perceived leisure satisfaction levels in those three areas.
Emergency warning for people with disabilities
Authors: Putkovich, BSEE, MSE Kenneth
Published: June 2014

The intent of this article is to assess the current state of Emergency Warning capabilities in the United States and make recommendations on what needs to be done to cost effectively establish a National Emergency Warning System to best serve the people of the United States, including those with disabilities. As part of this assessment, terminology will be defined, existing systems will be examined, critical needs and functions will be explained, and recommendations made for a system to deliver emergency messages to those people immediately at risk from natural and human-caused disasters in a timely and effective manner, regardless of location or situational circumstance. The assessment will include the needs and available technologies for delivering emergency warnings to people with disabilities, which are generally little understood, poorly addressed, and often ignored.
Communication, information seeking, and evacuation plans for a disaster using Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response in the Gulf Coast counties of Alabama and Mississippi, 2011
Authors: Buttke, DVM, PhD, MPH Danielle , Vagi, PhD Sara , Bayleyegn, MD Tesfaye , Schnall, MPH Amy , Morrison, MPH Melissa , Allen, PhD Mardi , Wolkin, MSPH Amy
Published: June 2014

Objective: To determine communication, information seeking, and evacuation behaviors of coastal residents in a disaster-prone area.Design: A two-stage, probability sampling design to select 210 households in each assessment area was used. Data were analyzed using a weighted cluster analysis to report projected households for each assessment area.Setting: Public health services areas of coastal Alabama and Mississippi.Participants: Eligible respondents were 18 years of age or older, had lived in the community for at least 30 days, and were residents of the selected household.Main outcome measures: Evacuation propensity, primary communication forms, primary information forms, and special needs.Results: Most coastal residents would evacuate if recommended by public health authorities. Fewer residents had landlines (45.9-58.8 percent) compared to residents using cellular or mobile phone service only (84.3-95.8 percent), and these residents were significantly older compared to non-landline owning residents. Most residents own pets (61.9-70.1 percent).Conclusions: Our assessment suggests that the majority of Alabama and Mississippi coastal residents plan to evacuate during a disaster if recommended by public health authorities. However, public health authorities should strive to evaluate multiple forms of communication to disseminate disaster preparedness and response messages to reach all vulnerable residents, especially in situations where electric services might be compromised. Emergency preparedness personnel should also be prepared for a large pet population in the event of an evacuation.
Optimization-based decision support to assist in logistics planning for hospital evacuations
Authors: Glick MS, MBA Roger , Bish, PhD Douglas R. , Agca, PhD(c) Esra
Published: June 2014

The evacuation of the hospital is a very complex process and evacuation planning is an important part of a hospital’s emergency management plan. There are numerous factors that affect the evacuation plan including the nature of threat, availability of resources and staff, the characteristics of the evacuee population, and risk to patients and staff. The safety and health of patients is of fundamental importance, but safely moving patients to alternative care facilities while under threat is a very challenging task. This article describes the logistical issues and complexities involved in planning and execution of hospital evacuations. Furthermore, this article provides examples of how optimization-based decision support tools can help evacuation planners to better plan for complex evacuations by providing real-world solutions to various evacuation scenarios.
Delivering integrated HAZUS-MH flood loss analyses and flood inundation maps over the Web
Authors: Hearn Jr, PhD Paul P. , Longenecker III, MS Herbert E. "Gene" , Rahav Ami N.
Published: June 2014

Catastrophic flooding is responsible for more loss of life and damages to property than any other natural hazard. Recently developed flood inundation mapping technologies make it possible to view the extent and depth of flooding on the land surface over the Internet; however, by themselves these technologies are unable to provide estimates of losses to property and infrastructure.The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA's) HAZUS-MH software is extensively used to conduct flood loss analyses in the United States, providing a nationwide database of population and infrastructure at risk. Unfortunately, HAZUS-MH requires a dedicated Geographic Information System (GIS) workstation and a trained operator, and analyses are not adapted for convenient delivery over the Web. This article describes a cooperative effort by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and FEMA to make HAZUS-MH output GIS and Web compatible and to integrate these data with digital flood inundation maps in USGS’s newly developed Inundation Mapping Web Portal. By running the computationally intensive HAZUS-MH flood analyses offline and converting the output to a Web-GIS compatible format, detailed estimates of flood losses can now be delivered to anyone with Internet access, thus dramatically increasing the availability of these forecasts to local emergency planners and first responders.
After Virginia Tech: An analysis of Internet and social media use in campus emergency preparedness
Authors: Guth, MA Journalism David W.
Published: June 2014

This study gauges the degree to which the nation’s colleges and universities learned a key lesson of the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy: the need to rapidly disseminate emergency information to the campus community. A content analysis of 162 school Web sites found that three of four contained emergency preparedness information. It appears that most are now prepared to use the Internet and social media to alert stakeholders in the event of campus crises. However, less than half had links to emergency/safety information on their home pages. School size and governance appeared to factor in its placement on each Web site.
Exposure levels for chemical threat compounds: Information to facilitate chemical incident response
Authors: Hauschild, MPH Veronique D. , Watson, PhD Annetta
Published: June 2014

Although not widely known, a robust set of peer-reviewed public health and occupational exposure levels presently exist for key chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and certain acutely toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) identified as terrorist attack threats. Familiarity with these CWA and TIC exposure levels and their historic applications has facilitated emergency management decision-making by public and environmental health decision-makers. Specifically, multiple air, soil, and water exposure levels for CWAs and TICs summarized here have been extensively peer-reviewed and published; many have been recognized and are in use by federal and state health agencies as criteria for hazard zone prediction and assessment, occupational safety, and “how clean is clean enough” decisions. The key, however, is to know which criteria are most appropriate for specific decisions.While public safety is critical, high levels of concern often associated with perceived or actual proximity to extremely toxic chemical agents could result in overly cautious decisions that generate excessive delays, expenditure of scarce resources, and technological difficulties. Rapid selection of the most appropriate chemical exposure criteria is recommended to avoid such problems and expedite all phases of chemical incident response and recovery.
Emergency mitigation and preparedness in healthcare facilities
Authors: Paras, BS, MPH candidate Emma , Schwartz, PhD Robert M.
Published: June 2014

The city of Akron, Ohio, has four major healthcare facilities: Akron General Medical Center, Summa Akron City Hospital, Summa St. Thomas, and Akron Children’s Hospital. These institutions have implemented the preparedness and mitigative strategies to prepare for hazards affecting the community. Because of the wide population these facilities serve, it is crucial that an effective emergency management (EM) system be in place at each hospital. Archival research and interviews with the emergency managers of each hospital examine the preparedness of these establishments for disasters. Strengths and weaknesses of the EM systems are also discussed and include recommendations on ways to improve shortcomings. This research demonstrates how EM is evolving and improving in one of the most important critical infrastructure of a community.
Moving from situational awareness to decisions during disaster response: Transition to decision making
Authors: Glick, PhD Jeffrey A. , Barbera, MD Joseph A.
Published: June 2014

During major disasters, at what point in the decisional process do senior government officials transition from developing necessary situational awareness to perform decision making? This “transition to decision making” (TDM) concept was analyzed through a structured interview survey of 25 current and former US Federal Coordinating Officers (FCOs) and focused on their decision-making process during the initial response period in a Presidentially declared Stafford Act disaster. This analysis suggests that the TDM for these emergency leaders is influenced by the following five factors: 1) Analogue Factor: the decision maker’s previous knowledge and experience from analogous disaster situations; 2) New Paradigm Factor: the degree to which the disaster situation is very atypical to the decision maker due to hazard type and/or situation severity, 3) Data Capture Factor: the quality, amount, and speed of disaster situation data conveyed to the decision maker; 4) Data Integration Factor: the decision maker’s ability to integrate situational data elements into a mental framework/picture; and 5) Time Urgency Factor: the decision maker’s perception as to time available before a decision has to be made. The article describes the factors and graphs that how these may influence the timing of the TDM in four types of emergency situations faced by FCOs: 1) an analogue disaster, 2) a disaster situation that presents a new paradigm, 3) an intuitive disaster situation, and 4) a disaster requiring an urgent response.
Disaster preparedness: An investigation on motivation and barriers
Authors: Dorasamy, MSc Magiswary , Raman, PhD Murali , Marimuthu, PhD Maran , Kaliannan, PhD Maniam
Published: June 2014

This article presents a preliminary investigation on the motivations for and the barriers that hinder preparedness toward disasters in a community. Survey questionnaires were distributed to local individuals in the nine districts of Selangor state in Malaysia. A total of 402 usable questionnaires were analyzed. The initial findings revealed that community members are motivated for disaster preparedness mainly for family safety reason. However, generally they do not know how to be prepared. This article concludes by highlighting the importance of knowledge and information in community preparedness. This research is limited to one state in Malaysia. However, the chosen state has a large effect on the Malaysian gross domestic product; hence, lack of preparedness poses a critical risk to its large population. This study on motivation and barriers for disaster preparedness is intended to increase the effectiveness of community readiness as a whole toward major disasters such as landslide and flood. The result of this study is valuable to the scientific community within the disaster management domain, the government agencies for policy and strategy formulations, and the local community to preempt, deal with, and ultimately survive disasters. This research aims to ensure that the community is continuously prepared and able to meet the evolving needs of the individual citizen as the nation strives toward promoting a knowledgeable society.
Leadership success within disaster restoration projects
Authors: Rapp, DMgt Randy R. , Baroudi, DPM Bassam
Published: June 2014

Successful project managers draw their performance from essential leadership traits, as guided by their core values. Within disaster recovery, contractors who mitigate, repair, and reconstruct the built environment are often faced with challenges exceeding the norm. The effective leader is commonly expected to consider stakeholder motivations within distressing situations as well as other external and environmental factors when seeking to lead the project team to successful outcomes. This research is most concerned with leadership within the context of disaster restoration of the built environment. Its stimulus comes from the Restoration Industry Association (RIA)’s efforts to highlight leadership traits and core values for its Certified Restorer Body of Knowledge but would be of value to others associated with disaster recovery operations. Among organizations whose membership includes thousands of practitioners who restore and reconstruct the built environment after disasters, the RIA is the only one yet to formally and substantially research which core values and leader traits are deemed critical for the success of efforts to manage the means and methods applied on recovery job sites. Forty-six seasoned disaster restoration industry project professionals voluntarily responded to a survey questionnaire that sought their opinions about the traits and core values that they consider most important for successful disaster restoration project leadership. The most important leader traits were effective communication, professional competence, and leadership by example. The most important restoration industry values were integrity, compassion, and trustworthiness. The recognized imperative of compassion was unexpected in light of stereotypes often associated with construction-related contractors. This and other findings permit disaster response and recovery stakeholders to better understand qualities they should wish to see in leaders of contractor organizations, which they hire to restore and reconstruct the built environment after catastrophic events