bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attending to attention: How do people attract, manage, and negotiate attention using mobile devices?
Authors: Birnholtz Jeremy , Davison Jordan , Li Ang
Published: August 2017

In today’s always-connected world people have an ever-increasing array of ways to stay in touch, often selecting among multiple media that allow for different degrees of attention (e.g., phone calls vs. texting) and may vary in convenience for their interaction partner. In this environment, people must manage their attention to each other. Recent work suggests attention management can be considered as a dyadic negotiation process in which people are continually acting to display their own focus of attention and gather information about others’ focus of attention, and may seek to increase or decrease the current level of attention from their partner. To explore attention management and negotiation on mobile devices, we built a custom application to track people’s SMS and phone call activity. Drawing on log and transcript data, we use qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the details of attention management behavior within specific relationships for a few participants, and then used hierarchical clustering to identify different patterns of attention management in relationships of varying tie strength. Results suggest that attention is managed both implicitly and explicitly, with explicit negotiation more likely when there are conflicts. There are also substantial differences in interaction patterns by tie strength, with phone calls and shorter text response times more common for weaker ties.
Technology-assisted toilets: Improving independence and hygiene in stroke rehabilitation
Authors: Yachnin David , Gharib Georges , Jutai Jeffrey , Finestone Hillel
Published: August 2017

Background and Purpose

Dependence on assistance for toileting is a widespread problem for persons receiving healthcare. Technology-assisted toilets, which hygienically wash and dry the perineal region, are devices that could improve toileting independence in a variety of patients. The objective was to investigate whether technology-assisted toilets improve toileting independence, quality of life, and whether technology-assisted toilets can provide sufficient toileting hygiene in stroke rehabilitation.

Methods

This pilot study was carried out in a stroke rehabilitation unit. Thirty participants were recruited. Participants had a bowel movement and cleaned themselves using the technology-assisted toilet on one to three occasions. Participants rated their toileting before using the technology-assisted toilet and after each technology-assisted toilet use with the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS). After each session, participants were rated for cleanliness.

Results

PIADS scores were analyzed from eight individual participants, five of whom completed the full protocol. PIADS scores were significantly higher with the technology-assisted toilet than with the participants’ regular toileting routine (p < 0.05). Technology-assisted toilets cleaned effectively in 73% of cases (16/22, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Technology-assisted toilets improved stroke patients’ psychosocial outcomes compared to standard toileting and completely cleaned participants in the majority of cases. A larger study should confirm technology-assisted toilet’s benefit in stroke rehabilitation through improved independence and hygiene.
Humerus shaft fracture associated with traumatic radial nerve palsy: An international survey among orthopedic trauma surgeons from Latin America and Asia/Pacific
Authors: Giordano Vincenzo , Belangero William , Pires Robinson Esteves , Labronici Pedro José ,   the Clinical Decision Rules Group
Published: August 2017

Purpose:

The purpose of this article is to explore the real-life practice of clinical management of humeral shaft fracture associated with traumatic radial nerve palsy among orthopedic trauma surgeons.

Methods:

Two hundred seventy-nine orthopedic surgeons worldwide reviewed 10 real cases of a humeral shaft fracture associated with traumatic radial nerve palsy answering two questions: (1) What treatment would you choose/recommend: nonoperative or operative? (2) What are the reasons for your decision-making? The survey was developed in an online survey tool. All participants were active members from AOTrauma International.

Results:

Two hundred sixty-six (95.3%) participants were from Latin America and Asia/Pacific. One hundred sixty-two participants (58.1%) had more than 10 years in practice and 178 (63.8%) of them did trauma as the main area of interest. One hundred fifty-one (54.1%) participants treated less than three humeral shaft fractures a month. Traumatic radial nerve palsy was the main reason (88.4%) for surgeons to recommend surgical treatment. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) or percutaneous fixation of the fracture associated with acutely explore of radial nerve was the first option in 62.0% of the cases. A combination of morphology and level of the fracture and the presence of the radial nerve palsy was the most suggested reason to surgically treat the humerus fracture. The main isolated factor was the morphology of the fracture.

Conclusion:

Our survey highlight the tendency for a more aggressive management of any humeral shaft fracture associated with a traumatic radial nerve palsy, with surgeons preferring to use ORIF with acute exploration of the radial nerve. Nonsurgical management was the less chosen option among the 279 respondents. Fracture morphology, level of the fracture, and the presence of the radial nerve palsy were most influential for guiding their treatment.
Human–Animal Interaction Research in School Settings: Current Knowledge and Future Directions
Authors: Gee Nancy R. , Griffin James A. , McCardle Peggy
Published: August 2017

The involvement of animals is almost commonplace in many schools, although actual data documenting the extent and nature of human–animal interaction (HAI) in these settings are sparse. We provide an overview of the existing research and argue that the inclusion of animals in classroom settings can have an indirect effect on learning by directly affecting motivation, engagement, self-regulation, and human social interaction through those activities in which the interaction with animals is embedded. We support this theory with examples from the growing body of work indicating that, under specific conditions, with proper safeguards, HAI activities can benefit both typically developing children and those with developmental disabilities by reducing stress and anxiety and improving social interactions and by enhancing motivation, engagement, and learning. Nonetheless, a more comprehensive evidence base is needed to support this theory and to inform policies and practices for HAI in education settings, activities, and interventions.
Gender in the New Education Policy 2016 in the Making
Authors: Chanana Karuna
Published: August 2017

There is no doubt that until now significant progress has been made to include gender in the Indian education policy. Further, it is also recognized that investment in the education of both boys and girls with focus on equity is consistently the most powerful and important indicator of national development, as well as being a vehicle for the advancement of the present and future generations of children. Therefore, leaving out issues of gender and girls’ education puts a question mark on the future vision of society. Right now, the new education policy is in the making, after a gap of 24 years. There are two documents in the public domain. The first one was an outcome of a very extensive and expansive process of consultations. This article interrogates the process of policy formulation by looking at texts of these two reports as primary data sources. The central concern in this article is to show the complete or near complete gender blindness or exclusion of concerns regarding education of girls and women in the two documents. As a result, there is no or hardly any space given to them in these documents which presumably will go into the formulation of the new education policy. What is required is a focus on equality and a transformative conception of gender inclusiveness in the new policy, which will ensure meaningful and realistic inclusion of gender concerns.
From Kothari Commission Report to Some Inputs for Draft National Education Policy 2016
Authors: Tharakan P. K. Michael
Published: August 2017

The Subramanian Committee Report 2016 and the Some Inputs for Draft National Education Policy 2016 (SIDNEP 2016) are compared with its predecessors, the Kothari Commission Report 1964–1966 and the National Education Policy 1986 along with its Programme for Action 1986 and the revised Programme for Action 1992, to see how well its proposals are contextualized within the socio-economic developments in present Indian society. The review of the Kothari commission Report found that it anchored itself very much in the aspirations of the people of India in building a strong and prosperous nation through the means of long-term planning. It nurtured the hope of parents seeking education for their children with particular regard for creating job opportunities and in preparing graduates to have the necessary qualifications for such jobs. It has to be admitted that in stating their objectives in such terms, the Kothari Commission also let the instrumentalist educational aims to have preference over equally important intrinsic values. Similarly, the NEP 1986 and its Programme of Actions (POAs) suggested streamlining educational expansion in general under central agencies. As a result, its overall effect was in favour of high centralization. The 2016 educational policy documents do pay tribute to the laudable objectives stated by their predecessors, without critically going into the causes of how such objectives got derailed. Even when they address existing issues like that of a fast-changing knowledge economy, they do not offer any critical assessment. Instead they imply that it is a given component and Indian education, has to give in and try to operate inside the knowledge economy as best as possible. With such a passive attitude accepted by the 2016 education policy statements, their recommendations read as disjointed list of limited educational objectives.
Socio-economic Determinants of Inter-state Student Mobility in India
Authors: Jha Shashiranjan , Kumar Sumit
Published: August 2017

This article analyzes the socio-economic determinants of student mobility in India and evaluates the factors that hinder and promote higher educational mobility. It is argued that despite the mass expansion of higher education in India in recent times, student mobility is directed towards developed educational regions. India is a unique case because it consists of regions with a high variation in socio-economic development and has local higher education markets with different levels of competition between institutions. This study shows the importance of the socio-economic characteristics in student mobility. Drawing on the assumptions of human capital theory and the literature on international student mobility, we suggest that individual and family factors are important determinants of inter-state mobility for higher education in India. This article concludes by suggesting how this pattern of inter-state student mobility might have impact on recent policy focus on expansion of higher education in India.
The immunoinhibitory PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in inflammatory blood vessel disease
Authors: Weyand Cornelia M , Berry Gerald J , Goronzy Jörg J
Published: August 2017

Because of their vital function, the wall structures of medium and large arteries are immunoprivileged and protected from inflammatory attack. That vascular immunoprivilege is broken in atherosclerosis and in vasculitis, when wall-invading T cells and macrophages (Mϕ) promote tissue injury and maladaptive repair. Historically, tissue-residing T cells were studied for their antigen specificity, but recent progress has refocused attention to antigen-nonspecific regulation, which determines tissue access, persistence, and functional differentiation of T cells. The coinhibitory receptor PD-1, expressed on T cells, delivers negative signals when engaged by its ligand PD-L1, expressed on dendritic cells, Mϕ, and endothelial cells to attenuate T cell activation, effector functions, and survival. Through mitigating signals, the PD-1 immune checkpoint maintains tissue tolerance. In line with this concept, dendritic cells and Mϕs from patients with the vasculitic syndrome giant cell arteritis (GCA) are PD-L1lo; including vessel-wall–embedded DCs that guard the vascular immunoprivilege. GCA infiltrates in the arterial walls are filled with PD-1+ T cells that secrete IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-21; drive inflammation-associated angiogenesis; and facilitate intimal hyperplasia. Conversely, chronic tissue inflammation in the atherosclerotic plaque is associated with an overreactive PD-1 checkpoint. Plaque-residing Mϕs are PD-L1hi, a defect induced by their addiction to glucose and glycolytic breakdown. PD-L1hi Mϕs render patients with coronary artery disease immunocompromised and suppress antiviral immunity, including protective anti–varicella zoster virus T cells. Thus, immunoinhibitory signals affect several domains of vascular inflammation; failing PD-L1 in vasculitis enables unopposed immunostimulation and opens the flood gates for polyfunctional inflammatory T cells, and excess PD-L1 in the atherosclerotic plaque disables tissue-protective T cell immunity.
Lithology-controlled stress variations and pad-scale faults: A case study of hydraulic fracturing in the Woodford Shale, Oklahoma
Authors: Ma Xiaodong , Zoback Mark D.
Published: August 2017

We have conducted an integrated study to investigate the petrophysical and geomechanical factors controlling the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing (HF) in four subparallel horizontal wells in the Mississippi Limestone-Woodford Shale (MSSP-WDFD) play in Oklahoma. In two MSSP wells, the minimum horizontal stress [Formula: see text] indicated by the instantaneous shut-in pressures of the HF stages are significantly less than the vertical stress [Formula: see text]. This, combined with observations of drilling-induced tensile fractures in the MSSP in a vertical well at the site, indicates that this formation is in a normal/strike-slip faulting stress regime, consistent with earthquake focal mechanisms and other stress indicators in the area. However, the [Formula: see text] values are systematically higher and vary significantly from stage to stage in two WDFD wells. The stages associated with the abnormally high [Formula: see text] values (close to [Formula: see text]) were associated with little to no proppant placement and a limited number of microseismic events. We used compositional logs to determine the content of compliant components (clay and kerogen). Due to small variations in the trajectories of the horizontal wells, they penetrated three thin, but compositionally distinct WDFD lithofacies. We found that [Formula: see text] along the WDFD horizontals increases when the stage occurred in a zone with high clay and kerogen content. These variations of [Formula: see text] can be explained by various degrees of viscous stress relaxation, which results in the increase in [Formula: see text] (less stress anisotropy), as the compliant component content increases. The distribution of microseismic events was also affected by normal and strike-slip faults cutting across the wells. The locations of these faults were consistent with unusual lineations of microseismic events and were confirmed by 3D seismic data. Thus, the overall effectiveness of HF stimulation in the WDFD wells at this site was strongly affected the abnormally high HF gradients in clay-rich lithofacies and the presence of preexisting, pad-scale faults.
SEAM: A 10-year trail of success grounded in sound research, collaboration, and outreach
Authors: Capello Maria A. , House Nancy , Barkhouse William
Published: August 2017

In 2007, 24 companies joined with SEG in a partnership unlike any that the field of geophysics had ever seen. It was the launch of a visionary initiative: the SEG Advanced Modeling (SEAM) Corporation. The aim of this initiative was to advance the integration of geologic and geophysical modeling to ensure a fit into the workflows of reservoir management by providing reliable, large-scale numerical modeling and simulation usable by reservoir engineers, geoscientists, and decision makers in oil and gas field development. It was not an easy objective in 2007, nor even in 2017, but SEAM has progressed. Through time, 36 companies have partnered with SEAM to make it the standard in subsurface modeling. This article summarizes the last 10 years of SEAM projects and provides a glimpse of the accomplishments attained.
Celebrating 20 years — Earth Science Week 2017
Authors: Camphire Geoff
Published: August 2017

To mark the 20th annual celebration of Earth Science Week, geoscientists and others worldwide are focusing on the theme “Earth and Human Activity.” A wealth of new informational resources, activities, and programs built around this theme are promoting public understanding of the geosciences and stewardship of the planet, especially in terms of the ways people affect and are affected by earth systems.
The utility of serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin-D and body mass index in the work-up of patients presenting to a bone health clinic
Authors: McCarley Matthew R. , Wise Kelsey L. , Jupiter Daniel C. , Lindsey Ronald W. , Klein Gordon L.
Published: August 2017

Background: 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25[OH]D) and Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) are routinely evaluated in bone health clinics, but existing literature is conflicting with regard to whether these factors predict fragility fractures. We hypothesized that both serum 25(OH)D levels and bone density are lower in patients who have sustained fragility fracture(s) prior to initial presentation compared to those patients who have not.

 Methods: We reviewed the charts of 102 consecutive patients presenting to a single-center Bone Health Clinic, comprising 11 males and 91 females with a mean age of 68 and range of 50 to 92. Demographic data, serum 25(OH)D levels, fracture history, and DEXA scans were obtained at the initial visit.

 Results: 64 patients had previously sustained a fragility fracture, and 38 patients had not. 25(OH)D levels were similar in the fracture and non-fracture groups (37.12±17.02 ng/mL versus 38.55±16.42, p=0.676). DEXA T-scores were similar between fracture and non-fracture groups (-2.28±1.33 versus -1.82±1.1, p=0.075). Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n=7) had lower 25(OH)D levels upon presentation (mean 22.57±8.46 versus 38.77±16.67, p=0.001). BMI was inversely correlated with 25(OH)D level (Pearson correlation [R] =-0.211, p=0.033). Age was inversely correlated with DEXA T-score (R=-0.269, p-0.009), whereas BMI was positively correlated with DEXA T-score (R=0.259, p=0.013). The other demographic variables and risk factors studied were not significantly associated with either 25(OH)D levels or DEXA T-scores. Within the fracture group, DEXA T-scores were lower for patients who had sustained a hip fracture (n=15) compared to those who had sustained a fragility fracture elsewhere (-3.12±1.02 versus -2.03±1.32, p=0.004), but their 25(OH)D levels did not differ (34.33±25.49 versus 37.98±13.69, p=0.602).

Conclusions: In this cohort of patients referred to a Bone Health Clinic, serum 25(OH)D levels and DEXA T-scores did not differ between those patients who had sustained a fragility fracture from those who had not.
Diferenças de performance explicam a não-sobrevivência de fundos de investimento?
Authors: Silveira Juliane Vanessa Rippel , Milani Bruno
Published: August 2017

O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar se houveram diferenças de performance entre fundos de investimento que se mantiveram ativos no período compreendido entre janeiro de 2005 e setembro de 2013 (sobreviventes) e fundos que encerraram suas atividades no período (não-sobreviventes). Os fundos foram analisados através do modelo CAPM e do índice de Sharpe. Pelos resultados encontrados, pode-se concluir que os fundos não-sobreviventes não apresentaram má performance. Pelo contrário, o desempenho deles, em diversos casos, foi superior aos fundos sobreviventes. Pode-se deduzir que, dentre outros fatores, a descontinuidade dos fundos pode estar ligada ao perfil do investidor ou gestor do fundo, os quais evitam assumir riscos e expor o investidor a ganhos expressivos, uma vez que, no Brasil, os investimentos em fundos ainda sejam confundidos como método de poupança.
Intraproductive Stimulation of Environmental Activity: Administrative and Legal and Economic Aspects
Authors: Кручинина Н. , Kruchinina N. , Кручинин Н. , Kruchinin N.
Published: August 2017

Effective environmental management creates prerequisites for involving all categories of enterprise personnel in the adoption and implementation of high-quality solutions for environmental protection so that the interests of the enterprise do not damage the national economy. The interest of enterprises in carrying out effective environmental protection activities can be ensured on the basis of its intra-industrial incentives. The economic aspect of the system of intra-productive incentives is the development of mechanisms and specific indicators of incentives. The administrative and legal aspect of the system of intra-industrial stimulation of nature protection activities is to consolidate the developed mechanisms in local regulatory acts.
Investigation of the Application of Human Resources Management Technologies in Telecommunication Company
Authors: Коробкина М. , Korobkina M. , Ширяева Л. , Shiryaeva L.
Published: August 2017

Among all the social concepts of the 20th and 21st centuries, one of the most important is the concept of human resource management technologies. Personnel management technologies occur as a link between the theory and practice of HR management, acting as a way to increase the efficiency of staff activities, as well as to coordinate the interests of the organization and employees. The article raises the problems of using of the technologies of personnel management in the company’s activities and the prospects for implementing human resources technologies into the practice of personnel management. The authors made a research in order to study the situation of application of various HR technologies in the activities of the federal telecommunications company. The results of this study allow us to see not only the problems that now occur in the implementation of human resource management technologies in the practice of the company, but also to find the ways to solve them and to optimize the activity of HR departments.
Social and Economic Model of Labor Effectiveness
Authors: Старкова Е. , Starkova E. , Веретехина Светлана , Veretekhina Svetlana
Published: August 2017

People and their abilities become main resources in the terms of modern post-industrial world. Due to this fact the topic of labor efficiency becomes the main direction of successful economy development. In this article the author describes the main aspects and elements of labor efficiency, explores the changes of labor economy efficiency in terms of computer science development, describes what professions will be cancelled and what competency will be useful at labor market in few years. Based on this data the author forms a model of labor efficiency increase.
Gender-Based Specifics of Intellectual Characteristics of Top Managers
Authors: Токарева Ю. , Tokareva Yu. , Коваленко Т. , Kavalenko T. , Гафурова Т. , Gafurova T.
Published: August 2017

and female managers. The study included methods traditionally used for intelligence diagnostics, and proved significant differences between general mental

capacities, intellectual and mnemic manifestations of male and female managers that eventually affected their management strategy and dynamics. Both men

and women over 50 years old were marked with the passivity of thinking and poor attention switch capability. Such persons hardly adapt to any changes of their

working practice, are not prone to change the stream of their thought, or switch from one type of activity to another. Their intellectual processes are sluggish,

Human resources practices give scientific credence for differentiation of management approaches, styles and behavioral patterns of male and female managers. It is proved that there are differences in social, psychological, and economic aspects of the management process for male and female managers. Although some gender studies are available, the question of comparison of intellectual characteristics of top managers still remains open. Such authors as T.I. Zaslavskaya, E.S. Balabanova, T.M. Dadaeva, I.A. Kovaleva and others insisted on mandatory consideration of management capabilities and skills of men and women.

The objective of our research was to identify gender-based specifics of intellectual characteristics of top managers, to determine intellectual resources of maleand the pace of work is slowed.

The emotional components of thinking and distractibility are mostly indicative to women at the age of 45 to 50 years old, which means poor commitment to the task. Perception speed and accuracy, attention distribution and concentration are indicative to male managers at the age of 40 to 45 years old which lets us make a suggestion about having an ability to work with various materials under pressure of time, to highlight the main contents, to compare symbols, numeric characters, etc. Knowing about gender-based specifics of the intelligence will ensure a psychological aspect of personnel management and promotion.
Hazards of Managing Aged Workers
Authors: Майер Е. , Mayer E.
Published: August 2017

The aging of the workforce leads to a reduction in the able-bodied population, this why serious socioeconomic problems threaten both for the Russian economy and for organizations. One of the possible solution strategies to making working life in later ages longer is to change the policy of managing workers aged 45–50. The revision of many practices in age-managing leads to awareness of the need in new format of relations between employers and age employees known as “business partnerships”, which include the formation of a continuity of generations, the preservation of institutional memory, corporate culture. This approach also contains some risks caused by the peculiarities of the older workers, and Irrational system of personnel management. A systematic and complete definition of risks will allow organizations and employees to avoid threats or create opportunities for their compensation.
The Interaction of Product-Service Systems (PSS) and Corporate Environmental Management (CEM): Can PSS Drive Today’s Fashion Industry Toward More Environmental Sustainability?
Authors: Adam Marcus , Strähle Jochen , Freise Matthias
Published: August 2017

The fashion industry is well documented for causing significant environmental impact. Product-service systems (PSS) present a promising way to solve this challenge. PSS shift the focus toward complementary service offers, which decouples customer satisfaction from material consumption and entails dematerialization. However, PSS are not ecoefficient by nature but need to be accompanied by corporate environmental management (CEM) practices. The objective of this article is to examine the potential of PSS to contribute to the environmental sustainability of today’s fashion industry by investigating if fashion firms with a positive attitude toward PSS implementation also pursue goals related to the ecological environment. For this purpose, analysis of variance (ANOVA) is conducted to analyze data of 102 fashion firms. Results reveal that the diffusion of PSS in today’s fashion industry is low and few firms consider implementing PSS. Results, furthermore, demonstrate that PSS implementation is positively related to CEM. This indicates that existing structures of CEM favor PSS implementation and unlock the ecoefficient potential of implemented PSS in the fashion industry.
Public Knowledge and Awareness of Climate Changes Among People in China
Authors: Al-Mutairi Khalid , Tang Hongqu
Published: August 2017

Measuring the public understanding, knowledge and perceptions towards recent climate change is become a growing research interest in the last two decades. The public understanding and knowledge can be measured through in-depth individual interviews, questionnaires and case studies. In the present study, the public awareness and knowledge towards climate change was measured using questionnaire which was distributed among 160 individuals in four regions of China (Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhuhai and Guangzhou). In general, the individuals showed moderate knowledge and understanding about climate change issue causes, impacts and suggested solutions. The items measuring “impacts of climate change” and “suggested solutions” were the only significant variables (P<0.05) in the different regions. Other measures did not show significant different in their scores (P<0.05). The self-reported knowledge was high among the respondents (97.5%) which indicate dependence of individuals in the four regions for traditional knowledge to obtain the recent updates and information about climate change. It is concluded that the public understanding and knowledge among individuals in China is moderate and further efforts needed to be done to improve the general knowledge and perception about climate change issue in the different media resources such as TV and newspaper.
An Experimental Investigation of the Efficiency of A Stationary Helical Solar Water Heater
Authors: Moravej Mojtaba , Soozanyar Abdolkarim
Published: August 2017

The shape and geometry of a solar collector is an important factor in solar-to-thermal energy conversion. In this paper, a new stationary solar collector called helical solar collector was designed and investigated. The performance of this collector was experimentally studied using ASHRAE standard. Experiments were performed with water as a working fluid in the outdoor condition of Ahwaz, a city in the south of Iran. The findings indicate that the average of its thermal efficiency is about 53%, and that it can be used as an efficient new water heater. The experiments show that the efficiency of the helical solar water heater increases through adding the mass flow rate.
Factors Affecting the Formation and Change of Urban-Spatial Organization in Ahar City of Iran
Authors: Ebrahimi Ahad , Asl Bagher
Published: August 2017

Ahar is name of a historical city located in northwest of Iran. The existing documents and historical writings along with some inscriptions, architectural and archeological monuments within the city and its suburbs all indicate the historic antiquity of this city. From the pre-Islamic period, little information is available about Ahar. Some sites such as the Jame mosque of Seljuk period and Sheik Shahab Aldin Ahary’s complex indicate that it was a developed city in the Islamic period. The aim of this investigation is the identification of the factors affecting on the urban evolution process in different historical periods. The spatial organization of Ahar has been developed within the Islamic period, but the hypothesis of research is the indications of pre-Islamic period are in the present-day location of it. The question of research is: what were the components affecting the formation and development of the spatial-urban organization of Ahar? This investigation is a basic research which utilizes the descriptive-analytic method based on the analysis of historical documents’ contents. The necessary information has been obtained through library and field studies. The research results show the following: the formation of Ahar dates back to the pre-Islamic period. Based on some historical documents and narratives, the location of the initial core of the city is considered to have been in the vicinity of the historical graveyard of the city; and since the reign of Islam, the city has developed around the core, yet at some periods of time in the course of history, the city has undergone locational changes and has developed toward the northern and western grounds.
Socio-Economic Change Impact After the closure of Mining Activities. A Case study of Aravalli Hills of Faridabad District, Haryana
Authors: Nathalia Deepa , Krishan Gopal , Kishore Naval
Published: August 2017

Mining activities in Aravali hills had played a vital role in industrial growth of the Haryana state but these are also responsible to affect the environment and social life of the community located nearby the area. Present study carried out through special questionnaire consisting of selective parameters such as type of houses, source of water, sanitary facilities, source of income, source of energy, asset, communication services and educational status etc. This elicited from 326 residents of surrounding villages of mining areas situated in Aravalli hills explaining the socio-economic status of the local people after the closure of mining activities for 13 years. The finding shows both positive and negative impact of closure of mining activities. The positive impacts found as reduction in environmental degradation, health and education improvement, while the negative impact observed on income stability, employment, migration etc. Taking into consideration these impacts, government and regional organizations should take possible steps to overcome this major problem of the district.
Occupational Lung Diseases: Causes, Consequences and Challenges
Authors: Bhattacharya Ritwija , Biswas Anirban , Bhattacharjee Sandip , Bhattacharjee Pritha
Published: August 2017

The systematic review synthesizes the diverse documentation of research on the burden of occupational lung disease (OLD) and its uncanny load in the modern industrial era greatly resembles iceberg phenomenon. The major OLDs include asbestosis, asthma, coal workers pneumoconiosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, hypoxia, lung cancer, metal fume fever, silicosis etc. We searched the literatures limited to English only in Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct using selective keywords and cross references in different combinations. The search criteria retrieved relevant but highly scattered information or data on the present context spanning both global and Indian perspectives. The present review is an updated understanding along with retrospective data of the last twenty years. The main objective of the present review is to identify the causes of common lung diseases in different occupational sectors and their consequences. Conventional to alternative diagnostic methods and potential biomarkers for disease identifications have been summarized taking into account that early diagnosis of the disease has some limitations. Identification of the disease with early predictive biomarker will be challenging and may leave a foot print for greater societal benefit.
Avifaunal Composition of Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, New Delhi
Authors: Singh Manoj , Kumar Krishan , Roy T. K. , Ulman Yashmita
Published: August 2017

The Jawaharlal Nehru University campus is a unique campus which habours not only the natural ridge ecosystem but also a huge avifaunal biodiversity. The survey was done for a period of three years from January 2013 to December 2016. Data was collected using line transects in different habitats all across the campus. A total of 114 bird species belonging to 19 orders and 52 families were identified during the study period, including 3 near threatened species, 2 vagrants, 3 summer visitors, 4 passage migrants, 26 winter visitors and 79 resident species. Of these, 47 species were insectivorous, 33 species were omnivorous, 14 species were carnivorous, 7 species were frugivorous, 6 species were gramnivorous, 4 species were herbivorous, 2 species were piscivorous and 1 species was nectarivorous. It was observed that the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus supported very rich and diverse avian fauna assemblages all year round due to the presence of the ridge ecosystems. Long-term conservation programmes must be adopted in order to protect the natural ecosystems and bird diversity present in the campus.
Biomass Allocation and Carbon Stock in Elm (Ulmus Wallichiana Planch) Plantation
Authors: Rather Shabir , Qaisar K.N. , Nabi Sabeena , Banyal R. , Khan P.A. , Islam M.A.
Published: August 2017

The present investigation was conducted on a 22- year old Elm plantation established at Wadura campus of SKUAST-Kashmir. Four diameter classes viz., D1 (5-10cm), D2 (10-15cm), D3 (15-20cm) and D4 (>20cm) were stratified from the plantation and 24 trees (6 from each diameter class) were randomly selected and felled in the year 2015. The growth parameters of the trees increased with increase in the diameter class. The maximum height, dbh, basal area and stem volume were 14.98m, 23.77cm, 0.044m2 and 0.400m3, respectively. Biomass per tree of all tree components viz., stem, branches, foliage and roots showed significant increase with increase in the diameter of the trees. The total biomass, carbon stock and carbon dioxide equivalent increased from lower to higher diameter classes. The highest values observed for these parameters were 475.54 kg/tree (fresh), 148.59 kg/tree and 543.82 kg/tree, respectively under D4 diameter class. The biomass allocation coefficient of branch and root (BACb and BACr) attained higher values in lower diameter classes. The maximum and minimum values of these coefficients were 0.158 and 0.085; 0.298 and 0.278, respectively under D1 and D4 diameter classes. The size of trees did not produce significant effect on the biomass allocation coefficient of foliage (BACf). The diameter of the trees produced non-significant difference in the growth efficiency (GE) of different tree components.
Climate Simulation Using RCM Data for Jamnagar District
Authors: Bhatu Hina , Rank Harji
Published: August 2017

Scarcity of water resources and pollution will be the major emerging issues in the current and next century. Climate change is also one of the threats among several other impacting on water resources. GCMs are fundamental tools for predicting future climate and RCMs are outstanding tools for studying the mechanisms of climate at scales that are not yet resolved by GCM. The meteorological data (precipitation and temperature) simulated by CGCM2.3.2 RCM for the control period (1961-2000) as well as future periods (2046-64 & 1981-2100) were analyzed for the bias corrections. It was analyzed to assess how well the important statistics (Coefficient of Variation and Mean) of the bias corrected for four grid points of RCM simulated data match those of the observations. The bias corrected RCM simulated rainfall and temperature were found increasing from 1961 to 2100 and noticed that the warming will be more due to increase in minimum temperature rather than maximum temperature.
Distinguishing the Representative Marshes in China Based on Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Chen Yongming , Lin Ping
Published: August 2017

Abstract.

A new means to distinguish the habitat spectacles of the representative marshes in China based on artificial intelligence is presented in this article. Three typical instances including Yancheng mudflat marsh, Zoige plateau marsh, and Dongzhai Harbor mangrove forest marsh were investigated. Firstly, the RGB true-color pictures of the marsh habitat spectacles were resized to the appropriate sizes and switched to gray intensity pictures. Secondly, the GIST descriptors were evaluated for encoding the marsh habitat spectacles at both a basic level and a superordinate level. Thirdly, the principal component analysis algorithm was performed to extract the principal components from the encoded features. Finally, the multi-class support vector machine (MSVM) algorithm was used to discriminate the marsh habitat spectacles using the principal components. The recognition percisions for the training and test set reached 72.5% and 70.6%, respectively. It was accounted that the proposed methods could be applied to distinguishing the representative marsh habitat spectacles in China. Keywords: Classification, GIST descriptiors, Marsh Habitat spectacle, Multi-class support vector machine, Principal component analysis.
Estimating Raindrop Kinetic Energy: Evaluation of a Low-Cost Method
Authors: Wang Jian , Watts Dexter B. , Meng Qinqian , Way Thomas R. , Zhang Qingfeng
Published: August 2017

Abstract.

The Loess Plateau of China is regarded as the most intensively eroded region in the world and soil erosion caused by raindrop impact is a common occurrence on agricultural land within this region. Therefore, understanding the influence of rainfall energy on the soil surface is needed to improve prescriptions for best management practices aimed at mitigating erosion. Disdrometers for measuring rainfall energy are presently available; however, these are relatively expensive and their use may not be justified for determining raindrop energy for predictive soil erosion models in regions where there are limited economic resources. To overcome this constraint, a device was tested for evaluating size and velocity of water drops during rainfall events. This device utilized two rotating disks combined with filter paper to obtain raindrop diameter and velocity which can then be used for determining the kinetic energy of falling raindrops. With this device, raindrop diameter was determined from the resultant raindrop stain left on the filter paper during rainfall events and velocity was calculated from the time it took a falling raindrop to travel between the pair of rotating disks. Measurements were taken for approximately 10 minutes during each of six rainfall events of different intensities over a three month period (from June to August of 2013). The smallest raindrop measured was 0.39 mm diameter and the largest was 5.92 mm diameter. The event average raindrop diameter increased with increasing event rainfall intensity. The minimum raindrop impact velocity was 1.47 m s-1, the maximum was 9.45 m s-1, and the event average terminal velocity increased as event rainfall intensity increased. Estimated raindrop kinetic energy ranged from 0.04 × 10-6 J to 4728.21 × 10-6 J, with event mean raindrop kinetic energy ranging from 40.33 x 10-6 J to 276.94 × 10-6 J. The relationship between estimated event rainfall kinetic energy and event rainfall intensity was represented by an exponential function. The disk device was also compared to an optical disdrometer. The data collected for rainfall intensity, raindrop diameter, and velocity were statistically similar between the two devices. Results from this study show that this low-cost method can be used to estimate rainfall kinetic energy in the Loess Plateau region of Northwest China. Keywords: Loess Plateau, Raindrop diameter, Raindrop velocity, Rainfall intensity.
Impact of Load and Inflation Pressure on Traffic-Induced Soil Compaction for Two Types of Flotation Tires
Authors: Mohsenimanesh Ahmad , Laguë Claude
Published: August 2017

Abstract. An Automatic Air Inflation-Deflation (AAID) control unit was evaluated on a manure tanker equipped with Alliance model 390 30.5LR32 steel belted radial-ply and Michelin 650/75R32 172A8/172B TL MEGAXBIB radial-ply flotation tires. The objective was to validate the effectiveness of the AAID control unit from an engineering perspective and its benefits for field agricultural operations. The contact patch was characterized in terms of rut depth and width, and tire contact length. Soil cone index was used as an indicator of soil compaction caused by the weight of the manure tanker. Cone index and rut depth at the centerline and edge of both the Alliance and the Michelin tires were affected by tire inflation pressure and load. As inflation pressure or load increased, the cone penetration resistance in the contact patch increased, indicating an increase in soil compaction. The adjusted tire inflation pressure for field operation using the AAID control unit reduced the rut depth at a lug imprint at the tire centerline, at a high load of 68 kN per tire, by 18.4% and 15.6% for the Michelin and Alliance tires, respectively, and by 19.1% and 12.0% at a low load of 44 kN per tire for the Michelin and Alliance tires respectively. Keywords: Automatic air inflation deflation, Cone index, Contact patch, Flotation tire, Manure tanker, Rut depth, Rut width, Soil compaction management.
Field Characterization of Field Capacity and Root Zone Available Water Capacity for Variable Rate Irrigation
Authors: Lo Tsz Him , Heeren Derek M. , Mateos Luciano , Luck Joe D. , Martin Derrel L. , Miller Keith A. , Barker J. Burdette , Shaver Tim M.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. Accurate spatial characterization of field capacity (FC) and root zone available water capacity (R) can enhance site-specific management practices—such as variable rate irrigation—to lower input costs, reduce contaminant leaching, and/or improve crop yield. Measuring the volumetric water content after wet soils drain following substantial precipitation can provide a field estimate of FC. The average FC (FCa) for the managed root zone was determined at thirty-two locations in a topographically variable field in south central Nebraska. The difference between FC and permanent wilting point estimates—computed using a pedotransfer function—yielded values for R for the observation locations. Sampling locations were too sparse for reliable interpolation across the field. Therefore, relationships between a surrogate, or predictor, variable and soil water properties were used to provide spatial distributions of FC and R for the field. Field estimates of FCa and R were more strongly correlated to elevation (correlation coefficient, r = -0.77 and -0.76, respectively) than to deep soil apparent electrical conductivity (r = -0.46 and -0.39, respectively). Comparing maps of FCa and R from gSSURGO to maps from field characterization yielded a root mean squared difference of 0.031 m3 m-3 for FCa and 34 mm for R. Sampling seven locations across the elevation range in this field produced FCa and R prediction functions that achieved 95% and 87%, respectively, of the reduction in the standard error achievable with a larger number of sampling locations. Spatial characterization of FCa and R depends on identifying a suitable predictor variable(s) based on field knowledge and available spatial data. Well-chosen variables may allow satisfactory predictions using several sampling locations that are distributed over the entire field. Ultimately, the costs and benefits of spatial characterization should be considered when evaluating site-specific water management. Keywords: Available water capacity, Electrical conductivity, Field capacity, Permanent wilting point, Spatial variability, Variable rate irrigation.