bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE ARCHETYPAL FOUNDATIONS OF VALUE CHOICE IN THE PROCESS OF ADAPTATION TO THE MODERN SOCIETY
Authors: Naplyokov Yuriy Vasilievich
Published: June 2018

This article explains an importance of archetypal foundations for the value choice in order to adapt the state (system) to the modern society (environment). To provide effectiveness of the system requires maintaining equilibrium between the system and the environment through decision-making process (DMP) that is based on balance system’s ends, ways, and means in the framework of possible permissible risk. Beliefs and values are critical for the DMP. Obsolete beliefs and values can decrease system effectiveness drastically. The main task is to produce decisions based on topical values to adapt the system to the environment and maintain national interests. An archetype can help to find a right set of values in a certain environment as a combination of the past and the future. The paradox of the notions of beliefs and values is the need of their saving and the need of their change for successful system development at the same time. They are fundamental and their complete replacement can create chaos and even destroy the system at all. Thus, values choice is a vital and psychological painful process. At first it is difficult to understand the need of their change. Second, it is problematic to find appropriate values that should facilitate successful system development in the given and future environment. To solve these problems the state authority (SA) and the civil society (CS) together should generate decisions through convergent and divergent processes of thinking. A national archetype, as a relatively stable mental structure, combines these processes together based on the experience. A proper balanced participation of the SA and the CS in the state leadership, based on required values, can make the system effective. Value choice does not mean accepting or copying values of others, it means reconsidering current values in order to remain effective and functional as a nation in the modern society. Applying of archetypal foundations can help to choice proper beliefs and values that can facilitate making decisions that will provide soft adaptation of the system to a new environment without conflicts and revolutions.
CONCEPTUAL AND VALUE-BASED ARCHETYPES OF “HAVING” AND “BEING” IN SELF-REGULATION OF ADVERTISING
Authors: Serdechna Liudmyla Vasylіvna
Published: June 2018

The publication is devoted to actual problems of theory and practice of self-regulation in the process of formation and implementation of state policy in the field of advertising, which, as part of the information space and mass culture in many countries, influences the formation of value orientations of society. The problem of conceptual bases of management and regulation of the advertising sphere, the correlation of state regulation and self-regulation continues to be relevant for many countries, including European countries. The article deals with the social aspects of self-regulation in the context of the value-semantic archetypes of “having” and “being” from the point of view of the social concept of E. Fromm. Are generalized the particular methods and forms of effective self- regulation in European states, the experience of “having” and “being”, which affect both the functioning and development of self-regulation, and the level of corporate social responsibility of the advertising business, is substantiated. It is shown that the achievement of harmonization of relations between the advertising business, society and the state requires the transformation of the priorities of advertising self-government from the protection of corporate interests to cooperation with society. Some methods and forms of effective self-regulation in European states are generalized, the experience of which can become reference points for both the European advertising community and the global advertising industry. The author substantiates the conclusion that creative possession, when the subjects of advertising self-government have an active motivation of “being”, which supplements and does not exclude the corporate interests of “having”, influences the formation of effective self-regulation in the sphere of advertising.
INSTITUTIONAL AND VALUABLE BASICS OF REFORMS IN UKRAINE: EUROPEAN CONTEXT
Authors: Valevskyi Oleksii Leonidovich
Published: June 2018

The institutional and value bases of the modernization path of development of Ukraine in the European context are analyzed. The reasons for systemic reforms are indicated. In particular, this is the technological backwardness and raw orientation of the Ukrainian economy, the need to ensure sustainable economic growth and the critical state of the social sphere. It is stated that the lack of systemic successful reforms and a vicious populist social policy for decades led to Ukraine becoming one of the poorest European countries. The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union has become an incentive for implementing the necessary reforms and institutional changes in the economy and the social sphere. The implementation of the Agreement means for Ukraine the need to enforce the legal norms of European legislation and the creation of institutional conditions that can ensure economic growth. The institutional, psychosocial and political reasons for the inhibition of reforms are analyzed. In particular, it is proved that one of the obstacles to the success of Ukrainian reforms is the phenomenon of institutional traps. Reformers offer a new system of socio-economic relations, but post-totalitarian institutions, functioning in the old values co-ordinates, do not perceive change. Therefore, the implementation of liberal doctrines leads to negative consequences. An institutional trap is a situation where destructive values and behavior patterns become stable norms of life and make any modernization strategy ineffective. The necessity of creating new macro-political and institutional bases of the state policy of reforms in Ukraine is being proved. The main directions of formation of institutional and value aspects of reform policy are indicated.
THE INFLUENCE OF ARCHETYPES ON SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS
Authors: Gavkalova Nataliia Leonidivna , Amosov Oleg Yuriyovych
Published: June 2018

The vision of social transformations, which is a component of the stage of modernization of society, is presented. It is proposed to consider the influence of archetypes on social transformations through the formation of an archetypical and institutional mechanism for regulating socio-economic relations, which is proposed to be considered as an ordered set of institutional levers, incentives and measures aimed at ensuring the effective use of archetypes on the basis of a combination of factors of the micro- and macroeconomic environment by means of public administration. The emphasis is placed on the strengthening of the role of state and supra-national regulatory archetypical-institutional entities in the design of social transformations. Based on the existing theoretical and conceptual provisions for determining the content of the process of institutionalization of archetypes, it has been determined that the mechanism of regulation of institutional transformations of the national market should be considered in three main aspects, corresponding to the economic and social nature of the inter-subjective interaction of market participants. It is noted that the system-reflexive paradigm of regulation of the development and management of transformational changes of complex open socio-economic systems is based on the definition of the active nature of the influence of archetypes, subjects, as well as the reflexive procedures of their interaction, both on the choice of directions and ways of implementation, and on the dynamics of the flow of these processes. The composition of the main provisions that determine the feasibility of using a system of reflexive paradigm in the field of regulation of socio-economic relations, includes a set of assumptions. The main provisions defining the expediency of using the system-reflexive paradigm in the sphere of regulation of socio-economic relations are determined. It is established that the main institutional conflicts are manifestations of inconsistency between archetypes and elements of institutional environment.
GNSS-Based Verticality Monitoring of Super-Tall Buildings
Authors: Zhang Xingfu , Zhang Yongyi , Li Bofeng , Qiu Guangxin
Published: June 2018

In the construction of super-tall buildings, it is rather important to control the verticality. In general, a laser plummet is used to transmit coordinates of reference points from the ground layer-by-layer, which can effectively control the verticality of super-tall buildings. However, the errors in transmission will accumulate with increasing height and motion of the buildings in construction. This paper presents a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based method to check the results of laser plumbing. The method consists of four steps: (1) Computing the coordinate time series of monitoring points by adjusting the GNSS monitoring network observations at each epoch; (2) Analyzing the horizontal motion of super-tall buildings and its effect on vertical reference transmission; (3) Calculating the deflections of the vertical at the monitoring point using an Earth gravity field model and a geoid model. With deflections of the vertical, the static GNSS-measured coordinates are aligned to the same datum as used by the laser plummet; and (4) Finally, validating/checking the result of laser plumbing by comparing it with static GNSS results corrected by deflections of the vertical. A case study of a 438-m high building is tested in Guangzhou, China. The result demonstrates that the gross errors of baseline vectors can be eliminated effectively by GNSS network adjustment of the first step. The two-dimensional displacements can be measured at millimeter-level accuracy; the difference between the coordinates of the static GNSS measurement and laser plumbing is less than ±2.0 cm after correction with the deflections of the vertical, which meets the design requirement of ±3.0 cm according to the Technical Specification for Concrete Structures of Tall Buildings in China.
Design and Parameter Study of Integrated Microfluidic Platform for CTC Isolation and Enquiry; A Numerical Approach
Authors: Shamloo Amir , Ahmad Saba , Momeni Maede
Published: June 2018

Being the second cause of mortality across the globe, there is now a persistent effort to establish new cancer medication and therapies. Any accomplishment in treating cancers entails the existence of accurate identification systems empowering the early diagnosis. Recent studies indicate CTCs’ potential in cancer prognosis as well as therapy monitoring. The chief shortcoming with CTCs is that they are exceedingly rare cells in their clinically relevant concentration. Here, we simulated a microfluidic construct devised for immunomagnetic separation of the particles of interest from the background cells. This separation unit is integrated with a mixer subunit. The mixer is envisioned for mixing the CTC enriched stream with lysis buffer to extract the biological material of the cell. Some modification was proposed on mixing geometry improving the efficacy of the functional unit. A valuation of engaged forces was made and some forces were neglected due to their order of magnitude. The position of the magnet was also optimized by doing parametric study. For the mixer unit, the effect of applied voltage and frequency on mixing index was studied to find the optimal voltage and frequency which provides better mixing. Above-mentioned studies were done on isolated units and the effect of each functional unit on the other is not studied. As the final step, an integrated microfluidic platform composed of both functional subunits was simulated simultaneously. To ensure the independence of results from the grid, grid studies were also performed. The studies carried out on the construct reveal its potential for diagnostic application.
Facile Low Temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis of BaTiO3 Nanoparticles Studied by In Situ X-ray Diffraction
Authors: Grendal Ola , Blichfeld Anders , Skjærvø Susanne , Van Beek Wouter , Selbach Sverre , Grande Tor , Einarsrud Mari-Ann
Published: June 2018

Ferroelectric materials are crucial for today’s technological society and nanostructured ferroelectric materials are important for the downscaling of devices. Controlled and reproducible synthesis of these materials are, therefore, of immense importance. Hydrothermal synthesis is a well-established synthesis route, with a large parameter space for optimization, but a better understanding of nucleation and growth mechanisms is needed for full utilization and control. Here we use in situ X-ray diffraction to follow the nucleation and growth of BaTiO3 formed by hydrothermal synthesis using two different titanium precursors, an amorphous titania precipitate slurry and a Ti-citric acid complex solution. Sequential Rietveld refinement was used to extract the time dependency of lattice parameters, crystallite size, strain, and atomic displacement parameters. Phase pure BaTiO3 nanoparticles, 10–15 nm in size, were successfully synthesized at different temperatures (100, 125, and 150 °C) from both precursors after reaction times, ranging from a few seconds to several hours. The two precursors resulted in phase pure BaTiO3 with similar final crystallite size. Finally, two different growth mechanisms were revealed, where the effect of surfactants present during hydrothermal synthesis is discussed as one of the key parameters.
Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Formation and Aggregation Process Revealed by Light Scattering Techniques
Authors: Čadež Vida , Erceg Ina , Selmani Atiđa , Domazet Jurašin Darija , Šegota Suzana , Lyons Daniel M. , Kralj Damir , Sikirić Maja Dutour
Published: June 2018

Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) attracts attention as a precursor of crystalline calcium phosphates (CaPs) formation in vitro and in vivo as well as due to its excellent biological properties. Its formation can be considered to be an aggregation process. Although aggregation of ACP is of interest for both gaining a fundamental understanding of biominerals formation and in the synthesis of novel materials, it has still not been investigated in detail. In this work, the ACP aggregation was followed by two widely applied techniques suitable for following nanoparticles aggregation in general: dynamic light scattering (DLS) and laser diffraction (LD). In addition, the ACP formation was followed by potentiometric measurements and formed precipitates were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that aggregation of ACP particles is a process which from the earliest stages simultaneously takes place at wide length scales, from nanometers to micrometers, leading to a highly polydisperse precipitation system, with polydispersity and vol. % of larger aggregates increasing with concentration. Obtained results provide insight into developing a way of regulating ACP and consequently CaP formation by controlling aggregation on the scale of interest.
Effect of Physical Education and Play Applications on School Social Behaviors of Mild-Level Intellectually Disabled Children
Authors: Yılmaz Atike , Soyer Fikret
Published: June 2018

The aim of this study was to examine the influences of physical education and play practices on the school social behavior of mild-level intellectually disabled children. The quantitative research methods used were based on the pre-test, post-test, post-test-retention control group model and the general screening model. A simple random sampling type was used when constructing the sample group. To determine school social behavior, the School Social Behavior Scale (SSBS) was used. Physical education and play lessons were applied for two hours per week for 24 weeks with the purpose of obtaining data from these scales when applied to participants. The study sample group included 20 mild-level intellectually disabled children (14 boys, 6 girls), aged seven to nine years, who were trained at the Special Education and Rehabilitation Center that serves the County of Kocaeli, in the district of Izmit, Turkey. According to the results of the SSBS, we found a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the social competence of present persons’ interpersonal relations, self-control, and academic skills, and the aggressive-nervous persons in the sub-dimensions of negative social behaviors, in favor of the test group. However, no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the antisocial-aggressive and destructive-demanding sub-dimensions was observed. We found that 24-week physical education and playing practices applied to mild-level intellectually disabled children had effects on children’s school social behavior.
The Kernel Based Multiple Instances Learning Algorithm for Object Tracking
Authors: Han Tiwen , Wang Lijia , Wen Binbin
Published: June 2018

To realize real time object tracking in complex environments, a kernel based MIL (KMIL) algorithm is proposed. The KMIL employs the Gaussian kernel function to deal with the inner product used in the weighted MIL (WMIL) algorithm. The method avoids computing the pos-likely-hood and neg-likely-hood many times, which results in a much faster tracker. To track an object with different motion, the searching areas for cropping the instances are varied according to the object’s size. Furthermore, an adaptive classifier updating strategy is presented to handle with the occlusion, pose variations and illumination changes. A similar score range is defined with respect to two given thresholds and a similar score from the second frame. Then, the learning rate will be set to be a small value when a similar score is out of the range. In contrast, a big learning rate is used. Finally, we compare its performance with that of the state-of-art algorithms on several classical videos. The experimental results show that the presented KMIL algorithm is faster and robust to the partial occlusion, pose variations and illumination changes.
A Citizen Science Approach for Collecting Toponyms
Authors: Perdana Aji Putra , Ostermann Frank O.
Published: June 2018

The emerging trends and technologies of surveying and mapping potentially enable local experts to contribute and share their local geographical knowledge of place names (toponyms). We can see the increasing numbers of toponyms in digital platforms, such as OpenStreetMap, Facebook Place Editor, Swarm Foursquare, and Google Local Guide. On the other hand, government agencies keep working to produce concise and complete gazetteers. Crowdsourced geographic information and citizen science approaches offer a new paradigm of toponym collection. This paper addresses issues in the advancing toponym practice. First, we systematically examined the current state of toponym collection and handling practice by multiple stakeholders, and we identified a recurring set of problems. Secondly, we developed a citizen science approach, based on a crowdsourcing level of participation, to collect toponyms. Thirdly, we examined the implementation in the context of an Indonesian case study. The results show that public participation in toponym collection is an approach with the potential to solve problems in toponym handling, such as limited human resources, accessibility, and completeness of toponym information. The lessons learnt include the knowledge that the success of this approach depends on the willingness of the government to advance their workflow, the degree of collaboration between stakeholders, and the presence of a communicative approach in introducing and sharing toponym guidelines with the community.
Bacteriophages as New Human Viral Pathogens
Authors: Tetz George , Tetz Victor
Published: June 2018

The pathogenesis of numerous human multifaceted devastating diseases, including a variety of neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, is associated with alterations in the gut microbiota; however, the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. Our recent human metagenome and phagobiota proteome analyses and studies in relevant animal models suggested that bacterial viruses might be implicated in the progression and maintenance of at least some pathologies, including those associated with protein misfolding. Here, for the first time, we propose the concept of bacteriophages as human pathogens. We suggest that bacterial viruses have different ways to directly and indirectly interact with eukaryotic cells and proteins, leading to human diseases. Furthermore, we suggest different causes of bacteriophages infection on the basis of the unique ways of interplay of phages, microbiota, and the human host. This concept opens a discussion of the role of bacteriophages as previously overlooked pathogenic factors and suggests that bacterial viruses have to be further explored as a diagnostic and treatment target for therapeutic intervention.
Adequacy of Some Locally Produced Complementary Foods Marketed in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Senegal
Authors: Dimaria Sara Antonio , Schwartz Hélène , Icard-Vernière Christèle , Picq Christian , Zagre Noël Marie , Mouquet-Rivier Claire
Published: June 2018

Adequate complementary foods are needed to help reduce the high prevalence of stunting in children in many Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). We assessed the availability, affordability, and nutrient adequacy of imported and locally produced processed cereal-based blends (PCBBs), marketed as complementary food for young children in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Senegal. In total, 19 local producers and 275 points of sale in the four countries were surveyed to evaluate the quantities and accessibility of PCBBs. In addition, 32 PCBBs were analysed for their nutritional composition and packaging information. The results showed that only 7 out of 32 PCBBs could be classified as nutritionally satisfactory. Access to the products was insufficient in all surveyed settings. At the points of sale, the PCBB market was dominated by imported products, even though two out of four imported PCBBs were not nutritionally satisfactory. Imported PCBBs were two to three times more expensive than locally produced PCBBs. Labelling of the PCBBs was inadequate in many aspects. Technical support should be offered to local PCBB producers to ensure the adequate formulation and supply of an appropriate vitamin and mineral premix. The development of national specific regulations on PCBB composition and labelling is strongly recommended in these countries.
Modification of Alkali Lignin with Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Diglycidyl Ether to Be Used as a Thickener in Bio-Lubricant Formulations
Authors: Cortés-Triviño Esperanza , Valencia Concepción , Delgado Miguel A. , Franco José M.
Published: June 2018

Considerable efforts are currently being made by the academic community and industry, aiming to develop environmentally friendly lubricants with suitable technical features for their performance. In this context, lignin could be considered a promising candidate to be used as a bio-sourced thickening agent to formulate eco-friendly lubricating greases. In this work, alkali lignin (AL) was chemically modified with poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE). Afterwards, the epoxidized lignin was properly dispersed in castor oil (CO) in order to obtain an oleogel for lubricant applications. The epoxidized lignins were characterized by means of epoxy index determination, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The epoxide-functionalized lignin-based oleogels were analyzed from both rheological and tribological points of view. It was found that the viscosity, consistency and viscoelastic functions of these oleogels clearly increased with the epoxy index of the epoxide-modified lignin compound. Thermo-rheological characterization of these oleogels revealed a slight thermal dependence of the viscoelastic moduli below 100 °C, but a significant softening above that critical temperature. In general, these oleogels showed low values of the friction coefficient under the mixed lubrication regime as compared to the neat castor oil.
Religion and Crime Studies: Assessing What Has Been Learned
Authors: Sumter Melvina , Wood Frank , Whitaker Ingrid , Berger-Hill Dianne
Published: June 2018

This paper provides a review of the literature that assesses the relationship between religion and crime. Research on the relationship between religion and crime indicates that certain aspects of religion reduces participation in criminal activity. A review of the literature indicates religion reduces participation in criminal activity in two broad ways. First, religion seems to operate at a micro level. Studies have pointed to how religious beliefs are associated with self-control. Second, researches have examined the social control aspects of religion. In particular, how factors such as level of participation and social support from such participation reduces criminal activity. Likewise, findings suggest that although there has been a sizable number of studies and diverse interests of researchers examining the religion/crime nexus, the research has not identified which aspects of religion have the strongest influence on crime reduction. In addition, the specific ways in which these factors are associated with crime reduction have not been comprehensively identified. Similarly, more than 40 years of empirical scholarship suggests that religion suppresses criminal behavior. Nevertheless, these findings remain controversial as the literature neither accentuates the mechanisms of religion responsible for suppressing criminal behavior, nor does the literature reject the spuriousness of the religion-crime association relative to mediating effects of self-control and social control. Finally, our review suggests that methodological constraints infringe on the capacity for sociological and criminological to accurately ascertain the validity of the religion-crime nexus, often generating mixed or inconclusive findings on the religion-crime association. Our paper concludes with recommendations for future empirical scholarship that examines the religion-crime nexus.
Assessing the Ecological Footprint of Ecotourism Packages: A Methodological Proposition
Authors: Mancini Maria Serena , Evans Mikel , Iha Katsunori , Danelutti Carla , Galli Alessandro
Published: June 2018

Tourism represents a key economic sector worldwide, constituting great leverage for local economic development but also putting noticeable environmental pressures on local natural resources. Ecotourism may be a viable alternative to mass tourism to minimize impacts on ecosystems, but it needs shared sustainability standards and monitoring tools to evaluate impacts. This paper presents a first methodological proposition to calculate the environmental impact of ecotourism packages through the use of an ad-hoc, customized version of the Ecological Footprint methodology. It follows a participatory, bottom-up approach to collecting input data for the four main services (Accommodation, Food & Drinks, Activity & Service, and Mobility & Transfer) provided to tourists through the use of surveys and stakeholders engagement. The outcome of our approach materializes in an excel-based ecotourism workbook capable of processing input data collected through surveys and returning Ecological Footprint values for specific ecotourism packages. Although applied to ecotourism in Mediterranean Protected Areas within the context of the DestiMED project, we believe that the methodology and approach presented here can constitute a blueprint and a benchmark for future studies dealing with the impact of ecotourism packages.
The Use of Massive Deformation Datasets for the Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Mauna Loa Volcano (Hawai’i)
Authors: Pepe Susi , D’Auria Luca , Castaldo Raffaele , Casu Francesco , De Luca Claudio , De Novellis Vincenzo , Sansosti Eugenio , Solaro Giuseppe , Tizzani Pietro
Published: June 2018

In this work, we exploited large DInSAR and GPS datasets to create a 4D image of the magma transfer processes at Mauna Loa Volcano (Island of Hawai’i) from 2005 to 2015. The datasets consist of 23 continuous GPS time series and 307 SAR images acquired from ascending and descending orbits by ENVISAT (ENV) and COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) satellites. Our results highlight how the joint use of SAR data acquired from different orbits (thus with different look angles and wavelengths), together with deformation data from GPS networks and geological information can significantly improve the constraints on the geometry and location of the sources responsible for the observed deformation. The analysis of these datasets has been performed by using an innovative method that allows building a complex source configuration. The results suggest that the deformation pattern observed from 2005 to 2015 has been controlled by three deformation sources: the ascent of magma along a conduit, the opening of a dike and the slip along the basal decollement. This confirms that the intrusion of the magma within a tabular system (rift dikes) may trigger the sliding of the SE portion of the volcanic edifice along the basal decollement. This case study confirms that it is now possible to exploit large geodetic datasets to improve our knowledge of volcano dynamics. The same approach could also be easily applied in other geodynamical contexts such as geothermal reservoirs and regions with complex tectonics.
Geographical Dynamics of Poverty in Nepal between 2005 and 2011: Where and How?
Authors: Zhang Jifei , Liu Chunyan , Hutton Craig , Koirala Hriday
Published: June 2018

Poverty eradication is currently a central issue within the national economic development strategy in developing countries. Understanding the spatial changes and possible drivers of poverty from different geographical perspectives has the potential to provide a policy-relevant understanding of the trends in poverty. By district-level data, poverty incidence (PI), and a statistical analysis of the period from 2005 to 2011 in Nepal, we used the location quotient (LQ), as well as the Lorenz curve, to inspect the poverty concentration and the spatial-temporal variation of poverty in Nepal. As such, this study analyzed the change in identified typologies of poverty using an approach, which accounts for inter-regional and three identified terrain components. The PI methodological approach was applied in order to (i) compare the spatial change in poverty for Nepal during the study period from a geographical-administrative perspective and (ii) to develop Lorenze curves which show the change of poverty concentration over the study period. Within the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) approach, PI was further used, in combination with the indices of poverty gap (PG) and squared poverty gap (SPG), in order to highlight the unidimensional poverty (UP), that is the incidence, depth, and severity of poverty between 2005 and 2011. Simultaneously, the spatial relationship between UP and economic development was assessed, leading to five specific economic modes or typologies of poverty. Our findings identified that proportional poverty appears to have grown in mountainous areas as well as more urbanized and developed regions, while the mid hill regions have steadily reduced proportions of poverty. We propose a hypothesis, for further examination, which suggests that the increase in proportional poverty in the mountain regions is as a result of the migration to the urban areas of Nepal of the relatively less poor, leaving behind a trapped poorer population. This migration to urban areas of the relatively less poor, rather counterintuitively, produced an increase in proportional poverty in the urban areas. This is due to the fact that while this population represents the wealthier mountain communities, they are still relatively poor in an urban setting.
Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Value Creation from a Stakeholder Perspective
Authors: Fernández-Guadaño Josefina , Sarria-Pedroza Jesús H.
Published: June 2018

In recent years, we have witnessed how companies and institutions have devoted significant effort to developing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies, basing their decision on the improvement in company results and the subsequent benefits for shareholders and other stakeholders. CSR means that managers must go beyond the mere satisfaction of the shareholders and take steps to establish balanced relations with all their stakeholders. The principles behind the CSR approach empower stakeholder governance. To test whether CSR policy constitutes a factor in value creation for shareholders and certain stakeholders such as employees, creditors and the State, we conducted an explanatory study, using a Correlated Random Effects approach, which compares the socially responsible companies included in the Spanish sustainability index, FTSE4Good Ibex, with the companies listed on the other indices of the IBEX family. On the one hand, the data show that sustainability reporting is well established in large companies in Spain but that it needs to be introduced more extensively in small and medium-sized enterprises. On the other hand, the findings point out that CSR has a positive and significant influence on the distribution of value in favor of the State, a negative influence for employees and no influence on other stakeholders.
Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Bovine Mastitis in Eight Countries: Genotypes, Detection of Genes Encoding Different Toxins and Other Virulence Genes
Authors: Monistero Valentina , Graber Hans Ulrich , Pollera Claudia , Cremonesi Paola , Castiglioni Bianca , Bottini Enriqueta , Ceballos-Marquez Alejandro , Lasso-Rojas Laura , Kroemker Volker , Wente Nicole , Petzer Inge-Marie , Santisteban Carlos , Runyan Jeff , Veiga dos Santos Marcos , Alves Bruna Gomes , Piccinini Renata , Bronzo Valerio , Abbassi Mohamed Salah , Said Meriam Ben , Moroni Paolo
Published: June 2018

Staphylococcus aureus is recognized worldwide as one of the major agents of dairy cow intra-mammary infections. This microorganism can express a wide spectrum of pathogenic factors used to attach, colonize, invade and infect the host. The present study evaluated 120 isolates from eight different countries that were genotyped by RS-PCR and investigated for 26 different virulence factors to increase the knowledge on the circulating genetic lineages among the cow population with mastitis. New genotypes were observed for South African strains while for all the other countries new variants of existing genotypes were detected. For each country, a specific genotypic pattern was found. Among the virulence factors, fmtB, cna, clfA and leucocidins genes were the most frequent. The sea and sei genes were present in seven out of eight countries; seh showed high frequency in South American countries (Brazil, Colombia, Argentina), while sel was harboured especially in one Mediterranean country (Tunisia). The etb, seb and see genes were not detected in any of the isolates, while only two isolates were MRSA (Germany and Italy) confirming the low diffusion of methicillin resistance microorganism among bovine mastitis isolates. This work demonstrated the wide variety of S. aureus genotypes found in dairy cattle worldwide. This condition suggests that considering the region of interest might help to formulate strategies for reducing the infection spreading.
The Assessment of Green Water Based on the SWAT Model: A Case Study in the Hai River Basin, China
Authors: Zhu Kui , Xie Zibo , Zhao Yong , Lu Fan , Song Xinyi , Li Lu , Song Xiaomeng
Published: June 2018

Green water accounts for two-thirds of precipitation, and the proportion could be even higher in dry years. Conflicts between water supply and demand have gradually become severe in the Hai River Basin (HRB) due to the socio-economic development. Thus, the exploitation and the utilization of green water have attracted increasing attention. By gathering the related hydrological, meteorological, and geographic data, the spatiotemporal distribution of green water in HRB and the impacts of land use types on green water are analyzed based on the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model in this study. Furthermore, three new indices are proposed for evaluation, including the maximum possible storage of green water (MSGW), the consumed green water (CGW), and the utilizable green water (UGW). The results show that (1) the MSGW is relatively low in plain areas and its spatial distribution is significantly associated with the soil type; (2) according to the evaluation results of CGW and UGW in HRB, a further improvement of utilization efficiency of green water could be achieved; (3) in general, the utilization efficiency of precipitation in farmlands is higher than other land use types, which means that the planting of appropriate plants could be helpful to enhance the utilization efficiency of green water. Our results summarize the spatiotemporal distribution of green water resource and provide a reference for water resources management in other water-short agricultural areas.
Modeling the Spatial and Seasonal Variations of Groundwater Head in an Urbanized Area under Low Impact Development
Authors: Zheng Yu , Chen Sidian , Qin Huapeng , Jiao Jiu Jimmy
Published: June 2018

Increasing impervious land cover has great impacts on groundwater regimes in urbanized areas. Low impact development (LID) is generally regarded as a sustainable solution for groundwater conservation. However, the effects of LID on the spatial-temporal distribution of groundwater are not yet fully understood. In this case study, a coupled Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and Finite Element Subsurface FLOW system (FEFLOW) model was used to simulate surface and groundwater flow in an urbanized area in Shenzhen, China. After verification, the model was used to analyze the spatial-seasonal variations of groundwater head and hydrological processes under different LID scenarios. The results indicate that if the runoff from 7.5% and 15% of impervious area is treated by LID facilities, the annual surface runoff decreases by 5% and 9%, respectively, and the spatial average groundwater head relative to sea level pressure increases by 0.9 m and 1.7 m in the study area, respectively. The rise in groundwater head generally decreases from the recharge zones to the discharge zones surrounded by the streams and coastal waters. However, the groundwater head change is determined not only by the location in the catchment, but also by the hydraulic conductivity of underlying aquifer and LID infiltration intensity. Moreover, LID significantly enhances groundwater recharge and aquifer storage in the wet seasons; in turn it increases aquifer release and groundwater discharge in the dry seasons. However, LID has the potential to increase the risk of groundwater flooding during wet seasons in areas with poor aquifer drainage capacity and shallow groundwater depth. The findings from this study provide the basis for further assessing the benefit and risk of LID infiltration for groundwater supplementation in the urbanized areas.
Recent advances in phosphorescent platinum complexes for organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Cebrián Cristina , Mauro Matteo
Published: June 2018

Phosphorescent organometallic compounds based on heavy transition metal complexes (TMCs) are an appealing research topic of enormous current interest. Amongst all different fields in which they found valuable application, development of emitting materials based on TMCs have become crucial for electroluminescent devices such as phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs) and light-emitting electrochemical cells (LEECs). This interest is driven by the fact that luminescent TMCs with long-lived excited state lifetimes are able to efficiently harvest both singlet and triplet electro-generated excitons, thus opening the possibility to achieve theoretically 100% internal quantum efficiency in such devices. In the recent past, various classes of compounds have been reported, possessing a beautiful structural variety that allowed to nicely obtain efficient photo- and electroluminescence with high colour purity in the red, green and blue (RGB) portions of the visible spectrum. In addition, achievement of efficient emission beyond such range towards ultraviolet (UV) and near infrared (NIR) regions was also challenged. By employing TMCs as triplet emitters in OLEDs, remarkably high device performances were demonstrated, with square planar platinum(II) complexes bearing π-conjugated chromophoric ligands playing a key role in such respect. In this contribution, the most recent and promising trends in the field of phosphorescent platinum complexes will be reviewed and discussed. In particular, the importance of proper molecular design that underpins the successful achievement of improved photophysical features and enhanced device performances will be highlighted. Special emphasis will be devoted to those recent systems that have been employed as triplet emitters in efficient PhOLEDs.
MESSENGER Observations of Rapid and Impulsive Magnetic Reconnection in Mercury's Magnetotail
Authors: Zhong J. , Wei Y. , Pu Z. Y. , Wang X. G. , Wan W. X. , Slavin J. A. , Cao X. , Raines J. M. , Zhang H. , Xiao C. J. , Du A. M. , Wang R. S. , Dewey R. M. , Chai L. H. , Rong Z. J. , Li Y.
Published: June 2018

The nature of magnetic reconnection in planetary magnetospheres may differ between various planets. We report the first observations of a rapidly evolving magnetic reconnection process in Mercury’s magnetotail by the MESSENGER spacecraft. The reconnection process was initialized in the plasma sheet and then evolved into the lobe region during a ∼35 s period. The tailward reconnection fronts of primary and secondary flux ropes with clear Hall signatures and energetic electron bursts were observed. The reconnection timescale of a few seconds is substantially shorter than that of terrestrial magnetospheric plasmas. The normalized reconnection rate during a brief quasi-steady period is estimated to be ∼0.2 on average. The observations show the rapid and impulsive nature of the exceedingly driven reconnection in Mercury’s magnetospheric plasma that may be responsible for the much more dynamic magnetosphere of Mercury.
A Persistent Disk Wind in GRS 1915+105 with NICER
Authors: Neilsen J. , Cackett E. , Remillard R. A. , Homan J. , Steiner J. F. , Gendreau K. , Arzoumanian Z. , Prigozhin G. , LaMarr B. , Doty J. , Eikenberry S. , Tombesi F. , Ludlam R. , Kara E. , Altamirano D. , Fabian A. C.
Published: June 2018

The bright, erratic black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 has long been a target for studies of disk instabilities, radio/infrared jets, and accretion disk winds, with implications that often apply to sources that do not exhibit its exotic X-ray variability. With the launch of the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), we have a new opportunity to study the disk wind in GRS 1915+105 and its variability on short and long timescales. Here we present our analysis of 39 NICER observations of GRS 1915+105 collected during five months of the mission data validation and verification phase, focusing on Fe xxv and Fe xxvi absorption. We report the detection of strong Fe xxvi in 32 (>80%) of these observations, with another four marginal detections; Fe xxv is less common, but both likely arise in the well-known disk wind. We explore how the properties of this wind depend on broad characteristics of the X-ray lightcurve: mean count rate, hardness ratio, and fractional rms variability. The trends with count rate and rms are consistent with an average wind column density that is fairly steady between observations but varies rapidly with the source on timescales of seconds. The line dependence on spectral hardness echoes the known behavior of disk winds in outbursts of Galactic black holes; these results clearly indicate that NICER is a powerful tool for studying black hole winds.
Stellar and Molecular Gas Rotation in a Recently Quenched Massive Galaxy at z ∼ 0.7
Authors: Hunt Qiana , Bezanson Rachel , Greene Jenny E. , Spilker Justin S. , Suess Katherine A. , Kriek Mariska , Narayanan Desika , Feldmann Robert , van der Wel Arjen , Pattarakijwanich Petchara
Published: June 2018

The process by which massive galaxies transition from blue, star-forming disks into red, quiescent galaxies remains one of the most poorly understood aspects of galaxy evolution. In this investigation, we attempt to gain a better understanding of how star formation is quenched by focusing on a massive post-starburst galaxy at z = 0.747. The target has a high stellar mass and a molecular gas fraction of 30%—unusually high for its low star formation rate (SFR). We look for indicators of star formation suppression mechanisms in the stellar kinematics and age distribution of the galaxy obtained from spatially resolved Gemini Integral-field spectra and in the gas kinematics obtained from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We find evidence of significant rotation in the stars, but we do not detect a stellar age gradient within 5 kpc. The molecular gas is aligned with the stellar component, and we see no evidence of strong gas outflows. Our target may represent the product of a merger-induced starburst or of morphological quenching; however, our results are not completely consistent with any of the prominent quenching models.
One-Muscle Strabismus Surgery: A Review
Authors: Gurland Jake , Vagge Aldo , Nelson Leonard B.
Published: June 2018

Proper management of a patient with small to moderate horizontal deviations continues to be challenging for the strabismus surgeon. The use of one-muscle surgery for comitant strabismus has been controversial because of concerns that it may result in a significant number of undercorrections and/or ocular incomitance. Recent literature on unilateral rectus muscle surgery has shown that this surgery is a safe and effective procedure for small and moderate angle horizontal deviations. It has the advantage of limiting surgery to one eye, reducing operative time and possible cost to the family, and leaving other muscles untouched in case repeat surgery is necessary. Larger studies need to be done in the future; however, this surgery should be considered as a primary approach in the treatment of small to moderate angle esotropia.

[
J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus
. 2018;55(5):288-292.]