bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microorganisms associated with the spoilage of avocado pear, Persea Americana fruits
Authors: Wogu MD
Published: July 2014

The microorganisms associated with the spoilage of Avocado pear, Persea americana fruits, purchased fresh from various markets in Benin City were investigated. The pour plate method was used for the isolation. A total of nine species of microorganisms were isolated and identified in this study. They comprise of seven bacterial and three fungal species. The seven bacterial species were: Bacillus, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Acinetobacter, Klebsiella, Aeromonas and Micrococcus sp. Enterobacter sp., Bacillus sp. and Micrococcus sp. occurred in samples obtained from all the markets (Uselu, New Benin, Oliha, and Oba). Citrobacter sp. was isolated only from samples obtained from New Benin, Oliha, and Oba Markets. Klebsiella sp. was isolated from Uselu and Oba markets, while Acinetobacter sp. was isolated only from Oliha market. The three fungi isolates were: Mucor sp., Saccharomyces sp. and Geotrichum sp. whereas Geotrichum sp. and Saccharomyces sp. occurred in samples obtained from all the four markets surveyed. Mucor sp. was present only in samples bought from New Benin and Uselu markets. The bacterial counts range was 5.2 to 6.7 x 104cfu/g, while the fungal count range was 2.6-3.6x104cfu/g. Proper handling methods of Avogado fruits to ensure food safety are discussed.
Information and Communication Technology as an effective tool in employment generation in the educational communication technology sector
Authors: Okechukwu EC , Chogozie-Okwum CC
Published: July 2014

Information and communication technology is one of the fastest growing fields of human endeavours. ICTs sector is so robust and versatile that almost nothing can get done in this present time and age without  integrating information and communication technology. It has been observed that ICTs have been successfully integrated in the fields of medicine, engineering, visual, theatre, and applied arts, music, finance, sales and marketing and educational technology, just to mention but a few. One benefit of information and communication technology is its ability to get tasks that hitherto would have taken more time to be completed, done in shortest available run-time. This reduced through-put increases efficiency, consequently saves man-power and conserves funds. Against this backdrop, it is seen that ICT contributes to economic growth by  conserving resources. This paper examines concepts of information and communication technology, and the concepts of educational technology. It also looks at how ICTs are used in the educational technology sector, ICTs as a vehicle for economic growth and finally ICTs as a tool for employment generation in the educational technology sector.
The role of rainfall variability in reservoir storage management at Shiroro hydropower dam, Nigeria
Authors: Suleiman YM , Ifabiyi IP
Published: July 2014

Reservoir operation and management is usually patterned after the background of long standing water resources management experience. Reservoir management for optimum power production at any hydropower station requires constant assessment of the quantity of available water. The hydrographic responses of flow monitoring and statistical analysis of instrumental hydro-met records, especially rainfall and stream flow provide the necessary springboard for soundoperational decisions. Statistical analysis of hydrometeorological data (rainfall, inflow, reservoir storage and turbine release) at Shiroro dam was carried out with the aim of detecting spatio - temporal trends. Correlation and regression analysis were used to develop models for the variables. The correlation of between 0.120 and 0.774 revealed favourable relationships between the variables. This has invariably affected reservoir storage at the dam as excess water is released from the dam to sustain power generation over the years. It is  recommended that dam operators optimize the release of water from  Shiroro dam and ensure continuous monitoring of changes in  hydrometeorological variables to provide early warning systems for  effective performance of the dam and to protect downstream environment. Key words: Rainfall Variability, Reservoir Management, Environment, Dam, Storage
Infertility treatments and counselling in the context of patriarchy among Ijebu, south western Nigeria
Authors: Aluko-Arowolo SO
Published: July 2014

Infertility, as a social and cultural problem affecting individuals and  families, makes People Living with Infertility (PLWI) to seek solution through different pathways, but with little or no information on patriarchal barrier(s) militating against counselling in the course of treatment. The study, therefore, investigated infertility treatments and counselling in the context of patriarchy among Ijebu, south western Nigeria. The study  utilized Ecology Model as theoretical guide and cross-sectional survey design was adopted for data gathering. Two local government areas were purposively selected: Ijebu North and Ijebu-Ode LGAs. Infertile females were purposively selected in the churches and other care centres.  Questionnaires were administered on snowball basis. Eight in-depth  interviews (IDIs) were conducted for two medical doctors, two Traditional  Birth Attendants (TBAs), two opinion leaders and two clergy. Quantitative  data were analysed with simple percentage. Content analysis was used for qualitative data. Assisted reproductive technologies - ARTs were not  acceptable. 62% agreed that government should intensify legislation,  health education; legal and medical counselling centres that would provide level playing ground for PLWI. PLWI to have easy access to the  treatments, social and financial costs should be de-emphasized and the need for counselling should be emphasized in case of ARTKey words: Patriarchy, Infertility, Health-seeking behaviour, Counselling, Gender inequality.
Modelling of web-based virtual university administration for Nigerian universities
Authors: Mbam BCE , Odachi GN
Published: July 2014

This research work focused on development of a model of web based virtual University Administration for Nigerian universities. This is necessary as there is still a noticeable administrative constraint in our Universities, the establishment of many University Web portals notwithstanding. More efforts are therefore needed to enhance or improve on the software that drives these portals to make them more efficient and render real time services. The model enables members of academic community to set up curriculum, register students and staff, enter exam scores, post news, view results, pay school fees, request for transcripts, obtain vital information from the university and update information on daily basis. The model has a watch-dog monitor called Web Patrol that monitors and keeps a log of the transactions by students and staff. The methodologies adopted for this work are top-down, prototyping and Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM). This research work helps in bringing university administrative products and services to the door steps of people, thereby reducing administrative bottleneck witnessed in our universities today. It generates results and transcripts, thereby solving the current problems of delay in result and transcript processing and transfer in our universities.
ICT enabled education and ICT driven e-learning strategies: Benefits and setbacks in Nigeria education system
Authors: Oduma CA , Ile CM
Published: July 2014

Education is perceived here as schooling as well as the processes involved in gaining new knowledge, skills and attitude for the positive development of the beneficiary and that of the society. The use of technology that enables communication and the electronic capture, processing and transmission of information in education is an innovation that many nations across the globe struggle to achieve. This paper centres on ICT enabled education and ICT driven e-learning strategies: benefits and setbacks in Nigeria education system. It is in fact among the academic struggle to bring to the lime-light, the knowledge of ICT to scholars especially in the domain of education. The paper captured interesting discussion on the concept of information and communication technology including the various approaches in ICT enabled education. To further extend the knowledge of the audience, ICT driven teaching and learning strategies and the benefits of ICT applications in education were also covered. Specifically, ICT benefits to students and parents as well as setbacks of ICT use in education were explicitly highlighted. The paper concludes that the use of ICT in education is gradually taking shape in some tertiary institutions in Nigeria. On the other hand, ICT use is sparingly observed in the secondary and primary schools. The paper recommends amongst other measures that the federal republic of Nigeria should come up with strong policy on ICT use in the education system.
Comparison of Exothermic Release during the Polymerization of Four Materials used to fabricate Provisional Restorations
Authors: Raju Minu
Published: July 2014

Background and objectives

This in vitro study compared and determined the temperature increase in the pulp chamber of permanent maxillary first premolar teeth placed in contact with different resins used for the fabrication of provisional resto- rations.

Materials and methods

Polymethyl methacrylate (DPI), poly- ethyl methacrylate (SNAP), polyvinylethyl methacrylate (TRIM), bis-acrylic composite (Protemp II) were compared with respect to their exothermic properties during polymerization. Eighty freshly extracted maxillary first premolars were prepared for complete coverage restoration were placed in an acrylic resin block. A thermal probe connected to a digital thermometer was placed into the pulp chamber. Specimens were submerged in a water bath to simulate intraoral conditions. The provisional materials were manipulated according to manufacturer's instructions. The resin mix was placed into template and was then positioned on the prepared tooth. The temperature was recorded during the polymerization at 30-second intervals until it was evident that the peak temperature had been reached.

  After complete polymerization, the template was removed from the tooth and the provisional crown was retrieved. Data was analyzed with one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni multiple comparisons test.

Results

Mean temperature increase for the provisional crown fabrication ranged from 38.78°C, 37.79°C, 37.71°C and 35.88°C for polymethyl methacrylate, polyethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl- ethyl methacrylate and bis-acrylic composite respectively.

  Polymethyl methacrylate, polyethyl methacrylate and bisacrylic composite were highly significant.

Interpretation and conclusion

All the materials used were in the safer limit. Hence, by comparing all the four material, Bis-acrylic composite showed least temperature rise in pulp chamber.

How to cite this article

Raju M. Comparison of Exothermic Release during the Polymerization of Four Materials used to fabricate Provisional Restorations. Int J Prosthodont Restor Dent 2014;4(1):1-5.
Esthetic Rehabilitation of Teeth with Dental Fluorosis
Authors: Nair Radhakrishnan , Das Anoop N
Published: July 2014

High intake of fluoride causes developmental disturbances of tooth enamel leading to dental fluorosis. It produces mottling of enamel and its occurance depends upon the quantity of fluoride ingested and the stage of tooth development. Esthetic management of mottled teeth is planned according to the severity of discoloration and the extent of surface aberrations. A combination of different techniques makes the teeth lighter in shade with a smoother surface. This case report describes the management of fluorosed teeth which is discolored and pitted on the surface by minimally invasive procedures.

How to cite this article

Nair R, Das AN, Kuriakose MC, Praveena G. Esthetic Rehabilitation of Teeth with Dental Fluorosis. Int J Prosthodont Restor Dent 2014;4(1):11-13.
A Pragmatic Approach to Full Mouth Rehabilitation
Authors: Jagtap Amit Krishnarao , Chaudhari Pradeep Dinkar , Bhandari Jitendra Anil
Published: July 2014

Restoring the edentulous patient with an esthetic and functional restoration may present numerous challenges to the clinician. The patient's occlusal vertical dimension, centric relation, esthetics and phonetics need to be determined and maintained throughout the restorative process. This clinical report describes the fabrication of implant supported fixed prosthesis in the mandibular posterior region, a tooth supported fixed prosthesis in the mandibular anterior region and a tooth supported maxillary overdenture with a low profile attachment. A step by step approach to provide an esthetic result is described.

How to cite this article

Jagtap AK, Chaudhari PD, Bhandari JA. A Pragmatic Approach to Full Mouth Rehabilitation. Int J Prosthodont Restor Dent 2014;4(1):14-19.
Localizing Fulbe Architecture
Authors: DeLancey Mark Dike
Published: July 2014

Fulbe architecture of the Adamawa Region, Cameroon, and the Fouta Djallon region, Guinea, bear many formal similarities. Fulbe in Cameroon often point to architectural form as a marker of ethnic identity. Scholars have also perceived ethnicity, as well as Islam, as central to analyzing Fulbe architecture, drawing upon a now-outdated understanding of pulaaku, or Fulbeness. Instead, the Fulbe should more appropriately be perceived, especially in the realm of permanent architecture, as extraordinarily adaptive. The focus on ethnicity and Islamic faith has in fact blinded scholars to the much stronger connections that can be drawn with local architectural traditions, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.
Negotiating Islamic Revival: Public Religiosity in Nouakchott City
Authors: Moustapha Elemine Ould Mohamed Baba
Published: July 2014

As waves of Islamism have given rise to new signs of public religiosity in Nouakchott over the last decades, it becomes relevant to wonder how a long-established Islamic tradition of Moorish society negotiates these recent Islamic currents and to study their impact on the traditional links between warriors and scholars. The main goal of this article is to characterize a specific attitude toward Islamism in Mauritania.
Developing Materials for a Digital Library Gallery
Authors: Foley Catherine
Published: July 2014

This essay explores how scholars working on “Pluralism and Adaptation in the Islamic Practice of Senegal and Ghana,” a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Collaborative Research project, partnered with a digital humanities center to create freely available online digital collections to enhance research, teaching, and learning about West African Islam. By looking closely at the development of one of these online galleries, Professor David Robinson’s “Failed Islamic States in the Senegambia,” we examine how materials are prepared for this type of web presentation. Specifically, the essay reviews the efforts of subject experts in describing and cataloging multimedia collections so that users understand the context in which the primary source materials were created, as well as the overarching purpose of the digital collections. We also describe the technology and standards used for storing, retrieving, and displaying interviews, documents, and images in this collection. In short, this essay provides insight into the processes and challenges by which we transform field and archival research data into contextualized web resources useful for learning about and researching Africa and Islam.
Islamic Africa: A Select, Annotated Webography
Authors: Limb Peter
Published: July 2014

In this brief essay and webography, I indicate ways to pursue the themes of Islamic Africa on the Web. Digital and online libraries about Islam and West Africa, and more broadly about the history and culture of predominantly Islamic parts of Africa, have been steadily growing in the last few years. To assist readers of Islamic Africa to appreciate the span of these rapidly expanding resources and their depth and usefulness, and hopefully to make use of them in learning or researching Islam in Africa, I present this select survey of digital resources.
Impacts of the East Asian summer monsoon on interannual variations of summertime surface-layer ozone concentrations over China
Authors: Yang Y. , Liao H. , Li J.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. We apply a global three-dimensional Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) driven by the NASA/GEOS-4 assimilated meteorological fields to quantify the impacts of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) on interannual variations of June-July-August (JJA) surface-layer O3 concentrations over China. With anthropogenic emissions fixed at year 2005 levels, the model simulation for years 1986–2006 shows that the changes in meteorological parameters alone lead to interannual variations in JJA surface-layer O3 concentrations by 2–5% over central eastern China, 1–3% in northwestern China, and 5–10% over the Tibetan Plateau as well as the border and coastal areas of southern China, as the interannual variations are relative to the average O3 concentrations over the 21 yr period. Over the years 1986–2006, the O3 concentration averaged over all of China is found to correlate positively with the EASM index with a large correlation coefficient of +0.75, indicating that JJA O3 concentrations are lower (or higher) in weaker (or stronger) EASM years. Relative to JJA surface-layer O3 concentrations in the strongest EASM years (1990, 1994, 1997, 2002, and 2006), O3 levels in the weakest EASM years (1988, 1989, 1996, 1998, and 2003) are lower over almost all of China with a national mean lower O3 concentration by 2.0 ppbv (parts per billion by volume; or 4%). Regionally, the largest percentage differences in O3 concentration between the weakest and strongest EASM years are found to exceed 6% in northeastern China, southwestern China, and over the Tibetan Plateau. Sensitivity studies show that the difference in transboundary transport of O3 is the most dominant factor that leads to lower-O3 concentrations in the weakest EASM years than in the strongest EASM years, which, together with the enhanced vertical convections in the weakest EASM years, explain about 80% of the differences in surface-layer O3 concentrations between the weakest and strongest EASM years. We also find that the impacts the EASM strength on JJA surface-layer O3 can be particularly strong (comparable in magnitude to the impacts on O3 by changes in anthropogenic emissions over years 1986–2006) for certain years. The largest increases in O3 by anthropogenic emissions are simulated over southeastern China, whereas the largest impacts of the EASM on O3 are found over central and western China.
Deriving an atmospheric budget of total organic bromine using airborne in situ measurements from the western Pacific area during SHIVA
Authors: Sala S. , Bönisch H. , Keber T. , Oram D. E. , Mills G. , Engel A.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. During the recent SHIVA (Stratospheric Ozone: Halogen Impacts in a Varying Atmosphere) project an extensive data set of all halogen species relevant for the atmospheric budget of total organic bromine was collected in the western Pacific region using the Falcon aircraft operated by the German Aerospace agency DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) covering a vertical range from the planetary boundary layer up to the ceiling altitude of the aircraft of 13 km. In total, more than 700 measurements were performed with the newly developed fully automated in situ instrument GHOST-MS (Gas chromatograph for the Observation of Tracers – coupled with a Mass Spectrometer) by the Goethe University of Frankfurt (GUF) and with the onboard whole-air sampler WASP with subsequent ground-based state-of-the-art GC / MS analysis by the University of East Anglia (UEA). Both instruments yield good agreement for all major (CHBr3 and CH2Br2) and minor (CH2BrCl, CHBrCl2 and CHBr2Cl) VSLS (very short-lived substances), at least at the level of their 2σ measurement uncertainties. In contrast to the suggestion that the western Pacific could be a region of strongly increased atmospheric VSLS abundance (Pyle et al., 2011), we found only in the upper troposphere a slightly enhanced amount of total organic bromine from VSLS relative to the levels reported in Montzka and Reimann et al. (2011) for other tropical regions. From the SHIVA observations in the upper troposphere, a budget for total organic bromine, including four halons (H-1301, H-1211, H-1202, H-2402), CH3Br and the VSLS, is derived for the level of zero radiative heating (LZRH), the input region for the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and thus also for the stratosphere. With the exception of the two minor VSLS CHBrCl2 and CHBr2Cl, excellent agreement with the values reported in Montzka and Reimann et al. (2011) is found, while being slightly higher than previous studies from our group based on balloon-borne measurements.
Factors controlling pollutant plume length downwind of major roadways in nocturnal surface inversions
Authors: Choi W. , Winer A. M. , Paulson S. E.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. A fitting method using a semi-empirical Gaussian dispersion model solution was successfully applied to obtain both dispersion coefficients and a particle number emission factor (PNEF) directly from ultrafine particle (UFP; particles smaller than <0.1 μm in diameter) concentration profiles observed downwind of major roadways in California's South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB). The effective Briggs' formulation for the vertical dispersion parameter σz was adopted in this study due to its better performance in describing the observed profiles compared to other formulations examined. The two dispersion coefficients in Briggs' formulation, α and β, ranged from 0.02 to 0.07 and from −0.5 × 10−3 to 2.8 × 10−3, respectively, for the four freeway transects studied and are significantly different for freeways passing over vs. under the street on which measurements of the freeway plume were made. These ranges are wider than literature values for α and β under stable conditions. The dispersion coefficients derived from observations showed strong correlations with both surface meteorology (wind speed/direction, temperature, and air stability) and differences in concentrations between the background and plume peak. The relationships were applied to predict freeway plume transport using a multivariate regression, and produced excellent agreement with observed UFP concentration profiles. The mean PNEF for a mixed vehicle fleet on the four freeways was estimated as 7.5 × 1013 particles km−1 vehicle−1, which is about 15% of the value estimated in 2001 for the I-405 freeway, implying significant reductions in UFP emissions over the past decade in the SoCAB.
Atmospheric photochemistry of aromatic hydrocarbons: OH budgets during SAPHIR chamber experiments
Authors: Nehr S. , Bohn B. , Dorn H.-P. , Fuchs H. , Häseler R. , Hofzumahaus A. , Li X. , Rohrer F. , Tillmann R. , Wahner A.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. Current photochemical models developed to simulate the atmospheric degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons tend to underestimate OH radical concentrations. In order to analyse OH budgets, we performed experiments with benzene, toluene, p-xylene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene in the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR. Experiments were conducted under low-NO conditions (typically 0.1–0.2 ppb) and high-NO conditions (typically 7–8 ppb), and starting concentrations of 6–250 ppb of aromatics, dependent on OH rate constants. For the OH budget analysis a steady-state approach was applied in which OH production and destruction rates (POH and DOH) have to be equal. The POH were determined from measurements of HO2, NO, HONO, and O3 concentrations, considering OH formation by photolysis and recycling from HO2. The DOH were calculated from measurements of the OH concentrations and total OH reactivities. The OH budgets were determined from DOH/POH ratios. The accuracy and reproducibility of the approach were assessed in several experiments using CO as a reference compound where an average ratio DOH/POH = 1.13 ± 0.19 was obtained. In experiments with aromatics, these ratios ranged within 1.1–1.6 under low-NO conditions and 0.9–1.2 under high-NO conditions. The results indicate that OH budgets during photo-oxidation experiments with aromatics are balanced within experimental accuracies. Inclusion of a further, recently proposed OH production via HO2 + RO2 reactions led to improvements under low-NO conditions but the differences were small and insignificant within the experimental errors.
Humidity sensor failure: a problem that should not be neglected by the numerical weather prediction community
Authors: Liu Y. , Tang N.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. In this paper, a new issue that very low relative humidity observations exist in a deeper atmosphere layer in the low- and mid-troposphere is studied on the basis of the global radiosonde observations from December 2008 to November 2009, and the humidity retrieval productions from Formosa Satellite mission-3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC, referred to as COSMIC hereafter) in the same period. Results show that these extremely dry relative humidity observations are considerable universal in the worldwide operational radiosonde data. Globally, the annual average occurrence probability of the extremely dry relative humidity is of 4.2%. These measurements usually occur between 20° and 40° latitudes in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and in the height from 700 to 450 hPa in the low- and mid-troposphere. Winter and spring are the favoured seasons for these extremely dry humidity observations, with the maximum ratio of 9.53% in the Northern Hemisphere and 16.82% in the Southern Hemisphere. The phenomenon is mainly related to the performance of the radiosonde humidity sensor and the cloud types traversed by the radiosonde balloon. These extremely low relative humidity observations are erroneous, which cannot represent the real atmospheric status, and are likely caused by the failure of humidity sensor. However, these observations have been archived as the formal data. It will affect the reliability of numerical weather prediction, the analysis of weather and climate, if the quality control procedure is not applied.
Summer upwelling at the Boknis Eck time-series station (1982 to 2012) – a combined glider and wind data analysis
Authors: Karstensen J. , Liblik T. , Fischer J. , Bumke K. , Krahmann G.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. Two consecutive summer upwelling events, each lasting for less than 24 h, were surveyed in high temporal and vertical resolution close to the Boknis Eck time-series station (BE) in the western Belt Sea (Baltic Sea) in summer 2010 with an autonomous glider. Driven only by moderate offshore winds both events resulted in more than 5 K cooling of surface waters, while only for the second event were significant irreversible changes in the vertical stratification observed. Generalizing the glider survey observations with hourly wind data from nearby meteorological stations, it is found that upwelling in the BE area occurs for wind directions between 190 to 260° and wind speed exceeding 4 m s−1. Based on these thresholds the wind-induced summer (June to September) upwelling conditions in the BE area for the period 1982 to 2012 are reconstructed. On average about 18 days of upwelling favourable wind conditions are found for the four summer months, with significant interannual variability ranging from 7.7 days (2006) to more than 28 days (1985). By aligning upwelling favourable wind conditions with the monthly BE surveys it is found that extreme anomalies in BE surveys follow extended periods of upwelling favourable winds.
A downward CO2 flux seems to have nowhere to go
Authors: Ma J. , Liu R. , Tang L.-S. , Lan Z.-D. , Li Y.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. Recent studies have suggested that deserts, which are a long-neglected region in global carbon budgeting, have strong downward CO2 fluxes and might be a significant carbon sink. This finding, however, has been strongly challenged because neither the reliability of the flux measurements nor the exact location of the fixed carbon has been determined. This paper shows, with a full chain of evidence, that there is indeed strong carbon flux into saline/alkaline land in arid regions. Based on continuous measurement of CO2 exchange from 2002 to 2012 (except for 2003), the saline desert in western China was a carbon sink for 9 out of the 10 years, and average yearly net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) for the 10 years was −25.00 ± 12.70 g C m−2yr−1. Supporting evidence for the validity of these NEE estimates comes from the close agreement of NEE values obtained from the chamber and eddy-covariance methods. After ruling out the possibility of changes in C stored in plant biomass or soils, the C uptake was found to be leached downwards into the groundwater body in the process of groundwater fluctuation: rising groundwater absorbs soil dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and falling groundwater transports the DIC downward. Horizontal groundwater flow may send this DIC farther away and prevent it from being observed locally. This process has been called "passive leaching" of DIC, in comparison with the active DIC leaching that occurs during groundwater recharge. This passive leaching significantly expands the area where DIC leaching occurs and creates a literally "hidden" carbon sink process under the desert. This study tells us that when a downward CO2 flux is observed, but seems to have nowhere to go, it should not be concluded that the flux measurement is unreliable. By looking deeper and farther away, a place and a process may be found that are "hidden" underground.
New online method for water isotope analysis of speleothem fluid inclusions using laser absorption spectroscopy (WS-CRDS)
Authors: Affolter S. , Fleitmann D. , Leuenberger M.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. A new online method to analyse water isotopes of speleothem fluid inclusions using a wavelength scanned cavity ring down spectroscopy (WS-CRDS) instrument is presented. This novel technique allows us simultaneously to measure hydrogen and oxygen isotopes for a released aliquot of water. To do so, we designed a new simple line that allows the online water extraction and isotope analysis of speleothem samples. The specificity of the method lies in the fact that fluid inclusions release is made on a standard water background, which mainly improves the δ D robustness. To saturate the line, a peristaltic pump continuously injects standard water into the line that is permanently heated to 140 °C and flushed with dry nitrogen gas. This permits instantaneous and complete vaporisation of the standard water, resulting in an artificial water background with well-known δ D and δ18O values. The speleothem sample is placed in a copper tube, attached to the line, and after system stabilisation it is crushed using a simple hydraulic device to liberate speleothem fluid inclusions water. The released water is carried by the nitrogen/standard water gas stream directly to a Picarro L1102-i for isotope determination. To test the accuracy and reproducibility of the line and to measure standard water during speleothem measurements, a syringe injection unit was added to the line. Peak evaluation is done similarly as in gas chromatography to obtain &delta D; and δ18O isotopic compositions of measured water aliquots. Precision is better than 1.5 ‰ for δ D and 0.4 ‰ for δ18O for water measurements for an extended range (−210 to 0 ‰ for δ D and −27 to 0 ‰ for δ18O) primarily dependent on the amount of water released from speleothem fluid inclusions and secondarily on the isotopic composition of the sample. The results show that WS-CRDS technology is suitable for speleothem fluid inclusion measurements and gives results that are comparable to the isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) technique.
High resolution land surface modeling utilizing remote sensing parameters and the Noah-UCM: a case study in the Los Angeles Basin
Authors: Vahmani P. , Hogue T. S.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. In the current work we investigate the utility of remote sensing based surface parameters in the Noah-UCM (urban canopy model) over a highly developed urban area. Landsat and fused Landsat-MODIS data are utilized to generate high resolution (30 m) monthly spatial maps of green vegetation fraction (GVF), impervious surface area (ISA), albedo, leaf area index (LAI), and emissivity in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The gridded remotely sensed parameter datasets are directly substituted for the land-use/lookup-table values in the Noah-UCM modeling framework. Model performance in reproducing ET (evapotranspiration) and LST (land surface temperature) fields is evaluated utilizing Landsat-based LST and ET estimates from CIMIS (California Irrigation Management Information System) stations as well as in-situ measurements. Our assessment shows that the large deviations between the spatial distributions and seasonal fluctuations of the default and measured parameter sets lead to significant errors in the model predictions of monthly ET fields (RMSE = 22.06 mm month−1). Results indicate that implemented satellite derived parameter maps, particularly GVF, enhance the Noah-UCM capability to reproduce observed ET patterns over vegetated areas in the urban domains (RMSE = 11.77 mm month−1). GVF plays the most significant role in reproducing the observed ET fields, likely due to the interaction with other parameters in the model. Our analysis also shows that remotely sensed GVF and ISA improve the model capability to predict the LST differences between fully vegetated pixels and highly developed areas. However, the model still underestimates remotely sensed LST values over highly developed areas. We hypothesize that the LST underestimation is due to structural formulation in the UCM and cannot be immediately solved with available parameter choices.
Climate impact on floods – changes of high-flows in Sweden for the past and future (1911–2100)
Authors: Arheimer B. , Lindström G.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. There is an on-going discussion whether floods are more frequent nowadays than in the past and whether they will increase in a future climate. To explore this for Sweden we merged observed time-series from 69 sites across the country (450 000 km2) for the past century with high-resolution dynamic scenario modeling of the up-coming century. The results show that the changes of daily annual high flows in Sweden oscillate between decades, but there is no significant trend for the past 100 years. A small tendency for high flows to decrease by 0.3–0.4% per decade in magnitude and 10-year flood frequency was noted, but not statistically significant. Temperature was found to be the strongest climate driver for river high-flows, as these are mainly related to snow melt in Sweden. Also in the future there will be oscillations between decades, but these were difficult to estimate as climate projections were not in phase with observations. However, in the long term, the daily annual high-flows may decrease by on average 1% per decade, mainly due to lower peaks from snow melt in the spring (–2% per decade) caused by higher temperatures and shorter snow season. On the contrary, autumn flows may increase by 3% per decade due to more intensive rainfall. This indicates a shift in flood generating processes in the future, with more influence of rain generated floods. This should be considered in reference data for design variables when adapting to climate change. Uncertainties related to the study are discussed in the paper, both for observed data and for the complex model chain of climate impact assessments in hydrology.
Willy Stoffregen – An early pioneer of advanced ionospheric and auroral research
Authors: Schlegel K. , Lühr H.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. We sketch the eventful life of Willy Stoffregen and summarise his engineering and scientific achievements.
Observing spatio-temporal clustering and separation using interevent distributions of regional earthquakes
Authors: Batac R. C. , Kantz H.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. Past studies that attempted to quantify the spatio-temporal organization of seismicity have defined the conditions by which an event and those that follow it can be related in space and/or time. In this work, we use the simplest measures of spatio-temporal separation: the interevent distances R and interevent times T between pairs of successive events. We observe that after a characteristic value R*, the distributions of R begin to follow that of a randomly shuffled sequence, suggesting that events separated by R > R* are more likely to be uncorrelated events generated independent of one another. Interestingly, the conditional T distributions for short-distance (long-distance) events, R ≤ R* (R > R*), peak at correspondingly short (long) T values, signifying the spatio-temporal clustering (separation) of correlated (independent) events. By considering different threshold magnitudes within a range that ensures substantial catalogue completeness, invariant quantities related to the spatial and temporal spacing of correlated events and the rate of generation of independent events emerge naturally.
A vingança de Polifemo: o sujeito como artifício, monstro como estado artístico e a pragmática da subjetividade. A arte e a “polifemia” - DOI 10.5216/vis.v2i1.17879
Authors: Noronha Márcio Pizarro
Published: July 2014

O artigo é uma reflexão a partir do canto IX da “Odisséia” (Homero) e sua relações interpretivas com as teorias contemporâneas da subjetividade, da monstruosidade e a arte contemporânea.Palavras-chave: Odisséia (Homero), subjetividade, monstro, arte contemporânea
Uncovering health literacy: Developing a remotely administered questionnaire for determining health literacy levels in health disparate populations
Authors: Shaw Thomas C.
Published: July 2014

Introduction: Low health literacy contributes to health disparities. We sought to develop and evaluate a remotely administered tool to measure health literacy in health disparate populations. The basic research design involved asking the remotely administered questions in conjunction with an existing and valid measure of health literacy, the S-TOFHLA, to a non-representative convenience sample of individuals drawn from lower income communities. The measures of the remotely administered questions were then correlated with the results of the S-TOFHLA to determine if there was a connection between the two measures. We found a statistically significant correlation between a single question in the remotely administered survey and the validated S-TOFHLA measure. This research supports previous work that points to the importance of just a single remotely administered question in terms of correspondence with the S-TOFHLA. Objective: Develop a questionnaire that can be remotely administered to check for Health Literacy. Methods: Correlation analysis is conducted between various questions and S-TOFHLA scores to determine criterion validity. Results: A single question, “How confident are you in filling out medical forms by yourself?” outperforms other measures in correlating with the S-TOFHLA scores. Conclusions: Further assessment of the confidence question both in isolation and in conjunction with other literacy identifiers should be conducted. Also, this question should be tested against other measures of health literacy beyond the S-TOFHLA.
A Novel Design of a Quadruped Robot for Research Purposes
Authors: Geva Yam , Shapiro Amir
Published: July 2014

This paper presents the design of a novel quadruped robot. The proposed design is characterized by a simple, modular design, and easy interfacing capabilities. The robot is built mostly from off-the-shelf components. The design includes four 3-DOF legs, the robot body and its electronics. The proposed robot is able to traverse rough terrain while carrying additional payloads. Such payloads can include both sensors and computational hardware. We present the robot design, the control system, and the forward and inverse kinematics of the robot, as well as experiments that are compared with simulation results.
Contribuições da consultoria colaborativa para a inclusão de pessoas com deficiência intelectual.
Authors: Araújo Sandra Lúcia Silva , Almeida Maria Amélia
Published: July 2014

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1984686X8639 Neste artigo procuraremos mostrar as possíveis contribuições da consultoria colaborativa para a inclusão de alunos com deficiência intelectual, por meio deuma análise reflexiva com base na literatura pertinente. Em um crescente processo de inclusão escolar, o ingresso de pessoas com deficiência intelectual tem representado um número significativo não somente no ambiente escolar como também no atendimento educacional especializado. A inclusão desses alunos tem despertado uma atenção especial assim como a necessidade de fazer ajustes ereflexões. Uma contribuição nesse sentido é a prática da consultoria colaborativa, que pode ser considerada como uma parceria entre professor de educação especial, ensino comum e outros profissionais. A efetivação dessa parceria pode trazer importantes contribuições para a família, para a escola  epara a comunidade. Neste sentido, a consultoria colaborativa pode ser uma alternativa para a inclusão de pessoas com deficiência intelectual, não apenas no âmbito da intervenção mas também no âmbito da prevenção, da reflexão e da transformação do meio escolar. Procuraremos, assim, fazer algumas reflexões sobre o tema, tomando como base a literatura pertinente. Palavras-chave: consultoria colaborativa, inclusão escolar, deficiência intelectual.
Concordâncias/Discordâncias acerca do processo inclusivo no ensino superior: um estudo exploratório.
Authors: Marques Lígia Da Silva , Gomes Cláudia
Published: July 2014

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1984686X8842 Com objetivo de caracterizar a concordância docente acerca da inclusão no ensino superior de alunos com deficiências, transtornos globais do desenvolvimento e superdotação; bem como a avaliação que os próprios docentes fazem quanto à preparação profissional e institucional necessária a este processo, foram participantes deste estudo 20 professores de uma universidade federal da região sul mineira, que responderam a um questionário sobre a temática investigada. Após analise quantitativa dos dados, obteve-se os seguintes resultados: os professores têm conhecimento da necessidade de se instaurar um cenário inclusivo eficaz na instituição e confirmam a necessidade de preparação física e de funcionários para fazê-lo; porém indicam não se sentirem capacitados para tanto. Em relação à concordância com a inclusão de pessoas com deficiências sensoriais, pôde-se evidenciar que os professores refletem concordância total ou parcial; já no caso de necessidades vinculadas aos distúrbios comportamentais, déficits intelectuais ou deficiências múltiplas, é indicada discordância. Isto parece denotar que quanto maior a necessidade de comprometimentos e ações profissionais diferenciadas, bem como adaptações curriculares e pedagógicas; menor a concordância com a inclusão, principalmente para professores que lecionam na área de Ciências Exatas. Como considerações finais, ressaltamos a necessidade de avançarmos para discussões e práticas educacionais que sustentem a atuação profissional inclusiva, ações estas consideradas pelos docentes participantes do estudo como de suas responsabilidades e competências profissionais e que são concepções alinhadas e propicias para a instauração e/ou fortalecimento de ações que garantam condições atitudinais, pedagógicas e institucionais que embasem a construção de uma universidade com o intuito de garantir acesso, permanência e desenvolvimento à todos os seus alunos.
(Des)continuidade nos estudos de alunos com deficiência na trajetória do Ensino Fundamental ao Médio: uma análise inicial dos microdados MEC/INEP
Authors: Moreira Laura Ceretta , Carvalho Ana Paula De
Published: July 2014

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1984686X9132 Este estudo visa colaborar com as discussões das políticas públicas de educação especial, principalmente, no que tange ao alunado com deficiência, matriculado no ensino médio. Para tanto, discorreu-se sobre as conquistas legais que denotam a garantia e obrigatoriedade dessa etapa de ensino na educação básica, bem como suas vicissitudes no contexto da inclusão educacional. Na sequência, a partir apreciação dos Microdados do Censo Escolar, que considera o número total de matrículas e, especificamente, do alunado com deficiência, apresentaram-se os cinco grupos que foram organizados para a análise de dados referentes aos anos: 2007, 2008 e 2010. Sendo que, optou-se por contabilizar as matrículas dos alunos com: cegueira, baixa visão, surdez, deficiência auditiva, surdocegueira, deficiência física, deficiência mental, síndrome de Down e deficiência múltipla (terminologia usada pelo MEC/ Inep). Concluiu-se que houve, marcadamente, maior queda nas matrículas de alunos com deficiência em relação ao total de matrículas efetivadas na educação básica, desvelando, o quanto o acesso e a permanência desse alunado no ensino médio, última etapa da educação básica, ainda são negligenciados e carecem de pesquisas, avaliação e acompanhamento. A descontinuidade de estudos desta parcela da população demonstra que ainda estamos distantes da garantia do direito à educação a todos e que o engajamento estatal é fundamental para que isso ocorra. Palavras-chave: ensino médio; alunos com deficiência; Microdados MEC/ Inep.
A produção acadêmico-científica do Brasil na área das altas habilidades/superdotação no período de 1987 a 2011
Authors: Chacon Miguel Claudio Moriel , Martins Barbara Amaral
Published: July 2014

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1984686X9204 Entre os alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais, sujeitos da educação especial, encontram-se aqueles que apresentam altas habilidades/superdotação, um fenômeno complexo que demanda o envolvimento de profissionais e pesquisadores da área educacional a fim de favorecer o desenvolvimento da potencialidade destes alunos. Neste sentido, objetivamos identificar e analisar teses e dissertações que se propõem a investigar a temática das altas habilidades/superdotação, verificando a participação da área da Educação nestas pesquisas. O estudo se deu por meio de levantamento bibliográfico, norteado pelas seguintes questões: As pesquisas sobre altas habilidades/superdotação vêm crescendo nos últimos anos? Qual é a participação da área da Educação nestas pesquisas? Quais os assuntos relacionados às altas habilidades/superdotação abordados na Educação? A quais instituições estes pesquisadores estão vinculados? Os resultados nos mostram que estas pesquisas apresentam uma tendência crescente e que há predomínio da área da Educação nesta produção científica.  No entanto, há um desequilíbrio entre as instituições que se propõe a investigar a temática nas regiões brasileiras, bem como entre os assuntos abordados por estas pesquisas sobre altas habilidades/superdotação.