bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mathematics Teacher Educators' TPACK and MKT Knowledge Domains
Authors: Marshall Anne Marie S. , Callahan Kadian M.
Published: April 2016

In this chapter, two Mathematics Teacher Educators (MTEs) describe a study that examined the ways that they drew upon their knowledge domains, grounded in the TPACK framework and the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) framework, to design and utilize online discussion blogs as instructional tools to enhance preservice elementary teachers' learning of geometry and measurement. The findings indicate that more attention is warranted on the interrelationships between TPACK and MKT knowledge domains, specifically when MTEs engage in collaborative planning. This work is significant because it illuminates the need for further coding granularity consideration driven by the complexities resident in the construct of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, when analyzing MTEs' engagement with mathematics activities that use technology.
Developing Teachers' TPACK for Mathematics through Professional Development
Authors: Orrill Chandra Hawley , Polly Drew
Published: April 2016

In this chapter, InterMath is introduced as a learner-centered professional development environment that supports the development of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). Evidence will be presented from the research and evaluation on InterMath to highlight some of the ways in which InterMath has been successful. Vignettes provide examples of a typical conversation in a TPACK professional development environment. An analysis of findings indicates that the InterMath project contributed to teachers' TPACK development, with a focus on teachers' knowledge of technology and content (TCK). The knowledge and skills of the professional development facilitator was a key factor in the teachers' development. Implications for the design of professional development include simultaneously developing teachers' integrated knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content.
Preparing Teachers to Implement Technology
Authors: Pape Stephen J. , Owens Sharilyn K. , Owens Douglas T. , Irving Karen E.
Published: April 2016

The Classroom Connectivity for Mathematics and Science (CCMS) program was a randomized control trial to examine the efficacy of Classroom Connectivity Technology (CCT) in Algebra I. CCT is a type of technology that allows the teacher to wirelessly communicate with his or her students' handheld calculators. Students in the classes that implemented CCT outperformed their comparison counterparts with effect sizes ranging from 0.19 to 0.37 (Irving et al., 2014; Pape et al., 2013). In this chapter, the professional development program that supported participating teachers to implement the technology is described. Categories of professional development activities including pedagogical instruction, modeling pedagogy, technological pedagogical instruction, technology instruction, student role-play, practice, small-group instruction, and participant presentation are presented in relation to their potential for supporting teacher participants' knowledge growth. Recommendations for the training of teachers to implement technology will be explicated.
Multiplex Waves in the Planning of Innovation Processes in Business Systems
Authors: Mokiy Mishail , Godin Vladimir , Gureev Pavel , Filonchik Veronica
Published: April 2016

This chapter aims to outline the methodologies for solving the most important challenges in the field of innovation management – assessment of innovative events and activities and selection of optimal calendar periods for carrying them out. A transdisciplinary approach is used as a way of solving this problem. Basic principles of this approach, principles of building transdisciplinary models of informational and temporal order units will be covered, thereby making it possible to represent development as a multiplex or a totality of M-waves. Use of such models allows to offer special methodologies - an innovative chart of business system development. Results of a retrospective analysis of several enterprises are shown, which confirm the effectiveness of this methodical technique, and an example of building an innovative chart of development is presented, including the calculation of schedule periods for development and implementation of investment, as well as mandatory critical points and control points in the future development of business systems.
Competitive Advantage, Open Innovation, and Dynamic Capabilities
Authors: Labrouche Geoffroy , Kechidi Med
Published: April 2016

This chapter deals with a particular type of dynamic capability: dynamic relational capabilities. They are defined as the organisational ability of a firm to enter into successful business relationships with other actors. It is shown that these abilities, based on organisational memory, are expressed in particular through the acquisition of assets and the conclusion of partnerships/alliances. In the pharmaceutical industry, open innovation strategies are the concrete proof of such abilities. Indeed, this sector is considered to be a High-Velocity Environment characterized by a high rate of change. Such change, challenging firms' competitive advantage, fosters the development of dynamic capabilities and open innovation strategies. These theoretical considerations are illustrated by reference to the innovation strategy adopted by the Sanofi group, particularly since 2008.
The Barriers to Innovation Diffusion
Authors: Nakandala Dilupa , Turpin Tim
Published: April 2016

Genetically Modified (GM) food has been positioned as a significant innovation with a huge potential for alleviating malnutrition in developing economies. Some potential beneficiaries, however, have been reluctant to accept GM food. Many countries have GM food regulations and some have banned GM organisms. This chapter focuses on barriers to diffusion of innovation and analyses the case of GM food diffusion in Sri Lanka using the Rogers's classical model of innovation diffusion. A complete ban on GM products in 2001 was later relaxed to demand only GM labelling regulations, but GM food has not gained a prominent position in the Sri Lankan market. The attributes of GM food perceived by consumers, the communication system, government responses and broader social expectations have been unfavorable to GM food diffusion. The case of GM food innovation in Sri Lanka demonstrates the very social nature of the process, involving far more than seed producers, growers and related commercial enterprises.
Challenges to Firms' Collaborative Innovation Facing the Innovation Babel Tower
Authors: Edwards-Schachter Monica Elizabeth
Published: April 2016

Access to different internal and external knowledge sources and learning constitute key dimensions of firms' innovation capabilities to the maintenance of their competitive advantage. The increasing emergence of new modes of innovation involving a diversity of multi-stakeholder collaborations between industry, business, academy and civil society represents a challenge not only to firms' collaborative behaviour but the way to organize, integrate and manage new innovative capabilities. In this context this chapter: a) explores and characterizes the different types of innovation ‘underlying' in the current Innovation Tower of Babel and its implications to the firms' cooperative innovation strategy and knowledge governance and b) provides examples of new target organization models, such as living labs and other ‘innovation labs' where these types of innovations are being developed.
How Do LCD Innovations Differ?
Authors: Walz Rainer
Published: April 2016

Low Carbon Development (LCD) implies to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere and to foster inclusive development. This requires systemic innovations, which can lead to disruptive changes, and the build-up of capabilities to enhance the innovations. LCD offers opportunities to reduce energy costs and to export low-carbon solutions. Various specificities constitute a lock-in into the existing fossil fuel based energy system: technological specificities of grid based infrastructure systems, dependence on regulation to overcome market failures, and the political economy of the energy innovation system. There are also systemic reasons why decisions routines for energy related decisions adapt very slowly to new challenges. The empirical analysis indicates that there is considerable heterogeneity among the countries with regard to their starting positions to overcome the various obstacles and to build the comparative advantages which will enable them to supply the global markets with low carbon technologies.
Building Innovation Systems for Small-Scale Agricultural Activities in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Adejuwon Olawale Oladipo
Published: April 2016

The failure of agricultural research systems to provide appropriate technologies to enhance competitiveness in small-scale agricultural activities in sub-Saharan Africa has been well documented. Recognising the peculiarities of such activities, this chapter proposes that a system of innovation where; the actors interact with each other; a combination of science- and experience-based mode of learning and innovation is used and; users provide producers of innovations with feedback will produce appropriate innovations for the sector. It is further hypothesized that the success of this system will be dependent on; the number, scope and strength of interactions among actors; brokerage activities; and an initial successful innovation system for downstream activities. The chapter also undertakes a qualitative assessment of the some-what successful Cassava and the not-so-successful palm oil sectors in Nigeria to highlight the importance of the framework and the differences between successful and ineffective innovation systems.
Identifying Nanotechnological Systems of Innovation
Authors: Peixoto Flávio J. M.
Published: April 2016

Developments in nanotechnology have drawn the attention of governments, industry, academia and the public for their potential industrial benefits and their future trends within the innovation domain. The perception that nanotechnology promises important changes holds a rare opportunity to policy-making in its early stages. Understanding nanotechnology innovation process represents a crucial element for designing and implementing relevant, coherent and adequate innovation policy. This chapter proposes the development of an analytical framework to investigate nanotechnology paths. Results suggested that what has been generically labeled as ‘nanotechnology' actually comprises a set of different, but complementary, technologies that may be represented as particular ‘nanotechnological systems of innovation' to be used for analytical and policy designing purposes. The study attempts to contribute for the development of nanotechnology innovation indicators aiming to provide policy-makers with helpful data to support innovation policy design and foster nanotechnology development in Brazil.
Learning and Innovation in Multinational Companies from Emerging Economies
Authors: Vargas Arturo Torres , Villazul Javier Jasso
Published: April 2016

This chapter aims to illustrate the importance that learning trajectories and the building of technological capabilities have had in the internationalization and competitiveness process of the nowadays Multinational Companies from an Emerging Economy (MCEE), based on the case of CEMEX, a Mexican multinational and one of the largest cement companies of the world. The case study shows that the emergence of this company into the global markets is the result of a mix of assets and capabilities (Penrose, 1995; Bell & Pavitt, 1995; Bell, 2007) developed over a period of nearly eight decades, at whose base are productive, technological and organizational capabilities. Findings substantiate that multinationalization through mergers and acquisitions has strengthened the technological capabilities of CEMEX, as a result of the learning and knowledge sharing processes driven by the actual integration of CEMEX with the acquired companies. By establishing learning routines, CEMEX feeds an innovation process within the group.
International R&D Collaboration in High Tech
Authors: Karabag Solmaz Filiz , Berggren Christian
Published: April 2016

This chapter seeks the answers to the following research question: Which are the challenges related to high tech R&D collaboration involving firms both from established and emerging economies? To answer this question, the Turkish jet fighter program is used as a case study. The study shows the chances to succeed are highly uncertain in this sector dominated by USA. Although Turkey acquired some level of R&D capability in previous defense R&D programs, the complexity of jet fighter development poses new challenges. Previous experiences indicate that technical capabilities are not sufficient, equally important is the formation of management capabilities. During the pre-development (concept) phase, Turkey chose to collaborate with Swedish Saab. The chapter discusses several challenges in this type of collaboration for a full-scale jet fighter development program. These challenges concern intra- as well as inter-organizational management, the organization of the technical development projects, and the design of appropriate industry governance structures.
Shared Electronic Health Records as Innovation
Authors: Pullen Troy , Al-Hakim Latif
Published: April 2016

Based on the Diffusion of Innovation theory, this chapter addresses the following research question: Whether factors of diffusion of innovation theory influence care providers' willingness to adopt Shared Electronic Health Records (SEHRs). Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire distributed to over 5000 active members of the Australian Medical Association Queensland. A total of 588 valid responses were received from currently active care providers in Queensland. Multiple regression analysis and Chi-Square analysis were conducted to test the research hypotheses and answer the research question. The data revealed that while 72% of those surveyed were willing to adopt SEHRs, significant differences existed between public and private sector care providers and across the various tiers of the health system. In relation to the factors influencing future willingness to adopt, the variables comprising relative advantage were shown to have a significant impact upon future willingness to adopt shared electronic health records. The findings from this chapter will benefit those responsible for the future introduction of SEHRs, specifically by allowing policy makers to target the factors that influence care providers' willingness to adopt.
Antecedents of Collaborative Arrangements in the Innovation and Production System
Authors: Shou Yongyi , Li Ying , Wu Lubin
Published: April 2016

R&D cooperation and production cooperation are regarded as two key dimensions of collaborative arrangements in the innovation and production system. Different from prior studies focusing on performance outcomes, this study emphasizes the antecedents which have impacts on firms' decisions of R&D cooperation and production cooperation. The antecedents are identified and categorized into organizational characteristics (market orientation and technological capability), technical characteristics (technology clockspeed and technology-production fit), and relational characteristics (asset specificity). Through statistical analyses on survey data of Chinese manufacturing firms, this study finds that two factors including technology clockspeed and asset specificity have significant effects on firms' decisions of R&D cooperation, while technological capability, technology clockspeed, and technology-production fit are confirmed to have significant effects on decisions of production cooperation.
Exploring the Impact of University-Industry Linkages on Firms' Innovation
Authors: Rodríguez Noé Becerra , Bielous Gabriela Dutrénit
Published: April 2016

This chapter explores the impact of University-Industry Linkages (UIL) on the innovative performance of Mexican firms. Due the diverse nature of universities and public research centers, it examines the effect of those UIL separately. Using original data from a survey of 382 firms, the outcomes of Logistic regressions indicate that UIL have significant but mixed effects on firms' innovation. While links with universities seem to enhance product innovations, interactions with PRC seem to foster process innovations. The results confirm the major impact formal Research and Development (R&D) has on innovation projects. Regarding technological intensity, a significant influence on product innovation was found, but not on process novelties with high-technology firms performing better than those from the low technology and services sectors. Conversely, size and age have notable influence on process innovation but not on product novelties, with larger and younger firms innovating more than small and older ones. Finally, some political implications are discussed.
External Consulting in Change Processes
Authors: Conrero Sofía
Published: April 2016

Introducing changes and innovations related to people management processes in organizations is always a challenge. Mainly because any change impacts, directly or indirectly, on people's work lives, either on their jobs, the assessment of those jobs, their training and development expectations in the organization – and outside the organization – and their compensations, to name a few. In some cases, companies seek for professional services from external consulting firms to carry out these change processes. The need to have the point of view from outside the organization adds value. This chapter aims at presenting and characterizing an external consulting methodology in people management, with a participative approach, and at assessing its contributions, scopes and challenges, based on two application cases. Conclusions are presented as lessons learned from the participative approach for external consulting firms, and the main challenges to face in order to advance on this work methodology.
Managerial Practices as Antecedents of Employees' Resistance to Change
Authors: García-Cabrera Antonia M. , Suárez-Ortega Sonia M. , Hernández Fernando García-Barba
Published: April 2016

This chapter deepens the study of the three components of resistance to change in employees: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. It includes an analysis of the sequential character of them, through the effect that the variables related to the management of the change process and to the change consequences for employees exert on each of these components. With a sample of employees who work in companies that have embarked on programs of change in the two years prior information gathering. Our results question the mediating effect of cognitive and affective resistance and, consequently, the sequential character of the three components of resistance. Results put forward that cognitive and affective resistance are conceptually different, have different antecedents, and exert different effects on the behavioral resistance. Moreover behavioral resistance is jointly determine by the cognitive and affective components of resistance to change.
Work-Life Balance
Authors: Pasamar Susana , López-Fernández Macarena
Published: April 2016

This chapter explores the role of human resource managers in work-life balance, analysing the evolution of women's role in society and in the labour market. The existence of different barriers that keep women far of managerial positions is pointed out, as well as the factors that could explain why this glass ceiling is still present. Human resource managers play an important role as agents responsible for the profitability and growth of the organization, but also as victims of work-family conflict of their own and as important actors in implementation of family-supportive policies designed to alleviate this conflict. Their perceptions about the positive and negative outcomes related to Work-life balance will be analised in this chapter.
On More Paradigms of Steganalysis
Authors: Zhao Xianfeng , Zhu Jie , Yu Haibo
Published: April 2016

Up to now, most researches on steganalysis concentrate on one extreme case. Typically, the a priori knowledge of the embedding way and cover-media is assumed known in the classifier training and even feature design stage. However, the steganalysis in the real world is done with different levels of such knowledge so that there can be various paradigms for doing it. Although some researchers have addressed the situations, there is still a lack of a systematic approach to defining the various paradigms. In this paper, the authors give such an approach by first defining four extreme paradigms, and then defining the rest among them. Each paradigm is related with two sets of assumed known a priori knowledge respectively about the steganographic algorithm and cover-media, and each paradigm corresponds to a particular case of steganalysis. Also we will see that different paradigms can have very different aims so that the designs may be various.
The Effect of Managers' Business Intelligence on Attracting Foreign Tourists Case Study
Authors: Teimouri Hadi , Hoojaghan Farnaz Afshar , Jenab Kouroush , Khoury Sam
Published: April 2016

Today, the effect of the tourism industry is observed in all economic, social, cultural, and political dimensions of societies and finding innovative and creative ways to develop it has doubled the importance of research in this area. The purpose of this study is to address the effect of managers' business intelligence on attracting foreign tourists. It is applicable from an objective aspect and descriptive-field from a methodological aspect. The statistical population included all foreign tourists in Shiraz during the time period of June-August 2015 and a random sampling method was employed for sampling. The sample size was estimated equal to 180. Having distributed the questionnaires, 166 questionnaires were acceptable and considered as the basis of conducting the research. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed via face validity and its reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. More than 70% for all variables under study showed the suitable reliability of the questionnaire. Also, structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between dimensions of managers' business intelligence and attracting foreign tourists.
Gendered Social-Networking Organizations
Authors: Tran Ben
Published: April 2016

Research has consistently documented that women are disproportionately represented in upper management and in positions of power and still continue to dominate traditionally female occupations. Hence, recognizing that effective efforts needs to be made to assist women in their career development, many organizations have adopted mentoring programs to address gender differences in advancement without having a grounded plan. Organizations often do so out of competing for and achieving organizational longevity, organizational competitive advantage, or for legal accommodations for marketing purposes. Organizations often implement mentoring program(s) with the goal of having mentors provide mentees with psychosocial support, career development support, sponsorship and coaching, setting up challenging assignments, fostering positive visibility, and protecting the mentee from adverse forces. Hence, the purpose of this article will be on mentorship (brief historical coverage and definition), stereotypes of gendered advancement based on gender, and cross-gender mentorship in the U.S.
Capital-centric versus knowledge-centric paradigms of human resource management: A historical perspective
Authors: Callaghan Chris W.
Published: April 2016

Orientation: Central to understanding the contemporary state of the human resource management (HRM) field is knowledge of its history, and the underlying rationales as to why it has changed over time. This research attempts to identify one such important ‘rationale’.Research purpose: This article relates certain changes in HRM over time to the argument that there has been a shift from an industrial paradigm (on which many human resource [HR] systems, practices and theoretical frameworks are still based) to a knowledge paradigm (of knowledge work, in which employee knowledge and skills offer compound advantages that are not substitutable) which explains a great deal of the variance in changes of the field over time.Motivation for the study: It is argued that in order for the field to move forward, it may needto bring to the surface certain assumptions and differentiate between theoretical frameworkswhen dealing with knowledge work versus non-knowledge work.Research design, approach and method: This article offers a perspective of HR theory development over time. It is a conceptual/perspectives article and is not qualitative nor quantitative in nature. Further research will be able to test the ideas presented here.Practical/managerial implications: Managers and human resources managers need to differentiate between knowledge and non-knowledge work. The latter is associated with increased heterogeneity and complexity, and differences in power relationships, as knowledge work shifts power away from capital into the hands of skilled knowledge labour.
Data Requirements for Model-Based Cancer Prognosis Prediction
Authors: Dalton Lori A. , Yousefi Mohammadmahdi R.
Published: April 2016

Cancer prognosis prediction is typically carried out without integrating scientific knowledge available on genomic pathways, the effect of drugs on cell dynamics, or modeling mutations in the population. Recent work addresses some of these problems by formulating an uncertainty class of Boolean regulatory models for abnormal gene regulation, assigning prognosis scores to each network based on intervention outcomes, and partitioning networks in the uncertainty class into prognosis classes based on these scores. For a new patient, the probability distribution of the prognosis class was evaluated using optimal Bayesian classification, given patient data. It was assumed that (1) disease is the result of several mutations of a known healthy network and that these mutations and their probability distribution in the population are known and (2) only a single snapshot of the patient's gene activity profile is observed. It was shown that, even in ideal settings where cancer in the population and the effect of a drug are fully modeled, a single static measurement is typically not sufficient. Here, we study what measurements are sufficient to predict prognosis. In particular, we relax assumption (1) by addressing how population data may be used to estimate network probabilities, and extend assumption (2) to include static and time-series measurements of both population and patient data. Furthermore, we extend the prediction of prognosis classes to optimal Bayesian regression of prognosis metrics. Even when time-series data is preferable to infer a stochastic dynamical network, we show that static data can be superior for prognosis prediction when constrained to small samples. Furthermore, although population data is helpful, performance is not sensitive to inaccuracies in the estimated network probabilities.
Human Dispersal Out of Africa: A Lasting Debate
Authors: López Saioa , Van Dorp Lucy , Hellenthal Garrett
Published: April 2016

Unraveling the first migrations of anatomically modern humans out of Africa has invoked great interest among researchers from a wide range of disciplines. Available fossil, archeological, and climatic data offer many hypotheses, and as such genetics, with the advent of genome-wide genotyping and sequencing techniques and an increase in the availability of ancient samples, offers another important tool for testing theories relating to our own history. In this review, we report the ongoing debates regarding how and when our ancestors left Africa, how many waves of dispersal there were and what geographical routes were taken. We explore the validity of each, using current genetic literature coupled with some of the key archeological findings.
A Comprehensive Review of Etiopathogenesis of Oral Submucous Fibrosis
Authors: Kalra Sukhjinder Kaur , Lathi Alok A , Lathi Shilpa A
Published: April 2016

Accepted as an Indian disease, oral submucous fibrosis, is considered not only a chronic debilitating disease but a poten tially malignant condition of oral cavity, strongly associated with the habit of betel nut chewing, that has been sporadically detected in many other western countries and various conti nents, posing a reason for concern in order to create awareness for such debilitating disease. This article provides an overview of the recent concepts and exact role of areca nut alkaloids and other etiological factors in the pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF).

How to cite this article

Kalra SK, Lathi AA, Lathi SA. A Com prehensive Review of Etiopathogenesis of Oral Submucous Fibrosis. Int J Head Neck Surg 2015;6(2):76-79.
Aerosol optical depth trend over the Middle East
Authors: Klingmüller Klaus , Pozzer Andrea , Metzger Swen , Stenchikov Georgiy L. , Lelieveld Jos
Published: April 2016

Abstract. We use the combined Dark Target/Deep Blue aerosol optical depth (AOD) satellite product of the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) collection 6 to study trends over the Middle East between 2000 and 2015. Our analysis corroborates a previously identified positive AOD trend over large parts of the Middle East during the period 2001 to 2012. We relate the annual AOD to precipitation, soil moisture and surface winds to identify regions where these attributes are directly related to the AOD over Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. Regarding precipitation and soil moisture, a relatively small area in and surrounding Iraq turns out to be of prime importance for the AOD over these countries. Regarding surface wind speed, the African Red Sea coastal area is relevant for the Saudi Arabian AOD. Using multiple linear regression we show that AOD trends and interannual variability can be attributed to soil moisture, precipitation and surface winds, being the main factors controlling the dust cycle. Our results confirm the dust driven AOD trends and variability, supported by a decreasing MODIS-derived Ångström exponent and a decreasing AERONET-derived fine mode fraction that accompany the AOD increase over Saudi Arabia. The positive AOD trend relates to a negative soil moisture trend. As a lower soil moisture translates into enhanced dust emissions, it is not needed to assume growing anthropogenic aerosol and aerosol precursor emissions to explain the observations. Instead, our results suggest that increasing temperature and decreasing relative humidity in the last decade have promoted soil drying, leading to increased dust emissions and AOD; consequently an AOD increase is expected due to climate change.
Technical Note: Mineralogical, chemical, morphological, and optical interrelationships of mineral dust re-suspensions
Authors: Engelbrecht Johann P. , Moosmüller Hans , Pincock Samuel , Jayanty Radhakrishna M. , Lersch Traci , Casuccio Gary
Published: April 2016

Abstract. This paper promotes an understanding of the mineralogical, chemical, and physical interrelationships of re-suspended mineral dusts collected as grab samples from global dust sources. Surface soils were collected from arid regions, including the southwestern USA, Mali, Chad, Morocco, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Serbia, China, Namibia, Botswana, Australia, and Chile. The < 38 µm sieved fraction of each sample was re-suspended in a chamber, from which the airborne mineral dust could be extracted, sampled, and analyzed. Instruments integrated into the entrainment facility included two PM10 and two PM2.5 filter samplers, a beta attenuation gauge for the continuous measurement of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate mass fractions, an aerodynamic particle size (APS) analyzer, and a three wavelength (405, 532, 781 nm) photoacoustic instrument with integrating reciprocal nephelometer for monitoring absorption and scattering coefficients during the dust re-suspension process. Filter sampling media included Teflon® membrane and quartz fiber filters for chemical analysis, and Nuclepore® filters for individual particle analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The < 38 µm sieved fractions were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction for their mineral content while the > 75 µm, < 125 µm soil fractions were mineralogically assessed by optical microscopy. Presented here are results of the optical measurements, showing the interdependencies of single scattering albedos (SSA) at three different wavelengths and chemical as well as mineralogical content of the entrained dust samples. Relationships between the SSA of airborne dusts, and iron (Fe) in hematite, goethite, and clay minerals (montmorillonite, illite, palygorskite) are demonstrated. Differences in clay mineralogy between samples from Mali and those from other localities are highlighted. Results from this study can be integrated into a database of mineral dust properties, for applications in climate modeling, remote sensing, visibility, health (medical geology), ocean fertilization, and impact on equipment.
Measuring droplet fall speed with a high-speed camera: indoor accuracy and potential outdoor applications
Authors: Yu Cheng-Ku , Hsieh Pei-Rong , Yuter Sandra E. , Cheng Lin-Wen , Tsai Chia-Lun , Lin Che-Yu , Chen Ying
Published: April 2016

Abstract. Acquisition of accurate raindrop fall speed measurements outdoors in natural rain by means of moderate-cost and easy-to-use devices represents a long-standing and challenging issue in the meteorological community. Feasibility experiments were conducted to evaluate the indoor accuracy of fall speed measurements made with a high-speed camera and to evaluate its capability for outdoor applications. An indoor experiment operating in calm conditions showed that the high-speed imaging technique can provide fall speed measurements with a mean error of 4.1–9.7 % compared to Gunn and Kinzer's empirical fall-speed–size relationship for typical sizes of rain and drizzle drops. Results obtained using the same apparatus outside in summer afternoon showers indicated larger positive and negative velocity deviations compared to the indoor measurements. These observed deviations suggest that ambient flow and turbulence play a role in modifying drop fall speeds which can be quantified with future outdoor high-speed camera measurements. Because the fall speed measurements, as presented in this article, are analyzed on the basis of tracking individual, specific raindrops, sampling uncertainties commonly found in the widely adopted optical disdrometers can be significantly mitigated.
Effects of management thinning on CO2 exchange by a plantation oak woodland in south-eastern England
Authors: Wilkinson Matthew , Crow Peter , Eaton Edward L. , Morison James I. L.
Published: April 2016

Abstract. Forest thinning, which removes some individual trees from a forest stand at intermediate stages of the rotation, is commonly used as a silvicultural technique and is a management practice that can substantially alter both forest canopy structure and carbon storage. Whilst a proportion of the standing biomass is removed through harvested timber, thinning also removes some of the photosynthetic leaf area and introduces a large pulse of woody residue (brash) to the soil surface, which potentially can alter the balance of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration. Using a combination of eddy covariance (EC) and aerial light detection and ranging (lidar) data, this study investigated the effects of management thinning on the carbon balance and canopy structure in a commercially managed oak plantation in the south-east of England. Whilst thinning had a large effect on the canopy structure, increasing canopy complexity and gap fraction, the effects of thinning on the carbon balance were not as evident. In the first year post thinning, the peak summer photosynthetic rate was unaffected by the thinning, suggesting that the better illuminated ground vegetation and shrub layer compensated for the removed trees. Peak summer photosynthetic rate was reduced in the thinned area between 2009 and 2011, but there was no significant difference between sectors. Ecosystem respiration fluxes increased in the thinned relative to the unthinned area in the post-thinning phase.
Impacts of a decadal drainage disturbance on surface–atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide in a permafrost ecosystem
Authors: Kittler F. , Burjack I. , Corradi C. A. R. , Heimann M. , Kolle O. , Merbold L. , Zimov N. , Zimov S. A. , Göckede M.
Published: April 2016

Abstract. Hydrologic conditions are a major controlling factor for carbon exchange processes in high-latitude ecosystems. The presence or absence of water-logged conditions can lead to significant shifts in ecosystem structure and carbon cycle processes. In this study, we compared growing season CO2 fluxes of a wet tussock tundra ecosystem from an area affected by decadal drainage and an undisturbed area on the Kolyma floodplain in northeastern Siberia. For this comparison we found the CO2 uptake to be systematically reduced within the drained area, with a minor increase in photosynthetic uptake due to a higher abundance of shrubs outweighed by a more pronounced increase in respiration due to warmer near-surface soil layers. Carbon dioxide exchange with the atmosphere over this disturbed part of the tundra has rebounded from the strong reduction of fluxes immediately following the drainage disturbance in 2005. This indicates that the local permafrost ecosystem is capable of adapting to significantly different hydrologic conditions without losing its capacity to act as a net sink for CO2 over the growing season. The comparison of undisturbed CO2 flux rates from 2013–2015 to the period of 2002–2004 indicates that overall CO2 exchange with the atmosphere was intensified. Analyzing trends in component fluxes (ecosystem respiration and gross primary production) over the past decade, we found that net changes in CO2 exchange fluxes are dominated by a major increase in photosynthetic uptake, resulting in a stronger CO2 sink in 2013–2015. Application of a MODIS-based classification scheme to separate the growing season into four sub-seasons improved the interpretation of interannual variability, and helps in illustrating the systematic shifts in CO2 uptake patterns that have occurred in this ecosystem over the past 10 years.
Revolutions in energy input and material cycling in Earth history and human history
Authors: Lenton Timothy M. , Pichler Peter-Paul , Weisz Helga
Published: April 2016

Abstract. Major revolutions in energy capture have occurred in both Earth and human history, with each transition resulting in higher energy input, altered material cycles and major consequences for the internal organization of the respective systems. In Earth history, we identify the origin of anoxygenic photosynthesis, the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis, and land colonization by eukaryotic photosynthesizers as step changes in free energy input to the biosphere. In human history we focus on the Palaeolithic use of fire, the Neolithic revolution to farming, and the Industrial revolution as step changes in free energy input to human societies. In each case we try to quantify the resulting increase in energy input, and discuss the consequences for material cycling and for biological and social organization. For most of human history, energy use by humans was but a tiny fraction of the overall energy input to the biosphere, as would be expected for any heterotrophic species. However, the industrial revolution gave humans the capacity to push energy inputs towards planetary scales and by the end of the 20th century human energy use had reached a magnitude comparable to the biosphere. By distinguishing world regions and income brackets we show the unequal distribution in energy and material use among contemporary humans. Looking ahead, a prospective sustainability revolution will require scaling up new renewable and decarbonized energy technologies and the development of much more efficient material recycling systems – thus creating a more autotrophic social metabolism. Such a transition must also anticipate a level of social organization that can implement the changes in energy input and material cycling without losing the large achievements in standard of living and individual liberation associated with industrial societies.
Mid-crustal shear zone development under retrograde conditions: pressure–temperature–fluid constraints from the Kuckaus Mylonite Zone, Namibia
Authors: Diener Johann F. A. , Fagereng Åke , Thomas Sukey A. J.
Published: April 2016

Abstract. The Kuckaus Mylonite Zone (KMZ) forms part of the larger Marshall Rocks-Pofadder shear zone system, a 550 km-long, crustal-scale strike-slip shear zone system that is localised in high-grade granitoid gneisses and migmatites of the Namaqua Metamorphic Complex. Shearing along the KMZ occurred c. 40 Ma after peak granulite facies metamorphism, during a discrete tectonic event, and affected the granulites that had remained at depth since peak metamorphism. Isolated lenses of metamafic rocks within the shear zone allow the P–T-fluid conditions under which shearing occurred to be quantified. These lenses consist of an unsheared core that preserves relict granulite-facies textures, and is mantled by a schistose collar and mylonitic envelope that formed during shearing. All three metamafic textural varieties contain the same amphibolite-facies mineral assemblage, from which calculated pseudosections constrain the P–T conditions of deformation at 2.7–4.2 kbar and 450–480 °C, indicating that deformation occurred at mid-crustal depths through predominantly viscous flow. Calculated T–MH2O diagrams show that the mineral assemblages were fluid-saturated, and that lithologies within the KMZ must have been rehydrated from an external source and retrogressed during shearing. Given that the KMZ is localised in strongly dehydrated granulites, the most likely source of external fluid is meteoric, with fluid flow allowed by local dilation and increased permeability within the shear zone. The absence of hydrothermal fractures or precipitates indicates that, even though the KMZ was fluid-bearing, the fluid-rock ratio and fluid pressure remained low. In addition, the fluid could not have contributed to shear zone initiation, as an existing zone of enhanced permeability is required for fluid infiltration. We propose that the KMZ initiated by the reactivation of existing, favourably-oriented ductile structures, following which fluid infiltration caused a positive feedback that allowed weakening and continued strain localisation. Therefore, the main contribution of the fluid was to produce retrograde mineral phases and facilitate grain size reduction. Features such as tectonic tremor, that are observed on active faults under similar conditions as described here, may not require high fluid pressure, but could be explained by reaction weakening under hydrostatic fluid pressure conditions.
Does Perfluoro-n-Octane use in 23G Vitrectomy for Retinal Detachment Surgery Affect the Integrity of the Ellipsoid Zone?
Authors: Leisser Christoph , Varsits Ralph , Findl Oliver
Published: April 2016

Purpose

To examine the integrity of the ellipsoid zone after perfluoro-n-octane use for reattachment of the central retina in macula-off retinal detachment cases.

Methods

Intraoperative video documentation with microscope-integrated intraoperative spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) of 10 consecutive patients with macula-off retinal detachment, scheduled for primary vitrectomy for retinal detachment repair, was retrospectively examined for defects in the integrity of the ellipsoid zone due to perfluoro-n-octane use.

Results

Successful intraoperative visualization was possible in all cases, retinal detachment was reattached in all cases, but residual islands of subretinal fluid persisted directly after perfluoro-n-octane use in 80% of cases. These were resorbed in all cases in the postoperative OCTs. Disturbances in the integrity of the ellipsoid zone or intraoperative macular hole formation did not present in any of our cases.

Conclusions

Perfluoro-n-octane use seems to be a safe procedure regarding integrity of the ellipsoid zone in cases scheduled for primary vitrectomy for retinal detachment repair.
Results of Revision of Total HIP Arthroplasty for Alumina Ceramic-on-Ceramic Bearing Fracture
Authors: Trebše Rihard , Mihelič Anže , Levašič Vesna , Cör Andrej , Milošev Ingrid
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to compare the results of revision total hip arthroplasty after fracture of primary ceramic components using different type of revision bearing surfaces.

Methods

We analysed the results of 16 patients with a follow-up more than 3 years after first revision. 6 were revised to ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) bearing, 9 to metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) and 1 to ceramic-on-cross-linked polyethylene (CoXLP) bearing.

Results

The mean follow-up was 87 months. Patients with revision to CoC had higher Harris Hip Score (HHS) of 89 points in comparison to the patients with revision to MoP with 84 points. Radiographic examinations revealed visible eccentric polyethylene wear with osteolysis in 3 out of 9 patients revised to MoP. There were no detrimental x-ray changes in patients revised to CoC components.

Conclusions

We consider CoC as the best option at revision operation for ceramic component fracture.
Combination of Erythropoietin and Tranexamic Acid in Bilateral Simultaneous Total HIP Arthroplasty: A Randomised, Controlled Trial
Authors: Wu Yuan-gang , Zeng Yi , Shen Bin , Si Hai-bo , Cao Fei , Yang Ti-min , Pei Fu-xing
Published: April 2016

Introduction

This study aimed to evaluate whether the combination of erythropoietin (EPO) and tranexamic acid (TXA) exerted any additional benefits on the number of blood transfusions required and haematological parameters compared with TXA alone following primary bilateral simultaneous total hip arthroplasty.

Materials and methods

We conducted a single-centre, prospective, randomised, and controlled trial at our hospital. Group EPO + TXA (n = 30) received daily subcutaneous injections EPO (10,000 IU) on preoperative days 1-4 and postoperative days 1-3. Additionally, these patients were administered TXA (15 mg/kg) 10 min prior to the incision. Group TXA (n = 32) received only TXA (15 mg/kg) 10 min prior to the incision. The primary outcomes were the haematological parameters and number of blood transfusions required. The secondary outcomes were total blood loss, drainage volume, and postoperative complications.

Results

The total amount of blood transfusion and mean blood transfusion per patient was lower in group EPO + TXA than in group TXA (p = 0.039, p = 0.023; respectively). In the postoperative period, patients in group EPO + TXA had higher haematological parameters (haemoglobin, haematocrit, and reticulocyte count) than patients in group TXA. No significant differences were found in total blood loss, drainage volume, and DVT or PE between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

This study showed that administrating EPO + TXA in combination can increase haematological parameters and reduce the need for blood transfusion without increasing the risk of DVT or PE compared with TXA alone.