bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation into a community outbreak of Salmonella Typhi in Bengaluru, India
Authors: Purighalla Swathi , Esakimuthu Saritha , Reddy Mallika , Seth Tara , Patil Sunita D. , Varghese George K. , Dasarathy Raghunath , Richard Vijay S. , Sambandamurthy Vasan K.
Published: December 2017

Background & objectives:

Outbreaks of infection due to Salmonella enterica servovar Typhi (S. Typhi) are a great threat to public health. A rapid molecular typing method to characterize strains implicated in an outbreak is critical in implementing appropriate control measures. This study was done to demonstrate the power of a PCR-based method to provide rapid insights into the genetic relatedness amongst the Salmonella isolates implicated in a suspected typhoid fever outbreak.

Methods:

Forty two S. Typhi isolates originating from three geographically distinct areas, with one area suspected to have a single-source outbreak were included in the study. The genetic fingerprint of all isolates was generated using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence based-PCR (ERIC-PCR). The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were also evaluated.

Results:

ERIC-PCR was found to be rapid and reproducible with a discriminatory index of 0.766. The dendrogram constructed based on ERIC-PCR fingerprinting revealed the existence of 12 distinct genotypes. The location suspected to have an outbreak displayed two genotypes amongst the 24 isolates. The other two locations (18 isolates) displayed genetic heterogeneity. The clonality of the outbreak isolates from the time-matched control isolates was established. The observed antimicrobial susceptibility profiles did not have any discriminatory power to subtype the isolates compared to the genetic fingerprints.

Interpretation & conclusions:

Our study demonstrated the discriminatory power and value of ERIC-PCR in the typing of S. Typhi isolates and providing valuable epidemiological insights.
La accidentalidad laboral y su prevención en prensa digital española
Authors: Arce García Sergio , Orviz Martínez Natalia , Cuervo Carabel Tatiana , Fernández Suárez Iván
Published: December 2017

La accidentalidad laboral y su prevención son aspectos que han entrado en el día a día de las empresas ante un grave problema humano, social y económico. Los medios de comunicación tradicionalmente han primado la fatalidad del accidente, principalmente mortal. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar como los periódicos nativos digitales abordan el tema. Metodología. Para realizar el análisis se han tomado las inserciones periodísticas relativas a la accidentalidad laboral y su prevención durante dos años y siete meses en cinco de los principales diarios digitales. Posteriormente se han estudiado haciendo uso de la metodología de framing a través de técnicas estadísticas de minería de texto. Resultados y conclusiones. Se evidencia una reacción reactiva de los medios digitales ante la accidentalidad laboral, al igual que la prensa en papel, aunque se aprecian diferencias importantes en el tratamiento de la temática en función de la línea de cada diario.
On ozone trend detection: using coupled chemistry-climate
simulations to investigate early signs of total column ozone recovery
Authors: Keeble James , Brown Hannah , Abraham N. Luke , Harris Neil R. P. , Pyle John A.
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Total column ozone values from an ensemble of UM-UKCA model runs are examined to investigate different definitions of progress on the road to ozone recovery. This approach takes into account the internal atmospheric variability of the model in assessing the statistical significance of each definition. Three definitions of recovery are investigated: (i) a slowed rate of decline and the date of minimum column ozone; (ii) the identification of significant positive trends; and (iii) a return to historic values. A return to past thresholds is the last state to be achieved. However, while recovery may appear to be robust at a particular point of time, additional years of observations may lead to a reduced significance of trends due to natural variability (e.g. solar cycle, QBO, ENSO). This points to the need to ensure that the impact of natural cycles on total ozone is correctly described in statistical models, especially in the tropics where chemical depletion of the column is small. Trends for the 2000–2017 period are positive at most latitudes and are statistically significant when natural cycles are accounted for. This significance results largely from the large sample size of the multi-member ensemble. The influence of the natural cycles on trend determination is least at latitudes where the trends are sizeable. Thus, while ozone recovery can be identified in certain months over Antarctica, the mid-latitudes are the best place to identify early recovery as the trends are large compared to the variability. Over the Arctic, total column ozone is too variable for a signal to be easily detected: this arises both from the large dynamical interannual variability and from the large changes in chemical ozone loss from year to year. In the tropics, trends are too small compared to the natural variability to identify any statistical significance.
231Pa and 230Th in the ocean model of the Community Earth System Model (CESM1.3)
Authors: Gu Sifan , Liu Zhengyu
Published: December 2017

Abstract. The sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratio is emerging as an important proxy for deep ocean circulation in the past. In order to allow for a direct model–data comparison and to improve our understanding of the sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratio, we implement 231Pa and 230Th in the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). In addition to the fully coupled implementation of the scavenging behavior of 231Pa and 230Th with the active marine ecosystem module (particle-coupled: hereafter p-coupled), another form of 231Pa and 230Th have also been implemented with prescribed particle flux fields of the present climate (particle-fixed: hereafter p-fixed). The comparison of the two forms of 231Pa and 230Th helps to isolate the influence of the particle fluxes from that of ocean circulation. Under present-day climate forcing, our model is able to simulate water column 231Pa and 230Th activity and the sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratio in good agreement with available observations. In addition, in response to freshwater forcing, the p-coupled and p-fixed sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratios behave similarly over large areas of low productivity on long timescales, but can differ substantially in some regions of high productivity and on short timescales, indicating the importance of biological productivity in addition to ocean transport. Therefore, our model provides a potentially powerful tool to help the interpretation of sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th reconstructions and to improve our understanding of past ocean circulation and climate changes.
Impacts of the Horizontal and Vertical Grids on the Numerical Solutions
of the Dynamical Equations. Part I: Nonhydrostatic Inertia-Gravity Modes
Authors: Konor Celal S , Randall David A.
Published: December 2017

Abstract. We have used a normal-mode analysis to investigate the impacts of the horizontal and vertical discretizations on the numerical solutions of the nonhydrostatic anelastic inertia-gravity modes on a midlatitude f-plane. The dispersion equations are derived from the linearized anelastic equations that are discretized on the Z, C, D, CD, (DC), A, E, and B horizontal grids, and on the L and CP vertical grids. The effects of both horizontal grid spacing and vertical wave number are analyzed, and the role of nonhydrostatic effects is discussed. We also compare the results of the normal-mode analyses with numerical solutions obtained by running linearized numerical models based on the various horizontal grids. The sources and behaviors of the computational modes in the numerical simulations are also examined. Our normal-mode analyses with the Z, C, D, A, E and B grids generally confirm the conclusions of previous shallow-water studies for the cyclone resolving scales (with low horizontal wavenumbers). We conclude that for cloud-resolving resolutions (with high horizontal wavenumbers) the Z and C grids become overall more accurate than for the cyclone-resolving scales, aided by nonhydrostatic effects. A companion paper, Part II, discusses the impacts of the discretization on the Rossby modes on a midlatitude β-plane.
Melting over the East Antarctic Peninsula (1999–2009): evaluation of a high-resolution regional climate model
Authors: Datta Rajashree T. , Tedesco Marco , Agosta Cecile , Fettweis Xavier , Kuipers Munneke Peter , van den Broeke Michiel R.
Published: December 2017

Abstract. Surface melting over the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) plays a crucial role for the stability of ice shelves and dynamics of grounded ice, hence modulating the mass balance in a region of the world which is particularly sensitive to increasing surface temperatures. Understanding the processes that drive melting using surface energy and mass balance models is fundamental to improving estimates of current and future surface melting and associated sea level rise through ice-shelf collapse. This is even more important in view of both the paucity of in-situ measurements in Antarctica generally and the specific challenges presented by the circulation patterns over the Antarctic Peninsula. In this study, we evaluate the regional climate model Modèle Atmosphérique Régionale (MAR) over the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) at a 10 km spatial resolution between 1999 and 2009, a period which coincides with the availability of active microwave data from the QuikSCAT mission. This is the first time that this model, which has been validated extensively over Greenland, has been applied to the Antarctic Peninsula at a high resolution. We compare melt occurrence modeled by MAR with a combination of estimates from passive and active microwave data. Our primary regional focus is the northern East Antarctic Peninsula (East AP), where we evaluate MAR against wind and temperature data collected by three automatic weather stations (AWS). Our results indicate that satellites estimates show greater melt frequency, a larger melt extent, and a quicker expansion to peak melt extent than MAR in the center and east of the Larsen C ice shelf. The difference between the remote sensing and modeled estimates reduces in the north and west of the East AP. Melting in the East AP can be initiated by both sporadic westerly föhn flow over the AP and northerly winds advecting warm air from lower latitudes. To quantify MAR's ability to simulate different circulation patterns that affect melt, we take a unique approach to evaluate melt occurrence (using satellite data) and concurrent temperature biases associated with specific wind direction biases using AWS data over the Larsen Ice Shelf. Our results indicate that although MAR shows an overall warm bias, it also shows fewer warm, strong westerly winds than reported by AWS stations, which may lead to an underestimation of melt. The underestimation of föhn flow in the east of the Larsen C may potentially be resolved by removing the hydrostatic assumption in MAR or increasing spatial resolution. The underestimation of southwesterly flow in particular may be reduced by using higher-resolution topography.
A GEOGRAFIA DA CIDADE E DAS TRANSFORMAÇÕES URBANAS NA OBRA DE FIÓDOR DOSTOIÉVSKI: O ESPAÇO EM OS IRMÃOS KARAMÁZOV
Authors: Do Mar Marques Martins Isis
Published: December 2017

Dostoiévski foi o principal expoente da literatura russa, em um período de transformações socioespaciais no final do czarismo (final do século XIX e até 1917, com a Revolução Russa). Tal período marca a inserção da cultura ocidental até as reformas de urbanização e o processo de remodelagem do modo de produção, em que o campo e a cidade ainda dialogavam intensamente e a influência de uma cultura intelectual moderna desenhava uma cidade europeia incoerente aos padrões populares. Temáticas como migração campo-cidade, concentração fundiária, pobreza urbana e os cotidianos marcados pela desigualdade despontam, e é na literatura que a presença desta marca torna-se mais latente. Dessa maneira, o presente artigo visa compreender as transformações socioespaciais que motivaram e influenciaram as abordagens em Dostoiévski, dividindo-o em três partes: os aspectos históricos; as transformações culturais do berço da modernidade; e as relações entre os personagens e as transformações urbanas na obra Os irmãos Karamázov.Palavras-chave: Geografia das cidades, transformações socioespaciais, Dostoiévski e a cidade.
TERRITÓRIOS DE “VIDA” E DE “MORTE”: UM OLHAR SOBRE OS CONFLITOS TERRITORIAIS ASSOCIADOS AO PARQUE NACIONAL DA SERRA DO CIPÓ, MG
Authors: Sancho Pivoto dos Santos Altair
Published: December 2017

O Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó (PARNASC), localizado na porção meridional da Serra do Espinhaço, região central do Estado de Minas Gerais, foi criado em 1984 sob as justificativas de preservação de espécies endêmicas, proteção da bacia de captação do rio Cipó e de paisagens com grande potencial ao desenvolvimento turístico. Apesar das contribuições inequívocas à conservação da biodiversidade do Espinhaço, tal iniciativa foi norteada por uma lógica unidirecional e unilateral de proteção, responsável por imprimir novos regramentos aos usos (i)materiais então coexistentes na Serra do Cipó, inclusive o impedimento da permanência de moradores em territórios historicamente ocupados. Diante desse contexto, o presente trabalho se volta para uma situação específica de conflito territorial, envolvendo a desterritorialização de uma família de agricultores tradicionais em virtude da implantação do PARNASC. Procurou-se, nessa direção, compreender como se efetivou tal processo, bem como as repercussões nos exercícios de territorialidade dos integrantes dessa família. Ancorado em um viés qualitativo, a presente pesquisa envolveu pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, além de entrevistas com analistas do Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) e com membros da família “Miné”. Os resultados indicam que essa família foi expulsa de suas terras, sem direito à defesa e aguardam até hoje a resolução desse conflito.Palavras-chave: Unidades de conservação, parque, conflito territorial, Serra do Cipó.
Microbiological quality of fresh and heat treated cow's milk during storage
Authors: Kunová Simona , Golian Jozef , Zeleňáková Lucia , Lopašovský Ľubomí­r , Čuboň Juraj , Haščí­k Peter , Kačániová Miroslava
Published: December 2017

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of raw milk from milk vending machine and heat treated milk during storage. There were analyzed 120 samples of milk (30 samples of fresh milk, 30 samples of raw milk stored 4 day at 4 °C, 30 samples of heat treated milk - 70 °C  stored 4 day at 4 °C and 30 samples of heat treated milk - 100 °C stored 4 day at 4 °C). Total viable counts (TVC), coliform bacteria (CB) and microscopic filamentous fungi (MFF) were determined by microbiological analysis. Plate dilution method were used for microbiological analysis. The number of total viable counts (TVC) in fresh milk ranged from 4.08 log KTJ.mL-1 to 4.89 CFU.mL-1. TVC in raw milk after storage ranged from 5.31 log CFU.mL-1 to 6.81 log CFU.mL-1. TVC in heat treated milk with temperature 70 °C after storage ranged from 3.89 log CFU.mL-1 to 4.45 log CFU.mL-1 and TVC in heat treated milk with temperature 100 °C after storage ranged from 2.96 log KTJ.mL-1 to 3.91 log KTJ.mL-1 in heat treated milk with temperature 100 °C after storage. The number of CB were in range from 1.49 log CFU.mL-1 to 1.89 log CFU.mL-1 in fresh milk, from 1.99 log CFU.mL-1 to 2.61 log CFU.mL-1 in raw stored milk. Coliform bacteria were not present in heat-treated milk samples. The values of MFF ranged from 0 log CFU.mL-1 to 2.01 log CFU.mL-1 in fresh milk, from 1.43 log CFU.mL-1 to 3.98 log CFU.mL-1 in raw milk after storage, from 1.33 log CFU.mL-1 to 3.41 log CFU.mL-1 in heat treated milk with temperature 70 °C after storage and from 1.30 log CFU.mL-1 to 3.32 log CFU.mL-1 in heat treated milk with temperature 100 °C after storage.
Selenium, cadmium and diazinon insecticide in tissues of rats after peroral exposure
Authors: Toman Róbert , Tunegová Martina
Published: December 2017

The concentrations of selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd) and diazinon (DZN) in selected tissues of rats after an oral administration in various combinations were analyzed. Male rats were orally dosed with diazinon (40 mg.L-1), diazinon (40 mg.L-1) +selenium (5 mg.L-1), diazinon (40 mg.L-1) +cadmium (30 mg.L-1), and diazinon (40 mg.L-1) +selenium (5 mg.L-1) +cadmium (30 mg.L-1) in drinking water. After 90 days of per oral administration of compounds, the samples of liver, kidney, muscle tissue (m. quadriceps femoris), and adipose tissue were collected. The content of DZN was analyzed using Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Cd was analyzed using an Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (ETAAS) and Se using a Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HG-AAS) methods. Cadmium significantly increased in liver and kidney after DZN +Cd and DZN +Se +Cd administration. Se significantly increased in liver of DZN +Se, DZN +Se +Cd and DZN +Cd exposed rats, in kidney of DZN +Se and DZN +Se +Cd and DZN +Cd, and in muscle of DZN +Se +Cd group. Highest DZN content was found in the adipose tissue in DZN, DZN +Cd and DZN +Se +Cd but not in combined exposure with Se. Anyway, the differences between the control and experimental groups were not significant. The results indicate that cadmium and selenium accumulate mainly in liver, kidney and selenium also in muscle after p.o. administration but diazinon concentrations increases were not signifcant. The co-administration of diazinon, Se and Cd affects the content of these compounds in the organism and the accumulation rate depends on the combination of administered compounds. Diazinon and cadmium could contribute to the selenium redistribution in the organism after the peroral intake.
Access to Optimal Treatment in Head and Neck Cancer: A Patient Perspective
Authors: Curtis Chris
Published: December 2017

Introduction

Head and neck cancer is a life-changing disease affecting all aspects in the life of a patient; eating, swallowing, talking, and socializing become very hard to deal with and comprehensive support is essential, regardless of the person's gender, age, social status, or background. The aim of this article is to describe the journey of a patient from a clinical and personal perspective, while discussing the importance of timely access to the most appropriate treatment based on outcome and on the patient's quality of life.

Case presentation

The journey of a head and neck cancer patient is illustrated from his own perspective. The clinical case also highlights a few key issues on medicine access. First, it has been a long time since any new treatment or drugs have been available to treat head and neck cancer patients, although the scenario might change drastically due to the introduction of immunotherapy. Second, it is unusual that even the most caring health care professional would consider a treatment that is not licensed in their country, even if it would have made a significantly positive difference to the patient's quality of life.

Conclusions

The increasing patient and health care professional's awareness of a solution to their problem with the use of unlicensed treatment, and the decreasing burden linked to identifying and sourcing unlicensed treatment, should help to optimize the management of these patients and significantly impact the outcome and their quality of life.
História e espacialidades faxinalenses: narrativas e representações imagéticas (1980 a 2015)
Authors: Schorner Ancelmo , Campigoto José Adilçon
Published: December 2017

Neste artigo discutimos a construção da espacialidade no âmbito da escrita da história dos povos tradicionais, especialmente os faxinalenses, tendo como fontes textos e representações pictóricas produzidas no âmbito acadêmico. Também, fotografias de maquetes, desenhos e pinturas, de material produzido por alunos da educação básica de escolas da região de Irati/PR. O recorte temporal é de 1980 a 2015. Esses cenários de maquetes, textos acadêmicos e ‘quadros’ de mística (bem como os registros fotográficos) são produtos para o consumo. O croqui, o perfil esquemático e os textos acadêmicos aqui analisados são resultado de um consumo que, mesmo no interior das normatizações rígidas impostas pelo sistema de produção científica, conseguem apresentar outra coisa, uma realidade modificada ou (re) significada frente aos discursos e aos processos de modernização agrícola.
História dos Movimentos Sociais na Fronteira Sul: oportunização política, mobilização e enquadramento interpretativo na luta pela terra
Authors: Rocha Humberto
Published: December 2017

A Fronteira Sul do Brasil é considerada um berço histórico de movimentos sociais de luta pela terra que são protagonistas nos dias atuais. Este artigo pretende assinalar este processo social tendo como referencial temporal as décadas de 1960 e 1980. Utilizando um referencial teórico englobando além do próprio conceito de “movimento social”, os conceitos de “modelo de mobilização”, “repertórios”, “quadros interpretativos” (frames) e “oportunização política”, compomos nossa análise tendo as ideias de “estrutura” e “conjuntura” brasileiras correspondentes aos períodos abordados como pano de fundo. O argumento é desenvolvido em cinco partes relacionadas: inicialmente é apresentada a conjuntura brasileira no período considerado de modo a estabelecer um pano fundo para a análise. A segunda seção contextualiza a região da Fronteira Sul enquanto potencial para mobilização social a partir da conjuntura nacional. A terceira seção destaca elementos teóricos para a compreensão da emergência dos movimentos na região tendo como eixo a luta pela terra. A quarta seção discute como as mobilizações sociais se transformam em movimentos sociais coesos a partir de uma estrutura de oportunização política. A última seção resgata a trajetória dos movimentos sociais a partir da referida estruturação até os dias atuais e apresenta as considerações finais.
A Discussion of the Power of Science to Complement Ethno+musicological Studies: Insights from Interdisciplinary Musicology
Authors: Lazo Silvia
Published: December 2017

In the animal kingdom, competition and hierarchical arrangements relative to members of the same sex are extremely common, with males competing for the top “alpha male” position and females ranked below them. Despite the widespread occurrence of hierarchical self-organization among animals and humans, ethno+musicologists often shy away from phylogenetic inferences and borrowing resources from biology, psychology, and anthropology. Is this a reflection of scholarly bias or a sense of unease with interdisciplinary, indirect, and large-scale data? This paper explores some answers to this question and suggests interdisciplinary connections for both ethnomusicology and musicology through the examination of biological and cultural frameworks with respect to social dominance.
Avaliação da performance de índices de similaridade aplicados ao agrupamento de objetos textuais
Authors: Araújo Neto Alfredo Silveira , Negreiros Marcos
Published: December 2017

A captura e o armazenamento de dados em formato digital têm permitido às organizações o acúmulo de um volume de informações extremamente elevado, constituído em maior proporção por dados em formato não estruturado, representados por textos. Neste contexto, as atividades de análise de agrupamentos ou classificação não supervisionada de objetos, se constituem como uma das técnicas de mineração de informações mais frequentemente empregadas no intuito de proporcionar a organização do volume progressivamente crescente de elementos textuais, por meio da disposição dos documentos em grupos de itens semelhantes com base em um índice de similaridade. Neste sentido, este estudo avalia os índices de similaridade distância Euclidiana, distância do coseno, distância de Hamming, coeficiente de Jaccard estendido e coeficiente de correlação de Pearson, sob a perspectiva de seis índices de validação de agrupamentos, observando que a distância do coseno representa, conforme a presente análise, o índice de similaridade mais apropriado ao agrupamento de objetos textuais, convertidos em formato estruturado por intermédio de técnicas de mineração de textos.
Leitura em meio digital: o uso da ferramenta de anotações DLNotes2
Authors: Assis Emanoel Cesar Pires de
Published: December 2017

O trabalho, refletindo sobre a leitura de literatura em suportes assistidos pelas tecnologias digitais, procura analisar três leituras da obra Memórias Póstuma de Brás Cubas realizadas a partir do uso de uma ferramenta de anotações em obras literárias em meio digital, o DLNotes2. Buscando pressupostos nas teorias da leitura literária defendidas por autores de viés fenomenológico como Roman Ingarden (1965) e Wolfgang Iser (1996;1999), pretendemos demonstrar como ferramentas digitais de leitura podem ser utilizadas com obras literárias digitalizadas e como essas ferramentas auxiliam/modificam/alteram a leitura de literatura em meio digital.
Harry Potter e a Linguística de Corpus em aulas de língua inglesa para o Ensino Fundamental II
Authors: Oliveira Elaine Cristina , Ottaiano Adriane Orenha
Published: December 2017

O artigo descreve a realização de aulas de língua inglesa baseadas no primeiro livro e filme da saga escrita por Joanne Kathleen Rowling “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” em corpora. A investigação utiliza postulados da Linguística de Corpus e Diretrizes do Ensino de Língua Estrangeira. O software WordSmith Tools, versão 6.0, foi utilizado para corroborar as informações dos dois corpora comparáveis (livro digitalizado e legendas do filme em formato eletrônico). A partir das informações coletadas, elaborou-se um material composto por atividades que buscam o aprendizado da língua inglesa. Algumas destas atividades foram aplicadas no curso de extensão (English for Teens), de uma universidade pública, cujo público alvo são alunos oriundos da escola pública, do Ensino Fundamental II.
Sons nas nuvens: sobre o lugar do fônico no Curso de Linguística Geral
Authors: Ciulla Alena , Milano Luiza
Published: December 2017

Neste artigo, partimos de uma leitura do Curso de Linguística Geral, com o apoio de uma ferramenta automática. Através de uma perspectiva computacional, nossa proposta é a de simular uma leitura isenta, na medida do possível, dessa importante obra, cujas interpretações, na maior parte das vezes, são vinculadas a tradições já estabelecidas pelos estudos clássicos. Contudo, esse exercício de objetividade - ou de afastamento das leituras canônicas - permite-nos apenas formular hipóteses sobre alguns aspectos da interpretação do texto. É preciso sempre voltar ao texto e ao nosso papel de leitores da obra, investigando a fundo cada uma dessas hipóteses. Conforme os resultados em nuvens que a ferramenta proporciona, os termos mais relevantes do CLG são relacionados a um tema minimizado pela maior parte dos estudos saussurianos: o sistema fônico das línguas. Nosso intuito, então, foi o de estabelecer uma conexão entre esse resultado, que aponta para uma grande importância do fônico nas línguas, e o que se pode depreender da obra do mestre genebrino.
Corporate Social Responsibility Contribution to Environmental Sustainability in Developing Countries: The Accountability Perspective
Authors: Jeremiah Mfon Solomon
Published: December 2017

There is a growing concern that voluntary CSR policy is almost incapable of enhancing the envisaged sustainable development in developing countries. The argument is about commitment to its implementation and its contribution to sustainable development, particularly in developing countries characterised by weak state institutions and governance. The present article examines the role which accountability could play in boosting CSR initiatives contribution to environmental sustainability in developing countries. It indicates when the need for accountability perspective of CSR (APCSR) arises, and its role in enhancing CSR contribution to environmental sustainability. The conceptual framework for applicability of APCSR is highlighted and discussed. The study provides the foundation for CSR policy development and empirical investigation of alternative approach to CSR practices in developing countries.
La reforma laboral de 2012 en clave salarial: brecha entre las rentas del trabajo y del capital
Authors: Pérez Amorós Francesc
Published: December 2017

La reforma laboral de 2012 (Ley 3/2012, de 6 de julio, de medidas urgentes para la reforma del mercado del trabajo), se aprobó, según se indica expresamente en su propio Preámbulo, para facilitar la creación de trabajo y para facilitar la adaptación de los salarios y otras condiciones de trabajo a la productividad y competitividad empresarial. Para alcanzar tales fines, el articulado de la referida Ley, previene medidas que flexibilizan las relaciones laborales, y establece pautas que, en concreto, flexibilizan la retribución salarial. Tras cinco años de reforma laboral, no parece que se hayan obtenido plenamente los objetivos perseguidos en punto a la creación de trabajo, pero sí en relación a la devaluación salarial.
L’explotació dels territoris pirinencs orientals en època antiga (s. VI-I ane)
Authors: Olesti Vila Oriol , Mercadal i Fernández Oriol
Published: December 2017

El treball presenta, de manera sintètica, els resultats dels treballs arqueològics realitzats en els darrers anys al Pirineu Oriental, especialment a la Cerdanya però també en altres comarques veïnes. Aquestes dades es combinen amb els principals estudis paleo-ambientals publicats. A partir d’aquí, els autors presenten una proposta d’interpretació històrica per al període VI-I ane., un model hipotètic que ofereixi un marc de referència que pugui ser validat o modificat per treballs futurs.
O CRITÉRIO DE CIENTIFICIDADE POR MEIO DAS VIRTUDES
Authors: Koslowski Adilson
Published: December 2017

 

O problema da demarcação é uma das clássicas questões em filosofia da ciência. Ele não teve muita atenção nas últimas décadas entre os filósofos da ciência comparada àquela recebida nos inícios do século XX, contudo continua sendo importante. Pensamos existir várias formas de buscar uma solução ao desafio. Apresentaremos uma proposta que tem suas origens na filosofia da ciência de Thomas Kuhn (1973). A escolha de teorias é baseada nas virtudes cognitivas e pragmáticas das teorias.  
LITERATURA E METAFÍSICA NA FILOSOFIA DE SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR
Authors: Teixeira Pedro Rhavel
Published: December 2017

Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar o ensaio Literatura e Metafísica de Simone de Beauvoir. Em seguida, se estabelecerá a relação entre filosofia e literatura na obra da autora, mostrando como ambas as instâncias se imbricam e não podem ser compreendidas como saberes totalmente distintos, separados. Ao fim, mostrar-se-á através de trechos de seu romance A Convidada a forma como a filósofa francesa concilia filosofia e literatura.
2017, an excellent year for the Italian hydrogeology
Authors: Ducci Daniela , Rusi Sergio
Published: December 2017

Not available
The domestication of planning ideas – the case of Shared Space
Authors: Peters Sebastian
Published: December 2017

New planning ideas of diverse types, ranging from new design concepts to large-scale development policies, are inherently challenging because they involve changes to prevailing thought and practice. As they are passed on, though, they are subjected to translation, adjusting them to discourses prevailing in different contexts, and often resulting in conceptual distortion. This article seeks to contribute to the theorization of the translation of planning ideas, by proposing the concept of domestication as a means of understanding such distortion. An analysis of one such challenging idea - Shared Space - serves to illustrate this concept and assess its usefulness.
Reflection, reflexivity, reconceptualisation: Life story inquiry and the complex positionings of a researcher
Authors: Chan Angel
Published: December 2017

This paper employs an autoethnographic approach to reflect upon my personal doctoral research journey. Methodological, ethical and social justice issues emerged from the doctoral study which used a qualitative and narrative research methodology – the life story approach – are examined in this paper, highlighting the complexity, messiness and subjectivity of this approach and the key role of reflexivity in research. The doctoral study utilised life story individual interviews conducted with ten Chinese immigrant parents to investigate their involvement in their children’s early childhood education. The participants’ stories have now become part of my life story. Personal reflections on the doctoral research journey are used as ‘findings’ – as a site for analysis by reinterpreting earlier interpretations. These reflections illuminate the importance yet complication of relationships between the researcher and participants, the fluid nature of the insider-researcher, and the complexity of meaning co-construction in qualitative and narrative research.
The early Miocene balaenid Morenocetus parvus from Patagonia (Argentina) and the evolution of right whales
Authors: Buono Mónica R. , Fernández Marta S. , Cozzuol Mario A. , Cuitiño José I. , Fitzgerald Erich M.G.
Published: December 2017

Balaenidae (right and bowhead whales) are a key group in understanding baleen whale evolution, because they are the oldest surviving lineage of crown Mysticeti, with a fossil record that dates back ∼20 million years. However, this record is mostly Pliocene and younger, with most of the Miocene history of the clade remaining practically unknown. The earliest recognized balaenid is the early Miocene Morenocetus parvus Cabrera, 1926 from Argentina. M. parvus was originally briefly described from two incomplete crania, a mandible and some cervical vertebrae collected from the lower Miocene Gaiman Formation of Patagonia. Since then it has not been revised, thus remaining a frequently cited yet enigmatic fossil cetacean with great potential for shedding light on the early history of crown Mysticeti. Here we provide a detailed morphological description of this taxon and revisit its phylogenetic position. The phylogenetic analysis recovered the middle Miocene Peripolocetus as the earliest diverging balaenid, and Morenocetus as the sister taxon of all other balaenids. The analysis of cranial and periotic morphology of Morenocetus suggest that some of the specialized morphological traits of modern balaenids were acquired by the early Miocene and have remained essentially unchanged up to the present. Throughout balaenid evolution, morphological changes in skull arching and ventral displacement of the orbits appear to be coupled and functionally linked to mitigating a reduction of the field of vision. The body length of Morenocetus and other extinct balaenids was estimated and the evolution of body size in Balaenidae was reconstructed. Optimization of body length on our phylogeny of Balaenidae suggests that the primitive condition was a relatively small body length represented by Morenocetus, and that gigantism has been acquired independently at least twice (in Balaena mysticetus and Eubalaena spp.), with the earliest occurrence of this trait in the late Miocene–early Pliocene as represented by Eubalaena shinshuensis.
First Guatemalan record of natural hybridisation between Neotropical species of the Lady’s Slipper orchid (Orchidaceae, Cypripedioideae)
Authors: Szlachetko Dariusz L. , Kolanowska Marta , Muller Fred , Vannini Jay , Rojek Joanna , Górniak Marcin
Published: December 2017

The first natural hybrid in the sectionIrapeanaof the orchid genusCypripediumis described and illustrated based on Guatemalan material. A molecular evaluation of the discovery is provided. Specimens with intermediate flowers betweenC. irapeanumandC. dickinsonianumwithin ITS andXdhsequences have the signal sequence of both these species. The analysis of plastid sequences indicated that the maternal line isC. irapeanum. Information about the ecology, embryology and conservation status of the novelty is given, together with a distribution map of its parental species,C. irapeanumandC. dickinsonianum. A discussion of the hybridization betweenCypripediumspecies is presented. The potential hybrid zones between the representatives ofCypripediumsectionIrapeanawhich were estimated based on the results of ecological niche modeling analysis are located in the Maya Highlands (C. dickinsonianumandC. irapeanum) and the eastern part of Southern Sierra Madre (C. molleandC. irapeanum). Moreover, all threeCypripediumspecies could inhabit Cordillera Neovolcánica according to the obtained models; however, it should be noticed that this region is well-distanced from the edges of the known geographical range ofC. molle.
Temporal and spatial distribution of transparent exopolymer particles off the northern coast of Baja California, Mexico
Authors: Hakspiel-Segura Cristian , Cajal-Medrano Ramón , Maske-Rubach Helmut , Villegas-Mendoza Josué
Published: December 2017

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) have been reported as a significant fraction of organic microgels in different oceans. No TEP data have been published for the California Current region off Baja California that indicate the potential contribution of this reservoir to the carbon budget. We measured TEP in seawater samples, using the spectrophotometric method with alcian blue stain, and additional environmental and biological variables during 3 seasons at coastal stations between ~1.4 and 12.0 mi offshore, near 31ºN. Concentrations of TEP obtained with 0.45 µm pore size filters showed spatial and temporal distributions with a tendency to increase from offshore to nearshore and from winter to summer, respectively, ranging from undetectable values to 7.18 µg XG eq·mL–1 (median: 0.70). A significant positive correlation was observed between the concentration of TEP and bacterioplankton abundance (P < 0.05), and between total organic carbon and bacterioplankton abundance (P < 0.05). Transparent exopolymer particles also presented a negative correlation with community respiration (P < 0.05), suggesting that TEP provided a physical substrate for settlement of prokaryotic microorganisms but probably did not supply labile carbon. We compared the concentration of alcian blue stainable particles retained by the standard 0.45 µm pore size with the concentration obtained with 0.22 µm filters; the latter showed 1.7 to 64.0 fold (median: 4.1) higher TEP concentrations. This strong dependence of TEP concentration on pore size makes it difficult to define the quantitative contribution of TEP and their precursors to particulate organic matter and their role in the carbon cycle. Further studies on TEP in the Mexican portion of the California Current must corroborate the observed spatial and seasonal trends, and estimate a TEP-to-carbon conversion factor that provides a better approximation to its contribution to the regional carbon budget.
Satellite-derived phytoplankton biomass and production variability in 2 contrasting coastal areas: off southern California and off northern Baja California
Authors: Mirabal-Gómez Uriel , Álvarez-Borrego Saúl , Lara-Lara José Rubén
Published: December 2017

In order to compare phytoplankton biomass (satellite-derived chlorophyll, Chlsat) and production (PP), and sea surface temperature (SST) between the regions north and south of the Ensenada Front, time series were generated from satellite imagery for 250-km transects perpendicular to the coast: one off La Jolla (TLJ), southern California (USA), and the other off San Quintín Bay (TSQB), Baja California (Mexico). Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) SST and Chlsat monthly composites and PP monthly composites were used for the 2002–2016 period. An “average year” was generated for each transect and each variable as an approximation to the climatology. Data show spatial variation in Chlsat and PP with higher values in the coastal zone (>10.0 mg·m–3 and >4.0 g C·m–2·d–1, respectively) than offshore (~0.1 mg·m–3 and 0.4 g C·m–2·d–1, respectively), while SST showed, in general, minimum values in the coastal zone (~15.0 ºC) and maxima offshore (~21.0 ºC). In the coastal zone, Chlsat values were higher on TSQB than on TLJ. However, sometimes phytoplankton biomass was higher in the offshore waters of TLJ than in the offshore waters of TSQB because of the effect of high Chlsat plumes coming from Point Conception into the Southern California Bight. The SST, Chlsat, and PP variations had clear seasonal and interannual components. Spectral analysis shows that the seasonal component of variation was dominant for the 3 variables. The 2004 central Pacific type of El Niño, the 2014 “Blob”, and the 2015–2016 eastern Pacific type of El Niño had very strong effects on phytoplankton biomass and production along both transects. Nevertheless, the effects generally tended to be stronger at TLJ than at TSQB. There are spatial variations in the coastal dynamics of the California Current System, and thus the effects of seasonal and interannual events will not be the same at different geographic locations.
An efficiency approach for RBAC reconfiguration with minimal roles and perturbation
Authors: Pan Ning , Zhu Zhiqiang , He Liangsheng , Sun Lei
Published: December 2017

Role‐based access control (RBAC) has been widely used based on its good applicability and high flexibility in recent years. However, the RBAC system needs to be updated to meet the changes in access control policies during its run time. As the complexity of modifying role‐permission assignments, new roles are continuously added to the system without considering the business processes and the user demands. Therefore, the RBAC system needs to be reconfigured over time to optimize the RBAC configuration and keep as close as possible to the original at the same time. Although there have several RBAC reconfiguration schemes by generating roles that are similar to the deployed ones, most of them neglect the difference between roles (meaningful or meaningless, frequently used, or infrequently used, etc) and generate more roles than needed, which in turn increases the system management burden. In this paper, we first propose a method to evaluate the quality of roles based on two indicators and formally define the problem of RBAC reconfiguration with minimal roles and perturbation. Then, we present a log‐based RBAC reconfiguration approach that handles the motivation problem and its detail algorithm process. The effectiveness and stability of our approach is demonstrated by experiments at last.
Data‐driven pedestrian re‐identification based on hierarchical semantic representation
Authors: Cheng Keyang , Xu Fangjie , Tao Fei , Qi Man , Li Maozhen
Published: December 2017

Limited number of labeled data of surveillance video causes the training of supervised model for pedestrian re‐identification to be a difficult task. Besides, applications of pedestrian re‐identification in pedestrian retrieving and criminal tracking are limited because of the lack of semantic representation. In this paper, a data‐driven pedestrian re‐identification model based on hierarchical semantic representation is proposed, extracting essential features with unsupervised deep learning model and enhancing the semantic representation of features with hierarchical mid‐level ‘attributes’. Firstly, CNNs, well‐trained with the training process of CAEs, is used to extract features of horizontal blocks segmented from unlabeled pedestrian images. Then, these features are input into corresponding attribute classifiers to judge whether the pedestrian has the attributes. Lastly, with a table of ‘attributes‐classes mapping relations’, final result can be calculated. Under the premise of improving the accuracy of attribute classifier, our qualitative results show its clear advantages over the CHUK02, VIPeR, and i‐LIDS data set. Our proposed method is proved to effectively solve the problem of dependency on labeled data and lack of semantic expression, and it also significantly outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art in terms of accuracy and semanteme.
When to conduct an isotopic survey for lake water balance evaluation in highly seasonal climates
Authors: Cui Jiangpeng , Tian Lide , Gibson John J.
Published: December 2017

One‐time or short‐term lake water isotopic surveys are often employed to evaluate regional lake water balance. However, it can be difficult to determine the optimal time‐window for sampling to obtain a representative long‐term perspective of lake water balance in settings influenced by seasonal variations in precipitation, evaporative loss, glacial/snow meltwater, and larger seasonal shifts in isotopic composition of precipitation. This is especially true for areas of the Tibetan Plateau that are influenced by the summer Indian monsoon. Although high‐frequency sampling is always preferred as the most rigorous approach to characterize the water budget of lakes or watersheds, this may be impractical in remote regions and over large spatial scales. To assess the potential sensitivity of isotope balance characterization to seasonal variability, we used a weekly lake water isotope data set acquired over a period of 3 years on the Tibetan Plateau to evaluate the potential inaccuracies that might have arisen from using isotopic data collected during narrower time‐windows. For this assessment, we use weekly isotopic data collected during the study and assume that these sampling events were stand‐alone one‐time surveys. We then demonstrate the sensitivity of the isotope balance method in this setting, particularly for the rainy season that significantly underestimated the evaporation/inflow. In contrast, isotopic composition of the lake water was found to be more representative of long‐term conditions when sampled in October on the Tibetan Plateau. To broaden our evaluation of seasonality effects over a range of climatic zones, published high‐frequency isotopic data were also compiled, and a similar assessment was carried out for selected regions of the world. The synthesized data and model outputs, which confirm pronounced variations in lake water isotopic composition and evaporation/inflow across a range of seasonal climates, were used to determine optimal sampling windows for these specific regions.
The impact of climate change on extreme precipitation in Sicily, Italy
Authors: Forestieri Angelo , Arnone Elisa , Blenkinsop Stephen , Candela Angela , Fowler Hayley , Noto Leonardo V.
Published: December 2017

Increasing precipitation extremes are one of the possible consequences of a warmer climate. These may exceed the capacity of urban drainage systems, and thus impact the urban environment. Because short‐duration precipitation events are primarily responsible for flooding in urban systems, it is important to assess the response of extreme precipitation at hourly (or sub‐hourly) scales to a warming climate. This study aims to evaluate the projected changes in extreme rainfall events across the region of Sicily (Italy) and, for two urban areas, to assess possible changes in Depth‐Duration‐Frequency (DDF) curves. We used Regional Climate Model outputs from Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment for Europe area ensemble simulations at a ~12 km spatial resolution, for the current period and 2 future horizons under the Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 scenario. Extreme events at the daily scale were first investigated by comparing the quantiles estimated from rain gauge observations and Regional Climate Model outputs. Second, we implemented a temporal downscaling approach to estimate rainfall for sub‐daily durations from the modelled daily precipitation, and, lastly, we analysed future projections at daily and sub‐daily scales. A frequency distribution was fitted to annual maxima time series for the sub‐daily durations to derive the DDF curves for 2 future time horizons and the 2 urban areas. The overall results showed a raising of the growth curves for the future horizons, indicating an increase in the intensity of extreme precipitation, especially for the shortest durations. The DDF curves highlight a general increase of extreme quantiles for the 2 urban areas, thus underlining the risk of failure of the existing urban drainage systems under more severe events.