bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coherent Focused Lidars for Doppler Sensing of Aerosols and Wind
Authors: Hill Chris
Published: March 2018

Many coherent lidars are used today with aerosol targets for detailed studies of e.g., local wind speed and turbulence. Fibre-optic lidars operating near 1.5 μm dominate the wind energy market, with hundreds now installed worldwide. Here, we review some of the beam/target physics for these lidars and discuss practical problems. In a monostatic Doppler lidar with matched local oscillator and transmit beams, focusing of the beam gives rise to a spatial sensitivity along the beam direction that depends on the inverse of beam area; for Gaussian beams, this sensitivity follows a Lorentzian function. At short range, the associated probe volume can be extremely small and contain very few scatterers; we describe predictions and simulations for few-scatterer and multi-scatterer sensing. We review the single-particle mode (SPM) and volume mode (VM) modelling of Frehlich et al. and some numerical modelling of lidar detector time series and statistics. Interesting behaviour may be observed from a modern coherent lidar used at short ranges (e.g., in a wind tunnel) and/or with weak aerosol seeding. We also review some problems (and solutions) for Doppler-sign-insensitive lidars.
Post-Processing Approach for Refining Raw Land Cover Change Detection of Very High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Lv Zhiyong , Liu Tongfei , Wan Yiliang , Benediktsson Jón Atli , Zhang Xiaokang
Published: March 2018

In recent decades, land cover change detection (LCCD) using very high-spatial resolution (VHR) remote sensing images has been a major research topic. However, VHR remote sensing images usually lead to a large amount of noises in spectra, thereby reducing the reliability of the detected results. To solve this problem, this study proposes an object-based expectation maximization (OBEM) post-processing approach for enhancing raw LCCD results. OBEM defines a refinement of the labeling in a detected map to enhance its raw detection accuracies. Current mainstream change detection (preprocessing) techniques concentrate on proposing a change magnitude measurement or considering image spatial features to obtain a change detection map. The proposed OBEM approach is a new solution to enhance change detection accuracy by refining the raw result. Post-processing approaches can achieve competitive accuracies to the preprocessing methods, but in a direct and succinct manner. The proposed OBEM post-processing method synthetically considers multi-scale segmentation and expectation maximum algorithms to refine the raw change detection result. Then, the influence of the scale of segmentation on the LCCD accuracy of the proposed OBEM is investigated. Four pairs of remote sensing images, one of two pairs (aerial image with 0.5 m/pixel resolution) which depict two landslide sites on Landtau Island, Hong Kong, China, are used in the experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. In addition, the proposed approach is applied, and validated by two case studies, LCCD in Tianjin City China (SPOT-5 satellite image with 2.5 m/pixel resolution) and Mexico forest fire case (Landsat TM images with 30 m/pixel resolution), respectively. Quantitative evaluations show that the proposed OBEM post-processing approach can achieve better performance and higher accuracies than several commonly used preprocessing methods. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this type of post-processing framework is first proposed here for the field of LCCD using VHR remote sensing images.
Urban Built-Up Area Boundary Extraction and Spatial-Temporal Characteristics Based on Land Surface Temperature Retrieval
Authors: Wang Lin , Zhu Jianghong , Xu Yanqing , Wang Zhanqi
Published: March 2018

The analysis of the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban built-up area is conducive to the rational formulation of urban land use strategy, scientific planning and rational distribution of modern urban development. Based on the remote sensing data in four separate years (1999, 2004, 2010 and 2014), this research identified and inspected the urban built-up area boundary based on the temperature retrieval method. Combined with the second land investigation data and Google map data in Jingzhou, this paper used the qualitative and quantitative analysis methods to analyze the spatial-temporal characteristics of Jingzhou urban built-up area expansion over the past 15 years. The analysis shows that the entire spatial form of the urban built-up area has been evolving towards a compact and orderly state. On this basis, the urban area-population elasticity coefficient and algometric growth model were used to determine the reasonability of the urban sprawl. The results show that the expansion of built-up area in Jingzhou is not keeping up with the speed of population growth.
Evaluating Eight Global Reanalysis Products for Atmospheric Correction of Thermal Infrared Sensor—Application to Landsat 8 TIRS10 Data
Authors: Meng Xiangchen , Cheng Jie
Published: March 2018

Global reanalysis products have been widely used for correcting the atmospheric effects of thermal infrared data, but their performances have not been comprehensively evaluated. In this paper, we evaluate eight global reanalysis products (NCEP/FNL; NCEP/DOE Reanalysis2; MERRA-3; MERRA-6; MERRA2-3; MERRA2-6; JRA-55; and ERA-Interim) commonly used in the atmospheric correction of Landsat 8 TIRS10 data by referencing global radiosonde observations collected from 163 stations. The atmospheric parameters (atmospheric transmittance, upward radiance, and downward radiance) simulated with MERRA-6 and ERA-Interim were accurate than those simulated with other reanalysis products for different water vapor contents and surface elevations. When global reanalysis products were applied to retrieve land surface temperature (LST) from simulated Landsat 8 TIRS10 data, ERA-Interim and MERRA-6 were accurate than other reanalysis products. The overall LST biases and RMSEs between the retrieved LSTs and LSTs that were used to generate the top-of-atmosphere radiances were less than 0.2 K and 1.09 K, respectively. When eight reanalysis products were used to estimate LSTs from thirty-two Landsat 8 TIRS10 images covering the Heihe River basin in China, the various reanalysis products showed similar validation accuracies for LSTs with low water vapor contents. The biases ranged from 0.07 K to 0.24 K, and the STDs (RMSEs) ranged from 1.93 K (1.93 K) to 2.02 K (2.04 K). Considering the above evaluation results, MERRA-6 and ERA-Interim are recommended for thermal infrared data atmospheric corrections.
IMF-Slices for GPR Data Processing Using Variational Mode Decomposition Method
Authors: Zhang Xuebing , Nilot Enhedelihai , Feng Xuan , Ren Qianci , Zhang Zhijia
Published: March 2018

Using traditional time-frequency analysis methods, it is possible to delineate the time-frequency structures of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data. A series of applications based on time-frequency analysis were proposed for the GPR data processing and imaging. With respect to signal processing, GPR data are typically non-stationary, which limits the applications of these methods moving forward. Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) provides alternative solutions with a fresh perspective. With EMD, GPR data are decomposed into a set of sub-components, i.e., the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). However, the mode-mixing effect may also bring some negatives. To utilize the IMFs’ benefits, and avoid the negatives of the EMD, we introduce a new decomposition scheme termed variational mode decomposition (VMD) for GPR data processing for imaging. Based on the decomposition results of the VMD, we propose a new method which we refer as “the IMF-slice”. In the proposed method, the IMFs are generated by the VMD trace by trace, and then each IMF is sorted and recorded into different profiles (i.e., the IMF-slices) according to its center frequency. Using IMF-slices, the GPR data can be divided into several IMF-slices, each of which delineates a main vibration mode, and some subsurface layers and geophysical events can be identified more clearly. The effectiveness of the proposed method is tested using synthetic benchmark signals, laboratory data and the field dataset.
Noise Reduction in Hyperspectral Imagery: Overview and Application
Authors: Rasti Behnood , Scheunders Paul , Ghamisi Pedram , Licciardi Giorgio , Chanussot Jocelyn
Published: March 2018

Hyperspectral remote sensing is based on measuring the scattered and reflected electromagnetic signals from the Earth’s surface emitted by the Sun. The received radiance at the sensor is usually degraded by atmospheric effects and instrumental (sensor) noises which include thermal (Johnson) noise, quantization noise, and shot (photon) noise. Noise reduction is often considered as a preprocessing step for hyperspectral imagery. In the past decade, hyperspectral noise reduction techniques have evolved substantially from two dimensional bandwise techniques to three dimensional ones, and varieties of low-rank methods have been forwarded to improve the signal to noise ratio of the observed data. Despite all the developments and advances, there is a lack of a comprehensive overview of these techniques and their impact on hyperspectral imagery applications. In this paper, we address the following two main issues; (1) Providing an overview of the techniques developed in the past decade for hyperspectral image noise reduction; (2) Discussing the performance of these techniques by applying them as a preprocessing step to improve a hyperspectral image analysis task, i.e., classification. Additionally, this paper discusses about the hyperspectral image modeling and denoising challenges. Furthermore, different noise types that exist in hyperspectral images have been described. The denoising experiments have confirmed the advantages of the use of low-rank denoising techniques compared to the other denoising techniques in terms of signal to noise ratio and spectral angle distance. In the classification experiments, classification accuracies have improved when denoising techniques have been applied as a preprocessing step.
Improving SMOS Sea Surface Salinity in the Western Mediterranean Sea through Multivariate and Multifractal Analysis
Authors: Olmedo Estrella , Taupier-Letage Isabelle , Turiel Antonio , Alvera-Azcárate Aida
Published: March 2018

A new methodology using a combination of debiased non-Bayesian retrieval, DINEOF (Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions) and multifractal fusion has been used to obtain Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) fields over the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The debiased non-Bayesian retrieval mitigates the systematic errors produced by the contamination of the land over the sea. In addition, this retrieval improves the coverage by means of multiyear statistical filtering criteria. This methodology allows obtaining SMOS SSS fields in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the resulting SSS suffers from a seasonal (and other time-dependent) bias. This time-dependent bias has been characterized by means of specific Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). Finally, high resolution Sea Surface Temperature (OSTIA SST) maps have been used for improving the spatial and temporal resolution of the SMOS SSS maps. The presented methodology practically reduces the error of the SMOS SSS in the Mediterranean Sea by half. As a result, the SSS dynamics described by the new SMOS maps in the Algerian Basin and the Balearic Front agrees with the one described by in situ SSS, and the mesoscale structures described by SMOS in the Alboran Sea and in the Gulf of Lion coincide with the ones described by the high resolution remotely-sensed SST images (AVHRR).
In-Field Validation of an Inertial Sensor-Based System for Movement Analysis and Classification in Ski Mountaineering
Authors: Gellaerts Jules , Bogdanov Evgeny , Dadashi Farzin , Mariani Benoit
Published: March 2018

Ski Mountaineering (SkiMo) is a fast growing sport requiring both endurance and technical skills. It involves different types of locomotion with and without the skis. The aim of this study is to develop and validate in the snowfield a novel inertial-based system for analysing cycle parameters and classifying movement in SkiMo in real-time. The study was divided into two parts, one focused on real-time parameters estimation (cadence, distance from strides, stride duration, stride length, number of strides, slope gradient, and power) and, second, on transition detection (kickturns, skin on, skin off, ski on and off backpack) in order to classify between the different types of locomotion. Experimental protocol involved 16 experienced subjects who performed different SkiMo trials with their own equipment instrumented with a ski-mounted inertial sensor. The results obtained by the algorithm showed precise results with a relative error near 5% on all parameters. The developed system can, therefore, be used by skiers to obtain quantitative training data analysis and real-time feedback in the field. Nevertheless, a deeper validation of this algorithm might be necessary in order to confirm the accuracy on a wider population of subjects with various skill levels.
HyRA: A Hybrid Recommendation Algorithm Focused on Smart POI. Ceutí as a Study Scenario
Authors: Alvarado-Uribe Joanna , Gómez-Oliva Andrea , Barrera-Animas Ari , Molina Germán , Gonzalez-Mendoza Miguel , Parra-Meroño María , Jara Antonio
Published: March 2018

Nowadays, Physical Web together with the increase in the use of mobile devices, Global Positioning System (GPS), and Social Networking Sites (SNS) have caused users to share enriched information on the Web such as their tourist experiences. Therefore, an area that has been significantly improved by using the contextual information provided by these technologies is tourism. In this way, the main goals of this work are to propose and develop an algorithm focused on the recommendation of Smart Point of Interaction (Smart POI) for a specific user according to his/her preferences and the Smart POIs’ context. Hence, a novel Hybrid Recommendation Algorithm (HyRA) is presented by incorporating an aggregation operator into the user-based Collaborative Filtering (CF) algorithm as well as including the Smart POIs’ categories and geographical information. For the experimental phase, two real-world datasets have been collected and preprocessed. In addition, one Smart POIs’ categories dataset was built. As a result, a dataset composed of 16 Smart POIs, another constituted by the explicit preferences of 200 respondents, and the last dataset integrated by 13 Smart POIs’ categories are provided. The experimental results show that the recommendations suggested by HyRA are promising.
Direct Position Determination of Unknown Signals in the Presence of Multipath Propagation
Authors: Du Jianping , Wang Ding , Yu Wanting , Yu Hongyi
Published: March 2018

A novel geolocation architecture, termed “Multiple Transponders and Multiple Receivers for Multiple Emitters Positioning System (MTRE)” is proposed in this paper. Existing Direct Position Determination (DPD) methods take advantage of a rather simple channel assumption (line of sight channels with complex path attenuations) and a simplified MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm cost function to avoid the high dimension searching. We point out that the simplified assumption and cost function reduce the positioning accuracy because of the singularity of the array manifold in a multi-path environment. We present a DPD model for unknown signals in the presence of Multi-path Propagation (MP-DPD) in this paper. MP-DPD adds non-negative real path attenuation constraints to avoid the mistake caused by the singularity of the array manifold. The Multi-path Propagation MUSIC (MP-MUSIC) method and the Active Set Algorithm (ASA) are designed to reduce the dimension of searching. A Multi-path Propagation Maximum Likelihood (MP-ML) method is proposed in addition to overcome the limitation of MP-MUSIC in the sense of a time-sensitive application. An iterative algorithm and an approach of initial value setting are given to make the MP-ML time consumption acceptable. Numerical results validate the performances improvement of MP-MUSIC and MP-ML. A closed form of the Cramér–Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) is derived as a benchmark to evaluate the performances of MP-MUSIC and MP-ML.
Fusion of an Ensemble of Augmented Image Detectors for Robust Object Detection
Authors: Wei Pan , Ball John , Anderson Derek
Published: March 2018

A significant challenge in object detection is accurate identification of an object’s position in image space, whereas one algorithm with one set of parameters is usually not enough, and the fusion of multiple algorithms and/or parameters can lead to more robust results. Herein, a new computational intelligence fusion approach based on the dynamic analysis of agreement among object detection outputs is proposed. Furthermore, we propose an online versus just in training image augmentation strategy. Experiments comparing the results both with and without fusion are presented. We demonstrate that the augmented and fused combination results are the best, with respect to higher accuracy rates and reduction of outlier influences. The approach is demonstrated in the context of cone, pedestrian and box detection for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) applications.
A Procedure for Determining Tire-Road Friction Characteristics Using a Modification of the Magic Formula Based on Experimental Results
Authors: Cabrera Juan , Castillo Juan , Pérez Javier , Velasco Juan , Guerra Antonio , Hernández Pedro
Published: March 2018

Knowledge of tire-road friction characteristics is essential for the proper performance of most relevant vehicle active safety systems. Therefore, its determination is necessary to improve the effectiveness of these systems and to avoid or reduce the consequences of traffic accidents. For this reason, there is a great deal of literature concerning methods and devices for measuring and modeling tire-road friction. Most of these methods have focused on determining the road friction resistance, taking only road composition and making measurements in wet conditions into account. However, friction forces are also dependent on the tire type, since the contact is established between the tire and the road in real driving conditions. Thus, the type and characteristics of the tire have to be considered in the study of the interaction between the vehicle and the road. The aim of this work is to unify the study of the friction coefficient, taking into consideration the two existing bodies involved in the contact, i.e., the tire and road and the main factors that influence the forces in the contact. To this end, a modification of the Pacejka Magic Formula is proposed to include the effects of the main parameters that influence the contact, such as road composition and its state, tire type, vehicle speed, and slip between the tire and the road. To do so, real tests have been conducted on several roads and with different operating conditions. As a result, a more accurate tire-road friction model has been obtained.
Urban Area Detection in Very High Resolution Remote Sensing Images Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Tian Tian , Li Chang , Xu Jinkang , Ma Jiayi
Published: March 2018

Detecting urban areas from very high resolution (VHR) remote sensing images plays an important role in the field of Earth observation. The recently-developed deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs), which can extract rich features from training data automatically, have achieved outstanding performance on many image classification databases. Motivated by this fact, we propose a new urban area detection method based on DCNNs in this paper. The proposed method mainly includes three steps: (i) a visual dictionary is obtained based on the deep features extracted by pre-trained DCNNs; (ii) urban words are learned from labeled images; (iii) the urban regions are detected in a new image based on the nearest dictionary word criterion. The qualitative and quantitative experiments on different datasets demonstrate that the proposed method can obtain a remarkable overall accuracy (OA) and kappa coefficient. Moreover, it can also strike a good balance between the true positive rate (TPR) and false positive rate (FPR).
Student Mobility and Transnational Social Ties as Factors of Reflexivity
Authors: Golob Tea , Makarovič Matej
Published: March 2018

The article seeks to develop and apply new quantitative measurement instruments capable of significantly improving understanding of the relationship between the transnational mobility and transnational social ties of students, along with their reflexive capacities. With a focus on students building their personal networks, educational and professional activities that extend beyond the nation’s borders and organising their day-to-day routines in transnational social spaces, we analyse the role of mobility in their reflexive capacities. Applying a tool that is line with Archer’s theory and indicators to measure reflexivity, and transnational social ties as proposed by Molina et al., we analyse data collected via an on-line survey questionnaire administered to Slovenian students. In addition, students from the Middle East (Lebanon) and the USA (Hawai’i) are added for comparative purposes. The results of path analysis show the Slovenian students’ mobility as such implies higher scores for meta reflexivity, combined with lower scores for communicative and fractured reflexivity. Further, social transactions reaching beyond one’s physical localities in terms of transnational social ties implies they have higher levels of reflexivity in general.
Predicting Wetland Distribution Changes under Climate Change and Human Activities in a Mid- and High-Latitude Region
Authors: Zhao Dandan , He Hong , Wang Wen , Wang Lei , Du Haibo , Liu Kai , Zong Shengwei
Published: March 2018

Wetlands in the mid- and high-latitudes are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and have declined dramatically in recent decades. Climate change and human activities are arguably the most important factors driving wetland distribution changes which will have important implications for wetland ecological functions and services. We analyzed the importance of driving variables for wetland distribution and investigated the relative importance of climatic factors and human activity factors in driving historical wetland distribution changes. We predicted wetland distribution changes under climate change and human activities over the 21st century using the Random Forest model in a mid- and high-latitude region of Northeast China. Climate change scenarios included three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) based on five general circulation models (GCMs) downloaded from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 5 (CMIP5). The three scenarios (RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5) predicted radiative forcing to peak at 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 W/m2 by the 2100s, respectively. Our results showed that the variables with high importance scores were agricultural population proportion, warmness index, distance to water body, coldness index, and annual mean precipitation; climatic variables were given higher importance scores than human activity variables on average. Average predicted wetland area among three emission scenarios were 340,000 ha, 123,000 ha, and 113,000 ha for the 2040s, 2070s, and 2100s, respectively. Average change percent in predicted wetland area among three periods was greatest under the RCP 8.5 emission scenario followed by RCP 4.5 and RCP 2.6 emission scenarios, which were 78%, 64%, and 55%, respectively. Losses in predicted wetland distribution were generally around agricultural lands and expanded continually from the north to the whole region over time, while the gains were mostly associated with grasslands and water in the most southern region. In conclusion, climatic factors had larger effects than human activity factors on historical wetland distribution changes and wetland distributions were predicted to decline remarkably over time under climate change scenarios. Our findings have important implications for wetland resource management and restoration because predictions of future wetland changes are needed for wetlands management planning.
An Improved Set-Membership Proportionate Adaptive Algorithm for a Block-Sparse System
Authors: Jin Zhan , Li Yingsong , Liu Jianming
Published: March 2018

In this paper, an improved set-membership proportionate normalized least mean square (SM-PNLMS) algorithm is proposed for block-sparse systems. The proposed algorithm, which is named the block-sparse SM-PNLMS (BS-SMPNLMS), is implemented by inserting a penalty of a mixed l 2 , 1 norm of weight-taps into the cost function of the SM-PNLMS. Furthermore, an improved BS-SMPNLMS algorithm (the (BS-SMIPNLMS algorithm) is also derived and analyzed. The proposed algorithms are well investigated in the framework of network echo cancellation. The results of simulations indicate that the devised BS-SMPNLMS and BS-SMIPNLMS algorithms converge faster and have smaller estimation errors compared with related algorithms.
Analytic Solutions of Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations by the Power Index Method
Authors: Abraham-Shrauner Barbara
Published: March 2018

An updated Power Index Method is presented for nonlinear differential equations (NLPDEs) with the aim of reducing them to solutions by algebraic equations. The Lie symmetry, translation invariance of independent variables, allows for traveling waves. In addition discrete symmetries, reflection, or 180 ° rotation symmetry, are possible. The method tests whether certain hyperbolic or Jacobian elliptic functions are analytic solutions. The method consists of eight steps. The first six steps are quickly applied; conditions for algebraic equations are more complicated. A few exceptions to the Power Index Method are discussed. The method realizes an aim of Sophus Lie to find analytic solutions of nonlinear differential equations.
Case Study on Water Quality Improvement in Xihu Lake through Diversion and Water Distribution
Authors: Zhang Minxi , Dolatshah Azam , Zhu Wenlong , Yu Guoliang
Published: March 2018

Eutrophication in lakes and reservoirs is a serious environmental problem that has damaged ecosystem health worldwide. Water diversion is one of the most popular methods for improving the water quality in shallow lakes, as it dilutes pollutants in and diverts them out of the lake. However, simple diversion without rational water distribution cannot significantly enhance water exchange in the entire lake because dead water zones always exist. This paper illustrates a case study on water quality improvement in Xihu Lake by diversion and water distribution. Based on theoretical calculation, the diversion water discharge was determined and rationally distributed into four different locations. According to the field observations after the implementation of the diversion and water distribution project, the average velocity over the dead water zones increased approximately 50 times over that of prior to the project. The average water exchange period reduced from 68 days to 22.5 days. The average turbidity was 8.8% and 12.4% lower than before after two and four months of diversion, respectively. The maximum turbidity reduced from the original 27.5 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) to 20.1 NTU after two months of diversion, then to 16.1 NTU after four months of diversion. It shows that this diversion and rational water distribution eliminates most of the dead water zones and achieves a favorable flow field, thus reducing the turbidity and increasing water transparency, which is conducive to the improvement of water quality.
A Review of Permeable Pavement Clogging Investigations and Recommended Maintenance Regimes
Authors: Razzaghmanesh Mostafa , Beecham Simon
Published: March 2018

Understanding clogging mechanisms in permeable pavements can help optimize the required maintenance regime. In this review paper, methods for investigating clogging mechanisms are described. These include surface infiltration methods, the use of embedded sensors, and the development of modelling tools. Previously conducted surface infiltration tests indicate the importance of the age of a permeable pavement system and also local climatic conditions, including rainfall intensity. The results indicate that porous concrete generally has the highest infiltration capacity and this is followed by permeable interlocking concrete pavement and then porous asphalt. The measured infiltration rates decreased significantly even within two years of installation. There was an indirect relationship between surface infiltration rates and the age of the pavements. It was also found that the rainfall characteristics are important in selecting the type of pavement. Sensor technologies have been used mainly in the United States and there has been a reluctance to use such technologies in other parts of the world. Few studies have been conducted into modelling the changing performance of permeable pavement systems over time and there is a need to develop more general models. Various methods and machinery have been developed for cleaning and maintaining permeable pavements and there is no universally preferred approach currently available. Indeed, several of the commonly used maintenance methods have been shown to be relatively ineffective.
Trading Natural Riparian Forests for Urban Shelterbelt Plantations—A Sustainability Assessment of the Kökyar Protection Forest in NW China
Authors: Missall Siegmund , Abliz Abdulla , Halik Ümüt , Thevs Niels , Welp Martin
Published: March 2018

Cities at the fringe of the Taklimakan desert in NW China are prone to dust and sand storms with serious consequences for human well-being. The Kökyar Protection Forest was established in the 1980s as an ecological engineering project with the intent of protecting the city of Aksu, NW China, from these impacts. It is designed as a combination of poplar shelterbelts and orchards, irrigated by river water from the Aksu River, the main tributary of the Tarim River. Prevalent literature describes it as an afforestation project for combatting desertification with manifold positive effects for the economic, social, and environmental dimension of sustainable development. This paper sets out to challenge these claims by a sustainability assessment in which the plantation is examined from a broader perspective, embedding it to the wider context of social and environmental problems in South Xinjiang. Methods comprise evapotranspiration calculations, interviews, a socioeconomic household survey, stakeholder dialogues, and literature research. Results affirm its economic sustainability, but see a mixed record for the social sphere. From the nature conservation point of view, it has to be classified as unsustainable because its high irrigation water consumption results in the downstream desiccation and desertification of natural riparian forests along the Tarim River, causing a forest loss in the downstream area twice the size of the forest gain in the upstream area. There is a trade-off between artificial shelterbelt plantations for urban ecosystem services on the one hand side, and natural riparian forests and their biodiversity on the other hand side. The paper recommends restricting agricultural extension, and using locally adapted less water consuming agroforestry schemes to protect urban dwellers from dust stress.
Dancing Twins: Stellar Hierarchies That Formed Sequentially?
Authors: Tokovinin Andrei
Published: March 2018

This paper draws attention to the class of resolved triple stars with moderate ratios of inner and outer periods (possibly in a mean motion resonance) and nearly circular, mutually aligned orbits. Moreover, stars in the inner pair are twins with almost identical masses, while the mass sum of the inner pair is comparable to the mass of the outer component. Such systems could be formed either sequentially (inside-out) by disk fragmentation with subsequent accretion and migration, or by a cascade hierarchical fragmentation of a rotating cloud. Orbits of the outer and inner subsystems are computed or updated in four such hierarchies: LHS 1070 (GJ 2005, periods 77.6 and 17.25 years), HIP 9497 (80 and 14.4 years), HIP 25240 (1200 and 47.0 years), and HIP 78842 (131 and 10.5 years).
Supermassive Black Holes with High Accretion Rates in Active Galactic Nuclei. IX. 10 New Observations of Reverberation Mapping and Shortened Hβ Lags
Authors: Du Pu , Zhang Zhi-Xiang , Wang Kai , Huang Ying-Ke , Zhang Yue , Lu Kai-Xing , Hu Chen , Li Yan-Rong , Bai Jin-Ming , Bian Wei-Hao , Yuan Ye-Fei , Ho Luis C. , Wang Jian-Min ,   (SEAMBH collaboration)
Published: March 2018

As one paper in a series reporting on a large reverberation mapping campaign of super-Eddington accreting massive black holes (SEAMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we present the results of 10 SEAMBHs monitored spectroscopically during 2015–2017. Six of them are observed for the first time, and have generally higher 5100 Å luminosities than the SEAMBHs monitored in our campaign from 2012 to 2015; the remaining four are repeat observations to check if their previous lags change. Similar to the previous SEAMBHs, the Hβ time lags of the newly observed objects are shorter than the values predicted by the canonical R
Hβ
–L
5100 relation of sub-Eddington AGNs, by factors of ∼2–6, depending on the accretion rate. The four previously observed objects have lags consistent with previous measurements. We provide linear regressions for the R
Hβ
–L
5100 relation, solely for the SEAMBH sample and for low-accretion AGNs. We find that the relative strength of Fe ii and the profile of the Hβ emission line can be used as proxies of accretion rate, showing that the shortening of Hβ lags depends on accretion rates. The recent SDSS-RM discovery of shortened Hβ lags in AGNs with low accretion rates provides compelling evidence for retrograde accretion onto the black hole. These evidences show that the canonical R
Hβ
–L
5100 relation holds only in AGNs with moderate accretion rates. At low accretion rates, it should be revised to include the effects of black hole spin, whereas the accretion rate itself becomes a key factor in the regime of high accretion rates.
X-ray microtomography (microCT) of male genitalia of Nothybus kuznetsovorum (Nothybidae) and Cothornobata sp. (Micropezidae)
Authors: Galinskaya Tatiana V. , Gafurova (Gilyazetdinova) Dina , Ovtshinnikova Olga G.
Published: March 2018

The results of manual dissection of the musculature of the male genitalia in Nothybuskuznetsovorum are fully confirmed by the modern methods of Micro-CT. A comparative analysis of Neriacommutata and Cothornobata sp. shows that an increase in the flexion in the genitalia of males and the displacement of syntergosternite VII to the ventral side in Cothornobata sp. caused the disappearance of the muscles ITM6–7r and ITM7–8r. In addition, this increase in flexion apparently caused the fusion of the M18 muscles into one bundle. The muscle ISM5-6c goes on to moving the second segment of the forcipate appendages of sternite V.
L’e-santé : l’empowerment du patient connecté
Authors: Cases Anne-Sophie
Published: March 2018

L’objectif de cette recherche est de mieux comprendre les apports du numérique dans la sphère médicale avec une approche centrée autour du patient. Aujourd’hui, Internet a transformé la façon dont le patient a accès à l’information santé, ce patient dit « connecté » est de plus en plus informé et devient un acteur de sa santé. Conjointement, certains dispositifs numériques de santé contribuent également à impliquer les patients dans le processus de soin. Aussi, le concept d’empowerment du patient prend tout son sens avec l’arrivée des technologies numériques. Une revue de la littérature relative au concept d’empowerment du client puis du patient a été menée et complétée par deux études qualitatives complémentaires. Il s’agit d’identifier les sources de pouvoir associées au numérique et à l’empowerment du patient ainsi que les bénéfices et les risques de ce gain de pouvoir ressenti par ces derniers.
Le management au défi du stress des professionnels dans les établissements d’accueil des personnes âgées dépendantes
Authors: Vinot Alan , Vinot Didier
Published: March 2018

Objectif : L’objectif de cet article est de proposer un outil de mesure de perception du stress au sein de structures médico-sociales et à en analyser les résultats. Champs de l’étude : Cette recherche a été menée au sein de 26 Etablissements Hébergeant des Personnes Agées Dépendantes (EHPAD) répartis sur toute la France et intègre des structures citadines, rurales, de tailles, de statuts et de niveau de dépendance différents. Population étudiée : Tous les professionnels présents au sein de l’établissement au moment de l’étude. Méthode : Le questionnaire a été construit à partir de de trois structures pilote. Chaque échelle a été testée en fonction des alphas de Cronbach, α. Les résultats ont été exploités via une régression linéaire multiple de la fonction perception du stress. Résultats : La recherche porte sur 914 professionnels qui ont participé à cette étude. Le questionnaire comporte 42 questions portant sur des variables spécifiques aux conditions de travail et d’autres plus spécifiques aux critères identifiés lors des phases de pré test. L’alpha de Cronbach fait apparaître un coefficient de .893, quant aux 13 questions relatives aux conditions de travail, et de .848 quant aux 21 questions spécifiques au stress identifiées en focus group. Les résultats mettent en exergue 8 facteurs propres au rythme de travail, à la clarté des missions, aux interruptions des activités, au sens au travail, à la relation avec les résidents ou avec les collègues, aux ordres contradictoires et à l’encadrement. Conclusions : Certains facteurs tels que la relation avec les familles n’interviennent pas dans l’analyse des causes du stress, mettant en avant des facteurs organisationnels plus marqués, qui sont de réels leviers d’actions pour le manager.
L’informalité est-elle un choix ? Éléments de preuve à partir d’une évaluation contingente pour l’assurance sociale en Tunisie
Authors: Makhloufi Khaled , Protière Christel , Ventelou Bruno
Published: March 2018

Dans plusieurs pays en développement et en particulier au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique du Nord, l’informalité est regardée comme une fatalité et laisse une proportion importante de la population non couverte par le système de sécurité sociale. Une enquête d’évaluation contingente a été menée en Tunisie en 2013, se proposant d’estimer les consentements à payer (CAP) pour deux régimes hypothétiques d’assurance volontaire : un régime d’assurance maladie géré par la ‘Caisse Nationale d’Assurance Maladie’ et un régime vieillesse géré par la ‘Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale’. L’échantillon se compose de 456 individus non couverts par un régime de sécurité sociale (maladie ou vieillesse), interrogés dans les régions Nord, Centre et Sud du pays. Les personnes interrogées ont été recrutées sur les marchés (souks) – caractérisés par la forte présence d’acteurs du secteur informel – et les places publiques (Al-mydan) – où s’organisaient régulièrement des rassemblements pacifiques de chômeurs pour revendiquer des droits sociaux peu après ce qui a été appelé ‘le printemps Arabe’ qui a débuté en Tunisie fin 2010. L’intention d’adhésion déclarée par les travailleurs informels et les sans-emploi varie selon le type de filière de soins proposée et selon les risques couverts (avec ou sans assurance-vieillesse). Les résultats confirment les hypothèses selon lesquelles une affiliation volontaire à deux régimes d’assurance serait majoritairement acceptée par les non couverts et les CAPs déclarés pour cette affiliation seraient substantiels. Ils apportent donc des éléments de discussion en termes de politiques tunisiennes de santé (objectif de couverture santé universelle) et d’assurance-vieillesse. Finalement, nos résultats montrent d’une part que l’informalité n’est pas un choix des individus et que le contrôle de l’évasion sociale en Tunisie est possible. D’autre part, la comparaison manifestants/non manifestants montre qu’il est possible de généraliser une offre d’assurance sociale au-delà du cercle restreint des « activistes ».
Démocratie, médiation chrétienne
Authors: Bourdin Bernard
Published: March 2018

Depuis l’avènement de la politique moderne au xvii e  siècle, démocratie et représentation se sont fondées sur un contrat entre individus égaux, incompatible avec une médiation théologico-politique. Pourtant, les démocraties contemporaines traversent une crise de la représentation par rapport à laquelle le juriste Carl Schmitt a proposé une alternative catholique en réhabilitant les concepts catholiques de médiation et de représentation. Dans une toute autre perspective, plutôt qu’une alternative catholique, l’historien-philosophe Marcel Gauchet accrédite l’idée que « le système représentatif », traversé par une crise de son humanisme, pourrait bénéficier des ressources du christianisme et notamment du catholicisme. C’est peut-être ce qui est en train de se réaliser dans le champ institutionnel.
Les éthiques de la Réforme
Authors: Müller Denis
Published: March 2018

Trop souvent les éthiques protestantes et catholiques se scindent en éthique de la Parole et en morale magistérielle. Le présent essai vise à repenser l’éthique théologique en fonction d’une dialectique œcuménique critique. La dimension transgressive de l’éthique chrétienne s’avère essentielle à la compréhension d’une morale universelle. L’éthique protestante ne saurait adopter la posture d’une vérité scripturaire de type confessionnelle ; la morale catholique ne saurait davantage s’installer dans un universalisme magistériel dénué de toute tension pluraliste.
L’amour conjugal, ou parvenir à se réaliser dans le couple. Réflexions théoriques sur l’amour et typologie de couples
Authors: Santelli Emmanuelle
Published: March 2018

À partir des résultats d’une enquête empirique conduite en 2016 auprès de jeunes couples, cet article propose de conduire une réflexion sur l’amour, thème qui, jusqu’à une date récente, n’a guère été abordé de front dans la sociologie française du couple. Et pourtant, l’amour est une dimension centrale des liens conjugaux et familiaux. Il est également au centre des questionnements qui fondent la discipline puisqu’il permet d’aborder à la fois le processus d’individualisation, saisi à travers l’affirmation de soi, et la manière dont ces liens socialisent les individus. Dans une première partie, l’auteure propose une réflexion théorique sur l’amour (en général) en vue de se demander s’il est comparable à l’amour conjugal. Aux trois composantes de l’amour (amitié, passion, désir) identifiées par Francis Wolff, l’auteure propose d’en ajouter une quatrième, la réalisation de soi. Les résultats empiriques sont présentés grâce à une typologie de l’amour conjugal qui permet de décliner ses modalités selon les caractéristiques sociales des couples.
S’approprier les codes. Mise en scène et signification de la cérémonie du mariage pour les couples de même sexe
Authors: Meslay Gaëlle
Published: March 2018

Dans le contexte des transformations du mariage depuis les années 1970, son ouverture récente à des partenaires de même sexe représente un tournant majeur. Or, l’étude de la mise en scène choisie par ces couples permet de mieux comprendre les significations qu’ils/elles souhaitent donner à leur union, une possibilité jusqu’alors inaccessible. Plus précisément, il s’agit de matérialiser très concrètement le choix du mariage, motivé par des raisons juridiques, familiales, militantes et/ou symboliques, au travers des différents usages du rituel. La cérémonie matrimoniale, loin d’être laissée de côté depuis l’accroissement des formes d’union plus souples (Pacs et concubinage), représente au contraire un enjeu pour la définition du couple.
Maintenir le dialogue entre les parents : la priorité de l’après séparation
Authors: Dupont Sébastien
Published: March 2018

Cet article traite des ruptures familiales et revient sur un principe qui est, paradoxalement, à la fois consensuel et négligé : le maintien d’un dialogue cordial entre les parents est essentiel pour assurer l’équilibre des relations après la séparation parentale, aussi bien pour les adultes que pour les enfants. Bien que la plupart des professionnels s’accordent sur cette perspective, rares sont les dispositifs qui œuvrent directement en vue de cet objectif, à l’exception des services de médiation familiale (qui restent sous-utilisés). Aujourd’hui encore, la majorité des actions (psychologiques, sociales, éducatives et juridiques) qui sont proposées aux familles se concentrent sur la « périphérie » de la relation entre parents (les liens entre chaque parent et chaque enfant, la situation psychologique de chaque protagoniste, la définition des temps de résidence, le bon versement des pensions alimentaires...). Cet article vise à mettre en lumière les multiples freins qui empêchent les parents (et les professionnels qui les accompagnent) d’améliorer ou de rétablir le dialogue parental et les conséquences qui en découlent. Il s’agit également de présenter plusieurs pistes de réflexions visant à permettre une évolution des pratiques.
Des stratégies de contournement de la désinformation par les élites lyonnaises au début des guerres de Religion
Authors: Mingous Gautier
Published: March 2018

La ville du xvi e siècle est un lieu de bruissement de nouvelles en tous genres. Parmi elles, les fausses informations se diffusent largement et viennent parfois inquiéter les pouvoirs locaux qui doivent y faire face pour éviter qu’elles ne nuisent à leur mode de gouvernement. Certaines stratégies de contournement ont donc été tentées par les élites urbaines en vue de répondre efficacement au danger de la désinformation. L’exemple de la ville de Lyon au début des guerres de Religion illustre la manière dont les autorités ont pu, en mobilisant notamment leurs propres médias d’informations, transformer les fausses nouvelles en arguments politiques pour défendre les intérêts de la communauté urbaine.
Les fausses morts du Roi-Soleil, ou l’impossible contrôle de l’information
Authors: Lévrier Alexis
Published: March 2018

Dès le début d’un règne qui devait durer sept décennies, de nombreuses fausses informations ont circulé sur la santé de Louis XIV. La récurrence de ces nouvelles mensongères s’explique, au moins pour partie, par la méfiance du public envers la Gazette et le Mercure galant . Mais en voulant décrypter les non-dits de la presse officielle, journalistes étrangers et nouvellistes avides de rumeurs ont contribué à faire naître des informations plus erronées encore. Circulant de manière virale par oral comme par écrit, de la Cour à Paris et de Paris aux capitales étrangères, des rumeurs parfois extravagantes ont ainsi été élevées au rang de vérités alternatives.
Rétablir la vérité via le fact-checking : l’ambivalence des médias face aux fausses informations
Authors: Bigot Laurent
Published: March 2018

Les médias d’information générale sont toujours plus nombreux à afficher un travail de vérification des faits, en particulier dans le domaine politique, à travers des formats et rubriques de fact-checking . Pourtant, certains, parmi ces mêmes médias continuent à propager par ailleurs de fausses informations. Cet apparent paradoxe trouve une explication dans l’histoire du fact-checking , né aux États-Unis dans les années 1920 et dont la version moderne procède d’une réinvention, voire d’une adaptation aux contraintes économiques et éditoriales auxquelles sont aujourd’hui soumis les médias. Cette volonté de vérification scrupuleuse des contenus journalistiques semble s’être transformée en stratégie de vérification ostentatoire.
La fausse information au regard des vertus épistémiques de Wikipédia
Authors: Doutreix Marie-Noëlle
Published: March 2018

Comment la fausse information est-elle pensée et impensée dans Wikipédia ? Quand le faux devient-il sujet de discussions dans un contexte éditorial où la vérité n’est pas censée faire l’objet de débats ? Sur le cas de l’entrée « Aéroport du Grand Ouest » (cf. : Notre-Dame-des-Landes), nous montrerons que la fausse information est thématisée dans Wikipédia comme un manquement à ses propres règles et principes concernant la vérifiabilité et la neutralité, plus que comme une erreur factuelle.