bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From Vocational Education to Career Readiness
Authors: Dougherty Shaun M. , Lombardi Allison R.
Published: December 2017

A long-standing debate has been waged over the past century or more about the purpose of education. Is the primary purpose to provide for the general edification of the individual, or must education have a pragmatic application that relates to one’s intended role in the workforce? Public education’s focus on these ends has evolved over time, often in relation to changing economic demands. Using a broad historical lens to examine recent developments, incorporating salient historical debates and social forces, the authors attempt to better understand how the relationship between education and preparation for the workforce has changed over time. They focus on the proliferation of federal innovations in this area over the past 100 years and consider persistent themes in philosophical and policy debates. They supplement this broad history and context with the results of a more focused survey of the literature in career and technical education, with search terms that yielded scholarship from the past 50 years. Drawing themes from this more recent literature, and in light of historical foci, the authors make recommendations for future directions of scholarship.
Scholarly Communication in AERA Journals, 1931 to 2014
Authors: Vanderstraeten Raf , Vandermoere Frédéric , Hermans Maarten
Published: December 2017

Scientific disciplines build on social structures, such as scholarly associations and scholarly journals, that facilitate the formation of communities of specialists. Analyses of such social structures can thus also be used to shed light on the morphogenesis of scientific specializations. The authors analyze how two journals of the American Educational Research Association, the Review of Educational Research and the American Educational Research Journal, organized communication around education in the period between 1931 and 2014. The authors focus on three interrelated aspects: (a) the changing structures of authority and authorship, (b) the national-versus-global orientation of these journals and of the association, and (c) the features of the citation networks of both journals and the ties between education research and other fields of research, especially psychology and sociology. The authors’ analyses of these interrelated aspects of the communication process enable them to provide an outline of the morphology of the community of education researchers and to raise reflectivity about the social conditions that control education research.
The Impact of Political Context on the Questions Asked and Answered
Authors: Wells Amy Stuart , Roda Allison
Published: December 2017

This chapter examines how the larger political context and policies enacted at different points in American history have affected the questions education researchers asked and answered. The authors argue that while education researchers are often quick to consider how their research should shape policy, they are less likely to contemplate the possible effect of policies on their scholarship. To examine whether the policy–research relationship is indeed bidirectional, the authors conducted a thorough content analysis of six of the most prominent education research journals, some of which date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The goal was to consider how shifts in racial politics and educational policies may have influenced what was studied, particularly research that examined the role of race and ethnicity in education. The authors looked for shifts between education research examining race and education within a broader social context and research focused on the personal and familial deficits of individual students or families. They argue that if these shifts in research are somewhat synchronized with shifts in racial politics and policies in the United States, this is a potential indicator of the impact that the larger political milieu may have had on education research over the last 100 years. Consideration of this research−policy relationship may raise the awareness of education researchers in terms of the origins of the questions they will ask and answer in the American Educational Research Association’s second century.
Pursuing Equity: Disproportionality in Special Education and the Reframing of Technical Solutions to Address Systemic Inequities
Authors: Kramarczuk Voulgarides Catherine , Fergus Edward , King Thorius Kathleen A.
Published: December 2017

In the review, we examine what is known about disproportionality with the intention of informing the direction of policy and practice remedies. We outline the definition, contours, and characteristics of disproportionality and examine some of the prevailing explanations as to why the issue persists. We then pivot the review to consider how policy, through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has sought to address disproportionality in special education and disciplining of students with disabilities. We question why a legally sound civil rights law like IDEA has been unable to abate disproportionality for nearly 40 years. We then turn our attention to review interventions embedded in IDEA that have been recommended to address disproportionality and question why they have not improved outcomes for “nondominant” students in special education. We conclude with some recommendations for disrupting disproportionality.
Putting the Radical Notion of Equality in the Service of Disrupting Inequality in Education: Research Findings and Conceptual Advances on the Infinity of Human Potential
Authors: Stetsenko Anna
Published: December 2017

Research on disrupting inequality in education can benefit from situating it within the debates on varying and often conflicting meanings of equality and its perils and promises. Especially in the wake of achievement testing and resurgent biological determinism, researchers continue to equivocate between commitment to the idea that all humans are equal in their core capacities versus the tendency to attribute developmental outcomes to differences in “natural” inborn talents and endowments. This chapter examines contemporary research and theorizing to address the tenet of fundamental equality to counter biological determinism laden with mythic racial, gender, and other types of unproven assumptions and biases. Drawing on a wide range of emerging positions and evidence across neurosciences, epigenetics, developmental systems perspective, and cultural-historical framework, the core argument is that all persons have infinite potential—incalculable in advance, unlimited, and not predefined in terms of any putatively inborn “endowments.” This potential is realized in the course of activity-dependent generation of open-ended, dynamic, and situated developmental processes that are critically reliant upon sociocultural supports, tools, mediations, and access to requisite resources, especially through education. An educational policy along these lines would be centrally premised on the imperative to remedy the effects of discrimination and marginalization.
Disrupting Educational Inequalities Through Youth Digital Activism
Authors: Stornaiuolo Amy , Thomas Ebony Elizabeth
Published: December 2017

This article reviews scholarship on youth and young adult activism in digital spaces, as young users of participatory media sites are engaging in political, civic, social, or cultural action and advocacy online to create social change. The authors argue that youth’s digital activism serves as a central mechanism to disrupt inequality, and that education research should focus on these youth practices, particularly by young people from marginalized communities or identities, in order to provide important counter-narratives to predominant stories circulating about “at-risk”or disaffected youth. The article examines young people’s use of online tools for organizing toward social change across three lines of inquiry—young people’s cultural and political uses of participatory tools and spaces online, new forms of youth civic engagement and activism, and adult-supported programs and spaces facilitating youth activism. In centering the review on youth digital activism, the authors suggest that education researchers can learn from youth themselves about how to disrupt educational inequalities, resulting in a more humanizing stance for education research that takes into fuller account the human potential of all youth, beyond school walls.
A Call for Onto-Epistemological Diversity in Early Childhood Education and Care: Centering Global South Conceptualizations of Childhood/s
Authors: Pérez Michelle Salazar , Saavedra Cinthya M.
Published: December 2017

In this chapter, we call for onto-epistemological diversity in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Specifically, we discuss the need to center the brilliance of children and communities of color, which we argue, can be facilitated by foregrounding global south perspectives, such as Black and Chicana feminisms. Mainstream perspectives in ECEC, however, have been dominantly constructed from global north perspectives, producing a normalized White, male, middle-class, heterosexual version of childhood, where minoritized children are viewed as deficit. Although there have been important challenges to the discourse of a normalized, deficit child, we argue much of this work has remained grounded in global north positionings, which separate theory from the lived realities of children of color. As such, we introduce Black and Chicana feminisms as global south visions to transform approaches to research and pedagogy in ECEC and, in turn, disrupt inequities.
Intersection of Language, Class, Ethnicity, and Policy: Toward Disrupting Inequality for English Language Learners
Authors: Jiménez-Castellanos Oscar , García Eugene
Published: December 2017

This chapter proposes a conceptual framework that merges intersectionality and policy analysis as an analytical tool to understand the nuanced, multilayered, compounded educational inequality encountered specifically by low-income, Latino Spanish-speaking students in Arizona K–12 public schools as a function of intersecting educational policies. In addition, it provides a conceptual framework that counters and provides an alternative to the Arizona model that strives toward interrupting inequality. The conceptual framework is grounded in culture, language, and learning that provides a pathway to interrupt inequality by acknowledging the intersectional social constructs of an English language learner (ELL).
Black Women’s and Girls’ Persistence in the P–20 Mathematics Pipeline: Two Decades of Children, Youth, and Adult Education Research
Authors: Joseph Nicole M. , Hailu Meseret , Boston Denise
Published: December 2017

Like other women and girls of color in the U.S. education system, Black1 women and girls negotiate and integrate multiple marginalized identities in mathematics. As such, this integrative review used critical race theory (CRT) and Black feminism as interpretive frames to explore factors that contribute to Black women’s and girls’ persistence in the mathematics pipeline and the role these factors play in shaping their academic outcomes. A synthesis of 62 research studies reveals that structural disruptions, community influences, and resilience strategies significantly influence Black women’s and girls’ persistence in mathematics, and that combined, these factors can culminate into a more robust mathematics identity for Black women and girls. A robust mathematics identity, in turn, is an aspect of self-actualization that is needed for persistence, engagement, and sustained success in the pursuit of a mathematics doctoral degree. New questions, paradigms, and ways of examining the experiences of Black women and girls in mathematics to advance further knowledge that will inform policy are identified and discussed as a future research agenda.
Eliminating Disparities in School Discipline: A Framework for Intervention
Authors: Gregory Anne , Skiba Russell J. , Mediratta Kavitha
Published: December 2017

Race and gender disparities in school discipline and associated harms have been well documented for decades. Suspension from school can reduce instructional time and impede academic progress for students who may already be lagging in their achievement. This chapter offers a research-based framework for increasing equity in school discipline. The framework is composed of ten principles that hold promise for helping educators to address student behavior in a developmentally appropriate manner and reduce race and gender disparities in school discipline. The framework also informs directions for future research in school discipline.
A Meta-Analysis of Class Sizes and Ratios in Early Childhood Education Programs: Are Thresholds of Quality Associated With Greater Impacts on Cognitive, Achievement, and Socioemotional Outcomes?
Authors: Bowne Jocelyn Bonnes , Magnuson Katherine A. , Schindler Holly S. , Duncan Greg J. , Yoshikawa Hirokazu
Published: December 2017

This study uses data from a comprehensive database of U.S. early childhood education program evaluations published between 1960 and 2007 to evaluate the relationship between class size, child–teacher ratio, and program effect sizes for cognitive, achievement, and socioemotional outcomes. Both class size and child–teacher ratio showed nonlinear relationships with cognitive and achievement effect sizes. For child–teacher ratios 7.5:1 and lower, the reduction of this ratio by one child per teacher predicted an effect size of 0.22 standard deviations greater. For class sizes 15 and smaller, one child fewer predicted an effect size of 0.10 standard deviations larger. No discernible relationship was found for larger class sizes and child–teacher ratios. Results were less clear for socioemotional outcomes due to a small sample.
Vouchers in the Bayou: The Effects of the Louisiana Scholarship Program on Student Achievement After 2 Years
Authors: Mills Jonathan N. , Wolf Patrick J.
Published: December 2017

The Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) offers publicly funded vouchers to students in low-performing schools with family income no greater than 250% of the poverty line, allowing them to enroll in participating private schools. Initially established in 2008 as a pilot program in New Orleans, the LSP was expanded statewide in 2012. This article examines the experimental effects of using an LSP scholarship to enroll in one’s first-choice private school on student achievement in the first 2 years following the program’s expansion. Our results indicate that the use of an LSP scholarship has negatively affected both English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics achievement. We observe less negative effect estimates in the second year of the program, with the impacts on ELA only on the margin of statistical significance.
Inside the Black Box: Examining Mediators and Moderators of a Middle School Science Intervention
Authors: Desimone Laura M. , Hill Kirsten Lee
Published: December 2017

We use data from a randomized controlled trial of a middle school science intervention to explore the causal mechanisms by which the intervention produced previously documented gains in student achievement. Our study finds that implementation fidelity, operationalized as a measure of the frequency of implementation of the cognitive science principles taught in intervention teachers’ professional development, helped to explain student achievement effects. Integrating findings from a structural equation model using data from 10,281 students and 124 teachers with a small subsample of teacher interviews, we also found that the intervention may work partly through fostering better classroom management and collaborative discussions that elevated practice. Furthermore, our results have implications for informing decisions about how to balance a focus on increasing teacher content knowledge, on one hand, and providing explicit pedagogical strategies linked to the curriculum, on the other. We additionally found that lower achieving classrooms had lower implementation scores, likely due to factors that hindered teachers’ ability to use the cognitive science principles, such as less science class time or needing to adapt content to meet the needs of struggling students. Our study highlights the importance of anticipating—and calibrating interventions to—the contextual complexities of real-life classrooms, and it identifies several factors with the potential to contribute to improved design and evaluation of such interventions.
Latent Factors in Student–Teacher Interaction Factor Analysis
Authors: Le Thu , Bolt Daniel , Camburn Eric , Goff Peter , Rohe Karl
Published: December 2017

Classroom interactions between students and teachers form a two-way or dyadic network. Measurements such as days absent, test scores, student ratings, or student grades can indicate the “quality” of the interaction. Together with the underlying bipartite graph, these values create a valued student–teacher dyadic interaction network. To study the broad structure of these values, we propose using interaction factor analysis (IFA), a recently developed statistical technique that can be used to investigate the hidden factors underlying the quality of student–teacher interactions. Our empirical study indicates there are latent teacher (i.e., teaching style) and student (i.e., preference for teaching style) types that influence the quality of interactions. Students and teachers of the same type tend to have more positive interactions, and those of differing types tend to have more negative interactions. IFA has the advantage of traditional factor analysis in that the types are not presupposed; instead, the types are identified by IFA and can be interpreted in post hoc analysis. Whereas traditional factor analysis requires one to observe all interactions, IFA performs well even when only a small fraction of potential interactions are actually observed.
A Strategy for Replacing Sum Scoring
Authors: Ramsay James O. , Wiberg Marie
Published: December 2017

This article promotes the use of modern test theory in testing situations where sum scores for binary responses are now used. It directly compares the efficiencies and biases of classical and modern test analyses and finds an improvement in the root mean squared error of ability estimates of about 5% for two designed multiple-choice tests and about 12% for a classroom test. A new parametric density function for ability estimates, the tilted scaled β, is used to resolve the nonidentifiability of the univariate test theory model. Item characteristic curves (ICCs) are represented as basis function expansions of their log-odds transforms. A parameter cascading method along with roughness penalties is used to estimate the corresponding log odds of the ICCs and is demonstrated to be sufficiently computationally efficient that it can support the analysis of large data sets.
Surgery in Elderly
Authors: Mukhia Rupesh
Published: December 2017

Not available.Journal of Society of Surgeons of Nepal 2015; 18 (2) Page: 1-1
Impact of Employee Participation on Job Satisfaction, Employee Fairness Perception and Organizational Commitment: A Case of Nepalese Commercial Banks
Authors: Gyawali Achyut
Published: December 2017

Bank is one of the major institutions in the financial sector of any economy. Banking sector plays a vital role as a financial intermediary in the economic development of the country. Among those factors, impact of employee participation on job satisfaction, employee fairness perception and organizational commitment, is also considered as one of the most important factors that improves the performance of commercial banks. This study deals with the fundamental issues associated with the impact of employee participation on job satisfaction, employee fairness perception and organizational commitment of commercial banks of Nepal. In selecting the most reliable and representative samples, stratified sampling techniques was used. The population of the commercial banks was stratified as joint ventures, non-joint ventures and public banks. 15 commercial banks were selected as the sample. The total number of observations used for this study is 200 which include 70 observations from the joint venture banks, 110 observations from the non-joint venture banks and 20 observations from the public banks. Impact of employee participation on job satisfaction, employee fairness perception and organizational commitment have positive significant relation. Among all three determinants organizational commitment is more influenced by employee participation as it has highest correlation coefficient. Most of the surveyed employees agreed that management gives recognition for job performance and they are satisfied with the freedom in work; every employee has opportunity to get promotion in bank, and they are willing to put in a great deal of effort beyond expected in order to help the organization to be successful.The Saptagandaki Journal Vol.8 2017: 1-13
Right to Education: Scholarship to Ensure Accessibility
Authors: Timilsana Binod Khanda
Published: December 2017

Right to education has a broad scope in human rights instruments including UDHR, 1948 and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), 1966. Rights to education is a prime concern regarding the accessibility of education and its' compulsorily enjoyment especially in primary level, and generally technical, vocational and up to higher education. Scholarship and incentives have been considered as means to improve the access, participation, enrolment and achievement of the children from the poor and disadvantaged background. Scholarship is generally distributed in different forms of incentives as subsidies, food, dress, hostel facility, allowances, uniform, accommodation and so on. Scholarship impacts positively in accessibility features of students to enjoy rights to education because accessibility has these three overlapping dimensions: Non-discrimination, physical accessibility and economic accessibility.The Saptagandaki Journal Vol.8 2017: 23-30
Some Commonly Used Words of Chepang
Authors: Adhikari Rishiram
Published: December 2017

This paper presents some words of the Chepang language used in Chitwan district. The words collected in this paper were gathered from Shaktikhor VDC. Chepangs from various surroundings like Gorkha, Dhading, and Makawanpur have migrated and lived in Shaktikor in recent times so the words have been collected from the area. Collected words were gathered by asking questions to the participants who speak Chepang language in their daily life. The words were recorded before being presented in script by using roman script. Collected words are presented in two columns: Chepangs and English.The Saptagandaki Journal Vol.8 2017: 85-92
Phonetics in Rajeshwori Poetic Poetry
Authors: Koirala Prabha Marahatta
Published: December 2017

This article is in Nepali. See the PDF for Nepali Abstract. No English abstract.The Saptagandaki Journal Vol.8 2017: 93-100
Synthesis of Non-Symmetrical 3,4-Diaryl-Substituted Pyrroles: Implementation for the Preparation of Lamellarin R
Authors: Zavala-Gómez Héctor , Ramírez-Rodríguez Armando , Vázquez Alfredo
Published: December 2017

A straightforward method for synthesising symmetrical and non-symmetrical 3,4-diaryl-substituted pyrroles is proposed, consisting of (i) the condensation reaction between phenylacetonitriles and aldehydes to give acrylonitriles, (ii) the conjugate addition of cyanide to afford succinonitriles, and (iii) reduction of the succinonitriles with DIBAL-H to provide the target pyrroles in good overall yields. The implementation of this technology for the preparation of lamellarin R is presented.
Robust Visual Localization with Dynamic Uncertainty Management in Omnidirectional SLAM
Authors: Valiente David , Gil Arturo , Payá Luis , Sebastián Jose , Reinoso Óscar
Published: December 2017

This work presents a robust visual localization technique based on an omnidirectional monocular sensor for mobile robotics applications. We intend to overcome the non-linearities and instabilities that the camera projection systems typically introduce, which are especially relevant in catadioptric sensors. In this paper, we come up with several contributions. First, a novel strategy for the uncertainty management is developed, which accounts for a realistic visual localization technique, since it dynamically encodes the instantaneous variations and drifts on the uncertainty, by defining an information metric of the system. Secondly, an epipolar constraint adaption to the omnidirectional geometry reference is devised. Thirdly, Bayesian considerations are also implemented, in order to produce a final global metric for a consistent feature matching between images. The resulting outcomes are supported by real data experiments performed with publicly-available datasets, in order to assess the suitability of the approach and to confirm the reliability of the main contributions. Besides localization results, real visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) comparison experiments with acknowledged methods are also presented, by using a public dataset and benchmark framework.
Activated HGF-c-Met Axis in Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Arnold Levi , Enders Jonathan , Thomas Sufi
Published: December 2017

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly morbid disease. Recent developments including Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved molecular targeted agent’s pembrolizumab and cetuximab show promise but did not improve the five-year survival which is currently less than 40%. The hepatocyte growth factor receptor; also known as mesenchymal–epithelial transition factor (c-Met) and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are overexpressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); and regulates tumor progression and response to therapy. The c-Met pathway has been shown to regulate many cellular processes such as cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. The c-Met pathway is involved in cross-talk, activation, and perpetuation of other signaling pathways, curbing the cogency of a blockade molecule on a single pathway. The receptor and its ligand act on several downstream effectors including phospholipase C gamma (PLCγ), cellular Src kinase (c-Src), phosphotidylinsitol-3-OH kinase (PI3K) alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (Akt), mitogen activate protein kinase (MAPK), and wingless-related integration site (Wnt) pathways. They are also known to cross-talk with other receptors; namely epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and specifically contribute to treatment resistance. Clinical trials targeting the c-Met axis in HNSCC have been undertaken because of significant preclinical work demonstrating a relationship between HGF/c-Met signaling and cancer cell survival. Here we focus on HGF/c-Met impact on cellular signaling in HNSCC to potentiate tumor growth and disrupt therapeutic efficacy. Herein we summarize the current understanding of HGF/c-Met signaling and its effects on HNSCC. The intertwining of c-Met signaling with other signaling pathways provides opportunities for more robust and specific therapies, leading to better clinical outcomes.
Towards Rational Chemosensor Design through Improved Understanding of Experimental Parameter Variation and Tolerance in Cyclodextrin-Promoted Fluorescence Detection
Authors: DiScenza Dana , Culton Ella , Verderame Molly , Lynch Julie , Serio Nicole , Levine Mindy
Published: December 2017

We have previously developed a highly efficient fluorescence-based toxicant-detection method that operates in complex environments to detect aromatic toxicants and toxicant metabolites with high sensitivity and selectivity. This method relies on the ability of γ-cyclodextrin to act as a supramolecular scaffold, and uses a variety of non-covalent interactions between the cyclodextrin, toxicant, and fluorophore to enable efficient detection. Reported herein is an investigation of the effect of various experimental parameters, including host concentration, temperature, pH, salt, and solvent, on the observed energy-transfer efficiencies. These results advance our understanding of γ-cyclodextrin-based association complexes and provide crucial information for the development of fluorescence-based sensors using such complexation and the resultant fluorescence-based detection.
Fabrication and Fractality of Fe2O3-CeO2/ZSM-5 Composites for High-Temperature Desulfurization
Authors: Liu Dongjing , Zhou Weiguo , Wu Jiang
Published: December 2017

Fe2O3/ZSM-5 modified with Ce via citrate route (sol-gel approach) is applied for H2S removal in 500–700 °C temperature range. The sulfidation activity of Fe2O3/ZSM-5 is appreciably promoted by introduction of Ce plausibly attributed to the synergy of Fe2O3 and CeO2. 5Fe5Ce/ZSM-5 performs the optimal desulfurization behavior at 600 °C with sulfur capacity of 1020 μmol S/g, and the sulfidation process conforms to non-catalytic gas-solid redox reaction mechanism, which yields FeS2, Ce2S3, and S. Fractal analysis is introduced to evaluate the surface porous structure and the adsorption capacity of the sorbent. Its surface fractal dimension is estimated by using Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) model. It considerably increases after sulfidation plausibly attributed to the formation of a few heterogeneous sulfides or elemental sulfur, which block or cover the surface pore structures of sorbents.
Anomalous Traffic Detection and Self-Similarity Analysis in the Environment of ATMSim
Authors: Jeong Hae-Duck , Ahn WonHwi , Kim Hyeonggeun , Lee Jong-Suk
Published: December 2017

Internet utilisation has steadily increased, predominantly due to the rapid recent development of information and communication networks and the widespread distribution of smartphones. As a result of this increase in Internet consumption, various types of services, including web services, social networking services (SNS), Internet banking, and remote processing systems have been created. These services have significantly enhanced global quality of life. However, as a negative side-effect of this rapid development, serious information security problems have also surfaced, which has led to serious to Internet privacy invasions and network attacks. In an attempt to contribute to the process of addressing these problems, this paper proposes a process to detect anomalous traffic using self-similarity analysis in the Anomaly Teletraffic detection Measurement analysis Simulator (ATMSim) environment as a research method. Simulations were performed to measure normal and anomalous traffic. First, normal traffic for each attack, including the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) was measured for 48 h over 10 iterations. Hadoop was used to facilitate processing of the large amount of collected data, after which MapReduce was utilised after storing the data in the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). A new platform on Hadoop, the detection system ATMSim, was used to identify anomalous traffic after which a comparative analysis of the normal and anomalous traffic was performed through a self-similarity analysis. There were four categories of collected traffic that were divided according to the attack methods used: normal local area network (LAN) traffic, DDoS attack, and ARP spoofing, as well as DDoS and ARP attack. ATMSim, the anomaly traffic detection system, was used to determine if real attacks could be identified effectively. To achieve this, the ATMSim was used in simulations for each scenario to test its ability to distinguish between normal and anomalous traffic. The graphic and quantitative analyses in this study, based on the self-similarity estimation for the four different traffic types, showed a burstiness phenomenon when anomalous traffic occurred and self-similarity values were high. This differed significantly from the results obtained when normal traffic, such as LAN traffic, occurred. In further studies, this anomaly detection approach can be utilised with biologically inspired techniques that can predict behaviour, such as the artificial neural network (ANN) or fuzzy approach.
Vickers Hardness of Diamond and cBN Single Crystals: AFM Approach
Authors: Dub Sergey , Lytvyn Petro , Strelchuk Viktor , Nikolenko Andrii , Stubrov Yurii , Petrusha Igor , Taniguchi Takashi , Ivakhnenko Sergey
Published: December 2017

Atomic force microscopy in different operation modes (topography, derivative topography, and phase contrast) was used to obtain 3D images of Vickers indents on the surface of diamond and cBN single crystals with high spatial resolution. Confocal Raman spectroscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy were used to study the structure of the material in the indents. It was found that Vickers indents in diamond has no sharp and clear borders. However, the phase contrast operation mode of the AFM reveals a new viscoelastic phase in the indent in diamond. Raman spectroscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy revealed that the new phase in the indent is disordered graphite, which was formed due to the pressure-induced phase transformation in the diamond during the hardness test. The projected contact area of the graphite layer in the indent allows us to measure the Vickers hardness of type-Ib synthetic diamond. In contrast to diamond, very high plasticity was observed for 0.5 N load indents on the (001) cBN single crystal face. Radial and ring cracks were absent, the shape of the indents was close to a square, and there were linear details in the indent, which looked like slip lines. The Vickers hardness of the (111) synthetic diamond and (111) and (001) cBN single crystals were determined using the AFM images and with account for the elastic deformation of the diamond Vickers indenter during the tests.
Channel Capacity of Coding System on Tsallis Entropy and q-Statistics
Authors: Tsuruyama Tatsuaki
Published: December 2017

The field of information science has greatly developed, and applications in various fields have emerged. In this paper, we evaluated the coding system in the theory of Tsallis entropy for transmission of messages and aimed to formulate the channel capacity by maximization of the Tsallis entropy within a given condition of code length. As a result, we obtained a simple relational expression between code length and code appearance probability and, additionally, a generalized formula of the channel capacity on the basis of Tsallis entropy statistics. This theoretical framework may contribute to data processing techniques and other applications.
The Effect of Wind Forcing on Modeling Coastal Circulation at a Marine Renewable Test Site
Authors: Ren Lei , Nagle Diarmuid , Hartnett Michael , Nash Stephen
Published: December 2017

The hydrodynamic circulation in estuaries is primarily driven by tides, river inflows and surface winds. While tidal and river data can be quite easily obtained for input to hydrodynamic models, sourcing accurate surface wind data is problematic. Inaccurate wind data can lead to inaccuracies in the surface currents computed by three-dimensional hydrodynamic models. In this research, a high-resolution wind model was coupled with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of Galway Bay, a semi-enclosed estuary on the west coast of Ireland, to investigate the effect of wind forcing on model accuracy. Two wind-forcing conditions were investigated: (1) using wind data measured onshore on the NUI Galway campus (NUIG) and (2) using offshore wind data provided by a high resolution wind model (HR). A scenario with no wind forcing (NW) was also assessed. The onshore wind data varied with time but the speed and direction were applied across the full model domain. The modeled offshore wind fields varied with both time and space. The effect of wind forcing on modeled hydrodynamics was assessed via comparison of modeled surface currents with surface current measurements obtained from a High-Frequency (HF) radar Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR) observation system. Results indicated that winds were most significant in simulating the north-south surface velocity component. The model using high resolution temporally- and spatially-varying wind data achieved better agreement with the CODAR surface currents than the model using the onshore wind measurements and the model without any wind forcing.
Assessment of Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery Using Fire Severity and Geographical Data in the Mediterranean Region (Spain)
Authors: Viana-Soto Alba , Aguado Inmaculada , Martínez Susana
Published: December 2017

Wildfires cause disturbances in ecosystems and generate environmental, economic, and social costs. Studies focused on vegetation regeneration in burned areas acquire interest because of the need to understand the species dynamics and to apply an adequate restoration policy. In this work we intend to study the variables that condition short-term regeneration (5 years) of three species of the genus Pinus in the Mediterranean region of the Iberian Peninsula. Regeneration modelling has been performed through multiple regressions, using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Geographic Weight Regression (GWR). The variables used were fire severity, measured through the Composite Burn Index (CBI), and a set of environmental variables (topography, post-fire climate, vegetation type, and state after fire). The regeneration dynamics were measured through the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained from Landsat images. The relationship between fire severity and regeneration dynamics showed consistent results. Short-term regeneration was slowed down when severity was higher. The models generated by GWR showed better results in comparison with OLS (adjusted R2 = 0.77 for Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster; adjusted R2 = 0.80 for Pinus halepensis). Further studies should focus on obtaining more precise variables and considering new factors which help to better explain post-fire vegetation recovery.
Suborbital Fermi/LAT Analysis of the Brightest Gamma-Ray Flare of Blazar 3C 454.3
Authors: Nalewajko Krzysztof
Published: December 2017

Recent detection of suborbital gamma-ray variability of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar (FSRQ) 3C 279 by Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) is in severe conflict with established models of blazar emission. This paper presents the results of suborbital analysis of the Fermi/LAT data for the brightest gamma-ray flare of another FSRQ blazar 3C 454.3 in November 2010 (Modified Julian Date; MJD 55516-22). Gamma-ray light curves are calculated for characteristic time bin lengths as short as 3 min. The measured variations of the 0.1–10 GeV photon flux are tested against the hypothesis of steady intraorbit flux. In addition, the structure function is calculated for absolute photon flux differences and for their significances. Significant gamma-ray flux variations are measured only over time scales longer than ∼5 h, which is consistent with the standard blazar models.
Does Practicing CSR Makes Consumers Like Your Shop More? Consumer-Retailer Love Mediates CSR and Behavioral Intentions
Authors: Ho Ching-Wei
Published: December 2017

This research paper was designed to examine the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations and environmental concerns on consumer-retailer love and attitude toward the retailer, as well as the subsequent effects on consumer behavioral intentions regarding the retailer, such as repeat patronage intention and willingness to pay a premium price for products offered by the retailer. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted on consumers for the purpose of investigating five proposed hypotheses. This research applied partial least squares (PLS) to exam the hypotheses and analyze the data. The findings of this research indicated that CSR association and environmental concern both have positive effects on consumer-retailer love and attitude toward the retailer. Also, the results showed that consumer-retailer love has a significantly positive effect on consumer attitude towards the retailer. This paper establishes that consumer-retailer love and attitude toward a retailer are main mediators of the relationship between CSR associations, environmental concern, and consumer behavioral intentions.
The Discrepant and Similar Responses of Genome-Wide Transcriptional Profiles between Drought and Cold Stresses in Cassava
Authors: Zeng Changying , Ding Zehong , Zhou Fang , Zhou Yufei , Yang Ruiju , Yang Zi , Wang Wenquan , Peng Ming
Published: December 2017

Background: Cassava, an important tropical crop, has remarkable drought tolerance, but is very sensitive to cold. The growth, development, and root productivity of cassava are all adversely affected under cold and drought. Methods: To profile the transcriptional response to cold and drought stresses, cassava seedlings were respectively subjected to 0, 6, 24, and 48 h of cold stress and 0, 4, 6, and 10 days of drought stress. Their folded leaves, fully extended leaves, and roots were respectively investigated using RNA-seq. Results: Many genes specifically and commonly responsive to cold and drought were revealed: genes related to basic cellular metabolism, tetrapyrrole synthesis, and brassinosteroid metabolism exclusively responded to cold; genes related to abiotic stress and ethylene metabolism exclusively responded to drought; and genes related to cell wall, photosynthesis, and carbohydrate metabolism, DNA synthesis/chromatic structure, abscisic acid and salicylic acid metabolism, and calcium signaling commonly responded to both cold and drought. Discussion: Combined with cold- and/or drought-responsive transcription factors, the regulatory networks responding to cold and drought in cassava were constructed. All these findings will improve our understanding of the specific and common responses to cold and drought in cassava, and shed light on genetic improvement of cold and drought tolerance in cassava.
The Consequences of Being in an Infectious Biofilm: Microenvironmental Conditions Governing Antibiotic Tolerance
Authors: Sønderholm Majken , Bjarnsholt Thomas , Alhede Maria , Kolpen Mette , Jensen Peter , Kühl Michael , Kragh Kasper
Published: December 2017

The main driver behind biofilm research is the desire to understand the mechanisms governing the antibiotic tolerance of biofilm-growing bacteria found in chronic bacterial infections. Rather than genetic traits, several physical and chemical traits of the biofilm have been shown to be attributable to antibiotic tolerance. During infection, bacteria in biofilms exhibit slow growth and a low metabolic state due to O2 limitation imposed by intense O2 consumption of polymorphonuclear leukocytes or metabolically active bacteria in the biofilm periphery. Due to variable O2 availability throughout the infection, pathogen growth can involve aerobic, microaerobic and anaerobic metabolism. This has serious implications for the antibiotic treatment of infections (e.g., in chronic wounds or in the chronic lung infection of cystic fibrosis patients), as antibiotics are usually optimized for aerobic, fast-growing bacteria. This review summarizes knowledge about the links between the microenvironment of biofilms in chronic infections and their tolerance against antibiotics.
The Role of Aquaporins in Ocular Lens Homeostasis
Authors: Schey Kevin , Petrova Rosica , Gletten Romell , Donaldson Paul
Published: December 2017

Abstract: Aquaporins (AQPs), by playing essential roles in the maintenance of ocular lens homeostasis, contribute to the establishment and maintenance of the overall optical properties of the lens over many decades of life. Three aquaporins, AQP0, AQP1 and AQP5, each with distinctly different functional properties, are abundantly and differentially expressed in the different regions of the ocular lens. Furthermore, the diversity of AQP functionality is increased in the absence of protein turnover by age-related modifications to lens AQPs that are proposed to alter AQP function in the different regions of the lens. These regional differences in AQP functionality are proposed to contribute to the generation and directionality of the lens internal microcirculation; a system of circulating ionic and fluid fluxes that delivers nutrients to and removes wastes from the lens faster than could be achieved by passive diffusion alone. In this review, we present how regional differences in lens AQP isoforms potentially contribute to this microcirculation system by highlighting current areas of investigation and emphasizing areas where future work is required.
Exploring the Caste-Specific Multi-Layer Defense Mechanism of Formosan Subterranean Termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki
Authors: Hussain Abid , Wen Shuo-Yang , Tian Ming-Yi
Published: December 2017

The survival and foraging of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki in a microbe-rich environment reflect the adaptation of an extraordinary, sophisticated defense mechanism by the nest-mates. We aimed to explore the host pathogen interaction by studying caste-specific volatile chemistry and genes encoding the antioxidant defense of winged imagoes, nymphs, soldiers and workers of Formosan subterranean termites. Qualitative analyses of C. formosanus Shiraki performed by HS-SPME/GC-MS showed considerable variations in the chemical composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their proportions among all the castes. Winged imagoes produced the most important compounds such as naphthalene and n-hexanoic acid. The antifungal activity of these compounds along with nonanal, n-pentadecane, n-tetradecane, n-heptadecane and methyl octanoate against the conidial suspensions of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana isolates enable us to suggest that the failure of natural fungal infection in the nest is due to the antiseptic environment of the nest, which is mainly controlled by the VOCs of nest-mates. In addition, conidial germination of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana isolates evaluated on the cuticle of each caste showed significant variations among isolates and different castes. Our results showed that the conidia of M. anisopliae 02049 exhibited the highest germination on the cuticle of all the inoculated castes. Moreover, we recorded the lowest germination of the conidia of B. bassiana 200436. Caste-specific germination variations enabled us to report for the first time that the cuticle of winged imagoes was found to be the most resistant cuticle. The analysis of the transcriptome of C. formosanus Shiraki revealed the identification of 17 genes directly involved in antioxidant defense. Expression patterns of the identified antioxidant genes by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) revealed the significantly highest upregulation of CAT, GST, PRXSL, Cu/Zn-SOD2, TXN1, TXN2, TXNL1, TXNL2, TXNL4A and TPx genes among winged imagoes upon infection with the most virulent isolate, M. anisopliae 02049. Furthermore, soldiers showed the least expression of genes encoding antioxidant defense. Our findings indicated that the volatile chemistry of nest-mates and genes encoding antioxidant defense greatly contribute to the survival and foraging of Formosan subterranean termites in a microbe-rich habitat.
Estimating and Forecasting Generalized Fractional Long Memory Stochastic Volatility Models
Authors: Peiris Shelton , Asai Manabu , McAleer Michael
Published: December 2017

This paper considers a flexible class of time series models generated by Gegenbauer polynomials incorporating the long memory in stochastic volatility (SV) components in order to develop the General Long Memory SV (GLMSV) model. We examine the corresponding statistical properties of this model, discuss the spectral likelihood estimation and investigate the finite sample properties via Monte Carlo experiments. We provide empirical evidence by applying the GLMSV model to three exchange rate return series and conjecture that the results of out-of-sample forecasts adequately confirm the use of GLMSV model in certain financial applications.