bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High prevalence of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. in river water, upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant
Authors: Bessa Lucinda J. , Barbosa-Vasconcelos Ana , Mendes Ângelo , Vaz-Pires Paulo , Martins da Costa Paulo
Published: September 2014

In this study, microbial quality and antimicrobial resistance of faecal bacteria from a Portuguese river were assessed. River water samples collected upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant, throughout a 3-month period, were used for the enumeration of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. The highest numbers found for E. coli and enterococci were 1.1 × 104 and 1.2 × 104 colony forming units (CFU)/100 ml, respectively. In total, 144 isolates of E. coli and 144 of enterococci were recovered and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility; 104 E. coli and 78 Enterococcus spp. showed resistance to one or more antimicrobial drugs. Overall, 70 and 32 different resistance patterns were found for E. coli and enterococci, respectively. One E. coli showed resistance to imipenem and 29 isolates were extended spectrum β-lactamase-producers. Multidrug-resistant E. coli belonged mostly to groups A, B1 and group D. Enterococcus spp. were mostly resistant to rifampicin, tetracycline, azithromycin and erythromycin; six isolates showed resistance to vancomycin, presenting the VanA phenotype. The high levels of E. coli and enterococci and the remarkable variety of antimicrobial resistance profiles, reinforces the theory that these river waters can be a pool of antimicrobial resistance determinants, which can be easily spread among different bacteria and reach other environments and hosts.
Regulations concerning natural swimming ponds in Europe: considerations on public health issues
Authors: Giampaoli Saverio , Garrec Nathalie , Donzé Gérard , Valeriani Federica , Erdinger Lothar , Romano Spica Vincenzo
Published: September 2014

Natural swimming ponds (NSPs) are a new type of recreational water facility characterized by the substitution of traditional disinfection with biodepuration. While this feature meets esthetic desires of users, specific concerns on public health issues have been raised by the scientific community and local authorities. The absence of a European directive applicable to these environments leaves each country without specific and harmonized indications. The present work describes the local/national policy situation, describing adopted parameters and monitoring activities. All documents underline the need for appropriate microbiological analysis and correct water management.
Perceived agricultural runoff impact on drinking water
Authors: Crampton Andrea , Ragusa Angela T.
Published: September 2014

Agricultural runoff into surface water is a problem in Australia, as it is in arguably all agriculturally active countries. While farm practices and resource management measures are employed to reduce downstream effects, they are often either technically insufficient or practically unsustainable. Therefore, consumers may still be exposed to agrichemicals whenever they turn on the tap. For rural residents surrounded by agriculture, the link between agriculture and water quality is easy to make and thus informed decisions about water consumption are possible. Urban residents, however, are removed from agricultural activity and indeed drinking water sources. Urban and rural residents were interviewed to identify perceptions of agriculture's impact on drinking water. Rural residents thought agriculture could impact their water quality and, in many cases, actively avoided it, often preferring tank to surface water sources. Urban residents generally did not perceive agriculture to pose health risks to their drinking water. Although there are more agricultural contaminants recognised in the latest Australian Drinking Water Guidelines than previously, we argue this is insufficient to enhance consumer protection. Health authorities may better serve the public by improving their proactivity and providing communities and water utilities with the capacity to effectively monitor and address agricultural runoff.
The chinampa: a sustainable high efficient agrohydrologic system for shallow lacustrine and wetland areas
Authors: Martínez Ruiz José Luis
Published: September 2014

The chinampa, a sustainable high efficient agrohydrologic system for shallow lacustrine or wetland areas, was invented by pre-Hispanic culture 3,000 years ago. The chinampa in the Valley of Mexico has been a sustainable and successful practice from the 15th century until now. This heritage and its continuity are now in the hands of the chinamperos (local farmers) of the Xochimilco–Chalco watershed south-east of the capital city of Mexico. The chinampa, consists of building layers of vegetation and sludge to produce organic soil 50 cm above the water level for agricultural use in wetlands. These layers form rectangles or plots 5–10 m wide by 50, 100 or more meters long, surrounded by water. When a significant number of chinampas are built, these form a network with small channels between each chinampa, and other broader channels which provide navigation routes. The chinampa is secured by trees called ahuejotes, whose roots hold soil, planted on the sides of the plot. Despite urban pressures, this paper demonstrates the relevance of the permanence of this system as a high efficient agrohydrologic system in balance with the ecosystem and which should also be regarded as a model to be transferred to other regions with similar conditions.
Process development for treatment of highly polluted groundwater including NOM and arsenic removal
Authors: Pelivanoski B. , Pirke K.
Published: September 2014

One of the worst environmental problems facing humanity in regard to contamination in drinking water is arsenic. The World Health Organisation has set a standard 10 μg/l for arsenic in drinking water. Arsenic is a natural element that is present in many regions of the world. The groundwater can be heavily polluted in these areas, and often no other water sources are available. The case study presented here is situated in northern Serbia. The groundwater shows concentrations up to 135 μg/l with an average of 110 μg/l of arsenic. The additional high concentrations of natural organic matter, phosphates, dissolved methane, volatile organic carbon and ammonia boron and sodium further complicate the treatment.

Different treatment technologies have been tested over the past decades but proved either inefficient or not economical. The pilot testing period started in September 2012 and ended in August 2013. The most stable and economical process was then further optimized and adjusted. The process comprises multiple treatment stages including stripping, precipitation, bio-filtration and two stages ion-exchange as well as partial reverse osmoses.

The process design guaranteed outflow values defined according to the European directive 98/83/EC.
Study on the impact of pre-sedimentation and consequently optimization of alum dose in water treatment process
Authors: Ahamad Kamal Uddin , Sonowal Debaraj Bailung , Kumar Vivek , Nikhil Neeraj , Medhi Nirab
Published: September 2014

Coagulation and flocculation processes are used to separate the suspended solids portion from water. However, coagulation–flocculation and sedimentation only are not sufficient in modern practices as nowadays every process is being viewed through an economic point of view. The present work aims to study the impact of pre-sedimentation on optimum coagulant dosage of raw water taken from a lake located at Tezpur University. Alum was used with the aim of determining its optimum doses at optimum pH and alkalinity. The influence of seasonal variation of pH and alkalinity on the coagulation dosages was studied and conditions were optimized corresponding to the best removal of turbidity. For raw and settled water the optimum alum dose obtained was 35–40 and 25–30 mg/L, respectively, clearly showing the impact of pre-sedimentation on optimization of alum dose and thereby economizing the water treatment process. Results indicated up to 98.67% removal of turbidity of water sample which had undergone pre-sedimentation process. A correlation has been developed between overall suspended solids removal and overall turbidity removal which can help in quickly estimating overall suspended solids removal using turbidity data.
Audit Committee Stock Options and Financial Reporting Quality after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Authors: Campbell John L. , Hansen James , Simon Chad A. , Smith Jason L.
Published: September 2014

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and its associated regulations significantly expanded the oversight role of audit committees and improved independence, but regulators bypassed restrictions on audit committee equity incentives. We examine the association of audit committee members' equity incentives and financial reporting quality in the post-SOX time period. We find that audit committee members' stock-option awards and holdings are positively associated with the likelihood of meeting/beating analyst earnings forecasts. On average, a company whose audit committee holds the mean value of exercisable option holdings is associated with a 10.0 percent increase in the likelihood of meeting or just beating its consensus analyst forecast. This effect increases to 17.8 percent for companies with high-growth opportunities. These results suggest that—even in the post-SOX era—the stock-option incentives provided to independent audit committee members are associated with reduced financial reporting quality.

JEL Classifications: M41, M42
Efficacy and safety of a modified-live cyprinid herpesvirus 3 vaccine in koi (Cyprinus carpio koi) for prevention of koi herpesvirus disease
Authors: Weber E. P. Scott , Malm Kirsten V. , Yun Susan C. , Campbell Lori A. , Kass Philip H. , Marty Gary D. , Salonius Kira , Dishon Arnon
Published: September 2014

Objective—To investigate safety and efficacy of a cyprinid herpesvirus type 3 (CyHV3) modified-live virus vaccine for the prevention of koi herpesvirus disease (KHVd).

Animals—420 healthy koi (Cyprinus carpio koi).

Procedures—Fish were vaccinated with a 1× dose or 10× overdose of CyHV3 modified-live virus vaccine or a placebo through bath exposure in tanks at 22°C. Horizontal transmission of vaccine virus was evaluated by commingling unvaccinated and vaccinated fish. Efficacy was evaluated by challenge exposure of vaccinated and naïve fish to a wild-type virus. Fish that died were submitted for quantitative PCR assay for CyHV3 and histologic evaluation.

Results—The CyHV3 vaccine was safe and efficacious, even at a 10× overdose. Vaccine-associated mortality rate was inversely associated with body weight, with a cumulative mortality rate of 9.4% (18/192) in fish weighing ≤ 87 g and no deaths in fish weighing > 87 g (0/48). Horizontal transfer of vaccine virus from vaccinates to naïve fish was negligible. For efficacy, the vaccine provided a significant reduction in mortality rate after challenge exposure to a wild-type virus, with a prevented fraction of 0.83 versus the placebo control fish.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—KHVd is highly contagious and commonly leads to deaths in 80% to 100% of exposed fish, representing a major threat to koi and common carp populations throughout the world. The CyHV3 modified-live virus vaccine had a favorable safety profile and was an effective vaccine for the control of KHVd in koi weighing > 87 g.
The Company Director’s Liability for Untrue Statements
Authors: Tolstov Leonid , Lahe Janno
Published: September 2014

In the modern information society the success or failure of a person participating in activities related to legal issues depends increasingly more on the relevance and correctness of available information and this is why higher demands are put on giving out information. In the context of company law it is evident that although the company is always liable for the information issued, in reality it is not the legal person giving out information, but its legal representative (the director) instead. Therefore, it would be reasonable to ask whether the director could simply hide behind the company; or, should the director also be held personally liable for disclosing untrue statements? The aim of this article is, on the basis of English, German, Spanish and Estonian law, to analyze if and in which cases a director can be held personally liable for disclosing false information to a third party in the name of a company and what the optimal standard of a directors’ liability for disclosing false information could be. The liability of the company itself is not the current article’s object of the research.
Kuivenduse mõju rabamänniku arengule Järvselja Õppe- ja Katsemetskonna kuivendatud puistu näitel / Effect of drainage on the development of an oligotrophic bog Scots pine (P. sylvestris L.) stand in Järvselja
Authors: Sisask Silver
Published: September 2014

The effect of drainage in peatland forests has been studied in Estonia but research on bog pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands is lacking and mixed opinions on the expediency of amelioration in this site type are found. In order to obtain more information on the post drainage effects, measurements were conducted in a drained oligotrophic bog Scots pine stand (with a relatively thin peat layer) in Järvselja. Relationship between stand characteristics and distance from the drainage ditch was described and measurement data was compared with data that had been collected 59 years earlier in the same stand. Over time the stand structure and productivity had changed. Due to lengthy drainage, increase in several stand characteristics became evident: mean height 84% (8.60 ± 0.39 m), mean DBH 48% (6.55 ± 0.59 cm), basal area 59% (10.6 ± 3.4 m2 ha-1) and growing stock 179% (169 ± 32 m3 ha-1). Growth conditions had improved (site class improvement 1.8 units) and since earlier comparison data was from an already drained stand, actual change in stand characteristics and productivity compared to pre-drained state, has to be even greater. The studied stand is a good example of successful forest drainage in a bog pine forest and these results contribute to a better understanding of post drainage developments in these types of forests
Simple visualization of climate change for improving the public perception in forest pathology / Kliimamuutuste visualiseerimise lihtne viis seoste paremaks tajumiseks metsapatoloogias
Authors: Hanso Märt , Drenkhan Rein
Published: September 2014

In several national and international meetings of forest and general plant pathology, when discussing possible causes of current arrivals of new alien pathogens in Estonia, we demonstrated the climate characteristic “monthly mean temperatures” as coloured grid-boxes, colours of which indicate the statistical relation of the definite months’ characteristic to its’ long time mean value. It was met with approval and evaluated as suitable and pictorial way for the visualization of shorter (until some few decades) drastically differing periods in climate warming for more trustworthy connecting of these two scientifically-experimentally only heavily connectable natural processes - climate warming and epidemics of alien forest pathogens. During the winters of the 20th century, apparently not only freezing, but also warming periods had caused serious aftermaths in forest pathology
Arab Women in the Gulf and the Narrative of Change: the Case of Qatar
Authors: Urbisz Golkowska Krystyna
Published: September 2014

The dramatic transformation of the Arabian Gulf since the Discovery of petroleum resources has called for a new perspective on the situation of women in the region. Qatar is an example of fast-paced industrialization, modernization and profound socio-cultural changes. As the environment transforms literally from day to day, new identities are being forged and social roles renegotiated. The leadership’s vision for the country speaks of gender equality and opportunity for all. This article asks how young Qatari women’s personal stores fit into the national narrative of change and what they see as the best path to agency and empowerment.
Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Inflation Targeting on the Risk Premium
Authors: Krušković Borivoje D. , Maričić Tina
Published: September 2014

The basis for the conduct of monetary policy is monetary policy strategy. Monetary strategy is necessary for monetary policy makers to analyse all relevant information in order to undertake effective policy actions. Inflation targeting has enabled countries to achieve low inflation in the very short term. Due to this, the financial markets have adjusted their long-term inflation expectations and incorporated them into the interest rate. Risk premiums that compensate for the uncertainty of inflation have fallen. The aim of this paper is to examine how the adoption of inflation targeting affects the movement of the risk premium. The hypothesis we want to test is that the adoption of inflation targeting affects the reduction of the country risk premium by affecting the formation of a more stable macroeconomic environment through a more stable and predictable inflation rate in the medium and long term. The method used for evaluating the regression coefficients is the dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM). This method involves the use of conditional moments in endogenous and exogenous variables with a lag as instruments for the assessment of differential equations, while the difference lagged endogenous variables are used as instruments in the levels equation.
Tree Transduction Tools for Cdec
Authors: Austin Matthews , Paul Baltescu , Phil Blunsom , Alon Lavie , Chris Dyer
Published: September 2014

We describe a collection of open source tools for learning tree-to-string and tree-to-tree transducers and the extensions to the cdec decoder that enable translation with these. Our modular, easy-to-extend tools extract rules from trees or forests aligned to strings and trees subject to different structural constraints. A fast, multithreaded implementation of the Cohn and Blunsom (2009) model for extracting compact tree-to-string rules is also included. The implementation of the tree composition algorithm used by cdec is described, and translation quality and decoding time results are presented. Our experimental results add to the body of evidence suggesting that tree transducers are a compelling option for translation, particularly when decoding speed and translation model size are important.
Depfix, a Tool for Automatic Rule-based Post-editing of SMT
Authors: Rudolf Rosa
Published: September 2014

We present Depfix, an open-source system for automatic post-editing of phrase-based machine translation outputs. Depfix employs a range of natural language processing tools to obtain analyses of the input sentences, and uses a set of rules to correct common or serious errors in machine translation outputs. Depfix is currently implemented only for English-to-Czech translation direction, but extending it to other languages is planned.
OxLM: A Neural Language Modelling Framework for Machine Translation
Authors: Paul Baltescu , Phil Blunsom , Hieu Hoang
Published: September 2014

This paper presents an open source implementation1 of a neural language model for machine translation. Neural language models deal with the problem of data sparsity by learning distributed representations for words in a continuous vector space. The language modelling probabilities are estimated by projecting a word's context in the same space as the word representations and by assigning probabilities proportional to the distance between the words and the context's projection. Neural language models are notoriously slow to train and test. Our framework is designed with scalability in mind and provides two optional techniques for reducing the computational cost: the so-called class decomposition trick and a training algorithm based on noise contrastive estimation. Our models may be extended to incorporate direct n-gram features to learn weights for every n-gram in the training data. Our framework comes with wrappers for the cdec and Moses translation toolkits, allowing our language models to be incorporated as normalized features in their decoders (inside the beam search).
Männi-, kuuse- ja kasepuistute majandamise tasuvus lühikese raieringi korral / Profitability analysis of short rotations in Scots pine, Norway spruce and silver birch stands
Authors: Korjus Henn , Põllumäe Priit , Rool Siim
Published: September 2014

Estonian forest management is based traditionally on long rotations. Recent trends in wood industry and wood consumption promote also production of small-size timber for bioenergy and timber products. This opens a discussion about shorter rotations and intensive forest management again in Estonia. In current study, profitability of Scots pine, Norway spruce and silver birch stand management on fertile soils was analyzed according to three different rotation lengths: traditional long rotation, short rotation and economically optimal rotation according Finnish TAPIO rules. Stand simulation software MOTTI was used to simulate and optimize forest growth and management. Simulation results were compared with actual data on forest growth and yield in Estonia. Economically optimal rotations were for Scots pine stand 58 years, Norway spruce stand 53 years and silver birch stand 41 years. Short and optimal rotation length enable 5.9-6.5% profitability for forest owner, traditional long rotation length enables 4.8-5.4% profitability. Rotation forestry is challenging task. Based on our analysis, it is likely that applied practices can intensify wood production and reduce forest management risks. However, theoretical approach is not enough for assessing practical feasibility of short rotations. Thus further studies and experiments are needed for careful analysis and recommendations
Water chemistry following wood-ash application to a Scots pine stand on a drained peatland in Sweden
Authors: Ring Eva , Brömssen Claudia von , Losjö Katarina , Sikström Ulf
Published: September 2014

The availability of phosphorus and potassium often limit growth of trees on well drained peatlands in the boreal region. Wood ash, which contains phosphorus and potassium, can be used for forest fertilization on peatlands or for nutrient compensation following intensive harvesting. This study was performed in order to investigate the effects on water chemistry of applying wood ash to a Pinus sylvestris L. stand on a drained peatland in southern Sweden. Runoff chemistry was monitored in the main ditch for one year before and three years after the application of self-hardened and crushed wood ash, applied at an average rate of 3.1×103 kg per hectare. In addition, groundwater was collected from the ash-treated peatland and from an adjacent reference peatland and chemically analysed. Shortly after woodash application, the concentrations of boron, calcium, potassium, lithium, magnesium, manganese and sulphate in the ditch water, and the electrical conductivity, all increased. Some variables showed elevated concentrations for a few months only, while pH and the concentrations of boron, potassium, lithium, magnesium, manganese, total phosphorus and silica were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated over the last one and a half or two years of the study, compared to the reference period. The concentrations of iron, total sulphur and sulphate were lower during the last one and a half or two study years than in the reference period. Several trace metals and anions did not appear to be affected. In general, the effects detected in groundwater were consistent with those found in ditch water. Groundwater flow through superficial soil layers seems to have facilitated leaching
Predicting individual tree and stand diameter increment responses of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) after mountain forest selective cutting
Authors: Øyen Bernt-Håvard , Nilsen Petter , Bøhler Fredrik , Andreassen Kjell
Published: September 2014

Models for predicting diameter increment in multi-storey spruce stands following mountain forest selective cutting (MFS) were developed. They were based on increment cores, tree ring analyses and stump registrations. The presented models rely upon time series data from 1600 trees in thirty-one Norway spruce stands in south-eastern and central parts of Norway. The selective cuttings were heavy; on average two thirds of the standing volume were cut. The increment following the interventions was highly variable, resulting in large random variability in the models with R2 varying between 0.18-0.31 for individual tree diameter growth and 0.40-0.50 for mean tree stand diameter growth. Dummy variables referring to three first 5-year periods after cutting were found to increase the precision and significantly reduce the random error. Selected models were validated using a test material from central Norway and also compared with the mostly applied Norwegian diameter increment models. Despite a large random variation in all models, the model performances appeared logical and the general fit to the data was acceptable. Based on tests, two diameter increment models are recommended for future yield prognoses in MFS. The models should also be of interest for wider use in other parts of the Nordic and Baltic boreal zone.
Kasvutingimuste lineaarse muutumise mõju uurimine puistu kõrguse kasvukõverale simulatsioonide abil männikutes / Simulated change of stand height curves as the result of linear change of growth conditions in the case of Scotch Pine stands
Authors: Nilson Artur
Published: September 2014

The height growth curves of Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands were simulated for stands with initial height asymptote H∞ 15 m, 25 m and 35 m and with linear change p of the potency of growth conditions 0.5% yr-1, 0.2% yr-1, 0.1% yr-1 , -0.2% yr-1 and with no change as the base. Different models to transmit the changing growth potential into stand growth were used: changing the efficient length of growth year replacing the stand age t with the expression t(1 + tp) with fixed H∞ in variant (1b) or calculating the current asymptote H∞,t as the expression H∞(1 + tp) corrected for asymptotic approaching the species specific asymptote sup(H∞). Current annual increment CAI in the last case was calculated using the equations CAIt = f(t, H∞,t) in variant (3ct), CAIt = f(H, H∞,t) in variant (4ch) and CAIt = f(H, H∞,t)*(1+p/2) in variant (4chb). The height Ht in the last 3 cases was calculated as ascending sum of CAIt. Figures of the functions Ht = f(t, H∞) and CAIt = f(H, H∞) indicated the last as more informative about the changes in the shape of curves. The results of approximation of simulated curves with five different functions indicated the possibility of their modeling using traditional functions and fixed value of height asymptote. The fit was the poorest for variants 4ch and 4chb. The function for conversation the apparent growth curve based on unique height measurements into real one and vice versa was deduced for version 1b. The need to make distinct difference between the past, present and future growth in growth modeling was underlined.
Experimental study of electrode effects of resistance type electrodes for monitoring wood drying process above fibre saturation point / Elektroodefektide uurimine puidu kuivatamisel niiskussisaldustel üle kiu küllastuspunkti
Authors: Tamme Valdek , Muiste Peeter , Kask Regino , Padari Allar , Tamme Hannes
Published: September 2014

Due to practical need to improve the accuracy of measurement of wood electrical resistance via creating multivariate calibration models the study of electrode effects was carried out. The experiments were made in DC mode and five types of electrode effects were measured: electrical resistance of the galvanic contact between the measuring electrode and wood, corrosion of measuring electrodes in wet wood, polarization and depolarization of the double layer forming on the surface of the measuring electrodes, residual polarization voltage between measuring electrodes and effect of repeated use of measuring electrodes. For multi-channel measurement mode effect of neighbouring electrodes was measured. Behind each of these factors is a complex transfer mechanism of free and bounded charge carriers from wood to measuring electrodes. Among the factors, polarization and depolarization have an immediate effect (duration of the processes in seconds) while resistance of electrode/wood contact, corrosion of electrodes and residual polarization have a slow effect (duration of processes in hours). For pine sapwood, coefficients of the Stamm formula were found in moisture contents (MC) above the fibre saturation point. It was determined that wood polarization and depolarization indicators are dependent on wood moisture content as is the case with wood electrical resistance. Compared to wood electrical resistance, wood polarization proved approximately four times and depolarization approximately eight times less sensitive to moisture content variation.
MERIS GPP/NPP product for Estonia: I. Algorithm and preliminary results of simulation / MERIS’e GPP/NPP tulem Eesti jaoks: I. Algoritm ja mudelarvutuste esialgsed tulemused
Authors: Nilson Tiit , Rennel Mattias , Luhamaa Andres , Hordo Maris , Olesk Aire , Lang Mait
Published: September 2014

A light use efficiency (LUE) type model named EST_PP to simulate the yearly gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP) of Estonian land on a 1 km2 grid is described. The model is based on MERIS (MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) satellite images to describe the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) and leaf area index (LAI) as well as meteorological reanalysis datasets on 11 km2 grid produced by Estonian Meteorological Institute (EMHI) and Tartu University (TU) by means of the HIRLAM (High Resolution Limited Area Model) numerical weather prediction model. The land cover map of Estonia needed for the model was derived using DMCii (Disaster Monitoring Constellation International Imaging) SLIM-6-22 (Surrey Linear Imager - 6 channel - 22 m resolution) images and ancillary information. The EST_PP model was run for the period from years 2003 to 2011. The results of GPP and NPP simulation are compared with the available global MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) GPP/NPP product and with the Estonian statistical data on yearly volume increment in forests and on yield of agricultural crops. The NPP simulation results on coniferous and deciduous forests are compared with the data from tree ring analyses from different counties. These comparisons show us that the simulated country average yearly NPP values for Estonian forests agree reasonably well with the indirect estimates from other sources, taking into account the rather high uncertainty of the model predictions, uncertainty of forest inventory-based estimates and limited representativity of existing tree ring data. However, problems arise with the ability of present versions of EST_PP and MODIS NPP models to adequately simulate the regional differences of productivity and of variability of productivity in different years. The model needs some modification and the basic LUE principles to be tested in Estonia. Nevertheless, the MODIS NPP and EST_PP models offer additional possibilities to map yearly productivity and carbon sequestration by Estonian vegetation. There is a perspective to add the model-simulated NPP values into the national inventory datasets.
Effects of Affective State on Episodic Memory Retrieval
Authors: Shimul Asheek Mohammad , Hasan Md Rakibuil
Published: September 2014

Attention Readers and Researchers "PDF version of this article has been modified two to three times due to problems with one figure and with missing words in the title. The final version of the PDF was last updated on September 27, 2014. We apologise for the inconvenience this might cause."AbstractThe role of emotion in memory recollection has been an arguable issue for a decade. Episodic memory is very triggering in our day to day life and so as our affective states. Present study was conducted to see whether positive, negative and neutral emotional states (affective states) have any effect in recollecting emotion congruent or incongruent episodic memory. Words of positive, negative, or neutral were presented to the participants either in positive, negative, or neutral mood and immediate recall was used in this present experiment. It was hypothesized that congruent mood would enhance better episodic memory recollection than incongruent mood. A total of 36 adult healthy participants were selected for this experiment following an incidental sampling techniques and they were divided into two contrasting groups namely, congruent and incongruent following purely on the basis of chance. Phases of stimulus presentations were counterbalanced. Different images were used to manipulate affective states of the respondents, and different positive (18 words), negative (18 words) and neutral (18 words) words were used as stimulus. Results were analyzed using paired t test. Results revealed that negative mood enhance negative word retrieval (t = 2.159, p <0.05) but not positive words. Findings were discussed in the light of current theories of episodic memory recollection. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbayr.v2i1.20536 Journal of the Bangladesh Association of Young Researchers (JBAYR): Vol.2(1), 2012 & 2013: 1-8
Economic Analysis of Maize-Cowpea Intercrops in Akko Local Government Area, Gombe State, Nigeria
Authors: Bakoji Isah
Published: September 2014

The study was conducted in Akko Local Government Area, Gombe state, Nigeria to examine the cost and return analysis of maize-cowpea intercrop enterprise. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to 50 respondents on their socio economic characteristics, inputs and output, cost incurred and the revenue realized for the 2013 production season using random sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and regression analysis were the analytical tools used in analyzing the data. The result showed that majority of the sampled farmers (74.6%) was within the age bracket of 31-50 years with (88.9%) that had one form of education or the other. Fertilizer constituted the bulk (47.6%) of the total cost of production. The gross margin, net farm income and return per naira invested were found to be Naira 21245, Naira 20608, N0. 93 per hectare respectively. Double-log model was chosen as the lead equation, the result further indicated that age, seeds and fertilizer are positively significant at p>_ 0.05 with R2 of 55.4% while educational level hired labor and insecticides gave a negative elasticity of their respective coefficients. Insufficient credit facilities, high cost of inputs pest and diseases and use of manual operation are the major constraints in the study area. Therefore it is recommended that credit delivery from lending agencies, inputs early and resistant varieties and labor saving techniques should be made readily available and affordable to farmers to improve their production with the generation of optimum profit. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbayr.v2i1.20537 Journal of the Bangladesh Association of Young Researchers (JBAYR): Vol.2(1), 2012 & 2013: 9-20
A Combined Experimental and Computational Study of Vam3, a Derivative of Resveratrol, and Syk Interaction
Authors: Jiang Ming , Liu Renping , Chen Ying , Zheng Qisheng , Fan Saijun , Liu Peixun
Published: September 2014

Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) plays an indispensable role through preliminary extracellular antigen-induced crosslinking of Fc receptor (FcR) in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, we identify Vam3, a dimeric derivative of resveratrol isolated from grapes, as an ATP-competitive inhibitor of Syk with an IC50 of 62.95 nM in an in vitro kinase assay. Moreover, docking and molecular dynamics simulation approaches were performed to get more detailed information about the binding mode of Vam3 and Syk. The results show that 11b-OH on ring-C and 4b-OH on ring-D could form two hydrogen bonds with Glu449 and Phe382 of Syk, respectively. In addition, arene-cation interaction between ring-D of Vam3 and Lys402 of Syk was also observed. These results indicate that ring-C and D play an essential role in Vam3–Syk interaction. Our studies may be helpful in the structural optimization of Vam3, and also aid the design of novel Syk inhibitors in the future.
Bringing the Congregations Back in: Religious Markets, Congregational Density, and American Religious Participation
Authors: Blanchard Troy , Stroope Samuel , Tolbert Charles
Published: September 2014

We draw on the organizational ecology tradition to frame the relationship between the religious environment of a community and local religious participation. Prior research linking religious environments to religious participation downplays a key organizational aspect of religion: the congregation. Following the organizational ecology usage of density, we argue that congregational density—the number of congregations per person within a community—impacts religious involvement by providing opportunities for participation and by fostering social accountability networks within congregations. Drawing on data from the 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, we test the hypothesis that congregational density in a locality is associated with greater religious participation by residents. Our findings indicate that persons residing in congregationally dense communities are more likely to be members of churches, to attend church regularly, to participate in church-based activities, to participate in non-church religious organizations, to volunteer for religious work, and to give to religious causes. These findings hold while controlling for an array of individual and contextual-level variables. This notion of congregational density suggests that local factors transcend broader theological and/or denominational boundaries, resulting in variations in religious participation and commitment.
In-Vivo Measurement of Muscle Tension: Dynamic Properties of the MC Sensor during Isometric Muscle Contraction
Authors: Đorđević Srđan , Tomažič Sašo , Narici Marco , Pišot Rado , Meglič Andrej
Published: September 2014

Skeletal muscle is the largest tissue structure in our body and plays an essential role for producing motion through integrated action with bones, tendons, ligaments and joints, for stabilizing body position, for generation of heat through cell respiration and for blood glucose disposal. A key function of skeletal muscle is force generation. Non-invasive and selective measurement of muscle contraction force in the field and in clinical settings has always been challenging. The aim of our work has been to develop a sensor that can overcome these difficulties and therefore enable measurement of muscle force during different contraction conditions. In this study, we tested the mechanical properties of a “Muscle Contraction” (MC) sensor during isometric muscle contraction in different length/tension conditions. The MC sensor is attached so that it indents the skin overlying a muscle group and detects varying degrees of tension during muscular contraction. We compared MC sensor readings over the biceps brachii (BB) muscle to dynamometric measurements of force of elbow flexion, together with recordings of surface EMG signal of BB during isometric contractions at 15° and 90° of elbow flexion. Statistical correlation between MC signal and force was very high at 15° (r = 0.976) and 90° (r = 0.966) across the complete time domain. Normalized SD or σN = σ/max(FMC) was used as a measure of linearity of MC signal and elbow flexion force in dynamic conditions. The average was 8.24% for an elbow angle of 90° and 10.01% for an elbow of angle 15°, which indicates high linearity and good dynamic properties of MC sensor signal when compared to elbow flexion force. The next step of testing MC sensor potential will be to measure tension of muscle-tendon complex in conditions when length and tension change simultaneously during human motion.
ACCURACY, TIME COST AND TERRAIN INDEPENDENCE COMPARISONS OF LEVELLING TECHNIQUES
Authors: El-Ashmawy Khalid L. A.
Published: September 2014

Levelling techniques is classified as geometric levelling, trigonometric levelling and GPS/Levelling depending on used instruments or the methods applied. Accuracies of geometric levelling with using three equipments (Leica NA-720 optical level, Topcon RL-VH4G2 laser level and Leica NA-3003 digital level), the trigonometric levelling with using two equipments (Topcon GTS710 total station and Topcon Imaging Station) and GPS/levelling with using Sokkia GSR2600 receiver were investigated to determine their performances against precise levelling that yields the most precise results. For this purpose, measurements were taken at hundred points on the ground of a well-protected site. The comparison of the results was performed based on accuracy, time cost and terrain independence. The comparison shows that levelling using digital level produces the closets results to precise levelling results, the time cost of GPS/levelling was 74% and 41% less than geometric and trigonometric levelling respectively, and trigonometric and GPS/levelling are independent of the terrain surveyed.
NUMERICAL EVALUATION AND APPLICATION-ORIENTED ANALYSIS FOR FORWARD AND INVERSE RATIONAL FUNCTION MODELS OF TERRAIN-INDEPENDENT CASE IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
Authors: Jahandideh Sorosh , Azizi Ali , Najibi Nasser
Published: September 2014

Terrain-independent Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) are considered as most important part of the optical satellite and aerial imagery data processing especially those ones with high resolution since the proposed RPCs by the aerospace companies have some limitations in particular for using directly by the geoscientists in environmental studies and other Earth observation applications. While the inverse RPCs have more advantageous rather than direct ones, in this study, a new approach is presented in order to provide the inverse RPCs from direct ones and also to satisfy satellite imagery products users. In order to do this, first a spatial 3D-cubic is going to be fitted to the study area approximately including necessary altimetry layers numbers. Next, a range of virtual control points are being created in those altimetry layers randomly and then these points are going to be shifted to the image space by means of given direct RPCs. Hence, the inverse RPCs computes from the direct ones by space resection technique. Finally, the ground coordinates for the corresponding points have derived from different space intersection methodologies, direct RPCs and also inverse ones. Moreover, comparative tests have been developed to assess the effects of different altimetry layers numbers and also the number of virtual control points on the quality of derived inverse RPCs. It is demonstrated here that the precision of derived RPCs are increasing as much as the number of altimetry layers and control points increase. The proposed methodology, computations, data processing and results evaluation are discussed in details.
Análisis de ciclo de vida de una nueva solución arquitectónica que mejora el rendimiento térmico de la envolvente del edificio: Fachada Natural Aljibe
Authors: Carabaño R. , Bedoya C. , Ruiz D.
Published: September 2014

El objetivo de este trabajo, que supone la mejora del rendimiento térmico de la envolvente del edificio, es dar a conocer los impactos ambientales asociados a una nueva solución de fachada vegetada mediante la metodología de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida con límites del sistema de la cuna a la tumba. El análisis pretende también generar información relevante de ciclo de vida como material de partida para la redacción de una futura Declaración Ambiental de Producto. La etapa de fabricación de los componentes de la fachada es la que más contribución presenta en todas las categorías de impacto analizadas, siendo la capa vegetada la de mayor impacto. En cambio, la etapa de transporte es la que presenta menor contribución, pudiendo ser considerado despreciable para todas las categorías de impacto analizadas. Tras el análisis de los resultados, se ha obtenido información útil de los aspectos y componentes más problemáticos en el desempeño ambiental de la fachada evaluada, abriendo el camino hacia posibles acciones de reducción de impactos por parte del fabricante.
Interactions between the Governed and Their Governments
Authors: Santos Diogo
Published: September 2014

The relationship between citizens and their states is omnipresent: even in the most authoritarian or totalitarian regimes there is always some interaction between the government and its society. The advent and widespread use of modern digital communications has added new instruments through which all sectors of society, especially the least represented, can make their voices heard. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a theoretical base for analyzing how citizens and government interact in the age of digital communications. Dictatorships rely on performance and resort to violence to obtain support. Leaders in democracies can usually rely on the principles of the regime itself and governmental procedures or popular elections. The legitimacy brought by policy efficiency can support despotic governments over time. Lack of controls over the actions of a ruler exposes the whole polity to the risk of abuse of power and deterioration of the people's liberty. Digital communication tools arise as new channels for governments to promote their views to the people, convincing them of their policies' usefulness and value; monitor the population's activities in support or against the government; and block information contrary to the interests of the government, the dictator, or the ruling elite. The population too can use the new digital interfaces to obtain information, share approval or discontent with others, organize protests or support. The traditional mechanisms of democracy to provide legitimacy to the regimes are deeply impacted by the new communication technologies.
Risk Governance and the Role of Digital Communication in Policy Life-Cycle Management
Authors: Kő Andrea , Gábor András , Szabó Zoltán
Published: September 2014

Public policies have to operate in complex, shifting environments structured by several intervening factors related to forces of change at global, national, and regional levels. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can support policymakers in modeling their policy design and implementation by capturing, analyzing, and acting upon a better assessment of their constituents' needs and expectations. This chapter suggests a way of dealing with the main challenges of applying ICT in policy modeling, emphasizing policy impact exploration, monitoring, and risk governance. The authors propose a conceptual framework for a policy modeling cycle that will support risk governance via continuous risk monitoring and enable proactive reactions in decision-making that go beyond currently available approaches. The chapter discusses the challenges of ICT utilization for policy modeling and the theoretical background of policy modeling. The authors propose a solution that systematically supports the policy modeling cycle and facilitates the stakeholders' activities.