bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Climate Change as Evident in the Langtang Catchment
Authors: Gautam Narayan Prasad
Published: October 2014

Nepal has felt the adverse impact of climate change even though its contribution to global greenhouse gases (GHGs) is negligible. Many scientists have expressed concern that the general rise in temperatures at high altitudes poses a serious environmental and humanitarian threat in Nepal as many glaciers and glacial lakes are located in the high Himalayas. For this study, I have observed rising temperatures in the Langtang catchment and compared the proportional rise of high altitude and low altitude temperatures as these will have serious implications for glaciers and glacial lakes in the region. As well, conducted a time series observation of water flow and noted that the river flow in the Langtang catchment are decreasing. Given these findings, Nepal may be facing increasing water scarcity while also keeping more serious watch on glacial melt.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11289HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 30-36
Freshwater Scarcity and Sustainable Water Management in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) Region
Authors: Gurung Pabitra , Sherpa Tashi Yang Chung
Published: October 2014

Water is essential for every life on the earth and for many forms of socioeconomic development activity. Freshwater scarcity is a major issue in the developing world in terms of human consumption and irrigation. Water is not evenly distributed therefore some regions (particularly in South Asia and Africa) will experience intensified water scarcity in coming years. The stressors on water are population growth and climate change. These stressors are exacerbated by poor management and policy on the part of ruling governments. Climate change is of keen interest as it will impact water availability in unpredictable ways. In this context, it is essential to develop efficient adaptive tactics (e.g., water storage) to anticipate these changes. The paper, then, will look into the global scenario of water demand, as well as examine regional conflicts that may become worse under the stress of water scarcity.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11291HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 42-47
Does Short and Long Run Equilibrium Exists Between Electricity Consumption and Foreign Aid
Authors: Dhungel Kamal Raj
Published: October 2014

Because of its limited and unmanaged internal resources to promote socio-economic development, Nepal has become an aid-dependent country. Past trends show that the majority of extant hydropower projects in Nepal were built through aid. In this light, using a single equation model, this study attempts to investigate short and long run equilibrium between two variables constructed from data collected between 1974-2011: 1) electricity consumption as the dependent variable, and 2) foreign aid as explanatory variable. There are two co-integrating equations that indicate a long run equilibrium between the variables. The long run elasticity coefficient reveals that a 1% change in foreign aid will change the electricity consumption by 0.48%. The results of ECM indicate that there is both short and long run equilibrium in the system. The coefficient of one period lag residual is negative and significant which represents the long run equilibrium. The coefficient is -0.336, which means that the system corrects its previous period disequilibrium at a speed of 33.6% annually.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11293HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 48-52
Harnessing Fisheries Innovation for Transformational Impact in Nepal
Authors: Gurung Tek Bahadur
Published: October 2014

In Nepal, per capita fish production lags far below most of the world. To be on par with our neighbors, present fish production would need to be increased at least three- or fourfold. For fish production to have a transformational impact on Nepal’s economy, an increase of four- or fivefold would be needed within a decade before the climate change could impact severely the industry. As well, businesses and the government would need to move quickly to produce a more favorable environment for job creation. However, for this transformation to happen pronouncedly, we need to know what additional fisheries technologies would best suit to enhance substantial production under putative climate changes and stimulating socioeconomics for more job and income opportunities. In this paper, we propose several solutions keeping intact aquatic biodiversity. 1) Carp, catfish Pangasius spp, tilapia and rainbow trout would provide the best returns from the marketplace. 2) Recreational fisheries and further cold water aquaculture opportunities need to be improved, 3) Head and tail waters of Pico-, micro-, and mega-hydropower should be prioritized as an area of aquaculture concern for harnessing Nepal’s vertical gradient landscape.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11295HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 53-59
Comparative Study of Flood Calculation Approaches, a Case Study of East Rapti River Basin, Nepal
Authors: Rijal Krishna Prasad
Published: October 2014

Various approaches to high flood calculation have been used to inform the design of hydraulic structures and flood protection works in Nepal. To assess potential flood volumes, a variety of methods and calculations are employed and the highest figure is adopted as correct so as to err on the side of safety. This approach, while safe, can result in excessively uneconomic design. As well, this approach erodes the designer’s confidence in the process to determine the potential flood volume and perpetuates such sub-optimal approaches. Through the case study of East Rapti River, this paper tries to shed light on various ungauged basin approaches of flood prediction currently in practice. It also compares the relative performance of those approaches using statistical methods and observed data. From the study, Jha PCJ method (1996) yielded a comparable result with the gauged basin methods. A remarkably notable fact obtained is that all the ungauged basin methods except rational method underestimated the flood discharge as compared to that obtained from the frequency analysis based on measured data sets. Overall, our study concludes that flood forecasting on ungauged basins cannot be recommended because a number of assumptions and personal judgments influence each of the prediction methods. Therefore, a more radical shift to basin specific intensive research is desirableDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11296HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 60-64
Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Hydrothermal Generation Scheduling
Authors: Yadav Deepika , Naresh R. , Sharma Veena
Published: October 2014

The short term hydrothermal scheduling (STHTS) problem is a complicated nonlinear dynamic constrained optimization problem, which plays an important role in the economic operation of electric power systems. The objective of hydro thermal generation scheduling is to minimize the overall operation cost and to satisfy the given constraints by scheduling optimally the power outputs of all hydro and thermal units under study periods, given electrical load and limited water resource. This paper presents an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) algorithm for solving the STHTS problem considering valve point loading for fixed head hydro-thermal system. Various other heuristic algorithms such as basic PSO, modified PSO, differential evolution, real variable genetic algorithm (RVGA) are also implemented on the same problem. The programs for these algorithms have been developed in Matlab software. From the simulation results, it is found that the IPSO based approach is able to provide a better solution at a lesser computational effort.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11298HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 65-72
The Analysis of Pine Needles as a Substrate for Gasification
Authors: Dhaundiyal Alok , Gupta V. K.
Published: October 2014

The forests of Chir pine (Pinus Roxburgii) encompass 97.4 thousand acres or 16.15 % of the total forest land of Uttrakhand, a state in India. According to Forest Department of India, Dehradun, a massive forest fire in 1995 engulfed 14.7 thousand acres of valuable forest area through 2,272 forest fire incidents in Uttrakhand, which resulted in the loss of crores of rupees and created various long-lasting ecological consequences. The fires damaged the fertile top layer of the soil and left a layer of pine needle litter that prevented rain water from being absorbed by the soil and contributed to early depletion of the groundwater cycle and stopped grass growth, thus depriving livestock of important food. So the question of what to do with these pine needles is an important one for forest and livestock. Regarding this problem, the German organization, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, has been studying ways to use pine needles as a feedstock for downdraft gasifiers. If successful, the gasifier would provide incentive to collect the pine needles during dry months and improve the condition of the soil by allowing water to permeate top soils. Using chemical analysis, flue gas analysis, and combustion analysis, our paper analyzes the potential of pine needles as a substrate for gasification. We also argue that using pine needles in this way would alleviate carbon dioxide emissions due to forest fire. Average carbon dioxide emissions in forests that have an abundance of pine needles is 15.46%, but reduced to 12.8% when pine needles are used in a gasifier plant.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11299HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 73-81
Fishing Gear in the Sondu-Miriu River: Level of Use, Preference and Selectivity
Authors: Waswala-Olewe Brian M. , Okuku James Okot , Abila Richard Kennedy Oginga
Published: October 2014

Artisan fishers of Osodo beach of Sondu-Miriu River (Kenya) use both traditional and modern gear to catch riverine fish species. This study, conducted between August 2006 and July 2007, revealed that fishers most predominantly used gear were the seine nets (42%) and the gill nets (28%). Other used gear include long lines (14%); fish baskets (9%) and weirs (7%). The selectivity of this fishing gear varied with the developmental stages of the fish to be caught. Non-selective gear caught both targeted and non-targeted species irrespective of size and development stages. The ranking of selective to non-selective fishing gear was the long lines, fish baskets, weirs, gill nets and beach nets at 2%, 11%, 16%, 24% and 32%, respectively. The non-selective fishing gear may have negative impacts on the riverine fish by reducing spawning biomass and lacustrine fish recruitment. These findings underscore the need for greater appreciation, research, and adaptation of appropriate fishing gear to ensure sustainable utilization of the riverine fisheries in Sondu-Miriu RiverDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v15i0.11301HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 15, 2014, JulyPage: 82-86
Preliminary evaluation of the suspending properties of Brachystegia eurycoma gum on metronidazole suspension
Authors: Uhumwangho Michael U , Ileje Ikechukwu Louis
Published: October 2014

The aim of this study was to evaluate the suspending properties of Brachystegia eurycoma gum on metronidazole suspension. The suspending properties of Brachystegia eurycoma gum (family leguminosae) were evaluated comparatively with that of compound tragacanth powder at concentration range of 2.5  10.0%w/v in metronidazole suspension. The following parameters were determined; sedimentation volume (%), viscosity, pH and re-dispersion number. The values obtained were used as basis for comparison of the suspending agents studied. Brachystegia eurycoma and compound tragacanth gums had a pH range between 4.7 to 4.9 and between 3.9 to 4.1 respectively which indicates that they are slightly acidic. Particles suspended with tragacanth gum at concentration ? 7.5%w/w redispersed easily than those formulated with the Brachystegia eurycoma gum at ? 10% w/w. It was observed that with increase in concentration of the gum the viscosity of the suspension increased correspondingly. For instance, at concentration of 2.5%w/w viscosities of the suspensions are 490 poise (Brachystegia eurycoma gum) and 603 poise (compound tragacanth gum) while at concentrations of 7.5%w/w their viscosities were 914 poise (Brachystegia eurycoma gum) and 1709 poise (compound tragacanth gum). There was a direct proportionality between viscosity of the gums at different concentrations and the sedimentation rate of the suspensions, as the viscosity of the gum increases, the rate of sedimentation of the suspension decreases. Brachystegia eurycoma gum at predetermined concentration can be exploited as an alternative excipient in the formulation of pharmaceutical suspensions of insoluble substances.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/icpj.v3i11.20727 International Current Pharmaceutical Journal, October 2014, 3(11): 328-330
Distribution models for Panicum virgatum (Poaceae) reveal an expanded range in present and future climate regimes in the northeastern United States
Authors: Ahrens Collin W. , Meyer Thomas H. , Auer Carol A.
Published: October 2014

• Premise of the study: Expanded area cultivated with the bioenergy crop Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) could alter the genetics of native populations through gene flow, so understanding current and future species distribution is a first step toward estimating ecological impacts. We surveyed switchgrass distribution in the northeastern United States and generated statistical models to address hypotheses about current distribution relative to historical records and responses to climate change.

• Methods: Surveys were conducted on 1600 km of road verges along environmental gradients. Switchgrass abundance became the training data for two multivariate generalized linear models that generated maps representing the probability of switchgrass in road verges. Models were evaluated and the superior model was used with variables from three climate change scenarios for 2050 and 2099.

• Key results: Switchgrass populations were found in 41% of roadside plots and up to 188 km from the coast. The environmental variables temperature, urban areas, and sandy soils were positively correlated with switchgrass presence, while elevation, soil pH, and distance to the coast were negatively correlated. The model without spatial autocorrelation performed better. Models and maps incorporating climate change predictions showed a sharp northward shift in suitable habitat.

• Conclusions: Switchgrass populations in the northeastern United States occur on inland road verges, supporting the idea that species distribution has expanded relative to historical descriptions of a restricted coastal habitat. The optimal model showed that mean temperature, elevation, and urban development were important in switchgrass distribution today, and climate change will increase suitable habitat for future bioenergy production and wild populations.
Analyse des effets des pratiques managériales sur la performance à l'export. Etude empirique des PME marocaines
Authors: Alaoui Abdallah , El Makrini Hind
Published: October 2014

Le déficit commercial du Maroc s’est aggravé ces dix dernières années. Il s’élève actuellement à 42,3 milliards de dirhams. L’objectif de cette étude est de montrer que les performances à l’export des PME marocaines ne dépendent pas uniquement des dotations factorielles du pays, mais principalement des pratiques managériales de leurs dirigeants. Le Maroc est en effet un cas illustratif d’un pays en développement où les déterminants managériaux semblent impacter fortement les performances à l’export des PME. En se basant sur une étude qualimétrique, nous analysons cette relation auprès de 100 dirigeants qui ont répondu au questionnaire. Les résultats identifient la stratégie, les pratiques de veille, la communication interne, les compétences internationales et l’engagement à l’export des dirigeants comme les déterminants statistiquement significatifs de la compétitivité et la performance à l’export. Cette recherche a des implications intéressantes pour les dirigeants, les politiques publiques et la recherche académique. L’étude peut également être mise à la disposition du programme d’enseignement supérieur marocain.
Des biens communs au bien commun. Une lecture économique de la pensée sociale de l'Église
Authors: Lasida Elena
Published: October 2014

L’article se propose d’examiner et de comparer deux approches différentes du bien commun, l’une issue de la pensée sociale de l’Église, l’autre de la science économique. La première est présentée à travers différents textes du magistère romain y faisant référence, en essayant d’en dégager les principales caractéristiques du bien commun. L’approche économique est quant à elle présentée, dans un premier temps, à travers la notion habituellement utilisée de « biens communs ». Dans un second temps, la notion de biens communs est mise en résonance avec trois concepts provenant de théories économiques différentes : la « capabilité » d’Amartya Sen, le « capital social » de Robert Putnam et les « ressources communes » d’Elinor Ostrom. Enfin, parallèlement à l’analyse politique développée par Émilie Tardivel, cet article établit certaines conditions pour penser une économie ordonnée au bien commun.
Bifurcations
Authors: Heller-Roazen Daniel
Published: October 2014

Résumé Les obscurités de la langue
wsc-bruzignol Bvbilotékére
Authors: Pastior Oskar
Published: October 2014

Résumé Casse-tête
Des joies mauvaises et bonnes de ne pas être compris
Authors: Zaoui Pierre
Published: October 2014

Résumé Cryptique et heureux.
Le troisième signe
Authors: Burdeau Emmanuel
Published: October 2014

Résumé Les codes à décoder du « best-man speech ».
Écritures
Authors: Behagle Michel
Published: October 2014

Résumé Microgrammes acrylique
Tor, la face chiffrée d'Internet
Authors: Bosqué Camille
Published: October 2014

Résumé Protégeons l’anonymat du lecteur
En attendant la « cryptocalypse »
Authors: Manach Jean-Marc
Published: October 2014

Résumé Tous aux abris !
quelle langue est la vôtre ?
Authors: Easterman-Ulmann Rachel
Published: October 2014

Résumé Tournez-la sept fois dans sa bouche
Polaroïds borderline
Authors: Herbert Julián
Published: October 2014

Résumé Mexico, jeux de frontières
Une tension concrète. Thomas Poli
Authors: Dambrine Sylvain
Published: October 2014

Résumé Pop bruitiste.
« nous » ne nous entoure pas
Authors: Bailly Jean-Christophe
Published: October 2014

Résumé Qu’est-ce qu’un sujet collectif ?
Sex on the move
Authors: Andrijasevic Rutvica
Published: October 2014

Résumé Les migrations au prisme du genre.
Human L-Ficolin Recognizes Phosphocholine Moieties of Pneumococcal Teichoic Acid
Authors: Vassal-Stermann Emilie , Lacroix Monique , Gout Evelyne , Laffly Emmanuelle , Pedersen Christian M. , Martin Lydie , Amoroso Ana , Schmidt Richard R. , Zähringer Ulrich , Gaboriaud Christine , Di Guilmi Anne-Marie , Thielens Nicole M.
Published: October 2014

Human L-ficolin is a soluble protein of the innate immune system able to sense pathogens through its fibrinogen (FBG) recognition domains and to trigger activation of the lectin complement pathway through associated serine proteases. L-Ficolin has been previously shown to recognize pneumococcal clinical isolates, but its ligands and especially its molecular specificity remain to be identified. Using solid-phase binding assays, serum and recombinant L-ficolins were shown to interact with serotype 2 pneumococcal strain D39 and its unencapsulated R6 derivative. Incubation of both strains with serum triggered complement activation, as measured by C4b and C3b deposition, which was decreased by using ficolin-depleted serum. Recombinant L-ficolin and its FBG-like recognition domain bound to isolated pneumococcal cell wall extracts, whereas binding to cell walls depleted of teichoic acid (TA) was decreased. Both proteins were also shown to interact with two synthetic TA compounds, each comprising part structures of the complete lipoteichoic acid molecule with two PCho residues. Competition studies and direct interaction measurements by surface plasmon resonance identified PCho as a novel L-ficolin ligand. Structural analysis of complexes of the FBG domain of L-ficolin and PCho revealed that the phosphate moiety interacts with amino acids previously shown to define an acetyl binding site. Consequently, binding of L-ficolin to immobilized acetylated BSA was inhibited by PCho and synthetic TA. Binding of serum L-ficolin to immobilized synthetic TA and PCho-conjugated BSA triggered activation of the lectin complement pathway, thus further supporting the hypothesis of L-ficolin involvement in host antipneumococcal defense.
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Regulate Immune Response in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection through PD-1–Induced IL-10
Authors: Huang Ang , Zhang Bo , Yan WeiWei , Wang Bo , Wei HuaFeng , Zhang Fan , Wu Lang , Fan KeXing , Guo YaJun
Published: October 2014

Although myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are well known for their immunosuppressive function in several pathological conditions, the role of MDSCs in hepatitis B virus infection remains obscure. In this study, we investigated the frequency and function of MDSCs in the peripheral blood and liver of 91 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. A higher percentage of MDSCs, defined as CD14+HLA-DR−/low, was detected in peripheral blood of CHB patients than that of the healthy controls. Moreover, high expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1) and secretion of IL-10 in this population were determined. The frequency of MDSCs was positively correlated with serum viral load, but it was negatively correlated with liver inflammatory injury. These cells were also abundant in liver tissue of CHB patients and were related to necroinflammatory activity. Furthermore, we found that these cells could suppress hepatitis B virus–specific CD8+ T cell response, including reduced proliferation and IFN-γ production, and inhibit degranulation of CD8+ T cells, including reduced production of granzyme B and perforin. Importantly, PD-1–induced IL-10 production by MDSCs was responsible for the suppressive activity. To our knowledge, for the first time our study proved that CD14+HLA-DR–/lowPD-1+ MDSCs in CHB patients contribute to an inadequate immune response against the virus and lead to chronic infection, which represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention.
T Cell–B Cell Thymic Cross-Talk: Maintenance and Function of Thymic B Cells Requires Cognate CD40–CD40 Ligand Interaction
Authors: Fujihara Chiharu , Williams Joy A. , Watanabe Masashi , Jeon Hyein , Sharrow Susan O. , Hodes Richard J.
Published: October 2014

Thymic development requires bidirectional interaction or cross-talk between developing T cells and thymic stromal cells, a relationship that has been best characterized for the interaction between thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells. We have characterized in this article the requirement for similar cross-talk in the maintenance and function of thymic B cells, another population that plays a role in selection of developing thymic T cells. We found that maintenance of thymic B cells is strongly dependent on the presence of mature single-positive thymocytes and on the interactions of these T cells with specific Ag ligand. Maintenance of thymic B cell number is strongly dependent on B cell–autonomous expression of CD40, but not MHC class II, indicating that direct engagement of CD40 on thymic B cells is necessary to support their maintenance and proliferation. Thymic B cells can mediate negative selection of superantigen-specific, self-reactive, single-positive thymocytes, and we show that CD40 expression on B cells is critical for this negative selection. Cross-talk with thymic T cells is thus required to support the thymic B cell population through a pathway that requires cell-autonomous expression of CD40, and that reciprocally functions in negative selection of autoreactive T cells.
Cutting Edge: Failure of Antigen-Specific CD4+ T Cell Recruitment to the Kidney during Systemic Candidiasis
Authors: Drummond Rebecca A. , Wallace Carol , Reid Delyth M. , Way Sing Sing , Kaplan Daniel H. , Brown Gordon D.
Published: October 2014

Candida albicans is the leading cause of systemic candidiasis, a fungal disease associated with high mortality and poor treatment options. The kidney is the target organ during infection and whose control is largely dependent on innate immunity, because lymphocytes appear redundant for protection. In this article, we show that this apparent redundancy stems from a failure of Ag-specific CD4+ T cells to migrate into infected kidneys. In contrast, Ag-specific CD8+ T cells are recruited normally. Using Ag-loaded immunoliposomes to artificially reverse this defective migration, we show that recruited Ag-specific CD4+ T cells polarize toward a Th17 phenotype in the kidney and are protective during fungal infection. Therefore, our data explain the redundancy of CD4+ T cells for defense against systemic infection with C. albicans and have important implications for our understanding of antifungal immunity and the control of renal infections.
The Cauchy problem for the two dimensional Euler–Poisson system
Authors: Li Dong , Wu Yifei
Published: October 2014

The Euler-Poisson system is a fundamental two-fluid model to describe the dynamics of the plasma consisting of compressible electrons and a uniform ion background. In the 3D case Guo [7] first constructed a global smooth irrotational solution by using the dispersive Klein-Gordon effect. It has been conjectured that same results should hold in the two-dimensional case. In our recent work [13], we proved the existence of a family of smooth solutions by constructing the wave operators for the 2D system. In this work we completely settle the 2D Cauchy problem.
Generalized height-diameter and crown diameter prediction models for cork oak forests in Spain
Authors: Sánchez-González M. , Cañellas I. , Montero G.
Published: October 2014

A generalized height-diameter equation, along with a crown diameter prediction equation for cork oak forests in Spain were developed based on data from the Second Spanish Forest Inventory. Nine generalised height-diameter equations were selected as candidate functions to model the height-diameter under cork relationship, while for the crown diameter prediction model five linear and non-linear equations were tested. The equations were fitted using the mixedeffects model approach. The Stoffels & Van Soest power equation, constrained to pass through the point of dominant diameter and dominant height, was selected as the generalised height-diameter model. Regarding the crown diameter prediction model, the parable function without the intercept and with quadratic mean diameter incorporated as a fixed effect into the b parameter, proved to be the model with best prediction capabilities. The models were validated by characterising the model error using the PRESS (Prediction Sum of Squares) statistic. Both equations will be submodels of the ALCORNOQUE v1.0, a management oriented growth and yield model for cork oak forests in Spain.
Copyright Challenges of Legal Deposit and Web Archiving in the National Library of Singapore
Authors: Cadavid Jhonny Antonio Pabón
Published: October 2014

This article discusses the development of web archiving in Singapore and its relationship to copyright law. The author describes legal deposit, its definition and historical development, the differences between voluntary and compulsory legal deposit, and the practices of such approaches within the National Library of Singapore. It highlights two main projects, the Singapore Memory Project and Web Archive Singapore (WAS). The paper analyses how the implementation of legal deposit for preserving web material creates a complex relationship between copyright and digital heritage, and describes difficulties that cover the information lifecycle of web archiving. Finally, the paper presents a set of conclusions and recommendations regarding the need for modifying copyright legislation to foster research activities within Singapore's knowledge economy.
US Government Websites during the 2013 Shutdown: Lessons from the Shutdown Library
Authors: Rabina Debbie , Cocciolo Anthony
Published: October 2014

This short communication describes the digital archive created of official dot.gov and official government social media websites during the shutdown of the United States federal government from 1 to 16 October 2013. It discusses the digital landscape against which the shutdown occurred, outlines the process of creating an archive of shutdown websites, and considers what the archive can teach us about the public face of government during the shutdown.
Collect, Preserve, Access: Applying the Governing Principles of the National Archives UK Government Web Archive to Social Media Content
Authors: Espley Suzy , Carpentier Florent , Pop Radu , Medjkoune Leïla
Published: October 2014

It is The National Archives' responsibility to collect and secure the future of the public record in all its forms and to make it as accessible as possible. The UK Government Web Archive1 (UKGWA) effectively preserves the open digital record. This article will explore the challenges encountered, and the Application Programming Interface (API) based solutions developed, by The National Archives and the Internet Memory Foundation (IMF) in the completion of a pilot project to capture the record as it is published on the social media services Twitter and YouTube. An outline of the wider web archiving programme and its role within the management of the government web estate is provided. The legislative framework that guides web archiving at The National Archives is described as it has necessarily influenced the policy decisions that shaped the solutions developed. A brief overview of some comparative approaches taken by other organizations and commercial services to capturing Twitter content is also presented as context to the policy and technical solutions arrived at by the authors. The National Archives has sought to develop the building blocks of a collection whose growth can be sustained over time. The publication of this part of the archive will be followed by further evaluation and improvements to the initial approach taken.
Quality Assurance Paradigms in Web Archiving Pre and Post Legal Deposit
Authors: Bingham Nicola
Published: October 2014

This article discusses quality assurance paradigms in the pre and post legal deposit environments, exploring how workflows and processes have adapted from a small-scale, selective model to domain-scale harvesting activity. It draws comparisons between the two approaches and discusses the trade-offs necessitated by the change in scale of web harvesting activity. The requirements of the non-print legal deposit legislation of 2013 and the change in scale in web archiving operations have necessitated new quality metrics for the web archive collection. Whereas it was possible to manually review every instance of a harvested website, the new model requires that more automated methods are employed. The article looks at the tools employed in the selective web archiving model such as the Web Curator Tool and those designed for the legal deposit workflow such as the Annotation and Curation Tool. It examines the key technical issues in archiving websites and how content is prioritized for quality assurance. The article will be of interest to people employed in memory institutions including national libraries who are tasked with preserving online content as well as a wider general audience.
Hard Content, Fab Front-End: Archiving Websites of Dutch Public Broadcasters
Authors: Baltussen Lotte Belice , Blom Jaap , Medjkoune Leïla , Pop Radu , Van Gorp Jasmijn , Huurdeman Hugo , Haaijer Leidi
Published: October 2014

Although there are a great variety of web archiving projects around the world, there are not many that focus explicitly on websites of broadcasters. The reason is that funds are often lacking to do this, and that broadcaster websites are difficult to archive, due to their dynamic and audiovisual content. The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, with its collection of over 800,000 hours of audiovisual content has been involved in a small-scale research project related to web archiving since 2008. When Sound and Vision was approached by Dutch public broadcaster NTR to archive four of its websites, it was decided to start a collaborative pilot project that focused both on learning more about archiving broadcaster websites and developing a clean and modern public access interface. The main lesson learned from this pilot is that to archive highly dynamic and AV-heavy broadcaster websites it is vital to use supplementary capture tools and manual archiving of this ‘difficult’ content. Furthermore, since the focus of web archiving projects is usually not on a good-looking front-end, the wheel had to be partly re-invented by involving various stakeholders and determining the most important requirements. The first version of the web archive was evaluated by various prospective target users. This evaluation revealed that the participants indeed appreciated the look and speed of the web archive, and that users needed to be made more aware of the web archive's purpose and limitations. The work will be continued and scaled up, by archiving more broadcaster websites, continuing the research on how best to capture and make accessible dynamic and AV content, and by creating standard practices for making the web archive publicly available.
Web Archive Search as Research: Methodological and Theoretical Implications
Authors: Ben-David Anat , Huurdeman Hugo
Published: October 2014

The field of web archiving is at a turning point. In the early years of web archiving, the single URL has been the dominant unit for preservation and access. Access tools such as the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine reflect this notion as they allowed consultation, or browsing, of one URL at a time. In recent years, however, the single URL approach to accessing web archives is being gradually replaced by search interfaces. This paper addresses the theoretical and methodological implications of the transition to search on web archive research. It introduces ‘search as research’ methods, practices already applied in studies of the live web, which can be repurposed and implemented for critically studying archived web data. Such methods open up a variety of analytical practices that were so far precluded by the single URL entry point to the web archive, such as the re-assemblage of existing collections around a theme or an event, the study of archival artefacts and scaling the unit of analysis from the single URL to the full archive, by generating aggregate views and summaries. The paper introduces examples to ‘search as research’ scenarios, which have been developed by the WebART project at the University of Amsterdam and the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, in collaboration with the National Library of the Netherlands. The paper concludes with a discussion of current and potential limitations of ‘search as research’ methods for studying web archives, and the ways with which they can be overcome in the near future.
Access and Scholarly Use of Web Archives
Authors: Hockx-Yu Helen
Published: October 2014

This article provides an overview of current access arrangements of web archives. Using data from a user survey of the UK Web Archive, it attempts to analyse the reasons for limited scholarly use of web archives. It also examines the key characteristics of scholarly use of digital sources and translates these into a set of requirements for web archives. It discusses how current web archives fail to meet the evolving scholarly requirements, offering some thoughts on a way forward, from the perspective of a national research library and a web archiving service provider.
Community Integration and Quality of Life: A Comparison of Persons With Psychiatric Disabilities in Housing Programs and Community Residents Who Are Neighbours
Authors: Aubry Tim , Myner Julye
Published: October 2014

Fifty-one persons with psychiatric disabilities in housing programs in the Ottawa-Carleton area were compared with a matched sample of 51 community residents on several aspects of community integration and subjective quality of life. Matching criteria included sex and location (i. c., living within one square block). Results showed persons with psychiatric disabilities reporting lower levels of social contact with neighbours and general life satisfaction than community residents. Both groups showed similar levels of physical presence and sense of community in the neighbourhood. Implications of the findings for planning and improving community mental health services are discussed.
Barriers to Recovery in a First Nations Community
Authors: Schmidt Glen
Published: October 2014

The practice of psychiatric rehabilitation is a concept and method that developed in urban-based settings. It has become a widely used guiding principle in mental health practice. This research examines how psychiatric rehabilitation fits within a remote First Nations community. Ten people—service providers, consumers, and family members—were interviewed to gather information about their perceptions of and experiences within the mental health system. The interview material was examined using content analysis. The results suggest that geographic and economic factors create serious barriers to application of the psychiatric rehabilitation method in a remote First Nations community.
Community, Empowerment, and Resilience: Paths to Wellness
Authors: Cadell Susan , Karabanow Jeff , Sanchez Miguel
Published: October 2014

In this paper, we explore 3 diverse populations: street kids, political prisoners, and caregivers of people with HIV/AIDS. From these explorations, we consider the concepts of empowerment, resilience, and community-building. By interweaving these 3 key concepts, we develop a cyclical wellness model which can be applied equally to individuals and communities. This model highlights the strengths of individuals and communities and will, we believe, provide a critical element of hope to societies within our increasingly global economy.
Service Needs of Families where one Parent has an Affective Illness: Implications for Service, Education, and Policy
Authors: Byrne Carolyn , Pape Bonnie , Ivask Alla , Kuczynski Leon , Browne Gina , Whittaker Susan , Grant Naomi Rae , Ashford Yvonne
Published: October 2014

This study explored the service needs of families with a parent with an affective illness. Focus-group and individual interviews were conducted at selected locations across Canada with individuals who had an affective disorder, their partners, and their adult children. A total of 67 participants were recruited. Corresponding service providers were mailed a questionnaire which asked information regarding these families' needs, the service provider's role with these families, and what prevented or assisted them in addressing those needs. A total of 419 service providers participated in the study. There was congruence between family-identified needs and the needs identified by service providers. However, there remains a large disparity between the knowledge of needs and having these needs met. The results of this study identify the gaps in service provision and make recommendations for changes in the areas of service, education, and policy-making.
Childhood Experiences with, and Current Attitudes Toward, Corporal Punishment
Authors: Ateah Christine A. , Parkin C. Melanie
Published: October 2014

The purpose of the present study was to determine, in a Canadian sample, the extent to which corporal or physical punishment use continues, personal experiences, and current attitudes. Of the 436 participants, 75% reported receiving physical punishment as children. Approximately 40% of participants agreed that corporal punishment is necessary as a means of discipline. Since parental attitude toward physical punishment has been determined to be an important predictor in its use with children, the authors recommend that parent education programming must include information related to its risks.
Keeping in Touch with Children After Separation: The Point of View of Fathers
Authors: Le Bourdais Céline , Juby Heather , Marcil-Gratton Nicole
Published: October 2014

The amount of father-child contact after separation is closely linked to the probability that fathers fulfill their financial obligations towards their children. Determining the factors that encourage this contact is, therefore, crucial to the process of reducing the risk of poverty to which children of separated parents are exposed. Based on data collected from fathers at the 1995 Canadian General Social Survey of the Family, this paper uses multi-level regression analysis to identify factors associated with higher levels of contact between fathers and children, including socio-demographic characteristics of children and fathers, variables associated with attitudes, and fathers' satisfaction with custody and access arrangements.
A Survey and Description of Projects that Support and Promote Fathering in Canada: Still Work to Do to Reach Fathers in their Real-Life Settings
Authors: Devault Annie , Gaudet Judith , Bolte Christine , St-Denis Michèle
Published: October 2014

This study aimed to identify the characteristics of current Canadian intervention programs designed to support father involvement. Sixty-one projects in the 10 provinces constituted the sample. Results show that most of the projects operate on limited budgets. The activities they offer mostly target fathers themselves to the exclusion of key people in their social environment. The discussion underscores the strenghts and weaknesses of father support programs, and guidelines for future intervention in this area are proposed.
The Influence of Organizational Factors on Return-to-Work Outcomes
Authors: Caveen Michele , Dewa Carolyn S. , Goering Paula
Published: October 2014

This study explores the types of company policies and benefits that are associated with variations in return to work for workers with depression-related disability. Three financial institutions essentially following the same regulations and with a similar rate of depression-related short-term disability experienced some striking differences in their return-to-work outcomes. This mixed method study seeks to understand differences in the work environments and more specifically in disability management practices, and reflects on how these differences might have contributed to variations in return to work. Five themes emerged during the analysis of the qualitative data: (a) changing work environment, (b) leadership with respect to disability, (c) supportive managers, (d) accountability, and (e) cross-functional coordination. The similarities and differences among the three companies with respect to these themes help increase our understanding of the differences in the return-to-work outcomes.
Effect of Calcination Temperature on Surface Morphology and Photocatalytic Activity in TiO2 Thin Film Prepared by Spin Coating Technique
Authors: Mothi Krishna Krishna , Soumya G. , Sugunan S.
Published: October 2014

TiO2 thin films were deposited on glass substrate using Sol-Gel derived precursor by Spin Coating technique at different calcination temperatures. Structural identity of the prepared films was con- firmed by powder X-ray diffraction measurements. Morphology of the films was monitored using Atomic force microscopy and it was observed that calcination temperature of 400 °C favored TiO2 nano- fibers. Photocatalytic activity of the films was checked by observing the degradation of herbicide Atrazine in UV region and the percentage of degradation was analyzed by HPLC method. © 2014 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Could giant basin‐forming impacts have killed Martian dynamo?
Authors: Kuang W. , Jiang W. , Roberts J. , Frey H. V.
Published: October 2014

The observed strong remanent crustal magnetization at the surface of Mars suggests an active dynamo in the past and ceased to exist around early to middle Noachian era, estimated by examining remagnetization strengths in extant and buried impact basins. We investigate whether the Martian dynamo could have been killed by these large basin‐forming impacts, via numerical simulation of subcritical dynamos with impact‐induced thermal heterogeneity across the core‐mantle boundary. We find that subcritical dynamos are prone to the impacts centered on locations within 30° of the equator but can easily survive those at higher latitudes. Our results further suggest that magnetic timing places a strong constraint on postimpact polar reorientation, e.g., a minimum 16° polar reorientation is needed if Utopia is the dynamo killer.
Global carbon assimilation system using a local ensemble Kalman filter with multiple ecosystem models
Authors: Zhang Shupeng , Yi Xue , Zheng Xiaogu , Chen Zhuoqi , Dan Bo , Zhang Xuanze
Published: October 2014

In this paper, a global carbon assimilation system (GCAS) is developed for optimizing the global land surface carbon flux at 1° resolution using multiple ecosystem models. In GCAS, three ecosystem models, Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator, Carnegie‐Ames‐Stanford Approach, and Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange, produce the prior fluxes, and an atmospheric transport model, Model for OZone And Related chemical Tracers, is used to calculate atmospheric CO2 concentrations resulting from these prior fluxes. A local ensemble Kalman filter is developed to assimilate atmospheric CO2 data observed at 92 stations to optimize the carbon flux for six land regions, and the Bayesian model averaging method is implemented in GCAS to calculate the weighted average of the optimized fluxes based on individual ecosystem models. The weights for the models are found according to the closeness of their forecasted CO2 concentration to observation. Results of this study show that the model weights vary in time and space, allowing for an optimum utilization of different strengths of different ecosystem models. It is also demonstrated that spatial localization is an effective technique to avoid spurious optimization results for regions that are not well constrained by the atmospheric data. Based on the multimodel optimized flux from GCAS, we found that the average global terrestrial carbon sink over the 2002–2008 period is 2.97 ± 1.1 PgC yr−1, and the sinks are 0.88 ± 0.52, 0.27 ± 0.33, 0.67 ± 0.39, 0.90 ± 0.68, 0.21 ± 0.31, and 0.04 ± 0.08 PgC yr−1 for the North America, South America, Africa, Eurasia, Tropical Asia, and Australia, respectively. This multimodel GCAS can be used to improve global carbon cycle estimation.
Poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam): A Thermoresponsive Macromolecule with Promising Future in Biomedical Field
Authors: Liu Ji , Debuigne Antoine , Detrembleur Christophe , Jérôme Christine
Published: October 2014

Poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL) is a thermoresponsive and biocompatible polymer that raises an increasing interest in the biomedical area, especially in drug delivery systems (DDS) that include micelles, hydrogels, and hybrid particles. The thermoresponsiveness of PNVCL, used alone or in combination with other stimuli‐ responsive polymers or particles (pH, magnetic field, or chemicals), is often key in the loading and/or release process in these DDS. The renewed focus on this polymer, which is known for decades, is to a large extent due to recent progress in synthetic strategies. Especially, the advent of efficient controlled radical polymerization (CRP) methods for NVCL monomer gives now access to unprecedented well‐defined NVCL‐based copolymers with unique properties. This Review article addresses up‐to‐date synthetic aspects, biological features, and biomedical applications of the latest NVCL‐containing systems.