bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hollow plasmonic antennas for broadband SERS spectroscopy
Authors: Messina Gabriele C , Malerba Mario , Zilio Pierfrancesco , Miele Ermanno , Dipalo Michele , Ferrara Lorenzo , De Angelis Francesco
Published: February 2015

The chemical environment of cells is an extremely complex and multifaceted system that includes many types of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and various other components. With the final aim of studying these components in detail, we have developed multiband plasmonic antennas, which are suitable for highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and are activated by a wide range of excitation wavelengths. The three-dimensional hollow nanoantennas were produced on an optical resist by a secondary electron lithography approach, generated by fast ion-beam milling on the polymer and then covered with silver in order to obtain plasmonic functionalities. The optical properties of these structures have been studied through finite element analysis simulations that demonstrated the presence of broadband absorption and multiband enhancement due to the unusual geometry of the antennas. The enhancement was confirmed by SERS measurements, which showed a large enhancement of the vibrational features both in the case of resonant excitation and out-of-resonance excitation. Such characteristics indicate that these structures are potential candidates for plasmonic enhancers in multifunctional opto-electronic biosensors.
Production of immune response mediators by HT-29 intestinal cell-lines in the presence of Bifidobacterium-treated infant microbiota
Authors: Arboleya S. , Bahrami B. , Macfarlane S. , Gueimonde M. , Macfarlane G.T. , de los Reyes-Gavilán C.G.
Published: February 2015

The colonisation and establishment of the intestinal microbiota starts immediately at birth and is essential for the development of the intestine and the immune system. This microbial community gradually increases in number and diversity until the age of two or three years when it becomes a stable ecosystem resembling that of adults. This period constitutes a unique window of opportunity to modulate it through probiotic action, with a potential impact in later health. In the present work we have investigated how putative bifidobacterial probiotics modify the metabolic profiles and immune-modulatory properties of faecal microbiotas. An in vitro pH-controlled single-stage continuous-culture system (CCS) inoculated with infant faeces was employed to characterise the effects of two Bifidobacterium species on the intestinal microbiotas in three children, together with the effects of these modified microbiotas on cytokine production by HT-29 cells. Intestinal bacterial communities, production of short-chain fatty acids and lactate were determined by quantitative PCR and gas chromatography, respectively. Cytokines production by HT-29 cells was measured by ELISA. The combination of CCS with infant faeces and human intestinal cells provided a suitable model to evaluate the specific modulation of the intestinal microbiota and immune system by probiotics. In the CCS, infant faecal microbiotas were influenced by the addition of bifidobacteria, resulting in changes in their ability to induce the production of immune mediators by HT-29 cells. The different metabolic and immunological responses induced by the bifidobacterial species tested indicate the need to assess potential probiotics in model systems including complex intestinal microbiotas. Potential probiotic bifidobacteria can modulate the infant microbiota and its ability to induce the production of mediators of the immune response by intestinal cells.
Toxicokinetic study and oral bioavailability of deoxynivalenol in turkey poults, and comparative biotransformation between broilers and turkeys
Authors: Devreese M. , Antonissen G. , Broekaert N. , De Mil T. , De Baere S. , Vanhaecke L. , De Backer P. , Croubels S.
Published: February 2015

The aim of present study was to reveal the toxicokinetic properties and absolute oral bioavailability of deoxynivalenol (DON) in turkey poults. Six turkey poults were administered thisFusarium mycotoxinper os and intravenously in a two-way cross-over design. Based on non-compartmental analysis, DON was absorbed rapidly (Tmax= 0.57 h) but incomplete, as the oral bioavailability was only 20.9%. DON was rapidly eliminated as well, both after oral (T1/2elimination PO=0.86 h) as well as intravenous (IV) (T1/2elimination IV = 0.62 h) administration. Furthermore, semi-quantitative analysis using high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed that DON-3α-sulphate is the major metabolite of DON in turkeys after IV as well as oral administration, with DON-3α-sulphate/DON ratios between 1.3-12.6 and 32.4-140.8 after IV and oral administration, respectively. Glucuronidation of DON to DON-3α-glucuronide is a minor pathway in turkey poults, with DON-3α-glucuronide/DON ratios between 0.009-0.065 and 0.020-0.481 after IV and oral administration, respectively. Only trace amounts of other metabolites were found including 10-DON-sulphonate, de-epoxydeoxynivalenol and 10-de-epoxydeoxynivalenol-sulphonate. In addition, a similar two-way cross-over study was performed in three broiler chickens, in order to compare the biotransformation of DON in both poultry species. High-resolution mass spectrometry revealed that DON-3α-sulphate was the major metabolite of DON in broiler chickens as well, with DON-3α-sulphate/DON ratios between 243-453 and 1,365-29,624 after IV and oral administration, respectively. These ratios indicate that broiler chickens metabolise DON even more extensively to the sulphate conjugate compared to turkey poults. Only trace amounts of other metabolites were detected in broiler chickens. In conclusion, it can be stated that the toxicokinetic behaviour of DON in broiler chickens and turkey poults is comparable (low absolute oral bioavailability, rapid absorption and elimination, extensive biotransformation to DON-3α-sulphate), however, relative differences in DON-3α-sulphate/DON ratios exist between both species which might explain the hypothesised difference in sensitivity of both poultry species to DON.
Knowledge Management in Small and Medium Enterprises
Authors: Baporikar Neeta
Published: February 2015

Today, success and worth of a business depend more on intellectual capital than physical capital. Hence, knowledge that exists within an organization is a sustainable source of competitive advantage, which makes Knowledge Management (KM) a critical input in the growth of any organization and more so in the case of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Even though much has been researched and written on the subject of knowledge management in large and multinational organizations, very little focus and research has been done on KM in SMEs. Globalization of supply chains, rapid technological advances, superior returns on intellectual capital, and the growing importance of knowledge-intensive industries make KM a strategic tool in the growth and success of all businesses. Access and integration of SMEs with regional, national, and international supply chains require bridging the gaps between the requirements of supply chains and efficiency of SMEs' KM systems. KM-enabled SMEs are essential for competitive and sustainable growth. Hence, a judicious approach for KM in SMEs is a must in the current scenario. The overall mission of this chapter is to aid researchers in recognizing and understanding the knowledge management spectrum for small and medium enterprises in a globalized world. This would be indispensable for successful goal attainment and sustainable business in a contemporary complex economy.
Modularization (MD) and IT in Auto Industry
Authors: Lian Yunshan , Weisfeld-Spolter Suri
Published: February 2015

This chapter is a pioneer study on the application and impact of modularization in the Chinese auto industry. The role of IT as a mediator and moderator is also analyzed in this study. Although Modularization (MD) has become a global trend in the auto industry, few empirical studies have been conducted because it is a difficult task to operationalize the multi-faceted, complex modularization. This research made an analysis through the lenses of international business theories like internationalization theory and Knowledge-Based-View of the firm (KBV). Quantitative methodology like regression and correlation analysis was applied in this study, based on the data collected from 250 automotive firms in China. Academically, this research fills in the gap of empirical study on modularization and its impact in the auto industry of developing economies. In practice, it can help decision makers in the auto industry make a more scientific decision about whether and how they should go into modularization, and have a better understanding of the characteristics of the global auto industry in developing economies.
Mobile Financial Services at the Base of the Pyramid
Authors: Mohamad Mostafa , Wood-Harper Trevor , Ramlogan Ronnie
Published: February 2015

Mobile financial services is one of the uprising movements to bank the unbanked by integrating philanthropic and business approaches for financial inclusion. In this chapter, the authors address how a systemic view helps integrate the Philanthropic Initiatives (PI) and the Commercial Initiatives (CI) to get a sustainable impact on the unbanked micro-entrepreneurs. However, each approach has pros and cons as they go along the stages of design, deployment, and sustainability. Using the soft system thinking, the authors theorise the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) as a business system to mix-up the relatively high start-up capabilities of the PI with the relatively sustainable impact of CI. The mobile money case shows that donors, local private enterprises, and multinational corporations follow the BoP strategy to develop an online grid that offers a reconciled balanced scorecard for economic returns, social benefits, and local impact. Such a strategy guarantees flexible, long-term investments and facilitates developing innovative financial services.
Towards a New Definition of Social Innovation
Authors: Ettorre Donatella , Bellantuono Nicola , Scozzi Barbara , Pontrandolfo Pierpaolo
Published: February 2015

This chapter focuses on social innovation, a topic that the literature has been increasingly discussing in the last decade. The authors revise the many available (and, to some extent, too general) definitions as well as identify the main features that have been claimed as relevant for social innovation (e.g. Mumford, 2002), which concur in providing its definition. By doing so, they pursue the assessment of a less fuzzy definition of social innovation and make a first attempt to focus on the role that companies play in developing as well as scaling social innovations. The adopted approach exploits the literature review and is based on an in-depth analysis of the definitions of social innovation: the authors collected and catalogued them, so identifying the main dimensions of analysis. Clarifying what social innovation is and the role that companies play in social innovation initiatives can increase companies' awareness of what they (can) do with respect to social innovation, possibly taking advantage of this in terms of business objectives.
Knowledge Management Strategies
Authors: Alhamoudi Salwa
Published: February 2015

In an era of sweeping technological and economic change, interest in Knowledge Management (KM) and the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) has grown among public administrators because these address issues of change, innovation, and environmental adaptation, all of which have been major concerns in organisation theory and practice for decades and are clearly important now as public organisations are being reinvented and reengineered. This chapter aims to investigate how do Knowledge Management Strategies influence the development of an organisation's strategies and how BSC could be used to develop Strategic Knowledge Management Balanced System (KMBS) for strategic management. The research provides a theoretical theory through linking research and literature on Strategic Management (SM), Knowledge Management (KM), and Balance Scorecard (BSC). This chapter examines the underappreciated influence of strategic Knowledge Management on performance management by using the Balanced Scorecard in the public sector.
Biopharma Innovation Models for Gulf Region in the Era of Globalisation
Authors: Rashmi Rakhi
Published: February 2015

Biopharmaceutical is the most upcoming segment of the pharmaceutical industry as the use of biotechnology has the potential to provide cures for the most life threatening and difficult ailments. At the same time for biopharma innovation, factors such as increasing costs, high continuous funding, and risk funding are of increasing concern for the emerging economies. This chapter measures the strength of biopharma innovation indicators in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and explores the potential biopharma innovation models for gulf countries.
Entry Modes and the Impact of Mobile Microfinance at the Base of the Pyramid
Authors: Mohamad Mostafa , Wood-Harper Trevor , Ramlogan Ronnie
Published: February 2015

The expansion of mobile telecoms in the Egyptian market has contributed to different development paradigms. The entry mode and the way telecoms follow to access the Base of the Pyramid market in Egypt identifies which paradigm will take place in the future. Using the case of “My Village Phone,” the authors develop a scenario analysis to explore the linkages between the entry modes and development paradigms. They find that “Pro-poor,” “Para-poor,” “Per-poor,” “Per-poor exports,” and “Networked” are expected to take place if telecoms followed the Base of the Pyramid entry mode. However, they may fail to achieve one or more of these paradigms if they followed different entry modes such as “Capitalists mode,” “Skimming mode,” “Social responsibility mode,” or “Sustainability mode.” This chapter contributes toward a typology of entry modes and development scenarios for mobile telecoms market in general and for mobile microfinance specifically. At the policy level, the authors provide a testable business model for the candidate mobile telecom that looks for holding the fourth mobile license in Egypt. At the theoretical level, they offer a new conceptual framework, the balance of power (Albin, 1997; Jasperson et al., 2002), that is drawn from three social science domains: systems thinking, systemic foresight, and theories of power.
Write to Transform Your Health
Authors: Evans John Frank , Jooste Karen Roussel
Published: February 2015

This chapter is a description of the workshop, ‘Transform your Health: Write to Heal,' created by John Evans. Writing and facilitating optimal well-being and vibrant living are the authors' passions and they feel privileged to fuse these passions in this chapter.
Strength from Spirituality
Authors: Wanner Eric T. , Bird Jennifer Lynne
Published: February 2015

How does spirituality inform research, writing, and life? What chain of events led the authors to write this chapter? Some readers may view the experiences survived by the authors as a series of random coincidences, but because religion plays a large role in the lives of both authors, they believe that their experiences happened for a reason. They are not trying to convert you to a certain religion but simply want to show the power religion can have. It is recommended to take out all prejudgments on this issue and read the chapter as is. After that, take out of it what you wish. The more you read into this the more you will realize that everything truly does happen for a reason and there is a greater power amongst us.
Validation of IS Security Policies Featuring Authorisation Constraints
Authors: Ledru Yves , Idani Akram , Milhau Jérémy , Qamar Nafees , Laleau Régine , Richier Jean-Luc , Labiadh Mohamed Amine
Published: February 2015

Designing a security policy for an information system (IS) is a non-trivial task. Variants of the RBAC model can be used to express such policies as access-control rules associated to constraints. In this paper, we advocate that currently available tools do not take sufficiently into account the functional description of the application and its impact on authorisation constraints and dynamic aspects of security. The authors suggest translating both security and functional models into a formal language, such as B, whose analysis and animation tools will help validate a larger set of security scenarios. The authors describe how various kinds of constraints can be expressed and animated in this context. The authors also present a tool support which performs this translation and report on a case study where animation and testing techniques were used to validate the security policy of a medical emergency information system.
On Developing Hybrid Modeling Methods using Metamodeling Platforms
Authors: Zivkovic Srdjan , Miksa Krzystof , Kühn Harald
Published: February 2015

It has been acknowledged that model-based approaches and domain-specific modeling (DSM) languages, methods and tools are beneficial for the engineering of increasingly complex systems and software. Instead of general-purpose one-size-fits-all modeling languages, DSM methods facilitate model-based analysis and design of complex systems by providing modeling concepts tailored to the specific problem domain. Furthermore, hybrid DSM methods combine single DSM methods into integrated modeling methods, to allow for multi-perspective modeling. Metamodeling platforms provide flexible means for design and implementation of such hybrid modeling methods and appropriate domain-specific modeling tools. In this paper, we report on the conceptualization of a hybrid DSM method in the domain of network physical devices management, and its implementation based on the ADOxx metamodeling platform. The method introduces a hybrid modeling approach. A dedicated DSM language (DSML) is used to model the structure of physical devices and their configurations, whereas the formal language for knowledge representation OWL2 is used to specify configuration-related constraints. The outcome of the work is a hybrid, semantic technology-enabled DSM tool that allows for efficient and consistency-preserving model-based configuration of network equipment.
Whole-body vibration as a modality for the rehabilitation of peripheral neuropathies: implications for cancer survivors suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
Authors: Verhulst Anna L.J. , Savelberg Hans H.C.M. , Vreugdenhil Gerard , Mischi Massimo , Schep Goof
Published: February 2015

The objective was to study the effect of whole-body vibration (WBV) on strength, balance and pain in patients with peripheral neuropathies and to consider its significance for the rehabilitation of patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Using a broad search strategy, PubMed was searched for clinical trials on WBV interventions aimed at improving strength, balance or pain in patients with peripheral neuropathies, which were published in English until 5th June 2014. The search was performed by the first author and generated a total of 505 results, which yielded 5 articles that met the inclusion criteria, being studies: i) published in English; ii) involving adult human subjects’ peripheral neuropathies; iii) evaluating the effect of WBV as a therapeutic intervention; and iv) reporting findings for at least one of the following outcomes: strength, balance or pain. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed independently by first and second author, using the physiotherapy evidence database scale. The overall methodological quality of included studies was low. Two studies found a beneficial effect of WBV on neuropathic pain, but another study failed to find the same effect. One study found significant improvements in both muscle strength and balance, while another study found improvements only in some, but not all, of the applied tests to measure muscle strength and balance. The results of this literature search suggest insufficient evidence to assess the effectiveness for the effects of WBV on neuropathic pain, muscle strength and balance in patients with peripheral neuropathies. More high-quality trials are needed to guide the optimization of rehabilitation programs for cancer survivors with CIPN in particular.
Calcified Amyloid Tumor of Neck with Exuberant Giant Cell Reaction
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Arghya , Bhattacharya Shubham , Maiti Barnali , Bose Koushik
Published: February 2015

Amyloidosis is a group of disorders characterized by an extracellular deposition of an abnormal amount of proteins in a variety of organs resulting from abnormal folding of protein. It typically presents as disseminated deposits. Tumor like localized presentation of amyloidosis in the absence of systemic amyloidosis is referred to as amyloidoma or amyloid tumor. Amyloidoma is the least common presentation of tissue amyloid deposition. Amyloidoma of soft tissue is again a very rare entity, especially in the neck region. Calcification and minimum giant cell reaction can occur in amyloidoma. However, extensive calcification and exuberant giant cell reaction in amyloidoma of soft tissue neck make it difficult to diagnose. In this report, we discuss such a rare case with its differential diagnoses.
Frequency and characterization of celiac ganglia diagnosed on fine-needle aspiration
Authors: ElGabry Ehab A. , Monaco Sara E. , Pantanowitz Liron
Published: February 2015

Introduction:

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is frequently used to sample intra-abdominal lesions and lymph nodes. Celiac ganglia normally located near the celiac artery may be sampled during these procedures. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of detection and cytologic findings of celiac ganglia diagnosed on FNA.

Materials and Methods:

A 14-year retrospective review of radiologic and endoscopic FNA cases involving the celiac region was performed. Cases in which ganglia were reported were further analyzed and slides reviewed.

Results:

A total of 354 patients underwent FNA of a suspected celiac lymph node (334 patients) or celiac mass (20 cases). In 9 of these patients (2.5%), ganglion cells were identified. These were identified in cases only after 2008 via EUS-guided FNA. Aspirates were hypocellular and bloody. Large ganglion cells were either sparsely dispersed or present in clusters. Ganglion cells had a low N: C ratio, granular cytoplasm with neuromelanin, and eccentric small round nucleus with a prominent nucleolus. One specimen had concomitant pancreatic adenocarcinoma. None of these cases had a false positive on-site adequacy assessment or final misdiagnosis.

Conclusions:

These data show that celiac ganglia may be infrequently encountered, especially with intra-abdominal EUS-guided FNA targeting nodes or masses near the celiac region. Therefore, cytologists should be aware of the possibility of finding ganglionic cells in EUS-guided FNA samples.
A Specialisation of the Bump–Friedberg L-function
Authors: Matringe Nadir
Published: February 2015

We study the restriction of Bump–Friedberg integrals to affine lines {(s + α, 2s), s ∊ ℂ}. It has simple theory, very close to that of the Asai L-function. It is an integral representation of the product L(s + α, π)L(2s, Λ2, π), which we denote by Llin(s, π, α) for this abstract, when π is a cuspidal automorphic representation of GL(k, 𝔸) for 𝔸 the adeles of a number field. When k is even, we show that the partial L-function Llin,S(s, π, α) has a pole at 1/2 if and only if π admits a (twisted) global period. This gives a more direct proof of a theorem of Jacquet and Friedberg, asserting that π has a twisted global period if and only if L(α + 1/2, π) ≠ 0 and L(1, Λ2 , π) = ∞. When k is odd, the partial L-function is holmorphic in a neighbourhood of Re(s) ≥ 1/2 when Re(α) is ≥ 0.
A large and ubiquitous source of atmospheric formic acid
Authors: Millet D. B. , Baasandorj M. , Farmer D. K. , Thornton J. A. , Baumann K. , Brophy P. , Chaliyakunnel S. , de Gouw J. A. , Graus M. , Hu L. , Koss A. , Lee B. H. , Lopez-Hilfiker F. D. , Neuman J. A. , Paulot F. , Peischl J. , Pollack I. B. , Ryerson T. B. , Warneke C. , Williams B. J. , Xu J.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Formic acid (HCOOH) is one of the most abundant acids in the atmosphere, with an important influence on precipitation chemistry and acidity. Here we employ a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to interpret recent airborne and ground-based measurements over the US Southeast in terms of the constraints they provide on HCOOH sources and sinks. Summertime boundary layer concentrations average several parts-per-billion, 2–3× larger than can be explained based on known production and loss pathways. This indicates one or more large missing HCOOH sources, and suggests either a key gap in current understanding of hydrocarbon oxidation or a large, unidentified, direct flux of HCOOH. Model-measurement comparisons implicate biogenic sources (e.g., isoprene oxidation) as the predominant HCOOH source. Resolving the unexplained boundary layer concentrations based: (i) solely on isoprene oxidation would require a 3× increase in the model HCOOH yield, or (ii) solely on direct HCOOH emissions would require approximately a 25× increase in its biogenic flux. However, neither of these can explain the high HCOOH amounts seen in anthropogenic air masses and in the free troposphere. The overall indication is of a large biogenic source combined with ubiquitous chemical production of HCOOH across a range of precursors. Laboratory work is needed to better quantify the rates and mechanisms of carboxylic acid production from isoprene and other prevalent organics. Stabilized Criegee intermediates (SCIs) provide a large model source of HCOOH, while acetaldehyde tautomerization accounts for ~ 15% of the simulated global burden. Because carboxylic acids also react with SCIs and catalyze the reverse tautomerization reaction, HCOOH buffers against its own production by both of these pathways. Based on recent laboratory results, reaction between CH3O2 and OH could provide a major source of atmospheric HCOOH; however, including this chemistry degrades the model simulation of CH3OOH and NOx:CH3OOH. Developing better constraints on SCI and RO2 + OH chemistry is a high priority for future work. The model does not capture the large diurnal amplitude in HCOOH seen in surface air, nor its inverted vertical gradient at night. This implies a substantial bias in our current representation of deposition as modulated by boundary layer dynamics, and may indicate an HCOOH sink underestimate and thus an even larger missing source. A more robust treatment of surface deposition is a key need for improving simulations of HCOOH and related trace gases, and our understanding of their budgets.
Mercury vapor air–surface exchange measured by collocated micrometeorological and enclosure methods – Part II: Bias and uncertainty analysis
Authors: Zhu W. , Sommar J. , Lin C.-J. , Feng X.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Dynamic flux chambers (DFCs) and micrometeorological (MM) methods are extensively deployed for gauging air–surface Hg0 gas exchange. However, a systematic evaluation of the precision of the contemporary Hg0 flux quantification methods is not available. In this study, the uncertainty in Hg0 flux measured by relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) method, aerodynamic gradient method (AGM), modified Bowen-ratio (MBR) method, as well as DFC of traditional (TDFC) and novel (NDFC) designs is assessed using a robust data-set from two field intercomparison campaigns. The absolute precision in Hg0 concentration difference (Δ C) measurements is estimated at 0.064 ng m−3 for the gradient-based MBR and AGM system. For the REA system, the parameter is Hg0 concentration (C) dependent at 0.069+0.022C. 57 and 62% of the individual vertical gradient measurements were found to be significantly different from zero during the campaigns, while for the REA-technique the percentage of significant observations was lower. For the chambers, non-significant fluxes are confined to a few nighttime periods with varying ambient Hg0 concentration. Relative bias for DFC-derived fluxes is estimated to be ~ ±10%, and ~ 85% of the flux bias are within ±2 ng m−2 h−1 in absolute term. The DFC flux bias follows a diurnal cycle, which is largely dictated by temperature controls on the enclosed volume. Due to contrasting prevailing micrometeorological conditions, the relative uncertainty (median) in turbulent exchange parameters differs by nearly a factor of two between the campaigns, while that in Δ C measurements is fairly stable. The estimated flux uncertainties for the triad of MM-techniques are 16–27, 12–23 and 19–31% (interquartile range) for the AGM, MBR and REA method, respectively. This study indicates that flux-gradient based techniques (MBR and AGM) are preferable to REA in quantifying Hg0 flux over ecosystems with low vegetation height. A limitation of all Hg0 flux measurement systems investigated is their incapability to obtain synchronous samples for the calculation of Δ C. This reduces the precision of flux quantification, particularly the MM-systems under non-stationarity of ambient Hg0 concentration. For future applications, it is recommended to accomplish Δ C derivation from simultaneous collected samples.
Estimating the photosynthetically active radiation under clear skies by means of a new approach
Authors: Wandji Nyamsi W. , Espinar B. , Blanc P. , Wald L.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. The k-distribution method and the correlated-k approximation of Kato et al. (1999) is a computationally efficient approach originally designed for calculations of the broadband solar radiation by dividing the solar spectrum in 32 specific spectral bands from 240 to 4606 nm. This paper describes a technique for an accurate assessment of the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) from 400 to 700 nm at ground level, under clear-sky conditions using twelve of these spectral bands. It is validated against detailed spectral calculations of the PAR made by the radiative transfer model libRadtran. For the direct and global PAR irradiance, the bias is −0.4 W m−2 (−0.2%) and −4 W m−2 (−1.3%) and the root mean square error is 1.8 W m−2 (0.7%) and 4.5 W m−2 (1.5%). For the direct and global Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density, the biases are of about +10.3 μmol m−2 s−1 (+0.8%) and 1.9 μmol m−2 s−1 (−0.1%) respectively, and the root mean square error is 11.4 μmol m−2 s−1 (0.9%) and 4.0 μmol m−2 s−1 (0.3%). The correlation coefficient is greater than 0.99. This technique provides much better results than two state-of-the-art empirical methods computing the daily mean of PAR from the daily mean of broadband irradiance.
Comparing CFSR and conventional weather data for discharge and sediment loss modelling with SWAT in small catchments in the Ethiopian Highlands
Authors: Roth V. , Lemann T.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Accurate rainfall data is the key input parameter for modelling river discharge and sediment loss. Remote areas of Ethiopia often lack adequate precipitation data and where it is available, there might be substantial temporal or spatial gaps. To counter this challenge, the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) readily provides weather data for any geographic location on earth between 1979 and 2010. This study assesses the applicability of CFSR weather data to three watersheds in the Blue Nile Basin in Ethiopia. To this end, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was set up to simulate discharge and sediment loss, using CFSR and conventional weather data, in three small-scale watersheds ranging from 102 to 477 ha. Uncalibrated simulation results were compared to observed river discharge and observed sediment loss over a period of 25 years. The conventional weather data resulted in satisfactory discharge outputs for all three watersheds, while the CFSR weather data resulted in unsatisfactory discharge outputs for two of three gauging stations. Sediment loss simulation with conventional weather inputs yielded satisfactory outputs for all three watersheds, while the CFSR weather input resulted in one very good result and two unsatisfactory results. Overall, the simulations with the conventional data resulted in far better results for discharge and sediment loss than simulations with CFSR data. The simulations with CFSR data were unable to adequately represent the specific regional climate for the three watersheds, performing even worse in climatic areas with two rainy seasons. Hence, CFSR data should only be used with caution in remote areas with no conventional weather data and might be better adapted to larger watersheds than the ones used in this study.
The evolution of Mode-2 nonlinear internal waves over the northern Heng-Chun ridge south of Taiwan
Authors: Ramp S. R. , Yang Y. J. , Reeder D. B. , Buijsman M. C. , Bahr F. L.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Two research cruises were conducted from the R/V OCEAN RESEARCHER 3 during 5–16 August 2011 to study the generation of high-frequency nonlinear internal waves (NLIW) over the northern Heng-Chun Ridge south of Taiwan. The primary study site, centered near 21°34' N, 120°54' E, was on top of a smaller ridge about 15 km wide by 400 m high atop the primary ridge, with a sill depth of approximately 600 m. The bottom slope was steep over both sides of the ridge, supercritical with respect to both diurnal and semidiurnal tides. The key result of the experiments is that a profusion of mode-2 NLIW were observed by all the sensors. Some of the waves were solitary while others had as many as seven evenly-spaced waves per packet. The waves all exhibited classic mode-2 velocity structure with a core near 150–200 m and opposing velocities in the layers above and below. At least two and possibly three most common propagation directions emerged from the analysis, suggesting multiple generation sites near the east side of the ridge. The turbulent dissipation due to overturns in the wave cores was very high at order 10−4–10−3 W kg−1. The energy budget suggests that the waves cannot persist very far from the ridge and likely do not contribute to the South China Sea transbasin wave phenomenon.
China: Development, Inequality, and Imbalance
Authors: Riskin Carl
Published: February 2015

China, like India, presents a case of growth with increasing income inequality. In China this has gone hand in hand with a number of serious structural imbalances. It is clear that China’s problems of growing inequality and of structural imbalance are closely linked. The forces that produced imbalance also enlarged inequality. Both imbalance and inequality are byproducts of a growth model dominated by a combination of surplus labour, on one hand, and government policies that have repressed consumption and hindered employment growth, on the other. While the government has tried without much success to alter this growth model, rebalancethe economy and reduce economic disparities, two recent developments have had a major impact: First, China began to encounter shortages of labour. Second, the stimulus package launched to counter the 2008 recession itself affected the rebalancing objective in complex and conflicting ways.
The Modalities of Geographical Mobility in China and their Impacts, 1980–2010
Authors: Solinger Dorothy J.
Published: February 2015

Geographical mobility in China–the critical component of which is rural to urban movement–and the problem of the migrants’ inclusion into the ranks of city citizens have always been, at base, matters of the expenditure and transfer of state resources. A secondary, related dimension has been the institutionalised discrimination that incomers from the countryside have faced in the metropolises, the result of state-devised barriers (and the attendant attitudes among municipal officials and dwellers that have grown up around and bolstered these barriers). I show that today’s migrants began as captives of the state plan, and have ended as hostages of the changed financial relations between central and local levels that came with the market reforms. My argument is that blockages created by the government, along with the biases and behaviours that have developed over some 50 years in conjunction with these blockades, have been grounded in the command of material resources, plus struggles over their disposition.
Introduction
Authors: Bennison Amira K.
Published: February 2015

This chapter provides an introduction to the theme of political legitimacy in the medieval Islamic Maghrib and al-Andalus. It reviews previous historiographical approaches to the subject and considers the Arabic sources for the period, arguing for the importance of considering the two sides of the straits of Gibraltar as a single cultural zone. It then looks at political legitimacy in the Islamic Middle East and North Africa in general before tracing the evolution of particular themes in the Maghrib and al-Andalus up to the period covered by the volume. It ends with a brief review of the other chapters in the volume and their multi-disciplinary contribution to understandings of political legitimation in the region.
Islam and the ‘Great Divergence’: The Case of the Moroccan Marīnid Empire, 1269–1465 CE
Authors: Shatzmiller Maya
Published: February 2015

Marīnid Morocco is intriguing because it displays an economic efflorescence and a political and military drive similar to the northern Atlantic empires at a moment when Islamic societies are assumed to have been in a period of economic decline. This chapter applies recent theories on economic growth in pre-industrialised societies to the Marīnid case in order to revisit this assumption of decline. It provides evidence of population growth, increased urbanisation, new crops and new technologies in agriculture, greater manufacturing capacity, strong institutions, in particular legal institutions, trade and capital formation, both physical and human. It then surveys the structural changes in the Maghribī and Mediterranean economies to see how they were linked to Moroccan developments and uses the evidence and analysis presented to question the representation of an uninterrupted economic decline in premodern Islamic societies and the ‘great divergence’ thesis.
Writing History as a Political Act: Ibn Khaldūn, ʿAṣabiyya and Legitimacy
Authors: Fromherz Allen J.
Published: February 2015

Studies of legitimacy in the medieval Maghrib have considered political, religious, social, and economic power, but rarely the political motivations of those who write the sources of the era. Although archaeology has made some promising advances, the basis for our understanding of these factors comes primarily from historical sources written by a particular class of scholar. Most historians of the medieval Maghrib were also ministers and advisors with their own specific and highly political interests. These writers were far from passive referees on the sidelines of history. Their portrayal of what was legitimate or even of what was history often had to do with their own political interests as learned ministers. Using Ibn Khaldūn’s autobiography, this chapter argues that to understand legitimacy in the fourteenth century a deeper understanding of the personal and political motivations of historians is needed.
Drums, Banners and Baraka: Symbols of Authority during the First Century of Marīnid Rule, 1250–1350*
Authors: Bennison Amira K.
Published: February 2015

This chapter explores how the Marīnid sultans expressed their authority to their subjects, especially those living beyond Fes, their capital city, during their first century of rule. The construction of palatine cities and madrasas were important marks of Marīnid authority in urban space but, as a dynasty ruling over a large rural tribal population, the Marīnids also needed to express their power and authority beyond the city. The chapter begins with analysis of the textual image of kingship presented in Marīnid chronicles and then considers how that image was disseminated to the population. It looks at Marīnid military progresses (ḥarakāt) between their fortresses and towns and Marīnid military engagements in the rural environment and shows how they used a number of symbols of monarchy, from the historically resonant Qurʾān of ʿUthmān to generic items such as drums and banners to make their power manifest.
Nomadic Populations and the Challenge to Political Legitimacy: Three Cases from the Medieval Islamic West
Authors: Hopley Russell
Published: February 2015

This chapter examines the responses of three important medieval Maghribī dynasties to the dilemmas posed by nomadic populations dwelling in their midst. These dynasties include the Almoravids in al-Andalus in the twelfth century, the Almohads in the Maghrib in the thirteenth century, and the Ḥafṣids, successors to the Almohads in Ifrīqiya, during the fourteenth century. The aim is to shed light on the challenges that nomadic populations posed to political legitimacy, and to suggest, paradoxically perhaps, that the presence of unruly nomads in the medieval Islamic west, and the effort to contain them, served an important role in each dynasty's attempt to gain political legitimacy in the eyes of the Muslim community.
Role of visual and non-visual cues in constructing a rotation-invariant representation of heading in parietal cortex
Authors: Sunkara Adhira , DeAngelis Gregory C , Angelaki Dora E
Published: February 2015

As we navigate through the world, eye and head movements add rotational velocity patterns to the retinal image. When such rotations accompany observer translation, the rotational velocity patterns must be discounted to accurately perceive heading. The conventional view holds that this computation requires efference copies of self-generated eye/head movements. Here we demonstrate that the brain implements an alternative solution in which retinal velocity patterns are themselves used to dissociate translations from rotations. These results reveal a novel role for visual cues in achieving a rotation-invariant representation of heading in the macaque ventral intraparietal area. Specifically, we show that the visual system utilizes both local motion parallax cues and global perspective distortions to estimate heading in the presence of rotations. These findings further suggest that the brain is capable of performing complex computations to infer eye movements and discount their sensory consequences based solely on visual cues.
The stress-responsive kinases MAPKAPK2/MAPKAPK3 activate starvation-induced autophagy through Beclin 1 phosphorylation
Authors: Wei Yongjie , An Zhenyi , Zou Zhongju , Sumpter Rhea , Su Minfei , Zang Xiao , Sinha Sangita , Gaestel Matthias , Levine Beth
Published: February 2015

Autophagy is a fundamental adaptive response to amino acid starvation orchestrated by conserved gene products, the autophagy (ATG) proteins. However, the cellular cues that activate the function of ATG proteins during amino acid starvation are incompletely understood. Here we show that two related stress-responsive kinases, members of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway MAPKAPK2 (MK2) and MAPKAPK3 (MK3), positively regulate starvation-induced autophagy by phosphorylating an essential ATG protein, Beclin 1, at serine 90, and that this phosphorylation site is essential for the tumor suppressor function of Beclin 1. Moreover, MK2/MK3-dependent Beclin 1 phosphorylation (and starvation-induced autophagy) is blocked in vitro and in vivo by BCL2, a negative regulator of Beclin 1. Together, these findings reveal MK2/MK3 as crucial stress-responsive kinases that promote autophagy through Beclin 1 S90 phosphorylation, and identify the blockade of MK2/3-dependent Beclin 1 S90 phosphorylation as a mechanism by which BCL2 inhibits the autophagy function of Beclin 1.
Effectiveness of traveller screening for emerging pathogens is shaped by epidemiology and natural history of infection
Authors: Gostic Katelyn M , Kucharski Adam J , Lloyd-Smith James O
Published: February 2015

During outbreaks of high-consequence pathogens, airport screening programs have been deployed to curtail geographic spread of infection. The effectiveness of screening depends on several factors, including pathogen natural history and epidemiology, human behavior, and characteristics of the source epidemic. We developed a mathematical model to understand how these factors combine to influence screening outcomes. We analyzed screening programs for six emerging pathogens in the early and late stages of an epidemic. We show that the effectiveness of different screening tools depends strongly on pathogen natural history and epidemiological features, as well as human factors in implementation and compliance. For pathogens with longer incubation periods, exposure risk detection dominates in growing epidemics, while fever becomes a better target in stable or declining epidemics. For pathogens with short incubation, fever screening drives detection in any epidemic stage. However, even in the most optimistic scenario arrival screening will miss the majority of cases.
Northern Lights Tourism in Iceland, Norway and Finland
Authors: Heimtun Bente , Jóhannesson Gunnar Þór , Tuulentie Seija
Published: February 2015

This report is the result of fieldwork in Iceland, Northern Norway and Finnish Lapland, undertaken by tourism researchers from the three countries in 2014. One aim of the study was to establish comparative knowledge on Northern Lights tours. The research is part of the ‘Winter tourism’[1] project at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

 

During the last decade Northern Lights tourism has boomed in the case study areas. Important destinations for Aurora tourism are: Reykjavik and Akureyri in Iceland, Tromsø and Alta in Norway, and Rovaniemi and the region around Muonio in Finland. A common feature of this type of tourism is the increased interest from international tourists, mainly from Europe, Northern America and Asia. Moreover, these tourists travel to both large scale and small scale destinations. In common are also the development of mass tourism in the bigger cities, in regards of the number of tour providers and number of tourists, and a more moderate development in the smaller cities. In spite of commonalities several factors also separate the tours and destinations. The Norwegian Northern Lights tours, for instance, tend to be more expensive and they often last longer. In Finland most of the tours are in combination with other outdoor activities and mass tourism is the most noticeable in Reykjavik. Thus, there the tours are the cheapest. Furthermore, in Iceland and Alta mostly local guides are employed, whereas in Finnish Lapland and Tromsø many workers are from other Europeans countries.

 
The researchers participated in 17 tours in total. Consequently this report gives only a glimpse of various ways of guiding and how skills, knowledge, equipment, weather and so on affect Aurora Borealis performances in a toured setting. This report continues with a presentation of the Northern Lights tourism development and offers in each country. In the description of each country we also point to guiding practices that enhance and diminish the experiences with the tours. In the last section we discuss the Northern Lights tourism in the three countries, and reflect upon the importance of the guide, safety and infrastructure and some other aspects of the tours.