bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Single Space Born Image Based Anaglyph Generation
Authors: Malini Deepika M. , Raajan N. R. , Kamalaselvan A.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. In remote sensing applications depth and width of the features in the captured image are necessitate for reclamation estimate and to gather morphological information. This work, aims at demonstrating the potential of stereo pair based anaglyph picture generation by eliminating two cameras carried by Cartosat-I stereo Earth observing satellite. The study is conducted in Trichy Srirangam a part of Tamilnadu. The presented approach involves generating the stereo pair from single cartosat image (Panchromating (PAN), Multispectral (MS)). The depth information is estimated by angular deviation from the stereo pair. The generated anaglyph depth map information can be used in categorizing ravines and depth.
Hierarchical Coloured Petrinet Based Healthcare Infrastructure Interdependency Model
Authors: Nivedita N. , Durbha S.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. To ensure a resilient Healthcare Critical Infrastructure, understanding the vulnerabilities and analysing the interdependency on other critical infrastructures is important. To model this critical infrastructure and its dependencies, Hierarchal Coloured petri net modelling approach for simulating the vulnerability of Healthcare Critical infrastructure in a disaster situation is studied.. The model enables to analyse and understand various state changes, which occur when there is a disruption or damage to any of the Critical Infrastructure, and its cascading nature. It also enables to explore optimal paths for evacuation during the disaster. The simulation environment can be used to understand and highlight various vulnerabilities of Healthcare Critical Infrastructure during a flood disaster scenario; minimize consequences; and enable timely, efficient response.
Retrieval of Surface Reflectance using SACRS2: a Scheme for Atmospheric Correction of ResourceSat-2 AWiFS data
Authors: Pandya M. R. , Pathak V. N. , Shah D. B. , Singh R.. P
Published: November 2014

Abstract. The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite series has been providing data since 1988 through various Earth observation missions. Before using IRS data for the quantitative analysis and parameter retrieval, it must be corrected for the atmospheric effects because spectral bands of IRS sensors are contaminated by intervening atmosphere. Standard atmospheric correction model tuned for the IRS sensors was not available for deriving surface reflectance. Looking at this gap area, a study was carried out to develop a physicsbased method, called SACRS2- a Scheme for Atmospheric Correction of Resourcesat-2 (RS2) AWiFS data. SACRS2 is a computationally fast scheme developed for correcting large amount of data acquired by RS2-AWiFS sensor using a detailed radiative transfer model 6SV. The method is based on deriving a set of coefficients which depend on spectral bands of the RS2-AWiFS sensor through thousands of forward signal simulations by 6SV. Once precise coefficients of all the physical processes of atmospheric correction are determined for RS2-AWiFS spectral bands then a complete scheme was developed using these coefficients. Major inputs of the SACRS2 scheme are raw digital numbers recorded by RS2-AWiFS sensor, aerosol optical thickness at 550 nm, columnar water vapour content, ozone content and viewing-geometry. Results showed a good performance of SACRS2 with a maximum relative error in the SACRS2 simulations ranged between approximately 2 to 7 percent with respect to reference 6SV computations. A complete software package containing the SACRS2 model along with user guide and test dataset has been released on the website (www.mosdac.gov.in) for the researchers.
Deriving crop calendar using NDVI time-series
Authors: Patel J. H. , Oza M. P.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Agricultural intensification is defined in terms as cropping intensity, which is the numbers of crops (single, double and triple) per year in a unit cropland area. Information about crop calendar (i.e. number of crops in a parcel of land and their planting & harvesting dates and date of peak vegetative stage) is essential for proper management of agriculture. Remote sensing sensors provide a regular, consistent and reliable measurement of vegetation response at various growth stages of crop. Therefore it is ideally suited for monitoring purpose. The spectral response of vegetation, as measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and its profiles, can provide a new dimension for describing vegetation growth cycle. The analysis based on values of NDVI at regular time interval provides useful information about various crop growth stages and performance of crop in a season. However, the NDVI data series has considerable amount of local fluctuation in time domain and needs to be smoothed so that dominant seasonal behavior is enhanced. Based on temporal analysis of smoothed NDVI series, it is possible to extract number of crop cycles per year and their crop calendar. In the present study, a methodology is developed to extract key elements of crop growth cycle (i.e. number of crops per year and their planting – peak - harvesting dates). This is illustrated by analysing MODIS-NDVI data series of one agricultural year (from June 2012 to May 2013) over Gujarat. Such an analysis is very useful for analysing dynamics of kharif and rabi crops.
Satellite based remote sensing technique as a tool for real time monitoring of leaf retention in natural rubber plantations affected by abnormal leaf fall disease
Authors: Pradeep B. , Meti S. , James J.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Most parts of the traditional natural rubber growing regions of India, extending from Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu in the South to Kasaragod district of Kerala in the North received excess and prolonged rains during 2013. This led to severe incidence of Abnormal Leaf Fall (ALF) disease caused by the fungus, Phytophthora sp. The present study demonstrated the first time use of satellite remote sensing technique to monitor ALF disease by estimating Leaf Area Index (LAI) in natural rubber holdings in near real time. Leaf retention was monitored in between April and December 2012 and 2013 by estimating LAI using MODIS 15A2 product covering rubber holdings spread across all districts in the traditional rubber growing region of the country that was mapped using Resourcesat LISS III 2012 and 2013 data. It was found that as the monsoon advanced, LAI decreased substantially in both years, but the reduction was much more substantial and prolonged in many districts during 2013 than 2012 reflecting increased leaf fall due to ALF disease in 2013. The decline was more pronounced in central and northern Kerala than in the South. Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu is generally known to be free from ALF disease, but there was considerable leaf loss due to ALF in June 2012 and June and July 2013 even as the monsoon was unusually severe in 2013. Weighted mean LAI during for the entire period of April to December was estimated as a weighted average of LAI and per cent of total area under rubber in each district in the study area for the two years. This was markedly less in 2013 than 2012. The implications of poor leaf retention for biomass production (net primary productivity), carbon sequestration and rubber yield are discussed.
Graph – Based High Resolution Satellite Image Segmentation for Object Recognition
Authors: Ravali K. , Ravi Kumar M. V. , Venugopala Rao K.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Object based image processing and analysis is challenging research in very high resolution satellite utilisation. Commonly ei ther pixel based classification or visual interpretation is used to recognize and delineate land cover categories. The pixel based classification techniques use rich spectral content of satellite images and fail to utilise spatial relations. To overcome th is drawback, traditional time consuming visual interpretation methods are being used operational ly for preparation of thematic maps. This paper addresses computational vision principles to object level image segmentation. In this study, computer vision algorithms are developed to define the boundary between two object regions and segmentation by representing image as graph. Image is represented as a graph G (V, E), where nodes belong to pixels and, edges (E) connect nodes belonging to neighbouring pixels. The transformed Mahalanobis distance has been used to define a weight function for partition of graph into components such that each component represents the region of land category. This implies that edges between two vertices in the same component have relatively low weights and edges between vertices in different components should have higher weights. The derived segments are categorised to different land cover using supervised classification. The paper presents the experimental results on real world multi-spectral remote sensing images of different landscapes such as Urban, agriculture and mixed land cover. Graph construction done in C program and list the run time for both graph construction and segmentation calculation on dual core Intel i7 system with 16 GB RAM, running 64bit window 7.
Retrieval of Land Surface Temperature Diurnal Cycle model parameters from Kalpana-1 VHRR data over India
Authors: Shah D. B. , Pandya M. R. , Gujrati A. , Trivedi H. J. , Singh R. P.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Land Surface Temperature (LST) is an important parameter in the land surface processes on regional and global scale. The Land Surface Temperature Diurnal (LSTD) cycle of different land cover is an excellent indicator of the surface processes and their interaction with planetary boundary layer. The Kalpana-1 very high resolution radiometer (VHRR) LST product is available with 30 minute spatial resolution and 0.1 degree temporal resolution. A study was carried out with an objective to determine the LSTD parameters directly from K1-VHRR monthly averaged LST observations over Indian landmass. In this analysis, a harmonic function is fitted to LSTD from the K1-VHRR observations, where cosine term describing the effect of sun and exponential term represents decay of LST during nighttime. Using LSTD parameters, one can directly know the temperature amplitude, residual temperature and time of maximum temperature for each pixel. The LSTD parameters fitting accuracy in root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) ranges between 0.5–2.5 K and 0.90–0.99 respectively for most of the pixels over Indian landmass. These LSTD parameters may bring new insight for estimation of thermal inertia and also useful in cloud screening algorithms.
Land use land cover classification using local multiple pattern from very high resolution satellite imagery
Authors: Suresh Kumar R. , Mahesh Balaji A. R.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. The recent development in satellite sensors provide images with very high spatial resolution that aids detailed mapping of Land Use Land Cover (LULC). But the heterogeneity in the landscapes often results in spectral variation within the same and spectral confusion among different LU/LC classes at finer spatial resolution. This leads to poor classification performances based on traditional spectral-based classification. Many studies have been addressed to improve this classification by incorporating texture information with multispectral images. Although different methods are available to extract textures from the satellite images, only a limited number of studies compared their performance in classification. The major problem with the existing texture measures is either scale/orientation/illumination variant (Haralick textures) or computationally difficult (Gabor textures) or less informative (Local binary pattern). This paper explores the use of texture information captured by Local Multiple Patterns (LMP) for LULC classification in a spectral-spatial classifier framework. LMP preserve more structural information and involves less computational efforts. Thus LMP is expected to be more promising for capturing spatial information from very high spatial resolution images. The proposed method is implemented with spectral bands and LMP derived from WorldView-2 multispectral imagery acquired for Madurai, India study area. The Multi-Layer-Perceptron neural network is used as a classifier. The proposed classification method is compared with LBP and conventional Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) separately. The classification results with 89.5% clarify the improvement offered by the LMP for LULC classification in comparison with the conventional approaches.
Operational semi-physical spectral-spatial wheat yield model development
Authors: Tripathy R. , Chaudhary K. N. , Nigam R. , Manjunath K. R. , Chauhan P. , Ray S. S. , Parihar J. S.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Spectral yield models based on Vegetation Index (VI) and the mechanistic crop simulation models are being widely used for crop yield prediction. However, past experience has shown that the empirical nature of the VI based models and the intensive data requirement of the complex mechanistic models has limited their use for regional and spatial crop yield prediction especially for operational use. The present study was aimed at development of an intermediate method based on the use of remote sensing and the physiological concepts such as the photo-synthetically active solar radiation (PAR) and the fraction of PAR absorbed by the crop (fAPAR) in Monteith’s radiation use efficiency based equation (Monteith, 1977) for operational wheat yield forecasting by the Department of Agriculture (DoA). Net Primary Product (NPP) has been computed using the Monteith model and stress has been applied to convert the potential NPP to actual NPP. Wheat grain yield has been computed using the actual NPP and Harvest index. Kalpana-VHRR insolation has been used for deriving the PAR. Maximum radiation use efficiency has been collected from literature and wheat crop mask was derived at MNCFC, New Delhi using RS2-AWiFS data. Water stress has been derived from the Land Surface Water Index (LSWI) which has been derived periodically from the MODIS surface reflectance data (NIR and SWIR1). Temperature stress has been derived from the interpolated daily mean temperature. Results indicated that this model underestimated the yield by 3.45 % as compared to the reported yield at state level and hence can be used to predict wheat yield at state level. This study will be able to provide the spatial wheat yield map, as well as the district-wise and state level aggregated wheat yield forecast. It is possible to operationalize this remote sensing based modified Monteith’s efficiency model for future yield forecasting with around 0.15 t ha-1 RMSE at state level.
A comparative analysis of Resourcesat-2 LISS-3 and Landast-8 OLI imagery
Authors: Venkateswarlu E. , Sivannarayana T. , Ratna Kumar K. V.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor (LISS-3) onboard Resoucesat-1 and 2 Satellites have been used extensively for various land cover-land use applications. In this study, we examined the potential of using Resourcesat-2 LISS-3 images in the absence of LANDSAT-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images. This paper compares the capabilities of LISS-3 sensor with OLI sensor. LISS-3 images were selected for comparison because of their close resemblance in electromagnetic spectrum range with LS-8 OLI images. Images of LS-8 OLI and RS-2 LISS-3 of the same area in Andhra Pradesh were used to evaluate the comparative performances based on the intra-inter band correlation, spectral vegetation indices and land cover classification. The results showed that in most cases the LS-8 OLI and the RS-2 LISS-3 images are comparable. This study also indicated that LISS-3 images could fill the data gaps in OLI images for land-cover studies, vice versa.
Tecnologia “telhado vivo”: estudo e potencial de integração de plantas nativas na cobertura e resgate da fauna
Authors: Arend da Silva Isis , Arbo Souza Patrícia , Dornelles Avila Sandro Rafael , Wagner Zucchett Tayra , Rosa D`Avila Márcio
Published: November 2014

As áreas urbanas atualmente apresentam uma série de impactos ambientais, provenientes da densidade dos espaços construídos e a falta de qualidade ambiental nas cidades. O objetivo da pesquisa é adaptar a tecnologia “Telhado Vivo” à região de execução, Porto Alegre e área metropolitana no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul/Brasil, através da utilização de espécies de vegetação nativa, viabilizando melhora na qualidade de vida dos moradores de áreas urbanas e o resgate da fauna e flora nativas. A pesquisa em curso é desenvolvida em dois projetos pilotos executados em escala real no Prédio 1 e no Prédio 5, e, em escala experimental, no Canteiro Experimental da Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, localizados no campus central da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). O estudo é desenvolvido através de listas de vegetação nativa da região, livros, artigos e coleta em campo. Apresenta resultados parciais satisfatórios obtidos através da observação, da análise termográfica, do desenvolvimento, adaptação e integração da flora e fauna na tecnologia “Telhado Vivo”.
Análise dos processos de comunicação em projetos com equipes virtuais
Authors: Sehn Marciano Felipe , Mendes Junior Ricardo
Published: November 2014

Este resumo apresenta uma breve descrição do trabalho de dissertação apresentado e defendido no Programa de pós-graduação em Engenharia de Produção da Universidade Federal do Paraná. Introdução: a globalização e as transformações nos meios de comunicação resultantes dela tornaram possível o desenvolvimento de uma nova forma de trabalho: o trabalho com equipes virtuais. Projetos com equipes virtuais possuem grande potencial na redução de custos para a empresa, permitindo manter um time altamente especializado, mesmo com restrições geográficas e de tempo. A comunicação nesse tipo de equipe é um fator altamente crítico na interação desses indivíduos, pois os contatos face-a-face são reduzidos, quando não, inexistentes. Objetivo: tem-se como objetivo deste trabalho o de analisar o processo de comunicação entre os integrantes de equipes virtuais de projetos. Método/Abordagens: a pesquisa possui uma abordagem qualitativa, caracterizando-se como exploratória em relação ao objetivo, tendo como instrumento o estudo de casos múltiplos, o primeiro  representando o setor bancário, o segundo o ramo automobilístico e o terceiro  um grupo de pesquisa. Resultados: como resultado, tem-se a obtenção de uma descrição de como ocorrem os processos de comunicação nos três casos estudados e do nível de concordância de cada equipe virtual aos processos por ela utilizados. Os resultados obtidos possibilitam identificar: que existe a falta de planejamento no gerenciamento das comunicações; que as equipes consideram necessário manter contato presencial para sanar falhas na comunicação virtual do projeto; que os elementos culturais não são considerados no momento de se estabelecer uma equipe virtual; e também que as equipes encontram alguma dificuldade em manter contato com pessoas de outros idiomas. Contribuições/Originalidade: a partir dos resultados, são apontadas algumas recomendações, entre as quais: buscar alternativas no contato pessoal entre os integrantes das Equipes Virtuais; incentivar a comunicação informal complementarmente à comunicação formal; observar as diferenças culturais entre os integrantes da equipe; promover uma cultura interna de incentivo à comunicação virtual; e dar maior importância à existência de plano de gerenciamento das comunicações.
Implantação de um modelo de estudo prospectivo: um estudo de caso no segmento de painéis tipo MDF, no setor madeireiro
Authors: Sotsek Nicolle Christine , Gechele Cleto Marcelo
Published: November 2014

No atual cenário, de progresso e expansão da indústria brasileira, a rotina das organizações sofre com as rápidas mudanças dos avanços tecnológicos, os quais vêm contribuindo para o aumento da competitividade. Desta forma, se faz necessário que as empresas preparem-se de maneira ordenada para enfrentar os novos desafios. A prospecção tecnológica é uma atividade capaz de orientar e conduzir o planejamento das atividades indústrias a longo prazo, pois visa entender as potencialidades, evolução, características e efeitos das mudanças tecnológicas. Neste contexto, elaborar projetos prospectivos é uma forma de contribuir para que a atividade do estudo de futuros se faça presente no meio industrial. Objetivos: Sendo assim, tem-se como objetivo da pesquisa analisar a aplicação de um modelo de estudo prospectivo, utilizando as metodologias Delphi e Cenários. Método: A pesquisa é aplicada, possuindo uma abordagem qualitativa, e se caracterizando como descritiva e exploratória em relação ao objetivo. O instrumento proposto para o trabalho é o estudo de caso. Este será realizado através de um grupo de especialistas nas áreas indústrias e na área de pesquisa. Resultados: Esperam-se como resultados, a validação do modelo de estudo prospectivo no setor madeireiro, e ainda, mostrar as principais vantagens e desvantagens da utilização dessas duas metodologias em associação.
Súmario de Comunicação de Pesquisa
Authors: Freitas Duarte Maria do Carmo
Published: November 2014

Súmario de Comunicação de Pesquisa
Effect of species proportion definition on the evaluation of growth in pure vs. mixed stands
Authors: Sterba Hubert , Del Rio Miren , Brunner Andreas , Condes Sonia
Published: November 2014

Aim of study: The aim of this paper is to compare differences in growth per hectare of species in pure and mixed stands as they result from different definitions of species proportions.Area of Study: We used the data of the Spanish National Forest Inventory for Scots pine and beech mixtures in the province of Navarra and for Scots pine and Pyrenean oak mixtures in the Central mountain range and the North Iberic mountain range.Material and Methods: Growth models were parameterized with the species growth related to its proportion as dependent variable, and dominant height, quadratic mean diameter density, and species proportion as independent variables. As proportions we use once proportions by basal area or by stand density index and once these proportions considering the species specific maximum densities.Main Results: In the pine – beech mixtures, where the maximum densities do not differ very much between species, the mixing effects are very similar, independent of species proportion definitions. In the pine – oak mixture, where the maximum densities in terms of basal area are very different, the equations using the proportions calculated without reference to the maximum densities, result in a distinct overestimation of the mixing effects on growth.Research highlights: When comparing growth per hectare of a species in a mixed stand with that of a pure stand, the species proportion must be described as a proportion by area considering the maximum density for the given species, wrong mixing effects could be introduced by inappropriate species proportion definitions.Keywords: Mixing effects; proportion by area; Stand Density Index; overyielding; Pinus sylvestris L.; Fagus sylvatica L.; Quercus pyrenaica Willd.
Size-structure dynamics of mixed versus pure forest stands
Authors: Pretzsch Hans , Schütze Gerhard
Published: November 2014

Mixed species forests are presently on the advance and widely held to provide many ecosystem functions and services better than pure stands. Recent studies well explored species mixing effects at the individual tree or stand level. However, the link between individual and stand level which is represented by the size-structure dynamics of stands, is still hardly understood.Aim of this study: The objective was to analyse how species mixing modifies the size-structure dynamics of mixed compared with pure forest stands. Area of the study: the study was carried out in Southern Germany.Material and Methods: We selected 11long-term experiments comprising 129 plots of un-thinned or just lightly thinned pure and mixed stands of European beech (Fagus sylvatica [ L.]) and analysed their size structure dynamics.Main Results: Based on the Gini coefficient, skewness and kurtosis we show how mixing with Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) modifies the size-structure dynamics of European beech. The size distribution of beech in mixture mostly lags behind the pure stand, is more size-asymmetric, and the mortality shifts from the smaller diameter classes further to the taller trees than in pure stands.Research highlights: The revealed changes of the size-structure dynamics of beech in mixed versus pure stands result from a modification of both growth partitioning and self-thinning. We draw conclusions of the reduced size growth and size equality of beech in mixed versus pure stands for forest management planning and perspectives for forest research.Keywords: species selection effect; true mixing effect; morphological plasticity; size-distribution; growth partitioning between trees; mode of mortality; European beech (Fagus sylvatica [L.]); Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst); sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.).
Presentació. Transformacions recents en el model de relacions laborals
Authors: Martín Artiles Antonio
Published: November 2014

Les reformes del mercat de treball i de l'estat del benestar tendeixen a configurar un nou model de relacions laborals de caràcter neoliberal, inspirat en el model de capitalisme flexible anglosaxó. Orientat cap al curt termini i basat en la lògica de la financiarització de l'economia com a mecanisme de disciplina social. El RDL 3/2012 comporta avui una acceleració de la tendència cap a la precarització de l'ocupació, l'extensió del treball a temps parcial, la desregulació de les relacions laborals i l'erosió de la protecció social.
Concertació social per a l'ocupació a Espanya (2008-2014)
Authors: Pérez-Amorós Francesc
Published: November 2014

La concertació social incideix en el sistema de fonts reguladores de les relacions laborals, explica, en part, el model democràtic de les relacions laborals, i conseqüentment, és un condicionant de l'Estat social, democràtic i de Dret. La falta de concertació social ha condicionat i caracteritzat les últimes reformes laborals, i especialment la de 2012: l'actual model de relacions laborals no és el desitjable, ni tan sols, ni molt menys en temps de crisi econòmica. I en aquest context, la concertació social per a l'ocupació dels últims anys, no és la idònia pel seu contingut, ni reeixida pels seus resultats.
Concertació i seguretat social: de la legitimitat social a la legitimitat tecnocràtica
Authors: López Gandia Juan
Published: November 2014

L'estudi aborda la concertació, una anàlisi de les polítiques de seguretat social constatant la seva evolució des d'una legitimitat social a una legitimitat tecnocràtica en la crisi del welfare state i en la crisi econòmica amb particular referència al sistema espanyol. Des de la normalització de l'acció política dels sindicats i agents socials en les seves diverses manifestacions, com la participació institucional i la “legislació negociada” en la cerca del consens i el negociat d'intercanvis en el marc polític enfront de la imposició unilateral. La frustració de la concertació social es produeix quan el govern interpreta la democràcia com alguna cosa purament aritmètic de majories que exerceixen sense més el poder, en èpoques de feblesa sindical, de feblesa de l'estat nació, de dificultats per a les polítiques redistributives, de reforçament dels plantejaments neoliberals. La cerca de legitimitat en el pacte social no es veu en aquestes ocasions com a necessària sinó que la legitimitat es trasllada al discurs economicista i tecnocràtic, no polític. Es torna a la cerca d'una legitimitat a través del mercat i de l'intercanvi entre particulars.
La construcció de la dimensió social de la Unió Europea: molts reptes pendents i moltes necessitats a les quals respondre
Authors: Rojo Torrecilla Eduardo
Published: November 2014

La política social europea es troba en una difícil situació. La crisi econòmica i social iniciada en 2008 ha significat la reducció i restricció de drets socials en molts Estats de la Unió Europea, i també l'increment del nombre de persones aturades. És important potenciar el “rostre social” de la UE si es vol mantenir els ideals de la construcció europea que van donar origen al Tractat de Roma de 1957. En aquesta tasca, el diàleg social és un instrument de vital importància per aconseguir que les polítiques socials i laborals asoleixin la rellevància deguda i no siguin només un complement de les polítiques econòmiques. La nova Comissió Europea afronta aquest important repte.
Algunes reflexions sobre la crisi de la concertació social a Espanya i Europa
Authors: Ysàs Molinero Helena
Published: November 2014

El present article reflexiona sobre la ruptura del consens social, no necessària i exclusivament com a conseqüència de la crisi econòmica. Aquesta ruptura s'ha traduït principalment en una forta reculada dels drets socials, el desmantellament de l'Estat del Benestar (protecció social, serveis públics), així com en un retrocés de la capacitat de participació de la societat en la presa de decisions. En aquest escenari, quin pot ser el futur de la concertació social?.
Miniaturized Wide-Range Field-Emission Vacuum Gauge
Authors: Avdić Amra , Lausch Anna Maria , Bertagnolli Emmerich , Lugstein Alois
Published: November 2014

Miniaturized vacuum gauges (MVGs) for the measurement range 5.7times10−7 to 1.1times10−2 mbar were fabricated in a self-aligned approach using focused ion beam (FIB) nanoma-chining and reactive ion etching (RIE). The MVG consists of two properly insulated electrodes integrated on top of an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip, forming a coaxial embodiment. The special design enables us to vary the cathode-anode separation and the turn-on voltage changes accordingly. The experiments show that the MVGs operate at low bias potential and demonstrate very good I-P dependence over a wide pressure range.
SMAC — A Modular Open Source Architecture for Medical Capsule Robots
Authors: Marco Beccani , Ekawahyu Susilo , Christian Di Natali , Pietro Valdastri
Published: November 2014

The field of Medical Capsule Robots (MCRs) is gaining momentum in the robotics community, with applications spanning from abdominal surgery to gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. MCRs are miniature multifunctional devices usually constrained in both size and on-board power supply. The design process for MCRs is time consuming and resource intensive, as it involves the development of custom hardware and software components. In this work, we present the STORM Lab Modular Architecture for Capsules (SMAC), a modular open source architecture for MCRs aiming to provide the MCRs research community with a tool for shortening the design and development time for capsule robots. The SMAC platform consists of both hardware modules and firmware libraries that can be used for developing MCRs. In particular, the SMAC modules are miniature boards of uniform diameter (i.e., 9.8 mm) that are able to fulfill five different functions: signal coordination combined with wireless data transmission, sensing, actuation, powering and vision/illumination. They are small in size, low power, and have reconfigurable software libraries for the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), which has been proven to work reliably for different types of MCRs. A design template for a generic SMAC application implementing a robust communication protocol is presented in this work, together with its finite state machine abstraction, capturing all the architectural components involved. The reliability of the wireless link is assessed for different levels of data transmission power and separation distances. The current consumption for each SMAC module is quantified and the timing of a SMAC radio message transmission is characterized. Finally, the applicability of SMAC in the field of MCRs is discussed by analysing examples from the literature.
A Dual-Axis Electrostatically Driven MEMS Microgripper
Authors: Jia Yukun , Jia Minping , Xu Qingsong
Published: November 2014

This paper presents the design of a new monolithic two-axis electrostatically actuated MEMS microgripper with integrated capacitive position and force sensors working at the micro-scale level. Each of the two jaws of the microgripper possesses two degrees-of-freedom (DOF) and is capable of positioning in both x-and y-axes. Unlike existing works, where one gripper arm is actuated and other one is sensed, both arms of the proposed microgripper are actuated and sensed independently. A sensing scheme is constructed to provide the position and force signals in the noncontact and contact phases, respectively. By applying a 120V driving voltage, the jaw can provide 70 μm x-axis and 18 μm y-axis displacements with the force of 190 μN. By this design, the real-time position and grasping force information can be obtained in the dual sensing mode. Both analytical calculation and finite-element analysis (FEA) were performed to verify the performance of the proposed design. A scaled-up prototype is designed, fabricated and tested through the experiment to verify the structure design of the microgripper.
Anti-Individualism and Perceptual Representation: Interview With Tyler Burge
Authors: Burge Tyler , Muñoz-Suárez Carlos
Published: November 2014

Tyler Burge's anti-individualism – the view that individuating many of a creature's mental kinds is necessarily dependent on relations that the creature bears to the physical, or in some cases social, environment – backs his theory of perceptual representation, i.e. perceptual anti-individualism. Perceptual anti-individualism articulates a framework that, according to Burge, perceptual psychology assumed without articulation. In this interview, Burge talks about the main tenets and underpinnings of perceptual anti-individualism in relation to classic representational theories of perceptual experience, reductive theories of mental content, theories of phenomenal consciousness, and other associated topics.
Perceived Social Support and Academic Achievement in Argentinean College Students
Authors: de la Iglesia Guadalupe , Stover Juliana Beatriz , Fernández Liporace Mercedes
Published: November 2014

This research aimed at describing perceived social support and its relation to academic achievement in a sample of 760 Argentinean college students. Perception of social support was assessed in terms of four possible sources: parents, teachers, classmates, and boyfriend/girlfriend or best friend. Academic achievement was measured using three different indicators: the rate of passed, failed and dropped classes in the time since the academic career was initiated. The main hypothesis posed was that a higher perception of social support would be related to a better academic achievement (a bigger rate of passed classes, and a smaller rate of failed and dropped classes). Findings showed that women perceived significantly more support than men from all sources, except from teachers. Both males and females perceived more support from best friends or boyfriends/girlfriends, and identified teachers as the less supportive source. A higher perception of social support was associated with better academic achievement but only for females. Limitations of the study and implications for the set in motion of different interventions in the academic field, which could be specific to certain type of students, are discussed.
Distorsions cognitives des joueurs de jeux de hasard et d’argent hors ligne et mixtes
Authors: Kern Laurence , Kotbagi Gayatri , Rémond Jean-Jacques , Gorwood Philip , Romo Lucia
Published: November 2014

But : Le but de ce travail est de comparer les joueurs qui jouent à de tels jeux sur des sites comme les casinos ou les hippodromes (joueurs hors ligne) et ceux qui jouent en plus en ligne (joueurs mixtes) en traçant les profils de ces joueurs.

Méthode : 608 joueurs hors ligne et mixtes ont répondu à plusieurs questionnaires qui ont porté sur : 1) les données sociodémographiques (genre, âge, situation de famille, éducation) ; 2) les mesures de dépistage des usages problématiques des jeux de hasard et d’argent ; 3) la consommation d’alcool ; 4) les mesures d’anxiété et de dépression et 5) les mesures sociocognitives (distorsions cognitives et confiance en soi).

Résultats : L’échantillon, d’un âge moyen de 53.0 ans (de 17 à 76 ans ; E.T = 15,9) est composé majoritairement de femmes (femmes : 60 % ; hommes : 39 %) ; 55 % des personnes interrogées vivent en couple. Seulement 23,7 % (N = 144) des participants sont des joueurs mixtes. En ce qui concerne la consommation d’alcool, 31,5 % (N = 191) ont des conduites à risque ou problématiques ; au niveau du jeu 19,6 % (N = 109) sont considérés à risque modéré selon l’indice canadien de jeu excessif (ICJE, 2001), alors que 9 % (N = 55) sont des joueurs pathologiques probables. Les joueurs mixtes sont de façon significative plus jeunes, jouent plus, ont des scores à l’ICJE plus élevés, sont plus anxieux et ont une plus grande consommation d’alcool. Ils présentent également des distorsions cognitives plus intenses (contrôle prédictif), mais ont, en revanche, moins confiance en leur capacité d’arrêter de jouer que les joueurs hors ligne.

Conclusion : Une sévérité accrue au jeu pathologique et des distorsions cognitives plus intenses rendent la population des joueurs mixtes fragile. Quelques pistes d’intervention et de prévention seront proposées en guise de conclusion.
Les symptômes associés aux problèmes de jeux de hasard et d’argent à l’adolescence : étude comparative selon le sexe
Authors: Gendron Annie , Dufour Magali , Brunelle Natacha , Leclerc Danielle , Cousineau Marie-Marthe
Published: November 2014

De nombreux travaux ont documenté la présence de problèmes de jeux de hasard et d’argent (JHA) au sein de populations adolescentes. La prévalence du trouble chez les adolescents serait même plus élevée que celle trouvée auprès de populations adultes. Le présent article présente une synthèse des études québécoises rapportant la prévalence du jeu pathologique auprès de populations adolescentes, et il met l’accent sur les différences sexuelles. À partir d’une étude menée auprès de 1870 élèves du secondaire âgés de 14 à 18 ans, une description des habitudes de JHA des garçons et des filles est d’abord présentée. Ensuite, les critères autorévélés du DSM-IV-MR-J (Fisher, 2000), rapportés par les garçons et les filles aux prises avec des problèmes de jeu, sont comparés selon le sexe. Les résultats montrent que près d’un élève sur dix a des habitudes de JHA problématiques. Malgré le fait qu’il existe un écart quant à la proportion de garçons et de filles présentant des problèmes de JHA, les adolescents semblent éprouver les mêmes symptômes. Ces derniers se distinguent uniquement sur la préoccupation entretenue à propos de leurs habitudes de JHA, les garçons joueurs problématiques étant plus nombreux à avoir rapporté ce critère que les filles qui sont aux prises avec des problèmes de JHA.
COMPARISON OF THE RESULTS OF CALCULATION OF GEOLOGICAL RESERVES OBTAINED BY MANUAL METHOD OF GEOLOGICAL BLOCKS AND CALCULATIONS BYMODERN SOFTWARE
Authors: Taletović Nermin , Osmanović Dean , Isabegović Jasmin
Published: November 2014

This paper presents the results of the calculation of coal reserves obtained by classical method (calculation method of geological blocks), which were compared with the results obtained by the calculation using software. Since this area was explored for long period of time and elaborates were done in past, we came to an idea to compare results from Elaborate with results obtained through software supported analysis of deposit. The compared results indicate that the results gain through classical calculation and through use of software vary within the permissible tolerances for this kind of calculation.
THE VULNERABILITY DETERMINATION OF GROUNDWATER BODIES IN SOUTHEASTERN BOSNIA ACCORDING TO DRASTIC, GLA AND EPIK METHODS
Authors: Srkalović Dado , Stjepić Srkalović Željka
Published: November 2014

The vulnerability results of groundwaterbodies of southeastern Bosnia are shown in this paper. On the examined area 27 groundwater bodies were extracted, where 12 groundwaterbodies are in rocks with intergranular porosity and 15 groundwaterbodies are in rocks with karst-fissure porosity. All of the groundwater bodies were analysed through DRASTIC, GLA, PI and EPIK vulnerability determination methods, where the gained results are presented tabular. Depending on the porosity type, the vulnerability determination methods were used. So for intergranular groundwaterbodies the best results were gained by DRASTIC and GLA methods, while for the karst-fissure groundwater bodies the best results were gained by the EPIK method, which is the implementation of PI method.
DEVELOPMENT OF INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS FOR ORE AND COAL MINING
Authors: Atrushkevich A. Viktor , Atrushkevich A. Oleg , Gutić Kemal
Published: November 2014

Development of mining of firm minerals technological systems is the constantly and multifactorial process having for an object to intensify mining in various mining and geological conditions of the person and the nature safety growing requirements. It is directed on improvement of the interconnected things of the technical and technological support including the organization of mining works.

Herewith (in this article, in this report) some results of cooperation of Moscow state mining university and Scientific and Production Association “Hydrotechnology” dealing with designing and improvement of non-blasting, integrated technological systems of mining of ore and coal deposits by the opencast, underground and hybrid method with use of also hydraulically mechanized equipment. Technology options with partial processing and complete mineral enrichment at the mining enterprises are also presented. There are separate and complex technical solutions realized in the mining industry.
Why biodiversity has so many enemies
Authors: Beattie Andrew James
Published: November 2014

An estimated ninety percent of all species are either invertebrate or microbial but most conservation science and policy ignores them. This is disastrous for humanity as this biodiversity contains the majority of the genetic, chemical, metabolic and population diversity on Earth that is of enormous - and irreplaceable - economic importance. Microbes and invertebrates are at the core of all the primary industries and are the resource for a wide range of secondary industries. The low profile of these organisms has been attributed to the absence of technologies to handle them. This no longer applies. By including these organisms in mainstream conservation science and policy, several profound benefits accrue: 1) Informing the many biodiversity-based industries about the very species upon which they depend. 2) Showing these industries the extent of their actual and potential resource base. 3) Inform both industry and society on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of ecosystem services, the species involved, and their functions. 4) As industries recognise their reliance on biodiversity, the responsibility for biodiversity conservation is spread to sectors not normally associated with it. 5) It follows that it is in the self-interest of the biodiversity-based industries to protect their resources and to identify biodiversity conservation as core business. 6) Once this is achieved the conservation issues or crises among invertebrates and microbes, especially those crucial to ecosystem services or industry, can be identified. As long as biodiversity is erroneously presented as consisting of a few vertebrate and higher plant groups of concern chiefly to “conservationists”, we continue to make unnecessary enemies of the individuals, lobby groups, political parties and industries who, because of that presentation, continue to be blind to its multiple and pervasive economic benefits.
Seismic anisotropy and slab dynamics from SKS splitting recorded in Colombia
Authors: Porritt Robert W. , Becker Thorsten W. , Monsalve Gaspar
Published: November 2014

The Nazca, Caribbean, and South America plates meet in northwestern South America where the northern end of the Andean volcanic arc and Wadati‐Benioff zone seismicity indicate ongoing subduction. However, the termination of Quaternary volcanism at ~5.5°N and eastward offset in seismicity underneath Colombia suggest the presence of complex slab geometry. To help link geometry to dynamics, we analyze SKS splitting for 38 broadband stations of the Colombian national network. Measurements of fast polarization axes in western Colombia close to the trench show dominantly trench‐perpendicular orientations. Orientations measured at stations in the back arc, farther to the east, however, abruptly change to roughly trench parallel anisotropy. This may indicate along‐arc mantle flow, possibly related to the suggested “Caldas” slab tear, or a lithospheric signature, but smaller‐scale variations in anisotropy remain to be explained. Our observations are atypical globally and challenge our understanding of the complexities of subduction zone seismic anisotropy.
Low time resolution analysis of polar ice cores cannot detect impulsive nitrate events
Authors: Smart D. F. , Shea M. A. , Melott A. L. , Laird C. M.
Published: November 2014

Ice cores are archives of climate change and possibly large solar proton events (SPEs). Wolff et al. (2012) used a single event, a nitrate peak in the GISP2‐H core, which McCracken et al. (2001a) time associated with the poorly quantified 1859 Carrington event, to discredit SPE‐produced, impulsive nitrate deposition in polar ice. This is not the ideal test case. We critique the Wolff et al. analysis and demonstrate that the data they used cannot detect impulsive nitrate events because of resolution limitations. We suggest reexamination of the top of the Greenland ice sheet at key intervals over the last two millennia with attention to fine resolution and replicate sampling of multiple species. This will allow further insight into polar depositional processes on a subseasonal scale, including atmospheric sources, transport mechanisms to the ice sheet, postdepositional interactions, and a potential SPE association.
Influence of summertime mesoscale convective systems on the heat balance and surface mixed layer dynamics of a large Amazonian hydroelectric reservoir
Authors: Curtarelli Marcelo P. , Ogashawara Igor , Araújo Carlos A. S. , Alcântara Enner H. , Lorenzzetti João A. , Stech José L.
Published: November 2014

We evaluated the impacts of summertime mesoscale convective systems (MCS) on the heat balance and diel surface mixed layer (SML) dynamics of the Brazilian Amazon's Tucuruí Hydroelectric Reservoir (THR). We used a synergistic approach that combines in situ data, remote sensing data, and three‐dimensional (3‐D) modeling to investigate the typical behavior of the components of the heat balance and the SML dynamics. During the study period (the austral summer of 2012–2013), 22 days with MCS activity were identified. These events occurred approximately every 4 days, and they were most frequent during January (50% of the observations). An analysis of local meteorological data showed that when MCS occur, the environmental conditions at THR change significantly (p‐value < 0.01). The net longwave flux, which was the heat balance component most strongly impacted by MCS, increased more than 32% on days with MCS activity. The daily integrated heat balance became negative (−54 W m−2) on MCS days, while the balance was positive (19 W m−2) on non‐MCS days. In response to the changes in the heat balance, the SML dynamics changed when a MCS was over the THR. The SML depth was typically 28% higher on the days with MCS (∼1.6 m) compared with the days without MCS (∼1.3 m). The results indicate that MCS are one of the main meteorological disturbances driving the heat balance and the mixing dynamics of Amazonian hydroelectric reservoirs during the summer. These events may have implications for the water quality and greenhouse gas emissions of Amazonian reservoirs.