bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GREEN BUILDING RATING FOR OFFICE BUILDINGS – LESSONS LEARNED
Authors: Zuo Jian , Xia Bo , Chen Qing , Pullen Stephen , Skitmore Martin
Published: September 2016

Office buildings constitute a significant proportion of the non-residential building stock. In recent years, various rating tools have been developed to foster green office building development. The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has developed the Green Star - Office rating tools for this purpose. There are an increasing number of stakeholders adopting these tools to showcase their efforts in sustainable development. This research focuses on the challenges and barriers in obtaining GBCA ratings in Australian Office buildings. To accomplish this, the scoring sheets from the rating of 264 certified office buildings were collected and critically analysed. The findings indicated that credits related to the attributes of innovation, ecology and energy are comparatively difficult to achieve. It was also found in this study that a large number of projects did not apply for the specific credits of refrigerant global warming potential, re-use of façade, topsoil and fill removal from site, and individual comfort control. This study provides a useful reference to both the property developer and the Green Building Council of Australia for green building developments in the future. In particular, the findings provide useful inputs to the development of the next generation of green building rating tools.
RISK FRAMEWORK FOR ENERGY PERFORMANCE CONTRACTING BUILDING RETROFITS
Authors: Berghorn George H. , Syal M.G. Matt
Published: September 2016

Energy performance contracting (EPC) has emerged as a useful project financing and delivery tool for building retrofits, particularly among building ownerships which have experienced reduced funding for capital projects. Through EPC, a contractor (called the EPC contractor or the energy service company) guarantees minimum energy savings performance and enables the building owner to finance the project using utility savings over the length of the project (which is typically 12–15 years, or longer). Despite its growing use, there is a dearth of literature regarding a contractor's risks related to the delivery and execution of EPC building retrofits. This is particularly important as the performance guarantee effectively transfers project performance risk from the owner to the EPC contractor. This research proposes a project factors-based risk framework for EPC building retrofits, initially developed through a comprehensive review of relevant literature and project documents and refined through the elicited expertise of 19 highly experienced EPC contracting professionals. A Delphi technique-based expertise elicitation strategy was used to confirm the findings of the a priori (literature-based) framework and provide additional analysis related to risk causes and control measures as well as relative risk importance. This information was used to construct a refined risk framework which provides insight into the lengthy project performance period during the earliest phases of the project's life cycle. This has the advantage of providing rapid screening of the project factors that can potentially lead to the greatest project performance risks.
Translingualism as an Open Educational Language Practice: Raising Critical Language Awareness on Facebook
Authors: Blyth Carl , Dalola Amanda
Published: September 2016

The term Open Educational Practice (OEP) is often defined as the process of creating and adapting OER. However, in the context of this study, we take OEP to include any practice that "opens up" a "closed" educational ecosystem by expanding learners' social networks and by increasing learners' participation and autonomy. Our study is framed in terms of one of the OER Research Hub's guiding hypotheses: "OER leads to critical reflection by educators, with evidence of improvement in their practice." In this case, the improved practice refers to how French-language educators sought to overcome prescriptivist attitudes linked to the "monolingual orientation" of traditional classroom instruction by adopting a translingual paradigm in keeping with recent research in applied linguistics (Cook, 1992, 1999; Blyth, 1995; MLA Report, 2007; Kramsch, 2010; Levine, 2011; Canagarajah, 2015). More precisely, we examine how language educators extended an OER titled Français interactif (Blyth, 2009, 2012; Kelton, Guilloteau & Blyth, 2011) by creating an accompanying Facebook page as an online "affinity space" (Gee, 2005) where traditionally proscribed practices such as code switching and lexical borrowing were not only accepted but encouraged. Following Canagarajah (2015), we understand translingual practice as an umbrella term referring to a language learner's integrated repertoire of communicative strategies based on multiple languages and modalities. We examine the social dynamics of various translingual practices that routinely occur on the Français interactif Facebook page and conclude by arguing that open, translingual affinity spaces provide an ideal place for raising learners' critical language awareness.
Iterative Dichotomiser Decision Tree for Risk Analysis in Innovation Management
Authors: Arabshahi Hassan , Fazlollahtabar Hamed
Published: September 2016

This paper proposes a three phase framework for classifying innovative activities based on the corresponding calculated risk. In the developed model, the innovative activities are collected from the literature and are classified into risk classes using decision tree and Iterative Dichotomiser 3 (ID3) algorithm. The resulting rules of the tree can be proper information resources for innovators, investors and predictors of the innovation and related sector to take the best decision about their innovation, investment and risk management.
Visible Light Triggered Chlorhexidine Release of Nitrogen-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticle Dental Desensitizer
Authors: Park Ji Young , Moon Kyung Sook , Jeong Soo Ha , Kim Jeong Mi , Oh Seung Han
Published: September 2016

The purpose of this study was to develop a novel dental desensitizer with nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanoparticles that show an optical response under visible light and investigate the triggered release of chlorhexidine from these nanoparticles in response to remote visible-light irradiation. Diffusive ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy indicated that N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles solvothermally treated at 130°C for 2 h showed the highest absorbance at 470 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that nitrogen was substantially doped into the TiO2 lattice via the existence of N–Ti–O or N–Ti–N linkages (396.1 eV of N 1s). Chlorhexidine-release and agar-diffusion antibacterial tests revealed that visible-light irradiation statistically accelerated the chlorhexidine release and antibacterial activity. An agar overlay biocompatibility test showed that only the 0.1% chlorhexidine experimental group was biocompatible according to ISO 7405. Therefore, N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles should enable the development of new visible-light-mediated antibacterial desensitizers in the field of dentistry.
The Role of Polyhexamethylene Biguanide and Silver Nanoparticle Interaction in the Fabrication of Novel Antibacterial Bio-Fibers Using Silk Wastage
Authors: Siadat Seyedeh Ameneh , Mokhtari Javad
Published: September 2016

Regenerated silk fibers were fabricated through dry-wet spinning process using N-methyl morpholine N-oxide and methanol as solvent and coagulant, respectively. Several concentrations of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) (0.5, 0.75 and 1% (v/v)) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) (5, 15, 55, 95 and 135 ppm) were used as antibacterial agents. Antibacterial property of bio-fibers produced by either master batch or dipping process methods was compared to each other against a gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus aurous. Master batch process was indicated the dependency of antibacterial effect on the concentration of antibacterial agents as well as particle size. Maximum bactericidal activity in this process was obtained at concentrations of 55 ppm of AgNPs and 1% (v/v) of PHMB. The result from dipping process showed that various concentrations of PHMB can greatly influence on the results; the interaction of 55 ppm AgNPs and 0.75% of PHMB offered good inhibition effect with the least amount of color change on bio-fibers.
Effects of Drying Techniques on the Crystallinity and Thermal Properties of Empty Fruit Bunch Nanocrystalline Cellulose
Authors: Indarti Eti , Wan Rosli W.D.
Published: September 2016

The effect of drying techniques on the crystallinity and thermal stability nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) prepared from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) via the TEMPO-oxidation process was investigated. NCC was subjected to three separate drying techniques viz. oven drying (OD), freeze drying (FD) and solvent exchange (SE). The crystallinity and thermal properties were investigated for all samples using DSC and X-ray diffraction (XRD). There is no significant difference in the degree of crystallinity for both OD-NCC and FD-NCC as compared to the starting material of unbleached pulp (UP) (72% vs 76%), however SE-NCC showed a tremendous reduction with the crystallinity of only 40%. Both OD-NCC and FD-NCC have almost similar thermal behavior but the SE-NCC showed a significant difference. For the application of NCC in non-polar bionanocomposites, both OD-NCC and FD-NCC is recommended due to its relatively superior thermal stability and a higher crystallinity index.
Durability Studies on High Strength Recycled Aggregate Concrete
Authors: Jagannadha Rao K. , Sastri M.V.S.S.
Published: September 2016

The idea of recycling concrete waste as coarse aggregates for new concrete construction is gaining importance on the international scale but the studies on durability performance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC) are limited. There is a little or no work carried out on high strength recycled aggregate concrete. This study was an attempt to investigate and compare the acid resistance of the RAC and Natural Aggregate Concrete (NAC) of grade M50. In the present experimental investigation, concrete specimens of 0% and 50% RAC were prepared, cured and immersed in H2SO4 solution at 3% concentration at 7 and 28 days respectively. The period of exposure was varied from 3 days to 56 days. The loss of weight, compressive and tensile strengths of the specimens were found to be higher when RAC is exposed to acidic environment compared to NAC.
Effects of Nb Promoter on the Properties of Cu/ZnO/SBA-15 Catalyst and Performance in Methanol Production
Authors: Zabidi Noor Asmawati Mohd , Tasfy Sara , Shaharun Maizatul Shima
Published: September 2016

Hydrogenation of CO2 provides an alternative route for methanol production and attractive option for CO2 utilization. The present work investigates the synthesis of Cu-based catalyst on mesoporous silica (SBA-15) and promotion of the Cu-based catalyst with niobium (Nb). The addition of Nb promoter enhanced the reducibility and dispersion of the active sites as well as increased the BET and Cu surface areas. The performance of the synthesized catalyst in the hydrogenation of CO2 was evaluated in a fixed-bed microreactor at 523K, 22.5bar and H2/CO2 of 3. The CO2 conversion using the Cu/ZnO/SBA-15 catalyst was 14.2 % and increased to 17.1% on the Nb-promoted catalyst. The yield of methanol obtained using the un-promoted Cu-based catalyst was 51.4 g/h.gcat and it increased to 143 g/h.gcat over the Nb-promoted catalyst.
Effect of Glycidyl Methacrylate (GMA) Content on Grafting Yield and Mechanical Properties of GMA Grafted Poly(Lactic Acid) Prepared by Melt Mixing Method
Authors: Nguyen Thanh Chi , Chaiwat Ruksakulpiwat , Ruksakulpiwat Yupaporn
Published: September 2016

Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was grafted onto poly (lactic acid) (PLA) by internal mixer using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as an initiator. The results from proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) indicated that the grafting reaction of GMA onto PLA took place successfully. In order to obtain the optimal GMA content used to graft onto PLA chain, the GMA content was varied into 5, 10 and 15 wt% of PLA. GMA content of 10 wt% was found to give the highest elongation at break of glycidyl methacrylate grafted poly (lactic acid) (PLA-g-GMA). The weight-average molecular weights, the number-average molecular weights and polydispersity index of PLA increased after grafting with GMA. After grafting, the brittle fracture behaviour of PLA was changed to ductile fracture behaviour of PLA-g-GMA. With its superior mechanical properties compared to those of pure PLA, PLA-g-GMA can be considered to be used as a new generation of biodegradable polymer, which can be applied in many industrial applications.
Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Fe-Co Nanoparticles Supported Silica Rice Husk
Authors: Andas Jeyashelly , Rosdi Rahmah Atikah , Mohd Anuar Nur Izzati
Published: September 2016

A series of Fe-Co nanoparticles were synthesized via sol-gel route at acidic, neutral and basic condition using rice husk as the silica source. The synthesized nanomaterials were designated as Fe-Co3, Fe-Co7 and Fe-Co9 and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and particle size analyzer. The great effect of pH was clearly evidenced from the shifting in the siloxane bond in the FTIR spectrum. TEM investigation confirmed the existence of discrete and almost sphere like nanoparticles. The particle size decreased with an increase in the pH, registering the smallest average particle size at pH 9. In brief, this study promises a fast, rapid and promising method for the conversion of silica rice husk into nanoscale bimetallic materials.
Characterization of Langkawi Black Sand for the Recovery of Titanium
Authors: Begum Noorzahan , Khuzaima Nur , Ching Fun Fei , Bari Md. Fazlul , Rezan Shekh
Published: September 2016

Characterization of Langkawi black sand for the recovery of titanium had been carried out in this study. In this study, the size distribution of black sand particles was determined by the sieve analysis whereas the specimen of different portion of black sand for each size of particle was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The highest percentage in particle size was illustrated as 75.40% in 75μm. Techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been used to identify and analyze the ilmenite and rutile phase in the Langkawi black sand.
Esterification of Rice Straw Cellulose Using Microwave Heating for Plastic Film Preparation
Authors: Chaiworn Phanumas , Ratanakamnuan Usarat
Published: September 2016

Esterified rice straw cellulose was synthesized by the reaction of cellulose with lauroyl chloride in the presence of toluene medium. Microwave heating was used to accelerate the esterification of cellulose. The optimum condition for esterification was investigated in term of microwave power and reaction time. Solubility of modified cellulose was characterized. The cellulose films were prepared by solvent casting method and mechanical properties of cellulose films were tested. The result shows that the best condition for cellulose esterification was 100 W of microwave power and 15 minute of esterification time. Percentage of weight increase of esterified cellulose at this condition was 143.83 %. Modified cellulose can be dissolved in organic solvent such as toluene, dichloromethane and chloroform. Tensile properties of cellulose films were examined. Tensile strength, Young’s modulus and % elongation at break of rice straw cellulose ester film were 2.33 MPa, 56.63 MPa and 4.21 %, respectively.
Quantitative Mass Spectrometry To Study Inflammatory Cartilage Degradation and Resulting Interactions with the Complement System
Authors: Melin Fürst Camilla , Åhrman Emma , Bratteby Klas , Waldemarson Sofia , Malmström Johan , Blom Anna M.
Published: September 2016

Joint diseases are often characterized by inflammatory processes that result in pathological changes in joint tissues, including cartilage degradation and release of components into the synovial fluid. The complement system plays a central role in promoting the inflammation. Because several cartilage proteins are known to interact with complement, causing either activation or inhibition of the system, we aimed to investigate these interactions comprehensively. Bovine cartilage explants were cultured with IL-1α to induce cartilage degradation, followed by incubation with human serum. Label-free selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry was used to specifically quantify complement proteins interacting with the cartilage explant. In parallel, the time-dependent degradation of cartilage was detected using mass spectrometry analysis (liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry). Complement proteins resulting from activation of the classical, alternative, and terminal pathways were detected on IL-1α–stimulated cartilage at time points when clear alterations in extracellular matrix composition had occurred. Increased levels of the complement activation product C4d, as detected by ELISA in serum after incubation with IL-1α–stimulated cartilage, confirmed the selected reaction monitoring results indicating complement activation. Further, typical activated (cleaved) C3 fragments were detected by Western blotting in extracts of IL-1α–stimulated cartilage. No complement activation was triggered by cartilage cultured in the absence of IL-1α. Components released from IL-1α–stimulated cartilage during culture had an inhibitory effect on complement activation. These were released after a longer incubation period with IL-1α and may represent a feedback reaction to cartilage-triggered complement activation observed after a shorter incubation period.
Breakpoint Cluster Region–Mediated Inflammation Is Dependent on Casein Kinase II
Authors: Meng Jie , Jiang Jing-Jing , Atsumi Toru , Bando Hidenori , Okuyama Yuko , Sabharwal Lavannya , Nakagawa Ikuma , Higuchi Haruka , Ota Mitsutoshi , Okawara Momoko , Ishitani Ryuichiro , Nureki Osamu , Higo Daisuke , Arima Yasunobu , Ogura Hideki , Kamimura Daisuke , Murakami Masaaki
Published: September 2016

The breakpoint cluster region (BCR) is known as a kinase and cause of leukemia upon fusing to Abl kinase. In this study, we demonstrate that BCR associated with the α subunit of casein kinase II (CK2α), rather than BCR itself, is required for inflammation development. We found that BCR knockdown inhibited NF-κB activation in vitro and in vivo. Computer simulation, however, suggested that the putative BCR kinase domain has an unstable structure with minimal enzymatic activity. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis showed that CK2α associated with BCR. We found the BCR functions are mediated by CK2α. Indeed, CK2α associated with adaptor molecules of TNF-αR and phosphorylated BCR at Y177 to establish a p65 binding site after TNF-α stimulation. Notably, p65 S529 phosphorylation by CK2α creates a p300 binding site and increased p65-mediated transcription followed by inflammation development in vivo. These results suggest that BCR-mediated inflammation is dependent on CK2α, and the BCR–CK2α complex could be a novel therapeutic target for various inflammatory diseases.
Cartilage canals in newborn dogs: histochemical and immunohistochemical findings
Authors: Di Giancamillo A. , Andreis M.E. , Taini P. , Veronesi M.C. , Di Giancamillo M. , Modina S.C.
Published: September 2016

Cartilage canals (CCs) are microscopic structures involved in secondary ossification centers (SOCs) development. The features of CCs were investigated in the humeral and femoral proximal epiphyses of small-sized newborn dogs (from premature to 28 days after birth) with histochemical and immunohistochemical approaches. Masson’s Trichrome revealed a ring-shaped area around CCs, which changes in colour from green (immature collagen) to red (mature collagen) as ossification progresses; perichondrium staining always matched the ring colour. Safranin-O was always negative. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed immunopositivity for both collagen type I and V around the CCs; collagen type II was negative. CCs count showed a tendency to be higher in the humerus than in the femur. This work enlightened for the first time changes in composition of CCs surrounding matrix during SOCs development in dogs, paving the way to further investigations.
A review of antimicrobial resistance in East Africa
Authors: Ampaire Lucas , Muhindo Abraham , Orikiriza Patrick , Mwanga-Amumpaire Juliet , Bebell Lisa , Boum Yap
Published: September 2016

Background and objectives: Knowledge of local and regional antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is important for clinical decision making. However, surveillance capacity for AMR is lacking throughout East Africa, and current AMR data are sparse. We sought to address this gap by summarising all available high-quality data on AMR in the East Africa region.Method: We searched the PubMed database and African Journals Online archives in April and May 2015 using the search term ‘antimicrobial resistance AND sub-Saharan Africa’ to find articles published from 2005 onwards. Only full-text articles in English were included.Results: We included 12 published articles in our analysis. Most articles were on bloodstream infections, hospital-based and cross-sectional in design; a majority described either community- or hospital-acquired infections. High levels of AMR to commonly-used antibiotics were reported, including 50% – 100% resistance to ampicillin and cotrimoxazole infections, emerging resistance to gentamicin (20% – 47%) and relatively high levels of resistance to ceftriaxone (46% – 69%) among Gram-negative infections. Much of the resistance was reported to be in Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli. Among Gram-positive infections, extensive resistance was reported to ampicillin (100%), gentamicin and ceftriaxone (50% – 100%), with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevalence ranging from 2.6% – 4.0%.Conclusion: Overall, bacterial resistance was reported among commonly-used antibiotics (ampicillin, gentamicin and ceftriaxone), raising concern that these antibiotics may no longer be useful for treating moderate or severe bacterial infections in East Africa. Thus, empirical treatment of bacterial infections needs to be reconsidered and guided by local assessment of AMR. Improvements in the limited amount of quality data and lack of harmonisation in assessing the burden of AMR are also needed.
Laboratory evaluation of the Chembio Dual Path Platform HIV-Syphilis Assay
Authors: Kalou Mireille B. , Castro Arnold , Watson Amy , Jost Heather , Clay Stacy , Tun Ye , Chen Cheng , Karem Kevin , Nkengasong John N. , Ballard Ronald , Parekh Bharat
Published: September 2016

Background: Use of rapid diagnostic tests for HIV and syphilis has increased remarkably in the last decade. As new rapid diagnostic tests become available, there is a continuous need to assess their performance and operational characteristics prior to use in clinical settings.Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the performance of the Chembio Dual Path Platform (DPP®) HIV–Syphilis Assay to accurately diagnose HIV, syphilis, and HIV/syphilis co-infection.Method: In 2013, 990 serum samples from the Georgia Public Health Laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, United States were characterised for HIV and syphilis and used to evaluate the platform. HIV reference testing combined third-generation Enzyme Immunoassay and Western Blot, whereas reference testing for syphilis was conducted by the Treponema pallidum passive particle agglutination method and the TrepSure assay. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the DPP assay on this panel by comparing results with the HIV and syphilis reference testing algorithms.Results: For HIV, sensitivity was 99.8% and specificity was 98.4%; for syphilis, sensitivity was 98.8% and specificity was 99.4%. Of the 348 co-infected sera, 344 (98.9%) were detected accurately by the DPP assay, but 11 specimens had false-positive results (9 HIV and 2 syphilis) due to weak reactivity.Conclusion: In this evaluation, the Chembio DPP HIV–Syphilis Assay had high sensitivity and specificity for detecting both HIV and treponemal antibodies. Our results indicate that this assay could have a significant impact on the simultaneous screening of HIV and syphilis using a single test device for high-risk populations or pregnant women needing timely care and treatment.
Die godsdienskritiek van Ludwig Feuerbach en Karl Marx
Authors: Dreyer P. S.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Die Wêreldraad van Kerke
Authors: Oosthuizen A. J.G.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Die huidige stand van die ondersoek ten opsigte van die Evangelium Veritatis
Authors: Geyser A. S.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Boekbespreking
Authors: Pont A. D.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Boekbespreking
Authors: Dreyer Joh. , Geyser A. S. , Gemser B. , Dreyer Joh. , Van der Merwe I. H.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Die plek van Israel in ons teologies-Kerklike beskouing
Authors: Van Selms A.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Boekbesprekings
Authors: Engelbrecht B. J.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Sending en Kultuur
Authors: De Klerk P. J.S.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Kerk en Owerheid, en die Rassevraagstuk in Suid-Afrika
Authors: Van der Berg C. L.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Ds. Dirk van der Hoff en die Voortrekker-ideaal
Authors: Engelbrecht S. P.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Een Herinnering aan Ds. Dirk van der Hoff
Authors: Van Warmelo N. J.
Published: September 2016

No abstract available.
Inference generation and text comprehension in bilingual children: A case study
Authors: Hara Agness , Tappe Heike
Published: September 2016

The current study explores inference-making processes in 10–12-year-old bilingual Malawian children who either listened to stories in their primary language, or L1 (Chichewa), as compared to their secondary language (L2) (English), or viewed cartoon films containing no verbal content. The 127 children who participated in the study were divided into six groups characterised by different conditions of stimulus presentation – stimuli varied with respect to their modality (non-verbal film versus pre-recorded stories) or the language of stimulus presentation (English or Chichewa). The results indicate that the pre-recorded audio recordings seem to have supported inference-making more than the corresponding wordless films. This finding illustrates the significance of linguistically presented content. The linguistically presented content elicited even more inferences when it was presented in the children’s L1 (Chichewa) rather than in their medium of academic instruction (English). However, the results also indicate that the children from the private school (with English as a medium of instruction) drew more inferences than the children from the public school (where Chichewa is the medium of instruction). Furthermore, the results reveal that while the children were able to use knowledge transfer from a variety of knowledge bases to draw inferences, the inferencing process was impeded when the story content deviated too much from their own experiences. Lastly we found indications of variations in inferencing patterns that seemed to correlate to the language in which the stimulus material was presented and responded to.
Spectral theory near thresholds for weak interactions with massive particles
Authors: Barbaroux Jean-Marie , Faupin Jérémy , Guillot Jean-Claude
Published: September 2016

We consider a Hamiltonian describing the weak decay of the massive vector boson

Z^0

into electrons and positrons. We show that the spectrum of the Hamiltonian is composed of a unique isolated ground state and a semi-axis of essential spectrum. Using an infrared regularization and a suitable extension of Mourre’s theory, we prove that the essential spectrum below the boson mass is purely absolutely continuous.
Localization for transversally periodic random potentials on binary trees
Authors: Froese Richard , Lee Darrick , Sadel Christian , Spitzer Wolfgang , Stolz Günter
Published: September 2016

We consider a random Schrödinger operator on the binary tree with a random potential which is the sum of a random radially symmetric potential,

Q_r

, and a random transversally periodic potential,

\kappa Q_t

, with coupling constant

\kappa

. Using a new one-dimensional dynamical systems approach combined with Jensen's inequality in hyperbolic space (our key estimate) we obtain a fractional moment estimate proving localization for small and large

\kappa

. Together with a previous result we therefore obtain a model with two Anderson transitions, from localization to delocalization and back to localization, when increasing

\kappa

. As a by-product we also have a partially new proof of one-dimensional Anderson localization at any disorder.
Riesz means of the counting function of the Laplace operator on compact manifolds of non-positive curvature
Authors: Mroz Kamil , Strohmaier Alexander
Published: September 2016

Let

(M, g)

be a compact,

d

-dimensional Riemannian manifold without boundary. Suppose further that

(M,g)

is either two dimensional and has no conjugate points or

(M,g)

has non-positive sectional curvature. The goal of this note is to show that the long time parametrix obtained for such manifolds by Bérard can be used to prove a logarithmic improvement for the remainder term of the Riesz means of the counting function of the Laplace operator.
Celebrities, violencia de género y derechos de las mujeres: ¿hacia una transformación del marco de reconocimiento?
Authors: Gámez Fuentes María José , Gómez-Nicolau Emma , Maseda García Rebeca
Published: September 2016

Ante los límites que presenta el actual marco de reconocimiento de la violencia de género, el presente trabajo analiza las posibilidades que abre la acción de celebrities en la transformación de este marco y en relación a la lucha por los derechos de las mujeres. Para ello proponemos el concepto de ethical witnessing. Metodología. Se propone un modelo de análisis a través de la operacionalización de dicho concepto  para el estudio de prácticas representacionales que puedan desestabilizar los actuales parámetros de representación en aras de la resignificación del sujeto-víctima de la violencia. Las cuatro dimensiones de análisis son: el tipo de relación que se genera entre el sujeto-víctima y quien atestigua; el grado de transgresión de los modelos reificados de la identificación del sujeto-víctima; la focalización en la capacidad de agencia; y las conexiones que se establecen con las luchas por los derechos de las mujeres y con otras luchas. Este modelo se aplica a tres casos de estudio: las actuaciones musicales de Beyoncé, la entrevista periodística realizada a Carmen Maura y la campaña mediática de Emma Watson. Resultados. Se discuten las posibilidades de las prácticas discursivas que se incardinan en los principios del postfeminismo. Frente a la identidad de la mujer como víctima emerge la de la mujer exitosa que compatibiliza vindicación feminista y lucha contra la violencia de género con consumismo, materialismo y  capitalismo. Esto permite desestabilizar la narrativa fijada sobre la violencia pero no llega a constituir una re-significación del marco en tanto que puede quedar co-optado por la ‘economía de las celebrities’, ser absorbido por el feminismo liberal o estar desvinculado de la lucha colectiva, lo que dificulta la aprehensión del carácter compartido de la vulnerabilidad.
Mobilizing Minds: Integrated knowledge translation and youth engagement in the development of mental health information resources
Authors: Garinger Christine A , Reynolds Kristin A , Walker John R , Firsten-Kaufman Emma , Raimundo Alicia S , Fogarty Pauline C , Leonhart Mark W , Research Group Mobilizing Minds
Published: September 2016

High rates of highly persistent mental health problems can have significantly damaging effects on young adults’ lives, and young adults are less likely to seek treatment for such problems. This article describes a unique Canadian knowledge translation project called Mobilizing Minds: Pathways to Young Adult Mental Health, which aimed to impact not only the mental health literacy of young adults, but to engage young adults in the entire research process from inception to dissemination of results. Knowledge translation is a process that involves producing and assessing the quality of the knowledge to be translated and tailoring the knowledge to be user friendly for particular segments of the population. The article gives particular attention to the ways in which the Mobilizing Minds project was influenced by youth engagement. We discuss three aspects: 1) structures, processes and communication; 2) project products; and 3) challenges and responses. Lessons learned specific to intergenerational collaboration will be of interest to youth as consumers of mental health information and services, mental health practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers seeking to improve mental health at a systemic level.Keywords: knowledge translation, young adult, mental health, participatory research, youth engagement, youth-adult partnerships
Innovating for skills enhancement in agricultural sciences in Africa: The centrality of field attachment programs
Authors: Egeru Anthony , Nampala Paul , Massa-Makuma Henry , Osiru Moses , Ekwamu Adipala
Published: September 2016

Africa remains an intensely agrarian continent, with two-thirds of its people directly or indirectly deriving their livelihood from agriculture. Higher agricultural education has thus emphasised production of graduates with the requisite skills to drive agricultural development. Despite these efforts, too few graduates in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have the employable skills necessary to transition to the labour market. A similar situation is observable among agricultural science graduates, who are vital to serving rural smallholder farmers. Most Colleges of Agriculture in Africa offer field attachment internships in agriculture and related fields but they are largely designed to cater for undergraduate students and are not part of the training programs at graduate level. To ameliorate this gap, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), a network of 55 member universities in SSA, designed and rolled out an innovative field attachment program award (FAPA), launched in 2010, to serve graduate students. The FAPA is competitively based and designed to encourage students to follow through with the dissemination of their research and to enable them to link more closely with the communities and agencies working in the geographical area where the research was undertaken.During the period 2010–2015, five grant cycles were successfully implemented and 114 graduate students from 17 countries in SSA awarded. This article discusses the lessons learned during this period by examining two key areas: (1) the application process and implementation of the awards; and (2) the reported outcomes and challenges for grantees. Establishing the award has generated key technical and implementation lessons that the network and individual universities have been able to use to improve and institutionalise processes. Grantees have reported gaining a range of cross-cutting skills in personal mastery, initiative leadership and innovativeness, proactivity, flexibility, communication, analytical capacity, teamwork, networking and advocacy, and technical capacity, particularly in engaging with smallholder farmers. They have also noted significant challenges, in particular around establishing productive and sustainable engagement with smallholder farmers. These outcomes have influenced curricular reviews by member universities, with particular emphasis on these skills sets. Keywords: graduate employability, internships, sub-Saharan Africa, university
The journey and destination need to be intentional: Perceptions of success in community-academic research partnerships
Authors: Lindquist-Grantz Robin , Vaughn Lisa M
Published: September 2016

Research partnerships between community members and academics are dynamic microsystems that aim to increase community wellbeing within complex environments. Efforts to improve health and social outcomes in communities are challenging in their own right, but even the most experienced researchers or engaged community members can have difficulty navigating the collaborative terrain of community-academic research partnerships. Proponents of participatory research models that engage community members as co-researchers are still examining how the collaborative process interacts with, and impacts, both short- and long-term outcomes. As a result, there has been a call for additional studies that employ qualitative and quantitative methods to contribute to a holistic understanding of this approach to research. This pilot study utilized the participatory tenets of co-researcher models to explore how members of community-academic research partnerships think about partnership processes and outcomes, including how they delineate between the two. Web-based concept mapping methodology was combined with individual interviews in an innovative mixed methods research study to further the field’s understanding of how community and academic members define partnership success and evaluate the impact of their work. Our findings suggest that in the early stages of a partnership members rely on informal and intuitive evaluation of success based on how the partnership is functioning. These partnership processes, which serve as intermediate outcomes, largely influence member engagement in the work, but partnerships are ultimately deemed successful if intended community-based research outcomes are achieved.Keywords: community-academic research partnerships, participatory research, concept mapping methodology, mixed methods, partnership process, outcomes
A comparative study of K-rich and Na/Ca-rich feldspar ice-nucleating
particles in a nanoliter droplet freezing assay
Authors: Peckhaus Andreas , Kiselev Alexei , Hiron Thibault , Ebert Martin , Leisner Thomas
Published: September 2016

Abstract. A recently designed droplet freezing assay was used to study the freezing of up to 1500 identical 0.2 nL water droplets containing suspensions of one Na/Ca-rich feldspar and three K-rich and one Na/Ca-rich feldspar particles. Three types of experiments have been conducted: cooling ramp, isothermal freezing at a constant temperature, and freeze–thaw cycles. The observed freezing behavior has been interpreted with the help of a model based on the classical nucleation theory (soccer ball model (SBM); Niedermeier et al., 2015). By applying the model to the different freezing experiments conducted with the same ice-nucleating material, the unique sets of model parameters for specific feldspar suspensions could be derived. The SBM was shown to adequately describe the observed cooling rate dependence, the ice-nucleating active sites (INAS) surface density ns(T) in a wide temperature range, and the shift of the freezing curves towards lower temperature with dilution. Moreover, the SBM was capable of reproducing the variation of INAS surface density ns(T) with concentration of ice-nucleating particles in the suspension droplets and correctly predicting the leveling-off of ns(T) at low temperature. The freeze–thaw experiments have clearly shown that the heterogeneous freezing induced even by very active ice-nucleating species still possesses a stochastic nature, with the degree of randomness increasing towards homogeneous nucleation. A population of the high-temperature INAS has been identified in one of the K-rich feldspar samples. The freezing of 0.8 wt % suspension droplets of this particular feldspar was observed already at −5 °C. These high-temperature active sites could be deactivated by treating the sample with hydrogen peroxide but survived heating up to 90 °C. Given a high mass concentration of these high-temperature active sites (2.9 × 108 g−1) and a very low value of contact angle (0.56 rad) the possibility of biological contamination of the sample was concluded to be unlikely but could not be completely ruled out. The freezing efficacy of all feldspar samples has been shown to reduce only slightly after suspension in water for over 5 months.
Properties of individual contrails: A compilation of observations and some comparisons
Authors: Schumann Ulrich , Baumann Robert , Baumgardner Darrel , Bedka Sarah T. , Duda David P. , Freudenthaler Volker , Gayet Jean-Francois , Heymsfield Andrew J. , Minnis Patrick , Quante Markus , Raschke Ehrhard , Schlager Hans , Vázquez-Navarro Margarita , Voigt Christiane , Wang Zhien
Published: September 2016

Abstract. Mean properties of individual contrails are characterized for a wide range of jet aircraft as a function of age during their lifecycle from seconds to 11.5 hours (7.4 to 18.7 km altitude, −88 °C to −31 °C ambient temperature), based on a compilation of about 230 previous in-situ and remote sensing measurements. The airborne, satellite, and ground-based observations encompass exhaust contrails from jet aircraft since 1972, and a few older data for propeller aircraft. The contrails are characterized by mean ice particle sizes and concentrations, extinction, ice water content, optical depth, geometrical depth, and contrail width. Integral contrail properties include the cross-section area and total number of ice particles, total ice water content, and total extinction (area-integral of extinction) per contrail length. When known, the contrail-causing aircraft and ambient conditions are characterized. The individual datasets are briefly described, including a few new analyses performed for this study, and compiled together to form a "contrail library" (COLI). The data are compared with results of the Contrail Cirrus Prediction model CoCiP. The observations confirm that the number of ice particles in contrails is controlled by the engine exhaust and the formation process in the jet phase, with some particle losses in the wake vortex phase, followed later by weak decreases with time. Contrail cross-sections grow more quickly than expected from exhaust dilution. The cross-section integrated extinction follows an algebraic approximation. The ratio of volume to effective mean radius decreases with time. The ice water content increases with increasing temperature, similar to non-contrail cirrus, while the equivalent relative humidity over ice saturation of the contrail ice mass increases at lower temperatures in the data. Several contrails were observed in warm air above the Schmidt–Appleman threshold temperature. The “emission index” of ice particles, i.e. the number of ice particles formed in the young contrail per burnt fuel mass, is estimated from the measured concentrations for estimated dilution; maximum values exceed 1015 kg−1. The dependence of the data on the observation methods is discussed. We find no obvious indication for significant contributions from spurious particles resulting from shattering of ice crystals on the microphysical probes.
Acetone-CO enhancement ratios in the upper troposphere based on 7 years of CARIBIC data: New insights and estimates of regional acetone fluxes
Authors: Fischbeck Garlich , Bönisch Harald , Neumaier Marco , Brenninkmeijer Carl , Orphal Johannes , Brito Joel , Becker Julia , Sprung Detlev , van Velthoven Peter , Zahn Andreas
Published: September 2016

Abstract. Acetone and carbon monoxide (CO) are two important trace gases controlling the oxidation capacity of the troposphere. Enhancement ratios (EnRs) are useful to assess their sources and fate between emission and sampling, especially in pollution plumes. In this study, we focus on in-situ data from the upper troposphere recorded by the passenger aircraft based IAGOS-CARIBIC observatory over the periods 2006–2008 and 2012–2015. This data set is used to investigate the seasonal and spatial variation of acetone-CO-EnRs. Furthermore, we utilize a box model accounting for dilution, chemical degradation and secondary production of acetone from precursors. In former studies, increasing acetone-CO-EnRs in a plume were associated with secondary production of acetone. Results of our box model question this common presumption and show increases of acetone-CO-EnR over time without taking secondary production of acetone into account. The temporal evolution of EnRs in the upper troposphere, especially in summer, is not negligible and impedes the interpretation of EnRs as means for partitioning of acetone and CO sources in the boundary layer. In order to ensure that CARIBIC EnRs represent signatures of source regions with only small influences by dilution and chemistry, we limit our analysis to temporal and spatial coherent events of high CO enhancement. We mainly focus on North America and Southeast Asia, because of their different mix of pollutant sources and the good data coverage. For both regions, we find the expected seasonal variation in acetone-CO-EnRs with maxima in summer, but with higher amplitude over North America. We derive mean (± standard deviation) annual acetone fluxes of (53 ± 27) 10−13 kg m−2 s−1 and (186 ± 81) 10−13 kg m−2 s−1 for North America and Southeast Asia, respectively. The derived flux for North America is consistent with the inventories, whereas Southeast Asia acetone emissions appear to be underestimated by the inventories.
Diagnostic methods for atmospheric inversions of long-lived
greenhouse gases
Authors: Michalak Anna M. , Randazzo Nina A. , Chevallier Frédéric
Published: September 2016

Abstract. The ability to predict the trajectory of climate change requires a clear understanding of the emissions and uptake (a.k.a. surface fluxes) of long-lived greenhouse gases (GHGs). Furthermore, the development of climate policies is driving a need to constrain the budgets of anthropogenic GHG emissions. Inverse problems that couple atmospheric observations of GHG concentrations with an atmospheric chemistry and transport model have increasingly been used to gain insights into surface fluxes. Given the inherent technical challenges associated with their solution, it is imperative that objective approaches exist for the evaluation of such inverse problems. Because direct observation of fluxes at compatible spatiotemporal scales is rarely possible, diagnostics tools must rely on indirect measures. Here we review diagnostics that have been implemented in recent studies, and discuss their use in informing adjustments to model setup. We group the diagnostics along a continuum starting with those that are most closely related to the scientific question being targeted, and ending with those most closely tied to the statistical and computational setup of the inversion. We thus begin with diagnostics based on assessments against independent information (e.g., unused atmospheric observations, large-scale scientific constraints), followed by statistical diagnostics of inversion results, diagnostics based on sensitivity tests and analyses of robustness (e.g., tests focusing on the chemistry and transport model, the atmospheric observations, or the statistical and computational framework), and close with the use of synthetic data experiments (a.k.a. observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs)). We find that existing diagnostics provide a crucial toolbox for evaluating and improving flux estimates, but, not surprisingly, cannot overcome the fundamental challenges associated with limited atmospheric observations or the lack of direct flux measurements at compatible scales. As atmospheric inversions are increasingly expected to contribute to national reporting of GHG emissions, the need for developing and implementing robust and transparent evaluation approaches will only grow.