bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mind the Gap
Authors: Pöhnl Veronika
Published: August 2016

This chapter discusses similarities of and differences between the epistemological premises of ANT and “German Media Theory”. The applicability of ANT for media investigations and the compatibility of ANT concepts in Media Studies have been discussed intensively for several years now. The profound similarities as well as the critical differences in the study of the material conditions of human culture have also stimulated current reconsiderations and reformulations in “Cultural Media Studies,” as German Media Theory is most commonly called in Germany. The following article gives a brief overview on most recently published approaches to cultural techniques and intersections of media and techno-philosophy that are increasingly being translated into English and therefore also internationally accessible, alongside with the discussion concerning their compatibility with ANT.
Compatibility Welding Parameters with the Results Obtained in Testing of Fracture Mechanics in HSLA Steel
Authors: González-Palma Rafael , Carnero María Carmen , López-Escobar Carlos , Almorza David , Mayorga Pedro
Published: August 2016

Many investigations led to show that no crack begins to propagate to an increase of stress intensity factor. The life of the components of a structure containing premature cracks, can be governed by the degree of subcritical crack propagation. Thus, knowledge of crack propagation to determine the fatigue of the structure is necessary. One problem of steels of high resilience is their low toughness in the HAZ, when they are welded with a high heat input. In this work we have studied nine specimens that have been welded under a submerged arc welding process controlling the welding parameters and checking in the HAZ of such specimens, critical tensions at the ends of the cracks, the critical cracks lengths and stress intensity factors. It is intended to check that the parameters that indicate the values of fracture mechanics in the HAZ, after heat cycle to which the steel has undergone, under a process with a maximum heat input of 2.327kJ /mm, they are still valid, with the welding parameters applied. It is checked a correlation between the theoretical and experimental values.
Model of a Performance Measurement System for Maintenance Management
Authors: Contreras José , Parra Carlos , Crespo Márquez Adolfo , González-Prida Vicente , Kristjanpoller Fredy A. , Viveros Pablo
Published: August 2016

This chapter book will analyze different systems of indicators by which maintenance management is evaluated. The models analyzed are: 1) The Balanced Scorecard. 2) The Alsyouf Model. 3) The Maintenance Scorecard Model. 4) The Metrics for Maintenance of SMRP (Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals). 5) The EN-15341-Maintenance Key Performance Indicators (European Standard). This paper presents a model for indicators based on various hierarchical levels and different functions and processes taking place in a maintenance department. With this model a comprehensive assessment of the most important aspects at all levels of the organization is achieved and shows the relationship between the various indicators to understand the overall performance of maintenance management and so align departmental objectives with the strategic objectives. Also is developed the C-KPI-M model, which is the definition of 18 chains of key indicators for viewing the cause and effect of the maintenance KPI that contribute to achieving the maximum Economic Value Added (EVA).
The Set-Up Process
Authors: Méndez Manuel Rodríguez , Cárcel-Carrasco Javier
Published: August 2016

To prepare the machines to make the product that client needs and to give him the product in the necessary moment is the objective of all companies. This means to have all machines prepared to make the product, it means that the productive system has not problems to make the product and this complies the quality standards. To have prepared the machines to make a product at some point it is the objective of set-up process. If this process is correct performed, the machines will make the product without problems, but if the set-up process is not performed in correct way, then the posterior productive step will have many problems. Perhaps, the set-up process is the more important productivity activity. The time necessary to perform the set-up process is the parameter to minimize, with the process cost, and this time says the flexibility level of the productive process of the factory.
Assets Management and Risk Control
Authors: Martí María de Lourdes Eguren
Published: August 2016

Risk management and internal control is a subject that has increased its relevance due to the recent financial scandals on companies like Enron and Worldcom, and the increment of fraud cases and financial misstatements around the globe. In line with this, several initiatives have been defined or required in order to control the risk exposure in the company processes, including the development of internal control standards like Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). One of the factors to be considered when taking optimum decisions is risk. Due to this, in this chapter the key concepts over risk assets management will be exposed, including a practical example under SOX framework as well as a system's approach and value management perspective.
Burning Assets? Designing Wood Fuel Energy Strategies in Mozambique
Authors: Martins Ricardo
Published: August 2016

Getting wood for cooking, heating, processing into charcoal and/or selling is a fundamental part of most household survival strategies in Developing Countries. Entangling in complex and dynamic ways local and global ecosystems, poverty, technology and business Wood Fuel Energy Systems (WES) are fundamental and require simple to use design tools to support the strategic and optimised used of available socio-ecological resources/assets. However, there are very few tools able to support relevant actors (e.g. charcoal makers, experts, policy makers) in that task. To bridge that gap the 2MBio, a participatory conceptual design tool to support the strategic design of WES, is introduced and its practical results in Mozambique presented. The 2MBio explicit in a simple and intuitive layout the set of necessary and sufficient resources/assets required to produce comprehensive and meaningful WES designs/strategies, which represent in themselves a strategic asset, while further stimulates knowledge and creativity as a tacit asset.
Genomics and Proteomic Approach in the Treatment of Various Human Diseases
Authors: Jarouliya Urmila , Keservani Raj K.
Published: August 2016

World wise genomic analysis is beginning to move from the laboratories of basic investigators to large-scale clinical trials. The potential of this technology is to improve diagnosis and tailored treatment of various human diseases. In addition, new data from the emerging proteomics platforms add another layer of molecular information to the study of human disease, as scientists attempt to catalogue a complete list of the proteins encoded by the genome and to establish a ‘bio-signature' profile of human health and disease. In the medical sciences identification of human genome sequence is a significant milestone for all the genes and their regulatory regions which provides the required framework for the genetic blueprint of humankind and that will make possible to recognize the molecular premise of disease. It is accepted that, together, these technologies genomic and proteomic will make easier to study all aspects of genes, gene products and signaling pathways so that the objective of personalised molecular medicine can be achieved.
Bioinformatics and Its Therapeutic Applications
Authors: Gupta Sarvesh Kumar , Chaudhary Kamal Kumar , Mishra Nidhi
Published: August 2016

Bioinformatics has emerged as a major element in contemporary biomedical and pharmaceutical region. Bioinformatics deals with growth in biological data and has led to development of many databases. Bioinformatics deals with collection of data that is relevant clinically and these days separate term clinical information has come up. Data mimics are another field which is gaining importance. This chapter shall deal with introduction of bioinformatics and its applications in medicine and health care.
Cultural Self-Study as a Tool for Critical Reflection and Learning
Authors: Pitre Natalie J. , Clarke Veronika Bohac
Published: August 2016

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce a research study based on the Cultural Self-Study method and to describe the application of this method with teachers. A specific example from the empirical study of Canadian expatriate teachers is used to illustrate how the tool and its application look in real life, and what data are generated by the use of this tool. The Integral Model is described as a useful framework for analysis of these types of data, and the analysis is illustrated using examples from this empirical study. Based on this experience with the use of Cultural Self-Study, the authors provide recommendations for the use of self-study in pre-service teacher training.
Demographic Imperativeness
Authors: Chen Amy Yun-Ping
Published: August 2016

This chapter examines the demand, struggle, and recruitment of minority teacher candidates in teacher education. The main goals of this chapter are to: 1) survey the impact of teacher demographics on student learning processes and academic achievements; 2) identify the promise and pitfalls of diversifying teacher candidates in preparation programs; and 3) provide a scholarly basis for future developments. The literature review begins with an exploration of demographic profiles in educational environments, especially in relation to culturally and linguistically diverse populations. The discussion then addresses the mismatch of demographics between students and teachers. Next, the potential harm from demographic disparities is discussed. The benefits and hindrances of minority teacher candidates in teacher education, such as cultural competence, role models, recruitment, selection, and retention, are examined as well. Finally, the challenges of preparing qualified minority teacher candidates in teacher education are highlighted.
International Faculty Development in U.S. Higher Education
Authors: Lee Tony , Lim Doo Hun
Published: August 2016

The growth of international graduates in U.S. higher education institutions has prompted an increase of international faculty in U.S. higher education institutions especially in the field of science and engineering. International faculty play important roles and impacts many aspects of teaching, research, and globalization in U.S. institutions. Despite their success in teaching, research, and contribution toward globalization, many international faculty are dissatisfied with their job compared to the U.S.-born faculty. This chapter provides a review of the common issues that international faculty face in U.S. higher education institutions. In addition, the authors provide recommendations of the types of support systems that institutional administrators can implement to support their international faculty members.
Using Multimodal Literacies to Support Language Development for English Language Learners
Authors: Semingson Peggy , Amaro-Jiménez Carla
Published: August 2016

This practitioner-oriented chapter focuses on ways that teacher educators can foster English Language Development using a multimodal and multiple literacies approach (e.g., Gee, 2003). Specific methods and digital tools that prepare educators to use technology to foster English Language Development are described and specific resources that can be used are identified. Connections to theory and recent related research provide a strong rationale for broader implementation of multimodal and digital literacies into a wide variety of teacher preparation courses and programs across global contexts in online, blended, and face-to-face classes within teacher preparation programs. We focus on both low-tech and high-tech options to address the issues of digital divide and access to technology in the United States and beyond.
An Integral Analysis of Labeling, Inclusion, and the Impact of the K-12 School Experience on Gifted Boys
Authors: Alisat Laurie , Clarke Veronika Bohac
Published: August 2016

Gifted learners are frequently marginalized in community classrooms, as they are placed in competition for special education support, with the students who struggle to meet the minimal curricular demands. In this chapter, we describe the practices of identifying and labelling gifted boys, from the perspective of gifted boys attending high school and from the perspectives of a school system. The case discussed is a large urban public school system, which endeavours to effectively identify gifted students and provide them with learner-centred learning environments. We use Wilber's (2000, 2006) Integral model as a conceptual framework to analyze the findings from an empirical study of gifted boys' school experiences (Alisat, 2013). These findings are also supported by our critical praxis, observing and conversing with gifted young people. The Integral Model is a useful framework for understanding the multiple factors impacting gifted students' daily experiences, engagement and achievement.
Cluster Business Processes Management with 3D Immersive Environments
Authors: Glykas Michail
Published: August 2016

The purpose of the article is to present an innovative managerial approach for SME Cluster Management. Clusters contribute extensively in global economy and their role becomes increasingly more important for growth and prosperity in both developed and underdeveloped economies. At first the author presents the state of the art and contemporary approaches in cluster management and highlight the need for new managerial approaches and frameworks both methodology and technology based. The author then proposes a novel cluster management framework that takes into consideration issues concepts from disciplines as diverse as intellectual capital, cluster process management, cluster organizational management, the role of catalyst SMEs, 3D immersive environment technologies, social networking etc. The resulting proposed framework for SME Clustering is a 3D avatar based environment and framework for managing Geographically dispersed SME clusters.
Sensitivity Mining in Social Pulses to Address Cultural Heritage Competitive Intelligence
Authors: Chianese Angelo , Marulli Fiammeta , Piccialli Francesco
Published: August 2016

The remarkable opportunities of discovering interesting knowledge from Big Data can be exploited in the Cultural Heritage (CH) domain, where Social Data Mining could advantage cultural organizations and operators with strategical elements for enjoying and attracting and enjoy visitors, as well as to support knowledge sharing and diffusion processes. A challenging and profitable direction may be combining Social Media Pulses Mining with Business Intelligence, to reveal the underlying key performance indicators, so leading to a ‘competitive intelligence' whose application well fits with CH. The main contribution of the proposed research is the application of a Multidimensional Text Mining over multiple dimensions for social media pulses analysis. A set of exploratory studies were performed on textual messages (Twitter) to explore multiple kind of relations between terms, their compliance with CH, and finally estimating the Social Sensitivity Indicator to this domain and its polarity. Advanced technologies for Big Data processing were exploited.
Mobile Devices and Mobile Learning: Shifting the Mindset of Teachers and Learners
Authors: Smith Philippa K. , Grant Lynn , Conway Clare , Narayan Vickel
Published: August 2016

Incorporating new media technologies that enable mobile learning to be part of educational practice poses challenges to those used to teaching in a traditional classroom environment. In this article three lecturers and a learning advisor from a New Zealand university reflect on their experiences in the progressive redesign of a Bachelor of Arts degree paper. Students were tasked with using mobile devices to make short movies and incorporate digital platforms and social media as part of mobile learning. A design-based research approach assisted the lecturers to use the transition of the paper over a two-year period as a case study to demonstrate how a change in mindset and skill base was necessary for them as well as the students in adapting to a mobile learning environment. Findings from this research indicate that the students' ability to apply creative skills using mobile devices, plus the lecturers' willingness to embrace new formats, enhanced the learning and teaching experience. Finally, this article presents guidelines to assist other institutions wishing to update courses to incorporate mobile learning.
Viewpoint Modelling with Emotions: A Case Study
Authors: Curumsing Maheswaree Kissoon , Lopez-Lorca Antonio , Miller Timothy , Sterling Leon , Vasa Rajesh
Published: August 2016

In modern software development, considering the viewpoints of stakeholders is an important step in building the right system. Over the past decade, several authors have proposed solutions to capture and model these viewpoints. While these solutions have been successful, one viewpoint they have largely ignored is the emotional viewpoint of stakeholders. Considering the emotional needs of stakeholders is important, because users' perceptions of a product are influenced by emotion as much as cognition. Building on their recent work in modelling the emotional goals of stakeholders, the authors extend an existing viewpoint framework to capture emotional viewpoints, and to carry these from early-phase requirements to detailed software design. They demonstrate this with a case study of an emergency alarm system for older people, presenting the entire suite of models for this case study.
South African fantasy: Identity and spirituality
Authors: Apostolides Anastasia
Published: August 2016

South African society is grappling with the challenges of post-apartheid expectations within a ‘rainbow nation’. As a result of this rainbow nation, many people have to deal with fragmented identities and spiritualities. This can be particularly true for adolescents who are living out their lives in multicultural schools with multiple discourses. In this article, it will be argued that fantasy narratives, especially those written by South African writers from a South African context, may help heal the fragmented identities and spiritualities of school-going adolescents.
Pastoral lessons from Augustine’s theological correspondence with women
Authors: Smither Edward
Published: August 2016

Augustine of Hippo (354–430) was a fourth- and fifth-century monk-bishop who left a great imprint on the spiritual leaders of his day by overseeing the monastery at Hippo Regius and also authoring a significant corpus of letters that were pastoral in nature. What is often overlooked in the study of his pastoral ministry and, thus, the focus of this article, is Augustine’s theological correspondence with 15 different women. Through surveying the themes and issues in these letters, I have endeavoured to show that, though a monk, Augustine did care for women in his pastoral ministry and his letters show that he discussed with women many of the issues of his day (pastoral issues, church matters, monastic ideas, theology, and practical theology) that he also discussed with his male correspondents. In short, Augustine believed that these women were much like his mother Monica – capable of grasping biblical and theological issues – and he valued them as an important part of the church. I conclude the article by summarising Augustine’s approaches to and values for ministering to women.
Review of James Alfred Loader ‘Proverbs 1–9’ (Historical Commentary on the Old Testament), Peeters Leuven, 2014
Authors: Venter Pieter
Published: August 2016

Loader’s commentary on Proverbs 1–9 belongs to the category of technical commentaries. It is evaluated in terms of similar commentaries written by scholars who focus on interpreting the original Hebrew text. The design of the commentary, the four essays included in the commentary, and the approach to the text is discussed. A final section deals with Loader’s exposition of Proverbs 8. This section focuses on the problematic Hebrew terms qnh in 8:22 and ‘amon in 8:30 and compares his interpretation with the opinions raised by other scholars in this regard.
Mostly ‘black’ and ‘white’: ‘Race’, complicity and restitution in the non-fiction of Antjie Krog
Authors: Van Niekerk Jacomien
Published: August 2016

This article analyses the role of ‘race’ in Antjie Krog’s non-fiction trilogy Country of My Skull (1998), A Change of Tongue (2003) and Begging to Be Black (2009). It explores her explicit use of terms such as ‘heart of whiteness’ and ‘heart of blackness’. Claims that Krog essentialises Africa and ‘black’ people are investigated. The article also addresses accusations of racism in Krog’s work. A partial answer to the persistent question of why Krog is so determinedly focused on ‘race’ is sought in the concept of complicity. There is definite specificity in the way Krog writes about ‘white’ perpetrators and ‘black’ victims in South Africa, but her trilogy should be read within the broader context of international restitution discourses, allowing for a somewhat different perspective on her contribution to the discussion of the issue of whether ‘white’ people belong in (South) Africa.
Sensory Patterns, Obesity, and Physical Activity Participation of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Lawson Lisa Mische , Foster Lauren
Published: August 2016

Obesity is a public health concern for the population in general and for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) specifically. The purpose of this study was to understand relationships between sensory patterns, obesity, and physical activity engagement of children with ASD (N = 77) sampled from a specialized community-based swimming program. This retrospective correlational study analyzed program data. Results show that almost half (42.2%) of the children were overweight or obese, and sensory avoiding behaviors were related to higher body mass index (BMI). Children participated in few formal and informal physically active recreation activities. Sensory seeking behaviors were associated with increased participation in informal activities, and higher BMI was associated with less participation in both formal and informal activities. Practitioners should consider sensory processing patterns and BMI when developing community-based programs to promote physical activity of children with ASD.
Boundary layer evolution over the central Himalayas from radio wind profiler
and model simulations
Authors: Singh Narendra , Solanki Raman , Ojha Narendra , Janssen Ruud H. H. , Pozzer Andrea , Dhaka Surendra K.
Published: August 2016

Abstract. We investigate the time evolution of the Local Boundary Layer (LBL) for the first time over a mountain ridge at Nainital (79.5° E, 29.4° N, 1958 m a.m.s.l.) in the central Himalayan region, using a radar wind profiler (RWP) during November 2011 to March 2012, as a part of the Ganges Valley Aerosol Experiment (GVAX). We restrict our analysis to clear–sunny days, resulting in a total of 78 days of observations. The standard criterion of the peak in the signal-to-noise ratio (S ∕ N) profile was found to be inadequate in the characterization of mixed layer (ML) top at this site. Therefore, we implemented a criterion of S ∕ N > 6 dB for the characterization of the ML and the resulting estimations are shown to be in agreement with radiosonde measurements over this site. The daytime average (05:00–10:00 UTC) observed boundary layer height ranges from 440 ± 197 m in November (late autumn) to 766 ± 317 m above ground level (a.g.l.) in March (early spring). The observations revealed a pronounced impact of mountain topography on the LBL dynamics during March, when strong winds (> 5.6 m s−1) lead to LBL heights of 650 m during nighttime. The measurements are further utilized to evaluate simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. WRF simulations captured the day-to-day variations up to an extent (r2 = 0.5), as well as the mean diurnal variations (within 1σ variability). The mean biases in the daytime average LBL height vary from −7 % (January) to +30 % (February) between model and observations, except during March (+76 %). Sensitivity simulations using a mixed layer model (MXL/MESSy) indicated that the springtime overestimation of LBL would lead to a minor uncertainty in simulated surface ozone concentrations. However, it would lead to a significant overestimation of the dilution of black carbon aerosols at this site. Our work fills a gap in observations of local boundary layer over this complex terrain in the Himalayas, and highlights the need for year-long simultaneous measurements of boundary layer dynamics and air quality to better understand the role of lower tropospheric dynamics in pollution transport.
Time dependent, non-monotonic response of warm convective cloud fields to changes in aerosol loading
Authors: Dagan Guy , Koren Ilan , Altaratz Orit , Heiblum Reuven H.
Published: August 2016

Abstract. Large Eddy Simulations (LES) with bin microphysics are used here to study cloud fields' sensitivity to changes in aerosol properties and the time evolution of this response. Similarly to the known response of a single cloud, we show that the mean field properties change in a non-monotonic trend, with an optimum aerosol concentration for which the field reaches its maximal water mass or rain yield. This trend is a result of competition between processes that encourage cloud development versus those that suppress it. However, another layer of complexity is added when considering clouds' impact on the field's thermodynamic properties and how this is dependent on aerosol loading. Under polluted conditions rain is suppressed, and the non-precipitating clouds act to increase atmospheric instability. This results in warming of the lower part of the cloudy layer (in which there is net condensation) and cooling of the upper part (net evaporation). Evaporation at the upper part of the cloudy layer in the polluted simulations raises humidity at these levels and thus amplifies the development of the next generation of clouds (preconditioning effect). On the other hand, under clean conditions, the precipitating clouds drive net warming of the cloudy layer and net cooling of the sub-cloud layer due to rain evaporation. These two effects act to stabilize the atmospheric boundary layer with time (consumption of the instability). Evolution of the field's thermodynamic properties affects the cloud properties in return, as shown by migration of the optimal aerosol concentration toward higher values.
Comparison of two closed-path cavity based spectrometers for measuring air-water CO2 and CH4 fluxes by eddy covariance
Authors: Yang Mingxi , Prytherch John , Kozlova Elena , Yelland Margaret J. , Parenkat Mony Deepulal , Bell Thomas
Published: August 2016

Abstract. In recent years several commercialized closed-path cavity based spectroscopic instruments designed for eddy covariance flux measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and water vapor (H2O) have become available. Here we compare the performance of two state-of-the-art models – the Picarro G2311-f and the Los Gatos Research (LGR) FGGA at a coastal site. Both instruments can compute dry mixing ratios of CO2 and CH4 based on the concurrently measured H2O. Additionally, we used a high throughput Nafion dryer to physically remove H2O from the Picarro air stream. Observed air-sea CO2 and CH4 fluxes from these two analyzers, averaging about 12 mmol m−2 d−1 and 0.12 mmol m−2 d−1 respectively, agree within the measurement uncertainties. For the purpose of quantifying dry CO2 and CH4 fluxes, the numerical H2O corrections appear to be effective and lead to results that are comparable to physical removal of H2O with a Nafion dryer. We estimate the high frequency attenuation of fluxes in our closed-path setup, which was relatively small (≤ 10 %) for CO2 and CH4 but very large for the much stickier H2O. The Picarro showed significantly lower noise and flux detection limits than the LGR. The hourly flux detection limit for the Picarro was about 2 mmol m−2 d−1 for CO2 and 0.02 mmol m−2 d−1 for CH4. For the LGR these detection limits were about 8 mmol m−2 d−1 and 0.05 mmol m−2 d−1. Using global maps of monthly-mean air-sea CO2 flux as reference, we estimate that the Picarro and LGR can resolve hourly CO2 fluxes from roughly 40 % and 4 % of the world’s oceans, respectively. Averaging over longer timescales would be required in regions with smaller fluxes. Hourly flux detection limits of CH4 from both instruments are generally higher than the expected emissions from the open ocean, though the signal to noise of this measurement may improve closer to the coast.
Half a degree Additional warming, Projections, Prognosis and Impacts (HAPPI): Background and Experimental Design
Authors: Mitchell Daniel , AchutaRao Krishna , Allen Myles , Bethke Ingo , Forster Piers , Fuglestvedt Jan , Gillett Nathan , Haustein Karsten , Iverson Trond , Massey Neil , Schleussner Carl-Friedrich , Scinocca John , Seland Øyvind , Shiogama Hideo , Shuckburgh Emily , Sparrow Sarah , Stone Dáithí , Wallom David , Wehner Michael , Zaaboul Rashyd
Published: August 2016

Abstract. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has accepted the invitation from the UNFCCC to provide a special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways. Many current experiments in, for example, the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP), are not specifically designed for informing this report. Here, we document the design of the Half a degree Additional warming, Projections, Prognosis and Impacts (HAPPI) experiment. HAPPI provides a framework for the generation of climate data describing how the climate, and in particular extreme weather, might differ from the present day in worlds that are 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C warmer than pre-industrial conditions. Output from participating climate models includes variables frequently used by a range of integrated assessment models. The key challenge is to separate the impact of an additional approximately half degree of warming from uncertainty in climate model responses and internal climate variability that dominate CMIP-style experiments. Large ensembles of simulations (> 50 members) of atmosphere-only models for three time slice experiments are proposed, each a decade in length; the first being the most recent observed 10-year period (2006–2015), the second two being estimates of the a similar decade but under 1.5 and 2 °C conditions a century in the future. We use the Representative Concentration Pathways 2.6 (RCP2.6) to provide the model boundary conditions for the 1.5 °C scenario, and a weighted combination of RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 for the 2 °C scenario.
A mask-state algorithm to accelerate volcanic ash data assimilation
Authors: Fu Guangliang , Lin Hai-Xiang , Heemink Arnold , Segers Arjo , van Velzen Nils , Lu Tongchao , Xu Shiming , Lu Sha
Published: August 2016

Abstract. In this study, we investigate strategies for accelerating data assimilation on volcanic ash forecasts. Based on evaluations of computational time, the analysis step of the assimilation is evaluated as the most expensive part. After a careful study on the characteristics of the ensemble ash state, we propose a mask-state algorithm which records the sparsity information of the full ensemble state matrix and transforms the full matrix into a relatively small one. This will reduce the computational cost in the analysis step. Experimental results show the mask-state algorithm significantly speeds up the expensive analysis step. Subsequently, the total amount of computing time for volcanic ash data assimilation is reduced to an acceptable level, which is important for providing timely and accurate aviation advices. The mask-state algorithm is generic and thus can be embedded in any ensemble-based data assimilation framework. Moreover, ensemble-based data assimilation with the mask-state algorithm is promising and flexible, because it implements exactly the standard data assimilation without any approximation and it realizes the satisfying performance without any change of the full model.
Toward a Husserlian Foundation of Aesthetics: On Imagination, Phantasy, and Image Consciousness in the 1904/1905 Lectures
Authors: Katz Azul Tamina
Published: August 2016

While it is true that Husserl did not write systematically about aesthetics, it is not only possible and legitimate but also necessary to inquire how a Husserlian aesthetic consciousness could be understood. A closer consideration of the aesthetics that can be gleaned from the passages in which Husserl explicitly refers to artistic experiences shows a limitation of the aesthetic field to figurative art. To widen and enrich the aesthetic field beyond the experiences that such an aesthetics would account for, a shift of perspective is required. But to allow this change without leaving Husserl's phenomenology, I consider in this article the outcome of analyzing this field of experiences from phantasy's perspective instead of that of image consciousness.
Renaud Barbaras and Michel Henry: A Contemporary Debate on the Status of Affectivity and a Farewell to the “Flesh of the World”
Authors: Seyler Frédéric
Published: August 2016

In the contemporary phenomenological debate, Henry's and Barbaras's phenomenologies of life differ in the respective meanings given to life as affectivity: immanent affectivity for Henry, desire for Barbaras. However, Henry's and Barbaras's joint critique of the Merleau-Pontian concept of “flesh of the world” suggests that their phenomenologies of life might be more compatible with each other than it seems at first. This thesis is further supported by the shared idea of a unity of affectivity and intentionality. Thus, the wider perspective should be to think of analyses of “drive” and desire as being complementary, not mutually exclusive.
Traitors in Love: The Spanish Civil War Romance Novel in Jewish North America
Authors: Sharpe Emily Robins
Published: August 2016

The essay examines a series of male-authored North American romance novels set in the midst of the Spanish Civil war, to argue that their common plots of cross-cultural love—between North American gentile soldiers and European women—represent a Popular Front political allegory. Furthermore, Canadian Jewish novelists adapted this internationalist romance trope, bringing together the global comradeship rhetoric of the Popular Front, the gendered nationalism of unification novels, and the problematic absorption of ethnic markers in Canadian civilizing plots and Jewish assimilation narratives alike. In particular, I look at two Canadian Jewish writers, Ted Allan and Charles Yale Harrison, to argue that their novels reveal the masculinist whitewashing tendencies of patriotic romance fiction. By subverting heteronormative Euro-American depictions of international love as inevitably disastrous, authors like Allan and Harrison imagine a broader definition of citizenship, one that accounts for religious and ethnic diversity as well as for class-based identification. My essay elucidates how Canadian writings about Spain are situated at the intersection of decolonizing identity and cosmopolitan leftism—a narrative that complicates our understanding of the leftist internationalist literature the Spanish conflict inspired. In their response to a very particular moment—of Canadian, North American, and Spanish social flux; and of Jewish migration and mainstreaming—Canadian Jewish novelists display an early attempt to articulate a national identity at once patriotic and cosmopolitan.
“I am still there”: The Recreation of Jewish Poland in the Canadian Novels of Chava Rosenfarb
Authors: Morgentaler Goldie
Published: August 2016

All three of Chava Rosenfarb’s novels are set in Poland, despite the fact that they were written in Canada, where the author lived most of her life. Rosenfarb, a Holocaust survivor and one of the major Yiddish writers of the second half of the twentieth century, returned to her native Poland only once after the war. Yet Poland, and especially the city of Lodz, where she was born and raised, lived on in her imagination and are the focus of all her longer fiction. This essay examines the theme of Jewish-Polish relations as they are expressed in Rosenfarb’s fiction, in particular in the novels The Tree of Life: A Trilogy of Life in the Lodz Ghetto and Bociany.
A Kaddish for the Father: Régine Robin and the “impossible work of mourning”
Authors: Kellett Kathleen
Published: August 2016

This essay examines the father-daughter relationship and the dynamics of mourning in the biofiction of Quebec author Régine Robin, born Rivka Ajzersztejn in 1939 in Paris. Focusing on her first work of biofiction, Le Cheval blanc de Lénine (1979), as well as the short text “Manhattan Bistro” (1992), I argue that Robin presents the daughter’s tale as both an act of defiance against paternal authority and her Communist father’s veneration of the great men of history—incarnate in the vision of Vladimir Lenin on a white horse—and homage to her father’s role as inventive and passionate chronicler of family history. The daughter recounts her father’s struggle with the refusal to say the Kaddish for his own father, an impossible act of mourning mirrored by the Kaddish that could not be recited for the fifty-one members of her family lost in the Holocaust. Robin’s biofiction is an unceasing iteration of the grieving process, an examination of the vagaries of memory and history, and the arbitrary accidents in time that led to deportation to the Nazi death camps for some and survival and a future life in North America and elsewhere for others.
The Geography of Memory: Haunting and Haunted Landscapes in Contemporary Canadian Jewish Writing
Authors: Horowitz Sara R.
Published: August 2016

The refrain “Every moment is two moments” in Anne Michaels’s 1997 novel Fugitive Pieces, an exploration of traumatized memory and post-memory, could serve as a leitmotif pointing to the complexity of memory and witnessing in contemporary Jewish Canadian fiction. In the memory novels of Michaels, Fugitive Pieces and The Winter Vault (2009), and of Nancy Richler, Your Mouth Is Lovely (2001) and The Imposter Bride (2012), every moment is not so much two but multiple moments. These works unravel, reconstruct, and unravel again relationships among space, time, memory, and identity. The vexed and elusive nature of memory and its effects is concretized in disappeared or fragmented landscapes that haunt the characters: bogs and buried geographic features in Fugitive Pieces, cities emptied and flooded by the creation of dams in The Winter Vault, marshes and icescapes in Your Mouth Is Lovely, and bits of rock in The Imposter Bride. This essay explores the shifting chronotopes of memory through the depiction of haunted and haunting landscapes, and the overlay of memoryscapes with contemporary Canadian cityscapes.
“Sparks that reach far into the past and spin toward the future”: The Historical Turn in Recent Novels by Susan Glickman, Nancy Richler, and Rhea Tregebov
Authors: Panofsky Ruth
Published: August 2016

Susan Glickman’s The Tale-Teller (2012), Nancy Richler’s Your Mouth Is Lovely (2002), and Rhea Tregebov’s The Knife Sharpener’s Bell (2009) are as invested in Canada as in the historical and cultural past. In each novel, to counterpoint the oppression, imprisonment, and extreme hardship of the Old World, Canada serves literally as a safe haven and figuratively as a harbor of freedom. This essay shows how Glickman, Richler, and Tregebov respectively deploy catalyzing historical events in an effort to amplify their understanding of the cultural past and the Canadian present. The cultural contingencies of present-day Canadian life have given rise to a transnational probing of profound historical complexities, which may be apprehended—though never resolved—through narrative exploration of Jewish identity.
The Sound of “New Jews”: David Rakoff and Jonathan Goldstein
Authors: Lambert Josh
Published: August 2016

This essay reads the “soundwork”—radio and podcast writing and performance—of two Canadian Jews, David Rakoff and Jonathan Goldstein, as exemplary cases of the representational patterns scholars attending to American popular culture since the 1990s have recently begun to analyze under the rubric of “New Jews.” Focusing particularly on work that has been broadcast on the popular radio shows/podcasts This American Life (1995–) and WireTap with Jonathan Goldstein (2004–15), this essay surveys the representational strategies through which these performers invoke Jewishness and Canadianness over hundreds of hours of scripted and improvised audio performances. I argue that the remarkable taken-for-granted approach to representation in Rakoff’s and Goldstein’s work is due, at least in part, to the positioning of Jews and Canadians as potentially overlooked minorities in the late-twentieth- and early twenty-first-century United States.
An Empirical Analysis of Financially Distressed Italian Companies
Authors: Sensini Luca
Published: August 2016

This paper investigates the performance of forecasting models for default risk referring to the annual balance sheet information of Italian firms. One of the main issues in bankruptcy predictions is related to the selection of the best set of indicators. Therefore, our main research question concerns the identification of the determinants of corporate financial distress, comparing the performance of innovative selection techniques. Furthermore, several aspects related to the default risk analysis have been considered, namely the nature of the numerical information and the sample design. The proposed models take in consideration the above-mentioned issues and the empirical results, elaborated on a data set of financial indices expressly derived from annual reports of the industrial firms. These reports provide evidence in favor of our proposal over the traditional ones.
Investigating the Effect of Supply Chain Management on Sustainable Perfprmance Focusing on Environmental Collaboration
Authors: Abbasi Bahareh , Farsijani Hasan , Raad Abbas
Published: August 2016

The purpose of this paper is proposing a comprehensive model that shows the effect of green supply chain management practices on sustainable performance focusing on environmental collaboration. 311 pieceworkers companies in the field of automotive, motorcycle and agricultural machinery were investigated. Questionnaire was used for collecting data. Structural equation model were used as a technique to analyzing the data. The results of analyzing data showed that green supply chain management practices have positive effect on sustainable performance and environmental collaboration. As mediating variable environmental collaboration has also positive effect on green supply chain management practices focusing on environmental collaboration on sustainable performance. Green supply chain can help increasing sustainable performance and environmental collaboration is also considered as an important capability for facilitating executing green supply chain management. Both positively impact society through improvements to the overall environment. This research is one of the few studies that explore the effect of green supply chain management practices on sustainable performance focusing on environmental collaboration. Green supply chain management practices plays an important role of each enterprise which is involved with supply chain activities and it will help increasing sustainable performance.
Rationales and Applications of Mutuality of Obligations in Iranian Contract Law
Authors: Sarbazian Majid , Asli Soroush Rostamzad
Published: August 2016

In Iranian laws, commitment is exchangeable if it is of proper and rational interest. In exchangeable contracts, it needs that parties perform their commitments mutually and in the case of not performing the commitments by one party, another one can refuse its commitments as called lien. There are also cases in which some terms are cancelled since they destroy the powers of one party to enforce the other party in performing his commitment. On this basis, the main challenge of present paper is to study the nature and status of mutuality of obligations doctrine in Iranian laws and studying its basics and implications. At the end, it is recognized that although mutuality of obligations is not raised in Iranian laws as a legal doctrine, it is effective in shaping and undertaking an exchangeable commitment.
Business Intelligence Application Model in Hedge Funds Supporting Knowledge-Based Companies
Authors: Tarhani Farzad , Ameli Omid Zare
Published: August 2016

Nowadays, organizations having a more profound understanding as well as evaluation of their area of activities and acquiring more competitive advantages will be successful in the competitive environment. Organizations have excelled over their rivals and acquired a special status in the arena of competition with the help of increased competitive intelligence and organizational intelligence as well. The present research deals with presenting a business intelligence (BI) application model in hedge funds supporting knowledge-based companies to promote their performance. The present study is developmental, from the perspective of purpose, and descriptive survey, from that of research method. The statistical population of the study constitutes the employees of the hedge funds in Tehran; however, due to the limited scope of the statistical society, counting all method was used to choose the sample size. Questionnaire was used as the research tool. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using, respectively, Thurston method and Cronbach's alpha. Furthermore, SPSS19 software was used to analyze data. Investigation of the data revealed that business intelligence has a significant impact upon the funds in supporting knowledge-based companies. Amongst the indicators of business intelligence, the highest effectiveness was dedicated to analytical data warehouse indicator followed by corporate dashboards and data mining indicators, respectively.
Geological Engineering Survey and Geotechnical Analysis of Substrate Soil of Erbil Steel Fusion Company
Authors: Shirdel Bizhan , Khatib Farshad
Published: August 2016

Construction projects steps among the vast and varied construction has remarkable significance range in civil
industry. Foundation as an important part of building the, is made of various systems in order to transfer the load
from the superstructure to basis. In order to subsurface location checks could be used of identifiers such as
boreholes, wells, trenches and in situ tests and laboratory tests. Project facilities are the most important factors to
identification the equipment and tools. In this study, by using the results of the exploratory boreholes, field
observations, in situ tests and laboratory studies have been consider to evaluate geotechnical condition of
Erbil Altun kupri project site. According to this by studying the Geological Engineering condition of site
project and Lefran tests, spt and cutting feathers standing on samples taken from boreholes from drilled and
comparing results together, which generally consists of sand and gravel with fine particles of silt and Clay, has
been determined geotechnical parameters of location. In the calculations after 6.5 meters excavation, location
soil considered pre-consolidation and for settlement calculation, under layer soils were divided into several
layers. The detailed results of calculations to verify foundation settlement before and after soil improving
operation that used DSM method and it’s analysis by using Plaxis 3D software, showed the elastic settlement
0.0105 mm in the center of foundation.