bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methodology based on micro-projects in DIY desktop machines for educational purposes in engineering degrees
Authors: Pernia-Espinoza Alpha , Sanz-García Andres , Sodupe-Ortega Enrique , Antoñanzas-Torres Javier , Antoñanzas-Torres Fernando , Urraca-Valle Ruben
Published: June 2016

The 21st century university has the big educational challenge of how to encourage “a will to learn” in students living in a world saturated with a huge amount of information and distractions. A needed step to keep students motivated is to update their learning environments. Herein we present a proposal with a methodology based on microprojects in DIY desktop machines (MicroP-DIY-DkM). The main idea is to consolidate students’ theoretical background using motivating microprojects in which foreign entities act as petitioners. The students will also receive a broad view of current state of manufacturing technologies. At the same time, English language and Information and Communication Technologies skills can be promoted by our methodology. We provide information about the implementation of several examples of these microprojects, which were applied in the technical subject ‘Manufacturing Technology’. The use of open source DIY-DkM offers students the possibility to understand essential principles of industrial technologies and processes. According to our surveys, students’ scores and success rate results, the methodology proposed demonstrated its convenience to be applied in technical subjects. Students showed greater motivation level and success rate than previous years using conventional methods. Limitation of the proposal and possible means of improvement are also included.
Social Media for Networking and Participatory Professional Learning
Authors: McLoughlin Catherine
Published: June 2016

There is widespread acceptance of the need for professional learning opportunities and support for teachers and for academics transitioning into the higher education workforce. In Australia and globally, social networking sites (SNS) provide teachers with formal and informal networking opportunities. While higher education institutions are responding to an ever-changing digital environment, scholarly work aimed at understanding optimal use of, and interaction with new Web 2.0 capabilities is a pressing area of concern among academics. Limited studies are available on how and why teachers in higher education employ social networking tools to create learning networks, share professional ideas and build creative collegiality. This scoping review article investigates motivations for the adoption of SNS in higher education and the benefits and opportunities presented by social networking tools such as blogs and Twitter in teacher professional learning and practice. Results show that academics are interested in connecting with peers, sharing knowledge and networking in open participatory forums as means of building community and accessing resources. The findings indicate that the affordances of microblogging and SNS are valued by academics and that they appreciate the immediacy, relational aspects and interactions that expand their professional networks.
A different approach fot training student teachers using Communication and Information Technology (ICT)
Authors: Abad Alida , Rassetto Maria
Published: June 2016

The aim of this  research is to contribute to find new ways of teaching using  the opportunities that Communication and information technology(ICT) give  today. This contribution proposes a teaching strategy  that allows  students to think in a creative way and integrate technology in elementary school. This strategy consist in making the teacher student think themselves as  inventors, detecting a need in society,  designing  and developing an invention that has not been yet patented. Creating  marketing strategies for selling the product and presenting all this work in class for peers and teachers to evaluate.  It was applied to student teachers during the period 2012- 2015  in a three month  Seminary about the use of Technology at School.  Surveys show that they are highly motivated with the methodology used at the Seminary and satisfied with the process.   Most of them think that it is very useful when planning classroom work for children in elementary school.   Presentations done for the seminary showed that the teacher students develop significant learning and   many skills using information and communication technology (ICT) for learning purposes. Keywords: Technology, significant learning, teachers´ training
The study program open to new societal needs and challenges of the labour market - on the example of the project “Career guidance open to ecological awareness development of a society”
Authors: Kulpa-Puczyńska Aleksandra
Published: June 2016

The aim of the study (poster) is primarily to present assumptions, current results and possible directions for further research and practices related to project implementation titled “Career guidance open to ecological awareness development of a society” [in Polish: Poradnictwo zawodowe otwarte na kształtowanie świadomości ekologicznej społeczeństwa] (FSS/2014/HEI/W/0032), financed with the Norwegian funds and domestic funds under the Polish Higher Education Development Programme [Program Rozwój Polskich Uczelni], Scholarship and Training Fund [Fundusz Stypendialny i Szkoleniowy], realized (1/1/2015 – 5/31/2016) at the Department of Pedagogical Sciences of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (UKSW). The analysis both literature and the currently undertaken research activities, among others, leads to the conclusions that there are at least three important tasks which modern higher education has to face. 1. The promotion of solutions, including educational ones, which aim at limiting the possible risks to human life (deterioration of its quality) resulting from the type of profession and work organization; 2. Active participation of vocational guidance consultants (present and future) in building sustainable and environmentally friendly societies. 3. The necessity of cooperation among local entities (including universities) involved in lifelong vocational guidance. In this context and with reference to the concept of ​​“green” universities and the engaged university concept, the following question also becomes important: What is the role of higher education institutions in shaping pro-environmental attitudes and their capabilities in this respect?
The Bologna process: a study about teachers' perception of their new role and its consequences
Authors: Lagoa-Varela María Dolores , Alvarez García Begoña , Boedo Vilabella Lucía
Published: June 2016

In the last twenty-five years many changes have taken place in the Spanish University system and, as a consequence, the university lecturer’s role has evolved and a new teaching style prevails. The present paper focuses on University teachers of Economics and Business. It explores the teachers’ perception about the new methodologies that they have implemented, the extent to which the process of change has modified their way of working and, finally, the benefits and drawbacks encountered. Moreover, we examine whether differences of opinion arise depending on the distinct personal and professional characteristics of each teacher. The results reveal that most of the methodological changes undergone by the teachers stem more from the new profile of their students than by regulatory obligations. There is a unanimous opinion that the time and effort dedicated to teaching is now notably greater and that it is necessary to develop a rigorous system of teaching evaluation. In addition, two clear aspects can be observed: on the one hand, staff with a wider experience has carried out more changes and uses new technologies to a greater extent, and, on the other hand, the use and promotion of English in class is still a crucial issue.
A proposed emergency management program for acute care facilities in response to a highly virulent infectious disease
Authors: Petinaux, MD Bruno , Ferguson, MD Brandy , Walker, MD, CIC Milena , Lee, RN, MPH, CIC Yeo-Jin , Little, MD Gary , Parenti, MD David , Simon, MD, PhD Gary
Published: June 2016

To address the organizational complexities associated with a highly virulent infectious disease (HVID) hazard, such as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), an acute care facility should institute an emergency management program rooted in the fundamentals of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. This program must address all known facets of the care of a patient with HVID, from unannounced arrival to discharge. The implementation of such a program not only serves to mitigate the risks from an unrecognized exposure but also serves to prepare the organization and its staff to provide for a safe response, and ensure a full recovery. Much of this program is based on education, training, and infection control measures along with resourcing for appropriate personal protective equipment which is instrumental in ensuring an organized and safe response of the acute care facility in the service to the community. This emergency management program approach can serve as a model in the care of not only current HVIDs such as EVD but also future presentations in our healthcare setting.
Characterization of total ecosystem-scale biogenic VOC exchange at a Mediterranean oak–hornbeam forest
Authors: Schallhart Simon , Rantala Pekka , Nemitz Eiko , Taipale Ditte , Tillmann Ralf , Mentel Thomas F. , Loubet Benjamin , Gerosa Giacomo , Finco Angelo , Rinne Janne , Ruuskanen Taina M.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Recently, the number and amount of biogenically emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been discussed in great detail. Depending on the ecosystem, the published number varies between a dozen and several hundred compounds. We present ecosystem exchange fluxes from a mixed oak–hornbeam forest in the Po Valley, Italy. The fluxes were measured by a proton transfer reaction-time-of-flight (PTR-ToF) mass spectrometer and calculated using the eddy covariance (EC) method. Detectable fluxes were observed for up to 29 compounds, dominated by isoprene, which comprised over 60 % of the total upward flux (on a molar basis). The daily average of the total VOC upward flux was 10.4 nmol m−2 s−1. Methanol had the highest concentration and accounted for the largest downward flux. Methanol seemed to be deposited to dew, as the downward flux happened in the early morning, right after the calculated surface temperature came closest to the calculated dew point temperature.We estimated that up to 30 % of the upward flux of methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR) originated from atmospheric oxidation of isoprene. A comparison between two methods for the flux detection (manual and automated) was made. Their respective advantages and disadvantages were discussed and the differences in their results shown. Both provide comparable results.
Sources of organic ice nucleating particles in soils
Authors: Hill Tom C. J. , DeMott Paul J. , Tobo Yutaka , Fröhlich-Nowoisky Janine , Moffett Bruce F. , Franc Gary D. , Kreidenweis Sonia M.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Soil organic matter (SOM) may be a significant source of atmospheric ice nucleating particles (INPs), especially of those active  >  −15 °C. However, due to both a lack of investigations and the complexity of the SOM itself, the identities of these INPs remain unknown. To more comprehensively characterize organic INPs we tested locally representative soils in Wyoming and Colorado for total organic INPs, INPs in the heat-labile fraction, ice nucleating (IN) bacteria, IN fungi, IN fulvic and humic acids, IN plant tissue, and ice nucleation by monolayers of aliphatic alcohols. All soils contained  ≈  106 to  ≈  5 × 107 INPs g−1 dry soil active at −10 °C. Removal of SOM with H2O2 removed  ≥  99 % of INPs active  >  −18 °C (the limit of testing), while heating of soil suspensions to 105 °C showed that labile INPs increasingly predominated  >  −12 °C and comprised  ≥  90 % of INPs active  >  −9 °C. Papain protease, which inactivates IN proteins produced by the fungus Mortierella alpina, common in the region's soils, lowered INPs active at  ≥  −11 °C by  ≥  75 % in two arable soils and in sagebrush shrubland soil. By contrast, lysozyme, which digests bacterial cell walls, only reduced INPs active at  ≥  −7.5 or  ≥  −6 °C, depending on the soil. The known IN bacteria were not detected in any soil, using PCR for the ina gene that codes for the active protein. We directly isolated and photographed two INPs from soil, using repeated cycles of freeze testing and subdivision of droplets of dilute soil suspensions; they were complex and apparently organic entities. Ice nucleation activity was not affected by digestion of Proteinase K-susceptible proteins or the removal of entities composed of fulvic and humic acids, sterols, or aliphatic alcohol monolayers. Organic INPs active colder than −10 to −12 °C were resistant to all investigations other than heat, oxidation with H2O2, and, for some, digestion with papain. They may originate from decomposing plant material, microbial biomass, and/or the humin component of the SOM. In the case of the latter then they are most likely to be a carbohydrate. Reflecting the diversity of the SOM itself, soil INPs have a range of sources which occur with differing relative abundances.
Linking diverse nutrient patterns to different water masses within anticyclonic eddies in the upwelling system off Peru
Authors: José Yonss Saranga , Dietze Heiner , Oschlies Andreas
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Ocean eddies can both trigger mixing (during their formation and decay) and effectively shield water encompassed from being exchanged with ambient water (throughout their life time). These antagonistic effects of eddies complicate the interpretation of synoptic snapshots as typically obtained by ship-based oceanographic measurement campaigns. Here we use a coupled physical-biogeochemical model to explore biogeochemical dynamics within anticyclonic eddies in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific ocean. The goal is to understand the diverse biogeochemical patterns that have been observed at the subsurface layers of the anticyclonic eddies in this region. Our model results suggest that the diverse subsurface nutrient patterns within eddies are associated with the presence of water masses of different origins at different depths. The water mass diversity responds to variations with depth of the circulation strength at the edge of the eddy.
IMPACT OF BUILDING HEIGHTS ON 3D URBAN DENSITY ESTIMATION FROM SPACEBORNE STEREO IMAGERY
Authors: Peng Feifei , Gong Jianya , Wang Le , Wu Huayi , Yang Jiansi
Published: June 2016

Abstract. In urban planning and design applications, visualization of built up areas in three dimensions (3D) is critical for understanding building density, but the accurate building heights required for 3D density calculation are not always available. To solve this problem, spaceborne stereo imagery is often used to estimate building heights; however estimated building heights might include errors. These errors vary between local areas within a study area and related to the heights of the building themselves, distorting 3D density estimation. The impact of building height accuracy on 3D density estimation must be determined across and within a study area. In our research, accurate planar information from city authorities is used during 3D density estimation as reference data, to avoid the errors inherent to planar information extracted from remotely sensed imagery. Our experimental results show that underestimation of building heights is correlated to underestimation of the Floor Area Ratio (FAR). In local areas, experimental results show that land use blocks with low FAR values often have small errors due to small building height errors for low buildings in the blocks; and blocks with high FAR values often have large errors due to large building height errors for high buildings in the blocks. Our study reveals that the accuracy of 3D density estimated from spaceborne stereo imagery is correlated to heights of buildings in a scene; therefore building heights must be considered when spaceborne stereo imagery is used to estimate 3D density to improve precision.
OBJECT BASED IMAGE ANALYSIS COMBINING HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION IMAGERY AND LASER POINT CLOUDS FOR URBAN LAND COVER
Authors: Zou Xiaoliang , Zhao Guihua , Li Jonathan , Yang Yuanxi , Fang Yong
Published: June 2016

Abstract. With the rapid developments of the sensor technology, high spatial resolution imagery and airborne Lidar point clouds can be captured nowadays, which make classification, extraction, evaluation and analysis of a broad range of object features available. High resolution imagery, Lidar dataset and parcel map can be widely used for classification as information carriers. Therefore, refinement of objects classification is made possible for the urban land cover. The paper presents an approach to object based image analysis (OBIA) combing high spatial resolution imagery and airborne Lidar point clouds. The advanced workflow for urban land cover is designed with four components. Firstly, colour-infrared TrueOrtho photo and laser point clouds were pre-processed to derive the parcel map of water bodies and nDSM respectively. Secondly, image objects are created via multi-resolution image segmentation integrating scale parameter, the colour and shape properties with compactness criterion. Image can be subdivided into separate object regions. Thirdly, image objects classification is performed on the basis of segmentation and a rule set of knowledge decision tree. These objects imagery are classified into six classes such as water bodies, low vegetation/grass, tree, low building, high building and road. Finally, in order to assess the validity of the classification results for six classes, accuracy assessment is performed through comparing randomly distributed reference points of TrueOrtho imagery with the classification results, forming the confusion matrix and calculating overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient. The study area focuses on test site Vaihingen/Enz and a patch of test datasets comes from the benchmark of ISPRS WG III/4 test project. The classification results show higher overall accuracy for most types of urban land cover. Overall accuracy is 89.5% and Kappa coefficient equals to 0.865. The OBIA approach provides an effective and convenient way to combine high resolution imagery and Lidar ancillary data for classification of urban land cover.
A NOVEL SHIP DETECTION METHOD FOR LARGE-SCALE OPTICAL SATELLITE IMAGES BASED ON VISUAL LBP FEATURE AND VISUAL ATTENTION MODEL
Authors: Haigang Sui , Zhina Song
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Reliably ship detection in optical satellite images has a wide application in both military and civil fields. However, this problem is very difficult in complex backgrounds, such as waves, clouds, and small islands. Aiming at these issues, this paper explores an automatic and robust model for ship detection in large-scale optical satellite images, which relies on detecting statistical signatures of ship targets, in terms of biologically-inspired visual features. This model first selects salient candidate regions across large-scale images by using a mechanism based on biologically-inspired visual features, combined with visual attention model with local binary pattern (CVLBP). Different from traditional studies, the proposed algorithm is high-speed and helpful to focus on the suspected ship areas avoiding the separation step of land and sea. Largearea images are cut into small image chips and analyzed in two complementary ways: Sparse saliency using visual attention model and detail signatures using LBP features, thus accordant with sparseness of ship distribution on images. Then these features are employed to classify each chip as containing ship targets or not, using a support vector machine (SVM). After getting the suspicious areas, there are still some false alarms such as microwaves and small ribbon clouds, thus simple shape and texture analysis are adopted to distinguish between ships and nonships in suspicious areas. Experimental results show the proposed method is insensitive to waves, clouds, illumination and ship size.
Brief Communication: Breeding vectors in the phase space reconstructed from time series data
Authors: Lynch Erin , Kaufman Daniel , Sharma A. Surjalal , Kalnay Eugenia , Ide Kayo
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Bred vectors characterize the nonlinear instability of dynamical systems and so far have been computed only for systems with known evolution equations. In this article, bred vectors are computed from a single time series data using time-delay embedding, with a new technique, nearest-neighbor breeding. Since the dynamical properties of the standard and nearest-neighbor breeding are shown to be similar, this provides a new and novel way to model and predict sudden transitions in systems represented by time series data alone.
Reviewer Acknowledgements
Authors: Young Jenny
Published: June 2016

Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (EMSD) would like to thank the following reviewers for reviewing manuscripts from November 1, 2015, to May 1, 2016. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Many authors, regardless of whether EMSD publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Macrothink Institute appreciates the following reviewers’ rigorous and conscientious efforts for this journal. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review during this period. Adriano MaglioccoAnna Rita Bernadette CammerinoArash RiasiAristotulus Ernst TungkaBhagawanBin YangDr Hebin LinDr. Giacomo ChiesaGehendra KharelHengky HalimImen HassenJia LiuKhan R. RahamanLiang YuManuel Mendoza-CarranzaNaeema Mohamed AlhosaniNikolay MinkovPankaj MaheshwariRawaa H AmmarSaid JaouadiTateda Masafumi
Social and Environmental Accounting: A Reflection of Indonesian Firms’ Involvement
Authors: Aprianto Aprianto
Published: June 2016

The economic crisis in Indonesia prolonged since 1997 has boosted the nation in the position of multi-dimensional crisis in almost all aspects of life. The increasing number of victims of layoffs, high unemployment, declining per capita income and purchasing power and ultimately it leads to the increase number of society that is below the poverty line. The Government efforts to convince the international investor should be focused on the social and political stability, and security that may assure investors. The economic crisis and social crisis in Indonesia are still into two sides that cannot be separated, and the effect on the business world is very significant, so that companies that want to run business operations in Indonesia cannot escape from social problems faced by this nation. Social problems for companies is not the main target, because many other factors such as investment, financing, production, marketing directly related to the normal activity of a company, but a consequence of the interaction between the company and the environment which is undergoing a social crisis becomes unavoidable. Social Accounting is still the pros and cons in the accounting world Indonesia, until now given the presence of pros and cons about the extent to which the company should be accountable to their social environment. The practice of social disclosure firms in Indonesia is still very low because the company allegedly oriented to the Shareholder and debt holders only. The role and application of social accounting need to be developed in Indonesia in order to encourage the creation of corporate social responsibility that are expected to minimize the social problems faced by business entities in Indonesia, so that the healthy investment climate and enduring economic stability.
Energía y valor de germinación en las especies arbóreas genízaro (Phitecellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.) y guanacaste negro (Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Jacq.) Griseb.)
Authors: Suárez Montealegre Sergio D , González-Rivas Benigno , Mendoza-Sánchez Osmar G
Published: June 2016

Este ensayo se realizó en el vivero de la Facultad de Recursos Naturales y del Ambiente de la Universidad Nacional Agraria en Managua, Nicaragua. Semillas de genízaro (Phitecellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.) y guanacaste negro (Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Jacq.) Griseb.,) se utilizaron para cuantificar el porcentaje, energía y valor de la germinación al aplicar tratamientos pre – germinativos de sumersión en agua a punto de ebullición, seguido en ambos casos por 24 horas de reposo en agua a temperatura ambiente, previo a la siembra. También se evaluó el corte en el extremo de la testa de la semilla donde se encuentra el micrópilo. Para estudiar la germinación se seleccionaron 400 semillas por especie divididas en cuatro bloques de 100, sembradas en bandejas almacigueras de polietileno de 100 cavidades cada una. La duración del ensayo fue de 20 días con aplicaciones diarias de riego en las primeras horas de la mañana. El tratamiento pre germinativo que dio mejores resultados fue el rompimiento de la testa en el extremo donde se encuentra el micrópilo, con porcentaje de germinación superior a 90% y mayor valor y energías de germinación.La Calera, Vol.14 No.22, Mayo 2014, pp.28-32
Estado poblacional del ganado Reyna en Nicaragua: distribución, manejo, producción y cualidades
Authors: Hernández-Baca Marlon
Published: June 2016

El presente estudio se realizó en colaboración con el organismo italiano CROCEVIA, y en él se pretendió determinar el nivel poblacional, distribución geográfica, elementos de manejo, utilización y características del ganado criollo Reyna. Se determinó que esta raza está presente en once de los dieciséis departamentos del país, alcanzando una población total de 1 963 cabezas, de las cuales 1 184 corresponden al hato puro y 779 al hato cruzado, siendo los departamentos de Rivas y Boaco los que alcanzaron la mayor población de hato puro. Los sistemas donde se explota esta raza, principalmente son de doble propósito, con alimentación basada en el pastoreo, que en algunos casos se acompaña de suplementación durante el ordeño. Se identificaron 20 especies de pastos en las fincas donde se explota esta raza. La producción de leche en el hato puro se obtiene por ordeño doble o sencillo alcanzando en el primer caso niveles de cuatro a cinco kg en invierno y de cinco a seis kg en verano, y cuando se realiza un solo ordeño, 4.5 kg y 5.5 kg en invierno y verano respectivamente. En el hato cruzado prevalece un solo ordeño con producciones que oscilan entre cuatro y 11 kg en invierno y de tres a 13 kg en verano. De los cruces raciales en los que participa el Reyna se registraron 23, con el predominio de media sangre y un cuarto Reyna en combinación con seis razas. En relación a sus cualidades se registraron 18 bondades y siete defectos señalados por los productores.La Calera, Vol.14 No.22, Mayo 2014, pp.38-43
External dacryocystorhinostomy outcomes in patients with a history of dacryocystitis
Authors: Lefebvre Daniel R. , Dhar Sonya , Lee Irene , Allard Felicia , Freitag Suzanne K.
Published: June 2016

PurposeTo investigate nonidiopathic causes of external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) failure.

MethodsThe medical records of all patients with acute or chronic dacryocystitis who underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy performed by the senior author over a 5-year period were retrospectively reviewed, with attention to microbiology, pathology, and associated medical and history.

ResultsA total of 52 lacrimal systems of 49 patients were included, with a minimum follow-up of 2 months (average, 15.5 months). Surgical success was achieved in 42 systems (87%). Of 7 failures, 6 had a condition potentially associated with an increased risk of failure, including MRSA infection, Gram-negative infection, rhinosinusitis, lymphoma, inflammatory bowel disease, and early loss of lacrimal stents.

ConclusionsExternal DCR is a successful procedure for the treatment of nasolacrimal obstruction associated with dacryocystitis. Various factors may affect surgical success, and awareness of these factors may enable better patient counseling and surgical planning.
Response to phenylephrine testing in upper eyelids with ptosis
Authors: Lee N. Grace , Lin Li-Wei , Mehta Sonia , Freitag Suzanne K.
Published: June 2016

ObjectiveTo evaluate the response of ptotic upper eyelids to topical phenylephrine 10%.

MethodsThe medical records of patients referred for ptosis evaluation over an 18-month period were retrospectively reviewed. Seventy-seven ptotic upper eyelids with aponeurotic dehiscence in 47 patients were given 1 drop of 10% phenylephrine. Margin-to-reflex distance 1 (MRD1) and levator excursion were recorded and photography of lid height was performed both pre- and 5 minutes post-phenylephrine testing.

ResultsA total of 77 ptotic upper eyelids of 47 patients were included. In 22% of lids, phenylephrine testing produced no response; in 18%, lid elevation of 0.5-1 mm; in 35%, elevation of 1.5-2 mm; and in 25%, elevation of > 2 mm. Subgroup analyses revealed a higher proportion of response in cases of mild to moderate ptosis compared with cases of severe ptosis. The amount of levator function in these cases of aponeurotic dehiscence did not correlate with the amount of response to phenylephrine.

ConclusionsA majority of ptotic eyelids, regardless of levator function, responded to topical phenylephrine, which has been demonstrated to be necessary for successful Müller’s muscle resection ptosis repair. While the severity of ptosis was linked to eyelid response to phenylephrine, the degree of levator function did not appear to affect an eyelid’s response to phenylephrine. In this study cohort, phenylephrine was shown to stimulate Müller’s muscle contraction independently of levator function.
The best of the best: a review of select glaucoma case reports published in 2014
Authors: Hoguet Ambika , Pasquale Louis R.
Published: June 2016

This review article summarizes four key case reports published in the field of glaucoma in the year 2014. The first article describes successful early drainage of delayed suprachoroidal hemorrhage in 7 patients who underwent glaucoma surgery. The second describes the use of a corneal patch graft to repair leaking or hypotonous blebs in patients who underwent glaucoma filtration surgery. The third article describes methods to reduce complications when implanting posterior chamber phakic intraocular lenses. The last article describes the clinical course and treatment of a patient in whom oseltamivir use resulted in bilateral acute angle closure.
Marlboros and Milkshakes: Deconstructing the Slippery Slope
Authors: Fischer Paul M.
Published: June 2016

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/30-1-16282 No abstract available.
Metabolic reprogramming during neuronal differentiation from aerobic glycolysis to neuronal oxidative phosphorylation
Authors: Zheng Xinde , Boyer Leah , Jin Mingji , Mertens Jerome , Kim Yongsung , Ma Li , Ma Li , Hamm Michael , Gage Fred H , Hunter Tony
Published: June 2016

How metabolism is reprogrammed during neuronal differentiation is unknown. We found that the loss of hexokinase (HK2) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA) expression, together with a switch in pyruvate kinase gene splicing from PKM2 to PKM1, marks the transition from aerobic glycolysis in neural progenitor cells (NPC) to neuronal oxidative phosphorylation. The protein levels of c-MYC and N-MYC, transcriptional activators of the HK2 and LDHA genes, decrease dramatically. Constitutive expression of HK2 and LDHA during differentiation leads to neuronal cell death, indicating that the shut-off aerobic glycolysis is essential for neuronal survival. The metabolic regulators PGC-1α and ERRγ increase significantly upon neuronal differentiation to sustain the transcription of metabolic and mitochondrial genes, whose levels are unchanged compared to NPCs, revealing distinct transcriptional regulation of metabolic genes in the proliferation and post-mitotic differentiation states. Mitochondrial mass increases proportionally with neuronal mass growth, indicating an unknown mechanism linking mitochondrial biogenesis to cell size.
Anatomical organization of presubicular head-direction circuits
Authors: Preston-Ferrer Patricia , Coletta Stefano , Frey Markus , Burgalossi Andrea
Published: June 2016

Neurons coding for head-direction are crucial for spatial navigation. Here we explored the cellular basis of head-direction coding in the rat dorsal presubiculum (PreS). We found that layer2 is composed of two principal cell populations (calbindin-positive and calbindin-negative neurons) which targeted the contralateral PreS and retrosplenial cortex, respectively. Layer3 pyramidal neurons projected to the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). By juxtacellularly recording PreS neurons in awake rats during passive-rotation, we found that head-direction responses were preferentially contributed by layer3 pyramidal cells, whose long-range axons branched within layer3 of the MEC. In contrast, layer2 neurons displayed distinct spike-shapes, were not modulated by head-direction but rhythmically-entrained by theta-oscillations. Fast-spiking interneurons showed only weak directionality and theta-rhythmicity, but were significantly modulated by angular velocity. Our data thus indicate that PreS neurons differentially contribute to head-direction coding, and point to a cell-type- and layer-specific routing of directional and non-directional information to downstream cortical targets.
Architecture and RNA binding of the human negative elongation factor
Authors: Vos Seychelle M , Pöllmann David , Caizzi Livia , Hofmann Katharina B , Rombaut Pascaline , Zimniak Tomasz , Herzog Franz , Cramer Patrick
Published: June 2016

Transcription regulation in metazoans often involves promoter-proximal pausing of RNA polymerase (Pol) II, which requires the 4-subunit negative elongation factor (NELF). Here we discern the functional architecture of human NELF through X-ray crystallography, protein crosslinking, biochemical assays, and RNA crosslinking in cells. We identify a NELF core subcomplex formed by conserved regions in subunits NELF-A and NELF-C, and resolve its crystal structure. The NELF-AC subcomplex binds single-stranded nucleic acids in vitro, and NELF-C associates with RNA in vivo. A positively charged face of NELF-AC is involved in RNA binding, whereas the opposite face of the NELF-AC subcomplex binds NELF-B. NELF-B is predicted to form a HEAT repeat fold, also binds RNA in vivo, and anchors the subunit NELF-E, which is confirmed to bind RNA in vivo. These results reveal the three-dimensional architecture and three RNA-binding faces of NELF.
A lipoprotein/β-barrel complex monitors lipopolysaccharide integrity transducing information across the outer membrane
Authors: Konovalova Anna , Mitchell Angela M , Silhavy Thomas J
Published: June 2016

Lipoprotein RcsF is the OM component of the Rcs envelope stress response. RcsF exists in complexes with β-barrel proteins (OMPs) allowing it to adopt a transmembrane orientation with a lipidated N-terminal domain on the cell surface and a periplasmic C-terminal domain. Here we report that mutations that remove BamE or alter a residue in the RcsF trans-lumen domain specifically prevent assembly of the interlocked complexes without inactivating either RcsF or the OMP. Using these mutations we demonstrate that these RcsF/OMP complexes are required for sensing OM outer leaflet stress. Using mutations that alter the positively charged surface-exposed domain, we show that RcsF monitors lateral interactions between lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules. When these interactions are disrupted by cationic antimicrobial peptides, or by the loss of negatively charged phosphate groups on the LPS molecule, this information is transduced to the RcsF C-terminal signaling domain located in the periplasm to activate the stress response.
Astrocyte morphology is confined by cortical functional boundaries in mammals ranging from mice to human
Authors: Eilam Raya , Aharoni Rina , Arnon Ruth , Malach Rafael
Published: June 2016

Cortical blood flow can be modulated by local activity across a range of species; from barrel-specific blood flow in the rodent somatosensory cortex to the human cortex, where BOLD-fMRI reveals numerous functional borders. However, it appears that the distribution of blood capillaries largely ignores these functional boundaries. Here we report that, by contrast, astrocytes, a major player in blood-flow control, show a striking morphological sensitivity to functional borders. Specifically, we show that astrocyte processes are structurally confined by barrel boundaries in the mouse, by the border of primary auditory cortex in the rat and by layers IIIa/b and Cytochrome Oxidase (CO)-blobs boundaries in the human primary visual cortex. Thus, astrocytes which are critical elements in neuro-hemodynamic coupling show a significant anatomical segregation along functional boundaries across different mammalian species. These results may open a new anatomical marker for delineating functional borders across species, including post-mortem human brains.
Thin plate model for transverse mode analysis of surface acoustic wave devices
Authors: Tang Gongbin , Han Tao , Chen Jing , Zhang Benfeng , Omori Tatsuya , Hashimoto Ken-ya
Published: June 2016

In this paper, we propose a physical model for the analysis of transverse modes in surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. It is mostly equivalent to the scalar potential (SP) theory, but sufficiently flexible to include various effects such as anisotropy, coupling between multiple modes, etc. First, fundamentals of the proposed model are established and procedures for determining the model parameters are given in detailed. Then the model is implemented in the partial differential equation mode of the commercial finite element analysis software COMSOL. The analysis is carried out for an infinitely long interdigital transducer on the 128°YX-LiNbO3 substrate. As a demonstration, it is shown how the energy leakage changes with the frequency and the device design.
Can a paleodrought record be used to reconstruct streamflow?: A case study for the Missouri River Basin
Authors: Ho Michelle , Lall Upmanu , Cook Edward R.
Published: June 2016

Recent advances in paleoclimatology have revealed dramatic long‐term hydroclimatic variations that provide a context for limited historical records. A notable data set derived from a relatively dense network of paleoclimate proxy records in North America is the Living Blended Drought Atlas (LBDA): a gridded tree‐ring‐based reconstruction of summer Palmer Drought Severity Index. This index has been used to assess North American drought frequency, persistence, and spatial extent over the past two millennia. Here, we explore whether the LBDA can be used to reconstruct annual streamflow. Relative to streamflow reconstructions that use tree rings within the river basin of interest, the use of a gridded proxy poses a novel challenge. The gridded series have high spatial correlation, since they rely on tree rings over a common radius of influence. A novel algorithm for reconstructing streamflow using regularized canonical regression and inputs of local and global covariates is developed and applied over the Missouri River Basin, as a test case. Effectiveness in reconstruction is demonstrated with reconstructions showing periods where streamflow deficits may have been more severe than during recent droughts (e.g., the Civil War, Dust Bowl, and 1950s droughts). The maximum persistence of droughts and floods over the past 500 years far exceeds those observed in the instrumental record and periods of multidecadal variability in the 1500s and 1600s are detected. Challenges for an extension to a national streamflow reconstruction or applications using other gridded paleoclimate data sets such as adequate spatial coverage of streamflow and applicability of annual reconstructions are discussed.
Investigation of a rare event where the polar ionospheric reverse convection potential does not saturate during a period of extreme northward IMF solar wind driving
Authors: Clauer C. Robert , Xu Zhonghua , Maimaiti M. , Ruohoneimi J. Michael , Scales Wayne , Hartinger Michael D. , Nicolls Michael J. , Kaeppler Stephen , Wilder Frederick D. , Lopez Ramon E.
Published: June 2016

A variety of statistical studies have shown that the ionospheric polar potential produced by solar wind‐magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling is linear for weak to moderate solar wind driving but becomes nonlinear during periods of very strong driving. It has been shown that this applies to the two‐cell convection potential that develops during southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and also to the reverse convection cells that develop during northward IMF. This has been described as polar potential saturation, and it appears to begin when the driving solar wind electric field becomes greater than 3 mV/m. Utilizing measurements from the Resolute Incoherent Scatter Radar (RISR‐N), we examine ionospheric data near local noon within the reverse convection cells that developed during a period of very strong northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) on 12 September 2014. During this period we measure the electric field within the throat of the reverse convection cells to be near 150 mV/m at a time when the IMF is nearly 28 nT northward. This is far in excess of the 30–40 mV/m expected for polar potential saturation of the reverse convection cells. In fact, the development of the electric field responds linearly to the IMF Bz component throughout this period of extreme driving. The conditions in the solar wind show the solar wind velocity near 600 km/s, number density near 20 ions/cm3, and the Alfvén velocity about 75 km/s giving an Alfvén Mach number of 8. A search of several years of solar wind data shows that these values occur together 0.035% of the time. These conditions imply a high plasma β in the magnetosheath. We believe that condition of high β along with high mass density and a strong merging electric field in the magnetosheath are the significant parameters that produce the linear driving of the ionospheric electric field during this unusual period of extreme solar wind conditions. A discussion of current theories to account for cross‐polar cap potential saturation is given with the conclusion that theories that utilize magnetosheath parameters as they affect the reconnection rate appear to be the most relevant to the cross‐polar cap potential saturation solution.
Media Effects: Across and Between Cultures
Authors: Bonfadelli Heinz
Published: June 2016

Intercultural and transcultural communication constitute heterogeneous and disparate fields of communication and media studies, especially in the area of media effects research. In this entry, the structure and corresponding research questions of the topic “media effects across and between cultures” are defined and differentiated. Then follow methodological considerations and the presentation and discussion of relevant theoretical approaches from the field of media effects. Finally, the entry offers an overview of findings from existing empirical research.
Encoding and Decoding
Authors: Murdock Graham
Published: June 2016

This entry traces the evolution of the encoding/decoding model of audience activity from its origins in early information science through its application to cultural analysis in the work of the Italian semiotician Umberto Eco to its elaboration in the influential schema proposed by Stuart Hall and developed in research on TV audiences conducted at the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. The model aimed to replace conceptions of individualized direct effects with an account of audience interpretations that grounded variations in response in differential access to socially distributed meanings systems, but its formulation of the problem and its representation of codes failed to do justice to the complexity of the relations between social location and cultural systems and were later largely displaced by research drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu and on discourse studies.
Materiality, Ornament, and Media Overlaps: Architecture Between Art and Building Science
Authors: Payne Alina
Published: June 2016

This chapter addresses the neglected relationship between architecture and the other arts. Materiality and crafting lay at the core of this slippage across artistic domains, as did the perennial human analogy that traverses all the arts. Exchanges between architecture and sculpture, painting/drawing, surface decorations, as well as the relationship between architecture and the portable/mobile, minor arts, such as pottery, textiles, metal and wood intarsia work come into focus here. Thus sculpted facades, carved ornaments,sgraffitodecoration on stucco walls like the human body itself as a matrix for architecture and military engineering emerge as critical sites for artistic dialogue.
The Spanish Kingdom of Southern Italy: Architecture in Naples, Lecce, L'aquila
Authors: del Pesco Daniela
Published: June 2016

On August 19, 1925 Walter Benjamin published inFrankfurter Zeitunga report from Naples, which was the first of a series dedicated to European cities. “Fabulous travel accounts,” he wrote, “attributed colors to a town that is grey instead, a red grey or ochre, a white‐grey. It is really grey compared to the sky and the sea.… The town is built on the rocks. Looking from the top, near Castel San Martino, where the shouts do not reach you, it lies dead in the twilight, one with the rock. You can hardly see a strip of shore and the buildings that throng together behind it.” Why should Naples, a town on the blue Mediterranean, have appeared to Benjamin gray and dead, indistinguishable from the rock on which it stands? The question, and Benjamin's acute observation, may be answered by considering the long period of Spanish supremacy over Naples between 1503 and 1707 when these conditions were determined. This was the period when the town assumed a new urban configuration that also engendered an architectural development of high quality. It is therefore as the capital city of a vast viceroyalty that Naples occupies us here. This chapter focuses on this period also because it was precisely at this time that the social and economic contradictions, problems, and tensions emerged that were to affect the city for centuries to come.
Isotropic Versus Bipolar Functionalized Biomimetic Artificial Basement Membranes and Their Evaluation in Long‐Term Human Cell Co‐Culture
Authors: Rossi Angela , Wistlich Laura , Heffels Karl‐Heinz , Walles Heike , Groll Jürgen
Published: June 2016

In addition to dividing tissues into compartments, basement membranes are crucial as cell substrates and to regulate cellular behavior. The development of artificial basement membranes is indispensable for the ultimate formation of functional engineered tissues; however, pose a challenge due to their complex structure. Herein, biodegradable electrospun polyester meshes are presented, exhibiting isotropic or bipolar bioactivation as a biomimetic and biofunctional model of the natural basement membrane. In a one‐step preparation process, reactive star‐shaped prepolymer additives, which generate a hydrophilic fiber surface, are electrospun with cell‐adhesion‐mediating peptides, derived from major components of the basement membrane. Human skin cells adhere to the functionalized meshes, and long‐term co‐culture experiments confirm that the artificial basement membranes recapitulate and preserve tissue specific functions. Several layers of immortalized human keratinocytes grow on the membranes, differentiating toward the surface and expressing typical epithelial markers. Fibroblasts migrate into the reticular lamina mimicking part of the mesh. Both cells types begin to produce extracellular matrix proteins and to remodel the initial membrane. It is shown at the example of skin that the artificial basement membrane design provokes biomimetic responses of different cell types and can thus be used as basis for the future development of basement membrane containing tissues.