bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hepatitis B Immunisation amongst doctors and laboratory personnel in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Authors: Khan Feroza Y. , Ross Andrew J.
Published: December 2013

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most easily transmitted blood-bornepathogen and is an occupational hazard for health care workers (HCWs). Despite the factthat infection is preventable through vaccination and post-exposure immunoglobulin therapy, many HCWs are unaware of the risks of HBV infection and of appropriate preventative measures. This study is unique in the South African setting as it focuses on the exposure,attitude and knowledge of doctors to HBV infection.Method: This was an observational descriptive study. Records of the HBV immune status ofall doctors who reported an occupational injury (OI) to the occupational health clinic between June 2010 and May 2011 were reviewed. A structured questionnaire was then distributed to all laboratory personnel and senior doctors employed at the hospital.Results: Of the 67 doctors who reported an OI, 39% (26 out of 67) had no HBV immunityand only 19% (5 out of 26) had received Hepatitis B immunoglobulin. Of the 78 doctors whocompleted the questionnaire, 65% (51 out of 78) reported at least one OI during their career. Fifty-six percent of the respondents were unaware of their HBV immune status and only 31%had received a booster within the previous 5 years.Conclusion: Poor compliance of HCWs to HBV vaccination and post-exposure prophylaxis is a concern. In-service training is needed to inform staff of the efficacy of HBV vaccination andimmunoglobulin therapy.
Community oriented primary care in Tshwane District, South Africa: Assessing the first phase of implementation
Authors: Kinkel Hans-Friedemann , Marcus Tessa , Memon Shehla , Bam Nomonde , Hugo Jannie
Published: December 2013

Background: Re-engineering primary health care is a cornerstone of the health sector reforminitiated nationally in South Africa in 2009. Using the concept of ward based NGO-run healthposts, Tshwane District, Gauteng, began implementing community oriented primary care (COPC) through ward based outreach teams (WBOT) in seven wards during 2011.Objectives: This study sought to gain insight into how primary health care providers understood and perceived the first phase of implementing COPC in the Tshwane district.Method: Qualitative research was performed through focus group interviews with staff of the seven health posts during September 2011 and October 2011. It explored primary health careproviders’ understanding, perception and experience of COPC.Results: Participants raised organisational, workplace and community relationship issues in the discussions. Organisationally, these related to the process of initiating and setting up COPC and the relationship between governmental and nongovernmental organisations. Issues that arose around the workplace related to the job situation and employment status and remuneration of health post staff. Community related issues centred on the role and relationship between service providers and their communities.Conclusion: COPC touched a responsive nerve in the health care system, both nationallyand locally. It was seen as an effective way to respond to South Africa’s crisis of health care. Initiating the reform was inevitably a complex process. In this initial phase of implementing COPC the political commitment of governmental and nongovernmental organisations was evident. What still had to be worked through was how the collaboration would materialise in practice on the ground.
Foliar Consumption across a Sudden Oak Death Chronosequence in Laboratory Fires
Authors: Kuljian Howard , Varner J. Morgan
Published: December 2013

The recent introduction and spread of sudden oak death (SOD; caused byPhytopthora ramorum) has caused heavy mortality in native tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus[Hook. & Arn.] Manoset al.=Lithocarpus densiflorus[Hook. & Arn.] Rehder) forests in California and Oregon, USA. Following tree death, killed tanoaks retain their dead foliage, resulting in a 1 to 3 year period of extremely low foliar moisture and increased probability of crown ignition. We compared foliage ignition and consumption in a laboratory experiment at simulated crown heights from 0.5 m to 1.5 m across a range of representative foliar moistures (80 %, 70 %, 9 %, and 5 %) found in affected regional forests. Results revealed differences in live and dead foliage consumption. All foliage categories were consumed at the lowest crown base heights; consumption of live foliage declined quickly with increasing height, with minimal consumption occurring above 1 m. Consumption of dead foliage also declined with increasing heights, but some consumption (∼25 %) still occurred up to 1.25 m. These data inform the mechanism for patterns of individual tree torching and firebrand generation reported in wildfires in SOD-infected forests and woodlands.
Short-Term Effects of Repeated Wildfires in Oak-Juniper Woodlands
Authors: Reemts Charlotte M. , Hansen Laura L.
Published: December 2013

Fire can shape both the structure and composition of vegetation communities, especially those dominated by species with different regeneration strategies. The dominant species of oak-juniper communities in central Texas include resprouters (oaks [Quercus spp.]) and a reseeder (Ashe juniper [Juniperus ashei Buchholz]). We studied the effects of two overlapping wildfires (1996 and 2009) on oak-juniper woodlands on Fort Hood Military Reservation, Texas, USA. We estimated burn severity and measured vegetation regeneration along permanent transects in once-burned, twice-burned, and nonburned areas. Burn severity was highly variable, but was higher in 1996 than in 2009. In the first growing season after the second fire (2009), understory stem density was 3 to 4 times higher than in 1996, but that difference had disappeared by the third growing season. Overstory density did not differ after the two fires, but density on slopes was 3 to 10 times higher than on mesas. Overall species composition was similar after the two fires, but differed from nonburned areas due to the absence of Ashe juniper. Ashe juniper was still absent from twice-burned areas in 2011, whereas small numbers of junipers (21 ± 34 stems ha−1) had colonized the once-burned areas within three years. Our data suggest that wildfires controlled the historical distribution of Ashe juniper, but not of resprouting species, in the Edwards Plateau, and that long intervals between wildfires are required for Ashe juniper to become a canopy dominant in these woodlands.
Climate and air quality trade-offs in altering ship fuel sulfur content
Authors: Partanen A. I. , Laakso A. , Schmidt A. , Kokkola H. , Kuokkanen T. , Pietikäinen J.-P. , Kerminen V.-M. , Lehtinen K. E. J. , Laakso L. , Korhonen H.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Aerosol particles from shipping emissions both cool the climate and cause adverse health effects. The cooling effect is, however, declining because of shipping emission controls aiming to improve air quality. We used an aerosol-climate model ECHAM-HAMMOZ to test whether by altering ship fuel sulfur content, the present-day aerosol-induced cooling effect from shipping could be preserved, while at the same time reducing premature mortality rates related to shipping emissions. We compared the climate and health effects of a present-day shipping emission scenario (ship fuel sulfur content of 2.7%) with (1) a simulation with strict emission controls in the coastal waters (ship fuel sulfur content of 0.1%) and twofold the present-day fuel sulfur content (i.e. 5.4%) elsewhere; and (2) a scenario with global strict shipping emission controls (ship fuel sulfur content of 0.1% in coastal waters and 0.5% elsewhere) roughly corresponding to international agreements to be enforced by the year 2020. Scenario 1 had a slightly stronger aerosol-induced effective radiative forcing (ERF) from shipping than the present-day scenario (−0.43 W m−2 vs. −0.39 W m−2) while reducing premature mortality from shipping by 69% (globally 34 900 deaths avoided per year). Scenario 2 decreased the ERF to −0.06 W m−2 and annual deaths by 96% (globally 48 200 deaths avoided per year) compared to present-day. Our results show that the cooling effect of present-day emissions could be retained with simultaneous notable improvements in air quality, even though the shipping emissions from the open ocean clearly have a significant effect on continental air quality. However, increasing ship fuel sulfur content in the open ocean would violate existing international treaties, could cause detrimental side-effects, and could be classified as geoengineering.
Effects of nitrogen fertilization on the forest floor carbon balance over the growing season in a boreal pine forest
Authors: Metcalfe D. B. , Eisele B. , Hasselquist N. J.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Boreal forests play a key role in the global carbon cycle and are facing rapid shifts in nitrogen availability with poorly understood consequences for ecosystem function and global climate change. We quantified the effects of increasing nitrogen availability on carbon fluxes from a relatively understudied component of these forests – the forest floor – at three intervals over the summer growing period in a northern Swedish Scots pine stand. Nitrogen addition altered both the uptake and release of carbon dioxide from the forest floor, but the magnitude and direction of this effect depended on the time during the growing season and the amount of nitrogen added. Specifically, nitrogen addition stimulated net forest floor carbon uptake only in the late growing season. We find evidence for species-specific control of forest floor carbon sink strength, as photosynthesis per unit ground area was positively correlated only with the abundance of the vascular plant Vaccinium myrtillus and no others. Comparison of understorey vegetation photosynthesis and respiration from the study site indicates that understorey vegetation photosynthate was mainly supplying respiratory demands for much of the year. Only in the late season with nitrogen addition did understorey vegetation appear to experience a large surplus of carbon in excess of respiratory requirements. Further work, simultaneously comparing all major biomass and respiratory carbon fluxes in forest floor and tree vegetation, is required to resolve the likely impacts of environmental changes on whole-ecosystem carbon sequestration in boreal forests.
CLUSTER STAFF search coils magnetometer calibration – comparisons with FGM
Authors: Robert P. , Cornilleau-Wehrlin N. , Piberne R. , de Conchy Y. , Lacombe C. , Bouzid V. , Grison B. , Alison D. , Canu P.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. The main part of Cluster Spatio Temporal Analysis of Field Fluctuations (STAFF) experiment consists of triaxial search coils allowing the measurements of the three magnetic components of the waves from 0.1 Hz up to 4 kHz. Two sets of data are produced, one by a module to filter and transmit the corresponding waveform up to either 10 or 180 Hz (STAFF-SC) and the second by an onboard Spectrum Analyser (STAFF-SA) to compute the elements of the spectral matrix for five components of the waves, 3 × B and 2 × E (from EFW experiment) in the frequency range 8 Hz to 4 kHz. In order to understand the way the output signal of the search coils are calibrated, the transfer functions of the different parts of the instrument are described as well as the way to transform telemetry data into physical units, across various coordinate systems from the spinning sensors to a fixed and known frame. The instrument sensitivity is discussed. Cross-calibration inside STAFF (SC and SA) is presented. Results of cross-calibration between the STAFF search coils and the Cluster Flux Gate Magnetometer (FGM) data are discussed. It is shown that these cross-calibrations lead to an agreement between both data sets at low frequency within a 2% error. By means of statistics done over 10 yr, it is shown that the functionalities and characteristics of both instruments have not changed during this period.
Developing predictive insight into changing water systems: use-inspired hydrologic science for the Anthropocene
Authors: Thompson S. E. , Sivapalan M. , Harman C. J. , Srinivasan V. , Hipsey M. R. , Reed P. , Montanari A. , Blöschl G.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Globally, many different kinds of water resources management issues call for policy- and infrastructure-based responses. Yet responsible decision-making about water resources management raises a fundamental challenge for hydrologists: making predictions about water resources on decadal- to century-long timescales. Obtaining insight into hydrologic futures over 100 yr timescales forces researchers to address internal and exogenous changes in the properties of hydrologic systems. To do this, new hydrologic research must identify, describe and model feedbacks between water and other changing, coupled environmental subsystems. These models must be constrained to yield useful insights, despite the many likely sources of uncertainty in their predictions. Chief among these uncertainties are the impacts of the increasing role of human intervention in the global water cycle – a defining challenge for hydrology in the Anthropocene. Here we present a research agenda that proposes a suite of strategies to address these challenges from the perspectives of hydrologic science research. The research agenda focuses on the development of co-evolutionary hydrologic modeling to explore coupling across systems, and to address the implications of this coupling on the long-time behavior of the coupled systems. Three research directions support the development of these models: hydrologic reconstruction, comparative hydrology and model-data learning. These strategies focus on understanding hydrologic processes and feedbacks over long timescales, across many locations, and through strategic coupling of observational and model data in specific systems. We highlight the value of use-inspired and team-based science that is motivated by real-world hydrologic problems but targets improvements in fundamental understanding to support decision-making and management. Fully realizing the potential of this approach will ultimately require detailed integration of social science and physical science understanding of water systems, and is a priority for the developing field of sociohydrology.
Regional climate models' performance in representing precipitation and temperature over selected Mediterranean areas
Authors: Deidda R. , Marrocu M. , Caroletti G. , Pusceddu G. , Langousis A. , Lucarini V. , Puliga M. , Speranza A.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. This paper discusses the relative performance of several climate models in providing reliable forcing for hydrological modeling in six representative catchments in the Mediterranean region. We consider 14 Regional Climate Models (RCMs), from the EU-FP6 ENSEMBLES project, run for the A1B emission scenario on a common 0.22° (about 24 km) rotated grid over Europe and the Mediterranean region. In the validation period (1951 to 2010) we consider daily precipitation and surface temperatures from the observed data fields (E-OBS) data set, available from the ENSEMBLES project and the data providers in the ECA&D project. Our primary objective is to rank the 14 RCMs for each catchment and select the four best-performing ones to use as common forcing for hydrological models in the six Mediterranean basins considered in the EU-FP7 CLIMB project. Using a common suite of four RCMs for all studied catchments reduces the (epistemic) uncertainty when evaluating trends and climate change impacts in the 21st century. We present and discuss the validation setting, as well as the obtained results and, in some detail, the difficulties we experienced when processing the data. In doing so we also provide useful information and advice for researchers not directly involved in climate modeling, but interested in the use of climate model outputs for hydrological modeling and, more generally, climate change impact studies in the Mediterranean region.
Detection and thermal description of medicanes from numerical simulation
Authors: Picornell M. A. , Campins J. , Jansà A.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Tropical-like cyclones rarely affect the Mediterranean region and they can produce strong winds and heavy precipitations. These warm-core cyclones, called MEDICANES (MEDIterranean hurriCANES), are small size, develop over the sea and are infrequent. For these reasons, the detection and forecast of medicanes are a difficult task and many efforts have been devoted to identify them. The goals of this work are to contribute to a proper description of these structures and to develop some criteria to identify medicanes from numerical weather prediction (NWP) model outputs. To do that, existing methodologies for detecting, characterizating and tracking cyclones have been adapted to small-scale intense cyclonic perturbations. First, a mesocyclone detection and tracking algorithm has been modified to select intense cyclones. Next, the parameters that define the Hart's cyclone phase diagram are tuned and calculated to examine their thermal structure. Four well-known medicane events have been described from numerical simulation outputs of the ECMWF model. The predicted cyclones and their evolution have been validated against available observational data and numerical analyses from literature.
Automatic classification of manual snow profiles by snow structure
Authors: Techel F. , Pielmeier C.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Manual snowpack observations are an important component of avalanche hazard assessment for the Swiss avalanche forecasting service. Approximately 900 snow profiles are observed each winter, in flat study plots or on representative slopes. So far, these profiles are manually classified combining both information on snow stability (e.g. Rutschblock test) and snowpack structure (e.g. layering, hardness). To separate the classification of snowpack stability and structure, and also to reduce inconsistencies in ratings between forecasters, we developed and tested an automatic approach to classify profiles by snowpack structure during two winters. The automatic classification is based on a calculated index, which consists of three components: properties of (1) the slab (thickness), (2) weakest layer interface and (3) the percentage of the snowpack which is soft, coarse-grained and consists of persistent grain types. The latter two indices are strongly based on criteria described in the threshold sum approach. The new snowpack structure index allows a consistent comparison of snowpack structure to detect regional patterns, seasonal or inter-annual differences but may also supplement snow-climate classifications.
Geometria do aquífero tubarão entre os municípios de Indaiatuba e Capivari (SP)
Authors: Oda Geraldo Hideo , Takeuchi Diana Mayumi , Ezaki Sibele , Iritani Mara Akie , Varnier Claudia , Penteado Denise Rossini , Lima Carla Veiga Fernandes , Silva Alexandre Henrique da , Zuca Nádia Lucia , Pacheco Renan Penasso
Published: December 2013

O Aquífero Tubarão (Bacia do Paraná), embora seja considerado de baixa produtividade, constitui importante fonte de abastecimento público e privado na Região Metropolitana de Campinas e municípios do eixo Sorocaba-Campinas (Estado de São Paulo). Estudos hidrogeológicos da década de 1990 constataram rebaixamento da superfície potenciométrica devido ao bombeamento intensivo de poços, indicando a necessidade de avaliar seu potencial produtivo. Nesse sentido, este trabalho teve como finalidade caracterizar a geometria deste aquífero entre os municípios de Indaiatuba e Capivari (SP). Para tanto, foram elaborados e analisados perfis litoestratigráficos de direção leste-oeste, com base em dados de 1262 poços tubulares. As correlações dos perfis com os mapas geológico, potenciométrico, de espessura de arenito e de contorno estrutural do topo do embasamento cristalino permitem fornecer uma visão tridimensional dos estratos litológicos, auxiliar na locação de novos poços, subsidiar estudos estratigráficos e paleoambientais e melhorar o aproveitamento da água subterrânea. Esses resultados mostram que as regiões mais produtivas estão nos locais onde os poços atravessaram as maiores espessuras de arenito (cerca de 200 a 300 m), ou seja: 1- região central do Município de Capivari; 2- regiões nordeste e centro noroeste do Município de Elias Fausto; 3- região centro nordeste do Município de Monte Mor. Nesta última, verificou-se significativa continuidade lateral dos arenitos, sobrepostos por argilitos e folhelhos, que imprimem localmente um confinamiento do aquífero.
Descrição de um espécime juvenil de Baurusuchidae (Crocodyliformes: Mesoeucrocodylia) do Grupo Bauru (Neocretáceo): considerações preliminares sobre ontogenia
Authors: Geroto Caio Fabricio Cezar , Bertini Reinaldo José
Published: December 2013

Entre os táxons de Crocodyliformes do Grupo Bauru (Neocretáceo), grande quantidade de morfótipos, incluindo materiais cranianos e pós-cranianos, vem sendo descrita em associação a Baurusuchus pachecoi. Porém, a falta de estudos ontogenéticos, como os realizados para Mariliasuchus amarali, levou à atribuição de novos gêneros e espécies aos poucos crânios completos encontrados. A presente contribuição traz a descrição de um espécime juvenil de Baurusuchidae depositado no acervo do Museu de Ciências da Terra no Rio de Janeiro sob o número MCT 1724 - R. Trata-se de um rostro e mandíbula associados e em oclusão, com o lado esquerdo melhor preservado que o direito, e dentição zifodonte extremamente reduzida. O fóssil possui 125,3 mm de comprimento preservado da porção anterior do pré-maxilar até a extremidade posterior do dentário; 117,5 mm de comprimento preservado do pré-maxilar aos palatinos e altura lateral de 51,4 mm. Entre as informações de caráter ontogenético identificadas destacam-se: ornamentação suave composta de estrias vermiformes muito espaçadas e largas, linha ventral do maxilar mais reta, dentário levemente inclinado dorsalmente na porção mediana e sínfise mandibular menos vertical que em outros baurussúquidos de tamanho maior. A maioria das características rostrais e dentárias, diagnósticas para Baurusuchus pachecoi, foi identificada no exemplar MCT 1724 - R: rostro alto e comprimido lateralmente, além de dentição zifodonte com forte redução dentária, que culmina em quatro dentes pré-maxilares e cinco maxilares. Portanto, como não pode ser separado morfologicamente da espécie-tipo do gênero e tendo sido encontrado em afloramentos da Formação Adamantina, é possível identificá-lo como um juvenil de Baurusuchus cf. pachecoi. Mudanças que podem ser observadas gradualmente dos morfótipos menores para os maiores, de caráter ontogenético, são: um aumento da ornamentação craniana; a porção mediana/posterior da linha ventral do maxilar passando de reta para côncava; e a verticalização da linha da sínfise mandibular para próximo de 45º.
Bioestratigrafia baseada em foraminíferos do sopé continental do litoral norte do Estado da Bahia, Brasil
Authors: Ribeiro Neto Adelino da Silva , Araújo Tânia Maria Fonseca , Araújo Helisângela Acris Borges de
Published: December 2013

O período Quaternário é caracterizado por grandes mudanças climáticas, amplamente registradas nas bacias oceânicas devido à sedimentação contínua e lenta. Considerando esta condição, o presente trabalho analisa a distribuição vertical da microfauna de foraminíferos ao longo do testemunho REG-114, coletado no sopé do assoalho oceânico ao largo do litoral norte do Estado da Bahia, e apresenta os resultados de análises bioestratigráficas a partir do estudo das assembleias desses organismos. O referido testemunho foi coletado na profundidade de 2.640 m em 2008. Em laboratório, foi possível extrair oito amostras, em intervalos de 20 cm, que foram tratadas segundo metodologia padrão para sedimentos carbonáticos. Em todas as amostras a fração mais abundante foi argila (>; 75%). Ao longo da coluna sedimentar foram identificadas 63 espécies de foraminíferos, distribuídas em 35 gêneros, sendo 28 bentônicas e 7 planctônicas. As principais espécies encontradas foram: Globigerinoides ruber (43,96%), G. trilobus (11,42%), G. elongatus (11,33%), Globigerina bulloides (6,58%), Globigerinoides saculifer (6,04%) e Globorotalia trucatulinoides (5,21%). De acordo com as flutuações das espécies planctônicas foi possível identificar duas Zonas bioestratigráficas (Zonas Y e Z) e duas Subzonas (Subzonas Y2 e Y1). O limite entre estas subzonas foi estabelecido pelo decréscimo das espécies Globorotalia trucatulinoides e G. crassaformis, características de água fria, e o aumento da espécie Globigerinoides saculifer, típica de água quente, indicando o aquecimento abrupto da massa d'água. Associado a isso, a distribuição de espécies planctônicas, com porcentagens >; 90%, indica que não houve remobilização de sedimentos no fundo oceânico, confirmando a estabilidade ambiental nesta região, caracterizada por baixo aporte sedimentar.
Técnica para desagregação de rochas sedimentares para recuperar restos de vertebrados das formações Adamantina e Marília (Grupo Bauru, Cretáceo Superior)
Authors: Oliveira Emerson Ferreira de , Faria Anizio Marcio de , Candeiro Carlos Roberto dos Anjos
Published: December 2013

Acumulações de fósseis vertebrados encontradas no Grupo Bauru (Neocretáceo) da região do Triângulo Mineiro tradicionalmente têm sido coletadas por meio de métodos de campo tradicionais. Entretanto, a falta de protocolos específicos para a coleta de micro e macrovertebrados tem resultado, por vezes, em conjuntos de dados e interpretações equivocados. A fim de recuperar os fósseis com maior eficácia, utilizou-se no presente estudo um método que envolveu a coleta de rochas, a triagem, a desagregação química, e posterior lavagem. Este método foi aplicado a rochas sedimentares das formações Adamantina e Marília contendo fragmentos fósseis. Os resultados demonstraram que o tratamento químico pode contribuir para uma melhor desagregação da rocha sem danificar as características dos fósseis. A metodologia proposta é passível de aplicação em outras localidades fossilíferas contendo fragmentos de fósseis e microfósseis de vertebrados.
Sarcopterygii do Eopermiano da Bacia do Paraná, Estado de São Paulo
Authors: Chahud Artur , Petri Setembrino
Published: December 2013

Esta contribuição constitui uma revisão dos Sarcopterygii (Coelacanthimorpha - celacantos; Tetrapodomorpha - Osteolepimorpha e tetrápodes) do Eopermiano da Bacia do Paraná no Estado de São Paulo. O outro grupo importante de sarcopterígeos - Dipnoi (peixes pulmonados) - ainda não foi registrado nesse estado no Eopermiano. Os Coelacanthimorpha foram observados no Grupo Itararé e nas formações Tatuí e Irati. Os arenitos e conglomerados da base do Membro Taquaral da Formação Irati são ricos em ictiofósseis, incluindo dentes labirintodontes atribuídos a Tetrapodomorpha, que variam de poucos milímetros a alguns centímetros, sendo, portanto, os maiores dentes já encontrados no Permiano em São Paulo. A fácies folhelho síltico do Membro Taquaral é a que apresenta maior abundância em número de escamas de Coelacanthimorpha, com espécimes de alguns centímetros de comprimento porém, até agora, nenhum outro Sarcopterygii foi identificado. Apesar dos celacantídeos atualmente serem indicadores de ambiente marinho profundo, no Paleozoico eles podem ser encontrados em rochas depositadas em ambientes de salinidades variadas e na água doce. Os Tetrapodomorpha também possuíam espécies que habitavam ambientes de salinidade variada e continentais. Para análise paleoambiental destes grupos é necessário o conhecimento do contexto sedimentar e da paleobiota associada.
Customer Satisfaction of Mobile-Internet-Users: An Empirical Approximation for the Case of Spain
Authors: GarÃ­n-MuÃ±oz Teresa , GijÃ³n Covadonga , PÃ©rez-Amaral Teodosio , LÃ³pez Rafael
Published: December 2013

This paper studies the mobile Internet services in Spain. It deals mostly with overall consumer satisfaction as well as with some of its attributes. The study is based on Micro data from a survey conducted by the Spanish Center for Sociological Research (CIS, 2009). The analysis shows that communication quality and cost are the main attributes of the service involved in the overall satisfaction of the individual.The main model allows us to analyze to what extent different service providers generate different levels of satisfaction of individuals when controlling for other relevant variables. In this regard, statistically significant differences have been found for both overall satisfaction and for satisfaction with any other of its attributes. Taking into account that the dependent variable is somewhat ordinal, the model is estimated by three alternative methods: ordinary least squares (OLS), ordered probit and ordered logit. The three techniques produce fairly similar results
Inside the Sun Pyramid at Teotihuacan, Mexico: 2008—2011 Excavations and Preliminary Results
Authors: Sugiyama Nawa , Sugiyama Saburo , Alejandro Sarabia G.
Published: December 2013

After more than a century of explorations at the Sun Pyramid in Teotihuacan, many uncertainties about the function, meaning, chronology, and use of the monument remain unresolved. Here we present preliminary results from excavations and mapping conducted by the Sun Pyramid Project to address some of these issues. We focus particularly on describing the architectural features excavated in the interior of the pyramid as well as the subterranean tunnel. This evidence is used to argue that the subterranean structure was artificially constructed for ritual activities, including the placement of royal burials and/or offerings in its interior. We define three stages in the construction sequence of the Sun Pyramid: (1) a Pre-Sun Pyramid phase, (2) the establishment of the main corpus of the monument, and, finally, (3) the adjoining of the adosada platform. In each phase, we discuss the presence of burials, offerings, or other features uncovered. Furthermore, we present the results of new ceramic and radiocarbon dates that transform our understanding about the construction of the ceremonial center, where the Sun Pyramid and the subterranean tunnel are dated to a later phase than previously thought, from A.D. 170—310 and A.D. 140—240, respectively.
Gendered Logistic Mobility Among the Earliest Farmers in the Sonoran Desert
Authors: Watson James T. , Stoll Marijke
Published: December 2013

Archaeological evidence suggests that early farmers in the Sonoran Desert practiced a mixed subsistence strategy that likely involved logistical foraging by a segment of the population to supplement agricultural investments on the floodplains. Patterned differences in labor investments in archaeological populations can often be extrapolated by comparing cross-sectional geometry in long bones, which can vary as a result of repetitive behaviors. We compare cross-sectional geometry (dimensions) of the femur between site location, archaeological phase, and by sex (males vs. females) in a series of skeletal samples from the Early Agricultural period (2100 B.C.—A.D. 50) to test the hypothesis that males exhibit greater anterior-posterior dimensions of the femur midshaft compared to females. We found that the cross-sectional geometry of the femur is significantly different between the sexes, indicating that males participated in foraging forays more frequently than females, and we suggest that these early farmers employed a gendered logistic mobility strategy. These differences reflect a continued investment in foraged resources (subsistence and materials) during the Early Agricultural period in the Sonoran Desert and have important implications for the division of labor and the construction of gender roles among these communities.
Els viatges de la física: perseguint ombres, mesurant meridians
Authors: Batlló Josep
Published: December 2013

A partir del segle XVII l’estudi acurat i resolució de diversos problemes de la física, principalment relacionats amb l’astronomia i la forma de la Terra, però no sols, ha passat per realitzar mesures a diferents llocs i, per tant, per l’organització de viatges científics amb aquests objectius específics. Presentarem alguns d’aquests problemes i les solucions adoptades a l’època.
Asambleas constituyentes y democracia: una lectura crítica del nuevo constitucionalismo en la región andina
Authors: Bejarano Ana María , Segura Renata
Published: December 2013

This article throws into question the idea according to which democratic and participatory constitution making processes necessarily produce constitutions that lead to democratic deepening. While many new constitutions create wider avenues for political participation, not all of them open the door to the opposition, nor guarantee its exercise. By studying the constitution making processes in the Andean region since 1991, this article puts forth two different routes to constitution making that yield different results. On the one hand, a diverse and symmetric assembly where negotiation becomes the dominant strategy should yield a constitution favorable to democracy, deepening in its double dimension (inclusion and opposition). On the other hand, an assembly dominated by one majoritarian actor or coalition that can impose its own constitutional project, may yield positive outcomes in terms of inclusion, while having a negative impact on the dimensions of competition and contestation, both critical for democracy.
La Constitución de Colombia de 1991 y sus enemigos. El fracaso del consenso constitucional
Authors: Hernández Jorge Andrés
Published: December 2013

The Colombian constitution of 1991 brought major reforms to Colombia’s political institutions and has been analyzed by political scientists and constitutional lawyers as the product of a wide constitutional consensus. But twenty years after, there is strong evidence of a legal, political and social process of counter-reformation against the principles and values of the Constitution. This process reveals that there is no such a thing like a constitutional consensus in Colombia.
Las altas Cortes y la consolidación democrática en Ecuador luego de las reformas de 1998, 2008 y 2011
Authors: Jaramillo Jassir Mauricio
Published: December 2013

This document seeks to introduce the overlooked studied relationship between democratic consolidation and the judicial branch in the so-called young democratic regimes. The Ecuadorian case is an excellent example of this, due to the fact that it is a young regime trying to achieve democratic consolidation. Since 2008 a re-foundation tentative which has implied a major transformation of the judicial branch has been entailed.
With this in mind, this article is divided into five parts. The first part studies the importance of the judicial branch in democratic consolidation. The second part briefly describes Ecuador historical context. The third part examines the re-foundation tentative that took place in Ecuador with the 1998 Constitution. The fourth part explains the Ecuadorian veto powers and how they facilitate or obstruct the reforms. Finally, the fifth part analyzes the effects that have been brought upon the democratic consolidation with the reforms made on the judicial branch by Rafael Correa through changes in the Ecuadorian constitution.
“Si no vas al Senado, no te eligen magistrado”. Instituciones informales y criterios de selección de los magistrados de la Corte Constitucional colombiana en el Senado (1992-2009)
Authors: Montoya Ana María
Published: December 2013

Judicial appointments are political processes shaped by both formal and informal practices. This article asks why certain candidates are elected as judges to the High Courts while others are not. More specifically, what have been the criteria in the election of judges to the Colombian Constitutional Court in the Senate, from 1992 to 2009. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis, I argue that, like in the United States, ideological and political considerations guide the appointment of these Judges. Other criteria, like their demographic characteristics or their professional qualifications, also play a role. Nonetheless, the main finding is that lobbying directly by candidates or through a political promoter is a determinant informal institution in the selection of the Judges of the Constitutional Court. It is a necessary condition for the other aspects to come together in the final senatorial choice.
La marihuana recreativa en los estados de Colorado y Washington y la incapacidad del Gobierno de Estados Unidos para hacer cumplir las leyes federales y las convenciones de drogas dentro de su país
Authors: Thoumi Francisco E.
Published: December 2013

This essay studies the recreational marihuana policies of Colorado and Washington State and the constitutional conflicts between federal and state powers that make it very difficult for the federal government to enforce its drug laws and the international conventions on the states. The essay summarizes the development of the International Drug Control Regime (IDCR) and the relevant Supreme Court decisions. It concludes that the U.S. has been the main force behind the ICDR that has been an instrument of its international policy but not of its domestic drug policies and that the Colorado and Washington State policies undermine the IDCR and will force changes in U.S. international drug policies.
The Field of Technology in Sweden: The Historical Take-Off of the Engineering Professions
Authors: Sjöstrand Glenn
Published: December 2013

Although the engineering profession has been called “the failed profession” owing to its lack of social closure, engineers have been successful in claiming their area of expertise and specialized knowledge as legitimate areas of research, knowledge, and intervention. In this article, the historical development of engineering professions in Sweden is used as a case of professional development. With the use of primary statistical sources and secondary historical sources, I endeavor to explain engineers’ professional development via coinciding factors such as the expansion and scientific content of lower and higher engineering education, the struggle for power in interest groups and unions, and engineers’ position in what seems to be an ever-increasingly diversified labor market. I argue that the professionalization process for Swedish engineers has fluctuated and that more than one professional take-off (two or even three) has occurred.
The Field of Social Regulation: How the State Creates a Profession
Authors: Svensson Kerstin , Åström Karsten
Published: December 2013

This article describes the process of professionalisation in the field of social control in Sweden. The aim is to analyse how the state by legislation created the profession of social workers for local social services and thus for social control by public administration. We show how organisations for social work have developed and played an important role since the 19th century and that social investigation should be seen as a hub for the practice. The work now mediated though professional organisations was initially performed by volunteers. In the early 20th century, volunteers and employed social workers cooperated, where social investigation was a central task for social workers. In the 1960s and ‘70s, more social workers were educated, the importance of social investigation was highlighted, and volunteers became subordinated to paid social workers. The legal professions have throughout the process had a role in making decisions, but not in the performance of investigating or executing procedures.
The Rise of the Professional Field of Medicine in Sweden
Authors: Carlhed Carina
Published: December 2013

This article is an analysis of conditions enabling the rise of the professional field of medicine in Sweden. The analysis is based mainly on second- ary data, while the use of primary data is restricted to official statistics. Primarily, it aims to study the conditions promoting professionalization in medicine. Important exogenous conditions were derived from early emerging nation state administration structures concerning policy and governance of public health, as well as a delegated supervision of professional health activities to the medical profession and the organization of a public national health care system. Professionalization strategies such as social organization of the medical profession and their use of a variety of legitimizing resources as tools for jurisdictional claims are considered as endogenous conditions. Broadly, the analysis shows a close relationship between the growth of professionalization in the field of medicine and the development of state prosperity in the Swedish welfare state.
First simultaneous space measurements of atmospheric pollutants in the boundary layer from IASI: A case study in the North China Plain
Authors: Boynard Anne , Clerbaux Cathy , Clarisse Lieven , Safieddine Sarah , Pommier Matthieu , Van Damme Martin , Bauduin Sophie , Oudot Charlotte , Hadji‐Lazaro Juliette , Hurtmans Daniel , Coheur Pierre‐Francois
Published: December 2013

In this paper we investigate a severe pollution episode that occurred in Beijing, Tianjin, and the Hebei province in January 2013. The episode was caused by the combination of anthropogenic emissions and a high‐pressure system that trapped pollutants in the boundary layer. Using IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) satellite measurements, high concentrations of key trace gases such as carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ammonia (NH3) along with ammonium sulfate aerosol ((NH4)2SO4) are found. We show that IASI is able to detect boundary layer pollution in case of large negative thermal contrast combined with high levels of pollution. Our findings demonstrate that anthropogenic key pollutants, such as CO and SO2, can be monitored by IASI in the North China Plain during wintertime in support of air quality evaluation and management.
Statistical relationships between enhanced polar cap flows and PBIs
Authors: Zou Y. , Nishimura Y. , Lyons L. R. , Donovan E. F. , Ruohoniemi J. M. , Nishitani N. , McWilliams K. A.
Published: December 2013

Poleward boundary intensifications (PBIs) are auroral intensifications along the poleward boundary of the auroral oval and occur during all levels of geomagnetic activity. However, little is known about the triggering of PBIs. Recent case studies have indicated the existence of longitudinally localized flow channels in the polar cap near, and directed toward, the nightside open‐closed field line boundary just before PBIs. Motivated by these studies, we analyze 115 events of coordinated observations by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms all‐sky imager and Super Dual Auroral Radar Network HF radar at Rankin Inlet to determine if this polar cap flow‐PBI relationship is commonly observed. We start with isolated and intense PBIs and examine the probability of them being associated with equatorward directed polar cap flows. Our results show the association to be frequent (90%), with one‐to‐one correlations occurring in ~50% of events. Considering the limitations of the radar observations, this result indicates that PBIs are commonly correlated with polar cap flow channels directed toward, and then traversing, the open‐closed field line boundary. The flows statistically occur ~1–2 min before the PBI initiations, and the duration and width of the flows are comparable to those of the PBIs. We also perform a reverse study by starting with isolated polar cap flows and obtain similar results. The remarkably high occurrence of association between enhanced polar cap flows and PBIs indicates that enhanced mesoscale flows within the open field line region that traverse the open‐closed field line boundary are an important driver of PBI formation.
A Lagrangian analysis of ice‐supersaturated air over the North Atlantic
Authors: Irvine E. A. , Hoskins B. J. , Shine K. P.
Published: December 2013

Understanding the nature of air parcels that exhibit ice supersaturation is important because they are the regions of potential formation of both cirrus and aircraft contrails, which affect the radiation balance. Ice‐supersaturated air parcels in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over the North Atlantic are investigated using Lagrangian trajectories. The trajectory calculations use European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Interim reanalysis data for three winter and three summer seasons, resulting in approximately 200,000 trajectories with ice supersaturation for each season. For both summer and winter, the median duration of ice supersaturation along a trajectory is less than 6 h. Five percent of air which becomes ice supersaturated in the troposphere and 23% of air which becomes ice supersaturated in the stratosphere will remain ice supersaturated for at least 24 h. Weighting the ice‐supersaturation duration with the observed frequency indicates the likely overall importance of the longer duration ice‐supersaturated trajectories. Ice‐supersaturated air parcels typically experience a decrease in moisture content while ice supersaturated, suggesting that cirrus clouds eventually form in the majority of such air. A comparison is made between short‐lived (less than 24 h) and long‐lived (greater than 24 h) ice‐supersaturated air flows. For both air flows, ice supersaturation occurs around the northernmost part of the trajectory. Short‐lived ice‐supersaturated air flows show no significant differences in speed or direction of movement to subsaturated air parcels. However, long‐lived ice‐supersaturated air occurs in slower‐moving air flows, which implies that they are not associated with the fastest moving air through a jet stream.
Seasonal contribution of dewfall to mercury deposition determined using a micrometeorological technique and dew chemistry
Authors: Converse Amber D. , Riscassi Ami L. , Scanlon Todd M.
Published: December 2013

Deposition of mercury (Hg) to dew is thought to influence the diurnal dynamics of Hg species in the near‐surface air, yet this depositional pathway is not well characterized and is seldom accounted for in Hg budgets. This study quantifies Hg deposition to dew on a seasonal basis at a high‐elevation meadow in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, and compares these rates with those for wet deposition and other forms of dry deposition. Dew samples were collected on a surrogate surface and analyzed for Hg concentrations (ng L−1), and dew depths (mm) were calculated using a micrometeorological approach based on the surface energy budget over 1 week period during each of the four seasons. Concentrations of Hg in dew (mean: 5.57 ng L−1) were lower than those observed in precipitation (mean weekly composite samples: 8.80 ng L−1). When dew deposition was scaled to the seasonal and annual levels, Hg deposition in dew was estimated to be 2–3 orders of magnitude smaller than wet deposition (estimated annual Hg deposition to dew/frost: ~120 ng m−2; 2008 annual precipitation deposition: ~12400 ng m−2). This disparity is attributed to the much lower dewfall amounts. Rates of Hg accumulation in dew were not related to gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations in the atmosphere nor were they related to measured GEM fluxes. They were, however, found to be similar to independently estimated rates of gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particulate mercury (Hgp) deposition during the nighttime, suggesting that dew scavenges GOM and HgP from the atmosphere at the study site.