bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The drivers of late Quaternary climate variability in eastern South Africa
Authors: Miller Charlotte , Finch Jemma , Hill Trevor , Peterse Francien , Humphries Marc , Zabel Matthias , Schefuß Enno
Published: January 2019

Abstract. The scarcity of continuous, terrestrial, palaeoenvironmental records in eastern South Africa leaves the evolution of late Quaternary climate and its driving mechanisms uncertain. Here we use a ~ 7-m long core from Mfabeni peatland (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) to reconstruct climate variability for the last 32 thousand years (ka BP). We infer past vegetation and hydrological variability using stable carbon (𝛿13Cwax) and hydrogen isotopes (𝛿Dwax) of plant-wax n-alkanes and use Paq to reconstruct water table changes. Our results indicate that late Quaternary climate in eastern South Africa did not respond directly to orbital forcing nor to changes in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the western Indian Ocean. The arid conditions evidenced at Mfabeni during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) are a consequence of both low SSTs and an equatorward displacement of the southern hemisphere westerlies due to increased Antarctic sea ice extent. The increased humidity at Mfabeni between 19–14 ka BP likely resulted from decreased Antarctic sea ice which led to a southward retreat of the westerlies and increased the influence of the moisture-bearing tropical easterlies. Between 14–5 ka BP, when the westerlies were in their southernmost position, local insolation became the dominant control, leading to stronger atmospheric convection and an enhanced tropical easterly monsoon. Generally drier conditions persisted during the past c. 5 kyrs, but were overlain by high amplitude, millennial-scale environmental variability, probably resulting from an equatorward return of the southern hemisphere westerlies and heightened ENSO activity. Our findings stress the influence of the southern hemisphere westerlies in driving climatological and environmental changes in eastern South Africa.
Assessing the impact of outreach strategies in cities coping with climate risks
Authors: Vicari Rosa , Tchiguirinskaia Ioulia , Schertzer Daniel
Published: January 2019

Abstract. The resilience of our cities to weather extremes relies both on
physical environmental factors and on socio-economic factors. The latter
includes communication processes among the members of an urban community.
This paper presents a study that aims at appraising how public outreach
campaigns influence urban resilience. According to this research, seizing the
added value of science outreach efforts calls for an assessment method that
takes into consideration the interactions between communication processes and
other urban resilience drivers. The paper begins by presenting examples of
methods to assess urban resilience to weather extremes. We then propose an
approach to comprehend the impact of communication activities on resilience
in the context of urban flood resilience strategies. We use five guiding
criteria to define “resilience communication indicators” and we present two
communication assessment experiments based on these criteria. These
experiments were undertaken to assess communication activities addressed to
non-specialist audiences and tailored for a flood resilience project in the
Paris region. Different research methods were tested through these
experiments, with the goal of comprehending their strengths and weaknesses in
the framework of urban resilience strategies.
Assessing bias corrections of oceanic surface conditions for atmospheric models
Authors: Beaumet Julien , Krinner Gerhard , Déqué Michel , Haarsma Rein , Li Laurent
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Future sea surface temperature and sea-ice concentration from coupled
ocean–atmosphere general circulation models such as those from the CMIP5
experiment are often used as boundary forcings for the downscaling of future
climate experiments. Yet, these models show some considerable biases when
compared to the observations over present climate. In this paper, existing
methods such as an absolute anomaly method and a quantile–quantile method
for sea surface temperature (SST) as well as a look-up table and a relative
anomaly method for sea-ice concentration (SIC) are presented. For SIC, we
also propose a new analogue method. Each method is objectively evaluated with
a perfect model test using CMIP5 model experiments and some real-case
applications using observations. We find that with respect to other
previously existing methods, the analogue method is a substantial improvement
for the bias correction of future SIC. Consistency between the constructed
SST and SIC fields is an important constraint to consider, as is consistency
between the prescribed sea-ice concentration and thickness; we show that the
latter can be ensured by using a simple parameterisation of sea-ice thickness
as a function of instantaneous and annual minimum SIC.
RTTOV-gb v1.0 – Updates on sensors, absorption models, uncertainty, and availability
Authors: Cimini Domenico , Hocking James , De Angelis Francesco , Cersosimo Angela , Di Paola Francesco , Gallucci Donatello , Gentile Sabrina , Geraldi Edoardo , Larosa Salvatore , Nilo Saverio , Romano Filomena , Ricciardelli Elisabetta , Ripepi Ermann , Viggiano Mariassunta , Luini Lorenzo , Riva Carlo , Marzano Frank S. , Martinet Pauline , Song Yun Young , Ahn Myoung Hwan , Rosenkranz Philip W.
Published: January 2019

Abstract. This paper describes the first official release (v1.0) of RTTOV-gb. RTTOV-gb is a FORTRAN 90 code developed by adapting the atmospheric radiative transfer code RTTOV, focused on satellite observing geometry, to the ground-based observing geometry. RTTOV-gb is designed to simulate ground-based upward-looking microwave radiometer (MWR) observations of atmospheric downwelling natural radiation in the frequency range from 22 to 150 GHz. Given an atmospheric profile of temperature, water vapour and, optionally, cloud liquid water content, and together with a viewing geometry, RTTOV-gb computes the bottom of atmosphere radiances and brightness temperatures in each of the channels of the sensor being simulated. In addition, it provides the sensitivity of observations to the atmospheric thermodynamical state, i.e. the Jacobians. Therefeore, RTTOV-gb represents the forward model needed to assimilate ground-based MWR data into numerical weather prediction models, which is currently pursued internationally by several weather services. RTTOV-gb is fully described in a previous paper (De Angelis et al., 2016), while several updates are described here. In particular, two new MWR types and a new parameterization for atmospheric absorption model have been introduced since the first paper. In addition, estimates of the uncertainty associated with the absorption model and with the fast parameterization are given here. Brightness temperatures (TB) computed with RTTOV-gb v1.0 from radiosonde profiles have been compared with ground-based MWR observations at six channels (23.8, 31.4, 72.5, 83.5, 90.0, and 150.0 GHz). The comparison shows statistics within the expected accuracy. RTTOV-gb is now available to licensed users free of charge from the Numerical Weather Prediction Satellite Application Facility (NWP SAF) website, after registration. Coefficients for four MWR instrument types and two absorption model flavors are also freely available from the RTTOV-gb support website.
Contaminant source localization via Bayesian global optimization
Authors: Pirot Guillaume , Krityakierne Tipaluck , Ginsbourger David , Renard Philippe
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Contaminant source localization problems require efficient and robust methods that can account for geological heterogeneities and accommodate relatively small data sets of noisy observations. As realism commands hi-fidelity simulations, computation costs call for global optimization algorithms under parsimonious evaluation budgets. Bayesian optimization approaches are well adapted to such settings as they allow the exploration of parameter spaces in a principled way so as to iteratively locate the point(s) of global optimum while maintaining an approximation of the objective function with an instrumental quantification of prediction uncertainty. Here, we adapt a Bayesian optimization approach to localize a contaminant source in a discretized spatial domain. We thus demonstrate the potential of such a method for hydrogeological applications and also provide test cases for the optimization community. The localization problem is illustrated for cases where the geology is assumed to be perfectly known. Two 2-D synthetic cases that display sharp hydraulic conductivity contrasts and specific connectivity patterns are investigated. These cases generate highly nonlinear objective functions that present multiple local minima. A derivative-free global optimization algorithm relying on a Gaussian process model and on the expected improvement criterion is used to efficiently localize the point of minimum of the objective functions, which corresponds to the contaminant source location. Even though concentration measurements contain a significant level of proportional noise, the algorithm efficiently localizes the contaminant source location. The variations of the objective function are essentially driven by the geology, followed by the design of the monitoring well network. The data and scripts used to generate objective functions are shared to favor reproducible research. This contribution is important because the functions present multiple local minima and are inspired from a practical field application. Sharing these complex objective functions provides a source of test cases for global optimization benchmarks and should help with designing new and efficient methods to solve this type of problem.
A novel approach for road surface wetness detection with planar capacitive sensors
Authors: Döring Jakob , Tharmakularajah Lakshan , Happel Jakob , Krieger Karl-Ludwig
Published: January 2019

Abstract. This paper presents a novel approach for detecting road surface wetness with planar capacitive sensors on the wheel arch liner of a motor vehicle. For this purpose, various design parameters of interdigital electrodes are studied by means of the finite element method (FEM). A suitable design for the detection of whirled-up water is proposed, which is manufactured on a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) and investigated in an experimental study. A test bench is built for that purpose, which includes a motor vehicle's front wheel arch liner and can simulate realistic road surface wetness conditions. Experimental results show the possibility of distinguishing between different road wetness conditions and confirm that a static wetting of the wheel arch liner can be detected. Finally, an application-specific sensor system is proposed, which is validated by experiments on a test bench and is integrated into a vehicle. Field test results show the feasibility of detecting different road wetness levels and demonstrate the potential of the presented approach.
Moment magnitude estimates for Central Anatolian earthquakes using coda waves
Authors: Eken Tuna
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Proper estimate of moment magnitude that is a physical measure of the energy released at earthquake source is essential for better seismic hazard assessments in tectonically active regions. Here a coda wave modeling approach that enables the source displacement spectrum modeling of examined event was used to estimate moment magnitude of central Anatolia earthquakes. To achieve this aim, three component waveforms of local earthquakes with magnitudes 2.0 ≤ ML ≤ 5.2 recorded at 72 seismic stations which have been operated between 2013 and 2015 within the framework of the CD-CAT passive seismic experiment. An inversion on the coda wave traces of each selected single event in our database was performed in five different frequency bands between 0.75 and 12 Hz. Our resultant moment magnitudes (MW-coda) exhibit a good agreement with routinely reported local magnitude (ML) estimates for study area. Finally, we present an empirical relation between MW-coda and ML for central Anatolian earthquakes.
Dynamic modelling of weathering rates – the benefit over steady-state modelling
Authors: Kronnäs Veronika , Akselsson Cecilia , Belyazid Salim
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Weathering rates
are of considerable importance in estimating the acidification sensitivity
and recovery capacity of soil and are thus important in the assessment of the
sustainability of forestry in a time of changing climate and growing demands
for forestry products. In this study, we modelled rates of weathering in
mineral soil at two forested sites in southern Sweden included in a
monitoring network, using two models. The aims were to determine whether the
dynamic model ForSAFE gives comparable weathering rates to the steady-state
model PROFILE and whether the ForSAFE model provided believable and useful
extra information on the response of weathering to changes in acidification
load, climate change and land use. The average weathering rates calculated with ForSAFE were very similar to
those calculated with PROFILE for the two modelled sites. The differences
between the models regarding the weathering of certain soil layers seemed to
be due mainly to differences in calculated soil moisture. The weathering
rates provided by ForSAFE vary seasonally with temperature and soil
moisture, as well as on longer timescales, depending on environmental
changes. Long-term variations due to environmental changes can be seen in
the ForSAFE results, for example, the weathering of silicate minerals is
suppressed under acidified conditions due to elevated aluminium
concentration in the soil, whereas the weathering of apatite is accelerated
by acidification. The weathering of both silicates and apatite is predicted
to be enhanced by increasing temperature during the 21st century. In this
part of southern Sweden, yearly precipitation is assumed to be similar to
today's level during the next forest rotation, but with more precipitation
in winter and spring and less in summer, which leads to somewhat drier soils
in summer but still with increased weathering. In parts of Sweden with a bigger
projected decrease in soil moisture, weathering might not increase despite
increasing temperature. These results show that the dynamic ForSAFE model can be used for weathering
rate calculations and that it gives average results comparable to those from
the PROFILE model. However, dynamic modelling provides extra information on
the variation in weathering rates with time and offers much better
possibilities for scenario modelling.
Brief communication: Full-field deformation measurement for uniaxial compression of sea ice by using the digital image correlation method
Authors: Wang Anliang , Wei Zhijun , Chen Xiaodong , Ji Shunying , Liu Yu , Qing Longbang
Published: January 2019

Abstract. We took advantage of digital image correlation to measure the full-field deformation of sea ice in a uniaxial compression experiment in situ. The characteristics of failure mode, nonlinear behavior and crack propagation are all captured by the strain field of specimens. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to experimentally capture sequential full-field deformations in the mechanical properties of sea ice. This achievement will extend the ability to further explore the complex mechanical behaviors of sea ice.
Multisensor validation of tidewater glacier flow fields derived from
SAR intensity tracking
Authors: Rohner Christoph , Small David , Henke Daniel , Lüthi Martin P. , Vieli Andreas
Published: January 2019

Abstract. Following the general warming trend in Greenland, an increase in calving rates, retreat and ice flow has been observed at ocean-terminating outlet glaciers. These changes contribute substantially to the current mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In order to constrain models of ice dynamics as well as estimates of mass change, detailed knowledge of geometry and ice-flow are needed, in particular on the rapidly changing tongues of ocean-terminating outlet glaciers. In this study, we validate velocity estimates and spatial patterns close to the calving terminus of such an outlet derived from an iterative offset tracking method based on SAR intensity data with a collection of three independent reference measurements of glacier flow. These reference data sets are comprised of measurements from differential GPS, a Terrestrial Radar Interferometer (TRI) and repeated UAV surveys. Our approach for the SAR-velocity processing aims achieving at high spatial and temporal resolution in order to best resolve the steep velocity gradients in the terminus area and to exploit the 12 day repeat interval of the single-satellite Sentinel-1A sensor. Results from images of the medium-sized ocean terminating outlet glacier Eqip Sermia acquired by Sentinel-1A and RADARSAT-2 exhibit a mean difference of 8.7 % when compared to the corresponding GPS measurements. An areal comparison of our SAR velocity-fields with independently generated velocity maps from TRI and UAV showed a good agreement in magnitude and spatial patterns, with mean differences smaller than 0.7 md−1. In comparison with existing operational velocity products, our SAR-derived velocities showed a strongly improved spatial velocity pattern near the margins and calving front. There 10 % to 20 % higher surface ice velocities are produced, which has substantial implications on ice fluxes and on mass budget estimates of ice sheets. Further, we showed that offset tracking from SAR intensity data at a high spatio-temporal resolution is a valid method to derive glacier flow fields for fast-flowing glacier termini of outlet glaciers and, given the repeat interval of 12 days of the Sentinel-1A sensor (6 days with Sentinel-1B), has the potential to be applied operationally in a quasi-continuous mode.
Are Sustainable Firms More Profitable? Evidence From Egypt
Authors: Almaleeh Nisreen Mohammed
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between adopting sustainability practices by Egyptian companies and their level of profitability. Three hypotheses were tested, the first concerned whether sustainable firms achieve higher levels of market value of equity than non-sustainable firms, the second involved whether sustainable firms have higher levels of return on equity compared to non-sustainable ones, and the last was about the amount of cash dividends paid by sustainable firms to their stockholders as opposed to non-sustainable ones. The population of 221 Egyptian companies listed in the Egyptian stock market in the year 2015 was used to test these hypotheses. The results demonstrate that sustainability practices are associated with higher level of both market value of equity and return on equity. Furthermore, cash dividends paid to stockholders are proven to be higher for sustainable firms.
Depreciation Choice and Future Operating Performance
Authors: Caylor Marcus L. , Whisenant Scott
Published: January 2019

In this study we test the argument that information asymmetry and the problems of adverse selection provide incentives for managers to use accounting choices to signal relatively higher future prospects. Specifically, we contend that firms use accelerated depreciation to credibly signal higher future earnings and cash flows, consistent with signaling theory. Compared to straight-line depreciation, accelerated depreciation reduces earnings in the earlier years of asset lives and produces more variability in earnings. Despite these drawbacks, hundreds of firms voluntarily use accelerated depreciation for at least some of their depreciable assets. Our results indicate that the use of accelerated depreciation foreshadows higher future earnings and cash flows for horizons of one, two, and three years ahead.
Game Analysis between Banks and B2B Platforms in Agricultural Electronic Order Financing
Authors: Chen Xiaoxu , Xu Peng
Published: January 2019

In recent years, agricultural electronic order financing has developed rapidly, and cooperation between banks and B2B platforms has become the main mode of operation. In the process of cooperation, there are moral hazards caused by information concealment. On the basis of analyzing the business characteristics and the behavior strategies of both sides, this paper discusses the cooperation mechanism between the two sides by using the game analysis method. The results show that the strategy choice of the banks and the B2B platforms is not only affected by the credit of financing customers, but also by the concealment cost and the concealment income. When the concealment cost is less than the concealment income, the profit distribution ratio and the default compensation ratio can be the key factors of affecting the strategy choice of the B2B platforms and the banks. When the concealment cost is greater than the concealment benefit, the change value of the income distribution caused by the different strategies has an important impact on the strategy choice of the banks.
Comparative Advantage and Trade Specialization of East Asian Countries: Do East Asian Countries Specialize on Product Groups with High Comparative Advantage?
Authors: Ervani Eva , Widodo Tri , Purnawan Muhammad Edhie
Published: January 2019

This paper analyzes whether East Asian countries (Indonesia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore) specialize on product groups with high comparative advantage. We use the data on the 3-digit SITC Revision 2 for 237 product groups published by the UN-COMTRADE. Firstly, we calculate the Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) index to know the product groups with high comparative advantage from each the East Asian countries. Secondly, we calculate the export share to know the trade specialization of product groups from each the East Asian countries. Thirdly, we compare between the product groups included in top-twenty SITC of comparative advantage with top-twenty SITC of trade specialization from each the East Asian countries. This paper concludes that throughout the study periods of 1995, 2005, and 2015, East Asian countries (Indonesia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore) specialize on product groups with low comparative advantage. It was also found that product classification dominating the comparative advantage and trade specialization of East Asian countries was the technology intensive products classification.
Value Knowledge, Institutional Essence and Economic Growth
Authors: Zhang Shangyi
Published: January 2019

Knowledge can be divided into knowledge about technology and knowledge about value. The per capita distribution level of value knowledge determines the evolution of the system. Therefore, the essence of institution is value knowledge, and the evolution of institution depends on the variance of knowledge distribution per capita and the number of people. The economic system mapped by the level of value knowledge provides certainty for the introduction of economic technology, and finally achieves economic growth in the modern sense.
The Extent to which Jordanian Organizations Are Committed to Implementing Knowledge Management According to Jordanian Government Standards
Authors: Aldiabat Khaked M. , AlAli Shireen M. , Momani Yasser I.
Published: January 2019

The study aimed to identify the extent to which Jordanian organizations are committed to implementing knowledge management according to Jordanian government standards, and the extent to which knowledge management standards are applied in Jordanian organizations. To highlight the problem of the study, the sub-criteria for knowledge management were discussed, which includes the ability of the organization to: the commitment of senior management to knowledge management and awareness of its importance, knowledge resource identification, knowledge management and knowledge outcomes standard. The study community is from all organizations and directorates in the Kingdom of Jordan. The study sample consists of (85) organizations and directorates, who all applied for the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency.

The results of the study showed that Jordanian organizations are not committed to the standard of commitment of senior management to implement knowledge management, and the lack of commitment of the Jordanian organizations to the criteria of the main performance indicators to measure the achievement of knowledge objectives and knowledge exchange indicators, while there is a commitment in the Jordanian organizations to the standard of knowledge management. The most important recommendation of the study is the need to develop a comprehensive strategy for the application of knowledge management within the organization; the study recommends further studies in the area of knowledge management since it is a new management concept.
Consumenteninertie, mededinging en markttoezicht
Authors: Tuinstra Annemieke
Published: January 2019

Consumenteninertie, mededinging en markttoezicht

Imperfecte informatie, complexiteit, en gedragsvalkuilen van consumenten kunnen resulteren in consumenteninertie, die op zijn beurt de concurrentie verzwakt. Zeker als marktwerking nog een ander publiek belang dient of als het om een essentieel product gaat, is het zaak om de concurrentie te beschermen en eventueel aan te jagen, door inertie te verminderen. Mededingingstoezicht en consumentenbescherming en -empowerment zijn in die zin complementair. Dit artikel schetst hoe de complementariteit tussen deze rechtsgebieden anno 2018 wordt vormgegeven in de praktijk, aan de hand van voorbeelden uit Nederland en het Verenigd Koninkrijk.
Over marktdefinitie en bewijslast in de moderne economie: het Amerikaanse Hooggerechtshof in Amex
Authors: Mulder Jotte
Published: January 2019

Over marktdefinitie en bewijslast in de moderne economie: het Amerikaanse Hooggerechtshof in Amex

Onder leiding van de Amerikaanse Staat Ohio heeft een groep van staten American Express aangeklaagd voor een overtreding van de Amerikaanse antitrustregels. De zaak draait om de mededingingsrechtelijke beoordeling van verticale restricties die worden opgelegd aan een groep afnemers van Amex. Amex hanteert zogenoemde ‘anti-steering’ voorwaarden die winkeliers verbiedt op enigerlei wijze concurrerende creditcards aan te prijzen of te bevoordelen in de winkel. De uitspraak van het Hooggerechtshof van de Verenigde Staten geeft aanleiding tot een reflectie op de wijze waarop binnen een mededingingsrechtelijke analyse moet worden omgegaan met indirecte netwerkeffecten op tweezijdige platformmarkten, met name vanuit het perspectief van de rol van marktdefinitie en bewijslast.
Goldman Sachs/Europese Commissie. Private equity in het vizier van mededingingsautoriteiten
Authors: Struijlaart Robin , Brabers Mark
Published: January 2019

Goldman Sachs/Europese Commissie. Private equity in het vizier van mededingingsautoriteiten

Op 12 juli 2018 heeft het Gerecht een beroep van Goldman Sachs tegen een boetebesluit van de Commissie verworpen. Dit arrest maakt (nogmaals) duidelijk dat private equity-investeerders een reële kans lopen om aansprakelijk te worden gesteld voor kartelgedrag van hun portfolio-ondernemingen. De toets die de Commissie en het Gerecht uitvoeren, komt er in essentie op neer dat volstaat dat de moederonderneming zeggenschap heeft in de zin van het concentratietoezicht en dat er bewijs is dat zij die zeggenschap aantoonbaar heeft uitgeoefend. Veel investeerders zullen aan die beide criteria voldoen en bevinden zich dus in de gevarenzone.
ZASTOSOWANIE NOWYCH TECHNOLOGII
W ZABEZPIECZENIU LOGISTYCZNYM WOJSK
REALIZUJĄCYCH ZADANIA W SPECYFICZNYCH
ŚRODOWISKACH WALKI
Authors: MALINOWSKI ppłk dr inż. Zdzisław
Published: January 2019

Celem artykułu jest wykazanie wpływu zastosowania nowych technologii na zabezpieczenie logistyczne wojsk realizujących zadania w specyficznych środowiskach
walki. Zabezpieczenie logistyczne wojsk w specyficznych środowiskach walki stanowi istotny problem zarówno dla zabezpieczanych, jak i zabezpieczających. W zależności od rodzaju środowiska występują różne problemy ze sposobem dostarczenia odpowiedniego rodzaju i ilości zaopatrzenia skoordynowanych z potrzebami
odbiorcy w odpowiednim czasie i przestrzeni. Istotą zabezpieczenia logistycznego
wojsk w specyficznych środowiskach walki jest zapewnienie ciągłości zaopatrywania
w niezbędne asortymentowo i ilościowo zaopatrzenie oraz ewakuacja uszkodzonego
zasadniczego sprzętu wojskowego. Zabezpieczenie logistyczne wojsk realizujących
zadania w specyficznych środowiskach walki można usprawnić poprzez zastosowanie
nowych technologii stanowiących element uzupełniający tradycyjne rozwiązania.
PODSTAWY METODOLOGICZNE
BADAŃ NAD BEZPIECZEŃSTWEM EKONOMICZNYM
DOLNEGO ŚLĄSKA
Authors: SMAL płk dr hab. inż. Tomasz , POPŁAWSKI dr Maciej
Published: January 2019

Artykuł zawiera podstawy metodologiczne badań nad bezpieczeństwem ekonomicznym, które są kluczowe przy konstrukcji wieloczynnikowego modelu zarządzania
bezpieczeństwem ekonomicznym Dolnego Śląska. W artykule przedstawiono rozważania teoretyczne na temat bezpieczeństwa ekonomicznego państwa, omówiono
jego istotę, cechy oraz determinanty. Przytoczono także przykłady podstawowych
zagrożeń dla bezpieczeństwa ekonomicznego państwa. Następnie przedstawiono problem badawczy oraz uzasadniono wybór tematu badań, cel pracy, hipotezy badawcze,
zakres badań i źródła materiału badawczego, metodykę i organizację projektu badań.
W dalszej części artykułu wyszczególniono mierniki poziomu rozwoju gospodarczego oraz mierniki poziomu życia (determinujące warunki bytowe ludności), wskazując
na dane GUS potrzebne do konstrukcji tychże mierników. Następnie określono siłę
oddziaływania poszczególnych mierników na poziom bezpieczeństwa ekonomicznego. Na koniec zaprezentowano wzór mapy bezpieczeństwa ekonomicznego dla
Dolnego Śląska.
INNOWACYJNE OPAKOWANIA
JAKO INTELIGENTNE ROZWIĄZANIA
NA PRZYKŁADZIE BRANŻY SPOŻYWCZEJ
Authors: KAŹMIERCZAK dr Maciej
Published: January 2019

Procesy takie jak informatyzacja, globalizacja czy wzrost konsumpcji mają wpływ na
rozwój wielu rynków, ale przede wszystkim widoczne są w branży opakowaniowej.
Przedsiębiorstwa muszą sprostać wyzwaniom, jakie stawia im gospodarka i zachodzące w niej zmiany. Opakowanie XXI wieku powinno spełniać określone funkcje
i odpowiadać na wymagania, jakie są im stawiane. Biorą się one głównie z obszarów,
z jakimi mają styczność: marketing, ekologia, logistyka oraz użyteczność. Można
więc mówić, że nowe technologie dają nowe możliwości. Tak samo jest i w przypadku opakowań. Jako konsumenci jesteśmy w stanie zauważyć proces ewaluacji tych
wyrobów. Postępujący proces technologiczny i możliwości wykorzystania nowych
materiałów stwarzają bardziej komfortowe warunki do wytwarzania nowoczesnych
opakowań, zwłaszcza tzw. opakowań „inteligentnych”.
Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie klasyfikacji i podstawowych funkcji opakowań oraz wymagań, jakie są przed nimi stawiane. Ponadto pokazanie nowych, innowacyjnych rozwiązań dotyczących opakowań „inteligentnych” występujących
w branży spożywczej.
Personalizace na komunální úrovni: existuje a lze ji v českém prostředí zkoumat?
Authors: Smolkova Andrea , Balík Stanislav
Published: January 2019

Against the background of current research and literature, the article discusses local level-personalization in the Czech Republic as well as the ways it can be studied. Emphasising topics such as personalization of the electoral behaviour, electoral system, and political elites’ strategy, the authors present a novel research design aimed at identifying and better understanding the phenomenon of personalization on the local level. The research design develops some original identifiers such as popularity of the candidate, while also employing traditional criteria such as preferential voting or incumbency effect.
Rakouské parlamentní volby 2017: Začátek éry Sebastiana Kurze
Authors: Šepták Miroslav
Published: January 2019

The article deals with the early parliamentary elections in Austria, which resulted from conflicts inside the government. The situation provides a negative example of a long rule of grand coalition. Most Austrians had lost the trust in abilities of the cabinet made up by social democrats (SPÖ) and Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) to deal with problems of the day. The public demanded an end to controversies and change of political style. In the stalemate situation it was ÖVP which initiated irregular elections into National Council. It succeeded in connecting the dynamic and perspective personality of the leader Sebastian Kurz with the image of a new and open movement. During the campaign, it emphasized themes which the Austrian public considered important (migration and asylum policy, better security, reduction of taxes) in combination with professional political marketing. After the elections, negotiations revealed programmatic overlap between ÖVP and Freedom Party of Austria, which placed third, in a number of important areas. The new government worked out an ambitious reform program, for which it secured enough majority support in the National Council; also the favourable economic conditions helped. The article provides analysis of electoral programs and the respective stages of the electoral campaign, making use of extensive electoral materials, including unarchived ones. Besides filling a major descriptive-analytic gap in the Czech scholarly reflection of Austrian politics, the article probes into actual trends of Austrian electoral marketing and electoral behaviour.
Does acellular dermal matrix expand in response to tissue expander inflation?
Authors: Yang Chae Eun , Park Kwang Hyun , Lee Dong Won , Lew Dae Hyun , Song Seung Yong
Published: January 2019

Background Acellular dermal matrices (ADMs) have recently become widely used in breast reconstruction, but the correlation between the final expander volume and the surface area of the ADM is not well understood. In this study, the expansion of the surface area of ADM and the expander volume was studied retrospectively in cases of acellular dermis–assisted tissue expander breast reconstruction.

Methods Twenty cases of immediate breast reconstruction using an ADM–assisted tissue expander from January 2015 to December 2015 were evaluated. In all 20 cases, CGCryoDerm was used as the matrix, with a thickness of 1–3 mm. No slit incisions were made. Finally, the proportional increase in the area of the fully expanded ADM was compared to that of the tissue expander volume.

Results The proportional increase in the ADM surface area was calculated to be from 1.1 to 2.46, with a mean value of 1.7. Additionally, under the assumption that the expander had a spherical shape, the increase in its radius (the cube root of its volume) was assessed. The range of the proportional increase in the expander radius was 1.1 to 2.24, with a mean value of 1.66. The proportional increase in the radius of the expanded ADM surface area ranged from 1.04 to 1.34, with a mean ratio of 1.28.

Conclusions The results of this study confirmed that the ADM expanded when the tissue expander was inflated. However, the ADM expanded to a lesser extent than the tissue expander, indicating that the muscle and other tissues expanded more than the ADM when the tissue expander was inflated.
Epidemiologic study of hand and upper extremity injuries by power tools
Authors: Kim Yong Hun , Choi Jin-hee , Chung Yoon Kyu , Kim Sug Won , Kim Jiye
Published: January 2019

Background Hand injuries caused by chain saws, electric saws, and hand grinders range from simple lacerations to tendon injuries, fractures, and even amputations. This study aimed to understand the distribution of various types of hand and upper extremity injuries caused by power tools, in order to help prevent them, by investigating the incidence and cause of power tool injuries treated over a 4-year period at a single institution in Korea.

Methods We reviewed the medical records of patients who visited a single institution for power tool-induced injuries from 2011 to 2014. The distribution of sex, age, injured body part, type of injury, and mechanism of injury sustained by patients who received hand and upper extremity injuries from using an engine saw, electric saw, or hand grinder was evaluated.

Results Among 594 subjects who were injured by power tools, 261 cases were hand and upper extremity injuries. The average age was 53.2 years. Tendon injury was the most common type of injury. An electric saw was the most common type of power tool used. More injuries occurred in non-occupational settings than in occupational settings.

Conclusions In this study, power tool-induced hand and upper extremity injuries were mostly caused by direct contact with electric saw blades. More injuries occurred due to non-occupational use of these tools, but the ratios of amputations and structural injuries were similar in the non-occupational and occupational groups.
Microstructure and crystallography in Axophyllinae. Precisions on the genus Morenaphyllum
Authors: Coronado Ismael , Rodríguez Sergio
Published: January 2019

The microstructure of the genus Morenaphyllum  has been studied in ultrathin sections by means of petrographic microscopy and computer integrated polarization microscopy (CIP). Although the studied specimens are partially recrystallized, the microstructure can be observed in zones that are quite well preserved. Morenaphyllum  shows walls composed of lamellae piled in bundles, lamellar dissepiments, tabulae and stereoplasmatic thickenings and septa composed of small fi bres that change their orientation from the periphery to the axial zones of the coral. In spite of the presence of some peculiarities, this microstructure fi t well with that described in other Axophyllinae.
Carboniferous trace fossils from Vélez-Málaga (Maláguide Complex, Betic Cordillera, SE Spain)
Authors: Mayoral Eduardo J. , Gámez-Vintaned José Antonio , Diez José B. , Liñan Eladio
Published: January 2019

A stratigraphic section of the Maláguide Complex cropping out at the easternmost part of the Málaga Province (SE Spain) is studied. Previous palaeontological data were unknown in this area. A lower stratigraphic Interval I has yielded fossil Equisetales plants, probable ferns and centrimetric xylic fragments at several centimetric slate levels interspersed between the dominating micaceous, brown, medium to coarse-grained sandstone. The ichnofossil Planolites annularis occurs at numerous levels of Interval I. An upper stratigraphic Interval II has yielded two particularly rich ichnoassemblages at its lower part, which are the main object of our study. The upper ichnoassemblage also contains skeletal remains of metazoans or moulds, namely remains of crinoid stalks, trilobites, and bivalves, as well as probable microbial mats. The two main ichnoassemblages belong to the Cruziana ichnofacies and have provided, overall, eleven ichnogenera including fourteen ichnotaxa: Bergaueria a?. perata, Dactyloidites a?. cabanasi, Diplichnites ichnosp. A, Diplichnites ichnosp. B, Dolopichnus ichnosp. indet., Monocraterion ichnosp. indet.
Demarcation problem in fusuline classifcation: A case for Verella/Eofusulina discrimination
Authors: Ueno Katsumi , Villa Elisa
Published: January 2019

The eofusulinin genera Verella and Eofusulina formed an important lineage among fusulines to de? ne the Bashkirian/Moscovian transitional interval in the Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) subsystem. We studied morphologies of Verella transiens, a highly evolved form in the genus, and the ?rst Eofusulina species from the Los Tornos section in the Cantabrian Zone of northern Spain, to understand the discriminating diagnosis of these two genera. We conclude that Eofusulina is distinguishable from Verella in having stronger septal fluting, lesser development of secondary deposits, generally larger proloculus, absence of early tightly coiled volutions, and with some lesser extent slightly larger diameter of shell and absence of polar torsion. No single morphological character provides a reliable criterion to distinguish the two genera, but rather only a combination of all these morphological criteria enables reliable generic discrimination. In order to better understand the morphology, we emphasise the usefulness of non-oriented specimens in this study.
Ichnological analysis at the Fonte Coberta section (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal): Approaching depositional environment during the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE)
Authors: Miguez-Salas Olmos , Rodríguez-Tovar Francisco J. , Duarte Luis V.
Published: January 2019

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) is commonly related with an extended marine mass extinction and global oceanic anoxic conditions. However, recently it has been demonstrated that local palaeotopography/palaeogeography can determinate the absence of anoxic conditions, being other limiting environmental parameters of higher signifi cance. The detailed study of the Fonte Coberta section (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal) shows significant changes in the macrobenthic community at the lower Toarcian (Levisoni Zone) sediments during the event. In the study section, this interval presents a high degree of bioturbation with a relatively abundant and moderately diverse trace fossil assemblage dominated by Thalassinoides, with punctual Spongeliomorpha. The ichnotaxonomical study conducted on this trace fossil assemblage has allowed the recognition of a single species of Thalassinoides, T. suevicus Rieth, with two different morphotypes (I and II), as well the differentiation of Spongeliomorpha aff . iberica Saporta. The distribution of these ichnospecies, including the differentiated morphogroups, along the studied interval, corresponding to the T-OAE, allows refining depositional conditions as changes in the substrate consistency related to variations in relative sea level. Ichnological analysis reveals as a proxy to improve sequence stratigraphy characterization for the Lusitanian Basin during the T-OAE.
Computational modeling of brainstem circuits controlling locomotor frequency and gait
Authors: Ausborn Jessica , Shevtsova Natalia A , Caggiano Vittorio , Danner Simon M , Rybak Ilya A
Published: January 2019

A series of recent studies identified key structures in the mesencephalic locomotor region and the caudal brainstem of mice involved in the initiation and control of slow (exploratory) and fast (escape-type) locomotion and gait. However, the interactions of these brainstem centers with each other and with the spinal locomotor circuits are poorly understood. Previously we suggested that commissural and long propriospinal interneurons are the main targets for brainstem inputs adjusting gait (Danner et al., 2017). Here, by extending our previous model, we propose a connectome of the brainstem-spinal circuitry and suggest a mechanistic explanation of the operation of brainstem structures and their roles in controlling speed and gait. We suggest that brainstem control of locomotion is mediated by two pathways, one controlling locomotor speed via connections to rhythm generating circuits in the spinal cord and the other providing gait control by targeting commissural and long propriospinal interneurons.
Dual network embedding for representing research interests in the link prediction problem on co-authorship networks
Authors: Makarov Ilya , Gerasimova Olga , Sulimov Pavel , Zhukov Leonid E.
Published: January 2019

We present a study on co-authorship network representation based on network embedding together with additional information on topic modeling of research papers and new edge embedding operator. We use the link prediction (LP) model for constructing a recommender system for searching collaborators with similar research interests. Extracting topics for each paper, we construct keywords co-occurrence network and use its embedding for further generalizing author attributes. Standard graph feature engineering and network embedding methods were combined for constructing co-author recommender system formulated as LP problem and prediction of future graph structure. We evaluate our survey on the dataset containing temporal information on National Research University Higher School of Economics over 25 years of research articles indexed in Russian Science Citation Index and Scopus. Our model of network representation shows better performance for stated binary classification tasks on several co-authorship networks.
Molecular mechanism of point mutation-induced Monopolar spindle 1 (Mps1/TTK) inhibitor resistance revealed by a comprehensive molecular modeling study
Authors: Han Yan , Wu Yungang , Xu Yi , Guo Wentao , Zhang Na , Wang Xiaoyi
Published: January 2019

Background

Monopolar spindle 1 (Mps1/TTK) is an apical dual-specificity protein kinase in the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) that guarantees accurate segregation of chromosomes during mitosis. High levels of Mps1 are found in various types of human malignancies, such as glioblastoma, osteosarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and breast cancer. Several potent inhibitors of Mps1 exist, and exhibit promising activity in many cell cultures and xenograft models. However, resistance due to point mutations in the kinase domain of Mps1 limits the therapeutic effects of these inhibitors. Understanding the detailed resistance mechanism induced by Mps1 point mutations is therefore vital for the development of novel inhibitors against malignancies.

Methods

In this study, conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and Gaussian accelerated MD (GaMD) simulation were performed to elucidate the resistance mechanisms of Cpd-5, a potent Mps1 inhibitor, induced by the four representative mutations I531M, I598F, C604Y, S611R.

Results

Our results from conventional MD simulation combined with structural analysis and free energy calculation indicated that the four mutations weaken the binding affinity of Cpd-5 and the major variations in structural were the conformational changes of the P-loop, A-loop and αC-helix. Energetic differences of per-residue between the WT system and the mutant systems indicated the mutations may allosterically regulate the conformational ensemble and the major variations were residues of Ile-663 and Gln-683, which located in the key loops of catalytic loop and A-loop, respectively. The large conformational and energetic differences were further supported by the GaMD simulations. Overall, these obtained molecular mechanisms will aid rational design of novel Mps1 inhibitors to combat inhibitor resistance.
DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF DECISION-MAKING CRITERIA FOR BUILDING RETROFIT CONSTRUCTION: A CASE STUDY OF BANGLADESH
Authors: Sasaki Rumiko , Seike Tsuyoshi , Kim Yongsun
Published: January 2019

This paper is an exploratory study adopting a descriptive approach to clarify the background of technology adoption, role of multiple stakeholders, and decision-making processes in Bangladesh from the perspective of the possible technology dissemination. In addition, this study identifies the factors influencing decision-making on the basis of semi-structured interview in terms of frontend projects. In the retrofit process, assessments, standards, design policies, construction methods, and materials are mainly determined at the planning stage. International standards are a promoting factor in obtaining owner approval in technology selection, whereas cost and material procurement are the suppressing factors. The stakeholders in providing and diffusing new technology are technical consultants and structural designers, who are involved in the initial phase of the process. For technology diffusion within Bangladesh, these stakeholders must be acknowledged and worker education must be considered.