bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Time and Money in the Life Course – Empirical Evidence and Implications for Social Policy from a Gender Perspective
Authors: Klammer Ute
Published: July 2013

The article analyses the distribution of time and money from a life-course perspective, focussing on differences between women and men. Using different available data-sources, characteristic patterns of female and male life courses and their changes over time are being discussed. The article also compares the German patterns with patterns from other European countries. In the second part, social policy measures and company strategies that could contribute to a gender-sensitive life-course approach in social protection are developed and discussed.
Editorial to the Special Issue
Authors: Hein Eckhard , Truger Achim
Published: July 2013

First paragraph

Although growth in the European Union (EU), and in particular in Germany, one of the Euro area's former »sick men«, has speeded up in 2006, the EU and particularly the Euro area continue to face major economic problems. These problems are caused by the restrictive »Maastricht economic policy regime«. To put it shortly, this regime is dominated:

– by the European Central Bank's (ECB) exclusive focus on price stability and its overly ambitious inflation target,

– by the lack of fiscal stabilisation imposed by the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), even in its revised version,

– and by the focus on structural reforms, particularly in the labour market, which – together with high unemployment – continue to undermine the wage bargainers' ability to set wages with an eye to macroeconomic stability.

Above all, the latter will exert deflationary pressure on the Euro area as a whole as soon as the next recession materialises. This in turn will not only exacerbate the economic problems within the EU but it might even endanger the political project of European integration as such.
Asset-Based Reserve Requirements: A New Monetary Policy Instrument for Targeting Diverging Real Estate Prices in the Euro Area
Authors: Holz Michael
Published: July 2013

Can monetary policy prevent real estate bubbles from harming economic welfare? The European Central Bank (ECB) has to conduct monetary policy for the Euro area as a whole, but her policy affects countries with rapidly rising house prices (e. g. Spain) in a markedly different way than those with stagnating house prices (like Germany). For opposing divergent real estate price developments within the European Monetary Union (EMU), interest rate policy is not the appropriate instrument; whereas »fine tuning« may be possible with the help of asset-based reserve requirements. All financial institutions would be forced to deposit them at the ECB (as a percentage of asset holdings). Reserve rates are free to vary between countries. Therefore, rates should be highest in those countries where appropriate indicators signal a house price bubble.
Guānxi Economics: Confucius Meets Lenin, Keynes, and Schumpeter in Contemporary China
Authors: Nitsch Manfred , Diebel Frank
Published: July 2013

The micro-foundations of the Chinese growth model are analysed within a comprehensive monetary theory of economic development, based on Schumpeter, Keynes, and the contemporary monetary Keynesians. The Confucian traditions and the Leninist party power structure are identified as the main specific traits of the social formation in contemporary China. In the capitalist mode of production, money sets the stage, and the interplay between private creditors and debtors is bundled into a coherent, dynamic whole by the central bank in the economic sphere and by more or less democratic institutions in the political arena. Combining the reproductive, care-taking traits of socialism with the entrepreneurial dynamism of private property and, above all, with the design and enforcement of overall social and economic coherence through the »vanguard« Communist Party makes an unique and ingenious institutional Chinese set-up. The constitutive character of Guânxi – the magic word for trust, confidence, reliability, righteousness, mutual benefit and cosmic order – for the working of the whole Chinese economic system is identified and described.
Rules of Redistribution and Foreign Aid: A Proposal for a Change in the Rules Governing Eligibility for Foreign Aid
Authors: Milanovic Branko
Published: July 2013

When income is redistributed at national level, the minimum requirement is that the transfers should be progressive, that is flow from richer to poorer individuals. The same rule should hold at the global level: it is not sufficient that transfers be from a richer to a poorer country. But normally we do not know who are the taxpayers who finance international aid nor who are the beneficiaries of aid. We can nevertheless establish the rules such that the likelihood of a globally regressive transfer is minimized. This implies taking into account countries' national income distributions: penalizing countries with highly unequal distributions since there exists a non-trivial probability that the transfers may be received by people richer than rich countries' taxpayers. Some rules for changing eligibility criteria for aid are proposed.
Towards better error statistics for atmospheric inversions of methane surface fluxes
Authors: Berchet A. , Pison I. , Chevallier F. , Bousquet P. , Conil S. , Geever M. , Laurila T. , Lavrič J. , Lopez M. , Moncrieff J. , Necki J. , Ramonet M. , Schmidt M. , Steinbacher M. , Tarniewicz J.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. We adapt general statistical methods to estimate the optimal error covariance matrices in a regional inversion system inferring methane surface emissions from atmospheric concentrations. Using a minimal set of physical hypotheses on the patterns of errors, we compute a guess of the error statistics that is optimal in regard to objective statistical criteria for the specific inversion system. With this very general approach applied to a real-data case, we recover sources of errors in the observations and in the prior state of the system that are consistent with expert knowledge while inferred from objective criteria and with affordable computation costs. By not assuming any specific error patterns, our results depict the variability and the inter-dependency of errors induced by complex factors such as the misrepresentation of the observations in the transport model or the inability of the model to reproduce well the situations of steep gradients of concentrations. Situations with probable significant biases (e.g., during the night when vertical mixing is ill-represented by the transport model) can also be diagnosed by our methods in order to point at necessary improvement in a model. By additionally analysing the sensitivity of the inversion to each observation, guidelines to enhance data selection in regional inversions are also proposed. We applied our method to a recent significant accidental methane release from an offshore platform in the North Sea and found methane fluxes of the same magnitude than what was officially declared.
Modelling the effects of gravity waves on stratocumulus clouds observed during VOCALS-UK
Authors: Connolly P. J. , Vaughan G. , Cook P. , Allen G. , Coe H. , Choularton T. W. , Dearden C. , Hill A.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. During the VOCALS campaign spaceborne satellite observations showed that travelling gravity wave packets, generated by geostrophic adjustment, resulted in perturbations to marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds over the south-east Pacific Ocean (SEP). Often, these perturbations were reversible in that passage of the wave resulted in the clouds becoming brighter (in the wave crest), then darker (in the wave trough) and subsequently recovering their properties after the passage of the wave. However, occasionally the wave packets triggered irreversible changes to the clouds, which transformed from closed mesoscale cellular convection to open form. In this paper we use large eddy simulation (LES) to examine the physical mechanisms that cause this transition. Specifically, we examine whether the clearing of the cloud is due to (i) the wave causing additional cloud-top entrainment of warm, dry air or (ii) whether the additional condensation of liquid water onto the existing drops and the subsequent formation of drizzle are the important mechanisms. We find that, although the wave does cause additional drizzle formation, this is not the reason for the persistent clearing of the cloud; rather it is the additional entrainment of warm, dry air into the cloud followed by a reduction in longwave cooling, although this only has a significant effect when the cloud is starting to decouple from the boundary layer. The result in this case is a change from a stratocumulus to a more patchy cloud regime. For the simulations presented here, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) scavenging did not play an important role in the clearing of the cloud. The results have implications for understanding transitions between the different cellular regimes in marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds.
E pluribus unum*: ensemble air quality predictions
Authors: Galmarini S. , Kioutsioukis I. , Solazzo E.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. In this study we present a novel approach for improving the air quality predictions using an ensemble of air quality models generated in the context of AQMEII (Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative). The development of the forecasting method makes use of modelled and observed time series (either spatially aggregated or relative to single monitoring stations) of ozone concentrations over different areas of Europe and North America. The technique considers the underlying forcing mechanisms on ozone by means of spectrally decomposed previsions. With the use of diverse applications, we demonstrate how the approach screens the ensemble members, extracts the best components and generates bias-free forecasts with improved accuracy over the candidate models. Compared to more traditional forecasting methods such as the ensemble median, the approach reduces the forecast error and at the same time it clearly improves the modelled variance. Furthermore, the result is not a mere statistical outcome depended on the quality of the selected members. The few individual cases with degraded performance are also identified and analysed. Finally, we show the extensions of the approach to other pollutants, specifically particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, and provide a framework for its operational implementation. *One out of many
Simulations of the transport and deposition of 137Cs over Europe after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident: influence of varying emission-altitude and model horizontal and vertical resolution
Authors: Evangeliou N. , Balkanski Y. , Cozic A. , Møller A. P.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. The coupled model LMDZORINCA has been used to simulate the transport, wet and dry deposition of the radioactive tracer 137Cs after accidental releases. For that reason, two horizontal resolutions were deployed and used in the model, a regular grid of 2.5° × 1.27°, and the same grid stretched over Europe to reach a resolution of 0.66° × 0.51°. The vertical dimension is represented with two different resolutions, 19 and 39 levels respectively, extending up to the mesopause. Four different simulations are presented in this work; the first uses the regular grid over 19 vertical levels assuming that the emissions took place at the surface (RG19L(S)), the second also uses the regular grid over 19 vertical levels but realistic source injection heights (RG19L); in the third resolution the grid is regular and the vertical resolution 39 levels (RG39L) and finally, it is extended to the stretched grid with 19 vertical levels (Z19L). The model is validated with the Chernobyl accident which occurred in Ukraine (ex-USSR) on 26 May 1986 using the emission inventory from Brandt et al. (2002). This accident has been widely studied since 1986, and a large database has been created containing measurements of atmospheric activity concentration and total cumulative deposition for 137Cs from most of the European countries. According to the results, the performance of the model to predict the transport and deposition of the radioactive tracer was efficient and accurate presenting low biases in activity concentrations and deposition inventories, despite the large uncertainties on the intensity of the source released. The best agreement with observations was obtained using the highest horizontal resolution of the model (Z19L run). The model managed to predict the radioactive contamination in most of the European regions (similar to De Cort et al., 1998), and also the arrival times of the radioactive fallout. As regards to the vertical resolution, the largest biases were obtained for the 39 layers run due to the increase of the levels in conjunction with the uncertainty of the source term. Moreover, the ecological half-life of 137Cs in the atmosphere after the accident ranged between 6 and 9 days, which is in good accordance to what previously reported and in the same range with the recent accident in Japan. The high response of LMDZORINCA model for 137Cs reinforces the importance of atmospheric modelling in emergency cases to gather information for protecting the population from the adverse effects of radiation.
Ozonolysis of surface adsorbed methoxyphenols: kinetics of aromatic ring cleavage vs. alkene side-chain oxidation
Authors: O'Neill E. M. , Kawam A. Z. , Van Ry D. A. , Hinrichs R. Z.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. Lignin pyrolysis products, which include a variety of substituted methoxyphenols, constitute a major component of organics released by biomass combustion and may play a central role in the formation of atmospheric brown carbon. Understanding the atmospheric fate of these compounds upon exposure to trace gases is therefore critical to predicting the chemical and physical properties of biomass burning aerosol. We used diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy to monitor the heterogeneous ozonolysis of 4-propylguaiacol, eugenol, and isoeugenol adsorbed on NaCl and α-Al2O3 substrates. Adsorption of gaseous methoxyphenols onto these substrates produced near monolayer surface concentrations of 3 × 1018 molecules m-2. The subsequent dark heterogeneous ozonolysis of adsorbed 4-propylguaiacol cleaved the aromatic ring between the methoxy and phenol groups with the product conclusively identified by GC-MS and 1H-NMR. Kinetic analysis of eugenol and isoeugenol dark ozonolysis also suggested the formation of ring-cleaved products, although ozonolysis of the unsaturated substituent groups forming carboxylic acids and aldehydes was an order of magnitude faster. Average uptake coefficients for NaCl-adsorbed methoxyphenols were γ = 2.3 (±0.8) × 10-7 and 2 (±1) × 10-6 for ozonolysis of the aromatic ring and the unsaturated side chain, respectively, and reactions on α-Al2O3 were approximately two times slower. UV-visible radiation (λ>300 nm) enhanced eugenol ozonolysis of the aromatic ring by a factor of 4(±1) but had no effect on ozonolysis of the alkene side-chain.
Mg/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios in benthic foraminifera: the potential to reconstruct past variations in temperature and hypoxia in shelf regions
Authors: Groeneveld J. , Filipsson H. L.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. Shelf and coastal regions are exceptionally important for many countries as they provide the main habitat for many economically important fish and shellfish species. With ongoing climate change and human-induced eutrophication the shelf regions are especially affected, resulting in increased temperatures and stratification as well as oxygen depletion of the bottom waters. In order to be able to predict the magnitude of these changes in the future, it is necessary to study how they varied in the past. Commonly used foraminiferal climate and environmental proxies, e.g., stable isotopes and trace metal/Ca ratios, that are applied in open-ocean settings are not necessarily applicable in shelf regions, either as faunas are significantly different or as conditions can change much faster compared to the open ocean. In this study we explore the use of Mg/Ca as paleothermometer and Mn/Ca as a potential proxy for changing dissolved oxygen conditions in bottom water on the benthic foraminifera Bulimina marginata and Globobulimina turgida. Living specimens were collected from the Skagerrak and the Gullmar Fjord (SW Sweden); the latter is hypoxic for several months a year. As the specimens were alive when collected, we assume it unlikely that any diagenetic coatings have already significantly affected the trace metal/Ca ratios. The Mg/Ca ratios are similar to previously published values but display much larger variation than would be expected from the annual temperature change of less than 2 °C. An additional impact of the difference in the calcite saturation state between the Skagerrak and the Gullmar Fjord could explain the results. Mn/Ca ratios from G. turgida can potentially be related to variations in dissolved oxygen of the habitat where the foraminifera calcify. Samples from the Skagerrak display increased Mn/Ca in specimens that lived deeper in the sediment than those that lived near the surface. G. turgida samples from the low-oxygen Gullmar Fjord showed significantly increased Mn/Ca, being highest when bottom water dissolved oxygen was at a minimum. Our study suggests that trace metal/Ca ratios in benthic foraminifera from shelf regions have the potential to record past variations in bottom water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentrations, but an additional impact of the inorganic carbonate chemistry cannot be excluded.
Caspian sea-level changes during the last millennium: historical and geological evidence from the south Caspian Sea
Authors: Naderi Beni A. , Lahijani H. , Mousavi Harami R. , Arpe K. , Leroy S. A. G. , Marriner N. , Berberian M. , Andrieu-Ponel V. , Djamali M. , Mahboubi A. , Reimer P. J.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. Historical literature may constitute a valuable source of information to reconstruct sea-level changes. Here, historical documents and geological records have been combined to reconstruct Caspian sea-level (CSL) changes during the last millennium. In addition to a comprehensive literature review, new data from two short sediment cores were obtained from the south-eastern Caspian coast to identify coastal change driven by water-level changes and to compare the results with other geological and historical findings. The overall results indicate a high-stand during the Little Ice Age, up to −21 m (and extra rises due to manmade river avulsion), with a −28 m low-stand during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, while presently the CSL stands at −26.5 m. A comparison of the CSL curve with other lake systems and proxy records suggests that the main sea-level oscillations are essentially paced by solar irradiance. Although the major controller of the long-term CSL changes is driven by climatological factors, the seismicity of the basin creates local changes in base level. These local base-level changes should be considered in any CSL reconstruction.
Gas phase acid, ammonia and aerosol ionic and trace element concentrations at Cape Verde during the Reactive Halogens in the Marine Boundary Layer (RHaMBLe) 2007 intensive sampling period
Authors: Sander R. , Pszenny A. A. P. , Keene W. C. , Crete E. , Deegan B. , Long M. S. , Maben J. R. , Young A. H.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. We report mixing ratios of soluble reactive trace gases sampled with mist chambers and the chemical composition of bulk aerosol and volatile inorganic bromine (Brg) sampled with filter packs during the Reactive Halogens in the Marine Boundary Layer (RHaMBLe) field campaign at the Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory (CVAO) on São Vicente island in the tropical North Atlantic in May and June 2007. The gas-phase data include HCl, HNO3, HONO, HCOOH, CH3COOH, NH3, and volatile reactive chlorine other than HCl (Cl*). Aerosol samples were analyzed by neutron activation (Na, Al, Cl, V, Mn, and Br) and ion chromatography (SO42−, Cl−, Br−, NH4+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+). Content and quality of the data, which are available under doi:10.5281/zenodo.6956, are presented and discussed.
Nitrate leaching from intensive organic farms to groundwater
Authors: Dahan O. , Babad A. , Lazarovitch N. , Russak E. E. , Kurtzman D.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. It is commonly presumed that organic agriculture causes only minimal environmental pollution. In this study, we measured the quality of percolating water in the vadose zone, underlying both organic and conventional intensive greenhouses. Our study was conducted in newly established farms where the subsurface underlying the greenhouses has been monitored continuously from their establishment. Surprisingly, intensive organic agriculture relying on solid organic matter, such as composted manure that is implemented in the soil prior to planting as the sole fertilizer, resulted in significant down leaching of nitrate through the vadose zone to the groundwater. On the other hand, similar intensive agriculture that implemented liquid fertilizer through drip irrigation, as commonly practiced in conventional agriculture, resulted in much lower rates of pollution of the vadose zone and groundwater. It has been shown that accurate fertilization methods that distribute the fertilizers through the irrigation system, according to plant demand, during the growing season dramatically reduce the potential for groundwater contamination.
Irrigation efficiency and water-policy implications for river-basin resilience
Authors: Scott C. A. , Vicuña S. , Blanco-Gutiérrez I. , Meza F. , Varela-Ortega C.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. Rising demand for food, fiber, and biofuels drives expanding irrigation withdrawals from surface- and groundwater. Irrigation efficiency and water savings have become watchwords in response to climate-induced hydrological variability, increasing freshwater demand for other uses including ecosystem water needs, and low economic productivity of irrigation compared to most other uses. We identify three classes of unintended consequences, presented here as paradoxes. Ever-tighter cycling of water has been shown to increase resource use, an example of the efficiency paradox. In the absence of effective policy to constrain irrigated-area expansion using "saved water", efficiency can aggravate scarcity, deteriorate resource quality, and impair river-basin resilience through loss of flexibility and redundancy. Water scarcity and salinity effects in the lower reaches of basins (symptomatic of the scale paradox) may partly be offset over the short-term through groundwater pumping or increasing surface water storage capacity. However, declining ecological flows and increasing salinity have important implications for riparian and estuarine ecosystems and for non-irrigation human uses of water including urban supply and energy generation, examples of the sectoral paradox. This paper briefly examines policy frameworks in three regional contexts with broadly similar climatic and water-resource conditions – central Chile, southwestern US, and south-central Spain – where irrigation efficiency directly influences basin resilience. The comparison leads to more generic insights on water policy in relation to irrigation efficiency and emerging or overdue needs for environmental protection.
River ice flux and water velocities along a 600 km long reach of Lena River, Siberia, from satellite stereo
Authors: Kääb A. , Lamare M. , Abrams M.
Published: July 2013

Abstract. Knowledge of water-surface velocities in rivers is useful for understanding a range of river processes. In cold regions, river-ice break up and the related downstream transport of ice debris is often the most important hydrological event of the year, leading to flood levels that typically exceed those for the open-water period and to strong consequences for river infrastructure and ecology. Accurate and complete surface-velocity fields on rivers have rarely been produced. Here, we track river ice debris over a time period of about one minute, which is the typical time lag between the two or more images that form a stereo data set in spaceborne, along-track optical stereo-mapping. Using a series of 9 stereo scenes from the US/Japanese Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) onboard the NASA Terra spacecraft with 15 m image resolution, we measure the ice and water velocity field over a 620 km long reach of the lower Lena River, Siberia, just above its entry into the Lena delta. Careful analysis and correction of higher-order image and sensor errors enables an accuracy of ice-debris velocities of up to 0.04 m s−1 from the ASTER data. Maximum ice or water speeds, respectively, reach up to 2.5 m s−1 at the time of data acquisition, 27 May 2011 (03:30 UTC). Speeds show clear along-stream undulations with a wavelength of about 21 km that agree well with variations in channel width and with the location of sand bars along the river reach studied. The methodology and results of this study could be valuable to a number of disciplines requiring detailed information about river flow, such as hydraulics, hydrology, river ecology and natural-hazard management.
CURING KINETICS AND PROPERTIES OF NATURAL RUBBER COAGULATED USING MICROWAVE RADIATION
Authors: Liao Lu-Sheng , Liao Jian-He , Li Yi-Min , Chen Yong-Ping , Zhao Yan-Fang , He Can-Zhong
Published: July 2013

Microwave energy at a frequency of 2.45 GHz was used to coagulate natural rubber (NR) latex. Testing on technological properties indicates that microwave coagulation is a useful means of obtaining standard NR, meeting the requirements for technically specified rubber (TSR) 5, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicates that NR coagulated using microwave radiation (NR-m) has higher levels of nitrogeneous compounds than NR coagulated using acid (NR-a). Curing behavior was characterized using a rheometer. Research on kinetics shows that the rate constants of the three periods of NR-m vulcanization (the induction period, the fast-cross-linking period, and the end stage of curing period) are higher than those of NR-a. The fast-cross-linking period of NR-m vulcanization can be divided into two stages (I and II) with two rate constants, K2 and K3, whereas for NR-a there is only one rate constant, K2. With a change in curing temperature, the reaction orders for stages I and II vary in the range 0.8–1.0, and K2 and K3 increase linearly with the increase in temperature, giving the activation energies E2 = 89.5 kJ/mol and E3 = 115.3 kJ/mol.
ORGANIC MEMORY DEVICES WITH NATURAL RUBBER/ FULLERENE COMPOSITES
Authors: Aneesh J. , Predeep P.
Published: July 2013

The application of natural rubber (NR) as cost-effective component for an organic bistable memory device is demonstrated for the first time. An organic bistable memory device based on Cis 1–4 polyisoprene (NR) and fullerene (C60) is a trilayered structure consisting of NR/C60 composite sandwiching a C60 layer and thermally deposited aluminum electrodes on both sides (Al/NR:C60/C60/NR:C60/Al). Investigations on current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the device revealed promising device performance with a high ON/OFF current ratio and nonvolatile stability in both of its conducting states, indicating the strong potential of the NR:C60 composite as a nonvolatile memory material. Further, attempts are made to fit the current response of the device using existing charge transport models and explain the origin of memory switching in present device.
Stand dynamics, spatial pattern and site quality in Austrocedrus chilensis forests in Patagonia, Argentina
Authors: Burns S.L. , Goya J.F. , Arturi M.F. , Yapura P.F. , Pérez C.A.
Published: July 2013

Aim of study: The objective of this study was to analyze the stand structure and spatial pattern of two A. chilensis stands with contrasting soil conditions and different site qualities in order to explore if these differences lead to patterns similar to the ones observed under different precipitation conditions.Area of study: The study was carried out in two stands located near the city of El Bolsón (41° 56’S - 71° 33’ W), Rio Negro, Argentina.Material and Methods: We evaluated age difference between canopy strata (upper and lower) in two stands with different site qualities by means of a Mann-Whitney test. Dead individuals by diameter class were compared by means of a chi square test. Spatial distribution pattern was analyzed using the pair-correlation function and the mark-correlation function.Main results: Both sites exhibited a random spatial distribution of A. chilensis but different processes seem to underlie the patterns. In the low-quality site facilitation and continuous establishment led to a transient clumped spatial pattern. Mortality mediated by competition occurred mainly on small trees resulting in the current random pattern. On the other hand, spatial pattern in the high-quality site does not reflect a facilitation mediated recruitment. The upper strata established synchronously and subsequent regeneration was episodic.Research highlights: The results show that the differences in site quality may lead to different establishment spatial patterns, showing the importance of facilitation processes in sites with drier soil conditions and lower quality, although results may be site specific, due to the lack of replications.Keywords: Spatial analysis; regeneration; mortality; competition; facilitation.Abbreviations used:  LQ: low-quality site; HQ: high-quality site.
Review. Supporting problem structuring with computer-based tools in participatory forest planning
Authors: Hujala T. , Khadka C. , Wolfslehner B. , Vacik H.
Published: July 2013

Aim of study: This review presents the state-of-art of using computerized techniques for problem structuring (PS) in participatory forest planning. Frequency and modes of using different computerized tool types and their contribution for planning processes as well as critical observations are described, followed by recommendations on how to better integrate PS with the use of forest decision support systems.Area of study: The reviewed research cases are from Asia, Europe, North-America, Africa and Australia.Materials and methods: Via Scopus search and screening of abstracts, 32 research articles from years 2002–2011 were selected for review. Explicit and implicit evidence of using computerized tools for PS was recorded and assessed with content-driven qualitative analysis.Main results: GIS and forest-specific simulation tools were the most prevalent software types whereas cognitive modelling software and spreadsheet and calculation tools were less frequently used, followed by multi-criteria and interactive tools. The typical use type was to provide outputs of simulation–optimization or spatial analysis to negotiation situations or to compile summaries or illustrations afterwards; using software during group negotiation to foster interaction was observed only in a few cases.Research highlights: Expertise in both decision support systems and group learning is needed to better integrate PS and computerized decision analysis. From the knowledge management perspective, it is recommended to consider how the results of PS – e.g. conceptual models – could be stored into a problem perception database, and how PS and decision making could be streamlined by retrievals from such systems.Keywords: facilitated modeling; group negotiation; knowledge management; natural resource management; PSM; soft OR; stakeholders.
Empirical guidelines for forest management decision support systems based on the past experiences of the expert's community
Authors: Marques A.F. , Fricko A. , Kangas A. , Rosset C. , Ferreti F. , Rasinmaki J. , Packalen T. , Gordon S.
Published: July 2013

Aim of the study: Decision support systems for forest management (FMDSS) have been developed world wide to account for a broad range of forest ecosystems, management goals and organizational frameworks (e.g. the wiki page of the FORSYS project reports 62 existing FMDSSs from 23 countries). The need to enhance the collaboration among this diverse community of developers and users fostered the rise of new group communication processes that could capture useful knowledge from past experiences in order to efficiently provide it to new FMDSS development efforts.Material and methods: This paper presents and tests an exploratory process aiming to identify the empirical guidelines assisting developers and users of FMDSS. This process encompasses aDelphi survey built upon the consolidation of the lessons-learned statements that summarize the past experiences of the experts involved in the FORSYS project. The experts come from 34 countries and have diverse interests, ranging from forest planners, IT developers, social scientists studying participatory planning, and researchers with interests in knowledge management and in quantitative models for forest planning.Main results: The proposed 37 empirical guidelines that group 102 lessons-learned cover a broad range of issues including the DSS development cycle, involvement of the stakeholders, methods, models and knowledge-based techniques in use.Research highlights: These results may be used for improving new FMDSS development processes, teaching and training and further suggest new features of FMDSS and future research topics. Furthermore, the guidelines may constitute a knowledge repository that may be continuously improved by a community of practice.Keywords: Forest management; guidelines; guidelines definition process; lessons learned; decision support systems; system architecture; knowledge management; participatory planning; Delphi.
An intercomparison of Satellite Burned Area Maps derived from MODIS, MERIS, SPOT-VEGETATION, and ATSR images. An application to the August 2006 Galicia (Spain) forest fires
Authors: Huesca M. , Merino de Miguel S. , González-Alonso F.
Published: July 2013

Aim of study: The following paper presents an inter-comparison of three global products: MCD45A1 (MODIS - MODerate resolution Imaging Spectrometer - Burned Area Product), L3JRC (Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring Global Burnt Area Product), and GLOBCARBON Burnt Area Estimate (BAE) Product; and three local products, two of them based on MODIS data and the other one based on MERIS (MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) data.Area of study: The study was applied to the Galician forest fires occurred in 2006.Materials and Methods: Materials used involved the three already mentioned global products together with two MODIS and one MERIS reflectance images, and MODIS thermal anomalies. The algorithm we used, which is based on the determination of thresholds values on infrared bands, allowed the identification of burned pixels. The determination of such threshold values was based on the maximum spatial correlation between MODIS thermal anomalies, and infrared reflectance values. This methodology was applied to MODIS and MERIS reflectance bands, and to the NBR (Normalized Burn Ratio). Burned area validation was evaluated using burned area polygons as derived from an AWiFS (Advanced Wide Field Sensor) image of 60m pixel size.Main results: Best results were reached when using the MERIS infrared bands, followed by the MODIS infrared bands. Worst results were reached when using the MCD45A1 product, which clearly overestimated; and when using the L3JRC product, which clearly underestimated.Research highlights: Since the efficiency of the performance of the available burned area products is highly variable, much work is needed in terms of comparison among the available sensors, the burned area mapping algorithms and the resulting products.Keywords: forest fires; MODIS; MERIS; MCD45A1; L3JRC; GLOBCARBON-BAE; SPOT-VEGETATION; ATSR.Abbreviations used: ATSR: Along Scanning Radiometer; AVHRR: Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer; AWiFS: Advanced Wide Field Sensor; EOS: Earth Observation System; ESA: European Space Agency; GBA2000: Global Burnt Area 2000; GLOBCARBON-BAE: GLOBCARBON Burnt Area Estimate Product; L3JRC: Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring Global Burnt Area Product; MCD45A1: MODIS Burned Area Product; MERIS: MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer; MOD09GA: Terra MODIS Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 500 m; MOD09GQ: Terra MODIS Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 250 m; MODIS: MODerate resolution Imaging Spectrometer; NBR: Normalized Burn Ratio; NDVI: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; NIR: near-infrared; SPOT: Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre; SWIR: short-wave infrared; UTM: Universal Transverse Mercator.
Aux confins du droit positif
Authors: Breton-Le Goff Gaëlle
Published: July 2013

En 2006, le parlement de la République démocratique du Congo adoptait à l’initiative des organisations non gouvernementales une loi visant à criminaliser les actes de violence sexuelle et à protéger les victimes. Cette innovation importante qui a conduit à transposer dans le droit national un certain nombre de crimes et d’infractions sexuels tels que définis dans les conventions internationales se heurte pourtant à des obstacles importants quant à la mise en oeuvre des dispositions de la loi. Au-delà des difficultés matérielles et politiques que rencontrent magistrats et policiers, l’auteure avance l’hypothèse que la primauté de la coutume et de leurs valeurs dans les matières de la famille, du mariage et des fiançailles freine la réception de la loi par la population et le corps judiciaire. L’auteure illustre ces points de friction à travers la question du mariage et du viol après avoir présenté les défis du recours à l’anthropologie pour le juriste positiviste.
Power, Identity and Subtitling in a Diglossic Society
Authors: Yau Wai-Ping
Published: July 2013

This article attempts to address the problematics of identity and power relations as they arise in the practice of subtitling. Specifically, the article asks questions about how subtitling can play an active part in the shaping of identity by mediating between the local, the national and the global, and how the subtitler can be an agent in adjusting the power relations between cultural constituencies. These questions are considered in the context of a diglossic society, not only because issues about language, identity and power relations are inextricably involved in discussions about diglossia, but also because diglossia is a common experience for many subtitlers and film audiences. The possibility is explored that the subtitler can create a hybrid language that redefines the rigid roles assigned to the local dialect and the national language and revises our codes for reading subtitles. Examples from Hong Kong are used to illustrate these points.
The Semiotic Status of Interlingual Subtitling
Authors: Sakellariou Panagiotis
Published: July 2013

This article examines the question of the semiotic status of interlingual subtitling. More specifically, it will be shown that the conception of subtitling as intersemiotic translation is theoretically untenable and therefore cannot provide the basis for an adequate approach to the peculiar character of this type of audiovisual translation. The semiotic status of interlingual subtitling is essentially determined by the particular nature of the audiovisual system. Thus, a semiotic description of the audiovisual signifying processes will be offered that will allow for a conception of the semiotic status of interlingual subtitling in intertextual terms.
What Skills Do Student Interpreters Need to Learn in Sight Translation Training?
Authors: Lee Jieun
Published: July 2013

Although sight translation is widely taught in interpreter education and practicsed in the field, there has been a dearth of studies on sight translation. This paper presents the preliminary findings of a pilot study comparing six student interpreters and three professional interpreters’ sight translation of an English speech text into Korean, which is their A language. This paper examines their sight translation performances in terms of accuracy, target language expressions and delivery qualities. The results indicate that student interpreters need to further develop their reading skills to accurately understand the source text and distinguish key ideas from ancillary ideas. The data analysis also reveals that student interpreters need to make conscious efforts to distance themselves from the source language form and develop translation skills to avoid literal translations. These findings have pedagogical implications for sight translation training. This paper discusses condensation strategy as an effective method to enhance delivery and target language qualities. Finally, this paper calls for further research on this under-researched component in the interpreting curriculum.
Exercise During Pregnancy: The Role of Obstetric Providers
Authors: May Linda E. , Suminski Richard R. , Linklater Emily R. , Jahnke Sara , Glaros Alan G.
Published: July 2013

Context: Obstetric providers are logical choices for conveying information about physical activity to their pregnant patients. However, research regarding obstetric providers counseling pregnant patients about physical activity is sparse.

Objectives: To investigate the association between obstetric providers discussing exercise with their pregnant patients and patients' exercise behaviors and to explore factors related to obstetric providers discussing exercise and other health behaviors (tobacco use, alcohol use, and nutrition) with their patients.

Methods: We received completed surveys from 238 pregnant women and 31 obstetric providers at 12 obstetrician offices. The offices were located throughout the United States and were heterogeneous in regards to patient insurance coverage, number of patients treated per month, and percentage of patients with complications.

Results: Women who were “more careful about eating healthy” (odds ratio [OR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-8.0) and who discussed exercise with their obstetric provider (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1-4.3) were more likely to “maintain or increase exercise” during pregnancy than those who were not conscientious about their diets and those who did not discuss exercise with their obstetric provider, respectively. The odds of obstetric providers discussing exercise with pregnant patients increased 7-fold (OR, 7.1; 95% CI, 1.4-37.3) for each health behavior the obstetric provider discussed with the patient.

Conclusion: Patient discussions with obstetric providers about exercise and patient attention to eating habits are associated with exercising during pregnancy. A more multibehavioral approach by obstetric providers may improve the likelihood that patients exercise during pregnancy.
Incorporating Simulation Technology Into a Neurology Clerkship
Authors: Ermak David Matthew , Bower Douglas W. , Wood Jody , Sinz Elizabeth H. , Kothari Milind J.
Published: July 2013

Simulation-based medical education is growing in use and popularity in various settings and specialties. A literature review yields scant information about the use of simulation-based medical education in neurology, however. The specialty of neurology presents an interesting challenge to the field of simulation-based medical education because of the inability of even the most advanced mannequins to mimic a focal neurologic deficit. The authors present simulator protocols for status epilepticus and acute stroke that use a high-fidelity mannequin despite its inability to mimic a focal neurologic deficit. These protocols are used in the training of third- and fourth-year medical students during their neurology clerkship at Penn State College of Medicine. The authors also provide a review of the pertinent literature.
Measurement of Surface Free Energy of Transmission Electron Microscopy Substrate and Its Surface Modification for Use in Self-Assembly Experiment
Authors: Fukada Kazuhiro , Masuda Takashi , Shimoda Tatsuya
Published: July 2013

In this research, we analyzed and modified the surface of a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) substrate for the observation of a self-assembled pattern. First, we estimated that the surface free energy of the TEM substrate is 41.1±5.6 mJ/m2by measuring the dynamic contact angle of inkjet droplets. Second, the surface free energy distribution of a TEM substrate was measured. It was found that the TEM substrate has a homogeneous surface free energy value. Third, we modified the surface of a TEM substrate using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and analyzed the surface of the TEM substrate-modified SAMs by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was confirmed that SAMs can assemble on the graphite surface. As a result, we obtained a method to control the total surface free energy of a TEM substrate from 12 to 50 mJ/m2using SAMs.
Thermoelectric Properties of Chalcopyrite-Type CuGaTe2 with Ag Substituted into the Cu Sites
Authors: Yusufu Aikebaier , Kurosaki Ken , Ohishi Yuji , Muta Hiroaki , Yamanaka Shinsuke
Published: July 2013

CuGaTe2 has recently been reported to have a high thermoelectric (TE) figure of merit (Z
T) of 1.4 at 950 K [T. Plirdpring et al.: Adv. Mater. 24 (2012) 3622]. However, the Z
T values of CuGaTe2 in the low and middle temperature ranges are not high, due to high lattice thermal conductivity (κlat) in those temperature ranges. We have attempted to reduce the κlat of CuGaTe2 by the substituting Ag into the Cu sites. Polycrystalline samples of Cu1-x
Ag
x
GaTe2 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1) were prepared and the TE properties were examined. Ag substituted reduced κlat and changed the carrier concentration and mobility, which improved Z
T in the low and middle temperature ranges; a Z
T value of 0.7 was obtained at 700 K for Cu1-x
Ag
x
GaTe2 with x = 0.5, which is 40% higher than that of CuGaTe2.
Role of Energy Migration in Nonradiative Relaxation Processes in ErxY2-xSiO5 Crystalline Thin Films
Authors: Nakajima Takayuki , Tanaka Yasuhito , Kimura Tadamasa , Isshiki Hideo
Published: July 2013

Er
x
Y2-x
SiO5 crystals have been proposed for compact waveguide amplifiers in Si photonics. However, the crystalline materials show quenching behavior with increasing Er concentration. We have investigated the nonradiative relaxation processes in Er
x
Y2-x
SiO5 crystallites and discussed the contribution of energy migration in Er
x
Y2-x
SiO5 crystallites. It has been found that the quenching behavior is governed by the diffusion-limited relaxation in Er
x
Y2-x
SiO5 grains, where, as we have proposed, the grain boundaries act as quenching centers. The experimental results were shown to be consistent with the diffusion-limited relaxation model. Using the proposed model, the energy transfer constant between Er ions C and the critical transfer length R
0 were estimated. The values are in good agreement with the values reported previously.
Physics of the Voltage Constant in Multilevel Switching of Conductive Bridge Resistive Memory
Authors: Liu Tong , Kang Yuhong , El-Helw Sarah , Potnis Tanmay , Orlowski Marius
Published: July 2013

The multilevel switching of conductive bridge resistive memory is characterized by the ON-state resistance (R
ON) being inversely proportional to the compliance current (I
CC). The constant of this relation is shown to be universally correlated to the minimum SET voltage (V
SET(min)) for all conductive bridge devices. V
SET(min), required to switch the memory from high resistance state to low resistance state, can be extracted using small voltage sweep rates. The correlation has been verified by experiments on Cu/TaO
x
/Pt devices and confirmed for data on resistive devices reported in the literature. The physical domain of validity for the R
ON–I
CC relation has been established.