bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interpersonal Relationships and Subjective Well-being among Older Adults in Sheltered Housing
Authors: Herbers Daniël Johannes , Meijering Louise
Published: July 2015

The aim of this article is to examine how experiences with interpersonal relationships contribute to older adults’ well-being in the residential context of sheltered housing. We draw on data collected from sixteen in-depth interviews with older adults living in sheltered housing in a small town in northern Netherlands. Our participants experienced the interaction with their children as of primary importance among their interpersonal relationships, while interactions with other residents were rather superficial. Their children offered emotional support as well as instrumental support and were found to play essential roles in our participants’ wellbeing. Moreover, participants expressed that the social and physical activities organized by the residential care-facility offered them the opportunity to remain physically and mentally active. The help received from housekeepers and caregivers was found to be another important element of interpersonal relationships and so was the reciprocal nature of support exchanged with other sheltered housing residents. We conclude that the benefits of interpersonal relationships in sheltered housing should be considered when designing policy for the well-being of older adults ageing in place.
Saree cancer post wide excision presenting with metastatic lesion in inguinal region. First reported case
Authors: Deolekar Sandesh , Karandikar Sangram , Shaikh Tanveer , Mandhane Nisha , Ansari Sharique
Published: July 2015

Saree is the most common and traditional attire of Indian women which is wrapped tightly on waist. Waist is prone to continuous sweat and soiling and this can cause pigmentation, scaling of the waist which can later transform to malignant lesion in the waist. Here we are presenting a case of saree cancer that was successfully managed with multimodality therapy. A 55 years old female came to our outpatient department with painful nonhealing ulcerative lesion left inguinal region post wide excision of saree cancer in left waist region 3 years back. There was itching and foul smelling discharge from ulcerative lesion (Mets). This lesion was treated with multi-modality and patient survived 1 year without any recurrence.
Application of dynamic modeling to the evaluation of influence of strengthening treatment on fatigue resistance
Authors: Kostichev V. E.
Published: July 2015

A method of dynamic analysis of a strain-stress state in parts of an internal-combustion engine with stress concentrators has been worked out. The method gives an opportunity to take into account the rise of the fatigue resistance due to strengthening treatment, to choose the optimal mode of surface hardening and its regimes, to develop the technological and designing activities aimed at improving the fatigue resistance characteristics of the parts. The method has been tested drawing on the example of rolled cylindrical specimens, the results have been confirmed by experimental data. Failure zones of the crankshaft as the most strained part of a combustion engine in the operation process have been investigated and determined on the basis of metallographic analysis and reclamation data carried out at the Open Joint-Stock Company Auto diesel (YMZ). Finite-element models of the engine YMZ-238 crankshaft have been constructed using the ANSYS/LS-DYNA software complex. The models make it possible to evaluate the influence of hardening on the fatigue resistance under operating loads and boundary conditions corresponding to the real working regimes of the YMZ-238 engine and the area of initiation of fatigue macro cracks causing the destruction. On the basis of the results obtained in solving a production problem using the proposed method and confirmed by the reclamation analysis designing and technological activities aimed at ensuring the required level of crankshaft fatigue resistance due to the optimization of hardening treatment regimes have been proposed
De políticos y política: profesionalización y calidad en el ejercicio público
Authors: Alcántara Sáez Manuel
Published: July 2015

El presente artículo discute un aspecto fundamental de la representación política: la calidad de la política en sistemas donde los políticos tienen un carácter claramente profesional. Plantea los requisitos que debe cumplir el político profesional en el terreno de su dedicación y de la remuneración que percibe, y formula un modelo ideal de los elementos constitutivos de un político de calidad, con especial interés en el proceso formativo que integra la carrera de un político. AbstractThis article discusses a fundamental aspect of political representation: the relationship between the quality of politics and politicians in those systems where politicians are of a decidedly professional orientation. It establishes the requirements that a professional politician must meet in terms of time commitment and wages, proposing an ideal model of the elements that create a high quality politician, focusing particularly on the formative process involved in a political career.
Competencia interna y adaptación partidaria en el frente amplio de Uruguay
Authors: Yaffè Jaime
Published: July 2015

Entre 1994 y 2004, el Frente Amplio de Uruguay experimentó un importante proceso de renovación ideológica y programática y de reformulación estratégica, lo que le permitió aprovechar con éxito las oportunidades de crecimiento electoral emergentes del contexto socioeconómico y político. A partir de la reconstrucción analítica de ese exitoso proceso de adaptación partidaria, en este artículo se cuestiona la frecuente asociación entre institucionalización partidaria y rigidez estratégica. De igual modo, se sostiene que, dentro de ciertos límites, la fraccionalización intrapartidaria no necesariamente es un factor negativo para el desempeño electoral de los partidos.AbstractBetween 1994 and 2004, the Uruguayan Frente Amplio (FA) experienced a considerable renovation of its ideological and programmatic features, as well as an important reformulation of its strategy. This changes allowed FA to exploit with success the electoral opportunities emerging from the socio-economic and political context. Based on an analytical reconstruction of this successful party adaptation process, this article questions the frequent association between institutionalization and strategic rigidity. It is also argued that within certain limits, the intra-party fractionalization is not necessarily a negative factor for electoral performance.
¿Informalidad o dualismo en las manufacturas mexicanas?
Authors: Puyana Alicia , Romero José
Published: July 2015

Este trabajo explora la estructura del sector manufacturero mexicano, diferenciando a las empresas por su tamaño, según el número de trabajadores y por su evolución entre 1994 y 2008, periodo en el cual se habían consolidado las reformas instrumentadas como respuesta a la crisis de la deuda y a los cambios introducidos con la firma del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN); analiza en qué medida la trayectoria del sector escindido en dos universos — el de las empresas de menos de 15 trabajadores o sector informal, y las demás, permite deducir, de acuerdo con el modelo de Lewis, que la economía mexicana aún permanece en la etapa de crecimiento clásico de oferta ilimitada de mano de obra. El lento crecimiento de la economía y de las inversiones por trabajador, es una de las explicaciones de esta situación. Los datos permiten afirmar que éste es el caso.Abstract The paper analyzes the changes in the structure of informal manufactures sector, as presented by the differences in the contribution to employment, value added, gross capital formation and productivity of the production units differentiated by their size. The study covers the period 1994-2008, during which the structural reforms of mid eighties and the North American Free Trade Agreement had consolidated. The results confirm that the Mexican economy conforms to the Lewis Model of classical growth with unlimited supply of labour, low productivity and low wages.
La protesta social en América Latina. Cuaderno de Prospectiva Política 1, de Fernando Calderón Gutiérrez (coord.)
Authors: Pardo Núñez Joaliné
Published: July 2015

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Mechanisms for Reduced Excess Sludge Production in the Cannibal Process
Authors: Labelle Marc‐André , Dold Peter L. , Comeau Yves
Published: July 2015

Reducing excess sludge production is increasingly attractive as a result of rising costs and constraints with respect to sludge treatment and disposal. A technology in which the mechanisms remain not well understood is the Cannibal process, for which very low sludge yields have been reported. The objective of this work was to use modeling as a means to characterize excess sludge production at a full‐scale Cannibal facility by providing a long sludge retention time and removing trash and grit by physical processes. The facility was characterized by using its historical data, from discussion with the staff and by conducting a sampling campaign to prepare a solids inventory and an overall mass balance. At the evaluated sludge retention time of 400 days, the sum of the daily loss of suspended solids to the effluent and of the waste activated sludge solids contributed approximately equally to the sum of solids that are wasted daily as trash and grit from the solids separation module. The overall sludge production was estimated to be 0.14 g total suspended solids produced/g chemical oxygen demand removed. The essential functions of the Cannibal process for the reduction of sludge production appear to be to remove trash and grit from the sludge by physical processes of microscreening and hydrocycloning, respectively, and to provide a long sludge retention time, which allows the slow degradation of the “unbiodegradable” influent particulate organics (XU,Inf) and the endogenous residue (XE). The high energy demand of 1.6 kWh/m3 of treated wastewater at the studied facility limits the niche of the Cannibal process to small‐ to medium‐sized facilities in which sludge disposal costs are high but electricity costs are low.
The Role of Aerosol-Cloud-Radiation Interactions in Regional Air Quality—A NU-WRF Study over the United States
Authors: Tao Zhining , Yu Hongbin , Chin Mian
Published: July 2015

This work assessed the impact of aerosol-cloud-radiation (ACR) interactions on U.S. regional ozone and PM2.5 using the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting modeling system. A series of three-month simulations have been carried out for the year 2010, in which the factor separation method has been applied in order to isolate the contributions from aerosol-radiation (AR), aerosol-cloud (AC), and their synergistic effects. The overall ACR effects were to reduce the average cloud liquid water path by 25 g·m−2 (ca. 40% of the baseline) and to increase the downward shortwave radiation by 8 W·m−2 (ca. 3% of the baseline). The spatial difference in response to ACR was large, with ca. 50 W·m−2, 1 K, and 100 m increases in downward shortwave radiation, surface temperature, and planetary boundary layer height (PBLH), respectively, while ca. 60 g·m−2 decrease in cloud liquid water path in central Texas. The AC effect dominated for changes in downward shortwave radiation, cloud liquid water path, wind, and temperature, while both AC and AR effects contributed profoundly to PBLH change. As a result, surface ozone and PM2.5 changed with large temporal-spatial variations. More than a 10 ppbv of surface ozone and a 5 μg·m−3 of PM2.5 difference induced by ACR occurred frequently in the eastern U.S.
Beyond Historical Adversaries: Exploring New Grounds for Peace Through Tourism Between Iran and the US
Authors: Aghazamani Yeganeh , Hunt Carter A.
Published: July 2015

Scholars are increasingly exploring tourism as a means of promoting peace, largely on the basis that cultural understanding and interaction occur when particular forms of host–guest contact occur. The purpose of this article is to apply theoretical insights from the growing body
of scholarship on tourism-related peace that would be most relevant to tourism between two historical adversaries: Iran and the US. After touching upon the historical and current nature of tourism to Iran, we focused on theoretically informed opportunities for peace through tourism between
these two countries, that is, the forms of US visitation most likely to facilitate tourism-related improvements in relations between citizens of these two countries. The policy and planning recommendations emphasized here will be of relevance to those interested in tourism-facilitated peace
regardless of geographic context.
Influence of Different Payment Schemes on the Clinical Outcome in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Authors: Su Chun-yan , Lu Xin-hong , Wang Tao
Published: July 2015

Background

Cost is always a big issue for dialysis patients. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of different payment schemes on dialysis adequacy and clinical outcome in our peritoneal dialysis program.

Methods

This is a single-center cohort study. A total of 175 patients who began dialysis from January 2006 to December 2007 were included. Baseline data, including volume status, dietary intake and nutrition status, dialysis adequacy, and sodium removal were collected at 6 months after peritoneal dialysis. Based on the different payment schemes, the patients were divided into 2 groups, higher payment group (GHP, 130 cases, with more than 85% reimbursement), and lower payment group (GLP, 45 cases, with less than 50% payment or totally self-paid). Patients were followed up until dropout or until December 31, 2013.

Results

At baseline, patients in the 2 groups had nearly the same residual renal function. But the GLP group patients dialyzed at a lower dose (4,516.91 ± 1,768.20 mL vs 6,058.17 ± 2,013.43 mL, p < 0.001). They had lower creatinine clearance (51.64 ± 24.23 L/w vs 70.54 ± 30.27 L/w, p < 0.001), sodium removal (2.23 ± 1.29 g vs 2.77 ± 1.29 g, p = 0.027), and fluid removal (970.33 ± 545.97 mL vs 1,146.66 ± 460.93 mL, p = 0.038). Normalized by height (in meters), the GLP group patients still had a lower normalized dialysis dose (2,890.61 ± 1084.44 mL/m vs 3,761.34 ± 1,237.10 mL/m, p < 0.001). Baseline nutritional and dietary parameters were comparable except that a lower daily protein intake (42.73 ± 10.99 g vs 47.26 ± 14.30 g, p = 0.032) and higher serum urea level (23.43 ± 6.88 mmol/L vs 19.84 ± 5.92 mmol/L, p < 0.001) were presented in the GLP group. There was no difference in volume status. During the follow-up, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that there was no significant difference in patient survival and technique survival. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, after adjusting for related factors, payment was again not a strong predictor of survival in the study population.

Conclusion

Our study found that GLP group patients were adherent to lifestyle modification with lower dialysis doses, and they also had nearly the same long-term clinical outcome as the GHP group patients. Thus, lower dialysis doses combined with controlled dietary intake may be an effective approach to solve the dialysis problem for the low socio-economic status (SES) population.
Eradication of Blastocystis hominis prevents the development of symptomatic Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: a case report
Authors: Rajič Borko , Arapović Jurica , Raguž Kazimir , Bošković Mladen , Babić Senaida Marina , Maslać Suzana
Published: July 2015

In this case report we describe a 49 year-old man who presented with chronic urticaria, angioedema and soft stool consistency. During diagnostic examinations Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was found even though the patient never had clear symptoms of this disease. Blastocystis hominis was isolated through a stool microbiologic examination, implicating that this parasite can cause the development of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and chronic urticaria. After two-weeks treatment with metronidazole the Blastocystis hominis was eradicated, then urticaria and angioedema disappeared. During the four years of follow-up, the patient presented without any symptoms, whereas thyroid hormones were normalized and anti-thyroid antibodies declined. For the first time in the literature we show that eradication of Blastocystis hominis can prevent the development of both symptomatic Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and chronic urticaria.
Cost-effective procedure for Streptococcus pyogenes immobilized DNA preparation and miniPFGE subtyping
Authors: Lopez Yaumara , Manrique Viana , Niubo Esperanza , Valdés-Dapena Margarita , Perez Amarillo Julian , Lopez Israel , Parra Berenice , Escalona Venegas Gerardo , Riveron Ana M , Lopez-Canovas Lilia
Published: July 2015

Introduction: Group A streptococci (GAS) is responsible of several human diseases ranging from mild infection to severe invasive toxin-mediated disease and post-infectious sequelae. Accordingly, a GAS surveillance program based on molecular techniques is advisable for its epidemiological control. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is the gold standard for GAS molecular subtyping, but a major disadvantage is the length of the procedure, which takes 1–3days of work, minimum. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and cost-effective procedure for PFGE subtyping of GAS isolates. Methodology: Different incubation times of GAS, immobilized in agarose miniplugs, in solutions containing lysozyme and/or mutanolysine followed by solutions with urea instead of proteinase K, were assayed. DNA was restricted with SmaI and the fingerprints were obtained in clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) chambers and minichambers. The modified procedure was used to subtype 22 GAS isolates. Results: Intact DNA molecules of GAS immobilized in agarose miniplugs were prepared incubating the cells, in situ, with a solution containing lysozyme for 4hours, followed by the incubation in a non-enzymatic solution with urea for 2hours. SmaIDNA macrorestriction fragments were well resolved in 5hours and 14minutes by electrophoresis in a CHEF minichamber at 10V/cm. This procedure for GAS DNA preparation was useful for fingerprinting GAS strains in the format of CHEFMapper (BioRad). Conclusions: The procedure took 13 hours for GAS strains subtyping. Both sample preparation and electrophoresis in CHEF minichamber represent an economic alternative for performing massive epidemiological studies of this human pathogen.
MicroRNAs miR-155 and miR-16 Decrease AID and E47 in B Cells from Elderly Individuals
Authors: Frasca Daniela , Diaz Alain , Romero Maria , Ferracci Franco , Blomberg Bonnie B.
Published: July 2015

Our research in the past few years has identified B cell–specific biomarkers able to predict optimal Ab responses in both young and elderly individuals. These biomarkers are activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), the enzyme of class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation; the transcription factor E47, crucial for AID expression; and the ability to generate optimal memory B cells. Moreover, we have found that the increased proinflammatory status of the elderly, both in sera and intrinsic to B cells, negatively impacts B cell function. We have now investigated whether particular inflammatory microRNAs (miRs) contribute to decreased E47 and AID in aged B cells. Our data indicate that E47 and AID mRNA stability is lower in stimulated B cells from elderly individuals. We measured the expression of two miRs crucial for class switch recombination, miR-155 and miR-16, in human unstimulated B cells from young and elderly individuals with the rationale that increases in these before stimulation would decrease E47/AID upon cell activation. We found these miRs and B cell–intrinsic inflammation upregulated in aged unstimulated B cells and negatively associated with AID in the same B cells after stimulation with CpG. We propose that the downregulation of AID in aged human B cells may occur through binding of miR-155 to the 3′-untranslated regions of AID mRNA and/or binding of miR-16 to the 3′-untranslated regions of E47 mRNA, as well as at the transcriptional level of less E47 for AID. Our results indicate novel molecular pathways leading to reduced B cell function with aging.
Two decades of water vapor measurements with the FISH fluorescence hygrometer: a review
Authors: Meyer J. , Rolf C. , Schiller C. , Rohs S. , Spelten N. , Afchine A. , Zöger M. , Sitnikov N. , Thornberry T. D. , Rollins A. W. , Bozóki Z. , Tátrai D. , Ebert V. , Kühnreich B. , Mackrodt P. , Möhler O. , Saathoff H. , Rosenlof K. H. , Krämer M.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. For almost two decades, the airborne Fast In-situ Stratospheric Hygrometer (FISH) has stood for accurate and precise measurements of total water mixing ratios (WMR, gas phase + evaporated ice) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS). Here, we present a comprehensive review of the measurement technique (Lyman-α photofragment fluorescence), calibration procedure, accuracy and reliability of FISH. Crucial for FISH measurement quality is the regular calibration to a water vapor reference, namely the commercial frost-point hygrometer DP30. In the frame of this work this frost-point hygrometer is compared to German and British traceable metrological water standards and its accuracy is found to be 2–4 %. Overall, in the range from 4 to 1000 ppmv, the total accuracy of FISH was found to be 6–8 %, as stated in previous publications. For lower mixing ratios down to 1 ppmv, the uncertainty reaches a lower limit of 0.3 ppmv. For specific, non-atmospheric conditions, as set in experiments at the AIDA chamber – namely mixing ratios below 10 and above 100 ppmv in combination with high- and low-pressure conditions – the need to apply a modified FISH calibration evaluation has been identified. The new evaluation improves the agreement of FISH with other hygrometers to ± 10 % accuracy in the respective mixing ratio ranges. Furthermore, a quality check procedure for high total water measurements in cirrus clouds at high pressures (400–500 hPa) is introduced. The performance of FISH in the field is assessed by reviewing intercomparisons of FISH water vapor data with other in situ and remote sensing hygrometers over the last two decades. We find that the agreement of FISH with the other hygrometers has improved over that time span from overall up to ± 30 % or more to about ± 5–20 % @ < 10 ppmv and to ± 0–15 % @ > 10 ppmv. As presented here, the robust and continuous calibration and operation procedures of the FISH instrument over the last two decades establish the position of FISH as one of the core instruments for in situ observations of water vapor in the UT/LS.
The VIADUC project: innovation in climate adaptation through service design
Authors: Corre L. , Dandin P. , L'Hôte D. , Besson F.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. From the French National Adaptation to Climate Change Plan, the "Drias, les futurs du climat" service has been developed to provide easy access to French regional climate projections. This is a major step for the implementation of French Climate Services. The usefulness of this service for the end-users and decision makers involved with adaptation planning at a local scale is investigated. As such, the VIADUC project is: to evaluate and enhance Drias, as well as to imagine future development in support of adaptation. Climate scientists work together with end-users and a service designer. The designer's role is to propose an innovative approach based on the interaction between scientists and citizens. The chosen end-users are three Natural Regional Parks located in the South West of France. The latter parks are administrative entities which gather municipalities having a common natural and cultural heritage. They are also rural areas in which specific economic activities take place, and therefore are concerned and involved in both protecting their environment and setting-up sustainable economic development. The first year of the project has been dedicated to investigation including the questioning of relevant representatives. Three key local economic sectors have been selected: i.e. forestry, pastoral farming and building activities. Working groups were composed of technicians, administrative and maintenance staff, policy makers and climate researchers. The sectors' needs for climate information have been assessed. The lessons learned led to actions which are presented hereinafter.
The mechanisms of North Atlantic CO2 uptake in a large Earth System Model ensemble
Authors: Halloran P. R. , Booth B. B. B. , Jones C. D. , Lambert F. H. , McNeall D. J. , Totterdell I. J. , Völker C.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. The oceans currently take up around a quarter of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by human activity. While stored in the ocean, this CO2 is not influencing Earth's radiation budget; the ocean CO2 sink therefore plays an important role in mitigating global warming. CO2 uptake by the oceans is heterogeneous, with the subpolar North Atlantic being the strongest CO2 sink region. Observations over the last 2 decades have indicated that CO2 uptake by the subpolar North Atlantic sink can vary rapidly. Given the importance of this sink and its apparent variability, it is critical that we understand the mechanisms behind its operation. Here we explore the combined natural and anthropogenic subpolar North Atlantic CO2 uptake across a large ensemble of Earth System Model simulations, and find that models show a peak in sink strength around the middle of the century after which CO2 uptake begins to decline. We identify different drivers of change on interannual and multidecadal timescales. Short-term variability appears to be driven by fluctuations in regional seawater temperature and alkalinity, whereas the longer-term evolution throughout the coming century is largely occurring through a counterintuitive response to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. At high atmospheric CO2 concentrations the contrasting Revelle factors between the low latitude water and the subpolar gyre, combined with the transport of surface waters from the low latitudes to the subpolar gyre, means that the subpolar CO2 uptake capacity is largely satisfied from its southern boundary rather than through air–sea CO2 flux. Our findings indicate that: (i) we can explain the mechanisms of subpolar North Atlantic CO2 uptake variability across a broad range of Earth System Models; (ii) a focus on understanding the mechanisms behind contemporary variability may not directly tell us about how the sink will change in the future; (iii) to identify long-term change in the North Atlantic CO2 sink we should focus observational resources on monitoring lower latitude as well as the subpolar seawater CO2; (iv) recent observations of a weakening subpolar North Atlantic CO2 sink may suggest that the sink strength has peaked and is in long-term decline.
Sun-induced Chlorophyll fluorescence and PRI improve remote sensing GPP estimates under varying nutrient availability in a typical Mediterranean savanna ecosystem
Authors: Perez-Priego O. , Guan J. , Rossini M. , Fava F. , Wutzler T. , Moreno G. , Carvalhais N. , Carrara A. , Kolle O. , Julitta T. , Schrumpf M. , Reichstein M. , Migliavacca M.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. This study investigates the performances of different optical indices to estimate gross primary production (GPP) of herbaceous stratum in a Mediterranean savanna with different Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P) availability. Sun-induced chlorophyll Fluorescence yield computed at 760 nm (Fy760), scaled-photochemical reflectance index (sPRI), MERIS terrestrial-chlorophyll index (MTCI) and Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were computed from near-surface field spectroscopy measurements collected using high spectral resolution spectrometers covering the visible near-infrared regions. GPP was measured using canopy-chambers on the same locations sampled by the spectrometers. We hypothesized that light-use efficiency (LUE) models driven by remote sensing quantities (RSM) can better track changes in GPP caused by nutrient supplies compared to those driven exclusively by meteorological data (MM). Particularly, we compared the performances of different RSM formulations – relying on the use of Fy760 or sPRI as proxy for LUE and NDVI or MTCI as fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) – with those of classical MM. Results showed significantly higher GPP in the N fertilized experimental plots during the growing period. These differences in GPP disappeared in the drying period when senescence effects masked out potential differences due to plant N content. Consequently, although MTCI was tightly related to plant N content (r2 = 0.86, p < 0.01), it was poorly related to GPP (r2 = 0.45, p < 0.05). On the contrary sPRI and Fy760 correlated well with GPP during the whole measurement period. Results revealed that the relationship between GPP and Fy760 is not unique across treatments but it is affected by N availability. Results from a cross validation analysis showed that MM (AICcv = 127, MEcv = 0.879) outperformed RSM (AICcv = 140, MEcv = 0.8737) when soil moisture was used to constrain the seasonal dynamic of LUE. However, residual analyses demonstrated that MM is predictively inaccurate whenever no climatic variable explicitly reveals nutrient-related changes in the LUE parameter. These results put forward that RSM is a valuable means to diagnose nutrient-induced effects on the photosynthetic activity.
Improving of electrical channels for magnetotelluric sounding instrumentation
Authors: Prystai A. M. , Pronenko V. O.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. The study of the deep structure of the Earth's crust is of great interest for both applied (e.g. mineral exploration) and scientific research. For this the electromagnetic (EM) studies which enable one to construct the distribution of electrical conductivity in the Earth's crust are of great use. The most common method of EM exploration is magnetotelluric sounding (MT). This passive method of research uses a wide range of natural geomagnetic variations as a powerful source of electromagnetic induction in the Earth, producing telluric current variations there. It includes the measurements of variations of natural electric and magnetic fields in orthogonal directions at the surface of the Earth. By this, the measurements of electric fields are much more complicated metrological processes, and, namely, they limit the precision of MT prospecting. This is especially complicated at deep sounding when measurements of long periods are of interest. The increase in the accuracy of the electric field measurement can significantly improve the quality of MT data. Because of this, the development of a new version of an instrument for the measurements of electric fields at MT – both electric field sensors and the electrometer – with higher levels relative to the known instrument parameter level – was initiated. The paper deals with the peculiarities of this development and the results of experimental tests of the new sensors and electrometers included as a unit in the long-period magnetotelluric station LEMI-420 are given.
Estimation of crop water requirements: extending the one-step approach to dual crop coefficients
Authors: Lhomme J. P. , Boudhina N. , Masmoudi M. M. , Chehbouni A.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. Crop water requirements are commonly estimated with the FAO-56 methodology based upon a two-step approach: first a reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is calculated from weather variables with the Penman–Monteith equation, then ET0 is multiplied by a tabulated crop-specific coefficient (Kc) to determine the water requirement (ETc) of a given crop under standard conditions. This method has been challenged to the benefit of a one-step approach, where crop evapotranspiration is directly calculated from a Penman–Monteith equation, its surface resistance replacing the crop coefficient. Whereas the transformation of the two-step approach into a one-step approach has been well documented when a single crop coefficient (Kc) is used, the case of dual crop coefficients (Kcb for the crop and Ke for the soil) has not been treated yet. The present paper examines this specific case. Using a full two-layer model as a reference, it is shown that the FAO-56 dual crop coefficient approach can be translated into a one-step approach based upon a modified combination equation. This equation has the basic form of the Penman–Monteith equation but its surface resistance is calculated as the parallel sum of a foliage resistance (replacing Kcb) and a soil surface resistance (replacing Ke). We also show that the foliage resistance, which depends on leaf stomatal resistance and leaf area, can be inferred from the basal crop coefficient (Kcb) in a way similar to the Matt–Shuttleworth method.
Tomography-based monitoring of isothermal snow metamorphism under advective conditions
Authors: Ebner P. P. , Schneebeli M. , Steinfeld A.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. Time-lapse X-ray microtomography was used to investigate the structural dynamics of isothermal snow metamorphism exposed to an advective airflow. The effect of diffusion and advection across the snow pores on the snow microstructure were analysed in controlled laboratory experiments and possible effects on natural snowpacks discussed. The 3-D digital geometry obtained by tomographic scans was used in direct pore-level numerical simulations to determine the effective permeability. The results showed that isothermal advection with saturated air have no influence on the coarsening rate that is typical for isothermal snow metamorphism. Isothermal snow metamorphism is driven by sublimation deposition caused by the Kelvin effect and is the limiting factor independently of the transport regime in the pores.
Women Participation in Rivers State Grass-Root Politics: A Community Development Perspective
Authors: G. A Nwogu, , B. O. N Wariboko,
Published: July 2015

Women are key factors in any society. No doubt, their sidelining or exclusion in the political arena and other decision making process is a problem that cannot be overlooked or swallowed hook, line and sinker. In Rivers State, the Judiciary arm of government is on hold presently because of a female appointment into the office of the Chief Justice of the State. This development motivated the study which examined women participation in grass-root politics: A community development perspective. The study with a sample size of 500 respondents, identified economical disadvantage, phobia for political vices amongst others as barriers to women participation in Rivers State grass-root politics. On the influence of women participation in politics on community development, it was accepted that women participation in politics, will increase women commitment to community goals and objectives achievement, influence and promote policies and programmes for the advancement of the women. Based on these findings, the study recommended sensitization and continuous creation of awareness to inform women on the need to be economically empowered as a way of facilitating their entry and relevance into politics, which will hitherto enhance development of their communities.
THE ROAD SAFETY AT TURBO ROUNDABOUTS IN POLAND
Authors: Macioszek Elżbieta
Published: July 2015

There are to two groups of turbo roundabouts used currently in Poland. The first group is turbo roundabouts with geometry and traffic organization designed following the model of Dutch turbo roundabouts with raised lane dividers. The other group is turbo roundabouts with traffic organization which entirely or partly corresponds to traffic organization of conventional turbo roundabouts, but with lane dividers not present, with their function performed by a single continuous line of P-2 type. Turbo roundabouts in the world are considered as solutions which are characterized by a high level of road safety and allow for effective flow at substantial traffic intensities. The data about turbo roundabouts in Poland analysed by the author show that there are substantially more turbo roundabouts without raised lane dividers. The paper attempts to answer to the question of whether turbo roundabouts with lane dividers in the form of a single continuous line ensure the appropriate level of road safety. Furthermore, the comparison of the level of road safety in turbo roundabouts equipped in raised lane dividers with turbo roundabouts with lane separators in the form of continuous line revealed that turbo roundabouts with raised lane dividers are safer solutions than turbo roundabouts with traffic lane dividers in the form of continuous line.
"Many Lands Have I Left Behind Me": E. A. Baratynskii’s Quest for Happiness in Finland, Italy, and the Homeland
Authors: Clark Elena Pedigo
Published: July 2015

This article examines the poetry of E.A. Baratynskii about three specific places: Finland, the homeland (i.e. Russia), and Italy.  It is the contention of this article that these place-specific poems form a contrast to Baratynskii's other poetry, and allow his poetic persona to resolve conflicts that remain unresolved in the majority of his oeuvre.  In particular, this article discusses the ways in which these three places form three different "realms of the dead" or areas of contact with the divine or the supernatural, thus allowing the poet to transcend the binary conflict between intellect and feeling, and science and nature, that is so problematic for his poetic persona.
Study of the thermospheric and ionospheric response to the 2009 sudden stratospheric warming using TIME‐GCM and GSM TIP models: First results
Authors: Klimenko M. V. , Klimenko V. V. , Bessarab F. S. , Korenkov Yu N. , Liu Hanli , Goncharenko L. P. , Tolstikov M. V.
Published: July 2015

This paper presents a study of mesosphere and low thermosphere influence on ionospheric disturbances during 2009 major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event. This period was characterized by extremely low solar and geomagnetic activity. The study was performed using two first principal models: thermosphere‐ionosphere‐mesosphere electrodynamics general circulation model (TIME‐GCM) and global self‐consistent model of thermosphere, ionosphere, and protonosphere (GSM TIP). The stratospheric anomalies during SSW event were modeled by specifying the temperature and density perturbations at the lower boundary of the TIME‐GCM (30 km altitude) according to data from European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts. Then TIME‐GCM output at 80 km was used as lower boundary conditions for driving GSM TIP model runs. We compare models' results with ground‐based ionospheric data at low latitudes obtained by GPS receivers in the American longitudinal sector. GSM TIP simulation predicts the occurrence of the quasi‐wave vertical structure in neutral temperature disturbances at 80–200 km altitude, and the positive and negative disturbances in total electron content at low latitude during the 2009 SSW event. According to our model results the formation mechanisms of the low‐latitude ionospheric response are the disturbances in the n(O)/n(N2) ratio and thermospheric wind. The change in zonal electric field is key mechanism driving the ionospheric response at low latitudes, but our model results do not completely reproduce the variability in zonal electric fields (vertical plasma drift) at low latitudes.
Case and statistical studies on the evolution of hot flow anomalies
Authors: Zhao L. L. , Zong Q. G. , Zhang H. , Wang S.
Published: July 2015

Hot flow anomalies (HFAs) frequently observed near Earth's bow shock are phenomena resulting from the interaction between interplanetary discontinuities and Earth's bow shock. We identify 199 HFA events using Cluster data from 2001 to 2010 and divide these events into four categories according to the dynamic pressure profile, namely, “−+,” “+−,” “M,” and “W” types, where the symbols describe the profile of the dynamic pressure variations. We present case studies to show the main characteristics of each type of HFAs. Normalized superposed epoch analyses show that variations of the magnetic field magnitude of −+ and +− type HFAs are more dramatic than those of M and W types. The statistical study shows that the occurrence percentage of mature HFAs in W type HFAs is higher than that of −+, +−, and M types. Superposed epoch analysis result shows that variations of plasma parameters and magnetic field of mature HFAs are more dramatic than those of young HFAs, except for temperature. M and W type HFAs may be the later evolution stages of −+ and +− type HFAs; on the other hand, four categories of HFAs may be due to the fact that the spacecraft crossed an HFA structure along different paths.
Multiple‐scale hydrothermal circulation in 135 Ma oceanic crust of the Japan Trench outer rise: Numerical models constrained with heat flow observations
Authors: Ray Labani , Kawada Yoshifumi , Hamamoto Hideki , Yamano Makoto
Published: July 2015

Anomalous high heat flow is observed within 150 km seaward of the trench axis at the Japan Trench offshore of Sanriku, where the old Pacific Plate (∼135 Ma) is subducting. Individual heat flow values range between 42 and 114 mW m−2, with an average of ∼70 mW m−2. These values are higher than those expected from the seafloor age based on thermal models of the oceanic plate, i.e., ∼50 mW m−2. The heat flow exhibits spatial variations at multiple scales: regional high average heat flow (∼100 km) and smaller‐scale heat flow peaks (∼1 km). We found that hydrothermal mining of heat from depth due to gradual thickening of an aquifer in the oceanic crust toward the trench axis can yield elevated heat flow of the spatial scale of ∼100 km. Topographic effects combined with hydrothermal circulation may account for the observed smaller‐scale heat flow variations. Hydrothermal circulation in high‐permeability faults may result in heat flow peaks of a subkilometer spatial scale. Volcanic intrusions are unlikely to be a major source of heat flow variations at any scale because of limited occurrence of young volcanoes in the study area. Hydrothermal heat transport may work at various scales on outer rises of other subduction zones as well, since fractures and faults have been well developed due to bending of the incoming plate.
Cobalt‐based age models of pelagic clay in the South Pacific Gyre
Authors: Dunlea Ann G. , Murray Richard W. , Sauvage Justine , Pockalny Robert A. , Spivack Arthur J. , Harris Robert N. , D'Hondt Steven
Published: July 2015

Dating pelagic clay can be a challenge due to its slow sedimentation rate, post‐depositional alteration, and lack of biogenic deposition. Co‐based dating techniques have the potential to create age models in pelagic clay under the assumption that the flux of non‐detrital Co to the seafloor is spatially and temporally constant, resulting in the non‐detrital Co concentrations being inversely proportional to sedimentation rate. We apply a Co‐based method to the pelagic clay sequences from Sites U1365, U1366, U1369, and U1370 drilled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 329 in the South Pacific Gyre. We distinguished non‐detrital Co from detrital Co using multivariate statistical partitioning techniques. We found that the non‐detrital flux of Co at Site U1370 is approximately twice as high as that at the other sites, implying that the non‐detrital Co flux is not regionally constant. This regional variation reflects the heterogeneous distribution of Co in the water column, as is observed in the present day. We present an improved approach to Co‐based age modeling throughout the South Pacific Gyre and determine that the Co‐based method can effectively date oxygenated pelagic clay deposited in the distal open ocean, but is less reliable for deposition closer to continents. When extending the method to geologically old sediment, it is important to consider the paleolocation of a given site to ensure these conditions are met.
Lahar infrasound associated with Volcán Villarrica's 3 March 2015 eruption
Authors: Johnson Jeffrey B. , Palma Jose L.
Published: July 2015

The paroxysmal 2015 eruption of Volcán Villarrica (Chile) produced a 2.5 h long lahar, which descended more than 20 km within the Rio Correntoso/Turbio drainage and destroyed two small bridges. A three‐element infrasound array 10 km from the summit, and 4 km from the lahar's closest approach, was used to study the flow's progression. Array processing using cross‐correlation lag times and semblance places constraints on the lahar's dynamics, including detection of an initial flow pulse that traveled from 2 to 12 km at an average speed of 38 m/s. Subsequently, the lahar signal evolved to a relatively stationary infrasonic tremor located 10 to 12 km from the vent and adjacent to a topographic notch, through which sound may have preferentially diffracted toward the recording site. This study demonstrates the powerful capabilities of infrasound arrays for lahar study and suggests their potential application for future hazard monitoring.
Stochastic modeling of solute transport in aquifers: From heterogeneity characterization to risk analysis
Authors: Fiori A. , Bellin A. , Cvetkovic V. , de Barros F. P. J. , Dagan G.
Published: July 2015

The article presents a few recent developments advanced by the authors in a few key areas of stochastic modeling of solute transport in heterogeneous aquifers. First, a brief review of the Lagrangian approach to modeling plumes longitudinal mass distribution and temporal (the breakthrough curve) mass arrival, is presented. Subsequently, transport in highly heterogeneous aquifers is analyzed by using a recently developed predictive model. It relates the non‐Gaussian BTC to the permeability univariate pdf and integral scale, with application to the MADE field observations. Next, the approach is extended to transport of reactive solute, combinnig the effects of the random velocity field and multirate mass transfer on the BTC, with application to mass attenuation. The following topic is modeling of the local concentration field as affected by mixing and dilution due to pore scale dispersion. The results are applied to the analysis of concentration measurements at the Cape Cod field experiment. The last section incorporates the results of the preceding ones in health risk assessment by analyzing the impact of concentration prediction on risk uncertainty. It is illustrated by assessing the effect of identification of macrodispersivity from field characterization and transport modeling, upon the probability of health risk.
Extracellular Matrix‐Based Biohybrid Materials for Engineering Compliant, Matrix‐Dense Tissues
Authors: Bracaglia Laura G. , Fisher John P.
Published: July 2015

An ideal tissue engineering scaffold should not only promote, but take an active role in, constructive remodeling and formation of site appropriate tissue. Extracellular matrix (ECM)‐derived proteins provide unmatched cellular recognition, and therefore influence cellular response towards predicted remodeling behaviors. Materials built with only these proteins, however, can degrade rapidly or begin too weak to substitute for compliant, matrix‐dense tissues. The focus of this Progress Report is on biohybrid materials that incorporate polymer components with ECM‐derived proteins, to produce a substrate with desired mechanical and degradation properties, as well as actively guide tissue remodeling. Materials are described through four fabrication methods: 1) polymer and ECM‐protein fibers woven together, 2) polymer and ECM proteins combined in a bilayer, 3) cell‐built ECM on polymer scaffold, and 4) ECM proteins and polymers combined in a single hydrogel. Scaffolds from each fabrication method can achieve characteristics suitable for different types of tissue. In vivo testing has shown progressive remodeling in injury models, and suggests ECM‐based biohybrid materials promote a prohealing immune response over single component alternatives. The prohealing immune response is associated with lasting success and long term host maintenance of the implant.