bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developing and implementing an anti-corruption ethics and compliance programme in the African environment
Authors: Ndedi Alain
Published: December 2016

This article discusses the development and implementation of anti-corruption ethics and compliance programme in the African business environment. In the past decade, an international legal framework has been developed to tackle corruption both in public and private sectors. This framework includes the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which entered into force in 2005, and the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, which entered into force in 1999. These instruments mandate that State Parties must criminalise and punish a variety of corrupt practices. Relevant domestic laws have a direct impact on business, especially in States Parties instruments that require the establishment of liability of legal persons for corrupt acts. The African Union Convention also requires States Parties to establish mechanisms to encourage participation by the private sector in the fight against unfair competition, respect of the tender procedures and property rights. The paper details various steps needed to efficiently and effectively implement anti-corruption ethics and compliance programme in the African context. The first part of the paper develops the primary objective of the corruption risk assessment which is to better understand the risk exposure so that informed risk management decisions may be taken. A structured approach for how enterprises could conduct an anti-corruption risk assessment will be outlined in this first section. The author argued in this same first section that each enterprise’s own risk assessment exercise is unique, depending on that enterprise’s industry, size, location, and other factors inherent to that organisation. The second part of the paper drafts the development and the implementation of an anti-corruption programme. The paper concludes by stating that an anti-corruption and compliance programme is not a panacea for fighting all the ills on corruption and fraud problems that a certain country or company is facing.
Monitoring and evaluation of corporate social responsibility programmes in South Africa
Authors: Rampersad Renitha
Published: December 2016

The South African corporate sector invests millions to support community development and social programs. One of the more fundamental issues about sustainability in a business context is the fact that directors have a fiduciary duty to take into account interests of those stakeholders other than investors/shareholders. This therefore places major importance on sustainability reporting through reports on governance, economic, social and environmental performance and is increasingly being regarded as a key form of stakeholder engagement, and the most accepted formal way of communicating measured outcomes to all stakeholders. A number of methodologies may exist for the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies or “how-to guides” for community engagement and investment, however, it lacks development in the field of CSR Programme Evaluation. Integrated approaches to the measurement thereof are still in expanding stages of development and statistical data and/or empirical evidence is lacking at this point. Trust and relationships take time to build but are valuable assets, therefore a company must show it has listened and acted in response to stakeholder concerns, this means that ongoing communication and reporting back to stakeholders is a very important component in any engagement strategy. It is therefore important for the corporate sector to not only evaluate the effectiveness of their CSR Programmes, but also to measure the impact on both their beneficiary communities and their business and subsequently on the Return on Investment (ROI). This paper will highlight a case of the South African corporate sectors attempts to evaluate its effectiveness and impact on beneficiary communities and how they quantify the impact of the investment through successful CSR interventions
Predictive biomarkers for response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in colorectal cancer
Authors: Nikolic Aleksandra
Published: December 2016

Different types of biomarkers can be analyzed at various levels and by
different techniques in order to assess the response to neoadjuvant
chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in colorectal cancer (CRC). The clinical practice
currently relies mostly on imaging markers, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA),
and tumor histopathology. Molecules that have predictive potential in CRC
patients subjected to nCRT are those involved in cellular pathways that
metabolize specific chemotherapeutics and protect the cell from radiation,
but none of them have been approved in clinical practice. Candidate molecules
investigated so far can be sorted in the following groups based on their
physiological functions: 5-FU metabolism pathways, cell cycle and DNA repair,
and oxidative stress and inflammation. However, differences in schedules and
doses of chemoradiotherapy regimens, variations in intervals between nCRT and
surgery, and non-standardized tumor response evalution make comparisons of
results among studies and drawing conclusions extremely difficult.
Majorization for some classes of analytic functions associated with the Srivastava-Attiya operator
Authors: Attiya Adel , Yassen M.F.
Published: December 2016

In the present paper, we investigate the majorization properties for some
classes of analytic functions associated with Srivastava-Attiya operator.
Moreover, some applications of the main result are btained which give a
number of interesting results.
Additive ρ-functional inequalities in β-homogeneous normed spaces
Authors: Park Choonkil
Published: December 2016

In this paper, we solve the following additive ?-functional inequalities ||f
(x + y) - f (x) - f (y)|| ? ???(2f (x+y/2) - f(x) + -f (y))??, (1) where ? is
a fixed complex number with |?|<1, and ??2f(x+y/2)-f(x)-
f(y)???||?(f(x+y)-f(x)-f(y))||, (2) where ? is a fixed complex number with
|?|<1/2 , and prove the Hyers-Ulam stability of the additive ?-functional
inequalities (1) and (2) in ?-homogeneous complex Banach spaces and prove the
Hyers-Ulam stability of additive ?-functional equations associated with the
additive ?-functional inequalities (1) and (2) in ?-homogeneous complex
Banach spaces.
Integral representations and properties of some functions involving the logarithmic function
Authors: Qi Feng , Li Wen-Hui
Published: December 2016

By using the Cauchy integral formula in the theory of complex functions, the
authors establish some integral representations for the principal branches of
several complex functions involving the logarithmic function, find some
properties, such as being operator monotone function, being complete
Bernstein function, and being Stieltjes function, for these functions, and
verify a conjecture on complete monotonicity of a function involving the
logarithmic function.
Strong disk property for domains in open Riemann surfaces
Authors: Abe Makoto , Nakamura Gou
Published: December 2016

We study the relation between the holomorphic approximation property and the
strong disk property for an open set of an open Riemann surface or a Stein
space of pure dimension 1.
Generalized bi-quasi-variational inequalities for quasi-pseudo-monotone type II operators in non-compact settings
Authors: Chowdhury Mohammad , Yeol Cho
Published: December 2016

In this paper, we introduce a new class of generalized bi-quasi-variational
inequalities for quasipseudo- monotone type II operators in non-compact
settings of locally convex Hausdorff topological vector spaces and show the
existence results of solutions for generalized bi-quasi-variational
inequalities. Our results improve, extend and generalized the corresponding
results given by some authors
A fixed point approach to the fuzzy stability of an AQCQ-functional equation
Authors: Park Choonkil , Shin Dong , Saadati Reza , Lee Jung
Published: December 2016

In [32, 33], the fuzzy stability problems for the Cauchy additive functional
equation and the Jensen additive functional equation in fuzzy Banach spaces
have been investigated. Using the fixed point method, we prove the Hyers-Ulam
stability of the following additive-quadraticcubic-quartic functional
equation f(x+2y)+f(x-2y)=4f(x+y)+4f(x-y)-6f(x)+f(2y)+f(-2y)-4f(y)-4f(-y) (1)
in fuzzy Banach spaces.
Characterizations for certain subclasses of starlike and convex functions associated with Bessel functions
Authors: Cho Nak , Lee Hyo , Srivastava Rekha
Published: December 2016

In the present paper, we obtain some characterizations for a certain
generalized Bessel function of the first kind to be in the subclasses
SpT(?,?), UCT(?,?), PT(?) and CPT(?) of normalized analytic functions in the
open unit disk U. Furthermore, we consider an integral operator related to
the generalized Bessel Function which we have characterized here.
Finite derivation type for graph products of monoids
Authors: Karpuz Eylem , Ates Firat , Cangul Naci , Cevik Sinan
Published: December 2016

The aim of this paper is to show that the class of monoids of finite derivation type is closed
under graph products.
Iterative approximations with hybrid techniques for fixed points and equilibrium problems
Authors: Abdou Afrah , Alamri Badriah , Cho Yeol , Zhu Li-Jun
Published: December 2016

In this paper, we consider an iterative algorithm by using the shrinking
projection method for solving the fixed point problem of the
pseudo-contractive mappings and the generalized equilibrium problems. We
prove some lemmas for our main result and a strong convergence theorem for
the proposed algorithm.
Securing the North: Building the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Northern Service
Authors: Schwartz Mallory
Published: December 2016

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (cbc) Northern Service, founded in 1958, preserved the economic, political, military, social, and cultural geographies of mid-twentieth-century northern development. The public broadcaster only reluctantly expanded northward, building upon already established shortwave services and ceding to requests for programming from a few, far-flung radio stations operated by the armed forces, civilian volunteers, and mining companies. Though these radio stations were never enough of a priority to receive the support they needed to most effectively serve their small, isolated audiences, they still held symbolic significance for the cbc, representing a means by which to establish its claim to the country's northernmost airwaves and thereby secure control over broadcasting in Canada.
The Treasonous Hat: Interpreting Gesture in the Treason Trial of the Earl of Strafford
Authors: Koabel Greg
Published: December 2016

This article explores the contested meaning of ritual in early modern English political culture via the 1641 treason trial of the Earl of Strafford. Of the twenty-seven charges against Strafford, one alleged that Strafford had abused his authority by leading a court martial against a personal rival. Strafford's defence hinged upon the fact that he had removed his hat while the court martial was in session, thereby surrendering any claim to authority over its decision. Strafford's accusers argued for a more comprehensive exploration of his actions and the staging of the event. An examination of how each side recreated the court martial demonstrates how rituals of authority were constructed, and challenged, by observers and participants alike.
Self-Help and State Rescue: The Raiffeisen Bank and Rationalization of the Cooperative Movement in Weimar Germany
Authors: Saunders Thomas J.
Published: December 2016

In 1930 Germany's vast and diverse network of agricultural cooperatives was unified in the world's largest cooperative organization. Unification was underwritten by the state in support of an agrarian sector in deep crisis. It was achieved under the banner of rationalization, the elimination of wasteful duplication of rural cooperatives. The focus of this article is how the Raiffeisen General Association, Germany's second-largest cooperative organization, exploited state interest in cooperative merger and the contemporary mantra of rationalization to leverage public aid to overcome a financial crisis in its central credit union, the Raiffeisen Bank. While asserting cooperative principles of mutual assistance and self-help, Raiffeisen pursued unification as a means to state rescue. It thereby re-framed the relationship between self-help and state aid that has been a central theme of scholarship on the German cooperative movement.
Mending the Sick and Wounded: The Development of Naval Hospitals in the West Indies, 1740–1800
Authors: Convertito Cori
Published: December 2016

Until the 1740s, the Royal Navy's policy aimed at caring for sick and wounded seamen both at home and abroad was uncomplicated. It routinely retained London-based contractors who, in turn, employed regional agents to run the day-to-day operations in all of the country's seaport towns and at naval stations abroad. These agents were responsible for leasing sick quarters or temporary hospital buildings, as well as procuring victuals, medical supplies, surgeons and nurses. The contractor system allowed the Admiralty to pay a fixed rate to contractors, which meant it could approximate its annual costs for taking care of sick and wounded seafarers. Once the Sick and Hurt Board became a permanent division of the Royal Navy, however, it bore accountability for the navy's medical decisions. At the Admiralty's urging, the Board set about re-evaluating the long-standing contractor system, and determined that purpose-built naval hospitals were better suited to the navy's expanding needs. Following the immediate success of two naval hospitals erected in Britain, Haslar in Portsmouth and Stonehouse in Plymouth, the navy determined they would benefit from the erection of similar facilities in the West Indies. This paper sets out to explore this transitional period in the Royal Navy's medical branch when it undertook the critical change from a contractor-lead hospital scheme to a navy-controlled system. By investigating individual hospital designs, letters, and hospital muster books, an accurate representation of naval hospitals in the West Indies can be established. In doing so, the notion of an advanced military body emerges, dispelling several misapprehensions about seamen's healthcare during the eighteenth century.
A Population Falling Ill: The Poor Health of Saxons in the Long Eighteenth Century
Authors: Ewert Ulf Christian
Published: December 2016

This article focuses on physical infirmity, health, and nutrition in Saxony in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. With the surviving muster rolls of the Saxon army, both health and nutritional status of servicemen can be examined. The military administration's focus of recording health-related issues changed, however. An earlier recording of injuries and also diseases of soldiers was replaced by a more general medical assessment that also generated public health-related information. From these data a trend of physical infirmity and nutritional status is derived. It is clear that around 1820, in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, servicemen generally were in poor health because many of them suffered from war injuries, while many others simply were malnourished and ill. The nutritional status, as depicted in average height, declined sharply thereafter, and malnourishment and diseases related to it continued to be prevalent well into the nineteenth century, a period in which Saxony, a pioneering region of German industrialization, experienced rapid economic growth. Although the Saxon conscript data on height and physical fitness was studied systematically in the middle of the nineteenth century, substantial attempts of reform based on these data to improve the nutritional status of the population cannot be observed.
La planification fiscale est-elle encouragée par les actionnaires ?
Authors: Chavy Pierre
Published: December 2016

Le présent article s’attache à explorer la problématique de la relation que les actionnaires et, plus généralement, les investisseurs entretiennent avec la planification fiscale des entreprises, qui est encore, à bien des égards, ignorée par la littérature française en sciences de gestion. Selon une idée souvent avancée – y compris par certains travaux théoriques –, la planification fiscale des firmes serait systématiquement valorisée par les actionnaires. Pour autant, un examen de la littérature empirique montre que la perception de la planification fiscale par les partenaires financiers de l’entreprise est plus complexe qu’il n’y paraît.
Démarches environnementales, source de performance ?
Authors: Corne Aurélie , Robinot Élisabeth
Published: December 2016

L’objectif de ce travail est d’analyser la performance d’un échantillon de 12 agglomérations représentatives du secteur hôtelier 4 et 5 étoiles français et monégasque. Nous cherchons à identifier le lien entre l’adoption de démarches environnementales et la performance de ces établissements. L’apport de la théorie du signal permet de considérer les labels comme signal d’une démarche environnementale. Cette contribution mobilise la méthodeData Envelopment Analysis(DEA) afin de proposer une mesure de performance opérationnelle comparable. Les résultats obtenus permettent de confirmer l’impact positif des démarches environnementales sur la performance et les recommandations managériales préconisent une poursuite des efforts de signal via la labellisation.
Introduction
Authors: Fernández-Sebastián Javier , Wasserman Fabio
Published: December 2016

In this introductory article, the authors argue that major changes in the way
we conceive of time and temporality that are taking place today justify the
increase of studies, both theoretical and empirical, on shifts in cultural constructions
of time. In this context, the authors present four articles written by
members of the network Iberconceptos, where a number of time experiences
in the Ibero-American world (Latin America, Spain, and Portugal) during
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are discussed from a conceptual
perspective.
Yield and yield components of Arachis hypogaea L. as influenced by NPK chemical fertilizers, farm yard manure and gypsum
Authors: Seran Thayamini H
Published: December 2016

Field trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of chemical fertilizers, farmyard manure (FYM) and gypsum on yield and yield components of groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.). There were nine treatments included unfertilized treatment and full doses of recommended NPK fertilizers (65:100:75 kg/ha) or reduced doses of recommended NPK fertilizers (30:50:37.5 kg/ha) and FYM@10 t/ha in combination with different levels (0, 150, 300 and 450 kg/ha) of gypsum. The results exhibited that full dose of NPK fertilizers with 300 kg/ha gypsum treatment gave significantly (P<0.05) higher seed yield (2777.28 kg/ha) than the full dose of NPK fertilizers alone (typical control) which had 2276.05 kg/ha. On the other hand, application of reduced dose of NPK fertilizers + 10 t/ha FYM with 450 kg/ha gypsum resulted 2609.88 kg/ha seed yield followed by 300 kg/ha gypsum application which had 2521.98 kg/ha and both values were statistically similar. Thus, use of 300 kg/ha gypsum could give high seed yield of groundnut with full dose of NPK fertilizers alone or reduced dose of NPK fertilizers and 10 t/ha FYM. However, combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers is better practice especially on sandy regosol when considering human and soil health.Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 51(4), 285-290, 2016
Systemic Analysis of Food Supply and Distribution Systems in City-Region Systems—An Examination of FAO’s Policy Guidelines towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems
Authors: Armendáriz Vanessa , Armenia Stefano , Atzori Alberto
Published: December 2016

The world is continuously transforming to supply growing cities and urbanization processes are still driving important changes in our current food systems. Future sustainability constraints are emphasizing that Food Supply and Distribution Systems (FSDS) are deeply embedded in city-region systems with specific technical and socio-ecological characteristics. This paper aims to provide a systemic understanding on FSDS focusing the integration of urban and rural structures considering the system biophysical boundaries and societal targets. A qualitative framework model, based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s FSDS literature, has been developed by using Systems Thinking (ST) and System Dynamics (SD) approaches. The model analysis suggested that to increase sustainability and resilience of food systems large emphasis has to be maintained on: (i) estimation of local territorial carrying capacities; (ii) land use planning to enhance connections among rural supplies and city needs; (iii) city policies, to regulate emergent market size and local scale of production; (iv) technological efficiency at farm, distribution and market levels; (v) urban, peri-urban and rural functional linkages that considers social metabolic balances; (vi) rural development as a core point for building sustainable food systems and counteracting the urbanization growth. These key areas are relevant to test new paths of cities-regions reconfiguration towards the transition to resilient agri-food systems.
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Reversal: A Review
Authors: Qin Congwei , Wang Jue , Yang Daijun , Li Bing , Zhang Cunman
Published: December 2016

The H2/air-fed proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has two major problems: cost and durability, which obstruct its pathway to commercialization. Cell reversal, which would create irreversible damage to the fuel cell and shorten its lifespan, is caused by reactant starvation, load change, low catalyst performance, and so on. This paper will summarize the causes, consequences, and mitigation strategies of cell reversal of PEMFC in detail. A description of potential change in the anode and cathode and the differences between local starvation and overall starvation are reviewed, which gives a framework for comprehending the origins of cell reversal. According to the root factor of cell starvation, i.e., fuel cells do not satisfy the requirements of electrons and protons of normal anode and cathode chemical reactions, we will introduce specific methods to mitigate or prevent fuel cell damage caused by cell reversal in the view of system management strategies and component material modifications. Based on a comprehensive understanding of cell reversal, it is beneficial to operate a fuel cell stack and extend its lifetime.
Application of Shannon Wavelet Entropy and Shannon Wavelet Packet Entropy in Analysis of Power System Transient Signals
Authors: Chen Jikai , Dou Yanhui , Li Yang , Li Jiang
Published: December 2016

In a power system, the analysis of transient signals is the theoretical basis of fault diagnosis and transient protection theory. Shannon wavelet entropy (SWE) and Shannon wavelet packet entropy (SWPE) are powerful mathematics tools for transient signal analysis. Combined with the recent achievements regarding SWE and SWPE, their applications are summarized in feature extraction of transient signals and transient fault recognition. For wavelet aliasing at adjacent scale of wavelet decomposition, the impact of wavelet aliasing is analyzed for feature extraction accuracy of SWE and SWPE, and their differences are compared. Meanwhile, the analyses mentioned are verified by partial discharge (PD) feature extraction of power cable. Finally, some new ideas and further researches are proposed in the wavelet entropy mechanism, operation speed and how to overcome wavelet aliasing.
The Optimal Confidence Intervals for Agricultural Products’ Price Forecasts Based on Hierarchical Historical Errors
Authors: Wang Yi , Su Xin , Guo Shubing
Published: December 2016

With the levels of confidence and system complexity, interval forecasts and entropy analysis can deliver more information than point forecasts. In this paper, we take receivers’ demands as our starting point, use the trade-off model between accuracy and informativeness as the criterion to construct the optimal confidence interval, derive the theoretical formula of the optimal confidence interval and propose a practical and efficient algorithm based on entropy theory and complexity theory. In order to improve the estimation precision of the error distribution, the point prediction errors are STRATIFIED according to prices and the complexity of the system; the corresponding prediction error samples are obtained by the prices stratification; and the error distributions are estimated by the kernel function method and the stability of the system. In a stable and orderly environment for price forecasting, we obtain point prediction error samples by the weighted local region and RBF (Radial basis function) neural network methods, forecast the intervals of the soybean meal and non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) soybean continuous futures closing prices and implement unconditional coverage, independence and conditional coverage tests for the simulation results. The empirical results are compared from various interval evaluation indicators, different levels of noise, several target confidence levels and different point prediction methods. The analysis shows that the optimal interval construction method is better than the equal probability method and the shortest interval method and has good anti-noise ability with the reduction of system entropy; the hierarchical estimation error method can obtain higher accuracy and better interval estimation than the non-hierarchical method in a stable system.
Construction of Fractional Repetition Codes with Variable Parameters for Distributed Storage Systems
Authors: Park Hosung , Kim Young-Sik
Published: December 2016

In this paper, we propose a new class of regular fractional repetition (FR) codes constructed from perfect difference families and quasi-perfect difference families to store big data in distributed storage systems. The main advantage of the proposed construction method is that it supports a wide range of code parameter values compared to existing ones, which is an important feature to be adopted in practical systems. When using one instance of the proposed codes for a given parameter set, we show that the amount of stored data is very close to that of an existing state-of-the-art optimal FR code.
Offshore Measurement System for Wave Power—Using Current Loop Feedback
Authors: Ulvgård Liselotte , Kamf Tobias , Leijon Mats
Published: December 2016

This paper presents the design and testing of a measurement system for wave power generators. The work is part of a project to build a robust and cheap measurement system for offshore monitoring of wave power farms. Due to the harsh offshore environment, low accessibility and high cost for installation and maintenance, it is of key importance to minimize power consumption, complexity and cost of each measurement unit. For the first prototype, the objective was to measure voltage, current and translator position inside the linear wave power generator. For this, two printed circuit boards (PCBs) were developed, using a two wire current loop transmitter setup. They were tested separately and in a three phase setup inside a wave power generator during onshore tests. To ensure stability, speed and accuracy in the signal transfer, the PCBs were tested for linearity, frequency response and step response. In addition, power consumption was measured, for operational time evaluation. Results show good agreement between expected and measured performance, with an input range of ±1560 V and ±420 A for alternating current measurements and a bandwidth of 10 kHz and 7 kHz, for voltage and current measurements, respectively. The power consumption was measured to 0.5 W for each measurement unit, at 24 V feed.
A Comparison of Impedance-Based Fault Location Methods for Power Underground Distribution Systems
Authors: Personal Enrique , García Antonio , Parejo Antonio , Larios Diego , Biscarri Félix , León Carlos
Published: December 2016

In the last few decades, the Smart Grid paradigm presence has increased within power systems. These new kinds of networks demand new Operations and Planning approaches, following improvements in the quality of service. In this sense, the role of the Distribution Management System, through its Outage Management System, is essential to guarantee the network reliability. This system is responsible for minimizing the consequences arising from a fault event (or network failure). Obviously, knowing where the fault appears is critical for a good reaction of this system. Therefore, several fault location techniques have been proposed. However, most of them provide individual results, associated with specific testbeds, which make the comparison between them difficult. Due to this, a review of fault location methods has been done in this paper, analyzing them for their use on underground distribution lines. Specifically, this study is focused on an impedance-based method because their requirements are in line with the typical instrumentation deployed in distribution networks. This work is completed with an exhaustive analysis of these methods over a PSCADTM X4 implementation of the standard IEEE Node Test Feeder, which truly allows us to consistently compare the results of these location methods and to determine the advantages and drawbacks of each of them.
A Privacy-Preserving Distributed Optimal Scheduling for Interconnected Microgrids
Authors: Liu Nian , Wang Cheng , Cheng Minyang , Wang Jie
Published: December 2016

With the development of microgrids (MGs), interconnected operation of multiple MGs is becoming a promising strategy for the smart grid. In this paper, a privacy-preserving distributed optimal scheduling method is proposed for the interconnected microgrids (IMG) with a battery energy storage system (BESS) and renewable energy resources (RESs). The optimal scheduling problem is modeled to minimize the coalitional operation cost of the IMG, including the fuel cost of conventional distributed generators and the life loss cost of BESSs. By using the framework of the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), a distributed optimal scheduling model and an iteration solution algorithm for the IMG is introduced; only the expected exchanging power (EEP) of each MG is required during the iterations. Furthermore, a privacy-preserving strategy for the sharing of the EEP among MGs is designed to work with the mechanism of the distributed algorithm. According to the security analysis, the EEP can be delivered in a cooperative and privacy-preserving way. A case study and numerical results are given in terms of the convergence of the algorithm, the comparison of the costs and the implementation efficiency.
Heterotrophic Soil Respiration Affected by Compound Fertilizer Types in Red Pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) Stands of Korea
Authors: Jeong Jaeyeob , Bolan Nanthi , Kim Choonsig
Published: December 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of fertilizer application on heterotrophic soil respiration (Rh) in soil respiration (Rs) components in red pine stands. Two types of fertilizer (N3P4K1 = 113:150:37 kg·ha−1·year−1; P4K1 = 150:37 kg·ha−1·year−1) were applied manually on the forest floor for two years. Rs and Rh rates were monitored from April 2011 to March 2013. Mean Rs and Rh rates were not significantly affected by fertilizer applications. However, Rh in the second year following fertilizer application fell to 27% for N3P4K1 and 17% in P4K1 treatments, while there was an increase of 5% in the control treatments compared with the first fertilization year. The exponential relationships between Rs or Rh rates and the corresponding soil temperature were significant (Rh: R2 = 0.86–0.90; p < 0.05; Rs: R2 = 0.86–0.91; p < 0.05) in the fertilizer and control treatments. Q10 values (Rs increase per 10 °C increase in temperature) in Rs rates were lowest for the N3P4K1 treatment (3.47), followed by 3.62 for the P4K1 treatment and 3.60 in the control treatments, while Rh rates were similar among the treatments (3.59–3.64). The results demonstrate the importance of separating Rh rates from Rs rates following a compound fertilizer application.
Predictive Modeling of Black Spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) Wood Density Using Stand Structure Variables Derived from Airborne LiDAR Data in Boreal Forests of Ontario
Authors: Pokharel Bharat , Groot Art , Pitt Douglas , Woods Murray , Dech Jeffery
Published: December 2016

Our objective was to model the average wood density in black spruce trees in representative stands across a boreal forest landscape based on relationships with predictor variables extracted from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data. Increment core samples were collected from dominant or co-dominant black spruce trees in a network of 400 m2 plots distributed among forest stands representing the full range of species composition and stand development across a 1,231,707 ha forest management unit in northeastern Ontario, Canada. Wood quality data were generated from optical microscopy, image analysis, X-ray densitometry and diffractometry as employed in SilviScan™. Each increment core was associated with a set of field measurements at the plot level as well as a suite of LiDAR-derived variables calculated on a 20 × 20 m raster from a wall-to-wall coverage at a resolution of ~1 point m−2. We used a multiple linear regression approach to identify important predictor variables and describe relationships between stand structure and wood density for average black spruce trees in the stands we observed. A hierarchical classification model was then fitted using random forests to make spatial predictions of mean wood density for average trees in black spruce stands. The model explained 39 percent of the variance in the response variable, with an estimated root mean square error of 38.8 (kg·m−3). Among the predictor variables, P20 (second decile LiDAR height in m) and quadratic mean diameter were most important. Other predictors describing canopy depth and cover were of secondary importance and differed according to the modeling approach. LiDAR-derived variables appear to capture differences in stand structure that reflect different constraints on growth rates, determining the proportion of thin-walled earlywood cells in black spruce stems, and ultimately influencing the pattern of variation in important wood quality attributes such as wood density. A spatial characterization of variation in a desirable wood quality attribute, such as density, enhances the possibility for value chain optimization, which could allow the forest industry to be more competitive through efficient planning for black spruce management by including an indication of suitability for specific products as a modeled variable derived from standard inventory data.
Fundamental Rheology of Disperse Systems Based on Single-Particle Mechanics
Authors: Pal Rajinder
Published: December 2016

A comprehensive review of the fundamental rheology of dilute disperse systems is presented. The exact rheological constitutive equations based on rigorous single-particle mechanics are discussed for a variety of disperse systems. The different types of inclusions (disperse phase) considered are: rigid-solid spherical particles with and without electric charge, rigid-porous spherical particles, non-rigid (soft) solid particles, liquid droplets with and without surfactant, bubbles with and without surfactant, capsules, core-shell particles, non-spherical solid particles, and ferromagnetic spherical and non-spherical particles. In general, the state of the art is good in terms of the theoretical development. However, more experimental work is needed to verify the theoretical models and to determine their range of validity. This is especially true for dispersions of porous particles, capsules, core-shell particles, and magnetic particles. The main limitation of the existing theoretical developments on the rheology of disperse systems is that the matrix fluid is generally assumed to be Newtonian in nature. Rigorous theoretical models for the rheology of disperse systems consisting of non-Newtonian fluid as the matrix phase are generally lacking, especially at arbitrary flow strengths.
Host-Derived Artificial MicroRNA as an Alternative Method to Improve Soybean Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode
Authors: Tian Bin , Li Jiarui , Oakley Thomas , Todd Timothy , Trick Harold
Published: December 2016

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is one of the most important pests limiting soybean production worldwide. Novel approaches to managing this pest have focused on gene silencing of target nematode sequences using RNA interference (RNAi). With the discovery of endogenous microRNAs as a mode of gene regulation in plants, artificial microRNA (amiRNA) methods have become an alternative method for gene silencing, with the advantage that they can lead to more specific silencing of target genes than traditional RNAi vectors. To explore the application of amiRNAs for improving soybean resistance to SCN, three nematode genes (designated as J15, J20, and J23) were targeted using amiRNA vectors. The transgenic soybean hairy roots, transformed independently with these three amiRNA vectors, showed significant reductions in SCN population densities in bioassays. Expression of the targeted genes within SCN eggs were downregulated in populations feeding on transgenic hairy roots. Our results provide evidence that host-derived amiRNA methods have great potential to improve soybean resistance to SCN. This approach should also limit undesirable phenotypes associated with off-target effects, which is an important consideration for commercialization of transgenic crops.
Ground Level PM2.5 Estimates over China Using Satellite-Based Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) Models Are Improved by Including NO2 and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Authors: Zhang Tianhao , Gong Wei , Wang Wei , Ji Yuxi , Zhu Zhongmin , Huang Yusi
Published: December 2016

Highly accurate data on the spatial distribution of ambient fine particulate matter (<2.5 μm: PM2.5) is currently quite limited in China. By introducing NO2 and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) into the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model, a newly developed GWR model combined with a fused Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) product and meteorological parameters could explain approximately 87% of the variability in the corresponding PM2.5 mass concentrations. There existed obvious increase in the estimation accuracy against the original GWR model without NO2 and EVI, where cross-validation R2 increased from 0.77 to 0.87. Both models tended to overestimate when measurement is low and underestimate when high, where the exact boundary value depended greatly on the dependent variable. There was still severe PM2.5 pollution in many residential areas until 2015; however, policy-driven energy conservation and emission reduction not only reduced the severity of PM2.5 pollution but also its spatial range, to a certain extent, from 2014 to 2015. The accuracy of satellite-derived PM2.5 still has limitations for regions with insufficient ground monitoring stations and desert areas. Generally, the use of NO2 and EVI in GWR models could more effectively estimate PM2.5 at the national scale than previous GWR models. The results in this study could provide a reasonable reference for assessing health impacts, and could be used to examine the effectiveness of emission control strategies under implementation in China.
Dam Deformation Monitoring Data Analysis Using Space-Time Kalman Filter
Authors: Dai Wujiao , Liu Ning , Santerre Rock , Pan Jiabao
Published: December 2016

Noise filtering, data predicting, and unmonitored data interpolating are important to dam deformation data analysis. However, traditional methods generally process single point monitoring data separately, without considering the spatial correlation between points. In this paper, the Space-Time Kalman Filter (STKF), a dynamic spatio-temporal filtering model, is used as a spatio-temporal data analysis method for dam deformation. There were three main steps in the method applied in this paper. The first step was to determine the Kriging spatial fields based on the characteristics of dam deformation. Next, the observation noise covariance, system noise covariance, the initial mean vector state, and its covariance were estimated using the Expectation Maximization algorithm (EM algorithm) in the second step. In the third step, we filtered the observation noise, interpolated the whole dam unmonitored data in space and time domains, and predicted the deformation for the whole dam using the Kalman filter recursion algorithm. The simulation data and Wuqiangxi dam deformation monitoring data were used to verify the STKF method. The results show that the STKF not only can filter the deformation data noise in both the temporal and spatial domain effectively, but also can interpolate and predict the deformation for the whole dam.
Comparative Study of Green Sub- and Supercritical Processes to Obtain Carnosic Acid and Carnosol-Enriched Rosemary Extracts with in Vitro Anti-Proliferative Activity on Colon Cancer Cells
Authors: Sánchez-Camargo Andrea , García-Cañas Virginia , Herrero Miguel , Cifuentes Alejandro , Ibáñez Elena
Published: December 2016

In the present work, four green processes have been compared to evaluate their potential to obtain rosemary extracts with in vitro anti-proliferative activity against two colon cancer cell lines (HT-29 and HCT116). The processes, carried out under optimal conditions, were: (1) pressurized liquid extraction (PLE, using an hydroalcoholic mixture as solvent) at lab-scale; (2) Single-step supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) at pilot scale; (3) Intensified two-step sequential SFE at pilot scale; (4) Integrated PLE plus supercritical antisolvent fractionation (SAF) at pilot scale. Although higher extraction yields were achieved by using PLE (38.46% dry weight), this extract provided the lowest anti-proliferative activity with no observed cytotoxic effects at the assayed concentrations. On the other hand, extracts obtained using the PLE + SAF process provided the most active rosemary extracts against both colon cancer cell lines, with LC50 ranging from 11.2 to 12.4 µg/mL and from 21.8 to 31.9 µg/mL for HCT116 and HT-29, respectively. In general, active rosemary extracts were characterized by containing carnosic acid (CA) and carnosol (CS) at concentrations above 263.7 and 33.9 mg/g extract, respectively. Some distinct compounds have been identified in the SAF extracts (rosmaridiphenol and safficinolide), suggesting their possible role as additional contributors to the observed strong anti-proliferative activity of CA and CS in SAF extracts.
miR-429 Inhibits Differentiation and Promotes Proliferation in Porcine Preadipocytes
Authors: Peng Ying , Chen Fen-Fen , Ge Jing , Zhu Jia-Yu , Shi Xin-E , Li Xiao , Yu Tai-Yong , Chu Gui-Yan , Yang Gong-She
Published: December 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulatory molecules for adipogenesis. They contribute to the controlling of proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes. Previous studies revealed an important role of miR-429 in cell invasion, migration, and apoptosis. Our previous work has shown that the expression of miR-429 in subcutaneous fat can be observed in newly born (3-day-old) Rongchang piglets rather than their adult counterparts (180-day-old). This expression pattern suggests that miR-429 might be functionally related to postnatal adipogenesis. However, we currently lack a mechanistic understanding of miR-429 within the context of preadipocyte differentiation. In this study, we investigated the function of miR-429 in porcine subcutaneous and intramuscular preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. In our porcine preadipocyte differentiation model, miR-429 expression decreased remarkably upon adipogenic induction. Overexpression of miR-429 notably down-regulated the expression of adipogenic marker genes: PPARγ, aP2, FAS and impaired the triglyceride accumulation, while the expression of lipolytic gene ATGL was not affected. In addition, we observed that miR-429 significantly promoted the proliferation of porcine preadipocytes. We also found that miR-429 could directly bind to the 3′-UTRs of KLF9 and p27, which have been well documented to promote preadipocyte differentiation and repress cell cycle progression. Taken together, our data support a novel role of miR-429 in regulating porcine preadipocyte differentiation and proliferation, and KLF9 and p27 are potent targets of miR-429 during these processes.
Aquaporins in the Spinal Cord
Authors: Oklinski Michal , Skowronski Mariusz , Skowronska Agnieszka , Rützler Michael , Nørgaard Kirsten , Nieland John , Kwon Tae-Hwan , Nielsen Søren
Published: December 2016

Aquaporins (AQPs) are water channel proteins robustly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). A number of previous studies described the cellular expression sites and investigated their major roles and function in the brain and spinal cord. Among thirteen different mammalian AQPs, AQP1 and AQP4 have been mainly studied in the CNS and evidence has been presented that they play important roles in the pathogenesis of CNS injury, edema and multiple diseases such as multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, glioblastoma multiforme, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The objective of this review is to highlight the current knowledge about AQPs in the spinal cord and their proposed roles in pathophysiology and pathogenesis related to spinal cord lesions and injury.
Low Concentration of Exogenous Carbon Monoxide Modulates Radiation-Induced Bystander Effect in Mammalian Cell Cluster Model
Authors: Wu Wenqing , Nie Lili , Yu K. , Wu Lijun , Kong Peizhong , Bao Lingzhi , Chen Guodong , Yang Haoran , Han Wei
Published: December 2016

During radiotherapy procedures, radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) can potentially lead to genetic hazards to normal tissues surrounding the targeted regions. Previous studies showed that RIBE intensities in cell cluster models were much higher than those in monolayer cultured cell models. On the other hand, low-concentration carbon monoxide (CO) was previously shown to exert biological functions via binding to the heme domain of proteins and then modulating various signaling pathways. In relation, our previous studies showed that exogenous CO generated by the CO releasing molecule, tricarbonyldichlororuthenium (CORM-2), at a relatively low concentration (20 µM), effectively attenuated the formation of RIBE-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) and micronucleus (MN). In the present work, we further investigated the capability of a low concentration of exogenous CO (CORM-2) of attenuating or inhibiting RIBE in a mixed-cell cluster model. Our results showed that CO (CORM-2) with a low concentration of 30 µM could effectively suppress RIBE-induced DSB (p53 binding protein 1, p53BP1), MN formation and cell proliferation in bystander cells but not irradiated cells via modulating the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) andcyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The results can help mitigate RIBE-induced hazards during radiotherapy procedures.