bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hybrid Nanostructured Materials Obtained from Ti-Oxo
Nanobuilding Blocks
Authors: Sanchez Clément , Soler-Illia Galo J. De A. A. , Rozes Laurence , Caminade Anne-M. , Turrin Cédric-O. , Majoral Jean-P.
Published: March 2015

Mesostructured titanium-oxo/polymer hybrids were obtained by using
Ti16O16(OEt)32 (TS) clusters or by aging
solutions of Ti alkoxides as precursors. Dendrimers or PEO-based surfactants
were used as templating agents. Solids were characterised by XRD, TEM, FTIR
and multinuclear liquid and solid (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. Two synthetic
approaches are described. In the alkoxide-based systems, the control of the
high reactivities of the Ti (IV) metal centers, is essential to obtain
ordered mesophases. The assembly of nanobuilding blocks (ANBB) permits to
circumvent this high reactivity by using pre-formed Ti-oxo entities. The use
of versatile functionalised dendrimers permits to control the reactivity at
the surface of the cluster, giving birth to novel ordered architectures.
Non-linear creep effects in concrete under uniaxial compression
Authors: Hamed Ehab
Published: March 2015

The non-linear creep behaviour of plain concrete subjected to high compressive stress levels is investigated in this paper. An experimental creep study is performed, which includes testing of four series of concrete cylinders under sustained uniaxial compressive stress of 30%, 50%, 60% and 70% of the compressive strength. The four tests series were commenced at the same age of concrete and were carried out for a period of 194 d under constant controlled environmental conditions. Creep recovery for a period of 63 d was allowed under the same environmental conditions after unloading, and the influence of creep on the compressive strength was also tested. Simple analytical models that exist in the literature are compared with the experimental creep results.
Effect of exposure temperature on chloride-binding capacity of cementing materials
Authors: Dousti Ali , Shekarchi Mohammad
Published: March 2015

Chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcement is one of the main causes of concrete deterioration in marine environments. The service life of reinforced concrete (RC) structures exposed to chloride ions is closely related to the rate of chloride ion diffusion through the concrete. Chloride binding has a remarkable influence on chloride penetration and hence on the time to corrosion initiation in RC structures. Determination of the apparent chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete takes into account the chloride-binding capacity but not the effect of temperature on the chloride-binding capacity. This paper examines the effect of temperature, from −4°C to 70°C, on the chloride-binding capacity of paste mixes containing supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) as cement replacements. The results of the current study suggest that Friedel's salt formation is the major cause of the reaction between chloride ions and tricalcium aluminate (C3A) and hence the chloride-binding capacity decreases with increasing temperature; the order of chloride-binding capacity as a function of exposure temperature is 22°C > −4°C > 3°C > 35°C > 50°C > 70°C. Both the experimental and modelled results indicate a non-linear relationship between the exposure temperature and the chloride-binding capacity for cement paste containing SCMs as cement replacement.
Seismic behaviour of lightly reinforced concrete structural walls with openings
Authors: Li Bing , Pan Zuanfeng , Zhao Yiwen
Published: March 2015

An experimental investigation was carried out to examine the seismic behaviour of three lightly reinforced concrete walls with openings subjected to reversed cyclic loading. The three specimens consisted of one solid wall as the control specimen while the other two walls were detailed with regular or irregular openings. The test results indicate that all three specimens eventually failed when the outermost reinforcing bars fractured while the concrete in the compression zone crushed and spalled severely near the base. The specimen with five openings had ultimate strength and stiffness degradation similar to the control specimen. The specimen with nine openings had a lower ultimate strength but exhibited higher ductility, slower stiffness degradation and a more significant shear contribution than the control specimen. Furthermore, strut-and-tie models were developed to predict the ultimate strength of walls with openings. The results obtained from the strut-and-tie models were found to be consistent with the experimentally observed results.
Az európai uniós támogatások hatása a kistérségek helyzetére
Authors: Fertő Imre , Varga Ágnes
Published: March 2015

A tanulmány az első kísérlet arra, hogy az európai uniós támogatások hatását ökonometriai módszerekkel vizsgálja a kistérségek helyzetére 2002 és 2008 között. Számításaink szerint a támogatások nagyságrendjének növekedésével azok koncentrációja is jelentősen növekedett. Ugyanakkor a támogatások kistérségek közötti konvergenciája is megfigyelhető volt bizonyos mutatók alapján. Eredményeink arra utalnak, hogy a támogatásoknak általában elég nehéz bármilyen hatását is azonosítani, mivel a mért hatások érzékenyek a választott indikátorra. A kimutatott hatások nagysága nagyon kicsi, ezért azok irányától függetlenül nagy valószínűséggel elenyésző. A támogatások hatásmechanizmusainak feltárásához további kutatások szükségesek.
Szegénység, projektek, közpolitikák
Authors: Váradi Monika Mária
Published: March 2015

Az utóbbi években hazai és nemzetközi kutatások, jelentések sora hívja fel a figyelmet a mélyülő szegénységre, erősödő társadalmi és területi polarizációra Magyarországon. Kétségtelen, hogy e kedvezőtlen tendenciákban a válság hatásai is tetten érhetők, tanulmányomban mégis amellett kívánok érvelni, hogy az állam által végrehajtott „jóléti fordulat” perdöntő szerepet játszik a szegénységet, kirekesztettséget, egyenlőtlenségeket tápláló struktúrák, folyamatok tartósságában, fennmaradásában. Uniós tagállamként Magyarország is célul tűzte ki a szegénység és kirekesztettség mérséklését szolgáló politikák céljainak, eszközeinek átvételét, gyakorlatba ültetését. A 2013 tavaszán és nyarán tizenegy kistérségben végzett empirikus kutatásunk alapvető kérdése az volt, hogy vajon a szegénység mérséklését szolgáló, elsősorban uniós forrásokból megvalósuló projektek, programok alkalmasak-e arra, s ha igen, milyen mértékben, milyen feltételek mellett, hogy mérsékeljék a szegénység, a társadalmi kirekesztettség újratermelődésének esélyét. A szegénységet fenntartó struktúrák és folyamatok azonosítása mellett e projektek értékelésére is megkértük interjúpartnereinket. A vizsgált vidéki térségekben általános és más kutatási tapasztalatokkal egybecsengő meggyőződés, hogy a generációkon átívelően újratermelődő szegénység olyan összetett problémahalmazt jelent, amely egy-egy projekt időtartama alatt és projektszemlélettel nem oldható meg. A kedvezőtlen tendenciák megfordításához a projektek és az intézményi struktúrák, tágabban a szegénységben élők helyzetét, perspektíváit meghatározó közpolitikák céljainak, eszközrendszerének összhangja elengedhetetlen. E tekintetben Magyarországon súlyos deficitekről beszélhetünk. Az elmúlt évek közpolitikai változásai a szegénység mérséklését szolgáló projektek, programok célkitűzéseinek ellenében a szegénység és kirekesztettség mélyüléséhez vezetnek. Mivel a kormányzat a szegénység mérséklésének és kezelésének jószerivel kizárólagos eszközévé a közfoglalkoztatást tette, tanulmányunkban e program elemzésére fókuszálunk, bemutatva piactorzító, és a szegénységben élőket a munkanélküliség csapdájában, tartós függőségben, kiszolgáltatottságban tartó hatásait.
A LEADER akciócsoportok és partnerségi hálózatok működésének tanulságai Baranya megyében
Authors: Póla Péter , Chevalier Pascal , Maurel Marie-Claude
Published: March 2015

A vidékfejlesztésnek a közös agrárpolitika (2007–2013) második pillérébe történő eredményes integrálásához a helyi szereplők kezdeményezéseire épülő közösségi tervezési módszerek elsajátítása szükséges, ami egyben a LEADER egyik célja is: alulról építkező helyi fejlesztéssel javítani a vidéki térségek helyzetét, hatékonyabbá tenni a forrásfelhasználást. Az Európai Unióban jellemzően sikeres LEADER-módszer beépült a Nemzeti Vidékfejlesztési Programba és az Új Magyarország Vidékfejlesztési Tervbe, végrehajtása a Vidékfejlesztési Minisztérium hatáskörébe tartozik. Fontos kérdés azonban, hogy a megvalósítás során a magyarországi intézményi és eljárási keretek diktálta sajátos feltételek mennyiben alkalmasak a helyi szereplők aktív részvételének ösztönzésére, a helyi demokrácia konszolidálására.Baranya megyében végzett empirikus kutatásokra építve két szempontból tárgyaljuk a helyi akciócsoportok megszervezésének és működésének kérdését: a partnerségi együttműködések összetételén és a szereplők közötti hálózatok elemzésén keresztül. Az „erős” polgármesterek – részint vállalt szerepük, részint tekintélyük okán – központi helyet foglalnak el ezekben a hálózatokban. A LEADER-tengely működését vizsgálva úgy tűnik, az önkormányzatok (jellemzően a polgármesterek) uralják a programot, és ők játszanak meghatározó szerepet az akciócsoportok partnerségi struktúrájában.Az alapelvek értelmében decentralizált, alulról építkező, az önkormányzati, a civil és a vállalkozói szféra egyenrangú partnerségére építő LEADER program magyarországi megvalósulása így a központi hatalom túlsúlya (a központosított, bürokratikus szabályozási környezet) mellett a helyi hatalom, a helyi önkormányzat dominanciájával jellemezhető.
Pulmonary embolism prevention in out-patients with malignancies during the first year of follow-up
Authors: Khasanov R Sh , Kamalov I A
Published: March 2015

Aim. To decrease the one-year mortality rate in out-patients with malignancies undergoing periodic health examination.Methods. The study included 270 patients, who were examined and followed up. The main group included 140 patients, who monthly underwent ultrasonography of inferior vena cava branches during the first year of follow-up. The control group included 130 patients, in whom ultrasonography of inferior vena cava branches was performed only if clinical manifestations of venous thrombosis were registered.Results. Venous thrombosis was diagnosed in 35 patients of the main group, including 21 cases of venous thrombosis at very high risk for embolism. In control group, ultrasonography of inferior vena cava branches was performed in 13 patients who developed clinical manifestations of venous thromboembolic events, in whom 6 patients were diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs, in 3 patients venous thrombosis was assessed as at very high risk for embolism. In 24 patients (21 in the main group and 3 in the control group), targeted measures to prevent pulmonary embolism were administered, including cava filter implantation, vein ligation above the venous thrombosis at very high risk for embolism site, and crossectomy. The rest of the patients were administered conservative prevention of thromboembolism. In the main group, no deaths associated with pulmonary embolism were registered. In the control group, 19 patients died due to developing pulmonary embolism.Conclusion. Preventive measures for pulmonary embolism, selected according to the results of timely ultrasound diagnosis of venous thrombosis, may reduce the one-year mortality rate in patients with cancer.
Staged treatment strategy in patients with acute abdomen
Authors: Polenok P V
Published: March 2015

Aim. To reason the strategy of staged surgical treatment in patients with acute abdomen.Methods. The study included 72 patients, of them 32 were included in the main group, in which the staged surgical treatment strategy was implemented. To assess the effect of such approach, control group including 40 patients who were treated using the early total care strategy, was formed retrospectively. The decision on the certain strategy use (early total care strategy or staged treatment strategy («aborted operation») was made in every included patient by operating surgeon during the operation.Results. The modern method of surgical treatment («aborted operation» strategy) was introduced into the clinical practice for treating acute surgical abdominal diseases. A new method for patient’s condition severity assessment and operative risk prognosis based on the physical signs, as well as the scale of the indications for the «aborted operation» approach were developed. An original method for laparotomy wound closure was proposed. Device for laparostomy consists of two details - frame, which is stitched to the edges of surgical wound, and replaceable cap, which can be fixed to the frame. The device is made of soft elastic organic material, which is transparent and non-reactive. The key advantage of the device is the transparency of the cap material, allowing to review the condition of abdominal organs at any moment after the surgery without additional analgesia. The device act as a «viewport», allowing to clearly visualize the changes of abdominal organs, to diagnose the possible complications and to timely recognize the indications for programmed abdominal cavity debridement. The mortality in the control group was 100%, in the intervention group - 59%.Conclusion. Staged treatment strategy may significantly reduce the postoperative mortality, being an alternative to standard tactical and technical approaches used in emergency abdominal surgery.
Endoscopic and morphological features of chronic subatrophic gastroduodenitis in children
Authors: Nikiforova E M , Malyuzhinskaya N V , Chueva M A , Alferova V V , Solov’ev E N
Published: March 2015

Aim. To identify the pecularities of clinical, functional features and morphological characteristics in children with subatrophic gastroduodenitis after eradication treatment.Methods. Gastrointestinal tract condition was examined in 26 children with subatrophic gastroduodenitis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy with morphological analysis of biopsy specimens, esophageal pH test and urea breath test were performed.Results. 16 (60.7%) children reported low-grade pain, severe pain occurred in 3 (11.5%) patients, no abdominal pain was reported in 7 (27.6%) patients. A biopsy specimen was gained in 22 patients; moderate contamination with H. pylori was detected in 13 (59%) patients, severe - in 9 (41%) patients. Breath test was positive in all patients (n=26). Morphological study revealed fibrotic changes in 14 (63.6%) patients, atrophy and sclerosis lesions - in 7 (31.8%) and 17 (77.3%) patients, respectively, in addition to clear signs of inflammation. Intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa was discovered in 4 (18.2%) children. Candidiasis of the stomach and duodenum was diagnosed in 7 (31.8%) children. All patients were administered standard eradication treatment. Repeated breath test after 4 weeks was positive in 9 (41%) patients, including 7 (31.8%) who were diagnosed with candidiasis by biopsy test. At 12 months, the control endoscopy performed in 19 patients: 5 patients, who failed to follow the recommendation, had marked clinical and endoscopic signs of relapse, no patients with good treatment compliance (n=14, 73.6%) had any clinical manifestations, although endoscopic signs of inflammation preserved in 9 (47.4%) children. Biopsy with histological examination was repeated in 9 patients. Signs of inflammation were significantly reduced in 6 (66.7%) patients, while the foci of atrophy, sclerosis and intestinal metaplasia retained in 2 out of 9 children. Contamination with H. pylori had significantly decreased.Conclusion. Endoscopic signs of gastroduodenal chronic inflammation correspond to the severity of morphological characteristics in the acute stage of gastroduodenitis. Children with preserved signs of intestinal metaplasia of gastric and duodenal mucosa require intensive treatment and prolonged follow-up.
Polycystic ovary syndrome - modern concepts
Authors: Azizova M E
Published: March 2015

The article reviews current concepts of etiology and pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Currently, numerous forms of the syndrome, manifesting by a variety of clinical, morphologic signs and features of endocrine profile, exist. It was revealed that polycystic ovary syndrome is a multifactorial, genetically determined disease. Laboratory diagnosis in females with polycystic ovary syndrome is based on measuring concentrations of hormones. Results of ovarian sonography are of a great importance, allowing to diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome. Another method of instrumental diagnosis is laparoscopy, revealing two-sided growth ovarian hypertrophy and multiple subcapsular cysts. Ovarian capsule looks thickened, smooth, with a marked vascular pattern. Treatment depends on the clinical features and intensity of symptoms, as well as on patient’s interest in pregnancy. The choice of treatment options should be supported by clinical and laboratory data, considering pathogenetic type of the disease. The treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome includes conservative and surgical approaches. The main targets of drug treatment is the cessation of clinical and metabolic symptoms of the disease, decreasing the symptoms of virilescence, restoring the menstrual cycle and ovulation induction. Indication for surgical treatment is non-efficiency of drug treatment in restoring fertility. Thereby, multiple factors determining clinical symptoms and morphologic changes in ovaries, including central mechanisms of pituitary gland gonadotropic function, local ovarian factors, extraovarial endocrine and metabolic disorders, participate in pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome. The early initiation of treatment in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome may preserve the fertility, as well as prevent hyper- and neoplastic diseases of endothelium, and the syndrome’s late complications.
Biologic activity of humic substances from peat and sapropel
Authors: Kitapova R R , Ziganshin A U
Published: March 2015

The article reviews papers researching the biologic activity of peat and sapropel-derived humic substances, published by domestic and foreign authors. Peat is an accumulation of mainly partially decayed vegetation decomposed by microorganisms, found at mires. Sapropel is natural organic minerals that are derived from freshwater body sediment and formed by decayed vegetation and animal residues, minerals of biochemical and chemical origin and mineral components. Humic substances are a specific group of macromolecular substances derived from peat and sapropel as a result of vegetation and animal residues deterioration. It was found that drugs based on humic substances have the broadest spectrum of biological properties that are already widely used in veterinary medicine and can be used in various spheres of medicine. In particular, medications containing humic substances affect the nonspecific and specific resistance of the organism, show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, membranotropic, hepatoprotective properties, have the ability to enhance the metabolic processes activity in the body. Sodium humate stimulates the tumor regression, helps to prevent serotonin ulcers, increases the body’s resistance to hypoxic conditions. Humic substances are do not have any toxic, teratogenic, embryotoxic and carcinogenic properties, while at the same time they are able to positively influence the health status of animals, increasing their productivity. Positive effect of humic substances on plant adaptation to ionizing radiation and pesticides was shown. Plenty of research and favorable results provides a basis for the development of a new direction in pharmacy and pharmacology related to the creation of new domestic products based on peat and sapropel.
Physiology and pathophysiology of the lymphatic system. Research results and further prospects
Authors: Minnebaev M M
Published: March 2015

The review summarizes own research and literature on the role of the lymphatic system in a number of physiological and pathological conditions. The typical reaction of lymph circulation seen in shock, acute diffuse peritonitis, in postoperative period is the lymph flow volumetric rate increase. Mobilization of the lymphatic system, extravascular fluid and proteins in well-studied emergencies is explained considering the role of the lymphatic system as a natural source of circulating blood volume regulation and serum proteins replacement («autotransfusion»). These pathological processes are associated with progression of lymphatic failure on the late terms. The principle of lymph circulation targeted stimulation as a way to detoxify the body using hormones and procaine (Novocain) blockade of splanchnic nerves and the borderline sympathetic trunks was proposed based on modeled acute peritonitis. Increased microcirculation and central lymph flow, alterations in resorption, transport and filtration barrier function of the lymphatic system, as well as morphologic and functional reorganization of the lymph nodes were revealed in fever of different duration. Of particular interest are studies on the role of the lymphatic system in the immediate and long-term body adaptation to physical stress. Activation of central lymph circulation in adequate dynamic loads correlated with changes in the system lymph microcirculation (acceleration of lymph flow, increased peristalsis of the lymph microvessels walls and contractile activity of their valves). Extreme physical exhaustion was accompanied by expressed lymphovascular, extravascular and intravascular changes in the microvasculature. Lymphatic failure, as well as structural microcirculation impairments in a trained body occur only in extreme physical stress. Thus, the lymphatic system is involved in many physiological and pathological processes; its functional condition affects the course and outcome of the disease. Therefore, the treatment of the diseases requires, among other measures, correction of lymph formation and circulation (stimulation or inhibition, endolymphatic treatment, thoracic duct drainage, lymphosorption, blockade of nodal pathways and other methods - depending on the specific disease).
Decomposition by ectomycorrhizal fungi alters soil carbon storage in a simulation model
Authors: Moore J. A. M. , Jiang J. , Post W. M. , Classen A. T.
Published: March 2015

Carbon cycle models often lack explicit belowground organism activity, yet belowground organisms regulate carbon storage and release in soil. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are important players in the carbon cycle because they are a conduit into soil for carbon assimilated by the plant. It is hypothesized that ectomycorrhizal fungi can also be active decomposers when plant carbon allocation to fungi is low. Here, we reviewed the literature on ectomycorrhizal decomposition and we developed a simulation model of the plant‐mycorrhizae interaction where a reduction in plant productivity stimulates ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our review highlights evidence demonstrating the potential for ectomycorrhizal fungi to decompose soil organic matter. Our model output suggests that ectomycorrhizal activity accounts for a portion of carbon decomposed in soil, but this portion varied with plant productivity and the mycorrhizal carbon uptake strategy simulated. Lower organic matter inputs to soil were largely responsible for reduced soil carbon storage. Using mathematical theory, we demonstrated that biotic interactions affect predictions of ecosystem functions. Specifically, we developed a simple function to model the mycorrhizal switch in function from plant symbiont to decomposer. We show that including mycorrhizal fungi with the flexibility of mutualistic and saprotrophic lifestyles alters predictions of ecosystem function.
Environmental drivers of deadwood dynamics in woodlands and forests
Authors: Garbarino M. , Marzano R. , Shaw J. D. , Long J. N.
Published: March 2015

Deadwood dynamics play a key role in many forest ecosystems. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the accumulation and depletion of deadwood can enhance our understanding of fundamental processes such as carbon sequestration and disturbance regimes, allowing better predictions of future changes related to alternative management and climate scenarios. A conceptual framework for deadwood dynamics has been generally accepted but has not been broadly tested with empirical data. We used a large (n= 6191) data set containing measurements of live and standing dead trees, and downed woody material, representing numerous woodland and forest types from throughout the Interior Western USA, to assess relationships between environmental factors and basic elements of forest structure, with particular focus on the various components of deadwood (i.e., fine woody debris, litter, duff and large deadwood, both standing and downed). Environmental gradients emerged as the most influential factors determining structure and deadwood dynamics of these diverse vegetation types. We found that dead components are approximately proportional to the live component and that all of the various components of structure can be ordered as a function of climatic gradients representing temperature and moisture. The postulate that maximum accumulation of biomass is associated with intermediate values of temperature and moisture was only partially supported by our results, indicating that conceptualizations of deadwood dynamics must be considered in the context of the particular disturbance regimes (e.g., fire, insect outbreaks, wind) most commonly associated with particular woodland and forest types. These findings are relevant to a wide range of applications, from ecosystem modeling to development of resource management plans under alternative future climates.
Plastic Mulch Stimulates Nitrogen Mineralization in Urea‐Amended Soils in a Semiarid Environment
Authors: Hai Long , Li Xiao Gang , Liu Xiao‐E , Jiang Xiao Jin , Guo Rui Ying , Jing Gao Bo , Rengel Zed , Li Feng‐Min
Published: March 2015

Soil N mineralization is critical for designing appropriate N management strategies, though it has been seldom studied in plastic‐mulched croplands. We evaluated plastic mulch effect on N mineralization in urea‐amended furrow‐ridge plots with and without maize (Zea mays L.) planting at a semiarid rain‐fed site, China. Clear film covered all soil surfaces in the mulched treatments and maize was seeded in furrows in the cropped treatments. Mulch increased daytime soil temperature in the 0 to 15 cm throughout the season without maize but only in the seedling and elongation stages with maize, compared with no mulch. Mulch increased soil moisture in the whole season without maize but only in the early growth with maize, compared with no mulch in 2011. However, the mulch influence on soil moisture was independent on the presence of maize in 2012. Compared with non‐mulched soils, N mineralization rate increased in mulched soils throughout the season in 2011 and 2012. By harvest, in 2011 total N mineralized averaged 112 kg ha−1 in mulched soils, contrasting to 54 kg N ha−1 immobilized in non‐mulched soils; in 2012 total N mineralization was 348 kg ha−1 in mulched soils whereas it was 116 kg ha−1 in non‐mulched soils. Maize increased N mineralization in the tasseling and silking stages compared with no maize. However, the mulch effect on N mineralization rate was independent on the presence of maize. We concluded that plastic mulch increased N mineralization in urea‐amended soils by increasing soil temperature and moisture.
Reorganization of water demand under changing conditions with possibilistic programming
Authors: Spiliotis Mike , Garrote Luis , Chavez-Jimenez Adriana
Published: March 2015

To adapt water resources management to changing conditions, the amount of water allocated to the different demands may be redistributed to satisfy water availability constraints. To achieve this, an interactive possibilistic programming procedure is proposed. The main criterion for the reorganization of water allocation to irrigation demands is net water productivity. To cope with uncertainty in problem formulation, the decision variables (amount of water allocated to each demand) are considered fuzzy triangular numbers. The proposed methodology is a combination of an intensive simulation process that determines the maximum cumulative potential water withdrawal with an interactive flexible possibilistic approach. The use of multicriteria techniques can be easily included within the interactive process in order to face the fuzziness of the water productivity term and to improve the final decision incorporating several dimensionals. The proposed method is applied to a real and complex problem, the Guadalquivir River Basin District in Spain, to identify an adaptive water resources management scheme that can react to the projected climate change scenarios by reorganizing the water allocated to irrigation demands.
Resilience-based failure mode effects and criticality analysis for regional water supply system
Authors: Hwang Hwee , Lansey Kevin , Quintanar Daniel R.
Published: March 2015

An alternative risk assessment method, known as failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA), is demonstrated on the regional water supply systems (RWSS) in Tucson, AZ, USA that combines delivery of potable and reclaimed water and conveyance of wastewater to a developing area within the Tucson RWSS. The goal of FMECA is to examine the volumetric severity of a component failure on the overall system function by modeling the system under alternative failure modes. Within FMECA, the Risk Priority Number (RPN) is applied to compare the risk criticality between components' failures. To complete FMECA, the Tucson RWSS is represented in a network flow model that optimally allocates flows between sources and demand points to minimize operational costs. Potential failure mode consequences are evaluated from the flow model as the volume of water not delivered to users if the component is unavailable. The volumetric severity of the failure event is converted to an ordinal value using stakeholder judgment. Likelihood of each failure mode is similarly defined by stakeholders on a 1–10 scale. The RPN is then computed as the product of the severity and likelihood. RPN values for all failure modes are then ranked to assess the most critical elements. Alternative system configurations are examined to assess the value of redundancies on the Tucson RWSS resilience.
An enquiry into the place of systems analysis in the politics of water and the environment
Authors: O'Kane J. Philip
Published: March 2015

In many jurisdictions, the participation of stakeholders in decisions concerning their environment, and their water environment in particular, is still carried out, if at all, on an ad hoc basis. This paper envisions a legislative structure that allows a natural participation by the people in decision-making. While systems analysis and models may inform opinion in the ideal Legislature, especially among its members who are systēm analysts (economists, engineers, and physical scientists), the models carry with them the bias of the systēm viewpoint: the ‘whole’, within which particular environmental and water problems arise, is externalized as a solid-like, inanimate, analyzable, and quantifiable object, reduced to the sum of its parts. The representation of such objects by web-enabled hydroinformatic systems does not erase the bias; it may even amplify it. The alternative ‘intuitive way of seeing in the mind's eye the whole in every part’ is the appropriate way for those members of the Legislature who have not learned the systems viewpoint. Quiet and observant immersion in (1) the company of those who know first-hand the issues at stake; (2) rhetoric, dialectic, and face-to-face eye-contact with those who are concerned; and (3) practice in Goethe's way of science may help us become better participants in the creation and deliverers of social justice for our fellow beings.
First stage of the French vertical flow constructed wetland system: experiments with the reduction of surface area and number of units
Authors: Manjate E. S. , Lana L. C. O. , Moraes D. C. , Vasconcellos G. R. , Maciel G. R. M. , von Sperling M.
Published: March 2015

Small vertical-flow constructed wetland units comprising the first stage of the French system were studied in Brazil for the treatment of raw sewage. Planted and unplanted units and different feeding strategies were tested. In the first phase, hourly batches of a daily flow of 13 m3 d−1 were applied over three alternating units, resulting in an average hydraulic loading rate (HLR) on the full system of 0.15 m3 m−2 d−1. A second phase, aimed at reducing land requirements, kept the same daily flow and batch frequency, but used two alternating units, resulting in a HLR on the full system of 0.22 m3 m−2 d−1. Removal efficiencies were very good when the system operated with three units, with mean values of 82% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 81% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 85% for total suspended solids (TSS) and 59% for NH4+-N. With two units, the equivalent values were 74% for BOD, 59% for COD, 67% for TSS and 51% for NH4+-N. There were significant differences in the median removal efficiencies of COD and TSS. No significant differences were found between planted and unplanted units for most constituents. In both phases, the overall good performance and the simplicity of the system make this treatment process a very attractive alternative for developing countries.
Access to improved sanitation facilities in low-income informal settlements of East African cities
Authors: Okurut K. , Kulabako R. N. , Abbott P. , Adogo J. M. , Chenoweth J. , Pedley S. , Tsinda A. , Charles K.
Published: March 2015

Throughout Africa, the population in urban areas is increasing rapidly, often exceeding the capacity and the resources of the cities and towns to accommodate the people. In sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of urban dwellers live in informal settlements served by inadequate sanitation facilities. These settlements present unique challenges to the provision of sustainable and hygienic sanitation, and there is insufficient information on access to improved facilities. This paper reports findings of a study undertaken in low-income informal settlements using a mixed methods approach to assess access to sanitation and identify the barriers to household uptake of improved sanitation facilities. More than half of the respondents (59.7%) reported using sanitation facilities that are included in the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme definition of improved sanitation. However, a high proportion of these facilities did not provide access to basic sanitation. Less than 5% of all the respondents did not report problems related to sustainable access to basic sanitation. The findings highlight the urgent need to develop specific and strategic interventions for each low-income informal settlement, to upscale the sustainable access and use of improved sanitation in urban centres.
Evaluation of the quality of service of the water supply delivery in Lebanon
Authors: Karnib Ali
Published: March 2015

The global community had launched a global target related to access to sustainable safe drinking water sources and had pursued a global monitoring and reporting program on progress made on access to drinking water sources. The universal indicator considered by the global community for this purpose is the proportion of the population with (or without) access to improved drinking water sources. An improved drinking water source is defined as one that is likely to be protected from outside contamination. However, monitoring and reporting progress using this indicator does not reflect the quality of service delivery, in particular the quantity, quality and continuity of drinking water supply. This paper presents the evaluation of the quality of service of the water supply in Lebanon based on additional national-specific indicators that can properly inform the quality of water supply service delivery. A method of evaluation of quality of service index (QSI) is proposed based on a fuzzy inference system. The results of evaluation of the QSI for the four regional water supply authorities in Lebanon for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014 are then presented and discussed. Finally, the conclusion and further developments are presented.
Hand washing practices of the residents of Silesia (Poland) based on observations in public toilets
Authors: Malinowska-Borowska Jolanta , Wolny Magdalena , Krause Marcin
Published: March 2015

In numerous medical reports and scientific papers, it is unequivocally stated that dirty hands increase the risk of gastrointestinal, respiratory and skin infections. The aim of the present study was to assess hand hygiene practices in Silesia, Poland. In 2012, 400 persons were observed in public toilets located in shopping centres of Silesia. Disguised, participant and controlled observations were used. Results indicated that women wash their hands more frequently and longer than men. Women washed their hands for 10.2 (standard deviation (SD) = 7.3) s on average, while men devoted an average of 8.2 (SD = 5.8) s to this activity. Men dried their hands for about 3 s longer and used soap more frequently than women. The study also revealed a significant relationship between the correctness of the hand-washing procedure and the place of observation (p < 0.05). Based on the research and available literature, it can be concluded that health activities promoting the hand-washing procedure need to be introduced in Poland.
eSOS® – emergency Sanitation Operation System
Authors: Brdjanovic D. , Zakaria F. , Mawioo P. M. , Garcia H. A. , Hooijmans C. M. , Ćurko J. , Thye Y. P. , Setiadi T.
Published: March 2015

This paper presents the innovative emergency Sanitation Operation System (eSOS) concept created to improve the entire emergency sanitation chain and provide decent sanitation to people in need. The eSOS kit is described including its components: eSOS smart toilets, an intelligent excreta collection vehicle-tracking system, a decentralized excreta treatment facility, an emergency sanitation coordination center, and an integrated eSOS communication and management system. The paper further deals with costs and the eSOS business model, its challenges, applicability and relevance. The first application, currently taking place in the Philippines will bring valuable insights on the future of the eSOS smart toilet. It is expected that eSOS will bring changes to traditional disaster relief management.
Flexible ACT & Resource-group ACT: Different Working Procedures Which Can Supplement and Strengthen Each Other. A Response#
Authors: Veldhuizen Remmers van , Delespaul Philippe , Kroon Hans , Mulder Niels
Published: March 2015

This article is a response to Nordén and Norlander’s ‘Absence of Positive Results for Flexible Assertive Community
Treatment. What is the next approach?’[1], in which they assert that ‘at present [there is] no evidence for Flexible
ACT and… that RACT might be able to provide new impulses and new vitality to the treatment mode of ACT’. We question
their analyses and conclusions. We clarify Flexible ACT, referring to the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment
Manual (van Veldhuizen, 2013) [2] to rectify misconceptions. We discuss Nordén and Norlander’s interpretation of research
on Flexible ACT. The fact that too little research has been done and that there are insufficient positive results cannot
serve as a reason to propagate RACT. However, the Resource Group method does provide inspiration for working
with clients to involve their networks more effectively in Flexible ACT.
Stabilizing southeastern Europe, financial legacies and European lessons from the first world war
Authors: Lampe John
Published: March 2015

This paper pays brief attention, although more than the recent flood of 1914
centenary books, to economic causes of the First World War before turning to
it fateful economic consequences for Southeastern Europe. The Austrian lack
of economic leverage over Serbia is cited as a reason for its resort to the
military option. At the war?s end, the option of the victorious powers to
provide significant economic relief to the region where the conflict had
begun was not taken. After tracking the brief, limited assistance provided,
the paper reviews to the massive economic problems confronting four of the
five of independent states, neglecting Albania as a special case, that could
now be called Southeastern Europe. First Greece and then Bulgaria faced
forced inflow of refugees. Romania and the Yugoslav Kingdom faced the
economic integration of large new, formerly Austro-Hungarian lands. All of
them were left not only with war deaths and destruction but also with large
war debts, or in Bulgaria?s case, reparations. The paper concentrates on the
primary Western response to these four economies, an effort led by the Bank
of England to replace immediate postwar inflation with the deflation needed
to reestablish currencies with prewar convertibility to gold, now with Pound
Sterling added to a gold reserve standard. Independent central banks, the
major positive legacy of this initiative, were to lead the way. But the
financial stability that all four economies did eventually achieve in the
1920s served only to reduce their war debts. Otherwise, maintaining the fixed
and overvalued exchange rates restricted domestic credit, encouraged
protective tariffs, and did not attract the foreign capital, especially new
state loans, that this emphasis on a single, European financial framework had
promised. A concluding section considers the lessons learned from a postwar
period that promoted economic disintegration by the 1930s. Looking at the
period since the end of the Cold War and then the wars of Yugoslavia?s
dissolution, we see EU leadership in the reduction of trade barriers, the
promotion of common fiscal practice and the prospect of genuine European
integration as Western lessons learned. Within the region, independent
central banks have helped the process. But the stabilization of currencies
around the overvalued Euro has posed a familiar post- 1918 problem since the
European downturn of 2008.
Demographic losses of Serbia in the first world war and their long-term consequences
Authors: Radivojevic Biljana , Penev Goran
Published: March 2015

Proportional to the total population, Serbia was the country with the highest
number of casualties in the First World War. According to the first estimates
presented at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, total Serbian casualties
were 1,250,000, over 400,000 of which were military losses while the rest
were civilian deaths. Besides direct losses, which include casualties in war
events and deaths resulting from military operations, the Serbian population
also suffered significant indirect losses originating from the reduced number
of births during the war and postwar years, increased death rate after the
war as a consequence of war events, and more intensive emigration. The paper
analyses some of the most-quoted estimates of demographic losses (the Paris
Peace Conference, Djuric, Notestein et al.), which differ in the methodology
applied, the territory covered, and the obtained results. Moreover, the paper
specifies the long-term demographic consequences of the First World War,
primarily on the population size of Serbia and its age and gender structure.
Generations that suffered the biggest losses and those whose sex structure
was disrupted the most are indicated.
Testing for long memory in volatility in the Indian Forex market
Authors: Kumar Anoop
Published: March 2015

This article attempts to verify the presence of long memory in volatility in
the Indian foreign exchange market using daily bilateral returns of the
Indian Rupee against the US dollar from 17/02/1994 to 08/11/2013. In the
first part of the analysis the presence of long-term dependence is confirmed
in the return series as well as in two measures of unconditional volatility
(absolute returns and squared returns) by employing three measures of long
memory. Next, the presence of long memory in conditional volatility is tested
using ARMA-FIGARCH and ARMA-FIAPARCH models under various distributional
assumptions. The results confirm the presence of long memory in conditional
variance for two models. In the last part, the presence of long memory in
conditional mean and conditional variance is verified using ARFIMA-FIGARCH
and ARFIMA-FIAPARCH models. It is also found that long-memory models fare
well compared to short-memory models in sample forecast performance.
Institutional quality and economic growth: Empirical evidence from the Sudanese economy
Authors: Alexiou Constantinos , Tsaliki Persefoni , Osman Hashim
Published: March 2015

This study aims to explore the extent to which conventional methods used in
the majority of relevant growth studies can successfully interpret the
economic performance of a highly underdeveloped African country such as
Sudan. Applying an ARDL boundstesting approach to cointegration proposed by
Pesaran et al. (2001), we look into the short-run as well as long-run
relationships between institutional and various other key economic variables
and economic growth over the period 1972-2008. The empirical results obtained
suggest that, for the Sudanese economy, the quality of the institutional
environment is one of the most important factors in defining economic
prosperity.
Post-Hunton: Reclaiming Our Integrity and Literature
Authors: Stone Dan N.
Published: March 2015

A Bentley University investigation of allegations of data fabrication by Jim Hunton concludes that “[t]he whole body of Dr. Hunton's extensive research while a faculty member at Bentley University must now be considered suspect” (Malone 2014, 5). Jim served as president of the Information Systems (IS) Section of the American Accounting Association (AAA) in 2002–2003, and is the most cited author in the Journal of Information Systems (JIS) (Guffey and Harp 2013). This essay is a personal reflection on, with proposed lessons for the AIS community from, the Hunton fraud. These include developing skepticism, recognizing the limited usefulness of Cressey's fraud “stump” (formerly triangle), noting the dysfunctional implications of agency theory, and adopting contemplative practices designed to increase observational awareness.