bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Presence in Culturally Mediated Online Learning Environments
Authors: Ananthanarayanan Vidya
Published: October 2014

There is a substantive body of work that examines cross-cultural issues and social presence, respectively, in Online Learning Environments (OLEs). However, there is limited research that examines the interplay of these three variables together. This chapter takes a pragmatic approach to the issues surrounding culture, presence, and interaction in online learning environments to generate awareness of the relevance, timeliness, and importance of this issue among scholar-practitioners, policy makers, and instructional designers. In the process, the author hopes to engender recognition of and discourse around an issue that is still under-represented in literature and research.
Cultural Inclusivity in Online Learning
Authors: Milheim Karen L.
Published: October 2014

This chapter addresses the complexities of building an effective learning environment in light of a diverse, multicultural student group. Existing research focuses on how to foster learning in traditional classroom environments, comprised of students from varied cultures and backgrounds. Yet, little is known about what strategies towards cultural inclusion are effective in an online learning environment. This chapter discusses the influence of cultural difference in online learning and provides ways courses can be more inclusive. This chapter is beneficial for instructors, course designers, and administrators who want to learn more about how to foster a culturally inclusive learning environment in online course settings.
The Value of Social Presence in Developing Student Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Online Environments
Authors: Marmon Michael
Published: October 2014

As humanity continues into the twenty-first century, online or distance education is emerging as a viable alternative to the learning that is occurring in traditional university-level learning environments. While there is little difference in the quality of learning and information being presented between these two methods, there are distinct differences in the interactions occurring between students and instructors. Specifically, the presence of physical geographic distance creates a feeling of isolation in the minds of the students participating in these online learning environments. This chapter examines the concept of isolation through the lens of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory, which offers an explanation for why such attitudes permeate in this method of instructing students. Moreover, by discussing the history of the medium and the importance of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory, it is possible determine the best practices and procedures for creating a feeling of social presence in online learning environments.
Building Social Presence through Engaging Online Instructional Strategies
Authors: Mitchell Sara K. , Shepard MaryFriend
Published: October 2014

Social presence in the online learning environment is best developed when the instructor is the facilitator of knowledge and the students are the seekers of knowledge. Strategies for consciously developing social presence among learners are provided. This chapter includes the Online Steps to Complex Cognition, an educational model that displays five successive stages of the online learning process and how social presence can be heightened at each stage. Positive levels of social presence allow students to engage in critical discourse and promote learning as they intellectually and socially engage and build a level of mutual trust and respect with their teachers and with other learners.
Strategies for Establishing and Sustaining Social Presence in the Online Learning Environment
Authors: Baker Credence , Maben Sarah , Edwards Jennifer
Published: October 2014

Establishing a level of comfort in which students feel at ease in an online course is primarily the responsibility of the professor, but fostering this community of inquiry is a complicated task. While research is rich with regard to broad instructional practices that can be used to foster social presence, practical strategies and examples for faculty to use are lacking in the literature. This chapter describes specific social presence-related instructional strategies used to foster an atmosphere of sharing, support, and success for students enrolled in online courses.
Innovation Styles, Processes, and their Drivers
Authors: Jha Ashish Kumar , Bose Indranil
Published: October 2014

Technology innovation is not just a result of funds invested in research and development of a firm; it is a culmination of long-standing investments in well-thought-out processes, plans, and strategies. The chapter aims to address these aspects of technological innovations. The innovation process is a unique one, and each firm has a different style of bringing in innovation as per their requirements. These diverse innovation requirements are a direct consequence of the organizational structure and the innovation philosophies that those structures have embedded in them. Based on academic research done over the past decades on topics of organizational impact of innovation, the authors analyze the different innovation philosophies that organizations have, the processes that organizations use to promote innovation, as well as the drivers that impact these philosophies and processes.
A Past to Present Journey
Authors: Al-Taie Moyassar , Lane Michael , Cater-Steel Aileen
Published: October 2014

This chapter explores the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). A detailed review of the existing literature traces the evolution of this role and highlights its characteristics and configurations. CIO role effectiveness can be described in terms of three demand-side roles: strategist, relationship architect, integrator, and three supply-side roles: educator, information steward, and utility provider. To explore the configuration of roles of CIOs in Australia, a large-scale survey of CIOs was conducted. The Australian results, based on 174 responses, are compared with those from similar studies in USA. The top priority for the Australian CIO was information steward, ensuring organizational data quality and security and recruiting and retaining IT skilled staff. In comparison, the first priority for the USA CIOs was utility provider - building and sustaining solid, dependable, and responsive IT infrastructure services. This study's findings have implications for CIO career development and recruitment.
Business Competence and Acumen of Information Technology Professionals
Authors: Gleghorn Gregory
Published: October 2014

There is an ongoing debate concerning information technology professionals and business competency skills. Conventional wisdom suggests IT professionals should first and foremost be proficient in all technical aspects and abilities with managerial, strategic, and soft skills as secondary. The business competence of information technology professionals may not seem to be a new technical or strategic development; however, the landscape of business has changed significantly. The information technology infrastructure is embedded throughout most organizations. Information technology and those responsible for IT can no longer afford to operate in a silo as they have in the past. Today's businesses rely more than ever on the technical infrastructure to provide scalability, functionality, and adaptability. The technical infrastructure is relied upon to help meet and assist with business operational, managerial, strategic, and competitive needs. This chapter examines the business competency of information technology professionals as a new development within IT.
A Holistic View of Big Data
Authors: Kim Won , Jeong Ok-Ran , Kim Chulyun
Published: October 2014

Today there is much hype about big data. The discussions seem to revolve around data mining technology, social Web data, and the open source platform of NoSQL and Hadoop. However, database, data warehouse and OLAP technologies are also integral parts of big data. Big data involves data from all sources, not just social Web data. Further, big data requires not only technology, but also a painstaking process for identifying, collecting, and preparing sufficient amounts of relevant data. This paper provides a holistic view of big data.
From Bibliographic Records to Data
Authors: Hilario Ana B. Ríos , Fernández Tránsito Ferreras , Campo Diego Martín
Published: October 2014

The change that has taken place in the library environment with the application of linked open data technologies is analyzed. Thus, the main objective of this paper is twofold. First, the authors intend to describe this new environment from the perspective of the institutions called GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museum); and, second and more precisely, they analyze the change from traditional library records to the particular case of linked open bibliographic data. To attain the first part of this goal, they systematized the information found in the official sources that define the different concepts under study. To address the second part of that objective the authors examined the publication of two key documents: Library Linked Data Incubator Group: Use Cases, in particular the section referring to the bibliographic data cluster, and Linked Open Data-Enabled Bibliographical Data (LODE-BD). It is concluded that the main result of the conversion of bibliographic data to open linked data is that the data will be more visible and integrated with other services and therefore more likely to be reused by them.
Mouse Mast Cell Protease-6 and MHC Are Involved in the Development of Experimental Asthma
Authors: Cui Yue , Dahlin Joakim S. , Feinstein Ricardo , Bankova Lora G. , Xing Wei , Shin Kichul , Gurish Michael F. , Hallgren Jenny
Published: October 2014

Allergic asthma is a complex disease with a strong genetic component where mast cells play a major role by the release of proinflammatory mediators. In the mouse, mast cell protease-6 (mMCP-6) closely resembles the human version of mast cell tryptase, β-tryptase. The gene that encodes mMCP-6, Tpsb2, resides close by the H-2 complex (MHC gene) on chromosome 17. Thus, when the original mMCP-6 knockout mice were backcrossed to the BALB/c strain, these mice were carrying the 129/Sv haplotype of MHC (mMCP-6−/−/H-2bc). Further backcrossing yielded mMCP-6−/− mice with the BALB/c MHC locus. BALB/c mice were compared with mMCP-6−/− and mMCP-6−/−/H-2bc mice in a mouse model of experimental asthma. Although OVA-sensitized and challenged wild type mice displayed a striking airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), mMCP-6−/− mice had less AHR that was comparable with that of mMCP-6−/−/H-2bc mice, suggesting that mMCP-6 is required for a full-blown AHR. The mMCP-6−/−/H-2bc mice had strikingly reduced lung inflammation, IgE responses, and Th2 cell responses upon sensitization and challenge, whereas the mMCP-6−/− mice responded similarly to the wild type mice but with a minor decrease in bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophils. These findings suggest that inflammatory Th2 responses are highly dependent on the MHC-haplotype and that they can develop essentially independently of mMCP-6, whereas mMCP-6 plays a key role in the development of AHR.
INAM Plays a Critical Role in IFN-γ Production by NK Cells Interacting with Polyinosinic-Polycytidylic Acid–Stimulated Accessory Cells
Authors: Kasamatsu Jun , Azuma Masahiro , Oshiumi Hiroyuki , Morioka Yuka , Okabe Masaru , Ebihara Takashi , Matsumoto Misako , Seya Tsukasa
Published: October 2014

Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid strongly promotes the antitumor activity of NK cells via TLR3/Toll/IL-1R domain–containing adaptor molecule 1 and melanoma differentiation-associated protein-5/mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein pathways. Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid acts on accessory cells such as dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (Mφs) to secondarily activate NK cells. In a previous study in this context, we identified a novel NK-activating molecule, named IFN regulatory factor 3–dependent NK-activating molecule (INAM), a tetraspanin-like membrane glycoprotein (also called Fam26F). In the current study, we generated INAM-deficient mice and investigated the in vivo function of INAM. We found that cytotoxicity against NK cell–sensitive tumor cell lines was barely decreased in Inam−/− mice, whereas the number of IFN-γ–producing cells was markedly decreased in the early phase. Notably, deficiency of INAM in NK and accessory cells, such as CD8α+ conventional DCs and Mφs, led to a robust decrease in IFN-γ production. In conformity with this phenotype, INAM effectively suppressed lung metastasis of B16F10 melanoma cells, which is controlled by NK1.1+ cells and IFN-γ. These results suggest that INAM plays a critical role in NK-CD8α+ conventional DC (and Mφ) interaction leading to IFN-γ production from NK cells in vivo. INAM could therefore be a novel target molecule for cancer immunotherapy against IFN-γ–suppressible metastasis.
Cutting Edge: STING Mediates Protection against Colorectal Tumorigenesis by Governing the Magnitude of Intestinal Inflammation
Authors: Zhu Qifan , Man Si Ming , Gurung Prajwal , Liu Zhiping , Vogel Peter , Lamkanfi Mohamed , Kanneganti Thirumala-Devi
Published: October 2014

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) is a cytoplasmic innate immune sensor for cyclic dinucleotides that also serves a dual role as an adaptor molecule for a number of intracellular DNA receptors. Although STING has important functions in the host defense against pathogens and autoimmune diseases, its physiological role in cancer is unknown. In this study, we show that STING-deficient mice are highly susceptible to colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Colons of STING-deficient mice exhibit significant intestinal damage and overt proliferation during early stages of tumorigenesis. Moreover, STING-deficient mice fail to restrict activation of the NF-κB– and STAT3-signaling pathways, which leads to increased levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and KC. Therefore, our results identified an unexpected and important role for STING in mediating protection against colorectal tumorigenesis.
Lower Extremity Fatigue, Sex, and Landing Performance in a Population With Recurrent Low Back Pain
Authors: Haddas Ram , James C. Roger , Hooper Troy L.
Published: October 2014

Context

Low back pain and lower extremity injuries affect athletes of all ages. Previous authors have linked a history of low back pain with lower extremity injuries. Fatigue is a risk factor for lower extremity injuries, some of which are known to affect female athletes more often than their male counterparts.

Objective

To determine the effects of lower extremity fatigue and sex on knee mechanics, neuromuscular control, and ground reaction force during landing in people with recurrent low back pain (LBP).

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

A clinical biomechanics laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants

Thirty-three young adults with recurrent LBP but without current symptoms.

Intervention(s)

Fatigue was induced using a submaximal free-weight squat protocol with 15% body weight until task failure was achieved.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Three-dimensional knee motion, knee and ankle moments, ground reaction force, and trunk and lower extremity muscle-activity measurements were collected during 0.30-m drop vertical-jump landings.

Results

Fatigue altered landing mechanics, with differences in landing performance between sexes. Women tended to have greater knee-flexion angle at initial contact, greater maximum knee internal-rotation angle, greater maximum knee-flexion moment, smaller knee-adduction moment, smaller ankle-inversion moment, smaller ground reaction force impact, and earlier multifidus activation. In men and women, fatigue produced a smaller knee-abduction angle at initial contact, greater maximum knee-flexion moment, and delays in semitendinosus, multifidus, gluteus maximus, and rectus femoris activation.

Conclusions

Our results provide evidence that during a fatigued 0.30-m landing sequence, women who suffered from recurrent LBP landed differently than did men with recurrent LBP, which may increase women's exposure to biomechanical factors that can contribute to lower extremity injury.
Music, singing and dancing in relation to the use of the harp and the ram’s horn or shofar in the Bible: What do we know about this?
Authors: Lebaka Morakeng E.K.
Published: October 2014

There are many possible approaches to describing the effects and uses of music in a particular society. It would be a mistake to assume that music in the Bible is not the cement of social life and has no liturgical significance. The present study seeks to explore how people in ancient times employed music using the harp and the ram’s horn (shofar), to cope with roles that were open or never-ending in their demands. In particular, it focuses upon the role played by music in secular life as well as religious rituals, as described in the Bible. The method used was an extensive literature study of the Old and New Testament, textbooks and relevant peer reviewed journals, with a focus on both secular and religious reasons for singing, dancing and playing instruments. It was found that the Bible described the use of the harp and the ram’s horn associated with singing and dancing during celebrations, for military use, as well as mourning or lamentation. It was concluded that music using different instruments, including the harp and shofar, helped people to cope with the demands of everyday life and thus played an important role in both secular life and religious rituals in biblical times.
Seroprevalence of Rift Valley fever and lumpy skin disease in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa
Authors: Fagbo Shamsudeen , Coetzer Jacobus A.W. , Venter Estelle H.
Published: October 2014

Rift Valley fever and lumpy skin disease are transboundary viral diseases endemic in Africa and some parts of the Middle East, but with increasing potential for global emergence. Wild ruminants, such as the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), are thought to play a role in the epidemiology of these diseases. This study sought to expand the understanding of the role of buffalo in the maintenance of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) by determining seroprevalence to these viruses during an inter-epidemic period. Buffaloes from the Kruger National Park (n = 138) and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (n = 110) in South Africa were sampled and tested for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and neutralising antibodies against LSDV and RVFV using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) and the serum neutralisation test (SNT). The I-ELISA for LSDV and RVFV detected IgG antibodies in 70 of 248 (28.2%) and 15 of 248 (6.1%) buffaloes, respectively. Using the SNT, LSDV and RVFV neutralising antibodies were found in 5 of 66 (7.6%) and 12 of 57 (21.1%), respectively, of samples tested. The RVFV I-ELISA and SNT results correlated well with previously reported results. Of the 12 SNT RVFV-positive sera, three (25.0%) had very high SNT titres of 1:640. Neutralising antibody titres of more than 1:80 were found in 80.0% of the positive sera tested. The LSDV SNT results did not correlate with results obtained by the I-ELISA and neutralising antibody titres detected were low, with the highest (1:20) recorded in only two buffaloes, whilst 11 buffaloes (4.4%) had evidence of co-infection with both viruses. Results obtained in this study complement other reports suggesting a role for buffaloes in the epidemiology of these diseases during inter-epidemic periods.
Using XCO2 retrievals for assessing the long-term consistency of NDACC/FTIR data sets
Authors: Barthlott S. , Schneider M. , Hase F. , Wiegele A. , Christner E. , González Y. , Blumenstock T. , Dohe S. , García O. E. , Sepúlveda E. , Strong K. , Mendonca J. , Weaver D. , Palm M. , Deutscher N. M. , Warneke T. , Notholt J. , Lejeune B. , Mahieu E. , Jones N. , Griffith D. W. T. , Velazco V. A. , Smale D. , Robinson J. , Kivi R. , Heikkinen P. , Raffalski U.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. Within the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change), more than 20 FTIR (Fourier–Transform InfraRed) spectrometers, spread worldwide, provide long-term data records of many atmospheric trace gases. We present a method that uses measured and modelled XCO2 for assessing the consistency of these data records. Our NDACC XCO2 retrieval setup is kept simple so that it can easily be adopted for any NDACC/FTIR-like measurement made since the late 1950s. By a comparison to coincident TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network) measurements, we empirically demonstrate the useful quality of this NDACC XCO2 product (empirically obtained scatter between TCCON and NDACC is about 4‰ for daily mean as well as monthly mean comparisons and the bias is 25‰). As XCO2 model we developed and used a simple regression model fitted to CarbonTracker results and the Mauna Loa CO2 in-situ records. A comparison to TCCON data suggests an uncertainty of the model for monthly mean data of below 3‰. We apply the method to the NDACC/FTIR spectra that are used within the project MUSICA (MUlti-platform remote Sensing of Isotopologues for investigating the Cycle of Atmospheric water) and demonstrate that there is a good consistency for these globally representative set of spectra measured since 1996: the scatter between the modelled and measured XCO2 on a yearly time scale is only 3‰.
Mixing in the Black Sea detected from the temporal and spatial variability of oxygen and sulfide – Argo float observations and numerical modelling
Authors: Stanev E. V. , He Y. , Staneva J. , Yakushev E.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. The temporal and spatial variability of the upper ocean hydrochemistry in the Black Sea is analysed using data originating from profiling floats with oxygen sensors and carried out with a coupled three-dimensional circulation-biogeochemical model including 24 biochemical state variables. Major focus is on the dynamics of suboxic zone which is the interface separating oxygenated and anoxic waters. The scatter of oxygen data seen when plotted in density coordinates is larger than those for temperature, salinity and passive tracers. This scatter is indicative of vigorous biogeochemical reactions in the suboxic zone, which acts as a boundary layer or internal sink for oxygen. This internal sink affects the mixing patterns of oxygen compared to the ones of conservative tracers. Two different regimes of ventilation of pycnocline were clearly identified: a gyre-dominated (cyclonic) regime in winter and a coastal boundary layer (anticyclonic eddy)-dominated regime in summer. These contrasting states are characterized by very different pathways of oxygen intrusions along the isopycnals and vertical oxygen conveyor belt organized in multiple-layered cells formed in each gyre. The contribution of the three-dimensional modelling to the understanding of the Black Sea hydro-chemistry, and in particular the coast-to-open-sea mixing, is also demonstrated. Evidence is given that the formation of oxic waters and of cold intermediate waters, although triggered by the same physical process, each follow a different evolution. The difference in the depths of the temperature minimum and the oxygen maximum indicates that the variability of oxygen is not only just a response to physical forcing and changes in the surface conditions, but undergoes its own evolution.
A high-resolution δ18O record and Mediterranean climate variability
Authors: Taricco C. , Vivaldo G. , Alessio S. , Rubinetti S. , Mancuso S.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. A~high-resolution, well-dated foraminiferal δ18O record from a shallow-water core drilled from the Gallipoli Terrace in the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian Sea), previously measured over the last two millennia, has been extended to cover 707 BC–1979 AD. Spectral analysis of this series, performed by Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) and other classical and advanced methods, strengthens the results obtained analysing the shorter δ18O profile, detecting the same highly significant oscillations of about 600 yr, 380 yr, 170 yr, 130 yr, and 11 yr, respectively explaining about 12%, 7%, 5%, 2% and 2% of the time series total variance, plus a millennial trend (18% of the variance). The comparison with the results of Multi-channel Singular Spectrum Analysis (MSSA) applied to a data set of 26 Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature-proxy records shows that NH temperature anomalies share with our local record a long-term trend and a bicentennial cycle. These two variability modes, previously identified as temperature-driven, are the most powerful modes in the NH temperature data set. Both the long-term trends and the bicentennial oscillations, when reconstructed locally and hemispherically, show coherent phases. Also the corresponding local and hemispheric amplitudes are comparable, if changes in the precipitation-evaporation balance of the Ionian sea, presumably associated with temperature changes, are taken into account.
Burial-nutrient feedbacks amplify the sensitivity of atmospheric carbon dioxide to changes in organic matter remineralisation
Authors: Roth R. , Ritz S. P. , Joos F.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. Changes in the marine remineralisation of particulate organic matter (POM) and calcium carbonate potentially provide a positive feedback with atmospheric CO2 and climate change. The responses to changes in remineralisation length scales are systematically mapped with the Bern3D ocean–sediment model for atmospheric CO2 and tracer fields for which observations and palaeoproxies exist. Results show that the "sediment burial-nutrient feedback" amplifies the response in atmospheric CO2 by a factor of four to seven. A transient imbalance between the weathering flux and the burial of organic matter and calcium carbonate lead to sustained changes in the ocean's phosphate and alkalinity inventory and in turn in surface nutrient availability, marine productivity, and atmospheric CO2. It takes decades to centuries to reorganise tracers and fluxes within the ocean, many millennia to approach equilibrium for burial fluxes, while δ13C signatures are still changing 200 000 years after the perturbation. At 1.7 ppm m−1, atmospheric CO2 sensitivity is about fifty times larger for a unit change in the remineralisation depth of POM than of calcium carbonate. The results highlight the role of organic matter burial in atmospheric CO2 and the substantial impacts of seemingly small changes in POM remineralisation.
Grassland production under global change scenarios for New Zealand pastoral agriculture
Authors: Keller E. D. , Baisden W. T. , Timar L. , Mullan B. , Clark A.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. We adapt and integrate the Biome-BGC and Land Use in Rural New Zealand models to simulate pastoral agriculture and to make land-use change, intensification of agricultural activity and climate change scenario projections of New Zealand's pasture production at time slices centred on 2020, 2050 and 2100, with comparison to a present-day baseline. Biome-BGC model parameters are optimised for pasture production in both dairy and sheep/beef farm systems, representing a new application of the Biome-BGC model. Results show up to a 10% increase in New Zealand's national pasture production in 2020 under intensification and a 1–2% increase by 2050 from economic factors driving land-use change. Climate change scenarios using statistically downscaled global climate models (GCMs) from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report also show national increases of 1–2% in 2050, with significant regional variations. Projected out to 2100, however, these scenarios are more sensitive to the type of pasture system and the severity of warming: dairy systems show an increase in production of 4% under mild change but a decline of 1% under a more extreme case, whereas sheep/beef production declines in both cases by 3 and 13%, respectively. Our results suggest that high-fertility systems such as dairying could be more resilient under future change, with dairy production increasing or only slightly declining in all of our scenarios. These are the first national-scale estimates using a model to evaluate the joint effects of climate change, CO2 fertilisation and N-cycle feedbacks on New Zealand's unique pastoral production systems that dominate the nation's agriculture and economy. Model results emphasise that CO2 fertilisation and N-cycle feedback effects are responsible for meaningful differences in agricultural systems. More broadly, we demonstrate that our model output enables analysis of decoupled land-use change scenarios: the Biome-BGC data products at a national or regional level can be re-sampled quickly and cost-effectively for specific land-use change scenarios and future projections.
Improved simulation of fire–vegetation interactions in the Land surface Processes and eXchanges dynamic global vegetation model (LPX-Mv1)
Authors: Kelley D. I. , Harrison S. P. , Prentice I. C.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. The Land surface Processes and eXchanges (LPX) model is a fire-enabled dynamic global vegetation model that performs well globally but has problems representing fire regimes and vegetative mix in savannas. Here we focus on improving the fire module. To improve the representation of ignitions, we introduced a reatment of lightning that allows the fraction of ground strikes to vary spatially and seasonally, realistically partitions strike distribution between wet and dry days, and varies the number of dry days with strikes. Fuel availability and moisture content were improved by implementing decomposition rates specific to individual plant functional types and litter classes, and litter drying rates driven by atmospheric water content. To improve water extraction by grasses, we use realistic plant-specific treatments of deep roots. To improve fire responses, we introduced adaptive bark thickness and post-fire resprouting for tropical and temperate broadleaf trees. All improvements are based on extensive analyses of relevant observational data sets. We test model performance for Australia, first evaluating parameterisations separately and then measuring overall behaviour against standard benchmarks. Changes to the lightning parameterisation produce a more realistic simulation of fires in southeastern and central Australia. Implementation of PFT-specific decomposition rates enhances performance in central Australia. Changes in fuel drying improve fire in northern Australia, while changes in rooting depth produce a more realistic simulation of fuel availability and structure in central and northern Australia. The introduction of adaptive bark thickness and resprouting produces more realistic fire regimes in Australian savannas. We also show that the model simulates biomass recovery rates consistent with observations from several different regions of the world characterised by resprouting vegetation. The new model (LPX-Mv1) produces an improved simulation of observed vegetation composition and mean annual burnt area, by 33 and 18% respectively compared to LPX.
Electrophoretic deposition of Au NPs on CNT networks for sensitive NO2 detection
Authors: Dilonardo E. , Penza M. , Alvisi M. , Di Franco C. , Suriano D. , Rossi R. , Palmisano F. , Torsi L. , Cioffi N.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. In the present study, Au-surfactant core-shell colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled dimension and composition were synthesized by sacrificial anode electrolysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that Au NPs core diameter is between 8 and 12 nm, as a function of the electrosynthesis conditions. Moreover, surface spectroscopic characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the presence of nanosized gold phase. Controlled amounts of Au NPs were then deposited electrophoretically on carbon nanotube (CNT) networked films. The resulting hybrid materials were morphologically and chemically characterized using TEM, SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and XPS analyses, which revealed the presence of nanoscale gold, and its successful deposition on CNTs. Au NP/CNT networked films were tested as active layers in a two-pole resistive NO2 sensor for sub-ppm detection in the temperature range of 100–200 °C. Au NP/CNT exhibited a p-type response with a decrease in the electrical resistance upon exposure to oxidizing NO2 gas and an increase in resistance upon exposure to reducing gases (e.g. NH3). It was also demonstrated that the sensitivity of the Au NP/CNT-based sensors depends on Au loading; therefore, the impact of the Au loading on gas sensing performance was investigated as a function of the working temperature, gas concentration and interfering gases.
Springtime zooplankton size structure over the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay
Authors: Vandromme P. , Nogueira E. , Huret M. , Lopez-Urrutia Á. , González-Nuevo González G. , Sourisseau M. , Petitgas P.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. Linking lower and higher trophic levels requires special focus on the essential role played by mid-trophic levels, i.e., the zooplankton. One of the most relevant pieces of information regarding zooplankton in terms of flux of energy lies in its size structure. In this study, an extensive data set of size measurements is presented, covering parts of the western European continental shelf and slope, from the Galician coast to the Ushant front, during the springs from 2005 to 2012. Zooplankton size spectra were estimated using measurements carried out in situ with the Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC) and with an image analysis of WP2 net samples (200 μm mesh size) performed following the ZooScan methodology. The LOPC counts and sizes particles within 100–2000 μm of spherical equivalent diameter (ESD), whereas the WP2/ZooScan allows for counting, sizing and identification of zooplankton from ~ 400 μm ESD. The difference between the LOPC (all particles) and the WP2/ZooScan (zooplankton only) was assumed to provide the size distribution of non-living particles, whose descriptors were related to a set of explanatory variables (including physical, biological and geographic descriptors). A statistical correction based on these explanatory variables was further applied to the LOPC size distribution in order to remove the non-living particles part, and therefore estimate the size distribution of zooplankton. This extensive data set provides relevant information about the zooplankton size distribution variability, productivity and trophic transfer efficiency in the pelagic ecosystem of the Bay of Biscay at a regional and interannual scale.
Brief Communication: Sudden drainage of a subglacial lake beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet
Authors: Howat I. M. , Porter C. , Noh M. J. , Smith B. E. , Jeong S.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. We report on the appearance of a 2 km wide, 70 m deep circular depression located 50 km inland of the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet that provides the first direct evidence for concentrated, long-term storage, and sudden release, of meltwater at the bed. Drainage of the lake may have been triggered by the recent increase in meltwater runoff. The abundance of such lakes and their potential importance to the ice sheet's hydrologic system and flow regime remain unknown.
Introduction: Some Thoughts on Research Programs in Architecture
Authors: Aelbrecht Wes
Published: October 2014

Each year, the Bartlett School of Architecture doctoral program stages an annual conference to showcase the best research done by doctoral students from its Architectural Design and its Architectural History and Theory programs. Students either deliver a lecture or exhibit a visual work in the lobby spaces of the Bartlett School. While each year the conference is an enormous success, few traces remain of these ‘works in progress.’ Occasionally, a few small publications circulate with some highlights of the day, but it is fair to say that the impact remains modest. At Opticon1826, UCL’s open access, peer-reviewed journal, we therefore collected a selection of the 2013 PhD Research Projects conference papers in a special issue dedicated to research on the built environment. Opticon1826 is a platform where the conference presenters extend their experience by translating their work from a conference script into a peer-reviewed journal article.
Mothering the "Useless": Black Motherhood, Disability, and Slavery
Authors: Barclay Jenifer L.
Published: October 2014

For decades, scholars have studied virtually every aspect of day-to-day enslaved life in antebellum America, giving particular attention to the nuances and intricacies of slave family and community life. Yet few have considered the social relations of disabilities in these most intimate and closely guarded spaces or questioned, in particular, the challenges that women faced navigating the complex experience of enslaved motherhood when their children lived with disabilities. Since the United States’s economically driven regime of chattel slavery reduced human beings to property valued according to their ability to labor, slaveholders categorized those with disabilities as "useless" and sometimes even "chargeable" (negatively valued because the cost of their care was a financial liability). This pragmatic, calculated reasoning left disabled, enslaved children particularly vulnerable because slaveholders devalued them as property and potential future laborers, privileging mothers’ labor over their disabled children’s presumably irrelevant needs. But these beliefs also sometimes worked to enslaved mothers’ advantage since disabled children were less likely to be bought or sold away. Even then, however, women still confronted a myriad of challenges in meeting their children’s daily needs and facing other unusual, often emotionally charged situations. For instance, owners sometimes sent their children elsewhere for surgeries to "correct" their disabilities, while others simply refused to invest in their medical needs. Disability also intersected with enslaved motherhood when women experienced disabilities, which sometimes helped them avoid separation from their children, though often as a result of extremely disturbing circumstances. Finally, because mothers were forced to rely on others for childcare while they worked, bondspeople with disabilities oftentimes took on this important task and social role. The presence of disabilities among enslaved people, then, shaped many aspects of mothers’ and children’s relationships to one another in ways that were both positive and negative. Grappling with the complex realities of enslaved motherhood through the lens of disability reveals that women rejected slaveholders’ definitions of their children; they adapted, resisted, and persevered to ensure that they mothered their "useless" children to the best of their ability, despite living under an institution that inherently devalued them.
Le rôle du capital social en matière d’octroi de crédits bancaires aux PME
Authors: Wamba Henri , Niyonsaba Sebigunda Edson
Published: October 2014

Perçu comme une des contraintes majeures au développement et à la croissance, l’accès au crédit bancaire demeure une question d’actualité dans la formulation des politiques de promotion et d’encadrement de la PME. En effet, non seulement la PME est souvent caractérisée par une certaine nébulosité dans sa gestion, mais elle est aussi parfois incapable de présenter des éléments de garantie exigés par les banques. Le capital social est de plus en plus évoqué comme un instrument à même de réduire les coûts de transaction des banques dans la surveillance de leurs clients et, par conséquent, devrait amoindrir les désavantages de l’asymétrie d’information. Ainsi, en se situant dans un environnement caractérisé par de fortes asymétries d’information à l’instar de l’Afrique, cette étude examine l’aptitude du capital social à faciliter l’accès au crédit bancaire de la PME camerounaise. Les tests empiriques effectués à partir du modèle Logit multinomial sur la base d’un échantillon de 413 PME, font ressortir un effet positif et significatif de l’indice du capital social sur l’octroi du crédit bancaire, quel que soit le terme. Globalement, l’aptitude du capital social à faciliter l’accès au crédit bancaire passe par la réduction du degré d’opacité de la PME aux yeux du banquier.
L’impact de la crise de 2008 sur le rationnement du crédit des PME françaises
Authors: Alexandre Hervé , Buisson-Stéphan Hélène
Published: October 2014

Le rationnement du crédit est un phénomène étudié depuis longtemps, mais que la crise de 2008 remet sur le devant de la scène. Les PME sont particulièrement touchées et semblent être les principales victimes de la crise financière actuelle. Cet article estime l’ampleur du rationnement du crédit pour les PME françaises sur la période 2000-2008. Celles-ci semblent rationnées sur l’ensemble de la période et tout particulièrement en 2008, année de la crise financière. Par ailleurs, les PME les plus exposées au rationnement du crédit bancaire sont plus jeunes, présentent un plus fort taux de croissance, dégagent moins de cash-flow et ont moins d’actifs disponibles à mettre en garantie.
Déterminants de l’adoption des technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC)
Authors: Nkouka Safoulanitou Léonard
Published: October 2014

Quels sont les déterminants de l’adoption des TIC par les petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) au Congo ? Tel est l’objet de cette étude. Pour répondre à cette question, deux modèles économétriques Logit ont été testés. Les résultats des estimations montrent que la probabilité d’adoption d’Internet et la probabilité d’adoption du téléphone mobile par les PME sont déterminées par les déterminants communs : le secteur d’activité de l’entreprise, le potentiel de capital humain dans l’entreprise, le partenariat des PME avec les institutions étrangères. On note également les déterminants spécifiques pour chaque TIC : les exportations des produits et le coût d’abonnement à l’Internet pour la première TIC et l’existence de plusieurs sites d’activité pour la deuxième TIC.
Le pouvoir de délimiter le domaine de l’article 22 de la Loi sur la qualité de l’environnement
Authors: Tremblay Hugo
Published: October 2014

Le traitement jurisprudentiel et doctrinal des questions qui se trouvent aux limites du champ d’application de l’article 22 de la Loi sur la qualité de l’environnement reflète une intégration imparfaite des principes du droit administratif. Afin d’y remédier, l’auteur propose de reconnaître que le ministre du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs dispose du pouvoir de définir les termes et le domaine de l’article 22. L’analyse du cadre normatif qui guide l’exercice de ce pouvoir de même que certains aspects de son contrôle judiciaire sont illustrés par des références au développement des milieux humides et à l’exploration des hydrocarbures non conventionnels, deux sujets qui ont récemment retenu l’attention des tribunaux et de l’opinion publique. Les conclusions de cette étude dégagent des pistes de réflexion qui peuvent alimenter le processus annoncé de réforme du régime de l’article 22.
EL graffiti fálico
Authors: Lombo Montañés Alberto
Published: October 2014

En este artículo presentamos los graffiti de falos de la ciudad de Zaragoza. Nuestra intención es llamar la atención sobre formas de expresión urbana ocultas por las imágenes de poder que emite el entorno urbano. El trabajo in situ, la experiencia en las calles, así como la bibliografía reunida, nos han servido de herramientas metodológicas para implicarnos desde dentro como espectadores activos del entorno que estudiamos. Hemos reunido cien representaciones de falos de los cuales 66 fueron realizados en árboles y aún existen muchos más, ¿es un arte de exhibicionistas?, ¿una invitación al sexo? Un breve viaje por la iconografía de este motivo nos incita a pensar en esta imagen como un símbolo de antigua veneración que persiste aún hoy en la memoria creativade niños y adolescentes.http://dx.doi.org/10.7203/eari.5.3151
Escuela y cultura visual en la era digital
Authors: Corbetta Carola Margarita
Published: October 2014

Este trabajo  se basa en  un relato de mi tarea como docente deEducación Plástica Visual en escuelas Secundarias Básicas  de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, República Argentina. Esun registro de dos experiencias de trabajo en las cuales utilicé grafitis yarte urbano como imágenes para enseñar.El primer casocorresponde al año 2006, cuando ingresé por primera vez el grafiti al aula como objeto de conocimiento eintentando incorporar prácticas juveniles de expresión visual. La segundaexperiencia fue desarrollada durante el año 2012, aquí además  del grafiti  introduje el uso de las nuevos medios ytecnologías. El grafiti, así como la utilización de teléfonos celulares,cámaras fotográficas e  imágenesdigitales, constituyen prácticas que  losalumnos  llevan a la escuela y que ademásutilizan como nuevos “instrumentos paraaprender”. Mostraré cómo intento y logro, a veces, incorporar estos nuevos mediosy tecnologías a la enseñanza y bajo qué criterios las utilizo.Observaré tambiénque peculiaridades tienen estas imágenes y dispositivos tecnológicos, así comolos matices que adquieren cuando circulan en  la institución escolar. Estas nuevas imágenesen circulación permitirán reflexionar sobre la relación entre los repertoriosvisuales tradicionales y la introducción de nuevos repertorios que contemplanprácticas de arte contemporáneo, específicamente el arte urbano. De esta manerase irá mostrando la dinámica de estas introducciones y el rol que juegan alumnosy maestros en la constitución de los repertorios visuales y los saberes.http://dx.doi.org/10.7203/eari.5.3500
Los discursos sobre el campo Una inmersión en el Servicio Educativo del Museu de Arte Contemporânea de la Fundação de Serralves
Authors: Rocha Pinto Julia
Published: October 2014

En este trabajo se pretende identificar las capas de discurso que están presentes en los museos de arte, incluyendo el término discurso de la teoría de Michel Foucault, como un conjunto de declaraciones que provienen de un mismo sistema de formación, que se acercan al concepto de habitus culto de Pierre Bourdieu, que dice que el campo tiene códigos de formación que determinan quién está dentro o fuera. La discusión de estos términos apunta a la entrada en un campo de la investigación, el Museu de Arte Contemporânea de la Fundação de Serralves, ubicada en la ciudad de Oporto en Portugal. El museo es el objeto de análisis del texto, en particular, de las acciones desarrolladas por el Servicio Educativo. El foco de análisis para el reconocimiento de las prácticas discursivas es el Proyeto anual de Escuelas desarrollado en la relación de la comunidad escolar con las exposiciones y los temas transversales a Serralves, en el campo del arte, la arquitectura y el medio ambiente. El objetivo de este artículo es el de reconocer los discursos que están presentes dentro del campo y los sujetos que actúan en el Museu de Serralves y los documentos publicados en la institución dicen sobre la museología y conceptos educativos, orientando a la cuestión de ejercicios de evaluación y reflexión de prácticas educativas llevadas a cabo en el interior del museo.http://dx.doi.org/10.7203/eari.5.3508
Dripping and Granering: A golpe de mancha
Authors: Adell Valero Jose Rafael , Rueda Gascó Lucía
Published: October 2014

Con el presente artículo se pretende mostrar una experiencia multidisciplinar enfocada a la atención a la diversidad y en concreto a las necesidades educativas especiales (NEE). Esta experiencia se aborda en el enclave de la asignatura del grado de Educación Primaria en la Especialidad de Pedagogía Terapéutica (PT): Educación física, plástica y música y su didáctica en las NEE. Este proyecto parte del convencimiento de que la manera idónea de atender a la diversidad es mediante: la interdisciplinariedad, el trabajo por proyectos y la cooperación, que son los tres grandes ejes que articulan esta experiencia.http://dx.doi.org/10.7203/eari.5.3515