bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating stock-outs in Johannesburg’s warehouse retail liquor sector
Authors: Govind Amit , Luke Rose , Pisa Noleen
Published: September 2017

Purpose: The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate how management practices and processes contribute to stock-outs in the warehouse retail liquor sector in Johannesburg.Research design: A pragmatic research philosophy was used in a multi-case approach to determine the association between business management practices and stock-outs. The unit of analysis of the study is the highest turnover outlets.Findings: The results revealed that retailers base demand forecasting on judgement and naïve or simple moving average forecast methods. There is little consideration of variability, lead time or targeted customer service levels when determining optimal inventory levels. Product breakages are common, implying that data inaccuracies and stock-outs are highly probable. Information sharing between the retailers and suppliers is limited and formal collaboration programmes do not exist. The respondents revealed that frequent stock-outs resulted in poor business performance characterised by declining sales, customer retention and competitive advantage.Limitations: Although the sample selected represented a significant portion of the top 50% contributors to the sector’s sales, the sample is small and the focus of the study is limited, which decreases the generalisability of the results.Practical implications: Retailers can reduce stock-outs by investing in improvements in demand forecasting, synchronisation through collaboration and training of employees.Originality or value: This study provides empirical evidence of the linkages between poor management practices and processes, stock-outs, customer service and business performance.
Impact of Radio Kogi’s flood disaster awareness campaign on residents of Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria
Authors: Ottah Gabriel Alhassan
Published: September 2017

A major natural disaster that occurred in Nigeria in 2012 was the flooding of many places, including Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State. The flood ravaged the area, destroying food and property; and rendering the people homeless. Before, during and after the flood, Radio Kogi Lokoja had carried awareness and warning messages asking those residing by the River Niger bank to relocate. This study sought to ascertain the impact of the warning on the residents of Ibaji. I adopted survey design, using the questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. Pictorial description was also used to show the flooded area. A sample of 622 was derived from the population (127,572), using Cochran formula. 517 of the questionnaire were returned and used. It was found that all the people (100%) listened to radio. Majority (86.7%) listened to the flood disaster warning on Radio Kogi, but 60% of the residents did not relocate out of the flood. While some (44.7) said the impact of the message was average, others (25.7%) said it was too weak to cause an effect. Majority of the respondents (45.6%) felt that Radio Kogi should have adopted a communication strategy that would change people’s behaviour and attitude. It was concluded that the people of Ibaji are well exposed to Radio Kogi, but the 2012 flood disaster awareness did not create the needed impact on them. It was therefore recommended among other things that radio content creators should consider the backgrounds of the people before adopting a communication strategy that makes impact. Government should use other means of information dissemination on issues that border on disaster and the social-cultural dispositions of the people. Instead on announcing only on radio, government could dispatch a team of experts to flood-prone communities with concrete and live evidence of the negative effects of the flood. Through behaviour change communication approach, audiences would be better informed to take better actions.Keywords: Awareness, flood disaster, Radio Kogi, Ibaji, warning
The bourgeois hawks in market arena: a Marxist reading of A Market of Betrayal
Authors: Adebanjo Niyi , Sodiji Seye
Published: September 2017

Society, at its different stages of development, is said to evolve different modes of economic production- ranging from primitive mode, slavery mode, feudal mode, capitalist mode and sociological mode. Deploying Marxist literary theory, the paper focused on the effects and the implications of socio-economic evolution in A Market of Betrayals by examining the prevailing mode of production in the play, the type of social relations that exist among the people and govern their relation; those who determine these rules and the means of enforcing them as well as the implication for the opposing force and the society at large. Through textual analysis, it is established that the inherent contradictions in the world of A Market of Betrayals stem from the hidden selfish interest and hypocrisy of the dominant economic force which is in conflict with the interest of the working class. The hidden interests are presented as having universal values meant for the well-being of the people. The paper concluded that any socio-economic relations geared towards exploiting the people will eventually lead to a conflict because of its inherent contradictions. This conflict does not always resolve itself into a new position, essentially different from the original position.Keywords: Bourgeois, Proletariat, Superstructure, Hawks, Dialectical materialism
Proliferation of cyber insecurity in Nigeria: a root cause analysis
Authors: Chigozie-Okwum Chioma , Ugboaja Samuel , Micheal Daniel , Osuo-Genseleke Macarthy
Published: September 2017

With increasing access to internet and online resources in Nigeria, an exponential increase is observed in the rate of cybercrimes in Nigeria. Cybercrime rates increase geometrically, hence, giving Nigeria notoriety as a nation with a highly insecure cyberspace, the study aimed at identifying the root cause of the increase in the rate of cyber insecurity in Nigeria. The study adopted a survey methodology in which interview sessions were used for data collection. 50 respondents were purposively sampled. Data collected were analysed using the 5 WHYs method of root causes analysis. The research identified poor promotion of cyber security professionals’ recruitment, training, and upgrade in technical knowledge and development in Nigeria; lack of feasibility and workability analysis of the resultant effects of certain policies on the overall economic sector of the nation, sabotage by monitoring and regulation agencies which render the energy sector unfunctional; and sabotage by the elite class for personal gains and poor funding of the security agencies as the root causes of the increase in cyber insecurity in Nigeria. The study further highlighted recurrent prevention strategies to these root causes, such as the establishment of world class cyber security training institutions to train digital forensics investigators, and ethical hackers on global best practice and ways of combating the activities of cyber criminals among other strategies.Keywords: cyber security, cybercrimes, root cause, 5whys, proliferation, promotion
Particulate sulfur in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere – sources and climate forcing
Authors: Martinsson Bengt G. , Friberg Johan , Sandvik Oscar S. , Hermann Markus , van Velthoven Peter F. J. , Zahn Andreas
Published: September 2017

Abstract. This study is based on fine-mode aerosol samples collected in the upper troposphere (UT) and the lowermost stratosphere (LMS) of the Northern Hemisphere extratropics during monthly intercontinental flights at 8.8–12 km altitude of the IAGOS-CARIBIC platform in the time period 1999–2014. The samples were analyzed for a large number of chemical elements using the accelerator-based methods PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission) and PESA (particle elastic scattering analysis). Here the particulate sulfur concentrations, obtained by PIXE analysis, are investigated. In addition, the satellite-borne lidar aboard CALIPSO is used to study the stratospheric aerosol load. A steep gradient in particulate sulfur concentration extends several kilometers into the LMS, as a result of increasing dilution towards the tropopause of stratospheric, particulate sulfur-rich air. The stratospheric air is diluted with tropospheric air, forming the extratropical transition layer (ExTL). Observed concentrations are related to the distance to the dynamical tropopause. A linear regression methodology handled seasonal variation and impact from volcanism. This was used to convert each data point into stand-alone estimates of a concentration profile and column concentration of particulate sulfur in a 3 km altitude band above the tropopause. We find distinct responses to volcanic eruptions, and that this layer in the LMS has a significant contribution to the stratospheric aerosol optical depth and thus to its radiative forcing. Further, the origin of UT particulate sulfur shows strong seasonal variation. We find that tropospheric sources dominate during the fall as a result of downward transport of the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) formed in the Asian monsoon, whereas transport down from the Junge layer is the main source of UT particulate sulfur in the first half of the year. In this latter part of the year, the stratosphere is the clearly dominating source of particulate sulfur in the UT during times of volcanic influence and under background conditions.
Assumptions about footprint layer heights influence the quantification of emission sources: a case study for Cyprus
Authors: Hüser Imke , Harder Hartwig , Heil Angelika , Kaiser Johannes W.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Lagrangian particle dispersion models (LPDMs) in backward mode are widely used to quantify the impact of transboundary pollution on downwind sites. Most LPDM applications count particles with a technique that introduces a so-called footprint layer (FL) with constant height, in which passing air tracer particles are assumed to be affected by surface emissions. The mixing layer dynamics are represented by the underlying meteorological model. This particle counting technique implicitly assumes that the atmosphere is well mixed in the FL. We have performed backward trajectory simulations with the FLEXPART model starting at Cyprus to calculate the sensitivity to emissions of upwind pollution sources. The emission sensitivity is used to quantify source contributions at the receptor and support the interpretation of ground measurements carried out during the CYPHEX campaign in July 2014. Here we analyse the effects of different constant and dynamic FL height assumptions. The results show that calculations with FL heights of 100 and 300 m yield similar but still discernible results. Comparison of calculations with FL heights constant at 300 m and dynamically following the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height exhibits systematic differences, with daytime and night-time sensitivity differences compensating for each other. The differences at daytime when a well-mixed PBL can be assumed indicate that residual inaccuracies in the representation of the mixing layer dynamics in the trajectories may introduce errors in the impact assessment on downwind sites. Emissions from vegetation fires are mixed up by pyrogenic convection which is not represented in FLEXPART. Neglecting this convection may lead to severe over- or underestimations of the downwind smoke concentrations. Introducing an extreme fire source from a different year in our study period and using fire-observation-based plume heights as reference, we find an overestimation of more than 60  % by the constant FL height assumptions used for surface emissions. Assuming a FL that follows the PBL may reproduce the peak of the smoke plume passing through but erroneously elevates the background for shallow stable PBL heights. It might thus be a reasonable assumption for open biomass burning emissions wherever observation-based injection heights are not available.
Cross-polar transport and scavenging of Siberian aerosols containing black carbon during the 2012 ACCESS summer campaign
Authors: Raut Jean-Christophe , Marelle Louis , Fast Jerome D. , Thomas Jennie L. , Weinzierl Bernadett , Law Katharine S. , Berg Larry K. , Roiger Anke , Easter Richard C. , Heimerl Katharina , Onishi Tatsuo , Delanoë Julien , Schlager Hans
Published: September 2017

Abstract. During the ACCESS airborne campaign in July 2012, extensive boreal forest fires resulted in significant aerosol transport to the Arctic. A 10-day episode combining intense biomass burning over Siberia and low-pressure systems over the Arctic Ocean resulted in efficient transport of plumes containing black carbon (BC) towards the Arctic, mostly in the upper troposphere (6–8 km). A combination of in situ observations (DLR Falcon aircraft), satellite analysis and WRF-Chem simulations is used to understand the vertical and horizontal transport mechanisms of BC with a focus on the role of wet removal. Between the northwestern Norwegian coast and the Svalbard archipelago, the Falcon aircraft sampled plumes with enhanced CO concentrations up to 200 ppbv and BC mixing ratios up to 25 ng kg−1. During transport to the Arctic region, a large fraction of BC particles are scavenged by two wet deposition processes, namely wet removal by large-scale precipitation and removal in wet convective updrafts, with both processes contributing almost equally to the total accumulated deposition of BC. Our results underline that applying a finer horizontal resolution (40 instead of 100 km) improves the model performance, as it significantly reduces the overestimation of BC levels observed at a coarser resolution in the mid-troposphere. According to the simulations at 40 km, the transport efficiency of BC (TEBC) in biomass burning plumes was larger (60 %), because it was impacted by small accumulated precipitation along trajectory (1 mm). In contrast TEBC was small (< 30 %) and accumulated precipitation amounts were larger (5–10 mm) in plumes influenced by urban anthropogenic sources and flaring activities in northern Russia, resulting in transport to lower altitudes. TEBC due to large-scale precipitation is responsible for a sharp meridional gradient in the distribution of BC concentrations. Wet removal in cumulus clouds is the cause of modeled vertical gradient of TEBC, especially in the mid-latitudes, reflecting the distribution of convective precipitation, but is dominated in the Arctic region by the large-scale wet removal associated with the formation of stratocumulus clouds in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) that produce frequent drizzle.
Isoprenoid emission response to changing light conditions of English oak, European beech and Norway spruce
Authors: van Meeningen Ylva , Schurgers Guy , Rinnan Riikka , Holst Thomas
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Light is an important environmental factor controlling biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions, but in natural conditions its impact is hard to separate from other influential factors such as temperature. We studied the light response of foliar BVOC emissions, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance on three common European tree species, namely English oak (Quercus robur), European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and two provenances of Norway spruce (Picea abies) in Taastrup, Denmark. Leaf scale measurements were performed on the lowest positioned branches of the tree in July 2015. Light intensity was increased in four steps (0, 500, 1000 and 1500 µmol m−2 s−1), whilst other chamber conditions such as temperature, humidity and CO2 levels were fixed. Whereas the emission rate differed between individuals of the same species, the relative contributions of compounds to the total isoprenoid emission remained similar. Whilst some compounds were species specific, the compounds α-pinene, camphene, 3-carene, limonene and eucalyptol were emitted by all of the measured tree species. Some compounds, like isoprene and sabinene, showed an increasing emission response with increasing light intensity, whereas other compounds, like camphene, had no significant emission response to light for most of the measured trees. English oak and European beech showed high light-dependent emission fractions from isoprene and sabinene, but other emitted compounds were light independent. For the two provenances of Norway spruce, the compounds α-pinene, 3-carene and eucalyptol showed high light-dependent fractions for many of the measured trees. This study highlights differences between compound emissions in their response to a change in light and a possible light independence for certain compounds, which might be valid for a wider range of tree species. This information could be of importance when improving emission models and to further emphasize the discussion regarding light or temperature dependencies for individual compounds across species.
Nitrification and ammonium dynamics in Lake Taihu, China: seasonal competition for ammonium between nitrifiers and cyanobacteria
Authors: Hampel Justyna J. , McCarthy Mark J. , Gardner Wayne S. , Zhang Lu , Xu Hai , Zhu Guangwei , Newell Silvia E.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Taihu Lake is hypereutrophic and experiences seasonal, cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms. These Microcystis blooms produce microcystin, a potent liver toxin, and are linked to anthropogenic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads to lakes. Microcystis spp. cannot fix atmospheric N and must compete with ammonia-oxidizing and other organisms for ammonium (NH4+). We measured NH4+ regeneration and potential uptake rates and total nitrification using stable isotope techniques. Nitrification studies included separate NH4+ and nitrite (NO2−) oxidation rates and abundance of the functional gene for NH4+ oxidation, amoA, for ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB). Potential NH4+ uptake rates ranged from 0.02–6.80 µmol L−1 hr−1 in the light and 0.05–3.33 µmol L−1 hr−1 in the dark, and NH4+ regeneration rates ranged from 0.03–2.37 µmol L−1 hr−1. Nitrification rates exceeded previously reported rates in most freshwater systems. Total nitrification often exceeded 200 nmol L−1 d−1 and exceeded 1000 nmol L−1 d−1 at one station near a river discharge. In Meiliang Bay and the open lake, average NO2− oxidation rates (248 ± 39.0 nmol L−1 d−1) exceeded NH4+ oxidation rates (22.0 ± 6.00 nmol L−1 d−1; p
A national-scale seasonal hydrological forecast system: development and evaluation over Britain
Authors: Bell Victoria A. , Davies Helen N. , Kay Alison L. , Brookshaw Anca , Scaife Adam A.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Skilful winter seasonal predictions for the North Atlantic circulation and northern Europe have now been demonstrated and the potential for seasonal hydrological forecasting in the UK is now being explored. One of the techniques being used combines seasonal rainfall forecasts provided by operational weather forecast systems with hydrological modelling tools to provide estimates of seasonal mean river flows up to a few months ahead. The work presented here shows how spatial information contained in a distributed hydrological model typically requiring high-resolution (daily or better) rainfall data can be used to provide an initial condition for a much simpler forecast model tailored to use low-resolution monthly rainfall forecasts. Rainfall forecasts (hindcasts) from the GloSea5 model (1996 to 2009) are used to provide the first assessment of skill in these national-scale flow forecasts. The skill in the combined modelling system is assessed for different seasons and regions of Britain, and compared to what might be achieved using other approaches such as use of an ensemble of historical rainfall in a hydrological model, or a simple flow persistence forecast. The analysis indicates that only limited forecast skill is achievable for Spring and Summer seasonal hydrological forecasts; however, Autumn and Winter flows can be reasonably well forecast using (ensemble mean) rainfall forecasts based on either GloSea5 forecasts or historical rainfall (the preferred type of forecast depends on the region). Flow forecasts using ensemble mean GloSea5 rainfall perform most consistently well across Britain, and provide the most skilful forecasts overall at the 3-month lead time. Much of the skill (64 %) in the 1-month ahead seasonal flow forecasts can be attributed to the hydrological initial condition (particularly in regions with a significant groundwater contribution to flows), whereas for the 3-month ahead lead time, GloSea5 forecasts account for  ∼ 70 % of the forecast skill (mostly in areas of high rainfall to the north and west) and only 30 % of the skill arises from hydrological memory (typically groundwater-dominated areas). Given the high spatial heterogeneity in typical patterns of UK rainfall and evaporation, future development of skilful spatially distributed seasonal forecasts could lead to substantial improvements in seasonal flow forecast capability, potentially benefitting practitioners interested in predicting hydrological extremes, not only in the UK but also across Europe.
Rapid post-earthquake modelling of coseismic landslide intensity and distribution for emergency response decision support
Authors: Robinson Tom R. , Rosser Nicholas J. , Densmore Alexander L. , Williams Jack G. , Kincey Mark E. , Benjamin Jessica , Bell Heather J. A.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Current methods to identify coseismic landslides immediately after an earthquake using optical imagery are too slow to effectively inform emergency response activities. Issues with cloud cover, data collection and processing, and manual landslide identification mean even the most rapid mapping exercises are often incomplete when the emergency response ends. In this study, we demonstrate how traditional empirical methods for modelling the total distribution and relative intensity (in terms of point density) of coseismic landsliding can be successfully undertaken in the hours and days immediately after an earthquake, allowing the results to effectively inform stakeholders during the response. The method uses fuzzy logic in a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to quickly assess and identify the location-specific relationships between predisposing factors and landslide occurrence during the earthquake, based on small initial samples of identified landslides. We show that this approach can accurately model both the spatial pattern and the number density of landsliding from the event based on just several hundred mapped landslides, provided they have sufficiently wide spatial coverage, improving upon previous methods. This suggests that systematic high-fidelity mapping of landslides following an earthquake is not necessary for informing rapid modelling attempts. Instead, mapping should focus on rapid sampling from the entire affected area to generate results that can inform the modelling. This method is therefore suited to conditions in which imagery is affected by partial cloud cover or in which the total number of landslides is so large that mapping requires significant time to complete. The method therefore has the potential to provide a quick assessment of landslide hazard after an earthquake and may therefore inform emergency operations more effectively compared to current practice.
Construction of an integrated social vulnerability index in urban areas prone to flash flooding
Authors: Aroca-Jimenez Estefania , Bodoque Jose Maria , Garcia Juan Antonio , Diez-Herrero Andres
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Among the natural hazards, flash flooding is the leading cause of weather-related deaths. Flood risk management (FRM) in this context requires a comprehensive assessment of the social risk component. In this regard, integrated social vulnerability (ISV) can incorporate spatial distribution and contribution and the combined effect of exposure, sensitivity and resilience to total vulnerability, although these components are often disregarded. ISV is defined by the demographic and socio-economic characteristics that condition a population's capacity to cope with, resist and recover from risk and can be expressed as the integrated social vulnerability index (ISVI). This study describes a methodological approach towards constructing the ISVI in urban areas prone to flash flooding in Castilla y León (Castile and León, northern central Spain, 94 223 km2, 2 478 376 inhabitants). A hierarchical segmentation analysis (HSA) was performed prior to the principal components analysis (PCA), which helped to overcome the sample size limitation inherent in PCA. ISVI was obtained from weighting vulnerability factors based on the tolerance statistic. In addition, latent class cluster analysis (LCCA) was carried out to identify spatial patterns of vulnerability within the study area. Our results show that the ISVI has high spatial variability. Moreover, the source of vulnerability in each urban area cluster can be identified from LCCA. These findings make it possible to design tailor-made strategies for FRM, thereby increasing the efficiency of plans and policies and helping to reduce the cost of mitigation measures.
The role of the reef-dune system in coastal protection in Puerto Morelos (Mexico)
Authors: Franklin Gemma L. , Torres-Freyermuth Alec , Medellín Gabriela , Allende-Arandia María Eugenia , Gómez Bernabé , Appendini Christian M.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Reefs and sand dunes are critical morphological features providing natural coastal protection. Reefs dissipate around 90 % of the incident wave energy through wave breaking, whereas sand dunes provide the final natural barrier against coastal flooding. The storm impact on coastal areas with these features depends on the relative elevation of the extreme water levels with respect to the sand dune morphology. However, despite the importance of the barrier reefs and dunes in coastal protection, poor management practices have degraded these ecosystems, increasing their vulnerability to coastal flooding. The present study aims to investigate the role of the reef-dune system in coastal protection under current climatic conditions at Puerto Morelos, located in the Mexican Caribbean Sea. Firstly, a nonlinear non-hydrostatic numerical model (SWASH) is validated with experimental data from a physical model of a fringing reef. The numerical model predicts both energy transformation and runup statistics as compared with experimental results for two different reef crest geometries conducted in a physical model. Thus, the numerical model is further used to investigate the role of the reef-dune degradation in coastal vulnerability. Wave hindcast information, tidal level, and a measured beach profile of the reef-dune system in Puerto Morelos are employed to predict extreme runup and estimate the storm impact scale for different scenarios. The numerical results show that ecosystem degradation has important implications for coastal protection against storms with return periods of less than 10 years. This highlights the importance of conservation of the system as a mitigation measure to decrease coastal vulnerability and infrastructure losses in coastal areas in the short to medium term.
Dwelling in the Apocalypse: Capitalist Modernity, Antimodernism, Zombies
Authors: Tutek Hrvoje
Published: September 2017

The Heideggerian question posed here as “what does it mean to dwell in a global age” leaves open, invites even, the possibility of committing two conceptual mistakes from which, depending on the theoretical universe we inhabit, two separate sets of problems arise.      On the one hand, if the adverbial “in a global age” is taken to denote a radical historical caesura between “our age” and the age in which the concept was first deployed, one has to prove that the caesura is indeed not only historically operative but legitimate on an ontological level. This would, however, be a futile attempt: there hardly exists an essential, qualitative difference between the ontological regime of “our global age” and the one sketched in Heidegger's 1954 essay “Building Dwelling Thinking.” We have not been blessed by any epochal turns, despite important switches – to move for a second to a different register—in regimes of accumulation. Thus, it may be concluded, the ontological question about the state of “dwelling in a precarious age” has already been posed and answered by Heidegger himself—from an ontological perspective, he is our contemporary. And of course, to such question there can in fact be only one answer: it is the same “metaphysics” that has precluded the possibility of “dwelling” (initiated a “denial of dwelling” as it is put here) throughout modernity that gave rise to our age as global. But then to avoid the mistake sketched out above and the repetition of an already accomplished analysis, the question as it is posed for us here (“what does it mean to dwell in a global age”) should be taken as a politicization of the original concept, foreign to a puritanically ontological Heideggerian diagnostics, although building on its foundations: what is to be done historically at this moment to enter “dwelling”?
Precluded Dwelling: The Dollmaker and Under the Feet of Jesus as Georgics of Displacement
Authors: Mannon Ethan
Published: September 2017

In this article, I explore displacement as a force that precludes dwelling. I do so in the context of the georgic mode, a literary tradition defined by dwelling and by the kind of agricultural endeavoring that Heidegger relates to “building.” As he explains in “Building Dwelling Thinking,” to build is not only to make or to construct, but also “to preserve and care for, specifically to till the soil, to cultivate the vine” (147). Thus, in addition to creation outright, Heidegger’s “building” involves husbandry. His expansive definition multiplies the kinds of human activity described by building. When humans cultivate plants, they create a situation and environment wherein the crop can flourish. The generative force is nonhuman; growth comes from the plant itself. We cannot build a vineyard as we can a structure. In addition to placing humans in a caretaking role, the three terms in Heidegger’s title further indicate that the husbandman’s “building” requires his continual attention to his place and to his work. Building, in the agricultural sense of the word, requires prolonged physical presence and much thought. Heidegger’s choice of a vineyard underscores the importance of time to dwelling: as a perennial plant that requires years of investment before bearing fruit, the vineyard functions as a site where planning and labor, observation and care unfold across the seasons and over a period of years. The full scope of Heidegger’s dwelling, then, involves prolonged (if not permanent) and productive agricultural thinking and laboring. My fundamental premise is that Heideggerian dwelling reaches a confluence with the georgic mode.
Design of Self-practice Listening and Supplementary Vocabulary Exercises for a TOEFL-ITP Preparation Course in Vietnam
Authors: Ngoc Pham Duy , Thi Xuan Nguyen Thu
Published: September 2017

The amount of information to be accumulated at university has been increasing in recent years, so students nowadays are moving towards using computers in the learning process. Application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), particularly educational software, to facilitate the learning and teaching process has become a more and more popular trend among teachers. In Thai Nguyen University of Technology (TNUT), Vietnam, a multi-disciplinary virtual learning environment (http://e-learning.tnut.edu.vn) has been established on the MOODLE platform. The aim of this paper is to introduce the design of self-practice listening and vocabulary exercises for the TOEFL-ITP preparation course by integrating the exercises designed with the Hot Potatoes and Quizlet into TNUT’s institutional e-learning system. First, the advantages of the e-learning system are discussed. Second, the tools and materials necessary for the design are described. Finally, a suggestion on integrating the listening and vocabulary exercises designed by the Hot Potatoes software and Quizlet into the available e-learning system is introduced.
The Deviated Mechanisms between Chintrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship– Collectivism or Individualism in Forming the Mechanism of China-way of Entrepreneurship
Authors: Zhao Jiangning
Published: September 2017

Is entrepreneurship the cause, or the consequence of economic development? Why does an economic downturn provide opportunities for entrepreneurship? How is the mechanism of entrepreneurship differentiated between developed and developing economies? How can the democracy and free-market based agent theory explain the mechanism of entrepreneurship in an autocratic and cronyism-oriented political system like China? Motivated to explore these unsettled conceptual questions, an extensive literature review and a broad range of interviews were employed as the method of this study to rationalize the formational and functional mechanism of Chintrepreneurship (China-way of Entrepreneurship) in boosting the leapfrog of China economy. This paper argues that, neither Schumpeterianism nor Keynesianism alone is able to theoretically reflect the path-dependent rise of Chintrepreneurship in today’s dynamically globalized and diversified business environment. Instead, only the combination of the two camps can help rationalize the mechanism of how government intervention can act as an indispensable and irreplaceable adjustor of political-economical environment to cultivate entrepreneurship. Hence, the traditionally presumed tripartite framework (entrepreneurship, industrialization, economic growth) must be adjusted in order to offset or overcome the weakness of existing literature, and to solve the dilemmatic puzzle: which one of individualism and collectivism is more contributive to the mechanism of entrepreneurship? By defining a series of critical conditions and criteria, this paper proposes a BRIDGE model to rationalize the role of government intervention, and the observed trade-offs, such as the impact of dual-track policy on regional and wealth disparities in China. Two case studies and recommendations are suggested.
Tussen zorg en hoop
Authors: Landman W.
Published: September 2017

Between care and hope

In 2013, the government of the Netherlands established a national police force, replacing a system of largely autonomous regional police organizations. This led to an extensive police reform. In this article, I explore the effects of this police reform on the internal dynamics within the police organization. I describe five ‘negative’ effects: anonymization, decoupling, formalization, confusion and de-owning. These effects lead to alienation between police offers and the police organization and hinder the development of the national police force. Beside these negative effects, there are also positive forces that shape the development of the national police force. The top leadership is changing the strategic leadership style and there are many innovative initiatives on the local level contributing to the goals of the reform. However, to make the ambitions of the reform feasible there are adjustments needed in the organizational structure and change approach. The operational core of the organization needs to be the central point of reference for these adjustments.
Validation Study of MaxSignal® Histamine Enzymatic Assay for the Detection of Histamine in Fish/Seafood
Authors: Gone Swapna , Kosa Nicolas , Krebs Joseph , Hungerford James , Trucksess Mary , DeWitt Christina
Published: September 2017

Bioo Scientific Corp. has developed a rapid enzymatic quantitative assay for the determination of histamine in seafood. Fresh/frozen tuna, canned tuna, pouched tuna, and frozen mahi mahi samples were used for the validation study under the specific guidelines of the AOAC Research Institute Performance Tested MethodsSM program. Recoveries ranged from 82 to 107% at concentrations ranging from 6 to 72 ppm, with RSDr values between 0.8 and 6.5% (6–72 ppm). The linearity of the assay ranged from 0 to 108 ppm, with R2 values exceeding 0.99. The LOD was 0.9 ppm and the LOQ was 2.6 ppm for frozen tuna, which gave the lowest background level of contaminant. Cross-reactivity of the assay was tested against 14 other biogenic amines and was found to be minimal for all (<0.5%), except for agmatine (4.1%) and putrescine (0.9%). There was no observable interference from any tested biogenic amines. Product consistency was verified by validating lot-to-lot variations and variations within the same lot. Overall recoveries for all tested matrixes were within the acceptable range (80–120%). A 1-year claimed shelf life of the kit at 4°C was verified by accelerated stability study data collected on days 1, 15, and 32 at 25°C and by real-time stability testing at 1-month, 6-month, and 1-year at 4°C. No difference in histamine detection was observed in ruggedness testing, in which minor changes were introduced to the assay protocol. Good agreement was observed between AOAC Official MethodSM977.13 and the MaxSignal® Histamine Enzymatic Assay method. Independent laboratory testing demonstrated that the MaxSignal method works with the same precision in the hands of minimally trained technicians as with the expert method developers. This study validates the performance of Bioo Scientific’s rapid enzymatic method.
Protecting Surface Water Supplies From Commercial and Industrial Dischargers
Authors: Rockman David A.
Published: September 2017

Water Suppliers need to be prepared to deal with circumstances in which a commercial or industrial operation discharges into a source water body in proximity to a drinking water intake.
Addressing Climate Change Through Infrastructure R&R
Authors: Mercer Kenneth L.
Published: September 2017

It seems that unless a community's water systems have recently failed or a steep rate hike is imminent, protecting and improving these systems is marginalized to a degree. When water services are consistently acceptable or better, it's much easier to prioritize the proverbial grease for other squeaky wheels. But quality and reliability have costs, and water systems that don't meet expectations in these areas will ultimately present their communities with bills that invite more than squeaking. As a nexus between service and cost, a utility should regularly communicate not just the quality of the water it delivers but also the state of its assets and any projected needs and threats on the horizon.
Meta-analysis of biomarkers for severe dengue infections
Authors: Soo Kuan-Meng , Khalid Bahariah , Ching Siew-Mooi , Tham Chau Ling , Basir Rusliza , Chee Hui-Yee
Published: September 2017

Background

Dengue viral infection is an acute infection that has the potential to have severe complications as its major sequela. Currently, there is no routine laboratory biomarker with which to predict the severity of dengue infection or monitor the effectiveness of standard management. Hence, this meta-analysis compared biomarker levels between dengue fever (DF) and severe dengue infections (SDI) to identify potential biomarkers for SDI.

Methods

Data concerning levels of cytokines, chemokines, and other potential biomarkers of DF, dengue hemorrhagic fever, dengue shock syndrome, and severe dengue were obtained for patients of all ages and populations using the Scopus, PubMed, and Ovid search engines. The keywords “(IL1* or IL-1*) AND (dengue*)” were used and the same process was repeated for other potential biomarkers, according to Medical Subject Headings terms suggested by PubMed and Ovid. Meta-analysis of the mean difference in plasma or serum level of biomarkers between DF and SDI patients was performed, separated by different periods of time (days) since fever onset. Subgroup analyses comparing biomarker levels of healthy plasma and sera controls, biomarker levels of primary and secondary infection samples were also performed, as well as analyses of different levels of severity and biomarker levels upon infection by different dengue serotypes.

Results

Fifty-six studies of 53 biomarkers from 3,739 dengue cases (2,021 DF and 1,728 SDI) were included in this meta-analysis. Results showed that RANTES, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18, TGF-b, and VEGFR2 levels were significantly different between DF and SDI. IL-8, IL-10, and IL-18 levels increased during SDI (95% CI, 18.1–253.2 pg/mL, 3–13 studies,n = 177–1,909,I2 = 98.86%–99.75%). In contrast, RANTES, IL-7, TGF-b, and VEGFR2 showed a decrease in levels during SDI (95% CI, −3238.7 to −3.2 pg/mL, 1–3 studies,n = 95–418,I2 = 97.59%–99.99%). Levels of these biomarkers were also found to correlate with the severity of the dengue infection, in comparison to healthy controls. Furthermore, the results showed that IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, TGF-b, and VEGFR2 display peak differences between DF and SDI during or before the critical phase (day 4–5) of SDI.

Discussion

This meta-analysis suggests that IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, TGF-b, and VEGFR2 may be used as potential early laboratory biomarkers in the diagnosis of SDI. This can be used to predict the severity of dengue infection and to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Nevertheless, methodological and reporting limitations must be overcome in future research to minimize variables that affect the results and to confirm the findings.
Impacts of land use and invasive species on native avifauna of Mo’orea, French Polynesia
Authors: ZoBell Vanessa M. , Furnas Brett J.
Published: September 2017

Oceanic islands are among the most endemically biodiverse ecosystems in the world. They have been adversely impacted by human expansion, which affects regional biodiversity by altering the natural habitats of vulnerable, indigenous species. Birds represent a valuable indicator species of environmental change due to their ability to adapt quickly. Investigating the relationship between environmental change, abundance, and behaviors of birds can help us better anticipate potential impacts to island ecosystems. In addition, we can understand the population trends and restricted ranges of native avifauna, identify the regions needing protection, and assess habitat vulnerability linked to anthropogenic activities. In Mo’orea, French Polynesia, we studied nine passerine bird species using automated acoustic recording devices placed in agricultural, forested, and mixed habitats. Based on call counts per unit time and occupancy modeling, we found evidence that three non-native species preferred agricultural areas and low-canopy cover over dense forested areas. Furthermore, native bird detectability and possibly abundance was significantly lower than non-native birds. Using hierarchical cluster analysis to support inferences regarding behavioral differences, we found that native bird calling activity was negatively associated with non-native bird calling activity. Altogether, these results suggest native bird populations are at risk in all of the habitats studied, but forests serve as a potential refuge.
Enhanced Oil Recovery
Authors: Ganzer Leonhard , Reinicke Kurt M.
Published: September 2017

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) refers to oil recovery by the injection of materials not normally present in petroleum reservoirs to increase the recovery from deposits already in production and to convert static resources to economically producible reserves.

This article reviews the most important enhanced oil recovery methods: chemical, gas injection, thermal, and some new EOR methods, which contribute more than 5% to the current world oil production.
Membrane Technology
Authors: Van der Bruggen Bart
Published: September 2017

Membrane separation is based on selective transport through the membrane. Increasingly, membrane technology has developed and is currently being used in a broad range of industrial applications. This article provides an overview of the fundamentals of membrane technology, the fabrication of various membranes, and the use of membranes in scaled‐up modules of various geometries for industrial applications.

Different membrane processes are introduced: (i) microfiltration and ultrafiltration; (ii) nanofiltration and reverse osmosis (extended to forward osmosis); (iii) pervaporation, as stand‐alone processes or in hybrid configuration and in membrane reactors; (iv) dialysis, particularly for medical use; (v) electrodialysis and derived processes using selective or bipolar membranes; (vi) gas permeation for hydrogen and carbon dioxide separation.

The use of membranes in energy‐related applications includes the development of pressure‐retarded osmosis, reverse electrodialysis, fuel cells, and microbial fuel cells. The emerging use of membrane contactors (membrane distillation, membrane absorption) is described as a combination of a classical separation, enhanced with membranes to improve drastically the mass transfer.
Hydrogen Trapping in Some Automotive Martensitic Advanced High‐Strength Steels
Authors: Venezuela Jeffrey , Zhou Qingjun , Liu Qinglong , Zhang Mingxing , Atrens Andrej
Published: September 2017

Hydrogen permeation experiments are used to investigate hydrogen trapping in commercial automotive martensitic advanced high‐strength steels. Hydrogen trapping increases with increasing mechanical strength, as indicated by (i) the decrease in the hydrogen diffusion coefficient, and (ii) the increase in reversible hydrogen trap density. The measured trap densities are in the order of ≈1017– ≈ 1018 cm−3. The relationship between trapping characteristics and HE susceptibility of MS‐AHSS is discussed in terms of Hydrogen Enhanced Macroscopic Plasticity (HEMP) and Hydrogen Assisted Micro‐fracture (HAM).
Superwettability of Gas Bubbles and Its Application: From Bioinspiration to Advanced Materials
Authors: Yu Cunming , Zhang Peipei , Wang Jingming , Jiang Lei
Published: September 2017

Gas bubbles in aqueous media are common and inevitable in, for example, agriculture and industrial processes. The behaviors of gas bubbles on solid interfaces, including generation, growth, coalescence, release, transport, and collection, are crucial to gas‐bubble‐related applications, which are always determined by gas‐bubble wettability on solid interfaces. Here, the recent progress regarding the study of interfaces with gas‐bubble superwettability in aqueous media, i.e., superaerophilicity and superaerophobicity, is summarized. Some examples illustrate how to design microstructures and chemical compositions to achieve reliable and effective manipulation of gas‐bubble wettability on artificial interfaces. These designed interfaces exhibit excellent performance in gas‐evolution reactions, gas‐adsorption reactions, and directional gas‐bubble transportation. Moreover, progress in the theoretical investigation of gas‐bubble superwettability is reported. Lastly, some challenges are presented, such as the reliable manipulation of gas‐bubble wettability and the establishment of mature theory for exactly and systematically explaining gas‐bubble wetting phenomena.