bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vulnerability Assessment of Damaged Classical Multidrum Columns
Authors: Fragiadakis Michalis , Stefanou Ioannis , Psycharis Ioannis N.
Published: June 2016

Multi-drum columns are articulated structures, made of several discrete bulgy stone blocks (drums) placed one on top of the other without mortar. The multi-drum column is a typical structural element of temples of the Classical, Hellenistic and earlier Roman period. Despite the lack of any lateral load resisting mechanism, these columns have survived several strong earthquakes over the centuries. The Chapter focuses on the effect of past drum dislocations on the vulnerability of classical columns and presents a performance-based framework for their seismic risk assessment. The vulnerability is numerically calculated through response estimations using detailed three-dimensional models based on the Discrete Element Method. Conditional limit-state probabilities are calculated and appropriate performance criteria are suggested. The proposed methodology is able to pinpoint cases where past damage affects the vulnerability of such structures and can serve as a valuable decision-making tool.
Validation of the Discrete Element Method for the Limit Stability Analysis of Masonry Arches
Authors: Alexakis Haris , Makris Nicos
Published: June 2016

This chapter revisits the limit equilibrium analysis of masonry arches when subjected to gravity and lateral loads. Firstly, the major contributions during the last three centuries either with geometric or energy formulations are discussed, and subsequently, the performance of the Distinct Element Method (DEM) is examined against rigorous solutions. Analytical solutions with the use of energy methods are presented for the assessment of the stability of masonry arches with circular or elliptical shapes under various load conditions, including gravity, lateral inertial loading or earth pressures. The DEM is implemented in all loading cases and reproduces the analytical results with remarkable accuracy. The DEM is used either for a direct correlation with the classic limit analysis that assumes that the joints of the masonry blocks do not transmit tension, masonry blocks are rigid and incompressible and do not slide at the joints, or by permitting sliding with the adoption of Coulomb sliding failure between the joints.
Application of DEM to Historic Masonries, Two Case-Studies in Portugal and Italy
Authors: Drei Alberto , Milani Gabriele , Sincraian Gabriela
Published: June 2016

Two engineering applications of the Distinct Element Method to the analysis of historic masonries are presented. In particular, the commercial software UDEC, which implements DEM in a variety of engineering problems, is here used to analyze the Águas Livres aqueduct in Lisbon (Portugal) and multi-leaf masonry arch-tympana carrying systems of a basilica in Como (Italy). When dealing with the aqueduct, the most important portion of the structure is modeled and loaded with some accelerograms to evaluate its seismic vulnerability as well as the most critical zones. The second example analyzes the arch-tympana carrying system of a church in Italy. They present an unusual building technology, relying into a multiple-leaf arch, and a tympanum, made by a mixture of bad quality mortar and small stones. Again the structure is discretized into distinct elements and the load carrying capacity under dynamic excitation is evaluated, discussing the role played by the infill.
FEM/DEM Approach for the Analysis of Masonry Arch Bridges
Authors: Reccia Emanuele , Cecchi Antonella , Milani Gabriele
Published: June 2016

The problem of masonry arch bridges load carrying capacity is studied by means of a coupled FEM/DEM 2D approach. The numerical model relies into a triangular discretization of the domain with embedded crack elements that activate whenever the peak strength is reached. The proposed approach can be regarded as a combination between Finite Elements allowing for the reproduction of elastic strain into continuum and DEM, suitable to model frictional cohesive behavior exhibited by masonry structures even at very low levels of external loads. The aforementioned numerical approach is applied to masonry arch bridges interacting with infill. A preliminary validation of the procedure is addressed for the prediction of the masonry arches limit state behavior where the stones are supposed infinite resistant and plastic hinges can occur exclusively on mortar joints, modeled as cohesive frictional interfaces. The sensitivity of the infill role varying mechanical properties of the infill is extensively discussed.
Collaborations in Liberal Arts Colleges in Support of Digital Humanities
Authors: McFall Lisa M. , Simons Janet Thomas , Lord Gregory , MacDonald Peter J. , Nieves Angel David , Young Steve
Published: June 2016

The field of digital humanities has been rapidly expanding over the course of the last decade. As such, academic institutions have been working to identify ways of supporting these new endeavors in a time of economic struggles. The Digital Humanities Initiative (DHi) at Hamilton College was conceived as one possible model of supporting digital humanities scholarship at a liberal arts institution. The DHi model relies heavily on collaboration among different teams in the Library and Information Technology Services across campus, and with institutions across the United States. DHi also has international partnerships that promote its goals in research, learning, and public humanities. This chapter will describe the various collaborations of DHi and offer suggestions for how others can implement similar support models at their institutions.
Describing Undergraduate Students' Intercultural Learning through Study Abroad in Terms of Their ‘Cultural Responsiveness'
Authors: Oguro Susan , Giovanangeli Angela
Published: June 2016

Although student international exchange programs commonly claim to facilitate participants' intercultural competence, questions remain as to how this competence might be adequately and validly assessed. In this article, the notion of Cultural Responsiveness is used to assist in interpreting and categorizing students' experiences and intercultural learning through study abroad programs. Data on the Australian undergraduate student participants' unique backgrounds, experiences and perceptions was collected after they had completed an exchange program in Switzerland or France. Using the Cultural Responsiveness categorization developed through this study, three parameters of students' intercultural experiences emerged: Awareness, Engagement and Bringing Knowledge Home. Using these three parameters, this article proposes that the notion of Cultural Responsiveness provides a useful method for identification of students' responses to the experiences of study abroad programs.
Deconstructing Cultural Stereotypes to Improve International Students' Interculturality
Authors: Machart Regis , Azzouz Atafia
Published: June 2016

Malaysian Pre-France programmes prepare Malaysian students to study at a French university. Students are prepared in intensive language courses, as well as mathematics and science in line with the French curriculum. The teaching staff members include French citizens and other nationals, native and non-native speakers, members of the ethnic minorities from France. Malaysia itself is a multicultural country and highly diverse in terms of language, ethnicity, religion, etc. The authors' expectations were that the convergence of these French-speaking lecturers with students from a ‘culturally' diverse environment would entail a certain form of fluidity in approaching the ‘culture' of the host destination. However, their experiences during the required DELF, a diploma awarded by the French Ministry of Education to prove the French-language skills of non-French candidates, demonstrate that the representations of France remain rather static and ‘traditional'. Such representations generate some anxiety for the students before they travel abroad. In an attempt to evaluate the impact of these representations and the students' readiness to meet ‘culturally different others', the authors conducted a small scale experiment with final semester students who were about to leave for France two months. They first administrated a questionnaire to 21 students for the purpose of revealing the students' latent representations of their host destination. The participants then followed a lecture in order to deconstruct their original representations, and asked to write a report in French on this experiment. Results show that the long-term exposure to ‘visible' diverse speakers has little effect on the participants in terms of moving away from cultural stereotypes, but that a relatively short but explicit intervention has a rather significant impact on the participants' representations. The authors conclude that only a pro-active, deconstructive and explicit course of action can enable learners to move away from widespread stereotypes, and that a fluid intercultural awareness on the part of lecturers is crucial.
Negotiating Beyond an Essentialised Culture Model
Authors: Jeive Michael
Published: June 2016

The analysis of international negotiations at bachelor and master level appears dominated by a conception of national culture (Søderberg & Holden, 2002; Shenkar et al 2008), and applies cultural distance models widely and inappropriately. Few business encounters are actually national in nature, being rather encounters between individuals or small groups with developed cultural practices and behaviours. There is a parallel tendency for users to abuse the models by failing to recognise the impact of relative power and agency; by ignoring culture as construct; by eliding small and large cultures (Holliday 1999, 2011); and by falling into the so-called ecological fallacy (Robinson 1950; Hofstede, Bond & Luk, 1993). Within the dominant neo-liberal ideological context (Read, 2009) presented in much of the business and management literature, the “othering” (Devlin 2011b, 2015) of those perceived as being outside this narrowly defined norm is a constant danger. In effect, a narrow minority is often represented as the mainstream and the vast majority as varyingly exoticized others. The aim of the paper is to investigate the theoretical and practical problems inherent in the national culture distance dominated approach before reflecting on how an approach which focuses on specific communication instances can open a pathway to understanding culture formation and cultural challenges in a more nuanced way.
EAL in Public Schools in British Columbia
Authors: Ilieva Roumiana
Published: June 2016

This article analyzes through the lens of Nancy Fraser's (2008) multidimensional social justice model policies and practices currently guiding English as an additional language (EAL) education in public schools in British Columbia, Canada on the basis of research published in the last decade or so. It highlights directions which Fraser's model guides us to explore in further depth in order to attend more adequately to the diverse linguistic, cultural, and integration needs of EAL students in the Metro Vancouver area. A continuous search for theoretical lenses allowing for more fine-grained analyses of challenges in educating diverse students would equip policy makers and practitioners alike with refined tools to engage more meaningfully with the complexities of diversities in the local contexts within which they work.
Reconceptualising Higher Education
Authors: Song Xianlin , McCarthy Greg
Published: June 2016

Global higher education has been experiencing unprecedented levels of mobility, which has renegotiated and reshaped the identity of students, academics and universities alike. This paper explores the transformation of Australian higher education in terms of the global mobility. It analyzes the challenges of remapping a transformed higher education landscape, contesting the ‘neoliberal cascade', and the marginalization of public good. The paper argues that in the age of heightened mobility that should evoke respect for the otherness of others, Australian universities have regulated uniformity in governing practices in which difference is sublimated and categorized along a developmental continuum. It calls for a reconceptualization of higher education which is plural in nature and transcultural in approach within the global knowledge production system.
Cloud Computing in eGovernment
Authors: Dermentzi Eleni , Tambouris Efthimios , Tarabanis Konstantinos
Published: June 2016

Electronic Government (eGovernment) is currently facing significant challenges particularly due to the economic crisis which suggests governments should provide more with fewer resources. During the last few years, cloud computing emerged as a new computing paradigm with significant potential. The use of cloud computing in eGovernment has inevitably attracted significant attention from the research community. However, views of researchers and practitioners about the ways and the extent to which cloud computing can be adopted at the national level in order to facilitate eGovernment vary notably. The aim of this paper is to map cloud computing adoption by governments. For this purpose, a stage model was developed by employing the thematic analysis method based on both academic and grey literature. The proposed model is applicable at the national level and consists of four stages: ad-hoc eGov cloud solutions, cloud-based public services, eGov cloud(s) and diffusion of cloud computing in eGov. It should be noted that at this phase the authors' research is of an exploratory nature thus the model has not been validated with empirical data. Its purpose is to facilitate further research on the topic and help governments determine their progress in adopting cloud computing.
Interaction Protocols Adaptation Based Coordination for Crisis Management Processes
Authors: Chtourou Wassim , Bouzguenda Lotfi
Published: June 2016

This work deals with Interaction Protocols adaptation for coordination in the context of Crisis Management Processes. One possible way to deal with this coordination is the use of Interaction Protocols (IP). In order to guarantee an efficient use of IP, one needs to adapt them. In this paper, the authors propose the conjointly use of version and context concepts to model the IP versions and their contexts within a coherent conceptual framework, called MDA. Following this practice, they first propose the contextualized versioned IP meta model. Second, they propose an extension of Agent UML sequence diagram meta-model in order to specify graphically the contextualized versioned IP. Third, they provide an Interaction Protocols Adaptation and Management System to support the life cycle of IP from modeling to performing. Finally, they illustrate their solution through a well-known crisis scenario called “Air Crash Management Process”.
Understanding Retail Consumer Shopping Behaviour Using Rough Set Approach
Authors: Senthilnathan CR
Published: June 2016

India's market is consumer driven market The Indian consumer segment is broadly segregated into urban and rural markets, and is attracting marketers from across the world. India has a young demographic and a middle class with rising disposable income. India is a multi-culture country with high uncertain consumer behaviour. This study is an attempt to understand the complex Indian consumer's retail shopping behaviour in grocery segment. A total of 621 respondents of Chennai were collected in a well-structured questionnaire. Three level model is developed to analyse the consumer behaviour. Rough Set Theory, a new mathematical decision making tool is used to analyse the shopping behaviour. The behavioural traits are generated as rules. In general, Retailers need different formats for different towns and need to invest more resources to modify the departmental store appeal by offering quality service and money value to customer.
Gene Expression Analysis based on Ant Colony Optimisation Classification
Authors: Schaefer Gerald
Published: June 2016

Microarray studies and gene expression analysis have received significant attention over the last few years and provide many promising avenues towards the understanding of fundamental questions in biology and medicine. In this paper, the authors investigate the application of ant colony optimisation (ACO) based classification for the analysis of gene expression data. They employ cAnt-Miner, a variation of the classical Ant-Miner classifier, which is capable of interpreting the numerical gene expression data. Experimental results on well-known gene expression datasets show that the ant-based approach is capable of extracting a compact rule base while providing good classification performance.
Accident Causation Factor Analysis of Traffic Accidents using Rough Relational Analysis
Authors: Erden Caner , Çelebi Numan
Published: June 2016

The aim of this study is to show that the decision rules generated from Rough Sets Theory can be used for a new relational analysis. Rough Sets Theory generally works with small datasets more than big data. If we can deal with the decision rules and its complexities, it is still possible to analyze big data with Rough Set Theory. That is why in this study the authors offer a statistical method to overdue problems which belongs to big data. According statistical methods, a lots of decision rules generated from rough sets theory become useful information. Using a real case data on the traffic accident which were taken place in USA in 2013, this paper finds the relationships between accident causation factors which may be referred to decision makers in the field of traffic.
EAST-ADL
Authors: Blom Hans , Chen De-Jiu , Kaijser Henrik , Lönn Henrik , Papadopoulos Yiannis , Reiser Mark-Oliver , Kolagari Ramin Tavakoli , Tucci Sara
Published: June 2016

EAST-ADL is an Architecture Description Language (ADL) initially defined in several European-funded research projects and aligned with AUTOSAR and ISO26262. It provides a comprehensive approach for defining automotive electronic systems through an information model that captures engineering information in a standardized form. Aspects covered include vehicle features, requirements, analysis functions, software and hardware components and communication. The representation of the system's implementation is not defined in EAST-ADL itself but by AUTOSAR. However, traceability is supported from EAST-ADL's lower abstraction levels to the implementation level elements in AUTOSAR. In this article the authors describe EAST-ADL in detail, show how it relates to AUTOSAR as well as other significant automotive standards and present recent research work on using and advancing EAST-ADL, the functional safety standard ISO 26262, heterogeneous multi / many core architectures, security and for multi-objective optimization.
Dynamic Decision Making System for Public Transport Routes
Authors: Spichkova Maria , Hamilton Margaret
Published: June 2016

This paper presents a formal model of a decision making system for public transport routes. The approach focuses on (1) environmental and societal sustainability aspects of green software engineering, (2) spatial planning and optimisation for smarter sustainable cities, and (3) user satisfaction with this information system for the various contexts of passenger, driver and overall system view.
Real-Time Reconfigurations of Embedded Control Systems
Authors: Gharbi Atef , Gharsellaoui Hamza , Khalgui Mohamed
Published: June 2016

This paper deals with the study of the reconfiguration of embedded control systems with safety following component-based approaches from the functional level to the operational level. The authors define the architecture of the Reconfiguration Agent which is modelled by nested state machines to apply local reconfigurations. They propose in this journal paper technical solutions to implement the whole agent-based architecture, by defining UML meta-models for both Control Components and also agents. To guarantee safety reconfigurations of tasks at run-time, they define service and reconfiguration processes for tasks and use the semaphore concept to ensure safety mutual exclusions. As a method to ensure the scheduling between periodic tasks with precedence and mutual exclusion constraints, the authors apply the priority ceiling protocol.
Design of a Chaotic Random Bit Generator Using a Duffing - van der Pol System
Authors: Volos Christos , Kyprianidis Ioannis , Stouboulos Ioannis , Vaidyanathan Sundarapandian
Published: June 2016

In this paper a chaotic random bit generator, which is based in one of the most well-known non-autonomous chaotic dynamical systems, the Duffing van der Pol, is presented. The basic component of this design approach is the use of the Poincaré map of the aforementioned system. The produced chaotic attractor of the Duffing van der Pol system is converted with the proposed method to a random bit sequence. Furthermore, for, improving the “randomness” of the produced bit streams the X-OR function in the outputs of two threshold circuits that use two variables x which are produced by the two Duffing – van der Pol's Poincaré maps is used. Finally, the produced bit sequence is subjected to the de-skewing technique to extract unbiased bits with no correlation and so to increase their complexity, as it is confirmed by the statistical test suite, FIPS-140-2.
Combining User Contexts and User Opinions for Restaurant Recommendation in Mobile Environment
Authors: Liu Qihua , Gan Xiaohong
Published: June 2016

In a mobile setting, user preferences vary in different contexts. Advances in mobile technologies have made the collection of user context information feasible, and as a result, the context-aware mobile recommender system field has been formed. Although there exist several different approaches to incorporating context into the recommendation process, context-aware recommendations are still difficult to compute. It is unclear which contextual factors are important and to which degree they influence user-item selection decisions. In this paper, the authors design a novel mobile restaurant recommender system combining user contexts and user opinions to provide restaurants to mobile users. This system extracts restaurant features from online user reviews and calculates the polarity of them based on sentiment analysis. It takes a new approach for assessing and modeling the relationship between contextual factors and restaurant features. On this basis, a hybrid recommender method is constructed, which integrates the contextual matching algorithm based on analytic hierarchy process and the collaborative filtering algorithm based on context similarity. From the user study, this system suggests restaurants that make the user more satisfied than another comparative system.
Cultural Tourism O2O Business Model Innovation
Authors: Lu Chao , Liu Sijing
Published: June 2016

It is absolutely not an accidental phenomenon that the development of Internet overlaps with boom of business model research. The emergence of the Internet has greatly promoted the development and study of business models. This paper focuses on exploration of O2O business model innovation by analyzing the main types, evolution and driving factors of Chinese Internet business model, taking Ctrip as the example. From the social prospective, O2O business model improves value and feeling of the customer experience as well as the operational efficiency of the enterprise value chain and utilization efficiency of social resources. This paper has also put forward what Ctrip can enlighten the development of tourism enterprises.
Effects of malolactic fermentation on colour stability and phenolic composition of Petit Verdot red wines
Authors: Izquierdo-Cañas Pedro Miguel , García-Romero Esteban , Mena-Morales Adela , Gómez-Alonso Sergio
Published: June 2016

In the present work we evaluate the effects of malolactic fermentation (MLF) on the colour parameters and polyphenolic composition of Petit Verdot red wines. MLF caused a significant decrease in colour intensity in wines, approximately 9%. In line with that, the results showed a decrease in the concentration of anthocyanins (acylated and non-acylated), but an increase of the pyranothocyannins concentration. MLF did not produce important variations on the content of hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives, stilbenes and flavonols. Regarding flavan-3-ols, MLF caused a decrease in monomers, total flavan-3-ols and percentage of galloylation, and an increase on the percentage of prodelphinidins. However, no effect over mean degree of polymerisation was observed. Thus, it is unlikely that these changes may affect the acceptability of wines by consumers.
Geotechnical test results at a prehistoric landslide site in Breckenridge, southwestern Quebec
Authors: Wang B
Published: June 2016

Geotechnical field testing was conducted in and around a landslide occurred about 1020 cal BP in Breckenridge, southwestern Quebec. The objective of the study is to investigate the magnitude of an earthquake previously hypothesized to have triggered this and
other landslides in the region. The purpose of this Open File is to document the data obtained from the Breckenridge landslide site. The landslide is about 980 m long and 370 m wide. Four cone penetration tests (CPT) were conducted to depths ranging from 37 m to 55 m. Two CPTs were inside the
landslide scar and two outside. Field vane shear tests (VST) were carried out at three CPT locations. The CPT cone bearing factor Nkt was calibrated to be 11.5. The soil undrained shear strength (Su) was found to have a correlation of Su = 15 + 2.66 H (kPa), where H is depth in meters from the
original ground surface elevation at the head scarp. All the CPT data consistently show the same trend for the undisturbed materials. The slip surface was found to be at about 15 m depth from the original ground surface.
Whole blood pathogen reduction technology and blood safety in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review with regional discussion
Authors: Nkohkwo Asa'ah , Agbor Gabriel , Asongalem Emmanuel , Tagny Claude , Asonganyi Tazoacha
Published: June 2016

Background: Despite vast improvements in transfusion services in sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade, there remain serious concerns on the safety and adequacy of the blood supply across the region.Objective: This review paper ascertains the role of pathogen reduction technology (PRT) in improving blood safety and supply adequacy in the region.Method: The state of blood safety in sub-Saharan Africa was reviewed. Meetings, seminars and correspondence were undertaken with key clinicians, scientists and professional bodies in the region, including the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa, to examine the suitability of PRT for improving the safety of whole blood transfusion, a prevalent transfusion format in the region.Results: Existing literature suggests that combining PRT with current blood safety measures (such as serology) would improve the safety and adequacy of the blood supply for transfusions in sub-Saharan Africa. This was echoed by the findings of the stakeholder meetings.Conclusion: Following a detailed appraisal of two leading PRT systems, the Mirasol® PRT System and the Cerus S-303 System, we suggest that companies conduct comprehensive toxicological evaluation of the agents used for PRT and publish this in the scientific literature. We also recommend that the safety and efficacy of these technologies should be established in a randomised clinical trial conducted in sub-Saharan Africa.
Paul’s Radicalisation of Law-obedience in Romans 2: The plight of someone under the Law
Authors: Du Toit Philip La Grange
Published: June 2016

This article re-examines the tension between Paul’s focus on the doing of the Law in relation to justification in Romans 2, and righteousness by faith in Romans 3:21–35. Taking into account current approaches to Romans 2, Paul’s references to the doing of the Law are interpreted as forming part of the conditions for salvation and justification in the old era before Christ. The impossibility of doing the whole Law and the total depravity of all people constitute the plight of the old era under the Law. This plight is set in contrast with faith in Christ and anticipates the solution of faith in Christ, which marks the new condition for justification in the eschatologically new era in Christ.Keywords: Paul; Romans 2; New Perspective on Paul; justification; law
Critical reflections on H.G. Stoker’s (1899–1993) approach towards the elaboration of a Christian philosophy
Authors: Van der Walt M.F.
Published: June 2016

In this article it is argued that the Calvinistic philosopher, Hendrik Gerhardus Stoker (1899–1993), adopted a qualified theology-based approach for the elaboration of his Christian philosophy. Being shaped by the nature-super-nature theme, which itself is a method of synthesis, this approach lends itself towards establishing pseudo congruency. In Stoker’s case, it is an attempt to reconcile his commitment to an integral Christian philosophy with his antecedent allegiance to reformed theology in its orthodox scholastic expression. Indeed, Stoker has gone further than his reformed predecessors in an effort to develop a Calvinistic philosophy. But, instead of piecemeal adjustments, it is proposed that the theology-based approach should be rejected in its entirety if integral Christian scholarship is to flourish.H.G. Stoker, theology-based approach, reformational philosophy, reformed theology, Calvinism, encyclopaedia of the sciences, nature–super-nature, Christian scholarship
The effect of multivitamin-multimineral supplementation on the health status of inbred Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rat strains
Authors: Höfler Rosemarie U. , Channa Mahendra L. , Nadar Anand
Published: June 2016

The nutraceutical industry has proliferated in recent years, with the most popular form of supplementation being the multivitamin-multimineral (MVMM) supplement. In the animal health sector, supplement use has also expanded. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of MVMM supplementation, beneficial or otherwise, on the general health status of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) strain, an animal model used in hypertension research. A commercially prepared MVMM supplement was given tri-weekly via oral dosing for 8 weeks to two groups of seven adult female SHR and Wistar rats. Their corresponding control groups were dosed with deionised water only. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, growth rate and food and water intake were measured weekly. At the end of 8 weeks, the animals were euthanased and a full blood profile, urine sodium to potassium ratio, blood urea nitrogen levels and total plasma cholesterol was measured for all groups. The results indicated that growth rate was higher for the SHR supplemented group. Supplementation also decreased diastolic blood pressure in both Wistar and SHR groups and increased red blood cell count and decreased total cholesterol in the SHR group. No adverse effects on the general health status of the animals were observed. MVMM supplementation may therefore be useful in aiding growth and delaying the onset of hypertension and its effects. It may also assist in the longevity of the breeding stock of SHR rats.Keywords: multivitamin-multimineral (MVMM) supplementation; hypertension; spontaneously hypertensive rats (BRU); Wistar rats; breeding stock
The practices, challenges and recommendations of South African audiologists regarding managing children with auditory processing disorders
Authors: Fouché-Copley Claire , Govender Samantha , Khan Nasim
Published: June 2016

Audiologists managing children with auditory processing disorders (APD) encounter challenges that include conflicting definitions, several classification profiles, problems with differential diagnosis and a lack of standardised guidelines. The heterogeneity of the disorder and its concomitant childhood disorders makes diagnosis difficult. Linguistic and cultural issues are additional challenges faced by South African audiologists. The study aimed to describe the practices, challenges and recommendations of South African audiologists managing children with APD. A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive survey was used to obtain data from 156 audiologists registered with the Health Professions of South Africa. Findings revealed that 67% screened for APD, 42% assessed while 43% provided intervention. A variety of screening and assessment procedures were being administered, with no standard test battery identified. A range of intervention strategies being used are discussed. When the relationship between the number of years of experience and the audiologists’ level of preparedness to practice in the field of APD was compared, a statistically significant difference (p = 0.049) was seen in that participants with more than 10 years of experience were more prepared to practice in this area. Those participants having qualified as speech-language therapists and audiologists were significantly more prepared (p = 0.03) to practice than the audiologists who comprised the sample. Challenges experienced by the participants included the lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate screening and assessment tools and limited normative data. Recommendations included reviewing the undergraduate audiology training programmes, reinstituting the South African APD Taskforce, developing linguistically and culturally appropriate normative data, creating awareness among educators and involving them in the multidisciplinary team.Keywords: Screening; assessment; intervention
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: Therapeutic Options and Surveillance Management
Authors: Kumar Aditi , Wheatley Daniel , Puttanna Amar
Published: June 2016

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a chronic immune-mediated liver disease. Though rare, it poses several clinical concerns for the managing physician. There are currently limited therapeutic options in the management of the condition and weak evidence base behind them. Endoscopic intervention is limited to those patients with obstructing stricture-related disease, and even liver transplantation has a risk of disease recurrence. Surveillance for inflammatory bowel disorders, metabolic bone disease, and malignancy is paramount when managing such patients. This article provides an overview of the condition with further focus on current therapeutic options and guidance on surveillance management.
Distribution Characteristics of Eggs and Neonate Larvae of Codling Moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)
Authors: Wearing Christopher H.
Published: June 2016

Literature is reviewed on the spatial distribution of the eggs and neonate larvae of codling moth on apple trees in relation to research conducted in Nelson, New Zealand. At Nelson, oviposition increased with height and was greater in the north and east of the trees and in those with greater fruit load in some seasons, which matches published reports. All publications and the research recorded high percentages of eggs laid singly within 10–15 cm of the fruit, with most eggs on leaves even within fruit clusters; oviposition on fruit clusters of different sizes was nonrandom because more eggs were laid on those with more fruit, but the aggregation of both per cluster and within clusters was even greater than that caused by the fruit number alone. Oviposition at random with respect to the fruit occurred only at very low population density. The choice of oviposition site between fruit and the adaxial leaf surface and abaxial leaf surface (AbLS) was variable and cultivar related. Cultivars on which eggs predominated on the AbLS were less frequent and characterized by low trichome density. In the literature, neonate larvae from eggs on the AbLS suffered greater mortality, as did those in Nelson that hatched more distant from the fruit. This review discusses the interaction between these distribution characteristics and species-specific host–plant volatiles, egg adhesion to plant surfaces, oviposition deterrents, predation, and their relevance to pest management.
The congruence subgroup problem for the free metabelian group on two generators
Authors: Ben-Ezra David El-Chai
Published: June 2016

In this paper we describe the profinite completion of the free solvable group on

m

generators of solvability length

r \geq 1

. Then, we show that for

m = r = 2

, the free metabelian group on two generators does not have the Congruence Subgroup Property.
On the growth of a Coxeter group
Authors: Terragni Tommaso
Published: June 2016

For a Coxeter system

(W, S)

let

a_n^{(W, S)}

be the cardinality of the sphere of radius

n

in the Cayley graph of

W

with respect to the standard generating set

S

. It is shown that, if

(W, S) \preceq (W', S')

then

a_n^{(W, S)} \leq a_n^{(W', S')}

for all

n \in \mathbb N_0

, where

\preceq

is a suitable partial order on Coxeter systems (cf. Theorem A).

It is proven that there exists a constant

\tau= 1.13\dots

such that for any non-affine, non-spherical Coxeter system

(W, S)

the growth rate

\omega (W, S)= \mathrm {lim sup} \sqrt [n]{a_n}

satisfies

\omega (W, S) \geq \tau

(cf. Theorem B). The constant

\tau

is a Perron number of degree 127 over

\mathbb Q

.

For a Coxeter group

W

the Coxeter generating set is not unique (up to

W

-conjugacy), but there is a standard procedure, the
diagram twisting
(cf. [3]), which allows one to pass from one Coxeter generating set

S

to another Coxeter generating set

\mu(S)

. A generalisation of the diagram twisting is introduced, the
mutation
, and it is proven that Poincaré series are invariant under mutations (cf. Theorem C).
Maximal subgroups of multi-edge spinal groups
Authors: Alexoudas Theofanis , Klopsch Benjamin , Thillaisundaram Anitha
Published: June 2016

A multi-edge spinal group is a subgroup of the automorphism group of a regular

p

-adic rooted tree, generated by one rooted automorphism and a finite number of directed automorphisms sharing a common directing path. We prove that torsion multi-edge spinal groups do not have maximal subgroups of infinite index. This generalizes a result of Pervova for GGS-groups.
Semiconjugacies between relatively hyperbolic boundaries
Authors: Das Shubhabrata , Mj Mahan
Published: June 2016

We prove the existence of Cannon–Thurston maps for Kleinian groups corresponding to pared manifolds whose boundary is incompressible away from cusps. We also describe the structure of these maps in terms of ending laminations.
Solar Power Concentrators for Space Applications
Authors: Pritchard Joshua , Simon Kiri , Dowd Cameron , Joshi Eashwar
Published: June 2016

Space based solar power is an attractive solution to growing energy needs, overcoming the operational downtime and atmospheric losses inherent to terrestrial solar technologies. Ideal solar satellites include concentrator systems in order to produce a high specific power output, keeping mass low for economic launch. A meta analysis of photovoltaic concentrator research is presented to determine viability in space applications, considering contributions to cell heating, subcell current matching and efficiency of the InGaP/GaAs/Ge multi-junction cell. We find that the CaF2 Fresnel lens is an optimal choice with an efficiency increase of 4.9% at 17 suns. The large range of concentration ratio, low mass, compact design and minimal effect on spectral irradiance allow a wide space for optimisation in temperature control, whilst the current matching conditions under concentration can be regulated by appropriate tunnel junction width and bandgap.
Editorial
Authors: Schulte Jurgen
Published: June 2016

This is the third issue of PAM Review, the peer-reviewed, subject specific student research journal of the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney. The student journal was first introduced into the third semester subject Energy Science and Technology (68412) in 2014 to allow for a practical student centered, authentic learning experience that is exciting and challenging and helps to facilitate desired graduate attributes. Energy, Science and Technology is a one-semester subject (class) that covers the thermodynamics of macroscopic and microscopic processes in the context of energy production, energy saving and related applications. This third semester subject is open to students in science as well as engineering.
Assessing the sensitivity of the hydroxyl radical to model biases in composition and temperature using a single-column photochemical model for Lauder, New Zealand
Authors: López-Comí L. , Morgenstern O. , Zeng G. , Masters S. L. , Querel R. R. , Nedoluha G. E.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. We assess the major factors contributing to local biases in the hydroxyl radical (OH) as simulated by a global chemistry-climate model, using a single-column photochemical model (SCM) analysis. The SCM has been constructed to represent atmospheric chemistry at Lauder, New Zealand, which is representative of the background atmosphere of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) mid-latitudes. We use long-term observations of variables essential to tropospheric OH chemistry, i.e. ozone (O3), water vapour (H2O), methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), and temperature, and assess how using these measurements affect OH calculated in the SCM, relative to a reference simulation only using modelled fields. The analysis spans 1994 to 2010. Results show that OH responds approximately linearly to correcting biases in O3, H2O, CO, CH4, and temperature. The biggest impact on OH is due to correcting H2O, using radiosonde observations. This is followed by correcting O3. Its impact is decomposed into a kinetics effect and a photolysis effect; both are of similar magnitude. The OH sensitivity to correcting CH4 and CO biases is inversely related to the relative changes applied to these two species. The work demonstrates the feasibility of quantitatively assessing OH sensitivity to biases in longer-lives species, which can help to explain differences in simulated OH between global chemistry models and relative to observations. In addition to clear-sky simulations, we have performed idealised sensitivity simulations to assess the impact of clouds (ice and liquid) on OH. The results indicate that the impacts on the ozone photolysis rate and OH are substantial, with a general decrease of OH below the clouds relative to the clear-sky situation, and an increase above. The effects of liquid and ice clouds are less-than-additive. Using the SCM simulation we calculate recent OH trends at Lauder. For the period of 1994 to 2010, all trends are insignificant, in agreement with previous studies.
Return glider radiosonde for in situ upper-air research measurements
Authors: Kräuchi Andreas , Philipona Rolf
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Upper-air balloon soundings for weather predictions have been made since the beginning of the 20th century. New radiosonde instruments for in situ humidity-, radiation- and gas-profile measurements in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere, were introduced in recent years for atmospheric research and climate monitoring, but such instruments are often expensive and it is desired they be reused on multiple flights. Recovering instruments that freely descend with parachutes is time consuming, sometimes difficult and even dangerous. Here, we introduce the return glider radiosonde (RGR), which enables flying and retrieving valuable in situ upper-air instruments. The RGR is lifted with weather balloons similar to traditional radiosondes to a preset altitude, at which time a release mechanism cuts the tether string, and a built-in autopilot flies the glider autonomously back to the launch site or a desired preprogrammed location. Once the RGR reaches the landing coordinates it circles down and releases a parachute 100 m above ground for landing. The motivation for this project was to measure radiation profiles throughout the atmosphere with the same instrument multiple times and with a rapid turn-around time. The paper describes technical aspects of the return glider radiosonde and the built-in radiation instruments and shows test flights up to 24 km altitude that are analyzed in terms of flight performance and maximal distances covered. Several successive flights measuring radiation profiles demonstrate the reliability and the operational readiness of the RGR, allowing new ways for atmospheric in situ research and monitoring with payloads up to several kg depending on the specific size of the glider.
Positive Indian Ocean Dipole events prevent anoxia along coast of India
Authors: Parvathi V. , Suresh I. , Lengaigne Matthieu , Ethé Christian , Vialard Jérôme , Lévy Marina , Neetu S. , Aumont Olivier , Resplandy Laure , Naik Hema , Naqvi Wajih
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The seasonal upwelling along the west coast of India (WCI) brings nutrient-rich, oxygen-poor subsurface waters to the continental shelf, leading to very low oxygen concentrations at shallow depths during late boreal summer and fall. This yearly-recurring coastal hypoxia is sometimes more severe, leading to coastal anoxia that has strong impacts on the living resources. In the present study, we analyze a 1/4°-resolution coupled physical-biogeochemical regional oceanic simulation over the 1960–2012 period to investigate the physical processes influencing oxycline interannual variability off the WCI. Our analysis indicates a tight relationship between the oxycline and thermocline variations along the WCI at both seasonal and interannual timescales, thereby revealing a strong physical control of the WCI oxycline variability. As in observations, our model exhibits a shallow oxycline/thermocline along the WCI during fall that combines with interannual variability to create a window of opportunity for coastal anoxic events at this time of the year. We further demonstrate that boreal fall WCI oxycline fluctuations are strongly related to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), with an asymmetric influence of positive and negative IOD phases. Positive IODs are associated with easterly wind anomalies near the southern tip of India. These winds force downwelling coastal Kelvin waves that propagate along the WCI and deepen the thermocline and oxycline there, thus preventing the occurrence of coastal anoxia. On the other hand, negative IOD events are associated with WCI thermocline and oxycline anomalies of opposite sign, but of smaller amplitude, and are hence a necessary, but not sufficient condition for coastal anoxia. As the IODs generally start developing in summer, these findings suggest some predictability to the occurrence of WCI coastal anoxia a couple of months ahead.
Investigation of the relationship between drinking water quality and landform classes using fuzzy AHP (case study: south of Firozabad, east of Fars province, Iran)
Authors: Mokarram Marzieh , Sathyamoorthy Dinesh
Published: June 2016

Abstract. In this study, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to study the relationship between drinking water quality and landform classes in south of Firozabad, east of Fars province, Iran. For determination of drinking water quality, parameters of calcium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), magnesium (Mg), thorium (TH), sodium (Na), electrical conductivity (EC), sulfate (So4) and total dissolved solids (TDS) were used. It was found that 8.29 % of the study area have low water quality; 64.01 %, moderate; 23.33 %, high; and very high, 4.38 %. Areas with suitable drinking water quality are located in parts of the southeast and southwest parts of the study area. The relationship between landform class and drinking water quality show that drinking water quality is high in the stream, valleys, upland drainages and local ridge classes, and low in the plain small and midslope classes.