bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacts of updated spectroscopy on thermal infrared retrievals of methane evaluated with HIPPO data
Authors: Alvarado M. J. , Payne V. H. , Cady-Pereira K. E. , Hegarty J. D. , Kulawik S. S. , Wecht K. J. , Worden J. R. , Pittman J. V. , Wofsy S. C.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Errors in the spectroscopic parameters used in the forward radiative transfer model can introduce spatially, temporally, and altitude-dependent biases in trace gas retrievals. For well-mixed trace gases such as methane, where the variability of tropospheric mixing ratios is relatively small, reducing such biases is particularly important. We use aircraft observations from all five missions of the HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) of the Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases Study to evaluate the impact of updates to spectroscopic parameters for methane (CH4), water vapor (H2O), and nitrous oxide (N2O) on thermal infrared retrievals of methane from the NASA Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). We find that updates to the spectroscopic parameters for CH4 result in a substantially smaller mean bias in the retrieved CH4 when compared with HIPPO observations. After an N2O-based correction, the bias in TES methane upper tropospheric representative values for measurements between 50° S and 50° N decreases from 56.9 to 25.7 ppbv, while the bias in the lower tropospheric representative value increases only slightly (from 27.3 to 28.4 ppbv). For retrievals with less than 1.6 degrees of freedom for signal (DOFS), the bias is reduced from 26.8 to 4.8 ppbv. We also find that updates to the spectroscopic parameters for N2O reduce the errors in the retrieved N2O profile.
The micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor-droplet freezing technique (MOUDI-DFT) for measuring concentrations of ice nucleating particles as a function of size: improvements and initial validation
Authors: Mason R. H. , Chou C. , McCluskey C. S. , Levin E. J. T. , Schiller C. L. , Hill T. C. J. , Huffman J. A. , DeMott P. J. , Bertram A. K.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. The micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor-droplet freezing technique (MOUDI-DFT) combines particle collection by inertial impaction (via the MOUDI) and a microscope-based immersion freezing apparatus (the DFT) to measure atmospheric concentrations of ice nucleating particles (INPs) as a function of size and temperature. In the first part of this study we improved upon this recently introduced technique. Using optical microscopy, we investigated the non-uniformity of MOUDI aerosol deposits at spatial resolutions of 1, 0.25 mm, and for some stages when necessary 0.10 mm. The results from these measurements show that at a spatial resolution of 1 mm and less, the concentration of particles along the MOUDI aerosol deposit can vary by an order of magnitude or more. Since the total area of a MOUDI aerosol deposit ranges from 425 to 605 mm2 and the area analyzed by the DFT is approximately 1.2 mm2, this non-uniformity needs to be taken into account when using the MOUDI-DFT to determine atmospheric concentrations of INPs. Measurements of the non-uniformity of the MOUDI aerosol deposits were used to select positions on the deposits that had relatively small variations in particle concentration and to build substrate holders for the different MOUDI stages. These substrate holders improve reproducibility by holding the substrate in the same location for each measurement and ensure that DFT analysis is only performed on substrate regions with relatively small variations in particle concentration. In addition, the deposit non-uniformity was used to determine correction factors that take the non-uniformity into account when determining atmospheric concentrations of INPs. In the second part of this study, the MOUDI-DFT utilizing the new substrate holders was compared to the continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) technique of Colorado State University. The intercomparison was done using INP concentrations found by the two instruments during ambient measurements of continental aerosols. Results from two sampling periods were compared and the INP concentrations determined by the two techniques agreed within experimental uncertainty. The agreement observed here is commensurate with the level of agreement found in other studies where CFDC results were compared to INP concentrations measured with other methods.
Anthropogenic point and non-point nitrogen inputs into Huai River Basin and their impacts on riverine ammonia-nitrogen flux
Authors: Zhang W. S. , Swaney D. P. , Li X. Y. , Hong B. , Howarth R. W. , Ding S. H.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. This study provides a new approach to estimate both anthropogenic non-point and point nitrogen (N) inputs to the landscape, and determines their impacts on riverine ammonia-nitrogen (AN) flux, providing a foundation for further exploration of anthropogenic effects on N pollution. Our study site is Huai River Basin of China, a watershed with one of the highest levels of N input in the world. Multi-year average (2003–2010) inputs of N to the watershed are 27 200 ± 1100 kg N km−2 yr−1. Non-point sources comprised about 98% of total N input and only 2% of inputs are directly added to the aquatic ecosystem as point sources. Fertilizer application was the largest non-point source of new N to the Huai River Basin (69% of net anthropogenic N inputs), followed by atmospheric deposition (20%), N fixation in croplands (7%), and N content of imported food and feed (2%). High N inputs showed impacts on riverine AN flux: fertilizer application, point N input and atmospheric N deposition were proved as more direct sources to riverine AN flux. Modes of N delivery and losses associated with biological denitrification in rivers, water consumption, interception by dams influenced the extent of export of riverine AN flux from N sources. Our findings highlight the importance of anthropogenic N inputs from point and non-point sources in heavily polluted watersheds, and provide some implications for AN prediction and management.
Modeling photosynthesis of discontinuous plant canopies by linking Geometric Optical Radiative Transfer model with biochemical processes
Authors: Xin Q. , Gong P. , Li W.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Modeling vegetation photosynthesis is essential for understanding carbon exchanges between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. The radiative transfer process within plant canopies is one of the key drivers that regulate canopy photosynthesis. Most vegetation cover consists of discrete plant crowns, of which the physical observation departs from the underlying assumption of a homogenous and uniform medium in classic radiative transfer theory. Here we advance the Geometric Optical Radiative Transfer (GORT) model to simulate photosynthesis activities for discontinuous plant canopies. We separate radiation absorption into two components that are absorbed by sunlit and shaded leaves, and derive analytical solutions by integrating over the canopy layer. To model leaf-level and canopy-level photosynthesis, leaf light absorption is then linked to the biochemical process of gas diffusion through leaf stomata. The canopy gap probability derived from GORT differs from classic radiative transfer theory, especially when the leaf area index is high, due to leaf clumping effects. Tree characteristics such as tree density, crown shape, and canopy length affect leaf clumping and regulate radiation interception. Modeled gross primary production (GPP) for two deciduous forest stands could explain more than 80% of the variance of flux tower measurements at both near hourly and daily time scales. We also demonstrate that the ambient CO2 concentration influences daytime vegetation photosynthesis, which needs to be considered in state-of-the-art biogeochemical models. The proposed model is complementary to classic radiative transfer theory and shows promise in modeling the radiative transfer process and photosynthetic activities over discontinuous forest canopies.
System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) v. 2.1.4
Authors: Conrad O. , Bechtel B. , Bock M. , Dietrich H. , Fischer E. , Gerlitz L. , Wehberg J. , Wichmann V. , Böhner J.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. The System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) is an open-source Geographic Information System (GIS), mainly licensed under the GNU General Public License. Since its first release in 2004, SAGA has rapidly developed from a specialized tool for digital terrain analysis to a comprehensive and globally established GIS platform for scientific analysis and modeling. SAGA is coded in C++ in an object oriented design and runs under several operating systems including Windows and Linux. Key functional features of the modular organized software architecture comprise an application programming interface for the development and implementation of new geoscientific methods, an easily approachable graphical user interface with many visualization options, a command line interpreter, and interfaces to scripting and low level programming languages like R and Python. The current version 2.1.4 offers more than 700 tools, which are implemented in dynamically loadable libraries or shared objects and represent the broad scopes of SAGA in numerous fields of geoscientific endeavor and beyond. In this paper, we inform about the system's architecture, functionality, and its current state of development and implementation. Further, we highlight the wide spectrum of scientific applications of SAGA in a review of published studies with special emphasis on the core application areas digital terrain analysis, geomorphology, soil science, climatology and meteorology, as well as remote sensing.
Development and application of the WRFPLUS-Chem online chemistry adjoint and WRFDA-Chem assimilation system
Authors: Guerrette J. J. , Henze D. K.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Here we present the online meteorology and chemistry adjoint and tangent linear model, WRFPLUS-Chem, which incorporates modules to treat boundary layer mixing, emission, aging, dry deposition, and advection of black carbon aerosol. We also develop land surface and surface layer adjoints to account for coupling between radiation and vertical mixing. Model performance is verified against finite difference derivative approximations. A second order checkpointing scheme is created to reduce computational costs and enable simulations longer than six hours. The adjoint is coupled to WRFDA-Chem, in order to conduct a sensitivity study of anthropogenic and biomass burning sources throughout California during the 2008 Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) field campaign. A cost function weighting scheme was devised to increase adjoint sensitivity robustness in future inverse modeling studies. Results of the sensitivity study show that, for this domain and time period, anthropogenic emissions are over predicted, while wildfire emissions are under predicted. We consider the diurnal variation in emission sensitivities to determine at what time sources should be scaled up or down. Also, adjoint sensitivities for two choices of land surface model indicate that emission inversion results would be sensitive to forward model configuration. The tools described here are the first step in conducting four-dimensional variational data assimilation in a coupled meteorology-chemistry model, which will potentially provide new constraints on aerosol precursor emissions and their distributions. Such analyses will be invaluable to assessments of particulate matter health and climate impacts.
Simulating the regional water balance through hydrological model based on TRMM satellite rainfall data
Authors: Li D. , Ding X. , Wu J.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Spatial rainfall is a key input to Distributed Hydrological Models, which is the most important limitation for the accuracy of hydrological models. Model performance and uncertainty could increase when rain gauge is sparse. Satellite-based precipitation products would be an alternative to ground-based rainfall estimates in present and the foreseeable future, however, it is necessary to evaluate the products before further implication. The objective of this paper is to provide assessments of: (a) the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) rainfall product using gauge data, (b) the TRMM rainfall as forcing data for hydrological simulation, and (c) the role of satellite data in calculating water balance and water management. TRMM rainfall data show reasonable performances at monthly and annual scales, fitting well with surface observation-based histogram of precipitation. Satisfactory performances in monthly runoff simulation (NS = 0.50 ~ 0.70, R2 = 0.73 ~ 0.85) observed in our study indicate that the TRMM rainfall data have potential applications in driving hydrological model, water balance analysis, and basin water resource management in developing countries or remote locations, where precipitation gauges are scare.
Uniform flow formulas for irregular sections
Authors: Spada E. , Tucciarelli T. , Sinagra M. , Sammartano V. , Corato G.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Two new methods for uniform flow discharge computation are presented, validated and compared with other available formulas. The first method derives from the well-known Huthoff algorithm, which is first shown to be dependent on the way the river cross-section is discretized into several sub-sections. The second method assumes the vertically averaged longitudinal velocity to be a function only of the friction factor and of the so-called "local hydraulic radius", computed as the ratio between the integral of the elementary areas around a given vertical and the integral of the elementary solid boundaries around the same vertical. Both integrals are weighted with a linear shape function, equal to zero at a distance from the integration variable which is proportional to the water depth according to an empirical coefficient β. Both formulas are validated against (1) laboratory experimental data, (2) discharge hydrographs measured in a real site, where the friction factor is estimated from an unsteady-state analysis of water levels recorded in two different river cross sections, (3) the 3-D solution obtained using the commercial ANSYS CFX code, computing the steady state uniform flow in a short reach of a prismatic channel, with known water level in the downstream section.
Estimating the long-term historic evolution of exposure to flooding of coastal populations
Authors: Stevens A. J. , Clarke D. , Nicholls R. J. , Wadey M. P.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Coastal managers face the task of assessing and managing flood risk. This requires knowledge of the area of land, the number of people, properties and other infrastructure potentially affected by floods. Such analyses are usually static; i.e. they only consider a snapshot of the current situation. This misses the opportunity to learn about the role of key drivers of historical changes in flood risk, such as development and population rise in the coastal flood plain and sea-level rise. In this paper, we develop and apply a method to analyse the temporal evolution of residential population exposure to coastal flooding. It uses readily available data in a GIS environment. We examine how population and sea level change modify exposure over two centuries in two neighbouring coastal sites: Portsea and Hayling Islands on the UK south coast. The analysis shows that flood exposure changes as a result of increases in population, changes in coastal population density and sea level rise. The results indicate that to date, population change is the dominant driver of the increase in exposure to flooding in the study sites, but climate change may outweigh this in the future. A full analysis of flood risk is not possible as data on historic defences and wider vulnerability are not available. Hence, the historic evolution of flood exposure is as close as we can get to a historic evolution of flood risk. The method is applicable anywhere that suitable floodplain geometry, sea level and population datasets are available and could be widely applied, and will help inform coastal managers of the time evolution in coastal flood drivers.
Regional Synergies in Triple Helix Regions
Authors: Smith Helen Lawton , Waters Rupert
Published: February 2015

This paper examines the role of universities in delivering regional/local policy and the extent to which they help formulate that policy. It explores the incentives for universities to act. Two examples are the availability of government funding designed to foster university–industry interaction and the existence of specific local agenda that are of mutual interest to both universities and local policy makers. The paper also highlights the converse – policy might follow from the observed actions of the impact of universities' excellence (for example, the formation of university spin-offs). The authors consider how both translate into active involvement in local policy making using the case of the Oxfordshire high-tech economy. Oxfordshire is an important high-tech economy dominated by one of the world's leading research universities.
Determinants in Tourist Expenditure Composition — The Role of Airline Types
Authors: Ferrer-Rosell Berta , Coenders Germà , Martínez-Garcia Esther
Published: February 2015

The reduction in transportation costs when travelling with a low-cost airline (LCA) seems to have modified the composition of the trip budget. An understanding of expenditure composition when comparing LCA and legacy airline travellers is vital for destination marketers. Using micro official statistics data for air travellers to Spain in 2010 and the compositional data analysis (CODA) methodology, this study analyses the determinants of trip budget composition and its differences between airline types. The authors consider transportation expenses, as well as basic (accommodation and food) and discretionary (activities, shopping, etc) at-destination expenses. Log-ratios of budget share are fitted to a MANOVA, with travellers' attributes as explanatory factors along with the moderating effect of the airline type. Among the findings are that high-income LCA travellers spend relatively more at the destination, LCA tourists travelling with friends have a larger share of discretionary expenses, and highly educated travellers have a larger share of discretionary expenses for both airline types.
An ARDL Bounds Test Approach to Modelling Tourist Expenditure in South Africa
Authors: Saayman Andrea , Saayman Melville
Published: February 2015

This research follows micro-economic theory, according to which demand for a product is influenced by price, substitute prices and income, to determine the sensitivity of inbound tourist expenditure in South Africa to changes in these variables. Tourist expenditure per person per day from different origins forms the dependent variable. Using quarterly time-series data from 2003 to 2010, this article models inbound tourist expenditure from key source markets for the country. Previous research based on arrivals finds that South Africa is a relatively price-insensitive destination. However, this research shows that this is not the case for all markets. It mostly confirms the income elasticity of South Africa as a destination.
Keeping Mental Budgets: Visitors' Spending at a Christmas Market
Authors: Brida Juan Gabriel , Tokarchuk Oksana
Published: February 2015

One of the main concerns of tourism managers lies in stimulating tourists' spending at their destinations. Numerous studies investigating the determinants of tourists' expenditure limit their investigation to the actual expenditure of tourists. This paper extends the existing literature on tourists' spending by introducing mental accounts theory. Mental budgets set the limit on the expenditure on a particular category of goods in order to avoid overspending in situations in which a rational approach to spending is not possible. The authors apply this theory to a case of visitors' spending at a Christmas market in Merano. Data were analysed with the Heckman selection model to understand the determinants of mental budgets and the actual spending of visitors and to study how well their intentions are met by their real behaviour. The findings of the paper indicate that the mental budget is an important component for the analysis of tourists' expenditure.
Pricing Visitor Preferences for Temporary Art Exhibitions
Authors: Castellani Massimiliano , Pattitoni Pierpaolo , Vici Laura
Published: February 2015

This paper focuses on the initiatives that museum managers may implement to maximize the profits of museums located in tourist destinations and that host temporary art exhibitions. These initiatives have direct effects on visitor demand and indirect effects on the tourist destination. Classifying visitors into residents, excursionists and tourists, the authors evaluate their preferences and willingness to pay for managerial initiatives. They focus specifically on for-profit museums that host temporary exhibitions in medium and small tourist destinations. Visitor preferences are priced through discrete choice experiments submitted to a sample of (actual and potential) visitors to Castel Sismondo Museum in Rimini, Italy.
Gibrat's Law and the Impact of Ownership: A Case Study of Croatia's Hotel Industry
Authors: Ivandić Neven
Published: February 2015

This paper tests the hypothesis that in conditions of economic transition Gibrat's Law of proportionate growth holds, regardless of the type of firm ownership. The hypothesis is tested on a population of Croatian hotel companies, divided into three ownership type groups, operating continuously from 1998 to 2008. The developed dynamic multiple linear regression model of Croatian hotel firms evaluated by the two step Arellano–Bond estimator is used as a basis for analysis. Estimation of model parameters suggests that the dynamics of firms in transition conditions are not just a reflection of random effects, but are also affected by size and ownership factors. The results show that smaller companies grow more rapidly than larger ones and that growth varies depending on firm ownership, with slower growth in state-owned firms.
The Impact of Innovation on Firms' Performance: An Analysis of the Hotel Sector in Majorca
Authors: Tugores María , García Dolores
Published: February 2015

Studies of the role of innovation in the survival opportunities of firms and in their financial performance are scarce regarding services, and the hospitality sector in particular. This paper expands the research in this field. First, the determinants of environmental and non-environmental innovations are analysed separately. Common factors are found to have different impacts on innovations of a different nature. Second, the role of varying innovation practices in hotel performance is studied. Non-environmental innovations and only some particular environmental innovations are found to have a positive impact on hotel performance, and to contribute to an understanding of their relative performance, even when controlling for quality or human capital variables. These results highlight the convenience of discriminating among innovation measures to guide hotel policies more efficiently. They also suggest that the environmental regulator may be required to intervene for those innovative measures that do not translate into hotels' self-interest, from a performance point of view.
Tourism and Poverty Reduction: An Economic Sector Analysis for Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Authors: Vanegas Manuel , Gartner William , Senauer Benjamin
Published: February 2015

This study examines the existence of a long-run relationship between indigence or extreme poverty reduction and agricultural, manufacturing and tourism development in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. An econometric methodology consisting of an autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach to co-integration is used. For Costa Rica, agricultural and manufacturing (not statistically significant) and tourism development are negatively related to indigence poverty with estimated elasticity values of −0.50 for agriculture, −0.17 for manufacturing and −0.58 for tourism. For Nicaragua, the estimated elasticity values are −0.40 for agriculture, −0.13 for manufacturing (not statistically significant) and −0.64 for tourism. Tourism's rate of poverty reduction was statistically significantly greater than that of agriculture for both countries. The main contribution of this paper lies in the understanding of sector contributions to alleviating poverty. The methods utilized can be undertaken by most countries in the world, thereby providing insights into developing targeted investment policies and strategies to achieve higher rates of poverty reduction.
Why Do Tourists Persist in Visiting the Same Destination?
Authors: Correia Antónia , Zins Andreas H. , Silva Francisco
Published: February 2015

Capturing and retaining tourists are the main driving forces behind tourism marketing research. Nevertheless, research on how to retain tourists and why they persist in repeating the same destination is not consensual. Following the early work of Ehrenberg and the recency–frequency–monetary value paradigm, this study applies a Poisson distribution model to estimate the past frequency of revisiting Portugal based on information collected from international repeat visitors surveyed at all airports of Portugal in 2012. Results from estimating the model show mixed effects for recency, country of origin and destination region. Recommendation behaviour could not be identified as an explanatory variable for past visitation frequency.
Effect of corn replacement with graded levels of wheat screening and enzyme supplementation on performance, blood lipids, viscosity and jejunal histomorphology of finisher broilers
Authors: Mazhari Mozhgan , Golian Abolghasem , Kermanshahi Hassan
Published: February 2015

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of corn replacement with five levels of wheat screening (0, 150, 300, 450 and 600 g/kg of diet) with (0.5 g/kg of diet) or without xylanase-glucanase enzyme on performance, blood lipids, viscosity and jejunal histomorphology of finisher broilers (25-42 days of age). Five hundred day-old Ross-308 male broiler chicks were fed by a standard commercial diet up to 24 days of age, then randomly assigned to 10 diets. Each diet was fed to five groups of ten chicks each. There was not significant differences in body weight gain (BWG), feed intake, and feed conversion ratio of birds fed with different levels of wheat screening (WS), whereas enzyme increased (p<0.05) BWG. Different levels of WS and enzyme did not have a significant effect on relative weights of carcass, breast, thigh, and abdominal fat of broilers. Relative weights of gizzard, pancreas, small and large intestine, and relative length of jejunum and jejunal and ileal viscosity were increased (p<0.05) by WS, while were decreased (p<0.05) by enzyme. The serum cholesterol level decreased (p<0.05) by increasing levels of WS. Jejunal histomorphological observations showed (p<0.05) shorter and thicker villus and lower crypt depth by increasing levels of WS, while addition of enzyme to the diets, affected (p<0.05) reversely to these parameters. The results showed that the addition of wheat screening up to an inclusion level of 600 g/kg of diet had no adverse effect on broiler performance in the finisher (25-42 d) phases whereas decreased serum cholesterol levels, increased viscosity and villus atrophy. The dietary administration of exogenous enzyme improved performance parameters and decreased viscosity and villus atrophy of broiler jejunum.
Comparison among monitoring strategies to assess water flow dynamic and soil hydraulic properties in agricultural soils
Authors: Valdes-Abellan Javier , Jiménez-Martínez Joaquín , Candela Lucila , Tamoh Karim
Published: February 2015

Irrigated agriculture is usually performed in semi-arid regions despite scarcity of water resources. Therefore, optimal irrigation management by monitoring the soil is essential, and assessing soil hydraulic properties and water flow dynamics is presented as a first measure. For this purpose, the control of volumetric water content, θ, and pressure head, h, is required. This study adopted two types of monitoring strategies in the same experimental plot to control θ and h in the vadose zone: i) non-automatic and more time-consuming; ii) automatic connected to a datalogger. Water flux was modelled with Hydrus-1D using the data collected from both acquisition strategies independently (3820 daily values for the automatic; less than 1000 for the non-automatic). Goodness-of-fit results reported a better adjustment in case of automatic sensors. Both model outputs adequately predicted the general trend of θ and h, but with slight differences in computed annual drainage (711 mm and 774 mm). Soil hydraulic properties were inversely estimated from both data acquisition systems. Major differences were obtained in the saturated volumetric water content, θs, and the n and α van Genuchten model shape parameters. Saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, shown lower variability with a coefficient of variation range from 0.13 to 0.24 for the soil layers defined. Soil hydraulic properties were better assessed through automatic data acquisition as data variability was lower and accuracy was higher.
Evaluation of olive flowering at low latitude sites in Argentina using a chilling requirement model
Authors: Aybar Vanesa E. , De Melo-Abreu J. Paulo , Searles Peter S. , Matias Angel C. , Del Rio Carmen , Caballero Juan M. , Rousseaux M. Cecilia
Published: February 2015

Olive production has expanded significantly from the Mediterranean Basin into the New World over the last two decades. In some cases, cultivars of European origin have been introduced at a large commercial scale with little previous evaluation of potential productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a temperature-driven simulation model developed in the Mediterranean Basin to predict normal flowering occurrence and flowering date using cultivar-specific thermal requirements was suitable for the low latitude areas of Northwest Argentina. The model was validated at eight sites over several years and a wide elevation range (350–1200 m above mean sea level) for three cultivars (‘Arbequina’, ‘Frantoio’, ‘Leccino’) with potentially different chilling requirements. In ‘Arbequina’, normal flowering was observed at almost all sites and in all years, while normal flowering events in ‘Frantoio’ and ‘Leccino’ were uncommon. The model successfully predicted if flowering would be normal in 92% and 83% of the cases in ‘Arbequina’ and ‘Frantoio’, respectively, but was somewhat less successful in ‘Leccino’ (61%). When flowering occurred, the predicted flowering date was within ± 7 days of the observed date in 71% of the cases. Overall, the model results indicate that cultivar-specific simulation models may be used as an approximate tool to predict whether individual cultivars will be successful in new growing areas. In Northwest Argentina, the model could be used to identify cultivars to replace ‘Frantoio’ and ‘Leccino’ and to simulate global warming scenarios.
Using NDVI and guided sampling to develop yield prediction maps of processing tomato crop
Authors: Fortes Rafael , Prieto María del Henar , García-Martín Abelardo , Córdoba Antón , Martínez Laura , Campillo Carlos
Published: February 2015

The use of yield prediction maps is an important tool for the delineation of within-field management zones. Vegetation indices based on crop reflectance are of potential use in the attainment of this objective. There are different types of vegetation indices based on crop reflectance, the most commonly used of which is the NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index). NDVI values are reported to have good correlation with several vegetation parameters including the ability to predict yield. The field research was conducted in two commercial farms of processing tomato crop, Cantillana and Enviciados. An NDVI prediction map developed through ordinary kriging technique was used for guided sampling of processing tomato yield. Yield was studied and related with NDVI, and finally a prediction map of crop yield for the entire plot was generated using two geostatistical methodologies (ordinary and regression kriging). Finally, a comparison was made between the yield obtained at validation points and the yield values according to the prediction maps. The most precise yield maps were obtained with the regression kriging methodology with RRMSE values of 14% and 17% in Cantillana and Enviciados, respectively, using the NDVI as predictor. The coefficient of correlation between NDVI and yield was correlated in the point samples taken in the two locations, with values of 0.71 and 0.67 in Cantillana and Enviciados, respectively. The results suggest that the use of a massive sampling parameter such as NDVI is a good indicator of the distribution of within-field yield variation.
Relationships among slurry characteristics and gaseous emissions at different types of commercial Spanish pig farms
Authors: Becaccia Amanda , Ferrer Pablo , Ibañez Miguel A. , Estellés Fernando , Rodríguez Carlos , Moset Verónica , De Blas Carlos , Calvet Salvador , García-Rebollar Paloma
Published: February 2015

This study aimed to analyse several factors of variation of slurry composition and to establish prediction equations for potential methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) emissions. Seventy-nine feed and slurry samples were collected at two seasons (summer and winter) from commercial pig farms sited at two Spanish regions (Centre and Mediterranean). Nursery, growing-fattening, gestating and lactating facilities were sampled. Feed and slurry composition were determined, and potential CH4 and NH3 emissions measured at laboratory. Feed nutrient contents were used as covariates in the analysis. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was evaluated as a predicting tool for slurry composition and potential gaseous emissions. A wide variability was found both in feed and slurry composition. Mediterranean farms had a higher pH (p<0.001) and ash (p=0.02) concentration than those located at the Centre of Spain. Also, type of farm affected ether extract content of the slurry (p=0.02), with highest values obtained for the youngest animal facilities. Results suggested a buffer effect of dietary fibre on slurry pH and a direct relationship (p<0.05) with fibre constituents of manure. Dietary protein content did not affect slurry nitrogen content but decreased (p=0.003) total and volatile solids concentration. Prediction models of potential NH3 emissions (R2=0.89) and CH4 yield (R2=0.61) were obtained from slurry composition. Predictions from NIRS showed a high accuracy for most slurry constituents (R2>0.90) and similar accuracy of prediction of potential NH3 and CH4 emissions (R2=0.84 and 0.68, respectively) to models using slurry characteristics, which can be of interest to estimate emissions from commercial farms and establish mitigation strategies or optimize biogas production.
Suitability of faecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) predictions for estimating gross calorific value
Authors: De la Roza-Delgado Begoña , Modroño Sagrario , Vicente Fernando , Martínez-Fernández Adela , Soldado Ana
Published: February 2015

A total of 220 faecal pig and poultry samples, collected from different experimental trials were employed with the aim to demonstrate the suitability of Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) technology for estimation of gross calorific value on faeces as output products in energy balances studies. NIR spectra from dried and grounded faeces samples were analyzed using a Foss NIRSystem 6500 instrument, scanning over the wavelength range 400-2500 nm. Validation studies for quantitative analytical models were carried out to estimate the relevance of method performance associated to reference values to obtain an appropriate, accuracy and precision. The results for prediction of gross calorific value (GCV) of NIRS calibrations obtained for individual species showed high correlation coefficients comparing chemical analysis and NIRS predictions, ranged from 0.92 to 0.97 for poultry and pig. For external validation, the ratio between the standard error of cross validation (SECV) and the standard error of prediction (SEP) varied between 0.73 and 0.86 for poultry and pig respectively, indicating a sufficiently precision of calibrations. In addition a global model to estimate GCV in both species was developed and externally validated. It showed correlation coefficients of 0.99 for calibration, 0.98 for cross-validation and 0.97 for external validation. Finally, relative uncertainty was calculated for NIRS developed prediction models with the final value when applying individual NIRS species model of 1.3% and 1.5% for NIRS global prediction. This study suggests that NIRS is a suitable and accurate method for the determination of GCV in faeces, decreasing cost, timeless and for convenient handling of unpleasant samples.
The Pathology Residency Program of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: A Model of Its Kind
Authors: Caturegli Patrizio , McCarthy Edward F. , Jackson J. Brooks , Hruban Ralph H.
Published: February 2015

Context

The Department of Pathology of the Johns Hopkins University pioneered in the late 19th century the application of the scientific method to the study of medicine and fostered the development of residency training programs.

Objective

To trace the history of the Johns Hopkins Pathology Residency Program and assess with quantifiable outcomes the performance of former residents.

Design

We reviewed archival and departmental records from September 1899 to June 2014 to create a database of pathology residents. We then analyzed resident in-service examinations, American Board of Pathology examinations, and career paths.

Results

In 115 years the department trained 555 residents who came from 133 medical schools located in 23 countries. Residents performed well on the in-service examinations, obtaining mean scaled total scores that were significantly better (P = .02) than those of the national peer groups. Residents (371 of 396, 94%) passed their boards typically at the first attempt, a percentage pass that was higher than the national average for both anatomic (P < .001) and clinical (P = .002) pathology. Approximately half of the residents went into private practice, whereas a third followed an academic career. Of the latter group, 124 (75%) became professors of pathology, 31 (19%) chairs of pathology departments, 10 (6%) deans of medical schools, 5 (3%) were elected into the National Academy of Sciences, and 1 won the Nobel prize.

Conclusions

While maintaining its original core values, the Johns Hopkins Pathology Residency Program has trained physicians to be outstanding researchers, diagnosticians, and leaders in pathology.
An Algorithmic Approach to Sellar Region Masses
Authors: Kleinschmidt-DeMasters B. K. , Lopes M. B. S. , Prayson Richard A.
Published: February 2015

Context

Most sellar region masses (85%–90%) are pituitary adenomas; however, other neoplasms or even inflammatory or cystic nonneoplastic lesions may occasionally be encountered in this location. A practical, non–electron-microscopically based approach is essential for the daily practice of diagnosing and subclassifying adenomatous and nonadenomatous sellar region lesions.

Objective

To provide an algorithmic approach to sellar region masses for the pathologist and to formulate a cost-effective, limited panel of stains and immunostains that can be used in daily practice at most small to medium-sized centers.

Design

Pool collective experience of 3 neuropathologists practicing at academic medical centers with expertise in diagnosis and treatment of sellar region masses to craft a single-page algorithmic diagram and to liberally illustrate the range of lesions present in the sellar region.

Results

After formulating a differential diagnosis, the general pathologist can generate a confident final diagnosis of adenoma using 1 histochemical (reticulin) and 1 immunohistochemical (synaptophysin) stain, supplemented by 5 immunohistochemical stains (CAM5.2, follicle-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, prolactin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone), which provide subtyping of the adenoma in the overwhelming majority of examples. CAM5.2 and clinical information further help identify clinically aggressive variants such as sparsely granulated growth hormone adenomas and silent adrenocorticotropic hormone adenomas, respectively. MIB-1, thyroid transcription factor 1, and S-100 protein can be of further assistance in select cases where increased mitotic activity or possible nonadenomatous spindle cell lesions are suspected.

Conclusions

Adenomas, normal anterior or posterior gland, and nonadenomatous masses can be easily diagnosed in a nontertiary pathology laboratory setting.
Emotional Intelligence in Library Disaster Response Assistance Teams: Which Competencies Emerged?
Authors: Wilkinson Frances C.
Published: February 2015

This qualitative study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence competencies and the personal attributes of library disaster response assistance team (DRAT) members. Using appreciative inquiry protocol to conduct interviews at two academic libraries, the study presents findings from emergent thematic coding of interview transcripts, documents, and artifacts as well as through the application of predetermined concept choice mapping of the data. Study findings suggest a strong relationship between emotional intelligence competencies and attributes exhibited by DRAT members as they dealt with the disasters at their respective institutions and may inform library leaders who appoint and provide training for team members.
Confidant Relations in Italy
Authors: Isaacs Jenny , Soglian Francesca , Hoffman Edward
Published: February 2015

Confidants are often described as the individuals with whom we choose to disclose personal, intimate matters. The presence of a confidant is associated with both mental and physical health benefits. In this study, 135 Italian adults responded to a structured questionnaire that asked if they had a confidant, and if so, to describe various features of the relationship. The vast majority of participants (91%) reported the presence of a confidant and regarded this relationship as personally important, high in mutuality and trust, and involving minimal lying. Confidants were significantly more likely to be of the opposite sex. Participants overall were significantly more likely to choose a spouse or other family member as their confidant, rather than someone outside of the family network. Familial confidants were generally seen as closer, and of greater value, than non-familial confidants. These findings are discussed within the context of Italian culture.
Machiavellianism and Adult Attachment in General Interpersonal Relationships and Close Relationships
Authors: Ináncsi Tamás , Láng András , Bereczkei Tamás
Published: February 2015

Up to the present, the relationship between Machiavellianism and adult attachment has remained a question to be answered in the psychological literature. That is why this study focused on the relationship between Machiavellianism and attachment towards significant others in general interpersonal relationships and in intimate-close relationships. Two attachment tests (Relationship Questionnaire and long-form of Experiences in Close Relationship) and the Mach-IV test were conducted on a sample consisting of 185 subjects. Results have revealed that Machiavellian subjects show a dismissing-avoidant attachment style in their general interpersonal relationships, while avoidance is further accompanied by some characteristics of attachment anxiety in their intimate-close relationships. Our findings further refine the relationship between Machiavellianism and dismissing-avoidant attachment. Machiavellian individuals not only have a negative representation of significant others, but they also tend to seek symbiotic closeness in order to exploit their partners. This ambitendency in distance regulation might be particularly important in understanding the vulnerability of Machiavellian individuals.
Evidence of an Alternative Currency for Altruism in Laboratory-Based Experiments
Authors: Farrelly Daniel , Moan Emma , White Kristi , Young Sarah
Published: February 2015

Research shows that altruistic behaviours arise in varying social situations in line with different theories of causes of such behaviours. However most research uses financial costs only, which makes our understanding of altruism currently limited. This study presents findings of three experiments that use a novel and simple laboratory-based task that measures altruism based on the amount of time participants are willing to spend as a cost to help others. This task assessed two specific theories; altruistic punishment (Experiments 1 & 2) and empathy-altruism (Experiment 3). All experiments showed that the task was successful, as participants were more likely to altruistically punish violators of social contracts than other scenarios (Experiments 1 and 2), and also incur more costs to behave altruistically towards others when feeling empathic than different emotional states (Experiment 3). These results provide clear support for the use and value of this novel task in future research.
Intercultural Profiles and Adaptation Among Immigrant and Autochthonous Adolescents
Authors: Inguglia Cristiano , Musso Pasquale
Published: February 2015

Few studies examine relationships between intercultural strategies and adaptation among adolescents using a person-oriented approach. Framed from an intercultural psychology perspective, this study used such an approach in order to examine the influence of intercultural profiles, patterns of relationships among variables related to intercultural strategies, on the adaptation of adolescents of both non-dominant and dominant groups. Two hundred and fifty-six adolescents living in Italy and aged from 14 to 18 participated to the study: 127 immigrants from Tunisia (males = 49.61%) and 129 autochthonous (males = 44.19%). Data were collected through self-report questionnaires. Using cluster analytic methods to identify profiles, the results showed that immigrant adolescents were divided in two acculturation profiles, ethnic and integrated-national, with adolescents belonging to the latter showing higher self-esteem, life satisfaction and sociocultural competence than the former. Also among autochthonous adolescents two acculturation expectation profiles were identified, not-multicultural and multicultural, with adolescents belonging to the latter showing higher self-esteem and life satisfaction than the former. Findings highlight the importance of using multiple indicators in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the acculturation process as well as suggesting implications for the social policies in this field.
Concise Review: Making and Using Clinically Compliant Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines
Authors: Carpenter Melissa K. , Rao Mahendra S.
Published: February 2015

The field of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is in a state of dynamic flux driven by significant advances in the derivation of specific phenotypes from embryonic stem cells, breakthroughs in somatic cell nuclear transfer, and dramatic improvements in generating induced PSCs using zero footprint methods. Spurred by these technological advances, companies have begun to plan clinical studies using human PSC derivatives manufactured in current Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant conditions. In the present review, we discuss the challenges in making these biological products, starting from tissue sourcing to the processes involved in manufacture, storage, and distribution. Additional challenges exist to meeting the regulatory requirements and keeping costs affordable. A model is described that has been proposed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health for reducing the costs and permitting flexibility and innovation by individual investigators. This model, combined with small adjustments in the regulatory processes tailored to address the unique properties of PSCs, has the potential of significantly accelerating the implementation of PSC-based cell therapy.