bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Terrain Extraction in Built-Up Areas from Satellite Stereo-Imagery-Derived Surface Models: A Stratified Object-Based Approach
Authors: Luethje Fritjof , Tiede Dirk , Eisank Clemens
Published: January 2017

Very high spatial resolution (VHSR) stereo-imagery-derived digital surface models (DSM) can be used to generate digital elevation models (DEM). Filtering algorithms and triangular irregular network (TIN) densification are the most common approaches. Most filter-based techniques focus on image-smoothing. We propose a new approach which makes use of integrated object-based image analysis (OBIA) techniques. An initial land cover classification is followed by stratified land cover ground point sample detection, using object-specific features to enhance the sampling quality. The detected ground point samples serve as the basis for the interpolation of the DEM. A regional uncertainty index (RUI) is calculated to express the quality of the generated DEM in regard to the DSM, based on the number of samples per land cover object. The results of our approach are compared to a high resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-DEM, and a high level of agreement is observed—especially for non-vegetated and scarcely-vegetated areas. Results show that the accuracy of the DEM is highly dependent on the quality of the initial DSM and—in accordance with the RUI—differs between the different land cover classes.
Complex Messages in Long-Term Monitoring of Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the State of Wisconsin, USA, 1988–2015
Authors: Swengel Ann , Swengel Scott
Published: January 2017

The regal fritillary (“regal”) (Speyeria idalia) is endangered in Wisconsin, USA, and declining and at risk range-wide. During 1988–2015, we surveyed 24 known regal sites and >100 areas of potential habitat in Wisconsin. We recorded 9037 individuals in 742.7 km on the peak survey per year at occupied sites. At six sites surveyed over 5–25 years, we found regal fritillaries in only one year, mostly in the latter half of the study. The three populations in the state with more favorable trends than the median had a never-burned refugium and/or infrequent fire management. They also all had substantial amounts of grazing, haying, and/or mowing managements. Sites with trends below the regional median trend had frequent or moderate fire management, and either a diminishing never-burned refugium or none at all. Regal populations at sites with ≤15 ha of grassland have become undetectable. Nonetheless, Hogback, a slightly larger than 15 ha site, had the most favorable trend, a significant increase. Nearly all Wisconsin Regal populations known before 1990 declined to consistent non-findability, even though these were conserved sites. More favorable trends at more recently discovered populations may be attributable to species-specific habitat management protocols implemented in the 1990s. Two sites with better than median long-term trends represent the longest consistent land ownership of known Regal populations in the state. This wide range of population outcomes illustrates both the need for long-term monitoring and the challenges of explaining the outcomes. Despite evidence of increasing Regal dispersal, this species remains very localized, indicating the unsuitability of the wider landscape as regal habitat. The number of significantly declining or no longer detectable populations in Wisconsin indicates an ever more adverse landscape for this species. Sites will need to have habitat characteristics that are ever more optimal in a wide range of climatic conditions for Regal populations to persist.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications in 2016
Authors:   Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Biocontrol Properties of Basidiomycetes: An Overview
Authors: Sivanandhan Subramaniyan , Khusro Ameer , Paulraj Michael , Ignacimuthu Savarimuthu , AL-Dhabi Naif
Published: January 2017

In agriculture, there is an urgent need for alternate ecofriendly products to control plant diseases. These alternate products must possess preferable characteristics such as new modes of action, cost effectiveness, biodegradability, and target specificity. In the current scenario, studies on macrofungi have been an area of importance for scientists. Macrofungi grow prolifically and are found in many parts of the world. Basidiomycetes (mushrooms) flourish ubiquitously under warm and humid climates. Basidiomycetes are rich sources of natural antibiotics. The secondary metabolites produced by them possess antimicrobial, antitumor, and antioxidant properties. The present review discusses the potential role of Basidiomycetes as anti-phytofungal, anti-phytobacterial, anti-phytoviral, mosquito larvicidal, and nematicidal agents.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of the Journal of Risk and Financial Management in 2016
Authors: JRFM Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of the Journal of Risk and Financial Management would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of JSAN in 2016
Authors:   Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of JSAN would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Optimization of Copper Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Emulsion Liquid Membranes with Benzoylacetone as a Carrier
Authors: León Loreto , León Gerardo , Senent Javier , Pérez-Sirvent Carmen
Published: January 2017

The presence of heavy metals in aqueous solutions above certain limits represents a serious threat to the environment due to their toxicity and non-degradability. Thus, the removal of these metals from contaminated waters has received increasing attention during recent decades. This paper describes the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions by emulsion liquid membranes, through a carrier-facilitated counter-transport mechanism, using benzoylacetone as the carrier and HCl as the stripping agent (protons as counter-ions). To optimize the Cu(II) removal process, the effect of the following operating parameters on the on the stability of the emulsion liquid membrane and on the Cu(II) removal efficiency was studied: feed pH, HCl concentration in the permeate phase, carrier and emulsifier concentration in the membrane phase, feed phase/emulsion phase and permeate phase/membrane phase volume ratios, emulsification time and speed in the primary emulsion preparation and stirring speed in the whole feed phase/emulsion phase system. Typical membrane transport parameters, such as flux and permeability, were also determined. Optimal Cu(II) removal conditions were: 5.5 feed pH, 10 kg/m3 benzoylacetone concentration in the membrane phase, 18.250 kg/m3 HCl concentration in the permeate phase, 50 kg/m3 Span 80 concentration in the membrane phase, 200 rpm stirring rate, 5 min emulsification time, 2700 rpm emulsification rate, 2:1 feed:emulsion volume ratio and 1:1 permeate:membrane volume ratio. In these optimal conditions, 80.3% of Cu(II) was removed in 15 min with an apparent initial flux and permeability of 0.3384 kg·m−3·min−1 and 0.3208 min−1, respectively.
Inhibitory Effects of Probiotic Lactobacillus on the Growth of Human Colonic Carcinoma Cell Line HT-29
Authors: Chen Zhung-Yuan , Hsieh You-Miin , Huang Chun-Chih , Tsai Cheng-Chih
Published: January 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the inhibitory effect of Lactobacillus cells and supernatants on the growth of the human colon cancer cell line HT-29. Our study results indicated that the PM153 strain exhibits the best adhesion ability and the highest survival in the gastrointestinal tract simulation experiment. Furthermore, after an 8-h co-culture of PM153 and HT-29 cells, the PM153 strain can induce the secretion of nitric oxide from the HT-29 cells. In addition, after the co-culture of the BCRC17010 strain (109 cfu/mL) and HT-29 cells, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in the HT-29 cells was 1.19, which showed a significant difference from the other control and LAB groups (p < 0.05), which therefore led to the inference that the BCRC17010 strain exerts a pro-apoptotic effect on the HT-29 cells. Upon co-culture with HT-29 cells for 4, 8 and 12 h, the BCRC14625 strain (109 cfu/mL) demonstrated a significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity (p < 0.05), causing harm to the HT-29 cell membrane; further, after an 8-h co-culture with the HT-29 cells, it induced the secretion of nitric oxide (NO) from the HT-29 cells. Some lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains have ability to inhibit the growth of the colorectal cancer cell line HT-29 Bax/Bcl-2 pathway or NO production. In summary, we demonstrated that the BCRC17010 strain, good abilities of adhesion and increased LDH release, was the best probiotic potential for inhibition of HT-29 growth amongst the seven LAB strains tested in vitro.
B-Vitamin Intake and Biomarker Status in Relation to Cognitive Decline in Healthy Older Adults in a 4-Year Follow-Up Study
Authors: Hughes Catherine , Ward Mary , Tracey Fergal , Hoey Leane , Molloy Anne , Pentieva Kristina , McNulty Helene
Published: January 2017

Advancing age can be associated with an increase in cognitive dysfunction, a spectrum of disability that ranges in severity from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Folate and the other B-vitamins involved in one-carbon metabolism are associated with cognition in ageing but the evidence is not entirely clear. The hypothesis addressed in this study was that lower dietary intake or biomarker status of folate and/or the metabolically related B-vitamins would be associated with a greater than expected rate of cognitive decline over a 4-year follow-up period in healthy older adults. Participants (aged 60–88 years; n = 155) who had been previously screened for cognitive function were reassessed four years after initial investigation using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). At the 4-year follow-up assessment when participants were aged 73.4 ± 7.1 years, mean cognitive MMSE scores had declined from 29.1 ± 1.3 at baseline to 27.5 ± 2.4 (p < 0.001), but some 27% of participants showed a greater than expected rate of cognitive decline (i.e., decrease in MMSE > 0.56 points per year). Lower vitamin B6 status, as measured using pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP; <43 nmol/L) was associated with a 3.5 times higher risk of accelerated cognitive decline, after adjustment for age and baseline MMSE score (OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.58 to 7.63; p < 0.05). Correspondingly, lower dietary intake (0.9–1.4 mg/day) of vitamin B6 was also associated with a greater rate of cognitive decline (OR, 4.22; 95% CI, 1.28–13.90; p < 0.05). No significant relationships of dietary intake or biomarker status with cognitive decline were observed for the other B-vitamins. In conclusion, lower dietary and biomarker status of vitamin B6 at baseline predicted a greater than expected rate of cognitive decline over a 4-year period in healthy older adults. Vitamin B6 may be an important protective factor in helping maintain cognitive health in ageing.
Is Toxoplasma gondii a Trigger of Bipolar Disorder?
Authors: Del Grande Claudia , Galli Luca , Schiavi Elisa , Dell’Osso Liliana , Bruschi Fabrizio
Published: January 2017

Toxoplasma gondii, a ubiquitous intracellular parasite, has a strong tropism for the brain tissue, where it forms intracellular cysts within the neurons and glial cells, establishing a chronic infection. Although latent toxoplasmosis is generally assumed to be asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, it is now clear that it can induce behavioral manipulations in mice and infected humans. Moreover, a strong relation has emerged in recent years between toxoplasmosis and psychiatric disorders. The link between T. gondii and schizophrenia has been the most widely documented; however, a significant association with bipolar disorder (BD) and suicidal/aggressive behaviors has also been detected. T. gondii may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric disorders affecting neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, that are implicated in the emergence of psychosis and behavioral Toxoplasma-induced abnormalities, and inducing brain inflammation by the direct stimulation of inflammatory cytokines in the central nervous system. Besides this, there is increasing evidence for a prominent role of immune dysregulation in psychosis and BD. The aim of this review is to describe recent evidence suggesting a link between Toxoplasma gondii and BD, focusing on the interaction between immune responses and this infectious agent in the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric symptoms.
Glocalization and the Marketing of Christianity in Early Modern Southeast Asia
Authors: Andaya Barbara
Published: January 2017

The expansion of European commercial interests into Southeast Asia during the early modern period was commonly justified by the biblical injunction to spread Christian teachings, and by the “civilizing” influences it was said to foster. In focusing on areas where Christianity gained a foothold or, in the Philippines and Timor Leste, became the dominant faith, this article invokes the marketing concept of “glocalization”, frequently applied to the sociology of religion. It argues that the historical beginnings of the processes associated with the global/local interface of Christianity are situated in the sixteenth century, when Europe, Asia and the Americas were finally linked through maritime connections. Christian missionizing was undertaken with the assumption that the European-based “brand” of beliefs and practices could be successfully transported to a very different environment. However, the application of these ideas was complicated by the goal of imposing European economic control, by the local resistance thus generated, and by competition with other religions and among Christians themselves. In this often antagonistic environment, the degree to which a global product could be “repackaged” and “glocalized” so that it was appealing to consumers in different cultural environments was always constrained, even among the most sympathetic purveyors. As a result, the glocalization of Christianity set up “power-laden tensions” which both global institutions and dispersed consumers continue to negotiate.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Religions in 2016
Authors:   Religions Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of Religions would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Resources in 2016
Authors:   Resources Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of Resources would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Pointing Verification Method for Spaceborne Lidars
Authors: Amediek Axel , Wirth Martin
Published: January 2017

High precision acquisition of atmospheric parameters from the air or space by means of lidar requires accurate knowledge of laser pointing. Discrepancies between the assumed and actual pointing can introduce large errors due to the Doppler effect or a wrongly assumed air pressure at ground level. In this paper, a method for precisely quantifying these discrepancies for airborne and spaceborne lidar systems is presented. The method is based on the comparison of ground elevations derived from the lidar ranging data with high-resolution topography data obtained from a digital elevation model and allows for the derivation of the lateral and longitudinal deviation of the laser beam propagation direction. The applicability of the technique is demonstrated by using experimental data from an airborne lidar system, confirming that geo-referencing of the lidar ground spot trace with an uncertainty of less than 10 m with respect to the used digital elevation model (DEM) can be obtained.
Detection of Water Bodies from AVHRR Data—A TIMELINE Thematic Processor
Authors: Dietz Andreas , Klein Igor , Gessner Ursula , Frey Corinne , Kuenzer Claudia , Dech Stefan
Published: January 2017

The assessment of water body dynamics is not only in itself a topic of strong demand, but the presence of water bodies is important information when it comes to the derivation of products such as land surface temperature, leaf area index, or snow/ice cover mapping from satellite data. For the TIMELINE project, which aims to derive such products for a long time series of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data for Europe, precise water masks are therefore not only an important stand-alone product themselves, they are also an essential interstage information layer, which has to be produced automatically after preprocessing of the raw satellite data. The respective orbit segments from AVHRR are usually more than 2000 km wide and several thousand km long, thus leading to fundamentally different observation geometries, including varying sea surface temperatures, wave patterns, and sediment and algae loads. The water detection algorithm has to be able to manage these conditions based on a limited amount of spectral channels and bandwidths. After reviewing and testing already available methods for water body detection, we concluded that they cannot fully overcome the existing challenges and limitations. Therefore an extended approach was implemented, which takes into account the variations of the reflectance properties of water surfaces on a local to regional scale; the dynamic local threshold determination will train itself automatically by extracting a coarse-scale classification threshold, which is refined successively while analyzing subsets of the orbit segment. The threshold is then interpolated by fitting a minimum curvature surface before additional steps also relying on the brightness temperature are included to reduce possible misclassifications. The classification results have been validated using Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and proven an overall accuracy of 93.4%, with the majority of errors being connected to flawed geolocation accuracy of the AVHRR data. The presented approach enables the derivation of long-term water body time series from AVHRR data and is the basis for applied geoscientific studies on large-scale water body dynamics.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Sensors in 2016
Authors:   Sensors Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of Sensors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Malthus and the Philanthropists, 1764–1859: The Cultural Circulation of Political Economy, Botany, and Natural Knowledge
Authors: MacDonald J.
Published: January 2017

Modernity does not possess a monopoly on mass incarceration, population fears, forced migration, famine, or climatic change. Indeed, contemporary and early modern concerns over these matters have extended interests in Thomas Malthus. Yet, despite extensive research on population issues, little work explicates the genesis of population knowledge production or how the process of intellectual transfer occurred during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This paper examines the Delessert network’s instrumental role in cultivating, curating, and circulating knowledge that popularized Malthusian population theory, including the theory’s constitutive elements of political economy, philanthropy, industry, agriculture, and botany. I show how deviant, nonconformist groups suffered forced migration for their political philosophy, particularly during the revolutionary 1790s, resulting in their imprisonment and migration to America. A consequence of these social shifts was the diffusion and dissemination of population theory—as a pursuit of scientific knowledge and exploration—across both sides of the Atlantic. By focusing on the Delesserts and their social network, I find that a byproduct of inter and intra continental migration among European elites was a knowledge exchange that stimulated Malthus’s thesis on population and Genevan Augustin Pyramus Candolle’s research on botany, ultimately culminating in Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and human evolution.
The Influence of Religiosity on Moral Judgment in Sport
Authors: Proios Miltiadis , Proios Ioannis
Published: January 2017

The creation of a much clearer view on religiosity-morality relations was the basic goal of the present study. Another goal was to examine the impact of factors (gender, type of sports) that possibly effect the formation of moral content judgment and parts of religiosity within a sport environment. The participants were 258 athletes of the Christian Orthodox faith (180 males and 78 females). All participants were involved in the fourteen sports. They filled out the Moral Content Judgment in Sport Questionnaire (MCJSQ), the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ), and the Religious Schema Scale (RSS). Results showed an effect of gender and type of sports on moral judgment and religiosity, respectively. Results also revealed the predicting ability of religiosity on moral judgment with religious schemas presenting more intense participation than that of religious faith.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Technologies in 2016
Authors:   Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of Technologies would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Universe in 2016
Authors:   Universe Editorial Office
Published: January 2017

The editors of Universe would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016.[...]
Mx Is Not Responsible for the Antiviral Activity of Interferon-α against Japanese Encephalitis Virus
Authors: Zhou Jing , Wang Shi-Qi , Wei Jian-Chao , Zhang Xiao-Min , Gao Zhi-Can , Liu Ke , Ma Zhi-Yong , Chen Pu-Yan , Zhou Bin
Published: January 2017

Mx proteins are interferon (IFN)-induced dynamin-like GTPases that are present in all vertebrates and inhibit the replication of myriad viruses. However, the role Mx proteins play in IFN-mediated suppression of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection is unknown. In this study, we set out to investigate the effects of Mx1 and Mx2 expression on the interferon-α (IFNα) restriction of JEV replication. To evaluate whether the inhibitory activity of IFNα on JEV is dependent on Mx1 or Mx2, we knocked down Mx1 or Mx2 with siRNA in IFNα-treated PK-15 cells and BHK-21 cells, then challenged them with JEV; the production of progeny virus was assessed by plaque assay, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting. Our results demonstrated that depletion of Mx1 or Mx2 did not affect JEV restriction imposed by IFNα, although these two proteins were knocked down 66% and 79%, respectively. Accordingly, expression of exogenous Mx1 or Mx2 did not change the inhibitory activity of IFNα to JEV. In addition, even though virus-induced membranes were damaged by Brefeldin A (BFA), overexpressing porcine Mx1 or Mx2 did not inhibit JEV proliferation. We found that BFA inhibited JEV replication, not maturation, suggesting that BFA could be developed into a novel antiviral reagent. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that IFNα inhibits JEV infection by Mx-independent pathways.
Statistical Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Multi-Elements in an Island Arc Region: Complicating Factors and Transfer by Water Currents
Authors: Ohta Atsuyuki , Imai Noboru , Tachibana Yoshiko , Ikehara Ken
Published: January 2017

The compositions and transfer processes affecting coastal sea sediments from the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean are examined through the construction of comprehensive terrestrial and marine geochemical maps for western Japan. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) suggests that the elemental concentrations of marine sediments vary with particle size, and that this has a greater effect than the regional provenance of the terrestrial material. Cluster analysis is employed to reveal similarities and differences in the geochemistry of coastal sea and stream sediments. This analysis suggests that the geochemical features of fine sands and silts in the marine environment reflect those of stream sediments in the adjacent terrestrial areas. However, gravels and coarse sands do not show this direct relationship, which is likely a result of mineral segregation by strong tidal currents and the denudation of old basement rocks. Finally, the transport processes for the fine-grained sediments are discussed, using the spatial distribution patterns of outliers for those elements enriched in silt and clay. Silty and clayey sediments are found to be transported and dispersed widely by a periodic current in the inner sea, and are selectively deposited at the boundary of different water masses in the outer sea.
Exploring the best strategy plan for improving the digital convergence by using a hybrid MADM model
Authors: HSU Wan-Chi Jackie , TSAI Ming-Hone , TZENG Gwo-Hshiung
Published: January 2017

This study proposes a new hybrid MADM model that can explore the best strategy plan according to the environmental attributes that influence digital convergence, with the additional consideration of societal and individual needs for improving the digital convergence toward satisficing users’ needs. The proposed hybrid MADM model employs the DEMATEL method to construct an influential network relationship map (INRM), and find the influential weights of DANP (DEMATEL-based ANP). Next, a modified VIKOR method is employed to assess the weighting of identified attributes to integrate the performance gap for each criterion into dimensions and the overall. Finally, this paper presents Taiwan as an empirical case to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model in practically improving laws and regulations to plan for digital convergence. The contributions of our proposed model can be summarized as follows: (1) The INRM can be used to assist government bodies in understanding the influence and relationships of digital convergence development; (2) The modified VIKOR can be employed to reduce performance-gap towards achieving the aspiration level; (3) The model can help decision-makers to avoid choosing the optimal inferior alternative for reaching a certain aspiration level through continuous improvement.
THE GOULD’S BELT DISTANCES SURVEY (GOBELINS). I. TRIGONOMETRIC PARALLAX DISTANCES AND DEPTH OF THE OPHIUCHUS COMPLEX
Authors: Ortiz-León Gisela N. , Loinard Laurent , Kounkel Marina A. , Dzib Sergio A. , Mioduszewski Amy J. , Rodríguez Luis F. , Torres Rosa M. , González-Lópezlira Rosa A. , Pech Gerardo , Rivera Juana L. , Hartmann Lee , Boden Andrew F. , Evans II Neal J. , Briceño Cesar , Tobin John J. , Galli Phillip A. B. , Gudehus Donald
Published: January 2017

We present the first results of the Gould’s Belt Distances Survey (GOBELINS), a project aimed at measuring the proper motion and trigonometric parallax of a large sample of young stars in nearby regions using multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio observations. Enough VLBA detections have now been obtained for 16 stellar systems in Ophiuchus to derive their parallax and proper motion. This leads to distance determinations for individual stars with an accuracy of 0.3 to a few percent. In addition, the orbits of six multiple systems were modelled by combining absolute positions with VLBA (and, in some cases, near-infrared) angular separations. Twelve stellar systems are located in the dark cloud Lynds 1688; the individual distances for this sample are highly consistent with one another and yield a mean parallax for Lynds 1688 of

mas, corresponding to a distance

pc. This represents an accuracy greater than 1%. Three systems for which astrometric elements could be measured are located in the eastern streamer (Lynds 1689) and yield an estimate of

mas, corresponding to a distance

pc. This suggests that the eastern streamer is located about 10 pc farther than the core, but this conclusion needs to be confirmed by observations of additional sources in the eastern streamer (currently being collected). From the measured proper motions, we estimate the one-dimensional velocity dispersion in Lynds 1688 to be 2.8 ± 1.8 and 3.0 ± 2.0 km s−1, in R.A. and decl., respectively; these are larger than, but still consistent within

of, those found in other studies.
THE DEPLETION OF WATER DURING DISPERSAL OF PLANET-FORMING DISK REGIONS
Authors: Banzatti A. , Pontoppidan K. M. , Salyk C. , Herczeg G. J. , van Dishoeck E. F. , Blake G. A.
Published: January 2017

We present a new velocity-resolved survey of 2.9 μm spectra of hot H2O and OH gas emission from protoplanetary disks, obtained with the Cryogenic Infrared Echelle Spectrometer at the VLT (R ∼ 96,000). With the addition of archival Spitzer-IRS spectra, this is the most comprehensive spectral data set of water vapor emission from disks ever assembled. We provide line fluxes at 2.9–33 μm that probe from the dust sublimation radius at ∼0.05 au out to the region of the water snow line. With a combined data set for 55 disks, we find a new correlation between H2O line fluxes and the radius of CO gas emission, as measured in velocity-resolved 4.7 μm spectra (R

), which probes molecular gaps in inner disks. We find that H2O emission disappears from 2.9 μm (hotter water) to 33 μm (colder water) as

increases and expands out to the snow line radius. These results suggest that the infrared water spectrum is a tracer of inside-out water depletion within the snow line. It also helps clarify an unsolved discrepancy between water observations and models by finding that disks around stars of

generally have inner gaps with depleted molecular gas content. We measure radial trends in H2O, OH, and CO line fluxes that can be used as benchmarks for models to study the chemical composition and evolution of planet-forming disk regions at 0.05–20 au. We propose that JWST spectroscopy of molecular gas may be used as a probe of inner disk gas depletion, complementary to the larger gaps and holes detected by direct imaging and by ALMA.
EVOLUTION OF HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLE DISTRIBUTION IN MATURE SHELL-TYPE SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
Authors: Zeng Houdun , Xin Yuliang , Liu Siming , Jokipii J. R. , Zhang Li , Zhang Shuinai
Published: January 2017

Multi-wavelength observations of mature supernova remnants (SNRs), especially with recent advances in γ-ray astronomy, make it possible to constrain energy distribution of energetic particles within these remnants. In consideration of the SNR origin of Galactic cosmic rays and physics related to particle acceleration and radiative processes, we use a simple one-zone model to fit the nonthermal emission spectra of three shell-type SNRs located within 2° on the sky: RX J1713.7−3946, CTB 37B, and CTB 37A. Although radio images of these three sources all show a shell (or half-shell) structure, their radio, X-ray, and γ-ray spectra are quite different, offering an ideal case to explore evolution of energetic particle distribution in SNRs. Our spectral fitting shows that (1) the particle distribution becomes harder with aging of these SNRs, implying a continuous acceleration process, and the particle distributions of CTB 37A and CTB 37B in the GeV range are harder than the hardest distribution that can be produced at a shock via the linear diffusive shock particle acceleration process, so spatial transport may play a role; (2) the energy loss timescale of electrons at the high-energy cutoff due to synchrotron radiation appears to be always a bit (within a factor of a few) shorter than the age of the corresponding remnant, which also requires continuous particle acceleration; (3) double power-law distributions are needed to fit the spectra of CTB 37B and CTB 37A, which may be attributed to shock interaction with molecular clouds.
ASTROPHYSICAL PRIOR INFORMATION AND GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE PARAMETER ESTIMATION
Authors: Pankow Chris , Sampson Laura , Perri Leah , Chase Eve , Coughlin Scott , Zevin Michael , Kalogera Vassiliki
Published: January 2017

The detection of electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves (GWs) has great promise for the investigation of many scientific questions. While it is well known that certain orientation parameters can reduce uncertainty in other related parameters, it was also hoped that the detection of an electromagnetic signal in conjunction with a GW could augment the measurement precision of the mass and spin from the gravitational signal itself. That is, knowledge of the sky location, inclination, and redshift of a binary could break degeneracies between these extrinsic, coordinate-dependent parameters and the physical parameters that are intrinsic to the binary. In this paper, we investigate this issue by assuming perfect knowledge of extrinsic parameters, and assessing the maximal impact of this knowledge on our ability to extract intrinsic parameters. We recover similar gains in extrinsic recovery to earlier work; however, we find only modest improvements in a few intrinsic parameters—namely the primary component’s spin. We thus conclude that, even in the best case, the use of additional information from electromagnetic observations does not improve the measurement of the intrinsic parameters significantly.
TRACING DENSE AND DIFFUSE NEUTRAL HYDROGEN IN THE HALO OF THE MILKY WAY
Authors: Moss V A. , Lockman F J. , McClure-Griffiths N. M.
Published: January 2017

We have combined observations of Galactic high-velocity H i from two surveys: a very sensitive survey from the Green Bank 140 ft Telescope with limited sky coverage, and the less sensitive but complete Galactic All Sky Survey from the 64 m Parkes Radio Telescope. The two surveys preferentially detect different forms of neutral gas due to their sensitivity. We adopt a machine learning approach to divide our data into two populations that separate across a range in column density: (1) a narrow line-width population typical of the majority of bright high velocity cloud components, and (2) a fainter, broad line-width population that aligns well with that of the population found in the Green Bank survey. We refer to these populations as dense and diffuse gas, respectively, and find that diffuse gas is typically located at the edges and in the tails of high velocity clouds, surrounding dense components in the core. A fit to the average spectrum of each type of gas in the Galactic All Sky Survey data reveals the dense population to have a typical line width of ∼20 km s−1 and brightness temperature of ∼0.3 K, while the diffuse population has a typical line width of ∼30 km s−1 and a brightness temperature of ∼0.2 K. Our results confirm that most surveys of high velocity gas in the Milky Way halo are missing the majority of the ubiquitous diffuse gas, and that this gas is likely to contribute at least as much mass as the dense gas.
Empowerment Against All Odds
Authors: Bastian Bettina Lynda
Published: January 2017

The number of women-owned businesses worldwide has increased significantly, a development that extends to other parts of the world, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This region's cultural and socioeconomic idiosyncrasies offer unique perspectives on women entrepreneurship. This article provides a critical overview over the situation of female entrepreneurship in the region, which takes into consideration challenges and opportunities on the level of the individual entrepreneurs, as well as on the macro environmental level. We finally discuss constructive solutions in order to increase the number of women business founders.
Succession Challenges Facing Family Businesses in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Ekanem Ignatius , Alrossais Latifah Abdulmohsen
Published: January 2017

The aim of this study is to examine how succession planning is carried out in family-owned businesses in Saudi Arabia. The study adopts a qualitative methodology which involves semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The major findings of the research is that most of the family businesses in Saudi Arabia do not have a proper succession plan due mainly to socio-cultural issues such as mistrust and conflict of interest between the older and the younger members of the family and also subservience of women in the society generally. The implications of the study are discussed including a paradigm shift where women are encouraged and given the opportunity to get involved in the running of their family businesses.
Expatriate Lebanese Entrepreneurship
Authors: Zgheib Philippe W.
Published: January 2017

The Lebanese have always been great travelers and emigration played an important role in their history. It became inevitable then that entrepreneurship played a major role in shaping the life of those Lebanese residing outside their motherland, as they had to rely on new and creative ways to sustain their living. Although Lebanese entrepreneurs know how to pinpoint opportunities, they still have limited knowledge of the administrative aspects of managing a business. In other words, Lebanese entrepreneurs have the talent but lack organizational skills. Lebanon is a country where management styles are still traditional. Thus, trying to apply modern management practices can be rather difficult. New technology and product diversification are introduced informally through individual efforts of entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurial Innovation in Islamic Banking
Authors: Zgheib Philippe W. , Massalkhy Lama I.
Published: January 2017

Instruments of Islamic finance have recently reemerged as an innovative tool for entrepreneurial transactions. Purpose of this chapter is to: a) define Islamic banking Product; b) compare with nearest western banking equivalent; c) highlight advantages and disadvantages of product; d) state future progression of banking towards convergence or divergence between Islamic and Western banking; and e) finally evaluate the role of client focus and customer driven performance in the future trends of entrepreneurial Islamic funding. This chapter highlights the concept of Islamic Banking. Business is slowly adopting Islamic banking as a rival market to western fractional reserve banking from the perspective of delivering customer value. This synopsis covers 19 instruments of Islamic banking by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each one to that of conventional banking. Interestingly, the comparative methods result in several findings including the fact that banks must be completely devoted to providing customers with excellent service standards, and must also cater for customers‘ needs and demands. In addition, if Islamic services are desired, then the ones who cater for those needs will survive. Whereas western banks have a higher chance to penetrate the Islamic banking sector, Islamic banks can't provide any conventional banking services due to Sharia'a rules that prohibit fixed or floating payment or acceptance of specific interest or fees for any service.This chapter also concludes with a contrast between Islamic and western banking from a customer perspective.
Intellectual Property Rights and the Protection of Africa's Traditional Knowledge
Authors: Assay Benjamin Enahoro
Published: January 2017

This chapter examines the media, intellectual property rights and the protection of Africa's traditional knowledge in the digital age. It reviews literature on intellectual property, intellectual property rights, the various forms of intellectual property rights and the misappropriation and infringement on intellectual property rights, traditional knowledge, and media in digital age. The chapter provides perspectives on the issues and controversies on the non-protection of traditional knowledge within the existing frameworks of IP system and rules. It points out that the products of Africa's traditional knowledge are in dire need of protection against global competitors and therefore urges African governments to take advantage of the IP rules to negotiate with industrialized countries for the protection of their products. The chapter called for the enactment of tougher legislations to halt the menace of counterfeiting and digital piracy and deliberate use of the media to promote the products. It also made some recommendations that would help Africa defend its IP.
Overcoming the Legal Challenges of News Reporting
Authors: Bishop Jonathan
Published: January 2017

When one thinks of barriers to setting up a news corporation, one might think in terms of the costs of machinery and staffing. This case study of a start-up news corporation called Crocels News shows that the biggest cost can be in resolving legal disputes, most significantly from news articles scrutinising public bodies and their staff. This chapter investigates the difficulties faced by Crocels News in providing news content. By considering the legal correspondence received, the chapter provides insights into some of the problems all news services are likely to experience if they do not have access to the huge legal budgets of the established news corporations. The findings are particularly worrying for emerging forms of news reporting, such as citizen journalism. The chapter therefore proposes changes in statute so that case law that protects free speech is more easily enforced.
Boko Haram Insurgency in Cameroon
Authors: Kunock Afu Isaiah
Published: January 2017

Cameroon has recently become a target of deadly attacks including shootings, kidnappings and suicide bombings by the Islamic insurgent group Boko Haram. Cognizant of the fact that Cameroon has not experienced anything like this since independence, the Cameroon mass media is challenged as to how to appropriately report this insurgency in a manner that will result in conflict containment and management rather than escalation. The researcher set to examine the role of the media in managing this armed conflict through the critical analysis of documents as well as interviews and observations from the theoretical perspective of framing. Framing by the media has been a very effective strategy in managing the conflict by mobilizing the national population against the sect while maintaining calm and lessening panic and anxiety. This effort by Cameroon media is highly commended although more still needs to be done.
Rethinking Information Privacy in a “Connected” World
Authors: Akpojivi Ufuoma
Published: January 2017

The emergence and usage of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) by states, institutions and individuals has challenged and created a shift in the normative idea of privacy from rights to solitude. Consequently, this chapter sought to ascertain if emerging democracies and economies such as South Africa and Nigeria have privacy frameworks that adequately guarantee and protect the privacy of their citizens in this globalized era. Using policy analysis, this chapter argues that although the privacy provisions in South Africa are comprehensive, the privacy framework fails to address the privacy leak associated with the usage of these ICTs. Whereas, in Nigeria, it was observed that the privacy framework is inadequate as there are no specific privacy provisions, thus the assertion that Nigerians have no privacy in this globalized era of connectivity.
Liminal Learning
Authors: Davis L Johnson
Published: January 2017

Current educational systems have been built around the faulty metaphor of industry in which human learning is equated to machine learning or learning that is computational, linear, and void of meaning. This metaphor has been extended to how digital systems and spaces are utilized in the classroom. Recent research and conceptual frameworks built upon human learning from a metaphoric mind perspective (learning built upon meaning making and experiential connections within a social matrix), may work toward recontextualizing the use of digital technologies as methods for understanding individual experience and documenting human learning at work. A novel conceptual framework describes the digital space as a liminal learning space in which the learner enters to co-construct meaning within a social matrix, which may be evidenced by current digital artifacts. Implications for contextualizing digital technologies as liminal learning spaces are explored.
Where Are We If Our Batteries Die?
Authors: Sullivan Pamela M. , Sullivan Will P.
Published: January 2017

This chapter explores the role of technology in literacy from an historical perspective. Using the examples of the printing press, Engelbart's philosophy of technology use, and the Law of Amplification, compared with the current status of technology in education, the authors argue that the technology itself is less important than the framework and pedagogy that it supports.
The Dying of the Light
Authors: Whitaker Westry
Published: January 2017

These are dangerous times (Giroux, 2010, 2015). In this chapter, the author illuminates and explores the founders' complex and often contradictory perspectives on public education and democracy itself and their relevance to technologically-mediated educational discourses. This chapter demonstrates the importance of re-politicizing and historicizing public education with particular emphasis on defending public schools, public school teachers and the very concept of public education as a site of democratic solidarity. The author approaches this topic with attention to the corporatized war on education waged by wayward conservatives and centrist democrats. The author explores these battle lines while juxtaposing their stance and value for public education with that of the nation's founders. The author expands upon this contrast by drawing critical awareness to the social, political, and cultural implications of information technology and the use of digital spaces to project our voices and faces loudly and vividly into the bedrooms of people never met.
Incorporating Students' Digital Identities in Analog Spaces
Authors: Fassbender William J.
Published: January 2017

Multiliteracies has gained significant favor in the past two decades due to the increased popularity of technology. Educators are not only finding new and exciting ways to make content relatable to students by including their digital lives in the classroom, but now the digital experience of teens is the topic of classroom conversations. The inclusion of students' online identities has certain advantages, as many students may find the bridge between academic work and their out-of-school lives advantageous to their learning. However, educators need to give careful consideration of how to safely include students' digital identities into the classroom, as these online lives are often carefully crafted for their networking platforms and are not necessarily intended for analog, classroom spaces. Throughout this article, the author explores the ways in which teachers incorporate teens' online identities and troubles the notion that teachers can safely include these identities without co-opting their out-of-school online practices.
Making Sense of Authors and Texts in a Remixed, Participatory Culture
Authors: Beach Crystal L.
Published: January 2017

Mikhail Bakhtin's and Jacques Rancière's theories can help educators understand students' texts in today's remixed, participatory culture. Specifically, this chapter will focus on two key terms: Bakhtin's heteroglossia and Rancière's emancipated spectator. First, the aforementioned terms will be defined in relation to the authors' ideas and applied to literacy education. Then, these ideas will be connected to how authors and texts are shaped by remixing within a participatory culture. Next, Bakhtin's and Rancière's works will be discussed to understand how they speak to each other concerning remixing in a participatory culture, pulling from examples from the research literature. Finally, it will be important to consider the implications of their work for literacy educators and researchers.