bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Should We Ascribe Capabilities to Sentient Animals? A Critical Analysis of the Extension of Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach
Authors: Melin Anders , Kronlid David
Published: August 2016

Originally, the Capabilities Approach had a strong anthropocentric orientation because of its focus on the entitlements of individual humans. However, as a part of the interest to employ it within animal and environmental ethics, it has been discussed whether the Capabilities Approach should consider also non-human life forms for their own sake. The most influential and elaborated contribution to this debate is Martha Nussbaum’s extension of the Capabilities Approach to include sentient animals. In this article, we argue that Nussbaum’s ascription of capabilities to animals is problematic, since the concept of a capability normally denotes an opportunity to choose between different functionings. When Nussbaum ascribes capabilities to animals, the concept seems to simply denote specific abilities. Such a use is problematic since it waters down the concept and makes it less meaningful, and it may obscure the fact that normal, adult humans, in contrast to sentient animals, can act as conscious moral agents. The aim of granting moral status to sentient animals can be achieved more convincingly by describing our moral relationship to animals in terms of the functionings we should promote, instead of ascribing capabilities to them.
Originally, the Capabilities Approach had a strong anthropocentric orientation because of its focus on the entitlements of individual humans. However, as a part of the interest to employ it within animal and environmental ethics, it has been discussed whether the Capabilities Approach should consider also non-human life forms for their own sake. The most influential and elaborated contribution to this debate is Martha Nussbaum’s extension of the Capabilities Approach to include sentient animals. In this article, we argue that Nussbaum’s ascription of capabilities to animals is problematic, since the concept of a capability normally denotes an opportunity to choose between different functionings. When Nussbaum ascribes capabilities to animals, the concept seems to simply denote specific abilities. Such a use is problematic since it waters down the concept and makes it less meaningful, and it may obscure the fact that normal, adult humans, in contrast to sentient animals, can act as conscious moral agents. The aim of granting moral status to sentient animals can be achieved more convincingly by describing our moral relationship to animals in terms of the functionings we should promote, instead of ascribing capabilities to them.
A Novel AHRS Inertial Sensor-Based Algorithm for Wheelchair Propulsion Performance Analysis
Authors: Shepherd Jonathan , Wada Tomohito , Rowlands David , James Daniel
Published: August 2016

With the increasing rise of professionalism in sport, athletes, teams, and coaches are looking to technology to monitor performance in both games and training in order to find a competitive advantage. The use of inertial sensors has been proposed as a cost effective and adaptable measurement device for monitoring wheelchair kinematics; however, the outcomes are dependent on the reliability of the processing algorithms. Though there are a variety of algorithms that have been proposed to monitor wheelchair propulsion in court sports, they all have limitations. Through experimental testing, we have shown the Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS)-based algorithm to be a suitable and reliable candidate algorithm for estimating velocity, distance, and approximating trajectory. The proposed algorithm is computationally inexpensive, agnostic of wheel camber, not sensitive to sensor placement, and can be embedded for real-time implementations. The research is conducted under Griffith University Ethics (GU Ref No: 2016/294).
Energy-Harvesting Performances of Two Tandem Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters with Cylinders in Water
Authors: Shan Xiaobiao , Song Rujun , Fan Menglong , Xie Tao
Published: August 2016

This paper presents a new energy-harvesting system with two identical piezoelectric energy harvesters in a tandem configuration. Each harvester consists of a piezoelectric beam and a circular cylinder. Experiments are performed to investigate the energy-harvesting performances of this system in water. It can be found that their energy-harvesting performances are all different from that of the single harvester (without an upstream or downstream harvester). The experimental results show that the water speed and the spacing ratio have significant effects on the energy-harvesting performances of the two tandem harvesters. The output power of the upstream harvester first increases, and then decreases with the water speed increasing. The maximum output power of 167.8 μW is achieved at the water speed of 0.306 m/s and the spacing ratio (L/D) of 2.5. Increasing the water speed results in an increase in the energy performance of the downstream harvester. Compared with the single harvester, the performance of the downstream harvester is weakened in the low water speed range, but enhanced in the higher water speed range. Further, the output power of 533 μW is obtained by the downstream harvester at the water speed of 0.412 m/s and the spacing ratio of 1.7, which is 29 times more than that of the single harvester. The results indicate the superiority of the two tandem harvesters in energy-harvesting performance.
Laccase Immobilization on Poly(p-Phenylenediamine)/Fe3O4 Nanocomposite for Reactive Blue 19 Dye Removal
Authors: Liu Youxun , Yan Mingyang , Geng Yuanyuan , Huang Juan
Published: August 2016

Magnetic poly(p-phenylenediamine) (PpPD) nanocomposite was synthesized via mixing p-phenylenediamine solution and Fe3O4 nanoparticles and used as a carrier for immobilized enzymes. Successful synthesis of PpPD/Fe3O4 nanofiber was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Laccase (Lac) was immobilized on the surface of PpPD/Fe3O4 nanofiber through covalent bonding for reactive blue 19 dye removal. The immobilized Lac-nanofiber conjugates could be recovered from the reaction solution using a magnet. The optimum reaction pH and temperature for the immobilized Lac were 3.5 and 65 °C, respectively. The storage, operational stability, and thermal stability of the immobilized Lac were higher than those of its free counterpart. The dye removal efficiency of immobilized Lac was about 80% in the first 1 h of incubation, while that of free Lac was about 20%. It was found that the unique electronic properties of PpPD might underlie the high dye removal efficiency of immobilized Lac. Over a period of repeated operation, the dye removal efficiency was above 90% during the first two cycles and remained at about 43% after eight cycles. Immobilized Lac on PpPD/Fe3O4 nanofiber showed high stability, easy recovery, reuse capabilities, and a high removal efficiency for reactive blue 19 dye; therefore, it provides an optional tool for dye removal from wastewater.
Deep Brain Stimulation Frequency—A Divining Rod for New and Novel Concepts of Nervous System Function and Therapy
Authors: Montgomery Erwin , He Huang
Published: August 2016

The efficacy of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for an expanding array of neurological and psychiatric disorders demonstrates directly that DBS affects the basic electroneurophysiological mechanisms of the brain. The increasing array of active electrode configurations, stimulation currents, pulse widths, frequencies, and pulse patterns provides valuable tools to probe electroneurophysiological mechanisms. The extension of basic electroneurophysiological and anatomical concepts using sophisticated computational modeling and simulation has provided relatively straightforward explanations of all the DBS parameters except frequency. This article summarizes current thought about frequency and relevant observations. Current methodological and conceptual errors are critically examined in the hope that future work will not replicate these errors. One possible alternative theory is presented to provide a contrast to many current theories. DBS, conceptually, is a noisy discrete oscillator interacting with the basal ganglia–thalamic–cortical system of multiple re-entrant, discrete oscillators. Implications for positive and negative resonance, stochastic resonance and coherence, noisy synchronization, and holographic memory (related to movement generation) are presented. The time course of DBS neuronal responses demonstrates evolution of the DBS response consistent with the dynamics of re-entrant mechanisms. Finally, computational modeling demonstrates identical dynamics as seen by neuronal activities recorded from human and nonhuman primates, illustrating the differences of discrete from continuous harmonic oscillators and the power of conceptualizing the nervous system as composed on interacting discrete nonlinear oscillators.
Computational Analysis of Natural Ventilation Flows in Geodesic Dome Building in Hot Climates
Authors: Soleimani Zohreh , Calautit John , Hughes Ben
Published: August 2016

For centuries, dome roofs were used in traditional houses in hot regions such as the Middle East and Mediterranean basin due to its thermal advantages, structural benefits and availability of construction materials. This article presents the computational modelling of the wind- and buoyancy-induced ventilation in a geodesic dome building in a hot climate. The airflow and temperature distributions and ventilation flow rates were predicted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were solved using the CFD tool ANSYS FLUENT15. The standard k-epsilon was used as turbulence model. The modelling was verified using grid sensitivity and flux balance analysis. In order to validate the modelling method used in the current study, additional simulation of a similar domed-roof building was conducted for comparison. For wind-induced ventilation, the dome building was modelled with upper roof vents. For buoyancy-induced ventilation, the geometry was modelled with roof vents and also with two windows open in the lower level. The results showed that using the upper roof openings as a natural ventilation strategy during winter periods is advantageous and could reduce the indoor temperature and also introduce fresh air. The results also revealed that natural ventilation using roof vents cannot satisfy thermal requirements during hot summer periods and complementary cooling solutions should be considered. The analysis showed that buoyancy-induced ventilation model can still generate air movement inside the building during periods with no or very low wind.
Special Issue “Cosmetic Contact Allergens”
Authors: Corsini Emanuela , Basketter David
Published: August 2016

In Europe, a cosmetic is deﬁned as any substance or preparation intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body (epidermis, hair system, nails, lips and external genital organs) or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance and/or correcting body odours and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition.[...]
18F-FET-PET in Primary Hyperparathyroidism: A Pilot Study
Authors: Krakauer Martin , Kjaer Andreas , Bennedbæk Finn
Published: August 2016

Preoperative localisation of the diseased parathyroid gland(s) in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) is a prerequisite for subsequent minimally invasive surgery. Recently, as alternatives to conventional sestamibi parathyroid scintigraphy, the 11C-based positron emission tomography (PET) tracers methionine and choline have shown promise for this purpose. We evaluated the feasibility of using the 18F-based PET tracer fluoroethyl-l-tyrosine (FET), as the longer half-life of 18F makes it logistically more favourable. As a proof-of-concept study, we included two patients with PHP in which dual-isotope parathyroid subtraction single photon emission computed tomography had determined the exact location of the parathyroid adenoma. A dynamic FET PET/CT scan was performed with subsequent visual evaluation and calculation of target-to-background (TBR; parathyroid vs. thyroid). The maximum TBR in the two patients under study was achieved approximately 30 min after the injection of the tracer and was 1.5 and 1.7, respectively. This ratio was too small to allow for confident visualisation of the adenomas. FET PET/CT seems not feasible as a preoperative imaging modality in PHP.
Special Issues of Econometrics: Celebrated Econometricians
Authors:   Econometrics Editorial Office
Published: August 2016

Econometrics is pleased to announce the commissioning of a new series of Special Issues dedicated to celebrated econometricians of our time.[...]
Why Migrate: For Study or for Work?
Authors: Brezis Elise
Published: August 2016

Over the past decades, globalization has led to a huge increase in the migration of workers, as well as students. This paper develops a simple two-step model that describes the decisions of an individual vis-à-vis education and migration, and presents a unified model, wherein the two migration decisions are combined into a single, unique model. This paper shows that under the plausible assumption that costs of migration differ over the human life cycle, the usual brain drain strategy is sub-optimal. With an increase in globalization, the brain drain strategy will be replaced by the strategy of migration of students.
Static Formation Temperature Prediction Based on Bottom Hole Temperature
Authors: Liu Changwei , Li Kewen , Chen Youguang , Jia Lin , Ma Dong
Published: August 2016

Static formation temperature (SFT) is required to determine the thermophysical properties and production parameters in geothermal and oil reservoirs. However, it is not easy to determine SFT by both experimental and physical methods. In this paper, a mathematical approach to predicting SFT, based on a new model describing the relationship between bottom hole temperature (BHT) and shut-in time, has been proposed. The unknown coefficients of the model were derived from the least squares fit by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Additionally, the ability to predict SFT using a few BHT data points (such as the first three, four, or five points of a data set) was evaluated. The accuracy of the proposed method to predict SFT was confirmed by a deviation percentage less than ±4% and a high regression coefficient R2 (>0.98). The proposed method could be used as a practical tool to predict SFT in both geothermal and oil wells.
Promoting Residential Recycling: An Alternative Policy Based on a Recycling Reward System
Authors: Li Tongzhe , Espínola-Arredondo Ana , McCluskey Jill
Published: August 2016

This paper analyzes a reward system that uses a club good to promote recycling. In particular, we examine a context of incomplete information in which the administrator is unable to observe the resident’s attitude towards recycling. The results suggest that despite the lack of information, the administrator is able to induce all types of residents to recycle when the reward is sufficiently high. Furthermore, we show that education programs, technologies that help to reduce the residential recycling cost and penalties for garbage dumping are complementary tools that could also promote recycling.
Replication-Associated Recombinational Repair: Lessons from Budding Yeast
Authors: Bonner Jacob , Zhao Xiaolan
Published: August 2016

Recombinational repair processes multiple types of DNA lesions. Though best understood in the repair of DNA breaks, recombinational repair is intimately linked to other situations encountered during replication. As DNA strands are decorated with many types of blocks that impede the replication machinery, a great number of genomic regions cannot be duplicated without the help of recombinational repair. This replication-associated recombinational repair employs both the core recombination proteins used for DNA break repair and the specialized factors that couple replication with repair. Studies from multiple organisms have provided insights into the roles of these specialized factors, with the findings in budding yeast being advanced through use of powerful genetics and methods for detecting DNA replication and repair intermediates. In this review, we summarize recent progress made in this organism, ranging from our understanding of the classical template switch mechanisms to gap filling and replication fork regression pathways. As many of the protein factors and biological principles uncovered in budding yeast are conserved in higher eukaryotes, these findings are crucial for stimulating studies in more complex organisms.
Climate Change and Future Fire Regimes: Examples from California
Authors: Keeley Jon , Syphard Alexandra
Published: August 2016

Climate and weather have long been noted as playing key roles in wildfire activity, and global warming is expected to exacerbate fire impacts on natural and urban ecosystems. Predicting future fire regimes requires an understanding of how temperature and precipitation interact to control fire activity. Inevitably this requires historical analyses that relate annual burning to climate variation. Fuel structure plays a critical role in determining which climatic parameters are most influential on fire activity, and here, by focusing on the diversity of ecosystems in California, we illustrate some principles that need to be recognized in predicting future fire regimes. Spatial scale of analysis is important in that large heterogeneous landscapes may not fully capture accurate relationships between climate and fires. Within climatically homogeneous subregions, montane forested landscapes show strong relationships between annual fluctuations in temperature and precipitation with area burned; however, this is strongly seasonal dependent; e.g., winter temperatures have very little or no effect but spring and summer temperatures are critical. Climate models that predict future seasonal temperature changes are needed to improve fire regime projections. Climate does not appear to be a major determinant of fire activity on all landscapes. Lower elevations and lower latitudes show little or no increase in fire activity with hotter and drier conditions. On these landscapes climate is not usually limiting to fires but these vegetation types are ignition-limited. Moreover, because they are closely juxtaposed with human habitations, fire regimes are more strongly controlled by other direct anthropogenic impacts. Predicting future fire regimes is not rocket science; it is far more complicated than that. Climate change is not relevant to some landscapes, but where climate is relevant, the relationship will change due to direct climate effects on vegetation trajectories, as well as by feedback processes of fire effects on vegetation distribution, plus policy changes in how we manage ecosystems.
Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes between “Honeycrisp” and “Golden Delicious” Apple Fruit Tissues Reveal Candidates for Crop Improvement
Authors: Schaeffer Scott , Hendrickson Christopher , Fox Rachel , Dhingra Amit
Published: August 2016

Cultivars of the same species exhibit a large degree of variation in fruit quality traits, which can be directly influenced by differences in gene expression due to allelic variations and interactions with the environment. For Malus × domestica Borkh. (apple), fruit quality traits, including color, texture, aroma, flavor profile, and shelf life, are of utmost economic importance. In order to identify genes potentially influencing these traits, a direct comparative transcriptome profiling approach, based on the differential display technique, was performed using “Golden Delicious” and “Honeycrisp” apple endocarp and peel tissues. A total of 45 differentially expressed sequence tags were identified between the two apple varieties. Reanalysis of a previously published fruit developmental microarray expression experiment revealed that only one of the 45 sequence tags was represented on the array. Differential expression of 31 sequence tags from the peel tissue was validated using quantitative reverse transcription PCR, confirming the robustness of the differential display approach to quickly identify differentially expressed sequence tags. Among these were genes annotated to be involved in ripening, phytohormone signaling, transcription factors, and fruit texture. This work demonstrates yet again the utility of the differential display technique to rapidly identify genes related to desirable traits.
P2Y12 Inhibitor Pre-Treatment in Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Decision-Analytic Model
Authors: Gunton James , Hartshorne Trent , Langrish Jeremy , Chuang Anthony , Chew Derek
Published: August 2016

Current guidelines recommend initiation of a P2Y12 inhibitor for all patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) at the time of diagnosis (pre-treatment); however, there are no randomized trials directly comparing pre-treatment with initiation at the time of angiography to support this practice. We explore clinical and institutional parameters potentially associated with benefit with this strategy in a decision-analytic model based on available evidence from randomised trials. A decision analysis model was constructed comparing three P2Y12 inhibitors in addition to aspirin in patients with NSTE-ACS. Based on clinical trial data, the cumulative probability of 30 day mortality, myocardial infarction (MI) and major bleeding were determined, and used to calculate the net clinical benefit (NCB) with and without pre-treatment. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the relationship between NCB and baseline ischemic risk, bleeding risk, time to angiography and local surgical revascularization rates. Pre-treatment with ticagrelor and clopidogrel was associated with a greater than 50% likelihood of providing a >1% increase in 30 day NCB when baseline estimated ischemic risk exceeds 11% and 14%, respectively. Prasugrel pre-treatment did not achieve a greater than 50% probability of an increase in NCB regardless of baseline ischemic risk. Institutional surgical revascularization rates and time to coronary angiography did not correlate with the likelihood of benefit from P2Y12 pre-treatment. In conclusion, pre-treatment with P2Y12 inhibition is unlikely to be beneficial to the majority of patients presenting with NSTE-ACS. A tailored assessment of each patient’s individual ischemic and bleeding risk may identify those likely to benefit.
Gas-Solid Reaction Route toward the Production of Intermetallics from Their Corresponding Oxide Mixtures
Authors: Ahmed Hesham , Morales-Estrella R. , Viswanathan Nurin , Seetharaman Seshadri
Published: August 2016

Near-net shape forming of metallic components from metallic powders produced in situ from reduction of corresponding pure metal oxides has not been explored to a large extent. Such a process can be probably termed in short as the “Reduction-Sintering” process. This methodology can be especially effective in producing components containing refractory metals. Additionally, in situ production of metallic powder from complex oxides containing more than one metallic element may result in in situ alloying during reduction, possibly at lower temperatures. With this motivation, in situ reduction of complex oxides mixtures containing more than one metallic element has been investigated intensively over a period of years in the department of materials science, KTH, Sweden. This review highlights the most important features of that investigation. The investigation includes not only synthesis of intermetallics and refractory metals using the gas solid reaction route but also study the reaction kinetics and mechanism. Environmentally friendly gases like H2, CH4 and N2 were used for simultaneous reduction, carburization and nitridation, respectively. Different techniques have been utilized. A thermogravimetric analyzer was used to accurately control the process conditions and obtain reaction kinetics. The fluidized bed technique has been utilized to study the possibility of bulk production of intermetallics compared to milligrams in TGA. Carburization and nitridation of nascent formed intermetallics were successfully carried out. A novel method based on material thermal property was explored to track the reaction progress and estimate the reaction kinetics. This method implies the dynamic measure of thermal diffusivity using laser flash method. These efforts end up with a successful preparation of nanograined intermetallics like Fe-Mo and Ni-W. In addition, it ends up with simultaneous reduction and synthesis of Ni-WN and Ni-WC from their oxide mixtures in single step.
The Role of Natural Polyphenols in the Prevention and Treatment of Cervical Cancer—An Overview
Authors: Moga Marius , Dimienescu Oana , Arvatescu Cristian , Mironescu Aurel , Dracea Laura , Ples Liana
Published: August 2016

Cervical cancer represents the second leading cause of death for women worldwide. The importance of the diet and its impact on specific types of neoplasia has been highlighted, focusing again interest in the analysis of dietary phytochemicals. Polyphenols have shown a wide range of cellular effects: they may prevent carcinogens from reaching the targeted sites, support detoxification of reactive molecules, improve the elimination of transformed cells, increase the immune surveillance and the most important factor is that they can influence tumor suppressors and inhibit cellular proliferation, interfering in this way with the steps of carcinogenesis. From the studies reviewed in this paper, it is clear that certain dietary polyphenols hold great potential in the prevention and therapy of cervical cancer, because they interfere in carcinogenesis (in the initiation, development and progression) by modulating the critical processes of cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and metastasis. Specifically, polyphenols inhibit the proliferation of HPV cells, through induction of apoptosis, growth arrest, inhibition of DNA synthesis and modulation of signal transduction pathways. The effects of combinations of polyphenols with chemotherapy and radiotherapy used in the treatment of cervical cancer showed results in the resistance of cervical tumor cells to chemo- and radiotherapy, one of the main problems in the treatment of cervical neoplasia that can lead to failure of the treatment because of the decreased efficiency of the therapy.
Partial Enteral Nutrition Mitigated Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Damage of Rat Small Intestinal Barrier
Authors: Wu Chao , Wang Xinying , Jiang Tingting , Li Chaojun , Zhang Li , Gao Xuejin , Tian Feng , Li Ning , Li Jieshou
Published: August 2016

Background and Aims: This study was designed to investigate a relatively optimum dose of partial enteral nutrition (PEN) which effectively attenuates intestinal barrier dysfunction initiated by ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Methods: In experiment 1, 60 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were subjected to intestinal IRI and assigned to six groups according to the different proportion of EN administrations: namely total parenteral nutrition (TPN or 0%EN), 10%EN, 20%EN, 40%EN, 60%EN, and total enteral nutrition (TEN or 100%) groups, the deficits of intraluminal calorie were supplemented by PN. In experiment 2, 50 male SD rats were subjected to intestinal IRI and divided into five groups based on the results of experiment 1: TPN, TEN, 20%EN, TPN plus pretreatment with NF-κB antagonist 30 min before IRI (TPN+PDTC), and TPN plus pretreatment with HIF-1α antagonist 30 min before IRI (TPN+YC-1) groups. Results: In experiment 1, previous IRI combined with subsequent EN shortage disrupted the structure of intestinal epithelial cell and tight junctions (TJs). While 20% dose of EN had an obviously protective effect on these detrimental consequences. In experiment 2, compared with TPN only, 20%EN exerted a significant protection of barrier function of intestinal epithelium. Analogous results were observed when TPN combined with specific NF-κB/HIF-1α inhibitors (PDTC and YC-1). Meanwhile, the expression of NF-κB/HIF-1α had a similar trend among the groups. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that 20%EN is the minimally effective dosage of EN which promotes the recovery of intestinal barrier function after IRI in a rat model. Furthermore, we discreetly speculate that this benefit is, at least partly, related to NF-κB/HIF-1α pathway expression.
Influence of Carbon Nanotube Coatings on Carbon Fiber by Ultrasonically Assisted Electrophoretic Deposition on Its Composite Interfacial Property
Authors: Jiang Jianjun , Xu Chumeng , Su Yang , Guo Qiang , Liu Fa , Deng Chao , Yao Xuming , Zhou Linchao
Published: August 2016

Carbon nanotube (CNT) coatings were utilized to enhance the interfacial properties of carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy(EP) composites by ultrasonically assisted electrophoretic deposition (EPD). A characterization of the CF surface properties was done before and after coating (surface chemistry, surface morphologies, and surface energy). The result shows that oxygenated groups concentrations of the CF surfaces experienced significant increases from 12.11% to 24.78%. Moreover, the uniform and homogeneous CNT films were tightly attached on the surface of CF, and the surface wettability of CF is significant improved by enhanced surface free energy when introduced ultrasonic during the EPD process. In addition, the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and water absorption of CF/EP composite were measured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the fracture mechanisms of the new interface layer formed by depositing CNTs on the CF surface contributed to the enhancement of the mechanical performance of the epoxy. This means that the efficient method to improve interfacial performance of composites has shown great commercial application potential.
Highlighting Biome-Specific Sensitivity of Fire Size Distributions to Time-Gap Parameter Using a New Algorithm for Fire Event Individuation
Authors: Oom Duarte , Silva Pedro , Bistinas Ioannis , Pereira José
Published: August 2016

Detailed spatial-temporal characterization of individual fire dynamics using remote sensing data is important to understand fire-environment relationships, to support landscape-scale fire risk management, and to obtain improved statistics on fire size distributions over broad areas. Previously, individuation of events to quantify fire size distributions has been performed with the flood-fill algorithm. A key parameter of such algorithms is the time-gap used to cluster spatially adjacent fire-affected pixels and declare them as belonging to the same event. Choice of a time-gap to define a fire event entails several assumptions affecting the degree of clustering/fragmentation of the individual events. We evaluate the impact of different time-gaps on the number, size and spatial distribution of active fire clusters, using a new algorithm. The information produced by this algorithm includes number, size, and ignition date of active fire clusters. The algorithm was tested at a global scale using active fire observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Active fire cluster size distributions were characterized with the Gini coefficient, and the impact of changing time-gap values was analyzed on a 0.5° cell grid. As expected, the number of active fire clusters decreased and their mean size increased with the time-gap value. The largest sensitivity of fire size distributions to time-gap was observed in African tropical savannas and, to a lesser extent, in South America, Southeast Asia, and eastern Siberia. Sensitivity of fire individuation, and thus Gini coefficient values, to time-gap demonstrate the difficulty of individuating fire events in tropical savannas, where coalescence of flame fronts with distinct ignition locations and dates is very common, and fire size distributions strongly depend on algorithm parameterization. Thus, caution should be exercised when attempting to individualize fire events, characterizing their size distributions, and addressing their management implications, particularly in the African savannas.
Estimation of Soil Moisture from Optical and Thermal Remote Sensing: A Review
Authors: Zhang Dianjun , Zhou Guoqing
Published: August 2016

As an important parameter in recent and numerous environmental studies, soil moisture (SM) influences the exchange of water and energy at the interface between the land surface and atmosphere. Accurate estimate of the spatio-temporal variations of SM is critical for numerous large-scale terrestrial studies. Although microwave remote sensing provides many algorithms to obtain SM at large scale, such as SMOS and SMAP etc., resulting in many data products, they are almost low resolution and not applicable in small catchment or field scale. Estimations of SM from optical and thermal remote sensing have been studied for many years and significant progress has been made. In contrast to previous reviews, this paper presents a new, comprehensive and systematic review of using optical and thermal remote sensing for estimating SM. The physical basis and status of the estimation methods are analyzed and summarized in detail. The most important and latest advances in soil moisture estimation using temporal information have been shown in this paper. SM estimation from optical and thermal remote sensing mainly depends on the relationship between SM and the surface reflectance or vegetation index. The thermal infrared remote sensing methods uses the relationship between SM and the surface temperature or variations of surface temperature/vegetation index. These approaches often have complex derivation processes and many approximations. Therefore, combinations of optical and thermal infrared remotely sensed data can provide more valuable information for SM estimation. Moreover, the advantages and weaknesses of different approaches are compared and applicable conditions as well as key issues in current soil moisture estimation algorithms are discussed. Finally, key problems and suggested solutions are proposed for future research.
SiDIVS: Simple Detection of Inductive Vehicle Signatures with a Multiplex Resonant Sensor
Authors: Lamas-Seco José , Castro Paula , Dapena Adriana , Vazquez-Araujo Francisco
Published: August 2016

This work provides a system capable of obtaining simultaneous inductive signatures of vehicles traveling on a roadway with minimal cost. Based on Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) with multiple oscillators, one for each inductive loop, the proposed system detects the presence of vehicles by means of a shift in the oscillation period of the selected loop and registers the signature of the detected vehicles by measuring the duration of a fixed number of oscillator pulses. In order to test the system in an actual environment, we implement a prototype that we denote as SiDIVS (Simple Detection of Inductive Vehicle Signatures) and acquire different vehicle inductive signatures under real scenarios. We also test the robustness of the detector by simulating the effect of noise on the signature acquisition.
Impact of Spent Mushroom Substrates on the Fate of Pesticides in Soil, and Their Use for Preventing and/or Controlling Soil and Water Contamination: A Review
Authors: Marín-Benito Jesús , Sánchez-Martín María , Rodríguez-Cruz M.
Published: August 2016

Intensive crop production involves a high consumption of pesticides. This is a cause of major environmental concern because the presence of pesticides in water is becoming increasingly common. Physicochemical methods based on soil modification with organic residues have been developed to enhance the immobilization and/or degradation of pesticides in agricultural soils, which may control both the diffuse and the point pollution of soils and waters. This review summarizes the influence of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) on the environmental fate of pesticides when both are simultaneously applied in agriculture. The processes of adsorption, leaching and dissipation of these compounds in SMS-amended soils were evaluated at laboratory and field scale. Relationships were established between the experimental parameters obtained and the properties of the soils, the SMS, and the pesticides in order to determine the effect that the application of SMS in agricultural soils has on the environmental impact of pesticides. Accordingly, this review highlights the use of SMS as a strategy for the prevention and/or control of soil and water contamination by pesticides to strike a balance between agricultural development and the use of these compounds.
Validation of a Computer-Administered Version of the Digits-in-Noise Test for Hearing Screening in the United States
Authors: Folmer Robert L. , Vachhani Jay , McMillan Garnett P. , Watson Charles , Kidd Gary R. , Feeney M. Patrick
Published: August 2016

Background:The sooner people receive treatment for hearing loss (HL), the quicker they are able to recognize speech and to master hearing aid technology. Unfortunately, a majority of people with HL wait until their impairments have progressed from moderate to severe levels before
seeking auditory rehabilitation. To increase the number of individuals with HL who pursue and receive auditory rehabilitation, it is necessary to improve methods for identifying and informing these people via widely accessible hearing screening procedures. Screening for HL is the first in
a chain of events that must take place to increase the number of patients who enter the hearing health-care system. New methods for hearing screening should be readily accessible through a common medium (e.g., telephone or computer) and should be relatively easy and quick for people to self-administer.Purpose:The
purpose of this study was to assess a digits-in-noise (DIN) hearing screening test that was delivered via personal computer.Research Design:Participants completed the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults (HHIA) questionnaire, audiometric testing in a sound booth, and computerized DIN
testing. During the DIN test, sequences of three spoken digits were presented in noise via headphones at varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Participants entered each three-digit sequence they heard using an on-screen keypad.Study Sample:Forty adults (16 females, 24 males) participated
in the study, of whom 20 had normal hearing and 20 had HL (pure-tone average [PTA] thresholds for 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz >25 dB HL).Data Collection and Analysis:DIN SNR and PTA data were analyzed and compared for each ear tested. Receiver operating characteristic curves based on these
data were plotted. A measure of overall accuracy of a screening test is the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). This measures the average true positive rate across false positives at varying DIN SNR cutoffs. Larger values of the AUC indicate, on average, more accurate
screening tests. HHIA responses were analyzed and compared to PTA and DIN SNR results using Pearson correlation statistics.Results:HHIA scores were positively correlated with audiometric PTA and DIN SNR results (p < 0.001 for all correlations). For an HL criterion of one or
more frequencies from 0.25 to 8 kHz >25 dB HL, the AUC for the DIN test was 0.95. When a criterion of hearling level was set at one or more frequencies from 0.25 to 8 kHz >20 dB HL, the AUC for the DIN test was 0.96.Conclusions:The computer version of the DIN test demonstrated
excellent sensitivity and specificity for our sample of 40 participants. AUC results (≥0.95) suggest that this DIN test administered via computer should be very useful for adult hearing screening.
FLAT-FIELDING OF SOLAR Hα OBSERVATIONS BASED ON THE MAXIMUM CORRENTROPY CRITERION
Authors: Xu Gao-Gui , Zheng Sheng , Lin Gang-Hua , Wang Xiao-Fan
Published: August 2016

The flat-field CCD calibration method of Kuhn et al. (KLL) is an efficient method for flat-fielding. However, since it depends on the minimum of the sum of squares error (SSE), its solution is sensitive to noise, especially non-Gaussian noise. In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed to determine the flat field. The idea is to change the criterion of gain estimate from SSE to the maximum correntropy. The result of a test on simulated data demonstrates that our method has a higher accuracy and a faster convergence than KLL’s and Chae’s. It has been found that the method effectively suppresses noise, especially in the case of typical non-Gaussian noise. And the computing time of our algorithm is the shortest.
Sécuriser les intérimaires sans toucher au CDI ? La création négociée du CDI intérimaire
Authors: Sarfati François , Vivés Claire
Published: August 2016

L’accord national interprofessionnel de janvier 2013 est présenté comme organisant l’échange entre flexibilité pour les entreprises et sécurité pour les salariés. Il prévoit de renchérir les cotisations sur certains CDD, si ce n’est pour désinciter à la flexibilité, au moins pour la taxer. Le secteur de l’intérim a obtenu d’y déroger en contrepartie de la création d’un CDI pour les intérimaires (CDI-I), destiné à sécuriser certains d’entre eux. À rebours du postulat des politiques de sécurisation des parcours professionnels selon lequel, le CDI étant dépassé, il faudrait attacher les droits non plus au contrat mais à la personne, avec le CDI-I l’intérim pose le contrat de travail comme outil privilégié de la sécurisation. L’article porte la focale sur l’élaboration de ce contrat de travail en analysant d’abord la négociation collective dont il est issu et ensuite sur son introduction dans la loi. Après avoir présenté les positions des acteurs, le propos se centre sur les différents paramètres permettant de régir la discontinuité des missions au sein d’un contrat.
Émergence et évolutions de la prévention dans les politiques de la vieillesse
Authors: Alvarez Stéphane
Published: August 2016

Depuis le début des années 2000, la prévention dans le vieillissement fait l’objet d’une attention particulière de la part des gouvernements successifs. Afin d’anticiper les conséquences du vieillissement de la population et de réduire le risque de voir les retraités et personnes âgées intégrer la catégorie de la dépendance, la politique de prévention promeut le « bien vieillir », notion qui est notamment inscrite dans les objectifs stratégiques des caisses de retraite. Il s’agit, par des actions d’information et de formation, de faire adopter aux personnes vieillissantes des comportements et un style de vie à même de préserver leur santé. Le déploiement d’une politique de prévention en vue de « bien vieillir » est cependant à questionner. Comment cette orientation s’inscrit-elle par rapport à la longue histoire des politiques vieillesse et de leurs acteurs centraux ? Cet article revient sur le processus de mise à l’agenda de la prévention et du « bien vieillir » et s’intéresse à la production et la diffusion de nouvelles normes dans la vieillesse.
Mobiliser les employés de Walmart malgré les discours et pratiques du géant de la distribution : UFCW et Our Walmart face à 50 ans d’antisyndicalisme
Authors: Hocquelet Mathieu
Published: August 2016

Face aux obstacles que constituent le droit du travail et le droit syndical étasunien, mais surtout les dispositifs antisyndicaux mis en place par le géant de la grande distribution et plus grand employeur privé mondial, Walmart (1,3 million de salarié(e)s aux États-Unis, 2,2 millions dans le monde), nous verrons dans cet article comment le syndicat United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) tente d’organiser les salarié(e)s et de déconstruire l’argumentaire développé par l’entreprise. Cette dernière met notamment en avant un investissement coûteux, c’est-à-dire engendrant un risque de représailles managériales en cas de contestation et de participation aux mobilisations, un coût économique élevé (cotisations syndicales), et une faible influence du syndicat sur les conditions de travail et d’emploi. Cette déconstruction passe principalement par le développement d’une stratégie de contournement de la forme syndicale par le biais de la forme associative. À travers le cas de l’association Organization United for Respect at Walmart (Our Walmart) observé lors de ses premières années d’existence, il s’agit en effet de souligner les dispositifs managériaux, institutionnels et organisationnels ayant mis à l’écart les syndicats et plus largement la critique sociale pendant un demi-siècle d’existence, des verrous qui se sont avérés par le passé parmi les plus efficaces au sein de l’enseigne de distribution et qui connaissent aujourd’hui des mutations importantes.
Potential Nitrogen Load from Crop-Livestock Systems
Authors: Vizzari Marco , Antognelli Sara , Pauselli Mariano , Benincasa Paolo , Farneselli Michela , Morbidini Luciano , Borghi Piero , Bodo Giacomo , Santucci Alessandra
Published: August 2016

The EU “Water” Directive establishes a common European framework for the environmental protection of inland, coastal and marine waters. One of the major environmental concerns about water quality is certainly the N loads from agro-livestock systems. In this study, carried out in Umbria region, Italy, a novel spatial database for a multi-scale and multi-level analysis was designed and implemented integrating different agricultural and livestock farming datasets related to agro-livestock system. This database allows the calculation of different descriptive indicators about agricultural and livestock farming systems at different scales of investigation (NVZ, sub-basins, bodies of ground water, cadastral sheets, municipalities, provinces, entire region). Moreover, three relevant spatial indicators (potential nitrogen crop supply, potential nitrogen availability from livestock manure, and total potential nitrogen loads) were calculated applying an assessment model developed in the study. All this information appears very significant to support decision making at the various administrative levels and to pursue the environmental objectives established by EU and national regulations.
Application of Telecommunications Technologies to Agricultural Market Information Systems
Authors: Chalemba Leonard
Published: August 2016

This review presents a comparison of the potential of offering agricultural market information services that incorporate information and communications technology (ICT) in Ghana and Malawi. A comprehensive analysis was done involving data on economic indicators related to telecommunications services provided by the statistics division of the United Nations, and the current initiatives on agricultural market information systems in the two countries. The review reveals that Malawi needs more work to be done to improve service delivery of its ICT-based market information system projects than Ghana. Main areas for improvement are mobile phone subscriptions by low-income smallholder farmers, Internet access by the same category of farmers, and sustainability of offering the services in question without heavy reliance on governments and international donor agencies. The recommendations drawn from this review do not only apply to Malawi and Ghana but also to other Sub-Saharan African countries.
An Overview on Passive Image Forensics Technology for Automatic Computer Forgery
Authors: Zhao Jie , Wang Qiuzi , Guo Jichang , Gao Lin , Yang Fusheng
Published: August 2016

Currently, with the popularity of sophisticated image editing tools like Photoshop, it is becoming very difficult to discriminate between an authentic image and its manipulated version, which poses a serious social problem of debasing the credibility of photographic images as definite records of events. Passive image forgery detection technology, as one main branch of image forensics, has been regarded as the promising research interest due to its versatility and universality. Automatic computer forgery employs computer intelligent algorithms to forge an image in an automatic way, which is rather more complex than copy-move forgery since the source of duplicated region could be non-continuous. In this paper, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art passive detection methods for automatic computer forgery.