bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adaptation to Climate Change in Industry: Improving Resource Efficiency through Sustainable Production Applications
Authors: Alkaya Emrah , Bogurcu Merve , Ulutas Ferda , Demirer Göksel Niyazi
Published: January 2015

The objective of this study was to investigate the climate change adaptation opportunities of six companies from different sectors through resource efficiency and sustainable production. A total of 77 sustainable production options were developed for the companies based on the audits conducted. After screening these opportunities with each company's staff, 19 options were selected and implemented. Significant water savings (849,668 m3/year) were achieved as a result of the applications that targeted reduction of water use. In addition to water savings, the energy consumption was reduced by 3,607 MWh, which decreased the CO2 emissions by 904.1 tons/year. Moreover, the consumption of 278.4 tons/year of chemicals (e.g., NaCl, CdO, NaCN) was avoided, thus the corresponding pollution load to the wastewater treatment plant was reduced. Besides the tangible improvements, other gains were achieved, such as improved product quality, improved health and safety conditions, reduced maintenance requirements, and ensured compliance with national and EU regulations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first ever activity in Turkey devoted to climate change adaptation in the private sector. This study may serve as a building block in Turkey for the integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation approach in the industry, since water efficiency (adaptation) and carbon reduction (mitigation) are achieved simultaneously.
Effects of LB Broth, Naphthalene Concentration, and Acetone on the Naphthalene Degradation Activities by Pseudomonas putida G7
Authors: Chang Su‐yun , Liu Xue‐gong , Ren Bi‐qiong , Liu Bo , Zhang Kai , Zhang Honggui , Wan Yao
Published: January 2015

Luria‐Bertani broth and acetone were usually used in naphthalene degradation experiments as nutrient and solvent. However, their effect on the degradation was seldom mentioned. In this work, we investigated the effect of LB, naphthalene concentration, and acetone on the degradation of naphthalene by Pseudomonas putida G7, which is useful for the degradation of naphthalene on future field remediation. By adding LB, the naphthalene degradation efficiencies and naphthalene dioxygenase were both decreased by 98%, while the catechol dioxygenase was decreased by 90%. Degradation of naphthalene was also inhibited when naphthalene concentration was 56 ppm and higher, which was accompanied with the accumulation of orange‐colored metabolism products. However, acetone can stimulate the degradation of naphthalene, and the stimulation was more obvious when naphthalene concentration was lower than 2000 ppm. By assaying the enzyme activities of naphthalene dioxygenase and catechol dioxygenase, it was thought that the degradation efficiency was depending on the more sensitive enzymes on the complicated conditions.
Pathology of the Gallbladder in a Child with Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
Authors: McFadden Kathryn , Ranganathan Sarangarajan
Published: January 2015

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by deficient activity of arylsulfatase A, leading to an accumulation of sulfatide in myelinating cells and progressive central and peripheral demyelination. Sulfatide also accumulates in various organs, most notably the gallbladder. Gallbladder mucosal hyperplasia with papillomatosis, in the setting of abdominal pain and hemobilia, is often demonstrated by sonography. We present a histologic and ultrastructural description of these alterations in a 5-year-old girl with MLD who presented with abdominal pain and feeding intolerance. Gross and light microscopic analysis demonstrated diffuse villous hyperplasia of the gallbladder mucosa with intraepithelial and intravillous macrophage accumulations of metachromatic material. Electron microscopic analysis demonstrated this material to comprise numerous membrane-bound inclusions composed of concentrically lamellated, dense material. The rarity of descriptions of this finding prompted this case report.
Oskar Kolberg (1814–1890) the Founder of Musical Ethnography in Poland
Authors: Dahlig Piotr
Published: January 2015

The article presents the greatest Polish ethnographer, who was
also a professionally educated musician. He concentrated his
activities on the oral musical culture, still vital in the 19th century
but liable to changes. Culture studies by Kolberg concerned
mainly rural communities, statistically dominating in those times.
He planned to edit 60 volumes geographically covering the first
Polish State from before 1772; he managed to print 33 of them in his
lifetime and prepare many further anthologies for editing. Up till now,
the editorial work is still in progress. The already edited 80 volumes
show us an old social culture, folk ceremonies, musical repertoire
including ritual singing, songs and instrumental pieces. Kolberg’s
printed monument is a source of reflection on the past and can
inspire social studies, ethnomusicological research as well as musical
ensembles performing traditional ethnic music of peasant origin.
The size of Kolberg’s documentation means that a special Institute
of Oskar Kolberg had to be established to continue editorial and research
work.

In spite of his positivistic and empirical attitude, Kolberg
still kept a romantic faith in the significance of folk songs and
singing for the preservation of national components in cultural
consciousness. Simultaneously, he developed a model for structural
analysis of popular/folk culture and intended to build a cultural atlas
of the country, building on the work of his father, professor of the
University of Warsaw, an outstanding cartographer. But the core
of Kolberg’s programme, its “planetary centre”, was always music.
It was music that gave him the stimulus to interpret the culture of
Central-Eastern Europe. To preserve regional diversity, he wrote down
more than 20 thousand vocal melodies, song texts and instrumental
pieces, paying special attention to variants and ornamentation.
For the contemporary composer, Kolberg’s volumes are a useful
musical reader. These huge anthologies of elementary but highly
integrated musical concepts demonstrate the collective creativity and
a fascinating prefiguration of mass culture, still open to symbols
and to poetry. Kolberg’s music transcriptions, catching music in the
process of performance, should not be treated as unchangeable patterns
for copying, but rather as a source that helps understand creativity
in traditional oral culture.
Oskar Kolberg’s Study of the Musical Culture of the Hutsuls
Authors: Smoluch Łukasz
Published: January 2015

Henryk Oskar Kolberg (1814–1890), a musician, composer,
the greatest Polish ethnographer and one of the fathers of European
ethnomusicology, collected over 20,000 folk songs, dances, and
instrumental melodies from the territory of today’s Poland, Belarus,
Ukraine and other Slavic countries. The musical culture of the Hutsuls
was an object of Oskar Kolberg’s interest in the late 1870s and early
1880s. The research material related to this region was collected
by Kolberg, similarly as in other regions, from two different types
of sources. The core of his work consisted of field notes written down
during his few trips to that region. Another way of collecting information
for Kolberg’s publication included an extensive study of already
published resources – historical and ethnographical works, collections
of songs, short articles, etc. Kolberg’s study of the musical culture of the
Hutsuls is a very valuable source for the history of the culture of this
part of Europe.
Writing in Young Deaf Children
Authors: Williams Cheri , Mayer Connie
Published: January 2015

The authors conducted an integrative review of the research literature on the writing development, writing instruction, and writing assessment of young deaf children ages 3 to 8 years (or preschool through third grade) published between 1990 and 2012. A total of 17 studies were identified that met inclusion criteria. The analysis examined research problems, theoretical frames, research methodologies, and major findings across the body of work. Findings of the review indicated that much of the research has focused on spelling, and when studies examined writing development, the analyses were limited to the word level. Assessment of writing has been largely ignored. Results also indicated that two primary conceptual frameworks have dominated the field across the 22-year span, with divergent implications for pedagogy and practice. The researchers call for longitudinal studies that examine deaf children’s use of English grammar and syntax within connected discourse.
Long Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer and Development: Where Do We Go from Here?
Authors: Haemmerle Monika , Gutschner Tony
Published: January 2015

Recent genome-wide expression profiling studies have uncovered a huge amount of novel, long non-protein-coding RNA transcripts (lncRNA). In general, these transcripts possess a low, but tissue-specific expression, and their nucleotide sequences are often poorly conserved. However, several studies showed that lncRNAs can have important roles for normal tissue development and regulate cellular pluripotency as well as differentiation. Moreover, lncRNAs are implicated in the control of multiple molecular pathways leading to gene expression changes and thus, ultimately modulate cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. Consequently, deregulation of lncRNA expression contributes to carcinogenesis and is associated with human diseases, e.g., neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease. Here, we will focus on some major challenges of lncRNA research, especially loss-of-function studies. We will delineate strategies for lncRNA gene targeting in vivo, and we will briefly discuss important consideration and pitfalls when investigating lncRNA functions in knockout animal models. Finally, we will highlight future opportunities for lncRNAs research by applying the concept of cross-species comparison, which might contribute to novel disease biomarker discovery and might identify lncRNAs as potential therapeutic targets.
Prediction of Mature MicroRNA and Piwi-Interacting RNA without a Genome Reference or Precursors
Authors: Menor Mark , Baek Kyungim , Poisson Guylaine
Published: January 2015

The discovery of novel microRNA (miRNA) and piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) is an important task for the understanding of many biological processes. Most of the available miRNA and piRNA identification methods are dependent on the availability of the organism’s genome sequence and the quality of its annotation. Therefore, an efficient prediction method based solely on the short RNA reads and requiring no genomic information is highly desirable. In this study, we propose an approach that relies primarily on the nucleotide composition of the read and does not require reference genomes of related species for prediction. Using an empirical Bayesian kernel method and the error correcting output codes framework, compact models suitable for large-scale analyses are built on databases of known mature miRNAs and piRNAs. We found that the usage of an L1-based Gaussian kernel can double the true positive rate compared to the standard L2-based Gaussian kernel. Our approach can increase the true positive rate by at most 60% compared to the existing piRNA predictor based on the analysis of a hold-out test set. Using experimental data, we also show that our approach can detect about an order of magnitude or more known miRNAs than the mature miRNA predictor, miRPlex.
Nanoindentation and XPS Studies of Titanium TNZ Alloy after Electrochemical Polishing in a Magnetic Field
Authors: Hryniewicz Tadeusz , Rokosz Krzysztof , Rokicki Ryszard , Prima Frédéric
Published: January 2015

This work presents the nanoindentation and XPS results of a newly-developed biomaterial of titanium TNZ alloy after different surface treatments. The investigations were performed on the samples AR (as received), EP (after a standard electropolishing) and MEP (after magnetoelectropolishing). The electropolishing processes, both EP and MEP, were conducted in the same proprietary electrolyte based on concentrated sulfuric acid. The mechanical properties of the titanium TNZ alloy biomaterial demonstrated an evident dependence on the surface treatment method, with MEP samples revealing extremely different behavior and mechanical properties. The reason for that different behavior appeared to be influenced by the surface film composition, as revealed by XPS study results displayed in this work. The increase of niobium and zirconium in the surface film of the same titanium TNZ alloy after magnetoelectropolishing MEP treatment is meaningful and especially advantageous considering the application of this alloy as a biomaterial.
Inhibition of the NF-κB Signaling Pathway by a Novel Heterocyclic Curcumin Analogue
Authors: Katsori Anna-Maria , Palagani Ajay , Bougarne Nadia , Hadjipavlou-Litina Dimitra , Haegeman Guy , Vanden Berghe Wim
Published: January 2015

In this study a series of curcumin analogues were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the activation of NF-κΒ, a transcription factor at the crossroads of cancer-inflammation. Our novel curcumin analogue BAT3 was identified to be the most potent NF-κB inhibitor and EMSA assays clearly showed inhibition of NF-κB/DNA-binding in the presence of BAT3, in agreement with reporter gene results. Immunofluorescence experiments demonstrated that BAT3 did not seem to prevent nuclear p65 translocation, so our novel analogue may interfere with NF-κB/DNA-binding or transactivation, independently of IKK2 regulation and NF-κB-translocation. Gene expression studies on endogenous NF-κB target genes revealed that BAT3 significantly inhibited TNF-dependent transcription of IL6, MCP1 and A20 genes, whereas an NF-κB independent target gene heme oxygenase-1 remained unaffected. In conclusion, we demonstrate that BAT3 seems to inhibit different cancer-related inflammatory targets in the NF-κB signaling pathway through a different mechanism in comparison to similar analogues, previously reported.
Phenolic Profiling of the South American “Baylahuen” Tea (Haplopappus spp., Asteraceae) by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS
Authors: Schmeda-Hirschmann Guillermo , Quispe Cristina , González Benita
Published: January 2015

The aerial parts of several Haplopappus species (Asteraceae), known under the common name “baylahuen”, are used as herbal teas in Chile and Argentina. In Chile, “baylahuen” comprises H. multifolius, H. taeda, H. baylahuen and H. rigidus. Little is known about the chemical identity of the infusion constituents in spite of widespread consumption. The aim of the present work was the characterization of phenolics occurring in the infusions and methanol extracts of “baylahuen” by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS. A simple HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS method was developed for the fast identification and differentiation of Haplopappus spp. used as a tea source, based on the phenolics from the tea and methanol extracts. Some 27 phenolics were tentatively identified in the infusions and methanol extract, including 10 caffeoyl quinic and feruloyl quinic acid derivatives and 17 flavonoids. The HPLC patterns of the Haplopappus tea and methanol extract allow a clear differentiation at the species level. The occurrence of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and flavonoids can explain the reputed nutraceutical and health beneficial properties of this herbal tea.
The Lectin Frontier Database (LfDB), and Data Generation Based on Frontal Affinity Chromatography
Authors: Hirabayashi Jun , Tateno Hiroaki , Shikanai Toshihide , Aoki-Kinoshita Kiyoko , Narimatsu Hisashi
Published: January 2015

Lectins are a large group of carbohydrate-binding proteins, having been shown to comprise at least 48 protein scaffolds or protein family entries. They occur ubiquitously in living organisms—from humans to microorganisms, including viruses—and while their functions are yet to be fully elucidated, their main underlying actions are thought to mediate cell-cell and cell-glycoconjugate interactions, which play important roles in an extensive range of biological processes. The basic feature of each lectin’s function resides in its specific sugar-binding properties. In this regard, it is beneficial for researchers to have access to fundamental information about the detailed oligosaccharide specificities of diverse lectins. In this review, the authors describe a publicly available lectin database named “Lectin frontier DataBase (LfDB)”, which undertakes the continuous publication and updating of comprehensive data for lectin-standard oligosaccharide interactions in terms of dissociation constants (Kd’s). For Kd determination, an advanced system of frontal affinity chromatography (FAC) is used, with which quantitative datasets of interactions between immobilized lectins and >100 fluorescently labeled standard glycans have been generated. The FAC system is unique in its clear principle, simple procedure and high sensitivity, with an increasing number (>67) of associated publications that attest to its reliability. Thus, LfDB, is expected to play an essential role in lectin research, not only in basic but also in applied fields of glycoscience.
Selective Recognition of 5-Hydroxytryptamine and Dopamine on a Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Chitosan Hybrid Film-Modiﬁed Microelectrode Array
Authors: Xu Huiren , Wang Li , Luo Jinping , Song Yilin , Liu Juntao , Zhang Song , Cai Xinxia
Published: January 2015

It is difﬁcult to determine dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) accurately because of the interference of ascorbic acid (AA) in vitro, which has a high concentration and can be oxidized at a potential close to DA and 5-HT at a conventional electrode, combined with the overlapping voltammetric signal of DA and 5-HT at a bare electrode. Herein, chitosan (CS) was used as a stabilizing matrix by electrochemical reaction, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified onto the microelectrode array (MEA). The CS-MWCNT hybrid film-modified MEA was quite effective at simultaneously recognizing these species in a mixture and resolved the overlapping anodic peaks of AA, DA and 5-HT into three well-deﬁned oxidation peaks in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at −80 mV, 105 mV and 300 mV (versus Ag|AgCl), respectively. The linear responses were obtained in the range of 5 × 10−6 M to 2 × 10−4 M for DA (r = 0.996) and in the range of 1 × 10−5 M to 3 × 10−4 M for 5-HT (r = 0.999) using the DPV under the presence of a single substance. While DA coexisted with 5-HT in the interference of 3 × 10−4 M AA, the linear responses were obtained in the range of 1 × 10−5 M to 3 × 10−4 M for selective molecular recognition of DA (r = 0.997) and 5-HT (r = 0.997) using the DPV. Therefore, this proposed MEA was successfully used for selective molecular recognition and determination of DA and 5-HT using the DPV, which has a potential application for real-time determination in vitro experiments.
A Sensor-Type PC Strand with an Embedded FBG Sensor for Monitoring Prestress Forces
Authors: Kim Sung , Park YoungHwan , Park Sung , Cho Keunhee , Cho Jeong-Rae
Published: January 2015

Prestressed Concrete Wire and Strand (PC) strands are the most used materials to introduce prestress in a Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) structure. However, it is difficult to evaluate the final prestress force of the PC strand after prestressing or its residual prestress force after completion of the structure on site. This impossibility to assess eventual loss of prestress of the PC strand has resulted in a number of serious accidents and even in the collapse of several structures. This situation stresses the necessity to maintain the prestress force residual or after prestressing for the evaluation of the health of the concrete structure throughout its lifespan. Recently, several researchers have studied methods enabling one to verify the prestress force by inserting an optical fiber sensor inside the strand but failed to provide simple techniques for the fabrication of these devices to fulfill measurement performance from the design prestress to failure. Moreover, these methods require the additional installation of electrical resistance strain gages, displacement sensors and load cells on the outer surface of the structure for long-term precise measurement. This paper proposes a method enabling one to evaluate precisely and effectively the prestress force of the PC strand and intends to verify the applicability of the proposed method on actual concrete structures. To that end, an innovative PC strand is developed by embedding a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor in the core wire of the PC strand so as to enable short term as well as long term monitoring. The measurement performance of the developed strand is then evaluated experimentally and the reliability of the monitoring data is assessed.
The Association between Anthropometric Variables, Functional Movement Screen Scores and 100 m Freestyle Swimming Performance in Youth Swimmers
Authors: Bond Daisy , Goodson Laura , Oxford Samuel , Nevill Alan , Duncan Michael
Published: January 2015

This study examined the association between anthropometric variables, Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores and 100 m freestyle swimming performance in early adolescent swimmers. Fifty competitive, national level, youth swimmers (21 males, 29 females, mean age ± SD = 13.5 ± 1.5 years, age range 11–16 years) performed an “all-out” 100 m freestyle (front crawl) swim as fast as they could in a 50 m pool. A median divide for 100 m timed swim was also used to divide the sample into faster or slower groups. Height, body mass, skinfolds and limb lengths were also assessed. Maturation was calculated by proxy using anthropometric measures and participants also undertook the FMS as a measure of functional performance. Backwards linear regression indicated a significant model (p = 0.0001, Adjusted R2 = 0.638) explaining 63.8% of the variance in swim performance with total sum of skinfolds, upper leg length, lower leg length, hand length and total height significantly contributing to the model. Swimmers who were classed as fast had lower total sum of skinfolds (p = 0.005) and higher total FMS score (p = 0.005) compared to their slower peers. In summary, this study indicates that anthropometric variables significantly explained the variance in 100 m freestyle swimming performance in youth swimmers.
Sustainability in Land Management: An Analysis of Stakeholder Perceptions in Rural Northern Germany
Authors: Lange Andrej , Siebert Rosemarie , Barkmann Tim
Published: January 2015

Successful sustainable land management efforts rely on stakeholder support and integration of stakeholder knowledge. This study explored the views of sustainable land management expressed by land use stakeholders and how these views contribute to land users’ self-perceptions. We examined stakeholder perceptions in four case study areas in rural northern Germany. The target groups consisted of representatives from (i) agriculture; (ii) forestry; (iii) water management and (iv) rural planning and development (“cross-sector” representatives). The data were gathered using 60 semi-structured interviews and were analyzed qualitatively. The results indicate that differences in perceptions are greater between stakeholder groups than between regions; regional land management issues shape the framework of negotiations and the redefinition of concepts, whereas stakeholder group affiliations shape mindsets. The economic dimension of sustainability was emphasized, particularly by land managers; however, the social dimension was underrepresented in the statements. Furthermore, there are considerable differences between stakeholder groups in terms of the ways in which the spatial and temporal scales of sustainable land use are perceived. This study underscores the importance of examining stakeholder knowledge and understanding the complexity of land management and its benefits such that consensual management strategies may be developed.
History of East European Chernozem Soil Degradation; Protection and Restoration by Tree Windbreaks in the Russian Steppe
Authors: Chendev Yury , Sauer Thomas , Ramirez Guillermo , Burras Charles
Published: January 2015

The physiographic region of the Central Russian Upland, situated in the Central part of Eastern Europe, is characterized by very fertile grassland soils—Chernozems (Mollisols in the USDA taxonomy). However, over the last several centuries this region has experienced intense land-use conversion. The most widespread and significant land-use change is the extensive cultivation of these soils. As a result, Chernozems of the region that were some of the most naturally fertile soils in the world with thick A horizons had become, by the second half of the 19th century, weakly productive, with decreased stocks of organic matter. When not protected by plant cover, water and wind erosion degraded the open fields. The investigation of methods for rehabilitation and restoration of Chernozems resulted in the practice of afforestation of agricultural lands (mainly by windbreak planting). Preferences of agroforestry practices were initially connected with protection of cropland from wind and water erosion, improvement of microclimate for crop growth, and providing new refugia for wild animal and plant habitats. During the last several decades, tree windbreaks have begun to be viewed as ecosystems with great potential for atmospheric carbon sequestration, which plays a positive role in climate change mitigation. For the evaluation of windbreak influence on Chernozem soils, a study was developed with three field study areas across a climatic gradient from cool and wet in the north of the region to warm and dry in the south. Windbreak age ranged from 55–57 years. At each site, soil pits were prepared within the windbreak, the adjacent crop fields of 150 years of cultivation, and nearby undisturbed grassland. Profile descriptions were completed to a depth of 1.5 m. A linear relationship was detected between the difference in organic-rich surface layer (A + AB horizon) thickness of soils beneath windbreaks and undisturbed grasslands and a climate index, the hydrothermal coefficient (HTC). These results indicate that windbreaks under relatively cooler and wetter climate conditions are more favorable for organic matter accumulation in the surface soil. For the 0–100 cm layer of the Chernozems beneath windbreaks, an increase in organic C stocks comparable with undisturbed grassland soils (15–63 Mg·ha−1) was detected. Significant growth of soil organic matter stocks was identified not only for the upper 30 cm, but also for the deeper layer (30–100 cm) of afforested Chernozems. These findings illustrate that, in the central part of Eastern Europe, tree windbreaks improve soil quality by enhancing soil organic matter while providing a sink for atmospheric carbon in tree biomass and soil organic matter.
Les tourbières de France : répartition, caractères biogéographiques, fonctionnement écologique et dynamique, valeur patrimoniale (French Peat-bogs : localisation, biogeographic characters, ecological functionning, patrimonial value)
Authors: Julve Philippe
Published: January 2015

Mires may occur in all regions of France. The biggest areas may be found at mountainous level for shagnum-mires, and in alluvial valleys of northern half for carex-mires.

The two process of mire creation, paludification and terrestrialization may occur everywhere, giving birth, according different kinds of water supply, to topogenous mires, limnogenous mires, soligenous mires and ombrogenous mires.

Each mire type may change dynamically, from a geotrophous stage towards an ombrotrophous stage, which one may receive lateral income, or develop through natural or artificial drainage into a mineralized stage. Outside dynamic and hydric characters, edaphical and climatic factors are responsible of the extraordinary diversity of french mires.

Situated at the margin of the optimal area of mires, mires of France have an international level of patrimonial value, which is recognized in the protection of some of them.
Impact de l'environnement agricole sur une tourbière de maar ; conséquences pour sa protection (Impact of agricultural surroundings on a maar peat bog ; consequences for its conservation)
Authors: Josien Etienne , Tort Maryse
Published: January 2015

Parmi les tourbières de maar du Velay, seul le Marais de Limagne a, pour des raisons d'ordre historique (conflits entre les deux communes propriétaires), été préservé des profondes détériorations qui ont affecté les sites comparables (exploitation de la tourbe, drainage et « mise en valeur agricole », rejet d'eaux usées...). Sous arrêté de protection de biotope depuis 1987, en raison notamment de sa richesse floristique (7 espèces protégées par le décret de janvier 1982), il fait l'objet d'observations régulières.

L'apparition ou l'extension, en quelques années, dans le bas-marais, d'espèces indicatrices d'enrichissement en minéraux, a conduit à une étude de l'impact de l'activité agricole du bassin versant sur la zone humide.

En 1991, année de sécheresse, les eaux du marais présentent un gradient de concentration en nitrates décroissant de la périphérie vers le centre, les eaux de la ceinture externe étant, en outre, plus riches face aux zones cultivées ou pâturées que face aux zones boisées. Dans les sols des flancs du maar, on n'enregistre aucune trace d'accumulation.

En 1992, année pluvieuse, le gradient de concentration se retrouve à la fois pour les nitrates (avec des teneurs plus élevées qu'en 1991) et pour le phosphore. Dans le même temps, les sols agricoles révèlent une teneur en nitrates plus importante en profondeur qu'en surface d'une part, en bas de pente d'autre part.

Dans le même temps, l'analyse d'un maximum de données sur l'agro-écosystème maar a été entreprise. Elle montre que le lessivage et le ruissellement sont potentiellement importants. De plus, les systèmes de cultures génèrent un certain nombre de risques : prairies temporaires de courte durée, niveau de fertilisation modeste mais souvent supérieur aux exportations. Ainsi, le Marais de Limagne est dans une situation à risques, au moins en année très humide. Une solution, respectant les activités agricoles (dans un département menacé de désertification) et limitant de manière sensible les intrants dans la zone humide, consisterait en une transformation des parcelles ceinturant le marais en prairies permanentes fauchées. La D.D.A.F. a retenu ce site pour la mise en oeuvre des mesures agrienvironnementales de la C.E.E. Mais la solution proposée pourrait se heurter à deux obstacles : absence d'intérêt des agriculteurs pour la tourbière ; rivalité latente entre les deux communes sur lesquelles se trouve le marais.
Démarche et programme de restauration et d'aménagement d'un marais anciennement cultivé, les marais d'Orx (Landes) (A plan for the restoration and management of a previously cultivated marsh, les marais d'Orx, Landes, France)
Authors: Charmoy François , Blanchon Jean-Jacques
Published: January 2015

Les marais d'Orx sont situés au Sud du département des Landes, proches de l'Atlantique (4 km). Ils sont la propriété du Conservatoire du Littoral et des Rivages Lacustres (775 ha, achetés avec la participation du W.W.F. en 1989). Transformés en polder dans les années 1970, la culture du maïs a été abandonnée car elle n'était plus rentable. Les eaux ont reconquis les deux parties les plus basses (1985 pour le marais central, 1988 pour le marais barrage).

Il est entouré par une digue qui l'isole des apports d'eau des bassins versants. L'eau de pluie (1150 mm, tombée dans le marais est évacuée par pompage dans le canal périphérique. L'eau douce est fortement eutrophisée et trouble du fait de son passé agricole.

Situé sur l'important couloir occidental de migration, il accueille un grand nombre d'espèces d'oiseaux (213) pendant des périodes de plus en plus longues. C'est un site d'intérêt international (Grue, Spatule, Canard Souchet, Sarcelle d'hiver...).

Les objectifs de la restauration de cette zone humide sont :

- favoriser les haltes migratoires et la reproduction de certaines espèces menacées ;

- privilégier la sensibilisation du public sur les valeurs patrimoniales des milieux naturels humides ;

- maintenir une zone naturelle en équilibre au cœur d'une région à fortes activités touristiques.

Pour cela, il a été établi un programme d'aménagement intégrant les préoccupations écologiques et paysagères, afin de dégager des vocations contrastées et complémentaires des trois unités fonctionnelles du marais.
Faire connaître les zones humides, annexes des cours d'eau (Raising awareness of wet areas attached to watercourses)
Authors: Wolff Jean-Claude , Montbrun Marie-Dominique
Published: January 2015

L'Agence de l'Eau Seine-Normandie intervient techniquement et financièrement, depuis 1964, pour assurer une répartition des ressources en eau, en qualité et en quantité, entre les divers usagers. Depuis une dizaine d'années, à l'occasion des travaux d'aménagement et d'entretien des cours d'eau, la préservation du patrimoine « vivant » rentre également dans ses préoccupations.

Dans ce cadre, une meilleure connaissance des zones humides annexes des cours d'eau a été recherchée lors d'études préalables à des travaux ou bien par des investigations spécifiques.

Actuellement, l'agence de l'eau cherche a compléter son action de conseil aux décideurs par une information du grand public et plus particulièrement des jeunes. La diffusion du film vidéo « entre terre et rivière », élaboré par des spécialistes scientifiques, grâce à des images fortes et une structure pédagogique, répond à cet objectif.

Cette sensibilisation constitue une des actions visant à lever les obstacles à la préservation des zones humides. Parallèlement, d'autres réflexions d'ordre technique et économique se poursuivent.
Age and body composition influence TSH concentrations after administration of rhTSH
Authors: von Müller F. , Happel C. , Kranert W. T. , Grünwald F. , Holthausen F. F.
Published: January 2015

Aim: Previous studies listed body surface area (BSA), lean body mass (LBM), and age as modifying factors on the TSH concentrations after administration of recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH). The purpose of this study was to identify the main modifying factors on serum TSH levels and to compare the stimulation via single rhTSH injection after a short thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) with that of the standard stimulating protocol. Patients, methods: 106 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) undergoing radioiodine therapy (RIT) after rhTSH administration were obtained through chart review. Two groups were evaluated: Group I was treated with a single rhTSH administration after two weeks of T3 therapy followed by one week of THW. Group II was stimulated according to the international standard protocol via rhTSH injections for two consecutive days. Serum TSH concentrations were documented prior to rhTSH administration (day 1 TSH), one day after (day 3 TSH) and 3–6 days after (mean 4.2 days, day 6 TSH) the last rhTSH injection. The following data was collected: age, gender, weight, height, BMI, LBM, BSA, residual thyroid tissue, CRP, creatinine, GFR, liver enzymes, alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Results: Group I: Age combined with anthropometric factors like BMI (TSH increase and day 6 TSH), BSA (TSH decrease), and gender (day 6 TSH) are the main modifying factors on serum TSH concentrations after rhTSH administration. Group II: Age and lean body mass (LBM) showed a significant impact on day 3 TSH, TSH increase (day 3-day 1), and TSH decrease (day 6-day 3). Day 6 TSH was found to be influenced by GFR (group II). Conclusion: Age and anthropometric parameters have significant independent influence on TSH concentrations after rhTSH injection in both groups. Anthropometric parameters (BSA, LBM) and demographic parameters (female gender) show strong influence on TSH concentrations. Further research should be conducted to examine the influence of body compartments on TSH levels through measuring total body water.
Chemoselective silicification of synthetic peptides and polyamines
Authors: Abacilar Maryna , Daus Fabian , Geyer Armin
Published: January 2015

Biosilicification sets the standard for the localized in vitro precipitation of silica at low orthosilicate concentrations in aqueous environment under ambient conditions. Numerous parameters must be controlled for the development of new technologies in designing inventive nanosilica structures, which are able to challenge the biological templates. A long neglected requirement that came into focus in the recent years are the cellular techniques of preventing unintentional lithification of cellular structures since numerous cellular components such as membranes, DNA, and proteins are known to precipitate nanosilica. The diatom metabolism makes use of techniques that restrict silicification to an armor of silica around the cell wall while avoiding the petrifying gaze of Medusa, which turns the whole cell into stone. Step by step, biochemistry unveils the hierarchical interplay of an arsenal of low-molecular weight molecules, proteins, and the cytoskeletal architecture and it becomes clearer why the organisms invest much metabolic effort for an obviously simple chemical reaction like the precipitation of amorphous silica. The discrimination between different soluble components in the silicification process (chemoselective silicification) is not only vitally important for the diatom but poses an interesting challenge for in vitro experiments. Until now, silica precipitation studies were mainly focused on the amount, the morphology, and composition of the precipitate while disregarding a quantitative analysis of the remaining soluble components. Here, we turn the tables and quantify the soluble components by 1H NMR in the progress of precipitation and present experiments which quantify the additivity, and potential cooperativity of long chain polyamines (LCPAs) and cationic peptides in the silicification process.
EXPLORING ENTERPRISE SYSTEM ENGINEERING SKILL GAPS IN THE LABOR MARKETS OF EGYPT AND TUNISIA
Authors: Mahmoud Tariq , Gómez Jorge Marx , Alfy Shahira El
Published: January 2015

The proposed research is driven by an existing need to develop a master programme in enterprise system engineering (ESE) to the Arab Universities. The main objective of the project is to ensure the development of a top-notch curriculum that comprises the latest technology and teaching methods while integrating the local labour market needs of the target countries. To achieve that, a labour market analysis in the ESE domain is conducted in this proposed research. The study is divided into two main parts, one is qualitative to uncover several issues in the labour markets of the target Arab countries relevant to ESE and the second part is quantitative designed to measure the skill gaps prevalent in those countries to which the master programme is exported. Besides the business problem calling for this research, its importance is leveraged by the strong evidence in the literature showing that supply and demand skills rarely match. This research is expected to explore and measure potential gaps between employment and education in ESE, a point that is crucial for more efficient education and employment in the Arab countries.
ETHICAL-ECONOMIC DILEMMAS IN BUSINESS EDUCATION
Authors: Remišová Anna , Lašáková Anna , Búciová Zuzana
Published: January 2015

The main purpose of the article is to support the idea of institutionalizing business ethics education at all business schools. Further, the article stresses the importance of using ethical-economic dilemmas in business ethics education. It argues that business students should learn that managerial work is too complex to make do with expertise and experience and help them to acquire the skill of ethical reflection of economic activity. Solving ethical-economic dilemmas in business ethics courses helps to develop cognitive skills in considering economic or managerial problems on the basis of ethical and economic interaction. In order to support the main purpose stated above, we aimed at getting a picture of how respondents assess and solve an ethical-economic dilemma. Hence, this article presents results of an empirical investigation of the ethical decision-making (EDM) process on a sample of Slovak students of Management.
QUALITY INVESTING IN CEE EMERGING MARKETS
Authors: Zaremba Adam
Published: January 2015

Using sorting, cross-sectional tests, regression, and tests of a monotonic relation, the study examines the return patterns related to seven distinct quality characteristics: accruals, bid-ask spread, balance sheet liquidity, profitability, leverage, payout ratio and turnover. The investigation of more than 1.300 stocks from 11 Central and Eastern European countries for the period 2002–2014 documents a strong gross-profitability premium and an inverted liquidity premium. Profitable and not heavily leveraged companies provide a partial hedge against market distress. Finally, the paper proposes quality spreads as a forecasting tool and shows that they have predictive abilities over quality premiums related to leverage, profitability and bid-ask spread.
Interactive Data Visualization Techniques Applied to Healthcare Decision Making
Authors: Zhu Zhecheng , Hoon Heng Bee , Teow Kiok-Liang
Published: January 2015

Data visualization techniques are widely applied in all kinds of organizations, turning tables of numbers into visualizations for discovery, information communication, and knowledge sharing. Data visualization solutions can be found everywhere in healthcare systems from hospital operations monitoring and patient profiling to demand projection and capacity planning. In this chapter, interactive data visualization techniques are discussed and their applications to various aspects of healthcare systems are explored. Compared to static data visualization techniques, interactive ones allow users to explore the data and find the insights themselves. Four case studies are given to illustrate how interactive data visualization techniques are applied in healthcare: summary and overview, information selection and filtering, patient flow visualization, and geographical and longitudinal analyses. These case studies show that interactive data visualization techniques expand the boundary of data visualization as a pure presentation tool and bring certain analytical capability to support better healthcare decision making.
The Role of Big Data in Radiation Oncology
Authors: El Naqa Issam
Published: January 2015

More than half of cancer patients receive ionizing radiation as part of their treatment and it is the main modality at advanced stages of disease. Treatment outcomes in radiotherapy are determined by complex interactions between cancer genetics, treatment regimens, and patient-related variables. A typical radiotherapy treatment scenario can generate a large pool of data, “Big data,” that is comprised of patient demographics, dosimetry, imaging features, and biological markers. Radiotherapy data constitutes a unique interface between physical and biological data interactions. In this chapter, the authors review recent advances and discuss current challenges to interrogate big data in radiotherapy using top-bottom and bottom-top approaches. They describe the specific nature of big data in radiotherapy and discuss issues related to bioinformatics tools for data aggregation, sharing, and confidentiality. The authors also highlight the potential opportunities in this field for big data research from bioinformaticians as well as clinical decision-makers' perspectives.
Analysis of Genomic Data in a Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Groth Philip , Reuter Gerhard , Thieme Sebastian
Published: January 2015

A new trend for data analysis in the life sciences is Cloud computing, enabling the analysis of large datasets in short time. This chapter introduces Big Data challenges in the genomic era and how Cloud computing can be one feasible approach for solving them. Technical and security issues are discussed and a case study where Clouds are successfully applied to resolve computational bottlenecks in the analysis of genomic data is presented. It is an intentional outcome of this chapter that Cloud computing is not essential for analyzing Big Data. Rather, it is argued that for the optimized utilization of IT, it is required to choose the best architecture for each use case, either by security requirements, financial goals, optimized runtime through parallelization, or the ability for easier collaboration and data sharing with business partners on shared resources.
Pathway Analysis and Its Applications
Authors: Mathur Ravi , Motsinger-Reif Alison
Published: January 2015

As the scale of genetic, genomic, metabolomics, and proteomic data increases with advancing technology, new approaches leveraging domain expert knowledge, and other sources of functional annotation have been developed to aid in the analysis and interpretation of such data. Pathway and network analysis approaches have become popular in association analysis – connecting genetic markers or measures of gene product with phenotypes or diseases of interest. These approaches aim to leverage big data to better understand the complex etiologies of these traits. Findings from such analyses can help reveal interesting biological traits and/or help identify potential biomarkers of disease. In the current chapter, the authors review broad categories of pathway analyses and review advantages and disadvantages of each. They discuss both the analytical methods to detect phenotype-associated pathways and review the key resources in the field of human genetics that are available to investigators wanting to perform such analyses.
Application Mobility
Authors: Johansson Dan , Wiberg Mikael
Published: January 2015

Mobility has become an omnipresent part of our modern IT society. Alongside the general taxonomy of mobile users, terminals, sessions, and services, there are also more specialized forms of mobility. Context-Awareness Supported Application Mobility (CASAM) or “Application Mobility” is one such form that is explored in this chapter. CASAM builds on the idea of using context to move an application between different devices during its execution in order to provide relevant information and/or services. The authors use a concept-driven approach to advance mobile systems research, integrating it with a more traditional user-centric method and a case study, further exploring the concept of CASAM. To empirically situate our design work they conducted an empirical study of a home care service group serving the Swedish municipality of Skellefteå, followed by an exercise in matching the properties of the CASAM concept in relation to problems within current workflow.
The Effect of CEO Overconfidence on Product Market Performance
Authors: Yilmaz Neslihan
Published: January 2015

This paper provides empirical evidence that CEO overconfidence can play a role on firm product market performance. Some studies provide empirical evidence that irrational managers may engage in actions that can be detrimental to firm value while others suggest that an overconfident manager can increase firm value. This work analyzes the relationship between CEO overconfidence and within-industry sales performance of the firm, and find that higher overconfidence levels are associated with better product market performance.