bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lack of TERT Promoter Mutations in Human B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Lam Gary , Xian Rena , Li Yingying , Burns Kathleen , Beemon Karen
Published: October 2016

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) are a heterogeneous group of immune cell neoplasms that comprise molecularly distinct lymphoma subtypes. Recent work has identified high frequency promoter point mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene of different cancer types, including melanoma, glioma, liver and bladder cancer. TERT promoter mutations appear to correlate with increased TERT expression and telomerase activity in these cancers. In contrast, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer rarely demonstrate mutations in this region of the gene. TERT promoter mutation prevalence in NHL has not been thoroughly tested thus far. We screened 105 B-cell lymphoid malignancies encompassing nine NHL subtypes and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, for TERT promoter mutations. Our results suggest that TERT promoter mutations are rare or absent in most NHL. Thus, the classical TERT promoter mutations may not play a major oncogenic role in TERT expression and telomerase activation in NHL.
Methods of Generating Key Sequences Based on Parameters of Handwritten Passwords and Signatures
Authors: Lozhnikov Pavel , Sulavko Alexey , Eremenko Alexander , Volkov Danil
Published: October 2016

The modern encryption methods are reliable if strong keys (passwords) are used, but the human factor issue cannot be solved by cryptographic methods. The best variant is binding all authenticators (passwords, encryption keys, and others) to the identities. When a user is authenticated by biometrical characteristics, the problem of protecting a biometrical template stored on a remote server becomes a concern. The paper proposes several methods of generating keys (passwords) by means of the fuzzy extractors method based on signature parameters without storing templates in an open way.
An Intriguing Method for Fabricating Arbitrarily Shaped “Matreshka” Hydrogels Using a Self-Healing Template
Authors: Sato Takeshi , Uto Koichiro , Aoyagi Takao , Ebara Mitsuhiro
Published: October 2016

This work describes an intriguing strategy for the creation of arbitrarily shaped hydrogels utilizing a self-healing template (SHT). A SHT was loaded with a photo-crosslinkable monomer, PEG diacrylate (PEGDA), and then ultraviolet light (UV) crosslinked after first shaping. The SHT template was removed by simple washing with water, leaving behind the hydrogel in the desired physical shape. A hierarchical 3D structure such as “Matreshka” boxes were successfully prepared by simply repeating the “self-healing” and “photo-irradiation” processes. We have also explored the potential of the SHT system for the manipulation of cells.
Effects of WC-17Co Coating Combined with Shot Peening Treatment on Fatigue Behaviors of TC21 Titanium Alloy
Authors: Du Dongxing , Liu Daoxin , Zhang Xiaohua , Tang Jingang , Meng Baoli
Published: October 2016

The improvement and mechanism of the fatigue resistance of TC21 high-strength titanium alloy with a high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) sprayed WC-17Co coating was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the corresponding stress measurement instrument, a surface roughness tester, a micro-hardness tester, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to determine the properties of the HVOF WC-17Co coating with or without shot peening. The fatigue behavior of the TC21 titanium alloy with or without the WC-17Co coating was determined by using a rotating bending fatigue testing machine. The results revealed that the polished HVOF sprayed WC-17Co coating had almost the same fatigue resistance as the TC21 titanium alloy substrate. This resulted from the polishing-induced residual surface compressive stress and a decrease in the stress concentration on the surface of the coating. Moderate-intensity shot peening of the polished WC-17Co coatings resulted in significant improvement of the fatigue resistance of the alloy. Furthermore, the fatigue life was substantially higher than that of the substrate, owing to the deep distribution of residual stress and high compressive stress induced by shot peening. The improved surface toughness of the coating can effectively delay the initiation of fatigue crack propagation.
Vibration Isolation and Trajectory Following Control of a Cable Suspended Stewart Platform
Authors: Duan Xuechao , Mi Jianwei , Zhao Ze
Published: October 2016

To achieve high-quality vibration isolation and trajectory following control of a cable driven parallel robot based Stewart platform in the five hundred meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) design, the integrated dynamic model of the Stewart platform including the electric cylinder is established in this paper, the globally feedback linearization of the dynamic model is implemented based on the control law partitioning approach. To overcome the disadvantages of the external disturbance on the base and unmodeled flexibility of the mechanism, a PID (Proportional-Derivative-Integral) controller with base acceleration feedforward is designed in the operational space of the Stewart platform. Experiments of the vibration isolation and trajectory following control of the cable suspended Stewart platform with presence of the base disturbance is carried out. The experimental results show that the presented control scheme has the advantage of stable dynamics, high accuracy and strong robustness.
Chemical Composition, Cytotoxic, Apoptotic and Antioxidant Activities of Main Commercial Essential Oils in Palestine: A Comparative Study
Authors: A. Al-Tamimi Mohammad , Rastall Bob , M. Abu-Reidah Ibrahim
Published: October 2016

Background: Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of several components gifted with a wide array of biological activities. The present research was designed to evaluate whether commercial essential oils could be effective by examining their in vitro antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic properties of nine commercially available EOs in Palestine, namely, African rue, basil, chamomile, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, spearmint, sage, and thyme, and to assure their effective use. Methods: The cytotoxic activity was determined using HT29-19(A) non-muco secreting and HT29-muco secreting (MS) cell lines. MTT, and trypan blue tests, and DPPH radical scavenging have also been assayed on the studied EOs. Results: In this work chamomile oil showed the lowest IC50 at the content of 60 µL/mL, while all other EOs reached such a decrease when 70–80 µL/mL was used on HT-29 (MS) cell lines. In HT-29 19(A) cells, 50% of viability was obtained when 80 µL/mL of ginger and African rue was used, while all other EOs needed more than 80 µL/mL to reach such a decline in viability. Otherwise, an MTT assay on HT-29 (MS) displayed ginger EO with the lowest IC50, followed by African rue and sage, with 40, 48 and 53 µL/mL, respectively. Otherwise, for the rest of the EOs, the IC50 was obtained by assaying around 80 µL/mL. Ginger showed the lowest IC50 with 60 µL/mL and thyme was the highest with 77 µL/mL when HT-29 19(A) cells were used. Conclusion: The most active EOs were found to be ginger, chamomile oil, and African rue. In general, the results demonstrate that most commercial EOs tested in this work possess low, or no biological activities; this may be due to processing, storage conditions, and handling or other reasons, which may cause losses in the biological and pharmacological properties that endemically exist in the Eos; hence, more investigation is still required on commercial EOs before they are recommended to the public.
SNP Arrays
Authors: Louhelainen Jari
Published: October 2016

The papers published in this Special Issue “SNP arrays” (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Arrays) focus on several perspectives associated with arrays of this type. The range of papers vary from a case report to reviews, thereby targeting wider audiences working in this field. The research focus of SNP arrays is often human cancers but this Issue expands that focus to include areas such as rare conditions, animal breeding and bioinformatics tools. Given the limited scope, the spectrum of papers is nothing short of remarkable and even from a technical point of view these papers will contribute to the field at a general level. Three of the papers published in this Special Issue focus on the use of various SNP array approaches in the analysis of three different cancer types. Two of the papers concentrate on two very different rare conditions, applying the SNP arrays slightly differently. Finally, two other papers evaluate the use of the SNP arrays in the context of genetic analysis of livestock. The findings reported in these papers help to close gaps in the current literature and also to give guidelines for future applications of SNP arrays.
Effects of Walnut Consumption on Mood in Young Adults—A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Pribis Peter
Published: October 2016

Walnuts contain a number of potentially neuroprotective compounds like vitamin E, folate, melatonin, several antioxidative polyphenols and significant amounts of ω-3 fatty acids. The present study sought to determine the effect of walnuts on mood in healthy volunteers. Sixty-four college students were randomly assigned to two treatment sequences in a crossover fashion: walnut–placebo or placebo–walnut. At baseline mood was assessed using Profiles of Mood States (POMS). Data was collected again after eight weeks of intervention. After six-weeks of washout, the intervention groups followed the diets in reverse order. Data was collected once more at the end of the eight-week intervention period. No significant changes in mood were observed in the analyses with both genders combined and in females. However, we have observed a significant medium effect size improvement in the Total Mood Disturbance score (−27.49%, p = 0.043, Cohen’s d = 0.708) in males. In non-depressed healthy young males, walnuts seem to have the ability to improve mood.
Special Issue “International Conference of Spirituality in Healthcare. Sowing the Seeds”—Trinity College Dublin 2015
Authors: Timmins Fiona , McSherry Wilfred , OBoyle Colm , Brady Vivienne , Caldeira Sílvia
Published: October 2016

This is an editorial of a Special Issue concerning the International Conference of Spirituality in Healthcare held in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Republic of Ireland (ROI), in June 2015 [1].[...]
A Note on Health Insurance under Ex Post Moral Hazard
Authors: Picard Pierre
Published: October 2016

In the linear coinsurance problem, examined first by Mossin (1968), a higher absolute risk aversion with respect to wealth in the sense of Arrow–Pratt implies a higher optimal coinsurance rate. We show that this property does not hold for health insurance under ex post moral hazard; i.e., when illness severity cannot be observed by insurers, and policyholders decide on their health expenditures. The optimal coinsurance rate trades off a risk-sharing effect and an incentive effect, both related to risk aversion.
Sentinel-2A MSI and Landsat 8 OLI Provide Data Continuity for Geological Remote Sensing
Authors: Van der Werff Harald , Van der Meer Freek
Published: October 2016

Sentinel-2A MSI is the Landsat-like spatial resolution (10–60 m) super-spectral instrument of the European Space Agency (ESA), aimed at additional data continuity for global land surface monitoring with Landsat and Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT) missions. Several simulation studies have been conducted in the last several years to show the potential of Sentinel-2A MSI (MultiSpectral Instrument). Now that real data are available, the first confirmations of this potential and comparisons with other operational systems are being made. This paper aims at evaluating Sentinel-2A MSI band ratio products that are relevant for geological remote sensing. A Sentinel-2A MSI and a Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) scene were processed from their respective levels L1C and L1T to level L2A (bottom of atmosphere reflectance). Then, three band ratios originally defined for Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) were used to map mineralogy associated with a hydrothermal alteration system in southeast Spain. The results obtained with Sentinel-2A MSI were compared with those obtained with Landsat 8 OLI and a simulated Sentinel-2A MSI dataset that was used before actual data were released. Results show that the images appear similar to the human eye having a correlation of approximately 0.8 and higher, but that the associated data ranges differ significantly. The resulting products are also compared to a published geologic map of the study area, and it is shown that the resulting maps correspond with the conceptual geologic model of the epithermal deposit.
Postcolonial Reflection on the Christian Mission: The Case of North Korean Refugees in China and South Korea
Authors: Kang Shin
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this paper is to challenge the dominant narrative of Christian service providers working for North Korean refugees’ welfare, and to articulate the perspectives of non-Christian aid recipients, especially North Korean refugees in China and South Korea. Drawing upon postcolonialism, I will unpack dysfunctions of Christian missions and ministries while relating them to anthropological insights and ethnographic research data. As a Christian scholar, I attempt to invite Christian leaders and field workers to engage in critical reflections on their goals, dispositions, and strategies in relating to the culturally, politically, and economically marginalized. This paper is aimed to offer opportunities for Christian missionaries to critique their colonial models and to reclaim their missions that decolonize both missionaries and the missionized.
Dynamics of Enterprise Architecture in the Korean Public Sector: Transformational Change vs. Transactional Change
Authors: Nam Kichan , Oh Seung , Kim Sung , Goo Jahyun , Khan M. Sajid
Published: October 2016

Enterprise architecture (EA) is one of the most important tools for implementing e-government effectively and delivering high-quality information technology services to citizens. To develop a robust EA research model with key success factors, we apply the theory of organizational change proposed by Burke and Litwin, using the concepts of transformational and transactional change. The analysis is conducted by using South Korea’s EA project launched in 2003. This study classifies EA implementation in the South Korean public sector into three stages and explains the characteristics of each stage from the organizational change perspective. We raise the issue of EA application level compounded by the problem of diverse EA definitions and discuss the difficulties of EA implementation based on the framework of organizational change. In addition, 20 EA experts are surveyed to confirm the findings of this study. Finally, we propose a new research model for future empirical study based on the presented findings. We believe that this study, as an in-depth review of EA implementation from an organizational change perspective, will benefit EA experts from a practical point of view, as well as academics from a research perspective.
A Vector Auto Regression Model Applied to Real Estate Development Investment: A Statistic Analysis
Authors: Liu Fengyun , Matsuno Shuji , Malekian Reza , Yu Jin , Li Zhixiong
Published: October 2016

This study analyzes the economic system dynamics of investment in real estate from mainly four participants in China. Local governments limit the supply of commercial and residential land to raise fiscal revenue, and expand debts by land mortgage to develop industrial zones and parks. Led by local government, banks and real estate development enterprises forge a coalition on real estate investment and facilitate real estate price appreciation. The above theoretical model is empirically evidenced with VAR (Vector Auto Regression) methodology. A panel VAR model shows that land leasing and real estate price appreciation positively affect local government general fiscal revenue. Additional VAR models find that bank credit in addition to private and foreign funds respectively have strong positive dynamic effects on housing prices. Housing prices also have a strong positive impact on speculation from private funds and hot money.
LCA of the Collection, Transportation, Treatment and Disposal of Source Separated Municipal Waste: A Southern Italy Case Study
Authors: De Feo Giovanni , Ferrara Carmen , Iuliano Cristina , Grosso Alberto
Published: October 2016

This study performed a Life Cycle Assessment of the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of source-separated municipal waste (MW) in Baronissi, a town of 17,000 inhabitants in the Campania region of Italy. Baronissi is a high-performing town in a region with scarcity of MW facilities. The environmental impacts were assessed with three different methods—IPCC 2007, Ecological Footprint and ReCiPe 2008—in order to evaluate how they influence the results as well as how the global warming affects the results, since it is one of the major environmental concerns of people. The obtained results showed how the presence of facilities in the area is fundamental. Their lack means high environmental loads due to the transportation of materials for long distances, particularly for the organic fraction. The presence of a composting plant at 10 km from the municipality would result in a decrease of 65% of the impacts due to the external transport, regardless of the evaluation method. The results obtained with ReCiPe 2008 and Ecological Footprint agreed, while those obtained with IPCC 2007 were very different since global warming is strongly affected by the transport phase. IPCC 2007 does not allow to take into account the advantages obtainable with a good level of separate collection. Considering a single impact evaluation method, there is a high risk of coming to misleading conclusions.
Welfare with or without Growth? Potential Lessons from the German Healthcare System
Authors: Fischer Matthias
Published: October 2016

This article is meant to be a contribution to the debate on growth and welfare. Its argument is based on results of a Grounded Theory study about the German healthcare system, which suggests that the core of the healthcare system can be expressed by two abstract basic ideas that are contradictory and yet dependent on each other. The implications of the results, both for future research on the healthcare system and for the debate on growth and welfare, are discussed. As a final suggestion, “sustainability” is proposed as a concept that could potentially resolve the debate.
Natural Gas Consumption of Emerging Economies in the Industrialization Process
Authors: Chai Jian , Liang Ting , Zhou Xiaoyang , Ye Yunxiao , Xing Limin , Lai Kin
Published: October 2016

Natural gas has become more and more important in the world energy market with the change of energy consumption structure and consumption subjects. This paper applies the panel smooth transition regression (PSTR) model to study the nonlinear relationship between natural gas consumption and economic variables of emerging economies, and the empirical results show that: (1) There is a non-linear relationship among natural gas consumption, GDP per capita, industrialization and urbanization rate; (2) The optimal PSTR model is a two-regime model by using the lagged industrialization as a transition variable, and the impact of GDP per capita and of industrialization on natural gas consumption shows incomplete symmetry in low and high regime, respectively; (3) The result of time-varying elasticity analysis indicates that natural gas consumption is inelastic to GDP per capita, but elastic to both industrialization and urbanization. The elasticity of GDP per capita generally decrease with fluctuation, the elasticity of industrialization tends to rise, and the elasticity of urbanization is linear at high level; (4) Regional difference shows that there are 10 emerging economies are in first regime (below industrialization of 43.2%), and the remaining 6 are in second regime. This provides reference for countries in different transformation periods to make economic policies adapting to energy saving, energy structure optimization and other sustainable development strategies.
Management Optimization of the Luminous Flux Regulation of a Lighting System in Road Tunnels. A First Approach to the Exertion of Predictive Control Systems
Authors: Salata Ferdinando , Golasi Iacopo , Poliziani Alessandro , Futia Antonio , De Lieto Vollaro Emanuele , Coppi Massimo , De Lieto Vollaro Andrea
Published: October 2016

Lighting very long road tunnels implies a high consumption of electrical energy since it requires a proper illumination during the whole day. In particular, in the daytime, the illuminance levels right at the tunnel entrance threshold and exit zones must be higher than those characterizing the inside of the tunnel; in this way, the eye of the driver is able to adapt and be safe while passing from a high natural illumination of the outside to the lighting conditions characterizing the inside of the tunnel. However this causes a high energy demand. Therefore, this case study investigates whether it is possible to minimize the energy demand through the exertion of an automatic new control system regulating the luminous fluxes of artificial sources (guaranteeing the parameters set by the regulation) with respect to the variation of the natural light characterizing the outside. The innovative control systems must be characterized by high reliability levels in order to guarantee conditions which are not dangerous to the driver if an outage occurs and minimize their maintenance costs. To carry out this type of study, the software DIALux was used to simulate a tunnel with a dimming system (with lamps characterized by a high luminous efficiency) regulated by a pre-programmed logic control system (with high Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) values). The savings obtained enabled the amortization of the solution here suggested in a time interval that makes it an advantageous choice economically speaking.
Analysis and Planning of Ecological Networks Based on Kernel Density Estimations for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region in Northern China
Authors: Li Pengshan , Lv Yahui , Zhang Chao , Yun Wenju , Yang Jianyu , Zhu Dehai
Published: October 2016

With the continued social and economic development of northern China, landscape fragmentation has placed increasing pressure on the ecological system of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. To maintain the integrity of ecological processes under the influence of human activities, we must maintain effective connections between habitats and limit the impact of ecological isolation. In this paper, landscape elements were identified based on a kernel density estimation, including forests, grasslands, orchards and wetlands. The spatial configuration of ecological networks was analysed by the integrated density index, and a natural breaks classification was performed for the landscape type data and the results of the landscape spatial distribution analysis. The results showed that forest and grassland are the primary constituents of the core areas and act as buffer zones for the region’s ecological network. Rivers, as linear patches, and orchards, as stepping stones, form the main body of the ecological corridors, and isolated elements are distributed mainly in the plain area. Orchards have transition effects. Wetlands act as connections between different landscapes in the region. Based on these results, we make suggestions for the protection and planning of ecological networks. This study can also provide guidance for the coordinated development of the BTH region.
A Novel Texture Feature Description Method Based on the Generalized Gabor Direction Pattern and Weighted Discrepancy Measurement Model
Authors: Chen Ting , Zhao Xiangmo , Dai Liang , Zhang Licheng , Wang Jiarui
Published: October 2016

Texture feature description is a remarkable challenge in the fields of computer vision and pattern recognition. Since the traditional texture feature description method, the local binary pattern (LBP), is unable to acquire more detailed direction information and always sensitive to noise, we propose a novel method based on generalized Gabor direction pattern (GGDP) and weighted discrepancy measurement model (WDMM) to overcome those defects. Firstly, a novel patch-structure direction pattern (PDP) is proposed, which can extract rich feature information and be insensitive to noise. Then, motivated by searching for a description method that can explore richer and more discriminant texture features and reducing the local Gabor feature vector’s high dimension problem, we extend PDP to form the GGDP method with multi-channel Gabor space. Furthermore, WDMM, which can effectively measure the feature distance between two images, is presented for the classification and recognition of image samples. Simulated experiments on olivetti research laboratory (ORL), Carnegie Mellon University pose, illumination, and expression (CMUPIE) and Yale B face databases under different illumination or facial expression conditions indicate that the proposed method outperforms other existing classical methods.
Determination of Deoxynivalenol in the Urine of Pregnant Women in the UK
Authors: Wells Liz , Hardie Laura , Williams Courtney , White Kay , Liu Yunru , De Santis Barbara , Debegnach Francesca , Moretti Georgio , Greetham Stephanie , Brera Carlo , Rigby Alan , Atkin Stephen , Sathyapalan Thozhukat
Published: October 2016

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most commonly occurring trichothecenes, produced mainly by Fusarium graminearum. Little is known about the effect of DON exposure or the levels of DON exposure that occur during pregnancy. The project aimed to provide data on levels of total DON and de-epoxi Deoxynivalenol (DOM-1) in pregnant human urine samples analysed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Morning urine samples were collected over two consecutive days from 42 volunteers and associated food consumption was recorded for the 24 h prior to the sample. Spearman’s rho non-parametric test for correlation was used to assess the data. Levels of DON did not differ significantly between day 1 (mean 29.7 ng/mL urine or 40.1 ng DON/mg creatinine) and day 2 (mean 28.7 ng/mL urine or 38.8 ng DON/mg creatinine ng/mL/day) urine samples. The only significant positive correlation was found between total ng DON/mg creatinine and parity (rho = 0.307, n = 42, p < 0.005 two-tailed) and total ng DON/mg creatinine with baked goods on day 1 (rho = 0.532, n = 42, p < 0.0005 two-tailed). This study provides data on the DON levels in pregnancy in this suburban population and reassurance that those levels are within acceptable limits.
Les traités de Lancaster House et la coopération franco-britannique en matière de défense et de sécurité
Authors: Guilhaudis Jean-François
Published: October 2016

The Defence and Security Co-operation Treaty and the Treaty Relating to Joint Radiographic/ Hydrodynamics Facilities signed on 2 november 2010 and which came into force in 2011 mark an “ unprecedented” rapprochement between france and the united Kingdom. the co-operation treaty, which is the main instrument of a vast “ long-term partnership” is at the heart of an ambitious scheme for co-operation, covering all areas of defence and security and designed to achieve concrete results, especially in terms of capabilities and operations (combined joint expeditionary force, integrated carrier strike group). the parties undertake and choose to build legally organized co-operation so that by combining their strengths, they can remain first-rank powers. the joint facilities treaty is both technical, political and strategic since its purpose is to allow both states, by simulating nuclear tests, to maintain the advantage of nuclear dissuasion in the coming decades. this co-operation, which is very egalitarian and respectful of sovereignty, purports to be compatible with european defence. only the future will tell if it is, if it manages to structure it.
Les conférences des États parties
Authors: Tardieu Aurélie
Published: October 2016

Depuis quelques dizaines d’années, de nombreuses conventions internationales prévoient que les parties se réuniront à intervalles réguliers. Au gré de la pratique et des textes, la conférence des parties est devenue une institution en soi. Elle a généralement pour tâche de veiller à la bonne application de la convention et d’en compléter le cas échéant le dispositif. Dès lors que la conférence a pour raison d’être d’en assurer l’efficacité, ses compétences se sont souvent étendues au-delà de ce que prévoyait le traité. On peut s’en réjouir. Il n’empêche que l’on est naturellement appelé à s’interroger tant sur la nature des pouvoirs dont elle prétend disposer et sur la qualité de son action, que sur les critères pertinents pour en décider. D’aucuns n’hésitent pas à y découvrir quelque embryon d’une organisation internationale, ce qui demeure aventureux.
La circulation des biens culturels en droit chinois
Authors: Wang Li
Published: October 2016

China is among the major exporters of cultural property. The chinese state is generally highly sensitive to the protection and regulation of movements of cultural property. the chinese legislative and institutional framework is comparatively complete and criminal sanctions are severe. Priority is granted to the punishment of illicit trafficking in cultural property and free trade of such property is limited. Rather than organizing any supervision of the art market, chinese law has preferred to partly prohibit the internal movement of such cultural property. these overly strict measures are an indirect incentive to illegally export cultural property via art work trafficking networks.
Rethinking Halaf and Ubaid animal economies: Hunting and Herding at Tell Zeidan (Syria)
Authors: Grossman Kathryn , Hinman Miriam
Published: October 2016

This study re-evaluates current models of Halaf and northern Ubaid subsistence strategies in light of new faunal data recovered from Tell Zeidan, a prehistoric settlement at the confluence of the Balikh and Euphrates rivers in Northern Syria. Our data indicates that a major shift in the animal economy at Zeidan took place between the Halaf and Ubaid periods. The Halaf period faunal assemblage from Tell Zeidan includes more than 50% wild game. Faunal data from other Halaf sites show that, while a heavy reliance on wild game was common, Zeidan was the only large, permanent settlement with a faunal assemblage that included more than 50% wild game. During the Ubaid period, the animal economy at Zeidan shifted to focus on the exploitation of domesticated taxa (90% of the assemblage), an intensifi cation probably driven by population increase at the site. This increasing use of domesticates does not, however, appear to have been a regional trend, as many Ubaid settlements continued to exploit high percentages of wild game. This study of faunal remains from Tell Zeidan presents a valuable new corpus of zooarchaeological data from a large, permanent settlement in Northern Mesopotamia and provides useful insights into changing regional patterns of animal exploitation during the Halaf and Ubaid periods.
A STUDY ON THE EXCITATION AND RESONANT ABSORPTION OF CORONAL LOOP KINK OSCILLATIONS
Authors: Yu Dae Jung , Van Doorsselaere Tom
Published: October 2016

We study theoretically the issue of externally driven excitations of standing kink waves and their resonant absorption into torsionally polarized m = 1 waves in the coronal loops in pressureless plasmas. We use the ideal MHD equations, for which we develop an invariant imbedding method available in cylindrical geometry. We assume a sinusoidal density profile at the loop boundary where the density inside the loop is lower than the outside and vice versa. We present field distributions for these two cases and find that they have similar behaviors. We compare the results for the overdense loops, which describe the usual coronal loops, with the analytical solutions of Soler et al. obtained using the Frobenius method. Our results show some similarity for thin nonuniform layers but deviate a lot for thick nonuniform layers. For the first case, which describes the wave train propagation in funnels, we find that resonant absorption depends crucially on the thickness of the nonuniform boundary, loop length, and density contrast. The resonant absorption of the kink mode is dominant when the loop length is sufficiently larger compared with its radius (thin loop). The behavior of the far-field pattern of the scattered wave by the coronal loop is closely related to that of the resonant absorption. For the mode conversion phenomena in inhomogeneous plasmas, a certain universal behavior of the resonant absorption is found for the first time. We expect that the main feature may also apply to the overdense loops and discuss its relation to the damping rate.
La possession d’animaux de compagnie en France : une évolution sur plus de vingt ans expliquée par la sociologie de la consommation
Authors: Herpin Nicolas , Verger Daniel
Published: October 2016

Les animaux de compagnie n’occupent plus la même place auprès des humains. L’article exploite des données d’enquêtes, menées en France par l’Insee à plus de vingt ans d’écart en s’appuyant sur les perspectives propres à la sociologie de la consommation et à la microéconomie. Les évolutions sont expliquées par les arbitrages qu’effectuent les différents acteurs sociaux, en fonction de leur situation, entre la possession et la non-possession d’animaux, et par les choix qu’ils font parmi les animaux, en particulier les chiens et les chats. Elles montrent que les attentes sont de moins en moins fondées sur les services rendus par l’animal, et de plus en plus sur leur apport de compagnie.
Students’ Perception About Mobile Learning in Morocco: Survey Analysis
Authors: Zidoun Youness , El arroum Fatima-Zohra , Talea Mohamed , Dehbi Rachid
Published: October 2016

Given the emergence of new mobile devices (tablet, PDA and smart phone), and the growth that knows that part of the ICT, integrating these new technologies into the learning system was imposed, and a new way of learning was born. Mobile learning or "m-learning" is providing great opportunities for learners, especially to learn anytime and anywhere without limitations. There is a new generation of students who grew up using technology and who are easily related to new mobile devices. We discuss the identity of mobile learning and aim to measure the interest of students on it through a survey. This survey seeks to promote mobile learning within the student’s community for a possible adoption in Moroccan higher education. Qualitative and quantitative approaches are endorsed. The results are analyzed, conclusions and perspectives presented at the end of this paper.
Qu’est-ce que l’accès ouvert ?
Authors: Suber Peter
Published: October 2016

Dans ce livre court, Peter Suber explique ce qu'est l'accès ouvert et ce qu'il n'est pas, ses avantages pour les auteurs et leurs lecteurs, la manière de le financer, sa compatibilité avec le droit d'auteur, la façon dont le mouvement pour l'accès ouvert est passé d'un mouvement confidentiel à un mouvement global, et enfin ses perspectives d'avenir.
Basé sur les recherches et les écrits de l'auteur pendant une dizaine d'années, ce livre s'avère un outil indispensable pour les chercheurs, les bibliothécaires, les documentalistes, les administrateurs, les agences de financement, les éditeurs et les décideurs.
Expulsion illégale d’un étranger gravement malade : le juge des référés enjoint à l’Etat d’organiser son retour en France
Authors: Klausser Nicolas
Published: October 2016

Le 25 juillet 2016, le juge des référés du tribunal administratif de Limoges a rendu une ordonnance inédite à la suite de l’expulsion d’un Iranien gravement malade par les préfectures de la Haute-Vienne et du Vaucluse. Au regard de la violation du droit à un recours effectif et de la liberté personnelle de l’intéressé, il a été enjoint aux préfectures concernées d’organiser son retour en France dans les meilleurs délais, et de lui permettre de bénéficier des traitements nécessaires à son état de santé le temps de son retour. La présente affaire est l’occasion d’illustrer un cas de violations manifestes de libertés fondamentales par l’administration, et d’analyser et interroger les moyens juridiques existants pour y remédier.
SciStarter 2.0
Authors: Hoffman Catherine , Cooper Caren B. , Kennedy Eric B. , Farooque Mahmud , Cavalier Darlene
Published: October 2016

In this chapter, the authors focus on how SciStarter has developed a new digital infrastructure to support sustained engagement in citizen science, and research into the behaviors and motivations of participants. The new digital infrastructure of SciStarter includes integrated registration and contribution tracking tools to make it easier to participate in multiple projects, enhanced GIS information to promote locally relevant projects, an online personal dashboard to keep track of contributions, and the use of these tools (integrated registration, GIS, dashboard) by project owners and researchers to better understand and respond to the needs and interests of citizen-science participants. In this chapter, the authors explore how these new tools build pathways to participatory policymaking, expand access to informal STEM experiences, and lower barriers to citizen science. The chapter concludes with a design for a citizen-science future with increased access to tools, trackable participation, and integrated competencies.
Geographical Information Systems in Modern Citizen Science
Authors: Subirats Laia , Simoes Joana , Steblin Alexander
Published: October 2016

This chapter shows how citizen-science initiatives have been known to exist for a long time, but only recently they were further enhanced thanks to technological and societal developments, such as the availability of mobile devices, the widespread use of the internet and the low cost of location devices. These developments shaped the geographic information system (GIS) world as it is known today: a group of technologies that allows retrieving, storing, analyzing and sharing spatial information, by people who are not necessarily GIS professionals. This chapter starts with a general background about GIS, adding then more detail in topics of particular relevance in the context of citizen science. The rest of the chapter is focused on reviewing and classifying the use of GIS in citizen-science initiatives; and some use cases are described in order to provide practical examples of the use of these technologies for solving specific spatial problems. The chapter closes with a brief discussion of the future of GIS in citizen science, in the light of current technological trends.
Citizen Science and Its Role in Sustainable Development
Authors: Liu Hai-Ying , Kobernus Mike
Published: October 2016

The chapter aims to analyse the role of citizen science in sustainable development, including case studies implementation, with specific focus on its suitability of citizen science in environmental sustainability. The authors structured this chapter in five sections: Background; Main focus; Solutions and recommendations for designing and executing citizen science initiatives; Future research directions with thoughts on the future role of citizen science; and Conclusion. In section of main focus, first, the authors reviewed the state of citizen science in sustainable development and explored the potential of citizen science for environmental research and governance. Second, authors identified and elaborated the core components that support the role of citizen science and demonstrated the practical approach to realize its objective. Third, using several citizens' observatories studies from various regions in Europe and within diverse environmental fields, authors highlighted the lessons learned, and reflected on major outcomes, challenges and opportunities.
Social Context of Citizen Science Projects
Authors: Tiago Patricia
Published: October 2016

This chapter provides a brief history of citizen science in our societies, identifies the main stakeholders involved in projects of this topic, and analyzes the main points to take into consideration, from a social perspective, when designing a citizen-science project: communicating; recruiting and motivating participants; fostering innovation, interdisciplinarity and group dynamics; promoting cultural changes, healthy habits, inclusion, awareness and education; and guiding policy goals and decisions. Different governance structures, and a coexistence of different approaches, are analyzed together with how they suit different communities and scientific studies.
Citizen Observatories as Advanced Learning Environments
Authors: Mominó Josep M. , Piera Jaume , Jurado Elena
Published: October 2016

Citizen Observatories are the technological platforms where a diverse range of tools are developed, such as web portals, smartphone apps, electronic devices, that allow the development of citizen science projects, particularly those with the principal objective of large scale participation of the people, covering large geographical areas and long periods of time. These new observatories integrate the latest Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to connect the citizens digitally, improve their observational capabilities and provide information flows. The concept of Citizen Observatories offers great possibilities as an educational experience, precisely due to the opportunities offered by the participation of the people, with different levels and roles and therefore, it is assumed in terms of active collaboration of the citizens, in shared processes of knowledge creation. This is especially clear when we pay attention to the complexity of the challenges education must face today, within the framework of a society of knowledge like ours.
The Role of Citizen Science in Environmental Education
Authors: Dunkley Ria Ann
Published: October 2016

Citizen Science is increasing in popularity and used by many academics, community groups and Non-Governmental Organizations in scientific data collection. Despite this, little is known about the motivations and experiences of those who contribute to citizen science projects, nor about the impacts of involvement in citizen science upon the individual. Moreover, few have considered the pedagogic process that individuals undergo as they participate in these activities. Citizen science practitioners and program developers stand to benefit from increased understanding of these experiences in terms of their capacity to enhance environmental education. Such increased understanding of the implications of citizen science may also promote the development of sustainability education. This chapter synthesizes insights from existing literature, policy documents and practical projects to explore the pedagogic potential of the convergence of citizen science and environmental education. The chapter concludes that progressive evaluation approaches are needed to complement what is an emergent field.
Citizen-Driven Geographic Information Science
Authors: Lampoltshammer Thomas J. , Scholz Johannes
Published: October 2016

This chapter shows how global environmental changes put society in front of new challenges, and how immediate and intense actions have to be undertaken in order to foster necessary progress in global sustainability research. The technological infrastructure has reached a status of ubiquitous computing and virtually unlimited data availability. Yet, the dynamic nature of the global environment makes continuous and in-situ monitoring challenging. Citizen-driven geographic information science can bridge this gap by building on inputs, observations, and the wisdom of the crowd, represented by the citizens themselves. This chapter argues for the important role of citizen science in geographic information science, presents its position in current research, and discusses future potential research streams, based on the participation by and collaboration with citizens. In particular, the chapter sheds light on three major pillars of the future of citizen-driven geographic information science, namely: big geo-data; education; and open science.
Smart Activation of Citizens
Authors: Esteves Maria Gilda Pimentel , Moreira de Souza Jano , Uchoa Alexandre Prestes , Pereira Carla Viana , Antelio Marcio
Published: October 2016

This chapter focuses on how, by “activating” the citizen's engagement in the research process, the scientific community has a smart way to benefit from the wisdom of the “crowd”. There are countless success stories in which citizens participate, contributing with their knowledge, cognitive capacity, creativity, opinion, and skills. However, for many scientists, the lack of familiarity with the particular nature of citizen participation, which is usually anonymous and volatile, turns into a barrier for its adoption. This chapter presents a problem-based typology for citizen-science projects that aims to help scientists to choose the best strategy for engaging and counting on citizen participation based on the scientific problem at hand; and some examples are included. Moreover, the chapter discusses the main challenges for researchers who intend to start involving the citizens in order to solve their specific scientific needs.
Fuzzy Clustering
Authors: Baeshen Mashhour H. , Beynon Malcolm J. , Daunt Kate L.
Published: October 2016

This chapter presents a study of the development of the clustering methodology to data analysis, with particular attention to the analysis from a crisp environment to a fuzzy environment. An applied problem concerning service quality (using SERVQUAL) of mobile phone users, and subsequent loyalty and satisfaction forms the data set to demonstrate the clustering issue. Following details on both the crisp k-means and fuzzy c-means clustering techniques, comparable results from their analysis are shown, on a subset of data, to enable both graphical and statistical elucidation. Fuzzy c-means is then employed on the full SERVQUAL dimensions, and the established results interpreted before tested on external variables, namely the level of loyalty and satisfaction across the different clusters established.
Auto Associative Extreme Learning Machine Based Hybrids for Data Imputation
Authors: Gautam Chandan , Ravi Vadlamani
Published: October 2016

This chapter presents three novel hybrid techniques for data imputation viz., (1) Auto-associative Extreme Learning Machine (AAELM) with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) (PCA-AAELM), (2) Gray system theory (GST) + AAELM with PCA (Gray+PCA-AAELM), (3) AAELM with Evolving Clustering Method (ECM) (ECM-AAELM). Our prime concern is to remove the randomness in AAELM caused by the random weights with the help of ECM and PCA. This chapter also proposes local learning by invoking ECM as a preprocessor for AAELM. The proposed methods are tested on several regression, classification and bank datasets using 10 fold cross validation. The results, in terms of Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE,) are compared with that of K-Means+Multilayer perceptron (MLP) imputation (Ankaiah & Ravi, 2011), K-Medoids+MLP, K-Means+GRNN, K-Medoids+GRNN (Nishanth & Ravi, 2013) PSO_Covariance imputation (Krishna & Ravi, 2013) and ECM-Imputation (Gautam & Ravi, 2014). It is concluded that the proposed methods achieved better imputation in most of the datasets as evidenced by the Wilcoxon signed rank test.