bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Revisiting Rebound Effects from Material Resource Use. Indications for Germany Considering Social Heterogeneity
Authors: Buhl Johannes
Published: February 2014

In contrast to the original investigation by William Stanley Jevons, compensations of energy savings due to improved energy efficiency are mostly analyzed by providing energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions. In support of a sustainable resource management, this paper analyzes so-called rebound effects based on resource use. Material flows and associated expenditures by households allow for calculating resource intensities and marginal propensities to consume. Marginal propensities to consume are estimated from data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) in order to account for indirect rebound effects for food, housing and mobility. Resource intensities are estimated in terms of total material requirements per household final consumption expenditures along the Classification of Individual Consumption according to Purpose (COICOP). Eventually, rebound effects are indicated on the basis of published saving scenarios in resource and energy demand for Germany. In sum, compensations due to rebound effects are lowest for food while the highest compensations are induced for mobility. This is foremost the result of a relatively high resource intensity of food and a relatively low resource intensity in mobility. Findings are provided by giving various propensity scenarios in order to cope with income differences in Germany. The author concludes that policies on resource conservation need to reconsider rebound effects under the aspect of social heterogeneity.
Seeing by Touch: Evaluation of a Soft Biologically-Inspired Artificial Fingertip in Real-Time Active Touch
Authors: Assaf Tareq , Roke Calum , Rossiter Jonathan , Pipe Tony , Melhuish Chris
Published: February 2014

Effective tactile sensing for artificial platforms remains an open issue in robotics. This study investigates the performance of a soft biologically-inspired artificial fingertip in active exploration tasks. The fingertip sensor replicates the mechanisms within human skin and offers a robust solution that can be used both for tactile sensing and gripping/manipulating objects. The softness of the optical sensor’s contact surface also allows safer interactions with objects. High-level tactile features such as edges are extrapolated from the sensor’s output and the information is used to generate a tactile image. The work presented in this paper aims to investigate and evaluate this artificial fingertip for 2D shape reconstruction. The sensor was mounted on a robot arm to allow autonomous exploration of different objects. The sensor and a number of human participants were then tested for their abilities to track the raised perimeters of different planar objects and compared. By observing the technique and accuracy of the human subjects, simple but effective parameters were determined in order to evaluate the artificial system’s performance. The results prove the capability of the sensor in such active exploration tasks, with a comparable performance to the human subjects despite it using tactile data alone whereas the human participants were also able to use proprioceptive cues.
Computational Modeling of Mediator Oxidation by Oxygen in an Amperometric Glucose Biosensor
Authors: Šimelevičius Dainius , Petrauskas Karolis , Baronas Romas , Razumienė Julija
Published: February 2014

In this paper, an amperometric glucose biosensor is modeled numerically. The model is based on non-stationary reaction-diffusion type equations. The model consists of four layers. An enzyme layer lies directly on a working electrode surface. The enzyme layer is attached to an electrode by a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated terylene membrane. This membrane is modeled as a PVA layer and a terylene layer, which have different diffusivities. The fourth layer of the model is the diffusion layer, which is modeled using the Nernst approach. The system of partial differential equations is solved numerically using the finite difference technique. The operation of the biosensor was analyzed computationally with special emphasis on the biosensor response sensitivity to oxygen when the experiment was carried out in aerobic conditions. Particularly, numerical experiments show that the overall biosensor response sensitivity to oxygen is insignificant. The simulation results qualitatively explain and confirm the experimentally observed biosensor behavior.
Techniques for Clutter Suppression in the Presence of Body Movements during the Detection of Respiratory Activity through UWB Radars
Authors: Lazaro Antonio , Girbau David , Villarino Ramon
Published: February 2014

This paper focuses on the feasibility of tracking the chest wall movement of a human subject during respiration from the waveforms recorded using an impulse-radio (IR) ultra-wideband radar. The paper describes the signal processing to estimate sleep apnea detection and breathing rate. Some techniques to solve several problems in these types of measurements, such as the clutter suppression, body movement and body orientation detection are described. Clutter suppression is achieved using a moving averaging filter to dynamically estimate it. The artifacts caused by body movements are removed using a threshold method before analyzing the breathing signal. The motion is detected using the time delay that maximizes the received signal after a clutter removing algorithm is applied. The periods in which the standard deviations of the time delay exceed a threshold are considered macro-movements and they are neglected. The sleep apnea intervals are detected when the breathing signal is below a threshold. The breathing rate is determined from the robust spectrum estimation based on Lomb periodogram algorithm. On the other hand the breathing signal amplitude depends on the body orientation respect to the antennas, and this could be a problem. In this case, in order to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio, multiple sensors are proposed to ensure that the backscattered signal can be detected by at least one sensor, regardless of the direction the human subject is facing. The feasibility of the system is compared with signals recorded by a microphone.
Standardized Low-Power Wireless Communication Technologies for Distributed Sensing Applications
Authors: Vilajosana Xavier , Tuset-Peiro Pere , Vazquez-Gallego Francisco , Alonso-Zarate Jesus , Alonso Luis
Published: February 2014

Recent standardization efforts on low-power wireless communication technologies, including time-slotted channel hopping (TSCH) and DASH7 Alliance Mode (D7AM), are starting to change industrial sensing applications, enabling networks to scale up to thousands of nodes whilst achieving high reliability. Past technologies, such as ZigBee, rooted in IEEE 802.15.4, and ISO 18000-7, rooted in frame-slotted ALOHA (FSA), are based on contention medium access control (MAC) layers and have very poor performance in dense networks, thus preventing the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm from really taking off. Industrial sensing applications, such as those being deployed in oil refineries, have stringent requirements on data reliability and are being built using new standards. Despite the benefits of these new technologies, industrial shifts are not happening due to the enormous technology development and adoption costs and the fact that new standards are not well-known and completely understood. In this article, we provide a deep analysis of TSCH and D7AM, outlining operational and implementation details with the aim of facilitating the adoption of these technologies to sensor application developers.
Uncertainty and Sensitivity Assessments of GPS and GIS Integrated Applications for Transportation
Authors: Hong Sungchul , Vonderohe Alan
Published: February 2014

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis methods are introduced, concerning the quality of spatial data as well as that of output information from Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) integrated applications for transportation. In the methods, an error model and an error propagation method form a basis for formulating characterization and propagation of uncertainties. They are developed in two distinct approaches: analytical and simulation. Thus, an initial evaluation is performed to compare and examine uncertainty estimations from the analytical and simulation approaches. The evaluation results show that estimated ranges of output information from the analytical and simulation approaches are compatible, but the simulation approach rather than the analytical approach is preferred for uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, due to its flexibility and capability to realize positional errors in both input data. Therefore, in a case study, uncertainty and sensitivity analyses based upon the simulation approach is conducted on a winter maintenance application. The sensitivity analysis is used to determine optimum input data qualities, and the uncertainty analysis is then applied to estimate overall qualities of output information from the application. The analysis results show that output information from the non-distance-based computation model is not sensitive to positional uncertainties in input data. However, for the distance-based computational model, output information has a different magnitude of uncertainties, depending on position uncertainties in input data.
Deoxynivalenol and Oxidative Stress Indicators in Winter Wheat Inoculated with Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Waśkiewicz Agnieszka , Morkunas Iwona , Bednarski Waldemar , Mai Van , Formela Magda , Beszterda Monika , Wiśniewska Halina , Goliński Piotr
Published: February 2014

This study comprises analyses of contents of mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol and zearalenone, as well as the level of oxidative stress in ears of a susceptible wheat cultivar Hanseat and cv. Arina, resistant to a pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum. Starting from 48 h after inoculation, a marked increase was observed in the contents of these mycotoxins in ears of wheat; however, the greatest accumulation was recorded in the late period after inoculation, i.e., during development of disease. Up to 120 h after inoculation, in ears of both wheat cultivars, the level of deoxynivalenol was higher than that of zearalenone. The susceptible cultivar was characterized by a much greater accumulation of deoxynivalenol than the resistant cultivar. At the same time, in this cultivar, in the time from 0 to 72 h after inoculation, a marked post-infection increase was observed in the generation of the superoxide radical (O2•−). Additionally, its level, at all the time points after inoculation, was higher than in the control. In wheat cv. Arina, a markedly higher level of O2•− generation in relation to the control was found up to two hours after inoculation and, next, at a later time after inoculation. In turn, the level of semiquinone radicals detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) increased at later culture times, both in cv. Hanseat and Arina; however, in infested ears of wheat, it was generally lower than in the control. Analysis of disease symptoms revealed the presence of more extensive lesions in ears of a susceptible wheat cv. Hanseat than resistant cv. Arina. Additionally, ergosterol level as a fungal growth indicator was higher in ears of susceptible wheat than in the resistant cultivar.
Time Course Analysis of the Effects of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A on Pain and Vasomotor Responses Evoked by Glutamate Injection into Human Temporalis Muscles
Authors: Da Silva Larissa , Kulas Dolarose , Karshenas Ali , Cairns Brian , Bach Flemming , Arendt-Nielsen Lars , Gazerani Parisa
Published: February 2014

The effect of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA) on glutamate-evoked temporalis muscle pain and vasomotor responses was investigated in healthy men and women over a 60 day time course. Subjects participated in a pre-BoNTA session where their responses to injection of glutamate (1 M, 0.2 mL) and saline (0.2 mL) into the temporalis muscles were assessed. On Day 1, BoNTA (5 U) was injected into one temporalis muscle and saline into the contralateral temporalis muscle, in a randomized order. Subjects then received intramuscular injections of glutamate (1 M, 0.2 mL) into the left and right temporalis muscles at 3 h and subsequently 7, 30 and 60 days post-injection of BoNTA. Pain intensity, pain area, and neurogenic inflammation (skin temperature and skin blood perfusion) were recorded. Prior to BoNTA treatment, glutamate evoked significantly greater pain and vasomotor reactions (P < 0.001) than saline. BoNTA significantly reduced glutamate-evoked pain intensity (P < 0.05), pain area (P < 0.01), skin blood perfusion (P < 0.05), and skin temperature (P < 0.001). The inhibitory effect of BoNTA was present at 3 h after injection, peaked after 7 days and returned to baseline by 60 days. Findings from the present study demonstrated a rapid action of BoNTA on glutamate-evoked pain and neurogenic inflammation, which is in line with animal studies.
Intracellular Trafficking of the Human Cytomegalovirus-Encoded 7-trans-Membrane Protein Homologs pUS27 and pUL78 during Viral Infection: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Niemann Ina , Reichel Anna , Stamminger Thomas
Published: February 2014

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encodes four G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) homologs, termed pUS27, pUS28, pUL33, and pUL78. In contrast to the extensively characterized vGPCRs pUS28 and pUL33, knowledge concerning pUS27 and pUL78 is limited. Previous studies already demonstrated constitutive internalization of pUS27 and pUL78, as well as an association with the endosomal machinery, however, these results were mainly obtained using transiently transfected cells. To explore the subcellular localization of both receptors during viral infection, we constructed recombinant HCMVs expressing tagged vGPCRs. Colocalization analyses revealed a predominant association of pUS27 or pUL78 with the trans-Golgi network or the endoplasmic reticulum, respectively. Intriguingly, our data emphasize that protein sorting is highly regulated by viral functions as we detected dramatic changes in the colocalization of pUS27 and pUL78 with endosomal markers during progression of HCMV replication. Furthermore, we observed cell type-dependent differences in trafficking of both vGPCRs between fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Most importantly, infection experiments with a recombinant HCMV carrying tagged versions of pUS27 and pUL78 simultaneously, revealed that these two proteins do not colocalize during viral infection. This contrasts to results of transient expression experiments. In conclusion, our results highlight the importance to investigate vGPCR trafficking in a viral context.
Quantifying Susceptibility of CD4+ Stem Memory T-Cells to Infection by Laboratory Adapted and Clinical HIV-1 Strains
Authors: Flynn Jacqueline , Paukovics Geza , Cashin Kieran , Borm Katharina , Ellett Anne , Roche Michael , Jakobsen Martin , Churchill Melissa , Gorry Paul
Published: February 2014

CD4+ T cells are principal targets for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. CD4+ T cell subsets are heterogeneous cell populations, divided by functional and phenotypic differences into naïve and memory T cells. The memory CD4+ T cells are further segregated into central, effector and transitional memory cell subsets by functional, phenotypic and homeostatic characteristics. Defining the distribution of HIV-1 infection in different T cell subsets is important, as this can play a role in determining the size and composition of the viral reservoir. Both central memory and transitional memory CD4+ T cells have been described as long-lived viral reservoirs for HIV. Recently, the newly described stem memory T cell subset has also been implicated as a long-lived HIV reservoir. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter strains of HIV-1 and multi parameter flow cytometry, we developed an assay to simultaneously quantify the susceptibility of stem memory (TSCM), central memory, effector memory, transitional memory and naïve CD4+ T cell subsets, to HIV-1 infection in vitro. We show that TSCM are susceptible to infection with laboratory adapted and clinical HIV-1 strains. Our system facilitates the quantitation of HIV-1 infection in alternative T cell subsets by CCR5- and CXCR4-using viruses across different HIV-1 subtypes, and will be useful for studies of HIV-1 pathogenesis and viral reservoirs.
Cryptic diversity in a cosmopolitan diatom known as Asterionellopsis glacialis (Fragilariaceae): Implications for ecology, biogeography, and taxonomy
Authors: Kaczmarska Irena , Mather Laura , Luddington Ian A. , Muise France , Ehrman James M.
Published: February 2014

• Premise of the study: Diatoms have long been known as the most species‐rich of algal groups, with a wide range of estimates for species number (20–200 k) due to differing species concepts. The fine valve structure in Asterionellopsis glacialis, a diatom believed cosmopolitan and eurytopic, has never been systematically examined using modern microscopy and is an excellent candidate to genetically test morphology‐based conspecificity among its geographically distant culture isolates.

• Methods: Isolates from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that were morphologically delineated as A. glacialis were genetically characterized using three nuclear DNA regions (two 18S rDNA fragments and ITS region) and one plastidal (rbcL) and one mitochondrial gene (cox1) and related to SEM‐based morphometrics.

• Key results: Five genetically distinct groupings were found, four of which are new to science. ITS2 RNA transcript secondary structure was species specific as were plastidal and mitochondrial genes, while the 18S gene fragments did not diverge sufficiently to segregate new species efficiently. We genetically circumscribed the A. glacialis epitype.

• Conclusions: The morphological diversification of the species examined in this study lags behind their genetic divergence. The currently accepted 2% cutoff level of operational taxonomic unit (OTU) clustering in 18S rDNA environmental sequencing is too high to recognize genetic diversity in Asterionellopsis and very likely in many other species. Our results support the notion that a considerable number of species and diversity remain to be discovered among diatoms and that species number may be more in line with higher estimates. Molecular signatures of the species discovered here will aid in their globally consistent identification and ultimate understanding of their ecology.
Change of the work function of platinum electrodes induced by halide adsorption
Authors: Gossenberger Florian , Roman Tanglaw , Forster-Tonigold Katrin , Groß Axel
Published: February 2014

The properties of a halogen-covered platinum(111) surface have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT), because halides are often present at electrochemical electrode/electrolyte interfaces. We focused in particular on the halogen-induced work function change as a function of the coverage of fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. For electronegative adsorbates, an adsorption-induced increase of the work function is usually expected, yet we find a decrease of the work function for Cl, Br and I, which is most prominent at a coverage of approximately 0.25 ML. This coverage-dependent behavior can be explained by assuming a combination of charge transfer and polarization effects on the adsorbate layer. The results are contrasted to the adsorption of fluorine on calcium, a system in which a decrease in the work function is also observed despite a large charge transfer to the halogen adatom.
Intermediates in monensin biosynthesis: A late step in biosynthesis of the polyether ionophore monensin is crucial for the integrity of cation binding
Authors: Hüttel Wolfgang , Spencer Jonathan B , Leadlay Peter F
Published: February 2014

Polyether antibiotics such as monensin are biosynthesised via a cascade of directed ring expansions operating on a putative polyepoxide precursor. The resulting structures containing fused cyclic ethers and a lipophilic backbone can form strong ionophoric complexes with certain metal cations. In this work, we demonstrate for monensin biosynthesis that, as well as ether formation, a late-stage hydroxylation step is crucial for the correct formation of the sodium monensin complex. We have investigated the last two steps in monensin biosynthesis, namely hydroxylation catalysed by the P450 monooxygenase MonD and O-methylation catalysed by the methyl-transferase MonE. The corresponding genes were deleted in-frame in a monensin-overproducing strain of Streptomyces cinnamonensis. The mutants produced the expected monensin derivatives in excellent yields (ΔmonD: 1.13 g L−1 dehydroxymonensin; ΔmonE: 0.50 g L−1 demethylmonensin; and double mutant ΔmonDΔmonE: 0.34 g L−1 dehydroxydemethylmonensin). Single crystals were obtained from purified fractions of dehydroxymonensin and demethylmonensin. X-ray structure analysis revealed that the conformation of sodium dimethylmonensin is very similar to that of sodium monensin. In contrast, the coordination of the sodium ion is significantly different in the sodium dehydroxymonensin complex. This shows that the final constitution of the sodium monensin complex requires this tailoring step as well as polyether formation.
Presencia del Cancionero Popular Infantil en la literatura española de la Edad de Oro
Authors: Cerrillo Torremocha Pedro
Published: February 2014

Margit Frenk ha señalado coincidencias textuales entre canciones de tipo popular y ‘tradicional’, incluidas en obras literarias del XV al XVII, y ciertas canciones folclóricas vivas en nuestros días o que se pudieron recoger hasta hace pocos años. Esta afirmación nos animó a rastrear la presencia de canciones y retahílas de tradición infantil en obras de autores españoles del XVI y XVII: composiciones que, en ocasiones, provienen de la Edad Media y que, tras la invención de la imprenta, en algunos casos se fijaron por escrito y se incluyeron en obras literarias cultas. Hoy bastantes de esas composiciones están vivas en juegos y prácticas infantiles. Es un proceso de pervivencia en la memoria popular de la infancia. En este trabajo nos referimos a composiciones del Cancionero popular infantil y que aparecen, completas o en algunos de sus versos, en obras literarias del XVI y XVII, algunas de autores muy significativos.
Itinerario de la novela modernista española
Authors: Garrido Ardila Juan Antonio
Published: February 2014

Este artículo ofrece una panorámica de la novela española del periodo modernista y trata de explicar los modos en que algunas obras españolas de esa época reflejan los principales elementos de la novela modernista europea. Se observa cómo a finales del siglo XIX una serie de novelas escritas por autores realistas ensayan la interiorización psicológica propia de la novela modernista. Se presta especial atención a Insolación de Pardo Bazán, Su único hijo de Clarín y a Nazarín de Galdós. Luego de observar las innovaciones de Ganivet, el artículo se centra en las novelas de forma y fondo modernistas publicadas por Baroja, Azorín y, muy especialmente, Unamuno. De esta suerte se proyecta una panorámica comprehensiva de la novela española de esa época.
Pedro Mourlane Michelena y el pensamiento reaccionario
Authors: Creus Visiers Eduardo
Published: February 2014

Análisis de algunos aspectos centrales de la obra ensayística del escritor español Pedro Mourlane Michelena, considerados en relación con su ideología falangista y en el contexto del auge y declive de los totalitarismos europeos.
Claves temáticas de la poesía posmoderna española
Authors: Vives Pérez Vicente
Published: February 2014

La poesía posmoderna española presenta unas claves temáticas sobre los que sustenta su diversidad estilística; se trata de la metapoesía, la indeterminación, la kenofilia poética y la resemantización del tópico muerte. Aunque aquí se analizan por separado, tales mecanismos generan en su intersección los ejes creadores de la denominada generación del 68.
A Group Interview regarding Disaster Preparedness for Food Assistance in a University that Offers a Training Course for Registered Dietitians
Authors: Ito Seira , Sudo Noriko , Fujiwara Yoko
Published: February 2014

Mass care feeding for disaster evacuees is an important component of public health preparedness. If universities that offer a training course for registered dietitians could provide food assistance to the evacuated people in their campus, it could contribute to maintain their health. Many universities are expected to become a base of support activities for people affected by disaster. This study aimed to reveal disaster preparedness in a university that offers a training course for registered dietitians, from the aspect of provision of mass care feeding. As Japan has 124 universities that offer such training courses, this case study could serve as a useful reference for them and contribute to the improvement of health of the affected people. A group interview was conducted in University A in 2012. The participants included two faculty members in the course, a vice president, a staff member, and a faculty member in charge of disaster preparedness and response. Stockpiled foods were limited to dry bread and pre-processed rice. No alternative heat sources were stored. It was concluded that to provide nutrients other than carbohydrate, hot meals should be served for the evacuees. Additionally, it would be difficult to provide meal service when the essential utilities such as gas and electricity are disrupted.
What controls the recent changes in African mineral dust aerosol across the Atlantic?
Authors: Ridley D. A. , Heald C. L. , Prospero J. M.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Dust from Africa strongly perturbs the radiative balance over the Atlantic, with emissions that are highly variable from year to year. We show that the aerosol optical depth (AOD) of dust over the mid-Atlantic observed by the AVHRR satellite has decreased by approximately 10% per decade from 1982–2008. This downward trend persists through both winter and summer close to source and is also observed in dust surface concentration measurements down-wind in Barbados during summer. The GEOS-Chem model, driven with MERRA re-analysis meteorology and using a new dust source activation scheme, reproduces the observed trend and is used to quantify the factors contributing to this trend and the observed variability from 1982 to 2008. We find that changes in dustiness over the East mid-Atlantic are almost entirely mediated by a reduction in surface winds over dust source regions in Africa and are not directly linked with changes in land-use or vegetation cover. The global mean all-sky direct radiative effect (DRE) of African dust is −0.18 W m−2 at top of atmosphere, accounting for 46% of the global dust total, with a regional DRE of −7.4 ± 1.5 W m−2 at the surface of the mid-Atlantic, varying by over 6.0 W m−2 from year to year, with a trend of +1.3 W m−2 per decade. These large inter-annual changes and the downward trend highlight the importance of climate feedbacks on natural aerosol abundance. Our analysis of the CMIP5 models suggests that the decreases in the indirect anthropogenic aerosol forcing over the North Atlantic over past decades may be responsible for the observed climate-response in African dust, indicating a potential amplification of anthropogenic aerosol radiative impacts in the Atlantic via natural mineral dust aerosol.
Consistent increase in dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in response to high CO2 in five shipboard bioassays from contrasting NW European waters
Authors: Hopkins F. E. , Archer S. D.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. The ubiquitous marine trace gas dimethyl sulphide (DMS) comprises the greatest natural source of sulphur to the atmosphere and is a key player in atmospheric chemistry and climate. We explore the short term response of DMS and its algal precursor dimethyl sulphoniopropionate (DMSP) production and cycling to elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and ocean acidification (OA) in five highly replicated 96 h shipboard bioassay experiments from contrasting sites in NW European shelf waters. In general, the response to OA throughout this region showed little variation, despite encompassing a range of biological and biogeochemical conditions. We observed consistent and marked increases in DMS concentrations relative to ambient controls, and decreases in DMSP concentrations. Quantification of rates of specific DMSP synthesis by phytoplankton and bacterial DMS gross production/consumption suggest algal processes dominated the CO2 response, likely due to a physiological response manifested as increases in direct cellular exudation of DMS and/or DMSP lyase enzyme activities. The variables and rates we report increase our understanding of the processes behind the response to OA. This could provide the opportunity to improve upon mesocosm-derived empirical modelling relationships, and move towards a mechanistic approach for predicting future DMS concentrations.
Pump schedules optimisation with pressure aspects in complex large-scale water distribution systems
Authors: Skworcow P. , Paluszczyszyn D. , Ulanicki B.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. This paper considers optimisation of pump and valve schedules in complex large-scale water distribution networks (WDN), taking into account pressure aspects such as minimum service pressure and pressure-dependent leakage. An optimisation model is automatically generated in GAMS language from a hydraulic model in EPANET format and from additional files describing operational constraints, electricity tariffs and pump station configurations. The paper describes in details how each hydraulic component is modelled. To reduce the size of the optimisation problem the full hydraulic model is simplified using module reduction algorithm, while retaining the nonlinear characteristics of the model. Subsequently, a nonlinear programming solver CONOPT is used to solve the optimisation model, which is in the form of Nonlinear Programming with Discontinuous Derivatives (DNLP). The results produced by CONOPT are processed further by heuristic algorithms to generate integer solution. The proposed approached was tested on a large-scale WDN model provided in EPANET format. The considered WDN included complex structures and interactions between pump stations. Solving of several scenarios considering different horizons, time steps, operational constraints, demand levels and topological changes demonstrated ability of the approach to automatically generate and solve optimisation problems for variety of requirements.
Development of a zoning-based environmental-ecological-coupled model for lakes: a case study of Baiyangdian Lake in North China
Authors: Zhao Y. W. , Xu M. J. , Xu F. , Wu S. R. , Yin X. A.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Environmental/ecological models are widely used for lake management as they provide a means to understand physical, chemical and biological processes in highly complex ecosystems. Most research focused on the development of environmental (water quality) and ecological models, separately. Limited studies were developed to couple the two models, and in these limited coupled models a lake was regarded as a whole for analysis (i.e., considering the lake to be one well-mixed box), which was appropriate for small-scale lakes and was not sufficient to capture spatial variations within middle-scale or large-scale lakes. In response to this problem, this paper seeks to establish a zoning-based environmental-ecological-coupled model for a lake. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was adopted to determine the number of zones for a lake based on the analysis of hydrological, water quality and ecological data. MIKE21 model was used to construct two-dimensional hydrodynamics and water quality simulations. STELLA software was used to create a lake ecological model which can simulate the spatial variations of ecological condition based on flow field distribution results generated by MIKE21. The Baiyangdian Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northern China, was adopted as the study case. The results showed that the new model was promising to predict the spatial variation trends of ecological condition in response to the changes of water quantity and water quality for lakes, and could provide a great convenience for lake management.
Groundwater Dynamics under Water Saving Irrigation and Implications for Sustainable Water Management in an Oasis: Tarim River Basin of Western China
Authors: Zhang Z. , Hu H. , Tian F. , Yao X. , Sivapalan M.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Water is essential for life. Specifically in the oases of inland arid basins, water is a critically limited resource, essential for the development of socio-economy and sustainability of eco-environmental systems. Due to the unique hydrological regime present in arid oases, a moderate groundwater table is the goal of sustainable water management. A shallow water table induces serious secondary salinization and collapse of agriculture, while a deep water table causes deterioration of natural vegetation. From the hydrological perspective, the exchange flux between unsaturated vadose zone and groundwater reservoir is a critical link to understand regional water table dynamics. This flux is substantially influenced by anthropogenic activities. In Tarim River Basin of western China, where agriculture consumes over 90% of available water resources, the exchange flux is influenced strongly by irrigation. Recently, mulched drip irrigation, a very advanced water-saving irrigation method, has been widely applied in the Tarim River Basin, which greatly impacted the exchange flux and thus the regional groundwater dynamics. Capitalizing on recent progress in evaporation measurement techniques, we can now close the water balance and directly quantify the exchange flux at the field scale, thus gain a better understanding of regional groundwater dynamics. In this study, comprehensive observations of water balance components in an irrigated cropland were implemented in 2011 and 2012 in a typical oasis within Tarim River Basin. The water balance analysis showed that the exchange flux and groundwater dynamics were significantly altered by the application of water-saving irrigation. The exchange flux is mostly downward (310.5 mm yr−1), especially during drip irrigation period and spring flush period, while the upward flux is trivial (−16.1 mm yr−1) due to the moderate groundwater table depth (annual average depth 2.9 m). Traditional secondary salinization caused by intense phreatic evaporation (fed by upward exchange flux) is alleviated. However, a new form of secondary salinization may be introduced unwittingly if there is lack of water for periodic flushing, especially when brackish water is used in the irrigation. Furthermore, the water saved via drip irrigation has been used in further growth of irrigated lands instead of supporting ecological system. This would lead to increasing risk of eco-environmental degradation and calls for improved governance schemes. The insights gained from this study can be potentially applied to other arid inland areas (e.g., central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa) which face similar water shortages and human development problems.
Intervening in Informal Learning: Activity theory as teaching tool
Authors: Carter Susan L.
Published: February 2014

In this article, I argue that a concentrated focus on everyday informal learning about unions is critical not only to re-thinking union education programs, but to the overall project of union renewal. The article offers, by way of example, an inquiry into the grievance system as a routine (and central) union practice and a key site of informal learning. This inquiry is directed by cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) which provides method, tools, and theoretical building blocks for better understanding everyday learning. In addition, I argue, CHAT presents a powerful pedagogical tool for educators, leaders, and activists who are concerned with the challenge of intervening critically and strategically into everyday learning and everyday practices of unions and their members.
Power in Practice: Trade union education in Sierra Leone
Authors: Stirling John
Published: February 2014

This article presents an analysis of the development of a trade union education program in Sierra Leone in the geo-historical context of British colonialism. It places the argument in relation to the contradictory trends of trade unionism more generally and alongside their antagonistic cooperation with capitalism. It discusses the limits and potentialities of a radical pedagogy when trade unions are constrained to engage with existing power structures that use English as the dominant language. It places more theoretical arguments within the context of a country characterized by major inequalities and facing the neo-liberal challenges of globalization and a trade union movement seeking to be representative of an informal workforce but rooted in the formal economy.
Labour Studies, the Liberal Arts, and the Sociological Imagination
Authors: Wells Richard
Published: February 2014

In the US, the value of liberal arts is in question as neo-liberal reformers push for a more instrumentalist form of higher education. Older traditions of worker education, however, along with more recent university-based labour studies programs, offer a compelling counter-narrative concerning the social and political purpose of higher education. Taking its cue from C.W. Mills’ notion of the sociological imagination, labour studies has the potential not only to re-energize the transformational mission of popular worker education, but reclaim the idea of higher education as a public good.
Education and Knowledge Production in Workers’ Struggles: Learning to resist, learning from resistance
Authors: Bleakney David , Choudry Aziz
Published: February 2014

Trade unions and other sites of community-labour organizing such as workers centres are rich, yet contested spaces of education and knowledge production in which both non-formal and informal / incidental forms of learning occur. Putting forward a critique of dominant strands of worker education, the authors ask what spaces exist for social movement knowledge production in these milieus? This article critically discusses the prospects, tensions and challenges for effective worker education practice in trade unions, alongside a discussion of informal learning and knowledge production in migrant and immigrant worker organizing. We consider how worker education practices within trade unions might best be built to support critical thinking, the collective power of working people and cultures of resistance, and the significance of knowledge and learning in community-labour struggles.
Doing it Old School: Peer-led occupational safety training in the U.S. construction Industry
Authors: Sinyai Clayton , Stafford Pete , Trahan Chris
Published: February 2014

Many labour organizations that sponsor occupational health and safety training champion “peer training,” preferring instructors drawn from the shopfloor over academically credentialed experts. But peer training is hardly new: in the skilled trades, master craftsmen have instructed apprentices since the Middle Ages. Building on the apprenticeship model of education, the U.S.-based construction unions have created a network of more than 4,000 peer trainers who provide occupational health and safety training to up to 100,000 men and women in the building trades each year.
Why Union Activists Write Good Stories
Authors: Worthen Helena H.
Published: February 2014

The representative structure of a union is a maze which, when travelled as a narrative, has drama at every turn. It sets up expectations, pits good against evil, involves many characters with different interests, keeps the clock ticking, and offers opportunities for happy endings (and disappointments) at every level. Union members who are not experienced writers can produce good stories by writing about their lives at work and in the union.
Highly efficient photoconductive antennas using optimum low-temperature-grown GaAs layers and Si substrates
Authors: Kamo Yoshihiko , Kitazawa Shogo , Ohshima Seiro , Hosoda Yasuo
Published: February 2014

We have improved the efficiency of photoconductive antennas (PCAs) using low-temperature-grown GaAs (LT-GaAs). We found that the physical properties of LT-GaAs photoconductive layers greatly affect the generation and detection characteristics of terahertz (THz) waves. In THz generation, high photoexcited carrier mobility and the presence of a few As clusters in the LT-GaAs are two important factors. In detection, short carrier lifetime and the absence of a polycrystalline structure in the LT-GaAs are significant factors. By optimizing these physical properties, we improved the total dynamic range of THz generation and detection by 15 dB over that obtained by conventional commercially available PCAs. In addition, we replaced the semi-insulating GaAs (SI-GaAs) substrate with a Si substrate, which has a low absorption in the THz region. We proposed a new idea of including a highly insulating Al0.5Ga0.5As buffer layer on the Si substrate. Finally, we confirmed the feasibility of manufacturing PCAs using Si substrates.
Transport properties of carriers through nanocrystalline Lu3N@C80/Au interface
Authors: Sun Yong , Kirimoto Kenta , Sakaino Masamichi , Morimoto Fumio
Published: February 2014

The transport property of carriers passing through a nanocrystalline Lu3N@C80/Au interface has been studied by measuring impedance under various alternating voltages and DC biases. A depletion layer thicker than 110 µm is recognized in the Lu3N@C80/Au Schottky contact. Such a thick depletion layer indicates that the formation of space charge in the nanocrystalline Lu3N@C80 phase is difficult owing to an increase in LUMO energy, i.e., a decrease in the electron affinity of the Lu3N@C80 molecule. A high interfacial resistance is found to increase the transmission time of the carriers passing through the Lu3N@C80/Au Schottky contact. Such a high interfacial resistance may be ascribed to the low mobility of the carriers in the nanocrystalline Lu3N@C80 phase.
Effect of local gas heating on a plasma structure driven at radio frequency in a microcell in Ar at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Yamasaki Masaki , Yagisawa Takashi , Makabe Toshiaki
Published: February 2014

In a microplasma in Ar confined at atmospheric pressure, driven at 13.56 MHz, we theoretically investigate the whole structure of a low-temperature plasma including the local distribution in gas temperature inside and outside a microcell. The governing equation of gas and wall temperature is combined with our original relaxation continuum model of an rf plasma. We demonstrate that electrons with intermediate energy play an important role in plasma production through stepwise ionization and metastable pooling in the presence of high-density metastables. Next, we examine the enhancement of the net ionization rate through the increase in the local reduced field under a broad minimum of the heated gas density. The atmospheric-pressure microcell plasma will be classified into a new spatiotemporal sustaining mechanism in the capacitively coupled plasma at 13.56 MHz. This work predicts the presence of a nonequilibrium, steady plasma in a microcell even at atmospheric pressure in Ar under appropriate conditions.
Characterization of intrinsic hysteresis of pentacene-based organic thin-film transistor through in-situ real-time electrical measurement
Authors: Su Wei-Cheng , Lee Chih-Chien , Liu Shun-Wei , Wang Wei-Lun , Wen Je-Min , Ho Yu-Hsuan , Lin Chun-Feng
Published: February 2014

The intrinsic hysteresis of a pentacene-based organic thin-film transistor was characterized through home-designed in-situ real-time electrical measurement. The device exhibited intrinsic hysteresis after the device fabrication without breaking the vacuum, which has not been observed previously. Similar behavior was observed when introducing the nitrogen gas. Compared with the measurement condition of vacuum or nitrogen gas, exposure to the ambient air resulted in a severe hysteresis. It was attributed to both the acceptor-like traps at the organic/dielectric interface and the donor-like traps in the transport channel. When the chamber was vacuumed out again, a significantly reduced hysteresis was obtained almost the same as that measured just after device fabrication, indicating the reversibility of the extrinsic hysteresis. We also related the hysteresis to the morphological change under different deposition rates of pentacene. The smoother surface at higher deposition rate caused reduced hysteresis because of the elimination of vacancies near the pentacene/dielectric interface.
Improvement of process uniformity in recessed gate AlGaN/GaN HFET by selective etching of in-situ SixNy on AlGaN
Authors: Ko Hwa-Young , Park Jinhong , Lee Hojung , Jo Youngje , Song Misun , Jang T.
Published: February 2014

The effects of in-situ Si
x
N
y
etching were investigated by comparing the uniformity of threshold voltage on recessed gate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistor (HFET) devices with in-situ grown Si
x
N
y
passivation. By varying O2 ratio in total gas flow, etch rate and selectivity of Si
x
N
y
and AlGaN were changed significantly. The etch rate of AlGaN was reduced by adding O2 in gas mixture, which caused the formation of AlO
x
and GaO
x
on the surface during etching process. The etch rate of in-situ Si
x
N
y
was decreased with increasing O2 ratio. By this relationship, the highest selectivity was obtained with 30% O2 ratio in total gas flow and selectivity was increased from 5 : 1 to 100 : 1. Using this optimized etching condition, the standard deviation of threshold voltage on AlGaN/GaN recess gate HFET was improved from 0.60 to 0.18 on 6-in. processed wafer.
Diamagnetic oscillations ahead of stopped dipolarization fronts
Authors: Runov A. , Sergeev V. A. , Angelopoulos V. , Glassmeier K.‐H. , Singer H. J.
Published: February 2014

It is well established that fast flows in the magnetotail plasma sheet which are separated from the ambient plasma by dipolarization fronts brake in the tail‐dipole transition region. Flow/front braking is suggested to play an important role in generation of compressional waves in the inner magnetosphere and geomagnetic pulsations. Because of the paucity of multipoint observations in the tail‐dipole transition region, however, details of wave generation during flow/front braking are unknown. Using comprehensive coverage of the near‐Earth plasma sheet and geostationary orbit by six spacecraft, we explore the relationship between dipolarization fronts that propagated earthward at x=−11 to −9RE and stopped at x=−9 to −8RE and compressional oscillations observed at x≈−8RE. The oscillations, which were diamagnetic (i.e., exhibited antiphase variations in magnetic and plasma pressures), were observed about a minute prior to front detection. The amplitude of the magnetic oscillations at −8RE was ∼5 nT; the wavelength was ∼0.5RE. Enhancements of magnetic oscillations with different frequencies and amplitudes of 1 to 2 and 2 to 4 nT were detected at geosynchronous orbit and on the ground, respectively. Analysis of observations reveals that although the fast flow/front stopped a few RE beyond geosynchronous orbit, the plasma compression propagated farther inward and excited compressional diamagnetic oscillations in the tail‐dipole transition region.