bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender Agreement in Online Versus Classroom Students of First-Semester Spanish
Authors: Collazos Ana María Díaz , Hurtado David Vásquez
Published: January 2018

The goal of this paper is to compare the learning outcomes of beginning online students (n=14) of Spanish with classroom students engaged in a hybrid or blended course (n=19). All students were native speakers of English. Some studies show that online students perform better than classroom students, while other studies show no significant differences. All previous studies use general measurements of proficiency or scoring instead of examining particular differences within specific linguistic elements. This paper focuses on gender agreement and gathers acquisitionist research on the matter to weight the factors that affect its learning in online and classroom students. We extracted 2777 tokens from writing tasks and performed multivariate analysis using Rbrul (Johnson) to test gender accuracy against delivery mode and linguistic factors such as animacy, morphological endings and gender assignment of the noun, as well as the grammatical category of the agreeing word. Results suggest that the delivery mode does not play a role in the overall performance of online versus classroom students. However, classroom students perform better with animate nouns, while online students do so in a non-significant manner. Physical presence of people may favor the learning of gender agreement with animate referents.
Improved Strongly Deniable Authenticated Key Exchanges for Secure Messaging
Authors: Unger Nik , Goldberg Ian
Published: January 2018

A deniable authenticated key exchange (DAKE) protocol establishes a secure channel without producing cryptographic evidence of communication. A DAKE offers strong deniability if transcripts provide no evidence even if long-term key material is compromised (offline deniability) and no outsider can obtain evidence even when interactively colluding with an insider (online deniability). Unfortunately, existing strongly deniable DAKEs have not been adopted by secure messaging tools due to security and deployability weaknesses.

In this work, we propose three new strongly deniable key exchange protocols—DAKEZ, ZDH, and XZDH—that are designed to be used in modern secure messaging applications while eliminating the weaknesses of previous approaches. DAKEZ offers strong deniability in synchronous network environments, while ZDH and XZDH can be used to construct asynchronous secure messaging systems with offline and partial online deniability. DAKEZ and XZDH provide forward secrecy against active adversaries, and all three protocols can provide forward secrecy against future quantum adversaries while remaining classically secure if attacks against quantum-resistant cryptosystems are found.

We seek to reduce barriers to adoption by describing our protocols from a practitioner’s perspective, including complete algebraic specifications, cryptographic primitive recommendations, and prototype implementations. We evaluate concrete instantiations of our DAKEs and show that they are the most efficient strongly deniable schemes; with all of our classical security guarantees, our exchanges require only 1 ms of CPU time on a typical desktop computer and at most 464 bytes of data transmission. Our constructions are nearly as efficient as key exchanges with weaker deniability, such as the ones used by the popular OTR and Signal protocols.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer – the Realism of Preaching. Milestones for an Orthodox Preacher’s Proclaiming Culture
Authors: Necula Constantin
Published: January 2018

This paper aims to successively present approaches to German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s thinking in the Romanian research area and to retain a series of milestones of his ample theological vision that could be relevant to the culture of an Orthodox preacher. I believe that the example of Bonhoeffer’s life and work are positive challenging models for the pastoral Orthodox thinking, due to his homiletic vision of life, somehow comparable with the vision of some theologians, who gave good Christian testimony during the difficult times of Romanian and European history. I dare to assert that Bonhoeffer’s thoroughness to elucidate the terminology of Christian preaching and to deal with specific topics of theology of reality that is active and directed to the service of a neighbor, as well as his manner of eschatologically embracing the Christian life, creates paths for the education of dialogue with Orthodoxy.
The Works and the Mystery of Salvation in the Book of Revelation. A New Contribution to an Old Polemic
Authors: Mihoc Daniel
Published: January 2018

Five hundred years ago, in troubling theological and spiritual developments of the Roman Church, Martin Luther critically approached its teaching about the soteriological value of works. The result of his inquiry was the famous sola fide doctrine. However he did not ignore the issue of works and tried repeatedly to explain their relationship with the faith. But, unfortunately, he did not consider the important contributions of the Epistle of St James and of St John’s Revelation. In the introduction to the Apocalypse he expressed the possibility that he was missing “more than one thing in this book”. His intuition was right. The book of Revelation conceals many mysteries, but first of all that of salvation. It speaks a lot about Christ and His salvific work, but also about the works of the faithful. In fact, the mystery of salvation is closely related to works. They play a crucial role in the preparation of the wedding of the Lamb with His bride. The accomplishment of God’s plan depends on them. The judgment will be done according to the works. Therefore, a lot of onceignored things stand before us. Have they the potential to bring more light on the much-disputed relationship between faith and works?
Der Halo-Effekt in einheimisch-homogenen Nachbarschaften
Authors: Klinger Julia , Müller Stefan , Schaeffer Merlin
Published: January 2018

Dieser Beitrag untersucht, ob Menschen in einheimisch-homogenen Nachbarschaften, die an ethnisch-divers zusammengesetzte Nachbarschaften angrenzen oder von diesen sogar umgeben sind, besonders zu xenophoben Einstellungen neigen. Diese als „Halo“ (auf Deutsch „Ring“) bezeichnete sozial-räumliche Konstellation synthetisiert zwei prominente theoretische Ansätze zur Erklärung von Xenophobie: Weil die homogen-zusammengesetzte direkte Nachbarschaft kaum Möglichkeiten zu positivem Intergruppenkontakt birgt, können die umgebenden ethnisch-diversen Nachbarschaften umso ungebremster subjektive Wettbewerbsängste und Bedrohungsgefühle auslösen, die letztendlich in Xenophobie münden. Jenseits von klassischen Hypothesen über die Kontexteffekte von Bevölkerungsanteilen, liegt das Augenmerk dieses Ansatzes somit auf der Bedeutung der Einbettung von Nachbarschaften in ihre lokale Umgebung. Unsere Analysen auf Basis des geokodierten ALLBUS 2014 finden jedoch keine Bestätigung für die Halo-Effekt-Hypothese, weder im Allgemeinen noch für besonders Xenophobie affine Subpopulationen. Unser Artikel verdeutlicht dennoch, auf einer theoretisch generelleren Ebene, dass die Einbettung von Nachbarschaften in ihre lokale Umgebung bedeutsam sein kann und demonstriert die methodischen Besonderheiten einer solchen räumlichen Analyse der geokodierten ALLBUS-Daten. Im Fazit werden darüber hinaus plausible Gründe diskutiert, warum unsere Ergebnisse von Studien aus anderen Ländern abweichen.
Generationenbeziehungen und materielle und soziale Deprivation
Authors: Deindl Christian
Published: January 2018

Bislang wissen wir nur wenig darüber, welchen Einfluss Deprivation auf das Geben und Nehmen von Unterstützungsleistungen innerhalb von Familien hat. Anhand der fünften Welle des Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe untersuchen wir den Zusammenhang zwischen Generationenbeziehungen und materieller und sozialer Deprivation. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass von Deprivation betroffene Eltern ihre Kinder seltener unterstützen und häufiger selbst auf Hilfen angewiesen sind. Daneben finden sich in Ländern mit einer höheren Ungleichheit weniger Transfers zwischen Eltern und Kindern. Intergenerationale Beziehungen werden also durch Deprivation belastet. Zum einen zieht sich die Familie insgesamt zurück, zum anderen verlieren Kinder nicht nur die Unterstützung durch ihre Eltern, sie wenden zusätzlich auch eigene Ressourcen auf, um ihre Eltern zu unterstützen.
Federal Criminal Law and International Corruption
Authors: Struebing Jake Elijah
Published: January 2018

The recent indictment of more than 40 individuals and entities in the FIFA corruption scandal demonstrates the expansive reach of the federal criminal law, raising important questions of extraterritorial jurisdiction and substantive law. This article argues that the existing law is sufficient to capture pervasive corruption in international organizations like Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) when their transactions reach domestic wires in the financial system. The principal charge in the FIFA case, for example, falls under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). But the extraterritorial application of RICO is far from settled law, and the dramatic scale of the racketeering conspiracy will have profound implications for the substantive law, presenting problems of legal specification and challenging the transactional model of crime. One of the indictment’s predicate offenses, moreover, is a novel honest services fraud charge that implicates the very nature of fiduciary duties in the international marketplace. This article suggests that the law should extend fiduciary protections against commercial bribery in the international sphere so long as the values underlying those protections accord with collectively shared norms. Finally, this article advances a conceptual understanding, informed by theories of global governance and development, of why the law should countenance international corruption. Federal prosecutors are becoming increasingly concerned with the integrity of globally integrated markets, and global prosecutions may carry the potential to strengthen deterrence, policy cohesion among decentralized stakeholders, and reinforce international norms of conduct.
Post-communist countries of the EU and the euro: Dynamic linkages between exchange rates
Authors: Stoupos Nikolaos , Kiohos Apostolos
Published: January 2018

The sovereign debt crisis of 2010 in the euro area significantly decelerated the monetary integration of the EU. The main purpose of this paper is to explore whether five post-communist member states of the EU are mature enough to adopt the euro. We used nominal exchange rates in the error correction model with asymmetric power ARCH (ECM-APARCH). Our results highlight that EU membership positively increased the impact of the euro on the currency of each of these countries in the short-run. In contrast, the long-term effect of the euro on each currency is negative for the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia. Wholly different results were obtained for Poland and Romania. The APARCH model showed that the negative responses of the euro had a greater or neutral effect on the conditional variance of each currency instead of the positive responses. The debt crisis of the euro area had no impact on the dynamic linkages between the currencies. Our research concludes that Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are not ready to join the euro area in the near future. On the other hand, the currencies of Poland and Romania are already aligned with the fluctuations of the euro.
Subjective equivalence scales using EU-SILC panel data for Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary
Authors: Morawski Leszek , Kalbarczyk-Stęclik Małgorzata , Miśta Rafał
Published: January 2018

Equivalence scales are commonly employed in income analysis to compare the wealth of households of various compositions (e.g., 0-child, 1-child). The choice of weights for this type of analysis is not self-evident. In this paper, subjective equivalence scales for households in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are estimated. We use longitudinal EU-SILC data for 2005–2012 following the approach of Goedhart et al. (1977) as employed by Bishop et al. (2014). The use of longitudinal data shows that previous results on the subjective minimum income that were based on the OLS estimates for cross-section data overestimated the impact from current income and underestimated the role of economies of scale. Subjective equivalence scales imply a decreasing marginal cost of children in the three countries, which makes them distinct from the OECD scale. The marginal cost of a first child is similar to the values assumed in the OECD scale, but the cost of a second child is much lower.
Mobility and Place Making in Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Italy
Authors: Skeates Robin
Published: January 2018

This paper offers a revised overview and model of Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Italy, one that questions and extends existing materialist, evolutionary and ecological perspectives through an emphasis on the socio-cultural dynamics of mobility and place making. Particular attention is paid to selected caves and rock shelters, which gained an anchoring power through the repeated performance of mundane and ritual practices, but never to the point of immobile sedentism.
Interview-based questionnaire on robot-assisted voluntary initiation of joint movement v1
Authors: Grüneberg Patrick , Kadone Hideki , Kuramoto Naomi , Ueno Tomoyuki , Hada Yasushi , Yamazaki Masashi , Sankai Yoshiyuki , Suzuki Kenji
Published: January 2018

This questionnaire serves to interview subjects undergoing rehabilitation of joint movement by means of exoskeleton robot HAL (hybrind assistive limbs). The goal is to learn about subjective control strategies during voluntary initiation of joint movement. Questions and multiple-choice answers build on phenomenological introspection. The results of the questionnaire are correlated to a gait score analysis.
Human subchondral osteoblasts cell culture v1
Authors: Sanchez Christelle
Published: January 2018

Method of isolation and culture of osteoblast coming from human subchondral bone of the knee
CELEBRATING GLOBAL SHAKESPEARE: THE REINVENTION OF SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALS IN THE UK
Authors: Guerrero Isabel
Published: January 2018

The Everybody’s Shakespeare festival (1994), the Complete Works Festival (2006-2007) and the Globe to Globe (2012) are part of the tradition of celebrating Shakespeare on occasions unconnected to the author, as was also the case of the Shakespeare’s Jubilee back in 1769. More significantly, the three festivals also have in common the inclusion of Shakespearean productions in languages other than English, engaging with the academic debate on global Shakespeare. By looking at the characteristics of these festivals and at the academic output they generated, the purpose of this article is to trace the evolution of Shakespeare festivals in England to convey an image of global Shakespeare.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS IN THE FRANCO DICTATORSHIP: ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE TRANSLATION BY EL BACHILLER CANSECO (1947)
Authors: Pérez Porras Ana
Published: January 2018

Wuthering Heights (1847), by Emily Brontë, has been translated into Spanish on more than one hundred occasions. The translation by El Bachiller Canseco (1947) was first published during the Franco dictatorship in an era of censorship in which the translator did not have specific training or any access to specialised monographs. This lack of training has an impact on the resulting target text; the translation did not succeed at transferring Brontë’s cultural legacy. To transfer it correctly, the historical-social context of the work would need to be studied in great detail. In the text, we are witness to the translator’s intervention, something that we can observe in the omissions, errors and examples of interpretative translation, which are non-existent in the original text. El Bachiller Canseco did not appear to know the sources of the original text, nor was he able to establish the line between his facet as a writer and translator.
HELLENIC LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE IN POE’S HORROR SHORT STORIES: “SIOPE- A FABLE” AND “THE SPHINX”
Authors: Tsokanos Dimitrios
Published: January 2018

Edgar Allan Poe is renowned for his tales of horror and the desolate environments within his works that baffle readers. Several studies in the past have demonstrated his constant attempts to criticize his contemporaries principally due to the immoral path that he believed they were following. In doing so, he envisioned morbid catastrophes that signified his belief that humanity’s absolution would only be ensured through total annihilation and absolute silence. The present study focuses on two of these instances, “Siope- A Fable” and “The Sphinx,” in an effort to demonstrate Hellenic motifs in Poe’s dreary visions that have not been sufficiently discussed by relevant literature.
TRANSITION IN TONI MORRISON’S “CONSOLATA” FROM PARADISE (1997)
Authors: Villa Jiménez Rosalía
Published: January 2018

In her novel Paradise (1997), Toni Morrison portrays one of her main characters, Consolata or “disconsolate”, through a constant journey in search for her African American identity as a complete woman. This journey engulfs Consolata in an eternal fluctuation between hope and hopelessness, which results from being caught up in the so-called liminal/diaspora space in hybridity (Bhabha, 1994; Brah, 1996).The present paper deals with location of culture and gender identity in the marginal, unhomely spaces between dominant social formations by analysing chapter 7 “Consolata”. Consolata may be seen as an illustrative example of the black female community struggling to overcome the hurdles of being victimised as hybrid diasporic women in a patriarchal archaic western [black] culture.
Self home blood pressure monitoring in pregnancy: how reliable is it?
Authors: L. Hemapriya , Desai Nagaraj , Bhandiwad Ambarish
Published: January 2018

Background: The use of automated blood pressure monitors in pregnancy has become increasingly popular, as more women tend to get involved in their healthcare. Not only does it reduce clinician visits, it also helps to eliminate the white coat hypertension.Methods: We conducted a prospective study in the antenatal department of JSS Medical College and Hospital, Mysuru; over a period of one year, from July 2016 to June 2017. The blood pressures of 50 women were recorded at four different periods of gestation using the conventional ‘Diamond mercury Sphygmomanometer’ versus the automated ‘Omron HEM 7130’ home BP monitor and compared.Results: The recordings of systolic blood pressure at home were consistently less than the office measurements at all periods of gestation. However, the difference was not statistically significant. The comparison of diastolic pressures revealed minimal variations between the mean of the office and home blood pressure recordings. The mean arterial pressure also revealed a similar trend.Conclusions: Self-monitoring of blood pressure is a feasible and acceptable option to pregnant women. It might make antenatal care more effective, but we need further research to establish safety and efficacy, the impact on women and health professionals, and how best to use the results.
Uma enunciação sem comunicação: as tatuagens escriturais
Authors: Paveau Marie-Anne
Published: January 2018

As tatuagens escriturais parecem tornar amplamente aceitáveis a idéia de que o corpo humano é um suporte para a produção do discurso na forma tradicional da comunicação indexical, que é, a existência de dois falantes, uma forma lingüística e sua interpretação. De fato, a enunciação tatuada é muito peculiar e sustenta, mais exatamente, o forte argumento a favor da forma não-comunicativa da enunciação: os falantes estão desconectados e até mesmo ausentes da enunciação; eles estão, em sua maioria, no tempo anônimo; os textos estão algumas vezes escondidos e por isso estabelecem sentenças indizíveis. Conseqüentemente, a enunciação da teoria standard deve ser revisitada e alguém propor outras hipóteses, tal qual a biosubjetividade e o bioreferencialismo.
Influence of Feeding Practices on Malnutrition in Haitian Infants and Young Children
Authors: Irarrázaval Belén , Barja Salesa , Bustos Edson , Doirsaint Romel , Senethmm Gloria , Guzmán María Paz , Uauy Ricardo
Published: January 2018

Infant malnutrition remains as an important cause of death and disability, Haiti has the highest prevalence in America, so preventive strategies are needed. Our objective was to assess infant and young children malnutrition in Haiti and to study an association to World Health Organization (WHO) recommended feeding practices adherence. Cross-sectional study of children younger than 2 years old, recruited at Saint Espri Health Center, Port Au Prince (August to September 2014). We registered feeding practices, social and demographic data, and performed anthropometry (WHO-2006 standard). We evaluated 278 infants and young children, 8.08 ± 6.5 months old, 53.2% female. 18.35% had underweight; 13.31% were stunted and 13.67% had moderate or severe wasting. Malnutrition was associated to male gender, older age, lower education of mothers and higher number of siblings. The adherence to WHO recommended practices for breastfeeding was from 11.8 to 97.9% and was related to a lower prevalence of malnutrition. For complementary food, adherence was 9.7 to 90.3%, also associated to lower malnutrition. Conclusion: Prevalence of infant and young children malnutrition in this Haitian Health Center population was high, related to some risk factors. The adherence to WHO recommended feeding practices was associated to a better nutritional status.
Poultry Litter Band Placement Affects Accessibility and Conservation of Nutrients and Cotton Yield
Authors: Tewolde Haile , Shankle Mark W. , Way Thomas R. , Pote Daniel H. , Sistani Karamat R. , He Zhongqi
Published: January 2018

Core Ideas

Applying manures in subsurface bands is more efficient than surface broadcasting.

Applying litter in single “thick” subsurface band per row leads to greater nutrient conservation than splitting the litter into multiple “thinner” bands.

Litter band accessibility to young cotton plants is greater with multiple rather than single bands per row.

Subsurface banding is more effective than surface banding for cotton yield.

Subsurface manure band placement relative to the plant row may affect crop growth and yield by affecting nutrient accessibility and conservation. The objective of this study was to determine whether poultry litter band placement affects cotton yield by affecting nutrient accessibility and conservation. Fresh broiler chicken litter (6.1 Mg ha−1 yr−1) applied in subsurface bands spaced 1.02 m apart (wide) (SSw) was compared against the same litter rate applied in subsurface (SSn) or surface (SFn) bands spaced 0.30 m apart (narrow). An unfertilized control (UFC) and a standard treatment fertilized with synthetic fertilizers (Std) were also included. No‐till cotton was planted parallel to the litter bands at 1.02‐m row spacing. The SSw treatment resulted in 14% more lint yield than the SSn treatment 2 yr after stopping litter applications. The SSw treatment also increased wheat cover crop biomass by ≥20% relative to the SSn treatment. The SSw treatment did not increase lint yield in the same season litter was applied (2010–2012), because the 6.1 Mg ha−1 litter (163 kg ha−1 total N) applied in subsurface bands spaced at 1.02 m exceeded the optimum. Higher tissue N and K concentrations and greater biomass in young (1 mo) cotton plants suggested that litter band accessibility in the early stages is greater with multiple rather than single bands per row. The results overall suggest applying litter in single “thick” subsurface band per row leads to greater conservation of the litter and its nutrients than splitting the litter into multiple “thinner” subsurface bands.
Nitrogen Management Affects Nitrous Oxide Emissions under Varying Cotton Irrigation Systems in the Desert Southwest, USA
Authors: Bronson Kevin F. , Hunsaker Doug J. , Williams Clinton F. , Thorp Kelly R. , Rockholt Sharette M. , Del Grosso Stephen J. , Venterea Rodney T. , Barnes Edward M.
Published: January 2018

Irrigation of food and fiber crops worldwide continues to increase. Nitrogen (N) from fertilizers is a major source of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) in irrigated cropping systems. Nitrous oxide emissions data are scarce for crops in the arid western United States. The objective of these studies was to assess the effect of N fertilizer management on N2O emissions from furrow‐irrigated, overhead sprinkler‐irrigated, and subsurface drip‐irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in Maricopa, AZ, on Trix and Casa Grande sandy clay loam soils. Soil test‐ and canopy‐reflectance‐based N fertilizer management were compared. In the furrow‐ and overhead sprinkler‐irrigated fields, we also tested the enhanced efficiency N fertilizer additive Agrotain Plus as a N2O mitigation tool. Nitrogen fertilizer rates as liquid urea ammonium nitrate ranged from 0 to 233 kg N ha−1. Two applications of N fertilizer were made with furrow irrigation, three applications under overhead sprinkler irrigation, and 24 fertigations with subsurface drip irrigation. Emissions were measured weekly from May through August with 1‐L vented chambers. N2O emissions were not agronomically significant, but increased as much as 16‐fold following N fertilizer addition compared to zero‐N controls. Emission factors ranged from 0.10 to 0.54% of added N fertilizer emitted as N2O‐N with furrow irrigation, 0.15 to 1.1% with overhead sprinkler irrigation, and <0.1% with subsurface drip irrigation. The reduction of N2O emissions due to addition of Agrotain Plus to urea ammonium nitrate was inconsistent. This study provides unique data on N2O emissions in arid‐land irrigated cotton and illustrates the advantage of subsurface drip irrigation as a low N2O source system.

Core Ideas

N2O emissions under overhead sprinkler and furrow irrigation were 0.5 to 1 %.

Subsurface drip irrigation combined with 24 fertigation events had an emission factor of 0–0.1 %.

The use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers NBPT and DCD had inconsistent mitigation effects on N2O emissions.

Reduction in N2O emissions with canopy reflectance‐based N management was inconsistent.
Phenotypic Characterization, Fine Mapping, and Altered Expression Profiling of Roses1 Mutation That Affects Organ Size and Water Loss Through Regulating Stomatal Density in Rice
Authors: Gong Xiaoping , Zhang Zhili , Yue Junyang , Tang Wei , Tang Xiaofeng , Zeng Zhengming , Niu Xiangli , Chen Danyang , Sang Xianchun , Xiao Fangming , He Guanghua , Liu Yongsheng
Published: January 2018

Organ size is an important agronomic trait that directly affects the biomass of rice (Oryza sativa L.), thus identification and characterization of genes involved in organ size control would contribute to basic biology, as well as provide target genes for genetic manipulation of rice yield potential. Although organism or organ size is of pivotal importance, the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying it remain far from understood. Here we report the isolation and characterization of reduced organ size with early senescence1 (roses1) mutant in rice. The roses1 mutant was obtained by ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis, and genetic analysis revealed that roses1 mutation is controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene. Distinct reduction in the size of organs in roses1 mutant plants was attributed to decreased cell number and cell size detected by histological analysis and the early leaf senescence with green and pale brown stripes, probably due to elevated stomata density detected by microscopy analysis. The ROSES1 gene was isolated by using map‐based cloning strategy, encoding a BEL1‐like homeobox transcription factor containing a plant‐specific peroxidase (POX) domain of unknown function. The β‐glucuronidase (GUS) activity driven by the ROSES1 promoter was strongly detected at the root meristem and elongation zone, shoot meristem, node, intercalary meristem of internode, leaf, inflorescence branch, and developing caryopsis and embryo. Differential gene expression analysis revealed potential regulatory networks involved in organ size control and stomata functioning that could be affected by the expression of the ROSES1 protein.
Evaluating Hydraulic Properties of Biochar‐Amended Soil Aggregates by High‐Performance Pore‐Scale Simulations
Authors: Zhou Hongxiang , Yu Xiuling , Chen Cheng , Zeng Lingzao , Lu Shenggao , Wu Laosheng
Published: January 2018

Core Ideas

SR‐mCT was used to characterize soil pore structures.

Graphics processing unit–enhanced LBM was used to simulate the water flow.

Effects of biochar amendment on soil hydraulic properties were evaluated.

Biochar amendment can change the soil pore architecture and improve soil physical and hydraulic properties. In this study, two clayey soils were selected and treated with or without biochar amendment (four treatments). Synchrotron‐based X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (SR‐mCT) was used to characterize pore structures of the selected aggregates from the treatments. Based on the high‐resolution soil pore structure information, the three‐dimensional lattice Boltzmann (LB) method was used to simulate water flow in pores. The high‐resolution soil pore structures were also used to define the internal boundary conditions in the LB method that was accelerated by graphics processing unit parallel computing. Results showed that biochar amendment increased soil permeability by at least one order of magnitude, reduced tortuosity by 20 to 30%, and resulted in more uniformly distributed pore water velocities, which was attributed to the change in soil pore geometry. This study is the first physically based modeling effort to assess the effect of biochar amendment on hydraulic properties of soil aggregates. The SR‐mCT method and modeling approach developed in the research play an important role in understanding the mechanisms of water and nutrient transport in soil at the pore scale.
Excitation‐Emission‐Matrix Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Soil Water Extracts to Predict Nitrogen Mineralization Rates
Authors: Rinot Oshri , Osterholz William R. , Castellano Michael J. , Linker Raphael , Liebman Matt , Shaviv Avi
Published: January 2018

Core Ideas

EEM spectroscopy was used to characterize soluble OM pools in agricultural soils.

PARAFAC was used to quantify OM meaningful EEM spectral components.

PARAFAC components were correlated to N mineralization rates in specific sites.

NPLS modeling of EEM data can estimate N mineralization rates in diverse soils.

Rapid, easy, and frequent prediction of gross or potential nitrogen mineralization rates (GNMR and PNMR, respectively) is desirable for improved understanding and quantification of soil N dynamics and for enabling advanced sustainable N management. Our goal was to extend the use of excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy to characterize constituents of soluble organic matter (OM) pools in agricultural soils and to couple these characterizations with advanced chemometric techniques to improve prediction of PNMR and GNMR. To achieve this, EEM‐based predictions must be valid across diverse soils, climates, and management systems. Accordingly, we analyzed soil water extracts spanning a broad range of OM contents from midwest United States (MUS) and Israeli (ISL) agroecosystems under organic‐ and mineral‐based N management strategies. Parallel factors analysis, a multiway data analysis method, was used to quantify meaningful EEM spectral components, which were used to detect changes in labile soil OM pools and to predict N mineralization rates. N‐way partial least squares regression (NPLS) was also applied to EEM data to obtain spectral factors correlated to total organic carbon concentration potential and gross N mineralization rates. This NPLS analysis led to reliable estimation of all three tested properties for ISL and MUS soils.
O histórico da segurança humana e o (des)encontro das agendas de desenvolvimento e segurança
Authors: Rocha Raquel Maria de Almeida
Published: January 2018

O presente artigo busca reconstruir a trajetória da segurança humana no Relatório de Desenvolvimento Humano (RDH) do Programa de Desenvolvimento das Nações Unidas (PNUD) de 1994 e no Relatório da Comissão Internacional sobre Intervenção e Soberania Estatal (CIISE) de 2001. Pretendemos com isso demonstrar que existe pouco diálogo e contribuição do primeiro com o segundo. Para tanto, traçaremos o histórico do conceito de segurança humana, focando nos relatórios mencionados, a fim de evidenciar a forma pela qual as agendas de desenvolvimento e de segurança possuem baixo nível de debate, diálogo e contribuição entre si. Nossa metodologia inclui revisão bibliográfica e entrevistas, além de análise de documentos e relatórios do sistema ONU e do CIISE para construção de process tracing.
Energy savings using biofuel in a developing-country water distribution system
Authors: Archer Alexandra , Barkdoll Brian D.
Published: January 2018

The practical energy minimization algorithm (EMA) is introduced here to determine if a water distribution system (WDS) can be less energy dependent. The EMA is a simple algorithm that can be used by practitioners in the planning and management of WDS. The EMA employs the Jatropha Curcas (JC) tree as a source of oil for fueling water pumps. The EMA is demonstrated on a WDS in Senegal, West Africa, and calculates the level of JC production required to be self-sufficient in fueling the water system to meet drinking, sanitation, and JC irrigation requirements. It was found that the EMA successfully showed that the demonstration WDS can be energy self-sufficient to provide recommended amounts of drinking water for the people and enough irrigation for the JC trees, but only if greywater was used to supplement the irrigation and if a mechanical press was used in lieu of a hand press to extract the oil from the JC leaves. An adequate amount of oil was thus produced to power the required mechanical press as well. Payback periods of significantly less than the life of the required equipment indicate the viability of JC oil as fuel and the feasibility of having an energy independent WDS.
IMPINGEMENT-SYNDROME OF PERONEUS BREVIS TENDON AFTER CALCANEAL FRACTURES (MORPHOLOGICAL ASPECTS)
Authors: Konovalchuk N. S. , Rumakin V. P. , Sorokin E. P. , Lasunskii S. A. , Fomichev V. A.
Published: January 2018

Background. One of the main causes of pain in patients with consequences of calcaneal fractures is the lateral impingement syndrome. This term means lateral displacement of outer calcaneal wall at the moment of fracture, narrowing of anatomical space under the lateral malleolus and compression of soft tissues in this region, including tendons of short and long peroneal muscles. This leads to chronic traumatization of tendons, alteration of their normal tracking and development of tendinitis and tenosynovitis. At this moment there are no articles in foreign or Russian literature describing how prolonged traumatization influences the internal structure of the tendons. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the morphological changes in structure of peroneus brevis tendon after different duration of compression between outer wall of calcaneus and the tip of the lateral malleolus in patients with calcaneal malunion.Materials and methods. Fifteen patients with calcaneal malunion and lateral impingement syndrome were treated operatively between 2016 and 2017. To confirm the lateral impingement syndrome, the authors performed clinical examination and AP x-rays of ankle joint. Two peroneus brevis tendon specimens were obtained intraoperatively in each of 15 patients: one specimen from compressed and one from non-compressed area. Obtained specimens were histologically examined according to standard protocol.Results. Microscopically all specimens showed separation of collagen bundles with loose connective tissue degeneration, increase of vascularization and inflammation. The degree of these changes differed according to the compression duration. This allowed us to analyze the dynamics of these changes.Conclusion. The morphological changes in structure of peroneus brevis tendon during the compression between outer wall of calcaneus and the tip of the lateral malleolus correspond with dynamics of common pathologic reactions. Early stages showed signs of mechanical damage of bundles and inflammation. In prolonged impingement the intensity of inflammation decreases, but the connective tissue degeneration of the tendon continues with lipoid infiltration.
National Beef Tenderness Survey—2015: Palatability and Shear Force Assessments of Retail and Foodservice Beef
Authors: Martinez Hillary A. , Arnold Ashley N. , Brooks J. Chance , Carr Chad C. , Gehring Kerri B. , Griffin Davey B. , Hale Daniel S. , Mafi Gretchen G. , Johnson D. Dwain , Lorenzen Carol L. , Maddock Robert J. , Miller Rhonda K. , VanOverbeke Deborah L. , Wasser Bridget E. , Savell Jeffrey W.
Published: January 2018

Beef retail steaks from establishments across 11 US cities and beef foodservice steaks from establishments in 6 US cities were evaluated using Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force and consumer sensory panels. The average post-fabrication aging time of steaks at retail establishments was 25.9 d with a range of 6 to 102 d, and those from foodservice establishments averaged 31.5 d with a range of 3 to 91 d. The retail steaks with the lowest WBS value (P < 0.05) was the boneless top loin, compared to the top round steaks, which had the higher (P < 0.05) average WBS value. For the foodservice sector, top loin and ribeye steaks had the lowest (P < 0.05) WBS values, whereas the top sirloin represented the highest (P < 0.05) WBS values. The top blade retail steaks received among the highest consumer ratings (P < 0.05), whereas the top round and bottom round steaks received among the lowest (P < 0.05) consumer ratings for overall liking, tenderness liking, tenderness level, flavor liking, and juiciness liking. For the foodservice sector, the ribeye and top loin steaks were rated higher (P < 0.05) than top sirloin steaks for all consumer rating categories. The WBS values and sensory ratings were comparable to previous surveys, indicating no substantial changes in tenderness. Additional emphasis in improving the tenderness of top and bottom round steaks is necessary to increase consumer acceptability of these cuts.
Síntesis de nanotubos de carbono multicapa sobre sustratos metálicos por el método de depósito químico de vapores: no todos los nanotubos son iguales
Authors: Jiménez-Rodríguez José Alfredo , Arana-Sosa Vanesa , Franco Alfred
Published: January 2018

En este trabajo se reporta una nueva forma de crecimiento de nanotubos de carbono sobre microcristales. Los microcristales son depositados en sustratos metálicos sujetos a tratamientos termoquímicos y usados como depósito para el crecimiento de nanotubos de carbono, creando nuevas formas estructurales: ensamblados en manojos de doble espiral y nanotubos de carbono ensamblados en forma de flor. Son nuevos diseños morfológicos en nanotubos de carbono multicapa (MWCNT’s, por sus siglas en inglés), sintetizados mediante el método de depósito químico de vapor (CVD, por sus siglas en inglés); los cuales resultan sumamente atractivos para el empleo potencial de los MWCNT’s en diversas aplicaciones tecnológicas. En este artículo se describe de manera clara qué son los nanotubos de carbono, sus métodos de síntesis y los nuevos tipos de MWCNT’s que se crean en el Laboratorio de Nanotecnología de Grupo JUMEX en colaboración con investigadores de distintas instituciones. 
Separability of diagonal symmetric states: a quadratic conic optimization problem
Authors: Tura Jordi , Aloy Albert , Quesada Ruben , Lewenstein Maciej , Sanpera Anna
Published: January 2018

We study the separability problem in mixtures of Dicke states i.e., the separability of the so-called Diagonal Symmetric (DS) states. First, we show that separability in the case of DS inCd⊗Cd(symmetric qudits) can be reformulated as a quadratic conic optimization problem. This connection allows us to exchange concepts and ideas between quantum information and this field of mathematics. For instance, copositive matrices can be understood as indecomposable entanglement witnesses for DS states. As a consequence, we show that positivity of the partial transposition (PPT) is sufficient and necessary for separability of DS states ford≤4. Furthermore, ford≥5, we provide analytic examples of PPT-entangled states. Second, we develop new sufficient separability conditions beyond the PPT criterion for bipartite DS states. Finally, we focus onN-partite DS qubits, where PPT is known to be necessary and sufficient for separability. In this case, we present a family of almost DS states that are PPT with respect to each partition but nevertheless entangled.
At søge ly i Pandoras æske eller frygt, sikkerhed og storbyen
Authors: Bauman Zygmunt
Published: January 2018

Seeking Shelter in Pandora’s Box. Or Fear, Security and the City

Contemporary urban landscape is radically and drastically undergoing change. This change is instigated by the impact of globalisation and by the creation of a ubiquitous global frontier-land, increasingly characterised by insecurity and uncertainty. Globalisation entails, among other things, the crowding of a vast number of people from rural areas in urban settings, something that is taking place on a global scale and that is transforming previous towns in the Third as well as the Western World into monstrous megalopolises. The social consequences and side-effects of globalisation on urban culture and architecture are mirrored in the militarisation of public but not civic space, the suspicion and concomitant criminalisation of strangers, the creation of gated and fortified communities, the segregation of populations and the purification of public place of coincidental encounters or social interaction. Simultaneously, people in public areas now wear armoured clothing or drive reinforced vehicles in order to avoid unwanted or potentially threatening contact. These changes inaugurate a new urban environment increasingly saturated by fear, suspicion and lack of human interaction – the withdrawal from public space of ideals of community and the good society, and the transformation of the city from enchanted public place to disenchanted non-place or private place.
Kultur og konkurrence: Om mangfoldighed og innovation i sociologisk perspektiv
Authors: Bjerregaard Toke , Lauring Jakob
Published: January 2018

Toke Bjerregaard and Jakob Lauring:
Cultural Diversity and Innovation: how do these relate to each other?
Innovation and exploitation of cultural diversity have become key concepts in the political, scientific and business oriented discussions concerning Denmark’s international competitiveness. It is generally assumed that innovation in Denmark is not only driven by research, but also by knowledge obtained from partners, employees and users. In international firms these actors are characterised by cultural differences. Much research on diversity management and regional development suggests that cultural diversity has a positive impact on the capability to innovate. This article analyses the connection between cultural diversity and innovation. The article is based on a study of 14 Danish firms with an international and culturally diverse staff. The article describes the ways in which international employees’ perceptions of the possibilities in cultural diversity are shaped by their professional strategies and perception of international career opportunities.
Tilgængelig, nærværende og potentielt fraværende - om unges mobiltelefoni
Authors: Wentzel Winther Ida
Published: January 2018

At have en mobiltelefon er blevet hver mands eje. Der kommunikeres som aldrig før, alle steder og hele tiden. Vi er tilgængelige døgnet rundt. Denne artikel tager udgangspunkt i et interaktionistisk baseret observationsstudie i en ungdomsklub i Danmark og fokuserer på, hvordan unge i alderen 12-16 år på én og samme tid etablerer et direkte og et medieret nærvær, som også er et konstant potentielt fravær. Ligeledes hvordan vores kulturelle forestilling om, hvad der er offentligt og privat, er under forandring og forhandles i forskellige rum. Med afsæt i kulturfænomenologien undersøges, hvordan mobiltelefonen forandrer vores socialitet og dermed eksisterende omgangsformer. Artiklen er baseret på delprojektet “Grænser på på-hed?“, der indgår i et større tværinstitutionelt forskningsprojekt “Hvor går grænsen? Højspændingsæstetik og etisk kvalitet i den aktuelle mediekultur 2005-08“, ledet af Anne Jerslev (Københavns Universitet).

ENGELSK ABSTRACT:
Ida Wentzel Winther: Availability, Presence and Potential Absence – Young peoples’ Use of Mobile Phones

Mobile phones have become public property. We communi-cate as never before, everywhere and always. Day and night we are accessible. This article is based on a field study in a youth club in Denmark, and focuses on how young people between 12 and 16 establish both a direct and a mediated presence simultaneously, which is at the same time a poten-tial absence. It also explores how our cultural notions of public and private change and are negotiated in different social spaces. Using cultural phenomenology, I investigate how mobile phones change sociality and existing manners. The article is based on the research project “Limits to access?“, which is part of a larger project “High-tension Aesthetics. Ethics and Aesthetics in Contemporary Media (2005-08)“, led by Anne Jerslev, Copenhagen University.

Key words: Mobile phones, youth club, accessibility, relation between body, objects and media.