bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cogenerative PV Thermal Modules of Different Design for Autonomous Heat and Electricity Supply
Authors: Kharchenko Valeriy , Panchenko Vladimir , Tikhonov Pavel V. , Vasant Pandian
Published: February 2018

Solar energy is used for electricity production by means of photovoltaic modules and for heat supply by means of solar water-heating collectors. In recent years, combined cogeneration photovoltaic thermal modules which work out at the same time both electricity and thermal energy began to be applied actively. The chapter includes consideration of the main types of cogenerative photovoltaic thermal modules of different design such as planar liquid devices as well as devices with concentrator of solar radiation. The advantages and disadvantages of each type are presented. Main directions for improving the efficiency of converting solar energy into thermal and electricity are offered. The description of the offered construction of the module, and also results of theoretical and pilot studies of the module is provided in full-scale conditions. Installation for such tests is described as well. Testing photovoltaic thermal modules with planar and concentrator design are presented in the chapter.
Energy Saving and Safe Operating Modes of the Large Irrigative Pumping Stations
Authors: Khokhlov Vladimir Aleksandrovich , Khokhlov Aleksandr Vasilevich , Titova Janna Olegovna
Published: February 2018

This chapter describes the methods and devices of energy-saving regulation for irrigative pumping stations based on principles of power loss reduction in pressure pipelines. These concepts are scientifically substantiated and developed. Protection of the main power equipment and pipelines of pumping stations from water at transients are developed and devices for their implementation are designed. The use of the research results will make it possible to plan the electric energy consumption, to make an estimation of power-hydraulic equipment operation quality and safety, to find the sources of energy loss and ways to reduce working at the pumping stations in the rural branches of economy.
Increasing Efficiency of Grain Drying With the Use of Electroactivated Air and Heater Control
Authors: Vasiliev Aleksey , Budnikov Dmitry , Gracheva Natalia , Smirnov Alexander
Published: February 2018

This chapter describes how drying is the most power-consuming process of post-harvest processing. Methods are viewed of how to heighten productivity of grain-drying equipment and to decrease energy consumption of the process. Using electrically activated air as a drying agent provides greater efficiency in the process of drying grain with active ventilation. Saturation of the air with ions in this case is conducted cyclically. This allows the use of reactions of the biological object called “caryopsis” to cause external impacts to the material increasing the efficiency of drying. The parameters of the drying agent are changed by controlling the electric heater. The dependency of the rate and energy consumption of drying on the drying agent allows control of the process. The chapter presents experimental obtained dependencies, which allow for the design of algorithms to control the aforementioned type.
Structure and Parameter Optimization of Renewable-Based Hybrid Power Complexes
Authors: Vaskov Alexey Genna'evich , Tyagunov Mikhail Georgievich , Shestopalova Tatiana Aleksandrovna , Deryugina Galina Vladimirovna , Ishchenko Ivan
Published: February 2018

Fundamental characteristics of distributed power systems and usage patterns of renewables in such systems are considered in the chapter. The chapter presents a full description of a hybrid power complex consisteing of renewable power sources, converters, energy storages, heat and electricity transmission and distribution devices, controlled electrical and heat consumers, etc. Special features of wind, solar, and hydro power plant operational states at self-balanced hybrid power complexes are given. A description of controlled consumers characteristics is presented as well as capability of consideration of hybrid complex being MicroGrid under their influence. The chapter also prescribes examples of technical and economical features of hybrid power complexes of different structures, their future design, and development.
Shale Gas as an Alternative Energy Source
Authors: Padmanabhan Eswaran , Gamage Ranjith Pathegama , Fosuduah Evelynlove
Published: February 2018

Shale gas has been considered as an unconventional resource to date due to economics and technical challenges encountered. Under current circumstances, shale gas has and is receiving increasing attention as it is being quickly known as a viable energy resource. Countries who have been out of the energy game so far have an opportunity to be key players in the same industry. Current enhancement in technology and improved methods for fracking have proven that recovering shale gas is a viable and economically sound option in this century.
Mobile Financial Services in Developing Countries
Authors: Bwemelo Gordian Stanslaus
Published: February 2018

This chapter describes how mobile technologies have recently emerged as the new wave in Information Technology revolution and are constantly gaining importance and popularity in nearly every avenue of our working and social lives. One area of mobile technology that has become a focus in recent times is the use of mobile devices particularly the mobile phones for an array of financial services. Mobile financial services and their massive adoption and rapid spread in the developing world, has deepened investments in mobile infrastructure and has further contributed to financial inclusion and economic development. Their adoption, in particular, has had a significant impact on consumer financial behaviour. This chapter builds on a rich body of literature available to highlight the impact of mobile financial services on consumer financial behaviour and the implications for financial institutions.
Investigating the Use of Mobile Devices in Schools
Authors: Kolog Emmanuel Awuni , Tweneboah Samuel Nana Adekson , Devine Samuel Nii Odoi , Adusei Anthony Kuffour
Published: February 2018

This chapter describes how today's technology has provided flexibility for teachers and students to engage in academic discourse irrespective of the location. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the influence of mobile devices on students' academic engagement and performance. Following this debate, these authors empirically investigate the use of mobile device and its impact on teaching and learning in Ghana. Therefore, students, teachers and Ghana Education Service staff were selected to respond to a questionnaire with a follow up interview. After that, the authors analysed the content of the collected data using mixed research method. The results show that students are disallowed to use mobile devices while in school. However, the participants believe that mobile devices are useful for teaching and learning, especially for mobile learning. In line with the participants' perception of the use of mobile devices in schools, this chapter recommends that the government and other stakeholders of education in Ghana allow students to use mobile devices under restricted and regulated conditions.
Assessment of Mobile Money Enablers in Nigeria
Authors: Olaleye Sunday Adewale , Sanusi Ismaila Temitayo , Ukpabi Dandison C.
Published: February 2018

This chapter describes how mobile money is an emerging and innovative financial service delivery mechanism. With huge success, recorded mostly in the developing economies, it is scholarly unclear the antecedents of its adoption. Using a survey of 151 respondents comprising both the banked and underbanked in the South-Western part of Nigeria, the authors used the PLS-SEM to test the research hypothesis. The results reveal the enablers of mobile money, which are social influence, performance expectancy, security and effort expectancy, and inhibitors such as system anxiety and cost. Privacy, trust, image and convenience were not found significant in this study. Social influence, performance expectancy and effort expectancy variables adapted from the UTAUT model have considerable influence on mobile money in Nigeria. Study implications and future directions are offered.
“So, Are You Hindi?”
Authors: Hickey M. Gail
Published: February 2018

Immigrant children and adolescents living in the United States encounter significant stressors during the acculturation process, particularly in the schooling context. South Asian immigrants identify strongly with religious and geographic region background. This chapter investigates intersections between religion and education in U.S. South Asians' post-migration experiences in the American Midwest. Findings suggest South Asian children enrolled in U.S. schools are confronted daily by the duality between their parents' birth culture and mainstream values and traditions of the host culture. Participants and their families experience prejudice and racism in daily activities, including school. Prejudice ranges from judgments about English-speaking ability to doubts about the South Asian education system to prepare workers for U.S. jobs. Findings show religious affiliation, accent, skin color, and ethnic dress create barriers for South Asians trying to fit into everyday American society.
Shapes and Patterns in Visualizing Human Knowledge
Authors: Osinska Veslava , Osinski Grzegorz
Published: February 2018

Excel or similar statistical software offers a lot of possibilities to generate different kinds of charts and diagrams. Throughout the variety of graphical representations, one can find common features among elementary patterns they consist of. Circles (spheres in 3D information space) and trees as effective and ergonomic shapes are the base of known historical and contemporary visualization techniques. The chapter introduces the most popular and ergonomic methods for visualizing large-scale data. The authors strive to find common visual properties in relation to their historical archetypes. The discussion about a series of both technical and aesthetical issues is also included.
Developing Visual Literacy Skills Through Library Instructions
Authors: Özel Nevzat
Published: February 2018

Visual literacy skills have become an inevitable part of life in today's world. Technological innovations leading to new literacy skills have changed traditional ways of communication and made it necessary to learn and understand symbols, pictures, photos, illustrations, diagrams, infographics, pictograms, simulations, graphical interfaces, digitized images, and other visual tools. Therefore, it is very significant to teach individuals about visual literacy skills: the ability to understand, interpret, evaluate, organize, and construct visual information. Infographics are essential tools for learners. One of the most prominent institution to teach visual literacy skills is libraries. Visual tools, strategies, and methods should be applied in library instructions for users to realize these skills. The aim of the chapter is to show the importance of visualization, visual literacy, and infographics and present suggestions regarding how to develop the visual literacy skills of learners by libraries.
Text Preprocessing
Authors: Malak Piotr
Published: February 2018

Digital humanities and information visualization rely on huge sets of digital data. Those data are mostly delivered in the text form. Although computational linguistics provides a lot of valuable tools for text processing, the initial phase (text preprocessing) is very involved and time-consuming. The problems arise due to a human factor – they are not always errors; there is also inconsistency in forms, affecting data quality. In this chapter, the author describes and discusses the main issues that arise during the preprocessing phase of textual data gathering for InfoVis. Chosen examples of InfoVis applications are presented. Except for problems with raw, original data, solutions are also referred. Canonical approaches used in text preprocessing and common issues affecting the process and ways to prevent them are also presented. The quality of data from different sources is also discussed. The content of this chapter is a result of a few years of practical experience in natural language processing gained during realization of different projects and evaluation campaigns.
Visualization Methods for Exploring Transborder Indigenous Populations
Authors: Blilid Abdelaziz
Published: February 2018

This chapter highlights the importance of information visualization using web mapping to shed light on the correlation between social actors. It shows how this method helps to understand if Berber identity beyond frontiers is a reality or just a motto in support of “cultural activism.” The suggested web mapping presents the hyperlinks weaved between websites whose focus is Berber cultural identity. Berbers are the indigenous people of North Africa. They are scattered in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya; they have built a “resistance identity,” including both cultural and political claims, long before the digital age. Since the 1960s they have been struggling for recognition against the state's cultural and political domination in which they live. The analysis of Berbers' relationships amongst each other on the internet is valuable for understanding the main features and issues of this digital connection, its shape, its contents, and actor typology.
Social Context
Authors: Mikołajewska Emilia , Komendziński Tomasz , Mikołajewski Dariusz
Published: February 2018

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) and Evidence-based practice (EBP) are sets of standards and procedures created to search, verify, and select up-to-date findings implemented by medical staff as a basis for decision-making process in a daily clinical practice. Despite efforts of scientists and clinicians, neurorehabiltiation is regarded as a difficult area for EBM/EBP practices due to huge diversity of cases, clinical pictures, interventions, and scientific methodologies. More advanced tasks, including application of brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosteheses, show the need for a new approach from medical practitioners. This chapter presents challenges, barriers, and solutions in the aforementioned area based on the personal experiences of the authors. Visualisation tools provide cognitive support for social context, cooperation patterns, and data interpretation. Taking into consideration that social issues may extend the visibility of the results and allow for easier dissemination of the results, the aim was to show how visualisation helps identify cooperation networks and disseminate research results.
Some Fuzzy Tools for Evaluation of Computer Vision Algorithms
Authors: Osipov Andrey
Published: February 2018

In this article, some issues related to the performance evaluation of computer vision algorithms within the version of direct empirical supervised evaluation method developed at SRISA RAS are considered. This approach partly relies on the elements defined by using the fuzzy set theory, in particular, fuzzy similarity measures and fuzzy reference ground truth images. Some known measures of segmentation quality are considered and their extensions, representing the fuzzy similarity measures, are offered. As an example, the author considers an application of fuzzy ground truth images and fuzzy similarity measures, including some newly introduced ones, to the evaluation of face recognition algorithms.
An Approach for the Development of Animal Tracking System
Authors: Manohar N. , Kumar Y. H. Sharath , Kumar G. Hemantha
Published: February 2018

In this article, the authors propose a system which can identify and track animals. Identification and tracking of animals has got plenty of applications like, avoiding dangerous animal intrusion into residential areas, avoiding animal-vehicle collisions, and behavioral study of animals and so on. Previously, biologists studied videos to detect and identify animals, a time consuming and difficult task. This requires a fully automatic or computer-assisted system to identify and track animals by video. Initially, frames are extracted from the given video. Segmentation is done to the extracted frames using a maximum similarity-based region merging algorithm. Then, the mean shift-based algorithm is used to track the animals. Finally, the animals are classified using Gabor features and a KNN classifier. Experimentation has been conducted on a data set containing more than 150 videos with 15 different classes.
Design Space Exploration for Implementing a Software-Based Speculative Memory System
Authors: Fujisawa Kohei , Nunome Atsushi , Shibayama Kiyoshi , Hirata Hiroaki
Published: February 2018

To enlarge the opportunities for parallelizing a sequentially coded program, the authors have previously proposed speculative memory (SM). With SM, they can start the parallel execution of a program by assuming that it does not violate the data dependencies in the program. When the SM system detects a violation, it recovers the computational state of the program and restarts the execution. In this article, the authors explore the design space for implementing a software-based SM system. They compared the possible choices in the following three viewpoints: (1) which waiting system of suspending or busy-waiting should be used, (2) when a speculative thread should be committed, and (3) which version of data a speculative thread should read. Consequently, the performance of the busy-waiting system which makes speculative threads commit early and read non-speculative values is better than that of others.
Improvement of Measurement Contribution for Asset Characterization in Complex Engineering Systems by an Iterative Methodology
Authors: D'Emilia Giulio , Gaspari Antonella , Galar Diego Pascual
Published: February 2018

The evolution of systems based on the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud computing technologies requires resolute and trustable management approaches, to let the industrial assets thrive and avoid losses in efficiency and, thus, profitability. In this article, a methodology based on the evaluation of the measurement uncertainty is proposed, which is able to suggest possible improvement paths and reliable decisions. The approach is based on the identification of subsequent tasks that should be fulfilled, also in a recursive way. Its application in the field, for the identification of the vibration and acoustic emission signatures of highly-performance machining tools, allows directing future actions to increase the potentiality of proper management of the information provided by measurements. In a complex scenario, characterized by many devices and instruments, the compliance with the procedures for measurement accuracy has proven to be a useful support.
In vitro antitrypanosomal potential of chloroform leaf extract of Punica granatum L. on Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma evansi
Authors: Fathuddin Muhammad Muhsin , Inabo Helen Ileigo
Published: February 2018

The plant Pomegranate (Punica granatum Linn.) selected for this study is native to the region of Eurasia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antitrypanosomal potential of the plant against Trypanosoma brucei brucei (T.b. brucei) and Trypanosoma evansi (T. evansi). Similarly, the parasites used for this study have two entirely different modes of transmission that is Cyclical Transmission (T.b. brucei) and Mechanical Transmission (T. evansi). The chloroform extract of Punica granatum (P. granatum) was analysed in vitro for trypanocidal activity against T.b. brucei and T. evansi at concentrations of 100 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 12.5 mg/mL and 6.25 mg/mL. The chloroform extracts of P. granatum had trypanocidal activity against T. evansi and was inactive against T.b. brucei. These findings suggest that the mode of transmission may have an effect on the parasite-drug reaction and the possible use of the chloroform extract of P. granatum in the management of trypanosomiasis due to T. evansi which may require further elucidation.
The profiles of packed cells volume, plasma electrolytes and glucose levels in malarial infected patients
Authors: Udoh Saturday Jack , Olaniran Olarinde , Udo Usen Asuquo , Omoya Funmilola Oluyemi , Osevwe Ayodele Josephine , Oyetoke Olufemi Oyewumi , Odetoyin Babatunde Wumi , Awoyeni Esther Ayobami , Adesina Adeyemi
Published: February 2018

Fifty patients (18 males, 32 females) with malaria infection and 50 apparently healthy control subjects (22 males, 28 females) were recruited for the study. Hematocrit level (PCV) was determined using Heco C haematology analyzer. Plasma electrolytes (Na+, K+, HCO3 -, Cl-), and glucose were respectively analyzed by SM23A Spectrophotometer, using TECO DIAGNOSTICS and RANDOX enzymatic glucose methods respectively. The results showed a significant reduction in the mean values of PCV (30.04±5.31%), Na+ (131.56±6.63 mmol/L), and glucose (85.92±13.85 mg/dL) in the malaria-infected subjects compared with the mean values of PCV (38.74±3.12%), Na+ (134.14±5.95 mmol/L), and glucose (92.40±13.99 mg/dL) (P<0.05) obtained from the control subjects. We observed higher significant mean values of K+ (3.93±0.79 mmol/L) and HCO3 - (23.56±2.55 mmol/L) in the malariainfected subjects compared with the control mean values of K+ (3.62±0.51mmol/L) and HCO3 - (23.48±2.02 mmol/L) (P<0.05). The mean values for chloride observed in the malaria-infected subjects, Cl- (99.52±7.44) was higher than the observed mean in the control subjects, Cl- (99.50±6.33), but was not statistically significant P>0.05. The mean (±standard deviation) of PCV, Na+, K+, HCO3 -, Cl- and glucose in malariainfected patients of different age groups were compared with the age-matched controls, and there were significant differences only in the age groups involving PCV and potassium in the 1-20 and >40 age brackets. This study has shown the importance of electrolyte management in patients with severe malaria to prevent attendant physiological failure during complications.
GESTÃO DE DESEMPENHO POR COMPETÊNCIA (GDP): ANÁLISE DA AVALIAÇÃO DE DESEMPENHO UTILIZADA EM UMA INSTITUIÇÃO BANCÁRIA PARA ASCENSÃO PROFISSIONAL
Authors: Derrosso Giuliano , Boewerk Samara
Published: February 2018

Cada vez mais, as empresas utilizam a área de Recursos Humanos, para conseguir vantagem competitiva em relação a seus concorrentes, devido a isso, cada vez mais, elas estão implementando sistemas de avaliação de desempenho para, através dessas avaliações, poderem conhecer melhor as falhas de seus funcionários e sua necessidade de desenvolvimento, para com esses dados poderem investir no desenvolvimento profissional dos mesmos, gerando, assim, satisfação em seus colaboradores. Levando em consideração o papel cada vez mais importante das avaliações de desempenho nas organizações, o presente estudo, faz uma analise geral da avaliação de desempenho utilizada por uma instituição financeira a Gestão de Desempenho por Competências (GDP) e a sua forma de utilização, como um dos critérios, para ascensão profissional dentro da empresa em estudo, buscando fazer uma comparação entre a teoria e a pratica.
RENTABILIDADE ECONÔMICA DA MINERAÇÃO DE BITCOINS E LITECOINS
Authors: Silva Guilherme Albuquerque Barbosa , Da Silva Rodrigues Carlo Kleber
Published: February 2018

Este artigo tem o objetivo de analisar a rentabilidade econômica da mineração individual de criptomoedas bitcoins e litecoins. Essa análise é baseada na avaliação da métrica eficiência energética de cada criptomoeada em cinco países da América Latina, almejando-se uma margem de lucro de 0,10 USD/hora. Três variáveis são consideradas para o cálculo da métrica em comento: a taxa de processamento de hashes do equipamento, o consumo de energia elétrica do equipamento em watts, e o valor do quilowatt-hora do país onde se realiza a mineração. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a criptomoeda litecoin é uma alternativa mais viável para mineração que a criptomoeda bitcoin. Por fim, sugestões para trabalhos futuros encerram este artigo.
PERCEPÇÕES DOS ESTUDANTES DO ENSINO SUPERIOR SOBRE A UTILIZAÇÃO DE TABLETS PARA A APRENDIZAGEM
Authors: Paldês Roberto Avila , Calazans Angélica Toffano Seidel , Bomfim Camila Gehre
Published: February 2018

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi identificar o grau de satisfação e importância que os alunos de ensino superior atribuem para o uso didático de tablets nas salas de aula. Foi realizada pesquisa descritiva de abordagem quantitativa e o método adotado foi o estudo de caso. Foram utilizados os seguintes instrumentos de coleta de dados: análise bibliográfica e aplicação de questionário a 105 alunos dos cursos superiores de Administração, Biomedicina, Ciências Contábeis e Análise e desenvolvimento de sistemas com perguntas fechadas. Com base na revisão bibliográfica foram definidos os principais critérios a serem avaliados: aprendizagem, capacitação dos professores, estrutura da rede sem fio, facilidade de pesquisa, motivação, habilidade e competência, aplicabilidade e trabalho em grupo. Para avaliação dos resultados coletados foram aplicadas análises estatísticas e uma adaptação da matriz de desempenho versus importância. Os resultados possibilitaram identificar índices de importância e satisfação 80,7% e 81,4% respectivamente. Os resultados obtidos foram aplicados à matriz de importância versus satisfação e o estudo foi classificado no quadrante da qualidade, isso permite inferir que os resultados dessa experimentação são promissores. Sugere-se a realização de outras pesquisas para acompanhar e avaliar outras turmas na utilização dos dispositivos e, inclusive revisar e aprimorar o instrumento de pesquisa.
SIMULAÇÃO DE EVENTOS DISCRETOS NA IDENTIFICAÇÃO DE GARGALOS NO PROCESSO SELETIVO DE ESTAGIÁRIOS DE UM ÓRGÃO PÚBLICO FEDERAL: UMA ABORDAGEM SISTÊMICA
Authors: Santos Marcos Dos , Magno Beatriz Duarte , Quintal Renato Santiago , Dias Fabrício Da Costa , Santos Fernanda Mattos Carpinteiro dos , Martins Ernesto Rademaker
Published: February 2018

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de mapear o processo seletivo de estagiários de um órgão público federal, desde a triagem curricular até a entrega do parecer final, admitindo-se ou não o novo estagiário. Como o processo tem sido demasiadamente demorado, tal mapeamento foi feito com o objetivo de identificar os gargalos do sistema e verificar a taxa de ociosidade de cada colaborador. Assim, será possível redimensionar os recursos do sistema a partir de uma reengenharia de processos. Metodologicamente, utilizou-se a Simulação de Eventos Discretos, ramo da Pesquisa Operacional que simula o comportamento de sistemas físicos reais computacionalmente, permitindo a avaliação do seu desempenho. Foi utilizado o software Arena na condução das simulações, e, a partir dele pode-se gerar cenários a fim de se propor uma solução para o problema em tela.Palavras-chave: Simulação de Eventos Discretos; Processo Seletivo; Identificação de Gargalos.
Particle acidity and sulfate production during severe haze events in China cannot be reliably inferred by assuming a mixture of inorganic salts
Authors: Wang Gehui , Zhang Fang , Peng Jianfei , Duan Lian , Ji Yuemeng , Marrero-Ortiz Wilmarie , Wang Jiayuan , Li Jianjun , Wu Can , Cao Cong , Wang Yuan , Zheng Jun , Secrest Jeremiah , Li Yixin , Wang Yuying , Li Hong , Li Na , Zhang Renyi
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Atmospheric measurements showed rapid sulfate formation during severe haze episodes in China, with fine particulate matter (PM) consisting of a multi-component mixture that is dominated by organic species. Several recent studies using the thermodynamic model estimated the particle acidity and sulfate production rate, by treating the PM exclusively as a mixture of inorganic salts dominated by ammonium sulfate and neglecting the effects of organic compounds. Noticeably, the estimated pH and sulfate formation rate during pollution periods in China were highly conflicting among the previous studies. Here we show that a particle mixture of inorganic salts adopted by the previous studies does not represent a suitable model system and that the acidity and sulfate formation cannot be reliably inferred without accounting for the effects of multi-aerosol compositions during severe haze events in China. Our laboratory experiments show that SO2 oxidation by NO2 with NH3 neutralization on fine aerosols is dependent on the particle hygroscopicity, phase-state, and acidity. Ammonium sulfate and oxalic acid seed particles exposed to vapors of SO2, NO2, and NH3 at high relative humidity (RH) exhibit distinct size growth and sulfate formation. Aqueous ammonium sulfate particles exhibit little sulfate production because of high acidity, in contrast to aqueous oxalic acid particles with significant sulfate production because of low acidity. Our field measurements demonstrate significant contribution of water-soluble organic matter to fine PM in China and indicate that the use of oxalic acid in laboratory experiments is representative of ambient organic dominant aerosols. While the particle acidity cannot be accurately determined from field measurements or calculated using the thermodynamic model, our results reveal that the pH value of ambient organics-dominated aerosols is sufficiently high to promote efficient SO2 oxidation by NO2 with NH3 neutralization under polluted conditions in China.
Case study of ozone anomalies over northern Russia in the 2015/2016 winter: Measurements and numerical modeling
Authors: Timofeyev Yury M. , Smyshlyaev Sergei P. , Virolainen Yana A. , Garkusha Alexander S. , Polyakov Alexander V. , Motsakov Maxim A. , Kirner Ole
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Episodes of extremely low ozone columns were observed over the territory of Russia in the Arctic winter of 2015/2016 and the beginning of spring 2016. We compare total ozone columns (TOC) obtained using different remote sensing techniques (satellite and ground-based observations) and results of numerical modelling over the territory of the Urals and Siberia for the above period. We demonstrate that the provided monitoring systems (including new Russian Fourier- spectrometer IKFS-2) and modern 3-dimensional models are able to capture the observed TOC anomalies. However, the results of observations and modelling show discrepancies of up to 20–30 % in TOC measurements. Analysis of the role of chemical and dynamical processes demonstrates that it is unlikely that observed short-term TOC variability may be a result of local photochemical destruction initiated by heterogeneous halogen activation on particles of polar stratospheric clouds that formed under low temperatures in the mid-winter.
The Alberta smoke plume observation study
Authors: Anderson Kerry , Pankratz Al , Mooney Curtis , Fleetham Kelly
Published: February 2018

Abstract. A field project was conducted to observe and measure smoke plumes from wildland fires in Alberta. This study used handheld inclinometer measurements and photos taken at lookout towers in the province. Observations of 222 plumes were collected from 21 lookout towers over a 6-year period from 2010 to 2015. Observers reported the equilibrium and maximum plume heights based on the plumes' final levelling heights and the maximum lofting heights, respectively. Observations were tabulated at the end of each year and matched to reported fires. Fire sizes at assessment times and forest fuel types were reported by the province. Fire weather conditions were obtained from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS). Assessed fire sizes were adjusted to the appropriate size at plume observation time using elliptical fire-growth projections. Though a logical method to collect plume observations in principle, many unanticipated issues were uncovered as the project developed. Instrument limitations and environmental conditions presented challenges to the investigators, whereas human error and the subjectivity of observations affected data quality. Despite these problems, the data set showed that responses to fire behaviour conditions were consistent with the physical processes leading to plume rise. The Alberta smoke plume observation study data can be found on the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System datamart (Natural Resources Canada, 2018) at http://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/datamart.
Morphology of bar-built estuaries: relation between planform shape and depth distribution
Authors: Leuven Jasper R. F. W. , Selaković Sanja , Kleinhans Maarten G.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Fluvial-tidal transitions in estuaries are used as major shipping fairways and are characterised by complex bar and channel patterns with a large biodiversity. Habitat suitability assessment and study of interactions between morphology and ecology therefore require bathymetric data. While imagery offers data of planform estuary dimensions, only for a few natural estuaries bathymetries are available. Here we study the relation between along-channel planform geometry, obtained as the outline from imagery, and hypsometry, which characterises the distribution of along-channel and cross-channel bed-levels. We fitted the original function of Strahler (1952) to bathymetric data along four natural estuaries. Comparison to planform estuary shape shows that hypsometry is concave at narrow sections with large channels, while complex bar morphology results in more convex hypsometry. We found a relation between hypsometric function shape and the degree to which the estuary width deviates from an ideal convergent estuary, which is calculated from river width and mouth width. This implies that the occurring bed level distributions depend on inherited Holocene topography and lithology. Our new empirical function predicts hypsometry and along-channel variation in intertidal and subtidal width. Combination with the tidal amplitude allows an estimate of inundation duration. A validation of the results on available bathymetry shows that predictions of intertidal and subtidal area are accurate within a factor 2 for estuaries of different size and character. Locations with major human influence deviate from the general trends, because dredging, dumping, land reclamation and other engineering measures cause local deviations from the expected bed-level distributions. The bathymetry predictor can be used to characterise and predict estuarine subtidal and intertidal morphology in data-poor environments.
Variability of the geothermal gradient across two differently aged magma-rich continental rifted margins of the Atlantic Ocean: the Southwest African and the Norwegian margins
Authors: Gholamrezaie Ershad , Scheck-Wenderoth Magdalena , Sippel Judith , Strecker Manfred R.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The aim of this study is to investigate the shallow thermal field differences for two differently aged passive continental margins by analyzing regional variations in geothermal gradient and exploring the controlling factors for these variations. Hence, we analyzed two previously published 3-D conductive and lithospheric-scale thermal models of the Southwest African and the Norwegian passive margins. These 3-D models differentiate various sedimentary, crustal, and mantle units and integrate different geophysical data such as seismic observations and the gravity field. We extracted the temperature–depth distributions in 1 km intervals down to 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition. The geothermal gradient was then calculated for these intervals between the upper thermal boundary condition and the respective depth levels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition). According to our results, the geothermal gradient decreases with increasing depth and shows varying lateral trends and values for these two different margins. We compare the 3-D geological structural models and the geothermal gradient variations for both thermal models and show how radiogenic heat production, sediment insulating effect, and thermal lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) depth influence the shallow thermal field pattern. The results indicate an ongoing process of oceanic mantle cooling at the young Norwegian margin compared with the old SW African passive margin that seems to be thermally equilibrated in the present day.
Economic growth and urban metamorphosis: A quarter century of transformations within the metropolitan area of Bucharest
Authors: Tosa Cristian , Mitrea Andrei , Sato Hitomi , Miwa Tomio , Morikawa Takayuki
Published: February 2018

This paper concentrates explicitly on examining the structural and functional transformations occurring within the metropolitan area of Bucharest, resulting from sustained economic growth during the past quarter century, by conducting a time analysis, spanning the entire period since the fall of the communist regime in late 1989.

Cities in developed countries of Western Europe and Asia experienced rapid economic growth during the second half of the 20th century and exhibited novel patterns of evolution in terms of urban form and associated functional characteristics. Lately, these patterns have become manifest in Bucharest as well. However, transformations in human, social, residential, and transportation supply capital are difficult to observe directly. Hence, our methodology concentrates on studying interactions between several proxies connected to economic development within the metropolitan area of Bucharest. This paper should be read as an exploratory study that buttresses the assumption that improved economic well-being, when accompanied by the transition between a centrally planned economy to a market economy, increases motorization rates, while at the same time triggering a sharp decline in the use of public transport and contributing to aggressive urban sprawl processes. Moreover, hopefully it will guide future research dedicated to forecasting urban expansion paths and their determinants. Hopefully, it also informs policy design intended to promote sustainable urban mobility and accessibility.
A Framework for Macro Stress-Testing the Credit Risk of Commercial Banks: The Case of Vietnam
Authors: Vu Oanh T. K. , Vu Yen H. , Nguyen Trang T. T. , Bui Trung H.
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we assess the capacity of Vietnamese commercial banks to withstand the effects of an increase in credit risk as a result of macroeconomic shocks. Firstly, VAR model is used to estimate the relationship among macro variables (real GDP, real exchange rate, lending interest rate and inflation rate) and from that, macroeconomic scenarios are set up. Next, we employ a GMM model to estimate the relationship between the non-performing loan ratio (credit risk) and macro variables involved in first step. Finally, the new capital requirement ratio (CAR) is recalculated, which is based on the increase in loan provision followed by the rise in non-performing loan. The results show that credit risk which the commercial banks have to face is relatively limited when their risk weighted assets are unchanged. If these numbers, however, increase as banks broaden their lending, all banks’ CAR will reduce remarkably and four large banks will be lack of capital seriously and cannot meet the requirement of Central Bank.
Cultural Comparison of Students’ Union Construction between Universities Inside and Outside Mainland China
Authors: Ou Xiangli
Published: February 2018

The higher education has developed a new normal, which has brought both new opportunities and requirements on the progress of students’ union at universities. Through the comparison of students’ union construction between universities inside and outside mainland China, this paper analyzes student organizations of universities in terms of their development, establishment and approval, organizational structure, forms of activities and financial source and differences of management and development, drawing on the successful experience of which, the paper introduced suggestions to student organizations on the following aspects: improving management and system establishment for healthy development; increasing investment and support to strengthening engagement in society and innovating the contents of activities with characteristics for high quality; establishing an international communication platform while opening up for development. With all these efforts, this paper hopes to provide reference on the ways of building students’ unions of universities in mainland China.
Turkish Foreign Policy towards Syria since 2002
Authors: Gawwad Mira A. Abdel , Mostafa Mohamed Mohamed Hussein
Published: February 2018

Since Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power, Turkey has been transformed from an isolated country from its regional environment to a regional player which had positive relations with most countries in the region, especially Syria. It represents a strategic importance for Turkey. Turkey’s policy towards Syria since 2002 has aimed at reviving its regional role, protecting its national security and achieving its economic interests. The problem of the study revolves around the nature of the determinants and orientations of Turkish foreign policy towards Syria, and changes that have taken place in this policy from the moment of the arrival of AKP to power to the period following the Syrian Revolution. The predicament here is the difficulty in following a general feature of Turkish policy towards Syria, from one stage to another, specifically before and after the revolution.Therefore, the study seeks to know the nature of this policy and its tools, and the extent of its impact on the relations between the two countries. The Syrian Revolution is difficult test for Turkey. To get out of the regional dilemma, Turkey has reoriented its foreign policy. The study has reached several points of results, the most important of which are:1) The change in the Turkish ruling elite since 2002 has been a major factor in the change of Turkish foreign policy towards Syria. 2) Despite the importance of the water factor in Turkish policy towards Syria, it reflected the development of relations between them. If relations between the two countries were good, the talk about conflict over water would decline. 3) Turkey's decision- makers have expected that the Arab revolutions would have a positive impact on the Turkish role in the region. However, the Syrian revolution had a negative impact on turkey and its regional project. 4) AKP has reconsidered ideology as a key determinant of foreign policy after the Arab revolutions by supporting the opposition. However, ideology has retreated in front of the state’s interests. This was evident in the changes of Turkish foreign policy after the failed coup in Turkey. 5) The Syrian crisis has proved that Turkey cannot engage in Syria away from the calculations of regional and international powers.
A Study on the Public Aesthetic Perception of Silk Fabrics of Garment -Based on Research Data from Hangzhou, China
Authors: Cao Aijuan , Yan Lanlan , Zhang Yiling
Published: February 2018

Silk owns a number of excellent qualities, while the perception status of the public on property regarding to silk fabrics of garment is unclear. In this paper, four indicators based on aesthetics as breakthrough point such as gloss, drapability, wrinkle resistance and pilling resistance, were used to analyze the status of the public aesthetic perception of silk fabrics through questionnaire investigation and statistical analysis based on surveys conducted from the public of Hangzhou, China as core objects. The result shows that the public owns high perception on the gloss and drapability of silk fabrics of garment and factors such as gender, personal preference, purchase and use experience, whether the silk industry practitioners are of a significant impact on perception. The higher the monthly income or education level, the higher the perception. Age and life span in Hangzhou are of no significant impact.
Financial Inclusion, GDP and Credit Risk of Commercial Banks in Kenya
Authors: Musau Salome , Muathe Stephen , Mwangi Lucy
Published: February 2018

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the synergies and trade-offs between financial inclusion and credit risk of commercial banks in Kenya. The paper analyzed the effect of financial inclusion on credit risk and the moderation effect of GDP on commercial banks in Kenya. Financial inclusion was measured using three dimensions of bank availability, bank accessibility and bank usage, while credit risk was represented by the non performing loans ratio. The study was anchored on financial intermediation theory supported by finance growth theory and asymmetry information theory. The target population was all the 43 commercial banks in Kenya. The study used secondary data collected from Central Bank of Kenya annual reports; commercial banks of Kenya published audited financial statements and annual data from Central Bureau of statistics of Kenya for the period between 2007-2015. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and panel multiple regression analysis. The results obtained found that bank availability, bank accessibility and bank usage had significant effect on credit risk of commercial banks in Kenya. GDP growth rate was found to partially moderate the relationship between financial inclusion and credit risk. From the findings the study concluded that financial inclusion has a significant effect on credit risk of commercial banks in Kenya. The study also recommended that commercial banks in Kenya to negotiate with Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance to put policies which support favorable macroeconomic variables especially GDP which influences the level of financial inclusion and bank credit risk.
Density Estimation of Spatio-temporal Point Patterns Using Moran's Statistic
Authors: Lorio Jennifer L. , Diawara Norou , Waller Lance A.
Published: February 2018

Moran's Index is a statistic that measures spatial autocorrelation, quantifying the degree of dispersion (or spread) of objects in space. When investigating data in an area, a single Moran statistic may not give a sufficient summary of the autocorrelation spread. However, by partitioning the area and taking the Moran statistic of each subarea, we discover patterns of the local neighbors not otherwise apparent. In this paper, we consider the model of the spread of an infectious disease, incorporate time factor, and simulate a multilevel Poisson process where the dependence among the levels is captured by the rate of increase of the disease spread over time, steered by a common factor in the scale. The main consequence of our results is that our Moran statistic is calculated from an explicit algorithm in a Monte Carlo simulation setting. Results are compared to Geary's statistic and estimates of parameters under Poisson process are given.
Causes of 8th Grade Students Low Achievement in TIMSS Study-2015 from Science Teachers and Educational Supervisors
Authors: Mokiemr Yahya Shima' , Nayef Ayasrah Mohammad
Published: February 2018

The aim of the study was to examine causes of low achievement among Jordanian 8th grade students in TIMSS study- 2015 from science teachers and educational supervisor. Another objective of the study was to examine the role of position (teacher, supervisor), gender, experience, educational directorate on their perceptions. To achieve this aim, a (51) items questionnaire was administrated to the science male and female teacher whose schools have reported under average level in TIMSS study- 2015; totaling (100) teachers and (114) educational supervisors. The results of the study showed that causes of lower achievement among Jordanian 8th grade students were at high levels from science teachers and educational supervisors perceptions as school administration related causes ranked first. The results found no statistically significant differences due to gender in causes for low achievement in TIMSS, while differences were found in school administration related causes due to educational directorate, in favor of middle region, due to experience, in favor of (6-10) years of experience. In light of results, the study recommended the need for organizing conferences with ministry of education officials and science teachers to discuss the how to overcome the causes behind low achievement level in TIMSS study. Finally, future research is needed to compare the results reported in high achievement countries in TIMSS study with the ones reported in Jordan.