bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An overview of Liberalism Without Perfection
Authors: Cerovac Ivan
Published: June 2014

Quong?s influential book probably represents the most sophisticated defence
of Rawlsian political liberalism. This review focuses on its content and
systematizes it by chapters, emphasizing its relevance both in the first
part, where the author puts the liberal perfectionist position under critical
scrutiny by advancing three major objections (regarding autonomy, paternalism
and political legitimacy), and the second, where the author presents and
defends a distinctive version of political liberalism that clearly differs
from the one presented by Rawls in several important features. The review
also summarizes Quong?s innovative arguments regarding the nature of an
overlapping consensus, the structure of political justification, the idea of
public reason, and the status of unreasonable persons.
Is there a need for political liberalism to have an account of pre-overlapping consensus reasoning?
Authors: Zelic Nebojsa
Published: June 2014

In his Liberalism without Perfection, Jonathan Quong argues for internal
conception of political liberalism which goal is to show that a liberal
well-ordered society is internally coherent ideal and that citizens who would
be raised in such society could endorse and support their own liberal
institutions and principles if those institutions and principles are
justified in particular way These institutions should be justified by
particular conception of public reason which main feature is that overlapping
consensus is the first stage of its justificatory structure. So, public
reasoning of citizens in well-ordered society should be based solely on
values and ideas inherent to liberal conception of justice - freedom,
equality, fair system of cooperation and burdens of judgment. Another
important feature of Quong?s conception of public reason concerns its scope.
Quong argues for a wide scope of public reason which demands that all
coercive or binding laws or public policies should be justified (whenever
possible) on basis of these values alone. Thus, reasonable citizens in
well-ordered society by definition accord deliberative priority to public
reasons over their other comprehensive or nonpublic beliefs whenever they
exercise their collective political power over one another. The problem I
raise in this paper is that it is very likely that in well-ordered society
there will be a group of citizens that will not accord full deliberative
priority to political values, especially not at all levels of political
deliberation. On certain issues they will like to see their particular values
being realized through common political institutions. If our political theory
excludes this group from justificatory constituency on this particular issue
or categorize them as unreasonable it can easily undermine their general
adherence to liberal conception of justice and endanger stability of
well-ordered society. Thus, my point is that we need a further development of
political liberalism to solve such problems not as a part of non-ideal theory
but as a part of its ideal of well-ordered society.
The poverty of the stimulus: Quine and Wittgenstein
Authors: O’Sullivan Michael
Published: June 2014

Quine and Wittgenstein were dominant figures in philosophy in the middle of
the twentieth century. Many readers, like Quine himself, have felt that there
are deep similarities between the two thinkers, though those similarities are
difficult to articulate. I argue that they share the project of understanding
the meaning of utterances by reference to the environment of the speaker,
though they understand that environment in radically different ways. In
particular, Quine has a much thinner conception of the environment than does
Wittgenstein. For Quine, the stimulus is impoverished in a way that it is not
for Wittgenstein. I also argue that they share a certain deflationary
approach to ontology.
On the difference between Duhem and Quine’s theses
Authors: Zoric Aleksandra
Published: June 2014

Although there are numerous similarities between Duhem and Quine, there are
strong arguments which suggest that what can be isolated as Quine?s thesis
would be unacceptable to Duhem. On the other hand, they both share Duhem?s
holistic thesis: empirical statements are interconnected in such a way that
they cannot be confirmed or refuted taken in isolation. Since Quine?s holism
is more radical, as we shall show, his thesis claims that we can always keep
a statement by making necessary adjustments somewhere else in the system. We
will try to show that only the first thesis can be rightfully ascribed to
Duhem, that these two thesis are not identical, and that they are both
different from what is usually called the theses of underdetermination. As we
shall see, neither of them speaks about the possibility of empirically
equivalent theories. They are, first and foremost, holistic theses which,
under certain additional assumptions, have the thesis of underdetermination
as their consequence.
Facebook Use in Education: Experiences of University Science Education Students in Jordan
Authors: Abu-Alruz Jamal
Published: June 2014

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of Facebook use in education in one public university located in the middle part of Jordan. A sample of 189 undergraduate students enrolled in the science education courses participated in the study by responding to a questionnaire composed of 15 items. The results of the study indicated that participants perceive high level of Facebook use for 14 items and moderate level of use for one item. Among the reasons students use the Facebook site are: to communicate with their classmates and the instructor for educational purposes, such as inquiring about course requirements, including course syllabus, exam dates, assignments; and for project requirements. Overall, significant differences are not found in students' perceptions based on gender and educational level. The study ends by offering a number of practical and theoretical recommendations for the field of study.
The Effects of Firm-Provided Measure Weightings on Evaluators' Incorporation of Non-Contractible Information
Authors: Long James H. , Mertins Lasse , Vansant Brian
Published: June 2014

Subjective performance evaluation systems often prescribe for evaluators to use multiple measures to assess overall subordinate performance. Firms can choose to explicitly provide suggested weights to “balance” the relative weight evaluators place on each measure. However, we theorize that doing so may also affect evaluators' perceptions regarding the extent to which the firm intends for them to exercise subjectivity in their evaluations. We conducted an experiment in which evaluators use four measures to subjectively evaluate a subordinate's overall performance. Evaluators were also provided with relevant non-contractible information, although evaluators were not explicitly required to consider this information. We find that the provision of weights reduces the extent to which evaluators employ subjectivity to incorporate non-contractible information, which is manifested in larger outcome effects. Our results suggest firms should carefully consider what the structure and characteristics of their performance evaluation systems communicate to evaluators regarding the role of subjectivity.
SIK2 Is Critical in the Regulation of Lipid Homeostasis and Adipogenesis In Vivo
Authors: Park Jinyoung , Yoon Young-Sil , Han Hye-Sook , Kim Yong-Hoon , Ogawa Yoshihiro , Park Keun-Gyu , Lee Chul-Ho , Kim Seong-Tae , Koo Seung-Hoi
Published: June 2014

Cyclic AMP promotes chronic expression of target genes mainly by protein kinase A–dependent activation of CREB transcription factor machineries in the metabolic tissues. Here, we wanted to elaborate whether CREB-regulated transcription factor (CRTC)2 and its negative regulator salt-inducible kinase (SIK)2 are involved in the transcriptional control of the metabolic pathway in adipocytes. SIK2 knockout (SIK2 KO) mice exhibited higher blood glucose levels that were associated with impaired glucose and insulin tolerance. Hypertriglyceridemia was apparent in SIK2 KO mice, mainly due to the increased lipolysis from white adipocytes and the decreased fatty acid uptake in the peripheral tissues. Investigation of white adipocytes revealed the increases in fat cell size and macrophage infiltration, which could be linked to the metabolic anomaly that is associated in these mice. Interestingly, SIK2 KO promoted the enhancement in the CRTC2-CREB transcriptional pathway in white adipocytes. SIK2 KO mice displayed increased expression of activating transcription factor (ATF)3 and subsequent downregulation of GLUT4 expression and reduction in high–molecular weight adiponectin levels in the plasma, leading to the reduced glucose uptake in the muscle and white adipocytes. The effect of SIK2-dependent regulation of adipocyte metabolism was further confirmed by in vitro cell cultures of 3T3 L1 adipocytes and the differentiated preadipocytes from the SIK2 or CRTC2 KO mice. Collectively, these data suggest that SIK2 is critical in regulating whole-body glucose metabolism primarily by controlling the CRTC2-CREB function of the white adipocytes.
A model-based comparison of organic matter dynamics between riparian-forested and open-canopy streams
Authors: Stenroth Karolina , Hoover Trent M. , Herrmann Jan , Bohman Irene , Richardson John S.
Published: June 2014

The food webs of forest streams are primarily based upon inputs of organic matter from adjacent terrestrial ecosystems. However, streams that run through open landscapes generally lack closed riparian canopies, and an increasing number of studies indicate that terrestrial organic matter may be an important resource in these systems as well. Combining key abiotically-controlled factors (stream discharge, water temperature, and litter input rate) with relevant biotic processes (e.g. macroinvertebrate CPOM consumption, microbial processing), we constructed a model to predict and contrast organic matter dynamics (including temporal variation in CPOM standing crop, CPOM processing rate, FPOM production, and detritivore biomass) in small riparian-forested and open-canopy streams. Our modeled results showed that the standing crop of CPOM was similar between riparian-forested and open-canopy streams, despite considerable differences in litter input rate. This unexpected result was partly due to linkages between CPOM supply and consumer abundance that produced higher detritivore biomass in the forest stream than the open-canopy stream. CPOM standing crop in the forest stream was mainly regulated by top-down consumer control, depressing it to a level similar to that of the open-canopy stream. In contrast, CPOM standing crop in the open-canopy stream was primarily controlled by physical factors (litter input rates and discharge), not consumption. This suggests that abiotic processes (e.g. discharge) may play a greater role in limiting detrital resource availability and consumer biomass in open-canopy streams than in forest streams. These model results give insight on functional differences that exists among streams and they can be used to predict effects of anthropogenic influences such as forestry, agriculture, urbanization, and climate change on streams and how riparian management and conservation tools can be employed to mitigate undesirable effects.
Direct and indirect drivers of instream wood in the interior Pacific Northwest, USA: decoupling climate, vegetation, disturbance, and geomorphic setting
Authors: Hough-Snee Nate , Kasprak Alan , Roper Brett B. , Meredith Christy S.
Published: June 2014

Instream wood is a driver of geomorphic change in low-order streams, frequently altering morphodynamic processes. Instream wood is a frequently measured component of streams, yet it is a complex metric, responding to ecological and geomorphic forcings at a variety of scales. Here we seek to disentangle the relative importance of physical and biological processes that drive wood growth and delivery to streams across broad spatial extents. In so doing, we ask two primary questions: (1) is riparian vegetation a composite variable that captures the indirect effects of climate and disturbance on instream wood dynamics? (2) What are the direct and indirect relationships between geomorphic setting, vegetation, climate, disturbance, and instream wood dynamics? We measured riparian vegetation composition and wood frequency and volume at 720 headwater reaches within the American interior Pacific Northwest. We used ordination to identify relationships between vegetation and environmental attributes, and subsequently built a structural equation model to identify how climate and disturbance directly affect vegetation composition and how vegetation and geomorphic setting directly affect instream wood volume and frequency. We found that large wood volume and frequency are directly driven by vegetation composition and positively correlated to wildfire, elevation, stream gradient, and channel bankfull width. Indicator species at reaches with high volumes of wood were generally long-lived, conifer trees that persist for extended durations once delivered to stream habitats. Wood dynamics were also indirectly mediated by factors that shape vegetation: wildfire, precipitation, elevation, and temperature. We conclude that wood volume and frequency are driven by multiple interrelated climatic, geomorphic, and ecological variables. Vegetation composition and geomorphic setting directly mediate indirect relationships between landscape environmental processes and instream large wood. Where climate or geomorphic setting preclude tree establishment, reaches may remain naturally depauperate of instream wood unless wood is transported from elsewhere in the stream network.
Means on scattered compacta
Authors: Banakh T. , Bonnet R. , Kubis W.
Published: June 2014

We prove that a separable Hausdor_ topological space X containing a cocountable subset homeomorphic to [0, ω1] admits no separately continuous mean operation and no diagonally continuous n-mean for n ≥ 2.
Prevalence of asymptomatic pharyngel carriage of B-hemolytic Group A Streptococcus pyogens among school going children of age 5-12 years in Bharatpur, Nepal
Authors: Raza S , Kundu KK , Dutta SK
Published: June 2014

Background: β- haemolytic Group A Streptococcus pyogens infection is a common cause of bacterial pharyngitis among children. Children are the target population for pharyngitis as well as other suppurative and non-suppurative infections.Objectives: The objectives of this study are to find out the rate of asymptomatic throat carriage of Streptococcus pyogens and to study antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates.Methods: Total 106 randomly selected children between five to 12 years were included in this study. Throat swabs collected were inoculated on 5% sheep blood agar and incubated for 24-48 hours at 37°C. Identifi cation of Group A Streptococcus pyogens was done by β-haemolytic colony, Bacitracin sensitivity, Co-trimoxazole resistivity and catalase negativity. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed on Muller-Hinton agar containing 5% sheep blood by modifi ed Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Results were interpreted as per National Committee for the Clinical Standards Guidelines.Results: Of total 106 throat swabs Group A Streptococcus pyogens was isolated in 15 (14.15%) cases. Among the isolates seven (46.7%) were from male children whereas eight (53.3%) were from female children. Out of the 15 isolates 100% were sensitive to penicillin and its derivatives whereas 13.2%, 6.7% and 6.7% of the isolates were resistant to Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol and Ciprofl oxacin respectively. Similarly Azithromycin was found to be 100% sensitive.Conclusion: Regular screening is needed to keep the GAS infection and carrier state in check as well as to prevent from further development of complications.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v2i1.10537 Journal of Kathmandu Medical College, Vol. 2, No. 1, Issue 3, Jan.-Mar., 2013: 18-20
Giant adrenal myelolipoma: A case report
Authors: Gurung P , Joshi MR , Hirachand S , Lakhey M
Published: June 2014

Adrenal myelolipomas are rare benign tumors. Most are detected incidentally on imaging for non adrenal relatedsymptoms. We report a case of a 78 year old female who presented with non- specifi c complaint of itching all over the bodyand a palpable abdominal mass. CT scan abdomen revealed a large right-sided retroperitoneal mass with thin capsulemeasuring 20.8x15.4x12.7cm. Differential diagnoses considered were retroperitoneal liposarcoma, retroperitonealteratoma and retroperitoneal myelolipoma. The tumor was resected and sent for histopathological examination.Microscopic examination revealed mature adipocytes, islands of hematopoietic tissue and compressed adrenal tissue atthe periphery clinching a diagnosis of adrenal myelolipoma.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v2i1.10554Journal of Kathmandu Medical College, Vol. 2, No. 1, Issue 3, Jan.-Mar., 2013, Page: 33-35
Anaesthetic issues in Brugada electrocardiogram/syndrome undergoing laproscopic common bile duct exploration and laproscopic primary common bile duct closure
Authors: Shrestha BR , Joshi M R , Bohara T P
Published: June 2014

Here we report a rare case of Brugada Syndrome in a young Nepalese male undergoing laparoscopic common bile ductexploration and laparoscopic primary common bile duct closure. Recognition of the disease, preparedness to tacklethe developing arrhythmias, avoidance of precipitating drugs, adopting policy of anaesthetic interventions to balancethe autonomic system, maintenance of normothermia and electrolyte balance, avoidance of hypoxia, hypercarbia andacidosis are the key to management of this disease in anaesthetic pursuit.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v2i1.10555Journal of Kathmandu Medical College, Vol. 2, No. 1, Issue 3, Jan.-Mar., 2013, Page: 36-39
An ethical reflection on doctor-patient relationship
Authors: Adhikari N
Published: June 2014

Not available.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v2i1.10556Journal of Kathmandu Medical College, Vol. 2, No. 1, Issue 3, Jan.-Mar., 2013, page: 40
Book Review: Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat by Mohan Bansal
Authors: Kafle P
Published: June 2014

Not available. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v2i1.10557Journal of Kathmandu Medical College, Vol. 2, No. 1, Issue 3, Jan.-Mar., 2013 Page: 41
The Impact of the Webcam on an Online L2 Interaction
Authors: Guichon Nicolas , Cohen Cathy
Published: June 2014

Abstract:

It is intuitively felt that visual cues should enhance online communication, and this experimental study aims to test this prediction by exploring the value provided by a webcam in an online L2 pedagogical teacher-to-learner interaction. A total of 40 French undergraduate students with a B2 level in English were asked to describe in English four previously unseen photographs to a native English-speaking teacher of EFL via Skype, a free web-based videoconferencing tool, during a 10-minute interaction. Twenty students were assigned to the videoconferencing condition and 20 to the audioconferencing condition. All 40 interactions were recorded using dynamic screen capture software and were analyzed with ELAN, a multimodal data annotation tool. Participants’ perceptions of the online interaction are first compared with regard to the issues of social presence and their understanding and appreciation of the online interaction, using data gathered from a post-task questionnaire. The study then explores whether seeing the interlocutor’s image impacts on the patterns of these synchronous exchanges and on the word search episodes. Results indicated that the impact of the webcam on the online pedagogical interaction was not as critical as had been predicted.
The Nuba People: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Authors: Tinsley Rebecca
Published: June 2014

Despite the improved international architecture for the prediction, prevention, and punishment of mass atrocities since the Rwandan Genocide 20 years ago, the fate of Sudan’s Nuba people has been overlooked. Since May 2011, the Nuba have been under attack by the Sudanese regime, which has been using the same tactics it employed to devastating effect during the 1990s. However, problematic Arab-Islamic views of the Nuba go back centuries, to the slave trade. The international community’s attention to continuing human rights abuses in the Nuba Mountains has been inconsistent and easily deflected onto low-level hostilities between South Sudan and Sudan. Meanwhile, Sudan has rallied regional leaders, defying the International Criminal Court’s indictment of President al-Bashir. The United States and United Kingdom, guarantors of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), have declined to press Khartoum to fulfill its obligations under the CPA, to enact constitutional reform, or to cease bombing the Nuba for fear that a Sudanese Arab Spring might bring unknown actors to power in Khartoum.
Genocide Denial and Prevention
Authors: Smith Roger W.
Published: June 2014

In the ancient world, the destruction of a people was acknowledged, even celebrated; in the modern world, it has been uniformly denied. This essay is an attempt to indicate the meaning of denial, its relationship to other processes that are similar yet different (non-recognition, erosion of memory, indifference), the logic behind it (denial of the facts, responsibility, applicability of the term genocide to events, the significance of the destruction), the tactics used to further it, and its consequences—especially the various ways in which it undermines efforts to prevent genocide.
Special Issue on “Microbial Ecology of Anaerobic Digestion”
Authors: Kleinsteuber Sabine
Published: June 2014

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an efficient and sustainable way of using organic carbon from residual biomass and organic waste for the production of renewable energy, while simultaneously recycling nutrients and cleaning up waste streams. The process relies on complex microbial communities comprised of diverse functional guilds; these communities have manifold metabolic pathways and interactions. In contrast to the conventional view of an anaerobic digester as a black box, advanced microbiological methods have paved the way for understanding and even controlling complex microbial networks. Nowadays, microbial resource management is crucial for technological progress in AD, and offers new perspectives concerning sustainable waste management, renewable energy production, resource efficiency, and advanced bio-refineries; these perspectives lead to novel applications of AD processes that go beyond biogas as the main product. [...]
Enantioselective Crystallization of Sodium Chlorate in the Presence of Racemic Hydrophobic Amino Acids and Static Magnetic Fields
Authors: Zorzano María-Paz , Osuna-Esteban Susana , Ruiz-Bermejo Marta , Menor-Salván Cesar , Veintemillas-Verdaguer Sabino
Published: June 2014

We study the bias induced by a weak (200 mT) external magnetic field on the preferred handedness of sodium chlorate crystals obtained by slow evaporation at ambient conditions of its saturated saline solution with 20 ppm of added racemic (dl) hydrophobic amino acids. By applying the Fisher test to pairs of experiments with opposing magnetic field orientation we conclude, with a confidence level of 99.7%, that at the water-air interface of this saline solution there is an enantioselective magnetic interaction that acts upon racemic mixtures of hydrophobic chiral amino acids. This interaction has been observed with the three tested racemic hydrophobic amino acids: dl-Phe, dl-Try and dl-Trp, at ambient conditions and in spite of the ubiquitous chiral organic contamination. This enantioselective magnetic dependence is not observed when there is only one handedness of added chiral amino-acid, if the added amino acid is not chiral or if there is no additive. This effect has been confirmed with a double blind test. This novel experimental observation may have implications for our view of plausible initial prebiotic scenarios and of the roles of the geomagnetic field in homochirality in the biosphere.
Minimum Entropy-Based Cascade Control for Governing Hydroelectric Turbines
Authors: Ren Mifeng , Wu Di , Zhang Jianhua , Jiang Man
Published: June 2014

In this paper, an improved cascade control strategy is presented for hydroturbine speed governors. Different from traditional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control and model predictive control (MPC) strategies, the performance index of the outer controller is constructed by integrating the entropy and mean value of the tracking error with the constraints on control energy. The inner controller is implemented by a proportional controller. Compared with the conventional PID-P and MPC-P cascade control methods, the proposed cascade control strategy can effectively decrease fluctuations of hydro-turbine speed under non-Gaussian disturbance conditions in practical hydropower plants. Simulation results show the advantages of the proposed cascade control method.
Cytotoxic Autophagy in Cancer Therapy
Authors: Sharma Khushboo , Le Ngoc , Alotaibi Moureq , Gewirtz David
Published: June 2014

Autophagy is a process of cellular self-digestion, whereby the cell degrades subcellular materials in order to generate energy and metabolic precursors in order to prolong survival, classically under conditions of nutrient deprivation. Autophagy can also involve the degradation of damaged or aged organelles, and misfolded or damaged proteins to eliminate these components that might otherwise be deleterious to cellular survival. Consequently, autophagy has generally been considered a prosurvival response. Many, if not most chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation also promote autophagy, which is generally considered a cytoprotective response, in that its inhibition frequently promotes apoptotic cells death. Furthermore, it has been shown that conventional chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation alone rarely induce a form of autophagy that leads to cell death. However, there are multiple examples in the literature where newer chemotherapeutic agents, drug combinations or drugs in combination with radiation promote autophagic cell death. This review will describe autophagic cell death induced in breast tumor cells, lung cancer cells as well as glioblastoma, demonstrating that it cannot be concluded that stress induced autophagy is, of necessity, cytoprotective in function.
A Comprehensive Insight into Tetracycline Resistant Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Activated Sludge Using Next-Generation Sequencing
Authors: Huang Kailong , Tang Junying , Zhang Xu-Xiang , Xu Ke , Ren Hongqiang
Published: June 2014

In order to comprehensively investigate tetracycline resistance in activated sludge of sewage treatment plants, 454 pyrosequencing and Illumina high-throughput sequencing were used to detect potential tetracycline resistant bacteria (TRB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in sludge cultured with different concentrations of tetracycline. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene revealed that tetracycline treatment greatly affected the bacterial community structure of the sludge. Nine genera consisting of Sulfuritalea, Armatimonas, Prosthecobacter, Hyphomicrobium, Azonexus, Longilinea, Paracoccus, Novosphingobium and Rhodobacter were identified as potential TRB in the sludge. Results of qPCR, molecular cloning and metagenomic analysis consistently indicated that tetracycline treatment could increase both the abundance and diversity of the tet genes, but decreased the occurrence and diversity of non-tetracycline ARG, especially sulfonamide resistance gene sul2. Cluster analysis showed that tetracycline treatment at subinhibitory concentrations (5 mg/L) was found to pose greater effects on the bacterial community composition, which may be responsible for the variations of the ARGs abundance. This study indicated that joint use of 454 pyrosequencing and Illumina high-throughput sequencing can be effectively used to explore ARB and ARGs in the environment, and future studies should include an in-depth investigation of the relationship between microbial community, ARGs and antibiotics in sewage treatment plant (STP) sludge.
Copper Tube Pitting in Santa Fe Municipal Water Caused by Microbial Induced Corrosion
Authors: Burleigh Thomas , Gierke Casey , Fredj Narjes , Boston Penelope
Published: June 2014

Many copper water lines for municipal drinking water in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA, have developed pinhole leaks. The pitting matches the description of Type I pitting of copper, which has historically been attributed to water chemistry and to contaminants on the copper tubing surface. However, more recent studies attribute copper pitting to microbial induced corrosion (MIC). In order to test for microbes, the copper tubing was fixed in hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), then the tops of the corrosion mounds were broken open, and the interior of the corrosion pits were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analysis found that microbes resembling actinobacteria were deep inside the pits and wedged between the crystallographic planes of the corroded copper grains. The presence of actinobacteria confirms the possibility that the cause of this pitting corrosion was MIC. This observation provides better understanding and new methods for preventing the pitting of copper tubing in municipal water.
Metabolomic Tools for Secondary Metabolite Discovery from Marine Microbial Symbionts
Authors: Macintyre Lynsey , Zhang Tong , Viegelmann Christina , Martinez Ignacio , Cheng Cheng , Dowdells Catherine , Abdelmohsen Usama , Gernert Christine , Hentschel Ute , Edrada-Ebel RuAngelie
Published: June 2014

Marine invertebrate-associated symbiotic bacteria produce a plethora of novel secondary metabolites which may be structurally unique with interesting pharmacological properties. Selection of strains usually relies on literature searching, genetic screening and bioactivity results, often without considering the chemical novelty and abundance of secondary metabolites being produced by the microorganism until the time-consuming bioassay-guided isolation stages. To fast track the selection process, metabolomic tools were used to aid strain selection by investigating differences in the chemical profiles of 77 bacterial extracts isolated from cold water marine invertebrates from Orkney, Scotland using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Following mass spectrometric analysis and dereplication using an Excel macro developed in-house, principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to differentiate the bacterial strains based on their chemical profiles. NMR 1H and correlation spectroscopy (COSY) were also employed to obtain a chemical fingerprint of each bacterial strain and to confirm the presence of functional groups and spin systems. These results were then combined with taxonomic identification and bioassay screening data to identify three bacterial strains, namely Bacillus sp. 4117, Rhodococcus sp. ZS402 and Vibrio splendidus strain LGP32, to prioritize for scale-up based on their chemically interesting secondary metabolomes, established through dereplication and interesting bioactivities, determined from bioassay screening.
Molecular Classification of Pesticides Including Persistent Organic Pollutants, Phenylurea and Sulphonylurea Herbicides
Authors: Torrens Francisco , Castellano Gloria
Published: June 2014

Pesticide residues in wine were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Retentions are modelled by structure–property relationships. Bioplastic evolution is an evolutionary perspective conjugating effect of acquired characters and evolutionary indeterminacy–morphological determination–natural selection principles; its application to design co-ordination index barely improves correlations. Fractal dimensions and partition coefficient differentiate pesticides. Classification algorithms are based on information entropy and its production. Pesticides allow a structural classification by nonplanarity, and number of O, S, N and Cl atoms and cycles; different behaviours depend on number of cycles. The novelty of the approach is that the structural parameters are related to retentions. Classification algorithms are based on information entropy. When applying procedures to moderate-sized sets, excessive results appear compatible with data suffering a combinatorial explosion. However, equipartition conjecture selects criterion resulting from classification between hierarchical trees. Information entropy permits classifying compounds agreeing with principal component analyses. Periodic classification shows that pesticides in the same group present similar properties; those also in equal period, maximum resemblance. The advantage of the classification is to predict the retentions for molecules not included in the categorization. Classification extends to phenyl/sulphonylureas and the application will be to predict their retentions.
A Multi-Scale Weighted Back Projection Imaging Technique for Ground Penetrating Radar Applications
Authors: Lei Wentai , Shi Ronghua , Dong Jian , Shi Yujia
Published: June 2014

In this paper, we propose a new ground penetrating radar (GPR) imaging technique based on multi-scale weighted back projection (BP) processing. Firstly, the whole imaging region is discretized by large scale and low-resolution imaging result is obtained by using traditional BP imaging technique. Secondly, the potential targets regions (PTR) are delineated from low-resolution imaging result by using intensity detection method. In the PTR, small scale discretization is implemented and higher resolution imaging result is obtained by using weighted BP imaging technique. A weight factor is designed by analyzing the statistical characteristics of scattering data on the time-delay curve. The above “discretization-imaging-PTR delineation” processing continues until the imaging resolution reaches the specified requirement. In the multi-scale imaging result, the resolution in other regions is not as high as that in PTR. This algorithm can get higher resolution imaging results with much lower computation compared with traditional BP imaging algorithm. The simulation of this algorithm is processed and experimental results validate the feasibility of this method.
Statistical Characteristics of Mesoscale Eddies in the North Pacific Derived from Satellite Altimetry
Authors: Cheng Yu-Hsin , Ho Chung-Ru , Zheng Quanan , Kuo Nan-Jung
Published: June 2014

The sea level anomaly data derived from satellite altimetry are analyzed to investigate statistical characteristics of mesoscale eddies in the North Pacific. Eddies are detected by a free-threshold eddy identification algorithm. The results show that the distributions of size, amplitude, propagation speed, and eddy kinetic energy of eddy follow the Rayleigh distribution. The most active regions of eddies are the Kuroshio Extension region, the Subtropical Counter Current zone, and the Northeastern Tropical Pacific region. By contrast, eddies are seldom observed around the center of the eastern part of the North Pacific Subarctic Gyre. The propagation speed and kinetic energy of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies are almost the same, but anticyclonic eddies possess greater lifespans, sizes, and amplitudes than those of cyclonic eddies. Most eddies in the North Pacific propagate westward except in the Oyashio region. Around the northeastern tropical Pacific and the California currents, cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies propagate westward with slightly equatorward (197° average azimuth relative to east) and poleward (165°) deflection, respectively. This implies that the background current may play an important role in formation of the eddy pathway patterns.
Monitoring and Detection Platform to Prevent Anomalous Situations in Home Care
Authors: Villarrubia Gabriel , Bajo Javier , De Paz Juan , Corchado Juan
Published: June 2014

Monitoring and tracking people at home usually requires high cost hardware installations, which implies they are not affordable in many situations. This study/paper proposes a monitoring and tracking system for people with medical problems. A virtual organization of agents based on the PANGEA platform, which allows the easy integration of different devices, was created for this study. In this case, a virtual organization was implemented to track and monitor patients carrying a Holter monitor. The system includes the hardware and software required to perform: ECG measurements, monitoring through accelerometers and WiFi networks. Furthermore, the use of interactive television can moderate interactivity with the user. The system makes it possible to merge the information and facilitates patient tracking efficiently with low cost.
A Multi-Level and Multi-Dimensional Measuring on Urban Sprawl: A Case Study in Wuhan Metropolitan Area, Central China
Authors: Zeng Chen , He Sanwei , Cui Jiaxing
Published: June 2014

Chinese cities are experiencing rapid urban expansion and being transformed into more dispersed urban form which necessitate the quantification of fine-scale intra-urban characteristics for sustainable urban development. We propose an integrated multi-level and multi-dimensional method to characterize urban sprawl and apply it to Wuhan, a typical metropolitan area in central China from 1996 to 2006. The specifications of levels are parcel at micro-level, district at meso-level and metropolitan area at macro-level. The measurements are implemented in seven dimensions: composition, configuration, gradient, density, proximity, accessibility and dynamics. Metrics are assigned to each dimension and innovative metrics such as derived contagion index, distance-based correlation coefficient and weighted centroid migration are defined to quantify the sprawling process. This bottom-up approach is capable of exploring spatio-temporal variation of urban growth at finer scales, capturing the multi-dimensional features of urban sprawl and providing policy implications for authorities at different levels. The results reveal that industrial sites and built-up land for special use are the most scattered and randomly distributed land use types, parcels and districts at the urban fringe present higher fragmentation than those in the urban core areas and urban expansion is largely enforced by assigning development zones.
The Transformation of Agricultural Development towards a Sustainable Future from an Evolutionary View on the Chinese Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Fuxian County
Authors: Guo Yanjun , Liu Yansui , Wen Qi , Li Yurui
Published: June 2014

The Loess Plateau in China receives lots of attention from around the world. The expansion of bad agricultural practices for hundreds of years aggravated the soil erosion on the Loess Plateau, however, and a lot of efforts were and are being made to reduce the serious soil erosion as well as regional poverty. Agricultural development of the Loess Plateau is still confronted with intricate challenges such as food concerns, environment concerns, and regional poverty. The strategy of development towards sustainability offers a possible and important way to face the challenges. This study tried to develop a holistic “variation-selection-replication-retention” model to analyze the transformation of agricultural development from an evolutionary view which is generally integrative. It is indicated that policies should be lively and vibrant organisms full of innovations owning to ever-changing environment in the evolutionary view. Under this analytical framework, one possible path from serious soil erosion region to region with sustainable agriculture could be recognized in the case study of Fuxian County: serious soil erosion regions → regions with poor production conditions → production-optimized regions → regions with developed agriculture → regions with sustainable agriculture. Diversified integrative development is suggested due to regional differences and the possible developing order in Fuxian County. State-subsidized “Grain for Green” policy and diversified land use are necessary for the transformation of serious soil erosion regions which are usually trapped in regional poverty. To the transformation of regions with poor production conditions, a state-subsidized “production optimization” policy and diversified land use deserve to be considered, due to regional poverty in regions with poor production conditions. Agricultural scale operation is priority for the transformation of production-optimized regions towards agricultural modernization. Ecological thinking is very helpful for the transformation of regions with developed agriculture. The area of serious soil erosion regions in Fuxian County has dropped down from 1760 km2 in 1949 to 360.6 km2 in 2010. The diversified integrative routine tends to be one possible way to realize the development towards sustainability.
Fréquentation de loisirs et gestion des aires littorales protégées de la France de l'Ouest (Leisure activities and management of natural sites on western shorelines of France)
Authors: Breton Erwan
Published: June 2014

Depuis les années 1950, une population toujours plus nombreuse se masse sur le littoral métropolitain de la Manche et de l'océan Atlantique. En marge des stations balnéaires, certains sites «naturels» littoraux connaissent depuis quelques décennies une très forte fréquentation. Depuis le milieu des années 1970, ils sont protégés par des réglementations et ont été acquis par des institutions foncières les préservant de l'urbanisation. Les acteurs en charge de la gestion de ces sites se heurtent au succès dont ils sont objet, de sorte que la gestion de la fréquentation semble incontournable. Cette gestion devrait passer par une plus grande maîtrise des flux et un meilleur contrôle des nombreuses pratiques récréatives qui y sont réalisées, mais aussi des comportements de type urbain dont certains peuvent être néfastes pour ces sites « naturels » très sensibles.
Encadrement juridique, aménagement du littoral, gestion du littoral : les géographes et le droit (Jurisprudence, coastal planning and management : geographers and law)
Authors: Miossec Alain
Published: June 2014

This paper will mainly focus on the relations between geographical analysis and law. In France, space planning has largely and traditionnaly been state-driven and regulations-based. For the past two decades, this process has revealed itself as highly debatable as far as coastal zones are concerned. The new paradigm of environmental issues highlights the limits of such practices : bottom-up actions, in contrast with top-down regulation habits, make accurate geographical analysis even more needed. In such a new way, integrated coastal zone managements necessitate a closer dialogue between geography and law.
Les risques côtiers en Côte d'Ivoire (Coastal hazards in Ivory Coast)
Authors: Robin Marc , Hauhouot Célestin , Affian Kouadio , Anoh Paul , Alla Della André , Pottier Patrick
Published: June 2014

Cette étude présente les risques affectant la zone côtière ivoirienne. On considère d'un côté, le risque sociétal (l'environnement constitue un aléa au détriment des enjeux sociétaux). On trouve dans ce cas de figure l'érosion côtière, les glissements de terrains d'origine sous-marine et les inondations générées par la mobilité des passes. On considère de l'autre côté, le risque environnemental (la société constitue l'aléa au détriment des enjeux naturalistes). On trouve dans ce cas de figure les risques liés aux conséquences d'équipements pour la protection côtière, à l'extraction aveugle de sédiments pour les ouvrages de construction, aux conditions sanitaires liées à une exploitation inconsidérée du milieu littoral, aux envahissements par les Végétaux Aquatiques Envahissants (VAE), aux comblements des lagunes. Chaque cas de figure est explicité et illustré à l'aide d'extraits de bases de données. L'ensemble converge vers la mise en place d'un observatoire du milieu côtier, utile pour toute action future.
Géomorphologie et gestion des littoraux (Coastal geomorphology and management)
Authors: Lageat Yannick
Published: June 2014

L'invocation de la resilience des systèmes côtiers est devenue incantatoire, mais le concept possède deux acceptions, morpho-écologique et socio- économique, dont les pas de temps sont fondamentalement différents. Non seulement les activités humaines réduisent la résilience de la nature côtière, mais, malgré l'attention portée au cours des récentes décennies sur les techniques «douces», en rupture avec l'ingénierie «lourde», il est évident que la vulnérabilité socio-économique est moins déterminée par la capacité technique que par l'aptitude culturelle d'une société à combattre les impacts de la nature côtière ou même à composer avec eux.
Biogéographie des massifs dunaires de la côte ouest du Cotentin (Biogeography of dune fields of the Cotentin west coast (Normandy, France))
Authors: Petit-Berghem Yves
Published: June 2014

The western coast of Cotentin (Normandy) stretches approximately 125 kilometres on a north-south axis. More than 100 kilometres of this shoreline are occupied by sand bars and dune, not forested. This raises an interesting question as many other dunes situated to the north or to the south are covered with forests. The absence of forestation does not exclude an important ligneous dynamics, especially over the last twenty years. This dynamics indicating the spatial strategies of shrubby and arboreous species also illustrates the general dune field evolution.
Déplacer les frontières pour concevoir un centre. Le cas de la ville de Villingen-Schwenningen (RFA) (How to shift borders in order to conceive a new central place ? The case study of Villingen-Schwenningen (German Federal Republic))
Authors: Beyer Antoine
Published: June 2014

The middle-sized town of Villingen-Schwenningen results from the merge of two historic cities on both sides of the former border that separated Baden from Wurtemberg in South Western Germany. This specific urban project, mostly regarded as an exemplary success in the 1970' s reveals how the regional planning used in Germany was strongly based on the theory of central places. The paper describes how the two urban centers, 6 kilometers distant from another, have been developped as one administrative and functionnal unit.
Derrière la clôture de sécurité israélienne en Cisjordanie : une future frontière politique ? (Beyong the israeli security fence in West Bank : a future political boundary ?)
Authors: Métaireau Béatrice
Published: June 2014

On June 14th 2002, the Israeli government decided to build up a fence in West Bank, owing to security reasons. For Palestinian people, this building is viewed as a segregation wall. With breaking West Bank's territorial continuity, it denies their most fundamental rights and destroys the possibility to create a viable Palestinian State. Are Israeli authorities intentions only based upon security matters ? This paper is trying to scrutinize this key question with an analysis on the fence's origins and its current and future characteristics. We also examine what are the issues for Palestinians and Israel that can or could lead to this fence building.
Territoires et acteurs des risques "naturels" en Amérique latine : les cas des villes de Managua (Nicaragua) et de Quito (Equateur) (Political decision makers and territories of the "natural" risks in Latin America. : the cases of Managua (Nicaragua) and Quito (Equator) cities))
Authors: Hardy Sébastien , Sierra Alexis
Published: June 2014

La comparaison des villes latino-américaines de Managua et de Quito sert à comprendre le rôle des acteurs politiques dans la construction des territoires des risques. L'article souligne le décalage entre l'inscription des aléas et les territoires du risque. Les représentations, par leur mode de production contribuent à créer ces territoires du risque. Elles constituent même parfois pour les acteurs politiques des alibis pour développer d'opportunes stratégies territoriales.