bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Response of Different Types of Shallow Foundation over Sandy Soils to Horizontal Harmonic Loading
Authors: Ashoori Taha , Pakiman Keivan
Published: July 2015

Increasing requirements of industries and research institutes to analytically results of interaction soil-foundation related systems, reveals the importance of the dynamic impedance functions than ever before. The dynamic impedance function relations are presented for mass less rigid foundations which is possible to obtain dynamic response of foundations for different frequencies and masses accordingly. In this study, the dynamic impedance functions were investigated using physical modeling tests on sandy soil with finite thickness soil stratum over bedrock. The tests were carried out inside a steel container of dimensions 1×1×0.8m in length, width and height respectively which was filled into container with Babolsar sand by using air – pluviation technique after calibration test with relative density of 55.1 percent. The selected foundations were square and circular with same surface area and rectangular with length to width ratio of 2 that were investigated to determine effects of shape, inertia, embedment ratio, dynamic force amplitude and bedrock on horizontal impedance.
Designing Autonomous Race Car Models for Learning Advanced Topics in Hard Real-Time System
Authors: Bagalini Enea , Violante Massimo
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the design challenge that teams of graduate students are facing, and the solutions they devised, to develop autonomous vehicles for the worldwide speed race competition known as The Freescale Cup. The purpose of the competition is to design the fastest car able to complete an unknown racetrack autonomously. The challenge posed by the competition is an ideal teaching ground for engineering students that can improve with a working experience the theoretical aspects learned in class in different fields such as hard-real-time system theory, control theory, model-based design theory, and computer vision theory. Besides the technical aspects, as cars are developed by teams of students, the competition is also supporting the development of soft skills (such as team work, and communication skills) that are not normally addressed by classical curricula. The results achieved after three years of participation suggest that this approach is very effective in improving the quality of engineering curricula.
The Mutual Relationship between Innovative Output and R&D Alliances
Authors: Kumar Manoj , Raman Jyoti , Priya Priya
Published: July 2015

The behavioral theory of the firm maintains that when firms perform below their aspiration, they will engage in problematic search and invest in novel solutions to improve subsequent performance. Using a pooled time series analysis of 667 observations for 131 biopharmaceutical firms operating in the India from 2000 to 2014, the authors find support for behavioral theory expectations. Furthermore, the data suggests that the relationship between past below aspiration innovative output and subsequent innovative output, defined as new product introductions, is mediated by the number of R&D alliances established, while the relationship between past above aspiration performance and innovative output is not. The authors contribute to the behavioral theory and alliance literature, illustrate how firms' innovative output influences R&D alliance formation, and suggest directions for future research.
A Weighted Routing Scheme for Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Kumar Manish , Tripathi Rajeev , Tiwari Sudarshan
Published: July 2015

The WSNs replace the medium of communication from wired to wireless in industrial environment. This offer several advantages that includes easy and fast installation, low-cost maintenance and energy saving. In industrial monitoring and control application, the sensory measures should be delivered to control center in predefined deadline time, so the necessary actions may timely initiated. The geographical routing as reactive routing protocol plays a massive role for real-time packet delivery. The proposed routing protocol follows path discovery on demand basis to reduce the path discovery overhead. Moreover, the routing protocol follows weighted forwarding node selection process. This selects the shorter path over speedy reliable links for smaller deadline time and distributes the traffic over energy efficient node for larger deadline time. Through simulation, the authors demonstrate, compared to existing routing protocol the proposed routing protocol improves the packet delivery ratio along with enhanced network life while maintaining the high energy efficiency and low delivery latency.
Correlations between Centrality Measures for Mobile Ad hoc Networks
Authors: Meghanathan Natarajan
Published: July 2015

The author conducts an extensive correlation coefficient analysis of four prominent centrality measures for mobile ad hoc networks. The centrality measures considered are the degree-based degree centrality and eigenvector centrality, and the shortest path-based betweenness centrality and closeness centrality. The author evaluates the correlation coefficient between any two of the above four centrality measures as a function of network connectivity and node mobility. He observes a consistent ranking (with respect to the correlation coefficients) among the pairs of centrality measures for all levels of network connectivity, node mobility and across the duration of the simulation session. The shortest path-based closeness centrality measure exhibits high correlation with the degree-based centrality measures, whereas the betweenness centrality exhibits relatively weak correlation with the degree-based centrality measures. For a given level of node mobility and network connectivity, the author does not observe the correlation coefficient values between any two centrality measures to significantly change with time.
Designing a Compact Wireless Network based Device-free Passive Localisation System for Indoor Environments
Authors: Vance Philip , Prasad Girijesh , Harkin Jim , Curran Kevin
Published: July 2015

Determining the location of individuals within indoor locations can be useful in various scenarios including security, gaming and ambient assisted living for the elderly. Healthcare services globally are seeking to allow people to stay in their familiar home environments longer due to the multitude of benefits associated with living in non-clinical environments and technologies to determine an individual's movements are key to ensuring that home emergencies are detected through lack of movement can be responded to promptly. This paper proposes a device-free localisation (DFL) system which would enable the individual to proceed with normal daily activities without the concern of having to wear a traceable device. The principle behind this is that the human body absorbs/reflects the radio signal being transmitted from a transmitter to one or more receiving stations. The proposed system design procedure facilitates the use of a minimum number of wireless nodes with the help of a principle component analysis (PCA) based intelligent signal processing technique. Results demonstrate that human detection and tracking are possible to within 1m resolution with a minimal hardware infrastructure.
On BFSA Collision Resolution in LF, HF, and UHF RFID Networks
Authors: Bhogal Varun , Prodanoff Zornitza Genova , Ahuja Sanjay P. , Martin Kenneth
Published: July 2015

RFID (radio frequency identification) technology has gained popularity in a number of applications. Decreased cost of hardware components along with wide adoption of international RFID standards have led to the rise of this technology. One of the major factors associated with the implementation of RFID infrastructure is the cost of tags. RFID tags operating in the low frequency spectrum are widely used because they are the least expensive, but have a small implementation range. This paper presents an analysis of RFID performance across low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and ultra-high frequency (UHF) environments. The authors' evaluation is theoretical, using a passive-tag BFSA based simulation model that assumes 10 to 1,500 tags per reader and is created with OPNET Modeler 17. Ceteris paribus, the authors' results indicate that total census delay is lowest for UHF tags, while network throughput performance of LF tags is highest for large scale implementations of hundreds of tags in reader's range. A statistical analysis has been conducted on the findings for the three different sets.
Lifetime Enhancement of Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks Using Data Compression
Authors: Dhiman Pushpender Kumar , Chand Narottam
Published: July 2015

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has limited resources such as energy, computation and transmission capacity. These resources are not sufficient for transmitting large amount of data collected by the sensor nodes. Wireless Multimedia Sensor Network (WMSN) generates large amount of data that requires more energy and transmission capacity as compared to scalar data. So it is desired to perform in-network data compression in WMSN. In this paper the authors have used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique for data compression. PCA can be efficiently used in wireless multimedia sensor network to reduce the energy consumption, reduce the network load and prolong the network lifetime. Simulation results show that PCA based compression conserves energy of sensor nodes and prolongs the lifetime of WMSN.
The validity and reliability of the handheld SW-100 autokeratometer
Authors: Iyamu Eghosasere , Amiebenomo O. Mary-Anne
Published: July 2015

Background: The agreement of new instruments or clinical tests with other instruments or tests defines the possibility of these being used interchangeably.Aim: To investigate the validity and reliability of the SW-100 autokeratometer using a Bausch & Lomb (B&L) keratometer as the ‘gold standard’. Methods: Eighty subjects (80 right eyes) aged between 21 and 38 years were recruited. For intra-test repeatability, two measurements of the corneal radius of curvature were taken with the SW-100 and B&L keratometers. Forty of the 80 subjects participated in the inter-test repeatability measurement.Results: Corneal radius of curvature was found to be statistically different between the two instruments (p < 0.001), with the SW-100 providing slightly flatter values of 0.11 mm and 0.05 mm for the horizontal and vertical meridians, respectively, than the B&L keratometer. The average corneal curvature was 0.07 mm flatter with the SW-100 autokeratometer than with the B&L device. Agreement between the SW-100 and B&L keratometers’ axes was 45% within ± 5°, 60.3% within ± 10°, 78.8% within ± 15°, 80.3% within ± 20°, and 88.7% within ± 40°. Intertest repeatability was better for the B&L device than the SW-100 and showed no significant difference between the two sessions. Both instruments demonstrated comparable intrasession repeatability. As such, both instruments were comparatively reliable (per coefficients of repeatability). The range of limits of agreement of ± 0.14 mm (horizontal meridian) and ± 0.17 mm (vertical meridian) between the SW-100 and B&L devices showed good agreement.Conclusion: The results suggest that the SW-100 autokeratometer is a reliable and objective instrument that, however, provides flatter radii of curvature measurements than the B&L keratometer. A compensating factor incorporated into the instrument could reduce the difference between the two instruments and make them more interchangeable.
DNA Sequence Signatures for Rapid Detection of Six Target Bacterial Pathogens Using PCR Assays
Authors: Nagamine Kenjiro , Hung Guo-Chiuan , Li Bingjie , Lo Shyh-Ching
Published: July 2015

Using Streptococcus pyogenes as a model, we previously established a stepwise computational workflow to effectively identify species-specific DNA signatures that could be used as PCR primer sets to detect target bacteria with high specificity and sensitivity. In this study, we extended the workflow for the rapid development of PCR assays targeting Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium tetani, and Staphylococcus aureus, which are of safety concern for human tissue intended for transplantation. Twenty-one primer sets that had sensitivity of detecting 5–50 fg DNA from target bacteria with high specificity were selected. These selected primer sets can be used in a PCR array for detecting target bacteria with high sensitivity and specificity. The workflow could be widely applicable for the rapid development of PCR-based assays for a wide range of target bacteria, including those of biothreat agents.
On the Limit Cycles of Linear Differential Systems with Homogeneous Nonlinearities
Authors: Llibre Jaume , Zhang Xiang
Published: July 2015

We consider the class of polynomial differential systems of the form , where Pn and Qn are homogeneous polynomials of degree n. For this class of differential systems we summarize the known results for the existence of limit cycles, and we provide new results for their nonexistence and existence
Positive and nodal solutions bifurcating from the infinity for a semilinear equation: solutions with compact support
Authors: Díaz Jesús Ildefonso , Hernández Jesús
Published: July 2015

The countable branches of nodal solutions bifurcating from the infinity for a sublinear semilinear equation are described with two different approaches. In the one-dimensional case we use plane phase methods of ordinary differential equations. The general N-dimensional problem can be studied by using topological methods and we sketch here some previous results by the second author in collaboration with João-Paulo Dias. One of the main motivations of the present paper was the ambiguity of the mathematical treatment of the Schrödinger equation for the infinite well potential. We study the classes of flat solutions (i.e. with zero normal derivative at the boundary) and solutions with compact support of the semilinear problem which allow to offer a kind of "alternative approach" to the infinite well potential for the Schrödinger equation.
Solutions for linear conservation laws with gradient constraint
Authors: Rodrigues José Francisco , Santos Lisa
Published: July 2015

We consider variational inequality solutions with prescribed gradient constraints for first order linear boundary value problems. For operators with coefficients only in

L^2

, we show the existence and uniqueness of the solution by using a combination of parabolic regularization with a penalization in the nonlinear diffusion coefficient. We also prove the continuous dependence of the solution with respect to the data, as well as, in a coercive case, the asymptotic stabilization as time

t \rightarrow + \infty

towards the stationary solution. In a particular situation, motivated by the transported sandpile problem, we give sufficient conditions for the equivalence of the first order problem with gradient constraint with a two obstacles problem, the obstacles being the signed distances to the boundary. This equivalence, in special conditions, illustrates also the possible stabilization of the solution in finite time.
On some regularity results for the stationary Stokes system and the 2 – $D$ Euler equations
Authors: Beirão da Veiga Hugo
Published: July 2015

We revisit "minimal assumptions" on the data which guarantee that solutions to the 2 –

D

evolution Euler equations in a bounded domain are classical. Classical means here that all the derivatives appearing in the equations and boundary conditions are continuous up to the boundary. Following a well known device, the above problem led us to consider this same regularity problem for the Poisson equation under homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. At this point, one was naturally led to consider the extension of this last problem to more general linear elliptic boundary value problems, and also to try to extend the results to more general data spaces. Pursuing and developing results that remained unpublished about thirty years, we survey the route followed in the study of these problems and we consider new results and open problems. In particular, we extend some minimal assumption results for the stationary Stokes system, and for and for the planar, evolution, Euler equations, to larger data spaces.
Framing o teoría del encuadre en comunicación. Orígenes, desarrollo y panorama actual en España
Authors: Ardèvol-Abreu Alberto
Published: July 2015

La teoría del framing, traducida al castellano como teoría del encuadre o de los marcos, ha experimentado una rápida evolución desde mediados de los años sesenta, donde encuentra sus orígenes en el campo de la sociología, hasta la actualidad. El framing se ha convertido en un paradigma multidisciplinario que permite abordar globalmente el estudio de los efectos de los medios de comunicación sobre los individuos y los públicos. Lejos de situarse exclusivamente en los emisores de información, el encuadre está localizado en cuatro elementos del proceso de comunicación: el emisor, el receptor, el texto (informativo) y la cultura. El presente artículo, bajo la forma de revisión de la literatura, realiza un recorrido por la teoría desde sus antecedentes en los años cincuenta hasta la actualidad, describiendo además el desarrollo de la investigación sobre framing en España y su estado actual.
An Objective Structured Clinical Examination to Improve Formative Assessment for Senior Pediatrics Residents
Authors: Mangold Karen A. , Jeffers Justin M. , Burns Rebekah A. , Trainor Jennifer L. , Unti Sharon M. , Eppich Walter , Adler Mark D.
Published: July 2015

Background

Residency programs are developing new methods to assess resident competence and to improve the quality of formative assessment and feedback to trainees. Simulation is a valuable tool for giving formative feedback to residents.

Objective

To develop an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to improve formative assessment of senior pediatrics residents.

Methods

We developed a multistation examination using various simulation formats to assess the skills of senior pediatrics residents in communication and acute resuscitation. We measured several logistical factors (staffing and program costs) to determine the feasibility of such a program.

Results

Thirty-one residents participated in the assessment program over a 3-month period. Residents received formative feedback comparing their performance to both a standard task checklist and to peers' performance. The program required 16 faculty members per session, and had a cost of $624 per resident.

Conclusions

A concentrated assessment program using simulation can be a valuable tool to assess residents' skills in communication and acute resuscitation and provide directed formative feedback. However, such a program requires considerable financial and staffing resources.
The Export-productivity Link for Brazilian Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Cirera Xavier , Lederman Daniel , Máñez Juan A. , Rochina María E. , Sanchis Juan A.
Published: July 2015

This paper explores the link between exports and total factor productivity (TFP) in Brazilian manufacturing firms over the period 2000–2008. The Brazilian experience is instructive as it is a case of an economy that expanded aggregate exports significantly, but with stagnant aggregate TFP growth. The authors first estimate firm-level TFP under alternative assumptions (exogenous and endogenous law of motion for productivity) following Wooldridge’s (On estimating firm-level production functions using proxy variables to control for unobservables, 2009) GMM procedure. In turn, they use stochastic dominance techniques to assess whether the ex-ante most productive firms are those that start exporting (selfselection hypothesis). Finally, they test whether exporting boosts firms TFP growth (learningby- exporting hypothesis) using matching techniques, to control for the possibility that selection into exports may not be a random process. Their results confirm the self-selection hypothesis and show that starting to export yields an extra TFP growth that emerges since a firm’s first year of exporting but lasts only one year. Further, this extra TFP growth is much higher under the assumption of an endogenous law of motion for productivity, which reinforces the importance of accounting for firm export status to study the evolution of productivity.
Peroxynitric acid (HO2NO2) measurements during the UBWOS 2013 and 2014 studies using iodide ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Veres P. R. , Roberts J. M. , Wild R. J. , Edwards P. M. , Brown S. S. , Bates T. S. , Quinn P. K. , Johnson J. E. , Zamora R. J. , de Gouw J.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. In this paper laboratory work is documented establishing iodide ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (I- CIMS) as a sensitive method for the unambiguous detection of peroxynitric acid (HO2NO2; PNA). A dynamic calibration source for HO2NO2, HO2, and HONO was developed and calibrated using a novel total NOy cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CaRDS) detector. Photochemical sources of these species were used for the calibration and validation of the I- CIMS instrument for detection of HO2NO2. Ambient observations of HO2NO2 using I- CIMS during the 2013 and 2014 Uintah Basin Wintertime Ozone Study (UBWOS) are presented. Strong inversions leading to a build-up of many primary and secondary pollutants as well as low temperatures drove daytime HO2NO2 as high as 1.5 ppbv during the 2013 study. A comparison of HO2NO2 observations to mixing ratios predicted using a chemical box model describing an ozone formation event observed during the 2013 wintertime shows agreement in the daily maxima HO2NO2 mixing ratio, but a differences of several hours in the timing of the observed maxima. Observations of vertical gradients suggest that the ground snow surface potentially serves as both a net sink and source of HO2NO2 depending on the time of day. Sensitivity tests using a chemical box model indicate that the lifetime of HO2NO2 with respect to deposition has a non-negligible impact on ozone production rates on the order of 10 %.
Characteristics and formation mechanism of continuous hazes in China: a case study during the autumn of 2014 in the North China Plain
Authors: Yang Y. R. , Liu X. G. , Qu Y. , An J. L. , Jiang R. , Zhang Y. H. , Sun Y. L. , Wu Z. J. , Zhang F. , Xu W. Q. , Ma Q. X.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. Four extreme haze episodes occurred in October 2014 in the North China Plain (NCP). To clarify the formation mechanism of hazes in autumn, strengthened observations were conducted in Beijing from 5 October to 2 November. The meteorological parameters, satellite data, chemical compositions and optical properties of aerosols were obtained. The hazes originated from the NCP, developing in the southwest and northeast directions, with the highest concentration of PM2.5 of 469 μg m−3 in Beijing. The NCP was dominated by a weak high pressure system during the haze episode, which resulted in low surface wind speed and relatively stagnant weather. Moreover, the wind slowed down around Beijing city. The secondary aerosols NO3− was always higher than that of SO42−, which indicated the motor vehicles played a more important part in the hazes in October 2014, even though the oxidation rate from SO2 to SO42− was faster than that of NOx to NO3−. Sudden increases of the concentrations of organic matter, Cl− and BC (black carbon) before each haze episode implied that regional transport of pollutants by biomass burning was important for haze formation during autumn. A satellite map of fire points and the backward trajectories of the air masses also indicated this pollution source. The distinct decrease in the PBL (planetary boundary layer) height during four haze episodes restrained the vertical dispersion of the air pollutants. Water vapor also played a vital role in the formation of hazes by accelerating the chemical transformation of secondary pollutants, leading to hygroscopic growth of aerosols and altering the thermal balance of the atmosphere.
Characterization of PM10 sources in the central Mediterranean
Authors: Calzolai G. , Nava S. , Lucarelli F. , Chiari M. , Giannoni M. , Becagli S. , Traversi R. , Marconi M. , Frosini D. , Severi M. , Udisti R. , di Sarra A. , Pace G. , Meloni D. , Bommarito C. , Monteleone F. , Anello F. , Sferlazzo D. M.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. The Mediterranean Basin atmosphere is influenced by both strong natural and anthropogenic aerosol emissions, and is also subject to important climatic forcings. Several programs have addressed the study of the Mediterranean basin; nevertheless important pieces of information are still missing. In this framework, PM10 samples were collected on a daily basis on the island of Lampedusa (35.5° N, 12.6° E, 45 m a.s.l.), which is far from continental pollution sources (the nearest coast, in Tunisia, is more than 100 km away). After mass gravimetric measurements, different portions of the samples were analyzed to determine the ionic content by Ion Chromatography (IC), the soluble metals by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), and the total (soluble + insoluble) elemental composition by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). Data from years 2007 and 2008 are used in this study. The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model was applied to the 2 year long data set of PM10 mass concentration and chemical composition to assess the aerosol sources affecting the Central Mediterranean basin. Seven sources were resolved: sea-salt, mineral dust, biogenic emissions, primary particulate ship emissions, secondary sulphate, secondary nitrate, and combustion emissions. Source contributions to the total PM10 mass were estimated to be about 40 % for sea-salt, around 25 % for mineral dust, 10 % each for secondary nitrate and secondary sulphate, and 5 % each for primary particulate ship emissions, biogenic emissions, and combustion emissions. Large variations in absolute and relative contributions are found and appear to depend on the season and on transport episodes. In addition, the secondary sulphate due to ship emissions was estimated, and found to contribute by about one third to the total sulphate mass. Results for the sea-salt and mineral dust sources were compared with estimates of the same contributions obtained from independent approaches, leading to an estimate of the water content bound to the sea salt in the marine source.
Quality assessment and improvement of the EUMETSAT Meteosat Surface Albedo Climate Data Record
Authors: Lattanzio A. , Fell F. , Bennartz R. , Trigo I. F. , Schulz J.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. Surface albedo has been identified as an important parameter for understanding and quantifying the Earth's radiation budget. EUMETSAT generated the Meteosat Surface Albedo (MSA) Climate Data Record (CDR) currently comprising up to 24 years (1982–2006) of continuous surface albedo coverage for large areas of the Earth. This CDR has been created within the Sustained and Coordinated Processing of Environmental Satellite Data for Climate Monitoring (SCOPE-CM) framework. The long-term consistency of the MSA CDR is high and meets the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) stability requirements for desert reference sites. The limitation in quality due to non removed clouds by the embedded cloud screening procedure is the most relevant weakness in the retrieval process. A twofold strategy is applied to efficiently improve the cloud detection and removal. A first step consists on the application of a robust and reliable cloud mask taking advantage of the information contained in the measurements of the infrared and visible bands. Due to the limited information available from old radiometers some clouds can still remain undetected. A second step relies on a post processing analysis of the albedo seasonal variation together with the usage of a background albedo map in order to detect and screen out such outliers. The usage of a reliable cloud mask has a double effect. It enhances the number of high quality retrievals for tropical forest areas sensed under low view angles and removes the most frequently unrealistic retrievals on similar surfaces sensed under high view angles. As expected, the usage of a cloud mask has a negligible impact on desert areas where clear conditions dominate. The exploitation of the albedo seasonal variation for cloud removal has good potentialities but it needs to be carefully addressed. Nevertheless it is shown that the inclusion of cloud masking and removal strategy is a key point for the generation of the next MSA CDR Release.
Eddy diffusion coefficients and their upper limits based on application of the similarity theory
Authors: Vlasov M. N. , Kelley M. C.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. The equation for the diffusion velocity in the mesosphere and the lower thermosphere (MLT) includes the terms for molecular and eddy diffusion. These terms are very similar. For the first time, we show that, by using the similarity theory, the same formula can be obtained for the eddy diffusion coefficient as the commonly used formula derived by Weinstock (1981). The latter was obtained by taking, as a basis, the integral function for diffusion derived by Taylor (1921) and the three-dimensional Kolmogorov kinetic energy spectrum. The exact identity of both formulas means that the eddy diffusion and heat transport coefficients used in the equations, both for diffusion and thermal conductivity, must meet a criterion that restricts the outer eddy scale to being much less than the scale height of the atmosphere. This requirement is the same as the requirement that the free path of molecules must be much smaller than the scale height of the atmosphere. A further result of this criterion is that the eddy diffusion coefficients Ked, inferred from measurements of energy dissipation rates, cannot exceed the maximum value of 3.2 × 106 cm2 s−1 for the maximum value of the energy dissipation rate of 2 W kg−1 measured in the mesosphere and the lower thermosphere (MLT). This means that eddy diffusion coefficients larger than the maximum value correspond to eddies with outer scales so large that it is impossible to use these coefficients in eddy diffusion and eddy heat transport equations. The application of this criterion to the different experimental data shows that some reported eddy diffusion coefficients do not meet this criterion. For example, the large values of these coefficients (1 × 107 cm2 s−1) estimated in the Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment (TOMEX) do not correspond to this criterion. The Ked values inferred at high latitudes by Lübken (1997) meet this criterion for summer and winter polar data, but the Ked values for summer at low latitudes are larger than the Ked maximum value corresponding to the criterion. Analysis of the experimental data on meteor train observations shows that energy dissipation with a small rate of about 0.2 W kg−1 sometimes can induce turbulence with eddy scales very close to the scale height of the atmosphere. Our results also explain the discrepancy between the large cooling rates calculated by Vlasov and Kelley (2014) and the temperatures given by the MSIS-E-90 model because, in these cases, the measured eddy diffusion coefficients used in calculating the cooling rates are larger than the maximum value presented above.
Spectral properties of electrostatic drift wave turbulence in the laboratory and the ionosphere
Authors: Pécseli H. L.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. Low-frequency electrostatic drift wave turbulence has been studied in both laboratory plasmas and in space. The present review describes a number of such laboratory experiments together with results obtained by instrumented spacecraft in the Earth's near and distant ionospheres. The summary emphasizes readily measurable quantities, such as the turbulent power spectra for the fluctuations in plasma density, potential and electric fields. The agreement between power spectra measured in the laboratory and in space seems to be acceptable, but there are sufficiently frequent counterexamples to justify a future dedicated analysis, for instance by numerical tools, to explain deviations. When interpreting spectra at low ionospheric altitudes, it is necessary to give attention to the DC ionospheric electric fields and the differences in the physics of electron–ion collisions and collisions of charged particles with neutrals for cases with significant Hall drifts. These effects modify the drift wave spectra. A dedicated laboratory experiment accounted for some of these differences.
Annual South American forest loss estimates based on passive microwave remote sensing (1990–2010)
Authors: van Marle M. J. E. , van der Werf G. R. , de Jeu R. A. M. , Liu Y. Y.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. Consistent forest loss estimates are important to understand the role of forest loss and deforestation in the global carbon cycle, for biodiversity studies, and to estimate the mitigation potential of reducing deforestation. To date, most studies have relied on optical satellite data and new efforts have greatly improved our quantitative knowledge on forest dynamics. However, most of these studies yield results for only a relatively short time period or are limited to certain countries. We have quantified large-scale forest losses over a 21 year period (1990–2010) in the tropical biomes of South America using remotely sensed vegetation optical depth (VOD). This passive microwave satellite-based indicator of vegetation water content and vegetation density has a much coarser spatial resolution than optical but its temporal resolution is higher and VOD is not impacted by aerosols and cloud cover. We used the merged VOD product of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) observations, and developed a change detection algorithm to quantify spatial and temporal variations in forest loss dynamics. Our results compared favorably to the newly developed Global Forest Change (GFC) maps based on Landsat data and available for the 2001 onwards period (r2 = 0.90 when comparing annual country-level estimates), which allowed us to convert our results to forest loss area and compute these from 1990 onwards. We found that South American forest exhibited substantial interannual variability without a clear trend during the 1990s, but increased from 2000 until 2004. After 2004, forest loss decreased again, except for two smaller peaks in 2007 and 2010. For a large part, these trends were driven by changes in Brazil, which was responsible for 56 % of the total South American forest loss over our study period according to our results. One of the key findings of our study is that while forest losses decreased in Brazil after 2005, increases in other countries partly offset this trend suggesting that South American forest losses as a whole decreased much less than that in Brazil.
Technical Note: An improved guideline for rapid and precise sample preparation of tree-ring stable isotope analysis
Authors: Schollaen K. , Baschek H. , Heinrich I. , Helle G.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. The procedure of wood sample preparation, including tree-ring dissection, cellulose extraction, homogenization and finally weighing and packing for stable isotope analysis is labour intensive and time consuming. We present an elaborated methodical guideline from pre-analyses considerations, wood sample preparation through semi-automated chemical extraction of cellulose directly from tree-ring cross-sections to tree-ring dissection for high-precision isotope ratio mass spectrometry. This guideline reduces time and maximizes the tree-ring stable isotope data throughput significantly. The method was applied to ten different tree species (coniferous and angiosperm wood) with different wood growth rates and differently shaped tree-ring boundaries. The tree-ring structures of the cellulose cross-sections largely remained well identifiable. FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometry and the comparison of stable isotope values with classical method confirm chemical purity of the resultant cellulose. Sample homogenization is no longer necessary. Cellulose extraction is now faster, cheaper and more user friendly allowing (i) the simultaneous treatment of wood cross-sections of a total length of 180 cm (equivalent to 6 increment cores of 30 cm length) and thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm, and (ii) precise tree-ring separation at annual to high-resolution scale utilizing manual devices or UV-laser microdissection microscopes.
The influence of tropical volcanic eruptions on the climate of South America during the last millennium
Authors: Colose C. M. , LeGrande A. N. , Vuille M.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. Currently, little is known on how volcanic eruptions impact large-scale climate phenomena such as paleo-ITCZ position or South American summer monsoon behavior. In this paper, an analysis of observations and model simulations is employed to assess the influence of large volcanic eruptions on the climate of South America. This problem is considered both for historically recent volcanic episodes, for which more comprehensive global observations exist, as well as reconstructed volcanic events for the period 850 C.E. to present that are incorporated into the NASA GISS ModelE2-R simulation of the Last Millennium. An advantage of this model is its ability to explicitly track water isotopologues throughout the hydrologic cycle and simulating the isotopic imprint following a large eruption. This effectively removes a degree of uncertainty associated with error-prone conversion of isotopic signals into climate variables, and allows for a direct comparison between GISS simulations and paleoclimate proxy archives. Our analysis reveals that both precipitation and oxygen isotope variability respond with a distinct seasonal and spatial structure across South America following an eruption. During austral winter, the heavy oxygen isotope in precipitation is enriched, likely due to reduced moisture convergence in the ITCZ domain and reduced rainfall over northern South America. During austral summer, however, precipitation is depleted in heavy isotopes over Amazonia, despite reductions in rainfall, suggesting that the isotopic response is not a simple function of the "amount effect". During the South American monsoon season, the amplitude of the temperature response to volcanic forcing is larger than the rather weak and spatially less coherent precipitation signal, potentially masking the isotopic response to changes in the hydrologic cycle.
Brief Communication: Climatic, meteorological and topographical causes of the 16–17 June 2013 Kedarnath (India) natural disaster event
Authors: Singh R. , Siingh D. , Gokani S. A. , Sreeush M. G. , Buchunde P. S. , Maurya A. K. , Singh R. P. , Singh A. K.
Published: July 2015

Abstract. The devastating flood episode (16–17 June 2013) at Kedarnath (Uttrakhand, India), caused a huge loss of lives and loss of physical/material wealth. To understand this catastrophic event, rainfall/convective data and associated climate meteorological parameters are investigated. A low-pressure zone with very high cloud cover (60–90 %) and relative humidity (70–100 %), associated with low (< 4 m s−1) wind velocity, are observed over the Kedarnath region during 15–17 June. The cause of this disaster seems to be heavy and continuous rainfall, associated with snowmelt and the overflooding/collapse of Chorabari Lake, located upstream. Monsoon advancement was much faster than usual, due to the presence of the convectively active phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation.
One Health and Zoonoses: The Evolution of One Health and Incorporation of Zoonoses
Authors: Asokan Govindaraj V.
Published: July 2015

Introduction: Zoonotic disease outbreaks have surged in the last two decades. These include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Hendra virus, Nipah virus, influenza viruses, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, and ebola. One Health is the initiative of an inclusive collaboration linking human, animal, and environmental health. One Health is advocated through an intersectoral coordination to combat zoonoses, and the term has evolved over centuries. The primary aim of this literature review was to examine the change in the definition of the term One Health over time, particuarly following the the introduction of the latest definition in 2007 by the American Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.Methods: This review was conducted in four phases. The first phase consisted of a general PubMed search for the phrase “One Health” for every literature published up to December 2014. Then an advanced search was carried out using “One Health” in conjunction with the terms “zoonosis” and “zoonoses” in PubMed for the time period between January 2007 and December 2014.  The articles found were then categorized based on the type of journals in which the articles were published. For the second phase, “One Health” was searched as a Medical subject heading (MeSH) term, which is the National Library of Medicine controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles. In the third phase, One Health advocate organizations were found using Google search engine. During the final phase, One Health was searched in Google scholar, examined by Google trends, and analyzed by Google ngram.Results: Before 2007, One Health had many connotations to health in the medical literature with an incomplete adherence to the usage of One Health linking zoonoses. The Google trends analysis shows an overal steady increase of the search of One Health from 2007 to 2014, which is consistent with the findings of articles from Pubmed.Discussion: Our results indicate that the linkage between the terms One Health and zoonoses started in 2007, which correlates with the joint declaration made by the American Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2007. We suggest creating a MeSH term for One Health in the PubMed database to support more specific research on zoonoses, and exploring the possibility of a patent of the term One Health to support global health and evidence based public health.
Theoretical Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: A Critical Review
Authors: Omran Mohamed A. , Ramdhony Dineshwar
Published: July 2015

This study provides an extensive critical review of the theoretical perspectives applied on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure literature. From a CSR standpoint we review and discuss, in detail, legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory, social contract theory, and signalling theory to identify the situations that suit each of these perspectives. The findings show that there is no universal theory applicable on corporate social responsibility disclosure for all situations or societies. While legitimacy theory suggests CSR disclosures are part of a process of legitimation, stakeholder theory offers an explanation of CSR accountability to stakeholders. Legitimacy theory seems to be more suitable for organizations working in developed countries, on the other hand, stakeholder theory appears to be most suitable for organizations working in developing countries; where a corporation can manage its stakeholders and the pressure to comply with existing legislation is less as compared to the developed countries. Social contract theory is appropriate for developed/emerged economies, as CSR disclosure exists due to an implicit social contract between business and society, which implies some indirect obligations of business towards society. Signalling theory will suit a situation where firms are competing for resources. A firm willing to demarcate from other firms will engage in more CSR practices. It is also important that the signal reaches the target audience by reporting on CSR.
Her Daily Bread: Food and Labor in Louisa May Alcott
Authors: DOLAN KATHRYN CORNELL
Published: July 2015

In the opening episode of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (1868–69), bread satisfies the March daughters’ hunger following their gift of “comfort” to the Hummels, a neighboring family in need. This scene demonstrates a recurring theme for Alcott, that of women and charity, sacrifice, and domesticity. Bread becomes significant in this scene specifically through its long domestic historicity. Indeed, women and bread are connected as early as the Gospel of Matthew, in a recipe for making bread. In this passage a woman increases the kingdom of heaven through her cooking skills. This expresses an ideal for Alcott throughout her successful books for children, which she refers to in Jo’s Boys as “moral pap for the young,” as well as her books for adults.3 Bread is a foodstuff as rich as all of western civilization, and Alcott works with this multiplicity of meanings in her writings. Throughout Alcott, bread represents food itself, the “daily bread” of labor, and the significantly different “daily bread” of true fulfillment, whether through religion, work, or self-sacrifice. John Matteson observes, “few books narrate more acts of unselfish generosity than Little Women.”4
Baudelaire’s Critique of Sculpture
Authors: Cusmariu Arnold
Published: July 2015

Baudelaire’s provocatively titled article “Pourquoi la sculpture est ennuyeuse” (“Why Sculpture Is Boring,” 1846) has serious implications for sculpture. I state his objections in argument form; I present a response based on comments by fellow sculptor David Smith and explain why it is unsatisfactory; I propose and justify a paradigm shift, formulated with reasonable precision, that achieves a satisfactory resolution; and I note advantages of the new paradigm that are independent of the need to respond to Baudelaire. The paper has several audiences in mind. The new paradigm is illustrated with my own work, so other artists can see its benefits in concrete terms they can apply to their own work. Philosophers will see familiar theories and methods leading to progress in art. Art critics will come away with improved tools for understanding, evaluating, and explaining the aesthetics of the third dimension, tools also useful to art teachers. The general public will find the basics of a tutorial for enhancing the appreciation of sculpture.
Reading around the Narrator in Lee Smith’sOral History
Authors: Armstrong Rhonda
Published: July 2015

Lee Smith’s 1983 novel Oral History, which she identifies as a "story about storytelling," uses multiple narrators to call into question how stories develop over time. This article examines how Smith’s own narrative strategies effectively direct readers to mistrust their narrators, and to seek out alternative narratives within the text. Using the characters of Jennifer Bingham and Granny Younger as examples, this article argues that Smith encourages readers to search the text for what the narrator may be ignoring or omitting, thereby constructing an alternative narrative by "reading around" the narrator.