bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
STAR CLUSTER FORMATION AND DESTRUCTION IN THE MERGING GALAXY NGC 3256
Authors: Mulia A. J. , Chandar R. , Whitmore B. C.
Published: July 2016

We use the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope to study the rich population of young massive star clusters in the main body of NGC 3256, a merging pair of galaxies with a high star formation rate (SFR) and SFR per unit area (ΣSFR). These clusters have luminosity and mass functions that follow power laws, dN/dL ∝ L

α
with α = −2.23 ± 0.07, and dN/dM ∝ M

β
with β = −1.86 ± 0.34 for τ < 10 Myr clusters, similar to those found in more quiescent galaxies. The age distribution can be described by dN/dτ ∝ τ

γ
, with γ ≈ −0.67 ± 0.08 for clusters younger than about a few hundred million years, with no obvious dependence on cluster mass. This is consistent with a picture where ∼80% of the clusters are disrupted each decade in time. We investigate the claim that galaxies with high ΣSFR form clusters more efficiently than quiescent systems by determining the fraction of stars in bound clusters (Γ) and the CMF/SFR statistic (CMF is the cluster mass function) for NGC 3256 and comparing the results with those for other galaxies. We find that the CMF/SFR statistic for NGC 3256 agrees well with that found for galaxies with ΣSFR and SFRs that are lower by 1–3 orders of magnitude, but that estimates for Γ are only robust when the same sets of assumptions are applied. Currently, Γ values available in the literature have used different sets of assumptions, making it more difficult to compare the results between galaxies.
Checklist of the family Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in Taiwan with description of a new species and some new records
Authors: Huang Chih-Wei , Lee Yen-Chen
Published: July 2016

The family Epitoniidae is a group of small to medium-sized gastropods and occurs globally from the intertidal zone to abyssal seabeds. There are 101 epitoniid species currently recorded from Taiwan.

Based on our investigations of seashores and fishing ports of Taiwan, a new species and 12 new records of Epitoniidae species are reported. Of the 12 new records, four are new to the East Asian region and two are new records to the Indo-Pacific region. Our results increase the number of Taiwanese Epitoniidae from 101 species to 114 species.
Study of hydration products in the system 4CaO.3Al2O3.SO2-CaSO4-CaO-H4O
Authors: Mihta P. K. , Klein A. , Talero Morales Rafael
Published: July 2016

Not available
A dilatometer to measure volume changes of loaded concrete
Authors: Spooner D. C.
Published: July 2016

Not available
Análisis de la producción científica española en ecología y medio ambiente. 1989-1993
Authors: Pérez Alvarez-Ossorio J. R. , Martín Sempere M. J. , Fernández M. T. , Vázquez M. , Galbán C. , Plaza L. , Aguillo I. , Ronda C. , Cabrero A. , Hernando S. , Gómez I.
Published: July 2016

Para el estudio de la producción científica española en Ecología y Medio Ambiente se utilizan cuatro bases de datos: una nacional, lCYT, para lo publicado en revistas españolas, y tres internacionales, Chemical Abstracts, Biosis y ASFA, para lo que se publica en revistas extranjeras. En ambos casos se analiza la distribución temática de los trabajos en cuatro grandes apartados incluidos en el Programa Nacional de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales: Degradación ambiental; Conservación del Medio Ambiente; Tecnologías medioambientales; y Funcionamiento y Dinámica de Ecosistemas. Asimismo, se analiza el origen institucional de los trabajos, su distribución geográfica y las revistas más utilizadas, tanto nacionales como extranjeras. La alta participación de la Universidad, que representa dos tercios del total , justifica un estudio especial de su contribución, tanto por tipos de centros (Facultades y Escuelas Técnicas) como por universidades.
Documentación científica sobre educación: fuentes secundarias
Authors: Romera Iruela María Jesús
Published: July 2016

En el presente artículo se realiza una aproximación conceptual al término «Documentación Científica sobre Educación». Posteriormente se seleccionan y analizan los siete tipos de fuentes secundarias en educación que se consideran más significativos para satisfacer las necesidades informativas de los profesionales de la educación: bibliografías, catálogos, boletines de sumarios, revistas de resúmenes, índices bibliográficos, índices de citas y bases de datos. Se concluye subrayando la importancia y la necesidad de incorporar conocimientos sobre las fuentes documentales secundarias consideradas en la formación inicial y permanente de los profesionales de la educación, posibilitándose así la transferencia de los resultados de la investigación a la práctica educativa.
La calidad total en bases de datos españolas: estudio de la tasa de error en las bases del CSlC
Authors: Herrero Solana Víctor
Published: July 2016

La calidad de productos y servicios es uno de los temas en boga de la presente década. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo la revisión del nivel de calidad de tres bases de datos españolas creadas y mantenidas por el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas: ICYT, ISOC e IME. Se utiliza como variable de análisis la tasa de error, uno de los indicadores más comúnmente utilizados para este tipo de estudios. Finalmente se comparan los resultados obtenidos con los estándares aceptados a nivel internacional.
Disability in Schizophrenia
Authors: Mahato Akash , Halder Susmita
Published: July 2016

Schizophrenia is considered to be the paradigmatic illness of psychiatry. The illness is characterized by marked disturbances and abnormalities in the domains of thought, perception, speech, emotion and behavior. The expression of the symptoms varies across patients and over time, but the cumulative effect of the illness is always severe and usually long lasting. Schizophrenia often takes a chronic course and patients exhibit difficulty re-attaining their optimum level even after resolution of clinical symptoms. Disability though is associated with many illnesses, with arguably the disability associated with chronic mental illness and schizophrenia in particular is more difficult to cope up with due to the associated stigma and care burden. The chapter focuses on different aspects of disability in schizophrenia with specific emphasis on neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning and their correlation in schizophrenia, with support from research by the author and relevant literature.
Chronic Mental Illness and the Changing Scope of Intervention Strategies, Diagnosis, and Treatment in Child and Adolescent Population
Authors: Garg Bhavuk , Khanna Prerna , Khanna Amit
Published: July 2016

A significant proportion of the Child and Adolescent population suffer from a psychological or psychiatric disorder. It is estimated that at least 20% of the child and adolescent population is affected mental health problems and largely this is undetected. Some of the mental health problems are severe and disabling and tend to be chronic in nature. Childhood forms an important phase in the development period of life during which one develops physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually and morally. Chronic and severe mental health problems in children impact the overall development of the child thereby leading to significant and lifelong disability. The scope of this chapter has been narrowed to include two important chronic mental illness in children mainly Schizophrenia and Bipolar Mood Disorder. The Authors will discuss the clinical features, course, outcome and treatment strategies. Special issues in children are also discussed in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
Trends and Challenges of E-Assessment to Enhance Student Learning in Higher Education
Authors: Guàrdia Lourdes , Crisp Geoffrey , Alsina Ivan
Published: July 2016

This chapter provides an overview of current e-assessment activity in Higher Education (HE) for those interested in improving their assessment practices. Despite substantial changes in HE teaching and learning strategies with the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), little effort has been made in the area of assessment, where traditional methods are still commonly used. ICT and computers are seen as a medium for supporting and guiding the whole learning process, but these options have not yet been fully explored. In view of this, we would like to review the trends and challenges of e-assessment to enhance student learning in future scenarios, taking into consideration several publications, cases and contributions from both the practice and research perspective.
Competency-Based Assessment
Authors: Idrissi Mohammed Khalidi , Hnida Meriem , Bennani Samir
Published: July 2016

Competency-based Assessment (CBA) is the measurement of student's competency against a standard of performance. It is a process of collecting evidences to analyze student's progress and achievement. In higher education, Competency-based Assessment puts the focus on learning outcomes to constantly improve academic programs and meet labor market demands. As of to date, competencies are described using natural language but rarely used in e-learning systems, and the common sense idea is that: the way competency is defined shapes the way it is conceptualized, implemented and assessed. The main objective of this chapter is to introduce and discuss Competency-based Assessment from a methodological and technical perspectives. More specifically, the objective is to highlight ongoing issues regarding competency assessment in higher education in the 21st century, to emphasis the benefits of its implementation and finally to discuss some competency modeling and assessment techniques.
Demonstrating Positive, Learner-Centred Assessment Practice in Professional Development Programmes
Authors: Baughan Patrick
Published: July 2016

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the role that professional development programmes for higher education lecturers and teachers can play in promoting positive, learner-centred assessment practice. Whilst they vary in their coverage, these programmes address a broad range of teaching, learning and other pedagogical issues, and almost all include assessment and good assessment practice as a key component of their curriculum. Therefore, this chapter is used to explain and argue that professional development programmes can and should have a key and distinctive role in developing and sharing innovative assessment practice. The argument is supported by drawing on series of seven principles and ideas, as well as a single-institution case study. Points and arguments are also supported with a range of theory, literature and examples, as well as the experience of the author in working on one programme of this type.
Beyond the Walls
Authors: Ulrich Catalina , Ciolan Lucian
Published: July 2016

Main goal of the chapter is to focus on project based learning (PjBL) as an effective learning and assessment method effectively used in higher education. Chapter provides an understanding of Romanian higher education contextual challenges, current pedagogy trends and specific examples to support the idea that PjBL leads to the type of authentic learning needed for nowadays students. Theoretical framework and examples are enriched by reflections on undergraduate and master degree students' perceptions on learning process and learning outcomes.
Conceptualizing a Real-Time Remote Cardiac Health Monitoring System
Authors: Page Alex , Hassanalieragh Moeen , Soyata Tolga , Aktas Mehmet K. , Kantarci Burak , Andreescu Silvana
Published: July 2016

In today's technology, even leading medical institutions diagnose their cardiac patients through ECG recordings obtained at healthcare organizations (HCO), which are costly to obtain and may miss significant clinically-relevant information. Existing long-term patient monitoring systems (e.g., Holter monitors) provide limited information about the evolution of deadly cardiac conditions and lack interactivity in case there is a sudden degradation in the patient's health condition. A standardized and scalable system does not currently exist to monitor an expanding set of patient vitals that a doctor can prescribe to monitor. The design of such a system will translate to significant healthcare savings as well as drastic improvements in diagnostic accuracy. In this chapter, we will propose a concept system for real-time remote cardiac health monitoring, based on available and emerging technologies today. We will analyze the details of such a system from acquisition to visualization of medical data.
Fuzzy Logic for Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Medical Thermogram Images
Authors: Kamath Surekha
Published: July 2016

In this chapter, how medical thermography can be utilized as early detection technique for breast cancer with fuzzy logic is explained. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women. This fact justifies researches to reach early diagnosis, improving patients' life expectancies. Moreover, there are other pathologies, such as cysts and benign neoplasms, that deserve investigation. In the last ten years, the infrared thermography has shown to be a promising technique to early diagnosis of breast pathologies. Works on this subject presented results that justify the thermography as a complementary exam to detect breast diseases. Various algorithms that can be utilized for Breast Cancer diagnosis utilizing medical thermography are listed and also the advantages of medical thermography over other imaging modalities is given.
Segmentation of Lung Nodules in CT Scan Data
Authors: Khalid Shehzad , Shaukat Anwar C. , Jameel Amina , Fareed Imran
Published: July 2016

Developing an effective computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for lung cancer is of great clinical importance and can increase the patient's chance of survival. For this reason, CAD systems for lung cancer have been investigated in a huge number of research studies. Several studies have shown the feasibility and robustness of automated matching of corresponding nodule pairs between follow up examinations. Different image pre-processing and segmentation techniques are used in various research sides to segment different tumors or ulcers from different images. This paper aims to make a review on the existing segmentation algorithms used for CT images of pulmonary nodules and presents a study of the existing methods on automated lung nodule detection. It provides a comparison of the performance of the existing approaches in regards to effective domain results.
Denoising Ultrasound Medical Images
Authors: Sastry A.S.C.S. , Kishore P.V.V. , Prasad Ch. Raghava , Prasad M.V.D.
Published: July 2016

Medical ultrasound imaging has revolutioned the diagnostics of human body in the last few decades. The major drawback of ultrasound medical images is speckle noise. Speckle noise in ultrasound images is because of multiple reflections of ultrasound waves from hard tissues. Speckle noise degrades the medical ultrasound images lessening the visible quality of the image. The aim of this paper is to improve the image quality of ultrasound medical images by applying block based hard and soft thresholding on wavelet coefficients. Medical ultrasound image transformation to wavelet domain uses debauchee's mother wavelet. Divide the approximate and detailed coefficients into uniform blocks of size 8×8, 16×16, 32×32 and 64×64. Hard and soft thresholding on these blocks of approximate and detailed coefficients reduces speckle noise. Inverse transformation to original spatial domain produces a noise reduced ultrasound image. Experiments on medical ultrasound images obtained from diagnostic centers in Vijayawada, India show good improvements to ultrasound images visually. Quality of improved images in measured using peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), image quality index (IQI), structural similarity index (SSIM).
Evaluations on the Applicability of Generic and Modular Image Processing Chains for Quantitative 3D Data Analysis in Clinical Research and Radiographer Training
Authors: Zwettler Gerald Adam , Backfrieder Werner
Published: July 2016

The introduction of digital imaging and diagnostics facilities has fundamentally changed radiology. Nevertheless, theory of digital image processing and analysis as well as their practical application are still only a subsidiary part in nowadays radiology technician curricula. This work focuses on the evaluation, to what extent the authors' simplified and standardized process model for applying image processing modules in generic domains is suited for radiographer students and medical staff, lacking deeper theoretical knowledge compared to physicians and imaging experts. The semi-automated image processing workflow thereby comprises region growing, live-wire segmentation and filtering steps, all available from MeVisLab prototyping framework. It is shown that the proposed imaging chain is highly applicable for analysis and facilitating medical diagnostics of arbitrary anatomical structures from tomographic data. After compact practical instruction, radiographer students are versed to achieve complex 3D analysis perfectly suited for quantitative analysis in clinical research typically only achievable by use of specialized software.
Promoting Critical Thinking for All Ability Levels in an Online English as a Second Language Course
Authors: Hadar Linor Lea , Genser Lynne
Published: July 2016

This study explores the development of critical thinking among undergraduate students in the context of an “English as a Second Language course”. A structured, online forum task demanding an increasing level of critical thinking was repeated four times during the year. Students' use of critical thinking skills was evaluated in terms of the variety of critical thinking skills and the number of times each skill was repeated. Two groups were compared: low advantage students versus average to high advantage students. Students of both ability groups improved their critical thinking in the three more concrete tasks and showed a decrease in the fourth more abstract task. While low advantage students started at a significantly lower level than the rest of the students, they reached the same level by the second critical thinking activity. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
Critical Thinking as a Multifaceted Phenomenon
Authors: Bednarikova Maria
Published: July 2016

The chapter deals with critical thinking (CT) theoretical modeling. CT is explained as a multifaceted phenomenon that should be examined systematically on interdisciplinary platform. The prototype of such a platform is that of cognitive sciences. The basic issues linked to an interdisciplinary research of CT are: relations between CT and language, logical and cognitive operations in the process of critical analysis, methods of CT and their anchoring in the methodology of science, the process of CT in relation to personal dispositions and attitudes, possibilities of development, and evaluation of CT within educational and learning processes. The possibilities of a CT development are specified in the scientific methodology classes where students are guided through propositional logic, towards the analysis of judgments and arguments so they are capable of drafting research papers that have explanatory and argumentative character. The mutual conditionality between the scientific methodology, the procedure of scientific research, and the basic thought operation of CT is stressed.
Advanced Approaches to Diagnose and Treat the Chronic Autoimmune Disorders
Authors: Sołtysiński Tomasz
Published: July 2016

Pathology and dynamics of particular cells and the molecular components of immune system is still challenging to be traced within living organisms. The techniques of molecular imaging (MI) are promising tools to monitor the immune system at work, to improve or allow personalized diagnostics and treatment, especially of the autoimmune diseases. In this study some possible targets for MI and biosensing are discussed. The personalized medicine, in addition to bioinformatics-based systemic approach, requires extensive research and novel high-throughput technologies like next generation of imaging, biosensing experimental systems based on microfluidics, nanotechnology, femtochemistry, superresolution (STED, STORM, PALM, SOFI, etc.), label-free imaging, spectroscopy (including TCSPC), MRI, multimodal optical methods, accoustic imaging through ultrasonic waves, nuclear medicine methods like SPECT and PET. Moreover, dedicated designs of modular Lab-on-Chip solutions are of high demand to perform multipurpose cell measurement and give a possibility to flexibly interact with sensed objects.
New Imaging and Computational Technology as a Guide for Catheter Ablation of Incessant Tachyarrhythmias
Authors: Pappone Carlo , Garzillo Carmine , Santinelli Vincenzo , Crisà Simonetta
Published: July 2016

Computational technology in the era of catheter ablation (RFA) has made it possible to experience relief from incessant atrial tachyarrhythmias (AT) by 3D electroanatomical mapping (EAM) systems. The Authors report the results of such technology in > 500 consecutive patients (57% males, mean age 56.9 years) with incessant refractory post-ablation left AT (mean cycle length 256 ms). Patients underwent electroanatomical-mapping systems, which combine electrophysiological and spatial information allowing accurate reconstruction of the whole atria with real-time activation sequence guiding RFA for continuous transmural linear lesions. Color-coded voltage and/or activation maps were successfully performed in all patients. Mapping distinguished clearly and rapidly between micro-macro-reentrant (>80%) and focal mechanisms. Acute success was obtained without major complications, with repeated procedures in about 5% of patients. EAM technology allows determining both mechanism and location of arrhythmia, ensuring successful elimination of complex arrhythmogenic substrates.
A Practical Application of TrimCloud
Authors: Gomez Beatriz Adriana , Evans Kailash
Published: July 2016

The current educational technologies in developing countries are not always successfully implemented and utilized due to infrastructure limitations, such as limited resources, limited training in educational technologies, and the unrealized potential usefulness of these technologies. Using an effective and relevant educational technology will efficiently maximize the use of the limited resources available to schools in developing countries in order to provide a larger outreach and increase access to up-to-date information and useful electronic resources. Thus, the authors propose TrimCloud as an alternative educational technology to help rebuild the education system and encourage innovation and development in developing countries. TrimCloud is an open-source virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) that is offered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) and a desktop-as-a-service (DaaS). In this paper, the authors examine possible solutions to issues plaguing the educational environment in developing countries by using TrimCloud at the primary, secondary, university/higher education, and administration levels. They propose the use of refurbished legacy systems as the alternative hardware source for using TrimCloud as an educational technology, which will also aid to alleviate the “e-waste dump” problem. Lastly, the authors explore further network enhancements to TrimCloud that will provide a reliable and robust option for developing countries.
A Generic, Multi-Period and Multi-Partner Cost Optimizing Model for Cloud-Based Supply Chain
Authors: Akyuz Goknur Arzu , Rehan Mohammad
Published: July 2016

Cloud technology in a multi-enterprise, collaborative context is one of the most promising topics at IT-Supply Chain (SC) intersection. Cloud comes with well-proven advantages and cost savings; enabling collaboration and business intelligence. Cloud transition is still on-going with individual enterprise-level transitions. However, collaborative paradigm dictates that entire network well-being is to be considered over enterprise-level concerns. Thus, handling the transition of a single enterprise is not sufficient for strategic network leverage. Planning and managing across multiple enterprises is required, taking into consideration various cost items and budget constraints. In this study, a multi-period multi-partner cost-optimizing model is developed for network-level management of cloud transition for a SC. The model produces an optimal transition plan, indicating timing of the transition for each partner to obtain the maximum cost savings across network over a specified planning horizon. The model proposed is generic, flexible and customizable for different sectors/settings.
A Satiated Method for Cloud Traffic Classification in Software Defined Network Environment
Authors: Mathur Mohit , Madan Mamta , Chaudhary Kavita
Published: July 2016

With the advent of new technologies like software defined networking, cloud computing and Internet of Things, everything needs to be redefined. Software Define Networking (SDN) is the latest approach and an emerging network technology that will bring a major change in the area of networking. Though SDN has been successfully applied to most of the networking area but traffic classification is the area where it is yet to be applied. With the high adoption of cloud services, the traffic on cloud increased rapidly. The technologies need to be clubbed together so that they can survive in the rapidly changing environment. The paper aims at addressing the cloud traffic classification using Differential Services Code Point (DSCP) marking in software defined network environment. This allows us to identify cloud traffic separately from other web services and helps its traffic flows to be provided with special treatment over other internet services. The paper aims to classify cloud traffic along with suggesting some marking schemes to prioritize cloud traffic using DSCP of IP header.
Semantic Technologies and Big Data Analytics for Cyber Defence
Authors: Leenen Louise , Meyer Thomas
Published: July 2016

The Governments, military forces and other organisations responsible for cybersecurity deal with vast amounts of data that has to be understood in order to lead to intelligent decision making. Due to the vast amounts of information pertinent to cybersecurity, automation is required for processing and decision making, specifically to present advance warning of possible threats. The ability to detect patterns in vast data sets, and being able to understanding the significance of detected patterns are essential in the cyber defence domain. Big data technologies supported by semantic technologies can improve cybersecurity, and thus cyber defence by providing support for the processing and understanding of the huge amounts of information in the cyber environment. The term big data analytics refers to advanced analytic techniques such as machine learning, predictive analysis, and other intelligent processing techniques applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends and other useful information. Semantic technologies is a knowledge representation paradigm where the meaning of data is encoded separately from the data itself. The use of semantic technologies such as logic-based systems to support decision making is becoming increasingly popular. However, most automated systems are currently based on syntactic rules. These rules are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the complexity of decisions required to be made. The incorporation of semantic information allows for increased understanding and sophistication in cyber defence systems. This paper argues that both big data analytics and semantic technologies are necessary to provide counter measures against cyber threats. An overview of the use of semantic technologies and big data technologies in cyber defence is provided, and important areas for future research in the combined domains are discussed.
Using an Ontology for Network Attack Planning
Authors: van Heerden Renier , Chan Peter , Leenen Louise , Theron Jacques
Published: July 2016

The modern complexity of network attacks and their counter-measures (cyber operations) requires detailed planning. This paper presents a Network Attack Planning ontology which is aimed at providing support for planning such network operations within the cyber domain. The amount of cyber information is increasing constantly and the time that information stays relevant and valuable in decreasing similarly. Thus semantic technologies can contribute towards the intelligent processing of information in this ever-changing environment. An ontology enables the representation of semantic information. In additional, automated reasoning can enrich the representation by inferring unknown relationships. The inferences that can be made with the automated reasoning capabilities of ontologies provide a unique insight into the relationships between network targets and attacks, compared to traditional databases.
Multi Response Optimization of WEDM Process on OHNS Die Steel Using ANN, SA and GA
Authors: Bose Goutam Kumar , Pain Pritam
Published: July 2016

In the present research work Oil Hardened Naturally Shrinking (OHNS) work-material which is commonly used in plastic industries is considered for machining by WEDM process. Four different control parameters are deliberated to study the effect on the responses like material removal rate, overcut and surface roughness. To reduce the total number of experiment, L27 orthogonal array is used. Analysis of Variance is applied to attain the significant process parameters affecting the responses. The effect of the responses with the control parameters is plotted through S/N ratio graphs. To find the effect of the parameters on the responses and thereby developing a mathematical model regression analysis is done. The response data are examined using artificial neural network. Single objective parametric combination for each response is obtained using simulated annealing. A multi response optimization for the responses is done initially by using genetic algorithm and finally by applying Grey relational analysis.
Optimizing the Friction Stir Spot Welding Parameters to Attain Maximum Strength in Dissimilar Joints of Aluminum and Carbon Steel
Authors: Manickam Sundaram , Balasubramanian Visvalingam
Published: July 2016

The present investigation is aimed at optimizing the friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process parameters such as tool rotational speed, plunge rate, dwell time and tool diameter ratio, to attain the maximum strength in dissimilar joints of AA6061 aluminum and carbon steel. Experiments were conducted according to the four factor, five level central composite rotatable design matrix. Strength of the joints was evaluated by means of single lap shear test. Optimization was done by response surface method (RSM). A maximum tensile shear fracture load (TSFL) of 9.46 kN was exhibited by a joint welded using following parameters: tool rotational speed of 1000 rpm, plunge rate of 4 mm/ min, dwell time of 5 sec and tool diameter ratio of 3.0.
Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Dysfunction: Concordance of Clinical Findings, Doppler Ultrasound Examination, and Shunt Venography
Authors: Owen Joshua M , Gaba Ron Charles
Published: July 2016

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the concordance between clinical symptoms, Doppler ultrasound (US), and shunt venography for the detection of stent-graft transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) dysfunction.

Materials and Methods:

Forty-one patients (M:F 30:11, median age 55 years) who underwent contemporaneous clinical exam, Doppler US, and TIPS venography between 2003 and 2014 were retrospectively studied. Clinical symptoms (recurrent ascites or variceal bleeding) were dichotomously classified as present/absent, and US and TIPS venograms were categorized in a binary fashion as normal/abnormal. US abnormalities included high/low (>190 or <90 cm/s) TIPS velocity, significant velocity rise/fall (>50 cm/s), absent flow, and return of antegrade intra-hepatic portal flow. Venographic abnormalities included shunt stenosis/occlusion and/or pressure gradient elevation. Clinical and imaging concordance rates were calculated.

Results:

Fifty-two corresponding US examinations and venograms were assessed. The median time between studies was 3 days. Forty of 52 (77%) patients were symptomatic, 33/52 (64%) US examinations were abnormal, and 20/52 (38%) TIPS venograms were abnormal. Concordance between clinical symptoms and TIPS venography was 48% (25/52), while the agreement between US and shunt venography was 65% (34/52). Clinical symptoms and the US concurred in 60% (31/52) of the patients. The sensitivity of clinical symptoms and US for the detection of venographically abnormal shunts was 80% (16/20) and 85% (17/20), respectively. Both clinical symptoms and the US had low specificity (25%, 8/32 and 50%, 16/32) for venographically abnormal shunts.

Conclusion:

Clinical findings and the US had low concordance rates with TIPS venography, with acceptable sensitivity but poor specificity. These findings suggest the need for improved noninvasive imaging methods for stent-graft TIPS surveillance.
The Metric Dimension of Circulant Graphs
Authors: Vetrík Tomáš
Published: July 2016

Abstract. A subsetWof the vertex set of a graphGis called aresolving setofGif for every pair of distinct verticesu,vofG, there isw∊Wsuch that the distance ofwanduis different from the distance ofwandv. The cardinality of a smallest resolving set is called the metric dimension ofG, denoted by dim(G). The circulant graphCn(1, 2, . . . ,t) consists of the verticesv0,v1, . . . ,vn−1and the edgesvivi+j, where 0 ≤i≤n− 1, 1 ≤j≤t(), the indices are taken modulon. Grigorious, Manuel, Miller, Rajan, and Stephen proved that dim(Cn(1, 2, . . . ,t)) ≥t+ 1 for, and they presented a conjecture saying that dim(Cn(1, 2, . . . ,t)) =t+p− 1 forn= 2tk+t+p, where 3 ≤p≤t+ 1. We disprove both statements. We show that ift≥ 4 is even, there exists an infinite set of values ofnsuch that dim(Cn(1, 2, . . . ,t)) =t. We also prove that dim(Cn(1, 2, . . . ,t)) ≤t+p/2 forn= 2tk+t+p, wheretandpare even,t≥ 4, 2 ≤p≤t, andk≥ 1.
Model–measurement comparison of functional group abundance in α-pinene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene secondary organic aerosol formation
Authors: Ruggeri Giulia , Bernhard Fabian A. , Henderson Barron H. , Takahama Satoshi
Published: July 2016

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed by α-pinene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene photooxidation under different NOx regimes is simulated using the Master Chemical Mechanism v3.2 (MCM) coupled with an absorptive gas–particle partitioning module. Vapor pressures for individual compounds are estimated with the SIMPOL.1 group contribution model for determining apportionment of reaction products to each phase. We apply chemoinformatic tools to harvest functional group (FG) composition from the simulations and estimate their contributions to the overall oxygen to carbon ratio. Furthermore, we compare FG abundances in simulated SOA to measurements of FGs reported in previous chamber studies using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. These simulations qualitatively capture the dynamics of FG composition of SOA formed from both α-pinene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene in low-NOx conditions, especially in the first hours after start of photooxidation. Higher discrepancies are found after several hours of simulation; the nature of these discrepancies indicates sources of uncertainty or types of reactions in the condensed or gas phase missing from current model implementation. Higher discrepancies are found in the case of α-pinene photooxidation under different NOx concentration regimes, which are reasoned through the domination by a few polyfunctional compounds that disproportionately impact the simulated FG abundance in the aerosol phase. This manuscript illustrates the usefulness of FG analysis to complement existing methods for model–measurement evaluation.
Variability of mineral dust deposition in the western Mediterranean basin
and south-east of France
Authors: Vincent Julie , Laurent Benoit , Losno Rémi , Bon Nguyen Elisabeth , Roullet Pierre , Sauvage Stéphane , Chevaillier Servanne , Coddeville Patrice , Ouboulmane Noura , di Sarra Alcide Giorgio , Tovar-Sánchez Antonio , Sferlazzo Damiano , Massanet Ana , Triquet Sylvain , Morales Baquero Rafael , Fornier Michel , Coursier Cyril , Desboeufs Karine , Dulac François , Bergametti Gilles
Published: July 2016

Abstract. Previous studies have provided some insight into the Saharan dust deposition at a few specific locations from observations over long time periods or intensive field campaigns. However, no assessment of the dust deposition temporal variability in connection with its regional spatial distribution has been achieved so far from network observations over more than 1 year. To investigate dust deposition dynamics at the regional scale, five automatic deposition collectors named CARAGA (Collecteur Automatique de Retombées Atmosphériques insolubles à Grande Autonomie in French) have been deployed in the western Mediterranean region during 1 to 3 years depending on the station. The sites include, from south to north, Lampedusa, Majorca, Corsica, Frioul and Le Casset (southern French Alps). Deposition measurements are performed on a common weekly period at the five sites. The mean dust deposition fluxes are higher close to the northern African coasts and decrease following a south–north gradient, with values from 7.4 g m−2 year−1 in Lampedusa (35°31′ N, 12°37′ E) to 1 g m−2 year−1 in Le Casset (44°59′ N, 6°28′ E). The maximum deposition flux recorded is of 3.2 g m−2 wk−1 in Majorca with only two other events showing more than 1 g m−2 wk−1 in Lampedusa, and a maximum of 0.5 g m−2 wk−1 in Corsica. The maximum value of 2.1 g m−2 year−1 observed in Corsica in 2013 is much lower than existing records in the area over the 3 previous decades (11–14 g m−2 year−1). From the 537 available samples, 98 major Saharan dust deposition events have been identified in the records between 2011 and 2013. Complementary observations provided by both satellite and air mass trajectories are used to identify the dust provenance areas and the transport pathways from the Sahara to the stations for the studied period. Despite the large size of African dust plumes detected by satellites, more than 80 % of the major dust deposition events are recorded at only one station, suggesting that the dust provenance, transport and deposition processes (i.e. wet vs. dry) of dust are different and specific for the different deposition sites in the Mediterranean studied area. The results tend to indicate that wet deposition is the main form of deposition for mineral dust in the western Mediterranean basin, but the contribution of dry deposition (in the sense that no precipitation was detected at the surface) is far from being negligible, and contributes 10 to 46 % to the major dust deposition events, depending on the sampling site.
Wind gust warning verification
Authors: Primo Cristina
Published: July 2016

Abstract. Operational meteorological centres around the world increasingly include warnings as one of their regular forecast products. Warnings are issued to warn the public about extreme weather situations that might occur leading to damages and losses. In forecasting these extreme events, meteorological centres help their potential users in preventing the damage or losses they might suffer. However, verifying these warnings requires specific methods. This is due not only to the fact that they happen rarely, but also because a new temporal dimension is added when defining a warning, namely the time window of the forecasted event. This paper analyses the issues that might appear when dealing with warning verification. It also proposes some new verification approaches that can be applied to wind warnings. These new techniques are later applied to a real life example, the verification of wind gust warnings at the German Meteorological Centre ("Deutscher Wetterdienst"). Finally, the results obtained from the latter are discussed.
Diatoms Si uptake capacity drives carbon export in coastal upwelling systems
Authors: Abrantes Fatima , Cermeno Pedro , Lopes Cristina , Romero Oscar , Matos Lélia , Van Iperen Jolanda , Rufino Marta , Magalhães Vitor
Published: July 2016

Abstract. Coastal upwelling systems account for approximately half of global ocean primary production and contribute disproportionately to biologically driven carbon sequestration. Diatoms, silica-precipitating microalgae, constitute the dominant phytoplankton in these productive regions, and their abundance and assemblage composition in the sedimentary record is considered one of the best proxies for primary production. The study of the sedimentary diatom abundance (SDA) and total organic carbon content (TOC) in the five most important coastal upwelling systems of the modern ocean (Iberia–Canary, Benguela, Peru–Humboldt, California, and Somalia–Oman) reveals a global-scale positive relationship between diatom production and organic carbon burial. The analysis of SDA in conjunction with environmental variables of coastal upwelling systems such as upwelling strength, satellite-derived net primary production, and surface water nutrient concentrations shows different relations between SDA and primary production on the regional scale. On the global scale, SDA appears modulated by the capacity of diatoms to take up silicic acid, which ultimately sets an upper limit to global export production in these ocean regions.
Biogeochemical protocols and diagnostics for the CMIP6 Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP)
Authors: Orr James C. , Najjar Raymond G. , Aumount Olivier , Bopp Laurent , Bullister John L. , Danabasoglu Gokhan , Doney Scott C. , Dunne John P. , Dutay Jean-Claude , Graven Heather , Griffies Stephen M. , John Jasmin G. , Joos Fortunat , Levin Ingeborg , Lindsay Keith , Matear Richard J. , McKinley Galen A. , Mouchet Anne , Oschlies Andreas , Romanou Anastasia , Schlitzer Reiner , Tagliabue Alessandro , Tanhua Toste , Yool Andrew
Published: July 2016

Abstract. The Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP) focuses on the physics and biogeochemistry of the ocean component of Earth System Models participating in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). OMIP aims to provide standard protocols and diagnostics for ocean models, while offering a forum to promote their common assessment and improvement. It also offers to compare solutions of the same ocean models when forced with reanalysis data (OMIP simulations) versus when integrated within fully coupled Earth System Models (CMIP6). Here we detail simulation protocols and diagnostics for OMIP's biogeochemical and inert chemical tracers. These passive-tracer simulations will be coupled online to ocean circulation models, initialized with observational data or output from a model spin up, and forced by repeating the 1948–2009 surface fluxes of heat, fresh water, and momentum. These so-called OMIP-BGC simulations include three inert chemical tracers (CFC-11, CFC-12, SF6 and biogeochemical tracers (e.g., dissolved inorganic carbon, carbon isotopes, alkalinity, nutrients, and oxygen). Modelers will use their preferred prognostic BGC model but should follow common guidelines for gas exchange and carbonate chemistry. Simulations include both natural and total carbon tracers. The required forced simulation (omip1) will be initialized with gridded observational climatologies. An optional forced simulation (omip1-spunup) will be initialized instead with BGC fields from a long model spin up, preferably for 2000 years or more and forced by repeating the same 62-year meteorological forcing. That optional run will also include abiotic tracers of total dissolved inorganic carbon and radiocarbon, CTabio and 14CTabio, to assess deep-ocean ventilation and distinguish the role of physics vs. biology. These simulations will be forced by observed atmospheric histories of the three inert gases and CO2 as well as carbon isotope ratios of CO2. OMIP-BGC simulation protocols are founded on those from previous phases of the Ocean Carbon-Cycle Model Intercomparison Project. They have been merged and updated to reflect improvements concerning gas exchange, carbonate chemistry, and new data for initial conditions and atmospheric gas histories. Code is provided to facililtate their implementation.
Calibrating a global three-dimensional biogeochemical ocean model (MOPS-1.0)
Authors: Kriest Iris , Sauerland Volkmar , Khatiwala Samar , Srivastav Anand , Oschlies Andreas
Published: July 2016

Abstract. Global biogeochemical ocean models contain a variety of different biogeochemical components and often much simplified representations of complex dynamical interactions, which are described by many (≈10–≈100) parameters. The values of many of these parameters are empirically difficult to constrain, due to the fact that in the models they represent processes for a range of different groups of organisms at the same time, while even for single species parameter values are often difficult to determine in situ. Therefore, these models are subject to a high level of parametric uncertainty. This may be of consequence for their skill with respect to accurately describing the relevant features of the present ocean, as well as their sensitivity to possible environmental changes. We here present a framework for the calibration of global biogeochemical ocean models on short and long time scales. The framework combines an offline approach for transport of biogeochemical tracers with an Estimation of Distribution Algorithm (Covariance Matrix Adaption Evolution Strategy, CMAES). We explore the performance and capability of this framework by five different optimizations of six biogeochemical parameters of a global biogeochemical model. First, a twin experiment explores the feasibility of this approach. Four optimizations against a climatology of observations of annual mean dissolved nutrients and oxygen determine the extent, to which different setups of the optimization influence model's fit and parameter estimates. Because the misfit function applied focuses on the large-scale distribution of inorganic biogeochemical tracers, parameters that act on large spatial and temporal scales are determined earliest, and with the least spread. Parameters more closely tied to surface biology, which act on shorter time scales, are more difficult to determine. In particular the search for optimum zooplankton parameters can benefit from a sound knowledge of maximum and minimum parameter values, leading to a more efficient optimization. It is encouraging that, although the misfit function does not contain any direct information about biogeochemical turnover, the optimized models nevertheless provide a better fit to observed global biogeochemical fluxes.