bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Verification of the elastic material characteristics of Norway spruce and European beech in the field of shear behaviour by means of digital image correlation (DIC) for finite element analysis (FEA)
Authors: Milch Jaromír , Brabec Martin , Sebera Václav , Tippner Jan 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) samples were loaded in shear mode aimed at testing their elastic material characteristics applicable in finite element analysis (FEA). More precisely, experimental and numerical analyses of uniaxial tensile test parallel to grain in longitudinal-radial (LR) or longitudinal-tangential (LT) shear of plane are described. The elastic material models in the FEA are based on own experimental data and those of the literature. The verification of material characteristics was performed by 3D numerical models with the same parameters as for the experimental tests. The fully orthotropic elastic material model was applied in the uniaxial tensile tests. The digital image correlation (DIC) method served for verification of the numerical models with proposed elastic material characteristics. Good correlation was found between numerically predicted and experimentally measured data. The minor differences between the two data sets could be mainly attributed to certain natural wood characteristics, which were neglected in the proposed models, i.e. especially variation of earlywood and latewood density. The proposed elastic material models offer general data sets for the evaluation of mechanical response of timber structures and especially in timber connexions.
Power to the People: An Inverse Role in Nigeria’s Politics and Governance
Authors: Onyemekara Emecheta Kingsley Onyemekara 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
An attempt to contextualize the political power structure in Nigeria exposes an orientation and practice that directly negates the democratic norm of power belonging to the people. Today, power belongs entirely to government officials who use it to advance the course of their political and economic interests. The people are thus, subjected to the point and path of complete alienation from the demands and benefits of their democratic citizenship. Given the weakness of the rule of law and institutions of check in Nigeria, established statutes and legislation have not been able to stand tall to relevance in dislodging the hegemony of the ruling elites as is evident in our case study-Imo State. This has since 1999, propped up a telling political effect, which also spirals to the arena of development, and quakes the stability of the state, and the nation at large. The paper examines the current domiciliation of political power, its potential effect on the people, and on service delivery in the country. A case is made for recovery of power for the people and reasserting the law as a balancing force and as means of providing check against breach of constitutionally prescribed political power structure and configuration.
Wi-Fi location fingerprinting using an intelligent checkpoint sequence
Authors: Retscher Günther , Hofer Hannes 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
For Wi-Fi positioning location fingerprinting is very common but has the disadvantage that it is very labour consuming for the establishment of a database (DB) with received signal strength (RSS) scans measured on a large number of known reference points (RPs). To overcome this drawback a novel approach is developed which uses a logical sequence of intelligent checkpoints (iCPs) instead of RPs distributed in a regular grid. The iCPs are the selected RPs which have to be passed along the way for navigation from a start point A to the destination B. They are twofold intelligent because of the fact that they depend on their meaningful selection and because of their logical sequence in their correct order. Thus, always the following iCP is known due to a vector graph allocation in the DB and only a small limited number of iCPs needs to be tested when matching the current RSS scans. This reduces the required processing time significantly. It is proven that the iCP approach achieves a higher success rate than conventional approaches. In average correct matching results of 90.0% were achieved using a joint DB including RSS scans of all employed smartphones. An even higher success rate is achieved if the same mobile device is used in both the training and positioning phase.
Object tracking with robotic total stations: Current technologies and improvements based on image data
Authors: Ehrhart Matthias , Lienhart Werner 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
The importance of automated prism tracking is increasingly triggered by the rising automation of total station measurements in machine control, monitoring and one-person operation. In this article we summarize and explain the different techniques that are used to coarsely search a prism, to precisely aim at a prism, and to identify whether the correct prism is tracked. Along with the state-of-the-art review, we discuss and experimentally evaluate possible improvements based on the image data of an additional wide-angle camera which is available for many total stations today. In cases in which the total station’s fine aiming module loses the prism, the tracked object may still be visible to the wide-angle camera because of its larger field of view. The theodolite angles towards the target can then be derived from its image coordinates which facilitates a fast reacquisition of the prism. In experimental measurements we demonstrate that our image-based approach for the coarse target search is 4 to 10-times faster than conventional approaches.
The degradation efficiency and mechanism of meclofenamic acid in aqueous solution by UV irradiation
Authors: Li Jian , Zhou Huihui , Chen Rong , Yu Tingchao , Ye Miaomiao 
Published: February 2017

Abstract:The photodegradation of meclofenamic acid (MCFA) was investigated using UV irradiation process. Parameters affecting the photodegradation process such as dissolved oxygen, reaction temperature, solution pH, initial MCFA concentration, humic acid, cations and anions were carried out. The intermediate products were identified by HPLC-MS analysis, and a tentative photodegradation pathway of MCFA was proposed. Results show that the photodegradation of MCFA can be modeled by the first-order kinetics. The photodegradation efficiency increases with the decreased concentration of humic acid or the decreased initial MCFA concentration, while the reaction temperature and the inorganic ions have no significant effect on the MCFA removal. It has found that the optimal initial solution pH for MCFA degradation is about 7.0. Finally, the HPLC-MS results reveal that the Cl atom in the MCFA molecule would form Cl
Elimination of organic micro-contaminants in municipal wastewater by a combined immobilized biomass reactor and solar photo-Fenton tertiary treatment
Authors: Prieto-Rodríguez L. , Oller I. , Agüera A. , Malato S. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractMunicipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs) have become one of the main sources of water for potential reuse. However, some pharmaceuticals, pesticides, hormones and others organics escape conventional wastewater treatments, and therefore, new technologies must be applied to overcome the problem. This article presents an efficient alternative that combines an aerobic immobilized biomass reactor (IBR) with a solar photo-Fenton process as a tertiary treatment. Real municipal wastewater was treated in the IBR system in batch and continuous modes. Micro-pollutants were monitored by using an advanced analytical procedure consisting of pre-concentration of samples by solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Results were compared with those observed in the MWTP secondary conventional activated sludge treatment. Effluents from the IBR, operating at the maximum treatment capacity, were treated in a previously optimized solar photo-Fenton pilot plant as a tertiary treatment to entirely eliminate remnant micro-pollutants.
An Analysis of Revenue Maximising Efficiency of Public Sector Banks in the Post-Reforms Period
Authors: Singh Ombir , Bansal Sanjeev 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
The paper investigates and compares the performance of the Indian public sector banks (PSBs) based on revenue maximising efficiency in the deregulation period from 2001-02 to 2012-13. Several efficiency estimates viz., overall technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency of individual banks are calculated using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The empirical findings indicate the presence of managerial and scale inefficiencies in the operation of the most of the PSBs. Applying the Tobit regression analysis, the paper also assesses the impact of different environmental factors, like profitability, the level of non-performing assets, size etc. on the efficiency of PSBs. It is observed that banks with high profitability, low level of non-performing assets, and relatively larger size are more technically efficient.
Globalization and Inclusive Human Development in Africa
Authors: Asongu Simplice , Nwachukwu Jacinta 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
This study extents the literature on responses to a recent World Bank report on the African poverty tragedy by assessing the effect of globalisation on inclusive human development in 51 African countries for the period 1996–2011. Political, economic, social and general globalisation variables are used. The empirical evidence is based on Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) and Instrumental Quantile Regressions (IQR). While estimated coefficients are not significant in GMM results, for IQR, globalisation positively affects inclusive human development and the favourable effect is higher in countries with high initial levels of inclusive development. The main economic implication is that in the post-2015 development agenda, countries would benefit more from globalisation by increasing their levels of inclusive development.
On Witold Lutosławski’s Artistic Self-Awareness. A Survey of Very Recent Research
Authors: Skowron Zbigniew 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
This paper presents the results of the most recent research concerning Witold Lutosławski’s artistic self-awareness, based on critical source editions of Lutosławski’s writings (publ. 2007–08). In the first part I discuss the edition of the composer’s ‘official’ writings contained in the collection Lutosławski on Music. These writings provide us with knowledge of the key elements of Lutosławski’s compositional technique and aesthetic principles, his attitude towards new music, and also to various problems of contemporary music culture in Poland and abroad. The second part of the article concerns Lutosławski’s notes contained in what is known as the Notebook of Ideas. Written in a characteristically personal tone, they illustrate the transformation of the composer’s artistic self-awareness that took place in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, when Lutosławski’s individual musical language was taking shape. The Notebook of Ideas sheds light, amongst other things, on the circumstances of composing Jeux vénitiens – the first work that puts into practice Lutosławski’s vision of twelve-tone harmony and controlled aleatorism.
TV Sports Viewers – Who Are They?
Authors: Solberg Harry Arne , Hammervold Randi 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis article reports on empirical data from Norway which indicates that popular sports contests are also popular TV programmes. Individual sports, such as biathlon and cross-country skiing headed the popularity list, while football and ski-jumping came joint third. However, although football (only) came third, a higher proportion of football fans were willing to pay for watching it on TV than fans of other sports. This can explain why football has been the most successful sport pay-TV in Europe. Those interested in football were more interested in cultivating their favourite teams/athletes than fans of other sports. The analysis also indicates that the uncertainty of outcome is not as important for peoples’ interest in sport as the literature in sport economics has argued.
The Mediatization of Society
Authors: Hjarvard Stig 
Published: February 2017

AbstractUsing mediatization as the key concept, this article presents a theory of the influence media exert on society and culture. After reviewing existing discussions of mediatization by Krotz (2007), Schulz (2004), Thompson (1995), and others, an institutional approach to the mediatization process is suggested. Mediatization is to be considered a double-sided process of high modernity in which the media on the one hand emerge as an independent institution with a logic of its own that other social institutions have to accommodate to. On the other hand, media simultaneously become an integrated part of other institutions like politics, work, family, and religion as more and more of these institutional activities are performed through both interactive and mass media. The logic of the media refers to the institutional and technological modus operandi of the media, including the ways in which media distribute material and symbolic resources and make use of formal and informal rules.
The New Wave of Pragmatism in Communication Studies
Authors: Bergman Mats 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis article examines two recent discussions of pragmatism in the field of communication and media studies: Chris Russill’s reconstruction of a pragmatist tradition based on the theories of William James and John Dewey, and Mike Sandbothe’s neopragmatist design for media philosophy. The main contention of the article is that Russill and Sandbothe advocate an unnecessarily narrow conception of pragmatist thought, one that tends to exclude the contribution of Charles S. Peirce, the founder of pragmatism. After the presentation of Russill’s and Sandbothe’s positions, the article attempts to meet their explicit and implicit criticisms of Peircean pragmatism. More specifically, it is shown that Peirce does not advocate “transcendental universalism”. In conclusion, the article argues that his broad conception of experience is preferable to the radical empiricism of James, and that Peircean habit-realism is not only compatible with Dewey’s pragmatism, but may in fact provide the most fertile starting-point for pragmatist communication inquiry.
Rethinking Cyberreligion?
Authors: Lövheim Mia 
Published: February 2017

AbstractSince the coming of the Internet scholars have been discussing its implications for the future of religion. With its high levels of Internet use and low levels of religious practice Sweden represents an interesting case for studying these issues. This article presents findings from the first online survey of Swedish teenager’s use of the Internet for religious purposes, conducted at one of the largest social networking sites LunarStorm. The results show that more young people seem to come into contact with religion via the Internet than through local religious communities. However, the findings also challenge several early expectations about the Internet as a new arena for religion in contemporary society. Thus the article initiates a critical discussion of what conclusions may be drawn from these results, and where future research on young people, religion and the Internet should be directed.
When will the Daybreak Come?
Authors: Orgeret Kristin Skare 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Popular musical expressions are important for discourses of citizenship and belonging. Focusing on popular music and political processes in Ethiopia today, this discussion uses Tewodros Kassahun aka Teddy Afro’s music as an example. Teddy Afro is a popular voice challenging the prevailing political discourse in Ethiopia. Several of Afro’s songs have been banned by the government on radio and television in Ethiopia, but are found to provide alternative sites of political and cultural resistance to the autocratic regime. Reasons for censorship are discussed as well as how music can provide alternative sites of resistance. The findings show that oppressing political expressions may not always kill the ideas, as they may find alternative arenas in the face of obstacles.
Popular Cultural Memory
Authors: Kukkonen Karin 
Published: February 2017

AbstractConventions of genres, types and icons of popular culture are the shared knowledge of media audiences. Becoming acquainted with them through the reception of media texts resembles a socialisation process in its own right: It constitutes a community of media readers. The context knowledge they share is their popular cultural memory. On the level of the individual reading process, this context knowledge then provides the necessary guiding lines for understanding the connotative dimensions of a popular media text.Popular cultural memory is a repository of conventions and imagery that are continually reconstructed in contemporary popular culture. Drawing on J. Assmann’s writings on the functions and processes of collective memory, the present article develops popular cultural memory as a concept to describe the workings of context knowledge for media texts, while taking into consideration both the macrolevel of audience communities and the microlevel of the individual reading process.The comics series Fables by Bill Willingham (NY: DC Comics Vertigo, 2003-) will provide the example through which the article explores the functions of popular cultural memory in media texts, which can take shapes as different as the identification of genre, the stabilisation of intertextual reference chains or the creation of round characters and complex reflexivity.
The Othering of Islam in a European Context
Authors: Creutz-Kämppi Karin 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Media representations of Islam mostly appear in the Finnish media in connection with events in other parts of the world. In this context, Islam is often treated as something distant and ascribed the role of the Other. These representations function as definers for collective categorizations, having an impact on which categories for self-identifications are relevant in specific cases. The aim of the present article is to discuss othering discourses on Islam in Swedish-language dailies in Finland on the basis of the debate following the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. These discourses build upon a broader tradition of othering and have a great deal in common with medieval representations, thus the othering of Islam in a historical perspective is also briefly discussed.
Mobile Visual Communication
Authors: Villi Mikko 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn this article I will elucidate the concept of photo messaging, and examine camera phones in the context of communication and photography. Camera functions are nowadays a popular add-on to the mobile (cellular) phone. Users can send photographs directly from the phone as photo messages. Findings suggest that the ubiquitous camera phone, and photo messaging, may substantially change the ways in which people use personal photography. The imaging capacity of mobile phones is becoming a potential part of perpetual visual contact. Thus taking and sending photographs on a camera phone represents a new resource for visual communication.
Municipal Websites in the Local Public Debate
Authors: Winsvold Marte 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
The proliferation of digital communication spaces is expected to have the paradoxical effect of both enhancing pluralism as well as causing a fragmentation of the public political debate. The question addressed in this paper concerns the position of one such space of communication in the local public debate - municipal websites. Four Norwegian municipalities are studied, and the role of their websites is assessed by evaluating the visibility and the extent to which the contents of these websites affect the agenda of the local media. The study indicates that even though the municipal websites are not particularly visible to the citizens, they still influence the public political agenda by being a source of information to the press. As the communication taking place on the municipal websites spills over to the media and thereby reaches the majority of the citizens, the websites can not be said to lead to a fragmentation of the public debate. Whether or not the websites contribute to the pluralism of the public debate is however uncertain.
The Intermedial Practises of Fandom
Authors: Nikunen Kaarina 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe article1discusses formations of fan cultures in terms of intermediality. It examines the construction and consumption of media in three different Finnish fan groups: the fans of Xena: The Warrior Princess (XWP), fans of Ally McBeal and the fans of Finnish TV-host Marco Bjurström. The construction of intermedial relations of each fan group interestingly reveals the institutional and technological spaces of shaping the pleasures of media.The intermedial relations of researched fan groups vary according to a traditional use of media to a use of new media. The intermedial relations in XWP fan culture were produced mainly between television and the Internet. This intermedial connection provided space for fans’ self-definition, community and fan production. Intermedial relations in the case of Ally McBeal were encouraged by the media companies between television and tabloid papers as well as between television and the Internet depicting the show as topical and trendy. However audiences were mostly engaged with only television and Ally McBeal didn’t nurture multiple uses of media. Again in the case of Bjurström, the relation between television and tabloids and the particular portrait type of media coverage constructs this fandom as a traditional star-fan relationship.
Shallow and Static or Deep and Dynamic?
Authors: Engebretsen Martin 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
The Scandinavian countries are top ranked with regard to Internet access and general interest in news reading. Are they also showing the way for journalistic development through their utilization of new media technology?
The article offers results from an empirical study of 12 major, Scandinavian news sites, examining both the journalistic content and the presentation formats of 95 online news stories. Comparisons are made between print and online versions of news stories, and between paper-based sites and TV-based sites. The study concludes that the potentials of creating a more broad-spectre, user-controlled, dynamic and dialogic form of journalism are utilized only to a very modest degree - or not at all. On the other hand, the idea of online news being mere “shovel-ware”, recycled from a sibling newspaper or collected from external news agencies, is not to be fully trusted. The article also offers a conceptual framework for description and explanation of mass media genre development, based on social semiotic theory.
City Branding – All Smoke, No Fire?
Authors: Stigel Jørgen , Frimann Søren 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Successful corporate branding requires that questions related to communication, publicity, and organizational structures are addressed. An uncritical adoption of approaches known from traditional product branding will inevitably give problems as the properties of tangible commodities and services with their relatively concrete dimensions are absent when the main question is one of values.
Furthermore, when the relatively straightforward identification and power structures of corporations and consumers are replaced by the more diversified structures of city government, their populations, and potential visitors, problems seem to multiply in what has become known as city branding.
This analysis of the communicational aspects of two Danish provincial towns’ branding efforts examines both their internally and externally directed communication. It demonstrates that an insufficient understanding of - or willingness to face - these differences will inevitably hamper such branding efforts because of the consequential inconsistencies.
Finally, paths to more effective city branding are indicated.