bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Occurrence and spatial pattern of water repellency in a beech forest subsoil
Authors: Bachmann Jörg , Krueger Jiem , Goebel Marc-O. , Heinze Stefanie 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Most recent studies on soil water repellency (WR) were limited to the humous topsoil or to shallow subsoil layers slightly below the main root zone to approximately 0.5 m depth. Hence, the main objective of the present study was to investigate the wettability pattern of a forest soil including the deeper subsoil. The selected site was a 100 years old beech forest on a well-drained sandy Cambisol in northern Germany which showed moderate to partly extended acidification. Results obtained from three sampling transects (3 m length, 2 m depth; sampling grid 8 × 8 samples per transect; minimum distance of sampling locations to nearest tree about 0.5 m) show that contact angles (CA) were always in the subcritical WR range (0° < CA < 90°). Significant impact of the tree distance on WR was not observed for any of the transects. A prominent feature of two transects was the minimum WR level (CA < 10°) for samples with soil organic carbon (SOC) contents around 0.25–0.4%. For the topsoils it was observed that CA increased with SOC content from that minimum to a maximum CA of 60–75° for transects 1 and 2 with mean pH values < 3.5. For transect 3 with slightly higher average pH close to 4.0, average CA of samples were always < 10° and showed no trend to increase with increasing SOC content or other soil parameters like N content or C/N ratio. Subsoil samples, however, behave differently with respect to SOC: for these samples, generally low in SOC, the CA increase with decreasing SOC occurred at all transects for approximately 50% of the samples but did not show any clear tendencies with respect to further parameters like texture, pH or N content. We conclude that the SOC content is the most prominent parameter determining wettability, either positively correlated with WR for topsoils or negatively correlated for subsoil samples very low in SOC. We finally conclude for moderately acid beech forest stands that emerging WR starts in the A horizon after reaching a pH lower than 3.5, whereas subsoil WR might appear already at higher pH values. Even SOC contents of ~0.01–0.02% turned out to be very effective in increasing the CA up to 70°, which points out clearly the importance of small amounts of soil organic matter in affecting subsoil wettability. With respect to site hydrology we conclude that ongoing acidification as well as predicted higher frequencies of extended droughts due to climate change will promote the occurrence of WR with corresponding implications for site and catchment hydrology.
Spatial patterns of wetting characteristics in grassland sandy soil
Authors: Orfánus Tomáš , Stojkovová Dagmar , Rajkai Kálmán , Czachor Henryk , Sándor Renáta 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
In grasslands where organic and inorganic resources are alternating at scales of individual plants, the transient character is given to certain wetting properties of soil, which then become highly variable both in space and in time. The objective of presented study was to study wetting pattern within two soil horizons at 5-cm and 10-cm depths respectively and to examine how the wetting patterns relate to hydraulic conductivity determined by Minidisc infiltrometer at suction −2 cm, K
(−2 cm). This characteristics is implicitly independent on antecedent soil water content (SWC) since it relates to steady infiltration phase but can be influenced by present soil water repellency (SWR). Field measurements were performed on July 27–28, 2010 on the grassland experimental site located near the village Sekule in Southwest Slovakia. The water drop penetration time (WDPT), SWC and tension Minidisc infiltration measurements were carried out on the 0.64 m2 plot in a regular 8 × 8 grid. The results showed that SWR and SWC influence each other and cause correlation between spatial patterns of studied soil wetting characteristics and between characteristics measured at the two soil depths. Further, it was found out, that calculation of K
(−2 cm) according to Zhang may cause apparent correlation of K
(−2 cm) with antecedent SWC, which is the artificial effect of sorptivity parameter in the equation on steady stage of infiltration process. This pseudocorrelation has disappeared after adopting of Minasny and McBratney (2000) approaches by calculation of K
(−2 cm).
Sap flow in response to rainfall pulses for two shrub species in the semiarid Chinese Loess Plateau
Authors: Jian Shengqi , Wu Zening , Hu Caihong , Zhang Xueli 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Rainfall pulses can significantly drive the evolution of the structure and function of semiarid ecosystems, and understanding the mechanisms that underlie the response of semiarid plants to rainfall is the key to understanding the responses of semi–arid ecosystems to global climatic change. We measured sap flow in the branches and stems of shrubs (Caragana korshinskii Kom. and Hippophae rhamnoides Linn.) using sap flow gauges, and studied the response of sap flow density to rainfall pulses using the “threshold–delay” model in the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results showed that the sap flow began about 1 h earlier, and increased twofold after rainfall, compared to its pre-rainfall value. The sap flow increased significantly with increasing rainfall classes, then gradually decreased. The response of sap flow was different among rainfall, species, position (branch and stem) during the pulse period, and the interactive effects also differed significantly (P < 0.0001). The response pattern followed the threshold–delay model, with lower rainfall thresholds of 5.2, 5.5 mm and 0.7, 0.8 mm of stem and branch for C. korshinskii and H. rhamnoides, demonstrating the importance of small rainfall events for plant growth and survival in semi–arid regions.
The importance of calibration parameters on the accuracy of the floods description in the Snyder’s model
Authors: Wałęga Andrzej 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Comparison of quality of Snyder’s model for determination flood waves was examination in this work. Model parameters were calibrated based on objective functions: percentage error in peak flow (PEPF), percentage error in volume (PEV), peak-weighted root mean square error (PWRMSE), sum of absolute residuals (SAR) and sum of squared residuals (SSR). Quality of model was calculating by Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient E. Additionally sensitivity of a model was characterized by its flexibility. The analyses were performed in the watershed of Grabinka. It has been found that the use PWRMSE as the objective function allows to obtain the best quality results of simulation. Furthermore, Snyder’s model is flexible to the change of Cp coefficient.
Water demand forecasting using extreme learning machines
Authors: Tiwari Mukesh , Adamowski Jan , Adamowski Kazimierz 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe capacity of recently-developed extreme learning machine (ELM) modelling approaches in forecasting daily urban water demand from limited data, alone or in concert with wavelet analysis (W) or bootstrap (B) methods (i.e., ELM, ELMW, ELMB), was assessed, and compared to that of equivalent traditional artificial neural network-based models (i.e., ANN, ANNW, ANNB). The urban water demand forecasting models were developed using 3-year water demand and climate datasets for the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. While the hybrid ELMBand ANNBmodels provided satisfactory 1-day lead-time forecasts of similar accuracy, the ANNWand ELMWmodels provided greater accuracy, with the ELMWmodel outperforming the ANNWmodel. Significant improvement in peak urban water demand prediction was only achieved with the ELMWmodel. The superiority of the ELMWmodel over both the ANNWor ANNBmodels demonstrated the significant role of wavelet transformation in improving the overall performance of the urban water demand model.
Assessment of the effect of reactive materials on the content of selected elements in Indian mustard grown in Cu-contaminated soils
Authors: Radziemska Maja , Jeznach Jerzy , Mazur Zbigniew , Fronczyk Joanna , Bilgin Ayla 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Zero-valent iron (ZVI) represent a promising agent for environmental remediation. The research was aimed to determine the influence of copper in doses of 0, 80, 150, 300, and 600 mg Cu·kg−1 of soil as well as ZVI, and lignite additives on the content of macroelements in the Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.). The average accumulation of analyzing elements in Indian mustard grown in copper contaminated soil were found to follow the decreasing order Mg > Na > P > Ca > K > N. Soil contamination at 600 mg Cu·kg−1 of soil led to the highest increase in P, Mg, N, and Ca content. The application of ZVI had a positive influence on the average phosphorus and potassium content of Indian mustard. Moreover, the application of ZVI and lignite had a positive influence on the average Mg and Ca content in the above-ground parts of Indian mustard. From the analyzed reactive materials, the application of lignite was shown to be the most effective resulting in the decrease in the average nitrogen and calcium content when compared to the control crop. Calcium content in plants from the control group, without the addition of zero-valent iron, and powered lignite (control), was positively correlated with increasing doses of copper.
Analysis of hydraulic load of a wastewater treatment plant in Jasło
Authors: Młyński Dariusz , Chmielowski Krzysztof , Młyńska Anna 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
The paper presents an analysis of hydraulic load in a wastewater treatment plant (WTP) in Jasło. The study was based on the records of daily sewage volume entering the treatment plant within a multi-year period of 2010–2014. The analysis took into account the average daily amount of incoming sewage, the maximum daily peaking factor for the incoming sewage, changes in the sewage volume depending on specific month and day of a week, and class intervals with the greatest frequency of occurrence.
The analysis revealed that the average daily volume of the sewage entering the WTP in Jasło in the investigated multi-year period was 13 045 m3·d−1. The amount of incoming sewage was variable, as evidenced by the maximum peaking factors of daily sewage inflow that ranged from 1.07 to 2.78, depending on a specific month. The sewage admission was the largest in March, May and June and on Saturdays. Sewage volume interval most often occurring at the WTP in Jasło was the one between 8 000 and 10 000 m3·d−1. The study results indicated that the facility was hydraulically underloaded.
Anodic polarization curves of austenitic steel Super304H in sulphuric acid solution
Authors: Chmela T. 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Polarization curves measured in a sufficiently aggressive environment (e.g. 0.5 mol dm−3 of H2SO4) may help to assess corrosion resistance of stainless steels. New phases precipitate in steel exposed long-term to high temperatures, which may affect the corrosion resistance. Potentiostatic polarization curves were measured on austenitic steel Super304H in a solution annealed state (from the producer) and in a state aged for 15 000 hours at temperatures of 650, 675 and 700 °C. The higher level of current density in passivity (worse corrosion resistance) was reported after aging at 650 °C.
Engineering Optical Activity of Semiconductor Nanocrystals via Ion Doping
Authors: Tepliakov Nikita V. , Baimuratov Anvar S. , Gun’ko Yurii K. , Baranov Alexander V. , Fedorov Anatoly V. , Rukhlenko Ivan D. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractControlling the strength of enantioselective interaction of chiral inorganic nanoparticles with circularly polarized light is an intrinsically interesting subject of contemporary nanophotonics. This interaction is relatively weak, because the chirality scale of nanoparticles is much smaller than the optical wavelength. Here we theoretically demonstrate that ion doping provides a powerful tool of engineering and enhances optical activity of semiconductor nanocrystals. We show that by carefully positioning ionic impurities inside the nanocrystals, one can maximize the rotatory strengths of intraband optical transitions, and make them 100 times larger than the typical rotatory strengths of small chiral molecules.
Predicting Hourly Traflc Noise from Traflc Flow
Rate Model: Underlying Concepts for the
DYNAMAP Project
Authors: Smiraglia M. , Benocci R. , Zambon G. , Roman H.E. 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
The DYNAMAP project aims at obtaining a dynamic
noise map of a large residential area such as the City
of Milan (Italy), by recording traffic noise from a limited
number of noise sensors. To this end,we perform a statistical
analysis of road stretches and group them into different
clusters showing a similar measured hourly traffic noise
behavior. In the sameway,we group simulated hourly traffic
flow rates and compare their compositions with those of
the traffic noise groups. The best agreement with the traffic
noise was found by using the so-called normal traffic
flow rate, yielding overlaps between 68 and 97%. Finally,
we derive a simple analytical model to predict the hourly
traffic noise from the simulated normal traffic flow, in very
good agreement with the measured values.
Generation and Content Validation of a Persian Syntax Comprehension Test
Authors: Mohamadi Reyhane , Alavije Majid Rafiee , Minayi Asghar , Modaresi Yahya , Dastjerdi Mehdi Kazemi , Ghaderi Mahdi 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Lack of formal tests for assessing Persian language proficiency is one of the main problems for speech and language pathologists in Iran. The purpose of this study was to generate an item pool for a syntax comprehension test based on the characteristics of the Persian language and Iranian culture, as well as the spoken variant for 4-6 years old native Persian speaking children. We first extracted 41 syntactic structures of Persian for the syntax comprehension test, of which 8 structures were excluded in the first phase. Then, 198 items were developed for the remaining 33 syntactic structures. To determine content validity, 14 experts assessed the structures and 12 experts expressed their views on the items. Content Validity Ratio (CVR) was calculated. 24 structures with CVR > 0.50 were selected. 107 items were selected based on their CVR value (CVR > 0.47). Eleven new items were regenerated to replace items with a CVR below 0.47. According to the results, the test turned out to have a good content validity.
Another Brick in the Whole. The Case-Law of the Court of Justice on Free Movement and Its Possible Impact on European Criminal Law
Authors: Mancano Leandro 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
European Union, and criminal, laws had been interacting in many ways even before explicit competence in criminal matters was acquired by the Union in the Treaty of Maastricht. Such intersections between supranational and national provisions have frequently been handled by the CJEU. In the main, the intervention of the Court is triggered by Member States’ recourse to penal sanctions in situations covered by EU law. In such cases, the CJEU is called upon to strike a complicated balance: it has to deal with Member States’ claims of competence in criminal law, whilst ensuring that that power is used consistently with EU law. By making reference to selected cases, this paper highlights the impact that principles established in the context of the fundamental freedoms can have on EU criminal law.
U.S. States’ fiscal constraints and effects on budget policies
Authors: Iannella Mario 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe article looks at fiscal constraints adopted by the U.S. States. It questions the ability of those rules to determine sound budgetary policies. To assess this point it analyses, in the general part, the major kind of constraints so far adopted. Of each major category the focus is upon institutional weaknesses that create the room for the adoption of circumventing practices. The following section focuses instead on three case studies, to show examples of the way in which the constraints influenced policy-making without mining the ability of government to adopt unbalanced budgetary policies. The weaknesses are combined with the adoption of a deferential approach by the Courts that generally legitimized the accounting devices adopted by the States. The outcome is a system in which budget policies are influenced by several factors that go beyond the institutional framework. On the other side, legal boundaries create distortions and unwanted effects in policies implemented by the States.
The Legitimacy of Discriminatory Disenfranchisement? The Impact of the Rules on the Right to Vote in the Bremain/Brexit Referendum
Authors: Tatham Allan F. 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
The Divisional Court of the Queen’s Bench Division of the England and Wales High Court handed down its decision on 20 April 2016 in the judicial review case of Shindler. This ruling confirmed that British citizens living in other EU Member States for more than 15 years remain barred from voting in the June 2016 referendum.
The case sparks further consideration of the voting rules in general and may therefore be of interest to others in considering questions of legitimacy in respect of the eventual outcome of the popular vote on 23 June. Unlike other states, the UK has no established rules on referendums and each such popular vote (and the franchise for it) is therefore treated on an ad hoc basis. Fears have been expressed that the government could manipulate the outcome of a referendum, particularly in determining a different franchise for each popular vote.
Towards joint reconstruction of noise and losses in quantum channels
Authors: Piacentini F. , Avella A. , Traina P. , Lolli L. , Taralli E. , Monticone E. , Rajteri M. , Fukuda D. , Degiovanni I. P. , Brida G. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe calibration of a quantum channel, i.e. the determination of the transmission losses affecting it, is definitely one of the principal objectives in both the quantum communication and quantum metrology frameworks. Another task of the utmost relevance is the identification, e.g. by extracting its photon number distribution, of the noise potentially present in the channel.Here we present a protocol, based on the response of a photon-number-resolving detector at different quantum efficiencies, able to accomplish both of these tasks at once, providing with a single measurement an estimate of the transmission losses as well as the photon statistics of the noise present in the exploited quantum channel.We show and discuss the experimental results obtained in the practical implementation of such protocol, with different kinds and levels of noise.
Weak-value amplification: state of play
Authors: Knee George C. , Combes Joshua , Ferrie Christopher , Gauger Erik M. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWeak values arise in quantum theory when the result of a weak measurement is conditioned on a subsequent strong measurement. The majority of the trials are discarded, leaving only very few successful events. Intriguingly those can display a substantial signal amplification. This raises the question of whether weak values carry potential to improve the performance of quantum sensors, and indeed a number of impressive experimental results suggested this may be the case. By contrast, recent theoretical studies have found the opposite: using weak-values to obtain an amplification generally worsens metrological performance. This survey summarises the implications of those studies, which call for a reappraisal of weak values’ utility and for further work to reconcile theory and experiment.
Critique of the culinary reason
Authors: Leone Massimo 
Published: May 2016

AbstractPresent-day economically developed societies devote unprecedented attention to food. The culinary discourse, in all its facets, gains increasing centrality in cultures. Institutions, media, and common people are obsessed with what they eat. In Italy, a country already aware of itself with regards to food, gastronomy turns into the main concern, the most debated and cared of system of norms. Social phenomena like Slow Food and Zero Kilometer originate in Italy and then conquer the world, claiming that improving the quality of food is the way for a better planet. But what is the deep cultural meaning of this massive trend? What lies behind the culinary reason? Aesthetic neutralization of socioeconomic conflicts, chauvinistic marketing of stereotypes, and anti-intellectual subversion of sensorial hierarchies, the article contends.
Positive semidefiniteness of estimated
covariance matrices in linear models for
sample survey data
Authors: Haslett Stephen 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Descriptive analysis of sample survey data estimates means, totals and their variances in a design
framework. When analysis is extended to linear models, the standard design-based method for regression parameters
includes inverse selection probabilities as weights, ignoring the joint selection probabilities. When
joint selection probabilities are included to improve estimation, and the error covariance is not a diagonal
matrix, the unbiased sample based estimator of the covariance is the Hadamard product of the population
covariance, the elementwise inverse of selection probabilities and joint selection probabilities, and a sample
selection matrix of rank equal to the sample size. This Hadamard product is however not always positive
definite, which has implications for best linear unbiased estimation. Conditions under which a change in
covariance structure leaves BLUEs and/or BLUPs are known. Interestingly, this class of “equivalent” matrices
for linear models includes non-positive semi-definite matrices. The paper uses these results to explore how
the estimated covariance from the sample can be modified so that it meets necessary conditions to be positive
semidefinite, while retaining the property that fitting a linear model to the sampled data yields the same
BLUEs and/or BLUPs as when the original Hadamard product is used.
The crystal structure of a fluorine-dominant titanium calcium amphibole from the Eifel paleovolcanic area, Germany
Authors: Aksenov Sergey M. , Chukanov Nikita V. 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
A new fluorine-dominant titanium calcium amphibole (FTCA) was found in alkali basalts of the Rothenberg volcano situated in the Eifel paleovolcanic region, Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), Germany. The empirical formula based on 24 (O+F) atoms is (Na0.65K0.30)(Ca1.95Na0.05)(Mg3.36Fe3+
0.87Fe2+
0.13Ti0.60)(Si5.92Al2.08)O22(F1.11O0.89). The crystal structure has been studied based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The monoclinic unit-cell parameters are: a=9.8684(2) Å, b=18.0457(3) Å, c=5.3113(1) Å, β=105.543(3)°; space group C2/m. The structure was refined to R=3.39% in anisotropic approximation using 3661F>4σF. The studied mineral is the first representative of F-dominant amphiboles with
C
Ti>0.5. It is considered as a F-dominant analogue of ferri-kaersutite NaCa2[Mg3Fe3+Ti](Si6Al2O22)O2.
Exact Solutions for Stokes’ Flow of a Non-Newtonian Nanofluid Model: A Lie Similarity Approach
Authors: Aziz Taha , Aziz A. , Khalique C.M. 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
The fully developed time-dependent flow of an incompressible, thermodynamically compatible non-Newtonian third-grade nanofluid is investigated. The classical Stokes model is considered in which the flow is generated due to the motion of the plate in its own plane with an impulsive velocity. The Lie symmetry approach is utilised to convert the governing nonlinear partial differential equation into different linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The reduced ordinary differential equations are then solved by using the compatibility and generalised group method. Exact solutions for the model equation are deduced in the form of closed-form exponential functions which are not available in the literature before. In addition, we also derived the conservation laws associated with the governing model. Finally, the physical features of the pertinent parameters are discussed in detail through several graphs.