bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Computer Ownership and Usage as Predictors of Computer Literacy of South African Students
Authors: Blignaut Pieter , Dednam Engela , Nkalai Tlholohelo 
Published: December 2016

Most of our first-year students were born after 1995 and belong to the generation of “digital natives”. They are perceived as being comfortable with technology and active on social media for a large part of every day. However, students at the University of the Free State (ufs) come from diverse backgrounds and the typical characteristicsof their contemporaries do not necessarily apply to them.Students completed questionnaires about their experience with and exposure to various software applications before commencement of the first computer literacy module at the mentioned institution. Students’ performance in three formal assessments during the semester were used as dependent variable to determine whether prior ownership and exposure to computers gave them an advantage over their peers who did not have access to computers.Students owning a computer or who had access to someone else’s computer performed significantly better than those without access to a computer. The Internet andmsWord were found to be among the most used applications prior to entering a university, and they also proved to be predictive of the performance of students in a computer literacy module throughout the semester. The amount of usage did, however,not make any significant difference with regard to the students’ performance.
Role of Oceanic and Land Moisture Sources and Transport in the Seasonal and Interannual Variability of Summer Monsoon in India
Authors: Pathak Amey , Ghosh Subimal , Martinez J. Alejandro , Dominguez Francina , Kumar Praveen 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
Three key issues of moisture supply and Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) variability are discussed in the present work: identification of the oceanic and terrestrial sources of moisture; the extent to which each source affects the ISMR; and their individual contributions to the interannual variability of ISMR. The modified Dynamic Recycling Model, based on a Lagrangian trajectory approach, is used to estimate the relative contributions from 27 terrestrial and oceanic moisture source regions to the monsoon during 1979–2013. ERA-Interim data are used for the study. The results show that the ISMR is strongly influenced by the land–ocean–atmosphere interactions, and a significant fraction of atmospheric moisture to the ISMR comes from five main moisture sources: the western Indian Ocean (WIO), central Indian Ocean (CIO), upper Indian Ocean (UIO), Ganges basin (GB), and Red Sea and the neighboring gulf (RDG). The moisture flux from WIO is very high during the initial period of monsoon seasons. From the mid-monsoon season, the contribution from this moisture source decays and land sources through evapotranspiration (ET) become more active. Early decay of moisture contributions from the WIO and the GB is observed during weak monsoon years. El Niño years are associated with low contributions of moisture from all sources, whereas warm Indian Ocean years are associated with low moisture flux from the major sources except WIO. ISMR is characterized by the prolonged and increasing moisture supply from WIO during the first half of the monsoon along with contributions from GB during the end of season. The results are consistent across several reanalyses (CFSR, ERA-Interim, and MERRA).
Sea Level Fingerprints in a Region of Complex Earth Structure: The Case of WAIS
Authors: Hay Carling C. , Lau Harriet C. P. , Gomez Natalya , Austermann Jacqueline , Powell Evelyn , Mitrovica Jerry X. , Latychev Konstantin , Wiens Douglas A. 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
Sea level fingerprints associated with rapid melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) have generally been computed under the assumption of a purely elastic response of the solid Earth. The authors investigate the impact of viscous effects on these fingerprints by computing gravitationally self-consistent sea level changes that adopt a 3D viscoelastic Earth model in the Antarctic region consistent with available geological and geophysical constraints. In West Antarctica, the model is characterized by a thin (~65 km) elastic lithosphere and sublithospheric viscosities that span three orders of magnitude, reaching values as low as approximately 4 × 1018 Pa s beneath WAIS. Calculations indicate that sea level predictions in the near field of WAIS will depart significantly from elastic fingerprints in as little as a few decades. For example, when viscous effects are included, the peak sea level fall predicted in the vicinity of WAIS during a melt event will increase by about 20% and about 50%, relative to the elastic case, for events of duration 25 and 100 yr, respectively. The results have implications for studies of sea level change due to both ongoing mass loss from WAIS over the next century and future, large-scale collapse of WAIS on centennial-to-millennial time scales.
Interdecadal Changes in the Relationship between ENSO, EAWM, and the Wintertime Precipitation over China at the End of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Jia Xiaojing , Ge Jingwen 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
The current study investigates the interdecadal changes in the relationship between the winter precipitation anomalies in southeastern China, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) at the end of the twentieth century. It appears that the relationships between the interannual variability of the southeastern China winter precipitation and ENSO as well as EAWM are obviously weakened after 1998/99. The possible mechanisms accounting for this interdecadal change in the relationship have been examined by dividing the data into two subperiods [1980–98 (P1) and 1999–2015 (P2)]. The results indicate that, without the linear contribution of EAWM, ENSO only play a limited role in the variability of winter precipitation in southeastern China in both subperiods. In contrast, in P1, corresponding to an ENSO-independent weaker-than-normal EAWM, anomalous southerlies along coastal southeastern China associated with an anticyclone over the northwestern Pacific transport water vapor to China. However, in P2 the impact of EAWM on winter precipitation in southeastern China is weakened because of the regime shift of EAWM. The EAWM-related positive SLP anomalies over the North Pacific move eastward in P2, causing an eastward migration of the associated anomalous southerlies along its western flank and therefore cannot significantly contribute to the positive winter precipitation anomalies in southeastern China.
Understanding the Variations of the Length and the Seasonal Rainfall Anomalies of the Indian Summer Monsoon
Authors: Misra Vasubandhu , Bhardwaj Amit , Noska Ryne 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe canonical relationship between the length and the total seasonal rainfall anomalies of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) is the association of the longer (shorter) season with wetter (drier) seasonal rainfall anomalies. This study shows that such canonical behavior is clearly associated with relatively strong ENSO SST anomalies in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that appear in the boreal summer and fall seasons. The noncanonical relationship is caused by a longer (shorter) season associated with drier (wetter) ISM seasonal rainfall anomalies. A majority of these noncanonical seasons, with anomalously short season length but anomalously high seasonal mean rain, tend to occur under relatively weak La Niña forcing during the boreal summer season. Although the onset of such seasons occurs through canonical ENSO forcing of a large-scale meridional temperature gradient, the demise is dictated by the depletion of moist static energy from the underlying cooling of the upper ocean in the northern Indian Ocean. This is due to stronger meridional Ekman ocean heat transport forced by the stronger low-level atmospheric southwesterlies than those in the corresponding canonical wet ISM season.
Forecasting the Hydroclimatic Signature of the 2015/16 El Niño Event on the Western United States
Authors: Wanders N. , Bachas A. , He X. G. , Huang H. , Koppa A. , Mekonnen Z. T. , Pagán B. R. , Peng L. Q. , Vergopolan N. , Wang K. J. , Xiao M. , Zhan S. , Lettenmaier D. P. , Wood E. F. 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
Dry conditions in 2013–16 in much of the western United States were responsible for severe drought and led to an exceptional fire season in the Pacific Northwest in 2015. Winter 2015/16 was forecasted to relieve drought in the southern portion of the region as a result of increased precipitation due to a very strong El Niño signal. A student forecasting challenge is summarized in which forecasts of winter hydroclimate across the western United States were made on 1 January 2016 for the winter hydroclimate using several dynamical and statistical forecast methods. They show that the precipitation forecasts had a large spread and none were skillful, while anomalously high observed temperatures were forecasted with a higher skill and precision. The poor forecast performance, particularly for precipitation, is traceable to high uncertainty in the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) forecast, which appears to be related to the inability of the models to predict an atmospheric blocking pattern over the region. It is found that strong El Niño sensitivities in dynamical models resulted in an overprediction of precipitation in the southern part of the domain. The results suggest the need for a more detailed attribution study of the anomalous meteorological patterns of the 2015/16 El Niño event compared to previous major events.
The Effect of Stokes Drift and Transient Rip Currents on the Inner Shelf. Part I: No Stratification
Authors: Kumar Nirnimesh , Feddersen Falk 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThis is part one of a two-part study focused on Stokes drift and transient rip current (TRC) effects on the unstratified (this paper) and stratified (see Part II) inner shelf. A TRC-generating, wave-resolving model funwaveC is coupled to the 3D, wave-averaged wave and circulation model Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport (COAWST). Two simulations (R1 and R2) are performed on an unstratified inner shelf and surfzone with typical bathymetry and wave conditions. R1 is a COAWST-only simulation (no TRCs), while R2 has funwaveC–COAWST coupling (with TRCs). R2 and funwaveC vertical vorticity (eddy) statistics are similar, indicating that the model coupling accurately generates TRCs, with TRC-induced eddies out to four surfzone widths offshore. R1 has a two-layered, inner-shelf-to-surfzone-connected, mean Lagrangian circulation, while R2 has separate inner shelf and surfzone circulation cells. The R2, TRC-induced, cross-shore and vertical eddy velocities are stronger than the R1 or R2 mean Lagrangian velocity out to four surfzone widths offshore. The R2, inner-shelf, mean, vertical eddy diffusivity is an order of magnitude larger than R1 out to four surfzone widths offshore. Both R1 and R2 are in a Stokes–Coriolis balance at six surfzone widths offshore, as is R1 at three surfzone widths offshore. For R2, TRC-induced horizontal advection and vertical mixing dominate the cross-shore momentum dynamics at three surfzone widths offshore. The R2 surfzone and inner-shelf cross-shore exchange velocity is 2–10 times larger for R1 because of the TRC-induced stirring. Accurate, unstratified, inner-shelf simulations of pollution, larval, or sediment transport must include transient rip currents. In Part II, the effects of Stokes drift and TRCs on the stratified inner shelf are examined.
Local Sensitivities of the Gulf Stream Separation
Authors: Schoonover Joseph , Dewar William K. , Wienders Nicolas , Deremble Bruno 
Published: December 2016

AbstractRobust and accurate Gulf Stream separation remains an unsolved problem in general circulation modeling whose resolution will positively impact the ocean and climate modeling communities. Oceanographic literature does not face a shortage of plausible hypotheses that attempt to explain the dynamics of the Gulf Stream separation, yet a single theory that the community agrees on is missing. In this paper, the authors investigate the impact of the deep western boundary current (DWBC), coastline curvature, and continental shelf steepening on the Gulf Stream separation within regional configurations of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model. Artificial modifications to the regional bathymetry are introduced to investigate the sensitivity of the separation to each of these factors. Metrics for subsurface separation detection confirm the direct link between flow separation and the surface expression of the Gulf Stream in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. It is shown that the Gulf Stream separation and mean surface position are most sensitive to the continental slope steepening, consistent with a theory proposed by Melvin Stern in 1998. In contrast, the Gulf Stream separation exhibits minimal sensitivity to the presence of the DWBC and coastline curvature. The implications of these results to the development of a “separation recipe” for ocean modeling are discussed. This study concludes adequate topographic resolution is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for proper Gulf Stream separation.
A General-Purpose Microcontroller-Based Framework for Integrating Oceanographic Sensors, Instruments, and Peripherals
Authors: Laney Samuel R. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractSensors and instruments for basic oceanographic properties are becoming increasingly sophisticated, which both simplifies and complicates their use in field studies. This increased sophistication disproportionately affects smaller-scale observational efforts that are less likely to be well supported technically but which need to integrate instruments, sensors, and commonly needed peripheral devices in ways not envisioned by their manufacturers. A general-purpose hardware and software framework was developed around a widely used family of low-power microcontrollers to lessen the technical expertise and customization required to integrate sensors, instruments, and peripherals, and thus simplify such integration scenarios. Both the hardware and associated firmware development tools provide a range of features often required in such scenarios: serial data interfaces, analog inputs and outputs, logic lines and power-switching capability, nonvolatile storage of data and parameters for sampling or configuration, and serial communication interfaces to supervisory or telemetry systems. The microcontroller and additional components needed to implement this integration framework are small enough to encapsulate in standard cable splices, creating a small form factor “smart cable” that can be readily wired and programmed for a range of integration needs. An application programming library developed for this hardware provides skeleton code for functions commonly desired when integrating sensors, instruments, and peripherals. This minimizes the firmware programming expertise needed to apply this framework in many integration scenarios and thus streamlines the development of firmware for different field applications. Envisioned applications are in field programs where significant technical instrumentation expertise is unavailable or not cost effective.
A Conceptual Model for Development of Intense Pyrocumulonimbus in Western North America
Authors: Peterson David A. , Hyer Edward J. , Campbell James R. , Solbrig Jeremy E. , Fromm Michael D. 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
The first observationally based conceptual model for intense pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) development is described by applying reanalyzed meteorological model output to an inventory of 26 intense pyroCb events from June to August 2013 and a control inventory of intense fire activity without pyroCb. Results are based on 88 intense wildfires observed within the western United States and Canada. While surface-based fire weather indices are a useful indicator of intense fire activity, they are not a skillful predictor of intense pyroCb. Development occurs when a layer of increased moisture content and instability is advected over a dry, deep, and unstable mixed layer, typically along the leading edge of an approaching disturbance or under the influence of a monsoonal anticyclone. Upper-tropospheric dynamics are conducive to rising motion and vertical convective development. Mid- and upper-tropospheric conditions therefore resemble those that produce traditional dry thunderstorms. The specific quantity of midlevel moisture and instability required is shown to be strongly dependent on the surface elevation of the contributing fire. Increased thermal buoyancy from large and intense wildfires can serve as a potential trigger, implying that pyroCb occasionally develop in the absence of traditional meteorological triggering mechanisms. This conceptual model suggests that meteorological conditions favorable for pyroCb are observed regularly in western North America. PyroCb and ensuing stratospheric smoke injection are therefore likely to be significant and endemic features of summer climate. Results from this study provide a major step toward improved detection, monitoring, and prediction of pyroCb, which will ultimately enable improved understanding of the role of this phenomenon in the climate system.
Safety concerns and hidden agenda behind HPV vaccines: another generation of drug‐dependent society?
Authors: Khatami Mahin 
Published: December 2016

AbstractAnalyses of data and hidden agenda behind repeated failed outcomes of cancer research and therapy, status of American health, safety concerns for HPV vaccines and future research considerations are summarized in this commentary. A closer look at cancer science reveals that highly power structure (system) in medical establishment vs. anti‐system and chaos in cancer research (‘medical/scientific ponzi schemes’) is potent recipe for failed therapeutics that kills patients but generates huge corporate profit. American health status ranks last among other developed nations despite the highest amount that USA invests in healthcare. This is a wake‐up call to make sure that the evil part of human being does not prevent the health services that the public deserves. Otherwise, ‘it does not matter how many resources you have, if you don't know, or don't want to know, how to use them, they will never be enough’. Answer to cancer and improved public health is possible only by switching the current corruptive and abusive culture of ‘who you know’ to a culture of ‘what you know’. Policy makers and professionals in decision making roles are urged to return to common sense and logics that our Forefathers used to serve the public.
Self-regulation in the process of recovery from alcohol addiction according to Julius Kuhl’s theory
Authors: Bętkowska-Korpała Barbara , Olszewska Katarzyna 
Published: December 2016

Aim of the studyThe main aim of research is to analyse the dynamics of self-regulation functions in connection with the treatment of people addicted to alcohol. Another goal is to compare 2 groups after one year: those who maintained abstinence and who returned to addiction.Subject or material and methodsThe studies were designed as longitudinal with quasi-experimental procedure. The first measurement was performed in two-week time of treatment, the second at the end of the basic stage of the treatment and the third – after a year. The research was conducted in 12 centres in the group of 977 patients (M 76%, F 24%).ResultsIn ABS group, in Self-motivation, the change was statistically significant between the first and the second measurement. In Activation control in ABS group there was significant difference between the first and the second measurement, and the first and the third measurement. In nABS group the change was significant between the second and the third measurement.
After a year the difference between ABS and nABS groups was statistically significant.DiscussionThe research on self-regulation functions was conducted with SSI-K Inventory. Semi-structured interview was performed twice: at the beginning of the treatment and after one year to analyse the indicator of recovery. In the evaluation of the dynamics of self-regulation, ANOVA was used.ConclusionsTreatment and abstinence influence changes in self-regulation. The effects of these changes are observed in people who were maintaining abstinence in one-year period, which indicates their stronger ability to act according to their needs, facilitating the development of ‘Self’.
Validating a benchmarking tool for audit of early outcomes after operations for head and neck cancer
Authors: Tighe D , Sassoon I , McGurk M 
Published: December 2016

INTRODUCTION In 2013 all UK surgical specialties, with the exception of head and neck surgery, published outcome data adjusted for case mix for indicator operations. This paper reports a pilot study to validate a previously published risk adjustment score on patients from separate UK cancer centres. METHODS A case note audit was performed of 1,075 patients undergoing 1,218 operations for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma under general anaesthesia in 4 surgical centres. A logistic regression equation predicting for all complications, previously validated internally at sites A–C, was tested on a fourth external validation sample (site D, 172 operations) using receiver operating characteristic curves, Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness of fit analysis and Brier scores. RESULTS Thirty-day complication rates varied widely (34–51%) between the centres. The predictive score allowed imperfect risk adjustment (area under the curve: 0.70), with Hosmer–Lemeshow analysis suggesting good calibration. The Brier score changed from 0.19 for sites A–C to 0.23 when site D was also included, suggesting poor accuracy overall. CONCLUSIONS Marked differences in operative risk and patient case mix captured by the risk adjustment score do not explain all the differences in observed outcomes. Further investigation with different methods is recommended to improve modelling of risk. Morbidity is common, and usually has a major impact on patient recovery, ward occupancy, hospital finances and patient perception of quality of care. We hope comparative audit will highlight good performance and challenge underperformance where it exists.
Applications of the ‘Ham Sandwich Theorem’
to Eigenvalues of the Laplacian
Authors: Funano Kei 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
We apply Gromov’s ham sandwich method to get: (1) domain monotonicity (up to a multiplicative
constant factor); (2) reverse domain monotonicity (up to a multiplicative constant factor); and (3) universal
inequalities for Neumann eigenvalues of the Laplacian on bounded convex domains in Euclidean space.
Constant Distortion Embeddings of
Symmetric Diversities
Authors: Bryant David , Tupper Paul F. 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
Diversities are like metric spaces, except that every finite subset, instead of just every pair of points,
is assigned a value. Just as there is a theory of minimal distortion embeddings of fiite metric spaces into L1,
there is a similar, yet undeveloped, theory for embedding finite diversities into the diversity analogue of L1
spaces. In the metric case, it iswell known that an n-point metric space can be embedded into L1 withO(log n)
distortion. For diversities, the optimal distortion is unknown. Here, we establish the surprising result that
symmetric diversities, those in which the diversity (value) assigned to a set depends only on its cardinality,
can be embedded in L1 with constant distortion.