Rainfall variability drives interannual variation in N2O emissions from a humid, subtropical pasture

Variations in interannual rainfall totals can lead to large uncertainties in annual N2O emission budget estimates from short term field studies. The interannual variation in nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from a subtropical pasture in Queensland, Australia, was examined using continuous measurements of automated chambers over 2 consecutive years. Nitrous oxide emissions were highest during the summer months and were highly episodic, related more to the size and distribution of rain events than soil water content. Over 48% of the total N2O emitted was lost in just 16% of measurement days. Interannual variation in annual N2O estimates was high, with cumulative emissions increasing with decreasing rainfall. Cumulative emissions averaged 1826.7 ± 199.9 g N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 over the two year period, though emissions from 2008 (2148 ± 273 g N2O-N ha−1 yr−1) were 42% higher than 2007 (1504 ± 126 g N2O-N ha−1 yr−1). This increase in annual emissions coincided with almost half of the summer precipitation from 2007 to 2008. Emissions dynamics were chiefly driven by the distribution and size of rain events which varied on a seasonal and annual basis. Sampling frequency effects on cumulative N2O flux estimation were assessed using a jackknife technique to inform future manual sampling campaigns. Test subsets of the daily measured data were generated for the pasture and two adjacent land-uses (rainforest and lychee orchard) by selecting measured flux values at regular time intervals ranging from 1 to 30 days. Errors associated with weekly sampling were up to 34% of the sub-daily mean and were highly biased towards overestimation if strategically sampled following rain events. Sampling time of day also played a critical role. Morning sampling best represented the 24 hour mean in the pasture, whereas sampling at noon proved the most accurate in the shaded rainforest and lychee orchard.

Implementing a holistic process for embedding sustainability: A case study in first year engineering, Monash University, Australia

While there is clear recognition of the need to incorporate sustainable development into university curricula, there is limited research that examines how to achieve that integration or evaluates its impacts on student learning. This paper responds to these knowledge gaps through a case study of curriculum renewal that involved embedding sustainability into a first year engineering curriculum. The initiative was guided by a deliberative and dynamic model for curriculum renewal that brought together internal and external stakeholders through a structured sequence of facilitated workshops and meetings. That process identified sustainability-related knowledge and skills relevant for first year engineering, and faculty members teaching in the first year program were guided through a process of curriculum renewal to meet those needs. The process through which the whole of curriculum renewal was undertaken is innovative and provides a case study of precedent in the field of education for sustainability. The study demonstrates the contribution that can be made by a web-based sustainability portal in supporting curriculum renewal. Learning and teaching outcomes were evaluated through ‘before and after surveys’ of the first year engineering students. Statistically significant increases in student's self-reported knowledge of sustainability were measured as a result of exposure to the renewed first year curriculum and this confirmed the value of the initiative in terms of enhancing student learning. While applied in this case to engineering, the process to achieve integration of sustainability into the curriculum approach is likely to have value for other academic disciplines. Considering student performance on assignments and exam questions relating to sustainability would provide a stronger basis for future research to understand the impact of initiatives like this on student learning.

Numerical optimization of soft-mold aided co-curing process of advanced grid-stiffened composite structures

The co-curing process for advanced grid-stiffened (AGS) composite structure is a promising manufacturing process, which could reduce the manufacturing cost, augment the advantages and improve the performance of AGS composite structure. An improved method named soft-mold aided co-curing process which replaces the expansion molds by a whole rubber mold is adopted in this paper. This co-curing process is capable to co-cure a typical AGS composite structure with the manufacturer’s recommended cure cycle (MRCC). Numerical models are developed to evaluate the variation of temperature and the degree of cure in AGS composite structure during the soft-mold aided co-curing process. The simulation results were validated by experimental results obtained from embedded temperature sensors. Based on the validated modeling framework, the cycle of cure can be optimized by reducing more than half the time of MRCC while obtaining a reliable degree of cure. The shape and size effects of AGS composite structure on the distribution of temperature and degree of cure are also investigated to provide insights for the optimization of soft-mold aided co-curing process.

Analysis of Business Process Variants in Apromore

In this paper we illustrate a set of features of the Apromore process model repository for analyzing business process variants. Two types of analysis are provided: one is static and based on differences on the process control flow, the other is dynamic and based on differences in the process behavior between the variants. These features combine techniques for the management of large process model collections with those for mining process knowledge from process execution logs. The tool demonstration will be useful for researchers and practitioners working on large process model collections and process execution logs, and specifically for those with an interest in understanding, managing and consolidating business process variants both within and across organizational boundaries.

Assessing acculturation over time: A four-year prospective study of Asian American young adults

Acculturation is commonly defined as a dynamic and multidimensional process in which individuals and groups change over time when coming into contact with another culture. Despite the emphasis on acculturation as a process of change over time, few researchers have directly assessed this hypothesis. The current study first identifies and then examines "stable" and "dynamic" dimensions of acculturation within a 4-year prospective study of 433 first- and second-generation Chinese- and Korean-American college students. Separate growth model analyses revealed significant linear change for first-generation students toward greater U.S. acculturation. In comparison, tests of linear and quadratic change for second-generation students were not significant. When stratifying by gender, acculturation increased for women but there was no significant change in acculturation for men. While all students reported increases in alcohol consumption over the study period, changes in acculturation predicted changes in alcohol consumption only for women. Chinese men showed greater increases in alcohol consumption than Korean men but there was no effect for ethnicity among women. There was significant individual variability in the models, which underscores the importance of examining change prospectively through within and between person analyses. The findings highlight the importance of examining acculturation changes over time for different migrant groups with implications for further development of acculturation measures, research methodologies, and health interventions. More prospective research designs of acculturation are needed to examine changes in health behavior and overall adaptation across migrant groups at varying stages of development.

Endogenous and exogenous effects in self-exciting process models of terrorist activity

A model based on the cluster process representation of the self-exciting process model in White and Porter 2013 and Ruggeri and Soyer 2008is derived to allow for variation in the excitation effects for terrorist events in a self-exciting or cluster process model. The details of the model derivation and implementation are given and applied to data from the Global Terrorism Database from 2000–2012. Results are discussed in terms of practical interpretation along with implications for a theoretical model paralleling existing criminological theory.

On the growth process of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 absorber layer formed by selenizing Cu–ZnS–SnS precursors and its photovoltaic performance

Sputtering and subsequent sulfurization(orselenization)is one of the methods that have been extensively employed to fabricate Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin films. However, there are limited reports on the effect of precursor stacking order of the sputtered source materials on the properties of the synthesized CZTSSe films. In this work,the morphology and crystallization process of the CZTSSe films which were prepared by selenizing Cu–ZnS–SnS precursor layers with different stacking sequences and the adhesion property between the as-synthesized CZTSSe layer and Mosubstrate have been thoroughly investigated. It has been found that the growth of CZTSSe material and the morphology of the film strongly depend on the location of Culayer in the precursor film. The formation of CZTSSe starts from the diffusion of Cu–Se to Sn(S,Se)layert o form Cu–Sn–(S,Se) compound,followed by the reaction with Zn(S,Se). The investigation of themorphology of the CZTSSe films has shown that large grains are formed in the film with the precursor stacking order of Mo/SnS/ZnS/Cu,which is attributed to a bottom-to-top growth mechanism. In contrast, the film made from a precursor with a stacking sequence of Mo/ZnS/ SnS/Cu is mainly consisted of small grains due to a top-to-bottom growth mechanism. The best CZTSSe solar cell with energy conversion efficiency of3.35%has been achieved with the selenized Mo/ZnS/ SnS/Cu film, which is attributed to a good contact between the absorber layer and the Mosubstrate.

A Supplementary Submission on The Commonwealth's Treaty-Making Process

This supplementary submission highlights two new developments, which have arisen since the initial submission. First, it considers the publication of the draft Investment Chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by WikiLeaks. Second, it looks at the introduction of the fast-track trade promotion authority bill, the Bipartisan Congressional Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, into the United States Congress. The two topics have been inter-linked to a certain extent.

Business Process Management: 13th International Conference, BPM 2015, Innsbruck, Austria, August 31 -- September 3, 2015, Proceedings

BPM 2015 was the 13th International Conference on Business Process Management. It provided a global forum for researchers to meet and exchange views over research topics and outcomes in business process management. BPM 2015 was hosted by the University of Innsbruck and took place August 31 to September 3.

Solution chemistry impacts on the seawater neutralisation process: Benefits of nanofiltered seawater and reverse osmosis brine

It is well known that the neutralisation of Bayer liquor with seawater causes the precipitation of stable alkaline products and a reduction in pH and dissolved metal concentrations in the effluent. However, there is limited information available on solution chemistry effects on the stability and reaction kinetics of these precipitates. This investigation shows the influence of reactive species (magnesium and calcium) in seawater on precipitate stabilities and volumetric efficiencies during the neutralisation of bauxite refinery residues. Correlations between synthetic seawater solutions and real samples of seawater (filtered seawater, nanofiltered seawater and reverse osmosis brine) have been made. These investigations have been used to confirm that alternative seawater sources can be used to increase the productivity potential of the neutralisation process with minimal implications on the composition and stability of precipitates formed. The volume efficiency of the neutralisation process using synthetic analogues has been shown to be almost directly proportional with the concentration of magnesium. This was further confirmed in the nanofiltered seawater and reverse osmosis brine that showed increases in the efficiency of neutralisation by factors of 3 and 2 compared to seawater, which corresponds with relatively the same increase in the concentration of magnesium in these alternative seawater sources. An assessment of the chemical stability of the precipitates, volumetric efficiency, and discharge water quality have been determined using numerous techniques that include pH, conductivity, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis coupled to mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. Correlations between synthetic solution compositions and alternative seawater sources have been used to determine if alternative seawater sources are potential substitutes for seawater based on improvements in productivity, implementation costs, savings to operations and environmental benefits.

Who Rules Japan? Popular Participation in the Japanese Legal Process

"The dramatic growth of the Japanese economy in the postwar period, and its meltdown in the 1990s, has attracted sustained interest in the power dynamics underlying the management of Japan’s administrative state. Scholars and commentators have long debated over who wields power in Japan, asking the fundamental question: who really governs Japan? This important volume revisits this question by turning its attention to the regulation and design of the Japanese legal system. With essays covering the new lay-judge system in Japanese criminal trials, labour dispute resolution panels, prison policy, gendered justice, government lawyers, welfare administration and administrative transparency, this comprehensive book explores the players and processes in Japan’s administration of justice."--publisher website

Speaking the bitter truth: The role of the creative imagination in the process of healing

This chapter is concerned with the complexity and difficulty of truth telling as it is played out in two graphic novels: Stitches: A Memoir (Small 2009) and Why We Broke Up (Handler & Kalman, 2011). These texts establish a link between creative imagination and pain as the central protagonists come to see the therapeutic value of literature and film in helping them understand the complex emotional worlds they inhabit and the bitter truths about love and relationships. The discussion examines how these texts privilege a particular kind of independent subjectivity through aesthetic creation and appropriation. It also considers how speaking and silence are co-present elements in gender relations and each has its part to play in the double process of suffering and healing.

Learning through writing: Reconceptualising the research supervision process

This paper seeks to re-conceptualize the research supervision relationship. The literature has tended to view doctoral study in four ways: (i) as an exercise in self-management; (ii) as a research experience; (iii) as training for research, or; (iv) as an instance of student-centred learning. Although each of these approaches has their merits, they also suffer from conceptual weaknesses. This paper seeks to harness the merits — and minimize the disadvantages — by re-conceptualizing doctoral research as a ‘writing journey’. The paper utilizes the insights of new rhetoric in linguistic theory to defend a writing-centered conception of supervised research and offers some practical strategies on how it might be put into effect.

Genetic studies of chondrocalcinosis

Purpose of review Our understanding of the causation of the chondrocalcinosis and other disorders characterized by ectopic mineralization is rapidly increasing, and genetic studies have contributed substantially to recent major advances in the field. This review will discuss what is known about the genetics of chondrocalcinosis and what we have learned from genetic studies to date. Recent findings: Chondrocalcinosis is one of a family of conditions associated with ectopic mineralization. This family also includes disorders of mineralization of bone and spinal and other ligaments, and vascular calcification. There has been increasing evidence of the key role of transport and metabolism of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) in control of mineralization, and as the likely explanation for the association of a variety of genetic variants with chondrocalcinosis and ectopic mineralization elsewhere. This may be an overly simplistic view of this family of conditions, with recent evidence suggesting that, for example, ANKH variants may not all predispose to chondrocalcinosis by effects on PPi transport, but may also influence chondrocyte maturation. Summary: Understanding the control of the process of mineralization and its tissue specificity are important steps in the search for rational therapies for these conditions.