scholarly journals The World Bacterial Biogeography and Biodiversity through Databases: A Case Study of NCBI Nucleotide Database and GBIF Database

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Okba Selama ◽  
Phillip James ◽  
Farida Nateche ◽  
Elizabeth M. H. Wellington ◽  
Hocine Hacène
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Area ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nucleotide Database ◽  
Bacterial Biodiversity

Databases are an essential tool and resource within the field of bioinformatics. The primary aim of this study was to generate an overview of global bacterial biodiversity and biogeography using available data from the two largest public online databases, NCBI Nucleotide and GBIF. The secondary aim was to highlight the contribution each geographic area has to each database. The basis for data analysis of this study was the metadata provided by both databases, mainly, the taxonomy and the geographical area origin of isolation of the microorganism (record). These were directly obtained from GBIF through the online interface, whileE-utilitiesandPythonwere used in combination with a programmatic web service access to obtain data from the NCBI Nucleotide Database. Results indicate that the American continent, and more specifically the USA, is the top contributor, while Africa and Antarctica are less well represented. This highlights the imbalance of exploration within these areas rather than any reduction in biodiversity. This study describes a novel approach to generating global scale patterns of bacterial biodiversity and biogeography and indicates that theProteobacteriaare the most abundant and widely distributed phylum within both databases.

A Novel Approach to the Automatic Designation of Predefined Census Enumeration Areas and Population Sampling Frames: A Case Study in Somalia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarchil Qader ◽  
Veronique Lefebvre ◽  
Amy Ninneman ◽  
Kristen Himelein ◽  
Utz Pape ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Sampling ◽  
Census Enumeration ◽  
Novel Approach

Theoretizing A New Sustainable Business Event: Extension of Mair and Jago Model

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Norol Hamiza Zamzuri ◽  
Khairil Wahidin Awang ◽  
Yuhanis Abdul Aziz ◽  
Zaiton Samdin
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Knowledge Resources ◽  
Business Events ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Event Based

The growth of the event sector is underpinned by the demand of organizing a business event.  Thus, it leads to an increase in economic and social impact. However, the problems from the growth of this sector potentially results from the use of several event materials, transportation and infrastructure development.  Organizing a green event is seen as one of the strategies to reduce the environmental impact.  Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the issues involved throughout the process of greening an event by applying Mair and Jago Model.  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with event managers from six Malaysia business event companies that encourage green practices during their event.  Findings suggest that impact, initiative, support and performance motivates event organizers in organizing a green event.  It has also been found that knowledge, resources and behaviour are the barriers faced by event organizers throughout the process of organizing a green event.  Based on the findings it appears that two important factors have emerged from the data collection and analysis that showed a deviation from the Mair and Jago Model, namely “impact” for the motivation element and “support” for the barrier element.  The main limitation of this study was the scope of the study; as it only focuses on business events.  However, as the main purpose of this study is to explore the issues of organizing a green event, it has been found that there are other issues need to be explored in other contexts and geographical area.  Apart from this, as this is a case study, it can only replicate according to the circumstances of this case study. However, this study can be generalized in terms of the theory that has emerged from it.  It is suggested that further research should explore more issues in other contexts and geographical areas. 

Improving bioclimatic envelop modeling for Lichens through remote sensing based substratum correction: A study over Indian Himalaya

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Singh ◽  
R. Bajpai ◽  
R. P. Singh ◽  
D. K. Upreti
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Indian Himalaya ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Average Probability ◽  
Niche Area ◽  
Elevation Model

In alpine Himalaya, the niche map of lichens and its characteristics is a gap area. A novel approach of improving the bioclimatic envelop through use of remote sensing inputs was employed. The 19 bioclimatic indices and digital elevation model were used for training niche models through occurrence records of 33 lichen species across Indian Himalaya. Substratum correction was carried out using LU/LC data. About 45% of the total geographic area studied is found to be very conducive (with niche probability > 70%) for the growth of lichens with predictive accuracy of 91% ascertained through cross-validation. Jammu and Kashmir is having highest niche area (36.02%); however, average probability niche score is highest in Uttarakhand (81.08). Area between 27o - 28o N latitude is having highest area however average probability score is highest in 30o - 31o N. Overall maximum niche area (35.50 %) is found in the regions dominated by alpine meadow, alpine grasslands and parts of cold deserts. The potential use lies in reporting yet to be explored lichens in the Indian Himalaya.

scholarly journals The reasons women choose and stay in a geology major: a qualitative multi-case analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron E. Gray ◽  
Alexis T. Riche ◽  
Isabel J. Shinnick-Gordon ◽  
James C. Sample
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Introductory Classes ◽  
Iterative Coding ◽  
As Relationship

AbstractDespite earning half of all science and engineering undergraduate degrees between 2007 and 2016 in the USA, women were awarded only 39% of earth science degrees in the same time period. In order to better understand why women are both choosing and staying in geology programs, we conducted a multi-case study of nine current female undergraduate geology majors at a large public university in the USA within a department that is at gender parity among its undergraduate majors. The main data source was audio-recorded critical incident interviews of each participant. Data from the interviews were analyzed through an iterative coding process using codes adapted from previous studies that focused on factors both internal and external to the department. The students said that personal interests, influence by others outside of the department, and introductory classes attracted them to the geology program, but once declared, departmental factors such as relationship with faculty caused them to stay. We also found an emphasis on female role models, especially those teaching introductory courses. We believe this study offers important insights into the ways in which factors leading to recruitment and retention play out in the lived experiences of female geology majors.

Using hidden Markov models to find discrete targets in continuous sociophonetic data

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Hidden Markov Models ◽  
Markov Models ◽  
Hidden Markov ◽  
Abstract Representation ◽  
Language Variation And Change ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Single Target ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Speaker

Abstract Advances in sociophonetic research resulted in features once sorted into discrete bins now being measured continuously. This has implied a shift in what sociolinguists view as the abstract representation of the sociolinguistic variable. When measured discretely, variation is variation in selection: one variant is selected for production, and factors influencing language variation and change are influencing the frequency at which variants are selected. Measured continuously, variation is variation in execution: speakers have a single target for production, which they approximate with varying success. This paper suggests that both approaches can and should be considered in sociophonetic analysis. To that end, I offer the use of hidden Markov models (HMMs) as a novel approach to find speakers’ multiple targets within continuous data. Using the lot vowel among whites in Greater St. Louis as a case study, I compare 2-state and 1-state HMMs constructed at the individual speaker level. Ten of fifty-two speakers’ production is shown to involve the regular use of distinct fronted and backed variants of the vowel. This finding illustrates HMMs’ capacity to allow us to consider variation as both variant selection and execution, making them a useful tool in the analysis of sociophonetic data.

An Ethicolegal Analysis of Involuntary Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 735-740
Author(s):  
Farhad R. Udwadia ◽  
Judy Illes
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Law ◽  
Court Mandated ◽  
Ethical Critique

Supply-side interventions such as prescription drug monitoring programs, “pill mill” laws, and dispensing limits have done little to quell the burgeoning opioid crisis. An increasingly popular demand-side alternative to these measures – now adopted by 38 jurisdictions in the USA and 7 provinces in Canada — is court-mandated involuntary commitment and treatment. In Massachusetts, for example, Part I, Chapter 123, Section 35 of the state's General Laws allows physicians, spouses, relatives, and police officers to petition a court to involuntarily commit and treat a person whose alcohol or drug abuse poses a likelihood of serious harm. This paper explores the ethical underpinnings of this law as a case study for others. First, we highlight the procedural and substantive standards of Section 35 and evaluate the application of the law in practice, including the frequency with which it has been invoked and outcomes. We then use this background to inform an ethical critique of the law. Specifically, we argue that the infringement of autonomy and privacy associated with involuntary intervention under Section 35 is not currently justified on the grounds of a lack of evidenced benefits and a risk of significant of harm. Further ethical concerns also arise from a lack of standard of care provided under the Section 35 pathway. Based on this analysis, we advance four recommendations for change to mitigate these ethical shortcomings.

Socioeconomic variations and disparity in space–time accessibility in suburban China: A case study of Guangzhou

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 004209802091641
Author(s):  
Zifeng Chen ◽  
Anthony Gar-On Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Time Perspective ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Service Accessibility ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Household Heads ◽  
And Gender

The concept of conventional place-based accessibility, despite being well researched, tends to ignore people’s space–time constraints arising from mandatory activities (e.g. work and household duties), which confine people’s potential movement and delimit the accessible opportunities. As people with different socioeconomic statuses may have different space–time constraints even while living in similar locations, using the place-based measures could lead to an underestimation of accessibility inequality. This study applies a space–time measure to unravel the disparities in service accessibility in suburban China. Since the late 1970s, suburbanisation in Chinese cities has fostered income inequality and has elevated other dimensions (e.g. institutional status and gender) of disparity within each income class. Within this context, we conduct a case study of suburban neighbourhoods in Guangzhou, based on the activity diary data derived from a home-based questionnaire survey. Findings indicate that the use of a space–time measure effectively captures the disparities in service accessibility among residents in suburban Guangzhou. On the basis of structural equation modelling, we further identify that certain socioeconomic groups (e.g. high-income residents, public sector workers, local hukou holders, male household heads and welfare housing residents) tend to experience fewer space–time constraints from rigid activities, such as work, commuting and household duties, and are thus more advantaged in accessing service facilities. These findings imply that urban planning should address the space–time perspective to promote equal service access for the highly heterogeneous social groups in suburban China and to incorporate time-sensitive policies (e.g. flexitime policies).

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