http://www.springeropen.com/ The latest research articles published by Springer Open 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z No Abstract http://www.epjdatascience.com/content/1/1/1 Schweitzer Frank Vespignani Alessandro EPJ Data Science 2012, 1:1 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/epjds1-toc.gif EPJ Data Science 2193-1127 1 1 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF A Cauchy-type nonlinear problem for a class of fractional differential equations with sequential derivatives is considered in the space of weighted continuous functions. Some properties and composition identities are derived. The equivalence with the associated integral equation is established. An existence and uniqueness result of the global continuous solution is proved. http://www.boundaryvalueproblems.com/content/2012/1/58 Khaled M Furati Boundary Value Problems 2012, 2012:58 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/1687-2770-2012-58-toc.gif Boundary Value Problems 1687-2770 2012 58 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF The study aimed to identify the goat milk value chain for the benefit of producers in a desert rangeland of Mexico. Using retrospective analysis, we characterized goat milk and cheese production, commercialization and profitability at the community and regional levels. What should be done for a cooperative with all stakeholders, using strategic management methodologies, is determined. Goat husbandry had an explosive growth in the second third of the last century, but disorganized growth deteriorated the rangelands, and the activity is declining. Milk productivity has declined up to seven times in some regions compared with the 1960s. It is still the main source of earned income in the region, but disorganization persists in all aspects from production to commercialization and the common use of the rangelands. Producers are depleting their natural resources due to low incomes. Milking and cheese production are unhygienic, uncomfortable and too time consuming, while commercialization is informal. The vision and mission show a group that wants to succeed through profitable and sustainable commercialization. Milk production potential should be increased through better use of natural resources and optimization of the herd's general management. Organization for the use of the rangelands, standardized small-scale processing, commercialization and technology transfer is the hope for sustainable rural development in this region. The high fat content of the goat milk in the region should increase its price. http://www.pastoralismjournal.com/content/2/1/5 Walter J Gómez-Ruiz Juan M Pinos-Rodríguez Juan R Aguirre-Rivera Juan C García-López Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 2012, 2:5 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/2041-7136-2-5-toc.gif Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 2041-7136 2 5 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF The new architecture produced recently in the south of Algeria, known as 'modern construction' following the trend of the northern cities, which have different climate, is completely non-adapted to the harsh climate of the south of Algeria and therefore has high-energy consumption. The Ksar of Kenadsa is considered among the most important old cities of the south-west region of Algeria by its cultural and religious dimensions. In this area, the traditional architecture has been built to achieve the comfort in hot season. The new constructed houses have been built following the north architectural design neglecting the very harsh climate of the south region of Algeria characterized by very hot and dry climate. To evaluate the thermal comfort of this modern housing, a comparative analysis for the existing traditional housing is carried out using TRNSYS software. The simulation results show that the modern typical house seems to be inappropriate for desert climate. Indeed, except the use of the air-conditioning in summer there is no other solution which can ensure thermal comfort. http://www.journal-ijeee.com/content/3/1/5 Maatouk Khoukhi Naïma Fezzioui International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering 2012, 3:5 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/2251-6832-3-5-toc.gif International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering 2251-6832 3 5 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF This short note discusses some of the realities faced by the 20 million pastoralists and the international agencies that deliver emergency and development assistance in the pastoral arc of the Horn of Africa (HOA). Isolation, poor roads, spotty telecommunications, and insecurity make it difficult for donor agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to implement projects. In the donor countries, short-term and shifting funding priorities for emergency and development assistance make long-term planning by donor agencies and NGOs difficult. This all conspires to create a system that delivers 'things' but does not deliver economic security to pastoral communities. Water development, provided through the programs that also deliver emergency food rations, tends to promote the growth of villages in previously uninhabited pastoral grazing areas. The village's resident population of livestock causes environmental degradation and constrains the mobility required for successful and sustainable pastoralism to function. The pastoral areas of Kenya are beginning to be economically and politically integrated with the rest of Kenya. However, the pastoral communities of Ethiopia continue to be estranged from the central government of Ethiopia. In northern Somalia, investments by Somali businessmen, remittances from the diaspora, and international assistance have resulted in a relatively stable economic and political system. In southern Somalia, because of continued conflict, about three million people are dependent upon food and emergency assistance. When peace is finally negotiated in the HOA and true development assistance becomes possible, there will be a population that is too large for the deteriorated environmental base, and too few economic opportunities for too many people who are underprepared to meet that future. http://www.pastoralismjournal.com/content/2/1/6 Gilles Stockton Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 2012, 2:6 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/2041-7136-2-6-toc.gif Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 2041-7136 2 6 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF A vacuum-sealed miniature X-ray tube based on a carbon nanotube field-emission electron source has been demonstrated. The diameter of the X-ray tube is 10 mm; the total length of the tube is 50 mm, and no external vacuum pump is required for the operation. The maximum tube voltage reaches up to 70 kV, and the X-ray tube generates intense X-rays with the air kerma strength of 108 Gy * cm2 min1. In addition, X-rays produced from the miniature X-ray tube have a comparatively uniform spatial dose distribution http://www.nanoscalereslett.com/content/7/1/258 Sung Hwan Heo Hyun Jin Kim Jun Mok Ha Sung Oh Cho Nanoscale Research Letters 2012, 7:258 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/1556-276X-7-258-toc.gif Nanoscale Research Letters 1556-276X 7 258 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF We determine and estimate the Ptolemy constant of absolute normalized norm on R^2 by means of their corresponding continuous convex functions on [0, 1]. Moreover, the exact values were calculated in some concrete Banach spaces. http://www.journalofinequalitiesandapplications.com/content/2012/1/107 Zhanfei Zuo Journal of Inequalities and Applications 2012, 2012:107 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/1029-242X-2012-107-toc.gif Journal of Inequalities and Applications 1029-242X 2012 107 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF This article proposes a new algorithm for finding the angles of arrival of multiple uncorrelated sources impinging on a uniform linear array of sensors. The method is based on sparse signal representation and does not require either the knowledge of the number of the sources or a previous initialization. The proposed technique considers a covariance matrix model based on overcomplete basis representation and tries to fit the unknown signal powers to the sample covariance matrix. Sparsity is enforced by means of a l1-norm penalty. The final problem is reduced to an objective function with a non-negative constraint that can be solved efficiently using the LARS/homotopy algorithm. The method described herein is able to provide high resolution with a low computational burden. It proceeds in an iterative fashion solving at each iteration a small linear system of equations until a stopping condition is fulfilled. The proposed stopping criterion is based on the residual spectrum and arises in a natural way when the LARS/homotopy is applied to the considered objective function. http://asp.eurasipjournals.com/content/2012/1/111 Luis Blanco Montse Najar EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing 2012, 2012:111 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/1687-6180-2012-111-toc.gif EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing 1687-6180 2012 111 2012-05-17T00:00:00Z PDF Background: The coexistence of agricultural production with and without the use of genetically modified (GV) crops is supposed to be made possible in Germany by regulations, which include minimal distances of GV-fields to potentially susceptible crop fields and habitats. To explore the impact of these regulations on region specific coexistence potentials, we broadened the applicability of an existing method for the simulation of the spatial distribution of arable fields cropped with conventional, organic and GV-maize. We used simulations which combine a variety of minimum distances of GV-maize fields to assess regional specific options and limitations for coexistence. Results: The method developed by Holtl und Wurbs (2008) [1] was extended to be applicable for different spatial scales, from the large (e.g. Federal State) to small (e.g. municipality). Inputdata consisted of cropping statistics, geometry of arable fields and protected areas. Scenarios of cropping situations included various minimal distances between GV-maize fields andprotected areas and various proportions of maize within the areas. The results of the simulations represent possible distribution patterns of non-GV and GV-maize fields as wellas the size of the remaining area in which additional GV-maize can be grown without violating the minimal distance rules. As suspected, increasing proportions of GV-maize andincreasing minimal distances lower the areas suitable for additional GV-maize. However, the relation between the area of GV-maize grown and those suitable for GV-maize cultivationvaried between the scenarios. Moreover, the variability between the municipalities was even more evident, due to varying landscape structure (proportion of maize, the ratio total arableland to maize, proportion of protected areas). Areas with high proportions of GV-maize, of protected areas and of maize could be problematical for coexistence. We discuss theseparameters with regard to other coexistence studies [1-3]. Conclusions: Our method is suitable to simulate the spatial distribution of fields cultivated with GV-crops and non-GV-crops on various scales. Simulations on the scale of a Federal State reveals those areas, in which coexistence could be problematical. Simulations on a county scale, however, allow more insight into options and restrictions for coexistence in relation to landscapestructural characteristics, which also can be transferred to larger scales. On the scale of municipalities simulations can help to analyse the limits of coexistence in areas of highconflict potential, moreover this level is more realistic with regard to practical agricultural decisions on the farm level. http://www.enveurope.com/content/24/1/17 Angelika Wurbs Claudia Bethwell Ulrich Stachow Environmental Sciences Europe 2012, 24:17 2012-05-16T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/2190-4715-24-17-toc.gif Environmental Sciences Europe 2190-4715 24 17 2012-05-16T00:00:00Z PDF In this article, a novel image de-noising method is proposed. This method is based on spherical coordinates system. First, spherical transform is re-defined in wavelet domain, and the properties of the spherical transform in wavelet domain are listed. Then, a new adaptive threshold in spherical coordinate system is presented. It has been proved based on Besov space norm theory. After that, a novel curve shrinkage function is proposed to overcome the limitation of the traditional shrinkage functions. The new function can reach and exceed the true value and enhance the edge of the image. Finally, the multi-scale product in wavelet domain is introduced to spherical coordinates system. This article names the multi-scale product in spherical coordinates system as Multi-Scale Norm Product. The experimental results compared the improved algorithm with other methods from the peak signal-to-noise ratio, mean square error and running time. The results indicate that improved algorithm is simple and effective. http://asp.eurasipjournals.com/content/2012/1/110 Degan Zhang Xuejing Kang Jinghui Wang EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing 2012, 2012:110 2012-05-16T00:00:00Z ${item.identifier} /content/figures/1687-6180-2012-110-toc.gif EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing 1687-6180 2012 110 2012-05-16T00:00:00Z PDF