bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural Properties of Polyphenols Causing Cell Cycle Arrest at G1 Phase in HCT116 Human Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Shin Soon , Yoon Hyuk , Ahn Seunghyun , Kim Dong-Wook , Bae Dong-Ho , Koh Dongsoo , Lee Young , Lim Yoongho
Published: August 2013

Plant-derived polyphenols are being tested as chemopreventive agents; some polyphenols arrest the cell cycle at G1 phase, whereas others inhibit cell cycle proliferation at G2/M phase. Therefore, polyphenols have been proposed to inhibit cell cycle progression at different phases via distinct mechanisms. Indeed, our previous studies showed that small structural differences in polyphenols cause large differences in their biological activities; however, the details of the structural properties causing G1 cell cycle arrest remain unknown. In this study, we prepared 27 polyphenols, including eight different scaffolds, to gain insight into the structural conditions that arrest the cell cycle at G1 phase in a quantitative structure–activity relationship study. We used cell cycle profiles to determine the biophores responsible for G1 cell cycle arrest and believe that the biophores identified in this study will help design polyphenols that cause G1 cell cycle arrest.
UVB-Stimulated TNFα Release from Human Melanocyte and Melanoma Cells Is Mediated by p38 MAPK
Authors: Muthusamy Visalini , Piva Terrence
Published: August 2013

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation activates cell signaling pathways in melanocytes. As a result of altered signaling pathways and UV-induced cellular damage, melanocytes can undergo oncogenesis and develop into melanomas. In this study, we investigated the effect of UV-radiation on p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), JNK and NFκB pathways to determine which plays a major role in stimulating TNFα secretion in human HEM (melanocytes) and MM96L (melanoma) cells. MM96L cells exhibited 3.5-fold higher p38 activity than HEM cells at 5 min following UVA + B radiation and 1.6-fold higher JNK activity at 15–30 min following UVB+A radiation, while NFκB was minimally activated in both cells. Irradiated HEM cells had the greatest fold of TNFα secretion (UVB: 109-fold, UVA + B: 103-fold & UVB+A: 130-fold) when co-exposed to IL1α. The p38 inhibitor, SB202190, inhibited TNFα release by 93% from UVB-irradiated HEM cells. In the UVB-irradiated MM96L cells, both SB202190 and sulfasalazine (NFκB inhibitor) inhibited TNFα release by 52%. Although, anisomycin was a p38 MAPK activator, it inhibited TNFα release in UV-irradiated cells. This suggests that UV-mediated TNFα release may occur via different p38 pathway intermediates compared to those stimulated by anisomycin. As such, further studies into the functional role p38 MAPK plays in regulating TNFα release in UV-irradiated melanocyte-derived cells are warranted.
Drift in Diffusion Gradients
Authors: Marchesoni Fabio
Published: August 2013

The longstanding problem of Brownian transport in a heterogeneous quasi one-dimensional medium with space-dependent self-diffusion coefficient is addressed in the overdamped (zero mass) limit. A satisfactory mesoscopic description is obtained in the Langevin equation formalism by introducing an appropriate drift term, which depends on the system macroscopic observables, namely the diffuser concentration and current. The drift term is related to the microscopic properties of the medium. The paradoxical existence of a finite drift at zero current suggests the possibility of designing a Maxwell demon operating between two equilibrium reservoirs at the same temperature.
Fabrication of Super-Hydrophobic Microchannels via Strain-Recovery Deformations of Polystyrene and Oxygen Reactive Ion Etch
Authors: Chakraborty Anirban , Xiang Mingming , Luo Cheng
Published: August 2013

In this article, we report a simple approach to generate micropillars (whose top portions are covered by sub-micron wrinkles) on the inner surfaces of polystyrene (PS) microchannels, as well as on the top surface of the PS substrate, based on strain-recovery deformations of the PS and oxygen reactive ion etch (ORIE). Using this approach, two types of micropillar-covered microchannels are fabricated. Their widths range from 118 μm to 132 μm, depths vary from 40 μm to 44 μm, and the inclined angles of their sidewalls are from 53° to 64°. The micropillars enable these microchannels to have super-hydrophobic properties. The contact angles observed on the channel-structured surfaces are above 162°, and the tilt angles to make water drops roll off from these channel-structured substrates can be as small as 1°.
Linseed Dietary Fibers Reduce Apparent Digestibility of Energy and Fat and Weight Gain in Growing Rats
Authors: Kristensen Mette , Knudsen Knud , Jørgensen Henry , Oomah David , Bügel Susanne , Toubro Søren , Tetens Inge , Astrup Arne
Published: August 2013

Dietary fibers (DF) may affect energy balance, an effect often ascribed to the viscous nature of some water soluble DF, which affect luminal viscosity and thus multiple physiological processes. We have tested the hypothesis that viscous linseed DF reduce apparent nutrient digestibility, and limit weight gain, in a randomized feeding trial where 60 male, growing, Wistar rats, with an initial weight of ~200 g, were fed different diets (n = 10 per group): low DF control (C), 5% DF from cellulose (5-CEL), CEL + 5% DF from whole (5-WL) or ground linseed (5-GL), CEL + 5% DF from linseed DF extract (5-LDF), and CEL + 10% DF from linseed DF extract (10-LDF). Diets were provided ad libitum for 21 days. Feed intake and faecal output were measured during days 17–21. Faecal fat excretion increased with increasing DF content and was highest in the 10-LDF group. Apparent fat digestibility was highest with the C diet (94.9% ± 0.8%) and lowest (74.3% ± 0.6%) with the 10-LDF diet, and decreased in a non-linear manner with increasing DF (p < 0.001). Apparent fat digestibility also decreased with increased accessibility of DF (5-WL vs. 5-GL) and when the proportion of viscous DF increased (5-GL vs. 5-LDF). The 10-LDF resulted in a lower final body weight (258 ± 6.2 g) compared to C (282 ± 5.9 g), 5-CEL (281 ± 5.9 g), and 5-WL (285 ± 5.9 g) (p < 0.05). The 10-LDF diet reduced body fat compared to 5-CEL (p < 0.01). In conclusion, DF extracted from linseed reduced apparent energy and fat digestibility and resulted in restriction of body weight gain in growing rats.
Dynamic Modeling for the Design and Cyclic Operation of an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Reactor
Authors: Travis Curtisha , Adomaitis Raymond
Published: August 2013

A laboratory-scale atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactor system model is derived for alumina deposition using trimethylaluminum and water as precursors. Model components describing the precursor thermophysical properties, reactor-scale gas-phase dynamics and surface reaction kinetics derived from absolute reaction rate theory are integrated to simulate the complete reactor system. Limit-cycle solutions defining continuous cyclic ALD reactor operation are computed with a fixed point algorithm based on collocation discretization in time, resulting in an unambiguous definition of film growth-per-cycle (gpc). A key finding of this study is that unintended chemical vapor deposition conditions can mask regions of operation that would otherwise correspond to ideal saturating ALD operation. The use of the simulator for assisting in process design decisions is presented.
Continuous Wavelet Transform Analysis of Acceleration Signals Measured from a Wave Buoy
Authors: Chuang Laurence , Wu Li-Chung , Wang Jong-Hao
Published: August 2013

Accelerometers, which can be installed inside a floating platform on the sea, are among the most commonly used sensors for operational ocean wave measurements. To examine the non-stationary features of ocean waves, this study was conducted to derive a wavelet spectrum of ocean waves and to synthesize sea surface elevations from vertical acceleration signals of a wave buoy through the continuous wavelet transform theory. The short-time wave features can be revealed by simultaneously examining the wavelet spectrum and the synthetic sea surface elevations. The in situ wave signals were applied to verify the practicality of the wavelet-based algorithm. We confirm that the spectral leakage and the noise at very-low-frequency bins influenced the accuracies of the estimated wavelet spectrum and the synthetic sea surface elevations. The appropriate thresholds of these two factors were explored. To study the short-time wave features from the wave records, the acceleration signals recorded from an accelerometer inside a discus wave buoy are analysed. The results from the wavelet spectrum show the evidence of short-time nonlinear wave events. Our study also reveals that more surface profiles with higher vertical asymmetry can be found from short-time nonlinear wave with stronger harmonic spectral peak. Finally, we conclude that the algorithms of continuous wavelet transform are practical for revealing the short-time wave features of the buoy acceleration signals.
Minimum Detectable Air Velocity by Thermal Flow Sensors
Authors: Issa Safir , Lang Walter
Published: August 2013

Miniaturized thermal flow sensors have opened the doors for a large variety of new applications due to their small size, high sensitivity and low power consumption. Theoretically, very small detection limits of air velocity of some micrometers per second are achievable. However, the superimposed free convection is the main obstacle which prevents reaching these expected limits. Furthermore, experimental investigations are an additional challenge since it is difficult to generate very low flows. In this paper, we introduce a physical method, capable of generating very low flow values in the mixed convection region. Additionally, we present the sensor characteristic curves at the zero flow case and in the mixed convection region. Results show that the estimated minimum detectable air velocity by the presented method is 0.8 mm/s. The equivalent air velocity to the noise level of the sensor at the zero flow case is about 0.13 mm/s.
Performance Analysis of the Capability Assessment Tool for Sustainable Manufacturing
Authors: Subic Aleksandar , Shabani Bahman , Hedayati Mehdi , Crossin Enda
Published: August 2013

This paper explores the performance of a novel capability assessment tool, developed to identify capability gaps and associated training and development requirements across the supply chain for environmentally-sustainable manufacturing. The tool was developed to assess 170 capabilities that have been clustered with respect to key areas of concern such as managing energy, water, material resources, carbon emissions and waste as well as environmental management practices for sustainability. Two independent expert teams used the tool to assess a sample group of five first and second tier sports apparel and footwear suppliers within the supply chain of a global sporting goods manufacturer in Asia. The paper addresses the reliability and robustness of the developed assessment method by formulating the expected links between the assessment results. The management practices of the participating suppliers were shown to be closely connected to their performance in managing their resources and emissions. The companies’ initiatives in implementing energy efficiency measures were found to be generally related to their performance in carbon emissions management. The suppliers were also asked to undertake a self-assessment by using a short questionnaire. The large gap between the comprehensive assessment and these in-house self-assessments revealed the suppliers’ misconceptions about their capabilities.
Interprofessional Competence: A Qualitative Exploration of Social Work and Nursing Students’ Experience
Authors: Chan Engle Angela , Lam Winsome , Lam Yeung Syrine Kit-Sum
Published: August 2013

Being a professional in today’s health care system carries with it an expectation of becoming interprofessional. This study was designed to explore the perceived development of the participants’ interprofessional competence through interprofessional seminars and collaborative community practice. Data were collected from social work and nursing undergraduates through two interprofessional seminar discussions, followed by focus group interviews after the completion of 2 weeks of practice experience. Study findings included: (a) role clarification and enhancement, (b) evolving role emphasis, (c) understanding the importance of and various communications in teamwork, and (d) being more responsive to the meaning of teamwork and the understanding of collaborative interdependence. Through interprofessional collaborative practice, students developed an insight into teamwork, where they witnessed the merits of collaboration and gained an understanding of each other’s lack of holistic approach. In addition, not only the particular practice settings but also the role variations involved revealed various dimensions of interprofessional learning. [
J Nurs Educ.
2013;52(9):509–515.]
Changes in Higher-Order Aberrations After Iris-Fixated Phakic Intraocular Lens Implantation
Authors: Torii Hidemasa , Negishi Kazuno , Watanabe Kazuhiro , Saiki Megumi , Kato Naoko , Tsubota Kazuo
Published: August 2013

PURPOSE:

To evaluate surgically induced changes in corneal, internal, and ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs) after phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) implantation and compare them between two PIOLs with different pupillary diameters.

METHODS:

Twenty-three eyes with an Artisan PIOL (Ophtec BV, Groningen, The Netherlands) (Artisan group) and 30 eyes with an Artiflex PIOL (Ophtec BV) (Artiflex group) were retrospectively evaluated. The corneal, internal, and ocular HOAs and refractive data were recorded preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. The root mean squares (RMSs) of the total HOAs from the third- to sixth-order Zernike coefficients were calculated. The RMSs of the third- and fourth-order coefficients represented coma-like aberrations (S3) and spherical-like aberrations (S4), respectively. The main outcome measures were the differences in the parameters among the groups with different pupillary diameters.

RESULTS:

The mean postoperative spherical equivalents decreased from −11.84 ± 4.90 to −0.16 ± 0.40 diopters and −9.78 ± 3.20 to −0.09 ± 0.26 diopters in the Artisan and Artiflex groups, respectively. With the 4- and 5-mm pupillary diameters, the postoperative internal and ocular spherical aberrations (Z
4
0
) were significantly lower in the Artiflex group than in the Artisan group (4 mm,
P
= .002, .024; 5 mm,
P
= .004, .022, respectively). With the 6-mm pupillary diameter, there were no significant postoperative differences in any parameter measured between groups; both groups had positive spherical aberration values.

CONCLUSIONS:

The postoperative ocular spherical aberrations were positive after Artisan and Artiflex implantation. The postoperative ocular spherical aberration was greater in the Artisan group, possibly due to differences in the SAs of both PIOLs.

[
J Refract Surg.
2013;29(10):693–700.]
Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery Without Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices
Authors: Dick H. Burkhard , Gerste Ronald D. , Rivera Robert P. , Schultz Tim
Published: August 2013

PURPOSE:

To describe a technique for performing femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery without the use of ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs).

METHODS:

After laser pretreatment, the anterior chamber is stabilized with balanced salt solution during lens and cortex aspiration. A preloaded intraocular lens is implanted under irrigation.

RESULTS:

In 23 eyes undergoing surgery without the use of OVDs, no complications were observed within a 1-month follow-up period. The time for surgery and the amount of fluid that went into the eye were similar to those of a standard procedure. There was no remarkable increase in intraocular pressure or corneal thickness. All patients achieved a significant increase in corrected distance visual acuity after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS:

The significant reduction of phacoemulsification use after femtosecond laser application might render the use of OVDs obsolete in many cases.

[
J Refract Surg.
2013;29(11):784–787.]
Collaborative Technology and Dimensions of Team Cognition
Authors: Andres Hayward P.
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this study was to explore team cognition as a multidimensional activity comprised of team learning, team reflexivity, and team mental model during project teamwork. A laboratory experiment was conducted to examine the effects of two different modes of collaboration – face-to-face and technology-mediated collaboration on team cognition and its subsequent impact on task outcomes. Team cognition was represented as a second-order construct comprised of three first-order dimensions. A direct-observation rating scale used to derive measures of the first-order dimensions was shown to have strong psychometric properties. The partial least squares method was used to test a structural equation model where the second-order construct was presented as a mediator between collaboration mode and task outcomes (productivity and interaction quality). As hypothesized, team cognition significantly influenced productivity and interaction quality outcomes. Further, collaboration mode significantly improved team cognition through its specific effects on the team learning, team reflexivity, and team mental model development. The main contribution of the study lies in its finding that team cognition can be viewed as a hierarchical construct that accounts for distinct yet cognition-related behaviors. This finding offers an extension to current related research models and identifies behavioral indicators that can be monitored by project managers in developing prescriptive measures aimed at promoting project success.
Optimized E-Government User Support Allocation and Its Influence on Citizens’ Adoption of E-Government
Authors: Chang Shuang , Ichikawa Manabu , Deguchi Hiroshi
Published: August 2013

In recent decades, E-government systems have been developed and deployed to provide more efficient, effective and transparent public services. However the citizen adoption rate is still relatively low. In order to encourage more citizens to utilize E-government services, there are many kinds of user support provided, though the effectiveness might vary among different social groups. Due to limited resources, if the authors allocate more resources to social groups who are not favoured by E-government service, it is very possible that in turn other social groups will not be satisfied and thus further influences the adoption rate. Therefore how to allocate the limited resources in an optimized way such that all the social groups are satisfied is a challenging and meaningful research problem. In this work they aim at resolving those conflicted objectives and achieving a Pareto optimal allocation of the resources among different social groups by using agent based approach with multi-objective genetic algorithm.
Information Balance between Transmitters and Receivers Based on the Twitter after Great East Japan Earthquake
Authors: Moriya Masahiro , Ryoke Mina
Published: August 2013

In this paper, Information Balance between supply and demand of information is considered. In general, differences between informational transmitter and receivers are often observed, and it is not so surprising in daily life. However, it would give serious influences for the receivers to make decisions about their next action in the emergency situations like disasters. In this paper, the government is assigned a role as the informational transmitter and the citizen have roles of the receivers. This paper is to find out supply and demand of information (“Information balance”) between government and citizens regarding Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident. Information from Government is picked up from tweets of @kantei saigai, official twitter account of Prime Minister’s Office, and total 56 accounts whose profiles have some relationship to the affected area are collected as receiver. According to several analysis performance, we found out following three points. 1) There were information imbalance between government and citizens related to the affected area, 2) citizens required not only objective data about radiation but also impact and countermeasure for that, 3) citizens covered that information imbalance by following media twitter accounts providing prefectural and specific information.
Secure Broadcast with One-Time Signatures in Controller Area Networks
Authors: Groza Bogdan , Murvay Pal-Stefan
Published: August 2013

Broadcast authentication in Controller Area Networks (CAN) is subject to real time constraints that are hard to satisfy by expensive public key primitives. For this purpose the authors study here the use of one-time signatures which can be built on the most computationally efficient one-way functions. The authors use an enhancement of the classical Merkle signature as well as the more recently proposed HORS signature scheme. Notably, these two proposals offer different trade-offs, and they can be efficiently paired with time synchronization to reduce the overhead caused by the re-initialization of the public keys, which would otherwise require expensive authentication trees. The authors do outline clear bounds on the performance of such a solution and provide experimental results on development boards equipped with Freescale S12X, a commonly used automotive grade micro-controller. The authors also benefit from the acceleration offered by the XGATE co-processor available on S12X derivatives which significantly increases the computational performances.
Adaptive Dynamic Path Planning Algorithm for Interception of a Moving Target
Authors: Triharminto H. H. , Prabuwono A.S. , Adji T. B. , Setiawan N. A.
Published: August 2013

Most of the 3D curve path planning is used to build static path planning. For intercepting of a moving target, the path planning has to be set in a dynamic condition. L+Dumo algorithm which is based on curve is used to intercept a moving target. In the real situations, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has possibility to intercept a moving target from all direction. It is assumed that environment of the UAV is in 3D Euclidean Space. It means that the UAV has to adapt for all quadrants for interception of a moving target. This research develops a path planning algorithm which enhances the previous L+Dumo algorithm to encounter the possibility quadrants. The enhancement would be simulated in C++ language to determine the accuracy of the algorithm. The simulation is conducted using one UAV and one moving target with random obstacles of cylindrical shape in between both objects. The result shows that the system accuracy is 81.0876%, a level which is able to encounter all possibility quadrants.
A Survey of Critical Success Factors in Implementing KM in ASEAN Service-Based SMEs
Authors: Eardley Alan , Mohammadi Elahe , Merliza Bridget
Published: August 2013

This paper explores the critical success factors (CSF) for implementing knowledge management (KM), in service-based Southeast Asian (ASEAN) small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs. An empirical approach is proposed to determine the importance level of seven identified KM critical success factors (CSF). The study is of 57 SMEs in Technology Parks and SME ‘Technopreneur’ Centres in Malaysia. It is concluded that the service-based SME sector, as a sizable business sector in the ASEAN region, needs to pay more attention to its intellectual assets and to KM, which is rapidly becoming integral to gaining competitive edge. The study of KM in such fast-developing countries brings useful insight into KM in other ASEAN countries. The results of this study reinforce previous findings on the importance of the various KM CSFs and can help service-based SMEs to understand more fully the discipline of KM, to facilitate its adoption and to prioritize its implementation.
Adwiki
Authors: Johri Aditya , Dufour Monique , Lo Jenny , Shanahan Daniel
Published: August 2013

Educational institutions worldwide are undergoing significant transformation in response to the changing economic scenario which is pressuring them to be innovative while reassessing their allotment of resources. As a result, many institutions are moving towards large-scale use of information technology (IT) to manage knowledge at different organizational levels. The authors present findings from a case study of an action research project undertaken to design and implement a web-based advising system for managing and sharing knowledge required by first-year engineering students. The primary users of the system were faculty members who advised students, as well as the students themselves. By following a participatory action research approach in combination with a socio-technical framework, the designed and implemented system – AdWiki – improved the use of existing advising resources as well as created new advising practices by integrating IT and organizational processes. In addition to socio-technical design literature their findings corroborate and extend the Socio-Technical Systems Engineering (STSE) framework. They provide evidence that ‘sensitization and awareness’ and ‘constructive engagement’, two core activities proposed in the STSE framework, can be effectively applied in practice to integrate organizational process and technological possibilities for managing knowledge. Findings from the case study also extend the socio-technical approach by incorporating components of action research into the framework and demonstrating the use of methods that allowed for virtual participation in systems development.
Adaptive Windows Layout Based on Evolutionary Multi-Objective Optimization
Authors: Chen Rui , Xie Tiantian , Lin Tao , Chen Yu
Published: August 2013

Large displays are becoming more and more pervasive, and their larger screen sizes provide an opportunity for users to see more information in more windows at the same time, but at the cost of managing a larger amount of screen space. Some methods of automatic window management have been studied with some success. However, they mainly focus on utilization of empty space and ignore preservation of the mental map of users, which tends to cause user confusion in practical use. This paper presents a genetic multi-objective optimization algorithm to automatically manage window layout with the aim of balancing the two aspects: utilization of screen space and mental map preservation. Results show that the method is capable of generating suitable window layouts for users and takes a key step toward developing an automatic windows manager.
The need for a canonical reading of the Exodus narratives in finding its present-day theological significance
Authors: Pereira Gregory C.
Published: August 2013

This article deals with the approach to exegesis of biblical narrative, especially in Exodus, in finding its theological significance for contemporary and relevant biblical interpretation. It shows that the historical-critical method is unable to span the divide between the original context and our contemporary context, and to provide the present relevance of Scripture. After arguing for the validity of a set canonical text, this article shows that biblical narrative in general, and the Exodus narratives in particular, are best explored theologically by means of a canonical approach. It shows that the theological significance translates more easily into life-application. It demonstrates how the Exodus narratives are employed canonically for its theological significance throughout the Bible. It concludes that the Church needs teachers who recognise their responsibility to accurately interpret their whole Scriptures, the Bible, with the necessary historical, linguistic (rhetorical) and theological considerations, and that this is best done in a canonical context - whether we use a synchronic or a diachronic approach.
Relating particle hygroscopicity and CCN activity to chemical composition during the HCCT-2010 field campaign
Authors: Wu Z. J. , Poulain L. , Henning S. , Dieckmann K. , Birmili W. , Merkel M. , van Pinxteren D. , Spindler G. , Müller K. , Stratmann F. , Herrmann H. , Wiedensohler A.
Published: August 2013

Abstract. Particle hygroscopic growth at 90% RH (relative humidity), cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity, and size-resolved chemical composition were concurrently measured in the Thüringer Wald mid-level mountain range in central Germany in the fall of 2010. The median hygroscopicity parameter values, κ, of 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, and 250 nm particles derived from hygroscopicity measurements are respectively 0.14, 0.14, 0.17, 0.21, 0.24, and 0.28 during the sampling period. The closure between HTDMA (Hygroscopicity Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzers)-measured (κHTDMA) and chemical composition-derived (κchem) hygroscopicity parameters was performed based on the Zdanovskii–Stokes–Robinson (ZSR) mixing rule. Using size-averaged chemical composition, the κ values are substantially overpredicted (30 and 40% for 150 and 100 nm particles). Introducing size-resolved chemical composition substantially improved closure. We found that the evaporation of NH4NO3, which may happen in a HTDMA system, could lead to a discrepancy in predicted and measured particle hygroscopic growth. The hygroscopic parameter of the organic fraction, κorg, is positively correlated with the O : C ratio (κorg = 0.19 × (O : C) − 0.03). Such correlation is helpful to define the κorg value in the closure study. κ derived from CCN measurement was around 30% (varied with particle diameters) higher than that determined from particle hygroscopic growth measurements (here, hydrophilic mode is considered only). This difference might be explained by the surface tension effects, solution non-ideality, gas-particle partitioning of semivolatile compounds, and the partial solubility of constituents or non-dissolved particle matter. Therefore, extrapolating from HTDMA data to properties at the point of activation should be done with great care. Finally, closure study between CCNc (cloud condensation nucleus counter)-measured (κCCN) and chemical composition (κCCN, chem) was performed using CCNc-derived κ values for individual components. The results show that the κCCN can be well predicted using particle size-resolved chemical composition and the ZSR mixing rule.
Extreme weather events in the Sneeuberg, Karoo, South Africa: a case study of the floods of 9 and 12 February 2011
Authors: Fox R. C. , Rowntree K. M.
Published: August 2013

Abstract. Two destructive flood events occurred in rapid succession in the semi-arid Sneeuberg Mountains of the Karoo, South Africa in February 2011. The temporal and spatial characteristics of these two extreme events are examined in this paper through analysis of data from an unusually dense, and reliable, network of farm rain gauges. These analyses add to our understanding derived from existing rain gauge information. Comparisons are then made with patterns from a range of modeled products derived from remote sensed information: the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). We found that the first flood event was widespread and precipitation was related strongly to altitude. The second was highly localised, with no relationship to altitude. Both had very sharply peaked rainfall intensities. These findings are of significance to the studies of flooding and landscape change in the area as such events have become more pronounced over the past 50 yr and it is likely that this trend will accelerate. The modeled patterns are derived largely from remote sensing and we found that they are reliable for drawing out monthly and annual variations but they make noticeable underestimates. They are poor estimates, however, both for the spatial distribution of precipitation, and the short term trends as they struggle to estimate the impact of topography and other local forcing factors. This finding corroborates information derived from other analyses at broader spatial scales using more widely spread, established rain gauge stations. Ten percent of southern Africa has been classified as mountainous and these areas provide much of our water resources so our findings are significant to water managers throughout this and similar mountainous regions.
A review of seawater intrusion in the Nile Delta groundwater system – the basis for assessing impacts due to climate changes and water resources development
Authors: Mabrouk M. B. , Jonoski A. , Solomatine D. , Uhlenbrook S.
Published: August 2013

Abstract. Serious environmental problems are emerging in the River Nile basin and its groundwater resources. Recent years have brought scientific evidence of climate change and development-induced environmental impacts globally as well as over Egypt. Some impacts are subtle, like decline of the Nile River water levels, others are dramatic like the salinization of all coastal land in the Nile Delta – the agricultural engine of Egypt. These consequences have become a striking reality causing a set of interconnected groundwater management problems. Massive population increase that overwhelmed the Nile Delta region has amplified the problem. Many researchers have studied these problems from different perspectives using different methodologies, following different objectives and, consequently, arrived at different findings. However, they all confirmed that significant groundwater salinization has affected the Nile Delta and this is likely to become worse rapidly in the future. This article presents, categorizes and critically analyses and synthesizes the most relevant research regarding climate change and development challenges in relation to groundwater resources in the Nile Delta. It is shown that there is a gap in studies that focus on sustainable groundwater resources development and environmentally sound protection as an integrated regional process in Nile Delta. Moreover, there is also a knowledge gap related to the deterioration of groundwater quality. The article recommends further research that covers the groundwater resources and salinization in the whole Nile Delta based on integrated three-dimensional groundwater modelling of the Nile delta aquifer.
A Highest Order Hypothesis Compatibility Test for Monocular SLAM
Authors: Guerra Edmundo , Munguia Rodrigo , Bolea Yolanda , Grau Antoni
Published: August 2013

Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) is a key problem to solve in order to build truly autonomous mobile robots. SLAM with a unique camera, or monocular SLAM, is probably one of the most complex SLAM variants, based entirely on a bearing-only sensor working over six DOF. The monocular SLAM method developed in this work is based on the Delayed Inverse-Depth (DI-D) Feature Initialization, with the contribution of a new data association batch validation technique, the Highest Order Hypothesis Compatibility Test, HOHCT. The Delayed Inverse-Depth technique is used to initialize new features in the system and defines a single hypothesis for the initial depth of features with the use of a stochastic technique of triangulation. The introduced HOHCT method is based on the evaluation of statistically compatible hypotheses and a search algorithm designed to exploit the strengths of the Delayed Inverse-Depth technique to achieve good performance results. This work presents the HOHCT with a detailed formulation of the monocular DI-D SLAM problem. The performance of the proposed HOHCT is validated with experimental results, in both indoor and outdoor environments, while its costs are compared with other popular approaches.
Exploring the Bullwhip Effect and Inventory Stability in a Seasonal Supply Chain
Authors: Costantino Francesco , Di Gravio Giulio , Shaban Ahmed , Tronci Massimo
Published: August 2013

The bullwhip effect is defined as the distortion of demand information as one moves upstream in the supply chain, causing severe inefficiencies in the whole supply chain. Although extensive research has been conducted to study the causes of the bullwhip effect and seek mitigation solutions with respect to several demand processes, less attention has been devoted to the impact of seasonal demand in multi-echelon supply chains. This paper considers a simulation approach to study the effect of demand seasonality on the bullwhip effect and inventory stability in a four-echelon supply chain that adopts a base stock ordering policy with a moving average method. The results show that high seasonality levels reduce the bullwhip effect ratio, inventory variance ratio, and average fill rate to a great extent; especially when the demand noise is low. In contrast, all the performance measures become less sensitive to the seasonality level when the noise is high. This performance indicates that using the ratios to measure seasonal supply chain dynamics is misleading, and that it is better to directly use the variance (without dividing by the demand variance) as the estimates for the bullwhip effect and inventory performance. The results also show that the supply chain performances are highly sensitive to forecasting and safety stock parameters, regardless of the seasonality level. Furthermore, the impact of information sharing quantification shows that all the performance measures are improved regardless of demand seasonality. With information sharing, the bullwhip effect and inventory variance ratios are consistent with average fill rate results.
Bucket Brigades to Increase Productivity in a Luxury Assembly Line
Authors: De Carlo Filippo , Borgia Orlando , Tucci Mario
Published: August 2013

One of the most challenging issues in manual assembly lines is to achieve the best balance of workloads. There are many analytic approaches to solve this problem, but they are often neglected, since they are time-consuming and require high level engineering skills. Fashion bags packaging lines must comply with a number of different products with low production volumes, while the organization of the line is often under the mere responsibility of the foreman, who balances workloads in an empirical way. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the arrangement of bucket brigades (BBs) for an assembly line of luxury handbags. To do this, it was decided to perform a testing activity in a company producing fashion handbags in order to compare the self-made design with the BBs and with a simple assembly line balancing problem algorithm. The originality of this research lies in the fact that there are no studies in the literature on BBs applied to the packaging of highly variable small batches. The results were excellent, showing the advantages of BBs in terms of flexibility, the reduction of work in the process and the ability to handle small anomalies.
Demand Forecasting in the Fashion Industry: A Review
Authors: Nenni Maria Elena , Giustiniano Luca , Pirolo Luca
Published: August 2013

Forecasting demand is a crucial issue for driving efficient operations management plans. This is especially the case in the fashion industry, where demand uncertainty, lack of historical data and seasonal trends usually coexist. Many approaches to this issue have been proposed in the literature over the past few decades. In this paper, forecasting methods are compared with the aim of linking approaches to the market features.
Iphigénie à Paris: Positioning Gluck Historically in Early Twentieth-Century France
Authors: Gibbons William
Published: August 2013

In December 1907, Gluck's operaIphigénie en Aulidewas produced in Paris at the Opéra-Comique, the last of his major operas to be revived in France. The ensuing critical reception pitted Vincent d'Indy, who harshly criticized the production, against its director, Albert Carré; d'Indy further responded by conducting the overture toIphigénieonly a few weeks later as a musical corrective to the performance at the Opéra-Comique. This unusual event highlights the historiographie problem Gluck presented to early twentieth-century critics in France: did his music look backwards to thetragédieslyriquesof Lully and Rameau, or did it prefigure the Wagnerian music-dramas of the nineteenth century? The 1907 Opéra-Comique production ofIphigénieand its aftermath encapsulate the struggle to incorporate Gluck into newly developing and often competing narratives of music history.
Le son généreux [pour une hyper-écoute]
Authors: Laplante Chantale
Published: August 2013

L’article que l’artiste propose au lecteur relate le processus de transformation de sa pratique artistique durant une période particulière. L’artiste nous entretient de la transformation dans sa manière de composer la musique et de travailler avec le son. Elle développe sa réflexion autour de deux notions principales : l’hyper écoute qui favorise une approche intuitive, le son devenant la source première d’information à être transmué par la sensibilité de l’artiste, et l’espace-surface issu d’un temps musical non linéaire inscrit dans la durée. Tout au long de l’article, le lecteur prendra connaissance d’un contexte de travail précis qui a favorisé l’émergence d’un questionnement sur le processus de composition musicale et la relation avec le matériau en jeu, le son.
Heinrich Schütz's Musikalische Exequien: Evidence of Influence
Authors: Johnston Gregory S.
Published: August 2013

Heinrich Schütz's Musikalische Exequien (SWV 279-81), written for the funeral of Prince Heinrich Posthumus von Reuß in 1636, is generally regarded as one of his finest works. Oddly, though, the praise accorded the composition has come almost entirely from critics of the last fifty years, while it is thought to have had negligible resonance in the seventeenth century. The present article suggests that the Exequien may in fact have been used as a model for three compositions by Michael Wiedemann in 1693. Based on comparisons of the circumstances which occasioned the works, on the identification of numerous shared compositional processes exclusive to these works in the seventeenth-century funerary repertory, on certain professional motivations, and on the logistics of publishing and geography which would have made the Exequien available to Wiedemann, it becomes possible to suggest with reason that Schütz's Musikalische Exequien was not without influence in baroque Germany.
Thin Partitions: Remembrance and Reflection in Alfred Fisher's Zakhor: Remember
Authors: Lewis Christopher
Published: August 2013

The injunction to remember – in Hebrew, Zakhor – is perhaps the most powerful command in the Old Testament, and memory of the past has therefore always been a central component of Jewish experience. Alfred Fisher's character and music suggest both erudition and practicality as crucial components of the Jewish heritage that has formed an increasingly central part of his life and music during the past decade. In the song cycle Zakhor: Remember, poetic and musical cross-referencing of memories is the framework for a fascinating dialectic that informs the structure and the language of the cycle. In this article, the author studies the different levels of unity in the cycle and discusses its tonal structure, which can be characterized as post-Schoenbergian chromaticism, in which much of the harmonic language is controlled by a limited number of pitch-class sets. Remembrance and reflection are here interwoven with Fisher's emotional responses into the intellectual framework of a profound work of art.
From Point to Sphere: Spatial Organization of Sound in Contemporary Music (after 1950)
Authors: Harley Maria
Published: August 2013

In this study of spatial organization of sound, that is of "spatialization" in music, the term "spatial" refers to the three-dimensional performance space, not to pitch. "Spatialized music," distinct both from polychoral music and from musical theatre, means music with quasi-spatial structure defined by the composer in the score or in another medium of sound coding (digital or analog recording, specific software). Spatialization includes ensemble dispersion, movement of sounds, performers and audience, juxtaposition and interaction of real and virtual sound sources – every situation in which the position of the sound sources and the acoustic quality of the performance space are given compositional significance. A classification of spatial designs in music is followed by examples illustrating three aspects of spatialization: (1) the expression or simulation of geometrical patterns in music, (2) the movement of sound, (3) the symbolic function of spatial designs and movement. Musical examples and graphs of performer placement are taken from Henry Brant's Millenium II (1954), Karlheinz Stockhausen's Gruppen für drei Orchester (1955-57), Iannis Xenakis's Terrêtektorh (1965-66) and John Tavener's Ultimos Ritos (1972).
Is Complex Music Socially Significant? Doing Ethnomusicology in South Asia
Authors: Burckhardt Qureshi Regula
Published: August 2013

In this article, four cases of ethnomusicological research on South Asian music are presented to substantiate the social essentiality (Wesentlichkeit) of music, and therefore the complementary role of a socially-grounded approach to studying complex musical traditions. Historiographically, it is argued that this social orientation progresses logically from, and is in keeping with, the growing cosmopolitan reality of musical scholarship and of music itself. Ethnomusicology draws resourcefully from its rich, inter-disciplinary heritage of musicology, music theory, anthropology, and area studies to yield tools of musical description and analysis that are culturally appropriate, culture-specific and yet cross-cultural, this paving a foundation for a truly comparative—and "Adlerian"— musicology.
On the Role of Vocal Idioms in Singing
Authors: Stark James A.
Published: August 2013

The identification of particular vocal techniques in singing, which combine to form distinctive vocal idioms, is important for an understanding of both "classical" and "vernacular" musical styles. The modern critical literature on song is based largely on the limited concept of a "word-tone relationship," with musico-poetic synthesis as its ideal. Performance practices are as important to song criticism as is the study of written scores. The elements of voice quality and vocal articulation, with specific reference to the physiology and acoustics of the human voice, provide the analytical tools for defining vocal idioms and their role in the value and success of a song. The description of such idioms requires a rapprochement between vocal history, pedagogy, and science. Using the bel canto paradigm as a reference point, this article discusses a variety of vocal idioms. Gluck's aria, "Che farò senza Euridice" is used to illustrate how an understanding of vocal idioms can alter our judgment of a piece which has sometimes been condemned for its poor word-tone relationship.
Le labyrinthe visité : Le cactus rieur et la demoiselle qui souffrait d’une soif insatiable de Denys Bouliane
Authors: Boulay Jean-Michel
Published: August 2013

L’abandon, il y a maintenant environ 25 ans, des techniques sérielles d’organisation du matériau musical a rendu très difficile, pour les jeunes compositeurs, le choix du type de langage à employer. Cette absence de lingua franca a poussé les musiciens à explorer quantité de façons nouvelles d’organiser leur musique. Plusieurs d’entre elles n’ont pas eu la vie longue, d’autres se sont avérées plus prometteuses. Nous nous penchons ici sur une solution intéressante au problème du contrôle harmonique proposée par un compositeur québécois, Denys Bouliane, et sur son utilisation dans une œuvre importante pour orchestre, Le cactus rieur et la demoiselle qui souffrait d’une soif insatiable.
Observations sur le développement technique et stylistique de György Ligeti au début des années 1950
Authors: Sallis Friedemann
Published: August 2013

L’article présente certains aspects de notre thèse de doctorat intitulée « An Introduction to the Early Works of György Ligeti ». Il propose une critique de deux idées reçues et largement répandues dans la littérature sur le musique de ce compositeur : (1) en arrivant en Europe de l’Ouest en décembre 1956, Ligeti se serait départi de tout le bagage technique et stylistique qu’il avait acquis auparavant en Hongrie ; (2) avant de passer à l’Ouest, il n’aurait eu presque aucune connaissance de l’avant-garde musicale de l’Europe de l’Ouest.