bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Building a parsimonious model for identifying best answers using interaction history in community Q&A
Authors: Shah Chirag
Published: February 2016

Evaluating answer quality or identifying/predicting which answer would be selected as the best for a given question is an important problem in community‐based Q&A services. In this article we introduce new interaction‐based features depicting the amount of distinct interactions between an asker and answerer over time, in order to predict whether an answer will be selected as Best Answer or not within Yahoo! Answers. Through a series of experiments ran on a data set of 23,218 question‐answer pairs, we determined that after the data was first run using a model trained on textual features, and then the failed cases re‐run with a model trained on interaction features, we were able to significantly improve the performance of the original model in identifying these difficult cases. In addition, when compared to models using often five to seven times the amount of features and requiring a large amount of computational effort, our model performed at to above the same evaluative measures. This suggests that future classification models can be made more parsimonious and handle larger datasets using less computational effort by developing a two‐step classifier that includes interaction history as a feature.
Password creation strategies across high‐ and low‐literacy web users
Authors: Rinn Caitlin , Summers Kathryn , Rhodes Emily , Virothaisakun Joël , Chisnell Dana
Published: February 2016

Research has shown that password security practices typically conflict with general usability principles. Though the challenges faced by low‐literacy users when creating and managing passwords are likely to extend beyond those experienced by the general public, little research has been done to explore password usability in this at‐risk group. This survey of 20 low‐literacy participants aims to examine password behaviors within this population, including password creation, recall strategies, and perceptions of password strength and security. It expands on the work of Chisnell and Newby () based on a nationwide survey exploring password use, password creation strategies, and perceptions regarding password security. Thus, this study allows for comparison between password use and perceptions among the broader population and those of users with low literacy skills. These results provide important insights into patterns of use and mental models of password requirements and password security among low‐literacy users.
Controlled vocabularies for scientific data: Users and desired functionalities
Authors: Zhang Yue , Ogletree Adrian , Greenberg Jane , Rowell Chelcie
Published: February 2016

Controlled vocabularies have great applicability for organizing and providing access to scientific data. This paper presents research examining the controlled vocabulary use and desired application features specific to scientific data. A survey was conducted, gathering data from U.S. DataNet participants and other data stakeholder communities. Results indicate that participants see controlled vocabularies as valued tools. Participants also reported an interest in repository technology that provides access to multiple vocabularies for scientific data.
“It's useless for that”: Finding, frustration, and fun with mobile technology in outdoor markets
Authors: Nugent Tim , Lueg Christopher , Buttfield‐Addison Paris , Dermoudy Julian
Published: February 2016

This paper reports on the use of mobile technology–specifically, smartphones and tablet computers–in outdoor public markets in Australia and the United States, based on a survey and interview (n=44) conducted with attendees in public markets. After noting that past research in a variety of disciplines is deficient in regards to its assessment of technology use in such public spaces, we explore the different reasons and situations in which mobile technology is used in them, identifying the most prevalent problems and deficiencies encountered. We provide a foundation on which future work that examines communal public spaces and the use of technology can be based, and promote a broader view of how technology is used for information seeking and communication in such spaces.
Information practices in the broader ‘deportment’ of mobile knowledge work
Authors: Thomson Leslie , Jarrahi Mohammad Hossein
Published: February 2016

This paper presents preliminary findings from an in‐depth, exploratory study aimed at gathering an understanding of mobile knowledge workers’ information practices, which are presumed distinct from those of non‐mobile, stationary, centrally located workers. Its focus arises from a need to understand more, from an empirical standpoint, about the information practices of this increasingly visible yet understudied population. Semi‐structured interviews with sixteen mobile knowledge workers suggest that this demographic hones distinct but intertwined practices around dealing with information. Five of these are discussed here; together, they compose a broader mobile knowledge work ‘deportment’ of sorts. Mobile knowledge workers also appear to use bottom‐up technological infrastructures to mediate their information practices, ones that are enacted independently of any organization for which they may work. This is discussed as a ripe area for further research. This paper's findings are relevant for advancing research around mobile knowledge work and information practices generally, and for organizations seeking to better support the work of their own mobile employees specifically.
The dynamics of journal‐journal citation relations: Can “hot spots” in the sciences be mapped?
Authors: Leydesdorff Loet
Published: February 2016

Using three years of the Journal Citation Reports (2011, 2012, and 2013), indicators of transitions in 2012 (between 2011 and 2013) are studied using methodologies based on entropy statistics. Changes can be indicated at the level of journals using the margin totals of entropy production along the row or column vectors, but also at the level of links among groups of journals by importing the transition matrices into network analysis and visualization programs (and using community‐finding algorithms). The limitations of the methodologies (e.g., size‐dependency) are also discussed. PLoS ONE has introduced a new communication dynamics into the database.
Information sharing as story construction in group decision making
Authors: Xiao Lu , Witherspoon Richelle L.
Published: February 2016

Prior research in group decision‐making has shown that group members tend to share and focus on the information that is known to the majority of the group but keep the unique information unshared. Tasks created to study this information pooling phenomenon are referred to as hidden profile tasks. A recent hidden profile experiment showed that group members constructed stories to reach their group decision. The study discouraged this storytelling approach and suggested that technology mediation could provide a way to reduce the likelihood of using this approach in discussion. While our experiment confirmed this story construction approach, we found that in the story construction process the participants considered the important arguments as well as different perspectives. We therefore suggest that the story development approach is rational and that the Story model, an existing group process model well‐documented in jury decision making literature, could shed light on the design of collaborative technologies that accommodate or improve such a discussion approach.
Strategic planning for a data‐driven, shared‐access research enterprise: virginia tech research data assessment and landscape study
Authors: Shen Yi
Published: February 2016

The data landscape study at Virginia Tech addresses the changing modes of faculty scholarship increasingly driven by data and supports the development of a user‐centric data infrastructure, management, and curation system. The study investigates faculty researchers’ current practices in organizing, describing, sharing, reusing, and preserving data and the emerging needs for data services and education. The results determine the different dimensions of data‐related activities, challenges, and opportunities and the changing nature of faculty demands regarding data documentation, storage, and archiving. Asking faculty researchers to self‐reflect data sharing and reuse from both data producers’ and data users’ perspectives, the study reveals a significant gap between the rather localized and sporadic data management and sharing activities and the highly perceived reuse values of data that often get lost right after the original work is done. With expertise in data, information, and archive fields, libraries have great values to offer in bridging the gap and building a data‐driven, shared‐access research enterprise.
Extended date/time format (EDTF) in the digital public library of America's metadata: Exploratory analysis
Authors: Zavalina Oksana L. , Alemneh Daniel Gelaw , Kizhakkethil Priya , Phillips Mark E. , Tarver Hannah
Published: February 2016

Considering the value of dates in the life cycle of the digital resource, capturing and storing dates metadata in a structured way can have a significant impact on information retrieval. There are a number of format conventions in common use for encoding the date and time values; the Extended Date/Time Format (EDTF) is one of the most expressive. This paper presents results of an exploratory analysis of representation of dates in over 8 million metadata records from one of the largest digital aggregators, Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), and compares it to EDTF specifications. This benchmark study provides empirical data – at both the individual provider level and the group level (content hubs or service hubs) – about the overall level and patterns of application of date metadata in DPLA metadata records in relation to EDTF.
Making an impact through experiential learning
Authors: Budd John M. , Chu Clara M. , Dali Keren , O'Brien Heather
Published: February 2016

This panel focuses on experiential learning as a foundation of information science education. We critically examine the underlying philosophies, pedagogical attitudes, and specific teaching methods needed to foster a new generation of information science professionals. Spanning the pedagogical spectrum from theory to practice, we analyze how the integration of humanistic and progressive pedagogies, principles of student‐centered and facilitative learning, and problem‐based projects can contribute to the holistic education of creative leaders and lifelong learners whose skills and knowledge are congruent with the fluid and complex character of our field. Drawing on a combined framework from several theoretical studies in adult education, we examine the potential impact of experiential learning on the conception and perception of learning in higher education, on the information science curriculum, and on the nature of the student‐teacher relationship. In the spirit of the panel, we invite the session attendees to reflect on the introduced ideas in application to their own pedagogical practices, teaching styles, and courses through several interactive exercises and group discussions. These activities illustrate how experiential learning presents a basis for change in information science education.
Fuzzy retrieval for software reuse
Authors: Colvin Erin , Kraft Donald
Published: February 2016

Finding software for reuse is a problem that programmers face. To reuse code that has been proven to work can increase any programmer's productivity, benefit corporate productivity, and also increase the stability of software programs. This paper shows that fuzzy retrieval has an improved retrieval performance over typical Boolean retrieval. Various methods of fuzzy information retrieval implementation and their use for software reuse will be examined. A deeper explanation of the fundamentals of designing a fuzzy information retrieval system for software reuse will be examined. Future research options and necessary data storage systems are explored.
Perceived outcomes of online parenting information according to self‐selected participants from a population of website users
Authors: Pluye Pierre , Sherif Reem El , Bartlett Gillian , Granikov Vera , Grad Roland M , Doray Geneviève , Lagarde François , Loignon Christine , Bouthillier France
Published: February 2016

Looking for consumer health/well‐being information online is increasingly common. However, little is known about how people are using information targeted to a specific audience, and what happens as a result of this use. We partnered with ‘Naitre & Grandir’ (N&G), a magazine, website and newsletter offering trustworthy parenting information on child growth, development and health/well‐being. This study was designed to uncover the outcomes of online parenting information. We used the theory‐driven Information Assessment Method (IAM) to study parental perceptions regarding outcomes of specific N&G web pages. A research question was: Is there a difference between parents with a low level of education and income vs. other parents? Over an 8‐month study period, 4007 participants submitted 4862 IAM ratings that suggested N&G information was valuable in terms of situational relevance (93.7%), positive cognitive impact (92.9%), intention to use (85.7%), and expectation for child health/well‐being benefit (82.4%). In addition, results suggested participants with a low level of education and income were more likely to (i) seek and use information for the child of someone else, and (ii) expect being more engaged in decision‐making for their child, and being less worried regarding a problem concerning their child. Our results do not support an association between the combined level of income and education, and perceived outcomes of information. This is the first study to assess outcomes of emailed parenting information from a parental viewpoint. More research is needed to better understand outcomes of targeted online information, which may ultimately contribute to improve people's health/well‐being.
Designing disciplinary identity: An analysis of the term “design” in library and information science vocabulary
Authors: Clarke Rachel Ivy
Published: February 2016

This poster explores the role of design in the disciplinary identity and positioning of librarianship and information science through examination of the term “design” in two prominent contemporary library and information science vocabularies: the thesaurus for H.W. Wilson's Library Literature & Information Science Full Text database and the American Society for Information Science & Technology's Thesaurus of Information Science, Technology and Librarianship. Findings include conflicting and fractured identities, power struggles and paradigm entrenchment. Further research into disciplinary identity is necessary not only to improve controlled vocabularies but also to solidify and unify professional identity.
Toward an information management system for handling parenting information users' comments
Authors: Sherif Reem El , Roy Pascale , Tang David Li , Pluye Pierre , Bush Paula , Doray Geneviève , Lagarde François
Published: February 2016

Little is known about how their qualitative feedback can be used by information providers. In this study, researchers worked with information providers, ‘Naitre et grandir’ (N&G), to implement the Information Assessment Method (IAM) for assessing and improving parenting information. Qualitative feedback was collected from participants who visited the N&G website during the study period and who completed an IAM questionnaire. Using an Organizational Participatory Research approach, a coding manual for the identification of participants’ comments was created, and developed by the researchers in partnership with information providers. This manual was used by two coders for classifying participants’ comments. A 4‐step process was followed. For each step, a sample of comments were codes, coding was compared, and codes were further refined. At step‐4, the inter‐coder reliability was tested. This led to a reliable coding manual that will be used in the creation of an online system to facilitate the coding of comments, and provide selected comments to N&G editors on a weekly basis. This system can be adapted by other website editors.
“Nothing as practical as a good theory” Does Lewin's Maxim still have salience in the applied social sciences?
Authors: McCain Katherine W.
Published: February 2016

In the spirit of the theme of ASIST 2015, the influence of Kurt Lewin's Maxim—“there is nothing as practical as a good theory”—in the applied social sciences (including Information Science) is examined through the lens of Obliteration by Incorporation text analysis. Six hundred ninety three English language scholarly journal articles published between 1945–2013, retrieved through a search of broad and specialized full‐text bibliographic databases as well as back issues of JASIS/JASIST using known variants of Lewin's Maxim, were categorized based on the text associated with the Maxim. Psychology, Management, and Education articles dominated the retrieval (∼70%) while Information Science was essentially invisible. In successive 5‐year periods between 1989 and 2013, the proportion of Explicit Citations to Lewin's writings increased in all three subject areas, while the proportions of invocations of Lewin (attribution without citation) and Implicit Citations (use of the Maxim without attribution) varied from one period to the next; Lewin's influence appears to be increasing rather than being obliterated. The influence of Lewin's ideas in Information Science was not visible here but merits further exploration.
How does knowledge management affect service innovation in academic libraries?: A survey study
Authors: Islam Md. Anwarul , Agarwal Naresh Kumar , Ikeda Mitsuru
Published: February 2016

Effective management of all knowledge produced within an organization is frequently identified as a key criteria for innovation of new products and services within the organization. Academic libraries are beginning to realize the importance of knowledge management (KM) in this regard. However, there aren't any quantitative studies studying KM and service innovation in the context of libraries. Islam, Agarwal and Ikeda came up with a framework for knowledge management for service innovation in academic libraries (KMSIL). Through a survey of 107 librarians from 39 countries, this study seeks to investigate the effect of KM (and each phase of the KM cycle) on service innovation. Preliminary findings support the KMSIL framework. They should help academic libraries in the process of service innovation by utilizing phases of the KM cycle.
Interdisciplinarity and information literacy: Librarians' competencies in emerging settings of higher education
Authors: Gullbekk Eystein , B⊘yum Idunn , Byström Katriina
Published: February 2016

Our aim with this conceptual analysis is to demonstrate possible expectations put on librarians who are engaged in interdisciplinary courses in higher education programs. We do so by relating views on interdisciplinarity with views on information literacy. We distinguish views on interdisciplinarity by the degree of integration between disciplinary components and views on information literacy by the degree of participation in addressing research problems. The analysis brings forth four cases. The cases entail different professional competencies that range from source‐oriented technical skills applicable in multidisciplinary settings to collaborative negotiations of research problems and information needed to address them in inter‐disciplinary fields. This conceptual account has a twofold potential: First, it has a capacity of informing academic libraries about alternative paths in developing or revising activities for interdisciplinary education. Second, it also provides a framework for developing future research problems that address current challenges related to information literacy in interdisciplinary settings.
Emerging trends in the use and adoption of E‐participation around the world
Authors: Hagen Loni , Kropczynski Jess , Dumas Catherine , Lee Jisue , Vasquez Fatima Espinoza , Rorissa Abebe
Published: February 2016

This panel showcases analyses of emerging trends of e‐participation—use of information communication technologies (ICTs) and social media for political participation. E‐participation has gained popularity in many countries, and some cases have shown that e‐participation has actually brought significant changes in societies.

In this panel, we address two issues: (1) the impacts of e‐participation on society, and (2) the role of information science in understanding this phenomenon. We will focus on introducing emerging trends in e‐participation and their impact on individuals and societies in South Korea, the United States, and Honduras. Further, we introduce methods for efficiently analyzing e‐participation data, and discuss challenges involved in implementing these methodologies. Because this is intended to be an interactive panel, the audience will be encouraged to engage in discussions and contributing their own experiences and ideas related to current trends in e‐participation in various countries.

SPONSORSHIP: SIG III, SIG IEP
What's your epistemology?: Quiz design as a pedagogical tool in library & information science doctoral education
Authors: Strickland Beth , Lawrence Emily
Published: February 2016

We propose that collaboratively developing a quiz that identifies individuals’ epistemologies is an effective way to meet critical pedagogical ends in Library & Information Science (LIS) doctoral education. As a case study, we recount the process of creating and sharing one such quiz in a recent research design course at our home institution. Posted to various social media outlets in March 2015, this quiz has since been taken over 25,000 times and has a 69% completion rate. The pedagogical impact of this tool has thus extended far beyond a single classroom.

We evaluate the current LIS PhD research methods and design course requirements of programs in North America to contextualize our arguments regarding the value of quiz design as a pedagogical tool. Using an activity theory framework, we suggest a plan for productively employing quiz design in relevant doctoral courses. Ultimately, we contend that the process of designing and implementing an epistemology quiz can help LIS faculty teach a complicated subject matter to beginning researchers. Further, the quiz can help LIS doctoral students to (1) make sense of methodological differences, (2) engage in epistemological perspective‐taking, and (3) fruitfully negotiate epistemological and methodological disputes with colleagues.
Finding the privileged few: Supporting privilege review for e‐discovery
Authors: Vinjumur Jyothi K. , Oard Douglas W.
Published: February 2016

As typically conceived, the goal of information retrieval is to help people find what they seek. However, when sensitive content is intermixed with what is sought, it can be equally important to help protect what should not be seen. This paper focuses on one such case, the protection of content that is subject to a claim of attorney‐client privilege when sharing evidence incident to civil litigation, a process called e‐discovery. Although lawyers have been quick to embrace text classification techniques for finding relevant evidence, the stakes involved in inadvertent disclosure of privileged content create reluctance to trust any fully automated technique to accurately recognize content that can properly be withheld. Rather than starting with privilege classification as a goal, this paper proposes a modest first step for building tools that can help lawyers to make faster and more accurate privilege judgments by scoring the importance of specific email addresses to determine their propensity to engage in privileged communication. Both recursive and heuristic techniques are used to estimate that propensity score, ultimately resulting a coverage of 94% of the email addresses.
Examining user‐driven factors for intentions to use video digital libraries
Authors: Ju Boryung , Albertson Dan
Published: February 2016

The purpose of the present study is to examine potential influences of certain user‐driven factors on the intentions to use or target video digital libraries. The overarching objective of the study is to present a validated research model which depicts such phenomenon between users and video digital libraries. A total of 229 respondents participated in an online survey, which included questions for seven distinct variables: retrieval functionality, user interface characteristics, user support, collection quality, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and intention to use. Multiple regression and correlation coefficient were used to analyze the collected survey data and test the hypotheses for validating the proposed research model. The preliminary results show that both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are determinant factors of users’ intention to use video digital library resources. In addition, retrieval functionality, user support, and collection quality significantly affected users’ perceived ease of use of digital library resources. Further study of additional variables is currently in progress in order to assess influential factors that affect use of digital video libraries and ultimate adoption of such tools.
An author co‐citation analysis: Examining the intellectual structure of e‐learning from 1981 to 2014
Authors: McCoy Chase , Yu Amy , Ramazanova Sabina
Published: February 2016

Despite the emergence of e‐learning trends, the author co‐citation analysis (ACA) method has not yet been used to analyze e‐learning extensively. This study applies ACA to analyze the collected literature on e‐learning from 1981–2015, with the goal of identifying the top intellectual areas in three time periods – 1981–1991, 1992–2002, and 2003–2014 ‐ to provide a reference framework for future researchers. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to construct an intellectual framework in the field of e‐learning.
Culture and information architecture: A study of American and Arab academic websites
Authors: mimouni Houda El , MacDonald Craig M.
Published: February 2016

This paper investigates the information architecture (IA) of American and Arab academic websites in light of Hofestede's theory of culture and Marcus's elements of design reflecting culture. Using 60 academic websites from American and Arab cultures, the results show that IA is influenced by the cultural dimension of Power Distance and suggest that web designers and developers should strongly consider cultural factors when making design decisions, particularly those related to IA.
Assessing the popularity of the top‐tier journals in the LIS field on Twitter
Authors: Zhao Yuehua , Wolfram Dietmar
Published: February 2016

Twitter popularity, which measures the total frequency of mentions on Twitter, is proposed as an altmetrics indicator to assess the social impact of a given journal. Based on the 2013 Journal Citation Report, 30 journals with high impact factors in the library and information science (LIS) field were identified as top‐tier journals. Through the investigation, the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST), College & Research Libraries (CRL), and Scientometrics are the most prevalent LIS journals with 2668, 1730, and 625 mentions, separately, on Twitter. To explore the association between the proposed altmetrics indicator and citation‐based measures, Spearman's rho nonparametric correlation analysis was conducted to test the correlations between Twitter mentions and 8 citation‐based measures (total cites, impact factor, 5‐year impact factor, immediacy index, articles, cited half‐life, Eigenfactor score, and article influence score). There is a significant and moderate correlation observed between the Twitter mentions and Eigenfactor score for the investigated journals. In conclusion, although the proposed altmetrics indicator, journal Twitter popularity, may not measure the scientific impact as the citation‐based measurements do, this study puts forward the possibility of using journal Twitter popularity as a complementary indicator of journal impact.
A scientometric comparative study of single‐walled and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes research
Authors: Lahoti Geet , Kim Meen Chul , Youtie Jan , Porter Alan L. , Zhang Chuck , Wang Ben , Hicks Diana
Published: February 2016

In the present study, we aim to quantitatively investigate and compare the intellectual landscapes of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) research between 2000 and 2014. The overall intellectual structure of these fields is illustrated by emerging trends of bursting keywords and thematic concentrations of co‐cited references. This study is based on two sets of bibliographic records retrieved from the Web of Science database. The SWCNTs dataset contains 18,700 original research and review articles. The MWCNTs dataset, consisting of 23,584 records, is also collected from the database. We find that both domains have scrutinized chemical concepts which underlie the properties of the materials. Recent thematic trends show that MWCNTs research focuses on the improvement of the material while SWCNTs research lays more emphasis on their applications. In conclusion, it is argued that SWCNTs and MWCNTs have co‐evolved. At the same time, both fields are distinctively diverging with their own scientific concerns.
Making dataset ingest decisions: A data archive's appraisal and selection system implementation
Authors: Hou Chung‐Yi , Mayernik Matthew , Dattore Robert , Worley Steve
Published: February 2016

Within data repositories and archives, evaluation guidelines and criteria used to appraise and select an object for ingest can have crucial impact on the subsequent curation workflow. The decisions made during the appraisal and selection process can greatly affect the compatibility, effectiveness, and cohesiveness of the data and resources that are made available by repositories and archives. This poster presents the motivations and objectives for creating the Research Data Archive Dataset Appraisal and Selection System at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. An overview of the analysis process that was used to determine the system implementation requirements will also be provided. Additionally, features and capabilities of the current system will be presented along with the summary of the functions that are under consideration for the next phase of implementation. The poster concludes with the discussion on the benefits of such a system to any repository or archive that aims to provide data stewardship for longevity.
New developments in preventing and managing hypertension
Authors: Ogden Joy
Published: February 2016

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease yet it is still underdiagnosed and undertreated in the UK. This article outlines some recent initiatives that aim to improve the prevention, detection and management of hypertension now and in the future.
Confronting the growing problem of antibiotic resistance
Authors: Jethwa Shilpa
Published: February 2016

With antibiotic‐resistant infections continuing to rise and few new antibiotics in the development pipeline, tackling the issue of antibiotic overuse is crucial. Shilpa Jethwa outlines some of the recent strategies and campaigns directed at health professionals and the public to help curb antibiotic overprescribing in the UK.
Models of organisational and cross‐sector working
Authors: Rogers Tracy , Barnett Nina
Published: February 2016

As part of our series of articles highlighting the recommendations made in the NICE guideline on Medicines Optimisation,1 this month we discuss the section of the guidance concerning medicines‐related models of organisational and crosssector working.
Living in a data rich world
Authors: Bowman Jo
Published: February 2016

We talk to four of the most influential CEOs in our industry about merging data streams and why the role of market research is more valued than ever.
Enabling business with a location strategy
Authors: Stadhouders Carlien
Published: February 2016

Where we live, work, travel and do our shopping‒these are activities we make decisions about every day. While ‘where’ is a familiar word, it also comes with the understanding that we have thought about location, including visualising, analysing and quantifying information about place. This not only plays a role in our personal lives, it can also help us gain better insights into our business world.
Analytics, Ethics and Market Research
Authors: Macer Tim
Published: February 2016

Big data can mean big risks if you don't have a sound legal and ethical basis for integrating the data into your research. This is the view of three individuals I spoke to, whose job it is to consider the legal and ethical use of big data, and how to reconcile the rights of private individuals over the use of their data with the opportunities for economic and social benefits it can bring.
Increasing the return on consumer insights
Authors: Schillewaert Niels , Rozelle Holly
Published: February 2016

After completing an immersive Consumer Consulting Board focusing on “health and wellness” shopper insights, InSites Consulting and Dannon generated an abundance of consumer observations. Next to 3,465 consumer conversations, we created a tagged and searchable database of 1,399 real‐life consumer pictures as well as 14 insight platforms. The delivery of the study to Dannon executives was done using interactive workshop activities so that they would fully internalise the data. The process led to 78 co‐created ideas based on these consumer observations and crafted insights.
Heliumdichtheit von Werkstoffen
Authors: Brockmann Robert
Published: February 2016

Die im Rahmen von Heliumdichtheitsprüfungen an den Aufbauten des Wendelstein X‐7 Experiments vorgenommenen Lecksuchen mittels Ultra‐Schnüffel‐Testgas‐(UST‐)Verfahren lassen den Schluss auf ein neues Kriterium für Heliumdichtheit von Werkstoffen zu. Mehr als ein geringer Abstand der Atome im Festkörper scheint dessen Fähigkeit, freien Wasserstoff zu gettern, dafür verantwortlich zu sein, dass Helium nicht durch das Material strömen kann.
Gepulste Hochleistungs‐Magnetron‐Plasmen (HPPMS)
Authors: von Keudell Achim , Hecimovic Ante , Maszl Christian
Published: February 2016

Gepulste Hochleistungsplasmen (High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering — HPPMS) eignen sich hervorragend zur Synthese von hochwertigen keramischen Schichten, da der Fluss der schichtbildenden Teilchen sehr energiereich ist. Diese besondere Form der Energieverteilung hat ihre Ursache in der Bildung von lokalisierten Ionisationszonen, wie man sie mit schnellen Kameramessungen beobachten kann. In der Praxis sind allerdings nur kostengünstigere Methoden wie Strom‐Spannungsmessungen am Target verfügbar. Durch Interpretation der Strom‐Spannungskennlinien ist es trotzdem möglich, den richtigen Betriebsmodus eines HPPMS‐Plasmas zu finden. Diese Strom‐Spannungskennlinien sind je nach Targetmaterial sehr unterschiedlich, zeigen aber eindeutig die Bildung von lokalisierten Ionisationszonen an und damit den optimalen Betriebsmodus eines HPPMS‐Plasmas.
Optische Konstanten von Substraten im NIR/MIR‐Spektralbereich
Authors: Franke Christian , Stenzel Olaf , Wilbrandt Steffen , Schürmann Mark , Wolf Josephine , Todorova Vera , Doherty Brenda , Kaiser Norbert
Published: February 2016

Für die Bestimmung der optischen Konstanten von Substraten und auch Einzelschichten im nahen‐ und mittleren Infrarot wurde eine Vorgehensweise entwickelt, die auch bei verschwindendem Transmissionssignal noch eine konsistente Spektrenauswertung zulässt. Dabei kam eine kombinierte Verwendung des Algorithmus nach Nichlelatti und eines Multi‐Oszillatormodells zum Einsatz, um die optischen Konstanten der Substrate zu bestimmen. Die Basis für die Auswertungen stellten Transmissions‐ und Reflexionsspektren von typischen Substratmaterialien (CaF2, Q1 und Saphir) dar, welche mit einem Fourier‐Transform‐Infrarotspektrometer bestimmt wurden. Ein Vergleich der ermittelten optischen Konstanten mit Literaturangaben bestätigte die Validität der verwendeten Vorgehensweise. Auf der Basis bekannter optischer Konstanten der untersuchten Substrate erfolgte im Weiteren die Charakterisierung einer Tantalpentoxid Einzelschicht auf einem Q1‐Substrat mithilfe des Multioszillatormodells. Die Ergebnisse stimmen gut mit einschlägigen Literaturdaten überein.
Adsorption study of Pb(II) in aqueous medium using polyaniline nanocomposites
Authors: Madi Nabil K. , Bhadra Jolly , Al‐Thani Noora J. , Alashraf Abdullah , Abdulmalik Dana , Al‐Qaradawi Ilham
Published: February 2016

This research work presents a simple and effective way for preparation of polyaniline (PANI) nanofiber composites mixed with polyvinyl alcohol or polystyrene (PS) and their application for lead (Pb) removal from an aqueous medium. Interestingly, PANI/PS porous nanofibers show excellent performance as a one‐step Pb removal technique from aqueous solutions. The efficiency of Pb removal is found to be more than 95%, which is pretty higher than the previously reported values of other nanocomposites, as Pb removal adsorbents. Furthermore, when pure PANI nanofibers cannot remove Pb in an efficient way, this is a straightforward method for separation from the solution. This is attributable to the high surface area of PANI‐PS composites. This study also provides a simple and effective way for the development of new environmental cleaning materials. The PANI/PS composite nanofiber could be a good candidate for efficient Pb removal from wastewater and for deep purification of polluted water. The composite materials have been investigated in terms of morphology, chemical structure, thermal behavior, and defect evolution using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis, and Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy, respectively. To measure the adsorption capacity and intensity of adsorption, the adsorption data were fitted in Langmuir, and Freundlich models. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 23:E99–E106, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers
Integrating biodiversity conservation and water development: in search of long‐term solutions
Authors: Gorenflo L. J. , Warner Dennis B.
Published: February 2016

Fresh water, a resource necessary for most life on Earth, currently experiences impacts that reduce both water quality and quantity. These impacts compromise human wellbeing and threaten the existence of many nonhuman species, the latter including freshwater biodiversity as well as other species requiring water to survive. In response, development and conservation professionals strive to ensure that adequate fresh water is available for people and other organisms. Here we examine the need to coordinate efforts in these two areas of intervention to ensure long‐term success for both. We begin by discussing how places needing water development and biodiversity conservation tend to be located in the same parts of the world, suggesting that projects in each subject area may well co‐occur. We then summarize briefly the current challenges facing water development and freshwater‐related biodiversity conservation, as well as the main approaches to address those challenges. The study examines potential strategies to provide improved access to water for both people and nature through integrated water resources management and less formal approaches to avoiding unintended impacts of one activity on the other. Example projects reveal several benefits of linking development and biodiversity conservation efforts to maintain water resources. The study closes by arguing for the need to coordinate water development and biodiversity conservation activities in a manner that seeks practical synchronized solutions for particular project settings. WIREs Water 2016, 3:301–311. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1142

This article is categorized under:

Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness

Engineering Water > Planning Water
Nonlinear optical properties in open‐shell molecular systems
Authors: Nakano Masayoshi , Champagne Benoît
Published: February 2016

For more than 30 years, nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of molecular systems have been actively studied both theoretically and experimentally due to their potential applications in photonics and optoelectronics. Most of the NLO molecular systems are closed‐shell species, while recently open‐shell molecular species have been theoretically proposed as a new class of NLO systems, which exhibit larger NLO properties than the traditional closed‐shell NLO systems. In particular, the third‐order NLO property, the second hyperpolarizability γ, was found to be strongly correlated to the diradical character y, which is a quantum‐chemically defined index of effective bond weakness or of electron correlation: the γ values are enhanced in the intermediate y region as compared to the closed‐shell (y = 0) and pure open‐shell (y = 1) domains. This principle has been exemplified by accurate quantum‐chemical calculations for polycyclic hydrocarbons including graphene nanoflakes, multinuclear transition‐metal complexes, main group compounds, and so on. Subsequently, some of these predictions have been substantiated by experiments, including two‐photon absorption. The fundamental mechanism of the y–γ correlation has been explained by using a simple two‐site model and the valence configuration interaction method. On the basis of this y–γ principle, several molecular design guidelines for controlling γ have been proposed. They consist in tuning the diradical characters through chemical modifications of realistic open‐shell singlet molecules. These results open a new path toward understanding the structure—NLO property relationships and toward realizing a new class of highly efficient NLO materials. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2016, 6:198–210. doi: 10.1002/wcms.1242

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Molecular Structures

Structure and Mechanism > Computational Materials Science

Electronic Structure Theory > Ab Initio Electronic Structure Methods
Cover Image, Volume 6, Issue 2
Authors: Nakano Masayoshi , Champagne Benoît
Published: February 2016

The cover image, by Masayoshi Nakano and Benoît Champagne, is based on the Overview Nonlinear optical properties in open‐shell molecular systems, DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1242.

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Inside Cover Image, Volume 6, Issue 2
Authors: Raies Arwa B. , Bajic Vladimir B.
Published: February 2016

The inside cover image, by Vladimir B. Bajic and Arwa B. Raies, is based on the Advanced Review In silico toxicology: computational methods for prediction of chemical toxicity, DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1240.

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Cover Image, Volume 8, Issue 2
Authors: Tong Xin , Feng Yang , Zhao Anqi
Published: February 2016

The cover image, by Xin Tong et al., is based on the Advanced Review A Survey on Neyman‐Pearson Classification and Suggestions for Future Research, DOI: 10.1002/wics.1376.

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Enhancement of Penicillium echinulatum glycoside hydrolase enzyme complex
Authors: dos Santos Costa Patrícia , Büchli Fernanda , Robl Diogo , da Silva Delabona Priscila , Rabelo Sarita Candida , da Cruz Pradella José Geraldo
Published: February 2016

The enhancement of enzyme complex produced by Penicillium echinulatum grown in several culture media components (bagasse sugarcane pretreated by various methods, soybean meal, wheat bran, sucrose, and yeast extract) was studied to increment FPase, xylanase, pectinase, and β-glucosidase enzyme activities. The present results indicated that culture media composed with 10 g/L of the various bagasse pretreatment methods did not have any substantial influence with respect to the FPase, xylanase, and β-glucosidase attained maximum values of, respectively, 2.68 FPU/mL, 2.04, and 115.4 IU/mL. On the other hand, proposed culture media to enhance β-glucosidase production composed of 10 g/L steam-exploded bagasse supplemented with soybean flour 5.0 g/L, yeast extract 1.0 g/L, and sucrose 10.0 g/L attained, respectively, 3.19 FPU/mL and 3.06 IU/mL while xylanase was maintained at the same level. The proteomes obtained from the optimized culture media for enhanced FPase, xylanase, pectinase, and β-glucosidase production were analyzed using mass spectrometry and a panel of GH enzyme activities against 16 different substrates. Culture medium designed to enhance β-glucosidase activity achieved higher enzymatic activities values (13 measured activities), compared to the culture media for FPase/pectinase (9 measured activities) and xylanase (7 measured activities), when tested against the 16 substrates. Mass spectrometry analyses of secretome showed a consistent result and the greatest number of spectral counts of Cazy family enzymes was found in designed β-glucosidase culture medium, followed by FPase/pectinase and xylanase. Most of the Cazy identified protein was cellobiohydrolase (GH6 and GH7), endoglucanase (GH5), and endo-1,4-β-xylanase (GH10). Enzymatic hydrolysis of hydrothermally pretreated sugarcane bagasse performed with β-glucosidase enhanced cocktail achieved 51.4 % glucose yield with 10 % w/v insoluble solids at enzyme load of 15 FPU/g material. Collectively the results demonstrated that it was possible to rationally modulate the GH activity of the enzymatic complex secreted by P. echinulatum using adjustment of the culture medium composition. The proposed strategy may contribute to increase enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials.
Dynamic Analysis of the Removal of Fatty Acid from a Pet Surface Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance
Authors: Kanasaki Yu , Kobayashi Yasuyuki , Gotoh Keiko
Published: February 2016

A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was used to study the removal of stearic acid from poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate in aqueous alkali and surfactant solutions. The PET substrate was prepared on a QCM gold electrode by spin‐coating; its properties were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. As a result, the QCM electrode was found to be completely covered with a smooth PET film. To investigate the effect of soil deposition state on its removal, stearic acid (an oily soil model) was deposited onto the PET substrate with the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique or by spraying. The QCM frequency was recorded during the removal of stearic acid from the PET substrate in aqueous solutions. In NaOH solution, stearic acid deposited by the LB method was more rapidly removed than when deposited by the spraying method. However, the LB films of stearic acid were difficult to be removed in surfactant solutions. With respect to removal behavior of spray‐deposited stearic acid in surfactant solutions, the results determined by the QCM method were compared with those from microscopic image analysis. The removal efficiencies in the sodium dodecyl sulfate solution were in good agreement between the two methods. However, in the alkyl ethoxylate solution, the removal efficiencies obtained by the QCM method were larger than those from microscopic image analysis. These experimental results were explained by the removal mechanism of stearic acid by the alkali and surfactant solutions.