bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Different Parameters on Gelatin Adsorption and Stability of the Colloidal Dispersion of Gelatin-Coated Magnetic Iron Oxide Nano-Particles
Authors: Gaihre Babita , Parajuli Daman C. , Seo Hae C. , Khil Myung S. , Kim Hak Y.
Published: December 2008

In this study, magnetic iron oxide nano-particles (IOPs) of ca. 8 nm in size were coated with gelatin A or B. The effect of temperature, pH, incubation time and salinity on the adsorption of the polymer coating was studied. The effect of pH and salinity on the stability of the colloidal dispersion was also studied using the inductive plasma coupling technique by measuring the concentration of IOPs present in the dispersion after 24 h incubation under specified conditions. The results showed that the adsorption of gelatin B was greater relative to that of gelatin A, probably as a result of the presence of a comparatively large number of free carboxylic groups. The adsorption phenomenon was affected by temperature, pH, incubation time and the salinity of the medium. However, it was observed that the concentration of IOPs in the dispersion was not drastically affected after incubation under given conditions of pH and salinity, thereby demonstrating the stability of the colloidal dispersion as a result of steric stabilization by gelatin. The dispersions were stable for a minimum of 24 h without any visual precipitation.
Removal of Decontaminating Agent from Aqueous Solution Using Microporous and Mesoporous Materials: Activated Carbon as an Effective Adsorbent
Authors: Gokulakrishnan Narasimhan , Pandurangan Arumugam , Sinha Pradeep Kumar
Published: December 2008

Wastewater from nuclear plants contains oxalic acid, a chelating compound used to remove surface activity. This forms complexes with radioactive cations, thereby impeding their removal by conventional techniques. In this study, oxalic acid was removed by adsorption techniques using commercial activated carbon and various synthesised mesoporous materials, viz. Al-MCM-41 (Si/Al = 50), Al-MCM-41 (Si/Al = 100) and Si-MCM-41, as adsorbents, all of which were characterised by XRD, N2 sorption and TEM analysis. The extent of oxalic acid removal was increased by optimising parameters such as the adsorbent employed, the contact time, the initial concentration of oxalic acid, the pH value of the aqueous solution and the temperature. Activated carbon removed a higher percentage of oxalic acid than any of the other adsorbents studied. The experimental data obtained could be fitted by the Langmuir adsorption model and also followed first-order kinetics. In addition, the negative value of the enthalpy obtained indicated that the adsorption process was exothermic in nature.
Control of the Morphology and Porosity of Hematite Particles through the Use of Tannic Acids
Authors: Kandori Kazuhiko , Nishizawa Hatsune , Fukusumi Masao , Morisada Yoshiaki
Published: December 2008

The shape and porosity of hematite particles formed from the forced hydrolysis of acidic FeCl3 solutions could be controlled by the use of two types of tannic acid (hydrolysable and non-hydrolysable) within the concentration range 0–2 × 10−2 wt%. The system with hydrolysable tannic acid (AL) initially provided quite small spherical particles at concentrations up to 10−2 wt% and finally irregular small hematite particles at 2 × 10−2 wt%. In the system with condensed non-hydrolysable tannic acid (KT), on the other hand, the hematite particles became ellipsoidal in shape at concentrations above10−2 wt%. The formation of ellipsoidal particles was explained by the adsorption of KT molecules onto the growing polynuclear primary particles. TEM and XRD measurements revealed that all the hematite particles produced from FeCl3/HCl solutions with tannic acids are polycrystalline. The rate of phase transformation from β-FeOOH to hematite was accelerated as the concentration of AL increased, whereas no significant change was observed for the KT system. Analysis by t-plots revealed that the porosity of the hematite particles changed from mesoporous to microporous when the concentration of AL increased. In contrast, the presence of very low amounts of KT molecules (10−5 and 10−4 wt%) produced non-porous hematite particles via strong aggregation of polynuclear (PN) particles by hydrogen bonding between hydroxy and carboxy groups. Not only the morphology but also the pore size of hematite particles was controlled from non-porous to mesoporous by using different kinds of tannic acids.
The Adsorption of α-Amylase onto Activated Carbon Modified by Nitrocellulose Combustion and its Resulting Hydrolysis Activity towards Starch
Authors: Liu Chan , Guan Rengui , Shen Wenzhong , Li Zhijie
Published: December 2008

The combustion oxidation of nitrocellulose at 300oC was employed to modify activated carbon by the introduction of oxygen-containing complexes onto its surface. The pore structure, elemental composition and chemical nature of the functional groups attached to the surface of the activated carbon were investigated after such oxidation.

The results obtained show that oxygen-containing complexes may be introduced efficiently via the combustion of nitrocellulose, with the adsorption capacity of the resulting activated carbon towards α-amylase being enhanced due to interaction between the amino groups of α-amylase and the oxygen-containing surface groups. Thus, oxidized activated carbons with α-amylase immobilized on their surfaces exhibited a hydrolysis activity greater than 63% (based on free α-amylase) after five runs, while the hydrolysis activity of α-amylase immobilized on the original activated carbon was only 15% after two runs.

A simple method for introducing oxygen-containing complexes onto the surface of activated carbon through the use of nitrocellulose combustion is described in the present work. The resulting oxidized activated carbon may be used as a support for the immobilization of α-amylase, with the immobilized α-amylase exhibiting a high hydrolysis activity even after repeated use.
Adsorption of 1,2-Dichloropropane from Aqueous Solution onto Activated Carbon
Authors: Pelech Robert , Milchert Eugeniusz
Published: December 2008

An analysis of the adsorption of 1,2-dichloropropane (DCP) from aqueous solution onto activated carbon was presented. The adsorption equilibrium was described by the Freundlich and Dubinin-Astakhov equations. The dependence of the adsorption isosteric heat on the fractional equilibrium adsorption was determined and described by Do's model. A pseudo-second-order rate equation describing the adsorption kinetics of DCP from aqueous solution onto the activated carbon at different initial concentrations, adsorbent dose, temperature, particle diameter and the rate of stirring was established and the rate constant calculated. The mass-transfer coefficient was described by the Arrhenius equation. The adsorption activation energy of DCP onto activated carbon was 22.248 kJ/mol.
Adsorption Desulphurization of Gasoline by Silver Loaded onto Modified Activated Carbons
Authors: Cao Bingcheng , Shen Wenzhong , Liu Yihong
Published: December 2008

The removal of organosulphur from gasoline by adsorption onto commercial carbon samples loaded with different amounts of silver nitrate was investigated. The pore structures of the samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption studies, while the structure and chemical property of the samples before and after adsorption were examined and analyzed by XRD, FT-IR and SEM methods, respectively. The results showed that silver formed π-complexes with organic sulphides; the higher the silver loading, the greater the amount adsorbed. However, the adsorption selectivity was poor.
A Component-Based Heuristic Search Method with Evolutionary Eliminations for Hospital Personnel Scheduling
Authors: Li Jingpeng , Aickelin Uwe , Burke Edmund K.
Published: December 2008

Nurse rostering is a complex scheduling problem that affects hospital personnel on a daily basis all over the world. This paper presents a new component-based approach with evolutionary eliminations for a nurse scheduling problem arising at a major UK hospital. The main idea behind this technique is to decompose a schedule into its components (i.e., the allocated shift pattern of each nurse), and then to implement two evolutionary elimination strategies mimicking natural selection and the natural mutation process on these components, respectively, to iteratively deliver better schedules. The worthiness of all components in the schedule has to be continuously demonstrated for them to remain there. This demonstration employs an evaluation function that evaluates how well each component contributes toward the final objective. Two elimination steps are then applied: the first elimination removes a number of components that are deemed not worthy to stay in the current schedule; the second elimination may also throw out, with a low level of probability, some worthy components. The eliminated components are replenished with new ones using a set of constructive heuristics using local optimality criteria. Computational results using 52 data instances demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach in solving real-world problems.
Enhanced Cut Generation Methods for Decomposition-Based Branch and Cut for Two-Stage Stochastic Mixed-Integer Programs
Authors: Yuan Yang , Sen Suvrajeet
Published: December 2008

This paper is devoted to a study of computational speed-ups that may be possible in cut generation associated with decomposition-based branch-and-cut methods (e.g., D2-BAC) for stochastic mixed-integer programs (SMIPs). We discuss some bottlenecks in the cut generation process and suggest several enhancements to speed up this process. Our computational results show that significant improvements (approximately 50% reduction in computation times) may be possible by streamlining the computations associated with the cut generation process. This paper establishes new benchmarks for serial processing of two-stage SMIPs.
Reinforcement Learning: A Tutorial Survey and Recent Advances
Authors: Gosavi Abhijit
Published: December 2008

In the last few years, reinforcement learning (RL), also called adaptive (or approximate) dynamic programming, has emerged as a powerful tool for solving complex sequential decision-making problems in control theory. Although seminal research in this area was performed in the artificial intelligence (AI) community, more recently it has attracted the attention of optimization theorists because of several noteworthy success stories from operations management. It is on large-scale and complex problems of dynamic optimization, in particular the Markov decision problem (MDP) and its variants, that the power of RL becomes more obvious. It has been known for many years that on large-scale MDPs, the curse of dimensionality and the curse of modeling render classical dynamic programming (DP) ineffective. The excitement in RL stems from its direct attack on these curses, which allows it to solve problems that were considered intractable via classical DP in the past. The success of RL is due to its strong mathematical roots in the principles of DP, Monte Carlo simulation, function approximation, and AI. Topics treated in some detail in this survey are temporal differences, Q-learning, semi-MDPs, and stochastic games. Several recent advances in RL, e.g., policy gradients and hierarchical RL, are covered along with references. Pointers to numerous examples of applications are provided. This overview is aimed at uncovering the mathematical roots of this science so that readers gain a clear understanding of the core concepts and are able to use them in their own research. The survey points to more than 100 references from the literature.
Balanced Explorative and Exploitative Search with Estimation for Simulation Optimization
Authors: Andradóttir Sigrún , Prudius Andrei A.
Published: December 2008

We discuss desirable features that optimization algorithms should possess to exhibit good empirical performance when applied to solve simulation optimization problems possessing little known structure. Our framework emphasizes maintaining an appropriate balance between exploration, exploitation, and estimation. With the exception of estimation, our ideas are also applicable in (unstructured) deterministic optimization. Exploration refers to (globally) searching the entire feasible region for promising solutions, exploitation refers to the (local) search for improved solutions in promising subregions, and estimation refers to obtaining enhanced estimates of the objective function values at promising solutions and of the optimal solution. We also present two new random search methods that possess these desirable features, prove their almost-sure global convergence, and provide preliminary numerical results that suggest that the proposed framework is promising from a practical point of view.
Market Research and Innovation Strategy in a Duopoly
Authors: Lauga Dominique Olié , Ofek Elie
Published: December 2008

We model a duopoly in which ex ante identical firms must decide where to direct their innovation efforts. The firms face market uncertainty about consumers' preferences for innovation on two product attributes and technology uncertainty about the success of their research and development (R&D) investments. Firms can conduct costly market research before setting R&D strategy. We find that the value of market information to a firm depends on whether its rival is expected to obtain this information in equilibrium. Consequently, one firm may forgo market research even though its rival conducts such research and learns the true state of demand. We examine both vertical and horizontal demand structures. With vertical preferences, firms are a priori uncertain about which attribute all consumers will value more. In this case, a firm that conducts market research always attempts innovation on the attribute it discovers that consumers prefer and expends more on R&D than a rival that has not conducted market research. With horizontal preferences, distinct segments exist—each caring about innovation on only one attribute—and firms are a priori uncertain how many consumers each segment contains. In this case, a firm that conducts market research may follow a niche strategy and attempt innovation to serve the smaller segment to avoid intense price competition for the larger segment. A firm that conducts market research may therefore invest less in R&D and earn lower postlaunch profits than a rival that has forgone such research.
Price Competition in Markets with Consumer Variety Seeking
Authors: Seetharaman P. B. , Che Hai
Published: December 2008

We investigate price competition between firms in markets characterized by consumer variety seeking. While previous research has addressed the effect of consumer inertia on prices, there exists no research on the effects of variety seeking on price competition. Our study fills this gap in the literature. Using a two-period duopoly framework as in Klemperer's analysis of inertial markets, we show that the noncooperative pricing equilibrium in a market with consumer variety seeking may be the same as the collusive outcome in an otherwise identical market without variety seeking. Specifically, our variety-seeking model implies tacit collusion between firms in both periods, unlike the inertia model of Klemperer that implies tacit collusion between firms only in the second period but implies fierce price competition in the first period. When consumers are assumed to have rational expectations about future prices, the implied first-period prices increase further, which is consistent with what Klemperer finds in an inertial market. To summarize, while our variety-seeking analyses support two key results (pertaining to second-period prices and rational expectations) previously derived for inertial markets by Klemperer, they depart from one key result (pertaining to first-period prices).
Consumer Returns Policies and Supply Chain Performance
Authors: Su Xuanming
Published: December 2008

This paper develops a model of consumer returns policies. In our model, consumers face valuation uncertainty and realize their valuations only after purchase. There is also aggregate demand uncertainty, captured using the conventional newsvendor model. In this environment, consumers decide whether to purchase and then whether to return the product, whereas the seller sets the price, quantity, and refund amount.

Using our model, we study the impact of full returns policies (e.g., using 100% money-back guarantees) and partial returns policies (e.g., when restocking fees are charged) on supply chain performance. Next, we demonstrate that consumer returns policies may distort incentives under common supply contracts (such as manufacturer buy-backs), and we propose strategies to coordinate the supply chain in the presence of consumer returns. Finally, we explore several extensions and demonstrate the robustness of our findings.
Managing Service Systems with an Offline Waiting Option and Customer Abandonment
Authors: Kostami Vasiliki , Ward Amy R.
Published: December 2008

Many service providers offer customers the choice of either waiting in a line or going offline and returning at a dynamically determined future time. The best-known example is the FASTPASS® system at Disneyland. To operate such a system, the service provider must make an upfront decision on how to allocate service capacity between the two lines. Then, during system operation, he must provide estimates of the waiting times for both lines to each arriving customer. The estimation of offline waiting times is complicated by the fact that some offline customers do not return for service at their appointed time. We show that when demand is large and service is fast, for any fixed-capacity allocation decision, the two-dimensional process tracking the number of customers waiting in a line and offline collapses to one dimension, and we characterize the one-dimensional limit process as a reflected diffusion with linear drift. The analytic tractability of this one-dimensional limit process allows us to solve for the capacity allocation that minimizes average cost when there are costs associated with customer abandonments and queueing. We further show that in this limit regime, a simple scheme based on Little's Law to dynamically estimate in line and offline wait times is effective.
Differential Gains Between Partners in Joint Ventures: Role of Resource Appropriation and Private Benefits
Authors: Kumar M. V. Shyam
Published: December 2008

I examine why there are differences in wealth gains between firms when they announce a joint venture (JV). Building on transaction cost economics and the resource-based view, I argue that, because JVs often involve incomplete contracts, differences in wealth gains arise due to resource appropriation and private benefits. As a result, two factors become important in understanding whether a firm earns higher/lower wealth gains than its partner: (1) its potential for earning private benefits and (2) its ability to extract private benefits. As a test of the impact of the first factor, I propose that when a JV is formed, the partner that possesses more valuable resources is likely to earn lower wealth gains whereas the partner that possesses less valuable resources is likely to earn higher wealth gains because its potential for earning private benefits over the course of the venture is also higher. I then argue that the partner with less valuable resources is likely to extract higher private benefits and gain more when it has greater bargaining power and absorptive capacity. Conversely, the partner with more valuable resources is likely to protect itself better from appropriation when it has JV capabilities. I find support for these arguments in a sample of 344 ventures. The implications are that private benefits significantly influence value creation in JVs, and that a broad array of contingencies and factors affect these benefits which need to be considered when entering into a cooperation.
Exploitation-Exploration Tensions and Organizational Ambidexterity: Managing Paradoxes of Innovation
Authors: Andriopoulos Constantine , Lewis Marianne W.
Published: December 2008

Achieving exploitation and exploration enables success, even survival, but raises challenging tensions. Ambidextrous organizations excel at exploiting existing products to enable incremental innovation and at exploring new opportunities to foster more radical innovation, yet related research is limited. Largely conceptual, anecdotal, or single case studies offer architectural or contextual approaches. Architectural ambidexterity proposes dual structures and strategies to differentiate efforts, focusing actors on one or the other form of innovation. In contrast, contextual approaches use behavioral and social means to integrate exploitation and exploration. To develop a more comprehensive model, we sought to learn from five, ambidextrous firms that lead the product design industry. Results offer an alternative framework for examining exploitation-exploration tensions and their management. More specifically, we present nested paradoxes of innovation: strategic intent (profit-breakthroughs), customer orientation (tight-loose coupling), and personal drivers (discipline-passion). Building from innovation and paradox literature, we theorize how integration and differentiation tactics help manage these interwoven paradoxes and fuel virtuous cycles of ambidexterity. Further, managing paradoxes becomes a shared responsibility, not only of top management, but across organizational levels.
In Charisma We Trust: The Effects of CEO Charismatic Visions on Securities Analysts
Authors: Fanelli Angelo , Misangyi Vilmos F. , Tosi Henry L.
Published: December 2008

Using a thematic text analysis of the initial letters to shareholders following a CEO succession event, we analyze whether CEO charismatic visions portrayed in this organizational discourse influence securities analysts' recommendations and forecasts. The results suggest that such projections of CEO charismatic visions are associated with the favorability of individual analyst recommendations and the uniformity of recommendations across analysts, but they also appear to be positively related to errors in individual analysts' forecasting of future firm performance.
Different Truths in Different Worlds
Authors: Miller Kent D. , Lin Shu-Jou
Published: December 2008

Models of organizational learning typically assume that organizations rely upon performance feedback and that an exogenous (uncontrollable) environment presents the problems that organizations seek to solve. By contrast, we consider how different epistemologies within organizations, or combinations of epistemologies, and the degree to which the environment is amenable to organizational control jointly affect learning over time. This study presents three different epistemologies expressed in interpersonal learning: pragmatism (learning beliefs from better performers), coherentism (learning beliefs that fit together), and conformism (adopting beliefs that are popular). We also examine the learning implications of a dominant coalition that can promulgate its preferred beliefs throughout an organization.

Outcomes from our agent-based model point toward key epistemological and environmental contingencies affecting the dynamics of organizational learning. Organizations filled with pragmatists learn effectively if the environment is fixed or controllable. Coherentists and conformists advance in knowledge only to the extent that they can control the environment. Adding pragmatists to organizations with coherentists or conformists produces a nonlinear (S-shaped) effect on knowledge achieved as different proportions of pragmatists alter social networks. Models involving learning from a dominant coalition affirm March's trade-off between learning speed and eventual knowledge achieved only for organizations filled with pragmatists and operating in an uncontrollable environment.
The Letter to Theodore : Stephen Carlson's Case against Clement's Authorship
Authors: Brown Scott G.
Published: December 2008

Chapter four of Stephen Carlson's The Gospel Hoax identifies certain features in the Letter to Theodore as anomalous within a private letter of Clement of Alexandria but explicable if the letter is a modern forgery. This paper examines the logic of those arguments and demonstrates that each feature of the letter that Carlson deems suspicious is fully consistent with Clement's modus operandi as revealed in his undisputed writings; the concordance is so striking as to add new support for the letter's authenticity.
A Vision of History Teaching and Learning: Thoughts on History Education in Secondary Schools
Authors: Yilmaz Kaya
Published: December 2008

This article presents a vision of effective and pedagogically meaningful history teaching and learning in schools. Bringing to the fore the lack of attention to the philosophy of history, the article first explains the philosophical and epistemological underpinnings of history or the perspectives on the nature of historical knowledge on which the vision is based. It then elucidates what goals history education should strive for, what history should be taught, how history curriculum should be developed, what is expected of teachers in implementing history curriculum, and what qualifications history teachers should possess to effectively practice their profession. It advocates constructivist pedagogy and the disciplinary approach to school history, calling for collaboration between education faculty and historians in the preparation of history teachers.
The London Transport Museum
Authors: Divall Colin
Published: December 2008

The refurbished London Transport Museum remains one of the finest museums of urban transport in the world. Although the main audience is a general one, the museum’s exhibitions, archives and study facilities offer much to the specialist historian of technology. The new galleries present a survey of the many ways in which private and public transport has contributed to the development of London over the past two centuries. While public transport vehicles remain the dominant visual focus, they are contextualized in terms of the wider social, economic, and cultural history of the metropolis. The result is a series of exhibitions which, within the constraints of the medium, offers visitors a good introduction to the historical co-construction of transport technology and urban mobility and development. A final, and less successful, exhibition suggests how the future of urban mobility might develop given the imperative of addressing climate change.
Neonatal Death in Mice Lacking Cardiotrophin-like Cytokine is Associated with Multifocal Neuronal Hypoplasia
Authors: Zou X. , Bolon B. , Pretorius J. K. , Kurahara C. , McCabe J. , Christiansen K. A. , Sun N. , Duryea D. , Foreman O. , Senaldi G. , Itano A. A. , Siu G.
Published: December 2008

Mice with null mutations of ciliary neurotrophic factor (Cntf) receptor alpha (Cntf-Rα), or cytokine-like factor 1 (Clf), one component of Cntf-II (a heterodimeric Cntf-Rα ligand), die as neonates from motor neuron loss affecting the facial nucleus and ventral horn of the lumbar spinal cord. Exposure to cardiotrophin-like cytokine (Clc), the other putative Cntf-II element, supports motor neuron survival in vitro and in ovo. Confirmation that Clc ablation induces an equivalent phenotype to Clf deletion would support a role for Clc in the functional Cntf-II complex. In this study, Clc knockout mice had decreased facial motility, did not suckle, died within 24 hours, and had 32% and 29% fewer motor neurons in the facial nucleus and lumbar ventral horn, respectively; thus, Clc is essential for motor neuron survival during development. The concordance of the Clc knockout phenotype with those of mice lacking Cntf-Rα or Clf bolsters the hypothesis that Clc participates in Cntf-II.
Sox9-dependent expression of Gstm6 in Sertoli cells during testis development in mice
Authors: Beverdam Annemiek , Svingen Terje , Bagheri-Fam Stefan , Bernard Pascal , McClive Peter , Robson Mathew , Khojasteh Mahdi Banan , Salehi Mahboubeh , Sinclair Andrew H , Harley Vincent R , Koopman Peter
Published: December 2008

GlutathioneS-transferases (GSTs) are an important family of multifunctional enzymes that play a role in the protection of tissues by the detoxification of hazardous and carcinogenic compounds. We found previously thatGstm6is upregulated in the somatic cells of male mouse fetal gonads relative to female gonads. In this study, we describe the spatial and temporal expression pattern ofGstm6during mouse development. We show thatGstm6is predominantly expressed in the reproductive system, at significantly higher levels in XY gonads compared with XX gonads from 11.5 dpc onwards, and remains expressed in the testes in adult mice. Its expression is associated with the Sertoli cell lineage, and is dependent on the expression of the male sex-determining geneSox9. Our data suggest thatGstm6plays a male-specific role in gonad development or function, possibly by modulating the exposure of somatic tissue and/or germ cells to endogenous or exogenous toxicants.
Effect of the microenvironment and embryo density on developmental characteristics and gene expression profile of bovine preimplantative embryos cultured in vitro
Authors: Hoelker Michael , Rings Franka , Lund Qamaruddin , Ghanem Nasser , Phatsara Chirawath , Griese Josef , Schellander Karl , Tesfaye Dawit
Published: December 2008

The Well of the Well (WOW) system has been developed to culture embryos in small groups or to track the development of single embryos. In the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of the microenvironment provided by the WOW system and embryo density on developmental rates, embryo quality and preimplantative gene expression profile of the resulting embryos. Embryos cultured in a group of 16 reached the blastocyst stage at a significantly lower level than zygotes cultured in a group of 50 (22.2 vs 30.3%), whereas zygotes cultured in WOW were able to compensate against low embryo densities, reaching a blastocyst rate as high as embryos cultured in a group of 50 (31.3 vs 30.3%). Moreover, embryos derived from WOW culture did not differ in terms of differential cell counts and apoptotic cell index compared with controls. The gene expression analysis revealed 62 transcripts to be upregulated and 33 transcripts to be downregulated by WOW culture. Comparing thein vivoderived blastocysts with the blastocysts derived from WOW culture, and group culture, expression ofATP5A1,PLAC8andKRT8was more similar to the embryos derived from WOW culture, whereas expression ofS100A10andZP3genes was more similar to blastocysts cultured in a group. In conclusion, microenvironment as well as embryo density significantly affected developmental rates. While subsequent blastocysts did not differ in terms of differential cell counts and apoptotic cell index, significant differences were observed in terms of the relative abundance of transcripts in the resulting embryos.
Essential Components of a Faculty Development Program for Pharmacy Practice Faculty
Authors: Boyce Eric G. , Burkiewicz Jill S. , Haase Mark R. , MacLaughlin Eric J. , Segal Alissa R. , Chung Eunice P. , Chan Lingtak‐Neander , Rospond Raylene M. , Barone Joseph A. , Durst Stephen W. , Wells Barbara G.
Published: December 2008

Prospective, ongoing faculty development programs are important in the initial orientation and short‐ and long‐term development of faculty in higher education. Pharmacy practice faculty are likely to benefit from a comprehensive faculty development program due to the complex nature of their positions, incomplete training in select areas, and multiple demands on their time. The need for faculty development programs is supported by the increased need for pharmacy practice faculty due to the increased number of colleges and schools of pharmacy, expanding enrollment in existing colleges and schools, and loss of existing senior faculty to retirement or other opportunities within or outside the academy. This White Paper describes a comprehensive faculty development program that is designed to enhance the satisfaction, retention, and productivity of new and existing pharmacy practice faculty. A comprehensive faculty development program will facilitate growth throughout a faculty member's career in pertinent areas. The structure of such a program includes an orientation program to provide an overview of responsibilities and abilities, a mentoring program to provide one‐on‐one guidance from a mentor, and a sustained faculty development program to provide targeted development based on individual and career needs. The content areas to be covered in each component include the institution (e.g., culture, structure, roles, responsibilities), student‐related activities, teaching abilities, scholarship and research abilities, practice abilities and the practice site, and professional abilities (e.g., leadership, career planning, balancing responsibilities). A general framework for a comprehensive pharmacy practice faculty development program is provided to guide each college, school, department, and division in the design and delivery of a program that meets the needs and desires of the institution and its faculty.
Questioning the Rules of Continuity Editing: An Empirical Study
Authors: Hecht Heiko , Kalkofen Hermann
Published: December 2008

We investigated phenomenal continuity across mid-action cuts in motion pictures. When a change of perspective is used in the midst of a dynamic event, film directors tend to agree that a straight-match cut is not advisable if the impression of smooth continuity is desired. Such a cut would embody an instantaneous transition from one camera angle or position to the next. Some film theorists recommend that some overlap of the action is desirable, surmising that the visual system needs time to digest the cut and to reorient. Others disagree and prefer a gap. We report two experiments that provide an empirical test of competing continuity hypotheses. We systematically varied the temporal parameters of a dynamic scene that continued across a camera jump. Computer-animated sequences had to be adjusted until they looked maximally smooth and temporally correct. Observers very consistently preferred gaps (ellipses). Implications for film editing and film theory are discussed.
Do People Prefer Curved Objects? Angularity, Expertise, and Aesthetic Preference
Authors: Silvia Paul J. , Barona Christopher M.
Published: December 2008

Do people prefer curved lines, shapes, and objects over angular lines, shapes, and objects? Angularity is one of the oldest variables in the psychology of aesthetics, but past research has not always controlled for potential confounds. Two experiments manipulated angularity while controlling for symmetry, prototypicality, and balance. Study 1 used arrays of circles and hexagons from the Preference for Balance Test. Study 2 used asymmetrical random polygons; each polygon was digitally rounded to create angular and curved versions. As predicted, people preferred the round circles more than the angular hexagons and the curved polygons more than the angular polygons. Both experiments explored whether individual differences in expertise in the arts moderated angularity's effect on preference. Multilevel models showed that training in the arts interacted with angularity, but the pattern of the interaction varied between the two experiments.
Theory Confrontation: Testing the Categorical-Motivation Model
Authors: Whitfield T. W. Allan
Published: December 2008

Following the demise of Berlyne's model, experimental aesthetics has lacked a unifying theory. The field now is characterized by a set of proximate and overlapping theories. In the main they are evolutionary, process-driven, distinguish between wired-in predispositions and acquired preferences, and reject a simple stimulus-driven approach and formulaic laws (e.g., color harmony, the golden section). They recognize aesthetic appraisal as a staged process from stimulus onset to response, and incorporate emotion as fundamental. On the deficit side, they are unclear as to the staged process, the role of processing components (e.g., fluency, appraisal, categorization), and their interaction. This article focuses upon one such theory, and seeks to further articulate it. Importantly, it advances testable hypotheses that would support or undermine it. It is suggested that greater emphases upon refutation would benefit theory construction in this field.
Visual–Tactual Incongruities in Products as Sources of Surprise
Authors: Ludden Geke D. S. , Schifferstein Hendrik N. J. , Hekkert Paul
Published: December 2008

The perception of a product through vision creates expectations of what will be perceived through touch. However, the tactual information perceived may disconfirm the expectations formed, resulting in a surprise reaction. In two experiments, participants' reactions to products with visual—tactual incongruities were studied. Participants were 100 students enrolled in the Industrial Design Engineering department at the authors' university. Our main aim was to investigate differences in reactions to two groups of products (“Visible Novelty” and “Hidden Novelty”) that are hypothesized to evoke two different surprise reactions. A group of control products without visual—tactual incongruities was also tested. Furthermore, different measures of surprise, such as self-reports of the intensity of the surprise, observational measures of exploratory behavior, vocal expressions, and facial expressions were explored. Clear differences were found in participants' reactions toward products in the control group versus products with visual—tactual incongruities. Reactions toward products in the two groups of surprising products differed only slightly.
Judgments of Creativity as a Function of Visual Stimulus Variability
Authors: Young Michael E. , Racey Deborah
Published: December 2008

The production of variability in behavior has been linked to creativity (Campbell, 1960), so it seemed possible that manipulating stimulus variability would influence judgments of creativity. The present set of experiments examined people's judgments of the creativity of colored arrays of circles and squares and whether these judgments are a function of the variability of the arrays. Experiment 1 determined that people's judgment of the variability of 4 × 4 arrays of colored circles was a direct function of a new algorithm for generating array variability, and Experiment 2 revealed a strong relationship between this judged variability and the judged creativity of those same arrays. Experiment 3 extended this finding to a new type of array, and Experiment 4 replicated this finding using the explicit judgment of creativity on a Likert scale rather than the pairwise choice procedure of Experiments 1 through 3. The results are placed within the context of a preferred level of variability, the role of novelty, and the systematic study of the creative product.
Opposing Art: Rejection as an Action Tendency of Hostile Aesthetic Emotions
Authors: Cooper Jessica M. , Silvia Paul J.
Published: December 2008

One of Berlyne's many intriguing ideas was that aesthetic feelings have implications for behavior, particularly actions associated with approach, avoidance, and exploration. Later models of aesthetic emotions, however, have not addressed the implications of aesthetic emotions for action. Using controversial contemporary photography, two experiments examined the behavioral implications of negative emotions. Feelings of anger and disgust predicted self-reported indicators of rejection (Experiment 1) and the probability of choosing to receive a controversial postcard as a gift (Experiment 2). These findings illustrate relationships between appraisal, emotions, and action tendencies, and they expand the evidence for the appraisal approach to aesthetic emotions.
On-Line Monitoring of Nitrate and Nitrite by UV Spectrophotometry in a SBR Process Used for the Treatment of Industrial Wastewaters
Authors: Bouvier Jean-Claude , Bekri Meriem , Mazouni Djalel , Schoefs Olivier , Harmand Jérôme , Ribeiro Thierry , Pham Hoai Nam , Pauss André
Published: December 2008

The objective is the adaptation of an existing UV spectrophotometer for the on-line monitoring of nitrate, nitrite and soluble COD during cycles of SBRs. An on-line filtering system was also developed in order to provide particle-free fluids to the sensor. The modified UV-spectrophotometer sensor (called "STAC") was implemented into a pilot-scale bioreactor at INRA-Narbonne, treating a semi-synthetic dairy wastewater. After a calibration and validation steps, results obtained during five months have shown that the on-line spectrophotometer sensor was able to efficiently monitor on-line nitrate, nitrite in SBR content. Ranges of detection were between 0 to 40 mg/L for nitrate and 0 to 18 mg/L for nitrite, with an accuracy of about 10 %. The on-line estimation of soluble COD was less efficient. The major drawback was the time-consumption for the cleaning of the homemade on-line filter.
Simulation of Slurry Polymerization of Ethylene
Authors: Soni Nipun J , Bhagwat Sunil S
Published: December 2008

A model of slurry polymerization of ethylene in a multistage continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) was developed in order to find the effect of stagewise variation of parameters on polymer polydispersity and rate of polymerization. Higbie's penetration theory has been used to calculate monomer absorption rate in the presence of micron-sized single site type catalyst in slurry phase. The residence time distribution of the growing polymer particles in an ideal CSTR was modelled by a relaxation-type unsteady state approach. The effect of gas-liquid mass transfer limitations on polymer properties is predicted for various reactor configurations. An analysis of various possible configurations of two-stage CSTR with stagewise variation of the partial pressures of ethylene and/or hydrogen has been made.
Does Crime Affect Economic Decisions? An Empirical Investigation of Savings in a High-Crime Environment
Authors: De Mello Joao M , Zilberman Eduardo
Published: December 2008

While most economic studies of crime have examined the determinants of criminal activity, this paper asks the reverse question: how does crime affect economic behavior? We study the relationship between crime and savings in the cities of São Paulo, a wealthy but crime-ridden state in Brazil. Our empirical results suggest that property crime is associated with an increase in savings. However, we do not observe a relationship between violent crime and savings, findings that are consistent with the theoretical explanation as to why crime induces thriftiness. These results are robust to an extensive sensitivity analysis that includes: 1) the inclusion of a large set of demographic covariates when examining cross-city variation; 2) accounting for city and period fixed effects when studying cross-city variation over time; 3) accounting for sample selection; and 4) splitting the sample by population size and income. We provide evidence that the association is not driven by reallocation towards bank deposits in general, which are safer assets in high-crime environments. Finally, we find a similar impact using household consumption and savings data.
Who Are the Developing Countries in the WTO?
Authors: Cui Fan
Published: December 2008

The current world trading system lacks a procedure to identify developing country Members, to whom "Special and Differential Treatment" (SDT) is granted. Based on the analysis of five methods of identifying developing country Members, which are GATT Article XVIII definition, listing, classification, self-designation by SDT grantees, and selection by SDT grantors, we argue that "self-designation," which is widely claimed as the basic method of identifying developing country Members, gives them little certainty and predictability in their rights and obligations in the world trading system. A procedure that can make precise identification of SDT beneficiaries is indispensable in order to fulfill the WTO's objective of development.
The Impact of Professional Development and Coaching on Early Language and Literacy Instructional Practices
Authors: Neuman Susan B. , Cunningham Linda
Published: December 2008

This study examines the impact of professional development on teacher knowledge and quality early language and literacy practices in center- and home-based care settings. Participants from 291 sites (177 centers; 114 home-based) in four cities were randomly selected to: Group 1, 3-credit course in early language and literacy; Group 2, course plus ongoing coaching; Group 3, control group. Analysis of covariance indicated no significant differences between groups on teacher knowledge. However, there were statistically significant improvements in language and literacy practices for teachers who received coursework plus coaching with substantial effect sizes for both center- and home-based providers. Professional development alone had negligible effects on improvements in quality practices. Coursework and coaching may represent a promising quality investment in early childhood.
Fostering High-Quality Teaching With an Enriched Curriculum and Professional Development Support:The Head Start REDI Program
Authors: Domitrovich Celene E. , Gest Scott D. , Gill Sukhdeep , Bierman Karen L. , Welsh Janet A. , Jones Damon
Published: December 2008

This randomized controlled trial tested whether teaching quality in Head Start classrooms could be improved with the addition of evidence-based curriculum components targeting emergent language or literacy and social-emotional development and the provision of associated professional development support. Participants were lead and assistant teachers in 44 Head Start classrooms. Teachers received 4 days of workshop training along with weekly in-class support from a mentor teacher. End-of-year observations indicated that compared with the control group, intervention teachers talked with children more frequently and in more cognitively complex ways, established a more positive classroom climate, and used more preventive behavior-management strategies. Results supported the conclusion that enriched curriculum components and professional development support can produce improvements in multiple domains of teaching quality.
Enaminones as Building Blocks in Heterocyclic Syntheses: Reinvestigating the Product Structures of Enaminones with Malononitrile. A Novel Route to 6-Substituted-3-Oxo-2,3-Dihydropyridazine-4-Carboxylic Acids
Authors: Alnajjar Abdul-Aziz , Abdelkhalik Mervat Mohammed , Al-Enezi Amal , Elnagdi Mohamed Hilmy
Published: December 2008

The reported structures of reaction products of enaminones with malononitrile in ethanolic piperidine are revised. A novel route to 2,3-dihydropyridazine-4-carboxylic acids 4a-c via reactions of 2-cyano-5-(dimethylamino)-5-arylpenta-2,4-dienamides 8a-c with nitrous acid or with benzenediazonium chloride is reported. Compounds 8a-c are converted to 1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylic acid and 1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitrile derivatives upon reflux in EtOH/ HCl and in AcOH.