bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcriptome Analysis of Thapsia laciniata Rouy Provides Insights into Terpenoid Biosynthesis and Diversity in Apiaceae
Authors: Drew Damian , Dueholm Bjørn , Weitzel Corinna , Zhang Ye , Sensen Christoph , Simonsen Henrik
Published: April 2013

Thapsia laciniata Rouy (Apiaceae) produces irregular and regular sesquiterpenoids with thapsane and guaiene carbon skeletons, as found in other Apiaceae species. A transcriptomic analysis utilizing Illumina next-generation sequencing enabled the identification of novel genes involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoids in Thapsia. From 66.78 million HQ paired-end reads obtained from T. laciniata roots, 64.58 million were assembled into 76,565 contigs (N50: 1261 bp). Seventeen contigs were annotated as terpene synthases and five of these were predicted to be sesquiterpene synthases. Of the 67 contigs annotated as cytochromes P450, 18 of these are part of the CYP71 clade that primarily performs hydroxylations of specialized metabolites. Three contigs annotated as aldehyde dehydrogenases grouped phylogenetically with the characterized ALDH1 from Artemisia annua and three contigs annotated as alcohol dehydrogenases grouped with the recently described ADH1 from A. annua. ALDH1 and ADH1 were characterized as part of the artemisinin biosynthesis. We have produced a comprehensive EST dataset for T. laciniata roots, which contains a large sample of the T. laciniata transcriptome. These transcriptome data provide the foundation for future research into the molecular basis for terpenoid biosynthesis in Thapsia and on the evolution of terpenoids in Apiaceae.
Expression Pattern of Small Nucleolar RNA Host Genes and Long Non-Coding RNA in X-rays-Treated Lymphoblastoid Cells
Authors: Chaudhry M.
Published: April 2013

A wide variety of biological effects are induced in cells that are exposed to ionizing radiation. The expression changes of coding mRNA and non-coding micro-RNA have been implicated in irradiated cells. The involvement of other classes of non-coding RNAs (ncRNA), such as small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in cells recovering from radiation-induced damage has not been examined. Thus, we investigated whether these ncRNA were undergoing changes in cells exposed to ionizing radiation. The modulation of ncRNAs expression was determined in human TK6 (p53 positive) and WTK1 (p53 negative) cells. The snoRNA host genes SNHG1, SNHG6, and SNHG11 were induced in TK6 cells. In WTK1 cells, SNHG1 was induced but SNHG6, and SNHG11 were repressed. SNHG7 was repressed in TK6 cells and was upregulated in WTK1 cells. The lncRNA MALAT1 and SOX2OT were induced in both TK6 and WTK1 cells and SRA1 was induced in TK6 cells only. Interestingly, the MIAT and PIWIL1 were not expressed in TK6 cells before or after the ionizing radiation treatment. The MIAT and PIWIL1 were upregulated in WTK1 cells. This data provides evidence that altered ncRNA expression is a part of the complex stress response operating in radiation-treated cells and this response depends on functional p53.
Hot Spring Metagenomics
Authors: López-López Olalla , Cerdán María , González-Siso María
Published: April 2013

Hot springs have been investigated since the XIX century, but isolation and examination of their thermophilic microbial inhabitants did not start until the 1950s. Many thermophilic microorganisms and their viruses have since been discovered, although the real complexity of thermal communities was envisaged when research based on PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA genes arose. Thereafter, the possibility of cloning and sequencing the total environmental DNA, defined as metagenome, and the study of the genes rescued in the metagenomic libraries and assemblies made it possible to gain a more comprehensive understanding of microbial communities—their diversity, structure, the interactions existing between their components, and the factors shaping the nature of these communities. In the last decade, hot springs have been a source of thermophilic enzymes of industrial interest, encouraging further study of the poorly understood diversity of microbial life in these habitats.
Associations of Volatile Compounds with Sensory Aroma and Flavor: The Complex Nature of Flavor
Authors: Chambers Edgar , Koppel Kadri
Published: April 2013

Attempts to relate sensory analysis data to specific chemicals such as volatile compounds have been frequent. Often these associations are difficult to interpret or are weak in nature. Although some difficulties may relate to the methods used, the difficulties also result from the complex nature of flavor. For example, there are multiple volatiles responsible for a flavor sensation, combinations of volatiles yield different flavors than those expected from individual compounds, and the differences in perception of volatiles in different matrices. This review identifies some of the reasons sensory analysis and instrumental measurements result in poor associations and suggests issues that need to be addressed in future research for better understanding of the relationships of flavor/aroma phenomena and chemical composition.
Zero-Point Corrections for Isotropic Coupling Constants for Cyclohexadienyl Radical, C6H7 and C6H6Mu: Beyond the Bond Length Change Approximation
Authors: Hudson Bruce , Chafetz Suzanne
Published: April 2013

Zero-point vibrational level averaging for electron spin resonance (ESR) and muon spin resonance (µSR) hyperfine coupling constants (HFCCs) are computed for H and Mu isotopomers of the cyclohexadienyl radical. A local mode approximation previously developed for computation of the effect of replacement of H by D on 13C-NMR chemical shifts is used. DFT methods are used to compute the change in energy and HFCCs when the geometry is changed from the equilibrium values for the stretch and both bend degrees of freedom. This variation is then averaged over the probability distribution for each degree of freedom. The method is tested using data for the methylene group of C6H7, cyclohexadienyl radical and its Mu analog. Good agreement is found for the difference between the HFCCs for Mu and H of CHMu and that for H of CHMu and CH2 of the parent radical methylene group. All three of these HFCCs are the same in the absence of the zero point average, a one-parameter fit of the static HFCC, a(0), can be computed. That value, 45.2 Gauss, is compared to the results of several fixed geometry electronic structure computations. The HFCC values for the ortho, meta and para H atoms are then discussed.
Ring-Opening Polymerization—An Introductory Review
Authors: Nuyken Oskar , Pask Stephen
Published: April 2013

This short, introductory review covers the still rapidly growing and industrially important field of ring opening polymerization (ROP). The review is organized according to mechanism (radical ROP (RROP), cationic ROP (CROP), anionic ROP (AROP) and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)) rather than monomer classes. Nevertheless, the different groups of cyclic monomers are considered (olefins, ethers, thioethers, amines, lactones, thiolactones, lactams, disulfides, anhydrides, carbonates, silicones, phosphazenes and phosphonites) and the mechanisms by which they can be polymerized involving a ring-opening polymerization. Literature up to 2012 has been considered but the citations selected refer to detailed reviews and key papers, describing not only the latest developments but also the evolution of the current state of the art.
Estimating Vegetation Beta Diversity from Airborne Imaging Spectroscopy and Unsupervised Clustering
Authors: Baldeck Claire , Asner Gregory
Published: April 2013

Airborne remote sensing has an important role to play in mapping and monitoring biodiversity over large spatial scales. Techniques for applying this technology to biodiversity mapping have focused on remote species identification of individual crowns; however, this requires collection of a large number of crowns to train a classifier, which may limit the usefulness of this approach in many study regions. Based on the premise that the spectral variation among sites is related to their ecological dissimilarity, we asked whether it is possible to estimate the beta diversity, or turnover in species composition, among sites without the use of training data. We evaluated alternative methods using simulated communities constructed from the spectra of field-identified tree and shrub crowns from an African savanna. A method based on the k-means clustering of crown spectra produced beta diversity estimates (measured as Bray-Curtis dissimilarity) among sites with an average pairwise correlation of ~0.5 with the true beta diversity, compared to an average correlation of ~0.8 obtained by a supervised species classification approach. When applied to savanna landscapes, the unsupervised clustering method produced beta diversity estimates similar to those obtained from supervised classification. The unsupervised method proposed here can be used to estimate the spatial structure of species turnover in a landscape when training data (e.g., tree crowns) are unavailable, providing top-down information for science, conservation and ecosystem management applications.
A Molecularly Imprinted Polymer with Incorporated Graphene Oxide for Electrochemical Determination of Quercetin
Authors: Sun Si , Zhang Mengqi , Li Yijun , He Xiwen
Published: April 2013

The molecularly imprinted polymer based on polypyrrole film with incorporated graphene oxide was fabricated and used for electrochemical determination of quercetin. The electrochemical behavior of quercetin on the modified electrode was studied in detail using differential pulse voltammetry. The oxidation peak current of quercetin in B-R buffer solution (pH = 3.5) at the modified electrode was regressed with the concentration in the range from 6.0 × 10−7 to 1.5 × 10−5 mol/L (r2 = 0.997) with a detection limit of 4.8 × 10−8 mol/L (S/N = 3). This electrode showed good stability and reproducibility. In the above mentioned range, rutin or morin which has similar structures and at the same concentration as quercetin did not interfere with the determination of quercetin. The applicability of the method for complex matrix analysis was also evaluated.
A Hilbert Transform-Based Smart Sensor for Detection, Classification, and Quantification of Power Quality Disturbances
Authors: Granados-Lieberman David , Valtierra-Rodriguez Martin , Morales-Hernandez Luis , Romero-Troncoso Rene , Osornio-Rios Roque
Published: April 2013

Power quality disturbance (PQD) monitoring has become an important issue due to the growing number of disturbing loads connected to the power line and to the susceptibility of certain loads to their presence. In any real power system, there are multiple sources of several disturbances which can have different magnitudes and appear at different times. In order to avoid equipment damage and estimate the damage severity, they have to be detected, classified, and quantified. In this work, a smart sensor for detection, classification, and quantification of PQD is proposed. First, the Hilbert transform (HT) is used as detection technique; then, the classification of the envelope of a PQD obtained through HT is carried out by a feed forward neural network (FFNN). Finally, the root mean square voltage (Vrms), peak voltage (Vpeak), crest factor (CF), and total harmonic distortion (THD) indices calculated through HT and Parseval’s theorem as well as an instantaneous exponential time constant quantify the PQD according to the disturbance presented. The aforementioned methodology is processed online using digital hardware signal processing based on field programmable gate array (FPGA). Besides, the proposed smart sensor performance is validated and tested through synthetic signals and under real operating conditions, respectively.
Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center: Highlights of 2009–2012
Authors: Baxter Roger , Klein Nicola
Published: April 2013

The Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center is a specialized research organization in Oakland, California. They have been an active vaccine research group for many years, and have participated in and led a multitude of vaccine studies. This article will review the last three years of research activities.
Potential and Requirements of IT for Ambient Assisted Living Technologies
Authors: Rochon J. , Ganzinger M. , Knaup P. , Spitalewsky K.
Published: April 2013

Objectives: Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technologies are developed to enable elderly to live independently and safely. Innovative information technology (IT) can interconnect personal devices and offer suitable user interfaces. Often dedicated solutions are developed for particular projects. The aim of our research was to identify major IT challenges for AAL to enable generic and sustainable solutions.

Methods: Delphi Survey. An online questionnaire was sent to 1800 members of the German Innovation Partnership AAL. The first round was qualitative to collect statements. Statements were reduced to items by qualitative content analysis. Items were assessed in the following two rounds by a 5-point Likert-scale. Quantitative analyses for second and third round: descriptive statistics, factor analysis and ANOVA.

Results: Respondents: 81 in first, 173 in second and 70 in third round. All items got a rather high assessment. Medical issues were rated as having a very high potential. Items related to user-friendliness were regarded as most important requirements. Common requirements to all AAL-solutions are reliability, robustness, availability, data security, data privacy, legal issues, ethical requirements, easy configuration. The complete list of requirements can be used as framework for customizing future AAL projects.

Conclusions: A wide variety of IT issues have been assessed important for AAL. The extensive list of requirements makes obvious that it is not efficient to develop dedicated solutions for individual projects but to provide generic methods and reusable components. Experiences and results from medical informatics research can be used to advance AAL solutions (e.g. eHealth and knowledge-based approaches).
A Probabilistic Method for Computing Quantitative Risk Indexes from Medical Injuries Compensation Claims
Authors: Dalle Carbonare S. , Folli F. , Patrini E. , Giudici P. , Bellazzi R.
Published: April 2013

Background: The increasing demand of health care services and the complexity of health care delivery require Health Care Organizations (HCOs) to approach clinical risk management through proper methods and tools. An important aspect of risk management is to exploit the analysis of medical injuries compensation claims in order to reduce adverse events and, at the same time, to optimize the costs of health insurance policies.

Objectives: This work provides a probabilistic method to estimate the risk level of a HCO by computing quantitative risk indexes from medical injury compensation claims.

Methods: Our method is based on the estimate of a loss probability distribution from compensation claims data through para -metric and non-parametric modeling and Monte Carlo simulations. The loss distribution can be estimated both on the whole dataset and, thanks to the application of a Bayesian hierarchical model, on stratified data. The approach allows to quantitatively assessing the risk structure of the HCO by analyzing the loss distribution and deriving its expected value and percentiles.

Results: We applied the proposed method to 206 cases of injuries with compensation requests collected from 1999 to the first se -mester of 2007 by the HCO of Lodi, in the Northern part of Italy. We computed the risk indexes taking into account the different clinical departments and the different hospitals involved.

Conclusions: The approach proved to be useful to understand the HCO risk structure in terms of frequency, severity, expected and unexpected loss related to adverse events.
Development of National Com -petency-based Learning Objectives “Medical Informatics” for Undergraduate Medical Education
Authors: Röhrig R. , Stausberg J. , Dugas M.
Published: April 2013

Objectives: The aim of this project is to develop a catalogue of competency-based learning objectives „Medical Informatics“ for undergraduate medical education (abbreviated NKLM-MI in German).

Methods: The development followed a multi-level annotation and consensus process. For each learning objective a reason why a physician needs this competence was required. In addition, each objective was categorized according to the competence context (A = covered by medical informatics, B = core subject of medical informatics, C = optional subject of medical informatics), the competence level (1 = referenced knowl -edge, 2 = applied knowledge, 3 = routine knowledge) and a CanMEDS competence role (medical expert, communicator, collabo -rator, manager, health advocate, professional, scholar).

Results: Overall 42 objectives in seven areas (medical documentation and information processing, medical classifications and terminologies, information systems in healthcare, health telematics and telemedicine, data protection and security, access to medical knowl edge and medical signal-/image processing) were identified, defined and consented.

Conclusion: With the NKLM-MI the compe -tences in the field of medical informatics vital to a first year resident physician are identi -fied, defined and operationalized. These competencies are consistent with the recommendations of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA). The NKLM-MI will be submitted to the National Compe -tence-Based Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education. The next step is implementation of these objectives by the faculties.
Nanoscopic surfactant behavior of the porin MspA in aqueous media
Authors: Perera Ayomi S , Wang Hongwang , Shrestha Tej B , Troyer Deryl L , Bossmann Stefan H
Published: April 2013

The mycobacterial porin MspA is one of the most stable channel proteins known to date. MspA forms vesicles at low concentrations in aqueous buffers. Evidence from dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy and zeta-potential measurements by electrophoretic light scattering indicate that MspA behaves like a nanoscale surfactant. The extreme thermostability of MspA allows these investigations to be carried out at temperatures as high as 343 K, at which most other proteins would quickly denature. The principles of vesicle formation of MspA as a function of temperature and the underlying thermodynamic factors are discussed here. The results obtained provide crucial evidence in support of the hypothesis that, during vesicle formation, nanoscopic surfactant molecules, such as MspA, deviate from the principles underlined in classical surface chemistry.
Rimailho revisité
Authors: Bouquin Henri
Published: April 2013

La méthode des sections homogènes que le Plan comptable préconise depuis l’origine est couramment attribuée à l’influence du rapport Rimailho (1928, pour sa forme finale). Une analyse approfondie des processus et des systèmes de management que Rimailho a mis en place et minutieusement décrits dans ses principaux ouvrages conduit à penser qu’il fut un pionnier d’une certaine forme de méthode ABC. Mais d’autres aspects sont beaucoup plus intéressants. La comptabilité joue, chez Rimailho, un rôle étroitement lié à ses convictions politiques et sociales. La comptabilité de gestion de Rimailho apparaît comme l’outil stratégique d’une régulation sociale portant sur le slack organisationnel, rendu possible dans une stratégie de defender qui se déploie dans un environnement technologique et compétitif spécifique. L’organisation à la Rimailho cadre mal avec les typologies classiques aujourd’hui (Anthony, Woodward, Ouchi, etc.). Elle est un défi pertinent pour les chercheurs en comptabilité et en contrôle de gestion.
Problèmes de pertinence des coûts pour le contrôle : le cas hospitalier
Authors: Halgand Nathalie
Published: April 2013

Les problèmes de pertinence des systèmes d’information comptables sont au centre des débats théoriques actuels. Par la complexité de ses processus (variété élevée des cas cliniques) et l’incertitude de son environnement (extrême difficulté à prévoir la demande de soins), le cas hospitalier se révèle exemplaire des caractéristiques ayant conduit les entreprises du domaine industriel à la remise en cause des schémas traditionnels de calcul des coûts pour le contrôle. Quelle est alors la pertinence de ces schémas, lorsqu’il devient possible de les implanter dans un contexte si défavorable ? Si, au premier abord, on rencontre les mêmes sources de non-pertinence des coûts que dans l’industrie, on découvre, en approfondissant l’analyse, qu’elles revêtent des formes particulièrement aiguës se traduisant par un blocage complet du système de contrôle. Au-delà, le cas hospitalier nous invite à nous pencher sur le modèle conceptuel sur lequel se greffent les dispositifs comptables.
Les déterminants des choix comptables. Étude des pratiques françaises et comparaison franco-américaine
Authors: Saada Toufik
Published: April 2013

L’objectif de cet article est de tester la théorie positive de la comptabilité dans le contexte français et de comparer les déterminants de la politique comptable en France et aux États-Unis. Les choix comptables qui ont été étudiés concernent le système d’amortissement, la méthode de valorisation des stocks, la durée d’amortissement du goodwill et les engagements de retraite. Les tests statistiques multivariés ont été effectués en considérant, dans un premier temps, chaque choix comptable pris isolément puis en raisonnant sur la stratégie de résultat comptable. La comparaison de nos résultats avec ceux obtenus dans le contexte américain montre que la principale divergence concerne l’influence de la taille de l’entreprise sur les choix comptables.
Les typologies des modes de contrôle et leurs facteurs de contingence : un essai d'organisation de la littérature
Authors: Chiapello Ève
Published: April 2013

De nombreuses typologies listant les différents types de contrôle possibles dans les entreprises ont été produites dans l’histoire de la théorie des organisations. Leur étude montre que les typologies sont souvent très différentes et pas toujours redondantes. Cet article propose un modèle d’analyse permettant de réconcilier les différents travaux. Nous présentons pour finir un certain nombre de facteurs de contingence qui peuvent éclairer la présence d’un mode de contrôle plutôt qu’un autre pour une activité donnée.
Évaluer les réformes des exonérations générales de cotisations sociales
Authors: Bunel Mathieu , Emond Céline , L’Horty Yannick
Published: April 2013

Les exonérations générales de cotisations sociales employeurs, dont le budget annuel dépasse 20 milliards d’euros, exercent des effets différenciés selon les secteurs d’activité. Nous évaluons ces effets sur le coût du travail puis sur l’emploi en partant de distributions de salaires tirées des Déclarations annuelles de données sociales (DADS), recalées avec les données de l’Agence centrale des organismes de sécurité sociale (Acoss) et d’élasticités de la demande de travail à son coût estimées sur des données d’entreprises. D’après nos simulations, obtenues à l’aide d’un outil ad hoc d’évaluation ex ante , baptisé SISMICs, qui est un Simulateur Inter-Sectoriel pour la Mesure des Impacts des Cotisations Sociales, la suppression de l’ensemble des exonérations générales de cotisations sociales conduirait à une hausse du coût du travail de l’ordre de 4,4 % pour l’ensemble des salariés et de 12,3 % pour les salariés qui bénéficient des exonérations. Les destructions d’emplois associées à ce renchérissement du coût du travail seraient comprises entre 500 000 et 610 000 emplois dont près de la moitié dans les secteurs intenses en main-d’œuvre alors qu’ils ne représentent que 30 % de l’ensemble de l’emploi des secteurs privés. Les destructions d’emplois directs se concentreraient principalement sur les bas salaires avec 85 % des emplois perdus qui seraient compris entre le Smic et 1,3 fois le Smic. Nous évaluons également les effets ex ante de plusieurs scenarii de réformes qui modifient un ou plusieurs paramètres du barème des exonérations (sa pente, son seuil d’extinction, son montant maximal, ou son système de décote avantageant les entreprises de moins de 20 salariés). À enveloppe budgétaire donnée, ces réformes sont plus ou moins ciblées sur les bas salaires et affectent de manière hétérogène les entreprises des secteurs intenses en main-d’œuvre. Selon les scenarii , l’effet de ces réformes sur l’emploi varie du simple au double. Nos résultats indiquent que les réformes les moins défavorables à l’emploi, sont celles qui préservent le plus les bas salaires et les entreprises qui les emploient.
Impact des allégements de cotisations patronales des bas salaires sur l'emploi
Authors: Heyer Éric , Plane Mathieu
Published: April 2013

Un grand nombre de travaux empiriques ont été réalisés pour tenter d’évaluer l’impact sur l’emploi des exonérations de cotisations sociales patronales sur les bas salaires (dispositif « Fillon »). Comme nous l’observerons dans la première partie de l’article consacrée à une brève revue de la littérature existante sur ce sujet, les modèles macro-économétriques standards ne sont jamais mobilisés dans les évaluations de cette mesure. Or ces modèles peuvent répondre à certaines limites des évaluations réalisées aujourd’hui. Nous consacrerons alors la deuxième partie de ce travail à la réalisation de simulation de ce type de mesure à l’aide du modèle macroéconomique de l’OFCE, emod.fr . Selon notre évaluation, cette mesure permet de créer 50 000 emplois la première année et environ 500 000 au bout de cinq ans. Notre chiffrage se situe dans la fourchette de ceux des études réalisées jusqu’à présent, compris entre 400 000 et 800 000 emplois. La mécanique du modèle macro-économétrique a l’avantage de décomposer les différents effets sur l’emploi d’une baisse de cotisations sociales patronales sur les bas salaires et conduit à relativiser le chiffrage initial de 500 000 emplois créés à terme. En effet, si la mesure est financée ex post , l’impact sur l’emploi du dispositif « Fillon » est réduit par rapport à l’évaluation initiale de 35 % à 50 % selon le mode de financement retenu. Et si cette politique ne se traduit pas par des gains de compétitivité sur l’extérieur, alors l’effet sur l’emploi est divisé par trois, voire par sept dans le cas le plus défavorable par rapport au chiffrage initial.
Évaluation de l'impact économique du crédit d'impôt pour la compétitivité et l'emploi (CICE)
Authors: Plane Mathieu
Published: April 2013

À la suite de la remise au Premier ministre du Rapport Gallois, le gouvernement a décidé, pour relancer la compétitivité et l’emploi en France, la création du Crédit d’impôt pour la compétitivité et l’emploi (CICE). Ouvert à toutes les entreprises, le CICE sera égal à 6 % de la masse salariale, hors cotisations patronales, correspondant aux salaires de moins de 2,5 SMIC. Représentant 20 milliards d’euros, son financement reposera pour moitié sur des économies supplémentaires sur les dépenses publiques, dont le détail n’a pas été précisé, et pour moitié sur des recettes fiscales : une réforme de la TVA à compter du 1 er janvier 2014 et un renforcement de la fiscalité écologique. Le CICE diminuerait en moyenne de 2,6 % le coût du travail du secteur marchand : l’impact sectoriel le plus fort sur le coût du travail serait dans la construction (-3,0 %), l’industrie (-2,8 %) et les services marchands (-2,4 %). Le CICE représenterait 1,8 % de la valeur ajoutée des entreprises industrielles, 1,9 % de la valeur ajoutée de la construction et 1,3 % de celle des services marchands. Globalement, le CICE pèse pour 1,4 % dans la valeur ajoutée des entreprises du secteur marchand. Selon notre évaluation, réalisée à l’aide du modèle e-mod.fr , le CICE devrait permettre de créer, cinq ans après sa mise en place, environ 150 000 emplois faisant baisser le taux de chômage de 0,6 point et il générerait un gain de croissance de 0,1 point de PIB en 2018.
Cognitive Health and Older Workers: Policy Implications
Authors: Melillo Karen Devereaux
Published: April 2013

Cognitive health, memory complaints, and cognitive impairment among older workers have begun to receive attention in the research, practice, education, and policy arenas. With the aging population of the United States continuing to increase, projections are that the number of workers 65 and older is also expected to increase. Concerns regarding cognitive impairment and job performance in older workers are being raised. Being familiar with the policies and regulations that protect older workers and offering support and guidance to older adults as they contemplate major life transitions, such as retirement, are important role components for gerontological nurses. Using the five levels of analysis in the social ecology model, selected public policies to support older adults in the workforce are reviewed, and recommendations are presented for fostering positive workplace policies that can promote cognitive health.
Older Adults’ Perceptions of Pictograph-Based Discharge Instructions after Hip Replacement Surgery
Authors: Choi Jeungok
Published: April 2013

Current text-based discharge instructions are unsuitable for low-literate older adults who have difficulty following written action-based instructions. To address this issue, we developed discharge instructions for low-literate older adults after hip replacement surgery using pictographs (i.e., simple line drawings with stick figures showing explicit care actions). The aim of this focus group study was to examine the acceptability and comprehension of these instructions to 15 low-literate older adults. Participants perceived that the pictograph-based discharge instructions helped them understand the intended health care messages, especially for step-by-step procedures of discharge actions. The black-and-white line drawings were well received by all participants of various race/ethnicity. A pictograph-based approach is an effective strategy for developing discharge instructions not only for patients with low literacy skills in acute health care settings, but also for immigrants with significant communication challenges. Future research is suggested to compare the effects of pictograph-based and text-based instructions on adherence to instructions and health outcomes. [
Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 39
(7), 48–54.]
Paradise to Peril
Authors: Denas Scheljert
Published: April 2013

This is a brief personal account of the human failures and social impacts from hurricane Katrina as contrasted with the improved risk management planning in advance of Hurricane Isaac. This paper is a unique first person account of a disaster. It presents the authors personal experiences during the hurricane.
Synthesis and Crystallographic Study of Co Doped ZnO Nano-Sized Powders by Co-Precipitation Method
Authors: Mote Vishwanath D. , Dole Babasaheb N.
Published: April 2013

Co doped ZnO samples having composition Zn1-xCoxO (x= 0.00, 0.10 and 0.20) were synthesized by co-precipitation method. X- ray diffraction analysis reveals that the Co doped ZnO nanopowders crystallize in wurtzite structure without any impurity phases. The lattice constants of ZnO nanoparticles decrease slightly with increasing Co concentration. The average grain size of the Co doped ZnO nanopowders are in the range of 33-36 nm. The Williamson – Hall (W-H) analysis used to study the individual contributions of crystallite sizes and lattice strain on the peak broadening of the pure and Co doped ZnO nanopowders. The results shown that the grain sizes of the samples estimated from the W-H analysis were highly inter-correlated. The strain of the samples was estimated using W-H analysis and it is found that it goes on decreasing with enhancing Co content.
Facile Synthesis of Gold (Au) Nanoparticles Using Cassia auriculata Flower Extract
Authors: Dhayananthaprabhu J. , Lakshmi Narayanan R. , Thiyagarajan K.
Published: April 2013

The green synthesis is the versatile tool to produce the nano scale materials. The present study deals with the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using the Cassia auriculata flower extract. The complete reduction of gold ions was observed after 45 min of reaction under stirrer condition. The colour changes in reaction mixture (dark red colour) was observed during the reaction period because of the formation of gold nanoparticles in the reaction mixture enables to produce particular colour due to their specific properties (Surface Plasmon Resonance). The formation of gold nanoparticles was confirmed using UV visible spectroscopy, the size of the nanoparticles measured by using particle size analyzer. The morphology of the poly dispersed gold nanoparticles was studied using TEM, This green synthesis method is cost effective; and eco friendly technique to produce large scale production of Nanomaterials
Structural and Optical Properties of Thermally Evaporated BiSb2S3 Thin Films
Authors: Kandaswamy K. , Chirstopher Selvin Panneerselvam , Nalini B. , Mohamed Abdulla I. , Abhilash K.P.
Published: April 2013

Thin films of Bi1.5(Sb2S3)0.5of different thickness were deposited on glass substrate by vacuum thermal evaporation method and annealed at different temperature. The elemental compositions of the films were confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The prepared films were structurally and morphologically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microscopic (SEM & AFM) techniques respectively. It has been confirmed that the films possess polycrystalline nature with orthorhombic phase and the grain size of the films vary from 27.92 to 81.37 nm. The observed bandgap energies (varying from 1.787eV to 1.963 eV) of the films and its temperature dependence were estimated from optical absorption measurements.
Structural and Optical Properties of Thermally Evaporated CdTe Film
Authors: Geethalakshmi D. , Muthukumarasamy N. , Balasundaraprabhu R.
Published: April 2013

Abstract. Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) films were thermally evaporated on to glass substrates at room temperature. By varying the amount of source material, thin films of thickness ranging from 90 nm – 635 nm have been prepared. Film of thickness 200 nm was annealed to 400°C for different durations of time and also subjected to alternate heating - cooling cycle. X-ray diffraction study was carried out to study the effect of film thickness, annealing duration and alternate heating-cooling cycle on the structural properties of the films. The transmittance spectra recorded using a UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer was used to study the change in optical properties of the films with respect to film thickness, annealing duration and alternate heating-cooling cycle.
Structural, Optical and Morphological Studies on Nanostructure ITO Thin Films
Authors: Balasundraprabhu Rangasamy , Muthukumarasamy N. , Monakhov E.V. , Svensson B.G.
Published: April 2013

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films exhibiting good transmittance and conductivity suitable for solar cell applications have been prepared on Si(100) and fused silica substrates by optimizing the dc sputtering parameters such as power density and Ar partial pressure. Structural analysis of the as-deposited and annealed ITO films indicated that the as-deposited films are predominantly amorphous, whereas the films annealed at 200–400 °C are found to be of polycrystalline nature exhibiting dominant peaks corresponding to the (222) and (400) planes. The optical transmittance and band gap values of the films are observed to exhibit a change on annealing. From the ellipsometry studies on ITO/Si annealed at 300°C, it is found that graded layer consist of the mixing of two ITO materials with slightly different optical constants and the grading is almost linear. The resistivity of the ITO films is found to decrease with annealing temperature, correlating with the improvement in the crystal quality, and values in the range of 2-3 x10-4 Ω-cm are observed for the films annealed at 300°C. Surface topography study of the films has been performed using atomic force microscope(AFM) and the results are discussed.
Analysis of the Effect of Temparature on the Resistivity of Nanocrystalline La0.7 Ba0.3MnO3 Powders
Authors: Seshendra Reddy Ch. , Sivasankar Reddy A. , Sreedhara Reddy P.
Published: April 2013

A Systematic investigation on structural, electrical, microstructure and compositions properties of La0.7Ba0.3MnO3 powder, prepared by a standard solid state reaction method, has been undertaken. The XRD pattern showed that the as prepared LBMO material was in single-phase rhombohedral structure. The electrical properties of as grown powders were carried out using standard four probe technique. The influence of dc biasing current on temperature dependence of resistance of La0.7Ba0.3MnO3 powder was reported. From electrical data it was observed that the electrical resistance decreased with bias current indicating the alignment of spins and increase in spin stiffness coefficient and decreasing the resistance at metal-insulator transition temperature (TMI). The surface morphology of the samples was studied by scanning electron microscope. From scanning electron micrographs, granular features were observed with average grain size of ~20nm.
Investigation on the Effect of Dopant Concentration on the Change in Shape of ITO Nanoparticles - Prepared Using Alcoholysis Method
Authors: Seetha Mahalingam , Thambidurai Mariyappan , Mangalaraj D.
Published: April 2013

A simple room temperature ethanol assisted alcoholysis synthesis was adopted for the preparation of Sn doped indium oxide nanoparticles. Initially, pure indium oxide nanoparticles prepared using the method results in nanocubes, sized about 80 nm was identified using TEM analysis. When the dopant Sn was added at lower concentration the formed cubes were found to contain tiny particles inside nanocubes. As the concentration of Sn increases, it is observed that the particles were no more in cubical shape. For higher concentration of Sn, the formed particles were taken the shape of nanorods which are bunched together. This is one of the interesting results obtained for room temperature chemical synthesis. The concentration of the metal dopant was analyzed using XPS analysis and the obtained XRD pattern showed the dopant shift in 2θ. This work can be further extended to the field of gas sensors. Because, the metal oxide based gas sensors systems depends on the size and shape of the nanoparticles which can improve the sensing behavior of the material.
Comparative Study of Adsorption of O2, CO2, NO2 and SO2 on Pristine and Si-Doped Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Sonawane Mahadev R. , Nagare Balasaheb J. , Habale Darshan , Shivade R.K.
Published: April 2013

Density functional theory is used to investigate the adsorption properties of O2, CO2, SO2 and NO2 gas molecules on pristine carbon nanotube (CNT) and Si-doped carbon nanotube (Si-CNT). All molecules except NO2 are physisorbed, with essentially no charge transfer between the CNT and molecules. The electronic properties of CNT are sensitive to the adsorption of NO2 because of its chemisorption, while they are insensitive to the O2, CO2 and SO2 molecules. The weak binding of these molecules on CNT is due to formation of charge-dipole interactions. In case of Si-CNT, all molecules are chemisorbed to the Si-C bonds with appreciable adsorption energy and significant charge transfer. The density of state analysis shows that the additional state near the Fermi level due to doping of silicon is responsible for chemisorption of the molecules. Further, our theoretical results suggest that molecule-induced modification of the density of states close to the Fermi level might significantly affect the transport properties of nanotubes.
Mass Production of Carbon Nanofibers on Water Soluble Support
Authors: Ravindra R. , Ramachandra Bhat Badekai
Published: April 2013

Mass production of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on a water soluble support has been achieved by chemical vapor deposition method. Carbon nanofibers have been synthesized using metal (Ni, Co, Fe) acetate as catalyst precursors at 680°C. Upon pyrolysis this catalyst yields metal nanoparticles directly. The sodium chloride was used as catalyst support, it was chosen because of its non toxic and water soluble nature. The problems such as detrimental effect, environment and even cost has been avoided by using water soluble support. The structure of the products was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction method. The purity of as grown products and purified products was determined by thermal analysis. The yield of CNFs was up to 7500 wt% relative to the nickel catalyst have been achieved in the growth time of 15 mins. The advantage of this synthesis technique is the simplicity and use of easily available low cost precursors.
Polymer Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Fine ZnWO4
Authors: Santhosh Kumar A. , Nagaraja K.K. , Nagaraja H.S.
Published: April 2013

Zinc tungstate is a scintillator material with excellent photocatalytic and photoluminescent properties. In the present study, fine sized ZnWO4 powders with monoclinic wolframate structure were prepared by chemical precipitation route assisted with polymer evaporation. DTA/TG and XRD were employed to investigate the thermal behaviour and crystallite size evaluation of ZnWO4 .The particle size and morphology of the powder heat treated at different temperature was observed and characterized by SEM. The FTIR spectrum has been used to study the stretching and bending frequencies of the ZnWO4. The result shows that the process provides a technically simple route for the precipitation of fine sized narrow particle distribution and free dense agglomerate ZnWO4 particles.
Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation on the Mechanical and Electrochemical Properties of Plasticized Polymer Electrolytes Dispersed with Nanoparticles
Authors: Vijil Vani C. , Karuppasamy K. , Ammakutty Sridevi N. , Balakumar S. , Sahaya Shajan X.
Published: April 2013

The effect of electron beam irradiation on electrical, thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of plasticized polymer electrolytes was investigated. A significant improvement in the mechanical strength without reduction in ionic conductivity was observed for the irradiated polymer electrolytes. DSC studies showed that the thermal behavior of the polymer electrolytes was improved by the addition of filler and by irradiation. SEM studies revealed a significant improvement in surface morphology of the polymer electrolyte after irradiation. The results are presented herein.
Optical and Structural Properties of PVP/Bi2S3 Nanoparticles by Chemical Method
Authors: Kavi Rasu K. , Vishnushankar Dhandapani , Veeravazhuthi V.
Published: April 2013

Bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) and Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) encapsulated Bi2S3 Nanoparticles are synthesized from aqueous solutions at room temperature. Synthesized samples are subjected to UV-Visible Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-ray (EDAX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and FT-IR studies and their results are compared. X-ray diffraction spectrum reveals the crystalline nature of the synthesized samples. Grain size value of PVP/ Bi2S3 nanoparticles show a decrease when compared to Bi2S3 nanoparticles and this ensures the good encapsulant effect of PVP on Bi2S3 nanoparticles. SEM images show that all the particles in the synthesized sample are nearly equal in size. From the TEM image we conclude that the particle size lies between 30nm to 70nm. Finally the samples are subjected to EDAX studies for determining their composition.
Synthesis, Characterisation and Voltammetric Behaviour of Pani-Clay (MMT) Nanocomposite
Authors: Baby Suneetha Ragupathy , Vedhi Chinnapiyan
Published: April 2013

Aniline was polymerized with mmt (Montmorrillonite) by chemical oxidation method using potassium perdisulphate. The solubility of the chemically prepared polymer–clay nanocomposite was ascertained and it showed good solubility in DMSO and DMF. The Pani–mmt nanocomposites were characterized by UV–Vis, FTIR spectral studies. Amine vibration peak observed at 1593 cm-1 was shifted to lower wave numbers when the polymer–clay nanocomposites were formed. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed the formation of nano sized (26 nm) crystalline nanocomposite. SEM analysis showed mixed granular nature of the polymer–clay nanocomposite in which polymer was intercalated with the clay. EDAX analysis shows the presence of Na, Mg Al, Si, C and N. Cyclic Voltammetric studies exhibit good adherent behaviour on electrode surface at pH 1.0. It exhibited two oxidation peaks at 0.360V and 0.638V and two reduction peaks at 0.431V & 0.103V. Chronoamperometric and chronocoulometric studies were also carried out at inert as well as oxidation atmosphere.
Improved Oral Delivery of Rosuvastatin by Using Self Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System
Authors: Subramanian N. , Chandra Sekar P. , Abimanyu S. , Sharavanan S.P. , Gayathri R. , Meenakshi A. , Nithyakalyani M.
Published: April 2013

The aim of the present study was to develop a self nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) for the improved oral delivery of Rosuvastatin, a lipid lowering agent. Captex 810D, based on the higher solubility of Rosuvastatin was selected as an oil phase. Mixture of permeation enhancers such as Solutol HS15 and Acconon MC8 was selected as surfactants for the formulation of SNEDDS. Formulated SNEDDS upon mixing with water, dispersed rapidly into fine droplets size ranging from 95-263nm. Further the SNEDDS was evaluated for self nanoemulsification time, precipitation, cloud point, morphology, in-vitro drug release and ex-vivo permeation. Formulation (F3) showed the globule size of 139nm, quick self nanoemulsifiation time (20 sec) and transparency (97%). Maximum drug release of 99.9% and higher drug permeation of 95% was observed with formulation F3 when compared with conventional tablet. The formulated SNEDDS can be used to improve the oral absorption and bioavailability of Rosuvastatin.
Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using the Leaf Extract of Vitex negundo and its Anti-Bacterial Effect
Authors: Bhavani Gunasekaran , Muthuselvam Paulsamy , Geetha Subramanian
Published: April 2013

Silver nanoparticles are known to have antimicrobial activity. The green synthesis method of nanoparticle synthesis is one of the most cost effective and eco friendly method. The present study is based on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles by the self reduction of silver nitrate by the leaf extracts of Vitex negundo which is one of the novel methods used in developing nanoparticles. The characterization of the particle was done by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction analysis and the size of the synthesized nanoparticle was analyzed in the Scanning Electron Microscopy. The size of the particle was found to be 56 nm. The obtained silver nanoparticles showed anti-microbial activity against E.coli and Klebsiella pneumonia.