bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Correlation of Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle Dysfunction in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Posner Andrew D. , Soslow Jonathan H. , Burnette W. Bryan , Bian Aihua , Shintani Ayumi , Sawyer Douglas B. , Markham Larry W.
Published: March 2016

Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is characterized by progressive skeletal muscle and cardiac dysfunction. While skeletal muscle dysfunction precedes cardiomyopathy, the relationship between the progressive decline in skeletal and cardiac muscle function is unclear. This relationship is especially important given that the myocardial effects of many developing DMD therapies are largely unknown.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the relationship between progression of skeletal muscle weakness and onset of cardiac dysfunction in DMD.

Methods: A total of 77 DMD subjects treated at a single referral center were included. Demographic information, quantitative muscle testing (QMT), subjective muscle strength, cardiac function, and current and retrospective medications were collected. A Spearman rank correlation was used to evaluate for an association between subjective strength and fractional shortening. The effects of total QMT and arm QMT on fractional shortening were examined in generalized least square with and without adjustments for age, ambulatory status, and duration of corticosteroids and cardiac specific medications.

Results: We found a significant correlation between maintained subjective skeletal muscle arm and leg strength and maintained cardiac function as defined by fractional shortening (rho = 0.47, p = 0.004 and rho = 0.48, p = 0.003, respectively). We also found a significant association between QMT and fractional shortening among non-ambulatory DMD subjects ( p = 0.03), while this association was not significant in ambulatory subjects.

Conclusions: Our findings allow us to conclude that in this population, there exists a significant relationship between skeletal muscle and cardiac function in non-ambulatory DMD patients. While this does not imply a causal relationship, a possible association between skeletal and cardiac muscle function suggests that researchers should carefully monitor cardiac function, even when the primary outcome measures are not cardiac in nature.
Aceneuramic Acid Extended Release Administration Maintains Upper Limb Muscle Strength in a 48-week Study of Subjects with GNE Myopathy: Results from a Phase 2, Randomized, Controlled Study
Authors: Argov Zohar , Caraco Yoseph , Lau Heather , Pestronk Alan , Shieh Perry B. , Skrinar Alison , Koutsoukos Tony , Ahmed Ruhi , Martinisi Julia , Kakkis Emil
Published: March 2016

Background: GNE Myopathy (GNEM) is a progressive adult-onset myopathy likely caused by deficiency of sialic acid (SA) biosynthesis.

Objective: Evaluate the safety and efficacy of SA (delivered by aceneuramic acid extended-release [Ace-ER]) as treatment for GNEM.

Methods: A Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating Ace-ER 3 g/day or 6 g/day versus placebo was conducted in GNEM subjects ( n = 47). After the first 24 weeks, placebo subjects crossed over to 3 g/day or 6 g/day for 24 additional weeks (dose pre-assigned during initial randomization). Assessments included serum SA, muscle strength by dynamometry, functional assessments, clinician- and patient-reported outcomes, and safety.

Results: Dose-dependent increases in serum SA levels were observed. Supplementation with Ace-ER resulted in maintenance of muscle strength in an upper extremity composite (UEC) score at 6 g/day compared with placebo at Week 24 (LS mean difference +2.33 kg, p = 0.040), and larger in a pre-specified subgroup able to walk ≥200 m at Screening (+3.10 kg, p = 0.040). After cross-over, a combined 6 g/day group showed significantly better UEC strength than a combined 3 g/day group (+3.46 kg, p = 0.0031). A similar dose-dependent response was demonstrated within the lower extremity composite score, but was not significant (+1.06 kg, p = 0.61). The GNEM-Functional Activity Scale demonstrated a trend improvement in UE function and mobility in a combined 6 g/day group compared with a combined 3 g/day group. Patients receiving Ace-ER tablets had predominantly mild-to-moderate AEs and no serious adverse events.

Conclusions: This is the first clinical study to provide evidence that supplementation with SA delivered by Ace-ER may stabilize muscle strength in individuals with GNEM and initiating treatment earlier in the disease course may lead to better outcomes.
Edge-oriented dual-dictionary guided enrichment (EDGE) for MRI-CT image reconstruction
Authors: Li Liang , Wang Bigong , Wang Ge
Published: March 2016

In this paper, we formulate the joint/simultaneous X-ray CT and MRI image reconstruction. In particular, a novel algorithm is proposed for MRI image reconstruction from highly under-sampled MRI data and CT images. It consists of two steps. First, a training dataset is generated from a series of well-registered MRI and CT images on the same patients. Then, an initial MRI image of a patient can be reconstructed via edge-oriented dual-dictionary guided enrichment (EDGE) based on the training dataset and a CT image of the patient. Second, an MRI image is reconstructed using the dictionary learning (DL) algorithm from highly under-sampled k-space data and the initial MRI image. Our algorithm can establish a one-to-one correspondence between the two imaging modalities, and obtain a good initial MRI estimation. Both noise-free and noisy simulation studies were performed to evaluate and validate the proposed algorithm. The results with different under-sampling factors show that the proposed algorithm performed significantly better than those reconstructed using the DL algorithm from MRI data alone.
COX-2 expression correlation with invasion in human breast carcinomas and in cell line MDA-MB-231 in vitro
Authors: Wang Gang-Ping , Chen Ying , An Bai-Li , Zhao Ying , Sui Bei-Bei , Min Peng-Xiang , Zhao Yun , Liang Yun-Ai , Zhao Yi-Nuo
Published: March 2016

COX-2 expression by means of immunohistochemistry in 120 cases breast invasive ductal carcinomas and 60 cases benign lesions were compared with clinicopathological features and prognostic molecular markers. COX-2 role of invasiveness and chemotaxis in breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 by using small RNA interference (siRNA) plasmids to disrupt COX-2 expression in vitro were investigated. The results show that COX-2 immune positivity and percentage of positive cells in breast carcinomas were higher than those in benign lesions and positivity correlated significantly with HIF-1?, VEGF, the grading, metastasis and vascular invasion of carcinoma (p<0.05). This study suggests that COX-2 overexpression correlates with poor clinicopathological parameters in breast cancers, and the reduction of COX-2 expression can obviously inhibit the invasion and chemotaxis of cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 using RNA interference. The findings of the present study suggest that COX-2 overexpression in breast cancer may be considered as a negative prognostic marker.
Development of PF-06671008, a Highly Potent Anti-P-cadherin/Anti-CD3 Bispecific DART Molecule with Extended Half-Life for the Treatment of Cancer
Authors: Root Adam , Cao Wei , Li Bilian , LaPan Peter , Meade Caryl , Sanford Jocelyn , Jin Macy , O’Sullivan Cliona , Cummins Emma , Lambert Matthew , Sheehan Alfredo , Ma Weijun , Gatto Scott , Kerns Kelvin , Lam Khetemenee , D’Antona Aaron , Zhu Lily , Brady William , Benard Susan , King Amy , He Tao , Racie Lisa , Arai Maya , Barrett Dianah , Stochaj Wayne , LaVallie Edward , Apgar James , Svenson Kristine , Mosyak Lidia , Yang Yinhua , Chichili Gurunadh , Liu Liqin , Li Hua , Burke Steve , Johnson Syd , Alderson Ralph , Finlay William , Lin Laura , Olland Stéphane , Somers William , Bonvini Ezio , Gerber Hans-Peter , May Chad , Moore Paul , Tchistiakova Lioudmila , Bloom Laird
Published: March 2016

Bispecific antibodies offer a promising approach for the treatment of cancer but can be challenging to engineer and manufacture. Here we report the development of PF-06671008, an extended-half-life dual-affinity re-targeting (DART®) bispecific molecule against P-cadherin and CD3 that demonstrates antibody-like properties. Using phage display, we identified anti-P-cadherin single chain Fv (scFv) that were subsequently affinity-optimized to picomolar affinity using stringent phage selection strategies, resulting in low picomolar potency in cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) killing assays in the DART format. The crystal structure of this disulfide-constrained diabody shows that it forms a novel compact structure with the two antigen binding sites separated from each other by approximately 30 Å and facing approximately 90° apart. We show here that introduction of the human Fc domain in PF-06671008 has produced a molecule with an extended half-life (-4.4 days in human FcRn knock-in mice), high stability (Tm1 > 68 °C), high expression (>1 g/L), and robust purification properties (highly pure heterodimer), all with minimal impact on potency. Finally, we demonstrate in vivo anti-tumor efficacy in a human colorectal/human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) co-mix xenograft mouse model. These results suggest PF-06671008 is a promising new bispecific for the treatment of patients with solid tumors expressing P-cadherin.
Acoustic Emissions to Measure Drought-Induced Cavitation in Plants
Authors: De Roo Linus , Vergeynst Lidewei , De Baerdemaeker Niels , Steppe Kathy
Published: March 2016

Acoustic emissions are frequently used in material sciences and engineering applications for structural health monitoring. It is known that plants also emit acoustic emissions, and their application in plant sciences is rapidly increasing, especially to investigate drought-induced plant stress. Vulnerability to drought-induced cavitation is a key trait of plant water relations, and contains valuable information about how plants may cope with drought stress. There is, however, no consensus in literature about how this is best measured. Here, we discuss detection of acoustic emissions as a measure for drought-induced cavitation. Past research and the current state of the art are reviewed. We also discuss how the acoustic emission technique can help solve some of the main issues regarding quantification of the degree of cavitation, and how it can contribute to our knowledge about plant behavior during drought stress. So far, crossbreeding in the field of material sciences proved very successful, and we therefore recommend continuing in this direction in future research.
Auto Diagnostics of Lung Nodules Using Minimal Characteristics Extraction Technique
Authors: Peña Diego , Luo Shouhua , Abdelgader Abdeldime
Published: March 2016

Computer-aided detection (CAD) systems provide useful tools and an advantageous process to physicians aiming to detect lung nodules. This paper develops a method composed of four processes for lung nodule detection. The first step employs image acquisition and pre-processing techniques to isolate the lungs from the rest of the body. The second stage involves the segmentation process using a 2D algorithm to affect every layer of a scan eliminating non-informative structures inside the lungs, and a 3D blob algorithm associated with a connectivity algorithm to select possible nodule shape candidates. The combinations of these algorithms efficiently eliminate the high rates of false positives. The third process extracts eight minimal representative characteristics of the possible candidates. The final step utilizes a support vector machine for classifying the possible candidates into nodules and non-nodules depending on their features. As the objective is to find nodules bigger than 4mm, the proposed approach demonstrated quite encouraging results. Among 65 computer tomography (CT) scans, 94.23% of sensitivity and 84.75% in specificity were obtained. The accuracy of these two results was 89.19% taking into consideration that 45 scans were used for testing and 20 for training. The rate of false positives was 0.2 per scan.
Entropy and Fractal Antennas
Authors: Guariglia Emanuel
Published: March 2016

The entropies of Shannon, Rényi and Kolmogorov are analyzed and compared together with their main properties. The entropy of some particular antennas with a pre-fractal shape, also called fractal antennas, is studied. In particular, their entropy is linked with the fractal geometrical shape and the physical performance.
Francis Turbine Blade Design on the Basis of Port Area and Loss Analysis
Authors: Chen Zhenmu , Singh Patrick , Choi Young-Do
Published: March 2016

In this study, a Francis turbine with specific speed of 130 m-kW was designed on the basis of the port area and loss analysis. The meridional shape of the runner was designed focusing mainly on the combination of the guide vane loss analysis and experience. The runner blade inlet and outlet angles were designed by calculation of Euler’s head, while the port area of blade was modified by keeping constant angles of the blade at inlet and outlet. The results show that the effect of the port area of runner blade on the flow exit angle from runner passage is significant. A correct flow exit angle reduces the energy loss at the draft tube, thereby improving the efficiency of the turbine. The best efficiency of 92.6% is achieved by this method, which is also similar to the design conditions by the one dimension loss analysis.
A Comparison of Carbon Footprint and Production Cost of Different Pasta Products Based on Whole Egg and Pea Flour
Authors: Nette Antonia , Wolf Patricia , Schlüter Oliver , Meyer-Aurich Andreas
Published: March 2016

Feed and food production are inter alia reasons for high greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by the replacement of animal components with plant components in processed food products, such as pasta. The main components currently used for pasta are semolina, and water, as well as additional egg. The hypothesis of this paper is that the substitution of whole egg with plant-based ingredients, for example from peas, in such a product might lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and thus a reduced carbon footprint at economically reasonable costs. The costs and carbon footprints of two pasta types, produced with egg or pea protein, are calculated. Plant protein–based pasta products proved to cause 0.57 kg CO2 equivalents (CO2eq) (31%) per kg pasta less greenhouse gas emissions than animal-based pasta, while the cost of production increases by 10% to 3.00 €/kg pasta.
Stratigraphic Changes in the Pliocene Carnivoran Assemblage from Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Idaho
Authors: Ruez Dennis
Published: March 2016

At least 17 carnivoran taxa occur in the Pliocene Glenns Ferry Formation at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (HAFO), Idaho. This assemblage was examined for stratigraphic changes in species distribution, specimen abundance, and species diversity. Three relatively common mustelids, Trigonictis cookii, Trigonictis macrodon, and Mustela rexroadensis, occur at most stratigraphic levels, but are absent during an interval coinciding with the coolest time segment at HAFO. It is within this gap that two less-common mustelids, Ferinestrix vorax and Buisnictis breviramus, first appear at HAFO; they persist up-section with the more common mustelids listed above. Specimens of Borophagus hilli are restricted to the warm intervals at HAFO, irrespective of the relative abundance of surface water. The other canid at HAFO, Canis lepophagus, is more abundant during the dry intervals at HAFO, regardless of the estimated paleotemperature. Most remarkable is the recovery of many taxa impacted by abrupt climate change, although a notable change is the much higher relative abundance of carnivoran species following a return to warm temperatures.
Residual Strain Measurement Using Wire EDM and DIC in Aluminum
Authors: Ho Chao-Ching , Chang Yuan-Jen , Hsu Jin-Chen , Kuo Chia-Lung , Kuo Shih-Kang , Lee Guan-Hong
Published: March 2016

In this paper, a technique that combines digital image correlation and wire electrical discharge machining for the measurement of the residual strain is presented. The significant potential benefits of this work include noncontact, high-speed, and online measurement. A ring-core-based groove in the surface of the specimen is cut to release the residual stresses present inside the core. The deformation due to these stresses can be measured by digital image correlation to measure the relieved strains. Moreover, the sizes of the reference areas on the specimens and the tracks of these areas after wire electrical discharge machining are investigated. The proposed method is applied to six different specimens to characterize their relieved strains.
Effects of Internal and External Pressure on the [Fe(PM-PEA)2(NCS)2] Spin-Crossover Compound (with PM-PEA = N-(2′-pyridylmethylene)-4-(phenylethynyl)aniline)
Authors: Paradis Nicolas , Le Gac Frédéric , Guionneau Philippe , Largeteau Alain , Yufit Dmitry , Rosa Patrick , Létard Jean-François , Chastanet Guillaume
Published: March 2016

The spin-crossover properties of the strongly cooperative compound [Fe(PM-PEA)2(NCS)2] (with PM-PEA = N-(2′-pyridylmethylene)-4-(phenylethynyl)aniline) have been investigated under external in situ pressure, external ex situ pressure and internal pressure. In situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction investigations under pressure indicate a Spin-Crossover (SCO) at about 400 MPa and room temperature. Interestingly, application of ex situ pressure induces the irreversible enlargement of the hysteresis width, almost independently from the pressure value. Elsewhere, the internal pressure effects are examined through the magnetic and photomagnetic investigations on powders of the solid-solutions based on the Mn ion, [FexMn1−x(PM-PEA)2(NCS)2]. Growing the Mn ratio increases the internal pressure, allowing to control the hysteresis width and the paramagnetic residue but also to enhance the efficiency of the photo-induced SCO. The comparison of the quenching and light-induced behaviors reveals a complex phase-diagram governed by internal pressure, temperature and light.
Extraction, Preconcentration and Isolation of Flavonoids from Apocynum venetum L. Leaves Using Ionic Liquid-Based Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction Coupled with an Aqueous Biphasic System
Authors: Tan Zhijian , Yi Yongjian , Wang Hongying , Zhou Wanlai , Wang Chaoyun
Published: March 2016

Background: Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered as green solvents, and widely applied for the extraction of various compounds. Methods: The present research focuses on the extraction of flavonoids from Apocynum venetum L. leaves by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Several major influencing factors were optimized. Then, an aqueous biphasic system (ABS) was applied for further isolation of flavonoids. Results: The flavonoids were mainly distributed in the top phase, while impurities were extracted to the bottom phase. The parameters influencing the extraction, namely type and concentration of salt, temperature, and pH, were studied in detail. Under optimized conditions (72.43% IL extract, 28.57% (NH4)2SO4, 25 °C temperature, pH 4.5), the preconcentration factor and extraction efficiency were found to be 3.78% and 93.35%, respectively. Conclusions: This simple and efficient methodology is expected to see great use in the extraction and isolation of pharmaceutically active components from medicinal plant resources.
The Prevalence and Predictors of Low-Cost Generic Program Use in a Nationally Representative Uninsured Population
Authors: Brown Joshua , Pauly Nathan , Talbert Jeffery
Published: March 2016

The uninsured population has much to gain from affordable sources of prescription medications. No prior studies have assessed the prevalence and predictors of low-cost generic drug programs (LCGP) use in the uninsured population in the United States. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) during 2007–2012 including individuals aged 18 and older who were uninsured for the entire 2-year period they were in MEPS. The proportions of LCGP fills and users was tracked each year and logistic regression was used to assess significant factors associated with LCGP use. A total of 8.3 million uninsured individuals were represented by the sample and 39.9% of these used an LCGP. Differences between users and non-users included higher age, gender, year of participation, and number of medications filled. The proportion of fills and users via LCGPs increased over the 2007–2012 study period. Healthcare providers, especially pharmacists, should make uninsured patients aware of this source of affordable medications.
Fabrication of Alkoxyamine-Functionalized Magnetic Core-Shell Microspheres via Reflux Precipitation Polymerization for Glycopeptide Enrichment
Authors: Yu Meng , Di Yi , Zhang Ying , Zhang Yuting , Guo Jia , Lu Haojie , Wang Changchun
Published: March 2016

As a facile method to prepare hydrophilic polymeric microspheres, reflux precipitation polymerization has been widely used for preparation of polymer nanogels. In this article, we synthesized a phthalamide-protected N-aminooxy methyl acrylamide (NAMAm-p) for preparation of alkoxyamine-functionalized polymer composite microspheres via reflux precipitation polymerization. The particle size and functional group density of the composite microspheres could be adjusted by copolymerization with the second monomers, N-isopropyl acrylamide, acrylic acid or 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The resultant microspheres have been characterized by TEM, FT-IR, TGA and DLS. The experimental results showed that the alkoxyamine group density of the microspheres could reach as high as 1.49 mmol/g, and these groups showed a great reactivity with ketone/aldehyde compounds. With the aid of magnetic core, the hybrid microspheres could capture and magnetically isolate glycopeptides from the digested mixture of glycopeptides and non-glycopeptides at a 1:100 molar ratio. After that, we applied the composite microspheres to profile the glycol-proteome of a normal human serum sample, 95 unique glycopeptides and 64 glycoproteins were identified with these enrichment substrates in a 5 μL of serum sample.
SVD-Based Technique for Interference Cancellation and Noise Reduction in NMR Measurement of Time-Dependent Magnetic Fields
Authors: Chen Wenjun , Ma Hong , Yu De , Zhang Hua
Published: March 2016

A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiment for measurement of time-dependent magnetic fields was introduced. To improve the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of NMR data, a new method for interference cancellation and noise reduction (ICNR) based on singular value decomposition (SVD) was proposed. The singular values corresponding to the radio frequency interference (RFI) signal were identified in terms of the correlation between the FID data and the reference data, and then the RFI and noise were suppressed by setting the corresponding singular values to zero. The validity of the algorithm was verified by processing the measured NMR data. The results indicated that, this method has a significantly suppression of RFI and random noise, and can well preserve the FID signal. At present, the major limitation of the proposed SVD-based ICNR technique is that the threshold value for interference cancellation needs to be manually selected. Finally, the inversion waveform of the applied alternating magnetic field was given by fitting the processed experimental data.
The Local Residents’ Concerns about Environmental Issues in Northwest China
Authors: Aregay Fanus , Zhao Minjuan , Li Xiaoping , Xia Xianli , Chen Haibin
Published: March 2016

This paper analyzes public awareness and perception about current issues of environmental and water resources in China in comparison to the socio-economic issues. The ranking, Likert scale, and ordered logit analysis were applied to data from 1773 sample residents in northwest China. The results show that the residents rank the degradation of the ecological environment and water resources as the most important issue, and education, political involvement, gender, employment, and residential location play significant roles in explaining the observed differences in concern. Of the possible environmental and water resource restoration policies, residents ranked water quantity and quality, agricultural and industrial water use, erosion control, vegetation restoration, wildlife habitat, animal brooding and migration services, biodiversity landscape, and eco-tourism from one to nine in order of importance, respectively. The results are relevant for policymaking and imply that environmental restoration is a high public demand. Welfare gains from investments in it would be higher or equal to gains from other socio-economic and livelihood activities. Thus, public policies must emphasize restoring and maintaining a sustainable ecological environment.
Risk Management in Critical Infrastructure—Foundation for Its Sustainable Work
Authors: Bialas Andrzej
Published: March 2016

The paper concerns research related to the European project CIRAS and presents a validation experiment with the use of a risk management tool adapted for critical infrastructures. The project context and state of the art are discussed. The adaptation of the risk management tool is performed according to previously elaborated requirements which consider interdependencies, cause-consequences analysis, risk measures and risk register implementation. A novel structured risk management method was proposed how to deal with internal and external impacts of a hazardous event which occurred in the given CI. The method is embedded into the critical infrastructure resilience process. These requirements can be implemented on the ready-to-use software platform for further experiments. The experimentation results are used as the input for CIRAS. The discussed tool can be applied as the risk reduction component in the CIRAS Tool, and the validation process presented here is the basis to elaborate two project use cases.
Is There a Consensus when Physicians Evaluate the Relevance of Retrieved Systematic Reviews?
Authors: O’Sullivan Dympna , Kuziemsky Craig , Michalowski Wojtek , Farion Ken , Kukawka Bartosz , Wilk Szymon
Published: March 2016

Background: A significant challenge associated with practicing evidence-based medicine is to provide physicians with relevant clinical information when it is needed. At the same time it appears that the notion of relevance is subjective and its perception is affected by a number of contextual factors.

Objectives: To assess to what extent physi -cians agree on the relevance of evidence in the form of systematic reviews for a common set of patient cases, and to identify possible contextual factors that influence their perception of relevance.

Methods: A web-based survey was used where pediatric emergency physicians from multiple academic centers across Canada were asked to evaluate the relevance of systematic reviews retrieved automatically for 14 written case vignettes (paper patients). The vignettes were derived from prospective data describing pediatric patients with asthma exacerbations presenting at the emer gency department. To limit the cognitive burden on respondents, the number of reviews associated with each vignette was limited to three.

Results: Twenty-two academic emergency physicians with varying years of clinical practice completed the survey. There was no consensus in their evaluation of relevance of the retrieved reviews and physicians’ assessments ranged from very relevant to irrelevant evidence, with the majority of evaluations being somewhere in the middle. This indicates that the study participants did not share a notion of relevance uniformly. Further analysis of commentaries provided by the physicians allowed identifying three possible contextual factors: expected speci ficity of evidence (acute vs chronic condition), the terminology used in the systematic reviews, and the micro environment of clinical setting.

Conclusions: There is no consensus among physicians with regards to what constitutes relevant clinical evidence for a given patient case. Subsequently, this finding suggests that evidence retrieval systems should allow for deep customization with regards to physi -cian’s preferences and contextual factors, including differences in the micro environment of each clinical setting.
HOT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH EXCESS BLUE LIGHT: DUAL AGN OR SINGLE AGN UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS?
Authors: Assef R. J. , Walton D. J. , Brightman M. , Stern D. , Alexander D. , Bauer F. , Blain A. W. , Diaz-Santos T. , Eisenhardt P. R. M. , Finkelstein S. L. , Hickox R. C. , Tsai C.-W. , Wu J. W.
Published: March 2016

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a population of hyper-luminous infrared galaxies identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission from their very red mid-IR colors, and characterized by hot dust temperatures (T > 60 K). Several studies have shown clear evidence that the IR emission in these objects is powered by a highly dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that shows close to Compton-thick absorption at X-ray wavelengths. Thanks to the high AGN obscuration, the host galaxy is easily observable, and has UV/optical colors usually consistent with those of a normal galaxy. Here we discuss a sub-population of eight Hot DOGs that show enhanced rest-frame UV/optical emission. We discuss three scenarios that might explain the excess UV emission: (i) unobscured light leaked from the AGN by reflection over the dust or by partial coverage of the accretion disk; (ii) a second unobscured AGN in the system; or (iii) a luminous young starburst. X-ray observations can help discriminate between these scenarios. We study in detail the blue excess Hot DOG WISE J020446.13–050640.8, which was serendipitously observed by Chandra/ACIS-I for 174.5 ks. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with a single, hyper-luminous, highly absorbed AGN, and is strongly inconsistent with the presence of a secondary unobscured AGN. Based on this, we argue that the excess blue emission in this object is most likely either due to reflection or a co-eval starburst. We favor the reflection scenario as the unobscured star formation rate needed to power the UV/optical emission would be ≳1000 M
⊙ yr−1. Deep polarimetry observations could confirm the reflection hypothesis.
EXTENDED HEAT DEPOSITION IN HOT JUPITERS: APPLICATION TO OHMIC HEATING
Authors: Ginzburg Sivan , Sari Re’em
Published: March 2016

The observed radii of many giant exoplanets in close orbits exceed theoretical predictions. One suggested origin for this discrepancy is heat deposited deep inside the atmospheres of these “hot Jupiters”. Here, we study extended power sources that distribute heat from the photosphere to the deep interior of the planet. Our analytical treatment is a generalization of a previous analysis of localized “point sources”. We model the deposition profile as a power law in the optical depth and find that planetary cooling and contraction halt when the internal luminosity (i.e., cooling rate) of the planet drops below the heat deposited in the planet’s convective region. A slowdown in the evolutionary cooling prior to equilibrium is possible only for sources that do not extend to the planet’s center. We estimate the ohmic dissipation resulting from the interaction between the atmospheric winds and the planet’s magnetic field, and apply our analytical model to ohmically heated planets. Our model can account for the observed radii of most inflated planets, which have equilibrium temperatures of ≈1500–2500 K and are inflated to a radius of

. However, some extremely inflated planets remain unexplained by our model. We also argue that ohmically inflated planets have already reached their equilibrium phase, and no longer contract. Following Wu & Lithwick, who argued that ohmic heating could only suspend and not reverse contraction, we calculate the time it takes ohmic heating to re-inflate a cold planet to its equilibrium configuration. We find that while it is possible to re-inflate a cold planet, the re-inflation timescales are longer by a factor of

than the cooling time.
Study of Relation between CSR and Employee Engagement in Hotel Industry
Authors: Singh Jagdeep
Published: March 2016

Research evidence has shown that there can be no magic formula or set of ‘off the shelf' prescriptions that can be applied in securing employee commitment and involvement towards the organizational goals. Still organizations are trying one or another formula and investing to create a culture of harmony, wellbeing and a productive environment. It has been proved that psychological wellbeing of employees is directly proportional to positive work culture and growth. Positive Psychology focus on wellbeing, satisfaction, hope, optimism, flow and happiness. Its focus is building positive qualities in life and work rather than repairing negative aspects. One of these attributes is Employee Engagement. CSR is an emerging field which has garnered increased attention in recent years; a development which displays a changing mindset about the role and responsibilities of the businessmen and employees toward the society. This paper discusses and proposes a model that positive perception of employees about the CSR initiatives enhances the engagement level of employees.
From Earning Profits to Sustainability
Authors: Arora Manpreet , Walia Sandeep Kumar
Published: March 2016

In India the potential of tourism sector is considerable in terms of earning foreign exchange. That is why the government has initiated many programmes and schemes to attract foreign tourists. It has also given a rise to the allied industries to earn profits and diversify may it be hotel industry or aviation sector. As the means of communication are developing and the countries are becoming more open and globalised the tourism industry has got new impetus and dimensions. The spread of education and the development of internet have widened the scope of this industry. This new trend has made the tourism industry a very potential industry in many terms for a developing nation like India. But on the same hand it has posed a great threat to the natural resources also and the stakeholders involved in this sector has started responding to such initiatives through CSR measures. For measuring such initiatives no specific parameters have been defined and they are subjective to a great extent. Therefore a need arises to analyse such initiatives and their growing need for creating sustainability.
Corporate Sustainability
Authors: Kaur Taranjit
Published: March 2016

Everyone talks about corporate social responsibility when there is discussion on the profitability issue. As the society is the major stakeholder in any corporate, it is natural duty of the concerned company to full fill its responsibility towards the society. There are many issues which can be included in the corporate social responsibility but the question arise is that what will happen if a company don't focus on sustainability. The obvious answer is that without sustainability, the fulfilment of certain types of social responsibility activities by the company will not provide the true advantage of the CSR to the society. It can be put in this way that at the cost of long term benefits of the society, the short term benefits are provided if sustainability is sacrificed. The future generation will cry like anything for the loss we are making today. This paper is aimed to discuss the Corporate Sustainability Reporting through case study of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
Constructing an Interaction Support System with the Capability of Social Networking Service for a Practical Lecture and Examining its Efficient Operational Policy
Authors: Matsumoto Shimpei , Kojima Hiroyuki
Published: March 2016

Recently, various types of Social Networking Service (SNS) have been actively utilized in many educational situations, and the effectiveness has been continuously reported. The aim of this paper is to develop a web based discussion support system, to introduce the proposed system to a real university lecture, and to examine the operational policy for improving the learning effect from the viewpoint of quantitative perspective. The system of this paper offers interactivity between lecturers and students to dialogue opportunities in a PBL practical lecture. To support interactions in learning, a web application of SNS with groupware function and micro-blog based communication function similar to Twitter is developed with LAMP and Ajax, and it works as an information transmission platform for enhancing interactions and collaborative activities. All students can post their comments and questions by the form of short messages through a web browser on their own cell/smart phone or PC device under unique online name. The constructed SNS is only available within local area network, and only messages related to the contents of the lecture are accepted by the prepared operational policy. The constructed SNS continues to work not only during lecture but also after class. The process and the history of interactions continue to be stored on the virtual space, so a lecturer can get to know the condition of students such as the depth of understanding and the difficulty level of the contents, and besides, students can easily cooperate with each other. This paper prepared 3 different operational policies for each learning group, and clarified the difference between these operational policies from the viewpoint of complex network theory. Also by comparing each operational policy on the basis of subjective evaluation result and the quality of learning outcome, an efficient operational policy to promote SNS blended learning was clarified. Additionally, the characteristics of SNS utilization according to student's learning outcome were shown with principal component analysis.
A Consideration of Value Co-Creation in Branding of University Research-Laboratories
Authors: Nguyen Dung Thuy , Shirahada Kunio , Kosaka Michitaka
Published: March 2016

Since service dominant logic and co-creation have been applied to branding in the higher education sector as bottom-up building of brand, research laboratories have become an essential factor in university branding. This paper aims to explore branding of research laboratories based on value co-creation processes through real experiences in research laboratories. The authors' hypotheses have identified how research laboratory brand could be created and sustainably expanded based on co-creation between professors and students. Case studies in Japanese laboratories were assumed to have their operations based on service dominant logic to verify the hypotheses. In addition, the concept of trust as value-in-trust was evaluated through this research to identify ways in which research laboratory brands were directly and indirectly spread by co-creation. Thus, this research emphasized the concept that the core of stable and powerful brands was contributed by value co-creation of stakeholders who maintained their mutual trust.
Suitability of Cordia millenii Ash Blended Cement in Concrete Production
Authors: Babalola Olusola Emmanuel , Awoyera Paul O.
Published: March 2016

Supplementary cementitious materials are most needed to enhance a sustainable development in poor communities. It is pertinent to investigate the suitability of such alternative materials for construction. The present study evaluates the strength characteristics of concrete made with varied proportion of Cordia millenii ash blended with Portland cement. Chemical composition of Cordia millenii and the setting time when blended with cement was determined. Other laboratory tests performed on Cordia millenii blended cement include: sieve analysis and specific gravity. Five replacement percentages of Cordia millenii (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) were blended with cement in concrete. Control specimens were also produced with only cement. Tests to determine the workability, air entrained, bulk density and compressive strength properties of the concrete were also conducted. Results obtained revealed that optimum Cordia millenii mix is 10%, which yielded the highest density and compressive strength in the concrete.
Loading Rate Sensitivity of the Essential Work of Fracture, a Case Study on Pure Polypropylene
Authors: Pirsalami Sedigheh , Zebarjad Seyed Mojtaba , Zeinali Zahra
Published: March 2016

The essential work of fracture (EWF) method is gaining attention for the toughness evaluation of ductile polymers. However its establishment as a toughness criteria requires that the parameters influencing it and their extent of influence be identified. In the current study the effect of the loading rate on the EWF of pure polypropylene (PP) is investigated. Tensile tests are performed at room temperature on DENT samples with ligament lengths of 7 to 15 mm at loading rates of 2 to 32 mm/min. The results confirm the dependency of the EWF on the loading rate, though a regular trend is not observed. The nonregularity of the EWF on the loading rate is explained by the ligament dependency of the loading rate effect on the specific work of fracture. This study reveals that the similarity of the ligament lengths and loading rate are necessities to yielding comparable values of the EWF.
Stability of ZnO-Pr6O11-Cr2O3 Varistor Ceramics against Electrical Degradation
Authors: Abdullah Wan Rafizah Wan , Zakaria Azmi , Hashim Mansor , Rahman Md Mahmudur , Ghazali Mohd Sabri Mohd
Published: March 2016

The vulnerability of varistor ceramics to electrical degradation during operation not only affects their nonlinear properties but also leads to shortening of device’s lifetime by increasing the risk of failures including melting, fire or even explosions. In this study, ZnO-Pr6O11-Cr2O3 varistor ceramics were prepared through modified citrate gel method and solid state-sintering at 1250 °C for 1 hour. The stability of their nonlinear properties under prolonged application of DC electrical field in high temperature ambient was investigated. Degradation process was accelerated by applying direct current (DC) electrical field of 15 % below the breakdown field point of ceramics for 54 hours consecutively at temperature of 30 to 125 °C. The findings indicate that ZnO-Pr6O11-Cr2O3 ceramics exhibited its susceptibility to electrical degradation after prolonged electrical and thermal stresses application. Its nonlinear coefficient has reduced by 4.4 % reduction, the breakdown field has reduced by 9.9 % and the leakage current density increased by 13.7 % in comparison to its initial value. Degradation process in varistor ceramics of ZnO-Pr6O11-Cr2O3 was a direct response to collapsed Double Schottky Barrier at ZnO grain boundary.
The Ligand Fields Characterizations within Erbium-Tellurite Glass Network via Gold Nanoparticles Concentration Variation
Authors: Sazali Ezza Syuhada , Sahar M.R. , Arifin R. , Ghoshal S.K. , Rohani Md Supar
Published: March 2016

Glass samples of composition 79TeO2 – 15PbO – 5PbCl2 – 1Er2O3 – (x)AuCl3 with (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1 mol%) were successfully synthesized by using melt-quenching technique. The impacts of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) concentration in stimulating the ligand field interaction inside the erbium-tellurite glass network were inspected. Amorphous nature of the sample was confirmed through XRD pattern. TEM images display the existence of GNPs with average diameter ~1.24 nm. Optical absorption spectra were recorded in the UV-Visible range. The absorption displays several prominent peaks corresponding to the transitions from the ground state to the excited states of Er3+ ion. The compositional dependence of the ligand parameters in terms of crystal field strength and Racah parameter were determined.
Effects of EAF Slag’s Milling Time and Firing Temperature to EAF Slag Added Ceramic Tile’s Properties
Authors: Lim Choon Siong , Teo Pao Ter , Mohd Sharif Nurulakmal
Published: March 2016

Significant quantity of solid wastes, especially electric arc furnace (EAF) slag is generated by the growing Malaysia’s steel industries. Recycling them offer a more sustainable solution and also added value to the solid wastes. Therefore, in this project, an attempt was made to recycle the EAF slag waste as one of raw materials in ceramic tile. In our preliminary study of assessing the suitability of the slag in ceramic tile, it was found that at fixed firing temperature of 1150°C, increasing of EAF slag added (wt.%) would deteriorate the properties of tile produced. Meanwhile, introduce an additional silica and feldspar led to better properties of the tile. Optimum composition of the ceramic tile was found to be 40 wt.% EAF slag – 30 wt.% – 20 wt.% silica – 10 wt.% feldspar. Hence, this study aims to further improve the properties of the tile by varying EAF slag’s milling time (15 minutes and 30 minutes) and firing temperature (1075°C, 1100°C, 1125°C and 1150°C). Results obtained show that as milling time was increased from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, average particle size, X50 of the slag was reduced from 53 µm to 3 µm. When the particles size of EAF slag added was smaller, the tile had a higher modulus of rupture (MOR), higher bulk density, lower apparent porosity and water absorption. The improved MOR was due to increase in total anorthite and wollastonite crystalline phases (wt.%) in the tile. The MOR was the highest at firing temperature of 1100°C for 3µm EAF slag particle whereas for larger particle size (53µm), the MOR was highest at 1150°C. This suggests possible improvement in reduction of firing temperature when smaller particles are used.
Effect of Neodymium Concentration on Structural and Optical Properties of Tellurite Based Glass System
Authors: Azlan M.N. , Halimah Mohamed Kamari , Baki S.O. , Daud W.M.
Published: March 2016

Neodymium doped zinc borotellurite glass system were fabricated by using conventional melt-quenching method. The structural properties of the glass system were characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) method and Fourier Transform analysis (FTIR). The amorphous nature of the glass system was confirmed by using x-ray diffraction method. The transmission band of TeO3 structural units which indicate the existence of non-bridging oxygen was shown by FTIR analysis. The optical properties of the glass system were determined by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Several bands were shown in the absorption spectra which indicate the characteristic of neodymium ions. The obtained values of indirect optical band gap, Eopt lies in the range of 3.151 eV and 3.184 eV.