bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combined CT Pulmonary Angiography & Indirect CT Venography in Evaluation of Clinically Suspected Cases of Pulmonary Embolism- Our Experience in an Oncologic Setup
Authors: Thankral Anuj , Thakral D , Mohamed E , Singh EP , Lal H
Published: October 2013

The study was aimed at evaluating role of CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) and Indirect CT venography (ICTV) in clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) in oncology setup.17/31 (54.9%) patients were diagnosed with PE with or without deep vein thrombosis. DVT was diagnosed in 12(38.7%). 1 patient had DVT in absence of PE while 13/31 (41.9%) patients were diagnosed not to have PE or DVT. Clinical symptoms or pre-test probability determined by Well’s criteria and other laboratory investigations were not found predictive of PE. CTPA diagnosed PE with greater ease, shorter time required with no dependence on clinical pretest probability unlike pulmonary scintigraphy. In cases with CTPA negative for PE, CT described additional findings possibly explaining patient’s presenting symptoms unlike negative pulmonary scintigraphy. In cases where PE was excluded, CTV identified DVT (if present) in the same sitting, obviating separate venous Doppler. A single investigation with ability to deal with complete spectrum of DVT and PE makes CTPA & ICTV ‘one stop shop’ imaging modality for PE and DVT. Nepalese Journal of Radiology / Vol.3 / No.1 / Issue 4 / Jan-June, 2013 / 40-52 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njr.v3i1.8795
Role of Radiographic Hysterosalpingography in Infertility in Eastern Nepal
Authors: Santhalia Pranav Kumar , Gupta MK , Uprety D , Ahmad K , Ansari S , Agrawal N , Rauniyar RK
Published: October 2013

Background: Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is the radiographic technique for evaluation of uterine cavity and fallopian tubes. It still remains the best imaging procedure for fallopian tubes despite the advent of newer modalities and is used primarily for the evaluation of female infertility.1,2 The purpose of the study was to assess the uterine and tubal abnormalities detected on radiographic HSG as causative factors of infertility and to describe their imaging features. Methods: This prospective cross sectional study was conducted at the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, BPKIHS, Dharan. Forty-four patients with infertility (both primary and secondary) referred for HSG were included. HSG was performed using non-ionic contrast medium under image intensifier fluoroscopic control during the follicular phase of menstrual cycle. Radiographic films were obtained and analyzed. Results: Out of the total 44 patient, 26 (59.0%) had primary infertility while 18 (41.0%) had secondary infertility. Tubal abnormalities were seen in 28 (63.6%) and uterine abnormalities in 2 (4.6%) patients. The most common tubal abnormality detected on HSG was tubal block (50.0%). Unilateral and bilateral tubal blocks were equally distributed (50.0% each). Proximal tubal block was observed in 8 (36.4%) and distal in 13 (59.1%) patients. Fifteen (34.1%) patients had hydrosalpinx. Conclusion: HSG is easy, safe, and cost-effective and plays vital role in the evaluation of female with infertility. The most common structural cause of female infertility found as per this study was tubal block. Nepalese Journal of Radiology / Vol.3 / No.1 / Issue 4 / Jan-June, 2013 / 59-66 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njr.v3i1.8810
Thyroid Hemiagenesis Presenting As Hypothyroidism – A Rare Case Report
Authors: Vishwanath TT , Singh Simran , Shetty SMCC , Apoorva C
Published: October 2013

Thyroid hemiagenesis is a very rare abnormality, in which one of the thyroid lobes fails to develop embryologically. Most of the patients are detected incidentally and have an associated thyroid disease. The true prevalence of the thyroid hemiagenesis is still not known but literature reports incidence in 0.02% of population. We report a rare case of hemiagenesis of left lobe of thyroid and isthmus with associated hypothyroidism in a 28 years old female with review of literature. Nepalese Journal of Radiology / Vol.3 / No.1 / Issue 4 / Jan-June, 2013 / 77-79 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njr.v3i1.8815
Remote Gaze Tracking System on a Large Display
Authors: Lee Hyeon , Lee Won , Cho Chul , Gwon Su , Park Kang , Lee Heekyung , Cha Jihun
Published: October 2013

We propose a new remote gaze tracking system as an intelligent TV interface. Our research is novel in the following three ways: first, because a user can sit at various positions in front of a large display, the capture volume of the gaze tracking system should be greater, so the proposed system includes two cameras which can be moved simultaneously by panning and tilting mechanisms, a wide view camera (WVC) for detecting eye position and an auto-focusing narrow view camera (NVC) for capturing enlarged eye images. Second, in order to remove the complicated calibration between the WVC and NVC and to enhance the capture speed of the NVC, these two cameras are combined in a parallel structure. Third, the auto-focusing of the NVC is achieved on the basis of both the user’s facial width in the WVC image and a focus score calculated on the eye image of the NVC. Experimental results showed that the proposed system can be operated with a gaze tracking accuracy of ±0.737°~±0.775° and a speed of 5~10 frames/s.
Saporin-S6: A Useful Tool in Cancer Therapy
Authors: Polito Letizia , Bortolotti Massimo , Mercatelli Daniele , Battelli Maria , Bolognesi Andrea
Published: October 2013

Thirty years ago, the type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) saporin-S6 (also known as saporin) was isolated from Saponaria officinalis L. seeds. Since then, the properties and mechanisms of action of saporin-S6 have been well characterized, and it has been widely employed in the construction of conjugates and immunotoxins for different purposes. These immunotoxins have shown many interesting results when used in cancer therapy, particularly in hematological tumors. The high enzymatic activity, stability and resistance to conjugation procedures and blood proteases make saporin-S6 a very useful tool in cancer therapy. High efficacy has been reported in clinical trials with saporin-S6-containing immunotoxins, at dosages that induced only mild and transient side effects, which were mainly fever, myalgias, hepatotoxicity, thrombocytopenia and vascular leak syndrome. Moreover, saporin-S6 triggers multiple cell death pathways, rendering impossible the selection of RIP-resistant mutants. In this review, some aspects of saporin-S6, such as the chemico-physical characteristics, the structural properties, its endocytosis, its intracellular routing and the pathogenetic mechanisms of the cell damage, are reported. In addition, the recent progress and developments of saporin-S6-containing immunotoxins in cancer immunotherapy are summarized, including in vitro and in vivo pre-clinical studies and clinical trials.
Small Chemical Chromatin Effectors Alter Secondary Metabolite Production in Aspergillus clavatus
Authors: Zutz Christoph , Gacek Agnieszka , Sulyok Michael , Wagner Martin , Strauss Joseph , Rychli Kathrin
Published: October 2013

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus clavatus is known to produce a variety of secondary metabolites (SM) such as patulin, pseurotin A, and cytochalasin E. In fungi, the production of most SM is strongly influenced by environmental factors and nutrients. Furthermore, it has been shown that the regulation of SM gene clusters is largely based on modulation of a chromatin structure. Communication between fungi and bacteria also triggers chromatin-based induction of silent SM gene clusters. Consequently, chemical chromatin effectors known to inhibit histone deacetylases (HDACs) and DNA-methyltransferases (DNMTs) influence the SM profile of several fungi. In this study, we tested the effect of five different chemicals, which are known to affect chromatin structure, on SM production in A. clavatus using two growth media with a different organic nitrogen source. We found that production of patulin was completely inhibited and cytochalasin E levels strongly reduced, whereas growing A. clavatus in media containing soya-derived peptone led to substantially higher pseurotin A levels. The HDAC inhibitors valproic acid, trichostatin A and butyrate, as well as the DNMT inhibitor 5-azacytidine (AZA) and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, which was used as a proxy for bacterial fungal co-cultivation, had profound influence on SM accumulation and transcription of the corresponding biosynthetic genes. However, the repressing effect of the soya-based nitrogen source on patulin production could not be bypassed by any of the small chemical chromatin effectors. Interestingly, AZA influenced some SM cluster genes and SM production although no Aspergillus species has yet been shown to carry detectable DNA methylation.
Los nuevos rasgos del bajo clero en el obispado de Arequipa a finales del siglo XVIII
Authors: Lavallé Bernard
Published: October 2013

RESUMEN - A finales del XVIII, los ordenantes de Arequipa muestran una evolución muy neta. A menudo desprovistos de los ingresos económicos requeridos, con una formación discutible o hijos ilegítimos, necesitan ya mayoritariamente una dispensa, pero saben el quechua. Se vislumbran también casos de mestizaje u orígenes indígenas que los candidatos ocultaban pero que las autoridades fingían ignorar a pesar de la reglamentación, de ahí la aparición de un bajo clero más cercano a sus feligreses y de reacciones más complejas.
Dix ans de débats autour du Balanced Scorecard
Authors: Choffel Denis , Meyssonnier François
Published: October 2013

Cet article présente une étude de dix années de littérature anglo-saxonne et française sur le Balanced Scorecard (tableau de bord prospectif et équilibré) depuis que Kaplan et Norton ont développé cet outil de pilotage stratégique. L’objectif est de voir comment ce système de gestion de la performance a évolué et quels sont les débats actuels à son sujet. À partir de cet état de l’art, une série d’hypothèses sur les problèmes abordés est proposée et une synthèse des différentes propositions théoriques est effectuée.
Vers une transversalisation des budgets : un essai d'observation et d'interprétation
Authors: Villesèque-Dubus Fabienne
Published: October 2013

Cet article étudie les modes de conception et d’utilisation des systèmes budgétaires transversaux. Une enquête par questionnaire menée auprès de 63 entreprises industrielles membres de la DFCG a permis d’appréhender la diversité des pratiques associées à ces budgets. Cette étude souligne en particulier de possibles complémentarités dans les modes de conception des systèmes budgétaires classiques et transversaux. Elle met également l’accent sur des complémentarités relatives aux modes d’utilisation des systèmes budgétaires transversaux. Ces systèmes apparaissent en effet associés à une double mission, stratégique d’une part, et pour le contrôle des responsabilités et des performances d’autre part.
Concentration et spécialisation sectorielle des cabinets d'audit sur le marché des sociétés cotées en 1997-1998
Authors: Piot Charles
Published: October 2013

Cette étude analyse la concentration globale et sectorielle des cabinets d’audit, ainsi que les déterminants de la spécialisation sectorielle de l’auditeur nommé, pour les sociétés françaises cotées fin 1997. L’analyse descriptive montre une concentration globale de type oligopolistique, mais sensiblement moins élevée par rapport aux marchés anglo-saxons. Il existe des différences marquées entre secteurs d’activité qui ne semblent pas étrangères au degré de réglementation. Enfin, malgré la domination des Big Six , les grands réseaux nationaux (Majors) s’affirment comme une composante significative, possiblement grâce à l’obligation légale de cocommissariat. L’analyse déterministe révèle que la présence d’un auditeur spécialisé augmente avec la complexité organisationnelle de la firme ; et que l’appartenance à un secteur réglementé affecte positivement l’implication sectorielle des auditeurs nommés. Ces résultats appuient une demande de compétences spécifiques.
Online Teaching
Authors: Hodges Charles B. , Way Raleigh , Shepherd Sonya S.
Published: October 2013

This chapter includes a report of a study conducted to investigate the perceptions of faculty teaching online at a doctoral research university in the southeast United States. Research literature regarding faculty satisfaction with online learning is summarized. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the results of an online survey administered in the Spring of 2010. Major findings are that faculty enjoy the convenience and flexible scheduling that teaching online offers them and their students but consider teaching online to more labor-intensive compared to teaching face-to-face courses. Faculty expressed the need for reliable and current technology for online teaching, improved technical support and training, and clear institutional policies regarding online teaching and developing online courses. Methods for improving faculty satisfaction with online teaching are suggested, which include collaborating with academic librarians to enhance the online teaching and learning experience.
Traditional to Hybrid
Authors: Li Rowena
Published: October 2013

Drawn from first-hand teaching and learning experiences, this chapter seeks to explore social media tools and their unique features in adapting traditional face-to-face courses to the hybrid learning environment. It examines the transformed roles of instructors and students, as well as their changing pedagogical, social, and psychological needs. It also demonstrates how social media can be used to meet the challenges of both hybrid and online instruction in higher education. This chapter provides faculty, administrators, and practitioners a better understanding of the roles of the instructors and students in a hybrid setting and also offers guidance to instructors on how to involve social media tools in a hybrid learning environment to enhance students’ learning experiences.
What’s In It for Me?
Authors: Grassian Esther , Trueman Rhonda
Published: October 2013

Virtual worlds offer synchronous (simultaneous) real life participation through virtual reality, combining the two to provide convenient and low-cost options for librarians’ professional development. This chapter explores the use of virtual worlds for meetings, training, conferences, discussions, mentoring, networking, and peer-to-peer information sharing, with a focus on the 3D virtual world of Second Life. Definitions of “professional development” and “virtual worlds” precede discussion of the issues surrounding the use of this type of environment for a variety of training events and activities to support and encourage ongoing expansion of knowledge, innovation, and creativity among librarians. This chapter also includes information about planning and implementing professional development sessions in this arena, along with information on effective methods for publicizing these activities for parties interested in using virtual worlds for professional development. For those interested in attending professional development opportunities in virtual worlds, the chapter provides information on how to discover and choose useful activities and events in virtual worlds.
“I Love Being Able to Have my Colleagues Around the World at my Fingertips:”
Authors: Branch Jennifer L. , de Groot Joanne
Published: October 2013

Teacher-librarians are often “lone wolves” in schools. This chapter explores how Canadian teacher-librarians are participating in life-long learning in the 21st century using Web 2.0 technologies. It also explores how one online distance education program implemented changes to help prepare teacher-librarians to participate in local and global personal learning networks. Findings from a Canadian survey on this topic found that teacher-librarians often seek out other teacher-librarians for advice and support, as well as relying on regular interaction (both face-to-face and online) with their colleagues. Other informal professional learning occurs through listservs, online networks, Elluminate sessions, webinars, TED talks, podcasts, Nings, blogs, and Twitter. New and emerging technologies are helping teacher-librarians connect to one another locally and, more importantly, globally. It is this combination of both local and global personal learning networks that helps teacher-librarians move from being lone wolves to members of the pack.
Pedagogical Evolution in the Teaching of Reference Services Enabled by the Use of 3D Immersive Virtual World Technology
Authors: Matzen Nita J. , Becnel Kim , Purpur Geraldine
Published: October 2013

This chapter shares the development and implementation of a redesigned Information Sources and Services course and presents a case study that examines the impact of that course on student learning. The revised course applies Presence Pedagogy incorporating epistemic framing through extended role-play and the use of experienced mentors in a three-dimensional immersive virtual environment. Also examined are: changes in students’ comfort level while playing the role of reference librarian, their technology skills and confidence, similarities and dissimilarities between the game role and an imagined real-life role, students’ comfort level with the presence of a mentor, and their incorporating mentor suggestions.
Awareness and Use of E-Resources among Library and Information Science Distance Learners at Alagappa University
Authors: Thanuskodi S. , Subramaniyan S.
Published: October 2013

E-resources are mushrooming online and in other formats. This phenomenon is due to the rapid advancement of information technologies, including the Internet and digitizing techniques. The extent of e-resources (including e-journals, e-books, etc.) is spiraling, although no exact number is available. These changes significantly enlarge the size of the electronic resources pool. Electronic resources have become one of the most important aspects of a digital library. The study reveals that slightly over one-third of the respondents (40%) spent less than 2 hours on the Internet per session, followed by those having 2-3 hours per session (29.17%). The study also shows that of the total of 120 respondents, 30.83% search documents with the help of the library Website.
Challenges for Personal Data Stream Management in Smart Buildings
Authors: Geesen Dennis , Appelrath H. Jürgen , Grawunder Marco , Nicklas Daniela
Published: October 2013

Smart homes are equipped with multiple sensors and actuators to observe the residents and environmental phenomena, to interpret the situation out of that, and finally, to react accordingly. While the data processing for a single smart home is facile, the data processing for multiple smart homes in one smart building is more complex because there are different people (e.g., like several residents, administrators, or a property management) with different interests concerning the processed data. On that point, this chapter shows which kind of typical roles can be found in a smart building and what requirements and challenges they demand for managing and processing the data. Secondly, Data Stream Management Systems (DSMS) are introduced as an approach for processing and managing data in a smart building by presenting an appropriate architecture. Finally, the chapter discusses further concepts from DSMS and illustrates how they additionally meet and solve the requirements and the challenges.
Human Mobility Patterns
Authors: Diab Ali , Mitschele-Thiel Andreas
Published: October 2013

It is well accepted that the physical world itself, including communication networks, humans, and objects, is becoming a type of information system. Thus, to improve the experience of individuals, communities, organizations, and societies within such systems, a thorough comprehension of collective intelligence processes responsible for generating, handling, and controlling data is fundamental. One of the major aspects in this context and also the focus of this chapter is the development of novel methods to model human mobility patterns, which have myriad uses in crucial fields (e.g. mobile communication, urban planning, etc.). The chapter highlights the state of the art and provides a comprehensive investigation of current research efforts in this field. It classifies mobility models into synthetic, trace-based, and community-based models, and also provides insight into each category. That is, well-known approaches are presented, discussed, and qualitatively compared with each other.
Understanding Urban Dynamics from Taxi GPS Traces
Authors: Sun Lin , Chen Chao , Zhang Daqing
Published: October 2013

The GPS traces collected from a large taxi fleet provide researchers novel opportunities to inspect the urban dynamics in a city and lead to applications that can bring great benefits to the public. In this chapter, based on a real life large-scale taxi GPS dataset, the authors reveal the unique characteristics in the four different trace stages according to the passenger status, study the urban dynamics revealed in each stage, and explain the possible applications. Specifically, from passenger vacant traces, they study the taxi service dynamics, introduce how to use them to help taxis and passengers find each other, and reveal the work shifting dynamics in a city. From passenger occupied traces, they introduce their capabilities in monitoring and predicting urban traffic and estimating travel time. From the pick-up and drop-off events, the authors show the passenger hotspots and human mobility patterns in a city. They also consider taxis as mobile GPS sensors, which probe the urban road infrastructure dynamics.
Research Challenges for Personal and Collective Awareness
Authors: Riboni Daniele , Helaoui Rim
Published: October 2013

The “big data” explicitly produced by people through social applications, or implicitly gathered through sensors and transaction records, enables a new generation of mining and analysis tools to understand the trends and dynamics of today’s interconnected society. While important steps have been made towards personal, urban, and social awareness, several research challenges still need to be addressed to fully realize the pervasive computing vision. On the one hand, the lack of standard languages and common semantic frameworks strongly limit the possibility to opportunistically acquire available context data, reason with it, and provide proactive services. On the other hand, existing techniques for identifying complex contextual situations are mainly restricted to the recognition of simple actions and activities. Most importantly, due to the unprecedented quantity of digital traces that people leave as they go about their everyday lives, formal privacy methods and trust models must be enforced to avoid the “big data” vision turning into a “big brother” nightmare. In this chapter, the authors discuss the above-mentioned research issues and highlight promising research directions.
Energy Consumption Effects of WiFi Off-Loading Access in 3G or LTE Public Wireless Networks
Authors: Pau L.F.
Published: October 2013

As 3G, HSPDA and already now LTE wireless networks become ever more pervasive, especially for wireless high data rate and Internet traffic (>100 Mbps), increasing focus is given on ways to offload access by re-utilizing WiFi access points available in-doors (offices, homes), or installing such access points outdoors in/alongside high demand density public areas (hot spots, public areas, road traffic lanes, etc..). In view of the relative much higher WiFi access node power consumption and much smaller coverage compatible with interference reduction, the WiFi off-loading access may have a significant negative impact on energy consumption and emissions per user. The paper builds on earlier extensive work on the modeling of 3G or LTE wireless infrastructure energy consumption on an incremental basis per new user. It addresses the questions of the best mix between LTE cellular base stations and WiFi off-load access nodes from the energy/emissions perspective. Detailed sub-system model and design improvements are carried out on a continuous basis in collaboration with industry.
Formal Rules for Fuzzy Causal Analyses and Fuzzy Inferences
Authors: Wang Yingxu
Published: October 2013

Causal inference is one of the central capabilities of the natural intelligence that plays a crucial role in thinking, perception, and problem solving. Fuzzy inferences are an extended form of formal inferences that provide a denotational mathematical means for rigorously dealing with degrees of matters, uncertainties, and vague semantics of linguistic variables, as well as for rational reasoning the semantics of fuzzy causalities. This paper presents a set of formal rules for causal analyses and fuzzy inferences such as those of deductive, inductive, abductive, and analogical inferences. Rules and methodologies for each of the fuzzy inferences are formally modeled and illustrated with real-world examples and cases of applications. The formalization of fuzzy inference methodologies enables machines to mimic complex human reasoning mechanisms in cognitive informatics, cognitive computing, soft computing, abstract intelligence, and computational intelligence.
Based on the Magnetic Memory Testing Technology of Wind Generator Fault Early Prediction Research
Authors: Zhang Peng Lin , Zhao Zhi Qiang , Xu Ya Xing , Sang Yuan
Published: October 2013

The study is based on wind power tower drum with Q345E low alloy steel weld detection of magnetic memory method, combining with the characteristic of X-ray photos of magnetic memory formation mechanism and made a detailed analysis. By doing this, it aims to show that increasing scan device on the number of channels, can to a certain extent, improve the accuracy of detection. Magnetic memory method is proved to be able to predict the nondestructive testing artifacts of the early damage and the possibility of micro crack germination to some extent. It shows that the weld seam can be quickly found dangerous parts by using the magnetic memory test full scan, coupled with the X-ray testing technology for defects, and it also can be further qualitative and quantitative and significantly improve the detection efficiency.
Numerical Demonstrations of Negative Refraction Properties in a Closed-Ring Pair Metamaterial under Parallel Incidence
Authors: Fang Fang
Published: October 2013

In this paper, we investigate numerically the negative refraction properties of a closed-ring pair (CRP) structure metamaterial under parallel incidence. The surface currents and magnetic-field distribution are demonstrated to the physical mechanism of the negative refraction of the CRP. It is found that the electric response is attributed to the plasma oscillation of electrons and resulting in negative permittvity. However, the magnetic response origins from the antsymmetric resonant mode, which is excited by the edges of up and down of the CRP structure. In addition, the electric field distribution based on wedge-shaped and parallelogram-shaped models and the backward wave propagation from the phase changes in the moving picture are shown to further confirm the negative refraction.
Light Emission Induced by the Indium Distribution in InGaN Nanowires
Authors: Shi Jun Jie , Zhou Tie Cheng , Zhong Hong Xia , Jiang Xin He , Huang Pu
Published: October 2013

The InGaN nanowires (NWs) have attracted intense attention for their huge potential in applications such as light emitting diodes, laser diodes and solar cells. Although lots of work are focused on improving their optical performance, little is known about the influence of the In distribution and the surface states on the microscopic light emission mechanism. In order to give an atomic level understanding, we investigate the electronic structures of the wurtziteGa-rich InGaN NWs with different In distributions using first-principles calculations. We find that the In-atoms are apt to distribute on the surface of the NWs and the short surface In-N chains can be easily formed. For the unsaturated NWs, several new bands are induced by the surface states, which can be modified by the surface In microstructures. The randomly formed surface In-N chains can highly localize the electrons/holes at the band edges and dominate the interband optical transition. For the saturated NWs, the band edges are determined by the inner atoms. Our work is useful to improve the performance of the InGaN NW-based optoelectronic devices.
Gamma-Ray Compton Spectrometers
Authors: Hamouda Samir Ahmed , Sergiwa Sami Mohamed
Published: October 2013

General aspects of different gamma ray Compton scattering techniques are introduced. Comparison between the performances of different Compton spectrometers in terms of the parameters: resolution, statistical accuracy, and signal-to-noise ratio are presented. In addition to that, the most relevant parameters for further improvement in the quality of Compton profile measurements are suggested.
Noble Metals Enhanced Frequency Conversion Luminescence of Ln3+ Ions Doped Glasses
Authors: Hu Yue Bo , Qiu Jian Bei , Jiao Qing , Song Zhi Guo , Zhou Da Cheng , Yang Zheng Wen , Yang Yong
Published: October 2013

Luminescence of trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln3+) doped glasses is influenced by many factors. The emission enhancement of Ln3+ can be achieved either through an external approach or an internal adjustment. The external approaches mainly include application of metal nanoparticles, which changes the local structure, local filed and interaction with active ions. In this work, efforts to obtain luminescence enhancement in Ln3+ through introducing noble metals are reviewed. The merits of different processes are concluded.
High Mixing Entropy Alloys Design with High Anticorrosion and Wear-Resistance Properties
Authors: Zhu Sheng , Du Wen Bo , Wang Xiao Ming , Han Guo Feng
Published: October 2013

High entropy alloys emerge as a new type of advanced metallic materials, which have received increasing attentions from material engineers around the world. In addition to high entropy effect based on equiatomic or near-equiatomic and containing five or more principal elements, they exhibit a cocktail effect resulting from interactions among all the elements and the indirect effects of the various elements on the performances. In this study, according to high entropy alloy design principles, corrosion-resistant elements such as Al, Ni, Cr and Mo were used to improve the anticorrosion property, Fe, Co, B and Si as solid solution elements were added to promote the formation of solid solutions with simple structure, and the wear-resisting property increased.
The Effect of Sequence Structure of Polyisoprene on its Crystallization and Reinforcement
Authors: Li Shu Guang , Tan Jin Mei , He Jing Wei , Wu Si Zhu
Published: October 2013

soprene can be polymerized into three types of isomeric units, cis-1, 4, trans-1, 4 and 3, 4-units. Dyad or triad sequences of these units were investigated by 13C-NMR, which the signals are assigned for the sequences as well as the special linkages, head-to-head and head-to-tail structures. The crystallization ability of polyisoprene was mainly dependent on these sequence structures and was studied in this paper, including cold crystallization and stress-induced crystallization. As a result, the samples with regular sequence structure had better crystallized ability which will be as the guidance for the polymerization.
Experimental Study and Analysis on Strength Properties of Waste Crumb Rubber Concrete
Authors: Dai Jie , Xiong Jian Min , Zhou Jin Zhi
Published: October 2013

The experiment program was carried out to investigate strength performance and flexural properties of concrete containing recycled crumb rubber. The rubber contents of 10,20,30 and 40% by volume were selected to partially replace the fine aggregate with crumb rubber of 20 mesh, and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was employed to modify the rubber surface, enhancing adhesion between rubber particles and cement paste. Uniaxial compression and four point bending tests showed that both compressive and flexural strength reduced as crumb rubber inclusion increasing. It is notable that surface modification by NaOH solution have positive effects on strength properties of crumb rubber concrete, and the failure mode tends to become ductile failure due to the rubber inclusion rather than brittle failure of normal concrete.
Engineering Properties of Soils on Boubyan Island in Kuwait
Authors: Bao Shu Feng , Huang Jian Hua
Published: October 2013

To full understand engineering properties of soils on Boubyan island in Kuwait, some in-situ tests were performed along the highway and railway line, meanwhile some laboratory tests for soil samples from the different depth. It was concluded that its properties was low void ratio, low moisture content, low plasticity, low sensitivity, low permeability and high salt content. The soil classification belonged to CL and Marine-chloride-highly saline-soil.
Low Molecular Weight Branched Polyethylenimine-Graft-Lentinan as a Novel Synthetic Gene Carrier
Authors: Min Li Jing , Li Jing Fen
Published: October 2013

LMW Branched Polyethylenimine-graft-lentinan was synthesized by performing crosslinker CDI in the presence of water-soluble Polysaccharide (Mw 70,000) and polyethylenimine (PEI, Mw 600). The chemistry of the PEI-g-lentinan obtained were characterized. The results indicated that the amines of lentinan were grafted with PEI. Gel electrophoresis showed that DNA migration was retarded completely at a N/P ratio of 10/1, indicating good DNA condensation capability of PEI-g-lentinan. The cytotoxicity of PEI-g-lentinan was evaluated, and the results reflected that PEI-g-lentinan had a lower cytotoxicity than PEI (25 K). Gene transfection efficiency of PEI-g-chitosan in cos-7 cells was determined. Remarkably,PEI-g-lentinan showed a higher transfection efficiency than that of PEI (25 K) in vitro.
Research on Proteinous Adhesive Made of Protein Isolated from Crayfish Shell Waste
Authors: Zhao Xi Rong
Published: October 2013

Defatted crayfish shell waste (CSW) was prepared by the removal of extractable fat with cyclohexane. CSW was pretreated by benzoic acid and demineralized by acids. Proteins in the pretreated CSW were extracted with NaOH and 0-4% NaCl concentrations with 0.05% CaCl2 at pH 5.5-6.6 for 1 h at 50°C. By using the salt extraction procedure, CSW protein concentrate (29 g) was obtained from pretreated CSW (100 g). Recovery of protein was dependent on the extraction temperature employed; recovery values ranged from 33.2 to 51.4%. At 4% NaCl concentration, CaCl2 increased protein solubility by 30%, compared to the control. The adhesiveness of saltextractable protein at various pH values ranging from 5.0 to 9.0 was investigated. At pH 6.0-8.0, adhesiveness of salt-extractable protein showed the highest value (78.2 kg). The adhesiveness increased linearly as the salt-extractable protein concentration increased up to 24% with respect to temperature for salt-extractable protein adhesiveness, the greatest adhesiveness was in the range of 70 to 90. Improved adhesiveness and water resistance were observed with 0.05% glutaraldehyde treatment.
Combined Effects of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and PLGA-PEG-PLGA Scaffolds on Repair of Articular Cartilage Defect
Authors: Hsu Ching Wen , Liu Ping , Zhu Song Song , Deng Feng , Zhang Bi
Published: October 2013

Here we reported a combined technique for articular cartilage repair, consisting of bone arrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolide-b-ethylene glycol-b-dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA) triblock copolymers carried with tissue growth factor (TGF-belat1). In the present study, BMMSCs seeded on PLGA-PEG-PLGA with were incubated in vitro, carried or not TGF-belta1, Then the effects of the composite on repair of cartilage defect were evaluated in rabbit knee joints in vivo. Full-thickness cartilage defects (diameter: 5 mm; depth: 3 mm) in the patellar groove were either left empty (n=18), implanted with BMMSCs/PLGA (n=18), TGF-belta1 modified BMMSCs/PLGA-PEG-PLGA. The defect area was examined grossly, histologically at 6, 24 weeks postoperatively. After implantation, the BMMSCs /PLGA-PEG-PLGA with TGF-belta1 group showed successful hyaline-like cartilage regeneration similar to normal cartilage, which was superior to the other groups using gross examination, qualitative and quantitative histology. These findings suggested that a combination of BMMSCs/PLGA-PEG-PLGA carried with tissue growth factor (TGF-belat1) may be an alternative treatment for large osteochondral defects in high loading sites.
Structure and Properties of Natural Cellulose Extracted from Pineapple Leaf
Authors: Fu Tiao Kun , Li Ji Hua , Wang Qing Huang , Huang He , Wei Xiao Yi , Cui Li Hong , Wang Yi Hong , Wang Fei
Published: October 2013

Utilization of agriculture waste has been an issue around the world. In this study, the natural cellulose was extracted from pineapple leaf. Under the optimal pretreatment conditions of 25 g/L, 368 K and 6 h, the ratio of obtained cellulose was above 85 wt%. The structure of obtained cellulose at different stage was confirmed by XRD results. Origin cellulose (OC) and pretreated cellulose (PC) belong to be cellulose I, while regenerated cellulose possessed cellulose II structure, attributed to the dissolution of ionic liquid which destroyed the hydrogen bonds between the cellulose molecules. On the other hand, the structure could be explained by the morphology analysis of OC, PC and RC. The porous network structure of RC led to the reduction of ordered crystalline region and the decrease of crystallinity (CrI), which was proved by BET results. However, the dissolution was testified to be a physical process through FTIR analysis, the existence of characteristic absorption peaks of cellulose. The thermal stability was decreased through pretreatment, dissolution processes, corresponding to the decrease of CrI. The disordered amorphous region of RC decides convenient for production and broad applications.
Preparation of Anionic Polyacrylamide-Grafted Starch Flocculant and its Application
Authors: Sun Ying Juan , Guo Guo Feng , Yang Yong Li
Published: October 2013

An anionic polyacrylamide-grafted starch (St-g-APAM) flocculant for the coal slurry waste water, was prepared by using corn starch and acrylamide (AM) as monomers, acrylic acid (AA) as anionic monomer through solution polymerization. The effects of initiator concentration, reaction temperature, and monomer concentration on percentage of grafting and the grafting efficiency were investigated. The results show that the optimal conditions of the polymerization are as follows: the monomer to substrate ratio of 2.0, AM:AA ratio of 2:1, potassium persulfate of 0.7 x 10-3mol/L, reaction time of 4h, the reaction temperature of 50°C. The additional dosage of St-g-APAM is varying between 10 and 20 mg/L to obtain good flocculation capability.
Diffusion Coefficients of Selenium and Gallium during the Cu(In1-xGax)Se2 Thin Films Preparation Process
Authors: Wang Jian , Zhang Ya Fei , Zhu Jie
Published: October 2013

Cu (In1-xGax)Se2 (CIGS) polycrystalline thin films with Ga-gradient structures were prepared by selenization of sputtered Cu-In-Ga precursors. The Ga contents of the as-selenized CIGS thin films were measured by EDS. With greater Ga content, the peaks in the diffraction pattern become broadened. Auger electron spectroscopy was used to measure the composition distribution of the Cu, In, Ga, and Se elements in the CIGS and CuInSe2 films. At 300°C, the diffusion coefficients DSe was approximately (6.7±1.0) x 10-16 m2s-1, and DGa was about (4.5±1.0) x 10-18 m2s-1. DSe are two orders of magnitude greater than DGa, which is also the reason why the selected CIGS film was almost completely selenized, but still able to keep certain Ga-grading profile. The temperature used in this work is within the low temperature range of the two-step selenization approach, which is more suitable for low-cost substrates like flexible substrates.
Wettability of Sn-Zn Lead-Free Solder on Aluminum Substrate
Authors: Xu Xiao Yan , Qian Guo Tong , Zhou Jian , Yao Yao , Chen Xu
Published: October 2013

The effects of flux components and compositions of solder alloys on the wettability of the Sn-Zn alloys on aluminum surface was investigated. The results show that the wettability of the Sn-9Zn solder on aluminum substrate improved with flux of double solvents composed of diethanolamine and triethanolamine, which is better than single solvent. When flux is composed of 3% zinc fluoborate as activator and 30% triethanolamine plus 67% diethanolamine as double solvents, the spreading area of the Sn-9Zn solder reaches to 75%. Trace addition (0.002%-0.005%) of Al results in significant improvement of the wettability of the Sn-9Zn based solder. However, additions of Bi or Sb are not beneficial to the wettability of the solder on aluminum substrate.
The Properties of Wood-Plastics Composite (WPC) and its Application in Furniture
Authors: Li Min , Wu Zhi Hui
Published: October 2013

This paper deals with the wood-plastics composite (WPC) application in furniture. Firstly, it reviews WPC properties and its synthetic process; Secondly, it expounds the application of WPC in furniture in terms of design, manufacturing and joining mode; Finally, it summarizes limitations of WPC application in furniture in current condition and gives several suggestions on its further development.
A Novel Method to Fabricate Hydrophobic Surfaces Based on Candle Soot Particles and Polydimethylsiloxane
Authors: Yuan Lei , Zhang Feng , Liu Wei Ping , Gu Xiao Yong , Zhang Wei , Huo Da Yun , Zhang Xian Ying , Wang Yan Yan , Peng Chang Si
Published: October 2013

In order to realize the realistic applications of hydrophobic surfaces in large scales, its essential to develop new methods for the fabrication of these surfaces at low cost. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel and inexpensive method to prepare hydrophobic thin films on glass substrates. At first, we applied polydimethylsiloxane to modify the glass substrates, followed by adding nanocandle soot particles onto the surface of polydimethylsiloxane. After solidification in blast oven, we obtained the hydrophobic surfaces on the glass substrates. The resultant surfaces with contact angle of 143o exhibit remarkable hydrophobic properties. This new method is very simple and holds great potential in the widespread practical production of hydrophobic surfaces.
The Dynamic Viscoelastic Behavior of Wood-Plastic Composites
Authors: Liu Pei Ying , Jiang Zhi Hong
Published: October 2013

Wood-plastic composite is a kind of viscoelastic materials. This paper presents the dynamic viscoelastic behavior of WPCs at different temperature, frequency and bamboo flours levels. The storage modulus decreased with the rise of temperature, the loss modulus and tanδ increased as temperature increased but decreased after reaching the peak. Frequency had a little influence on storage modulus and loss modulus, but the glass transition temperature increased with the increase of frequency, while the tanδ decreased. The glass transition temperature of this kind WPCs is about 85°C. The addition of bamboo flours had a positive effect on the dynamic viscoelastic behavior. From the results above, the activation energy of the WPCs was measured using an Arrhenius relationship to investigate the interphase between the wood and plastic.
The Effect of Residual Stress on Fatigue Life of Welded Cruciform Joints of 16MnR for Train Bogie
Authors: Yu Ying Xia , He Bo Lin , Shi Jian Ping , Liu Jing
Published: October 2013

The weld toe surface and its nearby area of welded cruciform joints were treated by ultrasonic impact. Under the same stress concentration and after heat treatment to eliminate residual stress, the effect of residual stress on the fatigue life of joint was researched. The fatigue tests are performed on the joints of 16MnR both for the un-treated and treated joints by using EHF-EM200K2-070-1A type fatigue tester when the load ratio is 0.1, frequency is 10Hz. The experimental results indicate that the severe plastic deformation in the vicinity of weld toe surface was formed by impact treating for 2 minutes, the thickness of the plastic deformation layer is about 60μm. Residual tensile stress in the weld toe surface can be changed to residual compressive stress by impact treatment. The fatigue life of welded joint is 0.260×106cycle, and the fatigue life of treated joint is 0.499×106cycle. Compared to the un-treated joint, the fatigue life of treated joint has been increased by 91.92%. The residual stress contributed to fatigue life is about 16%. Residual stress has great effect on the fatigue life of welded cruciform joint.
Preparation of the BaO-B2O3 Matrix Low-Temperature Sintering Ceramics via an Aqueous Suspension Route
Authors: Chen Song , Zhu De Gui , Sun Hong Liang , Sun Pei Qiu
Published: October 2013

Due to the low-meting characteristics of the BaO-B2O3 binary composition, the dense ceramics with peculiar properties, so called low-temperature sintering ceramics, were prepared by the introduction of other oxides, e.g., SiO2, Al2O3, ZnO, CaO to the BaO-B2O3 binary compositions at a sintering below 1000°C. The low-temperature preparation of the ceramics are achieved by milling the aqueous suspension mixtures of Ba (OH)2·8H2O, H3BO3 ,H2SiO3, Al (OH)3, ZnO. By the aqueous suspension process, some compounds with a low-melting point such as hydrated barium borate, and the precursor compounds of the functional mineral phases, e.g., BaSiO3, ZnSiO3, BaAl2Si2O8, etc. can be formed easily from a suspension solution, which consequently supply more possibilities to fabricate the low-temperature sintering ceramics with peculiar physical properties.
Simulation Analysis on the Contact Status during Sheet-to-Tube Single Sided Spot Welding Process
Authors: Liang Cai Ping , Li Ning , Sun Fang Fang
Published: October 2013

Single sided resistance spot welding (SSRSW) developed from RSW is a feasible plan to join vehicle structure to closed-form tube and is increasingly used in automobile manufacturing. During the process of SSSW, large deformation and complex contact status of the workpieces occur because there is no inside support. The complex contact status has directly influence on the size of the nugget which is critical to the quality of welding. In this study, the contact statuses during the current stage of sheet-to-tube spot welding were researched by numerical method. It was found that the widths of the contact regions of electrode to sheet and sheet and sheet to tube have dynamic change during welding process which decided the size and speed of the nugget formation. The results have direct guiding significance to the study on ring nugget formation during sheet-to-tube welding.
Implementation of a Shear Modified GTN Damage Model and its Application in Cold Rolling
Authors: Sun Quan , Yan Yu Xi , Chen Jian Jun , Li Xiao Xue , Pan Hong Liang
Published: October 2013

To characterize the degradation of material at low triaxiality, the shear modified GTN damage model proposed by Nahshon and Hutchinson (2008) was introduced in this study. The details of the numericalimplementation and validation of the model was conducted. And the shear modified parameter was determined by the comparisons of experimental and simulation results of the shear test. Then, the damage model was employed to simulate the cold rolling process, and the results showed that the shear modified GTN model can reveal the damage behavior and predict edge crackingof ductile materials in cold rolling.