bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computers in Adult Literacy: The Need for Curriculum Deliberation
Authors: Herod Lori‐Kyle
Published: January 2013

Whether or not to integrate computers into curriculum is currently the subject of some debate amongst educators in general ( Amos, 1998 ; Bennett, 1996 ; Chandler, 1995 ; Postman, 1993 ; Robertson, 1998 ). For adult literacy practitioners in particular, the issue is an especially crucial one and for several reasons, not the least of which involves resource concerns. This paper discusses various factors surrounding this issue and identifies the need for a curriculum deliberation process in Canadian adult literacy.
On Your Mark: Faculty Development and Student Evaluation
Authors: Frey Barbara A. , Overfield Karen
Published: January 2013

Evaluation of student learning represents a crucial, time‐consuming part of an educator's job. In our years of teaching, we observed many faculty members who, while they have extensive content knowledge, lack skills in assessing student achievement. As practitioners in a system of 21 career‐focused, post‐secondary schools, we sought to change this situation in our organization. The faculty in our system consists of over 1,500 instructors teaching in 15 different majors in the areas of applied arts, design, and culinary arts. Many of our faculty members come to the school with a great deal of professional expertise but limited background in teaching methodology. This article addresses the challenges of developing a faculty professional development workshop on assessment, measurement, and evaluation of achievement in adult learners. The workshop represented a developmental experience for faculty based on their needs.
For What Purpose? Some Thoughts about Grading
Authors: Alexander James C.
Published: January 2013

Grading in higher education has been based on a competitive/ranking model. As students become more vocation driven in their decision to attend college and as specific vocational domains become more performance centered, a new form of assessment is needed. This change has already taken place in departments of teacher education. A mastery learning, mastery orientation model is recommended as the model for assessment to be used in all areas of higher education.
What Could an Equitable Instructional Design Achieve? An Experiment with Trainers
Authors: Gaudet Jeanne d'Arc , Lapointe Claire
Published: January 2013

The lack of gender‐equity in teacher training and sensitivity to gender equity among teachers prevents women from fully accessing non‐traditional jobs. Consequently, educators miss relevant tools when designing courses that take into account the needs and concerns of women. This article describes the influence of equity training on teachers' representations of women's and minority groups' needs. ATLAS‐ti and ALCESTE software were used to analyse pre‐ and post‐training interview content. Collated results show that after participating in equity training, educators' representations are modified. Moreover, gender‐discerning analysis shows a more significant modification in men's post‐training discourse.
Facilitating and Understanding Autonomy in Adult Learners
Authors: Derrick Marcia Gail , Carr Paul Brian
Published: January 2013

Confessore (1992) proposed that desire, initiative, resourcefulness and persistence are critical factors for understanding why adults engage in independent and self‐directed learning endeavors. A series of four studies identified the conative factors associated with each construct through the development of a conceptual model that provides a framework for understanding autonomous learning. It is proposed that these constructs are embedded in the larger construct of learner autonomy. A learner who can exhibit personal autonomy will exhibit all of the identified behaviors identified as characteristic behaviors of autonomous learning. The series of four studies (desire, resourcefulness, initiative, and persistence) individually produced valid and reliable instruments, and ultimately produced a single instrument, The Learner Autonomy Profile, that quantifies an individual's intentions to engage in autonomous learning endeavors.
Teaching and Learning Styles of Community College Business Instructors and Their Students: Relationship to Student Performance and Instructor Evaluations
Authors: Tucker Shelia Y. , Stewart Daisy , Schmidt B. June
Published: January 2013

This study was designed to determine whether a match between instructors' teaching styles and students' learning styles would foster student success as evidenced by higher course grades and final exam scores. Further, student evaluations of instructors were examined to determine whether a match between instructors' teaching styles and students' learning styles would yield more positive evaluations of instructor effectiveness. Study participants included five business instructors and 99 students from two community colleges. There was no significant relationship between learning style/teaching style match and student success as indicated by course grades, final exam scores, and evaluations of instructors. A significant relationship existed, however, between course grades, final exam scores, instructor evaluations, and GPA.
Transitioning from Traditional to E‐Educator
Authors: Morrison Eileen E.
Published: January 2013

There is a new category of educators who are challenged to present quality educational experiences through a technology‐based delivery system. The term “e‐educator” has been coined to describe these innovators in adult education This article addresses some key issues facing those who are transitioning from a traditional form of adult education to this new world of e‐education. First, it presents the core issue of finding meaning in teaching, regardless of delivery method. Second, it provides ideas on how to deal with the issue of making online education meaningful for adult learners. Finally, it introduces practical ways for the educators to maintain their own meaning in teaching in a changing educational environment.
Transformaton and Tension: The Experience of Returning to School in a Liberal‐Arts Program
Authors: Micari Marina
Published: January 2013

This interpretive study examined the experiences of ten adults returning to college in a liberal‐education degree program. Six themes emerged from the interviews: having experienced a lack of academic success earlier in life, having had the sense that something was missing in one's life, feeling confident that one is a smart person, believing that the degree does not carry as much weight as is commonly believed, wanting to be practical in one's academic work, and feeling that one has changed throughout the process. Further, personal transformation and contradictory feelings about academics were common elements of the experience.
An Examination of the Learning Styles of Online MBA Students and Their Preferred Course Delivery Methods
Authors: Barnes F. Barry , Preziosi Robert C. , Gooden Doreen J.
Published: January 2013

This study asked students of non‐traditional age enrolled in an online MBA program to complete a questionnaire for assessing their learning styles, using the well‐known Kolb Learning‐Style Inventory. In addition to the questions about learning style, students were asked to evaluate eight electronic course delivery methods used by their professors. Students were asked to assess those methods using a 6‐point Likert‐type scale. They were also asked how the method could be qualitatively improved, but this research paper does not address those written comments. The following research questions were posed: What are the different learning styles of online MBA students?, What, if any, differences are there in the learning styles of students enrolled in online MBA courses?, and Do online students prefer certain electronic course delivery methods over others? Differences were identified in the learning styles of the students. Students reported preferences in certain course delivery methods over others. There were also significant relationships reported between learning styles and preferred course delivery methods. Implications for instructors are discussed.
The Characteristics of Successful Online Students
Authors: Boyd Drick
Published: January 2013

With the rapid growth of computer‐based distance education throughout colleges and universities today, understanding the characteristics of successful online learners has become especially important. This article explores the different aspects of the online learning environment, as well as several different areas impacting student success: technical factors, environmental factors, personal characteristics, and learning characteristics.
Furthering the Theoretical Discussion of the Journey of Transformation: Foundations and Dimensions of Transformational Learning in Educational Technology
Authors: King Kathleen P.
Published: January 2013

This article builds on the research‐based model of the “journey of transformation” to further analyze its theoretical foundation and details. This model provides a framework for understanding how educators, as adult learners themselves, may experience perspective transformations in their perspective and practice of teaching and learning. Using the model as a focus for professional development creates opportunities for emancipatory learning, bridges the literature and research of adult learning and professional development in educational technology, and offers an integrated model of transformational learning theory with unique dynamics. Implications include those for understanding educators, transformational theory, application to the professional development of educators, and future research.
A Workable Future: Delineating the Role of Education in Environmental and Economic Sustainability
Authors: White Lawrence
Published: January 2013

It has been suggested that humankind ought to focus on freeing itself from its economic prison by broadening our compassion and developing an appreciation of the natural world. If this is the direction that humankind must head in order to ensure its on‐going place in the world, then it follows that education in all of its forms would and should play a key role in increasing humanity's knowledge and understanding about the world so that effective and well‐informed choices for a sustainable economic and environmental future can be made. This paper, then, will seek to explore the pivotal role of education and educators in transforming human thinking and helping to rekindle the link between economic and environmental policy.
A Model for Promoting Self‐Regulated Learning
Authors: Moran Joseph J.
Published: January 2013

Self‐regulated learning is defined as learning that is planned, assessed, and analyzed by the person doing the learning. The benefits of self‐regulated learning are detailed in a review of the literature. A three‐stage model for the instructional process that promotes self‐regulated learning in adult learners is presented: (a) instructing learners about the thinking, feeling, and behaving patterns that enhance learning; (b) instructing learners about the processes for self‐regulating their thinking, feeling, and behaving; and (c) assigning activities that involve learners in self‐regulating their learning. Several examples of implementation of the model are provided.
Attitudes for Effective Teaching
Authors: Shaw Daniel E.
Published: January 2013

This article briefly describes the conceptual foundations of a theory of practice entitled, Invitational Education. The author proposes that educators can improve their teaching by choosing to adopt and incorporate the basic elements of the theory into their teaching practices.
Analytic Philosophy and Adult Education: Trend or Tradition?
Authors: Raiskums Bernadine W.
Published: January 2013

As the field of adult education continues to evolve and mature, so grows the importance for those engaged in it to recognize and be able to communicate its key concepts. Newcomers, those with tangentially related interests, or those on the margins of the field for whatever reasons ‐ may be disadvantaged by unfamiliarity with the peculiarities of the language. This article challenges and encourages writers/speakers in the adult education discourse community to acknowledge that the meanings they assign to polysemous words and phrases may differ from those of their reader/listeners, and to ensure that their intended meanings are made clear.
Perspectives on Adult Education, Human Resource Development, and the Emergence of Workforce Development
Authors: Jacobs Ronald L.
Published: January 2013

This article presents a perspective on the relationship between adult education and human resource development of the past two decades and the subsequent emergence of workforce development. The lesson taken from the article should be more than simply a recounting of events related to these fields of study. Instead, the more general lesson may be to illustrate again the dynamic of how applied fields of study emerge. That is, as societal issues of importance occur, existing processes and information are often used out of necessity by practitioners to address the issues, which in turn promotes reflections mostly from the academic community about what was done. For some professionals, the evolving cycle is painful to experience because it often calls for fundamental change in their known intellectual territory. Alternately, such change should be embraced to ensure the continuing societal relevance of the field of study.
Establishing Conceptual Boundaries: What is an Adult Education Project?
Authors: Stein David S.
Published: January 2013

In a movement toward workforce development as an academic entity, the identity of adult education as projects for inquiry is troubled. In some academic programs, adult education has been termed adult learning in the service of promoting teaching and learning for the workplace. However, adult education's inquiry, its projects, might be more than just teaching adults or researching how adults' learn. This paper presents an argument that adult education projects might have a social justice focus. Adult education might serve as a critique of social, educational, and political policies concerning work and the workplace.
Keepers of the Gate or Keepers of the Dream? An Interview with Phyllis M. Cunningham
Authors: Hill Robert J.
Published: January 2013

Dr. Phyllis M. Cunningham i is professor emerita, Northern Illinois University (NIU), where she served as Presidential Teaching Professor of Adult Education. Born November 10, 1927, Phyllis holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in adult education, earned in 1973. Dr. Cunningham has received numerous awards, including in 1982, the Outstanding Adult Educators Award, American Association of Adult Continuing Education (AAACE) at Washington, DC, and in 1995, the Outstanding Service and Dedication to Latino(a) and African American Students in Adult Continuing Education, from NIU. She was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame ii in 1996. Her publications are far too numerous to list here. Phyllis has dedicated her life to working with low income families searching for equity and social transformation; she considers her lasting legacy the many students whom she has mentored. The annual Adult Education Research Conference (AERC) honors Phyllis through the “Phyllis M. Cunningham Social Justice Award.” Bob Hill, the interviewer, was selected to be the first Chair of the “Phyllis M. Cunningham Social Justice Award,” serving from 1997 to 2001. He has enjoyed a professional relationship with Phyllis for nearly fifteen years.
Bridging the Gap between Human Resource Development and Adult Education: Part One, Assumptions, Definitions, and Critiques
Authors: Hatcher Tim , Bowles Tuere
Published: January 2013

Human resource development (HRD) as a scholarly endeavor and as a practice is often criticized in the adult education (AE) literature and by AE scholars as manipulative and oppressive and, through training and other interventions, controlling workers for strictly economic ends ( Baptiste, 2001 ; Cunningham, 2004 ; Schied, 2001 ; Welton, 1995 ). Similarly, although less vocal and antagonistic, HRD scholars have been critical of AE's ‘academic’ and ‘theoretical’ elitism vs. the pragmatic and socially responsive practice of AE. To address the tension resulting from the lack of harmony between the disciplinary conceptual foundations that exists between HRD and AE, and assuming this tension results in a lack of understanding and possible beneficial cooperation, we propose that critical traditions (critical theory and criticality) may provide a bridge between the two disciplines. To fully define and provide support for this proposition, this paper is divided into and presented in two parts.
City as Text © Applied to an Honors Study Abroad Program: Exploring Madrid
Authors: Carvajal Manuel J.
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this paper is to discuss, evaluate, and illustrate the experiences of a City‐as‐Text © exploration in partial fulfillment of the requirements of an honors study abroad program in Spain. First, the nature and procedures of City as Text © as a learning tool are explained, followed by a list of necessary conditions for its application. Then the honors college in question is introduced, along with its special study abroad programs, and the experiences of various explorations are discussed and evaluated.
Collaborative Learning and Dialogue: Democratic Learning in Adult Education
Authors: Armstrong Joseph , Hyslop‐Margison Emery
Published: January 2013

Building on the framework of Peters and Armstrong's (1998) three Types of Teaching/Learning, this article explores the use of dialogue to foster a collaborative and democratic learning experience. There are three conditions under which dialogue can be facilitated as a part of the collaborative learning experience: (a) intent, (b) a dialogical space, and (c) a shared sense of the other. Each of these conditions is examined in detail, and examples from the authors practice as adult educators illustrate the application of these ideals.
Understanding Responsibility: A Self‐Directred Learning Application of the Triangle Model of Responsibiity
Authors: Kohns Jonathan W. , Ponton Michael K.
Published: January 2013

Personal responsibility has long been considered an important component in self‐directed learning. And yet, a theoretical understanding of personal responsibility that could lead to meaningful instrumentation has eluded the field. The present study considers the merits of the Triangle Model of Responsibility (TMR) ( Schlenker, Britt, Pennington, Murphy, & Doherty, 1994 ) as a useful construct for the field of self‐directed learning. This study considers how well the TMR fits with other theoretical constructs and considers possibilities for future research.
Connecting with Students Using SMS
Authors: Broinowski Ian
Published: January 2013

In this article Ian Broinowski explores creative and interesting ways to incorporate text messaging (SMS) into his teaching practices. Using a computer he is able to send messages related to classroom activities and share ideas and resources with students. He also examines some of the protocols associated with the use of mobile phones and draws the conclusion that used wisely it is a useful and effective adjunct to teaching.
Professional Development through Faculty Learning Communities
Authors: Glowacki‐Dudka Michelle , Brown Michael P.
Published: January 2013

Faculty learning communities (FLC) provide opportunities for professional development and personal growth within university settings. Some FLC are structured; others are unstructured. Faculty at a mid‐sized Midwestern state university were asked a series of close‐ and open‐ended questions that examined the reasons for and benefits from their participation in both structured and unstructured FLC. This exploratory study compared survey responses related to participation in structured and unstructured FLC. The reasons why faculty participated in learning communities were consistent in both structured and unstructured formats. However, while the benefits from participating in structured FLC were strongly related to professional goals with immediate application, the benefits from unstructured FLC participation were more related to personal goals with long‐term application.
Exploring Organizational Learning Mechanisms in Small‐Size Business Enterprises
Authors: Graham Carroll M. , Nafukho Fredrick M.
Published: January 2013

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the importance of existing organizational learning mechanisms and establish the size and magnitude of the relationship among the organizational learning mechanisms. Of great import also was to determine whether statistically significant relationships existed among the organizational learning mechanisms. An exploratory correlational research design was utilized to survey 498 employees from seven small‐size business enterprises located in the Southern and Mid‐Western United States. Mean scores indicated that respondents perceived leadership and evaluative inquiry as the prevalent learning mechanisms within the organizations studied. According to the findings, certain types of small‐size business enterprises exhibit organizational learning characteristics more so than do others involved in the study. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the learning mechanisms leadership and culture had the highest level of association, followed by culture and systems and structures.
Fire and Ice: The Wisdom of Black Women in the Academy
Authors: Dowdy Joanne Kilgour
Published: January 2013

This article presents the findings from a qualitative research project about a group of Black women scholars who discuss their experiences as academics in a predominantly White setting. The scholars represent fields including anthropology, education, Pan African studies, art education, and language studies. The themes found across the interviews include the value of education among their parents and families, the philosophy of mentoring that they espouse, their commitment to service in and beyond the campus, and their productivity within the rubric that Boyer (1990) described as scholarship of discovery, integration, application, and teaching.
Employee Engagement: Motivating and Retaining Tomorrow's Workforce
Authors: Shuck Michael Bradley , Wollard Karen Kelly
Published: January 2013

Tomorrow's workforce is seeking more than a paycheck; they want their work to meet their needs for affiliation, meaning, and self‐development. Companies willing to meet these demands will capture the enormous profit potential of a workforce of fully engaged workers. This piece explores what engagement is, why it matters, and how human resource development (HRD) professionals can be strategic corporate partners in creating the changes necessary to engage the talent in their employees.
Wages of Niceness: The Folly and Futility of Educators Who Strive to Not Impose
Authors: Baptiste Ian E.
Published: January 2013

In a bid to curb violence incurred via the abuse of teacher authority, some educators appear to denounce all forms of imposition. The author of this paper refers to this aversion to imposition and the romantic practices it promotes as educational niceness. This essay is written to furnish a theoretical justification for educational imposition. Using tools of language and philosophical analysis the author argues that education without imposition is both futile and irresponsible. The paper exposes four fallacies associated with educational niceness, traces its philosophical roots, discusses its perils, and concludes by proposing a more defensible alternative—a pedagogy of coercive restraint.
Dealing with Disruptive Behavior of Adult Learners
Authors: Dobmeier Robert , Moran Joseph
Published: January 2013

The adult education literature on disruptive behavior of adult learners was reviewed and a survey on disruptive behavior of adult learners was conducted with adult educators. The findings are synthesized in a conceptual framework for understanding the types and causes of disruptive behavior, which fall into the categories of inattention, acting‐out, and threatening/harmful/violent. Factors that may contribute to disruptive behavior are the presence of a disability; history of an impoverished social background and/or of exposure to personal violence; personal stressors such as child care and job demands; and, in the learning environment, inadequate instruction, disconnection with the instructor and/or other learners, and ineffective intervention by the instructor. A set of guidelines is offered for preventing and managing disruptive behavior. It is further recommended that research be directed toward identifying interventions that are effective with specific adult education populations and how to train adult educators to deal with disruptive behavior.
Creating a Career Culture: Connection and Collaboration
Authors: McDonald Kimberly S. , Hite Linda M.
Published: January 2013

Changes in the career landscape require commensurate revisions in career development (CD) to ensure it meets the needs of both employees and employers in this era of multidimensional career paths. Drawing on a model from the past, we propose building a strong career culture based on the relational approach to CD. Implementing a relational strategy can save money and stretch resources, but it requires practitioners to take on new roles and responsibilities. We describe those roles and provide examples of three relational CD initiatives.
A Conceptual Framework for Examining Knowledge Management in Higher Education Contexts
Authors: Lee Hae‐Young , Roth Gene L.
Published: January 2013

Knowledge management is an on‐going process that involves varied activities: diagnosis, design, and implementation of knowledge creation, knowledge transfer, and knowledge sharing. The primary goal of knowledge management, like other management theories or models, is to identify and leverage organizational and individual knowledge for the organization and its members to perform better and, consequently, sustain competitive advantage. This literature synthesis provides a conceptual framework for examining knowledge management in USA higher education contexts.
An Assessemnt of Graduate Adult Education and Human Resource Development Programs: A U.S. Perspective
Authors: Akdere Mesut , Conceição Simone C. O.
Published: January 2013

Due to recent changes in the workplace, the workforce and higher education have driven academic programs of adult education (AE) and human resource development (HRD) in the U.S. to become more integrated as part of the mission of institutions of higher education. In this exploratory study, existing graduate programs in AE and HRD in the U.S. were investigated based on the Peterson's Graduate Schools in the U.S. (2006) to assess the current status of these academic programs in both fields. Results indicate that some of these programs already coexist and collaborate at the institutional level. Implications for the future of academic programs of AE and HRD are discussed.
Racist and Homophobic Bullying in Adulthood: Narratives from Gay Men of Color in Higher Education
Authors: Misawa Mitsunori
Published: January 2013

Bullying is a serious problem in contemporary American society. Many adults are now suffering from bullying, which has conventionally been thought of as a childhood behavior. While a general form of bullying has been focused on by contemporary scholars, specific types of bullying (racist bullying and homophobic bullying) have not well been studied. Furthermore, no study on the intersection of racist and homophobic bullying exists at this point. This article examines how racist‐homophobic bullying is manifested in adulthood in the context of higher education. First, some concepts of general forms of bullying and bullying based on race and sexuality are stated. Then, narratives from two gay male college students of color are provided as examples to conceptualize racist‐homophobic bullying. Last, implications for adult educators and Human Resource Development (HRD) practitioners are provided to lead anti‐bullying initiatives in learning and workplace environments.
Efforts of Bifurcation and Liberation: Deconstructing the Story of a Turn‐of‐the‐Century Lesbian, Part Two
Authors: Tyler Jo A.
Published: January 2013

This manuscript takes as its centerpiece fragments of the author's personal story of growing up as a closeted lesbian in school, in the Fortune 500, and in the community and of a number of years attempting to integrate her lesbian identity into her professional persona – outside of the closet. This manuscript makes an attempt at a “duality search” based on the work of Boje (2001) , deconstructing the story as it examines the bifurcation between personal and public and, in this case more exactly, professional and sexual orientation identities. The tension between closeted outsider and the prevailing expectations for promising “insiders” in organizational settings is viewed in this manuscript through two related frames. The first draws from the concept of the Borderlands as articulated by Gloria Anzaldúa (1987) , and Adrienne Rich's (1979) work and perspective on lying. The second peers into the story through the lens of Benita Luckmann's (1978) concept of the modern emergence of separate, small worlds.
Ethical and Methodological Complexities in Research Involving Sexual Minorities
Authors: Bettinger Thomas V.
Published: January 2013

While there is growing attention to sexual minorities in adult education (AE) and human resource development (HRD) literature, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people have received very little attention in AE or in HRD research. This article captures methodological issues and concerns from LBGTQ‐related research from psychological, sociological, social work, and related bodies of knowledge, as well as lessons learned from the author's empirical research, to inform and prepare AE and HRD researchers regarding the greater complexities in conceptualizing research on LGBTQ populations, potential ethical dilemmas, and specific safeguards that may be appropriate for LGBTQ research participants.
PP‐based WPCs—Influence of the molar mass of matrix and coupling agent
Authors: Sobczak L. , Steiner M. , Schausberger A. , Haider A.
Published: January 2013

Six commercial polypropylene (PP) homopolymer grades, ranging from 2 to 125 g/10 min in MFR (230°C/2.16 kg), and from 530 to 180 kDa in terms of molar mass (mass average; Mw), have been tested as matrix polymers in wood polymer composites (WPCs) with a wood content of 40%. To check for possible molecular weight controlled interactions between matrix and additives, five different maleic anhydride grafted PP (MA‐PPs) coupling agents (CAs) have been included in the screening as well. Flexural properties, impact strength, and water absorption of the resulting composites served as responses. In addition, crystallinities, surface contact angles (on solid specimens), and rheological properties of the melt were measured for several compounds. The most important outcome of the study is that matrix polymer properties, as influenced by molar mass, are largely reflected in the resulting WPCs. Surprisingly, water absorption of the composites increases with matrix MFR, a phenomenon as yet not published for PP‐based compounds. Furthermore, dynamic rheometry results indicate that the interaction of wood particles with PP melts is dependent on polymer and coupling agent Mw. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Enolate anionic initiator, sodium deoxybenzoin, for leading living natures by formation of aggregators at the growth chain ends
Authors: Min Joonkeun , Yoo Hee‐Soo , Shah Priyank N. , Chae Chang‐Geun , Lee Jae‐Suk
Published: January 2013

The living anionic polymerization of n‐hexyl isocyanate (HIC) using a newly developed initiator forming metal–enolate complex, sodium deoxybenzoin (Na‐DB), is reported. For the polymerization of HIC, Na‐DB serves the dual functions of providing controlled fast initiation and efficiently protecting the living chain ends. The use of Na‐DB has resulted in quantitative polymer yields (∼100%), effective control of the polymer's molecular weights, and low polydispersity index. To examine the living nature of poly(n‐hexyl isocyanate) (PHIC), block copolymerization of HIC with another isocyanate monomer, 3‐(triethoxysilyl)propyl isocyanate (TESPI), was carried out. The resulting block copolymer, poly(n‐hexyl isocyanate)‐b‐poly(3‐(triethoxysilyl)propyl isocyanate) (PHIC‐b‐PTESPI) was synthesized successfully via living anionic polymerization using Na‐DB with quantitative yield and controlled molecular weight. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013
Triptycene‐containing polyetherolefins via acyclic diene metathesis polymerization
Authors: Sydlik Stefanie A. , Delgado Paula A. , Inomata Sotaro , VanVeller Brett , Yang Yong , Swager Timothy M. , Wagener Kenneth B.
Published: January 2013

Several new triptycene‐containing polyetherolefins were synthesized via acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization. The well‐established mechanism, high selectivity and specificity, mild reaction conditions, and well‐defined end‐groups make the ADMET polymerization a good choice for studying systematic variations in polymer structure. Two types of triptycene‐based monomer with varying connectivities were used in the synthesis of homopolymers, block copolymers, and random copolymers. In this way, the influence of the triptycene architecture and concentration in the polymer backbone on the thermal behavior of the polymers was studied. Inclusion of increasing amounts of triptycene were found to increase the glass transition temperature, from −44 °C in polyoctenamer to 59 °C in one of the hydrogenated triptycene homopolymers (H‐PT2). Varying the amounts and orientations of triptycene was found to increase the stiffness (H‐PT1), toughness (PT11‐b‐PO1) and ductility (PT11‐ran‐PO3) of the polymer at room temperature. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013
Synthesis of ABA‐triblock and star‐diblock copolymers with poly(2‐adamantyl vinyl ether) and poly(n‐butyl vinyl ether) segments: New thermoplastic elastomers composed solely of poly(vinyl ether) backbones
Authors: Imaeda Tsuguto , Hashimoto Tamotsu , Irie Satoshi , Urushisaki Michio , Sakaguchi Toshikazu
Published: January 2013

ABA‐type triblock copolymers and AB‐type star diblock copolymers with poly(2‐adamantyl vinyl ether) [poly(2‐AdVE)] hard outer segments and poly(n‐butyl vinyl ether) [poly(NBVE)] soft inner segments were synthesized by sequential living cationic copolymerization. Although both the two polymer segments were composed solely of poly(vinyl ether) backbones and hydrocarbon side chains, they were segregated into microphase‐separated structure, so that the block copolymers formed thermoplastic elastomers. Both the ABA‐type triblock copolymers and the AB‐type star diblock copolymers exhibited rubber elasticity over wide temperature range. For example, the ABA‐type triblock copolymers showed rubber elasticity from about −53 °C to about 165 °C and the AB‐type star diblock copolymer did from about −47 °C to 183 °C with a similar composition of poly(2‐AdVE) and poly(NBVE) segments in the dynamic mechanical analysis. The AB‐type star diblock copolymers exhibited higher tensile strength and elongation at break than the ABA‐type triblock copolymers. The thermal decomposition temperatures of both the block copolymers were as high as 321–331 °C, indicating their high thermal stability. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013
The importance of leadership and management in process safety
Authors: King Charles
Published: January 2013

Process safety management (PSM) is often presented as technically complex, requiring a large staff of engineers and specialists with an array of tools and techniques that appear to grow in intricacy and sophistication year by year. Large companies are generally well positioned to operate in this arena—they have the resources to afford a staff of professionals and invest in system development, research specific problem areas, and construct elaborate PSM programs. Smaller enterprises can have similar risks, yet seldom have the internal resources and expertise to match the PSM efforts of the majors. The role of management can be over‐simplified to employing the right expertise to take care of process safety.

It is proposed that PSM is not, in fact, a technical issue but one of management and leadership. Keeping a plant safe is managerially complex, demanding strong leadership and attention from senior site management. Technically, it is fairly simple and well within the capacity of any organization that deals with hazardous materials. This article examines the key elements of PSM from both the technical and managerial perspectives. The importance of leadership is discussed and its impact on safety examined. A 12‐step guide to safely managing process hazards is outlined, which acknowledges the need for and role of process safety expertise while placing emphasis on the role of senior management: provide the leadership, oversight, and organizational culture for success. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2013.
Major Industrial Accidents in Korea: The Characteristics and Implication of Statistics 1996–2011
Authors: Shin In Jae
Published: January 2013

This article describes characteristics of major industrial accidents that occurred in the Republic of Korea from 1996 to 2011. The cases of major industrial accidents have been collected since 1996 after promulgation of process safety management (PSM) regulations. Accident analysis can help to evaluate current compliance to PSM regulations and can help to find effective ways to decrease the number of major industrial accidents that occur. The author analyzed the accident reports. Among 147 cases analyzed, 50% were explosions, 36% were fires, 13% were chemical releases, and 2% were asphyxiations. The most common cause of accidents is “the violation or failure of safety work permit (hot work)” which was 36% of all accidents. 27% of accidents happened during operation. The most common equipment involved accidents where tanks (17%), pipelines (16%), and reactors (15%). The analysis indicates that (i) the number of major industrial accidents has decreased with the introduction of PSM regulations and its enforcement systems and (ii) human failure is a major issue that needs to be addressed. These findings may help to develop a national strategy for PSM in Korea as well as other countries. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 32: 90–95, 2013
Implementation Issues of PSM in a Fertilizer Plant: An Operations Engineer's Point of View
Authors: Rashid M. Imran , Ramzan Naveed , Iqbal Tanveer , Yasin Saima , Yousaf Sana
Published: January 2013

In this article, guidelines are provided for implementation of the elements of process safety management (PSM) such as management of change (MOC), process hazard analysis (PHA), incident investigation, emergency planning, and response. The role of mechanical integrity, operating procedures, compliance audits, pre‐start‐up safety review, contractors, training, work permits, and process safety information for implementation of the PSM in a fertilizer plant are discussed. Implementation of MOC is an important step for the adoption of PSM standards and a necessary condition for internal and external audits of the plant. There are many issues linked with implementation of PHA like plant modifications, shut downs, and production losses as well as the behaviour of the design engineer whenever modifications are required. Consequence analysis, an evaluation of an incident in terms of its effects on environment, equipment, and people is of great help. Incident reporting for a company can be improved by ensuring confidentiality and not exposing the reporting person. Improvement in the operating procedures and preserving mechanical integrity of the process plant are necessary conditions for the implementation of the standards. Internal and external audits of the company are the most important part of the PSM implementation. In general, the PSM implementation requires much effort and time but pays off well if implemented fully. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 32: 59–65, 2013
Growth of SiO2 and TiO2 thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering and PECVD by the incorporation of non‐directional deposition fluxes
Authors: Alvarez R. , Romero‐Gomez P. , Gil‐Rostra J. , Cotrino J. , Yubero F. , Gonzalez‐Elipe A. R. , Palmero A.
Published: January 2013

We have deposited TiO2 and SiO2 thin films by techniques as different as plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and reactive magnetron sputtering under experimental conditions where highly directional deposition fluxes are avoided. The results indicate that whatever the deposition technique employed or even the precursor gas in the PECVD technique, films share common microstructural features: a mounded surface topography and a columnar arrangement in the bulk, with the column width growing linearly with film thickness. With the help of a Monte Carlo model of the deposition, we conclude that these common aspects are explained by solely taking into consideration the incorporation of a low‐energy, isotropically directed, deposition flux onto a substrate at low temperature and under a weak plasma/surface interaction environment.
Controllable amplification, absorption, and dispersion in double‐cascade‐type four‐level system of multiple quantum wells
Authors: Yan Wei , Wang Tao , Li Xiaoming , Dong Chuanbo , Yu Chunchao , Tang Jian
Published: January 2013

A double‐cascade‐type four‐level system of semiconductor multiple quantum wells (MQWs) was constructed with biexcitons and excitons. The nonlinear optical properties for amplification, absorption, and dispersion of 2‐weak fields in this scheme are investigated. It shows that the amplification, absorption, and dispersion responses of 2‐weak fields can be achieved by appropriately adjusting the relative phase, the probe detuning, and the two control Rabi frequencies. The investigation is much more practical than its atomic counterpart because of its flexible design and the widely adjustable parameters. It may provide a new possibility in technological applications for the light amplifier and optical switch working on quantum coherence effects in MQW solid‐state systems.
Shape‐ and Nitric Oxide Flux‐Dependent Bactericidal Activity of Nitric Oxide‐Releasing Silica Nanorods
Authors: Lu Yuan , Slomberg Danielle L. , Sun Bin , Schoenfisch Mark H.
Published: January 2013

Silica nanorods (SNRs) are synthesized and then functionalized with aminoalkoxysilanes to prepare a new class of nitric oxide (NO)‐releasing materials. The aspect ratio and size of the SNRs are tuned by varying the temperature, pH, and silane concentration used during the surfactant‐templated synthesis. N‐Diazeniumdiolate nitric oxide (NO) donors are formed on the secondary amine‐functionalized SNRs by reaction with NO gas under basic conditions. Particle surface modifications are employed to manipulate the NO release kinetics. The diverse morphology (i.e., aspect ratio ∼1–8), NO‐release kinetics (2000–14 000 ppb NO/mg particle) and similar sizes (i.e., particle volume ∼0.02 μm3) of the resulting NO‐releasing SNRs facilitates further studies of how particle shape and NO flux impacts bactericidal activity against Gram–positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram–negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria. The bactericidal efficacies of these materials improves with increasing particle aspect ratio and initial NO flux. Both chemical (i.e., NO‐release kinetics) and physical (i.e., morphology) properties greatly influenced the bactericidal activity of these materials.
Nanotopographical Cues Augment Mesenchymal Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Kingham Emmajayne , White Kate , Gadegaard Nikolaj , Dalby Matthew J. , Oreffo Richard O. C.
Published: January 2013

The production of bone‐forming osteogenic cells for research purposes or transplantation therapies remains a significant challenge. Using planar polycarbonate substrates lacking in topographical cues and substrates displaying a nanotopographical pattern, mesenchymal differentiation of human embryonic stem cells is directed in the absence of chemical factors and without induction of differentiation by embryoid body formation. Cells incubated on nanotopographical substrates show enhanced expression of mesenchymal or stromal markers and expression of early osteogenic progenitors at levels above those detected in cells on planar substrates in the same basal media. Evidence of epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition during substrate differentiation and DNA methylation changes akin to chemical induction are also observed. These studies provide a suitable approach to overcome regenerative medical challenges and describe a defined, reproducible platform for human embryonic stem cell differentiation.
Concise Review: Early Embryonic Erythropoiesis: Not so Primitive After All
Authors: Baron Margaret H.
Published: January 2013

In the developing embryo, hematopoiesis begins with the formation of primitive erythroid cells (EryP), a distinct and transient red blood cell lineage. EryP play a vital role in oxygen delivery and in generating shear forces necessary for normal vascular development. Progenitors for EryP arise as a cohort within the blood islands of the mammalian yolk sac at the end of gastrulation. As a strong heartbeat is established, nucleated erythroblasts begin to circulate and to mature in a stepwise, nearly synchronous manner. Until relatively recently, these cells were thought to be “primitive” in that they seemed to more closely resemble the nucleated erythroid cells of lower vertebrates than the enucleated erythrocytes of mammals. It is now known that mammalian EryP do enucleate, but not until several days after entering the bloodstream. I will summarize the common and distinguishing characteristics of primitive versus definitive (adult-type) erythroid cells, review the development of EryP from the emergence of their progenitors through maturation and enucleation, and discuss pluripotent stem cells as models for erythropoiesis. Erythroid differentiation of both mouse and human pluripotent stem cells in vitro has thus far reproduced early but not late red blood cell ontogeny. Therefore, a deeper understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the differences and similarities between the embryonic and adult erythroid lineages will be critical to improving methods for production of red blood cells for use in the clinic.
Wogonin attenuates endotoxin‐induced prostaglandin E2 and nitric oxide production via Src‐ERK1/2‐NFκB pathway in BV‐2 microglial cells
Authors: Yeh Chung‐Hsin , Yang Ming‐Ling , Lee Chien‐Ying , Yang Ching‐Ping , Li Yi‐Ching , Chen Chun‐Jung , Kuan Yu‐Hsiang
Published: January 2013

Microglia are the major component of intrinsic brain immune system in neuroinflammation. Although wogonin expresses anti‐inflammatory function in microglia, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of the protective effect of wogonin against microglia activation. The aim of this study was to evaluate how wogonin exerts its anti‐inflammatory function in BV2 microglial cells after LPS/INFγ administration. Wogonin not only inhibited LPS/ INFγ‐induced PGE2 and NO production without affecting cell viability but also exhibited parallel inhibition on LPS/INFγ‐induced expression of iNOS and COX‐2 in the same concentration range. While LPS/INFγ‐induced expression of P‐p65 and P‐IκB was inhibited by wogonin—only weak inhibition on P‐p38 and P‐JNK were observed, whereas it significantly attenuated the P‐ERK1/2 and its upstream activators P‐MEK1/2 and P‐Src in a parallel concentration‐dependent manner. These results indicated that the blockade of PGE2 and NO production by wogonin in LPS/INFγ‐stimulated BV2 cells is attributed mainly to interference in the Src‐MEK1/2‐ERK1/2‐NFκB‐signaling pathway. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 1162–1170, 2014.