bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimising sulfuric acid hard coat anodising for an Al-Mg-Si wrought aluminium alloy
Authors: Bartolo N. , Sinagra E. , Mallia B.
Published: April 2014

This research evaluates the effects of sulfuric acid hard coat anodising parameters, such as acid concentration, electrolyte temperature, current density and time, on the hardness and thickness of the resultant anodised layers. A small scale anodising facility was designed and set up to enable experimental investigation of the anodising parameters. An experimental design using the Taguchi method to optimise the parameters within an established operating window was performed. Qualitative and quantitative methods of characterisation of the resultant anodised layers were carried out. The anodised layer’s thickness, and morphology were determined using a light optical microscope (LOM) and field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM). Hardness measurements were carried out using a nano hardness tester. Correlations between the various anodising parameters and their effect on the hardness and thickness of the anodised layers were established. Careful evaluation of these effects enabled optimum parameters to be determined using the Taguchi method, which were verified experimentally. Anodised layers having hardness varying between 2.4–5.2 GPa and a thickness of between 20–80 μm were produced. The Taguchi method was shown to be applicable to anodising. This finding could facilitate on-going and future research and development of anodising, which is attracting remarkable academic and industrial interest.
Elevating the Quality of Disability and Rehabilitation Research: Mandatory Use of the Reporting Guidelines
Authors: Chan Leighton , Heinemann Allen W. , Roberts Jason
Published: April 2014

To ensure the quality of the disability and rehabilitation research that is published, the 28 rehabilitation journals simultaneously publishing this editorial have agreed to take a more aggressive stance on the use of reporting guidelines. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(4):228–230. doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.0107
Elimination of apoptotic boar spermatozoa using magnetic activated cell sorting
Authors: Mrkun Janko , Dolenšek Tamara , Knific Tanja , Pišlar Anja , Kosec Marjan , Kos Janko , Zrimšek Petra
Published: April 2014

One of the features of apoptosis is the externalization of phosphatidylserine which could be used to remove apoptotic cells from semen preparations. Magnetic-activated cell sorting using annexin V-conjugated microbeads which bind to phosphatidylserine could be used to enhance semen quality. Twelve boar semen samples after 3 days of liquid storage at 16­­–17 °C were subjected to magnetic-activated cell sorting. Bound and unbound fractions and control samples were subjected to flow cytometry following the staining of spermatozoa with Annexin V conjugated with Alexa Fluor 488 and propidium iodide. Four subpopulations were obtained: live, early apoptotic live, late apoptotic, early necrotic dead and late necrotic dead. The frequency of early apoptotic and late necrotic spermatozoa was significantly higher (P< 0.05) in bound (14.1 ± 10.6% and 24.1 ± 10.2%, respectively) than in unbound fractions (3.4 ± 2.1% and 12.7 ± 3.1%) and control (3.5 ± 1.6% and 12.0 ± 5.0%). The lowest concentration of live spermatozoa was found in the bound fraction (10.6 ± 8.0 %), which differed significantly (P< 0.05) from the control. In unbound fractions there was a significantly higher concentration (P< 0.05) of morphologically normal spermatozoa (31.8 ± 12.6%) compared to bound ones (5.9 ± 7.3%). A significantly (P< 0.05) lower proportion of morphologically normal spermatozoa was observed in both fractions compared to control (67.2 ± 17.0%). Boar spermatozoa were separated by the above method for the first time, however, the results showed this method to be inappropriate for boar semen separation under the tested conditions.
Mechanical testing of newly developed biomaterial designed for intra-articular reinforcement of partially ruptured cranial cruciate ligament: ex vivo pig model
Authors: Fedorová Petra , Srnec Robert , Pěnčík Jan , Schmid Pavel , Amler Evžen , Urbanová Lucie , Nečas Alois
Published: April 2014

The study deals with mechanical testing of newly developed material polyethylene terephtalate coated with polycaprolactone nanofibers in combination with biodagradable Hexalon ACL/PCL screws as a new possibility of intra-articular reinforcement of partially ruptured cranial cruciate ligament. Four groups ofex vivomodels of pig stifle joints were prepared and tested: a model with intact CCL (group 1), a model with partial CCL rupture (group 2), a model with CCL rupture stabilized with 7 mm Mersilene®strip (group 3), and a model with CCL rupture stabilized with 5 mm PET/PCL biomaterial strip (group 4). The models were loaded in the standing angle of 100° and the maximum load (N) and the shift (mm) were monitored. The mean maximum peak power and the shift were 1266.0 ± 146.9 N and 13.7 ± 2.5 mm for group 1, and 1164.7 ± 228.2 N and 1 6.8 ± 3.3 mm for group 2, respectively. In all cases after reaching the maximum load, a tibial fracture occurred but never a CCL rupture. In groups 3 and 4, the initial fixation failure occurred in the mean values of 375.7 ± 81.5 and 360.4 ± 52.0 N, respectively, and with a bigger shift of 52.3 ± 11.9 mm and 39.4 ± 14.6 mm, respectively, compared to group 1. A critical point of failure was the anchoring in the bone. It can be concluded that the PET/PCL substitute in theex vivomodel has mechanically comparable properties with the clinically used Mersilene®,and based on its proven ability to carry stem cells it could be appropriate for partially ruptured CCL protection.
Reconsidering the Lecture in Modern Veterinary Education
Authors: Campanella Michelangelo , Lygo-Baker Simon
Published: April 2014

Those teaching in the higher-education environment are now increasingly meeting with larger cohorts of students. The result is additional pressure on the resources available and on the teacher and learners. Against this backdrop, discussions and reflections took place between a practitioner, within a UK veterinary school, and an educational researcher with extensive experience in observing teaching in veterinary medicine. The result was an examination of the lecture as a method of teaching to consider how to resolve identified challenges. The focus of much of the literature is on technical aspects of teaching and learning, reverting to a range of tips to resolve particular issues recognized in large-group settings. We suggest that while these tips are useful, they will only take a practitioner so far. To be able to make a genuine connection to learners and help them connect directly to the discipline, we need to take account of the emotional aspects of our role as teachers, without which, delivery of knowledge may be undermined.
Artificially deformed crania from the Hun-Germanic Period (5th–6th century ad) in northeastern Hungary: historical and morphological analysis
Authors: Molnár Mónika , János István , Szűcs László , Szathmáry László
Published: April 2014

From an anthropological point of view, artificial deformation of the cranial shape in newborns is one of the most interesting human customs, which has been recorded in all continents and in different cultures. However, the main goals of this procedure were basically the same everywhere; that is, to distinguish certain groups of people from others and to indicate the social status of individuals. In the Carpathian Basin all artificially deformed skulls are dated to the late Iron Age, especially to the early Migration Period. The authors examined 9 artificially deformed skulls from the Hun-Germanic Period (5th–6th century ad) excavated from two cemeteries in the northeastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain (Hungary). The extent and the type of the deformation as well as the technique were determined in each case. The authors also attempt to shed light on the probable origin and the historical context of the custom practiced in the Carpathian Basin (Hungary), relying on the anthropological and historical literature on the Hun-Germanic and preceding periods. It seems possible that this custom, which is associated with the finds in the Carpathian Basin, first appeared in the Kalmykia steppe, later in the Crimea, from where it spread to Central and Western Europe by way of the Hun migration. Neither the cranial find described presently nor the special literature on the subject furnish convincing evidence that the cranial deformation resulted in any chronic neurological disorder.
The early days of hemostasis in neurosurgery
Authors: Chivukula Srinivas , Weiner Gregory M. , Engh Johnathan A.
Published: April 2014

Two key discoveries in the 19th century—infection control and the development of general anesthesia—provided an impetus for the rapid advancement of surgery, especially within the field of neurosurgery. Yet the field of neurosurgery would not have existed in the modern sense without the development and advancement of techniques in hemostasis. Improvement in intraoperative hemostasis came more gradually but was no less important to enhancing neurosurgical outcomes. The history of hemostasis in neurosurgery is often overlooked. Herein, the authors briefly review the historical progression of hemostatic techniques since the beginning of the early modern era of neurosurgery.
World War II, tantalum, and the evolution of modern cranioplasty technique
Authors: Flanigan Patrick , Kshettry Varun R. , Benzel Edward C.
Published: April 2014

Cranioplasty is a unique procedure with a rich history. Since ancient times, a diverse array of materials from coconut shells to gold plates has been used for the repair of cranial defects. More recently, World War II greatly increased the demand for cranioplasty procedures and renewed interest in the search for a suitable synthetic material for cranioprostheses. Experimental evidence revealed that tantalum was biologically inert to acid and oxidative stresses. In fact, the observation that tantalum did not absorb acid resulted in the metal being named after Tantalus, the Greek mythological figure who was condemned to a pool of water in the Underworld that would recede when he tried to take a drink. In clinical use, malleability facilitated a single-stage cosmetic repair of cranial defects. Tantalum became the preferred cranioplasty material for more than 1000 procedures performed during World War II. In fact, its use was rapidly adopted in the civilian population. During World War II and the heyday of tantalum cranioplasty, there was a rapid evolution in prosthesis implantation and fixation techniques significantly shaping how cranioplasties are performed today. Several years after the war, acrylic emerged as the cranioplasty material of choice. It had several clear advantages over its metallic counterparts. Titanium, which was less radiopaque and had a more optimal thermal conductivity profile (less thermally conductive), eventually supplanted tantalum as the most common metallic cranioplasty material. While tantalum cranioplasty was popular for only a decade, it represented a significant breakthrough in synthetic cranioplasty. The experiences of wartime neurosurgeons with tantalum cranioplasty played a pivotal role in the evolution of modern cranioplasty techniques and ultimately led to a heightened understanding of the necessary attributes of an ideal synthetic cranioplasty material. Indeed, the history of tantalum cranioplasty serves as a model for innovative thinking and adaptive technology development.
Cardiac standstill and circulatory flow arrest in surgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms: a historical review
Authors: Wright James M. , Huang Christina L. , Sharma Rahul , Manjila Sunil , Xu Feng , Dabb Barbara , Bambakidis Nicholas C.
Published: April 2014

Since the first surgery for an intracranial aneurysm in 1931, neurological surgeons have long strived to determine the optimal methods of surgical correction. Significant challenges of aneurysm clipping include intraoperative rupture and complex dome morphology. Hypothermia, cardiopulmonary bypass, pharmacologically induced hypotension, and cardiac standstill are a few of the methodologies historically and currently employed in the management of these issues. In the 1980s, significant advances in pharmacology and anesthesiology led to the use of agents such as adenosine for chemically induced hypotension and eventually complete circulatory arrest. Since the institution of the use of these agents, the traditional methods of circulatory arrest under conditions of hypothermia and cardiopulmonary bypass have fallen out of favor. However, there still exists a subset of technically difficult aneurysms for which cardiac standstill, both chemical and hypothermic, remains a viable therapeutic option. In this paper, the authors describe the history of cardiac standstill by both hypothermic and chemically induced means as well as provide examples in which these techniques are still necessary.
Neuromonitoring with pulse-train stimulation for implantation of thoracic pedicle screws: a blinded and randomized clinical study. Part 1. Methods and alarm criteria
Authors: Calancie Blair , Donohue Miriam L. , Harris Colin B. , Canute Gregory W. , Singla Amit , Wilcoxen Kaitlin G. , Moquin Ross R.
Published: April 2014

Object

Reports of the accuracy of existing neuromonitoring methods for detecting or preventing medial malpositioning of thoracic pedicle screws have varied widely in their claimed effectiveness. The object of this study was to develop, test, and validate a novel neuromonitoring method for preventing medial malpositioning of pedicle screws in the thoracic spine during surgery.

Methods

This is a prospective, blinded and randomized study using a novel combination of input (4-pulse stimulus trains delivered within the pedicle track) and output (evoked electromyography from leg muscles) to detect pedicle track trajectories that—once implanted with a screw—would cause that screw to breach the pedicle's medial wall and encroach upon the spinal canal. For comparison, the authors also used screw stimulation as an input and evoked electromyogram from intercostal and abdominal muscles as output measures. Intraoperative electrophysiological findings were compared with postoperative CT scans by multiple reviewers blinded to patient identity or intraoperative findings.

Results

Data were collected from 71 patients, in whom 802 screws were implanted between the T-1 and L-1 vertebral levels. A total of 32 screws ended up with screw threads encroaching on the spinal canal by at least 2 mm. Pulse-train stimulation within the pedicle track using a ball-tipped probe and electromyography from lower limb muscles correctly predicted all 32 (100%) of these medially malpositioned screws. The combination of pedicle track stimulation and electromyogram response from leg muscles proved to be far more effective in predicting these medially malpositioned screws than was direct screw stimulation and any of the target muscles (intercostal, abdominal, or lower limb muscles) we monitored. Based on receiver operating characteristic analysis, the combination of 10-mA (lower alarm) and 15-mA stimulation intensities proved most effective for detection of pedicle tracks that ultimately gave rise to medially malpositioned screws. Additional results pertaining to the impact of feedback of these test results on surgical decision making are provided in the companion report.

Conclusions

This novel neuromonitoring approach accurately predicts medially malpositioned thoracic screws. The approach could be readily implemented within any surgical program that is already using contemporary neuromonitoring methods that include transcranial stimulation for monitoring motor evoked potentials.
Charles Francis Adams: diary of a young American taxidermist visiting New Zealand, 1884–1887
Authors: Gill B. J.
Published: April 2014

In December 1884 Charles Francis Adams (1857–1893) left Illinois, USA, by train for San Francisco and crossed the Pacific by ship to work as taxidermist at Auckland Museum, New Zealand, until February 1887. He then went to Borneo via several New Zealand ports, Melbourne and Batavia (Jakarta). This paper concerns a diary by Adams that gives a daily account of his trip to Auckland and the first six months of his employment (from January to July 1885). In this period Adams set up a workshop and diligently prepared specimens (at least 124 birds, fish, reptiles and marine invertebrates). The diary continues with three reports of trips Adams made from Auckland to Cuvier Island (November 1886), Karewa Island (December 1886) and White Island (date not stated), which are important early descriptive accounts of these small offshore islands. Events after leaving Auckland are covered discontinuously and the diary ends with part of the ship's passage through the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), apparently in April 1887. Adams's diary is important in giving a detailed account of a taxidermist's working life, and in helping to document the early years of Auckland Museum's occupation of the Princes Street building.
Return to sender: Hydrozoa collected by Emperor Hirohito of Japan in the 1930s and studied in Brussels
Authors: Samyn Yves
Published: April 2014

A small number of Hydrozoa specimens, collected by Emperor Hirohito of Japan in Sagami Bay in the 1930s, was re-discovered in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. The history of the collection is described here; part of it has been returned to the Showa Memorial Institute in Japan.
The first egg of Jerdon's courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus and a review of the early records of this species
Authors: Knox Alan G.
Published: April 2014

For most of the twentieth century, Jerdon's courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986. Since then, despite much research, the bird remains poorly known. A Critically Endangered southern Indian endemic, recorded from a restricted area of about 50 square kilometres, its nocturnal habits, infrequent vocalizations, scrub-jungle habitat and low population size make it difficult to observe. Almost nothing is known about its breeding or ecology. Its nest has never been seen by an ornithologist. The first known egg of the species was recently discovered in a collection at the University of Aberdeen and its identity confirmed by DNA analysis. It had been collected by Ernest Gilbert Meaton, a veterinary surgeon at the Kolar Gold Fields, east of Bangalore. He probably obtained it in 1917, within 100 km of Kolar. Meaton's egg collection was purchased by George Falconer Rose, a successful expatriate Scot working in Calcutta, and given to Aberdeen Grammar School in 1919. In the 1970s, the school gave the collection to the University of Aberdeen, where the egg was discovered in 2008. This paper collates and reviews the early records of Jerdon's courser and examines the provenance of the egg. The type specimen of the courser now appears to be lost, but five other specimens exist in collections.
Animal taxa named for Rollo H. Beck
Authors: Fellers Gary M.
Published: April 2014

Rollo Howard Beck (1870–1950) was a professional bird collector who spent most of his career on expeditions to the Channel Islands off southern California, the Galápagos Islands, South America, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. Some of the expeditions lasted as long as ten years during which time he and his wife, Ida, were often working in primitive conditions on sailing vessels or camps set up on shore. Throughout these expeditions, Beck collected specimens for the California Academy of Sciences, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley (California), the American Museum of Natural History, and the Walter Rothschild Museum at Tring, England. Beck was one of the premier collectors of his time and his contributions were recognized by having 17 taxa named becki in his honor. Of these taxa, Beck collected 15 of the type specimens.
The katydid that was: the tananá, stridulation, Henry Walter Bates and Charles Darwin
Authors: Bidau Claudio J.
Published: April 2014

The Amazonian bush-cricket or katydid, Thliboscelus hypericifolius (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae), called tananá by the natives was reported to have a song so beautiful that they were kept in cages for the pleasure of listening to the melodious sound. The interchange of letters between Henry Walter Bates and Charles Darwin regarding the tananá and the issue of stridulation in Orthoptera indicates how this mysterious insect, which seems to be very rare, contributed to the theory of sexual selection developed by Darwin.
The Effect of Bias Voltage and Gas Pressure on the Structure, Adhesion and Wear Behavior of Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) Coatings With Si Interlayers
Authors: Ward Liam , Junge Fabian , Lampka Andreas , Dobbertin Mark , Mewes Christoph , Wienecke Marion
Published: April 2014

In this study diamond like carbon (DLC) coatings with Si interlayers were deposited on 316L stainless steel with varying gas pressure and substrate bias voltage using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technology. Coating and interlayer thickness values were determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) which also revealed the presence of a gradient layer at the coating substrate interface. Coatings were evaluated in terms of the hardness, elastic modulus, wear behavior and adhesion. Deposition rate generally increased with increasing bias voltage and increasing gas pressure. At low working gas pressures, hardness and modulus of elasticity increased with increasing bias voltage. Reduced hardness and modulus of elasticity were observed at higher gas pressures. Increased adhesion was generally observed at lower bias voltages and higher gas pressures. All DLC coatings significantly improved the overall wear resistance of the base material. Lower wear rates were observed for coatings deposited with lower bias voltages. For coatings that showed wear tracks considerably deeper than the coating thickness but without spallation, the wear behavior was largely attributed to deformation of both the coating and substrate with some cracks at the wear track edges. This suggests that coatings deposited under certain conditions can exhibit ultra high flexible properties.
Stochastic Dynamics of Proteins and the Action of Biological Molecular Machines
Authors: Kurzynski Michal , Chelminiak Przemyslaw
Published: April 2014

It is now well established that most if not all enzymatic proteins display a slow stochastic dynamics of transitions between a variety of conformational substates composing their native state. A hypothesis is stated that the protein conformational transition networks, as just as higher-level biological networks, the protein interaction network, and the metabolic network, have evolved in the process of self-organized criticality. Here, the criticality means that all the three classes of networks are scale-free and, moreover, display a transition from the fractal organization on a small length-scale to the small-world organization on the large length-scale. Good mathematical models of such networks are stochastic critical branching trees extended by long-range shortcuts. Biological molecular machines are proteins that operate under isothermal conditions and hence are referred to as free energy transducers. They can be formally considered as enzymes that simultaneously catalyze two chemical reactions: the free energy-donating (input) reaction and the free energy-accepting (output) one. The far-from-equilibrium degree of coupling between the output and the input reaction fluxes have been studied both theoretically and by means of the Monte Carlo simulations on model networks. For single input and output gates the degree of coupling cannot exceed unity. Study simulations of random walks on model networks involving more extended gates indicate that the case of the degree of coupling value higher than one is realized on the mentioned above critical branching trees extended by long-range shortcuts.
Effects of Degree of Superheat on the Running Performance of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Waste Heat Recovery System for Diesel Engines under Various Operating Conditions
Authors: Yang Kai , Zhang Hongguang , Song Songsong , Yang Fubin , Liu Hao , Zhao Guangyao , Zhang Jian , Yao Baofeng
Published: April 2014

This study analyzed the variation law of engine exhaust energy under various operating conditions to improve the thermal efficiency and fuel economy of diesel engines. An organic Rankine cycle (ORC) waste heat recovery system with internal heat exchanger (IHE) was designed to recover waste heat from the diesel engine exhaust. The zeotropic mixture R416A was used as the working fluid for the ORC. Three evaluation indexes were presented as follows: waste heat recovery efficiency (WHRE), engine thermal efficiency increasing ratio (ETEIR), and output energy density of working fluid (OEDWF). In terms of various operating conditions of the diesel engine, this study investigated the variation tendencies of the running performances of the ORC waste heat recovery system and the effects of the degree of superheat on the running performance of the ORC waste heat recovery system through theoretical calculations. The research findings showed that the net power output, WHRE, and ETEIR of the ORC waste heat recovery system reach their maxima when the degree of superheat is 40 K, engine speed is 2200 r/min, and engine torque is 1200 N·m. OEDWF gradually increases with the increase in the degree of superheat, which indicates that the required mass flow rate of R416A decreases for a certain net power output, thereby significantly decreasing the risk of environmental pollution.
Obesity and Serious Mental Ill Health: A Critical Review of the Literature
Authors: Bradshaw Tim , Mairs Hilary
Published: April 2014

Individuals who experience serious mental ill health such as schizophrenia are more likely to be overweight or obese than others in the general population. This high prevalence of obesity and other associated metabolic disturbances, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, contribute to a reduced life expectancy of up to 25 years. Several reasons have been proposed for high levels of obesity including a shared biological vulnerability between serious mental ill health and abnormal metabolic processes, potentially compounded by unhealthy lifestyles. However, emerging evidence suggests that the most significant cause of weight gain is the metabolic side effects of antipsychotic medication, usual treatment for people with serious mental ill health. In this paper we review the prevalence of obesity in people with serious mental ill health, explore the contribution that antipsychotic medication may make to weight gain and discuss the implications of this data for future research and the practice of mental health and other professionals.
Synthesis and Anti-Breast Cancer Evaluation of Novel N-(Guanidinyl)benzenesulfonamides
Authors: Ghorab Mostafa , El-Gazzar Marwa , Alsaid Mansour
Published: April 2014

A series of 4-(substituted)-N-(guanidinyl)benzenesulfonamides bearing biologically active pyrazole, pyrimidine and pyridine moieties were prepared and evaluated for their anticancer activity against human tumor breast cell line (MCF7). These sulfonamides showed promising activity with IC50 values ranging from 49.5 to 70.2 μM. The structure-activity relationship of the synthesized compounds was studied. Interestingly, it was found that the most potent compounds in this study were the corresponding 2-cyanoacrylate 3, 3-oxobutanoate 4, pyrazole 6, pyridine 9 and pyrazole 13. Compounds 7 and 8 are nearly as active as Doxorubicin as reference drug with (IC50 values = 70.2, 68.1 μM), while compounds 5, 10 and 11 exhibited a moderate activity.
New Guanidine-Pyridine Copper Complexes and Their Application in ATRP
Authors: Hoffmann Alexander , Bienemann Olga , Vieira Ines , Herres-Pawlis Sonja
Published: April 2014

The guanidine hybrid ligands, (tetramethylguanidine)methylenepyridine (TMGpy) and (dimethylethyleneguanidine)methylenepyridine (DMEGpy), were proven to be able to stabilize copper complexes active in the solvent-free polymerization of styrene at 110 °C using 1-phenylethylbromide as the initiator. The polymerization proceeded after first-order kinetics, and polystyrenes with polydispersities around 1.2 could be obtained. Using the ligand, DMEGpy, three new copper guanidine-pyridine complexes could be synthesized and structurally characterized. Their structural characteristics are discussed.
1980–2008: The Illusion of the Perpetual Money Machine and What It Bodes for the Future
Authors: Sornette Didier , Cauwels Peter
Published: April 2014

We argue that the present crisis and stalling economy that have been ongoing since 2007 are rooted in the delusionary belief in policies based on a “perpetual money machine” type of thinking. We document strong evidence that, since the early 1980s, consumption has been increasingly funded by smaller savings, booming financial profits, wealth extracted from house price appreciation and explosive debt. This is in stark contrast with the productivity-fueled growth that was seen in the 1950s and 1960s. We describe the transition, in gestation in the 1970s, towards the regime of the “illusion of the perpetual money machine”, which started at full speed in the early 1980s and developed until 2008. This regime was further supported by a climate of deregulation and a massive growth in financial derivatives designed to spread and diversify the risks globally. The result has been a succession of bubbles and crashes, including the worldwide stock market bubble and great crash of October 1987, the savings and loans crisis of the 1980s, the burst in 1991 of the enormous Japanese real estate and stock market bubbles, the emerging markets bubbles and crashes in 1994 and 1997, the Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) crisis of 1998, the dotcom bubble bursting in 2000, the recent house price bubbles, the financialization bubble via special investment vehicles, the stock market bubble, the commodity and oil bubbles and the current debt bubble, all developing jointly and feeding on each other until 2008. This situation may be further aggravated in the next decade by an increase in financialization, through exchange-traded-funds (ETFs), speed and automation, through algorithmic trading and public debt, and through growing unfunded liabilities. We conclude that, to get out of this catch 22 situation, we should better manage and understand the incentive structures in our society, we need to focus our efforts on our real economy and we have to respect and master the art of planning and prediction. Only gradual change, with a clear long term planning, can steer our financial and economic system from the turbulence associated with the perpetual money machine to calmer and more sustainable waters.
Development of novel, exon‐primed intron‐crossing (EPIC) markers from EST databases and evaluation of their phylogenetic utility in Commiphora (Burseraceae)
Authors: Gostel Morgan R. , Weeks Andrea
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: Novel nuclear exon‐primed intron‐crossing (EPIC) markers were developed to increase phylogenetic resolution among recently diverged lineages in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae, using Citrus, Arabidopsis, and Oryza genome resources.

• Methods and Results: Primer pairs for 48 nuclear introns were developed using the genome resource IntrEST and were screened using species of Commiphora and other Burseraceae taxa. Four putative intron regions (RPT6A, BXL2, mtATP Synthase D, and Rab6) sequenced successfully for multiple taxa and recovered phylogenies consistent with those of existing studies. In some cases, these regions yielded informative sequence variation on par with that of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer.

• Conclusions: The combination of freely available genome resources and our design criteria have uncovered four single‐copy nuclear intron regions that are useful for phylogenetic reconstruction of Burseraceae taxa. Because our EPIC primers also amplify Arabidopsis, we recommend their trial in other rosid and eudicot lineages.
Uncertainties in forces extracted from non-contact atomic force microscopy measurements by fitting of long-range background forces
Authors: Sweetman Adam , Stannard Andrew
Published: April 2014

In principle, non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) now readily allows for the measurement of forces with sub-nanonewton precision on the atomic scale. In practice, however, the extraction of the often desired ‘short-range’ force from the experimental observable (frequency shift) is often far from trivial. In most cases there is a significant contribution to the total tip–sample force due to non-site-specific van der Waals and electrostatic forces. Typically, the contribution from these forces must be removed before the results of the experiment can be successfully interpreted, often by comparison to density functional theory calculations. In this paper we compare the ‘on-minus-off’ method for extracting site-specific forces to a commonly used extrapolation method modelling the long-range forces using a simple power law. By examining the behaviour of the fitting method in the case of two radically different interaction potentials we show that significant uncertainties in the final extracted forces may result from use of the extrapolation method.
Toward prospective reasoning in design: an essay on relationships among designers' reasoning, business strategies, and innovation
Authors: Liem André
Published: April 2014

Le concepteur d’un produit ou service tente toujours d’anticiper les besoins et les activités humaines de façon à créer de nouveaux artefacts qui seront utiles, simples, efficients et fourniront une expérience utilisateur positive. Mais sur quelle base peut-on appréhender les raisonnements des concepteurs ? Cet article propose une synthèse des modèles de raisonnements en design d’innovation, les commente puis les organise conceptuellement. À partir d’une revue de questions pluridisciplinaires, l’auteur souligne, dans un premier temps, l’existence de quatre approches fondamentales des stratégies de conception : une approche classique fondée sur un retour sur investissement rapide, une approche évolutionniste basée sur la mise en compétition des firmes, une approche processuelle qui souligne l’importance des transactions entre les individus et leur organisation, et enfin une approche systémique qui montre que les individus sont imbriqués dans des systèmes sociaux et économiques interdépendants. Dans un deuxième temps, les modèles de raisonnement en conception sont mis en relation avec les visions philosophiques qui les guident : positive, constructive, pragmatique et inclusive. Ces visions et approches sont finalement croisées de manière à dégager dans un troisième temps, six modèles de raisonnement en conception : le modèle de la résolution de problème, le modèle herméneutique, le modèle de pratique réflexive, le modèle de la participation de l’utilisateur, le modèle de l’implication des communautés sociales et le modèle de l’usage des normes de conception. Finalement, les conclusions indiquent qu’en matière d’ergonomie, le concepteur doit intégrer un raisonnement prospectif qui lui permettra de mieux gérer la complexité des stratégies d’innovations actuelles.
E-Learning and Personalized Learning Path: A Proposal Based on the Adaptive Educational Hypermedia System
Authors: Colace Francesco , Santo Massimo De , Greco Luca
Published: April 2014

The E-Learning is becoming an effective approach for the improving of quality of learning. Many institutions are adopting this approach both to improve their traditional courses both to increase the potential audience. In the last period great attention is paid in the introduction of methodologies and techniques for the adaptation of learning process to the real needs of students. In this scenario the Adaptive Educational Hypermedia System can be an effective approach. Adaptive hypermedia is a promising area of research at the crossroads of hypermedia and adaptive systems. One of the most important fields where this approach can be applied is just the e-Learning. In this context the adaptive learning resources selection and sequencing is recognized as among one of the most interesting research questions. An Adaptive Educational Hypermedia System is composed by services for the management of the Knowledge Space, the definition of a User Model, the observation of student during his learning period and, as previously said, the adaptation of the learning path according to the real needs of the students. In particular the use of ontologyâ??s formalism for the modeling of the â??knowledge spaceâ? related to the course can increase the sharable of learning objects among similar courses or better contextualize their role in the course. This paper addresses the design problem of an Adaptive hypermedia system by the definition of methodologies able to manage each its components, In particular an original user, learning contents, tracking strategies and adaptation model are developed. The proposed Adaptive Educational Hypermedia System has been integrated in an e-Learning platform and an experimental campaign has been conducted. In particular the proposed approach has been introduced in three different blended courses. A comparison with traditional approach has been described and the obtained results seem to be very promising.
From Reluctance to Resistance
Authors: Agwu Edwin
Published: April 2014

The internet banking services is an innovative financial transaction channel that has assumed a new urgency and relevance in today's world of business. The developed countries have embraced these services with little difficulty while the developing countries are beginning to see the benefits. The objective of this research hinged on the exploration of the supply and demand of internet banking services in the United Kingdom with special emphasis on three cities: London, Birmingham and Manchester. The study primarily probed into the extent to which the internet banking services has been adopted in the three major cities of the UK – London, Birmingham and Manchester. Secondly, it looked at the factors that are driving this adoption and thirdly, the reasons for non-usage by some segments of the selected regions. The consumer resistance theory by Ram and Sheth (1989) was therefore used as a framework of the study. As the focus is to ascertain the reasons for non-usage, and based on this framework, the following divisions were arrived at based on the non-users: 1) those that intends to use the services and 2) those that have no intention to use the services. The study data shows that there are significant differences based on the reluctant/resistance paradigm. The reluctant group falls into those that want to use but have not wholly made up their minds to do so while the resistance groups are those that have no intention of using the internet banking system at all. The study in a nutshell, provides financial managers and the academic community with a tool to engage these non-users through product designs and promotions.
A Collaborative Model of Information Technology Strategic Plan for the Government Sector
Authors: Silva Wagner N. , Vaz Marco A. , Souza Jano M.
Published: April 2014

Information Technology (IT) is strategic for organization management (Stair & Reynolds, 2005), although, many companies lack IT governance and planning, skilled people, defined and institutionalized methods and procedures, internal controls and indicators, and structures for agreement service levels and information security, legality, and economy. In this scenario, a minimum organization and control in the use of resources is needed to boost technical and administrative efficiency, with a focus on IT governance. An Information Technology Strategic Plan (ITSP) aims at discovering the resources and IT in an organization, to direct the technological and information architecture to its strategic objectives. The Brazilian Government issued a Normative Instruction (NI04) for public organizations to develop IT Strategic Plans so that they can purchase products and services. In order to help organizations develop, control and manage their ITSPs, a model was created that defines a set of auxiliary steps in the construction of the ITSP. Throughout this article we present an ITSP development and management model, its evaluation, and our conclusions.
A Dynamic Load Balancing Strategy with Adaptive Thresholds (DLBAT) for Parallel Computing System
Authors: Alam Taj , Raza Zahid
Published: April 2014

The primary objective of scheduling is to minimize the job execution time and maximize the resource utilization. Scheduling of ‘m' jobs to ‘n' resources with the objective to optimize the QoS parameters has been proven to be NP-hard problem. Two broad approaches that are defined for dealing with NP-hard problems are approximate and heuristic approach. In this paper, a centralized dynamic load balancing strategy using adaptive thresholds has been proposed for a multiprocessors system. The scheduler continuously monitors the load on the system and takes corrective measures as the load changes. The threshold values considered are adaptive in nature and are readjusted to suite the changing load on the system according to the mean of the available load. Effectively, the load is leveraged towards the mean, transferring only the appropriate number of jobs from heavily loaded nodes to lightly loaded nodes. In addition, the threshold values are designed in such a way that the scheduler avoids excessive load balancing. Therefore, the scheduler always ensures a uniform distribution of the load on the processing elements with dynamic load environment. Simulation study reveals the effectiveness of the model under various conditions.
An Engineering Scale-Up Approach using Multi-Objective Optimization
Authors: Gaspar-Cunha António , Covas José A.
Published: April 2014

In science and engineering, researchers are often challenged with the need to replicate the innovative results obtained with an equipment of a given size in another equipment of a different dimension. In practice, this often involves passing from laboratory or prototype dimensions to industrial level. The process is known as scale-up and consists in ensuring that the values of the criteria that describe the process characteristics at a given scale are preserved at different scales. Typically, this might involve a chemical reaction rate and/or conversion, a total residence time, specific flow and/or heat transfer characteristics, a certain degree of mixing, etc. Available scale-up rules are often based on oversimplified process analyses and generate unsatisfactory results. Scale-up can also be understood as an optimization process where various objectives are to be satisfied simultaneously, i.e., the performance at the two scales must be as similar as possible. For that purpose, the adoption of a multi-objective optimization algorithm is proposed. The technique is illustrated with an example from polymer engineering.
Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm NSGA-II for Protein Structure Prediction using Structural and Energetic Properties
Authors: Faccioli R. A. , Bortot L. O. , Delbem A. C. B.
Published: April 2014

The Protein Structure Prediction (PSP) problem is concerned about the prediction of the native tertiary structure of a protein in respect to its amino acids sequence. PSP is a challenging and computationally open problem. Therefore, several researches and methodologies have been developed for it. In this way, developers are working to integrate frameworks in order to improve their capabilities and make their use more straightforward. This paper presents the application of NSGA-II algorithm using structural and energetic properties of protein. The implementation of this algorithm is based on ProtPred-GROMACS (2PG), an evolutionary framework for PSP. This framework is the integration between ProtPred and GROMACS. Six proteins were used to measure the capacity of ab initio predictions. The results were interesting since in all cases the native-like topology was obtained.
A Parallel Hardware Architecture based on Node-Depth Encoding to Solve Network Design Problems
Authors: Gois Marcilyanne M. , Matias Paulo , Perina André B. , Bonato Vanderlei , Delbem Alexandre C. B.
Published: April 2014

Many problems involving network design can be found in the real world, such as electric power circuit planning, telecommunications and phylogenetic trees. In general, solutions for these problems are modeled as forests represented by a graph manipulating thousands or millions of input variables, making it hard to obtain the solutions in a reasonable time. To overcome this restriction, Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) with dynamic data structures (encodings) have been widely investigated to increase the performance of EAs for Network Design Problems (NDPs). In this context, this paper proposes a parallelization of the node-depth encoding (NDE), a data structure especially designed for NDPs. Based on the NDE the authors have developed a parallel algorithm and a hardware architecture implemented on FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), denominated Hardware Parallelized NDE (HP-NDE). The running times obtained in a general purpose processor (GPP) and the HP-NDE are compared. The results show a significant speedup in relation to the GPP solution, solving NDP in a time limited by a constant. Such time upper bound can be satisfied for any size of network until the hardware resources available on the FPGA are depleted. The authors evaluated the HP-NDE on a Stratix IV FPGA with networks containing up to 2048 nodes.
Novice Language Teachers' Selection Criteria and Uses for Digital Voice Recording Software
Authors: Swanson Pete
Published: April 2014

In order to address a lack of motivation to learn a second language, second/foreign language teachers must overcome a multitude of impediments in which to bring students to higher levels of language learning. Research on the integration of digital voice recording software into the language learning curriculum has focused primarily on the perceptions of veteran instructors and their students. However, there is a dearth of research on novice language educators and what influences their decisions to select such software. Following the literature review, the author discusses results from a study investigating novice language teachers' criteria and selection of digital voice recording software. The research has implications for language teachers as well as teachers in other content areas.
Design for Quality of ICT-Aided Engineering Course Units
Authors: Brad Stelian
Published: April 2014

Developing high quality engineering course units is a challenging task. Capacity to explain complex technical solutions and behavioral phenomena of engineering technologies in a limited timeframe is not an easy job. Moreover, ensuring information reproducibility for individual study is also important. Sometimes, courses should be delivered remotely. In this context, the latest developments in information and communication technologies (ICT), including multimedia and Internet-based education platforms, facilitate the creation of reliable solutions to these challenges. Even if information technologies are helpful, careful planning is required to design quality course units because many conflicts occur in meeting quality targets. In this respect, a generic approach for improving the quality of engineering course units when a large set of requirements and constrains intervenes on the design map is introduced in this paper as a mean to identify the best places where and how ICT can aid the education process. Quality planning and innovation tools are considered to master this situation. The research shows that smart application of multimedia technologies and web-based education platforms can deliver great results towards better quality of engineering courses.