bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A GIS Methodology for Assessing the Safety Hazards of Abandoned Mine Lands (AMLs)
Authors: Dolney Timothy J.
Published: September 2012

Abandoned mine lands (AMLs) associated with past coal-mining scar Pennsylvania’s landscape with environmental and safety hazards. Reclamation projects eliminate and reduce hazards AMLs pose. Due to the large number of AMLs and limited funds, precedence is given to reclaim the most hazardous sites first. These sites are identified through an assessment process that assigns priorities to AMLs. However, priorities are out-dated and do not accurately reflect the current spatial distribution of land use and census data. This article presents a GIS methodology for the prioritization of AMLs using the process of extrapolation and focal statistics. By incorporating current assessment techniques into GIS with current land use and census data, AML priorities were reassigned to accurately reflect the current spatial landscape. Results indicate that current AML priorities assigned by the state do not accurately reflect current land use and census data and underestimate the safety hazards of many sites, including high priority sites.
Socio-Technical Systems
Authors: Fischer Gerhard , Herrmann Thomas
Published: September 2012

Meta-design of socio-technical systems complies with the need to integrate two types of structures and processes: technical systems, which are engineered to provide anticipatable and reliable interactions between users and systems, and social systems, which are contingent in their interactions and a subject of evolution. Meta-design is focused on objectives, techniques, and processes to allow users to act as designers. It provides, rather than fixed solutions, frameworks within which all stakeholders can contribute to the development of technical functionality and the evolution of the social side, such as organizational change, knowledge construction, and collaborative learning. This paper combines the theoretical framework of meta-design and its underlying principles with the consideration of methodological aspects and practical cases. Five different principles are explored: (1) cultures of participation, (2) empowerment for adaptation and evolution, (3) seeding and evolutionary growth, (4) underdesign of models of socio-technical processes, and (5) structuring of communication. Design collaboratories and knowledge management are used as examples to analyze meta-designed systems representing socio-technical solutions as well as frameworks within which socio-technical solutions can be developed. The combination of theoretical and methodological considerations leads to a set of practical guidelines for meta-designers.
Engineering Organisational Behaviour with Design Research
Authors: Tuffley David
Published: September 2012

Can Design Research be used to develop process models of organisational behavior? The question is significant given the desirability of finding ways to optimise organisational performance. It is also significant because the precursor of such process models have been largely restricted to the software engineering domain. This paper examines (a) whether Design Research is an effective tool for developing such models, and (b) asks, can process models be more broadly defined to include organisational behavior generally? The study concludes that Design Research is an excellent tool for developers of process models in general, and that there appears to be no good reason why such models cannot be used to describe optimal organisational behavior in a broad range of domains.
Identifying Issues of the Chief Information Officer Role through Qualitative Interviews
Authors: Hunter M. Gordon
Published: September 2012

The role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) is emerging and evolving. This paper presents the results of conducting in-depth qualitative interviews with currently practicing CIOs. The approach taken in the interviews allowed for flexibility within each interview while promoting consistency across a number of interviews. Further, this approach facilitated the designation of management issues related to the CIO role at the unit and corporate levels as well as information technology related issues. Strategic issues were also identified relating to industry, culture, and alignment. It is necessary for both the CIO and senior management to understand and agree on role expectations and interpretations.
Strengthening and Enriching Audit Practice
Authors: Smith Peter A. C.
Published: September 2012

The audit profession has been facing reassessment and repositioning for the past decade. Enquiry has been an integral part of an audit; however, its reliability as a source of audit evidence is questioned. To legitimize enquiry in the face of audit complexity and ensure sufficiency, relevance, and reliability, the introduction of Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM) into theory and practice has been recommended by a number of authors. In this paper, a variant on previous VSM-based audit work is introduced to perfect auditing assessment of accountability and compliance. This variant is termed the “VSM/NVA variant” and is applicable when the VSM model is in use for an audit. This variant is based on application of Network Visualization Analysis (NVA) to a VSM-modeled organization. Using NVA, “decision leaders” can be identified and their socio-technical relevance to VSM systems explored. This paper shows how the concepts of decision leaders and their networks can enrich and clarify practical applications of audit theory and practice. The approach provides an enhanced real-world understanding of how various VSM systems and network layers of an organization coalesce, and how they relate to the aims of the VSM model at micro and macro levels.
When Knowledge Management Drives a Strategic Transformation Project
Authors: Guimarães Alexandre Velloso
Published: September 2012

This article introduces and explores the case of a Brazilian Air Force Organisation, the Aeronautical Economy and Finance Secretariat, which based on different findings provided by knowledge management (KM) research, started a broad strategic transformation process to address KM specific issues while improving organisational performance. The case description is complemented by theory regarding strategic management applied to public organisations to underpin the perception that, for such organisations, not driven by market variables, KM may exert a positive influence as a trigger to strategic changes rather than other performance related aspects.
The Significance of Government’s Role in Technology Standardization
Authors: Seo DongBack
Published: September 2012

For first generation (1G) wireless communications technology standards, the Japanese government’s early decision provided an opportunity for its national manufacturers to be first movers in the global market, while the late development of wireless communications in Korea made the Korean market dependent on foreign manufacturers by adopting the U.S. standard (AMPS). Moving toward the 2G wireless technology market, both countries decided to develop standards instead of adopting a technology from outside their regions. Japan developed its own standard, PDC, while Korea developed CDMA systems with Qualcomm, the U.S. technology provider. Although these governments’ decisions on technologies looked only slightly different, the socio-economic consequences were greatly distinctive. The Korean success brought not only the rapid development of its domestic market but also opportunities for its manufacturers to become global leaders, while the PDC standard only provided the fast growth of the Japanese domestic market without any opportunities for the Japanese manufacturers to grow further internationally in the 1990s. By the end of 1990s, two nations again had to decide a 3G technology standard with vast challenges and pressures.
Prioritization Schemes in Queuing Handoff and New Calls to Reduce Call Drops in Cellular Systems
Authors: Mousa Allam
Published: September 2012

This paper proposes different queuing scenarios to avoid dropping of handoff and new calls in a cellular phone network, which is essential when the network has certain restrictions on the available frequencies. This limitation degrades the performance of the system and more sites are required to achieve the desired capacity and coverage. However, this leads to a higher percentage of call drops during handoff. This paper presents a queuing technique for both new and handoff calls to reduce the probability of call drop in such a system, leading to improvement in QoS. The proposed scenarios show better system performance. The blocking probability is reduced from 2% down to 0.04% for queuing handoff calls and from 2% to 1.14% when queuing new calls using the same technique. The four different presented approaches are: 1) only new calls are queued; 2) only handoff calls are queued; 3) by using all available channels; 4) by using only half. The queuing size also plays an important role for both new and handoff calls.
Method of Digital-Audio Watermarking Based on Cochlear Delay Characteristics
Authors: Unoki Masashi , Miyauchi Ryota
Published: September 2012

This chapter introduces a state-of-the-art scheme of non-blind digital-audio watermarking, based on the properties of the human cochlear. It is based on the concept of embedding inaudible watermarks into an original sound by controlling its phase characteristics in relation to the characteristics of Cochlear Delay (CD). Inaudible watermarks are embedded into original signals by applying Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) all-pass filters with CDs and they are then extracted from the phase difference between the original and watermarked sounds. The results obtained from objective and subjective evaluations and robustness tests revealed that the CD-based approach is considerably more effective in satisfying the requirements for non-blind inaudible watermarking. Embedding limitations with the CD-based approach were investigated with various evaluations. These results also revealed that embedding limitations with the CD-based approach could be improved by using parallel, cascade, and composite architectures for the CD filters.
Advanced Information Hiding for G.711 Telephone Speech
Authors: Ito Akinori , Suzuki Yôiti
Published: September 2012

G.711 is the most popular speech codec for Voice over IP (VoIP). This chapter proposes a method for embedding data into G.711-coded speech for conveying side information for enhancing speech quality such as bandwidth extension or packet loss concealment. The proposed method refers to a low-bit rate encoder to determine how many bits are embedded into each sample. First, a variable-bit rate data hiding method is proposed as a basic framework of the proposed method. Then, the proposed method is extended to achieve fixed bit rate data hiding. According to comparison experiments, the proposed method is proved to achieve higher speech quality compared with the conventional method. Moreover, the authors developed a low-complexity speech bandwidth extension method that uses the proposed data hiding method.
A Benchmark Tool for Digital Watermarking
Authors: Iwamura Keiichi
Published: September 2012

This chapter presents an overview of benchmark tools for digital watermarking and describes a new benchmark tool that supports various attacks and has a graphical user interface. Digital watermarks are used to prevent unauthorized use of digital content such as illegal copying, unauthorized distribution, and falsification. Benchmark tools are required to measure the strength of digital watermarks. Stirmark and JEWELS are well-known benchmark tools. However, the functionality of existing tools is insufficient because they lack evaluation functions for multiple image attacks. In addition, users need to memorize each attack command and check results on another viewer because almost all the existing tools are implemented as command-line-based software without image viewers. Therefore, the authors classify attacks on digital watermarks and develop a new benchmark tool that includes attacking functions using multiple as well as single images. In addition, the tool has a graphical user interface that makes it easy to perform combinations of two or more attacks.
Data Embedding Methods Not Based on Content Modification
Authors: Hirohisa Hioki
Published: September 2012

Creation of a stego object by embedding information in a cover object often distorts the cover object. As more information is embedded, more annoying noise is introduced in stego objects. Although reversible embedding methods enable us to restore the original cover object even after embedding, stego objects are not free from distortions. Embedding information does not, however, always result in damaging the contents of the cover object. This chapter introduces data embedding methods that are not based on modification of the contents of cover objects: permutation steganography, metadata steganography, and cover generation methods. This chapter focuses on elaborating the basic principles of these techniques.
Multimedia Copyright Protection Scheme Based on the Direct Feature-Based Method
Authors: Ciptasari Rimba Whidiana , Sakurai Kouichi
Published: September 2012

Researchers have devised the direct feature-based method to improve traditional digital watermarking whilst developing the copyright protection scheme. A discussion on various multimedia copyright protection schemes based on the direct feature-based method (e.g., image, audio, text document, geospatial data, and relational databases) follows. In conclusion, the authors show that a good copyright protection scheme should not only be robust enough to endure acceptable manipulations, but also secure enough to withstand malicious attacks. In addition, the direct feature-based method can be considered a viable solution to the trade-off between data payload, fidelity, and robustness.
EIS Implementation in a Major UAE Oil Producing Company
Authors: Dabbagh Amer , Khoori Eissa
Published: September 2012

This major Oil and Gas producing company in the Gulf went through an implementation experience of EIS system in 2005. The EIS Implementation involved the replacement of the existing Maintenance, Supply, and Commercial system with a new EIS and an upgrade of the HR and Financial systems to the latest releases. The exercise was prompted by management’s desire to replace the outdated ERP system in order to address shortcomings in functionality, to control the high cost of upgrades and modifications, and to enable implementation of the newly formulated Maintenance Policy. The project was deemed a success, even though it took longer than planned and the results were less than anticipated.
Effective Implementation and Utilization of CMMS System
Authors: Sartawi Ali
Published: September 2012

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) are designed to manage asset maintenance in a professional manner, by means of integrating all related transactions (financial, material, purchasing) and maintenance activities (work requests, work orders) and converting them into high level information to drive users towards best practices and optimize cost and improve asset reliability. However, CMMS will only remain a tool with limited use unless proper attention is given to dynamic data feeding by end-users to build up a reliable asset maintenance history that can be used as a basis for managing assets over the life cycle. This investigation reflects on the challenges encountered in the cases of three UAE CMMS Projects, comparing the effectiveness and suitability of the dynamic data-feeding strategies and approaches adopted in the three cases and the level of business improvement through proper usage and utilization.
Modeling of Hybrid Production Systems with Constant WIP and Unreliable Equipment
Authors: Savsar Mehmet
Published: September 2012

Material flow in production systems can be controlled by a purely push-pull (just-in-time), or by a hybrid push-pull control mechanism. One type of push-pull production control can be implemented by controlling only the last stage during part withdrawals to trigger the production at the first stage. While the final stage is operated according to a pull mechanism, intermediate stages are operated according to a push system of control in order to keep the work-in-process (WIP) at a constant level. Since the WIP levels are limited in hybrid systems, production output rate is very susceptible to equipment failures. In order to establish suitable WIP capacities between the stages of production, it is essential to analyze the production line using appropriate models and tools. This paper develops a discrete iterative model to study and analyze behavior of a push-pull system with unreliable equipment at any stage. The model is utilized to optimize WIP capacities at intermediate stages and number of kanbans at the last stage. Furthermore, an experimental design is set up to analyze effects of various maintenance policies, line design parameters, and operational factors on line performance measures by using simulation results from the model.
Reconfiguring Supply Chains for a Global Automotive Industry
Authors: Hiraoka Leslie S.
Published: September 2012

As the industrial landscape is altered by emerging markets like China and India and the bankruptcy of Detroit automakers and their parts suppliers, motor vehicle firms are reconfiguring their supply chains in order to be cost-competitive on a global basis. Backup capacity and cross-docking are being incorporated into just-in-time delivery systems in an attempt to keep car prices affordable for first-time buyers. This will entail a rebuilding of the global alliances between automakers and key component suppliers that lead to stringent quality standards, adhered-to-delivery schedules, and productivity increases which are needed to keep operating, procurement, and distribution costs under control.
Scatter Search and Path Relinking
Authors: Martí Rafael , Pantrigo Juan-José , Duarte Abraham , Campos Vicente , Glover Fred
Published: September 2012

Scatter search (SS) and path relinking (PR) are evolutionary methods that have been successfully applied to a wide range of hard optimization problems. The fundamental concepts and principles of the methods were first proposed in the 1970s and 1980s, and were based on formulations, dating back to the 1960s, for combining decision rules and problem constraints. The methods use strategies for search diversification and intensification that have proved effective in a variety of optimization problems and that have sometimes been embedded in other evolutionary methods to yield improved performance. This paper examines the scatter search and path relinking methodologies from both conceptual and practical points of view, and identifies certain connections between their strategies and those adopted more recently by particle swarm optimization. The authors describe key elements of the SS & PR approaches and apply them to a hard combinatorial optimization problem: the minimum linear arrangement problem, which has been used in applications of structural engineering, VLSI and software testing.
Path Relinking Scheme for the Max-Cut Problem within Global Equilibrium Search
Authors: Shylo Volodymyr P. , Shylo Oleg V.
Published: September 2012

In this paper, the potential of the path relinking method for the maximum cut problem is investigated. This method is embedded within global equilibrium search to utilize the set of high quality solutions provided by the latter. The computational experiment on a set of standard benchmark problems is provided to study the proposed approach. The empirical experiments reveal that the large sizes of the elite set lead to restart distribution of the running times, i.e., the algorithm can be accelerated by simply removing all of the accumulated data (set P) and re-initiating its execution after a certain number of elite solutions is obtained.
Chaos-Enhanced Firefly Algorithm with Automatic Parameter Tuning
Authors: Yang Xin-She
Published: September 2012

Many metaheuristic algorithms are nature-inspired, and most are population-based. Particle swarm optimization is a good example as an efficient metaheuristic algorithm. Inspired by PSO, many new algorithms have been developed in recent years. For example, firefly algorithm was inspired by the flashing behaviour of fireflies. In this paper, the author extends the standard firefly algorithm further to introduce chaos-enhanced firefly algorithm with automatic parameter tuning, which results in two more variants of FA. The author first compares the performance of these algorithms, and then uses them to solve a benchmark design problem in engineering. Results obtained by other methods will be compared and analyzed.
An Optimization Algorithm Based on Brainstorming Process
Authors: Shi Yuhui
Published: September 2012

In this paper, the human brainstorming process is modeled, based on which two versions of Brain Storm Optimization (BSO) algorithm are introduced. Simulation results show that both BSO algorithms perform reasonably well on ten benchmark functions, which validates the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed BSO algorithms. Simulation results also show that one of the BSO algorithms, BSO-II, performs better than the other BSO algorithm, BSO-I, in general. Furthermore, average inter-cluster distance Dc and inter-cluster diversity De are defined, which can be used to measure and monitor the distribution of cluster centroids and information entropy of the population over iterations. Simulation results illustrate that further improvement could be achieved by taking advantage of information revealed by Dc and/or De, which points at one direction for future research on BSO algorithms.
Swarm Intelligence for Non-Negative Matrix Factorization
Authors: Janecek Andreas , Tan Ying
Published: September 2012

The Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) is a special low-rank approximation which allows for an additive parts-based and interpretable representation of the data. This article presents efforts to improve the convergence, approximation quality, and classification accuracy of NMF using five different meta-heuristics based on swarm intelligence. Several properties of the NMF objective function motivate the utilization of meta-heuristics: this function is non-convex, discontinuous, and may possess many local minima. The proposed optimization strategies are two-fold: On the one hand, a new initialization strategy for NMF is presented in order to initialize the NMF factors prior to the factorization; on the other hand, an iterative update strategy is proposed, which improves the accuracy per runtime for the multiplicative update NMF algorithm. The success of the proposed optimization strategies are shown by applying them on synthetic data and data sets coming from the areas of spam filtering/email classification, and evaluate them also in their application context. Experimental results show that both optimization strategies are able to improve NMF in terms of faster convergence, lower approximation error, and better classification accuracy. Especially the initialization strategy leads to significant reductions of the runtime per accuracy ratio for both, the NMF approximation as well as the classification results achieved with NMF.
St. Luke’s University Health Network
Authors: Sherer Susan A.
Published: September 2012

The VP and CIO of St. Luke’s University Health Network wants to ensure that IT is a partner with the business in enabling new health care delivery models while controlling rapidly increasing costs. They face the challenge of maintaining existing resources while keeping up with rapid advances in information technology that provide opportunities to transform health care delivery. The VP/CIO wants to insure that new applications are in line with the strategic objectives of the health network. Instituting appropriate project management and governance strategies are critical to achieving this goal as is educating the business users on the role of information systems in health care today.
Health Care Reform Requires IT Solutions to Influence Consumer Perception at a Health Care Payer
Authors: Bhaskar Rahul , Vo Au
Published: September 2012

The recent health care reform is one of the biggest changes that the health care industry has ever faced. This reform represents the paradigm changing opportunities and challenges for the company providing health insurance in a managed care environment. The CIO of a premier managed care health insurance provider (“ABC Company”) wants to take advantage of the new environment using Information Technology. He and his management teams have determined, using primary research, that the customer perception of the health care company’s cost and accessibility to the quality health care are the most important factors to their customers in the new market. They are aware that even though they have been able to use information technology to predict customer reaction to the changes in cost, and perception of quality, it will be very difficult to deliver new systems and processes that support ABC Company’s to the new realities it is facing the market.
Microbial-Induced Th17: Superhero or Supervillain?
Authors: McGeachy Mandy J. , McSorley Stephen J.
Published: September 2012

Th17 cells are an effector lineage of CD4 T cells that can contribute to protection against microbial pathogens and to the development of harmful autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. An increasing number of studies suggests that Th17 cells play an important protective role in mobilizing host immunity to extracellular and intracellular microbial pathogens, such as Candida and Salmonella. Furthermore, the generation of Th17 cells is heavily influenced by the normal microbial flora, highlighting the complex interplay among harmless microbes, pathogens, and host immunity in the regulation of pathogen-specific Th17 responses. In this article, we review the current understanding of microbe-induced Th17 cells in the context of infectious and inflammatory disease.
A stratospheric intrusion at the subtropical jet over the Mediterranean Sea: air-borne remote sensing observations and model results
Authors: Weigel K. , Hoffmann L. , Günther G. , Khosrawi F. , Olschewski F. , Preusse P. , Spang R. , Stroh F. , Riese M.
Published: September 2012

Abstract. Remote sensing measurements from the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescope for the Atmosphere – New Frontiers (CRISTA-NF) during a flight on 29 July 2006 are presented. This flight is part of the AMMA-SCOUT-O3 measurement campaign, where CRISTA-NF was deployed on the high-flying research aircraft M55-Geophysica. The flight path was located over Italy and the Mediterranean Sea and crossed over the subtropical jet twice. Measurements of temperature, and the volume mixing ratios of water vapor (H2O), ozone (O3), nitric acid (HNO3) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) are available with a vertical resolution of up to 500 m between about 6 to 21 km altitude. CRISTA-NF observes these trace gases simultaneously and provides a quasi-2-D view of the transition region between the troposphere and the stratosphere. The observation of these different trace gases allows to determine tropospheric and stratospheric air masses. As expected, higher abundances are found where the main source of the trace gases is located: in the stratosphere for O3 and in the troposphere for H2O and PAN. Tracer-tracer correlations between O3 and PAN are used to identify the mixed tropospheric and lowermost stratospheric air at the subtropical jet and around the thermal tropopause north of the jet. An intrusion of stratospheric air into the troposphere associated with the subtropical jet is found in the CRISTA-NF observations. The observations indicate that the intrusion is connected to a tropopause fold which is not resolved in the ECMWF analysis data. The intrusion was reproduced in a simulation with the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS). The CLaMS simulation shows, that the lowermost stratospheric air masses in the intrusion where transported along the the subtropical jet. The tropospheric air masses around the intrusion originate from the vicinity of the Asian monsoon anticyclone. This work discusses the nature of the observed processes at the subtropical jet based on the CRISTA-NF observations and the CLaMS simulation.
Reduction of radiation biases by incorporating the missing cloud variability by means of downscaling techniques: a study using the 3-D MoCaRT model
Authors: Gimeno García S. , Trautmann T. , Venema V.
Published: September 2012

Abstract. Handling complexity to the smallest detail in atmospheric radiative transfer models is unfeasible in practice. On the one hand, the properties of the interacting medium, i.e., the atmosphere and the surface, are only available at a limited spatial resolution. On the other hand, the computational cost of accurate radiation models accounting for three-dimensional heterogeneous media are prohibitive for some applications, especially for climate modelling and operational remote-sensing algorithms. Hence, it is still common practice to use simplified models for atmospheric radiation applications. Three-dimensional radiation models can deal with complex scenarios providing an accurate solution to the radiative transfer. In contrast, one-dimensional models are computationally more efficient, but introduce biases to the radiation results. With the help of stochastic models that consider the multi-fractal nature of clouds, it is possible to scale cloud properties given at a coarse spatial resolution down to a higher resolution. Performing the radiative transfer within the cloud fields at higher spatial resolution noticeably helps to improve the radiation results. We present a new Monte Carlo model, MoCaRT, that computes the radiative transfer in three-dimensional inhomogeneous atmospheres. The MoCaRT model is validated by comparison with the consensus results of the Intercomparison of Three-Dimensional Radiation Codes (I3RC) project. In the framework of this paper, we aim at characterising cloud heterogeneity effects on radiances and broadband fluxes, namely: the errors due to unresolved variability (the so-called plane parallel homogeneous, PPH, bias) and the errors due to the neglect of transversal photon displacements (independent pixel approximation, IPA, bias). First, we study the effect of the missing cloud variability on reflectivities. We will show that the generation of subscale variability by means of stochastic methods greatly reduce or nearly eliminate the reflectivity biases. Secondly, three-dimensional broadband fluxes in the presence of realistic inhomogeneous cloud fields sampled at high spatial resolutions are calculated and compared to their one-dimensional counterparts at coarser resolutions. We found that one-dimensional calculations at coarsely resolved cloudy atmospheres systematically overestimate broadband reflected and absorbed fluxes and underestimate transmitted ones.
Raman Lidar for Meteorological Observations, RALMO – Part I: Instrument description
Authors: Dinoev T. S. , Simeonov V. B. , Arshinov Y. F. , Bobrovnikov S. M. , Ristori P. , Calpini B. , Parlange M. B. , van den Bergh H.
Published: September 2012

Abstract. A new Raman lidar for unattended, round the clock measurement of vertical water vapor profiles for operational use by the MeteoSwiss has been developed during the past years by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology- Lausanne. The lidar uses narrow-field-of-view, narrow-band configuration, a UV laser, and four 30 cm in diameter mirrors, fiber-coupled to a grating polychromator. The optical design allows water vapor retrieval from the incomplete overlap region without instrument-specific range-dependent corrections. The daytime vertical range covers the mid-troposphere, whereas the night-time range extends to the tropopause. The near range coverage is extended down to 100 m AGL by the use of an additional fiber in one of the telescopes. This paper describes the system layout and technical realization. Day and night time lidar profiles compared to Vaisala RS-92 and Snow White® profiles and a six-day-continuous observation are presented as an illustration of the lidar measurement capability.
"OAE 3" – regional Atlantic organic carbon burial during the Coniacian–Santonian
Authors: Wagreich M.
Published: September 2012

Abstract. The Coniacian–Santonian time interval is the inferred time of oceanic anoxic event 3 (OAE 3), the last of the Cretaceous OAEs. A detailed look on the temporal and spatial distribution of organic-rich deposits attributed to OAE 3 suggests that black shale occurrences are restricted to the equatorial to mid-latitudinal Atlantic and adjacent basins, shelves and epicontinental seas like parts of the Caribbean, the Maracaibo Basin and the Western Interior Basin, and are largely absent in the Tethys, the North Atlantic, the southern South Atlantic, and the Pacific. Here, oxic bottom waters prevailed as indicated by the widespread occurrence of red deep-marine CORBs (Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds). Widespread CORB sedimentation started during the Turonian after Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2) except in the Atlantic realm where organic-rich strata continue up to the Santonian. The temporal distribution of black shales attributed to OAE 3 indicates that organic-rich strata do not define a single and distinct short-time event, but are distributed over a longer time span and occur in different basins during different times. This suggests intermittent and regional anoxic conditions from the Coniacian to the Santonian. A comparison of time-correlated high-resolution δ13C curves for this interval indicates several minor positive excursions of up to 0.5‰, probably as a result of massive organic carbon burial cycles in the Atlantic. Regional wind-induced upwelling and restricted deep basins may have contributed to the development of anoxia during a time interval of widespread oxic conditions, thus highlighting the regional character of inferred OAE 3 as regional Atlantic event(s).
Ovarian Reserve in Women Treated for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia or Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Chemotherapy, but Not Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Rossi Brooke V. , Missmer Stacey , Correia Katharine F. , Wadleigh Martha , Ginsburg Elizabeth S.
Published: September 2012

Purpose. It is well known that chemotherapy regimens may have a negative effect on ovarian reserve, leading to amenorrhea or premature ovarian failure. There are little data regarding the effects of leukemia chemotherapy on ovarian reserve, specifically in women who received the chemotherapy as adults and are having regular menstrual periods. Our primary objective was to determine if premenopausal women with a history of chemotherapy for leukemia, without subsequent stem cell transplantation, have decreased ovarian reserve. Materials and Methods. We measured ovarian reserve in five women who had been treated for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and compared them to age-matched control women without a history of chemotherapy. Results. There appeared to be a trend towards lower antimullerian hormone and antral follicle counts and higher follicle-stimulating hormone levels in the leukemia group. Conclusion. Our results indicate that chemotherapy for AML or ALL without stem cell transplantation may compromise ovarian reserve. Although our results should be confirmed by a larger study, oncologists, infertility specialists, and patients should be aware of the potential risks to ovarian function and should be counseled on options for fertility preservation.
Increase of Glutathione by Listeria monocytogenesscott A Cmremr When It Is Challenged by Gallic Acid and Nisin
Authors: Dal Moro Caroline Galina , Shultz Camila , Lafayette Neves Gelinski Jane Mary , Locatelli Claudriana
Published: September 2012

This work investigates the activities of nisin and gallic acid, used either alone or in combination, against Listeria monocytogenes Scott A CmrEmr. The antimicrobial activity was determined using agar diffusion tests. The growth profile was evaluated by measurements of optical density and the numbers of viable cells. Lipid peroxidation was measured by the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) technique, and the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) were determined by the 5,5-dithio-bis-2-nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) method. Growth of the pathogen was inhibited by the combined use of nisin and gallic acid, with an inhibition zone of approximately 11 mm at concentrations of 8 mg/ml and 100 IU/ml, respectively. No significant reduction in the number of viable pathogen cells was observed after 18 hours of exposure to nisin and gallic acid. There was a significant increase in the GSH concentration, and a decrease in lipid peroxidation, when the pathogen was exposed to increasing concentrations of nisin and gallic acid, used either alone or in combination, for a period of 18 hours. It was concluded that the Listeria monocytogenes cell line studied was able to resist the action of oxidizing agents by increasing the synthesis of GSH.
Embodied Experiences Associated with Obesity and the Management of Bodyweight. Gender and Social Differences
Authors: Smith Louise H. , Holm Lotte
Published: September 2012

In many affluent Western societies the less educated are at higher risk of developing obesity. Within a conceptual framework of sociology of embodiment, this study analyzed the embodied experiences associated with obesity and the management of body weight among women and men with different social backgrounds. Qualitative in depth interviews were conducted with 20 Danish middle-aged men and women who were categorized as clinically obese in a national dietary survey. The study found a devastating impact of obesity in the lives of highly educated women related to motherhood, career and wifehood which interrelated with persistent efforts to lose weight and repeated involvement in a great variety of weight-loss activities. In contrast, body weight among the less educated interviewees was a concern only in specific situations of everyday life, and it was a health-related concern especially for those men who had experienced weight-related disease, which interrelated with less commitment to, and variation in, weight-loss activities. These findings may help to explain why obesity is least prevalent among highly educated women in Danish society as well as other western societies. A marked difference between men and women was that only few men followed dietary regimes which involved a focus on cooking or changing eating habits on their own initiative. In addition they did not participate in commercial weight-loss programs. We discuss how the social and gendered differences found relate to wider societal contexts and how the findings may both challenge and inform public health promotion.
Multi-Initialized States Referred Work Parameter Calibration for Gaze Tracking Human-Robot Interaction
Authors: Zhao Qijie , Yuan Xinming , Tu Dawei , Lu Jianxia
Published: September 2012

In order to adaptively calibrate the work parameters in the infrared-TV based eye gaze tracking Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) system, a kind of gaze direction sensing model has been provided for detecting the eye gaze identified parameters. We paid more attention to situations where the user's head was in a different position to the interaction interface. Furthermore, the algorithm for automatically correcting work parameters of the system has also been put up by defining certain initial reference system states and analysing the historical information of the interaction between a user and the system. Moreover, considering some application cases and factors, and relying on minimum error rate Bayesian decision-making theory, a mechanism for identifying system state and adaptively calibrating parameters has been proposed. Finally, some experiments have been done with the established system and the results suggest that the proposed mechanism and algorithm can identify the system work state in multi-situations, and can automatically correct the work parameters to meet the demands of a gaze tracking HRI system.
Only a Small Fraction of High-Grade Cervical Lesions Are Discovered After an Interpretation of Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance When Using Imager-Assisted, Liquid-Based Papanicolaou Tests and the Bethesda 2001 System
Authors: Khan Kelly A. , Smith Debora A. , Thrall Michael J.
Published: September 2012

Context.—Previous work has reported that most high-grade cervical neoplasia is seen in patients with preceding Papanicolaou test results of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance. This information was based on conventional test results and the Bethesda 1991 reporting system and was determined before the current treatment guidelines.

Objective.—Our objective was to perform a retrospective review of all histologically confirmed, high-grade cervical neoplasia to determine the diagnosis of the preceding liquid-based Papanicolaou test.

Design.—A total of 189 histologically confirmed, high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) cases grade 2 and greater were identified for a 1-year period.

Results.—Of the 189 cases, 10 (5.3%) had a previous diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance; 55 (29.1%) had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; 31 (16.4%) had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; 21 (11.1%) had atypical squamous cells, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; 68 (36%) had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; 1 (0.5%) had atypical glandular cells; 1 (0.5%) had adenocarcinoma in situ; and 2 (1%) had invasive carcinoma. Combined “low grade” Papanicolaou test results (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion) preceded 51 of 103 cases of CIN 2 (49.5%) and 14 of 103 cases (13.6%) of CIN 3/cancer, whereas “high grade” Papanicolaou test results (atypical squamous cells, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; atypical glandular cells; adenocarcinoma in situ; and invasive carcinoma) preceded 52 of 103 CIN 2 cases (50.5%) and 72 of 103 CIN 3/cancer cases (69.9%).

Conclusions.—Our data show that we can now more-reliably predict high-grade dysplasia on routine Papanicolaou tests. Only a small fraction of histologically confirmed CIN 2/3 cases are found following a Papanicolaou test diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance.
Physico-Chemical Analysis of Solid Aerosols Generated from Different Industries of Faisalabad
Authors: Muhammad Attique Khan Shahid  , Khadim Hussain  , Maryam Saeed Awan
Published: September 2012

The physical, chemical and electrical characteristics of industrial aerosols generated from different industries of Faisalabad were investigated not only to improve the industrial setup efficiency but also to reduce the environment pollution generated due to these industries. XRPD technique was employed to study these samples which showed the presence of illite, Quartz, calcite, dolomite, gypsum and chlorite as major phases. The values of resistivity of solid aerosols are in high range (0.07×107 to 4.0×109 ?m) conversely the electrical conductivities are in lower range (0.21-13.30Mho), may be due to high components of Fe2O3 and CaO. Coal fly ash and foundry aerosols do precipitate well in the electrostatic precipitator given their operational temperature and moisture content so it is recommended that by changing the temperature and moisture content of the precipitator its cleaning action and hence the industrial efficiency may be improved. The most of the solid aerosols are alkaline therefore acidic rain probability in near future is completely ruled out. 80% basic (Dark color), 20% acidic (light color) of particulate matter confirms our experimental findings. The SEM analysis of particulate matter showed the presence of a variety of patches but confirms the dominance of industrial cum transportational aerosols interlocking and soot particles. Finally comprehensive research and administrative based solution to tackle the issue without affecting the development process is suggested.
Dosimetry Characterization of Unknown Dye Polyvinyl Alcohol Films
Authors: Muhammad Attique Khan Shahid  , Noureen Kousar  , Naseem Akhtar  , Taqmeem Hussain  , Mariam Saeed Awan  , Arfa Mubashir  , Bushra Bashir  , Asif Javed
Published: September 2012

In the present study chemical dosimeters having aqueous solutions of crystal violet commercial dye were irradiated by Co60 γ source in the range (0-120)KGy. The standard aqueous solutions were scanned by UV/VIS spectrophotometer for the determination of maximum wave length (λmax) which was found to be 591nm at this value maximum absorbance was found to be 3.5; it was also observed that with increase in dose, absorbance decreases correspondingly. At this value, the absorbance (A) of irradiated samples was measured in UV region. The plot between concentration C and A gave approximate linear relationship and hence verified Beer’s Law which proved that these dye solutions can satisfactorily be used as the dye dosimeters in 0-120kGy gamma dose range.
Bi(III)‐catalyzed C―S cross‐coupling reaction
Authors: Malik Payal , Chakraborty Debashis
Published: September 2012

A direct synthetic route for the C―S coupling of aryl halides with thiophenols is described. This method is tolerant to electron‐withdrawing and electron‐donating functional groups and also to the presence of functional groups in the ortho position of the aryl iodide or thiophenol. Aryl iodides are coupled with thiophenols without affecting the other functionalities present in the aryl ring. These reactions follow second‐order kinetics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microstructural design of lead oxide–epoxy composites for radiation shielding purposes
Authors: Azman Nurul Zahirah Noor , Siddiqui Salim Ahmed , Hart Robin , Low It Meng
Published: September 2012

Composite epoxy samples filled with PbO and Pb3O4 were fabricated to investigate the mass attenuation characteristics of the composites to X‐rays in the diagnostic imaging energy range. The effect of density on the attenuation ability of the composites for radiation shielding purposes was studied using a calibrated X‐ray machine. Characterization of the microstructure properties of the synthesized composites was performed using synchrotron radiation diffraction, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that the attenuation ability of the composites increased with an increase in density. The particle size of WO3 fillers has a negligible effect on the value of mass attenuation coefficient. Microstructural analyses have confirmed the existence of fairly uniform dispersion of fillers within the matrix of epoxy matrix with the average particle size of 1–5 μm for composites with filler loading of ≤ 30 wt % and 5–15 μm for composites with filler loading of ≥ 50 wt %. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
An Efficient Approach for the Construction of Benzazepine and Benzoxepine Derivatives
Authors: Li Shaoyu , Zou Shaowu , Wu Jie
Published: September 2012

A novel and facile synthetic protocol for the construction of benzazepine and benzoxepine derivatives through a copper(I)‐catalyzed reaction of 2‐(2‐ethynylphenyl)‐1‐tosylaziridine or 2‐(2‐ethynylphenyl)oxirane with sulfonyl azides is disclosed. A ketenimine is the key intermediate during the reaction process.