bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feeding ecology of the deep-sea lanternshark Etmopterus pusillus (Elasmobranchii: Etmopteridae) in the northeast Atlantic
Authors: Xavier José C. , Vieira Cátia , Assis Carlos , Cherel Yves , Hill Simeon , Costa Esmeralda , Borges Teresa C. , Coelho Rui
Published: May 2012

This study provides the first description of the feeding ecology of the smooth lanternshark Etmopterus pusillus based on stomach contents of specimens caught as bycatch in the Algarve (southern Portugal) with bottom trawling and bottom longline. The diet of E. pusillus consists mainly of fish (dry weight (% W)=87.1%; frequency of occurrence (%FO)=28.6%; number (%N)=30.3%), crustaceans (%W=7.7%; %FO=36.7%; %N=3.4%) and cephalopods (%W=4.7%; %FO=11.3%; %N=11.1%). The diet did not vary between sexes. Ontogenic changes were detected: crustaceans decreased in importance as the sharks increased in size and fish became dominant in the diet of adults. Combining two fishing methods provided broad information on the diet of E. pusillus, as bottom trawling caught smaller specimens and longlines caught larger individuals. E. pusillus feeds mainly on non-commercial species, and therefore does not compete directly with commercial fisheries. Finally, E. pusillus feeds in various parts of the water column and thus it can access a wide range of prey; however, this also means that it can be caught by both gears, making it more vulnerable in terms of conservation.
Towards Defining a Framework for the Automatic Derivation of 3D CityGML Models from Volunteered Geographic Information
Authors: Goetz Marcus , Zipf Alexander
Published: May 2012

High-quality geographic data sources are eminent for urban data management and the creation of detailed 3D city models. In the past two decades, Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) increasingly gained attractiveness to both amateur users and professionals, resulting in a broad availability of urban data within VGI communities and especially OpenStreetMap (OSM). OSM provides detailed information about urban regions and more buildings are also mapped. Existing 3D-VGI applications, e.g., KOSMOS Worldflier (Brejc, 2011) or the OSM-3D project (OSM-3D, 2011) only focus on visualization purposes, but a standardized usage for exchanging and sharing urban city models is not combined with VGI. Therefore, this paper presents a framework for an automatic VGI-based creation of 3D building models encoded as standardized CityGML models. The usage of VGI as a proper data source for the creation of standardized city models will be proven.
E-Learner Characteristics and E-Learner Satisfaction
Authors: Chen Po Hsuan
Published: May 2012

The present study aimed at furthering the understanding of the potential effects of e-learner characteristics on e-learner satisfaction in an EFL context. Specifically, it examined the collective impact of computer anxiety, computer-mediated communication (CMC) apprehension, metacognitive self-regulation strategy use, mastery goal orientation, and performance goal orientation on EFL e-learner satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses revealed that not all university EFL students are satisfied with e-learning English courses; only students with high levels of metacognitive self-regulation strategy use, high levels of mastery goal orientation, and a low degree of CMC apprehension are satisfied with e-learning English courses. Results imply that on-line English instructors need to find ways to help students develop these characteristics.
Public Screens
Authors: McQuire Scott , Pedell Sonja , Gibbs Martin , Vetere Frank , Papastergiadis Nikos , Downs John
Published: May 2012

Large video screens situated in public spaces are characteristic of the mediated public environment of contemporary cities. These screens are now able to support a range of new applications, including interactive gaming. However, urban planning policy frequently treats urban screens as if they were display surfaces only. This underestimates the possibilities for public screens to become sites that incubate innovative modes of urban communication. This paper discusses a research project focusing on public use of interactive gaming on the Big Screen at Federation Square in Melbourne. The project is part of a larger research initiative exploring the impact of new media technologies on how people interact with each other in public space. Material was gathered from a combination of observation and interviews. In addition to informing further development of interactive projects at public sites, the findings also raise important questions for urban planning in the context of pervasive networked media.
The SURegen Workbench
Authors: Chen Yun , Song Yonghui , Bowker Samantha , Hamilton Andy
Published: May 2012

Urban regeneration is of considerable contemporary public interest and debate. Sustainable urban regeneration requires a comprehensive and integrated vision and action to address the resolution of urban problems and bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social, and environmental conditions of an area that has been subject to change. Thus, there are increased requirements for decision making and knowledge sharing by urban planners, local authorities, and other practitioners to achieve sustainability in urban regeneration activities. To address these challenges the research team of the Sustainable Urban Regeneration (SURegen) project (UK Government EPSRC funded, £2.5 Million, in the SUE programme) designed and implemented a prototype Regeneration Workbench, which addresses the key challenges in regeneration practice and provides a flexible and integrated e-platform. Over the past 20 years many Planning Support Systems (PSS) have been developed. Whereas most of these systems address a small range of issues, the SURegen workbench takes a holistic approach to all aspects that have influence sustainable regeneration. Furthermore, the workbench specifically addresses the management of urban regeneration projects and the skills gaps amongst regeneration professionals. This article describes the urban challenges addressed and details the SURegen approach to meeting these challenges.
There’s an App for That
Authors: Evans-Cowley Jennifer
Published: May 2012

The number of worldwide mobile device users is increasing rapidly, as are the number of applications to serve these devices. Urban planners have the opportunity to use an array of mobile applications to increase productivity, share information, and engage with the public. This article explores a number of mobile applications that can add value to the work that urban planners undertake. It also considers the types of applications that could be developed to assist planners in their efforts to understand cities and engage with the public.
Synthesis and Characterization of Hexagonal Shaped Nanocrystalline Zinc Oxide Powders
Authors: Ahmad M. , Ahmed E. , Khalid N. R. , Jackson M. J. , Ahmed W.
Published: May 2012

Nanocrystalline ZnO powders are synthesized using a quick, simple and inexpensive combustion method. Glycine and zinc nitrate, used as fuel and oxidant/cation sources respectively, were mixed together at room temperature to form a slurry or gel. A series of experiments were performed to synthesize nanoparticles for different fuel to oxidant ratios. The rate of heating and stirring greatly influenced the combustion process. The as-synthesized powder was heat treated at elevated temperatures for varying time to remove adsorbed impurities from the surface of the ZnO nanoparticles. Both the as-synthesized and heat treated powders were characterized using a variety of analytical techniques. The hexagonal wurtzite phase of the ZnO powder was revealed from x-ray diffraction measurements. A decrease in the x-ray diffraction density (Dx) and the bulk density (D) resulted in an increase in percentage porosity (%P) of as-synthesized and heat treated ZnO powders. The range of fuel to oxidant ratios used in the present work indicates that they had a strong influence on the grain size of ZnO powders. The average grain size estimated by using the Scherer formula indicated an approximate value of 6-21 nm for the as-synthesized and heat treated samples.
Mapping the Relationship Between the CDIO Syllabus and the CEAB Graduate Attributes
Authors: Cloutier Guy , Hugo Ronald , Sellens Rick
Published: May 2012

The recently introduced Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) requirements for Graduate Attributes require demonstrated learning outcomes for the first time. The Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate (CDIO) approach includes a set of outcomes in the form of the CDIO Syllabus. The Syllabus also provides guidance on how to document outcomes in order to meet the requirements of the CEAB Graduate Attributes. This article provides a framework for Canadian engineering programs to satisfy the CEAB requirement to demonstrate learning outcomes through a mapping of the CDIO Syllabus topics to the CEAB Attributes, and verification of the completeness of that list. An engineering program can meet all of the CEAB Graduate Attribute requirements by addressing a subset of the CDIO syllabus; however, a CEAB accredited program may not meet all of the CDIO standards.
Likelihood to Trust Sharing Knowledge in Multi-Cultural Consulting Companies
Authors: Alamieyeseigha Serafina
Published: May 2012

This study investigates the relationship of personality dimensions with the likelihood that professionals will trust, sharing their knowledge in a large multi-cultural consulting company. Trust was defined from the literature and used to measure likelihood to trust sharing knowledge. Personality was also grounded in the literature and used to measure the five-factor model of personality dimensions. A survey was given to professional workers at a financial-management consulting company in South Africa (n=125). Descriptive statistics, alpha reliability verification, correlation, ANOVA (Analysis of Variance), and Fisher post-hoc group comparisons were applied. A statistically significant model was developed which indicated three personality dimensions were positively related to the likelihood to trust sharing knowledge in the multi-cultural consulting company.
Quantifying Unknown Unknowns in an Oil and Gas Capital Project
Authors: Raydugin Yuri
Published: May 2012

Projects continue to fail at a high rate despite the well-known risk benchmarks published decades ago. Risk assessment and contingency planning are needed in oil and gas (O&G) capital projects because of many ‘unknown unknowns.’ Uncertainty must be estimated for the project schedule as well as for investment costs. Quantitative estimates and diagramming tools can assist in understanding and communicating project risk levels. This paper outlines and applies a method for quantifying unknown unknowns in the O&G industry based on a case study. Four dimensions of unknown unknowns are discussed: novelty of a project, phase of project development, type of industry, and bias. Uncertainty is classified as unknown unknowns, bias, known unknowns, and corporate risks. Practical recommendations are made to quantify uncertainty using probabilistic risk models, and then to integrate these estimates into the budget and schedule.
Case Study
Authors: Strang Kenneth David
Published: May 2012

This paper is a case study about the devastation of Hurricane Ike striking Galveston and Sabine Pass on the Texas Gulf Coast. Authentic field research, historical analysis, informant accounts, and basic statistical analysis of simulated data were used as a methodology. Citations are given to news stories, maps, photographs, and videos showing the damage still remaining four years after the last hurricane. Professors can use this information to create student assignments in any of the following disciplines: business, environment/natural sciences, operations management, and computer science, engineering, as well as in insurance or emergency services training programs. The first section provides background for students (including numerous research questions), while the latter part contains suggested answers to selected problems. The learning objectives are: apply project management theory to create a risk management plan and a schedule for the mitigation steps when a hurricane is forecasted, and then perform sensitivity analysis of the probabilities using statistical techniques.
Dispatcher Based Dynamic Load Balancing on Web Server System
Authors: Singh Harikesh , Kumar Shishir
Published: May 2012

The traffic increasing in the network creates bulk congestion while the bulk transfer of data evolves. Performance evaluation and high availability of servers are important factors to resolve this problem using various cluster based systems. There are several low-cost servers using the load sharing cluster system which are connected to high speed networks, and apply load balancing technique between servers. It offers high computing power and high availability. A distributed website server can provide scalability and flexibility to manage with emergent client demands. Efficiency of a replicated web server system will depend on the way of distributed incoming requests among these replicas. A distributed Web-server architectures schedule client requests among the multiple server nodes in a user-transparent way that affects the scalability and availability. The aim of this paper is the development of a load balancing techniques on distributed Web-server systems.
An Experimental Evaluation of IEEE 802.15.4a Ultra Wide Band Technology for Precision Indoor Ranging
Authors: Ye Tingcong , Walsh Michael , Haigh Peter , Barton John , Mathewson Alan , O’Flynn Brendan
Published: May 2012

Ultra Wide Band (UWB) wireless transmission has recently been the object of considerable attention in the field of next generation location aware wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This is due to its fine time resolution, energy efficiency and robustness to interference in harsh environments. This paper presents a thorough applied examination of prototype IEEE 802.15.4a impulse UWB transceiver technology to quantify the effect of line of sight (LOS) and non line of sight (NLOS) ranging in real indoor and outdoor environments. The results included draw on an extensive array of experiments that fully characterize the 802.15.4a UWB transceiver technology, its reliability and ranging capabilities for the first time. The goal of this work is to validate the technology as a dependable wireless communication mechanism for the subset of sensor network localization applications where reliability and precision positions are key concerns.
New Hybrid Discrete PSO for Solving Non Convex Trim Loss Problem
Authors: Deep Kusum , Chauhan Pinkey , Pant Millie
Published: May 2012

Trim loss minimization is the most common problem that arises during the cutting process, when products with variable width or length are to be produced in bulk to satisfy customer demands from limited available/stocked materials. The aim is to minimize inevitable waste material. Under various environmental and physical constraints, the trim loss problem is highly constrained, non convex, nonlinear, and with integer restriction on all variables. Due to the highly complex nature of trim loss problem, it is not easy for manufacturers to select an appropriate method that provides a global optimal solution, satisfying all restrictions. This paper proposes a discrete variant of PSO, which embeds a mutation operator, namely power mutation during the position update stage. The proposed variant is named as Hybrid Discrete PSO (HDPSO). Binary variables in HDPSO are generated using sigmoid function with its domain derived from position update equation. Four examples with different levels of complexity are solved and results are compared with two recently developed GA and PSO variants. The computational studies indicate the competitiveness of proposed variant over other considered methods.
School Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Adam Tas , Tatnall Arthur
Published: May 2012

This article presents a report on an investigation into the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to aid in the education of students with Learning Disabilities. The study was framed by the use of actor-network theory. The term ‘Learning Difficulties’ (sometimes also referred to as Special Needs) is used in reference to a large heterogeneous group of students who are seen to have significant difficulties in the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills and need extra assistance with schooling. Another more specific term is ‘Learning Disabilities’ that refers to the sub-set of students who constitute a small sub-group that exhibit severe and unexplained problems. The reported study involved case studies and participant observation of the use of ICT in two outer suburban Special Schools in Melbourne, and an investigation of the role and impact of Education Department policies on these school environments. Research at the two Special Schools revealed that use of ICT can have a very beneficial impact on these students by improving their self-esteem and facilitating their acquisition of useful life skills.
A Survey of Routing Protocols in Wireless Body Area Networks for Healthcare Applications
Authors: Ben Elhadj Hadda , Chaari Lamia , Kamoun Lotfi
Published: May 2012

Recent advances in electronics and integrated circuits have fostered the development of small and intelligent medical sensors and actuators that are wearable or implementable inside the human body. The main function of these devices is to collect patient’s physiological parameters and forward them to the medical center in an efficient and reliable way. Therefore, routing is a non-trivial task in wireless body area networks (WBAN); sensing the importance of routing in WBAN and the availability of a significant body of literature on this topic are the main motivations that encourage the study and examination of routing mechanisms. This paper proposes WBAN routing approaches. It outlines the design challenges for WBAN routing protocols and sketches out the communication architecture of this type of network. The authors’ main contribution is the classification of the routing techniques into six main categories, which corresponds to thermal aware routing protocols, cluster based routing protocols, cross layers based routing protocols, quality of service (QoS) aware routing protocols, and delay tolerant aware routing protocols. The advantages and performance issues of each routing technique are highlighted. This paper is useful for researchers to make enhancements to the future design of WBAN routing protocols and algorithms.
Critical Success Factors of Business Intelligence System Implementations
Authors: Harison Elad
Published: May 2012

Business Intelligence (BI) systems are applied by increasing numbers of organizations in a wide range of sectors. Despite the growing numbers of BI solutions and the experience augmented in many implementation projects worldwide, as well as the value that BI systems provide to organizations, IT literature lacks a coherent set of definitions through which BI systems can be classified, categorized, and assessed. Furthermore, BI implementation projects often do not succeed or do not fully accomplish the degrees of value and performance as expected, when firms fail to complete the system implementation, to satisfy the needs of users or when the benefits BI systems produce are lower than anticipated. This paper presents an analytical framework through which BI systems are defined and classified. On the basis of this framework, possible technical, organizational, and personal factors that affect the failure, partial or full success of BI system implementations are discussed. These factors are followed by a case study and empirical data analyses that exemplify and assess the extent to which various organizational attributes and properties of users influence the success or failure of BI implementation projects. Finally, implications regarding the management of BI system implementation projects and the organizations that apply them are derived.
Context-Aware and Adaptive Units of Learning in mLearning
Authors: Gómez Sergio , Fabregat Ramón
Published: May 2012

In technology-enhanced learning, the use of mobile applications is increasing, which improves students’ learning experiences, allowing them to carry out daily activities anytime, anywhere. However, the majority of the available learning contents have been designed for desktop computers; thus, accessing that information is limited by the technical capabilities of mobile devices. As a result, students might lose interest and motivation to learn using their mobile devices if content adaptation and learning personalization processes are not appropriately designed. In this paper, the authors present a context-aware adaptation architecture for mobile learning. In the architecture, two mechanisms based on conditional statements from the IMS Learning Design specification and a transcoding mechanism are presented. Moreover, which learner’s contextual information can be represented to design the learning process and retrieved to adapt activities and resources is explained by the description of a context-aware mobile-assisted second language learning scenario.
A Study of Reusing Smartphones to Augment Elementary School Education
Authors: Li Xun , Ortiz Pablo J. , Browne Jeffrey , Franklin Diana , Oliver John Y. , Geyer Roland , Zhou Yuanyuan , Chong Frederic T.
Published: May 2012

Society faces a severe environmental challenge posed by the rapid advance of technology scaling. The high cost in manufacturing energy, materials, and disposal is worrisome with the increasing number of smartphones. To mitigate the impact of future devices, the authors propose a design for reuse model in which obsolete devices will be reused for a class of applications that can be satisfied with older, less reliable technology. In particular, the authors find a good match between the reuse of smartphones and educational applications. The experiments indicate that the resource requirements of educational applications can be satisfied by repurposed smartphones. The key challenge is the design of software that can adapt to extreme heterogeneity of devices. To this end, the authors explore smartphone evolutions and characterize different types of heterogeneities among different generations of smartphones. The authors propose insights to aid establishing a sustainable model of designing mobile applications for phone reuse.
Effect of Practitioner Self-Care and Anxiety on Relationships within the Context of Organizational Change
Authors: Manning-Walsh Juanita , Falan Sharie L.
Published: May 2012

This paper reviews the literature and suggests a causal model of the relationships between practitioner anxiety and effective caring practitioner – patient and practitioner – practitioner relationships within the context of organizational change through introduction of an electronic healthcare record. In the authors’ model, self-care is introduced as a mediating variable using a conceptual framework of Relationship-centered Care. Engaging in frequent and regular self-care interventions has been shown to be related to practitioner – patient caring ability and caring efficacy. According to a published model of Relationship-centered Care, it is anticipated that self-care will mediate the effect of practitioner anxiety on the ability to engage in effective therapeutic relationships with patients and other practitioners. Through this lens and within the context of organizational changes such as implementation of the electronic health record, a conceptual model for research is proposed, research hypotheses are stated, and methodology for a future stream of research is discussed.
Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Effectiveness at a Higher Education Institution
Authors: Khalil Omar E. M. , Shea Timothy
Published: May 2012

In most of today’s academic circles, faculty knowledge is rarely shared with colleagues in the same institution in any meaningful or systematic way. This investigation sought answers to two questions regarding the faculty’s perceived knowledge sharing (KS) barriers and the influence that KS barriers may have on KS effectiveness. A data set was collected from seventy-six faculty members. The analysis revealed four key KS barriers, as bounded individual capacity is the most perceived barrier to KS, followed by inadequate organizational capability, fear of knowledge revelation, and knowledge nature. Fear of knowledge revelation was found to be the most influential barrier on KS effectiveness, as it influences three of the four KS effectiveness measures, namely awareness of research activities in one’s department, sharing of research knowledge with others in the institution, and satisfaction with sharing research knowledge with others in the institution. These findings contribute to the growing empirical KS research and provide an appropriate foundation for decision making and policy formulation aiming at fostering KS effectiveness in academe.
Super-Computers, Evolution and the Fabrication of Life
Authors: Delgado Ana , Funtowicz Silvio , Dankel Dorothy
Published: May 2012

As biology moves into the digital realm, new ways of representing, manipulating, and appropriating life are emerging. In this paper, the authors examine systems and synthetic biology and map imaginaries of the making of life. The authors present how they have worked with scientists in three different laboratories in Europe and the U.S. by exploring those imaginaries with them. Focusing on scientific images, methods, and scientific traditions through a number of dialogic sessions, three imaginaries became apparent: living systems as networks, life as building blocks, and living systems as circuits. By working in this way, the authors could explore how scientists imagine their relations with nature (i.e., in terms of ownership) and their role as scientist. Exploring imaginaries of the making of life can open plural and broadly oriented and normative debates on nature, society, technology, and their relations. This kind of dynamic, interactive, and reflexive societal talk is, from the authors’ point of view, a central condition for possible sustainable futures.
Exploring the Factors of Customer Retention in Mobile Sector
Authors: Samanta Irene
Published: May 2012

The development of effective relationships is increasingly recognized as an important component of marketing strategies. Developing and maintaining satisfactory customer relationships can help increase customer retention. From the customer’s perspective, the determinants of relationship satisfaction include factors such as trust, service quality, price perception, inertia, indifference, and switching barriers. The aim of the study is to examine the factors which influence and contribute to customer retention. Mobile industry in Greece was selected to find how customer relationships impact marketing practices in the Greek mobile sector, as well as the effect on customer retention. A questionnaire survey was used to collect the primary data. The author used factor and regression analysis and all tests had a in a 95% confidence level. A statistically significant relationship was found between the dependent variable Customer Retention and the independent variables concerning Price Perception, Inertia, and Customer Satisfaction.
Modelling Security Using Trust Based Concepts
Authors: Pavlidis Michalis , Mouratidis Haralambos , Islam Shareeful
Published: May 2012

Security modelling and analysing not only require solving technical problems but also reasoning on the organization as a whole for the development of a secure system. Assumptions exist about trust relationships among actors within the system environment, which play an important role in modelling and analysing security. Such assumptions are critical and must be analysed systematically for ensuring the overall system security. In this paper, the authors introduce trust-based concepts to identify these trust assumptions, and integrate the trust concepts with security concepts for the development of secure software systems. For this purpose, Secure Tropos’ security modelling activities are extended with trust modelling activities based on the trust-based concepts. The CASE tool SecTro was extended to include the notation of the trust-based concepts to support the methodology. Finally, a running example from the UK National Health Service (NHS) domain is used to demonstrate how trust can be used for security modelling.
The Humanity of the Human Body
Authors: Galván José M. , Luppicini Rocci
Published: May 2012

The importance of the human body within traditional bioethical debates is amplified within the field of technoethics as scholars attempt to grapple with conflicting views of what it means to be human and what attributes are core to human beings within the era of human enhancement technologies. A technoethical perspective of the human being is presented to highlight defining characteristics of humans within a technological society. Under this framework, symbolic capacity and technical ability are assumed to be grounded within the free and ethical nature of human beings. Ideas from Modernity and Postmodernity are used to demonstrate the need for a more encompassing view of humans which accommodates both its technical and ethical dimensions. The concepts of homotechnicus and cybersapien are introduced to help provide a more unitary vision of the human being and the priority of ethics over technics within this technological society.
B-Learning at Universities in Andalusia (Spain)
Authors: Morueta Ramón Tirado , Gómez José Ignacio Aguaded , Gómez Ángel Hernando
Published: May 2012

In this paper, the authors examine the rates at which blended learning (b-learning) has been adopted at universities in the region of Andalusia (Spain), as well as the educational model applied to its usage. The authors explore the influence of teachers’ perceptions of their competence in the use they make of digital material and to measure institutional support for teachers in this area. The methodology consists of an ad hoc questionnaire designed for a representative sample from four universities and the application of Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in universities in Andalusia is common but there is little sign of educational innovation, except in a minority of teachers. In addition, it was found that teachers’ perceptions of their technological competence influenced their use of LMS but not the pedagogical model. The university pedagogical model must be reconceptualised, with a shift in traditional university values toward innovation, cooperation, and a shared construction of knowledge.
Virtual Worlds as the Next Asset of Virtual Learning Environments for Students in Business?
Authors: Pelet Jean-Eric , Lecat Benoît
Published: May 2012

The authors’ research examines the effectiveness of a web-based virtual learning environment (VLE) in the context of management studies. This article provides two main contributions. First, an exploratory study introduces and describes the concept of VLE applied to the training of seven students in an “interactivity design” (IS) course. Second, a confirmatory study conducted with 168 students in management presents a framework of VLE application in the context of management courses (MS). Results indicate that in the context of management studies, singular differences in the knowledge of VLEs exist between low/high skilled students. Even if a VLE can benefit skilled students, low skilled students must first understand and appreciate the full meaning of VLEs. A VLE leads to good training of students in IS courses. However, its existence must be communicated more intensively in the context of managerial studies. Furthermore, these students will need to be trained before achieving a sufficient level of competency to be able to manage projects using Second Life (SL).
Designed to deter: Barriers to facilities at secondary schools in Ghana
Authors: Danso Anthony K. , Owusu-Ansah Frances E. , Alorwu Divine
Published: May 2012

Background: There are varied and complex problems associated with the admission of students with disabilities into secondary (senior high) schools all over the world. This situation is further complicated by difficulties encountered in the built environment of these institutions and, in this, Ghana is no exception. Objectives: This exploratory study investigated the level of accessibility of the built environment in secondary schools in eight out of the ten regions of Ghana, in order to determine whether they conform to guidelines provided in international building standards and also assess the extent to which they have been designed and constructed to meet the provisions of the Persons with Disability Act 2006, which allows for equal access to public buildings in Ghana.Method: In total, 705 building elements in 264 facilities were surveyed using international standards, building codes, regulations and guidelines. These facilities included car parks, classrooms, dormitories, assembly halls, telephone booths and administration blocks.Results: Our findings revealed that most of the building elements were barring and not disability-friendly. Just to name a few: there were obstructions on access routes to and around buildings, absence of designated car parks, unfriendly vertical and horizontal means of circulation in buildings and lack of accessible sanitary accommodations. In addition, the general lighting and signage were poor. As a result, very few students with disabilities are admitted and retained in these schools.Conclusion: Mainstreaming of people with disabilities into the Ghanaian educational system remains impossible unless urgent action is taken to alter the facilities at secondary schools. Based on this research outcome, recommendations have been made to the Ghanaian government and the Ghana Education Service, as well as non-governmental organisations and relevant professional bodies for the amelioration of the present situation in our secondary schools.
Empire and New Testament texts: Theorising the imperial, in subversion and attraction
Authors: Punt Jeremy
Published: May 2012

Considering the overt or sublime connections biblical scholars increasingly indicate between biblical texts and empires, this contribution engages the need for the theorisation of empire beyond material depiction. It is suggested that empire is primarily of conceptual nature and a negotiated notion, a constantly constructed entity by both the powerful and the subjugated, to which the concomitant responses of subversion and attraction to empire attest. The discussion is primarily related to the first-century CE context, arguing also that postcolonial analysis provides a useful approach to deal with (at least, some of) the complexities of such research.
Una estrategia poco utilizada en el cuidado de pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica: la educación en grupo y multidisciplinar de pacientes y sus familiares
Authors: Aguilera Flórez Ana Isabel , Prieto Velasco Mario , González Romero Luis , Abad Toral Beatriz , Martínez Crespo Elisa , Robles del Río Israel , Gutiérrez Gutiérrez Esperanza , Calleja Fernández Alicia , De Boso Serrano Pilar
Published: May 2012

Los equipos multidisciplinares, son una estrategia sugerida hace ya más de un decenio por grupos canadienses. Los pacientes tratados en un ámbito multidisciplinar demuestran un mejor conocimiento de la enfermedad renal crónica y mejores parámetros bioquímicos.
Los objetivos fueron, aumentar los conocimientos, en nuestros pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica avanzada y su familia, sobre su enfermedad, su correcto cuidado y sobre el tratamiento renal sustitutivo, a través de la educación en grupo. Valorar si la información aumenta el nivel de ansiedad de los pacientes. Valorar el grado de satisfacción con la intervención educación en grupo.
Estudio retrospectivo que contó con 19 pacientes, asistentes a los dos cursos. Se realizaron dos cuestionarios al inicio y al final del curso sobre nivel de conocimientos y el nivel de ansiedad (Inventario de Ansiedad Estado-Rasgo). Al final de cada edición, se realizó un cuestionario de evaluación. Las variables estudiadas fueron el sexo, edad, nivel de estudios y asistencia de un familiar.
El nivel de conocimientos alcanzó una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre ambos cuestionarios (inicial-final) (p = 0,013). Los resultados obtenidos en la evaluación del nivel de ansiedad mostraron un ligero incremento en la ansiedad. El cuestionario de satisfacción mostró una valoración muy positiva de la intervención.
Podemos concluir, que la mayoría de los pacientes han aumentado sus conocimientos sobre enfermedad renal crónica avanzada y técnicas de sustitución, han demostrado una alta satisfacción con la experiencia de esta intervención y la mayoría han experimentado un ligero aumento de ansiedad.
Associations between the concurrent use of clinical decision support and computerized provider order entry and the rates of appropriate prescribing at discharge
Authors: Marken P.A. , Simon S.D. , Hackman J.L , Schaefer R.S. , Patterson M.E.
Published: May 2012

Introduction: Electronic health record systems used in conjunction with clinical decision support (CDS) or computerized provider order entry (CPOE) have shown potential in improving quality of care, yet less is known about the effects of combination use of CDS and CPOE on prescribing rates at discharge.

Objectives: This study investigates the effectiveness of combination use of CDS and CPOE on appropriate drug prescribing rates at discharge for AMI or HF patients.

Methods: Combination use of CDS and CPOE is defined as hospitals self-reporting full implementation across all hospital units of CDS reminders, CDS guidelines, and CPOE. Appropriate prescribing rates of aspirin, ACEI/ARBs, or beta blockers are defined using quality measures from Hospital Compare. Multivariate linear regressions are used to test for differences in mean appropriate prescribing rates between hospitals reporting combination use of CDS and CPOE, compared to those reporting the singular use of one or the other, or the absence of both. Covariates include hospital size, region, and ownership status.

Results: Approximately 10% of the sample reported full implementation of both CDS and CPOE, while 7% and 17% reported full use of only CPOE or only CDS, respectively. Hospitals reporting full use of CDS only reported between 0.2% (95% CI 0.04 – 1.0) and 1.6% (95% CI 0.6 – 2.6) higher appropriate prescribing rates compared to hospitals reporting use of neither system. Rates of prescribing by hospitals reporting full use of both CPOE and CDS did not significantly differ from the control group.

Conclusions: Although associations found between full implementation of CDS and appropriate prescribing rates suggest that clinical decision tools are sufficient compared to basic EHR systems in improving prescribing at discharge, the modest differences raise doubt about the clinical relevance of the findings. Future studies need to continue investigating the causal nature and clinical relevance of these associations.
Inhibition Performance and Adsorptive Behavior of Three Amino Acids on Cold-Rolled Steel in 1.0 M HCl—Chemical, Electrochemical, and Morphological Studies
Authors: Amin M.A. , Hazzazi O.A. , Kandemirli F. , Saracoglu M.
Published: May 2012

Three selected amino acids, namely, serine (Ser), threonine (Thr), and glutamine (Glu), were tested as corrosion inhibitors for cold-rolled steel (CRS) in 1.0 M hydrochloric acid (HCl) solutions at different temperatures (283 K to 333 K). Chemical (weight loss) and electrochemical (Tafel polarization) methods were used in this study. Electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM), a non-destructive corrosion measurement technique that can directly give values of corrosion current without prior knowledge of Tafel constants, was also used. Experimental corrosion rates determined by the Tafel extrapolation method were compared with those obtained using the EFM technique and the weight-loss method. Morphologies of the corroded and the inhibited surfaces were studied by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Tafel plots showed that the three tested amino acids act as mixed-type inhibitors. The three tested amino acids appeared to function through adsorption following the Temkin adsorption isotherm model. Glu was found to inhibit corrosion of steel more effectively than Ser and Thr.
Interactions of meteoric smoke particles with sulphuric acid in the Earth's stratosphere
Authors: Saunders R. W. , Dhomse S. , Tian W. S. , Chipperfield M. P. , Plane J. M. C.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. Nano-sized meteoric smoke particles (MSPs) with iron-magnesium silicate compositions, formed in the upper mesosphere as a result of meteoric ablation, may remove sulphuric acid from the gas-phase above 40 km and may also affect the composition and behaviour of supercooled H2SO4-H2O droplets in the global stratospheric aerosol (Junge) layer. This study describes a time-resolved spectroscopic analysis of the evolution of the ferric (Fe3+) ion originating from amorphous ferrous (Fe2+)-based silicate powders dissolved in varying Wt % sulphuric acid (30–75 %) solutions over a temperature range of 223–295 K. Complete dissolution of the particles was observed under all conditions. The first-order rate coefficient for dissolution decreases at higher Wt % and lower temperature, which is consistent with the increased solution viscosity limiting diffusion of H2SO4 to the particle surfaces. Dissolution under stratospheric conditions should take less than a week, and is much faster than the dissolution of crystalline Fe2+ compounds. The chemistry climate model UMSLIMCAT (based on the UKMO Unified Model) was then used to study the transport of MSPs through the middle atmosphere. A series of model experiments were performed with different uptake coefficients. Setting the concentration of 1.5 nm radius MSPs at 80 km to 3000 cm−3 (based on rocket-borne charged particle measurements), the model matches the reported Wt % Fe values of 0.5–1.0 in Junge layer sulphate particles, and the MSP optical extinction between 40 and 75 km measured by a satellite-borne spectrometer, if the global meteoric input rate is about 20 tonnes per day. The model indicates that an uptake coefficient ≥0.01 is required to account for the observed two orders of magnitude depletion of H2SO4 vapour above 40 km.
Time dependence of immersion freezing
Authors: Welti A. , Lüönd F. , Kanji Z. A. , Stetzer O. , Lohmann U.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. The time dependence of immersion freezing was studied for temperatures between 236 K and 243 K. Droplets with single immersed, size-selected 400 nm and 800 nm kaolinite particles were produced at 300 K, cooled down to supercooled temperatures typical for mixed-phase cloud conditions, and the fraction of frozen droplets with increasing residence time was detected. To simulate the conditions of immersion freezing in mixed-phase clouds we used the Zurich Ice Nucleation Chamber (ZINC) and its vertical extension, the Immersion Mode Cooling chAmber (IMCA). We observed that the frozen fraction of droplets increased with increasing residence time in the chamber. This suggests that there is a time dependence of immersion freezing and supports the importance of a stochastic component in the ice nucleation process. The rate at which droplets freeze was observed to decrease towards higher temperatures and smaller particle sizes. Comparison of the laboratory data with four different ice nucleation models, three based on classical nucleation theory with different representations of the particle surface properties and one singular, suggest that the classical, stochastic approach combined with a distribution of contact angles is able to reproduce the ice nucleation observed in these experiments most accurately. Using the models to calculate the increase in frozen fraction at typical mixed-phase cloud temperatures over an extended period of time, yields an equivalent effect of −1 K temperature shift and an increase in time scale by a factor of ~10.
Retrieval of the optical depth and vertical distribution of particulate scatterers in the atmosphere using O2 A- and B-band SCIAMACHY observations over Kanpur: a case study
Authors: Sanghavi S. , Martonchik J. V. , Landgraf J. , Platt U.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. Due to the well-defined vertical profile of O2 in the atmosphere, the strong A-band (757–774 nm) has long been used to estimate vertical distributions of aerosol/cloud from space. We extend this approach to include part of the O2 B-band (684–688 nm) as well. SCIAMACHY onboard ENVISAT is the first instrument to provide spectral data at moderate resolution (0.2–1.5 nm) in the UV/VIS/NIR including both the O2 A- and B-bands. Using SCIAMACHY specifications, we make combined use of these bands in an optimal estimation algorithm. Theoretical studies show that our algorithm is applicable both over bright and dark surfaces for the retrieval of a lognormal approximation of the vertical profile of particulate matter, in addition to its optical thickness. Synthetic studies and information content analyses prove that such a combined use provides additional information on the vertical distribution of atmospheric scatterers, attributable to differences in the absorption strengths of the two bands and their underlying surface albedos. Due to the high computational cost of the retrieval, we restrict application to real data to a case study over Kanpur through the year 2003. Comparison with AERONET data shows a commonly observed seasonal pattern of haziness, manifesting a correlation coefficient of r = 0.92 for non-monsoon monthly mean AOTs. The retrieved particulate optical thickness is found to be anti-correlated with the relative contrast of the Lambertian equivalent reflectivity (LER) at 682 nm and 755 nm by a coefficient of 0.788, confirming the hypothesis made in Sanghavi et al. (2010). Our case study demonstrates a stable physics-based retrieval of particulate matter using only SCIAMACHY data. The feasibility of our approach is enhanced by the information provided by measurements around the O2 B-band in addition to the A-band. Nonetheless, operational application to SCIAMACHY data remains challenged by radiometric uncertainties, yielding simultaneous retrieval of particle microphysical parameters impracticable and leading to over-reliance on climatological data. Addressing these issues in future instruments similar to SCIAMACHY, coupled with computational resources and speed-up of the current line-by-line radiative transfer calculations, can allow our approach to be extended to the global scale, particularly as it is not limited to dark surfaces.