bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Bone Conduction Based Spatial Auditory Display as Part of a Wearable Hybrid Interface
Authors: Brock Amit Barde , Ward Matt , Helton William S. , Billinghurst Mark
Published: May 2017

Attention redirection trials were carried out using a wearable interface incorporating auditory and visual cues. Visual cues were delivered via the screen on the Recon Jet – a wearable computer resembling a pair of glasses – while auditory cues were delivered over a bone conduction headset. Cueing conditions included the delivery of individual cues, both auditory and visual, and in combination with each other. Results indicate that the use of an auditory cue drastically decreases target acquisition times. This is true especially for targets that fall outside the visual field of view. While auditory cues showed no difference when paired with any of the visual cueing conditions for targets within the field of view of the user, for those outside the field of view a significant improvement in performance was observed. The static visual cue paired with the binaurally spatialised, dynamic auditory cue appeared to provide the best performance in comparison to any other cueing conditions. In the absence of a visual cue, the binaurally spatialised, dynamic auditory cue performed the best.
Music of Migration and Phenology: Listening to Counterpoints of Musk Ox and Caribou Migrations, and Cycles of Plant Growth
Authors: Ballora Mark
Published: May 2017

This extended abstract describes a sonification that was commissioned by a biologist/animal ecologist. The sonification was created with the software synthesis program SuperCollider [1]. The motivation for creating it was to pursue additional levels of engagement and immersion by supplementing the effects of visual plots, as well as to create an informative rendering of a multivariate dataset. The goal is for audiences, in particular students and laypeople, to readily understand (and hopefully find compelling) the phenomena being described. The approach is parameterbased, creating “sonic scatter plots” [2] in the same manner as work described in earlier publications [3], [4]. The work described here is a current experimental project that takes a sonic approach to describing the interactions of plant phenology and animal migrations in Greenland. This area is seen as a predictor of how climate change may affect areas farther south. There is concern about the synchronicity of annual caribou migrations with the appearance of plant food sources, as warmer temperatures may cause plants to bloom earlier and in advance of the caribou arrival at their calving grounds; depleted food availability at calving time can lead to lower populations of caribou. Parts of this sonification will be applied to a multi-year professional development workshop for middle and high school science teachers. It is hoped that sonifications of plant observations made by teachers and students will enhance student engagement, and possibly lead to greater degrees of understanding of phenology patterns.
The Aesthetics Of Causality: A Descriptive Account Into Ecological Performativity
Authors: Connors Teresa Marie
Published: May 2017

In this paper, I offer a perspective into a creative research practice I have come to term as Ecological Performativity. This practice has evolved from a number of non-linear audiovisual installations that are intrinsically linked to geographical and everyday phenomena. The project is situated in ecological discourse that seeks to explore conditions and methods of co-creative processes derived from an intensive data-gathering procedure and immersion within the respective environments. Through research the techniques explored include computer vision, data sonification, live convolution and improvisation as a means to engage the agency of material and thus construct non-linear audiovisual installations. To contextualize this research, I have recently reoriented my practice within recent critical, theoretical, and philosophical discourses emerging in the humanities, sciences and social sciences generally referred to as ‘the nonhuman turn’. These trends currently provide a reassessment of the assumptions that have defined our understanding of the geo-conjunctures that make up life on earth and, as such, challenge the long-standing narrative of human exceptionalism. It is out of this reorientation that the practice of Ecological Performativity has evolved.
Lost Oscillations: Exploring a City’s Space and Time With an Interactive Auditory Art Installation
Authors: Murphy Jim , McKinnon Dugal , Zareei Mo H.
Published: May 2017

Lost Oscillations is a spatio-temporal sound art installation that allows users to explore the past and present of a city’s soundscape. Participants are positioned in the center of an octophonic speaker array; situated in the middle of the array is a touch-sensitive user interface. The user interface is a stylized representation of a map of Christchurch, NewZealand, with electrodes placed throughout the map. Upon touching an electrode, one of many sound recordings made at the electrode’s real-world location is chosen and played; users must stay in contact with the electrodes in order for the sounds to continue playing, requiring commitment from users in order to explore the soundscape. The sound recordings have been chosen to represent Christchurch’s development throughout its history, allowing participants to explore the evolution of the city from the early 20th Century through to its post-earthquake reconstruction. This paper discusses the motivations for Lost Oscillations before presenting the installation’s design, development, and presentation.
MalLo March: A Live Sonified Performance With User Interaction
Authors: Wolf KatieAnna E. , Oda Reid
Published: May 2017

In this extended abstract we present a new performance piece titled MalLo March that uses MalLo, a predictive percussion instrument, to allow for real-time soniﬁcation of live performers. The piece consists of two movements where in the ﬁrst movement audience members will use a web application and headphones to listen to a soniﬁcation of MalLo instruments as they are played live on stage. During the second movement each audience member will use an interface in the web app to design their own soniﬁcation of the instruments to create a personalized version of the performance. We present an overview of the hardware and interaction design, highlighting various listening modes that provide audience members with different levels of control in designing the soniﬁcation of the live performers.
Sonification of Movement for Motor Skill Learning in a Novel Bimanual Task: Aesthetics and Retention Strategies
Authors: Dyer John , Stapleton Paul , Rodger Matthew
Published: May 2017

Here we report early results from an experiment designed to investigate the use of sonification for the learning of a novel perceptual-motor skill. We find that sonification which employs melody is more effective than a strategy which provides only bare timing information. We additionally show that it might be possible to ‘refresh’ learning after performance has waned following training - through passive listening to the sound that would be produced by perfect performance. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of general motor performance enhancement and sonic feedback design.
Can Listening to Music Make You Type Better? The Effect of Music Style, Vocals and Volume on Typing Performance
Authors: Bramwell-Dicks Anna , Petrie Helen , Edwards Alistair
Published: May 2017

Music psychologists have frequently shown that music affects people’s behaviour. Applying this concept to work-related computing tasks has the potential to lead to improvements in a person’s productivity, efﬁciency and effectiveness. This paper presents two quantitative experiments exploring whether transcription typing performance is affected when hearing a music accompaniment that includes vocals. The ﬁrst experiment showed that classifying the typists as either slow or fast ability is important as there were signiﬁcant interaction effects once this between group factor was included, with the accuracy of fast typists reduced when the music contained vocals. In the second experiment, a Dutch transcription typing task was added to manipulate task difﬁculty and the volume of playback was included as a between groups independent variable. When typing in Dutch the fast typists’ speed was reduced with louder music. When typing in English the volume of music had little effect on typing speed for either the fast or slow typists. The fast typists achieved lower speeds when the loud volume music contained vocals, but with low volume music the inclusion of vocals in the background music did not have a noticeable affect on typing speed. The presence of vocals in the music reduced the accuracy of the text entry across the whole sample. Overall, these experiments show that the presence of vocals in background music reduces typing performance, but that we might be able to exploit instrumental music to improve performance in tasks involving typing with either low or high volume music.
In Ear to Out There: A Magnitude Based Parameterization Scheme for Sound Source Externalization
Authors: Romigh Grifﬁn D. , Simpson Brian D. , Iyer Nandini
Published: May 2017

While several potential auditory cues responsible for sound source externalization have been identiﬁed, less work has gone into providing a simple and robust way of manipulating perceived externalization. The current work describes a simple approach for parametrically modifying individualized head-related transfer function spectra that results in a systematic change in the perceived externalization of a sound source. Methods and results from a subjective evaluation validating the technique are presented, and further discussion relates the current method to previously identiﬁed cues for auditory distance perception.
A Task-Analysis-Based Evaluation of Sonification Designs for Two sEMG Tasks
Authors: Peres S. Camille , Verona Daniel
Published: May 2017

This paper presents a brief description of surface electromyography (sEMG), what it can be used for, as well as some of the problems associated with visual displays of sEMG data. Sonifications of sEMG data have shown potential for certain applications in data monitoring and movement training, however there are still challenges related to the design of these sonifications that need to be addressed. Our previous research has shown that different sonification designs resulted in better listener performance for different sEMG evaluation tasks (e.g. identifying muscle activation time vs. muscle exertion level). Based on this finding, we speculated that sonifications may benefit from being designed to be task-specific, and that integrating a task analysis into the sonification design process may help sonification designers identify intuitive and meaningful sonification designs. This paper presents a brief introduction to what a task analysis is, provides an example of how a task analysis can be used to inform sonification design, and outlines future research into a task-analysis-based approach to sonification design.
Satellite Gamelan: Microtonal Sonification Using a Large Consort of Mobile Phones
Authors: Schiemer Greg
Published: May 2017

This paper describes an approach to sonification based on an iPhone app created for multiple users to explore a microtonal scale generated from harmonics using the combination product set method devised by tuning theorist Erv Wilson. The app is intended for performance by a large consort of hand-held mobile phones where phones are played collaboratively in a shared listening space. Audio consisting of handbells and sine tones is synthesised independently on each phone. Sound projection from each phone relies entirely on venue acoustics unaided by mains-powered amplification. It was designed to perform a microtonal composition called Transposed Dekany which takes the form of a chamber concerto in which a consort of players explore the properties of an microtonal scale. The consort subdivides into families of instruments that play in different pitch registers assisted by processes that are enabled and disabled at various stages throughout the performance. The paper outlines Wilson’s method, describes its current implementation and considers hypothetical sonification scenarios for implementation using different data with potential applications in the physical world.
Pregnancy and Glomerular Disease
Authors: Blom Kimberly , Odutayo Ayodele , Bramham Kate , Hladunewich Michelle A.
Published: May 2017

During pregnancy, CKD increases both maternal and fetal risk. Adverse maternal outcomes include progression of underlying renal dysfunction, worsening of urine protein, and hypertension, whereas adverse fetal outcomes include fetal loss, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm delivery. As such, pregnancy in young women with CKD is anxiety provoking for both the patient and the clinician providing care, and because the heterogeneous group of glomerular diseases often affects young women, this is an area of heightened concern. In this invited review, we discuss pregnancy outcomes in young women with glomerular diseases. We have performed a systematic review in attempt to better understand these outcomes among young women with primary GN, we review the studies of pregnancy outcomes in lupus nephritis, and finally, we provide a potential construct for management. Although it is safe to say that the vast majority of young women with glomerular disease will have a live birth, the counseling that we can provide with respect to individualized risk remains imprecise in primary GN because the existing literature is extremely dated, and all management principles are extrapolated primarily from studies in lupus nephritis and diabetes. As such, the study of pregnancy outcomes and management strategies in these rare diseases requires a renewed interest and a dedicated collaborative effort.
Diabetic Kidney Disease
Authors: Alicic Radica Z. , Rooney Michele T. , Tuttle Katherine R.
Published: May 2017

Diabetic kidney disease develops in approximately 40% of patients who are diabetic and is the leading cause of CKD worldwide. Although ESRD may be the most recognizable consequence of diabetic kidney disease, the majority of patients actually die from cardiovascular diseases and infections before needing kidney replacement therapy. The natural history of diabetic kidney disease includes glomerular hyperfiltration, progressive albuminuria, declining GFR, and ultimately, ESRD. Metabolic changes associated with diabetes lead to glomerular hypertrophy, glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis. Despite current therapies, there is large residual risk of diabetic kidney disease onset and progression. Therefore, widespread innovation is urgently needed to improve health outcomes for patients with diabetic kidney disease. Achieving this goal will require characterization of new biomarkers, designing clinical trials that evaluate clinically pertinent end points, and development of therapeutic agents targeting kidney-specific disease mechanisms (e.g., glomerular hyperfiltration, inflammation, and fibrosis). Additionally, greater attention to dissemination and implementation of best practices is needed in both clinical and community settings.Introduction
Teachers’ Awareness of the Value Component of the National Policy on Education in Nigeria
Authors: Jabaar Saheed O. , Bichi Ado Abdu
Published: May 2017

Nigerians as a people are in dire need of value re-orientation in order to stem the tide of negative social values that are bedevilling the country. Education has crucial role to play in the efforts towards value regeneration and reorientation because the youth of the nation spend their formative years in the school system. This study investigated the level of secondary school teachers’ awareness of the National Policy on Education (NPE) with regard to the value components of the Policy. A descriptive survey design was employed to collect data for the study, using a sample of 301 secondary school teachers in Kano state, Nigeria. The data collection instrument was a self-developed and validated 16 items questionnaire. Data collected through the instruments were analysed using SPSS 20; descriptive statistics (Frequency, Percentage, Mean, and Standard Deviation) and inferential statistics (i.e., Independent sampled t-test and One-Way ANOVA) were used to analyse the data. Findings reveal that, the secondary schools teachers have no access to the NPE document and possess moderate level of awareness of the value component of NPE. Similarly, there is no significant difference in the teachers’ level of awareness with respect to gender, qualifications and teaching experiences. Based on the findings of this study it can be concluded that, the secondary school teachers have limited access to the NPE documents and irrespective of their gender, qualifications and years of teaching experience possess moderate level of awareness of the value component of NPEs in Kano state. It is therefore recommended among others that, relevant authorities should provide more copies of the latest edition of the NPE in school libraries; In-service training of teachers should include sensitization on the contents and relevance of the policy document to their work as teachers. Moreover, in-service training of teachers should include inculcation of skills of identifying the value components of school subjects and the retraining should be all-inclusive to accommodate teachers of all cadres.
Evaluation of Albumin, Zinc and Vitamin C in Surgical Wound Patients
Authors: Johnkennedy Nnodim , Emmanuel Nwobodo , Constance Nwadike , Ukamaka Edward , Oluchi Aloy-Amadi , Patrick Obi
Published: May 2017

The serum albumin, zinc and vitamin C statuses of surgical wound patients attending General Hospital Owerri, Nigeria were investigated to determine whether or not the serum levels of these elements were normal. One hundred surgical wound patients age 20-40 years were selected. One hundred normal subjects age 20-40 years were used as control. The levels of albumin, zinc and vitamin C were significantly decreased in surgical wound patients, when compared with the control (p<0.05). The result suggests, but not conclusively, that supplementation of surgical wound patients, with food and drug containing albumin, zinc and vitamin C might be helpful, particularly for the healing f surgical wounds.
BIOANALYTICAL METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF TICAGRELOR BY RP-HPLC
Authors: D’cruz Delma , Babu Anu , Joshy Eena
Published: May 2017

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to develop a simple, precise, rapid and accurate RP-HPLC method for the quantitative determination of ticagrelor in human plasma. Methods: The separation was accomplished by the isocratic method by utilizing phenomenex C18 column on a Shimadzu binary gradient liquid chromatography system furnished with LC-20AD solvent delivery system, SPD-20-A photo-diode array detector and 20 µl loop volume in a rheodyne injector. The analyte was extracted by protein precipitation in the involvement of diethyl ether as a protein precipitator. The mobile phase was developed for the estimation of the drug in human plasma consists of acetonitrile and methanol in the ratio of 60:40% v/v. Separation was done with a flow rate of 1 ml/min at a detection wavelength of 254 nm.Results: Retention time was found to be 4.503 min with a run time 10 min. Linearity shows in a range of 20-100 µg/ml, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992 respectively. Stability studies of ticagrelor in plasma were carried out by, short term stability, long term stability and bench top stability studies. Short term stability, long term stability and bench top stability of ticagrelor was carried out from 20 and 100 µg/ml concentration and %RSD was ascertained 0.12% and 0.08%, 0.18% and 0.15%, 1.19% and 1.30% respectively.Conclusion: The outcomes were observed to be inside the knowledge of ICH guidelines. The prepared solution was injected in triplicate, and % RSD was measured. Acquired results demonstrate that proposed strategy can be effortlessly and advantageously applied for routine examination of ticagrelor in human plasma
LIQUISOLID TECHNIQUE: A NOVEL APPROACH FOR DOSAGE FORM DESIGN
Authors: Panda Satyajit , Varaprasad R. , Priyanka K. , Swain Ranjit P.
Published: May 2017

The liquisolid technique is a novel approach for delivery of drugs through the oral route. This technique is suitable for poorly soluble or water insoluble drugs, highly permeable drugs (BCS Class II drugs) and also for immediate or sustained release formulations. It is a novel "Powder Solution Technology" that involves absorption and adsorption efficiencies, making use of liquid medications, drug suspensions admixed with suitable carriers, coating materials and formulated into free flowing, dry looking, non-adherent and compressible powder forms. The design of liquisolid systems are mainly intended for enhancement of solubility, dissolution rate and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble and highly lipophilic drugs. Improvement in bioavailability may be due to increased surface area, increased aqueous solubility and increased the wettability of the drug. Liquisolid technique also has the potential to be optimized for the reduction of drug dissolution rate and thereby production of sustained release systems. Overall, liquisolid technique is a most promising and novel technique for enhancing the dissolution and bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs and sustaining drug release from tablet matrices. The current review mainly focuses on theory and applicability of liquisolid compact technique towards solubility or bioavailability enhancement. Different carriers, solvents and coating materials employed are elucidated. Literature reports on the applicability of liquisolid compact techniques over a wide range of pharmaceutical formulations are also explicated.
DEVELOPMENT AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A PERIODONTAL BIOADHESIVE GEL OF GATIFLOXACIN
Authors: Kassab Hanan Jalal , Thomas Lena Murad , Jabir Saba Abdulhadi
Published: May 2017

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a bioadhesive gel of gatifloxacin for the treatment of periodontal diseases.Methods: Periodontal gels of gatifloxacin were prepared using different hydrophilic polymers such as carbopol 940 (CP 940), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) in varied concentrations, either alone or as a combination. The prepared gels were evaluated for their physical appearance, pH, drug content, viscosity, bioadhesiveness and in vitro drug release profile. The influence of the type and the concentration of polymer on the drug release as well as on viscosity and mucoadhesiveness of prepared gels were investigated.Results: The prepared gels showed acceptable physical properties concerning color, homogeneity, consistency, spreadability, and pH value. Using different polymer types at different concentrations, as well as different polymer combinations, play a significant role in the variation of overall characteristics of formulations. Increasing the concentration of polymer increased the viscosity as well as mucoadhesion, and reduced drug release rate. Formulation F 11 (1 % CP 940 and 5 % CMC) was selected as the formula of choice based on the data of various evaluation parameters such as pH, drug content, viscosity, spreadability and bioadhesion as well as its ability to show a prolonged drug release pattern.Conclusion: The obtained results show that a bioadhesive periodontal gel of gatifloxacin can be prepared using hydrophilic polymers, and by using a combination of polymers the viscosity, mucoadhesiveness, spreadability and release behavior can be optimized.
SYNTHESIS AND ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF SOME NEW 3-PHENYL-2-THIOXOTHIAZOLIDIN-4-ONE DERIVATIVES
Authors: Zaveri Mehul , Kawathekar Neha
Published: May 2017

Objective: Current therapies to treat P. falciparum malaria are heavily reliant on artemisinin-based combinations. However, resistance to artemisinin has recently been identified, and resistance to key artemisinin partner drugs is already widespread. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new antimalarial drugs with improved attributes over older therapies. The objective of this research work is to synthesize new antimalarial agents more effective against clinically relevant malarial strains.Methods: In present work, a series of ten 3-phenyl-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one (MF1-MF10) derivatives, were synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation of N-phenyl rhodanine (I1) with substituted aromatic or hetro aromatic aldehydes using microwave irradiation. N-phenyl rhodanine (I1) was synthesized by a conventional reaction involving methyl-2-mercaptoacetate (1) and phenyl Isothiocyanates in presence of triethylamine. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and evaluated for in-vitro antimalarial activity by microdilution technique against resistance strains of Plasmodium falciparum.Results: The antimalarial activity data showed that six compounds (MF1, MF3, MF4, MF5, MF7 and MF8) exhibited IC50 values ranging from 1.0-1.30 µg/ml, three compounds (MF2, MF6 and MF10) displayed IC50 values in the range of 0.9-1.0 µg/ml. Compound MF9 showed most significant result with maximum activity (IC50 = 0.85µg/ml).Conclusion: The antimalarial activity results revealed that compound MF9 possess potent activity and could be identified as a promising lead for further investigation.
ISOLATION OF POTENT HYDROCARBON DEGRADING MICRO-ORGANISMS AND ITS APPLICATION IN BIOREMEDIATION
Authors: Shine Harshada , Samant Lalit R. , Tulaskar Vidhita , Vartak Dhanashree
Published: May 2017

Objective: Oil spillage has become a global environmental problem as its constituents are toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Natural bioremediation is the only eco-friendly solution to resist its devastating environmental and economic damage. Microbes are used to change harmful substances to non-toxic substances. The current work focuses on the performance of different bacterial species in degrading the oil components like benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)s.Methods: Sample was collected from different areas affected by the oil spill in Mumbai that is from the shore of Juhu, Dadar and Manori in form of tar balls and was enriched and isolated on Bushnell and Hass's media containing 1% crude oil as a sole source of carbon. The potent isolates were then identified by standard biochemical tests referring to Bergey's Manual.Results: Two partially identified strains were Pseudomonas flavescens and Bacillus sp. biofilms of Pseudomonas spp. was prepared on glass matrix to determine its oil degrading efficiency. An indigenous consortium was developed by the assembly of seven isolates of oil-degrading bacteria.Conclusion: The developed consortium was able to degrade crude oil completely within 4 d. The obtained isolates seemed to have the potential for bioremediation of oil contaminated soil and tar balls which was justified by setting up of a bioreactor.
PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES OF ABUTILON BIDENTATUM HOCHST
Authors: Tripathi Rekha
Published: May 2017

Objective: The present study deals with the phytochemical and Biological investigation of ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Abutilon bitentatum Hochst.Methods: Ethanolic extract of aerial parts of A. bitentatum was chromatographed over a silica gel column for phytochemical analysis and Pharmacological studies includes the anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-tumor activity of ethanolic extract of aerial parts of A. bidentatum.Results: Phytochemical analysis of aerial parts of A. bitentatum revealed the presence of n-tetracosane, cetyl stearate, tetracosyl alcohol, cycloartenone, β-amyrin, β-sitisterol, alantolactone, isoalantolactone and a new cholestane derivative. The ethanolic extract of aerial parts of this plant showed trace activity for test bacteria and viruses but it is quite active against test fungi.Conclusion: The extract exhibited significant fungicidal activity.
FORMULATION EVALUATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF IMMEDIATE RELEASE TABLET OF ACECLOFENAC BY DIRECT COMPRESSION METHOD
Authors: Hazarika Jahan Nur Rahman , Deb Pulak
Published: May 2017

Objective: The objective of present work is to formulate and evaluate immediate release tablets of aceclofenac. Aceclofenac is effectively acting as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the phenylacetic acid group, which has properties such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic when given orally.Methods: First Pre-formulation studies were carried out such as FTIR, solubility, bulk and tapped density, hounars ratio, Carr’s index, the angle of repose etc. Then the tablets were prepared by direct compression using super disintegrating agents (sodium starch glycolate). To obtain the desired optimum formulation several formulations had been performed with different excipients and their ration. For each formulation, post formulation parameters are determined including hardness, weight variation, friability, disintegration and in vitro dissolution, wetting time, water absorption ratio etc.Results: From the test performed it is found that the formulation F8 is best and satisfies all the criteria as immediate release tablet.Conclusion: From the result, it can be concluded that using Sodium Starch Glycolate at 4% will give the best in vitro drug release.
SYNTHESIS, SPECTRAL AND MOLECULAR MODELING STUDIES OF COUMARIN DERIVATIVES
Authors: Bhaskar P. Vijay , Ramachandraiah A.
Published: May 2017

Objective: To synthesize the 3-{2-[N'-(1-Pyridin-2-yl-ethylidene)-hydrazino]-thiazol-4-yl} coumarins and study their spectral and molecular properties by using the spectroscopy and molecular modeling techniques.Methods: Spectroscopy and Molecular modeling techniquesResults: The spectral behavior of 3-{2-[N'-(1-Pyridin-2-yl-ethylidene)-hydrazino]-thiazol-4-yl} coumarins (1.1-1.3) in aqueous buffers of varied pH is presented. Spectrophotometry was utilized to study its proton and electron transfer characteristics with the support of molecular modeling studies. An excellent analytical method of assaying of (1.1-1.3) has been developed in Spectrophotometry at pH = 6. Molecular modeling on various acid-base conjugates of (1.1-1.3) and their several conformers has been carried out to arrive at the thermodynamic and conformational issues to correlate the spectral and electrochemical observations.Conclusion: Electron transfer (ET) has been increasingly implicated as a biochemical pathway for the pharmacologic action of a variety of biological active compounds. These studies helps to understand the active form of the biological active compounds may have a catalytic function as an intermediary in passing electrons from a donor, such as DNA, protein, or an ET chain, to an acceptor, thereby exercising an influence on normal or aberrant ET chains, ion movements, membrane potentials, and oxidative stress. The actual agent may be the biological active compounds itself or a derived metabolite, such as a metal complex, oxidative product, or protonated form.
ANTITHESIS AS A RHETORICAL DEVICE OF SPEECH COMPOSITION IN THE ANTIQUE DISCOURSE
Authors:   Elena V. Matveeva Amur State University, Matveeva Elena V. , Ma Tatyana Yu. ,   Tatyana Yu. Ma Amur State University
Published: May 2017

The paper deals with antithesis as an ancient rhetorical device possessing unique argumentative power. During the course of a debate antithesis allows a public speaker to win over the audience by revealing and conciliating contradictions within a phenomenon. In the text antithesis fulfills architectonic and diagrammatic functions as well as a highlighting function of an argument based on opposition. From a structural point of view antithesis is a multifunctional stylistic device used in public speech, essays, and courtroom speeches.
The Implications of Consumer Protection Legislation for Hotels and Guests in South Africa
Authors: Mohamed Raeesah , Reddy Karunanidhi , Naidoo P. M.
Published: May 2017

During the apartheid era, consumers in South Africa, based on their race and ethnicity, were restricted when concluding contracts, as there was no open market trade. As consumers, hotel guests could also be victims of unfair business practices. Hotels use standard form contracts that may include unfair terms that favour the business and which are over-protective of business interests. A significant percentage of the population have low literacy levels, which severely disadvantage them when it comes to understanding the content and consequence of contracts. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) introduces wide-ranging legal measures to protect consumers, including hotel guests, from exploitation and abuse in the marketplace and sets out comprehensive obligations for hotels. This article provides a descriptive critique based on literature and describes the challenges faced by hotel guests and discusses the implications of the Act for hotels and guests. It concludes that not only does the CPA advocate ethical business practices that are mandatory for hotels, but it also introduces a range of rights and protection for guests as consumers. The CPA has introduced a shift in contract law from a standpoint which allowed the parties the freedom to choose the content of the contract to one where fairness and transparency is imperative, as protection in terms of legislation compensates for the weaker bargaining position of the consumer.
Re-Thinking a Structural Model for M-Phone Paying among South African Consumers
Authors: N. Dlodlo
Published: May 2017

Contemporary payment systems have transformed global businesses extensively. Nevertheless, despite its vast prospects, the widespread utilisation of mobile phone technology for payment transactions (m-phone paying) and reproduction of pecuniary structures has only been hemmed in among a small number of markets. The proliferated reliance on mobile payment services has not been witnessed universally, suggesting that even success stories are still ambivalent and as a result, cannot be easily replicated. This paper is intended to address this issue by evaluating the determining factors towards the continued use of m-phone payment services by existing South African customers. The research model was tested using SMART PLS 3, upon examining the antecedents of users’ intentions toward embracing the emerging mobile phone in commercial transactions. A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 474 consumers, wherein security and usefulness were validated as having significant and direct effects on consumers’ attitude towards m-phone paying, of which the latter influences future intentions. The relevance of customers’ future intentions towards m-phone paying was established, thereby sanctioning the idea to include the variable as a proxy for actual usage in technology adoption research. This study provides sound reason for cumulative research that seeks to refine novel models of technology acceptance even further. For marketers and m-phone technologists, understanding the key determinants is vital towards the upgrade and implementation of m-phone payment services. In lieu of this, delivering m-phone applications and payment services that achieve high usage, value and consumer laudation will be an inevitable boon.
E-Communication and Customer Satisfaction: a Case of the Mobile Telecommunications Industry in South Africa
Authors: Veerasamy Dayaneethie , Govender Jeevarathnam Parthasarathy
Published: May 2017

Electronic communication (e-communication) refers to communicating by electronic means, especially over computer networks. Organisations use the internet to distribute valuable content in a variety of ways including e-newsletters, articles, videos, webinars, chats, live online events, social networks and forums. Customer satisfaction measures how well the expectations of a customer concerning a product or service provided by an organisation have been met. Customers can be satisfied with more than just the organisation’s product offerings. Customers use the Internet to search for general information, instruction guides or tips that they consider interesting or valuable. They often base their buying decisions on what they find. Valuable content can result in positive advertising as customers share positive content-related experiences with others. It can also increase loyalty as customers start to view or perceive an organisation as an expert about industry-related topics. This paper examines the relationship between e-communication and customer satisfaction within the mobile telecommunications industry in South Africa. This research was quantitative, descriptive and cross sectional in nature. The study found that e-communication was being used by the majority of the service providers in the mobile telecommunications industry and that it led to increased customer satisfaction.
Budget Deficits and Economic Growth: A Vector Error Correction Modelling of South Africa
Authors: Molefe Kagiso , Maredza Andrew
Published: May 2017

The primary motivation behind this study was to explore the consequential effects of budget deficit on South Africa`s economic growth. Six variables were used, namely: real GDP, budget deficit, real interest rate, labour, gross fixed capital formation and unemployment. The Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) was used to estimate the long-run equation and also measure the correction from disequilibrium of preceding periods. Using annual time series data spanning the period 1985 to 2015, empirical evidence from the study revealed that budget deficits and economic growth are inversely related. It was therefore concluded that high levels of budget deficit in South Africa have detrimental effects on the growth of the economy. The estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study revealed that about 29 per cent of the variation in GDP from its equilibrium level is corrected within one year. The results obtained in this study are favourably similar to those in the literature and are also sustained by previous studies.
Desalination by renewable energy: A mini review of the recent patents
Authors: Al-Rawajfeh Aiman , Jaber Samar , Etawi Hossam
Published: May 2017

Recent patents on water desalination by using renewable energy technologies are critically reviewed with highlighting on environmental impacts and sustainable development. An overview of using wind, hydroelectric, wave and tidal, wind/solar, geothermal, and solar renewable energy technologies for desalinated water production are assessed. Solar energy is the mother of all other renewable energies; it does not pollute, it is free and available everywhere. Several patents have been invented systems and methods that collected and converted solar energy to electrical energy via solar energy which can be used for water desalination. Wind farm with wind-driven pressurizing devices is used to desalinate salt water by reverse osmosis. Geothermal has been used as an effective method for water desalination. It is highly recommended to provide seawater desalination powered by a renewable energy source in remote areas. On the other hand, sequentially staged of energy conversion steps operate at low efficiencies.
Fast and sensitive metronidazole determination by means of voltammetry on renewable amalgam silver based electrode without the preconcentration step
Authors: Piech Robert , Smajdor Joanna , Paczosa-Bator Beata , Rumin Martyna
Published: May 2017

Application of cyclic renewable amalgam silver-based electrode (Hg(Ag)FE) for sensitive metronidazole detection by the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) is described. The unique properties of the Hg(Ag)FE such as the relative large surface area and its fast and very simple renewal were fully utilized for sensitive measurements. Compared with the classical hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), the renewable Hg(Ag)FE significantly increases the reduction peak current of metronidazole because of its large surface area. The effects of various factors for the metronidazole determination such as: pulse height and width, step potential, surface area of the working electrode, and basic electrolyte composition are optimized. The obtained calibration graph is linear from 0.1 (17 ?g L-1) to 2 ?M (342 ?g L-1) with correlation coefficient 0.999. For the Hg(Ag)FE with the surface area of 10.1 mm2 the limit of detection (LOD) is 20 nM (3.4 ?g L-1). The repeatability of the method at a concentration of the analyte of 0.5 ?M (5.6 ?g L?1), expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) is 2.1 % (n = 7). The proposed method was successfully applied and confirmed by studying recovery of metronidazole from spiked samples.
Investigations on remote laser beam welding of dissimilar joints of aluminum alloys and steel with varying sheet thicknesses for car body construction
Authors: Seffer Oliver , Springer André , Kaierle Stefan
Published: May 2017

For lightweight construction, different steel and aluminum materials with various thicknesses can be welded together, depending on the dimensions and the individual functions of the workpiece. Specifically for frame and body construction, remote laser beam welding has been established as a suitable and efficient joining method for similar material seams for several years. In contrast to joining similar materials, thermal joining of steel and aluminum alloys includes different technological challenges due to the formation of hard and brittle intermetallic phases, which decreases the strength and the formability of the dissimilar joints. In the context of these requirements, the presented results show, besides the influence of different steel materials, particularly the influence of different sheet thicknesses and thickness ratios on the appropriate process parameters for remote laser beam welded lap joints of steel and aluminum alloys, respectively. Different thickness ratios, process parameters, and material properties affect the geometrical formation of the weld seam regarding penetration depth tE and weld width b, which mainly influences the composition of the molten bath and accordingly the transmittable forces. Within the scope of the presented investigations, dissimilar joints of the steel materials such as HX220LAD+Z100, 22MnB5+AS150, and 1.4301 as well as the aluminum alloy such as AA6016-T4 are characterized. Among others, the influences of the energy per unit length, material grade, and sheet thickness ratio on the achievable strengths were analyzed. The characterization of the dissimilar joints includes tensile shear tests and metallographic analyses, depending on the energy per unit length.
Leña como combustible doméstico en zonas rurales de Usme, Bogotá
Authors: Sierra Vargas Fabio Emiro , Mejía B. Fabiola , Guerrero F. Carlos A.
Published: May 2017

Se analizan las implicaciones ambientales del uso de la leña como combustible doméstico, tomando como caso de estudio la zona rural de Usme, Bogotá, Colombia, desde tres aspectos: socio-cultural, ecosistémico y tecnológico. Se identificaron los impactos que el uso de la leña para cocción genera sobre la salud, la economía y aspectos culturales que definen su uso en esta zona. También se identificaron y caracterizaron las especies leñosas más usadas para la cocción de alimentos. Se concluye que la leña es un servicio del ecosistema y así es visto por los campesinos, esta es apreciada por el sabor de la comida pero se reconoce que genera problemas para la salud, principalmente por el uso de desechos de fórmica con MDF, junto con especies de la región, lo que plantea la necesidad de estudiar más a fondo los impactos que tiene su combustión.
Biotecnología aplicada en la reproducción de peces
Authors: Muñoz Gutiérrez Mario Esteban
Published: May 2017

La reproducción en cautiverio es el pilar fundamental para el desarrollo de la piscicultura como una bioindustria para la implementación de programas de recuperación de ambientes degradados y para la manutención y preservación de las especies, lo que garantiza un seguimiento de las mismas. El desarrollo de programas biotecnológicos relacionados con el mejoramiento de los mecanismos para la reproducción en cautiverio de peces ha demostrado éxito en programas acuícolas. Varias de estas biotecnologías, que tienen plena aplicación industrial, han sido inicialmente desarrolladas en especies no tropicales, siendo indispensable que en el futuro cercano estas estrategias puedan ser utilizadas también en peces endémicos de nuestras regiones. Teniendo en cuenta que Colombia presenta un gran potencial de producción de peces en cautiverio, resulta indispensable fomentar la realización de proyectos de investigación y desarrollo, relacionados con la reproducción de las especies piscícolas con interés comercial. De esta forma, la siguiente revisión tiene como objetivo principal presentar algunas técnicas biotecnológicas aplicadas a la reproducción de peces en cautiverio.
Modelo basado en redes neuronales artificiales para el cálculo de parámetros ambientales en el proceso de curado del tabaco
Authors: Martínez Martínez Víctor , Baladrón Carlos , Gómez Gil Jaime , Ruiz Ruiz Gonzalo , Navas Gracia Luis M. , Aguiar Javier M. , Carro Belén
Published: May 2017

Se presenta un modelo basado en Redes Neuronales Artificiales (RNA) para las variables ambientales relativas al proceso de curado de Tabaco. Una RNA de ajuste se empleó para estimar y predecir la temperatura y la humedad relativa en el interior del secadero de tabaco: la estimación consiste en calcular el valor de estas variables en diferentes localizaciones del interior del secadero y la predicción consiste en vaticinar el valor de dichas variables con diferentes horizontes temporales. El modelo propuesto ha sido validado con datos de temperatura y humedad relativa adquiridos de un secadero de tabaco real utilizando una red de sensores inalámbricos (wireless sensor network, WSN). Por una parte, en la etapa de estimación se consiguió un error inferior al 2%, calculando la temperatura en función de la temperatura y la humedad relativa en otros puntos del secadero. Por otra parte, en la etapa de predicción se consiguió un error 1,5 veces inferior al obtenido con un método basado en interpolación, calculando la temperatura futura en el interior de la masa de tabaco con horizontes de predicción superiores a 2,5 horas a partir del valor actual y los valores anteriores de dicha variable. Los resultados muestran que los modelos basados en RNA se pueden utilizar para mejorar el proceso de curado del tabaco porque el valor de las variables ambientales relacionadas se puede predecir en instantes futuros cercanos y se puede estimar en otras localizaciones con errores pequeños utilizando este tipo de modelos.