bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Approach to Assess Exposure and Health-Risk from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a Fastener Manufacturing Industry
Authors: Hsu Hsin-I , Lin Ming-Yeng , Chen Yu-Cheng , Chen Wang-Yi , Yoon Chungsik , Chen Mei-Ru , Tsai Perng-Jy
Published: September 2014

An integrated approach was developed to assess exposure and health-risk from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contained in oil mists in a fastener manufacturing industry. One previously developed model and one new model were adopted for predicting oil mist exposure concentrations emitted from metal work fluid (MWF) and PAHs contained in MWF by using the fastener production rate (Pr) and cumulative fastener production rate (CPr) as predictors, respectively. By applying the annual Pr and CPr records to the above two models, long-term workplace PAH exposure concentrations were predicted. In addition, true exposure data was also collected from the field. The predicted and measured concentrations respectively served as the prior and likelihood distributions in the Bayesian decision analysis (BDA), and the resultant posterior distributions were used to determine the long-term exposure and health-risks posed on workers. Results show that long term exposures to PAHs would result in a 3.1%, 96.7%, and 73.4% chance of exceeding the PEL-TWA (0.2 mg/m3), action level (0.1 mg/m3), and acceptable health risk (10−3), respectively. In conclusion, preventive measures should be taken immediately to reduce workers’ PAH exposures.
SP600125 Induces Src and Type I IGF Receptor Phosphorylation Independent of JNK
Authors: Kong Qingbin , Hua Hui , Cui Anguo , Shao Ting , Song Peiying , Jiang Yangfu
Published: September 2014

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) are members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family that have important roles in signal transduction. The small molecule SP600125 is widely used in biochemical studies as a JNK inhibitor. However, recent studies indicate that SP600125 may also act independent of JNK. Here, we report that SP600125 can induce Src, type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR), Akt and Erk1/2 phosphorylation. Notably, these effects are independent of its inhibition of JNK. Inhibition of Src abrogates the stimulation of IGF-IR, Akt and Erk1/2 phosphorylation. IGF-IR knockdown blunts the induction of both Akt and Erk1/2 phosphorylation by SP600125. Moreover, combination of SP600125 and the Src inhibitor saracatinib synergistically inhibits cell proliferation. We conclude that SP600125 can activate Src-IGF-IR-Akt/Erk1/2 signaling pathways independent of JNK.
FOXO1, TGF-β Regulation and Wound Healing
Authors: Hameedaldeen Alhassan , Liu Jian , Batres Angelika , Graves Gabrielle , Graves Dana
Published: September 2014

Re-epithelialization is a complex process that involves migration and proliferation of keratinocytes, in addition to the production of cytokines and growth factors that affect other cells. The induction of transcription factors during these processes is crucial for successful wound healing. The transcription factor forkhead boxO-1 (FOXO1) has recently been found to be an important regulator of wound healing. In particular, FOXO1 has significant effects through regulation of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) expression and protecting keratinocytes from oxidative stress. In the absence of FOXO1, there is increased oxidative damage, reduced TGF-β1 expression, reduced migration and proliferation of keratinocytes and increased keratinocytes apoptosis leading to impaired re-epithelialization of wounds.
Synergistic Effect of Combinatorial Treatment with Curcumin and Mitomycin C on the Induction of Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells: A cDNA Microarray Analysis
Authors: Zhou Qian-Mei , Chen Qi-Long , Du Jia , Wang Xiu-Feng , Lu Yi-Yu , Zhang Hui , Su Shi-Bing
Published: September 2014

In order to explore the synergistic mechanisms of combinatorial treatment using curcumin and mitomycin C (MMC) for breast cancer, MCF-7 breast cancer xenografts were conducted to observe the synergistic effect of combinatorial treatment using curcumin and MMC at various dosages. The synergistic mechanisms of combinatorial treatment using curcumin and MMC on the inhibition of tumor growth were explored by differential gene expression profile, gene ontology (GO), ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) and Signal–Net network analysis. The expression levels of selected genes identified by cDNA microarray expression profiling were validated by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis. Effect of combinatorial treatment on the inhibition of cell growth was observed by MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometric analysis and Hoechst 33258 staining. The combinatorial treatment of 100 mg/kg curcumin and 1.5 mg/kg MMC revealed synergistic inhibition on tumor growth. Among 1501 differentially expressed genes, the expression of 25 genes exhibited an obvious change and a significant difference in 27 signal pathways was observed (p < 0.05). In addition, Mapk1 (ERK) and Mapk14 (MAPK p38) had more cross-interactions with other genes and revealed an increase in expression by 8.14- and 11.84-fold, respectively during the combinatorial treatment by curcumin and MMC when compared with the control. Moreover, curcumin can synergistically improve tumoricidal effect of MMC in another human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. Apoptosis was significantly induced by the combinatorial treatment (p < 0.05) and significantly inhibited by ERK inhibitor (PD98059) in MCF-7 cells (p < 0.05). The synergistic effect of combinatorial treatment by curcumin and MMC on the induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells may be via the ERK pathway.
Epitaxial Relationships between Calcium Carbonate and Inorganic Substrates
Authors: Yang Taewook , Jho Jae , Kim Il
Published: September 2014

The polymorph-selective crystallization of calcium carbonate has been studied in terms of epitaxial relationship between the inorganic substrates and the aragonite/calcite polymorphs with implication in bioinspired mineralization. EpiCalc software was employed to assess the previously published experimental results on two different groups of inorganic substrates: aragonitic carbonate crystals (SrCO3, PbCO3, and BaCO3) and a hexagonal crystal family (α-Al2O3, α-SiO2, and LiNbO3). The maximum size of the overlayer (aragonite or calcite) was calculated for each substrate based on a threshold value of the dimensionless potential to estimate the relative nucleation preference of the polymorphs of calcium carbonate. The results were in good agreement with previous experimental observations, although stereochemical effects between the overlayer and substrate should be separately considered when existed. In assessing the polymorph-selective nucleation, the current method appeared to provide a better tool than the oversimplified mismatch parameters without invoking time-consuming molecular simulation.
Neuroprotective Effects of Daphnetin against NMDA Receptor-Mediated Excitotoxicity
Authors: Yang Le , Yang Qi , Zhang Kun , Li Yu-Jiao , Wu Yu-Mei , Liu Shui-Bing , Zheng Lian-He , Zhao Ming-Gao
Published: September 2014

The accumulation of glutamate can excessively activate the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and cause excitotoxicity. Daphnetin (Dap), a coumarin derivative, is a protein kinase inhibitor that exhibits antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. However, little is known about the neuroprotective effects of Dap on glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. We evaluated the neuroprotective activities in the primary cultured cortical neurons against NMDA-induced excitotoxicity. Pretreatment with Dap significantly prevented NMDA-induced neuronal cell loss. Dap significantly inhibited the neuronal apoptosis by regulating balance of Bcl-2 and Bax expression. Furthermore, pretreatment of Dap reversed the up-regulation of NR2B-containing NMDA receptors and inhibited the intracellular Ca2+ overload induced by NMDA exposure. In addition, Dap prevented cerebral ischemic injury in mice induced via a 2 h middle cerebral artery occlusion and a 24 h reperfusion in vivo. The findings suggest that Dap prevents the excitotoxicity through inhibiting the NR2B-containing NMDA receptors and the subsequent calcium overload in cultured cortical neurons.
Non-Destructive Evaluation of Depth of Surface Cracks Using Ultrasonic Frequency Analysis
Authors: Her Shiuh-Chuan , Lin Sheng-Tung
Published: September 2014

Ultrasonic is one of the most common uses of a non-destructive evaluation method for crack detection and characterization. The effectiveness of the acoustic-ultrasound Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technique for the determination of the depth of the surface crack was presented. A method for ultrasonic sizing of surface cracks combined with the time domain and frequency spectrum was adopted. The ultrasonic frequency spectrum was obtained by Fourier transform technique. A series of test specimens with various depths of surface crack ranging from 1 mm to 8 mm was fabricated. The depth of the surface crack was evaluated using the pulse-echo technique. In this work, three different longitudinal waves with frequencies of 2.25 MHz, 5 MHz and 10 MHz were employed to investigate the effect of frequency on the sizing detection of surface cracks. Reasonable accuracies were achieved with measurement errors less than 7%.
A Light-Weight Metering File System for Sustainable Real-Time Meter Data Management
Authors: Yi Gangman , Choi Seok-Jun , Hwang Kwang-il
Published: September 2014

A real-time smart metering system has strict requirements, since every piece of data gathered from various meters every hour is of importance, and each component consisting of metering infrastructure should be sustainable. Therefore, it is necessary to efficiently manage the meter data set in smart metering networks as well as in a server. Therefore, we propose a dedicated file system, a LIght-weight Metering File System (LIMFS), which is capable of not only efficiently storing and searching meter data but also performing distributed fault-tolerant meter data management for real-time smart meter devices. The proposed LIMFS exploits accumulated data sliding storage (ADSS) for lost data recovery and latest-first error-ignorant data management (LEDM) to reduce memory wastage, coping with dynamic report interval. Experimental results demonstrate that LIMFS has as a small enough overhead to be considered negligible, and provides flexible memory capacity according to dynamic report interval, in spite of lost data recovery functionality.
Commitment to Emissions Restrictions of Major Consumers of Electricity in Brazil
Authors: Casarejos Fabricio , Frota Mauricio , Penha-Lopes Gil , Silva Vagner , Particelli Fernanda
Published: September 2014

In the context of global concerns about climate change that stem from the alarming and unprecedented growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, this study discusses the use of energy by large consumers of electricity in Brazil in the perspective of sustainable development, energy resources, and regulatory policies. It evaluates the commitment to emissions restrictions among the major customers of an electricity utility company that serves 4.1 million consumers (68% of the population and 66% of the gross internal product for the second-highest economically developed Brazilian state). The evaluation is based on proposed metrics and indicators. By considering the Brazilian commitment to a policy of sustainable development, this study reviews the primary international agreements and recommendations that have been developed to mitigate and adapt to climate change and sustainability. A survey was developed for participating organizations classified by economic sector to assess their awareness to 18 issues that reflect international guidelines on emission constraints. Based on total energy consumption, the survey discusses the worrying level of GHG emissions (tCO2eq) that is associated with the generation of electricity by customers of the largest utility company. In spite of 90% of the organizations having considered sustainability as a business opportunity and a competitive differential that enables niche markets, the results of this study demonstrated low commitment to the desired emissions restrictions.
Growth evolution and phase transition from chalcocite to digenite in nanocrystalline copper sulfide: Morphological, optical and electrical properties
Authors: Quintana-Ramirez Priscilla Vasthi , Arenas-Arrocena Ma Concepción , Santos-Cruz José , Vega-González Marina , Martínez-Alvarez Omar , Castaño-Meneses Víctor Manuel , Acosta-Torres Laura Susana , de la Fuente-Hernández Javier
Published: September 2014

Copper sulfide is a promising p-type inorganic semiconductor for optoelectronic devices such as solar cells, due its small band gap energy and its electrical properties. In this work nanocrystalline copper sulfide (CuxS), with two stoichiometric ratios (x = 2, 1.8) was obtained by one-pot synthesis at 220, 230, 240 and 260 °C in an organic solvent and amorphous CuxS was obtained in aqueous solution. Nanoparticle-like nucleation centers are formed at lower temperatures (220 °C), mixtures of morphologies (nanorods, nanodisks and nanoprisms) are seen at 230 and 240 °C, in which the nanodisks are predominant, while big hexagonal/prismatic crystals are obtained at 260 °C according to TEM results. A mixture of chalcocite and digenite phases was found at 230 and 240 °C, while a clear transition to a pure digenite phase was seen at 260 °C. The evolution of morphology and transition of phases is consistent to the electrical, optical, and morphological properties of the copper sulfide. In fact, digenite Cu1.8S is less resistive (346 Ω/sq) and has a lower energy band gap (1.6 eV) than chalcocite Cu2S (5.72 × 105 Ω/sq, 1.87 eV). Low resistivity was also obtained in CuxS synthesized in aqueous solution, despite its amorphous structure. All CuxS products could be promising for optoelectronic applications.
Exploration of C–H and N–H-bond functionalization towards 1-(1,2-diarylindol-3-yl)tetrahydroisoquinolines
Authors: Ghobrial Michael , Mihovilovic Marko D , Schnürch Michael
Published: September 2014

The synthesis of 1,2,3-trisubstituted indoles was investigated. More specifically, straightforward synthetic routes towards 1-(1,2-diarylindol-3-yl)-N-PG-THIQs (PG = protecting group, THIQ = tetrahydroisoquinoline) employing transition metal-catalyzed C–H and N–H-bond functionalization were explored. It was found that the synthesis of the target compounds is strongly dependent on the order of events. Hence, depending on the requirements of a synthetic problem the most suitable and promising pathway can be chosen. Additionally, a new synthetic approach towards 1,2-diarylindoles starting from 1-arylindole could be established in the course of our investigation by using a palladium-catalyzed protocol. Such 1,2-diarylindoles were successfully reacted with N-Boc-THIQ to furnish 1,2,3-trisubstituted indoles as target compounds. Furthermore, regioselective N-arylation of protected and unprotected 1-(indol-3-yl)-THIQs was successfully conducted using either simple iron or copper salts as catalysts.
Strategies for Searching and Managing Evidence-Based Practice Resources
Authors: Robb Meigan , Shellenbarger Teresa
Published: September 2014

Evidence-based nursing practice requires the use of effective search strategies to locate relevant resources to guide practice change. Continuing education and staff development professionals can assist nurses to conduct effective literature searches. This article provides suggestions for strategies to aid in identifying search terms. Strategies also are recommended for refining searches by using controlled vocabulary, truncation, Boolean operators, PICOT (
P
opulation/Patient Problem,
I
ntervention,
C
omparison,
O
utcome,
T
ime) searching, and search limits. Suggestions for methods of managing resources also are identified. Using these approaches will assist in more effective literature searches and may help evidence-based practice decisions.

J Contin Educ Nurs.
2014;45(10):461–466.
Improving the Adoption of Evidence-Based Practice Through RN-to-BSN Education
Authors: Phillips Janet M. , Cullen Deborah
Published: September 2014

Background:

Although enrollment in RN-to-BSN degree completion programs has grown profoundly, a dearth of literature exists regarding the impact of RN-to-BSN education and the adoption of evidence-based practice (EBP). This study examined the elements of RN-to-BSN education that improve the awareness and adoption for EBP.

Method:

A mixed methods meta-synthesis was conducted using qualitative, textual-narrative, and descriptive research studies. Data from six articles were analyzed, using standardized critical appraisal instruments.

Results:

Two findings were identified. First, EBP skills for RN-to-BSN students are influenced by exposure to educational partnerships, contextual teaching and learning, and practice experiences. Second, barriers to adoption exist for RN-to-BSN students, which limit advances in nursing practice.

Conclusion:

A variety of contextual teaching and learning strategies can provide empowerment for RN-to-BSN students to adopt EBP in their practice. Forming partnerships in creating EBP experiences may set the stage for RN-to-BSN leadership opportunities in today’s health care system.

J Contin Educ Nurs.
2014;45(10):467–472.
Why they won't save us: Political dispositions in the conflicts of superheroes
Authors: Evans Woody
Published: September 2014

Comic book superheroes tend to be conservative and their opponents progressive. Here I explore the reasons for heroic conservatism, review recent disruptions to the trend, and consider what superhuman politics can tell us about our own transhuman and science fictional conditions.
Iron Man in Chinese boys' love fandom: A story untold
Authors: Wei John
Published: September 2014

Superhero fan fiction is increasingly popular in the Chinese boys' love (BL) community. An exploration of the fan fic Gangtiexia: Zhongdu Yilai (Iron Man: Overly attached) investigates how the Hollywood cultural icon Iron Man/Tony Stark is reimagined in Chinese BL culture and to what degree this kind of rendition both echoes and extends as well as challenges and deviates from our current insights into BL fandoms. Through the lenses of queerness and technological human transformation, I explore the fresh contribution of Iron Man fan fiction to both local BL cultures and global superhero fandoms.
Performances of innocence and deviance in Disney cosplaying
Authors: Amon Maria Patrice
Published: September 2014

Disney cosplayers are uniquely positioned in relationship to the characters they perform because of Disney's reliance on innocence as a narrative trope and character element. Their cosplaying transmutes normative innocence via performative fan practice.
Twinship, incest, and twincest in the Harry Potter universe
Authors: Cuntz-Leng Vera
Published: September 2014

Among the large group of Harry Potter fans who write their own stories about the boy wizard, his friends, and his foes, and publish them on the Internet, some are interested in the exploration of the erotic and romantic bond between identical twins. Because the Harry Potter saga features two sets of identical twin pairs of different gender—the Weasley brothers and the Patil sisters—the series not only provides a unique playground for the recipients in terms of the possibilities for twincest stories; more importantly, it offers ample opportunity for researchers to examine how fans actually use such pairings. In this essay, the examination of twin relationships as portrayed within Rowling's works, the movies, and in twincest fan fiction are confronted with each other to outline how Rowling's different concepts of the sibling pairs and the author's general ongoing interest in doubling motifs is consistently expanded by fan fiction writers to discuss the complex relationship between source and fan text.
Fan fiction metadata creation and utilization within fan fiction archives: Three primary models
Authors: Johnson Shannon Fay
Published: September 2014

Issues related to searchability and ease of access have plagued fan fiction since its inception. This paper discusses the predominate forms of fan-mediated indexing and descriptive metadata, commonly referred to as folksonomy or tagging, and compares the benefits and disadvantages of each model. These models fall into three broad categories: free tagging, controlled vocabulary, and hybrid folksonomy. Each model has distinct advantages and shortcomings related to findability, results filtering, and creative empowerment. Examples for each are provided. Possible ramifications to fan fiction from improved metadata and access are also discussed.
Bull in a china shop: Alternate reality games and transgressive fan play in social media franchises
Authors: Bakioğlu Burcu S.
Published: September 2014

In this article I examine the role of fan ARGs in Lonelygirl15 (LG15), a video blog that became one of the first social media franchises of YouTube. Eager to explore the narrative possibilities of Internet technologies, its creators set out to provide community-based storytelling that embodied the general spirit of coauthorship. To ensure viral distribution, the videos were shot to evoke the maximum amount of curiosity, teasing their viewers with a seemingly simple plot laden with clues that promised a deeper mystery. While fan creativity was encouraged, the concerns over creating a commercially viable story led to careful management of fan activities and strict definition of the boundaries of the LG15 canon. Intrigued by the mysterious beginnings of the show, some fans created ARG spin-offs to deliver a more engaging experience than the show initially offered. I argue that early fan ARGs became tactics through which fans engaged in transgressive play and negotiated a more meaningful role within the franchise.
Fan fiction and midrash: Making meaning
Authors: Barenblat Rachel
Published: September 2014

Just as Jews interpret Torah through midrash (exegetical stories that explore and explain the text), fans interpret contemporary source texts through fan fiction, which functions just as midrash does to sustain community and enable members of that community to join the communal conversation.
Exploring fandom, social media, and producer/fan interactions: An interview with "Sleepy Hollow"'s Orlando Jones
Authors: Bennett Lucy , Chin Bertha
Published: September 2014

Orlando Jones, an American film and television writer, producer, and actor who currently plays Captain Frank Irving in Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, provides an intriguing example of how producers and fans can engage in a receptive and dynamic relationship through social media, most specifically through Twitter and Tumblr. We interviewed Jones to ascertain how a regular in a popular television show perceives and maintains this form of communication with fans; how his enthusiasm for fan studies has unfolded; and how he has negotiated and managed fan controversy.
"Popular music fandom," edited by Mark Duffett
Authors: Bennett Lucy
Published: September 2014

Review of Mark Duffett. Popular music fandom: Identities, roles, and practices. London: Routledge, 2014. $125.00 (234p) ISBN 978-0-415-50639-7.
Fannish form and content
Authors: Editor TWC
Published: September 2014

This issue showcases a variety of investigations into a myriad of platforms, featuring several essays that switch the focus from content to form and illustrate the importance of a range of different fan engagements.
IT Governance Practices in a Public Organization in Ghana
Authors: Adaba Godfried B. , Rusu Lazar
Published: September 2014

The strategic importance of information technology (IT) in today's organizations and dependence on IT to support e-government strategies has increased the interest in IT Governance (ITG) in public sector organizations. From this perspective, this paper examines ITG practices in a public organization in Ghana (that has a responsibility to mobilize revenue for national development) in order to gain an insight into IT governance structures, processes and relational mechanisms and understand how this contributes to adding value through IT. The findings have revealed that this public organization has a centralized approach to IT governance, with inadequate board involvement concerning how IT investments can bring value and improve organizational performance. Furthermore, there are no IT steering and strategy committees to oversee IT governance as best practice requires.
Internet Entrepreneurship Education and its Role in Online Business
Authors: Behboudi Mehdi , Jalili Nazanin , Najafi Kobra
Published: September 2014

The present paper aims to analyze the online entrepreneurship education program and its role in developing online business, specifically in Iran. Seeking cost effective strategies from governors as well as developing ICT infrastructures makes it imperative to study how Internet-based methods could help to educate entrepreneurs in Iran. Accordingly, the authors evaluated the current situation of the existing programs on the one hand and reviewed various well-known programs all around the world on the other hand. The critical successful factors and the weakness of Iranian current entrepreneurial courses have mentioned and criticized. The authors developed a theoretical framework relating to online entrepreneurship education program with the purpose of training entrepreneurs through the Internet. The paper concludes by stating managerial implications and governments obligations.
Multi-Approach Activity Design and Effects Analysis for Science Museums
Authors: Tsai Tung-Chung , Chu Yao-Ming , Wu Tsuey-Ling , Chang Mei-Chen
Published: September 2014

Science museums not only function as collection, exhibition, research, and leisure locations, but are also important sites for education. Thus, science museums often organize various activities to educate the public and deliver various key concepts. Museums organize diverse activities, such as exhibitions, lectures, hands-on activities, tours, demonstrations, and drama. Subsequently, to highlight issues related to energy saving and carbon reduction (ESCR), the National Science and Technology Museum (NSTM) organized a 3-day workshop, recruiting 60 students from 2 high schools to participate in diverse promotional activities. For high school students, this diverse educational promotion method is seldom experienced in formal education; thus, presenting an extremely rare opportunity. For museums, designing activities specifically for high school students is also uncommon. Therefore, the effectiveness of using a high school-specific multi-approach activity design to promote education objectives has yet to be determined. This study analyzes the participants' level of acceptance and learning effectiveness regarding the various ESCR activities. Data were collected using questionnaire surveys, activity feedback, interviews, and observation records. Subsequently, these data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed to determine the students' acceptance levels and learning effectiveness regarding the various activities.
Experimenting with Proxy Agents in Online Combinatorial Auctions
Authors: Chakraborty Soumyakanti , Sen Anup Kumar , Bagchi Amitava
Published: September 2014

To promote online eBay-like combinatorial auctions, the authors experiment with a distributive agent based mechanism PRACA which attempts to address two research issues. First, the scheme uses an algorithm CompDL to incrementally solve the Winner Determination Problem under limited memory for any package that the bidder may be interested to bid at any time. This helps the bidder to bid effectively knowing the current state of the auction. CompDL thereby allows a large number of items to be put on auction. Second, PRACA supplies an autonomous proxy agent to each bidder who logs in to an ongoing auction; this agent bids on the bidder's behalf and relays data on requested packages to the bidder. Therefore, PRACA helps in reducing operational overheads of seller and bidder in online combinatorial auctions. Both schemes have been implemented and the efficacy of the approach is demonstrated by experiments.
The Role of Coordinators in Software Off-Shoring
Authors: Huong Nguyen Thu , Katsuhiro Umemoto , Chi Dam Hieu , Duc Dang Thi Viet
Published: September 2014

This paper explains the roles of coordinators in software offshoring, and explores the collaboration of coordinators, the client and the vendor to co-create new knowledge for the both organizations. The focus is a case of software offshore outsourcing from Japan to Vietnam. Our analysis shows that the coordinators fill the communication, cultural, business and technical gaps by being involved in the process as both outsiders (as coordinators, arbitrators) and insiders (by joining directly in the production process). The implication of this study is that the coordinators could involve with strong power in the international partnership; such as in high-tech sector by the collaboration with two partners through sharing, creating, and utilizing bridging-knowledge to create extra value and increase the service quality and user satisfaction.
Preparing a Service System of Microfinance for the Unbanked in Myanmar
Authors: Aye Hnin Pwint , Nakamori Yoshiteru
Published: September 2014

The objective of this paper is to create a service system to protect the security of financial system of microfinance and over indebtedness by improving the capacity of unbanked instead of strict legal procedures. The service system is one of the sub-systems of the access system. The access system including four sub-systems is constructed to moderate the severe legal procedures of MFI for rural unbanked in Myanmar to be able to easily borrow loans from a microfinance institution and to secure the financial system of MFI and over indebtedness of the clients. This paper applied a literature review to comprehend the causes of occurring over-indebtedness, importance of service to protect over-indebtedness and improve livelihoods of the poor. Two surveys collected the data of the current capacity of the poor from two perspectives and verified three hypotheses. As a result, unbanked in Myanmar have low capacity. The ideas for service system are explored depending on the current occupations of unbanked. A proposed service system is created on the ideas for the process of skill development training.
How Does Public Attention Influence Natural Gas Price?
Authors: Li Xin , Ma Jian , Shang Wei , Wang Shouyang , Zhang Xun
Published: September 2014

Public attention on natural gas price, which reflects the demand dynamics, is considered as a new factor to influence the movement of price. So investigate the impact of public attention on natural gas price is an innovative research issue in energy economics. This paper innovatively constructs a measure of public attention and examines its impact on natural gas price. A data set generated from Google Trends is used to measure public attention and then rigorous econometric models are applied to evaluate its predictive ability. The empirical study shows that (i) public attention is closely related to natural gas price, with contemporaneous positive correlation coefficient being 0.59, (ii) public attention leads natural gas price, (iii) the model including public attention data outperforms benchmark model. By using a more direct and representative way of forecasting based on the knowledge collected from the users, this paper also has important implications for applying Internet knowledge to improve the forecast accuracy of other energy price.
Social Media in Pedagogical Context
Authors: Vivitsou Marianna , Tirri Kirsi , Kynäslahti Heikki
Published: September 2014

This study discusses the meanings underlying a Finnish and a Greek language teacher's pedagogical integration of social media. As the research spans across the physical and the virtual pedagogical meeting, our review of the literature is also based on a two-level approach. The first level links metaphor with the pedagogical thinking, being the set of values and purposes underlying teachers' decisions. The second examines the meanings of the digital deriving from arguments that seek to explain the relationship between pedagogy and technology. In this study the authors view metaphors as research vehicles and apply content analysis to draw upon the Finnish and the Greek language teacher's speech and make their meanings visible. To this end, the authors analyze and discuss findings of data resulting from two semi-structured interviews. The patterns arising from the discussion of digitally enhanced learning experiences indicate that metaphors can be shared, reflecting overlaps in notional categories (e.g., sociality and action). More powerful metaphors relate to context-dependent situations. These powerful metaphors emerge when issues characterizing the local school culture are tackled in the teachers' talk.
Developing an Online Counseling Skills Course
Authors: Lucas Kyle , Murdock Jennifer
Published: September 2014

Outlined here is the development and implementation of an online counseling skills course at a Rocky Mountain University in the western United States. Techniques were used in reference to how a traditional counselor education classroom operates to teach counseling skills and were modified to fit an online setting. The design of this course used best practices from research regarding online learning, as well as techniques specific to online learning environments. Additionally, the course implemented a learning community utilizing peer collaboration and the encouragement of positive student and instructor relationships. Finally, the course underscored the uniqueness of the individuals enrolled in the context of community membership with careful consideration of diverse backgrounds.
The Impact of Traffic Information Acquisition on the Traffic Conditions of the Athens Greater Area
Authors: Tsirimpa Athena , Polydoropoulou Amalia
Published: September 2014

The main objective of this article is to gain fundamental understanding on the effect of real time information acquisition, on the traffic conditions of the Athens greater area. Activity scheduling is a dynamic process, where individuals often need to modify their schedule, as a result of new insights. Research so far hasn't analyzed the effect of traffic information acquisition, in activity scheduling, although several studies have been conducted to capture the factors that influence the rescheduling of activities. An integrated latent variable model has been estimated, that predicts the probability of rescheduling activities as a function of flexibility, mode choice constraints and travel information. The analysis of the results indicates that one of the biggest impacts of traffic information acquisition is reflected in the rescheduling of activities. Therefore, traffic information not only can significantly improve the travel experience of individuals but may directly affect the performance of the transportation system.
Bikeability Audit in Urban Road Environment
Authors: Galanis Athanasios , Papanikolaou Anestis , Eliou Nikolaos
Published: September 2014

Promotion of cycling can improve the sustainability level of a city or an urban area. This study presents a methodology that audits the bikeability level of the urban road environment across three selected routes in the city of Volos, Greece. This methodology is a useful toolkit in order to evaluate and improve the bikeability level of the urban road environment and also evaluate existing bikeways. Four suitably trained auditors rode their bikes and evaluated the bikeability level using an audit tool in order to audit specific features that influence bicycling suitability across the road segments and intersections of the selected routes. Furthermore, the auditors graded specific features of the road environment in order to set a bikeability score for each tested route. Finally, this study concludes that the bikeability level of the selected routes was moderate and certain actions are necessary in order to be improved.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pre-Positioning Policies in Response to Natural Disasters
Authors: Chapman Jarrett , Davis Lauren B. , Samanlioglu Funda , Qu Xiuli
Published: September 2014

Recent natural disasters highlight the complexities associated with planning, coordination and distribution of supplies in a manner which provides timely and effective response. In this paper, the authors present a model to quantify the benefits associated with pre-positioning local supplies. They assume the supplies are in a high-risk location and may be destroyed if an appropriate strategy to protect the supplies is not implemented. A stochastic linear programming model is developed where the first-stage decision pre-positions existing supplies to minimize the supply loss. Second-stage decisions attempt to maximize the responsiveness of the system by allocating supplies to satisfy demand. The benefits associated with pre-positioning versus non-pre-positioning are discussed.
Development and Validation of a Universal Measurement System for Measuring the Performance of Mammals
Authors: Ödman Torbjörn , Ödman Natalia , Rabotchi Eugeni , Åkervall Sigvard , Lindén Maria
Published: September 2014

Exercise wheels for mammals are commonly used as test systems in many medical research areas. Studies may be related to many different areas such as vitamins, hormones (as dopamine), and physical endurance. As research develops the scope and size of the studies increase and the requirements of the test system might change. In order to conduct the experiments effectively, there is a need to increase the number of test stations, and the test station may also be required to handle physically larger mammals. This study presents and validates a wireless system for endurance tests. The system was validated on mice and humans. It is scalable, and can be expandable up to 254 test stations. In the case of the exercise wheel with mice, the ADEA system was used as a reference. The initial validation was done by comparing the activity measured by both systems in mice with different hormone dopamine levels. The correlation coefficients between the systems estimated activity levels were in the range from 0.916 to 0.967. The new system enables quantitative measurements of the activity level using standard SI units (meters and seconds, respectively). In the validation with humans, runners were clocked by the system and manually. The lowest correlation coefficient obtained during these measurements was 0.864. Thus, both applications showed a high correlation with conventional methods.
Recovering Planned Trajectories in Robotic Rehabilitation Therapies under the Effect of Disturbances
Authors: Rajasekaran Vijaykumar , Aranda Joan , Casals Alicia
Published: September 2014

Robotic rehabilitation is an emerging technology in the field of Neurorehabilitation, which aims to achieve an effective patient recovery. This research focusses on the control strategy for an assistive exoskeleton aiming to reduce the effects of disturbances on planned trajectories during rehabilitation therapies. Disturbances are mostly caused by muscle synergies or by unpredictable actions produced by functional electrical stimulation. The effect of these disturbances can be either assistive or resistive forces depending on the patient's movement, which increase or decrease the speed of the affected joints by forcing the control unit to act consequently. In some therapies, like gait assistance, it is also essential to maintain synchronization between joint movements, to ensure a dynamic stability. A force control approach is used for all the joints individually, while two control methods are defined to act when disturbances are detected: Cartesian position control (Cartesian level) and Variable execution speed (joint level). The trajectory to be followed by the patient is previously recorded using an active exoskeleton, H1, worn by healthy subjects. A realistic simulation model of the exoskeleton is used for testing the effect of disturbances on the particular joints and on the planned trajectory and for evaluating the performance of the two proposed control methods. The performances of the presented methods are evaluated by comparing the resulting trajectories with respect to those planned. The evaluation of the most suitable method is performed considering the following factors: stability, minimum time delay and synchronization of the joints.
A New Definition of BMI Scale by Relationship between Respiration and Unconscious Behavior during Sleep with Body Motion Wave
Authors: Wada Jun'ya , Yajima Tadashi , Imamatsu Takenori , Okawai Hiroaki
Published: September 2014

Recently, health problems due to overwork, apparent suicide produced by the progress of the social stress and lifestyle diseases and lifestyle diseases like hyperpiesia or obesity have been reported. From this, it has become of interest to avoid these problems and to keep the health. However, the indicators for health control and physical condition haven't been defined. Body Mass Index (BMI) has traditionally been used as an indicator of health. But, there are many unclear points left in the criteria of BMI to utilize. Sleep would be an important theme to know and to keep health. During sleep, the biological information related to health state would be appeared because of predominant activity of autonomic nervous system under the state of unconsciousness. From these, the authors investigated the relationship between BMI and autonomic nervous activity. Nineteen healthy young adults participated in this study and performed sleep experiment by adopting a pressure sensor named “dynamic air-pressure sensor” and a pressure sensor array. As a result, the authors found some relationships among respiration state, motions of muscles and unconscious behavior depending on BMI. This result about sleep behavior would suggest a new definition for BMI. For example, large value of BMI brings influences, maybe bad, to respiratory behavior during sleep.
Computational Hemodynamic Modeling of the Cardiovascular System
Authors: Talaminos Alejandro , Roa Laura M. , Álvarez Antonio , Reina Javier
Published: September 2014

Computational methods and modeling are widely used in many fields to study the dynamic behaviour of different phenomena. Currently, the use of these models is an accepted practice in the biomedical field. One of the most significant efforts in this direction is applied to the simulation and prediction of pathophysiological conditions that can affect different systems of the human body. In this work, the design and development of a computational model of the human cardiovascular system is proposed. The structure of the model has been built from a physiological base, considering some of the mechanisms associated to the cardiovascular system. Thus, the aim of the model is the prediction, heartbeat by heartbeat, of some hemodynamic variables from the cardiovascular system, in different pathophysiological cardiac situations. A modular approach to development of the model has been considered in order to include new knowledge that could force the model's hemodynamic. The model has been validated comparing the results obtained with hemodynamic values published by other authors. The results show the usefulness and applicability of the model developed. Thus, different simulations of some cardiac pathologies and physical exercise situations are presented, together with the dynamic behaviors of the different variables considered in the model.
How Does a Social Network Site Fan Page Influence Purchase Intention of Online Shoppers
Authors: Ho Kevin K.W. , See-To Eric W.K. , Chiu Gloria T.C.
Published: September 2014

This research revisited how fan pages in the social network site created by online merchants affects the purchase intention of online shoppers using qualitative research methods. Through fine-tuning the research model developed by Jahn and Kunz (2012) which is grounded on the Uses and Gratifications Theory, the authors conducted a qualitative study through interviewing consumers who participated in fan pages. Based on their responses in the interviews, the authors reconfirmed that content-oriented needs and social interaction value of relationship-oriented needs had positive impacts on fan page usage intensity and fan page engagement, respectively. Plus, the authors discovered that content-oriented needs had a positive impact on fan page engagement. The theoretical contributions, managerial implications of this study are also discussed.
Measuring Emotional Intelligence of University Students
Authors: Alhashemi Suhaila E.
Published: September 2014

Emotional intelligence (EI) is being recognised to be a vital element in many educational institutions today. Tuning into one's feelings and understanding others help to build and strengthen relationships in classrooms. There are some Emotional Intelligence skills most often related to academic success such as assertion, drive, strength, commitment ethic, time management, and stress management. This paper looks at emotional intelligence of students in one of Bahrain's reputable national university. A comparison is made between students in Barhain and participants in China to look at cultural differences and the role of national culture in the levels of emotional intelligence among individuals. The results revealed no direct relationship between scores, grade point average, age and emotional intelligence competencies. Overall the scores were in moderation, reflecting moderate levels of emotional intelligence. However, there some subtle culture issues and variations between the culture in China and Bahrain, where some of the items in the EI instruments were found to be culture bound.
Talking about Sex in Malawi: Toward a Better Understanding of Interpersonal Communication for HIV Prevention
Authors: Limaye Rupali J. , Rimal Rajiv N. , Mkandawire Glory , Roberts Peter , Dothi William , Brown Jane
Published: September 2014

The generalised AIDS epidemic in Malawi presents many challenges. As communication and advice from parents, peers, and partners are important factors in influencing sexual behaviour, understanding communication may provide insights into behaviour change programming. This mixed-method study used a household survey (n=1812) and 15 focus group discussions from the southern districts of Malawi to explore communication about sex and sexuality. Quantitative study findings point to the idea that self-efficacy, perceived benefits, and injunctive norms about talking about condom use are important factors influencing intentions to discuss condom use with partners. Qualitative study findings found that communication regarding sex between parents and children, partners, and peers was not common, and when there was communication, messages about sex focused on negative consequences of sexual activity. In Malawi, there is a need to increase efficacy in talking about sex and protective sexual behaviours, including condom use. Interventions should include components to increase communication skills, shift norms about sexual communication, and provide alternative mechanisms for individuals to gather pertinent information regarding their sexual behaviour.