bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ranked ordering sources and embedded modality
Authors: Reisinger Drew
Published: August 2016

I present an ordering semantics for modality in which possible worlds are ordered by ordering sources augmented with a partial order structure. This extension of Kratzer’s (1991) ordering semantics allows propositions to contribute to the ideal defined by an ordering source with differing degrees of priority and allows this priority relation to vary with the world of evaluation. Although the * operator of Katz et al. (2012) also allows ordering sources to be combined with different degrees of priority, I show that it does not account for a variant of Goble’s (1996) Medicine Problem in which a modal is embedded under an attitude verb. I also extend the investigation by Katz et al. (2012) into the combinatorial structure of complex ordering sources by proposing a generalization of their * operator for partially ordered ordering sources.
What kind of priming is most effective in the processing of relative clauses in context?
Authors: Wu Zhaohong , Juffs Alan
Published: August 2016

This paper examines the influence of different kinds of preceding contexts on the processing of Chinese relative clauses (RCs). We systematically compared the processing of RCs in a canonical, non-canonical, and “null” context. This paper is the first to systematically examine three accounts of priming (the thematic pattern priming account proposed by Lin (2014), in addition to both the verb phrase constituent priming account and the syntactic position sequence priming account proposed by Fedorenko, Piantadosi, and Gibson (2012)) in RC processing. Results showed discrepancies between predictions from each priming account and the actual results. None of the three priming accounts could sufficiently explain the results in Chinese. Alternative possible explanations were suggested, including: (1) having a context makes RC reading more natural and frequency effects less obvious; (2) the NPs inside the RCs are primed by the original thematic roles or grammatical functions of same NPs in the critical context sentence; (3) an interplay of all three different kinds of priming in the processing of RCs in context may occur.
Cross-linguistic perceptual learning in advanced second language listeners
Authors: Schuhmann Katharina S.
Published: August 2016

An issue of long-standing interest is whether phones, which correspond to each other phonologically but differ phonetically across two languages, are distinct in the minds of bilinguals and second language learners. Here, we ask whether listeners maintain separate representations for phonetically highly similar phonemes common to two languages even though this might seem inefficient. One way to address this question is to induce a change in the representation of phonemes in one language, and to test whether the other language is also affected. We carried out two perceptual learning studies, one with intermediate to advanced L1 English learners of German and one with intermediate to advanced L1 German learners of English, to probe the relationship between listeners’ representations for the /f-s/ contrast in English and in German. We found cross-linguistic perceptual learning effects extending from English to German in both studies, though the effect sizes for perceptual learning in English and German differed. Based on these findings, we propose that phonetically highly similar phonemes common to listeners’ L1 and L2 have separate yet interconnected mental representations for speech perception.
Spanish-influenced rhythm in Miami English
Authors: Enzinna Naomi Ruth
Published: August 2016

This study found that monolingual English speakers from Miami speak an English variety influenced by Spanish. In this study, speech from Miami English monolinguals, English monolinguals not from Miami, and early and late Spanish-English bilinguals were collected, and rhythm metrics (Ramus et al., 1999) were compared between groups. Surprisingly, results also suggest that Miami English monolinguals with English-speaking parents and from neighborhoods with a lower Hispanic population may be leading this change. These results support Labov’s (2014) claim that children may reject features of their parent language (in this case, English) when the speech community is highly stratified.
Possessor extraction in Indonesian-type languages
Authors: Jeoung Helen
Published: August 2016

This paper examines possessor extraction in three Indonesian-type languages: Indonesian, Javanese and Madurese. I show that possessor extraction patterns are best captured under an analysis in which the possessor undergoes movement from an internal possession structure to the left periphery of the clause; the possessum remains in an A position, while the possessor occurs in an A' position. Possessor movement is subject to general constraints on DP movement in each of these languages, and the voice system determines the ability of the possessor to extract. I discuss implications for the relationship between voice and DP extraction, and conclude that in Indonesian-type languages, voice determines both A and A' movement of any DP moving from within VoiceP.
The Need for Global Standards in Biomedical Ethics and the Qualitative Methodology
Authors: Topor F. Sigmund
Published: August 2016

The unity of humanity has placed the role of culture in maintaining wellness and coping with illness under examination in biomedical research. The qualitative methodology, which is the method most widely used in healthcare research, been placed under the globalization microscope for its role in intercultural biomedical research. Neither does the etiology of diseases such as, for example, the common cold, the adenovirus and influenza respiratory viruses, among others, nor treatments of such ailments distinguish between the religious, geographic, and linguistic dissimilarities that violate the unity of humanity. The subjectivity that clods investigators of various cultural backgrounds and disciplinary stripes, deems it expedient that stakeholders be provided with the means to ontologically verify research findings. Researchers employing the qualitative methodology can mitigate subjectivity and enhance objectivity by being culturally cognizant. The unity of humanity is manifested in healthcare and transcends national borders, laws, ethics, and customs.
Factors that Contribute to Continued Use of E-Training among Healthcare Professionals
Authors: Elias Nilsa I. I. , Walker Terry W.
Published: August 2016

The use of e-training in healthcare has experienced considerable growth. The results of this study provide insights regarding the importance of technology compatibility attributes to behavioral intentions to continue the use of e-training by healthcare professionals. A model based on the technology acceptance literature has been used. The model adds the construct of healthcare practice compatibility to the Technology Acceptance Model as a predictor of behavioral intention to continued use of e-training by healthcare professionals. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), findings suggest that perceived practice compatibility, perceived workflow compatibility, and perceived task compatibility in e-training are essential to healthcare professionals' intent to continue use of e-training. The parsimonious model in this study is a more predictive model than the basic TAM model in explaining users' intentions to continue use of e-training.
Global Studies Impact
Authors: Reed Donna
Published: August 2016

This qualitative case study describes global studies education and curriculum, global citizenship, and the impact of a global studies education and curriculum on students after graduation. What life choices might be influenced by what the students learned through global studies? Did they choose their university studies based on globalized thinking? These are difficult questions to answer, because there are so many variables in the life of an adolescent when making choices after high school graduation. This study discovers the impact of a global studies education with a global citizenship emphasis on graduates of a global studies high school through student voice and experience—backwards mapping.
Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart
Authors: Martins Constantino Pereira
Published: August 2016

The text is a reflection on seduction in its primordial meaning: men and women. We support our analysis in the confrontation of Kierkegaard concepts and the film Vertigo. In this sense, more than seduction itself, it's the notion of figure or conceptual character that is focused. The figural assumes here a mode and a process of reading a particular way of the aesthetic, i.e., a form of life that corresponds to the seducer. What is a seducer? Are there different types of seducers? We will present the formal basic premises of Kierkegaard and try to show how Hitchcock's movie mirrors it, amplifying the categories in use to the unveil a new sort of seducer.
Postmodern Cinema of Seduction
Authors: Dube Reena
Published: August 2016

If there is one phrase that has been used most often by Western audiences for popular Indian cinema, it is the phrase “musicals.” The description gestures both at the fixation of Indian cinema on an earlier stage of cinematic evolution and the simple and uncomplicated pleasure derived by the audience from popular Hindi films that have an audience all over the world. This essay examines Hindi film “song and dance” spectacles as the art of deferment in the postmodern cinema of seduction, a notion derived from the work of Jean Baudrillard and the insights of Freud-Lacan-Zizek and Baudrillard himself on deferral and seduction. This chapter makes this claim not as an overarching theoretical nomenclature for all song and dance sequences in Hindi films. Instead the author argues for the primacy of the art of deferment and play in a postmodern cinema of seduction within the limited scope of her reading of a North Indian subaltern/folk-inspired song and dance Hindi film, Amol Palekar and Sandhya Gokhale directed Paheli (Riddle, 2005).
Do Places Have a Personality?
Authors: Hanna Sonya , Rowley Jennifer
Published: August 2016

This chapter contributes to the understanding of the essence and representation of places by considering the personification of places and their relationship to the notion of place brand personality. More specifically, the chapter reviews the personification of places and its link to place representations in place marketing and branding. The theme of place brand personality is further developed and critiqued with reference to traditional theories associated with brand personality. A review of the existing body of theory and research on place brand personality demonstrates the need for further research into place and destination brand personality. The chapter culminates with proposals for further research in this area and suggestions for further embedding the notion of personality in place branding practice.
A Theoretical Approach for Sustainable Communication in City Branding
Authors: Bıçakçı Ayşe Banu , Genel Zeynep
Published: August 2016

The key to success of cities having high brand-value and awareness is the configuration of successful brand structures for the participation of stakeholders into the process. Starting from this point, symmetric and sustainable communication among stakeholders is assumed to play an essential role as a prerequisite for achieving success. The key to ensuring sustainable practice of any discipline is the communication. In this regard, in infrastructure, renovation, finance, tourism, sociology and cultural studies, the symmetry and participation of all of the parties are also considered to be important in terms of communication. Alongside the theoretical framework of city branding, this chapter seeks to contribute to the literature with “Multilateral Symmetrical Communication Model,” which has been created to meet the requirements for city brands. The impact of stakeholders' interaction on the brand image, the impact of ensuring multilateral communication between both parts, and demonstrating applicability of these are the main focuses of this chapter.
Steps toward a City Marketing Mix and Its Perception Measurement
Authors: Mišič Katja Udir , Podnar Klement
Published: August 2016

Cities compete for limited resources and face various challenges. Changing conditions have increased awareness and interest in city marketing. However, in order to achieve a competitive advantage in the acquisition of investments, tourism and community development, change in the city marketing mix is most important. Marketing experts transferred general marketing concepts to be within the scope of cities, but due to the complexity of the structure of the city, the best model in the context of marketing mix has still not been found. Any attempt in this direction is therefore theoretically and practically relevant. This paper aims to encompass various perspectives and introduces a city marketing mix, which takes into account the complexity, functionality and structure of the cities. It also presents a measurement instrument of city marketing mix that can be used as a sophisticated tool to satisfy the needs of city residents, who are considered to be the most valuable assets of the city.
The Effect of Religious Affiliation on Nation/Place Image
Authors: Kurar İhsan , Kavacik Saadet Zafer , İnal Mehmet Emin
Published: August 2016

Tourism industry is related to food and beverage, transportation, accommodation and many more fields. For this reason, tourism marketing is gaining importance all over the world. Most of the fastest growing tourism countries' promotion activities are increasingly raising the popularity and importance of these countries. Tourism has an important role in the development of countries as a service industry and a multi-faceted concept. Hence, tourism activities currently have gained new forms, new insights and new methods. One of them are faith or pilgrimage based tours. Today, for travels especially made for cultural purpose, religion is one of the leading factors. For example, Benares in Brahman, Mecca and Madinah in Islam, Jerusalem and Ephesus in Christianity are religious places attracted many of tourists due to the pilgrimage. This major movements of migration making for religious purposes affect regions, countries and destinations in terms of the economic and social aspects. This situation creates economic opportunities for countries which have consistently balance of payments deficit. In addition to this, religious trips impress people spiritually, physically, mentally, socially and emotionally. Therefore, people visit the holy places of the faith they belong. For this reason, faith activities in different parts of the world attracted millions of people annually. Among them religious buildings, rituals, festivals, spiritual and religious events are important factors that affect the behaviour of tourists and directs people to faith tourism.
Context-Aware Business Process Versions Management
Authors: Lassoued Yosra , Bouzguenda Lotfi , Mahmoud Tariq
Published: August 2016

This work deals with a very active and promising research area that is the Business Process (BP) flexibility. One possible way to deal with this flexibility is the conjoint use of versioning and contextualization techniques. Versioning permits BP evolution by supporting the alternative use of BP versions. Contextualization ensures the definition of use conditions of BP versions to help the designer choosing a version among several ones. In a previous work, BP flexibility had been addressed using only versioning technique by considering the informational, organizational and process perspectives. In this work, the authors show how they conjointly use both versioning and contextualization techniques to address the BP flexibility. More precisely, they propose an extension of the VBP2M meta-model (Versioned Business Process Meta Model), introduced in their previous work, by adding a contextual perspective that offers two levels of contexts granularity (local and global). This perspective is illustrated using a well-known case study «automatic production process of mineral water bottle ». An extension of the VBPQL language (Versioned Business Process Query Language) is also introduced to allow the definition, manipulating and querying of BP versions' contexts. Furthermore, the authors propose an ontology-based method to select the appropriate BP version. Finally, they present our tool that represents the implementation of the proposed solution.
Online Review Site Data in Service Innovation
Authors: Eloranta Tuomo
Published: August 2016

The increased emphasis of customer understanding and involvement in successful service innovation has resulted to the development of various co-creation approaches striving for tight coupling between customers and companies. While highly integrative methods certainly have their place, there is also a need for lighter means for gaining customer understanding amidst the organizational reality of limited budgets and time famine. Given this, the objective of the study is to examine ways of virtual customer integration, namely utilizing feedback customers give on public online review sites as a source of new ideas and inspiration for service innovation. This study brings new understanding on how firms can best leverage online review sites as a part of their customer integration tool portfolio to support their innovation activities.
Studying Collaborative Approaches to Improving the Quality of Management Information in IT Projects
Authors: Presulli Marcello
Published: August 2016

The management of IT projects often suffers from the absence of a continuous flow of comprehensible information and a uniform representation of the desired data. This is why the quality of the presented information is often questionable. Project decisions taken at those information bases are often suboptimal and leave a feeling of insecurity. This paper proposes an approach to mitigate those problems by means of a collaborative acquisition of necessary key factors. The collaboration was carried out in 6 iterative meetings with 4 selected industrial partners. Based on the results of these meetings and Design by Research as chosen methodology, a specification was derived which guided the creation of a research software prototype for the subsequent testing phase. The prototype supported improved project-information representation with meta-tagging through keywords. Qualitative and quantitative data were obtained during testing of real projects of the industrial partners and were analyzed afterwards by a suitable mixed method approach. With 6 out of 8 positive tested hypotheses, the results show a significant improvement in the key issues, such as a continuous availability of key facts, improved reliability of the data, and less dependence on individuals during reporting. These initial results point to the fact that the path taken in this study is a promising one towards improving the flow and presentation of information in project management generally. Nevertheless, an advanced follow-up study is recommended for deriving yet more solid ground for the derivation of highly usable software support tools.
Toward Defining the Vibrant Concept of Agile Project Management
Authors: Alvarez-Dionisi Luis Emilio
Published: August 2016

Current studies have presented multiple understandings or meanings to the concept of agile project management. However, there has not been a formal definition of agile project management, which relates the underlying theoretical foundation of project management with the agile project management literature. This study presents various concepts of project and project management in order to articulate a final research-based definition of agile project management. Consequently, a formal definition of agile project management is constructed. As a result, the paper concludes with a set of recommendations for further research on agile project management. This paper is a portion of an ongoing computer information system's research effort on agile frameworks.
The Importance of Managing Strategic IT Project Contracts Using a Business Process Approach
Authors: Adler Terry R. , Pittz Thomas G.
Published: August 2016

Much has been written about managing information technology (IT) project contracts and their ultimate effect on fulfilling an organization's strategy. The integration of managing IT projects, contracts and firm strategy, however, continues to capture the attention of scholars and practitioners. This paper discusses the integration of these issues while providing a necessary process framework of how project contracts become strategic to firms when repeated transactions, increased risk identification, enhanced trust over time, and improved exploration and learning are present. IT project management has been and continues to be a growth profession, and the use of IT project contracts to outsource work has been increasing in importance as well. The authors have found that IT project management is collaborative when work is administered through information technology contracts that respond to organizational objectives. Because of the variance in how IT contracts are managed, they develop a strategic process model and discuss two lessons learned to better facilitate managing IT contracts. The proposed model and lessons learned provide insight so that the achievement of organizational strategy can be improved through simultaneous IT project and goal alignment.
Knowledge-Scientific Evaluation of a Social Service System
Authors: Meng Fei , Nakamori Yoshiteru , Huynh Van-Nam
Published: August 2016

This paper proposes a new evaluation method for a social service system in order to support participants to create new knowledge and value. The main proposal is a rating scale method that can evaluate the current level (as-is) and the future desire (to-be) of participants, and with which the authors can analyze achievements of individuals. By using a concrete example of an education program which is a worth living discovery seminar for retired men, the paper reports the results of hypothetical tests on the relationships between items of evaluation, and an interesting finding related to the reason of differences in attitude of participants.
5 by 5 Microstrip Antenna Array Design by Multiobjective Differential Evolution based on Fuzzy Performance Feedback
Authors: Jariyatantiwait Chatkaew , Yen Gary G.
Published: August 2016

Differential evolution is often regarded as one of the most efficient evolutionary algorithms to tackle multiobjective optimization problems. The key to success of any multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) is maintaining a delicate balance between exploration and exploitation throughout the evolution process. In this paper, the authors develop an Improved version of the Fuzzy-based Multiobjective Differential Evolution (IFMDE) that exploits performance metrics, specifically hypervolume, spacing, and maximum spread, to measure the state of the evolution progress. They apply the fuzzy inference rules, derived from domain knowledge, to these metrics in order to dynamically adjust the associated control parameters of a chosen mutation and crossover strategy used in this algorithm. One mutation parameter controls the degree of greedy or exploitation, while another regulates the degree of diversity or exploration of the reproduction phase. On the other hand, crossover rate controls the fraction of trial vector elements inherited from the mutant vectors. In doing so collectively, the authors can appropriately adjust the degree of exploration and exploitation through performance feedback. A 5 by 5 microstrip antenna array design problem is formulated as a three-objective optimization problem. The proposed IFMDE is applied to tackle this problem under real-world complications. Since the objective evaluations of a 5 by 5 microstrip antenna array are computationally very expensive, a radial basis function neural network is trained as a surrogate model for the fitness function approximations. The experimental results demonstrate the ability of IFMDE that it can find not only one, but a set of Pareto optimal solutions, specifically in terms of side lobe level and reflection coefficient. These multiple Pareto-optimal configurations can then be chosen from by a decision maker given dynamic operating environments, constraints and uncertainties.
Utilizing Social Insect-Based Communities for Routing in Network-based Sensor Systems
Authors: Ang Li-Minn , Seng Kah Phooi , Zungeru Adamu Murtala
Published: August 2016

The emergence of new technologies such as Internet/Web/Network-of-Things and large scale wireless sensor systems requires the collection of data from an increasing volume of networked-based sensors for analysis. This increases the challenge of routing in network-based sensor systems. This paper presents a study to utilize social insect-based communities for routing in wireless sensor networks. The authors will use for discussion two types of insects: ants and termites. Social insect communities are formed from simple, autonomous and cooperative organisms that are interdependent for their survival. These communities are able to effectively coordinate themselves to achieve global objectives despite a lack of centralized planning. The performances of these insect-based algorithms were tested on common routing scenarios. The results were compared with other routing algorithms with varying network density and showed that insect-based routing techniques improved on network energy consumption with a control over best-effort service.
The Effects of Individual and National Cultures in Knowledge Sharing
Authors: Chang Yu-Wei , Hsu Ping-Yu , Shiau Wen-Lung , Cheng Yun-Shan
Published: August 2016

A major challenge for multinational companies is to motivate employees with different individual cultural characteristics and national cultures to share knowledge. Although comparative studies across different countries have been conducted, little is known about the effects of individual cultural differences in this context. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of individual and national cultures in knowledge sharing. The individual cultural characteristics of power distance, individualism/collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance are incorporated into the model as antecedents of knowledge-sharing motivations (organizational rewards, image, and reciprocal benefits). National cultural differences are examined by subjects conducted in the U.S. and China. Results show that power distance is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for the U.S. but not for China. Individualism/collectivism is related to organizational rewards and image for the U.S. but not for China, while individualism/collectivism is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for China but not for the U.S. Uncertainty avoidance is significantly related to reciprocal benefits for the U.S. but not for China. This study provides knowledge-sharing practices and managements for multinational companies attempting to motivate U.S. and Chinese employees to share knowledge.
What Make People Getting Charged Apps Instead of Free One?
Authors: Wang Chen-Shu , Lai Cheng-Yu , Lin Shiang-Lin
Published: August 2016

In recent year, mobile devices have become an indispensable product in our daily life. Extensive amount of mobile applications (Apps) have been developed and used on these devices. Restated, in terms of the Apps future development and popularization, to understand why people have willingness to pay for use certain Apps has apparently became an important issue. However, there are various homogeneity Apps, which people can easily find some free succedaneum for use. Consequently, it would be an interesting issue to realize individual's intention to pay for use the Apps. In this study, the authors conducted a survey in Taiwan to realize individuals' willingness to pay for Cloud Storage Service (CSS), since CSS is one of the frequently adopted App for most mobile device users. The results show that both the perceived service quality and conformity positively affect the perceived value and then increases the user's willingness to pay indirectly. In addition, the findings also support that the users' product knowledge about CSS produce negative moderating effects on the perceived value and the willingness of pay.
Calculation of the Rate of Helium Ion Dispersion in Gallium Arsenide Compound
Authors: Abdul Amir Haider F. , Hassan Abu , Alias Afishah , Chee Fuei Pien
Published: August 2016

Nuclear dispersion is an important aspect in the process of slowing down ions by transferring their momentum to the target atoms and in determining path of the ion. This paper concerns the quantitative evaluation of the mechanism at which helium ions lose their energy when penetrate into a solid and the eventual distribution of the helium ion while stopping inside the Gallium Arsenide compound (GaAs). The first order effects of the atoms of the compound such as the electronic excitation of the atom, the lattice damage incurred to it, as well as the production of phonons in Gallium Arsenide due to the helium ions are also taken into account. The main finding is the mechanism of penetration of helium ions in GaAs, which is affected by the energy, the angle of incidence, and penetration density of the helium ions. It is found out that the energy has major impact than the angle of incidence in the interaction.
Photoresponse of Zinc Oxide-Polyaniline Junction at Different Light Intensities
Authors: Mones Everjoy , Gillado Armida , Herrera Marvin U.
Published: August 2016

Polymer-oxide semiconductor exhibits a promising application on electronic devices. In this study, zinc oxide-polyaniline (ZnO-PAni) junctions were constructed which showed a photodiode-like behavior. The junctions were built through connecting the electrodeposited zinc oxide to electrodeposited HCl-doped polyaniline. Without illumination, the junctions exemplify a diode-like behavior (e.g., large amount current at forward-bias while small amount of current at reverse-bias). When illuminated, the junctions exhibit a photodiode-like behavior. In such, the reverse-bias current increases with light intensity.
Wettability of Selected Lead-Free Solders for Higher Application Temperatures
Authors: Koleňák Roman , Kostolný Igor , Šebo Pavol
Published: August 2016

The work deals with the research of wettability of lead-free solders for higher application temperatures. For the research of wettability, SnSb5, ZnAl4, ZnAl6Ag6 and BiAg11 solders were used on Ag, Cu and Ni substrates. The measurement was carried out in a controlled atmosphere by trigonometric method. Zn based solders wets none of the examined substrates. SnSb5 solder wets only Cu substrate with wetting angle of 54o. Soldering alloy BiAg11 wets all substrates, wherein the best results (23 o) was achieved on Ag substrate.
Electrical and Optical Properties of Soda-Lime Glass Coated Using High Voltage Electrodeposition Technique
Authors: Parel Marco Miguel P. , Gillado Armida , Herrera Marvin U.
Published: August 2016

High voltage electrodeposition technique was successfully employed in coating a low conductive glass. The technique involved the use of constant input voltage (e.g., 2000V) to coat the soda-lime glass electrode. Dissolved copper sulfate pentahydrate in sulfuric acid-water solution served as the electrolyte in the deposition process. The surface conductivity of the electrodeposited coated glass improved compared to that of the uncoated glass. The surface conductivity increased as high as 735% at 30 minutes deposition time using 2000 V input voltage. However, the transmittance decreased with surface conductivity. This indicated that the conductive particles that adhered on the surface were blocking the passage of light. Furthermore, the AFM image shows that the adhered particles were deposited besides the scratched region. This observation supports the need to roughen the glass surface before employing the high voltage electrodeposition technique.
Parametric Analysis of Cylindrical Plunge Grinding on Micro-Alloyed Steel Using Taguchi Analysis
Authors: Kekade Swapnil , Patil Sandip , Joshi Suhas , Singh Rajkumar Prasad
Published: August 2016

In the automotive industry, grinding of round diameters is an important process, to achieve desired tolerances and finish. While the effect of grinding parameters namely cutting velocity, work velocity and infeed (or downfeed) on grinding forces and surface integrity (that includes finish, residual stresses and subsurface damage) have been studied extensively in the literature, the effect on material removal rate (MRR) and dimensional accuracies has been given very limited attention. This work involves the analysis of effect of grinding parameters namely cutting velocity, work speed and infeed on MRR, surface finish (Ra) and dimensional accuracies by performing experiments on micro-alloyed steel bars. A series of cylindrical plunge grinding experiments were performed on round bar using CBN grinding wheel. The results show that, to achieve minimum surface roughness (Ra), infeed is the most influencing input parameter, whereas to achieve maximum MRR, work speed influences the most. An increase in infeed and a reduction in cutting velocity and work speed, leads to an increase in finish on ground surface. Also, an increase in infeed and cutting velocity, and a reduction in work speed results into an increase in MRR. The results show that, dimensional accuracies such as diameter, ovality and taper of ground surfaces have not been affected significantly.
Bio-Electrospraying of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells with a Customized Multi-Hole Spinneret
Authors: Zhang Ting , Liu Yuan Yuan , Yu Hong Chen , Li Shuai , Chen Hai Ping , Hu Qing Xi
Published: August 2016

Bio-electrospraying (BES) is becoming an attractive tool for the delivery of cells into scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. In this study, we aimed to electrospray human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and improve the efficiency of BES by designing a new customized multi-hole spinneret. We demonstrated that the multi-hole spinneret could produce continuous and stable jets during BES, and the efficiency was increased by 5–7 times. Morphological observations, trypan blue and sulforhodamine B assays revealed that the HUVECs electrosprayed using the multi-hole spinneret remained viable and proliferated at a rate similar to that of the controls. Thus, the new multi-hole nozzle can considerably improve output for BES without affecting cell morphology, viability, and proliferation.
In Vitro Bioactivity of Macroporous Calcium Phosphate Scaffold for Biomedical Application
Authors: Sabudin Salina , Sahid Sudirman , Kader Bashah Nor Shahida , Ibrahim Shirin , Hussin Zul Hazmi , Marzuke Muhamad Anas
Published: August 2016

In this study, the effects of macroporous calcium phosphate (MCP) scaffold on bioactivity as an in-vitro model has been investigated. MCP scaffold was prepared using foam replication technique by combination of ceramic and polyurethane (PU). MCP was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) to confirm its microstructure and phase composition respectively. Bioactivity in simulated body fluid (SBF) was characterized by apatite mineralisation on MCP scaffold surface, pH, calcium (Ca2+) and phosphate (PO43-) ion dissolution and compressive strength using universal testing machine (UTM). Experimental results showed the formation of apatite around the MCP scaffold after 30 days in SBF. pH value was gradually decreased up to 7 days and constant until 30 days. Dissolution of Ca2+ and PO43- ion in SBF due to the occurrence of MCP degradation, hence the compressive strength are gradually decreased gradually in line with immersion period. This material may be promising for biomedical application.
Compressive Strength and Water Penetration of Concrete with Enterococcus faecalis and Calcium Lactate
Authors: Irwan J.M. , Anneza L.H. , Othman Norzila , Faisal Alshalif A.
Published: August 2016

This paper presents the compressive strength and water penetration of Bioconcrete with calcium lactate. The bacteria used in this concrete is Enterococcus faecalis, which was isolated and enriched to suit the concrete environment. Bioconcrete is a sustainable and environmentally friendly method to improve concrete properties, but the natural production of calcite by the bacteria is limited. Therefore, the objective of this research is to add in calcium lactate as additional food source for the bacteria and determine the effect on the compressive strength and water penetration of concrete. The Bioconcrete is fabricated in the standard size of 150mm × 150mm × 150mm cubes. The calcium lactate added into the mix is in concentrations of 0.001 mol/l, 0.005mol/l and 0.01 mol/l measured according to the amount of water used in fabrication. Both compressive strength and water penetration is tested after the 28th day by using Universal Testing Machine (UTM) and Water Permeability testing machine respectively. It is found that by adding calcium lactate into Bioconcrete, the compressive strength improves by a maximum of 16.4% which is 41.9 Mpa using the concentrations of 0.005 mol/l of calcium lactate. Compared to control which was 36 Mpa and concrete with only Enterococcus faecalis of 38.2 Mpa. The water penetration has a similar trend of decreasing the water penetration of concrete with Enterococcus faecalis and calcium lactate. A maximum decrease of water penetration is from calcium lactate of concentration 0.01 mol/l of 26.2% which is 8.7 cm compared to control of 11.8 cm and concrete with only Enterococcus faecalis of 9.2 cm. Adding calcium lactate as an additional food source for bacteria in concrete has positive results and further study with the same concept is encouraging
Correlation of Blooming and Tensile Properties in Surfactant-Loaded Natural Rubber Vulcanizates
Authors: Pajarito Bryan B. , Arabit Jimyl
Published: August 2016

Tensile properties of surfactant-loaded natural rubber (NR) vulcanizates are investigated in correlation with blooming. Rubber sheets are compounded using an L12 orthogonal array of Taguchi design of experiment, where ingredients are treated as factors varied at low and high loadings. Blooming experiments are carried out by placing NR sheets in a natural convection oven set at 50 °C for 20 days. The amount of bloom on the surface is removed using adhesive tape and is monitored with time. Tensile properties of rubber dogbone samples are also measured with time. Results show that 5 out of 12 formulations show blooming to be significantly related to tensile modulus (0.005 < p < 0.039). It is observed that the tensile modulus increases with blooming (0.898 < r < 0.973). Three formulations indicate significant correlation of blooming with tensile strength (0.022 < p < 0.047). As observed, tensile strength decreases with blooming (-0.884 < r < -0.930). Five formulations signify blooming to have significant correlation with maximum tensile strain (0.000 < p < 0.011), which decreases with blooming (-0.957 < r < -0.995). Two formulations imply significant negative (-0.960 < r < -0.963) correlation between blooming and tensile set (p= 0.009).
Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Zinc Oxide-Copper Oxide Composites
Authors: Almanza Dustin Loren , Garcia Maria Carmela , Prodigalidad Alenn , Herrera Marvin U.
Published: August 2016

Many traditional photocatalytic materials such as ZnO and TiO2 are ultraviolet light-triggered due to their wide band gap, however indoor light and sunlight reaching the surface of the earth are in the visible light region. This research aims to fabricate a photocatalytic material that can be triggered using visible light. Ceramic composites with ZnO and CuO interfaces were constructed using heterogeneous mixing technique. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were determined through their ability to degrade methyl orange dye under visible light illumination. Results show that the existence of the ZnO-CuO interface improved the visible light photocatalytic activity of the material.
Effect of Colorant Additive and Thickness on Tensile Properties of Oxo-Biodegradable PE Plastic Bags in Alkaline Solution
Authors: Leuterio Giselle Lou D. , Pajarito Bryan B.
Published: August 2016

Polyethylene (PE) is widely used as packaging materials in the form of plastic bags. After end-use, some of these plastic bags are not properly disposed and may persist in different kinds of environment. Oxo-biodegradable plastics are PE films incorporated with pro-oxidants to promote degradation. As part of the continuing study, changes on the tensile properties of oxo-biodegradable PE plastic bags immersed in alkaline solution at 60 °C are investigated. The effects of colorant additive (varied at two levels) and thickness (varied at three levels) on tensile properties of PE films are reported. Specifically, the tensile strength [MPa], strain at break [%], and elastic modulus [MPa] are monitored with time. It is observed that films undergo degradation which is exhibited by a decrease in all tensile properties after 1008 hours of immersion in alkaline solution. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows that the initial tensile strength and elastic modulus, as well as the strain at break and elastic modulus after 1008 hours of immersion, are all affected by colorant additive.
Effect of Morphology and Chemical Modification on Water Degradation Behavior of Polyvinyl Alcohol - Gelatin Blend
Authors: Ramis Jopeth M. , Pajarito Bryan B.
Published: August 2016

Polyvinyl Alcohol - Gelatin (PVAG) nanofibers were successfully synthesized using the electrospinning method. After synthesis, the degradation study of electrospun PVAG nanofibers was done using Quartz Crystal Microbalance submerged in distilled water at ambient conditions. Additional samples were prepared: PVAG film, and cross-linked PVAG nanofibers using 37% formaldehyde vapor, to analyze the effects of the morphology and chemical modification on the degradation property of PVAG blend. Results revealed significant differences in the degradation properties of different samples. PVAG film exhibited initial mass loss at the beginning but afterwards began to uptake water from the environment, achieving steady state value. PVAG nanofibers' behavior was in a continuous mass loss behavior in contrast to the film morphology, probably due to its large surface area exposed to the aqueous environment that readily solubilized PVA and gelatin components of the nanofibers. Analysis on the PVAG cross-linked nanofibers showed degradation profile comparable to a damped sinusoid function, achieving a pseudo steady-state profile after considerable time. Evidence from QCM studies show that morphology and chemical modification has an effect on the degradation property of PVAG, and further tuning of these effects could be utilized for functional use in tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, and other chemical and biomedical use.
Detection of Occult Glomerular Dysfunction in Glucose Six Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency Anemia
Authors: Abdel Hakeem Gehan , Abdel Naem Emad , Swelam Salwa , Aboul Fotoh Laila , Al Mazary Abdel Azeem , Abdel Fadeil Ashraf , Abdel Hafez Asmaa
Published: August 2016

Background: Glucose six phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD) anemia is associated with intravascular hemolysis. The freely filtered hemoglobin can damage the kidney. We aimed to assess gloumerular status in G6PD children.Methods: Sixty children were included. Thirty G6PD deficiency anemia children were enrolled during the acute hemolytic crisis and after hemolytic episode. Another thirty healthy children were included as controls. Serum cystatin C, creatinine levels and urinary albumin/creatinine (A/C) ratio were measured for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) calculation.Results:Significantly higher urinary A/C ratio and lower GFR were found during hemolysis and after the hemolytic episode compared to controls. Also, significant higher serum cystatin C, creatinine and A/C ratio and lower GFR during acute hemolytic crisis compared to the same children after the hemolytic episode subsided. Conclusions:G6PD deficiency anemia is associated with a variable degree of glomerular dysfunction during acute hemolytic episodes. This glomerular dysfunction can result in chronic subclinical or occult chronic kidney injury.
Geometric Interpretation of Lagrangian Equivalence
Authors: Izumiya Shyuichi
Published: August 2016

As an application of the theory of graph-like Legendrian unfoldings, relations of the hidden structures of caustics, and wave front propagations are revealed.
Atmospheric aerosol compositions and sources at two national background
sites in northern and southern China
Authors: Zhu Qiao , He Ling-Yan , Huang Xiao-Feng , Cao Li-Ming , Gong Zhao-Heng , Wang Chuan , Zhuang Xin , Hu Min
Published: August 2016

Abstract. Although China's severe air pollution has become a focus in the field of atmospheric chemistry and the mechanisms of urban air pollution there have been researched extensively, few field sampling campaigns have been conducted at remote background sites in China, where air pollution characteristics on a larger scale are highlighted. In this study, an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), together with an Aethalometer, was deployed at two of China's national background sites in northern (Lake Hongze site; 33.23° N, 118.33° E; altitude 21 m) and southern (Mount Wuzhi site; 18.84° N, 109.49° E; altitude 958 m) China in the spring seasons in 2011 and 2015, respectively, in order to characterize submicron aerosol composition and sources. The campaign-average PM1 concentration was 36.8 ± 19.8 µg m−3 at the northern China background (NCB) site, which was far higher than that at the southern China background (SCB) site (10.9 ± 7.8 µg m−3). Organic aerosol (OA) (27.2 %), nitrate (26.7 %), and sulfate (22.0 %) contributed the most to the PM1 mass at NCB, while OA (43.5 %) and sulfate (30.5 %) were the most abundant components of the PM1 mass at SCB, where nitrate only constituted a small fraction (4.7 %) and might have contained a significant amount of organic nitrates (5–11 %). The aerosol size distributions and organic aerosol elemental compositions all indicated very aged aerosol particles at both sites. The OA at SCB was more oxidized with a higher average oxygen to carbon (O ∕ C) ratio (0.98) than that at NCB (0.67). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis was used to classify OA into three components, including a hydrocarbon-like component (HOA, attributed to fossil fuel combustion) and two oxygenated components (OOA1 and OOA2, attributed to secondary organic aerosols from different source areas) at NCB. PMF analysis at SCB identified a semi-volatile oxygenated component (SV-OOA) and a low-volatility oxygenated component (LV-OOA), both of which were found to be secondary species and could be formed from precursors co-emitted with BC. Using the total potential source contribution function model, the likely source areas of the major PM1 components at both sites were a on large regional scale in East Asia. The possible sources may include not only emissions from the Chinese mainland but also emissions from ocean-going cargo ships and biomass burning in neighboring countries.