bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does customer service matter? A customer perception of bank services in Islamic countries
Authors: Meshal Saeed S Alshahrani , Bander Sayaf Z Alshahrani , Ahmed Saeed A Alshahrani
Published: December 2015

This paper aims to explore the possible usefulness of a combined multi-attribute and SERVQUAL service quality model in analyzing how bank customers perceive service quality. Using a survey, the authors measured how customers in one region in a major Saudi Arabia bank perceived service quality. Responses were analyzed with reference to both multi-attribute service quality and SERVQUAL models. The combined model seems to provide some guidance regarding how bank customers perceive service quality. The finding of several items reveals that customers are difficult to please. However, substantial heterogeneity exists in customer perceptions of the service quality items investigated. This exploratory study examines only one bank in specific region in Saudi Arabia, implying a need for additional research applying this combined model and other methods to investigate banking segment. The noticeable spread in conceptions of service quality items suggests that bank managers and personal bankers may benefit from co-creating services with customers. Banks are considered as intermediates on financial markets. Therefore, improved and customized service quality could make customers inclined to invest their resources in ways that promote economic growth. In addition to traditional measurement models, the SERVQUAL may contribute to service quality assessment in private banking.
A Study on NGO-Donor Relations in Basic Education Sector: Case of Pakistan
Authors: Gul Warda , FanBin Kong
Published: December 2015

NGOs gained the importance in the last decades all over the world and the same is true with the case of Pakistan. NGOs are participating in the education sector. This paper studies the involvement of NGOs in the basic education sector, being dependent on the foreign donor agencies. NGOs have to follow the agenda of donors that can create tension with the government. This paper applies qualitative research methodology to study the relationships between donors and NGOs. The findings of this study show that donors are mostly following market-based approach and neo-liberal agenda that results in inequalities for people. Therefore, to perform their duty rightly, NGOs should look for sustainable sources of finances.
Impact of Unethical Advertising, Misleading Information or Deceptive Advertising on Customer Purchasing Intention with Mediating Effect of Word of Mouth: Case of Pakistan
Authors: Ullah Najeeb , Hussain Mustansar
Published: December 2015

This paper aims to study the effect of Unethical advertising, misleading information or deception and stereotyping advertising impact on Customer purchase intention with mediating effect of word-of-mouth (WOM) in Pakistan. Based on variables, the authors tried to identify the effects of each variable to customer satisfaction. Data were collected through field research (questionnaire) among 600 Respondent who have their own different levels and fields like, Employee, students, and common people from twin city Islamabad & Rawalpindi. The results shows that unethical Advertising or misleading information and stereotyping advertising are negatively linked with customer buying behaviour or purchase intention, while word of mouth is also negatively associated with customer satisfaction. Limitations relate to the use of a non-probability sample and the restricted geographical area of the field research. There had a time constraint which could restrict many aspects of research for further elaboration.
Efecto inicial de los residuos de aprovechamiento forestal en el carbono de un suelo granítico de Chile
Authors: Esquivel-Segura Edwin , Rubilar-Pons Rafael Alejandro , Cancino-Cancino Jorge
Published: December 2015

Se determinó el impacto de la biomasa remanente postaprovechamiento en la concentración de carbono en los primeros 10 cm de suelo. Se ensayaron tres tratamientos de manipulación de residuos del aprovechamiento forestal aplicados post- aprovechamiento en una plantación forestal de Pinus radiata de 22 años: (a) remoción de los residuos del aprovechamiento de la superficie (X0), (b) testigo sin remoción ni adición de biomasa de residuos (X1), y (c) doble de la biomasa de residuos post- aprovechamiento (X2). Los contenidos de carbono se evaluaron mensualmente en los primeros 10 cm de suelo en el primer año post-tratamiento, mediante el método de pérdida de peso por ignición. Transcurridos 6 meses del inicio del experimento, la biomasa remanente del aprovechamiento fue de 2,7 ± 1,8; 37,4 ± 3,3 y 56,9 ± 8,6 Mg ha-1 en X0, X1 y X2 respectivamente. A pesar de la gran diferencia inicial en biomasa de residuos remanentes en los tratamientos, durante el primer año postaprovechamiento, no se evidenciaron diferencias en los contenidos de carbono en el suelo entre tratamientos. La reducción promedio del carbono del suelo fue un 68,2%, desde 67,7 ± 12,5 Mg ha-1 (noviembre 2007) a 46,2 ±4,4 Mg ha-1 (octubre 2008).
Evaluación de la combustión de comprimidos cilíndricos fabricados con cultivos forestales y agrícolas en Costa Rica utilizando un quemador doméstico
Authors: Moya-Roque Róger , Rodríguez-Zúñiga Ana , Tenorio Carolina , Valdez Juan , Valaert Jorret
Published: December 2015

Se presenta la evaluación de la combustión de pellets fabricados con dos cultivos forestales y ocho cultivos agrícolas en Costa Rica utilizando un quemador doméstico de 50 Kw/h. Se evaluó las características de la biomasa, las temperaturas en la salida del quemador y en la chimenea, las emisiones (O2, CO2, CO, NO, NO2, NOx y SO2), las pérdidas de calor y la eficiencia. La temperatura de salida en el quemador varió entre 400 °C y 613 °C y la temperatura en la chimenea estuvo desde los 205 a 322 °C, la temperatura más baja correspondió a Phyllostachys aurea y la mayor al residuo de la palma de aceite. Tectona grandis presentó la mayor variación de la temperatura, mientras que Cupressus lusitanica obtuvo la menor variación. Los dos cultivos forestales presentaron los menores valores de emisiones. En la eficiencia en combustión el mejor cultivo fue Gynerium sagittatum, mientras que las especies forestales presentaron una eficiencia intermedia entre los cultivos analizados.
Native wildflower plantings support wild bee abundance and diversity in agricultural landscapes across the United States
Authors: Williams Neal M. , Ward Kimiora L. , Pope Nathaniel , Isaacs Rufus , Wilson Julianna , May Emily A. , Ellis Jamie , Daniels Jaret , Pence Akers , Ullmann Katharina , Peters Jeff
Published: December 2015

Global trends in pollinator‐dependent crops have raised awareness of the need to support managed and wild bee populations to ensure sustainable crop production. Provision of sufficient forage resources is a key element for promoting bee populations within human impacted landscapes, particularly those in agricultural lands where demand for pollination service is high and land use and management practices have reduced available flowering resources. Recent government incentives in North America and Europe support the planting of wildflowers to benefit pollinators; surprisingly, in North America there has been almost no rigorous testing of the performance of wildflower mixes, or their ability to support wild bee abundance and diversity. We tested different wildflower mixes in a spatially replicated, multiyear study in three regions of North America where production of pollinator‐dependent crops is high: Florida, Michigan, and California. In each region, we quantified flowering among wildflower mixes composed of annual and perennial species, and with high and low relative diversity. We measured the abundance and species richness of wild bees, honey bees, and syrphid flies at each mix over two seasons. In each region, some but not all wildflower mixes provided significantly greater floral display area than unmanaged weedy control plots. Mixes also attracted greater abundance and richness of wild bees, although the identity of best mixes varied among regions. By partitioning floral display size from mix identity we show the importance of display size for attracting abundant and diverse wild bees. Season‐long monitoring also revealed that designing mixes to provide continuous bloom throughout the growing season is critical to supporting the greatest pollinator species richness. Contrary to expectation, perennials bloomed in their first season, and complementarity in attraction of pollinators among annuals and perennials suggests that inclusion of functionally diverse species may provide the greatest benefit. Wildflower mixes may be particularly important for providing resources for some taxa, such as bumble bees, which are known to be in decline in several regions of North America. No mix consistently attained the full diversity that was planted. Further study is needed on how to achieve the desired floral display and diversity from seed mixes.
Linking changes in community composition and function under climate change
Authors: Mokany Karel , Thomson Joshua J. , Lynch A. Jasmyn J. , Jordan Gregory J. , Ferrier Simon
Published: December 2015

Climate change is expected to directly alter the composition of communities and the functioning of ecosystems across the globe. Improving our understanding of links between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across large spatial scales and rapid global change is a major priority to help identify management responses that will retain diverse, functioning systems. Here we address this challenge by linking projected changes in plant community composition and functional attributes (height, leaf area, seed mass) under climate change across Tasmania, Australia. Using correlative community‐level modeling, we found that projected changes in plant community composition were not consistently related to projected changes in community mean trait values. In contrast, we identified specific mechanisms through which alternative combinations of projected functional and compositional change across Tasmania could be realized, including loss/replacement of functionally similar species (lowland grasslands/grassy woodlands) and loss of a small number of functionally unique species (lowland forests). Importantly, we demonstrate how these linked projections of change in community composition and functional attributes can be utilized to inform specific management actions that may assist in maintaining diverse, functioning ecosystems under climate change.
Supplemental Work at Home among Finnish Wage Earners: Involuntary Overtime or Taking the Advantage of Flexibility?
Authors: Ojala Satu
Published: December 2015

It is suggested, that the new flexible work practices are enhanced to meet the work-family demandsand therefore benefit especially women. In the article the focus is on informal flexibilitytaking place at home, for which field studies of the role of gender are rare. Against the assumptions,paid work at home is mostly informal, supplementary overtime by nature. In this article, I explorewhy employees undertake work in their private sphere during their free time and whether gendermakes a difference there. I carry out both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The qualitativedata consists of 21 interviews with white-collar employees and the quantitative data from theFinnish Quality of Work Life survey 2008 for which there are almost 4400 respondents. The methodsinclude content analysis, descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis.According to both the qualitative and quantitative data, job characteristics play the most importantrole for all who work at home; employees with higher education, or supervisory tasks, inparallel with having an autonomous and inspiring job predict both tele- and supplemental work.Importantly, gender plays only a minor role in the puzzles of choosing when and where to work.The social relations at the workplace, including the atmosphere and the support of superiors andthe work community, are only weakly related to work at home. At the same time, supplementalwork is associated with great time pressure and involuntary overtime.
E o Verbo se faz tecido: Palavra e palavra nos os do Concílio Vaticano II
Authors: Furlin Marcelo
Published: December 2015

A condição humana de ser e de estar no mundo é revelada in integrum por meio da linguagem e, iluminada por circunstâncias culturais, sociais e religiosas, desenha os caminhos de homens e mulheres ao longo da História. No enfoque desse quadro, um olhar mais renado sobre o locus theologicus revisita a aproximação entre o humano e o sagrado; a ação litúrgica, capturada ab initio, opera um movimento simbólico e dialético que imprime a presença de múltiplas manifestações nas comunidades cristãs. Nesse horizonte, o verbo literário é valioso instrumento para metaforizar o anúncio e a tessitura do Verbo. O objetivo do artigo, em fase inicial de pesquisa, é apresentar aspectos essenciais da palavra que contemplam a revelação do Verbo na sacralidade da ação litúrgica. O constructo teórico de tal recorte será fundamentado, essencialmente, sobre a concepção de liturgia como sinal e atualização da Historia salutis, na inspiração do Concílio Vaticano II.
Self-Excited Torsional Oscillations under Locked-Wheel Braking: Analysis and Experiments
Authors: Wang Chunjian , Ayalew Beshah , Adcox John , Dailliez Benoit , Rhyne Tim , Cron Steve
Published: December 2015

This paper analyzes the effect of tire/vehicle parameters, specifically of tire/suspension torsional stiffnesses, on the stability of self-excited tire torsional oscillations during locked-wheel braking events. Using a torsionally flexible tire-wheel model and a dynamic tire-ground friction model, two system models for tire oscillations are considered: with suspension torsional compliance included in one but excluded in the other. Bifurcation analysis is conducted on both systems to derive the effect of tire/vehicle parameters on the stability. For the system without suspension torsional compliance, it is highlighted that the primary cause of unstable self-excited oscillations is the “Stribeck” effect in tire-ground friction. Based on the parameters obtained experimentally, the bifurcation surface of vehicle velocity with respect to tire/suspension torsional stiffness is also given. The effect of tire/suspension torsional stiffness to the stability of tire torsional oscillation is qualitatively validated via comparisons between locked-wheel braking simulations and experiments with tires with different torsional stiffnesses.
Effect of Measurement Frequency and Test Duration on the Inflation Pressure Loss Rate of Radial Medium Truck Tires
Authors: Martens Jonathan E. , Terrill Edward R. , Napier R. Christopher , Waddell Walter H.
Published: December 2015

The inflation pressure loss rate (IPLR) of a tire has been a standard test method for several decades and is used to determine the rate at which a tire will lose pressure. Following these procedures, the rate of pressure loss is obtained and expressed numerically as the percentage of loss per month. This is an investigation of two experimental variables: (1) the frequency at which the inflation pressure is measured on a daily basis, and (2) the duration of the entire test. The measurement frequency means how many data points are recorded during a 24-hour period. For example, one study may collect data as infrequently as once per day by manually reading a pressure gauge every 24 hours. Alternatively, another study may collect data electronically with pressure transducers capable of transmitting large numbers of data points over short preset periods, then numerically averaging those data into a single 24-hour daily measurement. After a 21-day period to equilibrate the newly inflated tire, the test duration can range from 90 to 180 days but is allowed to be shortened when using electronic-pressure monitoring. This is a study of data-collection frequency and duration in a newly commissioned tire IPLR laboratory at Akron Rubber Development Laboratory, Inc (ARDL). It was constructed to have excellent temperature control and was equipped with 24 pressure-sensitive transducers with data being directly transmitted into a dedicated computer where the ASTM F1112 equations were applied. The present study includes data measurements from 56 radial medium truck tires manufactured by different companies. Results were obtained by averaging data collected four times per hour over a test duration of 90 days but were then recalculated using 60, 45, or 30 days of data to establish the feasibility of using a shorter testing time.
Delayed Presentation of Traumatic Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Guyer Richard A. , Turner Justin H.
Published: December 2015

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is one of several complications that can occur after traumatic skull base injury. Although most patients present soon after the injury occurs, some can present years later, with resulting morbidity and the need for additional procedures. We present a case of a patient with a sphenoid sinus CSF leak who presented 12 years after a closed head injury that included a sphenoethmoid skull base fracture. We also reviewed the literature on this topic, with a discussion of previous reports of CSF leaks that occurred months, years, or decades after trauma. A late onset CSF leak appears to be a rare but important complication of traumatic skull base injury. This case highlights the need for clinicians to remain vigilant to the possibility of delayed CSF rhinorrhea, even years after traumatic head injury.
Universal Sinus Computed Tomography Protocol for Diagnostic Imaging and Intraoperative Navigation
Authors: Hoxworth Joseph M. , Lal Devyani
Published: December 2015

Background

Sinus computed tomography (CT) is performed for the diagnosis of paranasal sinus disease and to assess response to medical therapy. In addition, sinus CT is used for intraoperative imaging guidance. Multiple CTs increase cost and radiation exposure.

Objective

To determine potential cost savings and radiation dose reduction that result from the use of a single universal sinus CT protocol for diagnostic imaging and intraoperative navigation.

Materials and Methods

For sinus CT at the authors' institution, a single imaging protocol was begun and deemed acceptable by neuroradiologists and surgeons for diagnostic imaging and intraoperative guidance. The electronic medical record was queried over a 4-year period to determine the number of sinus CTs performed, dose-length products, referring providers' specialties, percentage of CTs used for intraoperative navigation, and the elapsed time between CT and surgery.

Results

A total of 6187 sinus CTs were performed by using a 64-detector scanner during the study period (2759 women and 3428 men; 53.6 ± 16.7 years [mean ± SD]), and 596 endoscopic sinus surgery cases used imaging guidance, for which all the CTs were deemed technically adequate. The mean dose-length product for the CTs was 338.4 ± 31.9 mGy-cm (mean ± SD). Of the 3702 sinus CTs ordered by nonotolaryngology providers, 167 surgeries with intraoperative navigation (4.5%) were performed. A higher percentage of CT referrals from sinus surgeons (23.9%) and other otolaryngology providers (11.4%) was used for imaging guidance (p < 0.0001). The time interval between sinus CT and surgery was greatest for nonotolaryngology providers (63.1 days, p < 0.01). Based on Medicare reimbursement, the total estimated saving was $147,628.

Conclusions

Adopting a single universal sinus CT protocol for diagnostic imaging and intraoperative navigation can be an effective means of decreasing cost and radiation exposure. However, successful implementation must take into account multiple practice-based considerations.
Maps and the Meaning of the Cloud
Authors: Peterson Michael P.
Published: December 2015

In its long history, cartography has always been at the forefront of adapting to new tools. The computer, first introduced 60 years ago, has represented perhaps the greatest change in how maps are made. The further combination of computers and communication technology changed how maps are distributed – and how they are used. Maps became more interactive and animated. The cloud, the nexus of computers and communication technology, is the most recent symbol of this change. While often simply defined as using the processing and storage capacity of data centres, the cloud is interpreted here as representing a workspace for the continued development of maps as a form of both analysis and communication. Examined are the development and formation of the cloud, the distribution of multi-scale pan-able (MSP) maps, and other related areas of cloud cartography.
OpenEventMap: A Volunteered Location-Based Service
Authors: Polous Khatereh , Krisp Jukka Matthias , Meng Liqiu , Shrestha Bibek , Xiao Jiajian
Published: December 2015

Our lives are affected by myriads of events happening daily all over the world. For efficient planning and management of complex systems composed of various components, understanding relationships between an event and the reactive behaviour of involved components is vital. Analysing these complex relations demands a spatiotemporal event-based model, in which the event plays a central role. In this article we develop a framework which provides the possibility of mapping and storing event-related information on the OpenStreetMap (OSM) platform by volunteers. The study is divided into two different phases: first, mapping the event elements by adding new attributes adequately designed to encode spatiotemporal and semantic event information; and, second, representing the event-related information on a map by developing a Web application, offering a volunteered location-based service. To facilitate the event-mapping procedure, a Java OpenStreetMap (JOSM) plug-in was developed for volunteers. The plug-in was developed based on the notion of an event to adequately store and manipulate the semantic information of events in the OSM structure. The tool was used by more than 100 volunteers in Munich for the years 2012 to 2014. In addition to manual collection of event-related information by volunteers, a crawling framework was also developed to automatically collect freely available event information from various Web pages on the Internet. The framework extracts the same event elements as the plug-in. But the framework crawls each Web page according to some pre-defined rules and follows a post-processing step, if necessary. The manually collected events along with the crawled event information are visualized in a Web application. The study revealed that adding the possibility of event-oriented mapping to OSM empowers volunteers to collect a higher level of information (event information) for city maps. This information can furthermore be used for strategy development and service planning by decision-makers.
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC): 50 Years of History and Service
Authors: Maccabe Andrew T. , Crawford Lester , Heider Lawrence E. , Hooper Billy , Mann Curt J , Pappaioanou Marguerite
Published: December 2015

The mission of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is to advance the quality of academic veterinary medicine. Founded in 1966 by the 18 US colleges of veterinary medicine and 3 Canadian colleges of veterinary medicine then in existence, the AAVMC is celebrating 50 years of public service. Initially, the AAVMC comprised the Council of Deans, the Council of Educators, and the Council of Chairs. In 1984, the tri-cameral structure was abandoned and a new governing structure with a board of directors was created. In 1997, the AAVMC was incorporated in Washington, DC and a common application service was created. Matters such as workforce issues and the cost of veterinary medical education have persisted for decades. The AAVMC is a champion of diversity in the veterinary profession and a strong advocate for One Health. The AAVMC has adopted a global perspective as more international colleges of veterinary medicine have earned COE accreditation and become members.
The Changing Fiscal Environment for Academic Veterinary Medicine
Authors: Zimmel Dana N. , Lloyd James W.
Published: December 2015

The fiscal environment for academic veterinary medicine has changed substantially over the past 50 years. Understanding the flux of state and federal government support and the implications for student debt, academic programs, and scholarly work is critical for planning for the future. The recent precipitous decline in public funding highlights the urgent need to develop and maintain an economically sustainable model that can adapt to the changing landscape and serve societal needs.
Fifty Years of Evolving Partnerships in Veterinary Medical Education
Authors: Kochevar Deborah T.
Published: December 2015

The Association of American Veterinary Medical College's (AAVMC's) role in the progression of academic veterinary medical education has been about building successful partnerships in the US and internationally. Membership in the association has evolved over the past 50 years, as have traditions of collaboration that strengthen veterinary medical education and the association. The AAVMC has become a source of information and a place for debate on educational trends, innovative pedagogy, and the value of a diverse learning environment. The AAVMC's relationship with the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA COE), the accreditor of veterinary medical education recognized by the United Sates Department of Education (DOE), is highlighted here because of the key role that AAVMC members have played in the evolution of veterinary accreditation. The AAVMC has also been a partner in the expansion of veterinary medical education to include global health and One Health and in the engagement of international partners around shared educational opportunities and challenges. Recently, the association has reinforced its desire to be a truly international organization rather than an American organization with international members. To that end, strategic AAVMC initiatives aim to expand and connect the global community of veterinary educators to the benefit of students and the profession around the world. Tables in this article are intended to provide historical context, chronology, and an accessible way to view highlights.
Considering the uncertainties in empirical correlations for vertical countercurrent flow limitation (CCFL) with TRACE
Authors: Sporn M. , Hurtado A.
Published: December 2015

TRACE is used to calculate the thermal-hydraulic sequence in nuclear power plants for accident analysis. In some postulated accidents, countercurrent flow limitation (CCFL) phenomena can occur. This phenomenon is calculated by means of empirical relationships in TRACE. Usually, not all empirical relationships used in TRACE are accessible to the user who develops the computational model for accident analysis, but in the case of CCFL, the user must specify the parameters of the empirical relationship. Additional preliminary work is needed for fitting the parameters so that experimental data matches the computational calculations and the accident analysis can be performed. Furthermore, uncertainties in measurement errors from experimental data lead to user-based variations in the parameters of the empirical relationship for CCFL. Therefore, an alternative procedure in which accident analysis is performed with consideration of the uncertainties in the empirical relationships is presented. The uncertainty was quantified by means of a stochastic linear regression model for the Wallis correlation and the Bankoff correlation. An uncertainty analysis was subsequently performed to demonstrate the influence of uncertainty in certain cases of CCFL.
Axial enrichment profile in advance nuclear energy power plant at supercritical-pressures
Authors: Tashakor S. , Zarifi E. , Salehi A. A.
Published: December 2015

The High-Performance Light Water Reactor (HPLWR) is the European version of the advance nuclear energy power plant at Supercritical-pressure. A light water reactor at supercritical pressure, being currently under design, is the new generation of nuclear reactors. The aim of this study is to predict the HPLWR neutronic behavior of the axial enrichment profile with an average enrichment of 5 w/o U-235. Neutronic calculations are performed using WIMS and CITATION codes. Changes in neutronic parameter, such as Power Peaking Factor (PPF) are discussed in this paper.
Nuclear model calculations on cyclotron production of 51Cr
Authors: Kakavand T. , Aboudzadeh M. , Farahani Z. , Eslami M.
Published: December 2015

51Cr (T1/2 = 27.7 d), which decays via electron capture (100 %) with 320 keV gamma emission (9.8 %), is a radionuclide with still a large application in biological studies. In this work, ALICE/ASH and TALYS nuclear model codes along with some adjustments are used to calculate the excitation functions for proton, deuteron, α-particle and neutron induced on various targets leading to the production of 51Cr radioisotope. The production yields of 51Cr from various reactions are determined using the excitation function calculations and stopping power data. The results are compared with corresponding experimental data and discussed from point of view of feasibility.
Analysis of the small break loss of coolant accident in the VVER-1000/V446 reactor
Authors: Altaha S. M. , Mansouri M. , Jahanfarnia G.
Published: December 2015

In this paper, the analysis of a Small Break Loss of Coolant Accident (SBLOCA) in the VVER-1000/V446 nuclear power plant is presented. For a conservative analysis of the accident, the loss of power to the NPP and failure of one accumulator, and also of two emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) in loops 2 and 3 of the primary and secondary circuits are considered when SBLOCA has occurred. The RELAP5/MOD3.2 computer code has been used in performing the analyses. Two cases of accident scenarios as 25 mm and 100 mm breaks are analyzed. The results are in good agreement with those reported in the plant's FSAR. The results of liquid velocity show that in both cases, the flow of hot legs after the break is reversed, which provides the potential for reflux condensation phenomena. Furthermore, in the 25 mm break, the flow rate in the broken and intact side downcomer remains in the downward motion while in the 100 mm break, the broken and intact side flow rate changes to the reversed state alternatively.
Mitigating Alkali–Silica Reaction in Concrete
Authors: Afshinnia Kaveh , Rangaraju Prasada Rao
Published: December 2015

This study investigated the effectiveness of using recycled waste glass in portland cement concrete, both as a finely ground powder and as a crushed granular material. For the potential of glass to undergo alkali–silica reactivity (ASR) distress to be assessed, mortar bar and miniature concrete prism tests were conducted with glass as both a powder and a crushed material. Parallel studies were conducted with a crushed natural aggregate. Simultaneously, strength activity index and thermogravimetric analysis tests were conducted on cementitious mixtures to evaluate pozzolanic reactivity of glass powder when used as cement replacement material. Results showed that when glass powder (70 μm average size) was used as cement replacement material, its pozzolanic behavior (measured by thermogravimetric analysis and strength activity index) was minimal. When glass powder was used as aggregate replacement material, the combination of glass powder and ASR-prone coarse aggregates showed significantly lower expansion than did control specimens in accelerated mortar bar and miniature concrete prism tests. This result indicates the beneficial effect of using glass powder in mitigating expansion induced by ASR. The mechanism by which the fine glass powder appeared to alleviate ASR in coarse aggregates, and therefore any significant distress in test specimens, was by rapidly undergoing its own ASR, which depleted alkalinity in the vicinity of reactive coarse aggregates. ASR associated with the fine glass particles was localized, and the reaction product did not appear to generate sufficient expansion to cause global distress. Additional field studies are required to validate study findings before waste glass can be used in concrete on a large scale.
Investigating Pedestrian Injury Crashes on Modern Roundabouts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Tulu Getu Segni , Haque M. Mazharul , Washington Simon , King Mark J.
Published: December 2015

Pedestrian crashes represent about 40% of total fatal crashes in low-income developing countries. Although many pedestrian crashes in these countries occur at unsignalized intersections such as roundabouts, studies focusing on this issue are limited. The objective of this study was to develop safety performance functions for pedestrian crashes at modern roundabouts to identify significant roadway geometric, traffic, and land use characteristics related to pedestrian safety. Detailed data, including various forms of exposure, geometric and traffic characteristics, and spatial factors such as proximity to schools and to drinking establishments were collected from a sample of 22 modern roundabouts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, representing about 56% of such roundabouts in Addis Ababa. To account for spatial correlation resulting from multiple observations at a roundabout, both the random effect Poisson (REP) and random effect negative binomial (RENB) regression models were estimated. Model goodness-of-fit statistics revealed a marginally superior fit of the REP model to the data compared with the RENB model. Pedestrian crossing volume and the product of traffic volumes along major and minor roads had significant and positive associations with pedestrian crashes at roundabouts. The presence of a public transport (bus or taxi) terminal beside a roundabout was associated with increased pedestrian crashes. Although the maximum gradient of an approach road was negatively associated with pedestrian safety, the provision of a raised median along an approach appeared to increase pedestrian safety at roundabouts. Remedial measures were identified for combating pedestrian safety problems at roundabouts in the context of a developing country.
Residents’ Characteristics and Transport Policy Analysis in Large-Scale Residential Areas on a City Periphery
Authors: Guan Jinping , Yang Dongyuan
Published: December 2015

Big cities in China are reforming their old downtown areas and demolishing substandard housing. The government relocates residents to large-scale residential areas on the city periphery, where the residents often find transport service unsatisfactory. However, in the search for policies that could be applied to ease this problem, there were no studies supplying effective quantitative forecasts that assessed improvements in travel quality in such areas. To provide a policy scenario forecast that could measure travel quality, one that is also subject to the so-called transit priority strategy, this study takes the case of Jinhexincheng, Shanghai, China, analyzes its residents’ characteristics, estimates a mode choice mixed logit model, and applies the model to six policy scenario forecasts. Consumer surplus is calculated as the travel quality metric; mode shares are calculated as the transit priority metric. Results show that central city migrants and the others are similar in gender, education, years living locally, and transportation-related decisions, despite their different motives for moving to the area. People are different in age, in whether they have Shanghai permanent residency, in apartment ownership, and in years living in Shanghai. In all possible mode choice logit models, there is no sign of different mode preferences; so in the policy scenario forecasts, they are considered the same. Of all six sets of possible policy scenarios, building retail closer has the highest consumer surplus increase—thus, it improves travel quality the most. Meanwhile, it also has an acceptable transit share. This means the scenario is not against transit priority. In future planning, this policy should be the first considered.
Role of Social Climate in Habitual Transit Use by Young Adults to Work and Leisure Activities
Authors: Salvá Julián R. , Sierra Miguel , Alanis Ana K. J. , Kaplan Sigal , Prato Carlo G.
Published: December 2015

As mobility has increasingly become a vehicle for producing meaning and culture, and public transport has traditionally formed a dense and diverse social climate in which social interactions habitually occur, assessing the relationship between social climate and transit use is extremely important, especially in the younger populations that will shape the future of transport systems. This study proposes a behavioral framework founded on the theory of planned behavior and the social climate model. The study presents a tailor-made, web-based survey and a structural equation model for analyzing transit use as a function of attitudes toward public transport, subjective norms, social ambience in public transport, travel independence and autonomy, family (house) rules, and perceived quality of service. This study focuses on transit systems in cities in North and South America that have a much higher public transport ridership, tighter design standards in terms of personal space, and a higher degree of informal social interaction than transit systems in Europe, where previous studies have been conducted. Estimation results from a structural equations model show that (a) transit use frequency is significantly related to the perceived behavioral control of using transit and the social climate; (b) attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control are associated with perceived service quality; (c) gender differences exist in the user experience and appreciation of the social climate in transit; and (d) the residential social climate is linked to the transit social climate.
User Satisfaction and Its Impacts on the Use of a Public Bicycle System
Authors: Zhang Dong , Xu Xin , Yang Xiaoguang
Published: December 2015

This research examined the evaluation of service quality in the public bicycle system (PBS) in Hangzhou, China, along with a measurement of user satisfaction, and of how an individual's perceived satisfaction influenced his or her PBS use. A 30-item PBS service quality scale was first developed and then applied to the empirical study of PBS service in Hangzhou. On the basis of a finally validated sample of 231 responses, an item-based PBS service quality assessment and an individual-based satisfaction assessment were obtained with a Rasch model. Thereafter, individual satisfaction was introduced as one of the explanatory variables in modeling PBS customers' frequency of use in a logistic regression approach. According to the analysis, environmental factors, such as nighttime illumination and shade along the bicycle way, and service factors, such as convenient withdrawal of the deposit, proper handling of customer complaints, and an increase in station density, were thought to be in most urgent need of improvement by the interviewed Hangzhou PBS users. The respondents tended to give positive marks to the PBS service in Hangzhou, with a quantitative measure of 1.49 ± 0.31, in a range of [-7.74, 7.89] [all in the log-odds unit (logit)]. The present work also proved that a one-unit increase in user-perceived satisfaction would increase the likelihood of a user's moving into a higher use-frequency level, as defined in the study, by almost 35%.
Accessibility Analysis of Growth Patterns in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Authors: Quirós Tatiana Peralta , Mehndiratta Shomik Raj
Published: December 2015

This study used a lens of accessibility to examine trends in spatial development in the greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, area over the past two decades. The analysis utilized remote sensing data collected over three time periods in Buenos Aires and automobile and transit employment accessibility measures that were calculated with the use of an open-source accessibility tool to analyze the area's spatial growth patterns. The employment accessibility of different modes of travel in Buenos Aires was calculated. It was noted that, although the transit system provided high employment accessibility to the center city, as well as to the southwest and south of the city, few developments were built in these areas. Most of the developments were built on the periphery of the city, which offered poor transit employment accessibility. The research focused on the development of different development types, such as gated communities, social housing, and informal settlements, and the employment accessibility of the development locations. This information was used to assess the accessibility efficiency of growth in greater Buenos Aires, as well as the effective size and distribution of the area's labor market. How spatial growth affected accessibility for different segments of the population was examined. Policy implications are drawn and possible elements of an integrated regional-use transport strategy are described.
Sequentially Palladium-Catalyzed Processes in One-Pot Syntheses of Heterocycles
Authors: Lessing Timo , Müller Thomas
Published: December 2015

Sequentially Pd-catalyzed processes are excellent entries to heterocycle synthesis. The broad mechanistic variety combined with often very mild reaction conditions allow the concatenation of elementary organic and organometallic steps to novel sequences in the sense of one-pot domino and multicomponent reactions. Given the numerous opportunities of alkyne coordination and their Pd-mediated transformations, alkynylation and carbometallation play a key role, both for purely organometallic sequences as well as in those processes that are intercepted by cyclocondensation. Pd-catalyzed aminations also find more and more entry into novel heterocycle syntheses based upon this theme.
Numerical Study of Entropy Generation Within Thermoacoustic Heat Exchangers with Plane Fins
Authors: Piccolo Antonio
Published: December 2015

In this paper a simplified two-dimensional computational model for studying the entropy generation characteristics of thermoacoustic heat exchangers with plane fins is presented. The model integrates the equations of the standard linear thermoacoustic theory into an energy balance-based numerical calculus scheme. Relevant computation results are the spatial distribution of the time-averaged temperature, heat fluxes and entropy generation rates within a channel of a parallel-plate stack and adjoining heat exchangers. For a thermoacoustic device working in the refrigeration mode, this study evidences as a target refrigeration output level can be achieved selecting simultaneously the heat exchangers fin length and fin interspacing for minimum entropy generation and that the resulting configuration is a point of maximum coefficient of performance. The proposed methodology, when extended to other configurations, could be used as a viable design tool for heat exchangers in thermoacoustic applications.
High Resolution Modeling of the Impacts of Exogenous Factors on Power Systems—Case Study of Germany
Authors: Singh Antriksh , Eser Patrick , Chokani Ndaona , Abhari Reza
Published: December 2015

In order to reliably design the planning and operation of large interconnected power systems that can incorporate a high penetration of renewables, it is necessary to have a detailed knowledge of the potential impacts of exogenous factors on individual components within the systems. Previously, the assessment has often been conducted with nodes that are aggregated at the country or regional scale; this makes it impossible to reliably extrapolate the impact of higher penetration of renewables on individual transmission lines and/or power plants within an aggregated node. In order to be able to develop robust power systems this study demonstrates an integrated framework that employs high resolution spatial and temporal, physical modeling of power generation, electricity transmission and electricity demand, across the scale of a continent or country. Using Germany as a test case, an assessment of the impacts of exogenous factors, including local changes in ambient weather conditions, effect of timely implementation of policy, and contingency for scenarios in 2020 are demonstrated. It is shown that with the increased penetration of renewables, while the power production opportunities of conventional power plants are reduced, these power plants are required during periods of low renewables production due to the inherent variability of renewables. While the planned reinforcements in Germany, including high voltage direct current lines, reduce congestion on the grid and alleviate the differentials in power price across the country, on the other hand the reinforcements make the interconnected transmission system more vulnerable as local perturbations have a more widespread impact.
A Combined Metabolomic and Proteomic Analysis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Hajduk Joanna , Klupczynska Agnieszka , Dereziński Paweł , Matysiak Jan , Kokot Piotr , Nowak Dorota , Gajęcka Marzena , Nowak-Markwitz Ewa , Kokot Zenon
Published: December 2015

The aim of this pilot study was to apply a novel combined metabolomic and proteomic approach in analysis of gestational diabetes mellitus. The investigation was performed with plasma samples derived from pregnant women with diagnosed gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 18) and a matched control group (n = 13). The mass spectrometry-based analyses allowed to determine 42 free amino acids and low molecular-weight peptide profiles. Different expressions of several peptides and altered amino acid profiles were observed in the analyzed groups. The combination of proteomic and metabolomic data allowed obtaining the model with a high discriminatory power, where amino acids ethanolamine, l-citrulline, l-asparagine, and peptide ions with m/z 1488.59; 4111.89 and 2913.15 had the highest contribution to the model. The sensitivity (94.44%) and specificity (84.62%), as well as the total group membership classification value (90.32%) calculated from the post hoc classification matrix of a joint model were the highest when compared with a single analysis of either amino acid levels or peptide ion intensities. The obtained results indicated a high potential of integration of proteomic and metabolomics analysis regardless the sample size. This promising approach together with clinical evaluation of the subjects can also be used in the study of other diseases.
Transcriptome Characterization for Non-Model Endangered Lycaenids, Protantigius superans and Spindasis takanosis, Using Illumina HiSeq 2500 Sequencing
Authors: Patnaik Bharat , Hwang Hee-Ju , Kang Se , Park So , Wang Tae , Park Eun , Chung Jong , Song Dae , Kim Changmu , Kim Soonok , Lee Jae , Jeong Heon , Park Hong , Han Yeon , Lee Yong
Published: December 2015

The Lycaenidae butterflies, Protantigius superans and Spindasis takanosis, are endangered insects in Korea known for their symbiotic association with ants. However, necessary genomic and transcriptomics data are lacking in these species, limiting conservation efforts. In this study, the P. superans and S. takanosis transcriptomes were deciphered using Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing. The P. superans and S. takanosis transcriptome data included a total of 254,340,693 and 245,110,582 clean reads assembled into 159,074 and 170,449 contigs and 107,950 and 121,140 unigenes, respectively. BLASTX hits (E-value of 1.0 × 10−5) against the known protein databases annotated a total of 46,754 and 51,908 transcripts for P. superans and S. takanosis. Approximately 41.25% and 38.68% of the unigenes for P. superans and S. takanosis found homologous sequences in Protostome DB (PANM-DB). BLAST2GO analysis confirmed 18,611 unigenes representing Gene Ontology (GO) terms and a total of 5259 unigenes assigned to 116 pathways for P. superans. For S. takanosis, a total of 6697 unigenes were assigned to 119 pathways using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway database. Additionally, 382,164 and 390,516 Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) were compiled from the unigenes of P. superans and S. takanosis, respectively. This is the first report to record new genes and their utilization for conservation of lycaenid species population and as a reference information for closely related species.