bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cerium doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles synthesized by coprecipitation method
Authors: Ciobanu Carmen , Popa Cristina , Predoi Daniela
Published: January 2016

The present work reports a simple coprecipitation adapted method for the
synthesis of stable Ce substituted to Ca hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles.
The structural and morphological properties of Ce doped hydroxyapatite
(Ce:HAp) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission
Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy
Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The optical properties of Ce doped
hydroxyapatite were also investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared
(FTIR) spectroscopy, FT Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence analysis.
The results of the XRD studies revealed the progressive increase in the a-
and c-axes with increasing of Ce concentrations. In the FTIR studies of
Ce:HAp powders a similar structure to hydroxyapatite was observed. IR and
Raman wavenumbers and the peak strength of the bands associated to the P-O
and O-H bonds decreases progressively with the increase of Ce concentration.
All the emission maxima could be attributed to the 5d-4f transitions of Ce
ions. The displacement of maximum emission bands with the increase of Cerium
in the samples is in agreement with the results obtained by XRD studies. The
Ce:HAp samples with xCe =0.03 and 0.05 exhibited significant antibacterial
activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and E. coli 714 bacterial
strains compared to Ce:HAp samples with xCe =0 (pure HAp) and 0.01.
Endogenous growth effects of environmental policies
Authors: Afonso Oscar , Afonso Ana
Published: January 2016

To analyse the impact of the environmental policies, we start by reviewing
the literature on the environment, technological knowledge and economic
growth. Then, we build a general equilibrium endogenous growth model where
final goods are produced either in the skilled-labour intensive Clean sector
or in the unskilled-labour intensive Unclean sector. By solving numerically
transitional dynamics towards the unique and stable steady state, we observe
that environmental policies encourage scale-invariant technological knowledge
bias. This, in turn, promotes environmental quality, the skill premium and
economic growth. Moreover, the impact of population growth on the
steady-state growth rate is higher under strong households? environmental
conscientiousness with future generations.
Thomas Piketty’s capitalism revisited
Authors: Milovanovic Milic
Published: January 2016

Thomas Piketty?s international best selling Capital in the Twenty-First
Century lays out his theory of a long-run rise in income inequality under
capitalism. It is written as a manifesto urging reintegration of social
sciences. A number of reviewers judged it on ideological grounds, labeling it
either as a revolution in economic thinking, or dismissing it offhandedly.
Piketty?s theory of rising inequality is based on the two Fundamental Laws of
Capitalism, developed after the Solow growth model. However, this model is
inconsistent with Piketty?s own characterization of modern capitalism.
Moreover, his sole justification for the constant discrepancy between rate of
return and rate of income growth (r > g) is based on the high elasticity of
substitution between capital and labor. However, that is just one factor that
can have an influence on factor income shares. By failing to offer a
consistent theory of rising inequality, his piece can hardly be considered as
a useful founding stone for a new social science.
Financial Reporting Quality of Chinese Reverse Merger Firms: The Reverse Merger Effect or the Weak Country Effect?
Authors: Chen Kun-Chih , Cheng Qiang , Lin Ying Chou , Lin Yu-Chen , Xiao Xing
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we examine why Chinese reverse merger (RM) firms have lower financial reporting quality than U.S. IPO firms. We find that the financial reporting quality of U.S. RM firms is similar to that of matched U.S. IPO firms, but Chinese RM firms exhibit lower financial reporting quality than Chinese ADR firms. We also find that Chinese RM firms exhibit lower financial reporting quality than U.S. RM firms. These results indicate that the use of the RM process is associated with poor financial reporting quality only in firms from China, where legal enforcement and investor protection are weak. In addition, we find that compared with Chinese ADR firms, Chinese RM firms have weaker bonding incentives (as measured by CEO turnover-performance sensitivity) and poorer corporate governance. These factors, in turn, contribute to the lower financial reporting quality of Chinese RM firms. Overall, our results suggest that the less scrutinized RM process allows the Chinese firms with weak bonding incentives and poor governance to gain access to U.S. capital markets, resulting in poor financial reporting quality.

JEL Classifications: G15; G24; G34; G38.
International Archival Auditing and Assurance Research: Trends, Methodological Issues, and Opportunities
Authors: Simnett Roger , Carson Elizabeth , Vanstraelen Ann
Published: January 2016

We present a comprehensive review of the 130 international archival auditing and assurance research articles that were published in eight leading accounting and auditing journals for 1995–2014. In order to support evidence-based international standard setting and regulation, and to identify what has been learned to date, we map this research to the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board's (IAASB) Framework for Audit Quality. For the areas that have been well researched, we provide a summary of the findings and outline how they can inform standard setters and regulators. We also observe a significant evolution in international archival research over the 20 years of our study, as evidenced by the measures of audit quality, data sources used, and approaches used to address endogeneity concerns. Finally, we identify some challenges in undertaking international archival auditing and assurance research and identify opportunities for future research. Our review is of interest to researchers, practitioners, and standard setters/regulators involved in international auditing and assurance activities.
Improvement of Physical Therapist Assessment of Risk of Falls in the Hospital and Discharge Handover Through an Intervention to Modify Clinical Behavior
Authors: Thomas Susie , Mackintosh Shylie
Published: January 2016

Background

Discharge from the hospital is a high risk transition period for older adults at risk of falls. Guidelines relevant to physical therapists for managing this risk are well documented, but commonly not implemented.

Purpose

This project implemented an intervention to improve physical therapists' adherence to key guideline recommendations for managing risk of falls on discharge from one hospital.

Data Sources

A pretest-posttest study design was undertaken and was underpinned by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to aid in the design of interventions to increase physical therapists' adherence to guideline recommendations and to identify barriers to these interventions.

Data Extraction

A multifaceted intervention was implemented, including the establishment of a governance committee, education sessions, development of a “pathway” to guide practice, modification of an existing standardized assessment proforma, development of standardized processes and indicators for handover, increasing availability of educational handouts, audit and feedback processes, and allocation of dedicated staffing to oversee falls prevention within the physical therapy department.

Data Synthesis

There were significant improvements in physical therapist behavior leading to key guideline recommendations being met, including: the proportion of patients who were identified to be at risk of falls (6.3% preintervention versus 94.8% postintervention) prior to discharge, an increase in documentation of clinical handover at discharge (68.6% preintervention versus 90.9% postintervention), and improvement in the quality of this documented clinical handover (34.9% of case notes met 5 criteria preintervention versus 92.9% postintervention).

Limitations

The approach was resource intensive and consequently may be difficult to replicate at other sites.

Conclusions

A multifaceted intervention underpinned by the TDF, designed to modify physical therapists' behavior to improve adherence to guideline recommendations for managing risk of falls on discharge from one hospital, was successful.
Polarization imaging over sea surface - a method for measurements of Stokes components angular distribution
Authors: Freda W. , Piskozub J. , Toczek H.
Published: January 2016

This article describes a method for determining the angular distribution of light polarization over a roughened surface of the sea. Our method relies on measurements of the Stokes vector elements using a polarization imaging camera that operates using the Division of Focal Plane (DoFP) method. It uses special monochrome CCD array in which the neighbouring cells, instead of recording different colours (red green and blue), are equipped with micropolarizers of four directions (0, 45, 90 and 135 degrees).

We combined the camera with a fish-eye lens of Field of View (FoV) > 180 deg. Such a large FoV allowed us to crop out the fragment of the frame along the circular horizon, showing a view covering all directions of the hemisphere. Because of complicated optical design of the fish-eye lens (light refraction on surfaces of parts of the lens) connected to the sensor we checked the accuracy of the measurement system. A method to determine the accuracy of measured polarization is based on comparison of the experimentally obtained rotation matrix with its theoretical form. Such a comparison showed that the maximum error of Stokes vector elements depended on zenith angle and reached as much as 24% for light coming from just above the horizon, but decreased rapidly with decreasing zenith angle to the value of 12% for the angles 10° off the edge of FoV.

Moreover we present the preliminary results prepared over rough sea surface. These results include total intensity of light, Degree of Linear Polarization (DoLP) and their standard deviations. The results have been averaged over one thousand frames of a movie. These results indicate that the maximum polarization is observed near the reflection of the sun, and the signal coming from below the surface may be observed at zenith angles far from the vertical direction.
STUDY ON CONVENTIONAL RISK FACTORS IN ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME
Authors: Khatri Prabin , Simkhada Rabindra
Published: January 2016

INTRODUCTION: Acute coronary syndrome is one of the common cardiovascular diseases. Smoking, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes and obesity are conventional risk factors. Different studies have shown variable prevalence of these risk factors. This study was designed to see the prevalence of these risk factors in our setting and see their correlation with different types of acute coronary syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This was a hospital based observational study conducted at Universal College of Medical Science Teaching Hospital, Bhairahawa from September 2012 to August 2013. A total of 100 consecutive patients were enrolled after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: Out of 100 study patients, 64% were male and 36% were female. Their age ranged from 30 years to 87 years with mean age of 60 ± 12.90 year. Hypertension was present in 64%, 62% were dyslipidemic. Similarly 39% were smoker and 19% had diabetes. Sex (p=0.01) and hypertension (p<.01) showed significant positive correlation with type of acute coronary syndrome.CONCLUSION: Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome. Diabetes mellitus, smoking, and dyslipidemia was also present in considerable numbers. Gender and hypertension showed significant positive correlation with type of Acute Coronary Syndrome.Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2015) Vol.3(2): 1-4
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CAUSES OF OPTIC ATROPHY IN GENERAL OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT OF LUMBINI EYE INSTITUTE
Authors: Bajracharya Kabindra , Gautam Prachand , Yadav Sanjeeb Kumar , Shrestha Nirsara
Published: January 2016

INTRODUCTION: Optic atrophy is usually applied to the condition of the disc following degeneration of the optic nerve. The present study was done to explore the epidemiology and causes of optic atrophy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 100 cases of optic atrophy patients with convenience sampling was conducted from 1 July 2012 to 23 September 2012. Clinical history was taken including demography. Visual acuity was taken, pupillary reaction tested and posterior segment examined. Optic atrophy was diagnosed by optic disc examination with slit lamp bio-microscopy with aid of 90D lens. Disc pallor with diminution of vision was used as parameter to diagnose optic atrophy. RESULTS: Out of 100 patients, male were 54%. It was bilateral in 26%. The mean age was 53.6 years (+/-18.11 yrs SD). The highest occurrence was seen in 61-70 yrs age range. Glaucoma was the most common cause of optic atrophy involving 58%. Out of 42% non-glaucomatous optic atrophy, 55% manifested primary optic atrophy, 38% secondary optic atrophy and 7% consecutive optic atrophy. The non-glaucomatous causes were trauma, optic neuritis, central retinal vein occlusion, intracranial space occupying lesions, papilloedema and in nine cases cause was unknown. Socially blind patients comprised of 37%. CONCLUSION: Optic atrophy was nearly equal in occurrence in both male and female and common above 4th decade of life. Glaucoma was commonest cause. Non-glaucomatous optic atrophy was also not uncommon and several causal factors should be considered.Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2015) Vol.03 No.02 Issue 10  Page: 26-29
Improving Dairy Organizational Communication from the Veterinarian's Perspective: Results of a Continuing Veterinary Medical Education Pilot Program
Authors: Moore Dale A. , Sischo William M. , Kurtz Suzanne , Siler Julie D. , Pereira Richard V. , Warnick Lorin D. , Davis Margaret A.
Published: January 2016

The increasing size and complexity of US dairy farms could make it more difficult for a veterinary practitioner to effectively communicate protocol recommendations for prevention or treatment on the farm. A continuing education workshop was set up based on the results of research on dairy organizational communication on dairy farms, which resulted in a tool to assess dairy communication structure and flow. The workshop specifically focused on communication structure and whom to talk to when implementing health care changes in calf rearing. In addition, modern methods of veterinary–client communication knowledge and skills were provided. Primary outcomes of the workshops were to obtain feedback from participants about research findings and the communication model, to improve awareness about the complexity of communication structures on dairy farms, and to change participants' knowledge and skills associated with on-farm communication by providing communication theory and skills and an approach to evaluate and improve dairy organizational communication. Of the 37 participants completing the pre-program assessment, most recognized a need for themselves or their practice to improve communication with clients and farm employees. After the program, most participants were confident in their new communication skills and would consider using them. They highlighted specific new ideas they could apply in practice, such as conducting a “communication audit.” The results from the assessment of this communication workshop, focused on dairy veterinarians, highlighted the need for communication training in this sector of the profession and practitioners' desire to engage in this type of training.
Teaching Veterinary Histopathology: A Comparison of Microscopy and Digital Slides
Authors: Brown Peter J. , Fews Debra , Bell Nick J.
Published: January 2016

Virtual microscopy using digitized slides has become more widespread in teaching in recent years. There have been no direct comparisons of the use of virtual microscopy and the use of microscopes and glass slides. Third-year veterinary students from two different schools completed a simple objective test, covering aspects of histology and histopathology, before and after a practical class covering relevant material presented as either glass slides viewed with a microscope or as digital slides. There was an overall improvement in performance by students at both veterinary schools using both practical formats. Neither format was consistently better than the other, and neither school consistently outperformed the other. In a comparison of student appraisal of use of digital slides and microscopes, the digital technology was identified as having many advantages.
Comparison of Two Clinical Teaching Models for Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Instruction
Authors: Conner Bobbi J. , Behar-Horenstein Linda S. , Su Yu
Published: January 2016

Standards to oversee the implementation and assessment of clinical teaching of emergency and critical care for veterinary students do not exist. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in the learning environment between two veterinary emergency and critical care clinical rotations (one required, one elective) with respect to caseload, technical/procedural opportunities, direct faculty contact time, client communication opportunities, and students' perception of practice readiness. The authors designed a 22-item survey to assess differences in the learning environment between the two rotations. It was sent electronically to 35 third- and fourth-year veterinary medicine students. Bivariate analysis, including the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the t-test, were used to compare differences between pre-test and post-test scores among students. Twenty-six students' responses were included from the required rotation and nine from the elective rotation. Findings showed that students preferred the elective community emergency department setting to the required academic setting and that there were statistically significantly more positive experiences related to the variables of interest. Students saw significantly more cases at the community emergency department setting. Findings from this study offer guidance to assess students' emergency department rotations, suggest how teaching interactions can be modified for optimal learning experiences, and ensure that students receive maximal opportunities to treat patients that are representative of what they would encounter in practice.
Integrating Adaptive Lighting Database with SHRP 2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data
Authors: Li Yingfeng , Gibbons Ronald , Medina Alejandra
Published: January 2016

The limited information in traditional safety data makes exploration of the complex interaction between characteristics of roadway lighting and crash risks and driver behavior difficult, yet this knowledge is needed by transportation agencies that want to reduce energy consumption while maintaining safety. Data from the SHRP 2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) have provided researchers a powerful tool for safety analysis. In addition, the availability of a massive adaptive lighting database (ALD) has made it possible to evaluate and improve the use of roadway lighting as a safety countermeasure. This paper integrates ALD and NDS data and provides insight into how other spatially related data can be integrated with the NDS data to cater to the needs of safety studies. The ALD includes detailed in situ roadway lighting measurements for more than 2,000 mi of major roads in seven states. This paper fills a gap in NDS-related documentation by detailing the NDS database structure and elements. An efficient spatial approach for integrating NDS data with ALD or other large roadway-related data sets in a similar format is presented. The approach uses a combination of existing and custom geographic information system tools, including a hybrid tool that uses attributes to perform the ArcGIS Near function.
Validating Rail Transit Assignment Models with Cluster Analysis and Automatic Fare Collection Data
Authors: Zhu Wei , Zhou Feng , Huang Jiajun , Xu Ruihua
Published: January 2016

Passenger flow data are necessary for making and coordinating operational plans for urban rail transit (URT) systems; the availability and the service state of those systems directly influence the activity of a city and its people. Although many transit assignment models have been developed, the results of passenger flows estimated by these models as well as assumptions made in the estimation process, especially for large-scale, complex, and dynamically changing URT networks, had not been validated. This paper proposes a methodology that can validate existing URT assignment models by using automatic fare collection data and a cluster analysis technique. Initial applications to the URT system of Shanghai, China, which is one of the largest in the world, show that the proposed approach works well and can efficiently find the origin–destination pairs in which passengers' route choices are misestimated by those assignment models. The analysis suggests that several factors result in errors (for the URT assignment model used in Shanghai). These factors include the threshold for the difference in travel costs, a misrepresentation of the transferring cost, and inadequate values for the standard deviation. This information is useful for detecting errors in existing URT assignment models, leading to improvements.
Performance Measures to Characterize Corridor Travel Time Delay Based on Probe Vehicle Data
Authors: Brennan Thomas M. , Remias Stephen M. , Manili Lucas
Published: January 2016

Anonymous probe vehicle data are being collected on roadways throughout the United States. These data are incorporated into local and statewide mobility reports to measure the performance of highways and arterial systems. Predefined spatially located segments, known as traffic message channels (TMCs), are spatially and temporally joined with probe vehicle speed data. Through the analysis of these data, transportation agencies have been developing agencywide travel time performance measures. One widely accepted performance measure is travel time reliability, which is calculated along a series of TMCs. When reliable travel times are not achieved because of incidents and recurring congestion, it is desirable to understand the time and the location of these occurrences so that the corridor can be proactively managed. This research emphasizes a visually intuitive methodology that aggregates a series of TMC segments based on a cursory review of congestion hotspots within a corridor. Instead of a fixed congestion speed threshold, each TMC is assigned a congestion threshold based on the 70th percentile of the 15-min average speeds between 02:00 and 06:00. An analysis of approximately 90 million speed records collected in 2013 along I-80 in northern New Jersey was performed for this project. Travel time inflation, the time exceeding the expected travel time at 70% of measured free-flow speed, was used to evaluate each of the 166 directional TMC segments along 70 mi of I-80. This performance measure accounts for speed variability caused by roadway geometry and other Highway Capacity Manual speed-reducing friction factors associated with each TMC.
Use of Multisensor Data in Reliable Short-Term Travel Time Forecasting for Urban Roads
Authors: Nie Qinghui , Xia Jingxin , Qian Zhendong , An Chengchuan , Cui Qinghua
Published: January 2016

As multiple traffic data sources have become available recently, a new opportunity has been provided for improving the accuracy of short-term travel time forecasting by fusing different but valid data sources. However, previous studies seldom quantified and integrated the reliability of data sources into model development to achieve the potential promised by data fusion. This paper proposes a combined method for short-term travel time forecasting for urban road links that uses travel time extracted from fixed vehicle detectors and probe vehicle data. The method uses the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model to forecast the mean and variance of each type of travel time data source, and the Dempster–Shafer model is used to calculate the fusion weights iteratively. Real-world data collected on urban roads in Kunshan, China, were used to validate and evaluate the proposed method. Empirical results show that the proposed method can effectively capture the variance of each type of travel time data source for iteratively calculating the fusion weights and hence can produce accurate travel time forecasts. Moreover, through a comparison with the alternative methods, the proposed method is shown to be able to consistently generate improved performance under varying traffic conditions.
Arterial Travel Time Validation and Augmentation with Two Independent Data Sources
Authors: Zhang Xuechi , Hamedi Masoud , Haghani Ali
Published: January 2016

Travel time data are a key input to applications of intelligent transportation systems. Advancement in vehicle tracking and reidentification technologies and proliferation of location-aware and connected devices have made networkwide travel time data available to transportation management agencies. The trend started with data collection on freeways and has been quickly extended to arterials. Although the freeway travel time data have been validated extensively in recent years, the quality of arterial travel time data is not well known. This paper presents a comprehensive validation scheme for arterial travel time data based on GPS probe and Bluetooth data as two independent sources. Since travel time on arterials is subject to a higher degree of variation than that on freeways, mainly because of the presence of signals, a new validation methodology based on the coefficient of variation is introduced. Moreover, a context-dependent travel time fusion framework is developed to improve the reliability of travel time information by fusing data from multiple sources. All 2012 data from a busy arterial corridor in Maryland are used to demonstrate the proposed comparison and augmentation model.
GPS and Acceleration Data in Multimode Trip Data Recognition Based on Wavelet Transform Modulus Maximum Algorithm
Authors: Yang Fei , Yao Zhenxing , Jin Peter J.
Published: January 2016

The GPS-based travel survey is an emerging data collection method in transportation planning. The survey's application in trip mode detection has been explored in many studies. Most research on trip mode detection methods based on GPS data has been developed and tested with data collected from European and American countries. The methods cannot be easily adapted to Asian countries such as China, India, and Japan, which have much higher population densities, more complex road networks, and highly mixed travel modes during daily commuting. Furthermore, for trip segment division in multimode travel, existing algorithms use travel time and distance thresholds that are highly dependent on local travel behavior and lack universality across traffic environments. This paper proposes an innovative framework for detecting trip modes in complex urban environments. First, a smartphone application, GPSurvey, was developed to collect passive GPS trace data. Then a wavelet transform modulus maximum algorithm was developed for trip segment division. The algorithm has outstanding capabilities for identifying singularity features of a signal; this factor suits the task of detecting mode changes in a complex traffic environment. A neural network module was developed for mode detection on the basis of cell phone GPS location and acceleration data. The results indicate that the proposed method has promising performance. The average absolute detection error of mode transfer time was within 1 min, and the accuracy for detecting all modes was greater than 85%.
Survey of Cross-Regional Intermodal Passenger Travel
Authors: Mahmoud Mohamed S. , Habib Khandker M. Nurul , Shalaby Amer
Published: January 2016

This paper presents an investigation of the mode choice behavior of cross-regional commuters in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area of Ontario, Canada. A survey of cross-regional intermodal passenger travel (called SCRIPT) was developed and conducted during the spring and the fall of 2014. SCRIPT collects data on respondents' revealed preference in daily commuting trips to pivot each respondent's mode choice stated preference experiment separately. An innovative multimodal trip planner tool was developed to generate feasible travel options for each stated preference experiment with information on household auto ownership level, proximity to transit, work start time, and total travel time from home to work, as well as predeveloped discrete choice models to identify access station locations of intermodal travel modes. The stated preference experiments were based on the D-efficient design technique. The survey used 1,203 randomly selected cross-regional commuters. The paper reports on a mode choice model estimated by the revealed preference data portion of the survey to verify the validity of the survey design, sampling procedure, and data quality. An empirical model provides insight into cross-regional commuters' mode choice behavior.
Predicting and Applying Differential Response Rates in Address-Based Sampling for a Household Travel Survey
Authors: Bradley Mark , Bergman Asa , Lee Michelle , Greene Elizabeth , Childress Suzanne
Published: January 2016

In recent years, the primary sampling method used for household travel surveys has shifted steadily from random digit dial telephone contact to address-based sampling based on an initial contact by mail. One advantage in the use of address-based sampling is that researchers can control the geographic distribution of households that are invited to participate in the survey and can design a sampling plan that is based on publicly available data about the demographic and geographic distribution of households in the region. This paper describes how response rates from a previous survey were used to anticipate how response rates for a household travel survey for the Puget Sound Regional Council in Washington State would vary across census block groups as a function of the percentage of low-income households in those block groups. The anticipated response rates were used to vary the number of households invited to participate from each block group to obtain a more representative sample. An analysis of the resulting Puget Sound survey data estimated a model for predicting final response rates as a function of published population statistics for the block group level. In addition to income, block group factors found to be significant predictors were household size distribution, owner versus renter fraction, vehicle ownership distribution, and commute mode shares for the nonauto modes. The transferability of the method was tested with data from a subsequent household travel survey done in Anchorage, Alaska. A model based on Puget Sound data only was used to predict response rates in the Anchorage data with success.
Webinars, Advisory Boards, Technology Transfer Implementation Plans, and Other Examples of Universities’ Best Practices in Technology Transfer
Authors: Parkany Emily
Published: January 2016

Technology transfer encompasses many activities but often connotes commercialization and patents. On the other end of the spectrum, university researchers may feel that disseminating their results in a journal or at a conference or even just briefly describing their projects in a newsletter means that they have fulfilled their technology transfer duties. Technology transfer may be related to specific projects or a group of projects, or it can be independent of specific projects. Project-related technology transfer is often considered at the end of a project, but some activities can and should occur at the beginning or middle of a project. Existing literature on technology transfer seems to have limited value for university research centers that are trying to share the results of several small projects or to provide an overview of new topics. This paper drew on a survey of universities in which respondents were asked which technology transfer methods they used. The respondents were asked ( a) whether their technology transfer efforts were for specific projects, for groups of projects, or independent of projects and ( b) when they deployed project-specific technology transfer (at the beginning, middle, or end of a project). In this paper, several best practices in technology transfer are shared, including technology transfer implementation plans, advisory boards, symposia, and webinars.
Registration of AR11SDS Soybean Germplasm Resistant to Sudden Death Syndrome, Soybean Cyst Nematode, and with Moderate Iron Deficiency Chlorosis Scores
Authors: Cianzio S. R. , Lundeen P. , Gebhart G. , Rivera-Velez N. , Bhattacharyya M. K. , Swaminathan S.
Published: January 2016

Genetically resistant crops are effective strategies for crop production and the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] program against pathogens at Iowa State University (ISU) breeds germplasm possessing resistance to Iowa pests. Sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme, soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines Ichinoe), and iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) are Iowa yield deterrents. AR11SDS (Reg. No. GP‐399, PI 675224) was developed at ISU, Project 4403, Agronomy Department, ISU Research Foundation (ISURF) Docket # 3999. AR11SDS is an F3–derived bulk of 60 F8:9 plants from the cross ‘Ripley’ × ‘IA2036’. Ripley resistance to SDS and IA2036 resistance to SCN were crossed in Iowa. Generations were advanced at the ISU research site, University of Puerto Rico, PR. From 2003 to 2006, AR11SDS yield was evaluated. Resistance to SDS and SCN was screened in greenhouses and on SCN‐infested fields. Calcareous soils were used to screen IDC. Five SDS resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were from Ripley, and one SCN QTL was from IA2036. Average seed yield on SCN‐infested soil (3891 kg ha−1) was similar to the high‐yielding SDS‐susceptible ‘IA2068’ (3658 kg ha−1) although lower on non‐SCN soil, similar in yield to SDS‐susceptible ‘IA2065’, and superior to SDS‐susceptible ‘Dwight’. AR11SDS is of early‐mid maturity group II, adapted to 40 to 42° N latitude, and is highly resistant to SDS, resistant to SCN (Race 3, HG Type 0, and 7), and moderately resistant to IDC (score 2.4). These traits and its yield and agronomic performances make AR11SDS a unique source for SDS breeding in the northern US soybean region.
A Greedy Algorithm for Neighborhood Overlap-Based Community Detection
Authors: Meghanathan Natarajan
Published: January 2016

The neighborhood overlap (NOVER) of an edge u-v is defined as the ratio of the number of nodes who are neighbors for both u and v to that of the number of nodes who are neighbors of at least u or v. In this paper, we hypothesize that an edge u-v with a lower NOVER score bridges two or more sets of vertices, with very few edges (other than u-v) connecting vertices from one set to another set. Accordingly, we propose a greedy algorithm of iteratively removing the edges of a network in the increasing order of their neighborhood overlap and calculating the modularity score of the resulting network component(s) after the removal of each edge. The network component(s) that have the largest cumulative modularity score are identified as the different communities of the network. We evaluate the performance of the proposed NOVER-based community detection algorithm on nine real-world network graphs and compare the performance against the multi-level aggregation-based Louvain algorithm, as well as the original and time-efficient versions of the edge betweenness-based Girvan-Newman (GN) community detection algorithm.
Characterization and Catalytic Activity of Mn-Co/TiO2 Catalysts for NO Oxidation to NO2 at Low Temperature
Authors: Qiu Lu , Wang Yun , Pang Dandan , Ouyang Feng , Zhang Changliang , Cao Gang
Published: January 2016

A series of Mn-Co/TiO2 catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation method and evaluated for the oxidation of NO to NO2. The effects of Co amounts and calcination temperature on NO oxidation were investigated in detail. The catalytic oxidation ability in the temperature range of 403–473 K was obviously improved by doping cobalt into Mn/TiO2. These samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and hydrogen temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR). The results indicated that the formation of dispersed Co3O4·CoMnO3 mixed oxides through synergistic interaction between Mn-O and Co-O was directly responsible for the enhanced activities towards NO oxidation at low temperatures. Doping of Co enhanced Mn4+ formation and increased chemical adsorbed oxygen amounts, which also accelerated NO oxidation.
Long Range Dependence Prognostics for Bearing Vibration Intensity Chaotic Time Series
Authors: Li Qing , Liang Steven , Yang Jianguo , Li Beizhi
Published: January 2016

According to the chaotic features and typical fractional order characteristics of the bearing vibration intensity time series, a forecasting approach based on long range dependence (LRD) is proposed. In order to reveal the internal chaotic properties, vibration intensity time series are reconstructed based on chaos theory in phase-space, the delay time is computed with C-C method and the optimal embedding dimension and saturated correlation dimension are calculated via the Grassberger–Procaccia (G-P) method, respectively, so that the chaotic characteristics of vibration intensity time series can be jointly determined by the largest Lyapunov exponent and phase plane trajectory of vibration intensity time series, meanwhile, the largest Lyapunov exponent is calculated by the Wolf method and phase plane trajectory is illustrated using Duffing-Holmes Oscillator (DHO). The Hurst exponent and long range dependence prediction method are proposed to verify the typical fractional order features and improve the prediction accuracy of bearing vibration intensity time series, respectively. Experience shows that the vibration intensity time series have chaotic properties and the LRD prediction method is better than the other prediction methods (largest Lyapunov, auto regressive moving average (ARMA) and BP neural network (BPNN) model) in prediction accuracy and prediction performance, which provides a new approach for running tendency predictions for rotating machinery and provide some guidance value to the engineering practice.
Developing a New HSR Switching Node (SwitchBox) for Improving Traffic Performance in HSR Networks
Authors: Tien Nguyen , Rhee Jong
Published: January 2016

High availability is crucial for industrial Ethernet networks as well as Ethernet-based control systems such as automation networks and substation automation systems (SAS). Since standard Ethernet does not support fault tolerance capability, the high availability of Ethernet networks can be increased by using redundancy protocols. Various redundancy protocols for Ethernet networks have been developed and standardized, such as rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP), media redundancy protocol (MRP), parallel redundancy protocol (PRP), high-availability seamless redundancy (HSR) and others. RSTP and MRP have switchover delay drawbacks. PRP provides zero recovery time, but requires a duplicate network infrastructure. HSR operation is similar to PRP, but HSR uses a single network. However, the standard HSR protocol is mainly applied to ring-based topologies and generates excessively unnecessary redundant traffic in the network. In this paper, we develop a new switching node for the HSR protocol, called SwitchBox, which is used in HSR networks in order to support any network topology and significantly reduce redundant network traffic, including unicast, multicast and broadcast traffic, compared with standard HSR. By using the SwitchBox, HSR not only provides seamless communications with zero switchover time in case of failure, but it is also easily applied to any network topology and significantly reduces unnecessary redundant traffic in HSR networks.
Model-Free Coordinated Control for MHTGR-Based Nuclear Steam Supply Systems
Authors: Dong Zhe
Published: January 2016

The modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR) is a typical small modular reactor (SMR) that offers simpler, standardized and safer modular design by being factory built, requiring smaller initial capital investment, and having a shorter construction period. Thanks to its small size, the MHTGRs could be beneficial in providing electric power to remote areas that are deficient in transmission or distribution and in generating local power for large population centers. Based on the multi-modular operation scheme, the inherent safety feature of the MHTGRs can be applicable to large nuclear plants of any desired power rating. The MHTGR-based nuclear steam supplying system (NSSS) is constituted by an MHTGR, a side-by-side arranged helical-coil once-through steam generator (OTSG) and some connecting pipes. Due to the side-by-side arrangement, there is a tight coupling effect between the MHTGR and OTSG. Moreover, there always exists the parameter perturbation of the NSSSs. Thus, it is meaningful to study the model-free coordinated control of MHTGR-based NSSSs for safe, stable, robust and efficient operation. In this paper, a new model-free coordinated control strategy that regulates the nuclear power, MHTGR outlet helium temperature and OTSG outlet overheated steam temperature by properly adjusting the control rod position, helium flowrate and feed-water flowrate is established for the MHTGR-based NSSSs. Sufficient conditions for the globally asymptotic closed-loop stability is given. Finally, numerical simulation results in the cases of large range power decrease and increase illustrate the satisfactory performance of this newly-developed model-free coordinated NSSS control law.
Regional Differences in Correlates of Daily Walking among Middle Age and Older Australian Rural Adults: Implications for Health Promotion
Authors: Dollman James , Hull Melissa , Lewis Nicole , Carroll Suzanne , Zarnowiecki Dorota
Published: January 2016

Rural Australians are less physically active than their metropolitan counterparts, and yet very little is known of the candidate intervention targets for promoting physical activity in rural populations. As rural regions are economically, socially and environmentally diverse, drivers of regular physical activity are likely to vary between regions. This study explored the region-specific correlates of daily walking among middle age and older adults in rural regions with contrasting dominant primary industries. Participants were recruited through print and electronic media, primary care settings and community organisations. Pedometers were worn by 153 adults for at least four days, including a weekend day. A questionnaire identified potential intra-personal, social and environmental correlates of physical activity, according to a social ecological framework. Regression modelling identified independent correlates of daily walking separately in the two study regions. In one region, there were independent correlates of walking from all levels of the social ecological framework. In the other region, significant correlates of daily walking were almost all demographic (age, education and marital status). Participants living alone were less likely to be physically active regardless of region. This study highlights the importance of considering region-specific factors when designing strategies for promoting regular walking among rural adults.
Self-Exempting Beliefs and Intention to Quit Smoking within a Socially Disadvantaged Australian Sample of Smokers
Authors: Guillaumier Ashleigh , Bonevski Billie , Paul Christine , D’Este Catherine , Twyman Laura , Palazzi Kerrin , Oldmeadow Christopher
Published: January 2016

An investigation of beliefs used to rationalise smoking will have important implications for the content of anti-smoking programs targeted at socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, who show the lowest rates of cessation in the population. This study aimed to assess the types of self-exempting beliefs reported by a sample of socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers, and identify associations between these beliefs and other smoking-related factors with quit intentions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March–December 2012 with smokers seeking welfare assistance in New South Wales (NSW), Australia (n = 354; response rate 79%). Responses to a 16-item self-exempting beliefs scale and intention to quit, smoker identity, and enjoyment of smoking were assessed. Most participants earned <AUD$400/week (70%), and had not completed secondary schooling (64%). All “jungle” beliefs (normalising the dangers of smoking due to ubiquity of risk) and selected “skeptic” beliefs were endorsed by 25%–47% of the sample, indicating these smokers may not fully understand the extensive risks associated with smoking. Smokers with limited quit intentions held significantly stronger self-exempting beliefs than those contemplating or preparing to quit (all p < 0.01). After adjusting for smoking-related variables only “skeptic” beliefs were significantly associated with intention to quit (p = 0.02). Some of these beliefs are incorrect and could be addressed in anti-smoking campaigns.
Anti-Oncogenic gem-Dihydroperoxides Induce Apoptosis in Cancer Cells by Trapping Reactive Oxygen Species
Authors: Kuranaga Yuki , Yamada Nami , Kashiwaya Maiko , Nakamura Moeko , Cui Lei , Kumazaki Minami , Shinohara Haruka , Sugito Nobuhiko , Taniguchi Kohei , Ito Yuko , Nakayama Tatsushi , Uno Bunji , Itoh Akichika , Akao Yukihiro
Published: January 2016

Organic gem-dihydroperoxides (DHPs) and their derived peroxides have attracted a great deal of attention as potential anti-cancer agents. However, the precise mechanism of their inhibitory effect on tumors is unknown. To determine the mechanism of the inhibitory effects of DHPs, we examined the effects of DHPs on leukemia K562 cells. As a result, certain DHPs used in this study exhibited growth-inhibitory activity according to a clear structure-activity relationship. The most potent DHP, 12AC3O, induced apoptosis in K562 cells, but not in peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) or fibroblast cells. 12AC3O induced apoptosis through the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway and thereafter through the extrinsic pathway. The activity of the former pathway was partly attenuated by a JNK inhibitor. Interestingly, 12AC3O induced apoptosis by trapping a large amount of ROS, leading to an extremely lower intracellular ROS level compared with that in the cells in the steady-state condition. These results suggest that an appropriate level of intracellular ROS was necessary for the maintenance of cancer cell growth. DHPs may have a potential to be a novel anti-cancer agent with minimum adverse effects on normal cells.
New 9-Hydroxybriarane Diterpenoids from a Gorgonian Coral Briareum sp. (Briareidae)
Authors: Su Yin-Di , Sung Chun-Sung , Wen Zhi-Hong , Chen Yu-Hsin , Chang Yu-Chia , Chen Jih-Jung , Fang Lee-Shing , Wu Yang-Chang , Sheu Jyh-Horng , Sung Ping-Jyun
Published: January 2016

Six new 9-hydroxybriarane diterpenoids, briarenolides ZI–ZVI (1–6), were isolated from a gorgonian coral Briareum sp. The structures of briaranes 1–6 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and by comparison of their spectroscopic data with those of related analogues. Briarenolides ZII (2) and ZVI (6) were found to significantly inhibit the expression of the pro-inflammatory inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells.