bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Appendages of the Cyanobacterial Cell
Authors: Schuergers Nils , Wilde Annegret
Published: March 2015

Extracellular non-flagellar appendages, called pili or fimbriae, are widespread in gram-negative bacteria. They are involved in many different functions, including motility, adhesion, biofilm formation, and uptake of DNA. Sequencing data for a large number of cyanobacterial genomes revealed that most of them contain genes for pili synthesis. However, only for a very few cyanobacteria structure and function of these appendages have been analyzed. Here, we review the structure and function of type IV pili in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and analyze the distribution of type IV pili associated genes in other cyanobacteria. Further, we discuss the role of the RNA-chaperone Hfq in pilus function and the presence of genes for the chaperone-usher pathway of pilus assembly in cyanobacteria.
Role of Alloying Additions in the Solidification Kinetics and Resultant Chilling Tendency and Chill of Cast Iron
Authors: Fraś Edward , Lopez Hugo , Kawalec Magdalena , Gorny Marcin
Published: March 2015

The present work describes the effect of the solidification processing and alloy chemistry on the chilling tendency index, CT, and the chill, w, of wedge-shaped castings made of cast iron. In this work, theoretical predictions were experimentally verified for the role of elements, such as C, Si, Mn, P and S, on the cast iron CT. In addition, inoculation and fading effects were considered in the experimental outcome. Accordingly, the graphite nucleation coefficients, Ns, b, the eutectic cell growth coefficient, μ, and the critical cooling rate, Qcr, for the development of eutectic cementite (chill) were all determined as a function of the cast iron chemistry and time after inoculation. In particular, it was found that increasing the Mn and S contents, as well as the time after inoculation lowers the critical cooling rate, thus increasing the chilling tendency of the cast iron. In contrast, C, Si and P increase the critical cooling rate, and as a result, they reduce the cast iron CT and chill.
Synthesis, Antifungal Activity and QSAR of Some Novel Carboxylic Acid Amides
Authors: Du Shijie , Lu Huizhe , Yang Dongyan , Li Hong , Gu Xilin , Wan Chuan , Jia Changqing , Wang Mian , Li Xiuyun , Qin Zhaohai
Published: March 2015

A series of novel aromatic carboxylic acid amides were synthesized and tested for their activities against six phytopathogenic fungi by an in vitro mycelia growth inhibition assay. Most of them displayed moderate to good activity. Among them N-(2-(1H-indazol-1-yl)phenyl)-2-(trifluoromethyl)benzamide (3c) exhibited the highest antifungal activity against Pythium aphanidermatum (EC50 = 16.75 µg/mL) and Rhizoctonia solani (EC50 = 19.19 µg/mL), compared to the reference compound boscalid with EC50 values of 10.68 and 14.47 µg/mL, respectively. Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) were employed to develop a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship model for the activity of the compounds. In the molecular docking, a fluorine atom and the carbonyl oxygen atom of 3c formed hydrogen bonds toward the hydroxyl hydrogens of TYR58 and TRP173.
Nitric Oxide Released from Luminal S-Nitroso-N-Acetylcysteine Increases Gastric Mucosal Blood Flow
Authors: De Souza Gabriela , Taladriz-Blanco Patricia , Velloso Lício , De Oliveira Marcelo
Published: March 2015

Nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasodilation plays a key role in gastric mucosal defense, and NO-donor drugs may protect against diseases associated with gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF) deficiencies. In this study, we used the ex vivo gastric chamber method and Laser Doppler Flowmetry to characterize the effects of luminal aqueous NO-donor drug S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine (SNAC) solution administration compared to aqueous NaNO2 and NaNO3 solutions (pH 7.4) on GMBF in Sprague-Dawley rats. SNAC solutions (600 μM and 12 mM) led to a rapid threefold increase in GMBF, which was maintained during the incubation of the solutions with the gastric mucosa, while NaNO2 or NaNO3 solutions (12 mM) did not affect GMBF. SNAC solutions (600 μM and 12 mM) spontaneously released NO at 37 °C at a constant rate of 0.3 or 14 nmol·mL−1·min−1, respectively, while NaNO2 (12 mM) released NO at a rate of 0.06 nmol·mL−1·min−1 and NaNO3 (12 mM) did not release NO. These results suggest that the SNAC-induced GMBF increase is due to their higher rates of spontaneous NO release compared to equimolar NaNO2 solutions. Taken together, our data indicate that oral SNAC administration is a potential approach for gastric acid-peptic disorder prevention and treatment.
Tethering in RNA: An RNA-Binding Fragment Discovery Tool
Authors: Tran Kiet , Arkin Michelle , Beal Peter
Published: March 2015

Tethering has been extensively used to study small molecule interactions with proteins through reversible disulfide bond forming reactions to cysteine residues. We describe the adaptation of Tethering to the study of small molecule binding to RNA using a thiol-containing adenosine analog (ASH). Among 30 disulfide-containing small molecules screened for efficient Tethering to ASH-bearing RNAs derived from pre-miR21, a benzotriazole-containing compound showed prominent adduct formation and selectivity for one of the RNAs tested. The results of this screen demonstrate the viability of using thiol-modified nucleic acids to discover molecules with binding affinity and specificity for the purpose of therapeutic compound lead discovery.
Sulphate in Pregnancy
Authors: Dawson Paul , Elliott Aoife , Bowling Francis
Published: March 2015

Sulphate is an obligate nutrient for healthy growth and development. Sulphate conjugation (sulphonation) of proteoglycans maintains the structure and function of tissues. Sulphonation also regulates the bioactivity of steroids, thyroid hormone, bile acids, catecholamines and cholecystokinin, and detoxifies certain xenobiotics and pharmacological drugs. In adults and children, sulphate is obtained from the diet and from the intracellular metabolism of sulphur-containing amino acids. Dietary sulphate intake can vary greatly and is dependent on the type of food consumed and source of drinking water. Once ingested, sulphate is absorbed into circulation where its level is maintained at approximately 300 μmol/L, making sulphate the fourth most abundant anion in plasma. In pregnant women, circulating sulphate concentrations increase by twofold with levels peaking in late gestation. This increased sulphataemia, which is mediated by up-regulation of sulphate reabsorption in the maternal kidneys, provides a reservoir of sulphate to meet the gestational needs of the developing foetus. The foetus has negligible capacity to generate sulphate and thereby, is completely reliant on sulphate supply from the maternal circulation. Maternal hyposulphataemia leads to foetal sulphate deficiency and late gestational foetal death in mice. In humans, reduced sulphonation capacity has been linked to skeletal dysplasias, ranging from the mildest form, multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, to achondrogenesis Type IB, which results in severe skeletal underdevelopment and death in utero or shortly after birth. Despite being essential for numerous cellular and metabolic functions, the nutrient sulphate is largely unappreciated in clinical settings. This article will review the physiological roles and regulation of sulphate during pregnancy, with a particular focus on animal models of disturbed sulphate homeostasis and links to human pathophysiology.
Towards Realistic Simulations of Macromolecules Irradiated under the Conditions of Coherent Diffraction Imaging with an X-ray Free-Electron Laser
Authors: Ziaja Beata , Jurek Zoltan , Medvedev Nikita , Saxena Vikrant , Son Sang-Kil , Santra Robin
Published: March 2015

Biological samples are highly radiation sensitive. The rapid progress of their radiation damage prevents accurate structure determination of single macromolecular assemblies in standard diffraction experiments. However, computer simulations of the damage formation have shown that the radiation tolerance might be extended at very high intensities with ultrafast imaging such as is possible with the presently developed and operating x-ray free-electron lasers. Recent experiments with free-electron lasers on nanocrystals have demonstrated proof of the imaging principle at resolutions down to 1:6 Angstroms. However, there are still many physical and technical problems to be clarified on the way to imaging of single biomolecules at atomic resolution. In particular, theoretical simulations try to address an important question: How does the radiation damage progressing within an imaged single object limit the structural information about this object recorded in its diffraction image during a 3D imaging experiment? This information is crucial for adjusting pulse parameters during imaging so that high-resolution diffraction patterns can be obtained. Further, dynamics simulations should be used to verify the accuracy of the structure reconstruction performed from the experimental data. This is an important issue as the experimentally recorded diffraction signal is recorded from radiation-damaged samples. It also contains various kinds of background. In contrast, the currently used reconstruction algorithms assume perfectly coherent scattering patterns with shot noise only. In this review paper, we discuss the most important processes and effects relevant for imaging-related simulations that are not yet fully understood, or omitted in the irradiation description. We give estimates for their contribution to the overall radiation damage. In this way we can identify unsolved issues and challenges for simulations of x-ray irradiated single molecules relevant for imaging studies. They should be addressed during further development of these simulation tools.
An Integrated Method Combining Remote Sensing Data and Local Knowledge for the Large-Scale Estimation of Seismic Loss Risks to Buildings in the Context of Rapid Socioeconomic Growth: A Case Study in Tangshan, China
Authors: Su Guiwu , Qi Wenhua , Zhang Suling , Sim Timothy , Liu Xinsheng , Sun Rui , Sun Lei , Jin Yifan
Published: March 2015

Rapid socioeconomic development in earthquake-prone areas can cause rapid changes in seismic loss risks. These changes make it difficult to ensure that risk reduction strategies are realistic, practical and effective over time. To overcome this difficulty, ongoing changes in risk should be captured timely, definitively, and accurately and then specific and well-timed adjustments of the relevant strategies should be made. However, methods for rapidly characterizing such seismic disaster risks over a large area have not been sufficiently developed. By focusing on building loss risks, this paper presents the development of an integrated method that combines remote sensing data and local knowledge to resolve this problem. This method includes two key interdependent steps. (1) To extract the heights and footprint areas of a large number of buildings accurately and quickly from single high-resolution optical remote sensing images; (2) To estimate the floor areas, identify structural types, develop damage probability matrixes, and determine economic parameters for calculating monetary losses due to seismic damage to the buildings by reviewing building-relevant local knowledge based on these two parameters (i.e., the building heights and footprint areas). This method is demonstrated in the Tangshan area of China. Based on the integrated method, the total floor area of the residential and public office buildings in central Tangshan in 2009 was 3.99% lower than the corresponding area number obtained by a conventional earthquake loss estimation project. Our field-based verification indicated that the mean relative error of the method for estimating the floor areas of the assessed buildings was 2.99%. A simulation of the impacts of the 1976 Ms 7.8 Tangshan earthquake using this method indicated that the total damaged floor area of the residential and public office buildings and the associated direct monetary loses in the study area could have been 8.00 and 28.73 times greater, respectively, than in 1976 if this earthquake had recurred in 2009, which is a strong warning to the local people regarding the increasing challenges they may face.
HSV-1 gM and the gK/pUL20 Complex Are Important for the Localization of gD and gH/L to Viral Assembly Sites
Authors: Lau Sheung-Yee , Crump Colin
Published: March 2015

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), like all herpesviruses, is a large complex DNA virus containing up to 16 different viral membrane proteins in its envelope. The assembly of HSV-1 particles occurs by budding/wrapping at intracellular membranes producing infectious virions contained within the lumen of cytoplasmic membrane-bound compartments that are then released by secretion. To ensure incorporation of all viral membrane proteins into the envelope, they need to be localized to the appropriate intracellular membranes either via the endocytic pathway or by direct targeting to assembly sites from the biosynthetic secretory pathway. Many HSV-1 envelope proteins encode targeting motifs that direct their endocytosis and targeting, while others do not, including the essential entry proteins gD and the gH/gL complex, and so it has been unclear how these envelope proteins reach the appropriate assembly compartments. We now show that efficient endocytosis of gD and gH/gL and their incorporation into mature virions relies upon the presence of the HSV-1 envelope proteins gM and the gK/pUL20 complex. Our data demonstrate both redundant and synergistic roles for gM and gK/pUL20 in controlling the targeting of gD and gH/L to the appropriate intracellular virus assembly compartments.
Differential Expression of HERV-K (HML-2) Proviruses in Cells and Virions of the Teratocarcinoma Cell Line Tera-1
Authors: Bhardwaj Neeru , Montesion Meagan , Roy Farrah , Coffin John
Published: March 2015

Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV-K (HML-2)) proviruses are among the few endogenous retroviral elements in the human genome that retain coding sequence. HML-2 expression has been widely associated with human disease states, including different types of cancers as well as with HIV-1 infection. Understanding of the potential impact of this expression requires that it be annotated at the proviral level. Here, we utilized the high throughput capabilities of next-generation sequencing to profile HML-2 expression at the level of individual proviruses and secreted virions in the teratocarcinoma cell line Tera-1. We identified well-defined expression patterns, with transcripts emanating primarily from two proviruses located on chromosome 22, only one of which was efficiently packaged. Interestingly, there was a preference for transcripts of recently integrated proviruses, over those from other highly expressed but older elements, to be packaged into virions. We also assessed the promoter competence of the 5’ long terminal repeats (LTRs) of expressed proviruses via a luciferase assay following transfection of Tera-1 cells. Consistent with the RNASeq results, we found that the activity of most LTRs corresponded to their transcript levels.
THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF SUPPORTING ORGANIC FARMS BY PUBLIC FUNDS: CASE OF POLAND
Authors: KOLOSZKO-CHOMENTOWSKA Zofia
Published: March 2015

Research proves that the financial support of agriculture is necessary in order to achieve sustainable economic development with other sectors of the economy. The aim of this paper is to assess the economic results of organic farms which benefit from public funds. The research issue was worked out on the basis of the data from organic farms in Podlasie voievodeship in the years 2008–2012. For the purposes of the analysis, farms were divided into area groups: group I – farms with an area up to 20 ha and group II – farms with an area above 20 ha. The following indicators are calculated: family farm income, current ratio, re-investment fixed assets rate, return on equity (ROE). Higher influence of public funds was observed in farms with an area of 20 ha of utilised agricultural area. The income per working person was almost double in larger farms while equity profitability was four times higher than in smaller farms. Only larger farms had the ability to reproduce their used assets. The organic farms realise many important functions in maintenance of the natural environment and so support of these farms by public funds is justified.
PASSIFOR: A reference library of DNA barcodes for French saproxylic beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera)
Authors: Rougerie Rodolphe , Lopez-Vaamonde Carlos , Barnouin Thomas , Delnatte Julien , Moulin Nicolas , Noblecourt Thierry , Nusillard Benoît , Parmain Guillem , Soldati Fabien , Bouget Christophe
Published: March 2015

Saproxylic beetles – associated with dead wood or with other insects, fungi and microorganisms that decompose it – play a major role in forest nutrient cycling. They are important ecosystem service providers and are used as key bio-indicators of old-growth forests. In France alone, where the present study took place, there are about 2500 species distributed within 71 families. This high diversity represents a major challenge for specimen sorting and identification.

The PASSIFOR project aims at developing a DNA metabarcoding approach to facilitate and enhance the monitoring of saproxylic beetles as indicators in ecological studies. As a first step toward that goal we assembled a library of DNA barcodes using the standard genetic marker for animals, i.e. a portion of the COI mitochondrial gene. In the present contribution, we release a library including 656 records representing 410 species in 40 different families. Species were identified by expert taxonomists, and each record is linked to a voucher specimen to enable future morphological examination. We also highlight and briefly discuss cases of low interspecific divergences, as well as cases of high intraspecific divergences that might represent cases of overlooked or cryptic diversity.
Perspectives of Big Data Analysis for Knowledge Generation in Project Management Contexts
Authors: Jamil George Leal , Carvalho Luiz Fernando Magalhães
Published: March 2015

Knowledge generation for Project Management (PM) is a critical modern issue. Projects are a complex, inter-related set of tasks that aim to provide a service or product in a controlled, managed way. In these scenarios, there is a continuous producing of data and information, which is a potential situation for Knowledge Management (KM) interaction. This chapter evaluates aspects and factors on how it is possible to process data and information, in order to generate applicable knowledge to improve project management. A specific consideration is to understand the observation of contexts of huge amounts of data—known nowadays as Big Data—and its potential knowledge generation for project management, as presented in the final study case. A better comprehension on how knowledge management practices, applied to Big Data contexts, can improve project management processes is the main objective in this chapter.
Information Management in Project Management
Authors: Ribeiro Fernanda , Malheiro da Silva Armando
Published: March 2015

The authors start by presenting Information Science (IS) that is developed and constitutes object of research and teaching at the University of Porto, Portugal, and they explain accurately the cross-positioning of Information Management (IM), which is also shared with other social sciences and disciplines of technological character. From here, a brief presentation of the origin and nature of Project Management (PM) is exposed to emphasize the need for an effective and fully assumed approach between IM and PM. It is observed that, for specialists in PM, the infocommunicational flows are important and they seek to manage them intituitively, but without feeling obliged to ask for the expertise of specialists in IS and IM, the reverse is true (i.e. there are courses and some interesting adaptations of PM procedures' tools to be applied into informational projects).
ICT Strategic Project Management
Authors: Buwule Robert Stalone
Published: March 2015

Depending on how project managers strategically plan and utilize them, ICTs can prove to be either productive or counter-productive to any project. This chapter is about how project managers strategically plan and incorporate Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in forming long-term objectives as well as analysing the strengths and weaknesses of an ICT-based project. It has four subdivisions, where the first sub division dwells on the strategic use of ICTs in projects, then a brief synopsis on the theoretical approach to ICT Strategic Project Management, which provides foundation for a detailed discussion on the roles of key players in ICT strategic project management, characteristics of ICT-compliant projects, and the steps taken to strategically manage ICT-based projects. The chapter is wrapped up with a disposition on the impetus of strategically managing communication in an ICT-based project.
From Project's Information Management to Project-Based Organizational Learning
Authors: Almeida Maria , Soares António Lucas
Published: March 2015

Project-based organizations have characteristics that raise additional barriers to information management, knowledge sharing, and to organizational learning. The main causes of this are inadequate information architectures and governance, poor collaborative culture, and lack of organization-wide information management strategies. This chapter presents a comprehensive basis to understand the information and knowledge-sharing practices in PBO, as well as the methods and tools that information professionals and project managers should have in mind when performing their tasks. For that, literatures are reviewed focusing on the explanation of the processes of knowledge creation and sharing leading to organizational learning. The main conclusion is that a knowledge-sharing strategy in a PBO should include a set of mechanisms that address a customized mix of the codification and personalization dimensions and that strategies for collaborative information management should be used as enablers for embedding knowledge sharing within the organizational practices and culture.
Infrastructures of Knowledge Sharing Countrywide
Authors: Nemati-Anaraki Leila
Published: March 2015

Knowledge sharing has become a strategic source of gaining and preserving competitive advantage and collaboration between different organizations. Therefore, providing platforms and infrastructure is essential in this process. The method of this chapter is mixed and applied research (first, the author uses literature review and Delphi method, and after that, she does a survey) that was conducted in 2013. The study population was the faculty members of medical universities and research centers in Iran. According to the statistical results, around 17 percent of professors considered the organizational structure as acceptable. There was also a sharing of knowledge and experience of faculties in the 4.82 percent somewhat faculty teaching and research within their organization more than other organizations. From the view of faculties, conferences and forums, with an average rank of 4.93, and personnel exchanges, with the average 4.24, are the most effective ways of sharing. The outcomes of the application will provide an empirical basis for planning and implementing knowledge sharing mechanisms.
Organizational Change through Information Systems
Authors: Fernandes da Anunciação Pedro
Published: March 2015

The strategic reorientation in the new relational economy has been emphasizing the importance of IS/ICT in organizational adaptation to change. In the banking sector, the centrality of the customer, the new distribution channels availability, the time-to-market reduction has made emerge the need of preparation and management change through coordinated and coherent combination of three vital axes to organizational success: business performance, information management, and information technology supporting. In this domain, the development of new distribution channels for banking products and services are presented as e-revolution challenges in strategic nature of banking activities, forcing it to rethink business models established. In this sense, Metavision, the project management plan, provides a framework to guide the development of a reactive organization and provides a method for driving all the associated change in this chapter.
Compassion Organizing for Public-Private Collaboration in Disaster Management
Authors: Moon Taewon , Ko Sunghoon
Published: March 2015

Compassion organizing evokes positive identity in both the public and private sectors, which leads to effective collaboration between the two sectors. Although when some organize they instinctively apply tenets of compassion organizing, there is much more that can be done to yield substantive gains in individual satisfaction and organizational success. Compassion organizing is not another form of emotional intelligence. Rather, compassion organizing builds three organizational capabilities (i.e. cognitive, affective, and structural capability). Furthermore, explicitly utilizing compassion organizing allows, and in fact requires, that organizations and members of those organizations keep positive identities throughout their association. This will maintain the socio-psychological tie of organizational identification that is critical to cooperation between the public and private sector. This chapter explores compassion organizing and the concepts that form the foundation for compassion organizing. Then, this chapter specifically applies compassion organizing to entities engaged in emergency management, particularly those in public-private partnerships.
Aligning Community Hospitals with Local Public Health Departments
Authors: Hewitt Anne M. , Wagner Stephen L. , Twal Riad , Gourley David
Published: March 2015

This chapter reviews the current organizational relationships between public health departments, local community hospitals, and medical centers as they relate to emergency preparedness and management. To examine their collaborative role, an analysis of legislative statutes, Joint Commission compliance mandates, professional accreditation standards, NIMS task force recommendations, and eligibility criteria for federal grants was completed. The information gleaned from this process was then synthesized to offer suggestions for developing positive collaboration outcomes. Reports from the three example stakeholder organizations suggest that positive changes in the level of community relationships have occurred. Continued maturation of emergency preparedness advisory boards, task forces, and coalitions also appear to have strengthened collaboration between the public and private agencies. To further encourage a systems model of collaboration, two strategies based on coalition capacity building are recommended. Leveraging gains made in community relationships over the past few years will continue to strengthen and improve emergency preparedness and management collaborations.
Coalitions
Authors: Harris Erinn N.
Published: March 2015

Demands in healthcare have placed a strain on healthcare providers trying to provide quality care while maintaining accreditations and planning for the possibility of expansion of resources as well as patients. Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been used to help ease this strain and increase the capabilities of healthcare systems all over the country. In an effort to “level the playing field,” the federal government has recently decided to mandate the structure of these healthcare PPPs. That is, a new form of these partnerships (i.e. coalitions) has been designated the organizational model that healthcare PPPs must evolve into in order to receive certain types of federal grants. This chapter discusses these coalitions as well as challenges for PPPs that are just now in the process of forming. Also discussed is the increased effort required to form coalitions from PPPs that have already been in existence for any length of time.
Public-Private Partnerships in Support of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources
Authors: Negrón Martin A. , Taha Doaa
Published: March 2015

In the absence of unlimited resources, governments typically face significant challenges in the process of allocating resources to optimize the benefits to the majority of the members of the society. Government officials look for new and creative ways to address the existing and emerging social needs. It is virtually impossible to identify universal solutions, and for that reason, it is essential to understand the implications as well as the risks associated with the use of new governance methods. This chapter describes emerging challenges in the protection of critical government assets as a result of natural and emerging man-made threats and describes the benefits and limitations derived from the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to proactively plan for the protection of those assets the government considers critical.
Chinese Text Categorization via Bottom-Up Weighted Word Clustering
Authors: Wu Yu-Chieh
Published: March 2015

Most of the researches on text categorization are focus on using bag of words. Some researches provided other methods for classification such as term phrase, Latent Semantic Indexing, and term clustering. Term clustering is an effective way for classification, and had been proved as a good method for decreasing the dimensions in term vectors. The authors used hierarchical term clustering and aggregating similar terms. In order to enhance the performance, they present a modify indexing with terms in cluster. Their test collection extracted from Chinese NETNEWS, and used the Centroid-Based classifier to deal with the problems of categorization. The results had shown that term clustering is not only reducing the dimensions but also outperform than bag of words. Thus, term clustering can be applied to text classification by using any large corpus, its objective is to save times and increase the efficiency and effectiveness. In addition to performance, these clusters can be considered as conceptual knowledge base, and kept related terms of real world.
Mapping Critical Success Factors for IT Outsourcing
Authors: Correia dos Santos João , Mira da Silva Miguel
Published: March 2015

During the last decades, IT Outsourcing gained considerable management attention and is considered a strategic decision used to promote success on its variable dimensions, like: cost reduction, quality improvement, access to new technologies, among others. The existing literature presents many studies on IT Outsourcing. However, there are few studies from the provider's perspective. Therefore, the objective is to focus on providers' critical success factors and their relationships in IT Outsourcing contracts. To analyse this subject a qualitative approach based on cognitive mapping process was applied. Cognitive or causal maps are widely employed in problem-structuring, since they permit a rich representation of ideas, through the modelling of a complex network of actions. This approach is innovative compared to the traditional quantitative methods used. As a result, they were able to map a network of means and ends and in parallel were found new success factors like service standardization, price flexibility, cost management and service catalogue, which allowed obtaining new insights into the structure of today's IT Outsourcing contracts.
Analysis of Reasons, Implications and Consequences of Demographic Change for IT Departments in Times of Scarcity of Talent
Authors: Radant Olaf , Colomo-Palacios Ricardo , Stantchev Vladimir
Published: March 2015

The skill shortage is becoming an ever-increasing challenge for IT departments. Allocation of resources in the best possible way is even more important. The challenge is to improve the enterprise not only on the side of the organizational and process level, but to develop new strategies and approaches in human resource management. Only a symbiosis of the disciplines economics, psychology and information technology will enable relevant and indispensable employees and promote loyalty to the company. A frequent change of the work place, for a well-trained professional, is so long associated with normality until they find the best environment for fulfilling their needs and expectations. These expectations are no longer just on a financial level. This paper will analyse the previous work on these topics and demonstrate first conclusions regarding a way forward.
Minimizing Makespan on Identical Parallel Machines
Authors: Kuruvilla Abey , Paletta Giuseppe
Published: March 2015

A heuristic algorithm that uses iteratively LPT and MF approaches on different job and machine sets constructed by using the current solution is developed to solve a classical multiprocessor scheduling problem with the objective of minimizing the makespan. Computational results indicate that the proposed algorithm is very competitive with respect to well-known constructive algorithms for a large number of benchmark instances.
Analysis of a Standby System with Dissimilar Components and Imperfect Repair
Authors: Hajeeh Mohammed A.
Published: March 2015

Operating systems do not perform their intended functions as time passes and ultimately fail due the failure of one or more of their parts, units, or components. Failure is caused by many factors such as age, deterioration, wear and tear, leakage, and lack of proper and timely maintenances. Failed components are usually replaced if not expensive or critical; otherwise repaired. Repair can be perfect, minimal, or imperfect; the selection of a specific repair option is dependent on the desire of the decision maker and the capability of the repairing staff/facilities. In this paper, imperfect repair is applied where a failed component is repaired several times before complete replacement. The system in this study consists of two dissimilar (non-identical) components, one in operation and the other in cold standby; each component has a different failure and repair rate depending on time spent in operation. The performance of the system is measured using steady state availability. A numerical example is presented to illustrate and compare the performance and cost of two versions of the system, the first version with two dissimilar components, and the second with two similar and new components.
Two Novel Heuristics Based on a New Density Measure for Vehicle Routing Problem
Authors: Layeb Abdesslem
Published: March 2015

The vehicle routing problem (VRP) is a known optimization problem. The objective is to construct an optimal set of routes serving a number of customers where the demand of each customer is less than the vehicle' capacity, and each customer is visited exactly once like in TSP problem. The purpose of this paper is to present new deterministic heuristic and its stochastic version for solving the vehicle routing problem. The proposed algorithms are inspired from the density heuristic of knapsack problem. The proposed heuristic is based on four steps. In the first step a density matrix (demand/distance) is constructed by using given equations. In the second step, a giant tour is constructed by using the density matrix; the customer with highest density is firstly visited, the process is repeated until all customers will be visited. In the third phase, the split procedure is applied to this giant tour in order to get feasible routes subject to vehicles capacities. Finally, each route is improved by the application of the nearest neighbor heuristic. The results of the experiment indicate that the proposed heuristic is better than the nearest neighbor heuristic for VRP. Moreover, the proposed algorithm can easily be used to generate initial solutions for a wide variety of VRP algorithms.
The liability of churches for the historical sexual assault of children by priests
Authors: Calitz K
Published: March 2015

Could a church be held liable for the sexual assault of children by priests when the victims claim as adults only many years after the event?  Complainants can claim damages on the basis that the church is either directly or vicariously liable for the alleged acts. If the victims rely on vicarious liability, they will have to prove that the wrongdoer was an employee of the defendant and will further have to prove that the assaults were committed within the course and scope of the wrongdoer's  employment. The requirement that a priest must be an employee has in the past created a hurdle for victims, since courts in different countries have traditionally held that priests are not employees of the church as they are servants of God, subject to ecclesiastic law and not civil law. However, in John Doe v Bennet in Canada and JGE v Diocese of Portsmouth in the UK the courts have recently held that even a relationship akin to employment is sufficient to be a basis for vicarious liability. In Bazley v Curry the Canadian Supreme Court moreover extended the traditional meaning of the "course and scope of employment" by developing the "close  connection" test. The court found that the acts of a warden of a children's home were so closely connected with his duties that it was fair that his employer (a charitable organisation) should be held liable for his conduct. The close connection test was followed by the House of Lords in the United Kingdom and by the South African Constitutional Court in K v Minister of Safety and Security, although in another context. Adult complainants in cases such as these will further have to prove that their claim has not expired as a result of prescription. In Canada, the UK and South Africa courts have in different ways acknowledged the fact that victims of child sexual abuse are often not able to process their claims timeously, because of psychological factors. The victims are allowed to bring their claims often decades after commission of the wrongful acts. These developments have undoubtedly broadened the vicarious liability of employers and more specifically the liability of churches.
The legislative framework regarding bullying in South African schools
Authors: Laas A , Boezaart T
Published: March 2015

Bullying in schools is a global phenomenon that has the potential to impact on children not only physically but also psychologically. In South Africa countless children fall victim to bullying, harassment and abuse at schools. A myriad of constitutional rights are infringed upon when bullying occurs, and the problem is escalating. The Protection from Harassment Act 71 of 2011 was signed and accepted into law on the 27th of April 2013. This new Act may grant relief to victims of bullying inter alia by providing for  protection orders, and therefore adds to the legislative framework available to victims. However, in terms of bullying in schools, the parties to these incidents are minors and therefore a critical analysis is necessary with regard to the rights of the victim and the offender. In this context the relationship and interaction between the Protection from Harassment Act 71 of 2011, the Child Justice Act 75 of 2008, the Children's Act 38 of 2005 and the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 call for critical analysis.
Separation of powers in Ghana: The evolution of the political question doctrine
Authors: Mhango M
Published: March 2015

In some democracies judiciaries have developed the political question doctrine to jurisprudentially resolve political questions and define their relationship with other branches of government. This doctrine is a function of the principle of the separation of powers and provides that there are certain questions of constitutional law that are constitutionally committed to the elected branches of government for resolution. As a result, such  questions are non-justiciable and require the judiciary to abstain from deciding them if doing so would intrude upon the functions of the elected branches of government. This article examines the evolution and current status of the political question doctrine in Ghanaian jurisprudence, which developed from American jurisprudence. It begins by briefly discussing the history of the doctrine and its modern application in America. It then discusses how this doctrine was imported into Ghana and applied by the Ghanaian judiciary. The article argues that while there are differences of opinion around the application of the political question doctrine within Ghana's judiciary, the doctrine is firmly part of Ghanaian constitutional law. The article observes that the difference of opinion among judges is over the proper application of the doctrine rather than on whether it forms part of Ghanaian constitutional law. The article also discusses a related issue of the constitutional status of Directive Principles of State Policy in chapter 6 of the Constitution of Ghana.
Breed-specific lipid-related gene expression in the subcutaneous fat of Large White and Erhualian pigs at weaning
Authors: Zheng Y. , Pan S. , Huang Y. , Ci L. , Zhao R. , Yang X.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. The Erhualian (EHL) pig possesses significantly lower growth rates and higher adipose deposition compared with the Large White (LW) pig. To further understand the mechanism of breed lipid deposition difference at the early postnatal age, we employed an animal model of EHL and LW pigs at weaning age to compare the lipid metabolism differences in subcutaneous fat. The result showed that serum triglyceride in EHL was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of LW. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ protein level in EHL was significantly higher (P < 0.01) though CCTTA enhancer-binding protein level demonstrated no change compared with LW pigs. Hormone sensitive lipase, adipose tissue triglyceride lipase mRNA expression and the lipase activity were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in EHL. Uncoupling protein-2 protein content was significantly lower (P < 0.01) in EHL than that in LW pigs. We first cloned the nucleotide sequence of Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) with 1090 bp and found that both ZAG mRNA expression and protein level in EHL pigs was significantly lower (P < 0.01) than that of LW pigs. β3 adrenergic receptor mRNA expression in EHL pigs was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that of LW pigs, though tumour necrosis factor α gene expression demonstrated no significant difference. Therefore, the significant breed lipid metabolism difference in subcutaneous fat exists at an early postnatal age between EHL and LW pigs, and this difference may originate from two causes including the increased lipid synthesis and reduced lipid mobilization in EHL pigs compared with LW pigs.
The impact of season, parity and breed on selected reproductive performance parameters of sows
Authors: Knecht D. , Środoń S. , Duziński K.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. The aim of the study was to identify the detailed impact of the season, parity and breed on reproductive performance of sows. The experimental material consisted of 2100 sows, in 3 breed variants: 700 PL, 700 PLW, 700 crossbreeds PL × PLW. Sows were observed until parity 5. In the context of the breed, depending on the order of parity groups of 140 sows were isolated. Then, sows were divided in terms of farrowing season into subgroups numbering 35 sows. At the age of 8 months gilts were allocated for reproduction performance. The highest seasonal impact was noted for piglet birth weight (P≤0.01). Parity had less effect only on the number of piglets weaned (P≤0.05). Breed influenced to a lesser extent the number of piglets born live and weaned (P≤0.05), while birth and weaning weight had greater importance for piglets (P≤0.01). The interaction between the studied factors was also observed. The impact of season, parity and breed interdependence on the number of piglets born live were confirmed statistically (P≤0.05). The analysis of piglet birth weight allowed the stronger interaction effect of parity × breed on this parameter to be noted (P≤0.01). The analysis of variance for piglet weaning weight confirmed strong relations between all tested factors (P≤0.01). Our study has shown that reproductive parameters can be strongly affected by season and parity. In addition, it must be emphasized that the impact of these factors was different for the studied breeds of sows.
Sex of offspring influences metabolism during early transition period in dairy cows
Authors: Alberghina D. , Piccione G. , Giannetto C. , Morgante M. , Gianesella M.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. A study using 20 Holstein Friesian cows was conducted to investigate the influence of calf gender on metabolism during the transition period in dairy cattle. Blood samples were collected at three time points: 2–4 days prepartum (time 1), and 1 week and 2 weeks postpartum (time 2 and time 3 respectively). Serum samples obtained were analysed for total proteins, albumin, urea, glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Depending on the sex of the offspring, cows were divided into two groups: Group 1 consisted of cows with heifer offspring (n = 12) and Group 2 consisted of cows with bull offspring (n = 8). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA and t tests for unpaired data were used to analyse the pattern of studied parameters and differences between the two groups. The results indicate differences in metabolic parameters between the two groups. These results highlight the importance of considering fetal sex as a factor that influences maternal metabolism during the early transition period in dairy cows.
Simulating aerosol–radiation–cloud feedbacks on meteorology and air quality over eastern China under severe haze conditionsin winter
Authors: Zhang B. , Wang Y. , Hao J.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. The aerosol-radiation-cloud feedbacks on meteorology and air quality over eastern China under severe winter haze conditions in January 2013 are simulated using the fully coupled online Weather Research and Forecasting/Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. Three simulation scenarios including different aerosol configurations are undertaken to distinguish the aerosol's radiative (direct and semi-direct) and indirect effects. Simulated spatial and temporal variations of PM2.5 are generally consistent with surface observations, with a mean bias of −18.9 μg m−3 (−15.0%) averaged over 71 big cities in China. Comparisons between different scenarios reveal that aerosol radiative effects (direct effect and semi-direct effects) result in reductions of downward shortwave flux at the surface, 2 m temperature, 10 m wind speed and planetary boundary layer (PBL) height by up to 84.0 W m−2, 3.2°C, 0.8 m s−1, and 268 m, respectively. The simulated impact of the aerosol indirect effects is comparatively smaller. Through reducing the PBL height and stabilizing lower atmosphere, the aerosol effects lead to increases in surface concentrations of primary pollutants (CO and SO2). Surface O3 mixing ratio is reduced by up to 6.9 ppb (parts per billion) due to reduced incoming solar radiation and lower temperature, while the aerosol feedbacks on PM2.5 mass concentrations show some spatial variations. Comparisons of model results with observations show that inclusion of aerosol feedbacks in the model significantly improves model performance in simulating meteorological variables and improves simulations of PM2.5 temporal distributions over the North China Plain, the Yangtze River delta, the Pearl River delta, and central China. Although the aerosol–radiation–cloud feedbacks on aerosol mass concentrations are subject to uncertainties, this work demonstrates the significance of aerosol–radiation–cloud feedbacks for real-time air quality forecasting under haze conditions.