bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assembling Industrial Ecosystems for a Knowledge City
Authors: Scheel Carlos , Galeano Nathalíe
Published: February 2013

Economic forces and industrialization are determinant factors in wealth creation; however, an important part of the equation has been omitted by most of the industrial and social players, especially in developing countries. The business cycle’s impact on the environment, on the life cycle assessment, and on the biocapacity of the earth has had a tremendous effect on the equilibrium of all the sub-systems (economic, social, and environmental resources). Based on these systemic requirements, a synergistic approach involving all the stakeholders has been collated and a systemic framework, the Sustainable WIT Model has been developed, and is designed to build “sustainable clusters of high value, globally competitive industries” for developing regions. This paper discusses how the Sustainable WIT Model has been applied to one of the most important industries currently having an impact on economic, social, and environmental ecosystems worldwide - the sustainable construction industry - in a region where it is creating suitable conditions for a city to become part of a knowledge-based economy. The SWIT Model considers the economic growth of the industrial life cycle as a priority, but also includes other external forces that have previously been ignored, such as societal impact, human well-being, and bio capacity, in such a way that the sustainability cycle can be economically viable.
Management of Transaction Exposure
Authors: Goel Manisha
Published: February 2013

In an era of globalization, thousands of transactions of international trade take place among companies of different countries. But the profitability of these transactions can be completely wiped out by adverse movements in the exchange rate during this time gap. Transaction exposure is a measure of effect of exchange rate fluctuations on these transactions. Unmanaged transaction exposure can paralyze not only financial position but also competitive position of companies in market. The present study portrays transaction exposure management as practiced by various multinational companies in India. And compares management of transaction exposure by banking and non-banking and foreign and Indian MNCs. The effect of various factors on their management policy is also investigated. The results of the study evidence that the majority of firms make efforts to measure their transaction exposure. There is no significant effect of level of transaction exposure on estimation policy and decision to develop separate management system for management of transaction exposure of companies. Significant difference exists between management policies of companies of different sectors toward management of their transaction exposure. Companies are actively using various hedging strategies for managing their transaction exposure.
An Investigation of Product Service System Models
Authors: Ryan Linda
Published: February 2013

With an increasingly competitive global market, cost, quality, and technology leadership are no longer sufficient for businesses to secure competitive advantage. Customers are increasingly demanding product and service combinations which can be tailored to their specific needs. This is known as Product Service Systems (PSS). PSS allows companies to move up the value chain and focus on delivering knowledge intensive products and services and provide highly customizable product/ service bundles. Due to the inherent differences between products and services, many companies fail to integrate the two effectively and didn’t successfully exploit the potential of an extended service business model. This paper discusses two research based PSS models and PSS models developed through industrial application and feedback. Similarities and differences will be explored, discussed and rationalised in order to gain an understanding of the variations in PSS design approaches.
The Paradox of Service Industrialization and the Creation of Meaning
Authors: González Jesús Alcoba
Published: February 2013

The emergent interdisciplinary area Service Science Management & Engineering (SSME) considers the study of people, technology, and shared information as prime components in service systems. Frequently, the area regarding people is the one that draws less attention. The author analyzes how the knowledge and application of discoveries on how the human mind perceives and stores concepts and events has important implications regarding service design in the experience economy. Specifically, they analyzed the creation of meaning and the quality of experience assessment. The paradox of service industrialization arises when defining a continuum between maximum industrialization of the service on one end and complete personalization on the other. Under certain circumstances, industrialization, which on the one hand creates value, can also destroy it. The contribution of this work lies in pointing out research lines for Service Science (SSME).
A Comparative Study of the Effects of Culture on the Deployment of Information Technology
Authors: Ditsa George , Alwahaishi Saleh , Alkobaisi Shayma , Snášel Václav
Published: February 2013

Culture is thought to be the most difficult to isolate, define, and measure in the adoption and use of IT (Information Technology) (Hassan & Ditsa, 1999). Consequently, the impact of culture on the adoption and use of IT does not feature prominently in Information Systems (IS) literature. As cultural factors are important to the success of IT adoption and use, this research paper examines culture’s impact on the adoption and use of IT in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results of the study were compared along eight cultural dimensions with a study on the adoption and use of IT in developing and developed countries. The results are also used to identify issues that concern the relationship of culture and IT and their implications for IT adoption and use in the UAE. The study results are further used to suggest ways of bridging the digital divide between the UAE and developed countries.
A Preliminary Classification of Usage Measures in Information System Acceptance
Authors: Lallmahomed Muhammad Z. I. , Rahim Nor Zairah Ab , Ibrahim Roliana , Rahman Azizah Abdul
Published: February 2013

In the light of a diverse body of disorganized usage measures available and the difficulty of building a cumulative research tradition, a literature review is conducted on system use in Information Systems (IS) Acceptance through the two main theories of Technology Adoption, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and The Unified Theory of Use and Acceptance of Technology (UTAUT). The authors seek to understand how usage measures are being operationalised and proposed a preliminary classification of those measures that covers system and task aspects of use. A Q-Sort approach was taken to validate the authors’ classification scheme and the result indicates high inter-rater agreement. The ensuing classification is meant to help researchers in their choice of system use measures. This review also summarises the arguments for a multi-dimensional measure of use and establishes that omnibus measure such as frequency, volume and use/non-use hold prevalence. Finally, the authors provide recommendations for further research in the area of system use.
Segmentation of Arabic Characters
Authors: Zeki Ahmed M. , Zakaria Mohamad S. , Liong Choong-Yeun
Published: February 2013

The cursive nature of Arabic writing is the main challenge to Arabic Optical Character Recognition developer. Methods to segment Arabic words into characters have been proposed. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the methods proposed by researchers to segment Arabic characters. The segmentation methods are categorized into nine different methods based on techniques used. The advantages and drawbacks of each are presented and discussed. Most researchers did not report the segmentation accuracy in their research; instead, they reported the overall recognition rate which did not reflect the influence of each sub-stage on the final recognition rate. The size of the training/testing data was not large enough to be generalized. The field of Arabic Character Recognition needs a standard set of test documents in both image and character formats, together with the ground truth and a set of performance evaluation tools, which would enable comparing the performance of different algorithms. As each method has its strengths, a hybrid segmentation approach is a promising method. The paper concludes that there is still no perfect segmentation method for ACR and much opportunity for research in this area.
Chemical-Free and Reusable Cellular Analysis
Authors: Hsiao Sheng-Yi , Chen Dai-Chian , Yang Chih-Hui , Huang Haw-Ming , Lu Yen-Pei , Huang Hui-Shun , Lin Chun-Yen , Lin Yung-Sheng
Published: February 2013

To advance innovative green technology in studying cytology, this study developed an electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) system with an indium tin oxide (ITO) culture chip module. This paper also demonstrates typical examples of solution effects and B16-F10 cell culture. Results indicate that higher concentrations of saline or albumin had lower impedance. From impedance data, cell proliferation and decline could be elucidated. The impedance soon decreased when Triton X-100 was applied to kill cells. Furthermore, the implemented transparent ITO culture chip module is experiment-friendly to perform optical inspections. The proposed green EIS system which is advantage of chemical-free and reusability can be widely applied to cytology studies in the future.
Development of an Evaluation Instrument for Green Building Literacy among College Students in Taiwan
Authors: Jan Yi-Lin , Lin Ming-Liang , Shiao Ko-Yu , Wei Chia-Chen , Huang Li-Ting , Sung Quo-Cheng
Published: February 2013

The construction industry accounts for a significant amount of the total carbon dioxide emissions. Promoting green building policy is one of the most effective ways to meet the national carbon reduction commitment. It is essential to increase green building literacy among people to achieve success in energy saving and carbon reduction. This study constructed a framework for green building literacy and developed a questionnaire as a tool for measuring college students’ green building literacy. The questionnaire was finalized in the format consists of twenty cognitive items and nineteen affective/behavioral items. The full-scale reliability of the trial survey was .90, attesting to the internal consistency of this questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was also conducted to attest the construct validity. The preliminary results from the trial surveys showed that green building literacy education should not only focus on students’ knowledge but their attitudes and values, and most importantly their green building-related behaviors.
An Investigation on Undergraduate’s Bio-Energy Engineering Education Program at the Taiwan Technical University
Authors: Tsai Wen-Tien
Published: February 2013

With global warming issues and high dependence on imported energy in Taiwan, the Advisory Office of Ministry of Education (MOE) started a pioneer four-year project to develop the interdisciplinary green technology (GT) education program for undergraduates since 2007. In this paper, the implementation of bio-energy program at the two technical universities (i.e., National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, and Tajen University of Technology) under the funding support of the program was described to focus on the curriculum development. This paper will also address some new approaches and innovative directions to bio-energy education: incorporating basic courses into the bio-energy program, transforming the current bio-energy program into undergraduate degree program, implementing distance learning courses, and combining informal science education into the professional education program. It is thus prospective that the bio-energy education at university level will be in line with the efforts in the directions of comprehensive energy education.
Gaps Between Valuing and Purchasing Green-Technology Products
Authors: Chiu Mei-Shiu
Published: February 2013

Green technology has become an emerging industry to resolve human concerns over energy use, global warming, and sustainable development. At its current stage, people are likely to experience gaps between valuing and purchasing these products. Proponents of green technology may also need to consider the differences between green-technology products so as to produce better product-specific designs and to consider gender differences in designs based on human consideration. Semi-structured interviews with quantitative data collection were conducted with 54 participants in Taiwan. Important findings include: (1) There are positive relations between value and purchase for appliances, but not for vehicles. (2) Value-purchase gaps are strong for both appliances and vehicles. (3) People’s rationales for the gaps include multiplicity, ego, development, economy, and pragmatism approaches. (4) People’s concerns about multiplicity and pragmatism are stronger for vehicles than for appliances. (5) Females’ concern about pragmatism for vehicles is less than males.’
Designing a Virtual Social Space for Language Acquisition
Authors: Woolson Maria Alessandra
Published: February 2013

Middleverse de Español (MdE) is an evolving platform for foreign language (FL) study, aligned to the goals of ACTFL’s National Standards and 2007 MLA report. The project simulates an immersive environment in a virtual 3-D space for the acquisition of translingual and transcultural competence in Spanish meant to support content-based and communicative classroom practices. This paper describes the design of MdE on Second Life as a dynamic environment of integrated technologies and its selection criteria, including the pedagogical principles guiding design and practices. Pedagogy is further explored conceptually in addressing language acquisition and cultural immersion within the broader communication’s system of language, images and symbols of the digitalized age. The initial pilot demonstrates that negotiations of meaning and negative feedback intrinsic to virtual interactions promote repair moves. Furthermore, students’ reconfiguring of conventionalized norms of participation results in increased exchanges in the classroom that stimulate student-centered discussions and meaningful collaborative work.
Identities, Borders, Change
Authors: Dubreil Sébastien
Published: February 2013

The purpose of this case study was to examine one learner’s (Keira) personal trajectory in an online, transnational telecollaborative learning environment, focusing on how she negotiated (1) her own sense of identity, (2) her perspective on French and American cultures, and (3) the possibility of a transcultural dialogue. The data (observations, journals, interviews) showed that early on, Keira’s expectations of the class shifted drastically. Consequently, she began to engage her own conception of self and being American through introspection and, ultimately, a redefinition of her own subjectivity. Keira progressively developed her own transcultural stance and reached a point where her sense of the conditions of possibility of culture learning and the transcultural encounter, buttressed by a much deeper and nuanced knowledge of both culture(s), led to a completely new understanding and repositioning of her posture in this encounter, which she called “an opportunity for liberation.” This study supports the effectiveness of technology-mediated learning communities (MLCs) in fostering transcultural learning seen as a developmental process, a dynamic trajectory.
Building a Model for Online Distance Courses Through Social Media and Networks
Authors: Dixon Ed
Published: February 2013

This article describes the affordances of social media and networks for online Elementary German courses that have been taught at the University of Pennsylvania since 2010. These online courses were created to provide students the opportunity to take Elementary German as part of the language requirement for Penn credit during the summer months when students are away from campus. Like their face-to-face counterparts, the online courses are grounded on the principles of communicative language teaching and learning but clearly reveal the potential of these principles to maximize participation, promote learner autonomy and influence student outcomes when applied to collaborative online learning spaces. This paper explains the pedagogy behind the online courses, outlines their relationship to the face-to-face language classroom, and describes how student interactions are key to the learning process. It considers the importance of electronic and digital literacy (Warschauer, 2006) to the growth of new methodologies, materials development, assessment, articulation, intercultural competence, and student progress. This paper also compares the instructor’s experiences of teaching in the online environment with those of the face-to-face classroom and discusses how these distinct and separate learning spaces are in many ways related and can inform each other. Finally, the author considers new possibilities for language learning through emerging technologies.
Discovery of Web Service Flow based on Service Context
Authors: Liu Fangfang , Chi Yan , Yu Jie , Luo Xiangfeng , Xu Zheng
Published: February 2013

The growing number of services faces the need to combine them to create complex services and meet users’ requirements. Discovery based on the similarity evaluation only focuses on those services with similar functions. Techniques based on the conventional semantic Web offer many relations to connect services, but considerable time is spent on reasoning. This paper proposes an approach to discover associated service flows for the purpose of combination. The authors firstly obtain the text descriptions with rich semantics about the service functions from the Web to build the service contexts. They then create E-FCM representation for services based on the contexts to describe the functions of services because it can keep the semantic information and be automatically created. Furthermore, instead of reasoning, the association relations among services can be quickly found based on computation. Associated web service flows are generated from the association relations to recommend services with related functions to users. Thus, discovery effectiveness can be improved and facilitate the utilization of services.
Diversity, species richness, and abundance of spiders (Araneae) in different strata of boreal white spruce stands
Authors: Pinzon Jaime , Spence John R. , Langor David W.
Published: February 2013

Spiders (Araneae) were sampled in white spruce (Picea glauca(Moench) Voss (Pinaceae)) dominated stands from the ground and shrub layers, and from several overstorey strata to assess patterns in species composition and diversity (alpha and beta) along the vertical gradient (0–12 m above ground). Overall, 3070 adult spiders in 15 families and 76 species were collected, with the ground layer accounting for the highest species richness (40 species) followed by the mid-overstorey (36 spp.) and the shrub layers (33 species). Vertical stratification was apparent in the samples: richness clearly decreased with height, and species turnover between the ground, shrub, and mid-overstorey levels was evident, suggesting that species composition in each layer was highly distinctive. Within the mid-overstorey stratification was less obvious but both species richness and spider abundance were predicted significantly by height from the ground and branch size. Given the role of late-seral conifer stands for maintaining old-growth species, understanding diversity patterns across strata provides basic knowledge to support forest management decisions that effectively conserve spider species and assemblages. It is clearly important to include higher canopy layers in considering impacts of forestry on biodiversity in the boreal mixedwood.
TLR7 Stimulation of APCs Results in Inhibition of IL-5 through Type I IFN and Notch Signaling Pathways in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Authors: Edwards Susan , Jones Carolyn , Leishman Andrew J. , Young Barbara W. , Matsui Hiroyuki , Tomizawa Hideyuki , Murray Clare M. , Biffen Mark
Published: February 2013

TLR7 agonists modulate Th2 immune responses through mechanisms that have not been fully elucidated. Suppression of IL-5 production from Ag- or phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human PBMCs by the TLR7 antedrug AZ12441970 was mediated via type I IFN–dependent and type I IFN–independent mechanisms through TLR7 activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells, B cells, and monocytes. The type I IFN–dependent inhibition of T cell–derived IL-5 was mediated by IFN-α acting directly on activated T cells. IL-10 was shown not to be involved in the type I IFN–independent inhibition of IL-5 and the mechanism of inhibition required cell–cell interaction. Notch signaling was implicated in the inhibition of IL-5, because addition of a γ-secretase inhibitor blocked the type I IFN–independent suppression of IL-5. Accordingly, AZ12441970 induced high levels of the notch ligands Dll1 and Dll4 mRNA, whereas immobilized DLL4 resulted in the suppression of IL-5 production. Therefore, we have elucidated two mechanisms whereby TLR7 agonists can modulate IL-5 production in human T cells. The suppression of Th2 cytokines, including IL-5, would be of benefit in diseases such as atopic asthma, so we assessed TLR7 function in PBMC from asthmatics and showed equivalent activity compared with healthy volunteers. Demonstrating this function is intact in asthmatics and knowing it links to suppression of Th2 cytokines support the case for developing such compounds for the treatment of allergic disease.
In Vivo Ablation of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Inhibits Autoimmunity through Expansion of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells
Authors: Ioannou Marianna , Alissafi Themis , Boon Louis , Boumpas Dimitrios , Verginis Panayotis
Published: February 2013

Autoimmunity ensues upon breakdown of tolerance mechanism and priming of self-reactive T cells. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) constitute a unique cell subset that participates in the activation of autoreactive T cells but also has been shown to be critically involved in the induction of self-tolerance. However, their functional importance during the priming phase of an organ-specific autoimmune response remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that absence of pDCs during myelin antigenic challenge resulted in amelioration of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and reduced disease severity. This was accompanied by significantly decreased frequency of myelin-specific T cells in the draining lymph nodes and inhibition of Th1 and Th17 immune responses. Unexpectedly, in vivo ablation of pDCs increased myelopoiesis in the bone marrow and specifically induced the generation of CD11bhiGr1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Furthermore, we demonstrate that pDC depletion enhanced the mobilization of MDSCs in the spleen, and that sorted MDSCs could potently suppress CD4+ T cell responses in vitro. Importantly, pDC-depleted mice showed increased levels of MCP-1 in the draining lymph nodes, and in vivo administration of MCP-1 increased the frequency and absolute numbers of MDSCs in the periphery of treated mice. Together, our results reveal that absence of pDCs during the priming of an autoimmune response leads to increased mobilization of MDSCs in the periphery in an MCP-1–dependent manner and subsequent amelioration of autoimmunity.
Increased Ribonuclease Expression Reduces Inflammation and Prolongs Survival in TLR7 Transgenic Mice
Authors: Sun Xizhang , Wiedeman Alice , Agrawal Nalini , Teal Thomas H. , Tanaka Lena , Hudkins Kelly L. , Alpers Charles E. , Bolland Silvia , Buechler Matthew B. , Hamerman Jessica A. , Ledbetter Jeffrey A. , Liggitt Denny , Elkon Keith B.
Published: February 2013

TLR7 activation is implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Mice that overexpress TLR7 develop a lupus-like disease with autoantibodies and glomerulonephritis and early death. To determine whether degradation of the TLR7 ligand RNA would alter the course of disease, we created RNase A transgenic (Tg) mice. We then crossed the RNase Tg to TLR7 Tg mice to create TLR7 × RNase double Tg (DTg) mice. DTg mice had a significantly increased survival associated with reduced activation of T and B lymphocytes and reduced kidney deposition of IgG and C3. We observed massive hepatic inflammation and cell death in TLR7 Tg mice. In contrast, hepatic inflammation and necrosis were strikingly reduced in DTg mice. These findings indicate that high concentrations of serum RNase protect against immune activation and inflammation associated with TLR7 stimulation and that RNase may be a useful therapeutic strategy in the prevention or treatment of inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus and, possibly, liver diseases.
Extent of Silent Cerebral Infarcts in Adult Sickle-Cell Disease Patients on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Is There a Correlation with the Clinical Severity of Disease?
Authors: Solomou Ekaterini , Kraniotis Pantelis , Kourakli Alexandra , Petsas Theodore
Published: February 2013

The aim of this paper is to correlate the extent of silent cerebral infarcts (SCIs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the clinical severity of sickle cell disease (SCD) in adult patients. Twenty-four consecutive adult asymptomatic SCD patients (11 male and 13 female) with a mean age of 38.4 years (range 20–59) were submitted to brain MRI on a 1 Tesla Gyroscan Intera, Philips MR scanner with a dedicated head coil. The protocol consisted of TSE T2-weighted and FLAIR images on the axial and coronal planes. MRI readings were undertaken by two radiologists and consensus readings. Patients were compound heterozygotes (HbS/β-thal). The extent of SCIs was classified from 0–2 with 0 designating no lesions. Clinical severity was graded as 0–2 by the hematologist, according to the frequency and severity of vaso-occlusive crises. There was no statistically significant correlation between the severity of clinical disease and the extent of SCIs on MR imaging. The extent of SCI lesions did not differ statistically between younger and older patients. Patients receiving hydroxyurea had no statistically significant difference in the extent of SCI lesions. The extent of SCIs in heterozygous (HbS/β-thal) SCD patients is not age related and may be quite severe even in younger (<38.4 years) patients. However the extent of SCIs is not correlated with the severity of clinical disease.
Vector Blood Meals Are an Early Indicator of the Effectiveness of the Ecohealth Approach in Halting Chagas Transmission in Guatemala
Authors: Pellecer Mariele J. , Dorn Patricia L. , Bustamante Dulce M. , Rodas Antonieta , Monroy M. Carlota
Published: February 2013

A novel method using vector blood meal sources to assess the impact of control efforts on the risk of transmission of Chagas disease was tested in the village of El Tule, Jutiapa, Guatemala. Control used Ecohealth interventions, where villagers ameliorated the factors identified as most important for transmission. First, after an initial insecticide application, house walls were plastered. Later, bedroom floors were improved and domestic animals were moved outdoors. Only vector blood meal sources revealed the success of the first interventions: human blood meals declined from 38% to 3% after insecticide application and wall plastering. Following all interventions both vector blood meal sources and entomological indices revealed the reduction in transmission risk. These results indicate that vector blood meals may reveal effects of control efforts early on, effects that may not be apparent using traditional entomological indices, and provide further support for the Ecohealth approach to Chagas control in Guatemala.
Determinants of Anemia among Preschool Children in Rural, Western Kenya
Authors: Foote Eric M. , Sullivan Kevin M. , Ruth Laird J. , Oremo Jared , Sadumah Ibrahim , Williams Thomas N. , Suchdev Parminder S.
Published: February 2013

Although anemia in preschool children is most often attributed to iron deficiency, other nutritional, infectious, and genetic contributors are rarely concurrently measured. In a population-based, cross-sectional survey of 858 children 6–35 months of age in western Kenya, we measured hemoglobin, malaria, inflammation, sickle cell, α-thalassemia, iron deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, anthropometry, and socio-demographic characteristics. Anemia (Hb < 11 g/dL) and severe anemia (Hb < 7 g/dL) prevalence ratios (PRs) for each exposure were determined using multivariable modeling. Anemia (71.8%) and severe anemia (8.4%) were common. Characteristics most strongly associated with anemia were malaria (PR: 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5–1.9), iron deficiency (1.3; 1.2–1.4), and homozygous α-thalassemia (1.3; 1.1–1.4). Characteristics associated with severe anemia were malaria (10.2; 3.5–29.3), inflammation (6.7; 2.3–19.4), and stunting (1.6; 1.0–2.4). Overall 16.8% of anemia cases were associated with malaria, 8.3% with iron deficiency, and 6.1% with inflammation. Interventions should address malaria, iron deficiency, and non-malarial infections to decrease the burden of anemia in this population.
Hydrogen Diffusivity During Corrosion of High-Purity Aluminum
Authors: Ai Jia-He , Scully John R.
Published: February 2013

The effective diffusivity of hydrogen in as-annealed (550°C for 5 h) 99.999% purity polycrystalline aluminum was determined using Al/Pd bilayer membranes following the procedure of K.R. Hebert. Bulk diffusion control was verified by the foil thickness variation method. The room temperature diffusivity of hydrogen was determined to be 1.6 ± 0.4 × 10−10 cm2/s during initial hydrogen charging in 0.01 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. The effective diffusivity of hydrogen increased by two orders of magnitude during the second hydrogen charging and approaches the literature for gas phase egress from precharged material. This difference was interpreted to be the result of extensive trapping in freshly annealed foils and high residual trap site occupancy after initial precharging. The activation energy for lattice hydrogen egress was analyzed through constant heating rate thermal desorption spectra. This activation energy was 17.0 ± 0.6 kJ/mol. The experimental results also demonstrated that the measured hydrogen diffusivity is sensitive to the NaOH concentration speculated to be related to its influence on hydrogen production rate, hydrogen overpotential, and solid-state hydrogen concentration.
Influence of Mn and Zr on the Corrosion of Al-Free Mg Alloys: Part 2—Impact of Mn and Zr on Mg Alloy Electrochemistry and Corrosion
Authors: Gandel D.S. , Easton M.A. , Gibson M.A. , Birbilis N.
Published: February 2013

A total of 47 alloys were produced to explore the changes in electrochemical and corrosion behavior of binary and ternary Mn- and Zr-containing Mg alloys—in the absence of Al. Up to ~2 wt% Mn was found to slightly reduce cathodic kinetics, while Zr in solid solution increased anodic reaction kinetics. We demonstrate that Zr is an efficient “activator” of Mg, which has not been explicitly shown previously. When Mn and Zr are both added to Mg, there can be an optimized combination/interaction where Mn with Zr works in conjunction to moderate the corrosion rate compared to an Mg-alloy with either Zr or Mn as singular additions. This has ramifications in emerging Al-free Mg alloys.
Note on the application of planar-fit rotation for non-omnidirectional sonic anemometers
Authors: Li M. , Babel W. , Tanaka K. , Foken T.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. For non-omnidirectional sonic anemometers like the Kaijo-Denki DAT 600 TR61A probe, it is shown that separate planar-fit rotations must be used for the undisturbed (open part of the sonic anemometer) and the disturbed sector. This increases the friction velocity while no effect on the scalar fluxes was found. In the disturbed sector, irregular values of − u′w′ < 0 were detected for low wind velocities. Up to a certain extent these results can be transferred to the CSAT3 sonic anemometer (Campbell Scientific Ltd). This study was done for data sets from the Naqu-BJ site on the Tibetan Plateau.
Evaluation of ozone profile and tropospheric ozone retrievals from GEMS and OMI spectra
Authors: Bak J. , Kim J. H. , Liu X. , Chance K. , Kim J.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. South Korea is planning to launch the GEMS (Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer) instrument into the GeoKOMPSAT (Geostationary Korea Multi-Purpose SATellite) platform in 2018 to monitor tropospheric air pollutants on an hourly basis over East Asia. GEMS will measure backscattered UV radiances covering the 300–500 nm wavelength range with a spectral resolution of 0.6 nm. The main objective of this study is to evaluate ozone profiles and stratospheric column ozone amounts retrieved from simulated GEMS measurements. Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Level 1B radiances, which have the spectral range 270–500 nm at spectral resolution of 0.42–0.63 nm, are used to simulate the GEMS radiances. An optimal estimation-based ozone profile algorithm is used to retrieve ozone profiles from simulated GEMS radiances. Firstly, we compare the retrieval characteristics (including averaging kernels, degrees of freedom for signal, and retrieval error) derived from the 270–330 nm (OMI) and 300–330 nm (GEMS) wavelength ranges. This comparison shows that the effect of not using measurements below 300 nm on retrieval characteristics in the troposphere is insignificant. However, the stratospheric ozone information in terms of DFS decreases greatly from OMI to GEMS, by a factor of ∼2. The number of the independent pieces of information available from GEMS measurements is estimated to 3 on average in the stratosphere, with associated retrieval errors of ~1% in stratospheric column ozone. The difference between OMI and GEMS retrieval characteristics is apparent for retrieving ozone layers above ~20 km, with a reduction in the sensitivity and an increase in the retrieval errors for GEMS. We further investigate whether GEMS can resolve the stratospheric ozone variation observed from high vertical resolution Earth Observing System (EOS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). The differences in stratospheric ozone profiles between GEMS and MLS are comparable to those between OMI and MLS below ~3 hPa (~40 km), except with slightly larger biases and larger standard deviations by up to 5%. At pressure altitudes above ~3 hPa, GEMS retrievals show strong influence of a priori and large differences with MLS, which, however, can be sufficiently improved by using better a priori information. The GEMS-MLS differences show negative biases of less than 4% for stratospheric column ozone, with standard deviations of 1–3%, while OMI retrievals show similar agreements with MLS except for 1% smaller biases at middle and high latitudes. Based on the comparisons, we conclude that GEMS will measure tropospheric ozone and stratospheric ozone columns with accuracy comparable to that of OMI and ozone profiles with slightly worse performance than that of OMI below ~3 hPa.
Low-latitude equinoctial spread-F occurrence at different longitude sectors under low solar activity
Authors: Pezzopane M. , Zuccheretti E. , Abadi P. , de Abreu A. J. , de Jesus R. , Fagundes P. R. , Supnithi P. , Rungraengwajiake S. , Nagatsuma T. , Tsugawa T. , Cabrera M. A. , Ezquer R. G.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. We present the results of a comparative study of spread-F signatures over five low-latitude sites: Chiangmai (CGM; 18.8° N, 98.9° E, mag. Lat. 8.8° N), Thailand; Tanjungsari (TNJ; 6.9° S, 107.6° E, mag. Lat. 16.9° S), Indonesia; Palmas (PAL; 10.2° S, 311.8° E, mag. Lat. 0.9° S) and São José Dos Campos (SJC; 23.2° S, 314.1° E, mag. Lat. 14.0° S), Brazil; and Tucumán (TUC; 26.9° S, 294.6° E, mag. Lat. 16.8° S), Argentina. The investigation was based on simultaneous ionograms recorded by an FMCW (frequency-modulated continuous-wave) at CGM, an IPS-71 (digital ionosonde from KEL aerospace) at TNJ, a CADI (Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde) at PAL and SJC, and an AIS-INGV (Advanced Ionospheric Sounder – Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia) at TUC, during the equinoctial periods March–April (R12 = 2.0 and R12 = 2.2) and September–October (R12 = 6.1 and R12 = 7.0) 2009, for very low solar activity. Spread-F signatures were categorized into two types: the range spread-F (RSF) and the frequency spread-F (FSF). The study confirms that the dynamics and the physical processes responsible for these phenomena are actually complicated. In fact, the features that arise from the investigation are different, depending on both the longitude sector and on the hemisphere. For instance, TUC, under the southern crest of the ionospheric equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA), shows a predominance of RSF signatures, while both SJC, under the southern crest of EIA but in a different longitude sector, and CGM, under the northern crest of EIA, show a predominance of FSF signatures. Moreover, the spread-F occurrence over the longitude sector that includes CGM and TNJ is significantly lower than the spread-F occurrence over the longitude sector of PAL, SJC, and TUC.
A Nutrition Education Intervention to Combat Undernutrition: Experience from a Developing Country
Authors: Zahid Khan Ayesha , Rafique Ghazala , Qureshi Haneen , Halai Badruddin Salma
Published: February 2013

Introduction.Undernutrition in children is a major public health concern in Pakistan. A number of interventions which focused only on providing nutrient supplementation have failed to change child undernutrition status during the last 2 decades. The present study aimed to assess the impact of nutrition education on the nutritional status of children living in resource-limited environments.Methods.Subjects were 586 children from Tando Jam and Quetta, Pakistan, aged from 6 months to 8 years. Children were characterized as mild, moderate, or severely wasted on Z-scores. Anthropometry and 24-hour dietary recall were used for nutritional assessment. Intervention strategy was nutrition counselling targeting mothers. Primary outcome was decrease in the severity of wasting and changes in the feeding practices.Results. Nearly 36% children in Tando Jam and 32% children in Quetta progressed to a normal nutritional status. There was a significant increase in the number of meals taken per day (Tando Jam—/Quetta—). In Tando Jam, significant increase was reported in the intake of high starch food items, vegetables, and fruits (). In Quetta, significant increase was noted in the intake of plant protein (), dairy foods (), and vegetables ().Conclusion. Nutrition education was successful in reducing undernutrition in food insecure households.
From the Sacred to the Sacred Object
Authors: Sayes Edwin ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: February 2013

The philosophy of Bruno Latour has given us one of the most important statements on the part played by technology in the ordering of the human collective. Typically presented as a radical departure from mainstream social thought, Latour is not without his intellectual creditors: Michel Serres and, through him, René Girard. By tracing this development, we are led to understand better the relationship of Latour’s work, and Actor-Network Theory more generally, to traditional sociological concerns. By doing so we can also hope to understand better the role that objects play in structuring society.
De-Marginalizing the Philosophy of Technology
Authors: Hansson Sven Ove ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: February 2013

Five examples are given of major philosophical discussions in which technology needs to be taken into account. In the philosophy of science, the notion of mechanism has a central role. It has a technological origin, and its interpretation has links to technology. In the philosophy of mind, a series of technological analogues have had a deep influence on our understanding of human cognition: automata and watches, telegraphy and telephony, and most recently computers. The discussion on free will largely concerns, in Locke’s words, whether we can “put morality and mechanism together.” Notions of computation and automata that have been abstracted from the behavior of technological devices are key concepts both in logic and in the philosophy of mathematics. Finally, bioethics is largely concerned with the ethical issues that new technologies give rise to in healthcare. As these examples show, there is no lack of technology-related subject matter in philosophy, but there is a lack of sustained attention to it.
Dendritic cells loaded with FK506 kill T cells in an antigen-specific manner and prevent autoimmunity in vivo
Authors: Orange Dana E , Blachere Nathalie E , Fak John , Parveen Salina , Frank Mayu O , Herre Margo , Tian Suyan , Monette Sebastien , Darnell Robert B
Published: February 2013

FK506 (Tacrolimus) is a potent inhibitor of calcineurin that blocks IL2 production and is widely used to prevent transplant rejection and treat autoimmunity. FK506 treatment of dendritic cells (FKDC) limits their capacity to stimulate T cell responses. FK506 does not prevent DC survival, maturation, or costimulatory molecule expression, suggesting that the limited capacity of FKDC to stimulate T cells may be due to inhibition of calcineurin signaling in the DC. Instead, we demonstrate that DC inhibit T cells by sequestering FK506 and continuously releasing the drug over several days. T cells encountering FKDC proliferate but fail to upregulate the survival factor bcl-xl and die, and IL2 restores both bcl-xl and survival. In mice, FKDC act in an antigen-specific manner to inhibit T-cell mediated autoimmune arthritis. This establishes that DCs can act as a cellular drug delivery system to target antigen specific T cells.
A new answer to old questions
Authors: Barral Yves
Published: February 2013

Sudden changes in the level of a coenzyme called NADPH might be the underlying cause of aging in cells.
Fabrication of Visible-Light-Transparent Solar Cells Using p-Type NiO Films by Low Oxygen Fraction Reactive RF Sputtering Deposition
Authors: Warasawa Moe , Watanabe Yousuke , Ishida Jun , Murata Yoshitsuna , Chichibu Shigefusa F. , Sugiyama Mutsumi
Published: February 2013

Visible-light-transparent p-type NiO films were deposited by reactive RF sputtering under unintentional heating. An optical transmittance of >80% was obtained in the wavelength range of 500–800 nm when the films were deposited under a very low O2fraction in the gas phase O2/(Ar+ O2) = 0.5%. This result may reflect a decrease in the concentration of Ni vacancies due to the increase in their formation energy under oxygen-poor deposition conditions. Heterostructure pn junctions consisting of p-type NiO and n-type ZnO layers were also deposited. We eventually observed a slight but noticeable photovoltaic effect.
Effect of Sintering Time on Strain in Ceramic Composite Consisting of 0.94Bi0.5(Na0.75K0.25)0.5TiO3–0.06BiAlO3 with (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3
Authors: Lee Dae Su , Jeong Soon Jong , Kim Min Soo , Kim Kwang Ho
Published: February 2013

The ferroelectric and electric field-induced strain properties of a ceramic composite comprising relaxor 0.94Bi0.5(Na0.75K0.25)0.5TiO3–0.06BiAlO3 (94BNKT–6BA) phase and ferroelectric (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 (BNT) phase were investigated as a function of sintering time ranging 4 to 48 h at 1150 °C. Large strains were observed with an increase in the sintering time up to 36 h. The 36-h-sintered 94BNKT–6BA+BNT composite exhibited a large piezoelectric strain of 0.372% (4 kV/mm) and a high dynamic d
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* of 930 pm/V as compared with conventional Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) and other lead-free ceramics. With further sintering up to 48 h, the strain was decreased. The changes in the strain and the ferroelectric properties are thus attributed to the enlargement of ferroelectric grains and the variation of grain's compositions. At sintering times below 36 h, the enlarged ferroelectric grains caused a low field-induced phase transition in the relaxor matrix. At sintering time longer than 36 h, the low strain behavior occurred due to the composition variations in ferroelectric and relaxor grains resulting in diffusion of K and Al elements.
Monolithically Lens-Integrated Photonic Device Arrays for Compact Optical Transceivers
Authors: Shinoda Kazunori , Adachi Koichiro , Lee Yong , Kitatani Takeshi , Fukamachi Toshihiko , Yamashita Hiroki , Takemoto Takashi , Yuki Fumio , Sugawara Toshiki , Tanaka Shigehisa , Tsuji Shinji
Published: February 2013

Monolithically lens-integrated surface-emitting distributed-feedback (DFB) laser arrays and p–i–n photodiode arrays were developed. A combination of dry etching and wet chemical etching was used to fabricate a monolithic InP lens. The lens profile within ±10 µm from the lens center was estimated to be parabolic shape, which is ideal for the collimation of a Gaussian beam. A fabricated lens-integrated surface-emitting DFB laser exhibited a circular, narrow far-field pattern with full-width at half maximums of 3.9×3.5°. An efficient direct coupling of the lens-integrated DFB laser to a single-mode fiber with a coupling efficiency of -3 dB was confirmed. A four-channel lens-integrated surface-emitting laser array and a lens-integrated p–i–n photodiode array were used to fabricate a very compact 100 Gbps (25 Gbps × 4 channel) optical transceiver with 14×9 mm2 footprint.
Morphology Control of ZnO Nanowires Grown by Hydrothermal Methods Using Au Nanodots on Al doped ZnO Seed Layer
Authors: No Im Jun , Lee Sunwoo , Kim Sung Hyun , Cho Jin Woo , Shin Paik-Kyun
Published: February 2013

ZnO nanowires were synthesized by hydrothermal method using Au nanodots on Al doped ZnO (AZO) seed layer to control those density and morphology. Morphology of the synthesized ZnO nanowires could be modified effectively by controlling the feature of Au nanodots obtained from the thickness and post thermal treatment conditions of Au thin films prepared on AZO seed layer. The synthesized ZnO nanowires showed vertically grown features and long length despite relatively short synthesis time, while their density could be controlled effectively by the technique proposed in this study. In particular, the ZnO nanowires synthesized on Au nanodots formed after thermal treatment at 700 °C showed outstanding length and distinctively decreased density.
Chemical Reaction Dynamics of SiO2 Etching by CF2 Radicals: Tight-Binding Quantum Chemical Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Authors: Ito Hiroshi , Kuwahara Takuya , Higuchi Yuji , Ozawa Nobuki , Samukawa Seiji , Kubo Momoji
Published: February 2013

The plasma etching of SiO2 by CF2 radicals was investigated using a newly developed etching process simulator based on tight-binding quantum chemical molecular dynamics (TB-QCMD). CF2 radicals were continuously irradiated on the SiO2(001) surface and then the dissociations of the C–F and Si–O bonds were observed. We also observed the generation of CO and CO2 molecules and Si–F bonds, which is in good agreement with previous experiments. The formation of etching holes was realized after the continuous irradiation of CF2 radicals. Furthermore, the effect of radical velocity on etching efficiency was also examined. The ratio of penetration depth to the width of irradiated atoms was examined for the evaluation of etching efficiency. The ratio increases as the irradiation velocity of CF2 radicals increases. Our TB-QCMD etching process simulator is capable of predicting etching rate and aspect ratio depending on the velocity of irradiated radicals.