bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Propuesta de una escala para la medición de la responsabilidad social corporativa = A proposal for the measurement of corporate social responsibility
Authors: González Ramos María Isabel , Donate Manzanares Mario Javier , Guadamillas Gómez Fátima
Published: May 2015

Tras varias décadas de investigación sobre Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC), uno de los principales problemas que aparecen en la revisión de la literatura sobre este tema sigue siendo su medición. Gran parte de los estudios empíricos previos sobre RSC han utilizado fuentes de información secundaria, procedentes de alguno de los denominados índices bursátiles éticos, para medir esta variable. Sin embargo, estos índices no resultan aptos para abordar investigaciones con empresas españolas, ya que la mayor parte de las empresas que los componen son estadounidenses y de otros países europeos. Por ello, en este trabajo se propone una escala compuesta por veintitrés ítems para medir la RSC como un constructo de segundo orden, de tipo reflectivo-formativo, en función de sus tres principales dimensiones (económica, social y medioambiental). La principal aportación de este artículo es mostrar la validez de la medida y su potencial aplicabilidad a empresas no incluidas en índices bursátiles éticos, como las pymes.

Abstract

After several decades of research on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), one of the main problems that literature reviews show is CSR measurement. Many of previous empirical studies on CSR have used secondary information sources from ethical stock indexes, to measure this variable. However, these indexes are not suitable to address Spanish CSR efforts, since most of companies included into these indexes are mainly from the U.S and other European countries. Therefore, in this paper a scale with twenty-three items to measure CSR as a second order construct, reflective-formative type, based on its three main dimensions (economic, social and environmental) is proposed. The main contribution of this paper is to show the validity of this measure and its applicability to firms that are not included into stock indexes, such as SMEs.
An altitudinal cline in UV floral pattern corresponds with a behavioral change of a generalist pollinator assemblage
Authors: Koski Matthew H. , Ashman Tia-Lynn
Published: May 2015

Spatial variation in pollinator communities or behaviors can underlie floral diversification. Floral traits in the UV spectrum are common and mediate plant–pollinator interactions, but the role of pollinators in driving or maintaining their geographic variation has not been fully explored. We identify an altitudinal cline of increasing relative size of the UV bullseye pattern inArgentina anserina(Rosaceae) flowers, and assess whether pollination context contributes to clinal variation. At four sites that varied in altitude, we document the pollinator assemblage, and pollinator preference and visitation behavior. We then determine how pollinator visits affected pollen receipt and export. Finally, we describe how the functional relationship between UV floral phenotype and pollen receipt changed with altitude. Floral UV bullseye size increased with altitude, which corresponded with a change from a hymenopteran‐ to a dipteran‐dominated pollinator assemblage. While dipteran and hymenopteran preferences for bullseye size were similar, flowers with large bullseyes received more foraging visits than those with small bullseyes at higher altitude. The reverse was observed at the lower altitudes; pollinators approached large‐bullseye flowers often but rarely foraged. These differences are expected to affect fitness because foraging visits increased pollen export and receipt. Indeed, when natural variation in bullseye size was considered, it had a stronger effect on pollen receipt than other traits (flower size, display, or color). Plants with larger bullseyes tended to receive more pollen at the highest‐altitude site, while those with smaller ones received more pollen at the lowest‐altitude site. Results suggest that altitudinal changes in preference and behavior of the overall pollinator assemblage, but not differential preferences of pollinator taxonomic groups, could contribute to clinal variation in a UV floral trait for a generalist‐pollinated plant.
Mechanism of Altered Metformin Distribution in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Authors: Clarke John D. , Dzierlenga Anika L. , Nelson Nicholas R. , Li Hui , Werts Samantha , Goedken Michael J. , Cherrington Nathan J.
Published: May 2015

Metformin is an antihyperglycemic drug that is widely prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus and is currently being investigated for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is known to alter hepatic membrane transporter expression and drug disposition similarly in humans and rodent models of NASH. Metformin is almost exclusively eliminated through the kidney primarily through active secretion mediated by Oct1, Oct2, and Mate1. The purpose of this study was to determine how NASH affects kidney transporter expression and metformin pharmacokinetics. A single oral dose of [14C]metformin was administered to C57BL/6J (wild type [WT]) and diabetic ob/ob mice fed either a control diet or a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Metformin plasma concentrations were slightly increased in the WT/MCD and ob/control groups, whereas plasma concentrations were 4.8-fold higher in ob/MCD mice compared with WT/control. The MCD diet significantly increased plasma half-life and mean residence time and correspondingly decreased oral clearance in both genotypes. These changes in disposition were caused by ob/ob- and MCD diet–specific decreases in the kidney mRNA expression of Oct2 and Mate1, whereas Oct1 mRNA expression was only decreased in ob/MCD mice. These results indicate that the diabetic ob/ob genotype and the MCD disease model alter kidney transporter expression and alter the pharmacokinetics of metformin, potentially increasing the risk of drug toxicity.
The Formalization of Decision-Free Petri Net
Authors: Shah Pratima K. , Kawamoto Pauline N. , Giero Mariusz
Published: May 2015

In this article we formalize the definition of Decision-Free Petri Net (DFPN) presented in [19]. Then we formalize the concept of directed path and directed circuit nets in Petri nets to prove properties of DFPN. We also present the definition of firing transitions and transition sequences with natural numbers marking that always check whether transition is enabled or not and after firing it only removes the available tokens (i.e., it does not remove from zero number of tokens). At the end of this article, we show that the total number of tokens in a circuit of decision-free Petri net always remains the same after firing any sequences of the transition.
Dual Spaces and Hahn-Banach Theorem
Authors: Narita Keiko , Endou Noboru , Shidama Yasunari
Published: May 2015

In this article, we deal with dual spaces and the Hahn-Banach Theorem. At the first, we defined dual spaces of real linear spaces and proved related basic properties. Next, we defined dual spaces of real normed spaces. We formed the definitions based on dual spaces of real linear spaces. In addition, we proved properties of the norm about elements of dual spaces. For the proof we referred to descriptions in the article [21]. Finally, applying theorems of the second section, we proved the Hahn-Banach extension theorem in real normed spaces. We have used extensively used [17].
THE EVOLUTION OF THE B-FUTURE MARKER IN SYRIAN ARABIC
Authors: Jarad Najib Ismail
Published: May 2015

The formation of future markers from distinct lexical sources or from similar sources under specific circumstances follows universal pathways. It is standardly agreed that grammaticalization is a process which encompasses a range of changes which involve desemanticization (loss of meaning), decategorialization (loss of categorical features), generalization (use extended to new contexts), and phonetic reduction. The paper assumes that the b-prefix derives from two distinct lexical sources: volitional (encoding future) and prepositional (encoding indicative mood, progressive, and habitual aspect), and that the morphological overlap of these two prefixes is a mere coincidence. The paper will concentrate on the development of the future marker (b-prefix) from a verbal noun of volition in Syrian Arabic. The main goal is to explicate the nature of the grammaticalization paths of the b-future in Syrian Arabic based on synchronic data. The paper posits that the verbal noun of volition has undergone semantic, structural, and phonological changes.
Interaction between Crosswind and Aviation-Fuel Fire Engulfing a Full-Scale Composite-Type Aircraft: A Numerical Study
Authors: Wang Hui , Da Wang Guo
Published: May 2015

This numerical study focuses on the fire phenomenology associated with the presence of a composite-type aircraft immersed, at one particular location and orientation, within a large aviation-fuel fire in a moving fluid medium. An extension of the eddy dissipation concept is incorporated, allowing one to investigate the roles of the wind speed and its direction on the fire growth, heat flux distribution and smoke products, such as carbon monoxide and soot. The predicted flame shape compares well with the measurements for an intermediate-scale fire. The outcome of the study is interesting, and the interaction model between turbulence and combustion is indeed adequate. The prediction indicates that interaction between the large object and fire environment combined with the influence of wind conditions dramatically affects the continuous flame shape. The increase of the wind speed results in an alteration of the distribution of the incident heat fluxes to the engulfed fuselage skin for a case where the fire and fuselage are of comparable size. The highest heat flux occurs on the windward side of the fuselage for the low and medium winds, but on the leeward side of the fuselage for the high wind. The peak in heat flux to the medium or high wind is almost equal in magnitude, but about a factor four increase of that to the low wind.
Teachers’ Perceptions of Bullying of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students in a Southwestern Pennsylvania Sample
Authors: Kolbert Jered , Crothers Laura , Bundick Matthew , Wells Daniel , Buzgon Julie , Berbary Cassandra , Simpson Jordan , Senko Katherine
Published: May 2015

This study was designed to ascertain teachers’ perceptions of bullying of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth. In a sample of 200 educators (61.0% female; 96.5% White) from a county in southwestern Pennsylvania, there was a significant positive relationship between the teachers’ perceptions of the supportiveness of school staff towards students regardless of sexual orientation and those teachers’ reports of the frequency of bullying victimization experienced by LGBTQ students. Teachers’ perceptions of a higher level of staff and student support was associated with higher reported frequencies of students’ use of derogatory language about LGBTQ individuals and various types of bullying of LGBTQ students. Teachers with a lesbian, gay, or bisexual orientation were found to rate the school staff and students as significantly less supportive of students regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in comparison to heterosexual teachers. Finally, teachers who either were unaware of or believed that their school lacked an anti-bullying policy reported significantly higher rates of physical bullying victimization of LGBTQ students when compared to the rates observed by teachers who reported knowledge of their schools’ anti-bullying policies.
Mini-Review: Challenges in Newborn Screening for Urea Cycle Disorders
Authors: Rüfenacht Véronique , Häberle Johannes
Published: May 2015

Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) comprise a group of recessive and one X-linked inherited errors of protein metabolism that, due to insufficient detoxification of excess nitrogen, can lead to severe neurological disease. The key feature, but at the same time only a surrogate marker of UCDs, is the resulting mild to severe hyperammonemia. Biochemical analysis is needed to strengthen the suspicion of any underlying UCD but remains for the majority of cases rather indicative than diagnostic due to the lack of definite markers. Thus, in order to confirm a specific UCD, mutation analysis or enzyme assays are the methods of choice. Because of the drastic clinical complications of severe hyperammonemia, an early diagnosis before onset of symptoms would be desirable. The best way to achieve this would be to implement a general newborn screening for these disorders. However, there are several challenges that need to be overcome before newborn screening for UCDs can be introduced. This review will briefly describe the technical and clinical challenges involved in newborn screening for UCDs and will then discuss current experiences with this approach.
The New Man and the Sea: Climate Change Perceptions and Sustainable Seafood Preferences of Florida Reef Anglers
Authors: Harper James
Published: May 2015

Florida Reef stakeholders have downplayed the role of anthropogenic climate change while recognizing the reef system’s degradation. With an emphasis on recreational anglers, a survey using contingent valuation methods investigated stakeholders’ attitudes about the Florida Reef, climate change, and willingness to pay for sustainable and local seafood. Angst expressed about acidification and other climate change effects represents a recent shift of opinion. Supermajorities were willing to pay premiums for sustainably harvested and especially local seafood. Regression analysis revealed trust in seafood labels, travel to coral reefs, political orientation, place of birth, and motorboat use as strong, direct predictors of shopping behavior, age and environmental concerns as moderately influential, and income and education as surprisingly poor predictors. Distrust of authority may motivate some stakeholders, but new attitudes about climate change and the high desirability of local seafood offer potential for renewed regional engagement and market-based incentives for sustainability.
Tunable Optical Nanocavity of Iron-garnet with a Buried Metal Layer
Authors: Kuz'michev Alexey , Kreilkamp Lars , Nur-E-Alam Mohammad , Bezus Evgeni , Vasiliev Mikhail , Akimov Iliya , Alameh Kamal , Bayer Manfred , Belotelov Vladimir
Published: May 2015

We report on the fabrication and characterization of a novel magnetophotonic structure designed as iron garnet based magneto-optical nanoresonator cavity constrained by two noble metal mirrors. Since the iron garnet layer requires annealing at high temperatures, the fabrication process can be rather challenging. Special approaches for the protection of metal layers against oxidation and morphological changes along with a special plasma-assisted polishing of the iron garnet layer surface were used to achieve a 10-fold enhancement of the Faraday rotation angle (up to 10.8\(^{\circ}/\mu\)m) within a special resonance peak of 12 nm (FWHM) linewidth at a wavelength of 772 nm, in the case of a resonator with two silver mirrors. These structures are promising for tunable nanophotonics applications, in particular, they can be used as magneto-optical (MO) metal-insulator-metal waveguides and modulators.
Demonstration Plant Equipment Design and Scale-Up from Pilot Plant of a Leaching and Solvent Extraction Process
Authors: Arroyo Fátima , Fernández-Pereira Constantino , Bermejo Pilar
Published: May 2015

Germanium recovery from coal fly ash by hydrometallurgical procedures was studied at the pilot scale (5 kg of fly ash/h). Results were used to design the equipment of a demonstration-sized plant (200 kg of fly ash/h). The process is based on hydrometallurgical operations: firstly a germanium extraction from fly ash by leaching and a consequent Ge separation from the other elements present in the solution by solvent extraction procedures. Based on the experimental results, mass balances and McCabe-Thiele diagrams were applied to determine the number of steps of the solvent extraction stage. Different arrangements have been studied and a countercurrent process with three steps in extraction and six steps in elution was defined. A residence time of 5 min was fixed in both the extraction and elution stages. Volumetric ratios in extraction and stripping were: aqueous phase/organic phase = 5 and organic phase/stripping phase = 5, so a concentration factor of 25 is achieved. Mixers and decanters were completely defined. The maximum extracted and eluted germanium was estimated and a global efficiency of 94% was achieved. The cost-effectiveness of the equipment was estimated using the Lang factors.
A New Look at Image Fusion Methods from a Bayesian Perspective
Authors: Zhang Hankui , Huang Bo
Published: May 2015

Component substitution (CS) and multi-resolution analysis (MRA) are the two basic categories in the extended general image fusion (EGIF) framework for fusing panchromatic (Pan) and multispectral (MS) images. Despite of the method diversity, there are some unaddressed questions and contradictory conclusions about fusion. For example, is the spatial enhancement of CS methods better than MRA methods? Is spatial enhancement and spectral preservation competitive? How to achieve spectral consistency defined by Wald et al. in 1997? In their definition any synthetic image should be as identical as possible to the original image once degraded to its original resolution. To answer these questions, this research first finds out that all the CS and MRA methods can be derived from the Bayesian fusion method by adjusting a weight parameter to balance contributions from the spatial injection and spectral preservation models. The spectral preservation model assumes a Gaussian distribution of the desired high-resolution MS images, with the up-sampled low-resolution MS images comprising the mean value. The spatial injection model assumes a linear correlation between Pan and MS images. Thus the spatial enhancement depends on the weight parameter but is irrelevant of which category (i.e., MRA or CS) the method belongs to. This paper then adds a spectral consistency model in the Bayesian fusion framework to guarantee Wald’s spectral consistency with regard to arbitrary sensor point spread function. Although the spectral preservation in the EGIF methods is competitive to spatial enhancement, the Wald’s spectral consistency property is complementary with spatial enhancement. We conducted experiments on satellite images acquired by the QuickBird and WorldView-2 satellites to confirm our analysis, and found that the performance of the traditional EGIF methods improved significantly after adding the spectral consistency model.
Leaf Area Index Retrieval Combining HJ1/CCD and Landsat8/OLI Data in the Heihe River Basin, China
Authors: Zhao Jing , Li Jing , Liu Qinhuo , Fan Wenjie , Zhong Bo , Wu Shanlong , Yang Le , Zeng Yelu , Xu Baodong , Yin Gaofei
Published: May 2015

The primary restriction on high resolution remote sensing data is the limit observation frequency. Using a network of multiple sensors is an efficient approach to increase the observations in a specific period. This study explores a leaf area index (LAI) inversion method based on a 30 m multi-sensor dataset generated from HJ1/CCD and Landsat8/OLI, from June to August 2013 in the middle reach of the Heihe River Basin, China. The characteristics of the multi-sensor dataset, including the percentage of valid observations, the distribution of observation angles and the variation between different sensor observations, were analyzed. To reduce the possible discrepancy between different satellite sensors on LAI inversion, a quality control system for the observations was designed. LAI is retrieved from the high quality of single-sensor observations based on a look-up table constructed by a unified model. The averaged LAI inversion over a 10-day period is set as the synthetic LAI value. The percentage of valid LAI inversions increases significantly from 6.4% to 49.7% for single-sensors to 75.9% for multi-sensors. LAI retrieved from the multi-sensor dataset show good agreement with the field measurements. The correlation coefficient (R2) is 0.90, and the average root mean square error (RMSE) is 0.42. The network of multiple sensors with 30 m spatial resolution can generate LAI products with reasonable accuracy and meaningful temporal resolution.
Long Term Subsidence Analysis and Soil Fracturing Zonation Based on InSAR Time Series Modelling in Northern Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico
Authors: Siles Gabriela , Alcérreca-Huerta Juan , López-Quiroz Penélope , Niemeier Wolfgang
Published: May 2015

In this study deformation processes in northern Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico (ZMVM) are evaluated by means of advanced multi-temporal interferometry. ERS and ENVISAT time series, covering approximately an 11-year period (between 1999 and 2010), were produced showing mainly linear subsidence behaviour for almost the entire area under study, but increasing rates that reach up to 285 mm/yr. Important non-linear deformation was identified in certain areas, presumably suggesting interaction between subsidence and other processes. Thus, a methodology for identification of probable fracturing zones based on discrimination and modelling of the non-linear (quadratic function) component is presented. This component was mapped and temporal subsidence evolution profiles were constructed across areas where notable acceleration (maximum of 8 mm/yr2) or deceleration (maximum of −9 mm/yr2) is found. This methodology enables location of potential soil fractures that could impact relevant infrastructure such as the Tunel Emisor Oriente (TEO) (along the structure rates exceed 200 mm/yr). Additionally, subsidence behaviour during wet and dry seasons is tackled in partially urbanized areas. This paper provides useful information for geological risk assessment in the area.
Design and Implementation of an Intrinsically Safe Liquid-Level Sensor Using Coaxial Cable
Authors: Jin Baoquan , Liu Xin , Bai Qing , Wang Dong , Wang Yu
Published: May 2015

Real-time detection of liquid level in complex environments has always been a knotty issue. In this paper, an intrinsically safe liquid-level sensor system for flammable and explosive environments is designed and implemented. The poly vinyl chloride (PVC) coaxial cable is chosen as the sensing element and the measuring mechanism is analyzed. Then, the capacitance-to-voltage conversion circuit is designed and the expected output signal is achieved by adopting parameter optimization. Furthermore, the experimental platform of the liquid-level sensor system is constructed, which involves the entire process of measuring, converting, filtering, processing, visualizing and communicating. Additionally, the system is designed with characteristics of intrinsic safety by limiting the energy of the circuit to avoid or restrain the thermal effects and sparks. Finally, the approach of the piecewise linearization is adopted in order to improve the measuring accuracy by matching the appropriate calibration points. The test results demonstrate that over the measurement range of 1.0 m, the maximum nonlinearity error is 0.8% full-scale span (FSS), the maximum repeatability error is 0.5% FSS, and the maximum hysteresis error is reduced from 0.7% FSS to 0.5% FSS by applying software compensation algorithms.
Cooperative Energy Harvesting-Adaptive MAC Protocol for WBANs
Authors: Esteves Volker , Antonopoulos Angelos , Kartsakli Elli , Puig-Vidal Manel , Miribel-Català Pere , Verikoukis Christos
Published: May 2015

In this paper, we introduce a cooperative medium access control (MAC) protocol, named cooperative energy harvesting (CEH)-MAC, that adapts its operation to the energy harvesting (EH) conditions in wireless body area networks (WBANs). In particular, the proposed protocol exploits the EH information in order to set an idle time that allows the relay nodes to charge their batteries and complete the cooperation phase successfully. Extensive simulations have shown that CEH-MAC significantly improves the network performance in terms of throughput, delay and energy efficiency compared to the cooperative operation of the baseline IEEE 802.15.6 standard.
Low-Cost Impact Detection and Location for Automated Inspections of 3D Metallic Based Structures
Authors: Morón Carlos , Portilla Marina , Somolinos José , Morales Rafael
Published: May 2015

This paper describes a new low-cost means to detect and locate mechanical impacts (collisions) on a 3D metal-based structure. We employ the simple and reasonably hypothesis that the use of a homogeneous material will allow certain details of the impact to be automatically determined by measuring the time delays of acoustic wave propagation throughout the 3D structure. The location of strategic piezoelectric sensors on the structure and an electronic-computerized system has allowed us to determine the instant and position at which the impact is produced. The proposed automatic system allows us to fully integrate impact point detection and the task of inspecting the point or zone at which this impact occurs. What is more, the proposed method can be easily integrated into a robot-based inspection system capable of moving over 3D metallic structures, thus avoiding (or minimizing) the need for direct human intervention. Experimental results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
An Efficient and Reliable Geographic Routing Protocol Based on Partial Network Coding for Underwater Sensor Networks
Authors: Hao Kun , Jin Zhigang , Shen Haifeng , Wang Ying
Published: May 2015

Efficient routing protocols for data packet delivery are crucial to underwater sensor networks (UWSNs). However, communication in UWSNs is a challenging task because of the characteristics of the acoustic channel. Network coding is a promising technique for efficient data packet delivery thanks to the broadcast nature of acoustic channels and the relatively high computation capabilities of the sensor nodes. In this work, we present GPNC, a novel geographic routing protocol for UWSNs that incorporates partial network coding to encode data packets and uses sensor nodes’ location information to greedily forward data packets to sink nodes. GPNC can effectively reduce network delays and retransmissions of redundant packets causing additional network energy consumption. Simulation results show that GPNC can significantly improve network throughput and packet delivery ratio, while reducing energy consumption and network latency when compared with other routing protocols.
Boosting Blue Growth in a Mild Sea: Analysis of the Synergies Produced by a Multi-Purpose Offshore Installation in the Northern Adriatic, Italy
Authors: Zanuttigh Barbara , Angelelli Elisa , Bellotti Giorgio , Romano Alessandro , Krontira Yukiko , Troianos Dimitris , Suffredini Roberto , Franceschi Giulia , Cantù Matteo , Airoldi Laura , Zagonari Fabio , Taramelli Andrea , Filipponi Federico , Jimenez Carlos , Evriviadou Marina , Broszeit Stefanie
Published: May 2015

In the near future, the oceans will be subjected to a massive development of marine infrastructures, including offshore wind, tidal and wave energy farms and constructions for marine aquaculture. The development of these facilities will unavoidably exert environmental pressures on marine ecosystems. It is therefore crucial that the economic costs, the use of marine space and the environmental impacts of these activities remain within acceptable limits. Moreover, the installation of arrays of wave energy devices is still far from being economically feasible due to many combined aspects, such as immature technologies for energy conversion, local energy storage and moorings. Therefore, multi-purpose solutions combining renewable energy from the sea (wind, wave, tide), aquaculture and transportation facilities can be considered as a challenging, yet advantageous, way to boost blue growth. This would be due to the sharing of the costs of installation and using the produced energy locally to feed the different functionalities and optimizing marine spatial planning. This paper focuses on the synergies that may be produced by a multi-purpose offshore installation in a relatively calm sea, i.e., the Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy, and specifically offshore Venice. It analyzes the combination of aquaculture, energy production from wind and waves, and energy storage or transfer. Alternative solutions are evaluated based on specific criteria, including the maturity of the technology, the environmental impact, the induced risks and the costs. Based on expert judgment, the alternatives are ranked and a preliminary layout of the selected multi-purpose installation for the case study is proposed, to further allow the exploitation of the synergies among different functionalities.
Supersymmetry with Radiatively-Driven Naturalness: Implications for WIMP and Axion Searches
Authors: Bae Kyu , Baer Howard , Barger Vernon , Savoy Michael , Serce Hasan
Published: May 2015

By insisting on naturalness in both the electroweak and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) sectors of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), the portrait for dark matter production is seriously modified from the usual weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) miracle picture. In supersymmetry (SUSY) models with radiatively-driven naturalness (radiative natural SUSY or radiative natural SUSY (RNS)) which include a Dine–Fischler–Srednicki–Zhitnitsky (DFSZ)-like solution to the strong charge-conjugation-parity (CP) and SUSY \(\mu\) problems, dark matter is expected to be an admixture of both axions and higgsino-like WIMPs. The WIMP/axion abundance calculation requires simultaneous solution of a set of coupled Boltzmann equations which describe quasi-stable axinos and saxions. In most of parameter space, axions make up the dominant contribution of dark matter although regions of WIMP dominance also occur. We show the allowed range of Peccei-Quinn (PQ) scale \(f_a\) and compare to the values expected to be probed by the axion dark matter search experiment (ADMX) axion detector in the near future. We also show WIMP detection rates, which are suppressed from usual expectations, because now WIMPs comprise only a fraction of the total dark matter. Nonetheless, ton-scale noble liquid detectors should be able to probe the entirety of RNS parameter space. Indirect WIMP detection rates are less propitious since they are reduced by the square of the depleted WIMP abundance.
Gold-catalyzed formation of pyrrolo- and indolo-oxazin-1-one derivatives: The key structure of some marine natural products
Authors: Taskaya Sultan , Menges Nurettin , Balci Metin
Published: May 2015

Various N-propargylpyrrole and indolecarboxylic acids were efficiently converted into 3,4-dihydropyrrolo- and indolo-oxazin-1-one derivatives by a gold(III)-catalyzed cyclization reaction. Some of the products underwent TFA-catalyzed double bond isomerization and some did not. Cyclization reactions in the presence of alcohol catalyzed by Au(I) resulted in the formation of hemiacetals after cascade reactions.
List Equivalency of PRESTO for the Evaluation of Speech Recognition
Authors: Faulkner Kathleen F. , Tamati Terrin N. , Gilbert Jaimie L. , Pisoni David B.
Published: May 2015

Background:There is a pressing clinical need for the development of ecologically valid and robust assessment measures of speech recognition. Perceptually Robust English Sentence Test Open-set (PRESTO) is a new high-variability sentence recognition test that is sensitive to individual
differences and was designed for use with several different clinical populations. PRESTO differs from other sentence recognition tests because the target sentences differ in talker, gender, and regional dialect. Increasing interest in using PRESTO as a clinical test of spoken word recognition
dictates the need to establish equivalence across test lists.Purpose:The purpose of this study was to establish list equivalency of PRESTO for clinical use.Research Design:PRESTO sentence lists were presented to three groups of normal-hearing listeners in noise (multitalker babble
[MTB] at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio) or under eight-channel cochlear implant simulation (CI-Sim).Study Sample:Ninety-one young native speakers of English who were undergraduate students from the Indiana University community participated in this study.Data Collection and Analysis:Participants
completed a sentence recognition task using different PRESTO sentence lists. They listened to sentences presented over headphones and typed in the words they heard on a computer. Keyword scoring was completed offline. Equivalency for sentence lists was determined based on the list intelligibility
(mean keyword accuracy for each list compared with all other lists) and listener consistency (the relation between mean keyword accuracy on each list for each listener).Results:Based on measures of list equivalency and listener consistency, ten PRESTO lists were found to be equivalent
in the MTB condition, nine lists were equivalent in the CI-Sim condition, and six PRESTO lists were equivalent in both conditions.Conclusions:PRESTO is a valuable addition to the clinical toolbox for assessing sentence recognition across different populations. Because the test condition
influenced the overall intelligibility of lists, researchers and clinicians should take the presentation conditions into consideration when selecting the best PRESTO lists for their research or clinical protocols.
Nathaniel Hawthorne et les voix du passé
Authors: Birat Kathie
Published: May 2015

Nathaniel Hawthorne ne vient pas immédiatement à l’esprit lorsqu’on évoque le rôle de l’oralité dans le développement de la littérature américaine au xixe siècle. Pourtant les légendes et histoires qu’il entendit dans son enfance, en particulier celles ayant un rapport avec le passé de sa propre famille à l’époque des puritains, jouent un rôle important dans son imaginaire. En observant de près la façon dont l’auteur représente le passé légendaire de l’Amérique, en particulier dans les premiers contes, on peut comprendre comment cette conscience d’une littérature orale a influencé sa représentation de l’Amérique à une époque où le pays était en train d’élaborer une mythologie nationale.
Empowering Women and Families through Self Help Groups
Authors: Nthomang Keitseope , Tlagae Dorothy
Published: May 2015

The situation of women across the world is a concern for governments, donors, academics and development practitioners who have observed on-going disempowerment of women in the process of development. While much is known about women's level of disempowerment, little is known about relevant empowerment models and practical responses to address the challenges they face including feminization of poverty and gender inequalities. Project Concern International-Botswana (PCI) is implementing one empowerment model known as the Grass-Root building Our Wealth (GROW) model. The objective of this chapter is to share the experiences of poor women in Botswana who are currently using the GROW model to transform their lives. The model's vision is to build capacity of the poor into competent self-reliant individuals who will grow in confidence and seek to broaden their horizons. The task of the GROW model is to help poor people realize their potential and to take action by implementing plans that turn their empowerment dreams into reality.
Green Ventilation System Design for Underground Garage
Authors: Chen Shih Ming , Huang Yu Ying , Perng Yeng Horng
Published: May 2015

In recent years, the issues of indoor air quality and thermal comfort in underground garages have attained considerable importance. The purpose of this study is to present a green natural ventilation system with a ventilation shaft connected to the outdoors through a horizontal branch pipe. The system combines with a diaphragm wall and steel cage frame for an underground garage or similar underground enclosed spaces. The design system reduces use of tradition fans and motors used in mechanical ventilation. It improves exhaust from indoor spaces and reduces energy consumption. The green design of the ventilation system in this study is cost effective, saves energy and improves the air quality in an underground garage.
A Linear CCD Spectrometer Based on FPGA for Light-Source Characterization
Authors: Ocaya R.O.
Published: May 2015

We report on the implementation of a FPGA-based ultra-violet (UV), infra-red (IR) visible (Vis) CCD spectrometer using a linear CCD detector operating at room temperature. The host interface is high-speed USB for data exchange with high-level environments such as Visual Basic, MATLAB and LABVIEW. The high-resolution intensity versus wavelength output is 8-bit digitized for secondary processing using a semi-flash analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) capable of sustained sampling rates of 20Mb/s.
Effect of Calcination Temperature on Various Concentration of Zinc Substituted Calcium Phosphate Ceramics
Authors: Mardziah C.M. , Abdul Wahid Mohamad Firdaus , Hyie Koay Mei , Nik Roselina N.R.
Published: May 2015

In this work, nanoscale zinc substituted calcium phosphate ceramics substituted were synthesized by simple precipitation method, performed under alkaline solution of pH 10. Three different zinc concentrations (5%, 10% and 15 mol%) were incorporated into calcium phosphate ceramics with experimental ratios of (Ca+Zn)/P were all maintained at 1.67 for easier comparison. The phase composition and lattice parameters for each sample were determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. Other characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron (FESEM) were also utilized to investigate material’s molecule internal bonds properties and powders morphology, respectively. Based on XRD results, zinc ions addition disturbed the calcium phosphate ceramics structure causing its crystallite size to become smaller as the amount of zinc increased. After the powders undergo calcination process, the bands of PO4 in its FTIR spectra increased while the H2O bands decreased. FESEM results showed that the powders are uniform but irregular in shape and tend to agglomerate with increasing zinc fraction.
Modeling and Optimizing the Hardness of the Melted Zone in Submerged Arc Welding Process Using Taguchi Method
Authors: Shahverdi Shahraki Hamed , Mozafari Hamid
Published: May 2015

One of the important characteristics of weld quality, which is influenced by welding parameters, is the hardness of the melted zone (HMZ). In this paper, experiments were conducted by Taguchi experimental design and Minitab 14 statistical software, and the interaction of input parameters was not taken into account. After collecting data, the signal to noise ratio (S/N) was calculated to obtain optimal levels for all input parameters. Then, using analysis of variance (ANOVA), the significance level of (P) for each input parameter was determined and validated for the hardness of the melted area. The results show that current intensity, welding speed, arc voltage, nozzle distance from work piece and thickness of magnesium oxide nanoparticles had respectively the highest impact on the hardness of melted zone.
Modeling and Optimizing of Submerged Arc Welding Process by Taguchi Design of Experiments in Presence of Magnesium Oxide Nano-Particles
Authors: Shahverdi Shahraki Hamed , Mozafari Hamid
Published: May 2015

The submerged arc welding (SAW) process is similar to other welding methods, the quality of welded joints plays role as improves strength, stiffness and toughness of products. The purpose of this paper, modeling and optimization of the submerged arc welding process parameters is using Taguchi's method analysis of experiments. All analyses were carried out using Minitab 14 Statistical Software and the interaction parameters in this study are ignored. The experimental results show that this model can predict the output parameters with reasonable accuracy.
Using Multi-Core to Debug Interactive Applications
Authors: Chu Edward Tsung Hsien , Tsai Ming Ru
Published: May 2015

Instrumentation technology has been widely used in debugging interactive applications, such as interactive games and virtual reality. Debug codes are instrumented into a target program in order to collect run-time information. Although instrumentation provides detail information of the target program behavior, it can significantly prolong execution time, change program behavior and lead to incorrect debugging results, especially for time dependent and real-time applications. This paper aims to design a scalable parallel debugging mechanism to reduce instrumentation overhead while collecting detail run-time information. We design a new synchronization mechanism of instrumentation, named MDM, which uses multiple buffers to process debug messages. Also, a binding mechanism is used to specify the relationship between the target program, helper threads and cores. We conduct a case study of augmented reality interactive games on an Intel Core i7-2600 processor with Linux 2.6.38. Compared to existing methods, MDM can reduce instrumentation overhead by up to 19%.
Acceleration Response and Serviceability Performance of a 51-Story Building during Typhoon Aere
Authors: Liu Kun Sung
Published: May 2015

The Shin Kong Tower located in Taipei City has a height of 244.15 m. It was the tallest building in northern Taiwan when it was built in 1993. This super tall building is susceptible to severe vibrations induced by strong winds. The safety of building structures and contents as well as the comfort of occupants under such strong forces as typhoons remain a major engineering concern. In order to improve our understanding of building structural responses, records of a structural array in the 51-story SK Building in Taipei from the Typhoon Aere are analyzed. In addition, wind data measured at the Taipei Meteorological Station are also used. As a result, the measured data during Typhoon Aere show that the standard deviation of acceleration response at top of the SK Building increases with a power of 2.275 of the wind speed in the longitudinal direction, and a power of 2.302 of the wind speed in transverse direction. It is also observed that the acceleration responses in the transverse direction were generally larger than those in the longitudinal direction during the typhoon. This is mainly due to greater stiffness of the building in the longitudinal direction than the transverse direction. Furthermore, the field measurement data clearly demonstrate that serviceability of the SK Building met the criteria for occupant comfort during Typhoon Aere.
Centrifuge Seismic Test on Seismic Behavior of Pile Group in Liquefiable Soil
Authors: Hsieh Meng Hsiu , Hung Wen Yi , Lee Chung Jung
Published: May 2015

A series of grouped-model piles (2×2) centrifuge shaking table tests at an acceleration of 80 g was conducted to simulate seismic responses of a grouped-piles embedded in liquefiable sandy soil subjected to different magnitudes of earthquake loading. The tested grouped-piles connected with a pile cap are used to support 4 sets of model dry storage tank.Different test conditions including elevations of pile cap, elevations of ground water table, and dry and saturated sand beds all are reported in the study. Sensors (i.e., strain gauges along the depths of pile for measuring the bending moments, accelerometers for measuring the accelerations at different depths, LVDTs and pore water pressure transducers) densely instrumented in the piles and the surrounding soils provide valuable information for examining their evolution at various degrees of liquefaction.
The magnitudes of bending moment along pile depths would increase with the increases of base shaking. The lowest bending moments were measured for the grouped–piles with the pile cap embedded in the dry sand bed while the largest lowest bending moments for the grouped–piles with the pile cap embedded in the saturated sand bed with the water table at the surface. The test results can be used to validate the results derived from the numerical simulation.
Comparison between Simulation of Reduced Scale Vertical Concrete Cask under the Earthquake Effect and Experimental Result
Authors: Hu Che Wei
Published: May 2015

The setup programme of dry storage of using spent fuel is that transportable storage canister (TSC) packing by using spent fuel placed in vertical concrete cask (VCC), then conveyed VCC from plant to site and put concrete pad. After VCC is in position, place the add-on-shell (AOS).This research analyses and simulate the behavior of VCC and AOC during earthquake by LS-DYNA which is dynamic transient structural analysis of finite element method. The main issue is the shaking response of VCC under earthquake while there is a hump on the bottom floor. From the result, the perturbation of dynamic stability of VCC and AOS have been occurred when the hump existed onto the floor. The construction specification of VCC/AOC bottom flatness should be considered
Toughness and Thermal Properties of a Dimer Acid Modified Tetrafunctional Epoxy Resin
Authors: Yu Ming Ming , Feng Bin , Yang Min , Liu Li Qi , Li Hong , Ren Mu Su , Sun Jin Liang , Zhang Jia Bao
Published: May 2015

In order to improve the toughness of the cured aromatic tetrafunctional epoxy resins in the premise of influencing the thermal properties as little as possible, the aromatic tetrafunctional epoxy named N,N,N’,N’-tetraglycidyl-4,4’-diaminodiphenyl ether (TGDDE) was modified by a dimer carboxylic acid (DFA), and then the epoxies were cured with methyl nadic anhydride (MNA). In the present work, the toughness was characterized with the impact resistance tested by pendulum impact testing. Besides, the thermal properties of the cured epoxy resin were investigated with the thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The impact testing results indicated that the toughness of the cured resins could be improved after the modification and increased with the increasing content of DFA. The thermal analysis showed that the thermal properties of the cured resins were not influenced obviously since the thermal stabilities of the products could be improved and the glass transition temperature of them were not influenced obviously when the tetrafunctional epoxy modified with appropriate content of DFA.
Dynamic Equilibrium Analysis and Simulation of Submerged Kuroshio Generator System
Authors: Chen Yi An , Yu Hsing Cheng , Kehr Young Zehr
Published: May 2015

This paper presents design of a novel submerged Kuroshio generator system (SKGS) which is suitable for maritime environments near Keelung Sill. The SKGS was combined with a reliable cable design and a simple anchor system at sea, and it could ignore changes of yaw and roll motion through a proper rudder design. An intuitive simulation method adopted MapleSim software to create a rigid structure modeling of the SKGS. Different modeling frameworks for varied cable design and joint positions were adjusted to meet with the system requirements. Therefore, the system requirements of stability, dynamic equilibrium analysis, and motion behavior of the SKGS combined with the cable design were achieved in this study. Furthermore, the motion ranges of surge-axis and heave-axis could be converged within 0.5 m, and the estimated output power of the SKGS could exceed in 55.1 KW.
Response of Concrete Filled Carbon Sheet Tube Column under Axial and Lateral Loads
Authors: Lee Kyung Hoon , Kim Hee Cheul , Kim Jae Hong , Lee Young Hak
Published: May 2015

Experimental tests have been conducted to investigate the performance of Concrete Filled Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Sheet Tube (CFCST) columns. The main variables of this experimental program were the number and wrapping angles of CFRP sheets. In the first stage, stress versus strain characteristic of CFCST specimens was investigated by uni-axial tests. In the second stage, six full-scaled CFCST columns subjected to quasi-static lateral loading, as well as constant axial compression, were tested. The test results showed that the response of CFCST was seriously influenced by these two variables. This test results could be utilized for establishing the analytical models.