bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does host plant richness explain diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi? Re‐evaluation of Gao et al. (2013) data sets reveals sampling effects
Authors: Tedersoo Leho , Bahram Mohammad , Dickie Ian A.
Published: January 2014

The generally positive relationship between biodiversity of groups of directly or indirectly interacting organisms is one of the most important ecological concepts (Gaston, 2000 Nature, 405, 220–227; Scherber C, Eisenhauer N, Weisser WW et al., 2010 Nature, 468, 553–556). In a recent issue of Molecular Ecology, Gao C, Shi N‐N, Liu Y‐X et al. (2013: 22, 3403–3414) reported that the richness of plants and ectomycorrhizal fungi is positively correlated both at local and at global scales. Here, we challenge these findings by re‐analysis of data and ascribe the reported results to sampling effect and poor data compilation.
Leaf surface wax is a source of plant methane formation under UV radiation and in the presence of oxygen
Authors: Bruhn D. , Mikkelsen T. N. , Rolsted M. M. M. , Egsgaard H. , Ambus P.
Published: January 2014

The terrestrial vegetation is a source of UV radiation‐induced aerobic methane (CH4) release to the atmosphere. Hitherto pectin, a plant structural component, has been considered as the most likely precursor for this CH4 release. However, most of the leaf pectin is situated below the surface wax layer, and UV transmittance of the cuticle differs among plant species. In some species, the cuticle effectively absorbs and/or reflects UV radiation. Thus, pectin may not necessarily contribute substantially to the UV radiation‐induced CH4 emission measured at surface level in all species. Here, we investigated the potential of the leaf surface wax itself as a source of UV radiation‐induced leaf aerobic CH4 formation. Isolated leaf surface wax emitted CH4 at substantial rates in response to UV radiation. This discovery has implications for how the phenomenon should be scaled to global levels. In relation to this, we demonstrated that the UV radiation‐induced CH4 emission is independent of leaf area index above unity. Further, we observed that the presence of O2 in the atmosphere was necessary for achieving the highest rates of CH4 emission. Methane formation from leaf surface wax is supposedly a two‐step process initiated by a photolytic rearrangement reaction of the major component followed by an α‐cleavage of the generated ketone.
Heart rate, startle response, and intrusive trauma memories
Authors: Chou Chia‐Ying , Marca Roberto La , Steptoe Andrew , Brewin Chris R.
Published: January 2014

The current study adopted the trauma film paradigm to examine potential moderators affecting heart rate (HR) as an indicator of peritraumatic psychological states and as a predictor of intrusive memories. We replicated previous findings that perifilm HR decreases predicted the development of intrusive images and further showed this effect to be specific to images rather than thoughts, and to detail rather than gist recognition memory. Moreover, a group of individuals showing both an atypical sudden reduction in HR after a startle stimulus and higher trait dissociation was identified. Only among these individuals was lower perifilm HR found to indicate higher state dissociation, fear, and anxiety, along with reduced vividness of intrusions. The current findings emphasize how peritraumatic physiological responses relate to emotional reactions and intrusive memory. The moderating role of individual difference in stress defense style was highlighted.
Telomere repeat binding proteins are functional components of Arabidopsis telomeres and interact with telomerase
Authors: Procházková Schrumpfová Petra , Vychodilová Ivona , Dvořáčková Martina , Majerská Jana , Dokládal Ladislav , Schořová Šárka , Fajkus Jiří
Published: January 2014

Although telomere‐binding proteins constitute an essential part of telomeres, in vivo data indicating the existence of a structure similar to mammalian shelterin complex in plants are limited. Partial characterization of a number of candidate proteins has not identified true components of plant shelterin or elucidated their functional mechanisms. Telomere repeat binding (TRB) proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana bind plant telomeric repeats through a Myb domain of the telobox type in vitro, and have been shown to interact with POT1b (Protection of telomeres 1). Here we demonstrate co‐localization of TRB1 protein with telomeres in situ using fluorescence microscopy, as well as in vivo interaction using chromatin immunoprecipitation. Classification of the TRB1 protein as a component of plant telomeres is further confirmed by the observation of shortening of telomeres in knockout mutants of the trb1 gene. Moreover, TRB proteins physically interact with plant telomerase catalytic subunits. These findings integrate TRB proteins into the telomeric interactome of A. thaliana.
Preformulation Studies on LACTUCA SATIVA as Nutraceuticals Granules
Authors: Elmarzugi Nagib Ali , Keleb Eseldin Ibrahim , Mohamed Aref Taleb , Salama Mohamed , Abdul Hamid Mariani , Wan Sulaiman Wan Rosli , Hamza Amal Muftah , Ali El-Enshas Hesham y
Published: January 2014

The utilization of natural products for their pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals purposes have high value in prevention and treatment of myriad illness. In pharmaceutical industry the formulation of natural products into an effective and stable dosage form necessitate evaluation of the processing techniques required and the properties of the product obtained. Therefore the objective of the present study was to prepare and evaluate lettuce leaves Lactuca sativa granules in a view to develop solid dosage forms. Lettuce leaves were washed with water, one batch was dried in open air and the other one in oven and grinded into fine powder. Dried powdered lettuce leaves were granulated without and with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at various water concentrations. The prepared granules were evaluated for its particle size distribution, bulk density, tapped density, hausners index, Carr’s index, friability, flowability and water absorption. The influence of water concentration, PVP addition and drying methods on the granule properties were also investigated. The results obtained showed that lettuce granules possess good flow properties and can be used as a candidate for the formulation of solid dosage forms particularly tablets.
Evaluation of Specific Absorption Rate due to Medical Implant in Near-Field Exposure
Authors: Othman Nazirah , Samsuri Noor Asmawati , Ellias Norfatin Akma
Published: January 2014

This paper presents the effects of conductive medical implant on energy absorbed by the human body and the testicular area when exposed to near field electromagnetic radiation. A dipole antenna is used as the radiating source and it is placed in front of the trousers pocket. Two types of medical implants are used in this study: intramedullary nail and bone plate. Numerical simulations are performed by means of CST Microwave Studio. Results are discussed in terms of changes in SAR values due to the presence of conductive medical implant at 0.4, 0.9, 1.8 and 2.4 GHz. The results have indicated that the conductive intramedullary nail that is located inside the femur significantly increases the SAR. Maximum enhancement in SAR is found when the length of the intramedullary nail is approximately one wavelength of the respective frequency tested. The measurement results indicate good agreements with the simulation results at 2.4 GHz.
CMOS-MEMS Integration in Micro Fabry Perot Pressure Sensor Fabrication
Authors: Ngajikin Nor Hafizah , Ling Low Yee , Ismail Nur Izzati , Mohd Supaát Abu Sahmah , Ibrahim Mohd Haniff , Mohd Kassim Norazan
Published: January 2014

Integration of Complimentary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) and Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) technology in Fabry Perot blood pressure sensor (FPPS) fabrication processes is presented. The sensor that comprises of a 125 µm diameter of circular diaphragm is modeled to be fabricated using integration of CMOS-MEMS technology. To improve the sensor reliability, a sleeve structure is designed at the back of Silicon wafer by using MEMS Deep Reactive ion Etching (DRIE) process for fiber insertion, which offers a large bonding area. Optical light source at 550 nm wavelength is chosen for this device. The sensor diaphragm mechanic deflection and its optical spectrum is theoretically analyzed and simulated. The analytical results show high linear response in the range of 0 to 40 kPa and a reasonable sensitivity of 1.83 nm/kPa (spectrum shift/pressure) has been obtained for this sensor. The proposed integration of CMOS-MEMS technology limit the material selection yet produces an economical method of FPPS fabrication and integrated system.
Study On Pollution Performance on a Wind Turbine Blade Using OES Technique for Lightning and Switching Impulse Voltage Profiles
Authors: Kumar V. Sathiesh , J. Vasa Nilesh , Sarathi R.
Published: January 2014

Lightning damage to offshore wind turbine power plants require an immediate attention, due to its severe damage to wind blade causing outage for a long time. The risk of lightning striking the blade is expected to be higher when they are located in a highly polluted and humid zone. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is considered to be among the severe pollutant near sea transported through air and gets deposited on the blade surface thereby increasing the surface conductivity of the material. Lightning can strike any part of the blade other than the receptors and the polluted surface with higher conductivity can allow discharge current to propagate over the surface thus causing severe burning of material and damaging the blade. Hence it is necessary to study the influence of salt deposit on a wind turbine blade injected with standard lightning impulse and switching impulse voltages. Wave profile and polarity has an effect during discharge because of its unique discharge formation process. Preliminary experiments are carried out in laboratory to study the influence of salt deposit on a blade sample by adopting IEC 60507 standards. Experimental results clearly show the extent of surface damage increases with increase in salt concentration. Optical emission based non-intrusive technique is used for an elemental analysis during the discharge process. Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) studies clearly show switching impulse voltage of both polarities induce a significant damage to the glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) material.
Data Transmission System of Rotating Electric Field Mill Network Using Microcontroller and GSM Module
Authors: Nawawi Zainuddin , Abu Bakar Sidik Muhammad , Boon Kean Mook , Ahmad Hussein , Buntat Zolkafle , Ahmad Noor Azlinda , Jambak Muhammad ‘Irfan
Published: January 2014

Lightning is an environmental phenomena that cause many fatalities and property destructions in Malaysia since the country is located in the high isokeraunic area. To reduce the fatalities an alert system should be developed. The alert system can consist of several Rotating Electric Field Mill sensors which are installed in spread. Data from the sensors must be gathered in a data centre building for observation,  analysis, and triggering an alert signal. Therefore, the objective of this work is to develop a data transmission system by using a wireless method. The wireless data transmission system consists of a microcontroller, voltage divider, and GSM module. Hardware and software development is carried out to achieve the objective. Furthermore, to test the transmission system a function generator is connected to the analog digital converter input of the microcontroller. By varying the magnitude of the function generator output an observation on data transmission is carried out. It is found that the magnitude of receiving data which is displayed on the website is exactly the same with the sent data. In here in lab wireless data transmission system devices and a website to observe the transmitted data from Rotating Electric Field Mill sensors has been successfully developed.
Atmospheric Electric Field Data Logger System
Authors: Sidik Muhammad Abu Bakar , Che Mohd Shukri Nuru Saniyyati , Ahmad Hussein , Buntat Zolkafle , Bashir Nouruddeen , Zulardiansyah Arief Yanuar , Nawawl Zainuddin , Jambak Muhammad 'Irfan
Published: January 2014

Weather can  be unpredictable as there are a lot of uncertainties in predicting thunderstorms. Most of our navigation systems, including those on air, land and water, as well as broadcasting systems, are directly affected by the weather on a daily basis. The inconsistent and unreliable nature of storms brings out the importance of research in atmospheric electric field data logging systems. This paper presents a study to develop a virtual instrument with the capability to analyse and store the magnitude (data) of atmospheric electric fields. The study was carried out using a LabVIEW virtual instrument and tested using data acquisition (DAQ) and a function generator. The developed virtual instrument consists of waveform chart, tabulated data, and histogram for real time observation. Moreover, it has feature to save and recall data for further analysis.
On-Site Partial Discharge Monitoring System in Generator at Tanjung Bin Power Plant, Johor, Malaysia
Authors: Muhamad A. H. , Arief Y. Z. , Izzati W. A. , Adzis Z. , Sidik M. A. B.
Published: January 2014

Power generation is a business that ought to satisfy industrial and consumer electrical power needs. Power generation technology has emerged from conventional power plants, which are mostly steam power plants, evolving into more complicated nuclear power plants. While the mechanical arrangements in the power plants are usually unique and distinct from one another, their electrical assemblies are almost the same; the major factor considered is sizing of the electrical equipments. The electrical generator is therefore one of the fundamental equipment that every power plant must have. In principle, the generator is crucial equipment that needs proper maintenance in order to produce steady output supply. The objective of this study is to is to conduct on-site partial discharge monitoring system of 3 unit generators stator winding at Tanjung Bin Power Plant, Johor, Malaysia as condition based monitoring (CBM) system. Partial discharge characteristics of unit 10, 20 and 30 generators stator winding were compared respectively. Software designed by Iris LP was used throughout these processes. The software-PDView demonstrates graphical view of the partial discharge occurrence in the generator stator winding. Compiled data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel in order to establish an evaluation of the generator stator winding.  The analyzed results showed that all generators were in good condition.
Effect of Ambient Temperature on Leakage Current of Gapless Metal Oxide Surge Arrester
Authors: Wooi C. L. , Abdul-Malek Zulkurnain , Mashak Saeed Vahabi
Published: January 2014

Zinc oxide (ZnO) gapless surge arresters are used for lightning and overvoltage protection in electrical power system. The leakage current monitoring is one of the well known method for the ZnO surge arrester ageing level determination. However, the ZnO leakage current is known to be dependent on the ambient temperature. This paper aims to study the effects of temperature variation due to ambient conditions on the leakage current of ZnO surge arrester. The effect of a significant increment of leakage current with an increase in temperature may result in a wrong assesment of the ageing level of the arrester. The leakage current of three 120kV rated polymeric housed ZnO surge arresters were measured in a custom made thermally insulated enclosures at varying temperatures. Up to 20% increase in the leakage current was observed with a 20°C increment above the ambient temperature. For a typical variation of ambient temperature in Malaysia in the range of between 30°C and 40°C, the corresponding changes in the leakage current can be up to 11%. The temperature does significantly affect the leakage current measurements used for monitoring of zinc oxide surge arresters. This significant change in the leakage current due to ambient temperature variation can affect the decision in assessing the condition of surge arresters during routine monitoring.
Forecasting Box-Office Revenue by Considering Social Network Services in the Korean Market
Authors: Kim Taegu , Hong Jungsik , Koo Hoonyoung
Published: January 2014

The Korean movie market is an extremely dynamic market. Social network services are also rapidly growing in Korea and comments on movies in social network services (SNS) are increasingly influencing the movie industry. In this paper, we address the issue of forecasting box-office revenue by considering the comments on movies in SNS. We analyze the data in the Korean movie market by using regression analysis and the Bass diffusion model. Our results show that the number of screens is the only significant variable before release, whereas positive and negative mentions on SNS are also essential after release. In addition, the hybrid method provides the idea of employing SNS data into diffusion models for obtaining effective forecasting results.
Escalating the Employee Job Satisfaction through Internal Market Orientation: A Childcare Centre Perspective
Authors: Sulaiman Yaty , Othman Abdul Rahim , Perumal Selvan , Hussin Zolkafli
Published: January 2014

The childcare sector has grown tremendously over the years in Malaysia due to the growing number of women joining the paid labour force. In spite of the growing demand for childcare services and their critical role in the development of children, childcare providers have faced a high job turnover rate among the employees and difficulty in retaining the employees for a long period. This happen because the employees are not satisfied with their job, which, in turn, contribute to a high job turnover. It is very important for children to have stability of care through satisfied employees at the childcare centres because it is understood that if the employees of childcare centres are dissatisfied, than it could have a negative impact on children under care as well as the childcares’ quality. Thus, if childcare providers want to improve the quality of their childcare centres than the employees’ quality must be nurtured first. To nurture this quality we have to first ensure their work and job satisfaction. One of the many factors that contribute to employee job satisfaction is through internal market orientation. Hence, this study will try to understand the employee job satisfaction through internal market orientation. Finally, the study presents some suggestions for further studies that can be conducted in the future.
Organization Behaviour and Development-Related Issues in Effective Implementation of ISO 9001
Authors: Nargesi Zahra Ramzanpour , Baniani Ali Mohammad , Galankashi Masoud Rahiminezhad , Ziaei Farhad , Zahraee Seyed Mojib , Abdolghader Yasser
Published: January 2014

The demand for ISO 9001 certification is increasing, both from the public and private sectors. The adoption of a quality management system should be a strategic decision of an organization. The design and implementation of an organization's quality management system is influenced by varying needs, particular objectives, the products provided, the processes employed and the size and structure of the organization.  It is necessary to explore the issues related to effective implementation of ISO 9001. The objective of this article is to scrutinize the OBD issues, facts, and problems related to implementing ISO 9001 in various industries in order to collect and categorize these factors and issues for finding common critical factors. Authors tried to find related data from each industry with the aim of internet, observation, interview, and questionnaire. After data collection, the Meta analysis will be used to achieve probable common factors or factors that have had more influence on implementing ISO9001 successfully. The influential issues in effective implementation of ISO9001 can be classified into internal and external issues. There are several OBD-related issues like organizational culture, leadership commitment, team working and communication that have a crucial role in this area. The three most important OBD–related issues are organizational culture, leadership commitment and team working.
The Development of Executive MBA Program at Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
Authors: Astuti Novika Candra , Nasution Reza Ashari , Hasibuan Ilman Hizbullah , Natalia Keriel , Listyaningrum Anindita
Published: January 2014

The purpose of this paper is to study universities which provide executives program on Master of Management (MM) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) both in Indonesia and overseas. This paper presents a benchmarking a study to compare processes, performance, best practices between Executive MBA Institut Teknologi Bandung (MBA-ITB) and the other universities. Besides benchmarking, the authors also used customer intelligence method to gather and analyze information regarding competitors by visiting universities in Indonesia. To manage and monitor performance of Executive MBA program, we measured customer satisfaction what products or services provided by MBA-ITB meet or surpass customers (executive students) and conducted in-depth interview to explore need and demand of executive students. The results of the study help to develop executive MBA program and to adopt learning process in other universities to be followed and implemented in MBA-ITB. The acquired knowledge has been partly adapted and adopted by papers. The main implication is the need to explore how MBA-ITB can efficiently and effectively adapt and adopt such knowledge from the results. This work provides effective assistance for development of executive program in MBA-ITB embarking on this benchmarking journey. The result of customer satisfaction provides an indication of how successful MBA-ITB is at providing products and/or services to the students.
A Moderating Effect of Leadership Tenure on the Relationship between Leadership Self-Efficacy and Effective Leadership Behaviour
Authors: Galoji Shehu Inuwa , Ahmad Fais , Johari Husna
Published: January 2014

This study aims to examine the influence of leadership self-efficacy on effective leadership behavior with a moderating effect of leadership tenure in Nigerian commercial banks. Based on the existing literature review conducted, a conceptual framework was developed based on suggestions for future studies to test this relationship. Self-efficacy theory was used to explain the relationship among the constructs considered in this conceptual model. The study used a survey design which was aided by the use of questionaire. A sample of 358 branch managers of the Nigerian commercial banks was drawn through a stratified random sampling. A combination of descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data collected using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for Windows. The findings of this study reveald that leadership self-efficacy has a significant positive relationship effective leadership behaviour. In the same vein, further investigation using hierarchical multiple regression shows that the moderating effect of leadership tenure on the leadership self-efficacy and effective leadership behavior relationship was found not to be significant. Finally, discussion, managerial and policy implications, recommendations and suggestion for future research were also highlighted in the study.
Risk and Avoidance: A Comparative Study of the Middle-income Trap in China, Malaysia and South Korea
Authors: Yan Fu Hong , Jiang Shi Yu
Published: January 2014

By comparing the practice of how Malaysia and Korea solving the middle-income trap, this paper analyses the Chinese economic condition and development trends; discusses how should China face the pending problems; and finally provides suggestions on avoiding the middle-income trap and successfully confronting this challenge.
Onboard Fire Safety Assessment Standards for Indonesian Non Convention Roll On Roll Off Passenger Ferries
Authors: S. Sunaryo , Nugroho Yulianto , Talahatu Marcus Alberth
Published: January 2014

Roll on roll off passenger ferries play very important role in connecting Indonesia’s more than 17,000 islands. Since these ferries are categorized as ‘Non-convention’ vessels they are not mandatory to comply with international regulations, therefore they are very vulnerable to accidents including fire accident. The study was carried out to establish onboard fire safety assessment standards for Roll on roll off ferries operating on Indonesian waters to be used as guidance for authorities and operators to assess and to ensure the safety of the ferries. The assessment standards are focused on three accident sources include: the vessel; people on board; and the cargo. The standards are derived from fire hazards and their potential risk levels, which are categoriesed as intolerable; tolerable; and negligible. Refer to the risk levels obtained realistic and appropriate actions could then be implemented to prevent the ferries from fire accidents.
Effect of Skewed Signalised T–intersection on Traffic Delay
Authors: Che Puan Othman , Fathullah Hardi Saadullah , Yasin M. Al–Muz–Zammil , Ibrahim Muttaka Na’iya , Halim Shafini
Published: January 2014

Intersections are places where two or more highways intersect. Their performance dictates the performance of the rest of the traffic network. When two highways cannot intersect at right angles due to some geometric constraints, skewed intersection forms. Generally a traffic signal system is designed to control traffic movements at road intersections without considering the orientation of the intersection. Such an approach might lead to inaccurate assessment of operational performance of a signalised intersection because such a configuration influences turning radius and hence the vehicle’s negotiation speeds. This paper describes the result of a study carried out to evaluate the effect of orientation of a signalised intersection on the control delay to vehicular traffic. The evaluation was carried out using aaSIDRA software, which was calibrated using the data collected from site. Two models of skewed intersection based on a normal T–intersection were simulated at minor approach at 45º (i.e. skewed to the left), and 135º (i.e. skewed to the right), respectively. The result of the analysis showed that delay to the motorists in the minor approach increases when the minor approach is skewed from left to right..
Perception of Taxi Services in Oman–A Cross Examination of Citizens’ and Taxi Drivers’ Perception
Authors: Belwal Rakesh , Minhans Anil , Al-Balushi Ali Murad
Published: January 2014

Short-haul public transport, particularly the passenger cars, is the most frequently utilized mode of transport in the world. Next to the private cars, taxis are the key to ensuring mobility in Oman where the state of development of public transport has been very slow. Despite having a high ratio of taxis to the private cars, the residents of Oman complain about the taxi services and their perception of taxi services in Oman is poor. Using a structured questionnaire targeted over a sample of 120 taxi drivers, this study reveals the basic statistics about taxis in Oman, their operations, the perspectives of taxi drivers and citizens about these services, the challenges to taxi business along with a few suggestions for improving taxi services in Oman.  The study found that while taxis are the predominant mode of transportation in Oman, their operations are largely unorganized. Most of the taxi services are rendered on an individual basis. This paper also compared and contrasted the allegations of residents about the taxi drivers and taxi services with the responses obtained from the taxi drivers, which the taxi drivers had mostly denied. Lower number of passengers coupled with low income, insufficient parking and high insurance cost paid to the companies were identified as the major challenges confronting taxi drivers. Overall, the results reveal an expectation gap between drivers and the customers and recommend an urgent need for regulating the taxi services and by creating rules and regulations for the operators and customers.
Verification of Puffin Modelling Using VISSIM
Authors: S. A. Hassan, , N. B. Hounsell, , B. P. Shrestha,
Published: January 2014

Puffin crossing is the most recent signalised crossings in UK. The operation of Puffin signal control is mainly based on traffic condition hence could impose longer waiting time on pedestrian. Therefore there is a need to review on the operation of the signal control strategy of Puffin crossings to make it more pedestrian responsive without imposing significant delay to other road users. Research to date has shown that VISSIM model is more suitable for the evaluation of signal control improvement.  The latest signal controlled pedestrian crossing facility, the Puffin, has been modelled and tested in VISSIM micro-simulation model. The objective of this study is to verify the Puffin coding using VISSIM microsimulation software. It is to ensure that the Puffin signal control in VISSIM is working as in a real traffic condition. For this purpose a suitable mid-block section was selected at Market Street, United Kingdom. Pedestrians' characteristics, vehicular characteristics, geometric layout of the site were retrieved from video recording. All these characteristics were coded in Puffin model using VISSIM micro-simulation. The results proved that the Puffin model in VISSIM is able to reproduce site representative condition.  The findings in this study are significant in the whole modelling process.
Performance of PSf Ultrafiltration Membrane: Effect of Different Nonsolvent on Coagulation Medium
Authors: Shohur Muhamad Fikri , Harun Zawati , Lau W. J. , Yunos Muhamad Zaini , Jamalludin Mohd Riduan
Published: January 2014

One of the big challenges in developing a good asymmetric membrane  is macrovoid formation that leads to reduction of rejection value.  The most common method to reduce or suppress macrovoid formation is by addition of controlled solvent to the coagulation bath. Therefore, the effect of difference coagulants based on dissolved KCl (monovalent) and dissolved Na2SO4(divalent) with different concentration onto asymmetric Polysulfone (PSf) ultrafiltration membrane was investigated in this work. The PSf ultrafiltration membranes were prepared by using phase inversion method using these two immerse aqueous solutions. The performances of membranes were evaluated via pure water flux (distilled water) and solute rejection (humic acid). Results on the cross section revealed that the structure of membrane show a straight pattern of bigger finger-like pore structure from top to bottom layer tend to reduce with at the same time the diameter of finger-like pore structure  also increased, as salt medium of coagulant increases. These obviously shown by permeation values for both salt mediums were higher compared to without salt coagulant. This reduction of finger-like structure at bottom layer occurred along together with the formation of sponge shape structure. The growth of thick sponge shape is strongly influence by kinetic phase inversion of salt coagulant that also creates resistance to permeation mechanism. However the intense salt coagulant medium can cause the bigger sponge structure that will slightly reduce rejection and increase the permeation.  This was proved by the rejection of KCl medium started to increase at 1-3% but slightly reduced at 4%. Based on the result analysis demonstrated that the ideal membrane with highest rejection and good permeation values was membrane immersed into 1% Na2SO4 coagulation medium.
Improved Performance of PAN-based UF Membrane with PAN-g-PVA Amphiphilic Copolymer
Authors: Nazri N. A. M. , Lau W. J. , Ismail A. F. , Saidin M. A. R.
Published: January 2014

The present study focuses on the effect of poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN)-g-poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) amphiphilic copolymer as an additive on fabrication of PAN-based UF hollow fiber membrane. The PAN-based hollow fiber membranes with different copolymer composition in dope solution were prepared via dry-wet phase inversion process. Compared to PAN-based membrane, membranes incorporated with PAN-g-PVA copolymer displayed good morphology and better hydrophilicity. It is found that pure water flux of the membrane incorporated with amphiphilic copolymer was 5 times higher than that of control membrane, recording 244.97 L/m2.hr when tested at 1 bar. Results also showed that the UF membranes incorporated with amphiphilic copolymer were able to retain efficiently bovine serum albumin (BSA) (66 kDa) and possessed better anti-fouling performance.
Doppler Shift Removal Based on Instantaneous Frequency Estimation for Wayside Fault Diagnosis of Train Bearings
Authors: Zhang Ao , Hu Fei , He Qingbo , Shen Changqing , Liu Fang , Kong Fanrang
Published: January 2014

The phenomenon of Doppler shift in the acoustic signal acquired by a microphone amounted beside the railway leads to the difficulty for fault diagnosis of train bearings with a high moving speed. To enhance the condition monitoring performance of the bearings on a passing train using stationary microphones, the elimination of the Doppler shift should be implemented firstly to correct the severe frequency-domain distortion of the acoustic signal recorded in these conditions. In this paper, a Doppler shift removal method is proposed based on instantaneous frequency (IF) estimation (IFE) for analyzing acoustic signals from train bearings with a high speed. Specifically, the IFE based on short-time Fourier transform is firstly applied to attain the IF vector. According to the acoustic theory of Morse, the data fitting is then carried out to achieve the fitting IFs with which the resampling sequence can be established as the resampling vector in time domain. The resampled signal can be finally reconstructed to realize fault diagnosis of train bearings. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this method, two simulations and an experiment with practical acoustic signals of train bearings with a crack on the outer raceway and the inner raceway have been carried out, and the comparison results have been presented in this paper.
Crack Initiation in 14% Cr Low Pressure Turbine Blade Steel
Authors: Hahn W. , Tasker G. , Naylor E. , Kidd M.
Published: January 2014

The impact of multiple erosion pits and crack initiation was investigated for a 500 megawatt (MW) steam turbine unit with three low pressure (LP) rotors on the steam end and generator end of the stage L0 blades. These units have been subjected to two-shifting operation and have been retrofitted with new high pressure (HP) turbine units over the life history of the turbines. Droplet erosion damage was exacerbated by operating conditions causing multiple crack initiation sites concentrated above the root platform. A method of accumulated damage was employed using pit counting and the number of cycles referenced back to turbine revolutions in line with the accumulated damage model developed from the damage function analysis and Palmgren–Miner approaches. The number of rotational cycles were calculated from the starts and running hours for pre- and post-retrofit scenarios and compared and correlated to the number of pits formed during the completed cycles. The macro crack size represented the critical crack size or a damage number of one. It was found that there was a significant shift in the number of rotations before and after the HP turbine retrofit to achieve a damage rate of one. An accumulated damage model was developed for the post HP turbine retrofit and the LP turbine last stage blades fitted from new, based on the empirical evidence from the analysis. Assessments on the erosion distribution in the zoned areas revealed evidence of cracking, manifesting 18 mm away from the highest probability distribution with a standard deviation of 2 mm. The area where cracking first initiated on multiple samples was found to coincide with the mechanical change in the section blending in with the blade trailing edge. The damage model was implemented on a ive running plant and successfully applied over a period of two years using the most conservative approach, based on the lower bound values.
Performance of Near-Field Thermophotovoltaic Cells Enhanced With a Backside Reflector
Authors: Bright T. J. , Wang L. P. , Zhang Z. M.
Published: January 2014

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems are very promising for waste heat recovery. This work analyzes the performance of a near-field TPV device with a gold reflecting layer on the backside of the cell. The radiative transfer from a tungsten radiator, at a temperature ranging from 1250 K to 2000 K, to an In0.18Ga0.82Sb TPV cell at 300 K is calculated using fluctuational electrodynamics. The current generation by the absorbed photon energy is modeled by the minority carrier diffusion equations considering recombination. The energy conversion efficiency of the cell is determined from the generated electrical power and the net absorbed radiant power per unit area. A parametric study of the cell efficiency considering the gap spacing and other parameters is conducted. For an emitter at temperature 1250 K, the efficiency enhancement by adding a mirror, which reduces the sub-bandgap radiation, is shown to be as much as 35% relative to a semi-infinite TPV cell. In addition, the potential for further improvement by reducing surface recombination velocity from that of a perfect ohmic contact is examined. The cell performance is shown to increase with decreasing gap spacing below a critical surface recombination velocity.
Aerial Exposure to the Bacterial Volatile Compound Trimethylamine Modifies Antibiotic Resistance of Physically Separated Bacteria by Raising Culture Medium pH
Authors: Létoffé Sylvie , Audrain Bianca , Bernier Steve P. , Delepierre Muriel , Ghigo Jean-Marc
Published: January 2014

Bacteria release a wide diversity of small bioactive molecules that often correspond to secondary metabolites. Among them, volatile molecules produced under various growth conditions were shown to mediate cross-kingdom interactions with plants, nematodes, and fungi. Although the role of volatile compounds in bacterial biology is not well understood, recent reports indicated that they could play a role in airborne interactions between bacteria and influence antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation, and virulence. In this study, we investigated long-distance effects of 14 previously describedEscherichia colivolatile compounds upon the bacteriaE. coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus, andBacillus subtilis. We show that several of these molecules constitute chemical cues influencing growth, adhesion, and motility in exposed bacteria. Moreover, we show that aerial exposure to trimethylamine (TMA), a volatile compound produced in animal intestines and tissues upon biogenic reduction of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), modifies the antibiotic resistance profiles of all tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We demonstrate that the TMA mode of action is distinct from that previously described for ammonia and results from nonspecific transient alteration of antibiotic uptake due to pH increase in the environment of bacteria aerially exposed to TMA. Our study therefore presents a new way by which volatile compounds can affect community behavior and structure in physically separated bacteria. It further demonstrates that bacterial gases and volatile compounds mediate chemical interactions, triggering functional responses that play an important role in the development of bacterial communities.

IMPORTANCEBacteria release many different volatile compounds during food transformation and fermentation. Here we sought to investigate the role of several bacterial volatile molecules released byEscherichia coliduring long-distance airborne interactions with other bacteria. While several tested volatiles affect bacterial motility and surface adhesion, we show that aerial exposure to trimethylamine, a molecule produced byE. coliand many other Gram-negative bacteria in animal intestines and infected tissues, also modulates antibiotic resistance in all tested bacteria. We demonstrate that exposure to trimethylamine increases the pH of the growth medium of exposed bacteria, resulting in modifications in antibiotic uptake and transient alteration of antibiotic resistance. Our study therefore presents a new mechanism by which volatile compounds can affect community behavior and structure in physically separated bacteria, and it illustrates how airborne chemical interactions between bacteria contribute to the development of bacterial communities.
Bracing superior to neuromuscular training for the prevention of self-reported recurrent ankle sprains: a three-arm randomised controlled trial
Authors: Janssen Kasper W , van Mechelen Willem , Verhagen Evert A L M
Published: January 2014

Background

Ankle sprain is the most common sports-related injury with a high rate of recurrence and associated costs. Recent studies have emphasised the effectiveness of both neuromuscular training and bracing for the secondary prevention of ankle sprains.

Aim

To evaluate the effectiveness of combined bracing and neuromuscular training, or bracing alone, against the use of neuromuscular training on recurrences of ankle sprain after usual care.

Methods

384 athletes, aged 18–70, who had sustained a lateral ankle sprain, were included (training group n=120; brace group n=126; combi group n=138). The training group received an 8-week home-based neuromuscular training programme, the brace group received a semirigid ankle brace to be worn during all sports activities for 12 months, and the combi group received both the training programme, as well as the ankle brace, to be worn during all sports activities for 8 weeks. The main outcome measure was self-reported recurrence of the ankle sprain.

Results

During the 1-year follow-up, 69 participants (20%) reported a recurrent ankle sprain: 29 (27%) in the training group, 17 (15%) in the brace group and 23 (19%) in the combi group. The relative risk for a recurrent ankle sprain in the brace group versus the training group was 0.53 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.97). No significant differences were found for time losses or costs due to ankle sprains between the intervention groups.

Conclusions

Bracing was superior to neuromuscular training in reducing the incidence but not the severity of self-reported recurrent ankle sprains after usual care.
(1, 2) AND WEAK (1, 3) HOMOTOPIES ON KNOT PROJECTIONS
Authors: ITO NOBORU , TAKIMURA YUSUKE
Published: January 2014

In this paper, we obtain the necessary and sufficient condition that two knot projections are related by a finite sequence of the first and second flat Reidemeister moves (Theorem 2.2). We also consider an equivalence relation that is called weak (1, 3) homotopy. This equivalence relation occurs by the first flat Reidemeister move and one of the third flat Reidemeister moves. We introduce a map sending weak (1, 3) homotopy classes to knot isotopy classes (Sec. 3). Using the map, we determine which knot projections are trivialized under weak (1, 3) homotopy (Corollary 4.1).
ONE-POT SYNTHESIS OF Sb2Se3 NANOWIRES USING SELENIUM DIOXIDE AS THE SELENIUM PRECURSOR IN AIR AND THEIR CHARACTERIZATION
Authors: YE MINGFU , YI TINGEING , XU LIXIN , CHEN GUOCHANG , LI YUNCHAO , HUANG MENGXIAO , SUN QINGJIANG , LI YONGFANG
Published: January 2014

Orthorhombic phase of antimony triselenide ( Sb 2 Se 3) nanowires have been obtained by a facile and effective one-pot noninjection chemical route with controllable shape and size. The synthesis, which uses SeO 2 as the selenium precursor and can be conducted in air, is suitable for the larger-scale industrial synthesis of high-quality nanocrystals at low cost. The as-prepared nanocrystals were extensively characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We believe that the method present here is a more straightforward and cost-effective route to prepare Sb 2 Se 3 nanocrystals with high quality. The band-edge positions of the Sb 2 Se 3 nanocrystals are studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV).
A SILICON GERMANIUM GRADED JUNCTIONLESS TRANSISTOR WITH LOW OFF CURRENT
Authors: SURANA NEELAM , GHOSH BAHNIMAN , TRIPATHY BALL MUKUND MANI , SALIMATH AKSHAY KUMAR
Published: January 2014

We propose a Ge / Si graded junctionless transistor (JLT) which helps to reduce the band-to-band tunneling current in off-state for highly doped double gate junctionless transistor (DGJLT). In this paper, we show that there is large band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) current in off-state of silicon-channel and germanium-channel DGJLT, which causes increase in the off-state leakage current by several orders. With the help of band-gap engineering, we found that by using Ge / Si graded channel DGJLT off-state band-to-band tunneling current can be reduced. It is also observed that there is large deviation in the off-state leakage current with variation of drain voltage for Si and Ge body DGJLT, which reduces device stability. It is found that in Ge / Si graded DGJLT variation off-state leakage current with drain voltage is controlled. In Si and Ge , DGJLT electrons from the valence band of the channel tunnel to the conduction band of drain leaves holes which causes increased hole concentration in the channel creating parasitic 'BJT'.
Factorization of Dirac equation in two space dimensions
Authors: Bahlouli Hocine , Jellal Ahmed , Zahidi Youness
Published: January 2014

We present a systematic approach for the separation of variables for the two-dimensional (2D) Dirac equation in polar coordinates. The three vector potential, which couple to the Dirac spinor via minimal coupling, along with the scalar potential are chosen to have angular dependence which emanate the Dirac equation to complete separation of variables. Exact solutions are obtained for a class of solvable potentials along with their relativistic spinor wavefunctions. Particular attention is paid to the situation where the potentials are confined to a quantum dot region and are of scalar, vector and pseudo-scalar type. The study of a single charged impurity embedded in a 2D Dirac equation in the presence of a uniform magnetic field was treated as a particular case of our general study.
FABRICATING WELL-DISPERSED NANOSIZED GOLD CATALYST ON TITANATE NANOWIRES SURFACE FOR 4-NITROPHENOL REDUCTION
Authors: CHEN GUANGLIANG , XUE FEI , CHEN ZHILI , SI XIAOLEI , ZHENG XU , HUANG JUN , MASSEY SYLVAIN
Published: January 2014

In this paper, homogenous gold nanoparticles ( AuNPs ) with a high density and a narrow size distribution were successfully fabricated on titanate nanowires (TNWs) scaffolds in the absence of organic capping agents. An ameliorated low-temperature hydrothermal method was used to prepare the TNWs scaffolds like bird's nest on the Ti substrate, and the nanowires diameter was about 30–80nm. Then, AuNPs were synthesized on the TNWs scaffolds with a deposition–precipitation urea (DPU) method. The TEM and XRD measurements indicated that well-crystallized face-centered cubic (fcc) AuNPs were homogeneously dispersed on TNWs, and AuNPs with average sizes of 2.7 nm and 4 nm were obtained, respectively for the theoretical gold loading 5 wt.% and 8 wt.%. Inspiringly, the 8%- AuNPs /TNWs catalyst could reduce 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) within 210 s, and exhibited better catalytic reduction performance than that of 5%- AuNPs /TNWs.