bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resource Development Opportunities for the Association of Leadership Educators: Phase One
Authors: Noble Donnette J. , Matesi Lyna , Breen Jennifer Moss , Horstmeier Robin Peiter , Anderson Dennis M. , Allen Stuart , Pedigo Leslie
Published: June 2016

This application brief shares Phase One of an action research project for the Association of Leadership Educators. This project demonstrates how a member-based association can successfully engage its members in terms of identifying needs, defining strategic priorities, and detecting resource development opportunities. This body of work has various implications for leadership and leadership education and provides a model that other associations can replicate to engage in resource development.

A brief history of the association’s first 25 years since its inception is provided in this brief and the work of the Resource Development Committee is presented. The findings from two focus group sessions conducted during the 2014 annual conference are highlighted and the paper closes with a discussion of how the Resource Development Committee can, through specific initiatives, support the association’s wellbeing and strategic direction. By sharing the rationale behind the Association of Leadership Educators board of directors’ decision to invest in a resource development strategy, other association leaders can access and implement a similar action plan to generate additional revenue which, in turn, can be used to enhance association membership services.
Lessons that Last: LeaderShape-related Gains in Student Leadership Capacity over Time
Authors: Rosch David M. , Stephens Clinton M. , Collins Jasmine D.
Published: June 2016

The LeaderShape Institute is a popular immersion-based leadership program that is hosted on dozens of university campuses and conducted nationally each year. As part of a comprehensive research effort, a sample of 1,279 students at 21 participating institutions completed a pre-test prior to participating, as well as a post-test immediately after and a follow- up test three to four months later. Tests included measures of leadership skills, leadership- oriented self-efficacy, motivation to lead, and motivation to advocate for social issues. Results suggest students make gains in skill, confidence, and motivation to advocate for social issues, but that not all gains emerged similarly across social identity groups. Several differences emerged when comparing gains measured from pre-test to post-test and gains that included follow-up tests. This study provides support for the effectiveness of the LeaderShape Institute, and possesses several implications for the methods used in assessing the development of leadership capacity.
Principles of Peer Leadership: An Undergraduate Course for Students in Positions to Serve Fellow Students
Authors: Friedel Curtis R. , Kirland Kelsey Church , Grimes Matthew W.
Published: June 2016

Principles of Peer Leadership is an undergraduate course developed through the collaboration of leadership educators with colleagues from residence life and fraternity/sorority life to provide instruction to undergraduate students serving in peer leadership positions across campus. The course comprises online and recitation components to connect leadership concepts to the students’ peer leadership practice. This application brief is intended to a) provide an overview of the course along with relevant scholarship used in its design, b) detail the course format and its various components for developing leadership skills, and c) offer educator reflections about how the course has worked well, and areas for improvement. Among the recommendations for future practice is a clear message of collaboration with university stakeholders and continuous assessment.
The Challenge of Leading Work Teams: Creating a Case Study to Enhance Learning
Authors: Schraeder Mike , Bandow Diane
Published: June 2016

The competitive success of organizations is heavily dependent on the quality of leadership within those organizations. Among the growing list of skills required for effective leadership is the need for leaders to promote the deployment of effective teams in the workplace. There are numerous strategies and methods that have been utilized to prepare future leaders to meet the challenge of developing and promoting high performance teams in the workplace. This idea brief summarizes one approach developed by faculty for a new course in a graduate management/leadership program titled, “Leading and Developing High Performance Teams.” The approach summarized in this article includes a hypothetical/fictional mini-case that was developed specifically for the purpose of meeting course objectives related to the identification of issues/challenges related to virtual teams, as well as diversity in teams. The mini-case is followed by some proposed questions that will accompany the case. A sample of acceptable responses is also provided.
Teaching Leadership Online: An Exploratory Study of Instructional and Assessment Strategy Use
Authors: Jenkins Daniel M.
Published: June 2016

This global, quantitative study explores the instructional and assessment strategy use of leadership educators who teach online, academic credit-bearing leadership studies courses at graduate- and undergraduate-levels. Participants include 81 graduate-level and 37 undergraduate- level instructors who taught an online leadership studies course within two years of completing the web-based survey used in this study. Findings suggest that discussion-based pedagogies, most commonly facilitated in online discussion boards, were the most widely used strategies. And, while reflection, case studies, and group or individual projects were also used frequently, instructors teaching graduate-level courses used ungraded formative quizzes significantly more often than undergraduate instructors. Findings also suggest that instructors attached the most weight to their students’ overall course grades to discussion boards, major writing projects or term papers, and participation.
A Retrospective Study of Academic Leadership Skill Development, Retention and Use: The Experience of the Food Systems Leadership Institute
Authors: Fernandez Claudia S. P. , Noble Cheryl C. , Jensen Elizabeth T. , Martin Linda , Stewart Marshall
Published: June 2016

The Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) is a 2-year leadership development program consisting of 3 intensive in-person immersion retreats, and a robust and customizable distance-based program. Participants come primarily from land-grant and public universities and learn about personal, organizational and system leadership with a focus on food systems as an organizing theme. For this study, program graduates from FSLI Cohorts 4-6 (n=60) were asked to complete an online retrospective pre- and post-test of skill competency and skill use for 20 competencies addressed in the program, with 47 (78%) completing the survey. Data indicate participants’ ratings of skill competency increased significantly across all 20 targeted areas.Participants further noted that they used these skills more after completing the program as compared to prior to the Fellowship training. Data suggest the FSLI model of leadership development can have a significant impact on participants’ perceived skill level in and use of important skills in both personal and organizational leadership in academic and food system settings.
Latter-day Saint Women and Leadership: The Influence of Their Religious Worldview
Authors: Madsen Susan R.
Published: June 2016

The article examines theories, assumptions, concepts, experiences, and practices from the Latter-day Saints’ (LDS, or the Mormons) religious worldview to expand existing theoretical constructs and implications of leadership development and education for women. The article elucidates LDS doctrine and culture regarding women and provides specific strategies and guidelines to assist people involved with leadership development for LDS women. The article contains four sections: (1) overview of the LDS religion, (2) doctrine and culture, (3) theoretical frameworks, and (4) implications for research and practice. Analysis provides a foundation for leadership scholars and practitioners, particularly those who work directly with LDS women, to facilitate the development and growth of LDS women as leaders.
Do Incentive Hierarchies Induce User Effort? Evidence from an Online Knowledge Exchange
Authors: Goes Paulo B. , Guo Chenhui , Lin Mingfeng
Published: June 2016

To motivate user contributions, user-generated content sites routinely deploy incentive hierarchies, where users achieve increasingly higher statuses in the community after achieving increasingly more difficult goals. Yet the existing empirical literature remains largely unclear whether such hierarchies are indeed effective in inducing user contributions. We gather data from a large online crowd-based knowledge exchange to answer this question, and draw on goal setting and status hierarchy theories to study users’ contributions before and after they reach consecutive ranks on a vertical incentive hierarchy. We find evidence that even though these glory-based incentives may motivate users to contribute more before the goals are reached, user contribution levels drop significantly after that. The positive effect on user contribution appears only temporary. Moreover, such impacts are increasingly smaller for higher ranks. Our results highlight some unintended and heretofore undocumented effects of incentive hierarchies, and have important implications for business models that rely on user contributions, such as knowledge exchange and crowdsourcing, as well as the broader phenomenon of gamification in other contexts.
Combining Spot and Futures Markets: A Hybrid Market Approach to Dynamic Spectrum Access
Authors: Gao Lin , Shou Biying , Chen Ying-Ju , Huang Jianwei
Published: June 2016

Dynamic spectrum access is a new paradigm of secondary spectrum utilization and sharing. It allows unlicensed secondary users (SUs) to exploit the opportunistically underutilized licensed spectrum. Market mechanism is a widely used promising means to regulate the consuming behaviours of users and, hence, achieve the efficient allocation and consumption of limited resources. In this paper, we propose and study a hybrid secondary spectrum market consisting of both the futures market and the spot market, in which SUs (buyers) purchase underutilized licensed spectrum from a spectrum regulator (SR), either through predefined contracts via the futures market, or through spot transactions via the spot market. We focus on the optimal spectrum allocation among SUs in an exogenous hybrid market that maximizes the secondary spectrum utilization efficiency. The problem is challenging because of the stochasticity and asymmetry of network information. To solve this problem, we first derive an off-line optimal allocation policy that maximizes the ex ante expected spectrum utilization efficiency based on the stochastic distribution of network information. We then propose an online Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) auction that determines the real-time allocation and pricing of every spectrum based on the realized network information and the prederived off-line policy. We further show that with the spatial frequency reuse, the proposed VCG auction is NP-hard; hence, it is not suitable for online implementation, especially in a large-scale market. To this end, we propose a heuristics approach based on an online VCG-like mechanism with polynomial-time complexity, and further characterize the corresponding performance loss bound analytically. We finally provide extensive numerical results to evaluate the performance of the proposed solutions.
Spreading the Word: The Microfoundations of Institutional Persuasion and Conversion
Authors: Tracey Paul
Published: June 2016

I examine the microlevel processes involved when members of an organization seek to persuade others to internalize a new institutional logic. To do so I conduct a qualitative study of the Alpha course, an evangelizing movement designed to convert agnostics to a particular—and contested—interpretation of Christianity. My analysis suggests that the process of persuading actors to adopt a new logic entails four distinct kinds of microinstitutional work and illustrates the dynamics underpinning each of them. It also delineates three discrete paths that targeted actors may follow in response to persuasive attempts. I contribute to organization theory by building a framework that conceptualizes the microfoundations of institutional persuasion and conversion. The framework illustrates the two-way nature of institutional communication and highlights the potential of emotion and ritual performance to connect actors with—and alienate actors from—institutional logics.
Recognition and management of psychological distress in HF
Authors: Irvine Bruce , Mojee Mira , Jury Rebecca , Allan Lesley , Cox Sally , Sharp John , Hawkins Ingrid
Published: June 2016

Background:

Evidence suggests psychological distress is common in people with heart failure (HF) and associated with adverse clinical and quality of life outcomes. Recent national guidelines highlight that there is a need to improve psychological care in HF.

Purpose:

This retrospective study of 11 917 clinic letters written by specialist heart failure nurses (SHFNs) contained within 2488 patient files aimed to benchmark documented recognition and management of psychological distress in HF patients by SHFNs in 11 NHS Scotland health boards.

Conclusions:

The study indicated SHFN case note documentation of recognition and management of psychological distress in HF fell dramatically short of clinical guidelines. Few people with HF are recognised as having associated psychological distress and fewer still are accessing evidence-based interventions.

Clinical implications:

Improvement to the documentation, identification and management of psychological distress in people with HF by SHFNs should be supported by training delivered by accredited psychology practitioners. There is a need for services to have clinical pathways in place to support any increases in identification of psychological distress in HF.
Pedagogy in citizenship education research: A comparative perspective
Authors: Hahn Carole L.
Published: June 2016

The author of this article argues for using a comparative and international perspective to understand the role of pedagogy in civic education. Drawing on her own research in England, Germany and Denmark, the author demonstrates that pedagogical cultures vary. Next, she discusses what international researchers have learned about civic education pedagogy from the large cross-national assessments and what individual researchers have learned from small case studies within diverse countries, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Philippines and Singapore. She then discusses recent research programmes in the United States that have yielded important information related to pedagogy, including the use of discussion, simulations and digital/social media. The author concludes by proposing a list of needed comparative and international research on civic education pedagogy.
Is Student Union a tokenism of student participation in school governance?
Authors: Leung Yan Wing , Yuen Timothy Wai Wa , Cheng Eric Chi Keung , Guo Chunlan
Published: June 2016

This article is a report on part of a larger research on student participation in school governance in the Hong Kong context. It addresses the question ‘Is the Student Union a tokenism of student participation in school governance in the context of Hong Kong?’. The research adopts a mixed methodology comprising both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative study, 3209 valid student questionnaires from 51 secondary schools of different backgrounds were collected. For the qualitative study, four schools of different levels of student participation were involved in in-depth case studies. Semi-structured interviews and field observations with teachers and students were conducted to collect qualitative data. The study revealed that from the questionnaire, the ‘one student, one vote’ policy was an apparently fair, transparent and democratic procedure for Student Union elections, and gave the Student Union a positive image in relation to student participation. However, the in-depth case studies revealed that these were superficial perceptions. Instead, it was found that schools shared very limited powers with their Student Unions, where the Student Union would have power only in trivial school operational matters. The ultimate, real power was in the hands of school authorities, seriously limiting the influence of student participation. Our studies further revealed that whether students were satisfied with this disempowering situation or not, most of them had become ‘positive and passive’. This was because they had been socialized to accept the status quo, without expressing dissident voices, as they did not want to oppose the caring school ethos that they valued. In summary, Student Unions in Hong Kong are, in general, close to tokenism, a representative mechanism that cannot take meaningful action to bring forth genuine changes in important school matters. This may have negative impacts on students’ citizenship development, and ends up with cultivating students to be non-questioning, non-participatory, cynical, passive and docile citizens.
AN EXPLORATORY SURVEY ON THE TOPIC INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Authors: Trierweiller Andréa Cristina , Bornia Antonio Cezar , Gisi Maria Fernanda Sobierajski , Spenassato Débora , Severo-Peixe Blênio César , Rotta Maurício José Ribeiro
Published: June 2016

The aim of this article is to analyse publications about Integrated Management Systems (IMS) and identify research opportunities. We conducted a literature review using the software EndNote to index the articles, and identified features related to IMS based on a systemic analysis. The interest of firms in implementing standards for Quality, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety, respectively, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 is increasing, however, managing these three separate systems is a challenge. Some of the reasons that we presented in these articles for implementing IMS include satisfying customers’ requirements and responding to government appeals. Finally, we identified from the portfolio of articles the most cited authors, articles, barriers and difficulties for implementing IMS.
Late Oligocene macrofloras from fluviatile siliciclastic facies of the Köln Formation at the south-eastern border of the Lower Rhine Embayment (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
Authors: Winterscheid Heinrich , Kvaček Zlatko
Published: June 2016

The leaf remains described herein came from the oldest sites of the Cainozoic deposits in the Lower Rhine Embayment, located in the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field at the south-eastern border of this basin, in the area of Siebengebirge and vicinity. These revisited floras are bound to pre-volcanic siliciclastic facies of the Siebengebirge Mts., interpreted as marginal facies of the Köln Formation. Chronostratigraphically they are assigned to the late Oligocene (Chattian). The described leaf remains are partially compressions with preserved epidermal anatomy, and therefore highly useful for systematic determination of leaf impressions recovered from other localities of siliciclastic facies. On account of the epidermal characteristics of leaf compressions varying in gross morphology, the previously determined taxa Quercus goepperti, Laurus phoeboides, and Persea speciosa all fall into the abundantly represented Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis. The siliciclastic deposits originated in coastal and flood plain areas within fluviatile environments of variable deposition energy. Remains of Taxodium dubium, Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis, Populus germanica, and Daphnogene cinnamomifolia dominate among the recovered fossils. The general aspects of this plant assemblage correspond, together with their sedimentary settings, to riparian forest vegetation with mesophytic elements.
Method of estimating the exposure of the natural environment to 50 Hz electric and magnetic fields in power systems with distributed and centralized generations
Authors: Zeńczak Michał
Published: June 2016

The development of a distributed generation will influence the structure of the power transmission and distribution network. Distributed sources have lower power and therefore the lines of lower voltage are used. Therefore, the electric field intensity near such lines is lower. On the other hand magnetic field intensity may prove essential. The main aim of the paper is to present a method estimating the “ballast” of the natural environment at 50 Hz electric and magnetic fields in the power system, with distributed and centralized generation in real operating conditions.
Impact of the sleeve thickness on the armature eccentricity in a solenoid valve
Authors: Goraj Robert
Published: June 2016

Most studies on solenoid valves (SVs) assumed that the armature is concentrically positioned in the sleeve. Under this assumption the transversal component of the magnetic force is equal zero. The article presents an analytical calculation model for the estimation of the armature eccentricity. Using this model the eccentricity was calculated as a function of the sleeve thickness and the hydraulic clearance between the armature and the sleeve. After finding the eccentricity also the permeance of the radial air gap was calculated. This permeance has a direct influence on the drop of the magnetomotive force in the magnetic circuit and finally influences also the axial component of the magnetic force. In the article a calculation of both transversal and axial components of the magnetic force was carried out and presented in the appendix to the article.
Epidemiological trends of hormone-related cancers in Slovenia
Authors: Zadnik Vesna , Krajc Mateja
Published: June 2016

The incidence of hormone-related cancers tends to be higher in the developed world than in other countries. In Slovenia, six hormone-related cancers (breast, ovarian, endometrial, prostate, testicular, and thyroid) account for a quarter of all cancers. Their incidence goes up each year, breast and prostate cancer in particular. The age at diagnosis is not decreasing for any of the analysed cancer types. The risk of breast cancer is higher in the western part of the country, but no differences in geographical distribution have been observed for other hormone-related cancers. Furthermore, areas polluted with endocrine-disrupting chemicals that affect hormone balance such as PCBs, dioxins, heavy metals, and pesticides, do not seem to involve a greater cancer risk. We know little about how many cancers can be associated with endocrine disruptors, as there are too few reliable exposure studies to support an association.
Terbufos-sulfone exacerbates cardiac lesions in diabetic rats: a sub-acute toxicity study
Authors: Nurulain Syed M. , Shafiullah Mohamed , Yasin Javed , Adem Abdu , Kaabi Juma Al , Tariq Saeed , Adeghate Ernest , Ojha Shreesh
Published: June 2016

Organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) have a wide range of applications, from agriculture to warfare. Exposure to these brings forward a varied kind of health issues globally. Terbufos is one of the leading OPCs used worldwide. The present study investigates the cardiac effect of no observable dose of a metabolite of terbufos, terbufos-sulfone (TS), under non-diabetic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic condition. One hundred nanomoles per rat (1/20 of LD50) was administered intraperitoneally to adult male Wister rats daily for fifteen days. The left ventricle was collected for ultrastructural changes by transmission electron microscopy. The blood samples were collected for biochemical tests including RBC acetylcholinesterase, creatinine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, ALT, AST, and GGT. The study revealed about 10 % inhibition of RBC-AChE in two weeks of TS treatment in non-diabetic rats whereas RBC-AChE activity was significantly decreased in diabetic TS treated rats. CK, LDH, and triglycerides were significantly higher in diabetic TS treated rats. Electron microscopy of the heart showed derangement and lesions of the mitochondria of cardiomyocytes in the TS treated groups. The present study concludes that a non-lethal dose of TS causes cardiac lesions which exacerbate under diabetic condition. Biochemical tests confirmed the ultrastructural changes. It is concluded that a non-lethal dose of TS may be a risk factor for a cardiovascular disease, which may be fatal under diabetic condition.
The relationship between latitudinal light variation and orbit and cranial size in humans
Authors: Short Alice
Published: June 2016

Increased orbit size is suggested to be an adaptation for enhanced visual acuity and sensitivity in conditions of reduced light quality. Whilst light ambience has a well established correlation with eye size in birds and primates, evidence in humans is very limited. The aim of this study was to analyse the anatomical compensations of the eye and visual cortex as a result of varying levels of light exposure. It was hypothesized that humans of higher latitudes will have an increased orbit size to improve visual sensitivity and acuity in conditions of decreased light, and thus greater cranium size due to enlarged visual cortices. Craniometric measurements of 1,209 male and 1,021 female individuals from 27 series coming from different latitudes were sourced from William W. Howells Craniometric Data Set. Mean cranial and orbit size was calculated by combining linear craniometric measurements of length, width and height for individual males and females at each latitude. Linear regressions of orbit and cranial size on latitude were created and significance was measured using Pearson’s r and P value. Partial correlations were calculated to test whether orbit size correlates with latitude independent of cranial size. Significant positive correlations were found between i) orbit and cranial size and ii) orbit size and latitude and iii) cranial size and latitude in males and females. Additionally, partial correlation values for latitude and orbit size were significant in both males and females. The relationship between visual system size and increasing latitude among humans is currently understudied. Significant relationships between visual system size and increasing latitude suggest that enlarged eyes were an evolutionary mechanism for individuals with compromised light availability. Other factors related to varying geographic location may also play a role.
No effect of birth month or season on height in a large international sample of adults
Authors: Kramer Robin S.S.
Published: June 2016

Although several studies in recent years have provided evidence of a relationship between month of birth and height during childhood, the association remains less clear for adult (final) height. Here, I investigated this relationship using a large international sample of adult actors. Analyses considered both the sample as a whole, as well as subsamples based on nationality, and treated men and women separately. In all instances, I found no relationship between birth month or season and height, even after controlling for year of birth. This may be due to the particular nature of samples of actors, who are taller than the general population, or could suggest more broadly that birth month effects are minimal or absent in adults.
The Effect of Supplementing Sodium Butyrate Containing Feed with Glutamine and/or Glucose on the Structure of the Piglet Digestive Tract and Selected Blood Indices
Authors: Hanczakowska Ewa , Niwińska Barbara , Grela Eugeniusz R. , Węglarzy Karol , Okoń Krzysztof
Published: June 2016

The effect of supplementing the standard piglet diet containing sodium butyrate with glutamine and/or glucose on the structure of the piglet digestive tract and the small intestine epithelium, acidity and volatile fatty acid content of its digesta was investigated. The free amino acids level, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentration in the blood were also analysed. The experiment was performed on 156 piglets (15 litters) allocated to 5 experimental groups, 3 litters in each. Group I (C, negative control) received a basal mixture with no supplement. Group II (SB, positive control) was fed the same basal diet containing additionally 3 g of sodium butyrate per kg. Group III and IV, besides sodium butyrate, received additionally 10 g of glutamine (GT) or glucose (GC), respectively. The last group V received all these supplements, i.e. SB+GT+GC (3, 10, 10 g per kg, respectively). At 60 days of age, the piglets (6 animals from each group) were slaughtered and their intestines were measured and weighed. The piglets in group SB+GT+GC receiving all the supplements grew slightly faster than the others, and at the end of the experiment the differences in body weight were significant. The total intestinal mass of the piglets fed with glucose or all the supplements was significantly higher than that of the piglets receiving glutamine but there was no significant difference in the total length of intestines. There was also no significant difference in acidity of chyme along the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract. Digesta in the jejunum of both control groups (C, SB) contained significantly more SCFA than the remaining groups. In the caecum their content in the negative control and the group fed with all supplements was significantly higher when compared to the butyrate and glucose group. In the duodenum villus height was similar in all the groups but in the jejunum it was significantly higher in the group receiving all supplements than in other groups. Free amino acids level was lowest in the piglets receiving glucose but there was no difference between the remaining groups. The lowest level of IGF-1 was found in the same group and this difference was significant when compared with remaining groups, except C. It is concluded that glutamine and glucose, when given together with sodium butyrate, improve the structure of piglet jejunum epithelium and average body weight gains. A supplement of glucose significantly lowers free amino acid content and IGF-1 level in piglet blood.
Comparison of Fatty Acid Composition of Milk from Simmental and Polish Holstein-Friesian Cows in Different Production Seasons
Authors: Adamska Agata , Rutkowska Jarosława , Przybylski Wiesław
Published: June 2016

The aim of this study was to determine the fatty acid (FA) profile of Simmental cow milk in relation to lipid intake in feeds and their composition, and to compare it with FA composition of milk from cows of Polish Holstein-Friesian (PHF) breed. To this end, 104 milk samples were collected from Simmental cows and 52 milk samples derived from PHF breed were taken over a 2-year period. The season significantly influenced both contents of lipid, dry matter and crude protein as well as FA content in lipids extracted from forages. Winter and autumn seasons were characterized by a significantly higher intake of lipids with forages resulting from the intake of fresh silages, compared with the other seasons when the animals were fed stored silages. This was reflected in the highest content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) c-9 t-11 C18:2 in milk from the autumn season. Compared with PHF, milk from Simmentals had a higher content of short-chain saturated FAs (SCSFAs) and was characterized by great differences in FA contents determined in the group of odd- and branched-chain FAs (OBCFAs). Milk from Simmental cows had the butyric acid C4:0 and iso C15:0 content of 4.99 and 1.20 g/100 g FA on average, respectively, which have been associated with benefits for human health.
Assessment and determination of lyoprotectant for survival of freeze-dried Lactobacillus rhamnosus
Authors: Miao Zongcheng , Zhao Yang , Huo Xiaoping
Published: June 2016

Currently research of lactic acid bacteria focus primarily on the functional probiotics, which are major beneficial biota in the gastrointestinal tract, have been industrial manufactured. Probiotics confer health benefits on the host need adequate amounts. However, the absence of data makes it difficult to ensure the maintenance biological activities and population of probiotic. In this research, a fractional factorial design and steepest ascent experiment were used to analyze the influence of lyoprotectant as carbohydrates, prebiotics and amino acids on the survival of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The results indicated a maximum survival rate and population of viable bacteria of L. rhamnosus to be 55.84 % and 1.60 ×1011 CFU/g after freeze-dried by using a combination of 10 g/100mL Sucrose, 2.5 g/100mL Isomaltooligosaccharide, 12 g/100mL Hydroxyproline. To a large extent, the survival and viability were dependent on the cryoprotectant used and make probiotics more attractive from a practical application in industrial viewpoint.
A survey of the all-pairs shortest paths problem and its variants in graphs
Authors: Udaya Kumar Reddy K. R.
Published: June 2016

There has been a great deal of interest in the computation of distances and shortest paths problem in graphs which is one of the central, and most studied, problems in (algorithmic) graph theory. In this paper, we survey the exact results of the static version of the all-pairs shortest paths problem and its variants namely, the Wiener index, the average distance, and the minimum average distance spanning tree (MAD tree in short) in graphs (focusing mainly on algorithmic results for such problems). Along the way we also mention some important open issues and further research directions in these areas.
Feasibility study of using a Microsoft Kinect for virtual coaching of wheelchair transfer techniques
Authors: Hwang Seonhong , Tsai Chung-Ying , Koontz Alicia M.
Published: June 2016

The purpose of this study was to test the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of the Kinect skeleton tracking algorithm for measurement of trunk, shoulder, and elbow joint angle measurement during a wheelchair transfer task. Eight wheelchair users were recruited for this study. Joint positions were recorded simultaneously by the Kinect and Vicon motion capture systems while subjects transferred from their wheelchairs to a level bench. Shoulder, elbow, and trunk angles recorded with the Kinect system followed a similar trajectory as the angles recorded with the Vicon system with correlation coefficients that are larger than 0.71 on both sides (leading arm and trailing arm). The root mean square errors (RMSEs) ranged from 5.18 to 22.46 for the shoulder, elbow, and trunk angles. The 95% limits of agreement (LOA) for the discrepancy between the two systems exceeded the clinical significant level of 5°. For the trunk, shoulder, and elbow angles, the Kinect had very good relative reliability for the measurement of sagittal, frontal and horizontal trunk angles, as indicated by the high intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values (>0.90). Small standard error of the measure (SEM) values, indicating good absolute reliability, were observed for all joints except for the leading arm’s shoulder joint. Relatively large minimal detectable changes (MDCs) were observed in all joint angles. The Kinect motion tracking has promising performance levels for some upper limb joints. However, more accurate measurement of the joint angles may be required. Therefore, understanding the limitations in precision and accuracy of Kinect is imperative before utilization of Kinect.
An Eco-physiological and Biotechnological Approach to Conservation of the World-wide Rare and Endangered Aquatic Liverwort Riella helicophylla (Bory et Mont.) Mont.
Authors: Sabovljević Marko S. , Segarra-Moragues José Gabriel , Puche Felisa , Vujičić Milorad , Cogoni Annalena , Sabovljević Aneta
Published: June 2016

The rare aquatic liverwortRiella helicophylla(Bory et Mont.) Mont., inhabitant of temporary shallow ponds around the Mediterranean basin, is considered threatened throughout its distribution range. In addition, little is known of its biology and ecology or of its role in such an important ecosystem where environmental conditions vary yearly in unpredictable ways. In these variable habitats, due to the seasonal fluctuation of water levels, there is no guarantee of yearly spore input into the spore bank. Spore germination rate and the effects of different culture media in an axenic culture establishment, as well as propagation procedures ofR. helicophylla,were tested. New insights into the ecology and biology ofR. helicophyllaare given. Spore dormancy is documented, and the protocols for the in vitro culture establishment, propagation and acclimatization of this liverwort are developed. Dry storage at 20 ± 2 °C for about three months broke the dormancy of spores, which subsequently germinated in a high percentage (over 90%). A two phase (solid and liquid) culture media system was developed for the purpose of achieving fully developed gametophytes. The liquid phase contained electrolytes simulating brackish water.
Current control with asymmetrical regular sampled pulse width modulator applied in parallel active filter
Authors: Płatek T. , Osypiński T.
Published: June 2016

This paper presents an analysis of the properties of pulse width modulator with a single (symmetrical regular sampled PWM) and double (asymmetrical regular sampled PWM) control sampling of the input signal (low-frequency control input wave) in presence of a triangular auxiliary signal. In this paper, a comparison of the characteristics of these modulators used in the control system with a linear proportional controller is presented. The article provides the relations derived for the maximum amplification of regulators for which the control system operates stably. Analysis results have been confirmed by simulation and experimental studies of a commercial active filter installed in an industrial plant.
Selected elements of a new method of induction motor efficiency determination
Authors: Dabala K.
Published: June 2016

This paper presents the results of estimating method of the energy consumed by induction motors and the legal situation concerning the efficiency of electrical motors in the European Union. Three elements of a new method of induction motor efficiency determination are described: methodology of taking into account the influence of non-sinusoidal voltage and the voltage unbalance on the motor efficiency and the application of the interval arithmetic in order to determine the border error of the induction motor efficiency. It is proved that the middle of efficiency interval for the direct method of efficiency determination is always equal to or higher than the measurement result and the radius of interval is longer than the border error.
Experimental and numerical analysis of shunting effect in resistance spot welding of Al2219 sheets
Authors: Jafari Vardanjani M. , Araee A. , Senkara J. , Jakubowski J. , Godek J.
Published: June 2016

Few aspects of shunting effect have been studied so far. Shunting effect in resistance spot welding (RSW) occurs when the electrical current passes through the previous spot welds. Value of this current depends mostly on distance, number, and size of previous spot welds. This will cause some dimensional and metallurgical changes in welding nugget as well as heat affected zone (HAZ). In this study, shunting effect of RSW is considered by finite element method (FEM) and the results are compared to experiments performed on aluminum alloy 2219. Weld spacing together with welding current and time are considered to discover the effect of shunting current in the final quality of nugget. A three factor experiment design has been performed to find the significance of factors and interactive effects, as well as finite element model verification. Electrothermal and mechanical interactions are considered in the FEM. Experimental and numerical solutions have yielded similar results in terms of welding nugget properties. Asymmetry in electrical potential, temperature, stress distribution and geometry of shunted nugget is predicted and verified directly or indirectly. Intense effect of shunting current on nugget height, asymmetric growth of heat affected zone (HAZ) toward previous welding nugget, as well as concentration of alloying elements along grain boundaries are also discovered.
Metric Based Attribute Reduction Method in Dynamic Decision Tables
Authors: Janos Demetrovics , Huong Nguyen Thi Lan , Thi Vu Duc , Giang Nguyen Long
Published: June 2016

Feature selection is a vital problem which needs to be effectively solved in knowledge discovery in databases and pattern recognition due to two basic reasons: minimizing costs and accurately classifying data. Feature selection using rough set theory is also called attribute reduction. It has attracted a lot of attention from researchers and numerous potential results have been gained. However, most of them are applied on static data and attribute reduction in dynamic databases is still in its early stages. This paper focuses on developing incremental methods and algorithms to derive reducts, employing a distance measure when decision systems vary in condition attribute set. We also conduct experiments on UCI data sets and the experimental results show that the proposed algorithms are better in terms of time consumption and reducts’ cardinality in comparison with non-incremental heuristic algorithm and the incremental approach using information entropy proposed by authors in [17].
Multi-Partite Graphs and Verification of Software Applications for Real-Time Systems
Authors: Nikiforov Victor , Baranov Sergey
Published: June 2016

Aspects of static verification of software applications for real-time systems are considered. A verification method based on oriented multipartite graphs is suggested for checking whether mutual blockings (deadlocks or clinches) could occur in a real-time multitask application and estimate the duration of highpriority task blocking by lower-priority tasks due to the application structure.
Reducing Energy Consumption by Using Smart Metering Intelligent Systems
Authors: Atanasov Ivaylo , Nikolov Anastas , Pencheva Evelina
Published: June 2016

Smart metering is aimed at efficient energy management. Its potential may be revealed using recent advances in machine type communications. This paper presents an approach to design web services for residential power control with prepaid functionality. The reduction in energy consumption is estimated for typical households applying heating control.
Object Tracking Based on Online Semi-Supervised SVM and Adaptive-Fused Feature
Authors: Xiang Ruxi , Zhu Xifang , Wu Feng , Xu Qinquan , Li Jianwei
Published: June 2016

In order to improve the performance of tracking, we propose a new online tracking method based on classification and adaptive fused feature. We first label a few positive and negative samples, train the classifier by the online SSSM (Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machine) learning and these labelled samples, and then locate the position of the object from the next frame according to the trained classifier. In order to adapt more of the new samples, we need to update the classifier by finding new samples with high confident value obtained by the trained classifier and add them into the online SSSM. Finally we also update the object model by the online incremental PCA (Principal Component Analysis) because of background clutter, heavy occlusion and complicated object appearance changes. Compared with the basic mean shift tracking and the ensemble tracking method, experimental results show that our tracking method is able to effectively handle heavy occlusion and background clutter in some challenge videos including some thermal videos.
Financial Markets And The Challenges Of Sustainable Growth
Authors: Janicka Małgorzata
Published: June 2016

Sustainable growth and responsibility for the economy and the environment are postulates rarely associated with the term “financial market”. Financial markets are identified with the ruthless maximisation of profit at acceptable risk, rather than with socially responsible conduct. However, in the global economy businesses modify their priorities and become aware of not just the need to grow in financial terms but also to improve their quality performance. International financial markets have become part of this trend and are increasingly often adopting environmentally friendly attitudes and embracing the challenges posed by the concept of sustainable growth. Ideas such as CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility – and SRI – Socially Responsible Investment are gaining in importance. While sustainable growth of the economy as perceived from the point of view of the manufacturing or service sectors is widely discussed, the sustainable growth of financial markets is a relatively new concept and the available literature on “green” financial markets is quite scarce. This paper is intended to fill in this gap and examine the changes that have taken place on financial markets in the context of the idea of sustainable growth, with particular attention paid to the European Union markets.
In situ detection of the fracture behaviour of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) by scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Liu Huanrong , Wang Xiaoqing , Zhang Xiubiao , Sun Zhengjun , Jiang Zehui
Published: June 2016

The remarkable fracture toughness of bamboo culms is highly attributed to the proper embedding of the stiff fibre caps of the vascular bundles into the soft parenchyma matrix. In this study, the fracture behaviour of small specimens of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) in tension and bending were investigated in situ with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to visualise crack initiation and propagation within bamboo tissues and its interactions with the structural components (fibres and parenchyma tissues). Fracture surfaces were studied by field-emission SEM. The fracture of bamboo in either tension or bending was non-catastrophic, and cracks propagated in a tortuous manner with massive interfacial delamination. The stiff fibre bundles played an important role in restraining crack propagation, acting as bridges to inhibit cracks opening and also as “crack stoppers” inducing extensive crack-deflections. Microstructural analysis of the fractured surfaces revealed that substantial interfacial debonding, sliding and fibre pull-outs occurred at various length scales, which are believed to be effective in dissipating the crack energy. The synergistic effects of crack-deflection, crack-bridging and interfacial debonding are regarded to be mainly responsible for the remarkable fracture toughness of bamboo.