bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stagnation-Point Flow and Heat Transfer Towards a Shrinking Sheet with Suction in an Upper Convected Maxwell Fluid
Authors: Lok Yian Yian , Ishak Anuar , Pop Ioan
Published: August 2013

A steady two-dimensional boundary-layer flow and heat transfer of an upper convected Maxwell fluid near a stagnation-point of a permeable shrinking sheet is studied numerically. The effects of elasticity, shrinking, and suction parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics are investigated. A similarity transformation reduces the governing equations to third-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations which are then solved numerically. For a fixed value of elastic parameter, it is found that dual solutions exist for some values of shrinking and suction parameters. The plotted streamlines show that for upper branch solutions, the effects of shrinking and suction are direct and obvious as the flow near the surface is seen to suck through the permeable sheet and drag to the origin of the sheet. However, aligned but reverse flow occurs for the case of lower branch solutions.
A literature review of parents’ online behavior
Authors: Dworkin Jodi , Connell Jessica , Doty Jennifer
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this literature review was to compile and analyze the research that has been conducted on parents’ use of the Internet and determine what we know about how parents use the Internet in everyday life. A comprehensive literature review focusing on studies that have asked parents about their Internet use was conducted to include research published through December 2011. This yielded 27 studies. Articles were summarized and then organized by content. Three main themes emerged: what parents are doing online, social support online, and the digital divide. This literature review revealed that parents go online to search for parenting information and social support and generally report satisfaction with the resources they find on the Internet. Parents still express hesitation in trusting various online resources, though, and desire greater education in Internet searching and deciphering the credibility of online information. In addition, this review also exposes gaps in current research, provides direction for future research, and has implications for how to effectively reach parents using the Internet.
Condition assessment program essentials
Authors: Habibian Ahmad , Strayer James
Published: August 2013

Condition assessment programs, paired with a risk‐based approach, help utilities manage assets and work within budget constraints as they evaluate and prioritize infrastructure needs.
The paradox of value: Water rates and the law of diminishing marginal utility
Authors: Goetz Melanie K.
Published: August 2013

According to economists, the more we consume of something the less valuable it becomes, which prompts this question: are pricing strategies for water use really matching consumers' idea of what it's worth?
The Footprint Problem: A Pathway to Modeling
Authors: Imm Kara L. , Lorber Meredith D.
Published: August 2013

By exploring an open-ended investigation involving proportional reasoning, students were able to walk through both problem solving and modeling.
Artiste, animateur culturel ou médiateur culturel ?
Authors: Hotte Lucie
Published: August 2013

Cet article étudie l’évolution du rôle dévolu aux artistes dans le contexte de communautés francophones minoritaires du Canada. Il cerne deux moments. Le premier correspond aux années 1970 et à la prise de parole engagée des artistes. Durant cette période, ils endossent volontiers le rôle d’animateur culturel que les élites et les gouvernements souhaitent les voir jouer. Le deuxième moment correspond à la popularisation du terme « médiateur culturel » durant les 1990. Ce terme apparaît cependant dans un contexte où les artistes francophones minoritaires refusent de voir leur art mis au service d’une cause, comme le révèle leur discours.
Cinq représentations savantes de la francophonie des Amériques – réflexions autour d’un ouvrage récent
Authors: Belliveau Joel
Published: August 2013

L’expression « francophonie d’Amérique » renvoie-t-elle à quelque chose de réel ? Existe-t-il des bases communes entre les divers milieux ou communautés francophones et d’héritage français du continent ? Telle est la question à laquelle ce texte tente de répondre, et ce, par le biais d’une « recension des idées » qui circulent à cet égard dans de diverses disciplines des sciences humaines. Cinq représentations distinctes de l’Amérique « franco » sont mises en lumière. En cours de route, les francophonies du continent sont examinées à l’aune des logiques du nationalisme, des réseaux, du communautarisme et du métissage.
Defining a National Library in a Digital World: Dame Lynne Brindley at the British Library
Authors: Lynch Clifford
Published: August 2013

The period of Dame Lynne Brindley's tenure as Chief Executive of the British Library was an era when national libraries had first seriously to address the question of how to define a national library in the digital world. The article describes the two fundamental efforts that emerged under her leadership of the BL: strategies to digitize and open up existing collections, including but not limited to special collections; and to extend the collection building, management and preservation strategies to include the continually-emerging segments of the digital cultural record. The article concludes by identifying three individual initiatives – the Codex Sinaiticus project, the Endangered Archives Programme, and the Digital Lives project – that were put in place under Dame Lynne's leadership, to the great and lasting benefit not just of the British Library but of research libraries and scholars worldwide.
Lynne Brindley and Library and Information Science Research
Authors: Collier Mel , Macartney Nigel
Published: August 2013

Lynne Brindley developed and maintained a deep appreciation for the value of research and of the need for an evidence-base for decision-making. This article tracks Brindley's career and shows that she put the use of research and innovation at the heart of her approach to responding to rapid technological and social change in the library context. The authors conclude that she is arguably the key figure in developing the policies and programmes in Britain that led the transformation from automated but essentially paper-based research libraries as they still were in the 1980s to the networked digital information landscape we know today.
Lynne Brindley and the British Library 2000–2012
Authors: Stephens Andy
Published: August 2013

Lynne Brindley stepped down after twelve years as Chief Executive of the British Library at the end of July 2012. This article reviews the achievements of the British Library over the twelve years of Brindley's leadership. It concludes that the British Library developed as an important major cultural and scholarly institution in its flagship building at St Pancras and it became much more accessible to researchers, business users and the public. Brindley led a wide-reaching strategic development and modernization programme to ensure that the Library would be relevant, innovative and accessible in the digital age.
Dame Lynne Brindley: The British Library and the Role of Strategic Marketing and Communications, 2001–2009
Authors: Finney Jill
Published: August 2013

A key priority, following Lynne Brindley's appointment as Chief Executive of the British Library in 2000, was to restructure the institution's top tier of management. In the resulting new organization structure, the Strategic Marketing and Communications directorate was charged with playing a leading role in development of strategy, increasingly driven by the deeper understanding obtained of the market and its requirements, and the development of the BL brand. This article describes the market-driven shift in the Library's positioning achieved during the following decade.
What Did the Internet Ever Do for Us? Changes in Collection Development and Management at the British Library, 2000–2012
Authors: Brazier Caroline
Published: August 2013

The British Library is custodian of one of the greatest research collections in the world. This article gives an overview of the British Library's strategic direction for collection development and considers some of the most significant changes in its approach since 2000. The two reviews of collection development strategy at the British Library – the first undertaken in 2005–6 and the second in 2010–11 – are described. The author assesses the significance of: the extension of UK legal deposit law to cover digital publications; web archiving; and heritage acquisitions policy.
Introducing Electronic Legal Deposit in the UK: A Homeric Tale
Authors: Green Andrew
Published: August 2013

One of the greatest of Lynne Brindley's achievements during her twelve years in charge of the British Library was to remain steadfastly true to the Library's aim, shared with the other UK copyright libraries, of extending the law of legal deposit to encompass publications in digital form. This article casts a retrospective and sometimes rueful eye on the whole process of achieving this legislation, and another eye to the future, in an attempt to identify some of the critical factors that underlie electronic legal deposit in Britain and that will influence its further development.
Supporting Legal Deposit for a National Library: Portico's Project with the British Library. An Essay in Honour of Dame Lynne Brindley
Authors: Marcum Deanna
Published: August 2013

The article addresses one area where Lynne Brindley's leadership made a tremendous difference: digital preservation. In the article, the author conducts an interview between two project leaders – one from the British Library, the other from Portico, the digital archiving service of ITHAKA – in which they discuss their collaborative work in defining and designing systems, project management across the two institutions, the process of reaching agreements with publishers during this pilot phase, and lessons learned that can be used by other national libraries.
Acknowledging a Global Leader
Authors: Carnaby Penny
Published: August 2013

Lynne Brindley made an enormous contribution as a global leader in the library and information community, particularly in relation to the transforming impact of the digital revolution. This article seeks to assess that contribution from the perspective of the Chair of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL).
Dame Lynne Brindley: Advisor and Friend of the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore
Authors: Choh Ngian Lek
Published: August 2013

Lynne Brindley made an enormous contribution as a global leader in the library and information community, particularly in relation to the transforming impact of the digital revolution. This article seeks to assess that contribution from the perspective of the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore. The author reports that annual conversations with Lynne gave NLB colleagues much food for thought, and that they felt invigorated with fresh ideas after our conversations with her. The NLB is grateful to have had a partner and colleague from such an esteemed institution, who so generously shared her knowledge and learning, without hesitation.
National Libraries and Copyright in the Digital Age — The German Situation for Orphan Works and Out-of-Print Works
Authors: Niggemann Elisabeth
Published: August 2013

Lynne Brindley was a tireless advocate in the UK for a system of copyright fit for the digital age. This article describes the German situation for orphan works and out-of-print works in the light of the recently published European Directive (2012/28/EU). The author argues that a modern copyright framework which applies to the digital world is urgently needed that takes into account the different needs of each stakeholder.
‘Don't Give Me Passion, Give Me Cataloguers’: Lynne Brindley and the Art of the Possible
Authors: Law Derek
Published: August 2013

This article provides a personal appreciation of Lynne Brindley's over-arching professional contribution during her distinguished career written from a UK perspective. In particular the article focuses on her contribution to the Joint Funding Councils' Libraries Review Group (the ‘Follett Review’), and to the Follett Committee's Information Technology Sub-Group (FIGIT) and the subsequent eLIB Electronic Libraries programme, both of which she chaired. The author concludes she was a pivotal national figure in UK Higher Education and a gifted administrator who could be counted on as a proselytizer and popularizer as well as a really good communicator.
The National Library at a Crossroads: The Digital Content Revolution and its Consequences
Authors: Nielsen Erland Kolding
Published: August 2013

This article identifies a number of challenges facing national libraries all over the world as digitally-born materials replace the physical antecedents that have been well known to us for centuries, and it describes how the Royal Library of Denmark is responding to these challenges. The author argues that if we want to preserve the digitally-born part of cultural heritage and knowledge production in the future, these problems have to be solved. We are running out of time if we are to avoid the loss of data and cultural heritage in the coming decades, as indeed happened on the web in the 1990s.
US West Coast Perspective on Lynne Brindley's Career
Authors: Keller Michael A.
Published: August 2013

This article provides a personal appreciation of Lynne Brindley's over-arching professional contribution during her distinguished career written from a US West Coast perspective. The author tracks the major waypoints in the arc of Brindley's career. Each provided her with opportunities to exercise and hone values of stewardship of assets, sound professional and scholarly sensibilities, fundamental business principles, and quiet – but steely – leadership skills. The author considers there is no institution in which she served that is not world's better at achieving its mission and goals for her presence.
Lynne, Leadership and Libraries
Authors: Wilkinson Janet
Published: August 2013

As Lynne Brindley leaves the profession for fresh challenges, the author argues it is timely to inspect critically the health of our leadership pipeline. Her legacy surely dictates that we should now seriously address the leadership vacuum in our profession that we have been trying, unsuccessfully, to confront in recent years.
Scholarly Communication, 1971 to 2013. A Brindley Snapshot
Authors: Steele Colin
Published: August 2013

This chapter attempts a snapshot of the dramatic changes impacting on scholarly information access and delivery in the last forty years through the prism of Lynne Brindley's career. This was a period in which historical practices of information and access delivery have been dramatically overturned. The recent global debates on open access to publicly funded knowledge have brought scholarly communication to the forefront of attention of governments and university administrations. The potential exists for scholarly research to be more widely available within new digital economic models, but only if the academic community regains ownership of the knowledge it creates. Librarians can and should play a leading role in shaping ‘knowledge creation, knowledge ordering and dissemination, and knowledge interaction’.
‘The Engagement is Announced …’: Collaborative Ventures between the British Library and the Higher Education Sector
Authors: Jenkins Clare
Published: August 2013

Following the appointment of Lynne Brindley as Chief Executive of the British Library – the first professionally-qualified librarian to lead that institution – a new spirit of collaboration between the BL and UK Higher Education libraries was to emerge. This article identifies the factors that led to an environment in which innovative strategic partnerships between the two sectors could bear fruit, and it describes and assesses two significant collaborative ventures, EThOS, an online, electronic thesis service delivered by the BL on behalf of HE under a shared service arrangement, and the UK Research Reserve (UKRR).
Lynne Brindley and the Follett Committee and its Inheritance
Authors: Anderson Michael , Follett Brian
Published: August 2013

Lynne Brindley was a member of The Joint Funding Councils' Libraries Review Group, which was chaired by Professor Brian Follett and tasked in 1992 with undertaking a review of the UK's Higher Education library system, and she chaired the Follett Committee's Information Technology Sub-Group (FIGIT) and the subsequent e-LIB Electronic Libraries programme. She was a member of the Steering Committee of the Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP) and a member of the Research Support Libraries Group (RSLG). The article concludes that Brindley's contributions to these domain-wide initiatives were both diverse and profound. A short note by Brian Follett himself is appended to the paper.
The JISC
Authors: Read Malcolm
Published: August 2013

JISC, the Joint Information Systems Committee, was started in 1993 to serve the needs of the newly expanded UK Higher Education (HE) sector. This article describes how JISC supported the universities' information needs by exploiting the potential of IT, and the internet in particular. The author concludes that the impact of the e-Lib programme – the largest innovation programme that JISC managed in its first years and which was chaired by Brindley – on UK Higher Education and the UK library profession was considerable and it had significant impact on the UK academic libraries by affecting a major culture change. Brindley was very influential within the JISC. JISC owes much of its success to the early work of the 1990s and Lynne Brindley's dedication and visionary inspiration during this time.
Lynne Brindley and the Digital Preservation Agenda
Authors: Carr Reg
Published: August 2013

Lynne Brindley was one of the UK's leading players in the digital preservation arena. This article dedicated to Brindley argues that if selection models for collaborative digital preservation are to have any chance of being effective, then there is an urgent need to agree on the philosophical basis of the selection activity that underpins them. Careful thought needs to be given, and collective agreement achieved, regarding the intellectual rationale governing the decision-making processes by which digital materials are selected for long-term curation. If selection models are to command general acceptance, they must be robustly based on demonstrably sound principles.
D.C. Motor-Based Wind Turbine Emulator Using LabVIEW for Wind Energy Conversion System Laboratory Setup
Authors: Sahoo N. C. , Satpathy A. S. , Kishore N. K. , Venkatesh B.
Published: August 2013

This paper describes the development and implementation of a wind turbine emulator (WTE), based on a d.c. motor, using LabVIEW. The emulator imitates both static and dynamic characteristics of a typical wind turbine (WT) of a wind energy conversion system (WECS). The setup can be used for development and testing of real-time control algorithms. The laboratory setup consists of a d.c. motor coupled to a three-phase self-excited induction generator (SEIG). The mathematical model of WT, designed in LabVIEW, is interfaced with the d.c. motor control circuit by the compact real-time I/O module (cRIO). The armature current is regulated by armature voltage control with appropriate switching signals for a power MOSFET-based control circuit. The simulation and experimental results under different scenarios prove the effectiveness of this LabVIEW-based WTE. This WTE can be effectively used as a laboratory-based teaching tool for electrical engineering students. The learning objective of this simple yet efficient laboratory setup is to study the WT characteristics in the absence of a real WT. A manual and a list of questions have been prepared related to the experiment and have been used at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (India). The learning performances of the students have been evaluated based on a questionnaire.
Analysis of Errors in Some Simplified Textbook Interpretations of Coil Coupling Coefficient
Authors: Pichorim Sérgio Francisco , Abatti Paulo José
Published: August 2013

The coupling coefficient ( k) between coils is a subject that is presented in textbooks of electricity, electric circuit analysis and electromagnetism. Some authors, however, make a partial or incomplete interpretation of the coupling coefficient, leading students to wrong results and misunderstandings. This paper presents the most common errors found in some textbooks, comparing them with the correct definition for coupling coefficient. A practical example is also provided.
Application of Method of Images to the Charge Distribution of a Conductive Sphere
Authors: Hu Guohua , Teng Baohua , Yang Qi
Published: August 2013

The method of images (MI) is an elementary concept in electromagnetism, which is a fundamental course in electrical engineering. In this work, the surface charge density of a conductive sphere in the inductive electrostatic field of a uniformly charged ring is analysed with MI. Meanwhile the surface charge distribution of this sphere is discussed when the sphere is at different positions of the axis of this ring. This work is aimed to help students understand MI and lay a solid foundation of electrical engineering learning.
A Project-Based Strategy for Teaching Robotics Using NI's Embedded-FPGA Platform
Authors: Mysorewala Muhammad , Cheded Lahouari
Published: August 2013

This paper discusses our project-based teaching and learning approach to infuse robotics education into our Control and Instrumentation programme at the KFUPM university. In the last two years, various practical projects were assigned to students either as course projects or as capstone design projects in the area of control engineering using the National Instruments (NI) embedded robotic platform. The assigned projects focus on designing and equipping the robotic platform with environment-sensing (light, temperature and sound) capabilities, control operations for path planning and obstacle avoidance. Using the NI platform as a test bed for our teaching approach has resulted in the design and implementation of a successful prototype that enables students to experiment with various sensing, control and communication techniques on this platform, thus turning it into an intelligent mobile robot capable of implementing complex and computationally demanding control and estimation algorithms. Finally, the survey we conducted to assess the educational content, and value to students, of our proposed approach shows that our strategy has been so far fruitful and gives us ample encouragement to pursue it and develop it further.
An Educational Fuzzy-Based Control Platform Using LEGO Robots
Authors: Zaldivar Daniel , Cuevas Erik , Pérez-Cisneros Marco A. , Sossa Juan H. , Rodríguez Jose G. , Palafox Edgar O.
Published: August 2013

Fuzzy controllers have gained popularity in the past few decades with successful implementations in many fields that have enabled designers to control complex systems through linguistic-based rules in contrast to traditional methods. This paper presents an educational platform based on LEGO© NXT to assist the learning of fuzzy logic control principles at undergraduate level by providing a simple and easy-to-follow teaching setup. The proposed fuzzy control study aims to accustom students to the learning of fuzzy control fundamentals by building hands-on robotic experiments. The proposed educational platform has been successfully applied to several undergraduate courses within the Electronics Department in the University of Guadalajara. The description of robotic experiments and the evaluation of their impact on student performance are both provided in the paper.
A Virtual Laboratory of D.C. Motors for Learning Control Theory
Authors: Fuertes J. J. , Domínguez M. , Prada M. A. , Alonso S. , Morán A.
Published: August 2013

The application of Information and Communication Technologies to education has promoted the development of new educational methodologies that lead to new learning spaces. A particular case, especially in the engineering field, is that of Virtual and Remote Laboratories through the Internet. These are powerful tools that let the student operate on simulated and/or real technological equipment with the only requirements of a PC, a web browser and an Internet connection. In this work, we present a virtual laboratory of an educational set for d.c. motor control, Feedback MS-150, which is widely used as practical equipment in laboratories of introductory control theory courses. A simulation of all the functionalities of the modular equipment was developed in Easy Java Simulation (EJS). The simulation was included in the Remote Laboratory of Automatic Control at the University of León (LRA-ULE), which is managed by a Drupal content management system. Engineering students have regularly used the virtual laboratory and have evaluated it through surveys.
Incorporating FPAAs into Laboratory Exercises for Analogue Filter Design
Authors: Freeborn Todd J. , Maundy Brent
Published: August 2013

Field Programmable Analogue Arrays (FPAAs) provide an excellent opportunity to introduce reconfigurable hardware for analogue signal processing during electrical engineering undergraduate laboratories. This hardware allows for higher complexity designs during laboratory sessions and can reduce the troubleshooting and frustrations in realizing circuits with discrete components to clearly focus on course learning objectives. This paper discusses the FPAA laboratories introduced for a 4th year undergraduate course on analogue filter design at the University of Calgary as well as the authors' experiences and student feedback.
On the Efficiency of the Shortened Error Correcting Codes
Authors: Liaperdos I. , Paraskevas I. , Potirakis S. M.
Published: August 2013

Shortening is a widely used technique aiming mainly to reduce the block size of an error correcting code and at the same time to enhance its efficiency. However, due to a common misapprehension, students tend to believe that maximum shortening retains maximum coding efficiency. In this work, an educational approach is presented which eliminates the aforementioned misapprehension. Specifically, the efficiency of the shortened error correcting codes is examined both theoretically and experimentally via simulations.
National Instruments and the University of Manchester, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering: A Strategic Partnership for Engineering Education
Authors: Wade H.
Published: August 2013

There is a growing desire for industry and academia to work more closely together to produce engineering graduates who are ready for today's job market. Many companies are already participating in a number of initiatives, such as collaborative research and development, industrial placements for students, guest lectures and sponsored projects. This paper presents an overview of a strategic partnership between National Instruments and the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Manchester. The partnership has been in effect for a number of years, and focuses on supporting engineering education with engineering resources and technology platforms.
Analysis of the Influence of the International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education on Electrical Engineering and Electrical Engineering Education
Authors: Nawaz Sadia , Usman Muhammad , Strobel Johannes
Published: August 2013

This article researches the influence of IJEEE on electrical engineering and electrical engineering education as a discipline. For this purpose, the history of this journal has been presented from a citation perspective. To identify leading and evolving research areas within IJEEE the authors conducted keyword analysis, which additionally showed how IJEEE contains both educational and technical contributions. The authors also studied the temporal evolution and distribution of keywords. Word co-occurrence was analysed to discover the main context in which the keywords have been used. The analysis also revealed the prominent contributors within the community of IJEEE based on various authorship and citation criteria. It was observed that the influential authors appear in multiple ways, i.e. most of the authors who were influential by one criterion also made to the top list of other criteria. The authors concluded that the single-author pattern is quite prominent within this community, and very little work has been done between the same co-authors. Therefore, there is a need to encourage IJEEE authors to write more collaborative publications so that the authorship/co-authorship network may grow.
The International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education at its Half-Century
Authors: Hartley Michael G.
Published: August 2013

The present article summarises the history of IJEEE, drawing on material published in earlier anniversary issues. It goes on to consider the challenges to electrical engineering educators posed by the huge technical advances over the 50 years since the launch of the Journal in its current format.
Students' Perceptions of the ‘With Industrial Experience’ Degree Pathway in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Authors: Kopsidas Konstantinos , Pampaka Maria , Knowles Sheila
Published: August 2013

This paper presents the ‘With Industrial Experience’ programme offered as an option to undergraduate students in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester, usually between their second and third year of study. Our focus is on the students' perceptions of the programme drawing on eight interviews with students who had already completed the course. By highlighting students' view of the benefits and also limitations of the programme we hope to inform our immediate plans for improvement of the course as well as the practice of others with similar programmes, globally.
Design and Delivery of a Microcontroller Engineering Teaching Theme
Authors: Green Peter R. , Green Peter N. , Bailey Malcolm , Foster David A.
Published: August 2013

This paper describes the design and delivery of the Microcontroller Engineering teaching theme in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Manchester. The theme was first introduced in the 2002/2003 academic session, and comprises four highly integrated practical units delivered in the first two years of all the School's BEng and MEng undergraduate courses. The paper describes the teaching and learning objectives of the theme, its implementation, and an evaluation carried out as part of a Higher Education Academy (HEA) case study.
An Autonomous Line-Following Robot Project as a Training Tool for Project Work
Authors: Apsley Judith
Published: August 2013

Project work forms a major part of final year BEng and MEng degree courses, with most of the assessment marks allocated for the final report. Traditional classroom teaching does not promote the independent learning required in running a project, or writing a research report. An autonomous line-following robot challenge has been introduced as a second-year group project, as a training tool in project management, planning and technical writing, in order to prepare students for their third- and fourth-year projects. The line-following robot requires students to develop technical skills in circuit design, fabrication, microcontroller programming and control, in the context of a competition that engages their enthusiasm. It provides a platform for the second-year pastoral system, motivating students to meet weekly with tutors in a small-group context. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the project in meeting learning objectives, and identifies challenges relating to resources and assessment.
The Power Engineering Guide: A Mobile Application for Education and Wider Engagement
Authors: Cotton Ian , Barnes Mike
Published: August 2013

Growth in the number of renewable energy sources is being matched by an increase in the consumption of electrical energy by UK users. The power industry needs highly trained engineers to deliver the support for this. However, access to large-scale equipment for practical training is limited. The authors have developed an online tool, in the form of a mobile application, which could be used by universities or power companies to train students, graduates or new staff and help to inform and inspire them about opportunities in power engineering.
Development of a Simple Interactive Laboratory Exercise for Teaching the Principles of Velocity and Position Estimation
Authors: Durovic Sinisa
Published: August 2013

This paper presents the development of a simple yet effective undergraduate laboratory exercise for teaching the basics of actuator velocity and position measurement in a direct, hands-on practical experience. The exercise development combines various engineering aspects and uses a software routine to control and perform real-time measurements on a small-scale, in-house built, laboratory actuator test rig through a commercial instrumentation and development prototyping board. The exercise is interactive as the parameters that manipulate the laboratory test rig operation can be set in real time using the developed software routine, thus enabling the students to efficiently investigate the practical implications of taught theoretical concepts. This is achieved through a graphical user interface that allows the students to step through the individual stages of the exercise and perform the required measurements, analysis and recording of data.
Developing a Student—Focused Undergraduate Laboratory
Authors: Heath W. P. , Onel O. , Green P. M. , Lennox B. , Gai Zhenyu , He Zhiwei , Liñan M. C. Rodriguez
Published: August 2013

Laboratories are an essential component of our undergraduate curricula in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester. In this paper we discuss the development of laboratories for one of our undergraduate control modules. Students have been involved at all stages of the development and have directed the work. The result is a highly successful laboratory package that has been received with enthusiasm.
Themed Project Case Study: Quadruple Tanks Control with PLCs
Authors: Carrasco J. , Heath W. P. , Liñan M. C. Rodriguez , Alli-Oke R. , Kerim O. A. R. Abdel , Gutierrez S. Rodriguez
Published: August 2013

A themed project based on the control of a quadruple tank rig using PLCs has been successfully carried out as part of the MSc in Advanced Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Manchester. The themed project involves ten students who address a single multivariable control challenge under the supervision of two academics and four PhD students. As every student is required to write their own MSc dissertation, the key point is the possibility of using different control techniques to be implemented on different hardware platforms.
High-Precision Digital Audio Waveform Synthesis Using a Multi-Frequency Interpolation Technique
Authors: Gaydecki Patrick
Published: August 2013

A description is given of a digital, real-time, multi-frequency function generator for audio bandwidth applications. A novel feature of the system is the embedded algorithm, which employs a bank of parallel interpolators, rather than a look-up table, to synthesise complex functions with high precision and flexibility. The complete instrumentation comprises a high-level software design tool operating on a conventional desktop or notebook PC and a separate hardware unit incorporating a powerful real-time digital signal processor unit, operating at 275 million multiplication-accumulations per second (MMACs) and a dual channel 24-bit codec with a maximum output rate of 200 kilo-samples per second. Using total harmonic distortion (THD) analysis, the purity of the waveforms has been compared with those generated by traditional analogue instruments; this analysis has confirmed that the new instrument has a consistently superior performance over such devices. Testing established that for a 2 kHz sine wave, for example, there was an order of magnitude improvement in THD performance over a commercially available analogue function generator. The algorithm and associated hardware offer the combined advantages of function flexibility, ease of implementation, accuracy and the unique ability to alter, in real-time, the frequencies, magnitudes and phases of individual harmonics within any given arbitrary waveform. Digital function generation and waveform synthesis represent key components of any DSP course; at the University of Manchester it is taught as a formal discipline through lectures, and from a practical context during our laboratory classes, in which students gain an understanding of digital methods and how they excel over traditional analogue circuits designed for the same purpose.
APP interacts with LRP4 and agrin to coordinate the development of the neuromuscular junction in mice
Authors: Choi Hong Y , Liu Yun , Tennert Christian , Sugiura Yoshie , Karakatsani Andromachi , Kröger Stephan , Johnson Eric B , Hammer Robert E , Lin Weichun , Herz Joachim
Published: August 2013

ApoE, ApoE receptors and APP cooperate in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Intriguingly, the ApoE receptor LRP4 and APP are also required for normal formation and function of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). In this study, we show that APP interacts with LRP4, an obligate co-receptor for muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK). Agrin, a ligand for LRP4, also binds to APP and co-operatively enhances the interaction of APP with LRP4. In cultured myotubes, APP synergistically increases agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering. Deletion of the transmembrane domain of LRP4 (LRP4 ECD) results in growth retardation of the NMJ, and these defects are markedly enhanced in APP−/−;LRP4ECD/ECD mice. Double mutant NMJs are significantly reduced in size and number, resulting in perinatal lethality. Our findings reveal novel roles for APP in regulating neuromuscular synapse formation through hetero-oligomeric interaction with LRP4 and agrin and thereby provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms that govern NMJ formation and maintenance.
Rational Assembly of Optoplasmonic Hetero‐nanoparticle Arrays with Tunable Photonic–Plasmonic Resonances
Authors: Hong Yan , Qiu Yue , Chen Tianhong , Reinhard Björn M.
Published: August 2013

Metallic and dielectric nanoparticles (NPs) have synergistic electromagnetic properties but their positioning into morphologically defined hybrid arrays with novel optical properties still poses significant challenges. A template‐guided self‐assembly strategy is introduced for the positioning of metallic and dielectric NPs at pre‐defined lattice sites. The chemical assembly approach facilitates the fabrication of clusters of metallic NPs with interparticle separations of only a few nanometers in a landscape of dielectric NPs positioned hundreds of nanometers apart. This approach is used to generate two‐dimensional interdigitated arrays of 250 nm diameter TiO2 NPs and clusters of electromagnetically strongly coupled 60 nm Au NPs. The morphology‐dependent near‐ and far‐field responses of the resulting multiscale optoplasmonic arrays are analyzed in detail. Elastic and inelastic scattering spectroscopy in combination with electromagnetic simulations reveal that optoplasmonic arrays sustain delocalized photonic–plasmonic modes that achieve a cascaded E‐field enhancement in the gap junctions of the Au NP clusters and simultaneously increase the E‐field intensity throughout the entire array.
Persistent Photoconductivity in 2D Electron Gases at Different Oxide Interfaces
Authors: Di Gennaro Emiliano , di Uccio Umberto Scotti , Aruta Carmela , Cantoni Claudia , Gadaleta Alessandro , Lupini Andrew R. , Maccariello Davide , Marré Daniele , Pallecchi Ilaria , Paparo Domenico , Perna Paolo , Riaz Muhammad , Granozio Fabio Miletto
Published: August 2013

The transport characterization in the dark and under light irradiation of three different interfaces—LaAlO3/SrTiO3, LaGaO3/SrTiO3, and the novel NdGaO3/SrTiO3 heterostructure—is reported. All of them share a perovskite structure, an insulating nature of the single building blocks, a polar/non‐polar character, and a critical thickness of four unit cells for the onset of conductivity. The interface structure and charge confinement in NdGaO3/SrTiO3 are probed by atomic‐scale‐resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy showing that, similarly to LaAlO3/SrTiO3, extra electronic charge confined in a sheet of about 1.5 nm in thickness is present at the NdGaO3/SrTiO3 interface. Electric transport measurements performed in the dark and under radiation show remarkable similarities and provide evidence that the persistent perturbation induced by light is an intrinsic peculiar property of the three investigated oxide‐based polar/non‐polar interfaces. This sets a framework for understanding the previous contrasting results found in the literature about photoconductivity in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and highlights the connection between the origin of persistent photoconductivity and the origin of conductivity itself. An improved understanding of the photoinduced metastable electron–hole pairs might allow light to be shed directly on the complex physics of this system and on the recently proposed perspectives of oxide interfaces for solar energy conversion.
Understanding safety climate in small automobile collision repair shops
Authors: Parker David L. , Brosseau Lisa M. , Bejan Anca , Skan Maryellen , Xi Min
Published: August 2013

Background

In the United States, approximately 236,000 people work in 37,600 auto collision‐repair businesses. Workers in the collision‐repair industry may be exposed to a wide range of physical and chemical hazards.

Methods

This manuscript examines the relationship of safety climate as reported by collision repair shop workers and owners to: (1) an independent business safety assessment, and (2) employee self‐reported work practices. The study was conducted in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Results

A total of 199 workers from 49 collision shops completed a survey of self‐reported work practices and safety climate. Surveys were completed by an owner or manager in all but three shops. In general, self‐reported work practices were poor. Workers' scores on safety climate were uniformly lower than those of owners. For workers, there was no correlation between how well the business scored on an independent audit of business safety practices and the safety climate measures they reported. For owners, however, there was a positive correlation between safety climate scores and the business safety assessment. For workers, safety rules and procedures were associated with improved work practices for those engaged in both painting‐related and body technician‐related activities.

Conclusions

The enforcement of safety rules and procedures emerged as a strong factor positively affecting self‐reported work practices. These findings identify a simple, cost effective path to reducing hazards in small workplaces. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:78–86, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Increased cardiovascular mortality and suicide after methyl chloride exposure
Authors: Rafnsson Vilhjalmur , Kristbjornsdottir Adalbjorg
Published: August 2013

Objectives

Methyl chloride leakage from a refrigerator occurred on board an Icelandic fishing vessel in 1963. Many of the crew members were hospitalized due to various neurological symptoms and signs. The aim was to study long‐term mortality.

Methods

This is a cohort study. Five referents were selected from registries of deckhands and officers matched to each crew member according to age and occupation. Follow‐up was through record linkage of personal identifiers with the nation‐wide mortality registry. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated in Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

The intoxicated crew was composed of 20 deckhands and 7 officers; the reference group counted 100 deckhands and 35 officers. Follow‐up to the end of 2010; 14 of the exposed deckhands and 6 of the officers had died, versus 49 deckhands and 26 officers among the reference group. For all cardiovascular events, the HR was 2.06 (95% CI 1.02–4.15), for acute coronary heart disease, the HR was 3.12 (95% CI 1.11–8.78), for cerebrovascular diseases, the HR was 5.35 (1.18–24.35), and for suicide, the HR was 13.76 (1.18–160.07).

Conclusions

Follow‐up showed increased mortality due to cardiovascular diseases after 47 years. The suicide cases had developed severe depression after the methyl chloride intoxication that was related to the exposure. The use of the personal identifiers and the population registries strengthen the study. Detailed information on risk factors for chronic diseases is lacking in this study; however, the matching by occupation renders some similarity to the groups compared in the study. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:108–113, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Water‐Splitting Catalysis and Solar Fuel Devices: Artificial Leaves on the Move
Authors: Joya Khurram Saleem , Joya Yasir F. , Ocakoglu Kasim , van de Krol Roel
Published: August 2013

The development of new energy materials that can be utilized to make renewable and clean fuels from abundant and easily accessible resources is among the most challenging and demanding tasks in science today. Solar‐powered catalytic water‐splitting processes can be exploited as a source of electrons and protons to make clean renewable fuels, such as hydrogen, and in the sequestration of CO2 and its conversion into low‐carbon energy carriers. Recently, there have been tremendous efforts to build up a stand‐alone solar‐to‐fuel conversion device, the “artificial leaf”, using light and water as raw materials. An overview of the recent progress in electrochemical and photo‐electrocatalytic water splitting devices is presented, using both molecular water oxidation complexes (WOCs) and nano‐structured assemblies to develop an artificial photosynthetic system.
Preparation of aqueous soluble polyamides from renewable succinic acid and citric acid as a new approach to design bio‐inspired polymers
Authors: Jiang Man , Chen Guangsong , Lu Ping , Dong Jian
Published: August 2013

A novel type of aqueous soluble polyamides were prepared as renewable substitutes for ecologically benign poly(aspartic acid) by polymerization of succinic acid ester and hexamethylene diamine in the presence of citric acid ester. The copolymerization resulted in the formation of poly(amide imide) intermediates, which were hydrolyzed to aqueous solutions of polyamides. The hydrolyzed products were confirmed to be copolymers of succinamide and citramide with COOH side chains, similar to poly(aspartic acid). The polyamides showed strong chelating abilities to Ca2+ and Pb2+ metals, comparable to poly(aspartic acid). Interestingly, they also demonstrated antifreeze activities in water by reducing the ice fractions. The polyamides represent a new class of metal chelators and antifreeze protein mimics derived from succinamide and citramide. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39807.
A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Medial Tibial Condyle of African Hominids
Authors: Sylvester Adam D.
Published: August 2013

Although the hominid knee has been heavily scrutinized, shape variation of the medial tibial condyle has yet to be described. Humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas differ in the shape of their medial femoral condyles and in their capacity for external and internal rotation of the tibia relative to the femur. I hypothesize that these differences should be reflected in the shape of the medial tibial condyle of these hominids. Here I use geometric morphometric techniques to uncover shape differences between the medial tibial condyles of humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. Humans are distinguished from the other two species by having a much more oval‐shaped medial tibial condyle, while those of chimpanzees and gorillas are more triangular in outline. Gorillas (especially males) are distinguished by having more concavely‐curved condyles (mediolateral direction), which is interpreted as an effect of heavy loading through the medial compartment of the knee in conjunction with differences in the degree of arboreality. Anat Rec, 296:1518–1525, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.