bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Friction mechanism of zinc oxide films prepared by atomic layer deposition
Authors: Chai Zhimin , Lu Xinchun , He Dannong
Published: June 2015

Mechanism of low friction coefficients of zinc oxide (ZnO) films is plastic deformation induced nanocrystal structure to amorphous structure transformation.
Using nano-QSAR to determine the most responsible factor(s) in gold nanoparticle exocytosis
Authors: Bigdeli Arafeh , Hormozi-Nezhad Mohammad Reza , Parastar Hadi
Published: June 2015

A nano-quantitative structure-activity relationship (nano-QSAR) model is proposed to indicate the determining factors responsible in the exocytosis of gold nanoparticles in macrophages.
Molecular mechanisms for the adhesion of chitin and chitosan to montmorillonite clay
Authors: Wang Yan , Wohlert Jakob , Bergenstråhle-Wohlert Malin , Tu Yaoquan , Ågren Hans
Published: June 2015

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the wet adhesion of chitin and chitosan oligomers to montmorillonite clay.
Surface-initiated ATRP of styrene from epoxy groups of graphene nanolayers: twofold polystyrene chains and various graft densities
Authors: Roghani-Mamaqani Hossein
Published: June 2015

Graphene oxide was functionalized with an initiator containing modifier and subsequently used in different amounts as the precursor for surface-initiated grafting from ATRP of styrene.
Synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation of chromen and pyrano chromen-5-one derivatives impregnated into a novel collagen based scaffold for tissue engineering applications
Authors: Kandhasamy Subramani , Ramanathan Giriprasath , Kamalraja Jayabal , Balaji Ravichandran , Mathivanan Narayanasamy , Sivagnanam Uma Tiruchirapalli , Perumal Paramasivan Thirumalai
Published: June 2015

The synthesis of novel chromen and pyrano chromen-5-one derivatives (CCN) has obtained in simple experimental method. The CCN and collagen based scaffold showed excellent biological properties to act as biomaterial in tissue engineering application.
Photocatalytic activity enhancement of LaPO4via surface oxygen vacancies
Authors: Wang Kai , Yao Wenqing , Teng Fei , Zhu Yongfa
Published: June 2015

The photocatalytic activity reached a maximum 350 °C with vacuum heat treatment and was almost 1.6 times higher than that of untreated LaPO4. The v-LaPO4 photocatalyst has good stability.
An insight on electrospun-nanofibers-inspired modern drug delivery system in the treatment of deadly cancers
Authors: Balaji A. , Vellayappan M. V. , John A. A. , Subramanian A. P. , Jaganathan S. K. , Supriyanto Eko , Razak S. I. A.
Published: June 2015

This review gives an insight into the process of electrospinning, its essential parameters, the types of drug incorporation and the works reported on common dreadful cancers.
Circuit topology of linear polymers: a statistical mechanical treatment
Authors: Mashaghi Alireza , Ramezanpour Abolfazl
Published: June 2015

Circuit topology landscapes of linear polymer chains with intra-chain contacts are defined and studied for their properties.
Initial-stage oriented-attachment one-dimensional assembly of nanocrystals: fundamental insight with a collision–recrystallization model
Authors: Pan Yu , Lv Weiqiang , Niu Yinghua , Wen Kechun , Hou Xiaorong , Gu Jianmin , Zou Minda , Ye Luhan , Wang Wei , Zhang Kelvin H. L. , He Weidong
Published: June 2015

Inter-particle interactions at the initial oriented attachment growth of nanorods are investigated analytically based on a collision–recrystallization model.
Photosensitisation studies of silicone polymer doped with methylene blue and nanogold for antimicrobial applications
Authors: Bovis M. J. , Noimark S. , Woodhams J. H. , Kay C. W. M. , Weiner J. , Peveler W. J. , Correia A. , Wilson M. , Allan E. , Parkin I. P. , MacRobert A. J.
Published: June 2015

2 nm gold nanoparticle (AuNP) and methylene blue (MB) incorporated into medical-grade silicone polymer for antimicrobial applications.
Exploring the role of a discrepant event in changing the conceptions of evaporation and boiling in elementary school students
Authors: Paik Seoung-Hey
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this study was to explore how examples used in teaching may influence elementary school students' conceptions of evaporation and boiling. To this end, the examples traditionally used to explain evaporation and boiling in Korean 4th grade science textbooks were analyzed. The functions of these published examples were explanation (empirical recognition, identification, and evidence) and reinforcement (applications). However, few reinforcement functions (such as comparison and supposition) or clarification functions (such as extension and contrast) were employed. The evaporation and boiling conceptions of 41 students in the 4th grade, 55 students in the 5th grade, and 28 students in the 6th grade were surveyed. Many students thought of evaporation phenomena under heating conditions as boiling, and the same phenomena without an obvious source of heating as evaporation. This meant that the presence of heating affected the students' conceptions of evaporation and boiling. In this study, the students were presented with clarifying functional examples that were not included in the textbooks. After exposure to these examples, many students revised their misconceptions and adopted scientific conceptions. Previous studies have argued that students must be able to reason from a microscopic point of view to understand evaporation and boiling phenomena; however, the tested students were able to classify the two different phenomena after experiencing appropriate functional examples.
One-step synthesis of nanorod-aggregated functional hierarchical iron-containing MFI zeolite microspheres
Authors: Li Weigang , Li Gang , Jin Changzi , Liu Xin , Wang Junhu
Published: June 2015

Hierarchical iron-containing MFI zeolite microspheres were prepared and investigated as a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol.
Three-dimensional honeycomb-like hierarchically structured carbon for high-performance supercapacitors derived from high-ash-content sewage sludge
Authors: Feng Haobin , Zheng Mingtao , Dong Hanwu , Xiao Yong , Hu Hang , Sun Zhongxin , Long Chao , Cai Yijin , Zhao Xiao , Zhang Haoran , Lei Bingfu , Liu Yingliang
Published: June 2015

Honeycomb-like hierarchically structured carbon was prepared and investigated as excellent electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors.
In situ measurement of graphene Fermi level by interband spectroscopy
Authors: Kyoung Jisoo , Byun Kyung-Eun , Byun Sun Jung , Jeong Heejeong , Lee Jaeho , Heo Jinseong , Song Hyun Jae , Park Seongjun , Hwang Sung Woo
Published: June 2015

Recently, interband spectroscopic measurement of graphene Fermi level has been widely investigated because of its nondestructive and microcrack independent analysis. While successful in measuring the Fermi level, the optical methods suffer from one severe problem: spectral and spatial inhomogeneity of the substrates. In other words, the bare substrate transmissions, regarded as a reference transmission, are significantly different depending on the measurement position, whereby the estimated Fermi levels should be highly distorted. Here, we propose a new analytical expression to overcome the inhomogeneous substrate effects as well as to consider the multiple reflections in the finite substrate. We use the transmission at Dirac point as a reference signal instead of the bare substrate transmission, which enables to fix the sample position during the measurements and thereby free from the substrate effect. Based on our newly developed analytical expression, we measured the Fermi level of the chemical vapor deposition-grown graphene transferred on the SiO2/Si substrate. Furthermore, the obtained Fermi levels with the optical measurement were continuous and symmetric in the whole measurement range while that with the electrical measurement exhibits unphysical Fermi level gap at the Dirac point due to the pinning effect at metal-graphene contact.
Discovery of a nearby early-phase major cluster merger CIZA J1358.9−4750
Authors: Kato Yuichi , Nakazawa Kazuhiro , Gu Liyi , Akahori Takuya , Takizawa Motokazu , Fujita Yutaka , Makishima Kazuo
Published: June 2015

CIZA J1358.9−4750 is a nearby (z = 0.074) pair of clusters of galaxies located close to the Galactic plane. It consists of two X-ray extended humps at the northwest and the southeast separated by 14′ (∼ 1.2 Mpc), and an X-ray bright bridgelike structure in between. With Suzaku, the south east hump was shown to have a temperature of 5.6 ± 0.2 keV and the northwest one 4.6 ± 0.2 keV. Neither hump exhibits significant central cool components. The bridge region has a temperature higher than 9 keV at the maximum, and this hot region is distributed almost perpendicular to the bridge axis, in agreement with the shock heating seen in numerical simulations at an early phase of a head-on major merger. This resemblance is supported by good positional coincidence between the X-ray peaks and cD galaxies associated with each cluster. In a short exposure XMM-Newton image, a significant intensity jump was found at a position where the Suzaku-measured temperature exhibits a steep gradient. These properties indicate the presence of a shock discontinuity. The Mach number is estimated to be 1.32 ± 0.22 from the temperature difference across the identified shock front, which gives a colliding velocity of approximately 1800 km s−1. From optical redshifts of the member galaxies, the two clusters are indicated to be merging nearly on the sky plane. Thus, CIZA J1358.9−4750 is considered as a valuable nearby example of early-phase merger with a clear shock feature.
Isoflurane Ameliorates Acute Lung Injury by Preserving Epithelial Tight Junction Integrity
Authors: Englert Joshua A. , Macias Alvaro A. , Amador-Munoz Diana , Pinilla Vera Miguel , Isabelle Colleen , Guan Jiazhen , Magaoay Brady , Suarez Velandia Margarita , Coronata Anna , Lee Awapuhi , Fredenburgh Laura E. , Culley Deborah J. , Crosby Gregory , Baron Rebecca M.
Published: June 2015

AbstractAbstract

In a murine two-hit model of endotoxin-induced inflammation followed by ventilator-induced lung injury, isoflurane exposure before mechanical ventilation ameliorated the ventilator-induced lung injury by improving both lung mechanics and vascular leakage without changing inflammatory responses. In mouse lung tissue and in lung epithelial cells injured similarly to the in vivo model, decrease of a key tight junction protein (zona occludens 1) was prevented with isoflurane preconditioning.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Background:

Isoflurane may be protective in preclinical models of lung injury, but its use in patients with lung injury remains controversial and the mechanism of its protective effects remains unclear. The authors hypothesized that this protection is mediated at the level of alveolar tight junctions and investigated the possibility in a two-hit model of lung injury that mirrors human acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Methods:

Wild-type mice were treated with isoflurane 1 h after exposure to nebulized endotoxin (n = 8) or saline control (n = 9) and then allowed to recover for 24 h before mechanical ventilation (MV; tidal volume, 15 ml/kg, 2 h) producing ventilator-induced lung injury. Mouse lung epithelial cells were similarly treated with isoflurane 1 h after exposure to lipopolysaccharide. Cells were cyclically stretched the following day to mirror the MV protocol used in vivo.

Results:

Mice treated with isoflurane following exposure to inhaled endotoxin and before MV exhibited significantly less physiologic lung dysfunction. These effects appeared to be mediated by decreased vascular leak, but not altered inflammatory indices. Mouse lung epithelial cells treated with lipopolysaccharide and cyclic stretch and lungs harvested from mice after treatment with lipopolysaccharide and MV had decreased levels of a key tight junction protein (i.e., zona occludens 1) that was rescued by isoflurane treatment.

Conclusions:

Isoflurane rescued lung injury induced by a two-hit model of endotoxin exposure followed by MV by maintaining the integrity of the alveolar–capillary barrier possibly by modulating the expression of a key tight junction protein.
Impact of known risk factors on endometrial cancer burden in Chinese women
Authors: Gao Jing , Yang Gong , Wen Wanqing , Cai Qiu-Yin , Zheng Wei , Shu Xiao-Ou , Xiang Yong-Bing
Published: June 2015

This study aimed to provide data on the impact of known risk factors on endometrial cancer burden. Using data on 1199 endometrial cancer cases and 1212 frequency matched controls from a population-based case–control study carried out in urban Shanghai, China from 1997 to 2003, multivariable adjusted odds ratios were obtained from unconditional logistic regression analyses. Partial population-attributable risks were calculated and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated using a bootstrap method. An estimated 16.94% of endometrial cancer cases were attributed to overweight or obesity; 8.39% to meat intake; 5.45% to nonregular tea drinking; 5.23% to physical inactivity; and 1.77% to family history of endometrial, breast, or colorectal cancers. Overall, these risk factors accounted for 36.01% (95% confidence interval: 28.55–43.11%) of total endometrial cancer cases. Similar results were observed when analysis was restricted to postmenopausal women. Among modifiable lifestyle factors, overweight and obesity accounted for the largest proportion of endometrial cancer in the study population. Lifestyle alterations, such as maintenance of healthy weight, regular exercise, consumption of less meat, and tea drinking, could potentially reduce endometrial cancer by more than one-third.
Environmental DNA reveals that rivers are conveyer belts of biodiversity information
Authors: Deiner Kristy , Fronhofer Emanuel A. , Meächler Elvira , Walser Jean-Claude , Altermatt Florian
Published: June 2015

DNA sampled from the environment (eDNA) is becoming a game changer for uncovering biodiversity patterns. By combining a conceptual model and empirical data, we test whether eDNA transported in river networks can be used as an integrative way to assess eukaryotic biodiversity for broad spatial scales and across the land-water interface. Using an eDNA metabarcode approach we detected 296 families of eukaryotes, spanning 19 phyla across the catchment of a river. We show for a subset of these families that eDNA samples overcome spatial autocorrelation biases associated with classical community assessments by integrating biodiversity information over space. Additionally, we demonstrate that many terrestrial species can be detected; thus revealing that eDNA in river-water also incorporates biodiversity information across terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Environmental DNA transported in river networks offers a novel and spatially integrated way to assess total biodiversity for whole landscapes and will transform biodiversity data acquisition in ecology.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, 32 and a river runs through it.” — Norman Maclean
A three-dimensional metal–organic polymer: poly[bis(μ2-pyrimidine-2-thiolato-κ4N1,S:S,N3)lead(II)]
Authors: Schwade Vania Denise , Lang Ernesto Schulz , Floriano Luana
Published: June 2015

The title compound, [Pb(C4H3N2S)2]n, was prepared by the reaction of [Pb(OAc)2]·3H2O (OAc is acetate) with pyrimidine-2-thione in the presence of triethylamine in methanol. In the crystal structure, the PbIIatom has an N4S4coordination environment with four ligands coordinated by N- and S-donor atoms. This compound shows that the pyrimidine-2-thiolate anion can lead to a three-dimensional network when the coordination number of the metal ion can be higher than 6, as is the case with the PbIIion. This compound presents only covalent bonds, showing that despite the possibility of the hemidirected geometries of PbII, the eight-coordinated ion does not allow the formation of an isolated molecular structure with pyrimidine-2-thiolate as the ligand.
Crystal structure of 1,10-phenanthrolinium 3-hydroxy-2,4,6-trinitrophenolate
Authors: Muthulakshmi Selvarasu , Kalaivani Doraisamyraja
Published: June 2015

In the title molecular salt, C12H9N2+·C6H2N3O8−, the cation and anion are connected by an N—H...O hydrogen bond. In the anion, an intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond with anS(6) ring motif is observed. The planes of two of the nitro groups are approximately parallel to the plane of the benzene ring, making dihedral angles of 3.9 (2) and 15.3 (2)°, while the third nitro group is almost perpendicular to the benzene ring, with a dihedral angle of 78.6 (3)°. In the crystal, cation–anion pairs related by ann-glide plane are connected by C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming a chain structure along [101]. Sensitivity tests and thermal testing indicate that the title salt is an insensitive high-energy-density material (IHEDM).
Crystal structure of a mono-bridged calix[4]arene
Authors: Hailu Shimelis T. , Butcher Ray J. , Hudrlik Paul F. , Hudrlik Anne M
Published: June 2015

The title compound, 52-[(5-bromopentyl)oxy]-12,114,35,55-tetra-tert-butyl-17,18,19,110-tetrahydro-16H,116H-1(4,12)-dibenzo[b,e][1,7]dioxacyclododecina-3,5(1,3)-dibenzenacyclohexaphan-32-ol, C54H73BrO4, was synthesized from the reaction oftert-butylcalix[4]arene with 1,5-dibromopentane using K2CO3in CH3CN. The structure consists of a calixarene unit with a five-carbon bridge connecting two proximal phenolic O atoms, and with a bromopentoxy chain on one of the remaining phenolic O atoms. The calixarene unit was found to have a flattened cone conformation with no solvent (or other guest) molecule observed in the cavity. Two of the opposite phenyl rings lean outwards with fold angles of 136.2 (1) and 133.0 (1)° between the rings and the plane of the bridging methylene C atoms, while the other two opposite rings form fold angles of 83.27 (9) and 105.46 (9)°. There is considerable disorder in this molecule. One of thetert-butyl groups is disordered over two conformations with occupancies of 0.527 (5) and 0.473 (5). The bromopentoxy chain is disordered over three configurations with occupancies of 0.418, 0.332 and 0.250. The five-carbon bridge connecting two proximal phenolic O atoms is disordered over two conformations with occupancies of 0.537 (7) and 0.463 (7).
Double salt crystal structure of nonasodium dihydrogen nonavanadoplatinate(IV) trihydrogen nonavanadoplatinate(IV) tetracontahydrate: stepwise-protonated nonavanadoplatinate(IV)
Authors: Joo Hea-Chung , Park Ki-Min , Lee Uk
Published: June 2015

Nonavanadoplatinate [PtIVV9O28]7−, which is the first heteropolyoxovanadate in the decavanadate framework, [V10O28]6−, has been investigated crystallographically. The title compound, Na9[H2PtIVV9O28][H3PtIVV9O28]·40H2O, was obtained by a hydrothermal reaction at pH = 2. This compound contains two different protonated heteropolyoxovanadates, [H2PtIVV9O28]5−[polyanion (A)] and [H3PtIVV9O28]7−[polyanion (B)]. The locations of the H atoms on the protonated O atoms were observed in difference Fourier maps and confirmed by the interpolyanion hydrogen bonds, bond-length elongation and bond-valence-sum (VBS) analysis. The two (Pt and V)-bound μ2-O atoms are protonated in both polyanions. The position of the third protonated O atom in polyanion (B) is an interesting feature of the structure, being located on one (V2)-bound μ2-O atom. The discrete heteropolyanions form a dimer, {H5[PtV9O28]2}9−, through five interpolyanion hydrogen bonds. Additional O—H...O hydrogen bonds and interactions between Na+cations and water molecules as well as terminal O atoms of one of the polyanions consolidate the crystal packing.
Crystal structure of ethyl 2-acetyl-3,7-dimethyl-5-(thiophen-2-yl)-5H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carboxylate
Authors: Prasad N. L. , Krishnamurthy M. S. , Begum Noor Shahina
Published: June 2015

In the title compound, C17H18N2O3S2, the pyrimidine ring adopts a shallow sofa conformation, with the C atom bearing the axially-oriented thiophene ring as the flap [deviation = 0.439 (3) Å]. The plane of the thiophene ring lies almost normal to the pyrimidine ring, making a dihedral angle of 79.36 (19)°. In the crystal, pairs of very weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules related by twofold rotation axes, formingR22(18) rings, which are in turn linked by another C—H...O interaction, forming chains of rings along [010]. In addition, weak C—H...π(thiophene) interactions link the chains into layers parallel to [001] and π–π interactions with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.772 (10) Å connect these layers into a three-dimensional network.
Crystal structure of 3-amino-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-benzo[f]chromene-2-carbonitrile
Authors: Mohamed Shaaban K. , Horton Peter N. , Akkurt Mehmet , Younes Sabry H. H. , Albayati Mustafa R.
Published: June 2015

In the title compound, C21H16N2O2, the methoxybenzene ring is almost perpendicular to the mean plane of the naphthalene ring system, making a dihedral angle of 83.62 (5)°. The 4H-pyran ring fused with the naphthalene ring system is almost planar [maximum deviation = 0.033 (1) Å]. In the crystal, molecules are linked into inversion dimers by pairs of N—H...N hydrogen bonds. N—H...O hydrogen bonds connect the dimers, forming a helical supramolecular chain along thea-axis direction. The crystal packing also features C—H...π interactions.
Crystal structures of two 6-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)-5H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ones
Authors: Gomes Ligia R. , Low John Nicolson , Cagide Fernando , Borges Fernanda
Published: June 2015

The title compounds, 6-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-5H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one, C13H8N2O3S, (1), and 6-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-3-methyl-5H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one, C14H10N2O3S, (2), were synthesized when a chromone-3-carboxylic acid, activated with (benzotriazol-1-yloxy)tripyrrolidinylphosphonium hexafluoridophosphate (PyBOP), was reacted with a primary heteromamine. Instead of the expected amidation, the unusual title thiazolopyrimidine-5-one derivatives were obtained serendipitously and a mechanism of formation is proposed. Both compounds present an intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond, which generates anS(6) ring. The dihedral angles between the heterocyclic moiety and the 2-hydroxybenzoyl ring are 55.22 (5) and 46.83 (6)° for (1) and (2), respectively. In the crystals, the molecules are linked by weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions.
Teaching social media in public libraries – Danish experiences
Authors: Johannsen Carl Gustav
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The paper aims to report on a Danish Web 2.0 user training project from 2009. Besides, reporting the main results of the project, the paper discusses some broader perspectives concerning social media in library context. Many public and academic libraries worldwide have, inspired by the American “23 Things” Web 2.0 training program, been involved in training and educating both of their internal staff and of their users. The key questions are: whether concepts like “23 Things” and the like are likely to contribute to solving the problems of the computer illiterate segments of the population and whether Web 2.0, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and the like represent subjects which should be legitimately taught as part of professional public and academic library activities.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on systematic evaluation of public library-based social media courses, inspired by the “29 Things” concept, targeted at users.

Findings

– The article points out that it is questionable whether the “23 Things” project, as based on principles of self-directed learning, ownership for one’s own learning and similar popular notions, which fit very well into the taste and preferences of computer literate middle-class individuals, will also work among computer illiterate citizens. Concerning the second key question, the article points out that only a few critical opinions are against social media in libraries and that the presence of social media is legitimized through different reasons, including marketing, learning and higher-order purposes.

Originality/value

– The findings of the Danish public library social media courses in 2009 have not been reported before.
Correlations between the economy and public library use
Authors: Skelly Lara , Stilwell Christine , Underwood Peter G.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between different aspects of public library use with elements of economic growth and development.

Design/methodology/approach

– Statistical correlations were performed to uncover statistically significant relationships.

Findings

– Relationships are not uniform: strongly positive relationships exist between education and visits, circulation and library programmes, savings and visits and circulation and programmes, and a strongly negative relationship exists between health and circulation.

Research limitations/implications

– Only one proxy variable for each of the economic development indicators was used, including the fact that others might have revealed other information.

Social implications

– The revealed relationships should be kept in mind by librarians and policymakers as decisions to change library services that might trickle down to citizens through economic growth and development.

Originality/value

– This paper brings together a variety of economic growth and development factors and several aspects of public library use in a single framework.
The problem with Aaron: stereotypes in a postcolonial classroom
Authors: Kurian Anna
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on a particular problem that arose in the course of teaching Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus to an MA English class in India. The insistence that Aaron could only be “read” in terms of already available stereotypes created a conflict with the nuanced depiction of Aaron within the text, leading to this essay.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper narrativizes the events and process by which the classes arrived at their interpretations regarding Aaron, the Moor in Titus Andronicus, and shows how contextual and textual evidence is overlooked in favour of other frames in reading a text.

Findings

– It was seen that theoretical frames, in this case colonial and postcolonial, offer a certain ease of interpretation, irrespective of the text: key features within the text are often glossed over in the desire to posit a reading that is politically correct. Fidelity to the text and ethical considerations can be ignored in favour of easy readings, with frames that are already available to students being superimposed on the text.

Originality/value

– While theoretical schools and framing devices offer additional modes of interpretation, they can also be used in a reductive manner, without attention to textual detail or social context. This essay will help teachers of English to think about the necessity of teaching students that a theoretical frame cannot be the only tool that determines a text’s interpretation.
Design and experiment verification of a new heavy friction-stir-weld robot for large-scale complex surface structures
Authors: Wu Jiafeng , Zhang Rui , Yang Guangxin
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to present a new friction-stir-weld robot for large-scale complex surface structures, which has high stiffness and good flexibility.

Design/methodology/approach

– The robot system is designed according to manufacturability of large aluminum products in aeronautic and astronautic area. The kinematic model of the robot is established, and a welding trajectory planning method is also developed and verified by experiments.

Findings

– Experimental results show that the robot system can meet the requirements of friction stir welding (FSW) for large-scale complex surface structures.

Practical implications

– Compared with other heavy robotic arm and machine tool welding devices, this robot has better working quality and capability, which can greatly improve the manufacturability for large-scale complex surface structures.

Originality/value

– The friction-stir-weld robot system is a novel solution for welding large-scale complex surface structures. Its major advantages are the high stiffness, good flexibility and high precision of the robot body, which can meet the requirements of FSW. Besides, a welding trajectory planning method based on iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm is used for welding trajectory.
Benefits of owner mandated CM/GC contract amendment templates
Authors: Feuer Matt , Glick Scott , Clevenger Caroline M
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how implementing a standardized/owner-mandated template for Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) contract amendments can minimize errors. The focus is on public owners who manage multiple CM/GC projects at any one time.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study format was used to compare contract amendments errors using a baseline project, transition project and best practices project. Six metrics were identified, including factual recital errors, summary formatting errors, schedule of values errors, construction services fee errors, allowance schedule errors and data consistency errors.

Findings

– The baseline and transition projects both had an average of seven errors per amendment, while the best practices project produced zero errors. The amendment template creation process helped design out common errors. The use of the template can be contract-mandated, while transition projects require owner commitment.

Research limitations/implications

– Future research should focus on completed projects’ closeout data that have been consolidated since the transition project was in its final stage and the best practices project was relatively early in the construction process.

Practical implications

– The findings of this research indicate that by implementing a mature owner-mandated CM/GC contract amendment template, owners can greatly reduce errors that arise during the amendment process. It should be noted, however, that challenges will most likely occur during the implementation phase.

Originality/value

– No similar studies were found and the results of the research informs Facilities Management departments that they can significantly reduce errors by utilizing a mature, owner-mandated template for CM/GC contract amendments.
Methodologies for developing knowledge management systems: an evaluation framework
Authors: Dehghani Razieh , Ramsin Raman
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to provide a criteria-based evaluation framework for assessing knowledge management system (KMS) development methodologies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The evaluation criteria have been elicited based on the features expected from a successful KMS. Furthermore, a number of prominent KMS development methodologies have been scrutinized based on the proposed evaluation framework.

Findings

– It was demonstrated that the proposed evaluation framework is detailed and comprehensive enough to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of KMS development methodologies. It was also revealed that even though the evaluated methodologies possess certain strong features, they suffer from several shortcomings that need to be addressed.

Research limitations/implications

– The evaluation framework has not been applied to all existing KMS development methodologies; however, the evaluation does cover the most comprehensive methodologies which exist in the research context.

Practical implications

– The results of this research can be used for the following purposes: organizational goal-based selection of KMS development methodologies, evolution of existing KMS development methodologies and engineering of tailored-to-fit KMS development methodologies.

Originality/value

– The proposed evaluation framework provides a comprehensive and detailed set of criteria for assessing general, area-specific and context-specific features of KMS development methodologies. KMS developers can select the methodology which best fits their requirements based on the evaluation results. Furthermore, method engineers can extend existing methodologies or engineer new ones so as to satisfy the specific requirements of the project at hand.
Knowledge sharing in open source software communities: motivations and management
Authors: Iskoujina Zilia , Roberts Joanne
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to add to the understanding of knowledge sharing in online communities through an investigation of the relationship between individual participant’s motivations and management in open source software (OSS) communities. Drawing on a review of literature concerning knowledge sharing in organisations, the factors that motivate participants to share their knowledge in OSS communities, and the management of such communities, it is hypothesised that the quality of management influences the extent to which the motivations of members actually result in knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

– To test the hypothesis, quantitative data were collected through an online questionnaire survey of OSS web developers with the aim of gathering respondents’ opinions concerning knowledge sharing, motivations to share knowledge and satisfaction with the management of OSS projects. Factor analysis, descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to explore the survey data.

Findings

– The analysis of the data reveals that the individual participant’s satisfaction with the management of an OSS project is an important factor influencing the extent of their personal contribution to a community.

Originality/value

– Little attention has been devoted to understanding the impact of management in OSS communities. Focused on OSS developers specialising in web development, the findings of this paper offer an important original contribution to understanding the connections between individual members’ satisfaction with management and their motivations to contribute to an OSS project. The findings reveal that motivations to share knowledge in online communities are influenced by the quality of management. Consequently, the findings suggest that appropriate management can enhance knowledge sharing in OSS projects and online communities, and organisations more generally.
Does organizational forgetting matter? Organizational survival for life coaching companies
Authors: Aydin Erhan , Gormus Alparslan Sahin
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purposes of this paper are to determine the role of organizational forgetting in different type of coaching companies and to determine organizational survival based on both knowledge structure of coaching companies and organizational forgetting with core features of organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

– Within the context of this research, two worldwide and well-known coaching companies were examined as case study, and analyses of case studies which included company background and testimonial analysis was used as inputs for the semi-structured interviews of 12 PhD students in the UK who took seminars and training from the coaching companies. Based on the interviews, the authors concluded the research as describing knowledge structure, core features and organizational forgetting type. Thus, organizational survival based on organizational forgetting could be interpreted.

Findings

– Based on the case studies and interview results, there were two findings. First, it was indicated that the type of organization (knowledge structure) had a different type of organizational forgetting. Second, core features of organizations based on the interviews and types of organizational forgetting were linked to each other. According to these results, organizational survival for coaching companies was discussed.

Research limitations/implications

– This study also has some limitations. First, this paper just focuses on coaching organizations to find new perspective for the organizational forgetting literature. Second, because of the scope of this research, interviewees are limited to individuals who have knowledge or take any seminars related to field of coaching. Other sectors also must be considered to attain detailed knowledge related to organizational forgetting because case-specific studies will bring new dimensions to the literature of organizational forgetting.

Originality/value

– First, this study makes a research contribution to the field of organizational forgetting because studies related to organizational forgetting mostly consist of conceptual papers, and, second, we have introduced two new perspective to the concept of organizational forgetting through this research paper.
Development of a New Paenibacillin‐Producing Strain and Testing its Usability in Improving Food Safety
Authors: Gerst Michelle M. , Huang En , Zhang Liwen , Yousef Ahmed E.
Published: June 2015

A new bacterial strain that produces a bacteriocin (paenibacillin) without polymyxin was developed from Paenibacillus polymyxa that co‐produces the 2 antimicrobial agents. Gamma radiation was used successfully to develop the new strain, P. polymyxa OSY‐HG. Subsequently, we explored the feasibility of using food or food ingredients as growth media for the new strain. Milk supported the growth of P. polymyxa OSY‐HG which produced up to 32 mg paenibacillin/L milk without polymyxin. Fermentation crude extract was applied in a model food (Vienna sausage) to control Listeria innocua, a Listeria monocytogenes surrogate. The treatment increased Listeria lag time by 2 d at 7 °C and at least 6 h at 37 °C. In conclusion, a new paenibacillin‐producing P. polymyxa strain has been developed for potential industrial use. Using the new strain in applications that enhance food safety is feasible.
Increased IL‐37 in Atherosclerotic Disease could be Suppressed by Atorvastatin Therapy
Authors: Shaoyuan C. , Ming D. , Yulang H. , Hongcheng F.
Published: June 2015

Recently, the evidence showed that interleukin‐37 (IL‐37) was expressed in the foam‐like cells of atherosclerotic coronary and carotid artery plaques in IL‐37‐transgenic mice, suggesting that interleukin‐37 is involved in atherosclerosis‐related diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the change of IL‐37 in atherosclerotic plaque, the effect of atorvastatin on IL‐37 and the association between IL‐37 and Smad3 in atherosclerotic disease. Rabbits were subjected to atherosclerosis by the immunologic injury composite with balloon injury (BI). Some rabbits received atorvastatin treatment from 6 weeks to 12 weeks. Serum levels of IL‐37 were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks and 12 weeks in normal, atherosclerotic and atorvastatin groups. Protein and RNA levels of IL‐37 atherosclerotic plaque from abdominal aorta were processed at 12 weeks. Abdominal aorta including atherosclerotic plaque was immunostained with IL‐37 and Smad3. Serum IL‐37 significantly increased in atherosclerotic disease, and this increase could be reduced by the atorvastatin treatment. IL‐37 and Smad3 were accumulated in the macrophage‐derived foam cells in the plaque and significantly increased in protein and RNA levels. Atorvastatin treatment could significantly suppress the increase of both IL‐37 and Smad3. Plasma level of IL‐37 and the IL‐37 expression of the plaque were significantly increased in atherosclerotic disease. This increase could be suppressed by the atorvastatin treatment. In addition, Smad3 might be required for IL‐37 activity during the atherosclerotic physiologic process.
Partial Differential Equation-Based Process Control for Ultraviolet Curing of Thick Film Resins
Authors: Yebi Adamu , Ayalew Beshah
Published: June 2015

This paper proposes a feedback control system for curing thick film resins using ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A model-based distributed parameter control scheme is constructed for addressing the challenge of achieving through cure while reducing temperature gradients in thick films in composite laminates. The UV curing process is modeled with a parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) that includes an in-domain radiative input along with a nonlinear spatial attenuation function. The control problem is first cast as a distributed temperature trajectory-tracking problem where only surface temperature measurements are available. By transforming the original process model to an equivalent boundary input problem, backstepping boundary PDE control designs are applied to explicitly obtain both the controller and the observer gain kernels. Offline optimization may be used to generate the desired temperature trajectory, considering quality constraints such as prespecified spatial gradients and UV source limitations. The workings and the performance of the proposed control scheme are illustrated through simulations of the process model. It is shown that feedforward compensation can be added to achieve improved tracking with the PDE controller in the presence of measurement noise and other process disturbances.
Quantized Feedback Stabilization of System With Network-Induced Delay
Authors: Wang J. , Li H.
Published: June 2015

This paper considers the stabilization problem of a continuous linear system over a communication channel with network-induced delay. The channel is of finite data rate and connects the measurement sensor to the controller. Based on spherical polar coordinates, a novel coding scheme is proposed for this problem. In this coding scheme, the quantizer does not quantize the state of the original quantized system directly, but quantizes the state of the corresponding augmented system to produce control inputs, which simplifies the design of the coding scheme; a definite relation between the quantized data and the corresponding quantization error is used to facilitate the analysis of the stability of the system. Based on this coding scheme, the paper presents the condition guaranteeing the asymptotic stability of the system with network-induced delay and gives the design procedure of quantizer and controller. It is shown that adopting spherical polar coordinates makes the practical solving for the parameters of the quantizer and the controller numerically realistic.
An Analytic Model for Skin Modulus Measurement Via Conformal Piezoelectric Systems
Authors: Shi Y. , Dagdeviren C. , Rogers J. A. , Gao C. F. , Huang Y.
Published: June 2015

The Young's modulus of human skin is of great interests to dermatology, cutaneous pathology, and cosmetic industry. A wearable, ultrathin, and stretchable device provides a noninvasive approach to measure the Young's modulus of human skin at any location, and in a way that is mechanically invisible to the subject. A mechanics model is developed in this paper to establish the relation between the sensor voltage and the skin modulus, which, together with the experiments, provides a robust way to determine the Young's modulus of the human skin.
Verification Benchmarks to Assess the Implementation of Computational Fluid Dynamics Based Hemolysis Prediction Models
Authors: Hariharan Prasanna , D’Souza Gavin , Horner Marc , Malinauskas Richard A. , Myers Matthew R.
Published: June 2015

As part of an ongoing effort to develop verification and validation (V&V) standards for using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the evaluation of medical devices, we have developed idealized flow-based verification benchmarks to assess the implementation of commonly cited power-law based hemolysis models in CFD. The verification process ensures that all governing equations are solved correctly and the model is free of user and numerical errors. To perform verification for power-law based hemolysis modeling, analytical solutions for the Eulerian power-law blood damage model (which estimates hemolysis index (HI) as a function of shear stress and exposure time) were obtained for Couette and inclined Couette flow models, and for Newtonian and non-Newtonian pipe flow models. Subsequently, CFD simulations of fluid flow and HI were performed using Eulerian and three different Lagrangian-based hemolysis models and compared with the analytical solutions. For all the geometries, the blood damage results from the Eulerian-based CFD simulations matched the Eulerian analytical solutions within ∼1%, which indicates successful implementation of the Eulerian hemolysis model. Agreement between the Lagrangian and Eulerian models depended upon the choice of the hemolysis power-law constants. For the commonly used values of power-law constants (α  = 1.9–2.42 and β  = 0.65–0.80), in the absence of flow acceleration, most of the Lagrangian models matched the Eulerian results within 5%. In the presence of flow acceleration (inclined Couette flow), moderate differences (∼10%) were observed between the Lagrangian and Eulerian models. This difference increased to greater than 100% as the beta exponent decreased. These simplified flow problems can be used as standard benchmarks for verifying the implementation of blood damage predictive models in commercial and open-source CFD codes. The current study used only a power-law model as an illustrative example to emphasize the need for model verification. Similar verification problems could be developed for other types of hemolysis models (such as strain-based and energy dissipation-based methods). And since the current study did not include experimental validation, the results from the verified models do not guarantee accurate hemolysis predictions. This verification step must be followed by experimental validation before the hemolysis models can be used for actual device safety evaluations.
Brittle Removal Mechanism of Ductile Materials With Ultrahigh-Speed Machining
Authors: Wang Bing , Liu Zhanqiang , Su Guosheng , Ai Xing
Published: June 2015

Material removal mechanism depends on the material property and machining parameters during machining process. This paper investigates the brittle removal mechanism of ductile materials with ultrahigh-speed machining. Based on the theory of stress wave propagation, the prediction model of critical cutting speed for ultrahigh-speed machining is proposed. The predicted critical cutting speed values are then validated with ultrahigh-speed machining experiments of Inconel 718 and 7050-T7451 aluminum alloy at the cutting speeds range from 50 m/min to 8000 m/min. The experimental results show that fragmented chips are produced above the critical cutting speed of 7000 m/min for Inconel 718 and 5000 m/min for 7050-T7451 aluminum alloy. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of fragmented chip fracture surface and finished workpiece surface are analyzed. Large amounts of cleavage steps and brittle cracks are observed on the fragmented chip surface. With the brittle cracks remains, the finished surface quality of ultrahigh-speed machining is worse than that of high-speed machining. The results show that the material property undergoes ductile-to-brittle transition so the brittle regime machining of ductile materials can be implemented with ultrahigh-speed machining. Taking both the machining efficiency and machining quality into account, the ultrahigh-speed machining is recommended to apply in rough machining or semifinishing, while high-speed machining is recommended to apply in finishing process. In the end, the definition and essence of ultrahigh-speed machining are concluded. This paper is enticing from both the engineering and the analytical perspectives aimed at revealing the mechanism of ultrahigh-speed machining and optimizing the machining parameters.