bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling, Implementing and Evaluation a Decision Support System Used for Choosing the Best HVAC System in The Buildings, Case Study in Iraq
Authors: Ahmed Ahmed Shihab , Ali Salah Hussein
Published: March 2024

The life cycle cost of a building is affected by the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system chosen by the Life Cycle Costs (LCC). Quality, constructability, appearance of the structure's interior and exterior, HVAC size and weight, and LCC are some of the criteria influencing the choice. Methods: To monitor a project's progress based on energy savings, standard measures such as cost variance (CV) and schedule variation have used an idea when tracking the performance of intelligent buildings. Also, as described in the article, this research compared the decision-making limits of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and (MCDM). Analysis: The conventional approach cannot reveal information regarding divergence from the expected level of performance. Based on the outcomes of the construction cost variables, the key finding was the observation of 12 efficient elements. Finding and Novelty: According to the R, a building's most valuable features are its (Energy Saving Features, Warranties, Budget, Protect Your Unit, SEER Ratings, and Home Square Footage). The findings of Actual value (AV) and planned value (PV) were significantly different, as noted by the Multi-Criteria Decision Maker (MCDM). The new method also makes it possible to track project costs and timetables more accurately. The paper will characterize the HVAC Decision Support System's architecture (HVACDSS). Also, a case study of action modeling is provided, and the preliminary findings are addressed. Six criteria characteristics are used by the HVACDSS technique by an analysis of building construction conducted using the WEKA mining tool (decision tree).
Offline Handwriting Writer Identification using Depth-wise Separable Convolution with Siamese Network
Authors: Suteddy Wirmanto , Agustini Devi Aprianti Rimadhani , Atmanto Dastin Aryo
Published: March 2024

Offline handwriting writer identification has significant implications for forensic investigations and biometric authentication. Handwriting, as a distinctive biometric trait, provides insights into individual identity. Despite advancements in handcrafted algorithms and deep learning techniques, the persistent challenges related to intra-variability and inter-writer similarity continue to drive research efforts. In this study, we build on well-separated convolution architectures like the Xception architecture, which has proven to be robust in our previous research comparing various deep learning architectures such as MobileNet, EfficientNet, ResNet50, and VGG16, where Xception demonstrated minimal training-validation disparities for writer identification. Expanding on this, we use a model based on similarity or dissimilarity approaches to identify offline writers' handwriting, known as the Siamese Network, that incorporates the Xception architecture. Similarity or dissimilarity measurements are based on the Manhattan or L1 distance between representation vectors of each input pair. We train publicly available IAM and CVL datasets; our approach achieves accuracy rates of 99.81% for IAM and 99.88% for CVL. The model was evaluated using evaluation metrics, which revealed only two error predictions in the IAM dataset, resulting in 99.75% accuracy, and five error predictions for CVL, resulting in 99.57% accuracy. These findings modestly surpass existing achievements, highlighting the potential inherent in our methodology to enhance writer identification accuracy. This study underscores the effectiveness of integrating the Siamese Network with depth-wise separable convolution, emphasizing the practical implications for supporting writer identification in real-world applications.
A Comparative Study of Feature Selection Technique for Predicting the Professional Tennis Matches Outcome in a Grand Slam Tournament
Authors: Ruslan Nur Amira Sariaty , Zainol Zuraini , Abdul Rauf Ummul Fahri
Published: March 2024

Tennis is one of the world's most played sports, attracting many spectators to participate in the game. One of the most essential strokes in a tennis match is serve performance. This research is intended to determine the most critical strokes in tennis serve performance in predicting the tennis match outcome. This research focuses on the Grand Slam Tournaments of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. The data are collected on the tennis serve performances such as Percentage First Serve In (PFSI), Percentage First Serve Won (PFSW), Percentage First Serve Return Won (PFSRW), Aces, and many more. For one tournament, it consists of 254 observations. This study applied feature selection methods available in R programming, such as Correlation Matrix, Relative Importance Metrics, Boruta, MARS, and cForest. Selecting the most essential and correlated variables with the match status can improve the model and help produce better results. This might help the practitioners to apply this method to obtain the closest result to the actual outcome when we include the most correlated variables in the model. From the result obtained, variables of first and second serve, either win on serve or return serve, are identified as the most critical attributes in the tennis match. As a future implication, we suggest that these are all the factors the players need to pay extra attention to in winning the tennis match.
Comparison Analysis of CXR Images in Detecting Pneumonia Using VGG16 and ResNet50 Convolution Neural Network Model
Authors: Izdihar Nur , Rahayu Syarifah Bahiyah , Venkatesan K
Published: March 2024

Pneumonia is a lung disease that causes serious fatalities worldwide. Pneumonia can be complicated for medical professionals to identify since it shares similarities with other lung diseases like lung cancer and cardiomegaly. Hospitals face difficulty finding professional radiologists who help to detect pneumonia through radioactive processes. This research proposes VGG16 and ResNet50-based system architecture using the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) module, which allows the detection of pneumonia. This research identifies pneumonia using chest X-ray (CXR) images through VGG16 and ResNet50 of CNN model architectures. The performance of the proposed models is compared by performance parameters such as processing time, accuracy, and loss. The Pneumonia dataset was obtained from Kaggle and divided into 70% for training, 15 % for validation, and 15% for testing. The results show that the proposed ResNet50 model architecture has a better result than the VGG16 model architecture. It can be clearly observed based on both models' loss and accuracy results. Moreover, the processing time for ResNet50 in training and predicting the CXR images is much faster than the VGG16 model's processing time. Hence, ResNet50 performs better than VGG16 based on the result of loss and accuracy and the processing time for the model to train and predict the data. In conclusion, the findings show the capability of CNN models for detecting pneumonia in CXR images, thus reducing the burden of professional radiologists.
A predictive approach for thermal fatigue crack growth behaviour of shot peened Ni75 alloy
Authors: Salehnasab Behnam
Published: March 2024

This study presents an approach to predict the effects of shot peening on the thermal fatigue crack propagation behaviour of nickel-based Ni75 alloy. For this purpose, from an engineering perspective, comprising experimental tests data and finite element simulations, were used to estimate the thermal fatigue crack propagation behaviour of the material. Despite many other studies that have been performed to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behavior, only a few  were previously conducted on thermal fatigue damage in different types of materials. Furthermore, the interaction of shot peening treatment and thermal fatigue crack propagation behavior is rare. Comparison of the results from the experimental test and FE model showed that the model appropriately predicted the thermal fatigue crack growth behaviour. The fracture mechanism evaluation showed that the compressive residual stress, induced by shot peening treatment, reduced both the crack opening and secondary crack branching. Also, the results show the crack initiation life of the shot peened specimen (SP) is about 2.5 times more than the non shotpeened specimen (NSP). Moreover, the microscopy analysis showed that the failure mechanism of the NSP and SP specimens were transgranular and a combination of intergranular and transgranular cracking, respectively
The Effects of Two Interventions between Elastic Therapeutic Taping with Exercise and Sham Taping with Exercise on Pain Intensity, Knee Disability Reduction, Leg Strength, and Functional Ability Improvement for Gonarthrosis Patients at the Moderate Level
Authors: Ngamchareonrujee Thitiman
Published: March 2024

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of elastic therapeutic taping with exercise on the pain, disability, muscle strength, and functionality of knee in patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA) compared with the sham taping technique with exercise.METHODS: Eighty patients with moderate knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade II-III) were randomized and separated into 2 groups, including an elastic therapeutic taping group and a sham taping group. Both groups received the same homework exercise. The assessments were performed at baseline, and 2 weeks and 12 weeks after the elastic therapeutic taping application. Pain level, the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale, muscle strength, Time Up and Go and Sit-to-Stand were used for the evaluation.RESULTS: Patients that received elastic therapeutic taping and the sham taping technique with exercise demonstrated improvement in pain level, the WOMAC scale, muscle strength, Time Up and Go and Sit-to-Stand after 12 weeks of the applications, but the results showed a statistically significant difference in the outcome measurement of pain level, the WOMAC scale, and Time Up and Go between the 2 groups (p < 0.01, p = 0.03 and p = 0.03 respectively).CONCLUSION: Elastic therapeutic taping with exercise can be an effective intervention for pain relief, reduced knee disability, and Time Up and Go in patients with moderate knee OA when compared with the sham taping technique with the exercise group.
Examining the Interplay between Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Employee Turnover at Unilever Corporation in Nigeria
Authors: Chiedu Chiemeke Kingsley , Long Choi Sang , Ashar Hapriza BT
Published: March 2024

Employee turnover has emerged as a crucial metric for organizational performance, prompting leaders to devise strategies for retaining valuable talent. Philosophers have long contemplated the relationship between individuals and their work, recognizing its profound impact on social identity and cohesion. A content employee is inclined to fulfill their duties diligently and exhibit commitment to both their role and organization. This paper investigates the nexus between job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions among employees at Unilever Corporation in Nigeria. Data was collected from 117 current employees of Unilever Nigeria PLC via survey questionnaires. Pearson Correlation and multiple regression analysis using SPSS version 22.0 were employed for data analysis. Results indicate significant negative correlations between job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions, with organizational commitment exerting a stronger influence on turnover intentions than job satisfaction. Implications, recommendations, and theoretical implications are discussed in light of these findings.
Leadership Education System in Education Management in Industry 4.0 Era
Authors: Monoarfa Haris , Rawis Joulanda A.M , Tambingon Henny N. , Kambey Joseph
Published: March 2024

Education in the industrial era 4.0 is a considerable challenge, because in order to realize good management in education to form leadership, adjustments to the curriculum, learning systems, supporting facilities and infrastructure and good human resources are needed. Not only that, in the industrial era, we must be able to build partnerships with various stakeholders to realize good management. Industry 4.0 can create artificial intelligence where the characteristics or behavior of a human being can be included in the application, so that humans are required to adapt to the current conditions of development.
Online Intermediaries and Sustainable Market Regulation – a Smart Mix of Liability and Exemptions
Authors:   Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Klafkowska-Waśniowska Katarzyna , Weckström Katja ,   University of Eastern Finland
Published: March 2024

The Commission has advanced sustainable and responsible behaviour of business operators in the digital environment since the adoption of the Strategy for the Digital Single Market of 2015. The question remains, how can we reach the normative goal of ensuring a safe, secure and fair online environment, where fundamental rights are protected, and responsibilities of platforms, especially large players and gatekeepers, are well defined? A “smart mix” of mandatory and voluntary rules, in combination with industry self regulation, is applied to address business and fundamental rights. This paper asks how the Digital Services Act (DSA) answers the call for sustainable market regulation. Ideally, sustainable market regulation may respond to specific risks, and impose tailored duties for “diligent economic operators”, without setting liability enhanced policy or enforcement targets for normal business activity. The paper discusses what has changed in the approach adopted in the DSA; what is the role of intermediaries in the information flows online; and how this is linked to information and data, important from the perspective of energy consumption as a parallel sustainability goal. It analyses briefly the CJEU case law on balancing liability exemptions with fundamental rights, including the right to information and its impact on the interpretation of the DSA. The paper also considers how the DSA fosters the concept of diligence in the online environment, as well as consumer empowerment, as an important feature of sustainable market regulation.
El régimen digital (y 3): de la condición protésica a la promesa de la computación neuronal
Authors: Gozalo Salellas Ignasi
Published: March 2024

La inteligencia artificial ha dejado de ser una tecnología o una problemática de nuestros tiempos, es ya una tautología que anula cualquier forma de reflexión crítica sobre la condición cíborg del humano actual. Es un ejemplo el protagonismo absoluto que ha tenido en la decimoctava edición del Mobile World Congress (MWC, 2024), celebrado en Barcelona este pasado febrero. El comportamiento del hombre tecnológico es un síntoma de que quien determina hoy nuestra identidad son las empresas tecnológicas y su extractivismo computacional (Gozalo Salellas, 2023; Sadin, 2020).
Cambodia’s engagement on ASEAN regional security issues
Authors: Ousaphea Yuok
Published: March 2024

This article examines Cambodia’s involvement in regional security issues within the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The relevance of the topic of the study is due to the growing tension in the region of the South China Sea, consisting in the confrontation between the USA and the PRC, and the increase in terrorist activities in South-East Asia. The author examines in detail the history of the formation and development of the ASEAN, the evolution of the association’s regional security system. The author closely analyzes the problems of regional security of ASEAN, the role of the Kingdom of Cambodia in solving previously mentioned problems. The study focuses on ASEAN regional security issues in South-East Asia. The study focuses on the role of the Kingdom of Cambodia in addressing ASEAN regional security concerns. This scientific article is based on the theory of neoliberalism. The main conclusions of the research are related to the study of the history of the formation and development of the ASEAN, the evolution of the association’s regional security system, the identification of key problems of ensuring ASEAN regional security, among which we can highlight the growth of terrorist activities, the tension between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, the lack of a legal framework to resolve or respond to military conflicts, the definition of the role of Cambodia in the settlement of regional security problems in ASEAN, based on the rich experience in the implementation of counter-terrorism activities and on leveling the rivalry of the PRC and the USA in the Asia-Pacific, built on strong bilateral relations as with the United States; just like in China. The scientific novelty of the study is the content-analysis of key ASEAN documents and the structuring of the ASEAN regional security system.
İNTERNET FOLKLORUNUN OLUŞMASINDA FOLKSONOMİNİN ROLÜ ÜZERİNE BİR ARAŞTIRMA
Authors: OĞUR Ümit
Published: March 2024

Çalışmada folksonominin internet folklorunun oluşma sürecindeki rolü, halk bilimi çerçevesinde ele alınmıştır. Bu amaçla ilk olarak folksonomi ve bağlantılı diğer teknik bileşenler kısaca tanıtılmış, daha sonra halk bilimi kapsamında değerlendirilebilecek halk kültürü ögelerinin folksonomi uygulamalarıyla nasıl ortak kabule dayalı folklorik değerler kazandıkları açıklanmaya çalışılmıştır. Araştırmada; internet ortamında, folksonomik modelle (halkın sınıflandırma yönetimi) etiketlenen bazı içerikler incelenmiş ve söz konusu araştırma nesneleri, üretilen folklor modeli üzerinden bir karşılaştırmaya tabi tutulmuştur. Çalışmada folksonomi ve internet folkloru arasındaki ilişki; folksonominin folklor çıktılarının üretim süreçlerindeki pozisyonu üzerinden açımlanarak elde edilen bulgular paylaşılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda; folksonominin, internet folklorunun oluşumunda kayda değer etkiye sahip olduğu tespit edilmiştir.
ULUSLARARASI STANDARTLAR YÖNÜNDEN EĞİTİM YÖNETİCİLERİNİN 21. YÜZYIL BECERİLERİ DOĞRULTUSUNDA BİLGİ İLETİŞİM TEKNOLOJİLERİ YETERLİLİKLERİ
Authors: ÖZEN Orhan , MERT Osman
Published: March 2024

Araştırmanın amacı eğitim yöneticilerinin 21. yüzyıl becerilerinden bilgi ve teknoloji liderliği yeterliklerinin ISTE standartları açısından incelenmesidir. Nitel bir durum çalışması olarak yürütülen araştırmada okul müdürlerinin, müdür yardımcılarının, şube müdürlerinin ve ilçe millî eğitim müdürlerinin görüşlerine başvurulmuştur. Anket formu ile elde edilen veriler aritmetik ortalama ve standart sapma teknikleri kullanılarak analiz edilirken yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılarak elde edilen verilerin analizinde betimsel analiz tekniğinden faydalanılmıştır. Eğitim yöneticileri kendilerini 5 ana hedef ve 22 alt hedef doğrultusunda değerlendirmiş ve bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri yeterliklerinin yüksek olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Yine 5 ana gösterge hakkındaki görüşlerinde, eğitimin kalitesinin artırılması için bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri kullanımının son yıllarda büyük önem kazandığını belirtmişlerdir.
IMPROVING THE VOCABULARYN IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE (TURKISH) OF BILINGUAL CHILDREN WITH FOLK TALES: THE CASE OF SWEDEN, NORWAY AND FINLAND
Authors: ORTA Nejla
Published: March 2024

The “We Speak Turkish with Anatolian Tales” activity was carried out with bilingual Turkish children aged 8-13 in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The students who participated in this activity constitute the sample group. Pre-test and post-test were administered to the students by selecting folk tales and words. The study investigated whether the vocabulary of bilingual students could be increased in their native language by using tales. Analyses and inferences were also made according to age, gender, and country. This sample was analyzed using the Single Group Pre-Test-Post-Test Design method, which is one of the weak experimental designs among experimental research methods. The SPSS method focused on the vocabulary and listening comprehension skills of bilingual Turkish children. Frequency Analysis, Shapiro-Wilk Test, Wilcoxon Sign Ranks Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, Mann Whitney U Test were used to analyze the data. While it was found that the values were close to each other according to countries and gender and did not show significant variability, it was concluded that there were significant changes in the average academic achievement in terms of increasing Turkish vocabulary. It was also observed that there were differences according to age, with the older age group having a significantly higher average.
The Effect of Padlet-assisted Flipped Classroom Learning Model on Critical Thinking Ability
Authors: Puspitasari Ika , Arifin Shokhibul
Published: March 2024

The aim of this research is to compare the flipped classroom learning model assisted by Padlet and the blended learning model on critical thinking skills. The problem that will be studied is whether there are differences in the two dimensions of the learning model regarding critical thinking abilities. In this study, the independent variable (X) is the flipped classroom learning model assisted by Padlet. Meanwhile, the dependent variable (Y) is critical thinking. The research sample was taken from students at SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Surabaya. The research sample was taken from students who were normally distributed, had the same characteristics (homogeneous), and had the same average value. Then two groups (classes) were taken as samples two experimental group classes used a flipped class learning model assisted by padlet and two control group classes used a blended learning model. The data analysis technique used is the independent sample T-test statistical analysis technique. With a significance level of 0.05. The resulting Sig value is known. (2-tailed) of 0.025. The results show that there are differences in critical thinking abilities between the flipped classroom learning model, assisted by Padlet, and the blended learning model.
Induced Resistance Mechanism in Plant and Its Importance in Agriculture
Authors: Rai Anuj Kumar , Sahoo Laxmi Priya , Sahoo Monalisha , Seth Tania , Patra Chakradhar
Published: March 2024

The search for a successful and efficient natural phenomenon of induced resistance in plants was prompted by the harmful effects that chemical pesticides and their degradation products had on the environment and human health. Ray was the first to identify plant resistance to diseases in 1901. When arabidopsis plants were injected with the pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, which colonises roots, induced resistance was initially observed in these plants. There are two different kinds of induced resistance: induced biochemical defense and induced structural defense. Biochemical defense includes phytoalexins, PR-proteins, and secondary metabolites; structural defense includes cytoplasmic reactions, cell wall defense structure, and histological defense structure (development of cork layers, abscission layer, and tylose). Induced systemic resistance (ISR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) are the foundation of the induced resistance process. While the defense mechanism in ISR is mediated by jasmonic acid and ethylene and additionally triggered by non-pathognic rhizobacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens), the defense mechanism in SAR is salicyclic mediated, namely alterations in gene expression. Plants can develop resistance to specific diseases by applying exogenous doses of 2, 6-dichloroisonicotonic acid and benzo-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH). Induced resistance in plants, while still poorly understood, offers up new possibilities for plant protection and presents a viable strategy for sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly disease control. It continues to be a problem for both basic and practical research.
Analisis Komentar Netizen Douban Terhadap Konflik Budaya dalam Film “The Farewell”
Authors: Tamarisca Kezia , Christiana Elisa
Published: March 2024

Konflik budaya merupakan hal yang lumrah dalam kehidupan manusia, karena setiap orang dilahirkan dengan latar belakang yang berbeda-beda, dan tentunya norma, etika, moralitas dan nilai-nilai budaya tidak terlepas dari interaksi interpersonal. Konflik budaya hampir selalu terjadi dalam kehidupan nyata, namun juga dapat terwujud melalui pertunjukan seperti film.  Penulis memilih film “The Farewell” (2019) dikarenakan terdapat konflik budaya antara Tiongkok dan barat yang terjadi dalam film tersebut dan film ini mendapat banyak komentar dari netizen di Douban, yaitu komunitas daring budaya Tiongkok yang berfokus pada rekomendasi dan komentar film, buku, dan musik. Dalam penelitian ini penulis ingin menganalisis bagaimana komentar netizen Douban terhadap konflik budaya dalam film “The Farewell” melalui teori perbedaan antara nilai budaya kolektivisme dan individualisme yang dikemukakan oleh Kim (1994). Data penelitian diperoleh dari komentar-komentar netizen Douban selama kurun waktu tahun 2019, yaitu tahun ketika film “The Farewell” ditayangkan, yang membahas tentang konflik budaya yang terdapat dalam film “The Farewell” dengan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa dalam komentar singkat kategori “bagus”, netizen Douban setuju dan menghargai perbedaan antara nilai budaya Tiongkok dan barat yang terdapat dalam film tersebut. Namun, dalam komentar singkat kategori “umum” ada netizen Douban yang setuju dan ada yang tidak setuju terhadap perbedaan nilai budaya, ada yang lebih memihak pada nilai budaya kolektivisme dan ada juga yang lebih memihak pada nilai budaya individualisme. Dalam komentar singkat kategori “buruk”, netizen Douban tidak setuju dengan nilai-nilai budaya Tionghoa dalam film tersebut, mereka percaya bahwa konflik budaya dalam film tersebut hanya akan menciptakan stereotip orang Tionghoa di barat.
La narrativa andina sobre la Virgen de la Natividad de Susapaya-Tarata
Authors: Torres Teresa
Published: March 2024

Este trabajo pretende incluir al corpus de la literatura peruana las manifestaciones de la tradición oral sur-andinas, con este propósito se aborda el análisis de los relatos sobre la Virgen de la Natividad de Susapaya donde el evento se erige como marcador temporo-espacial articulando la estructura narrativa con la ideología sociocultural de la zona, de tal manera que solo en el evento es posible actualizar el vínculo con categorías andinas como el manqhapacha, alaxpacha, yanantin y tinku; dichas categorías son parte de poéticas locales que resemantizan e interpolan lo hagiográfico con los ciclos míticos; para ello atendemos al contexto discursivo como marco clave para una hermenéutica de los símbolos que subyacen en los relatos de la Virgen de Susapaya de Tarata.

La investigación se perfila desde la teoría etnopoética y la pragmática, el objeto de estudio son los relatos sobre santos y vírgenes de Tarata, específicamente las narraciones recopiladas durante la fiesta patronal de la Virgen de Susapaya-Tarata en el año 2018[1].

 

[1] Debido al contexto de pandemia en que se inicia la investigación se incorporó variantes que circulan en la red, ante la imposibilidad de viajar a la zona de estudio. Los relatos se trabajan desde la contemporaneidad.
CONHECER O MAR, CONHECER O MUNDO
Authors: Marko Ana Julia
Published: March 2024

Em 2021, o Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani festejou 50 anos de um teatro interessado em discutir memória e esquecimento. Os atos de batalhar por narrativas dissidentes, apartadas pela História oficial e pela violência colonial, fazem do coletivo peruano um protagonista dos caminhos latino americanos. Tais temáticas não aparecem somente nos espetáculos, mas em diversas intervenções no mundo. Dentre elas estão oficinas, performances e intervenções públicas, especialmente em comunidades de regiões periféricas ou rurais. O presente artigo pretende tecer reflexões sobre o taller de niños que convida crianças e adolescentes a conhecerem histórias da América Latina pouco acessadas nas instituições de ensino formal do país. Em um processo de artes integradas, partindo de um conto literário, através do agenciamento lúdico e de resgate de memórias familiares e ancestrais, os participantes têm a oportunidade de construírem uma experiência cênica que amplie sua referência de mundo.
Use of inertial sensors to support video tracking
Authors: Aron Michael , Simon Gilles , Berger Marie‐Odile
Published: January 2007

One of the biggest obstacles to building effective augmented reality (AR) systems is the lack of accurate sensors that report the location of the user in an environment during arbitrary long periods of movements. In this paper, we present an effective hybrid approach that integrates inertial and vision‐based technologies. This work is motivated by the need to explicitly take into account the relatively poor accuracy of inertial sensors and thus to define an efficient strategy for the collaborative process between the vision‐based system and the sensor. The contributions of this papers are threefold: (i) our collaborative strategy fully integrates the sensitivity error of the sensor: the sensitivity is practically studied and is propagated into the collaborative process, especially in the matching stage (ii) we propose an original online synchronization process between the vision‐based system and the sensor. This process allows us to use the sensor only when needed. (iii) an effective AR system using this hybrid tracking is demonstrated through an e‐commerce application in unprepared environments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure and Bonding in Cyclic Isomers of BAl2Hnm (n=3–6, m=−2 to +1): Preference for Planar Tetracoordination, Pyramidal Tricoordination, and Divalency
Authors: Jemmis Eluvathingal D. , Parameswaran Pattiyil
Published: January 2007

The structure and energetics of cyclic BAl2Hnm (n=3–6, m=−2 to +1), calculated at the B3LYP/6‐311+G** and QCISD(T)/6‐311++G** levels, are compared with their corresponding homocyclic boron and aluminium analogues. Structures in which the boron and aluminium atoms have coordination numbers of up to six are found to be minima. There is a parallel between structure and bonding in isomers of BAl2H32− and BSi2H3. The number of structures that contain hydrogens out of the BAl2 ring plane is found to increase from BAl2H32− to BAl2H6+. Double bridging at one bond is common in BAl2H5 and BAl2H6+. Similarly, species with lone pairs on the divalent boron and aluminium atoms are found to be minima on the potential energy surface of BAl2H32−. BAl2H4− (2 b) is the first example of a structure with planar tetracoordinate boron and aluminium atoms in the same structure. Bridging hydrogen atoms on the BAl bond prefer not to be in the BAl2 plane so that the π MO is stabilised by π–σ mixing. This stabilisation increases with increasing number of bridging hydrogen atoms. The order of stability of the individual structures is decided by optimising the preference for lower coordination at aluminium, a higher coordination at boron and more bridging hydrogen atoms between BAl bonds. The relative stabilisation energy (RSE) for the minimum energy structures of BAl2Hnm that contain π‐delocalisation are compared with the corresponding homocyclic aluminium and boron analogues.
Synthesis by Radical Cyclization and Cytotoxicity of Highly Potent Bioreductive Alicyclic Ring Fused [1,2‐a]Benzimidazolequinones
Authors: Lynch Mary , Hehir Sarah , Kavanagh Paul , Leech Dónal , O'Shaughnessy John , Carty Michael P. , Aldabbagh Fawaz
Published: January 2007

The key step in the synthesis of new five, six and seven‐membered alicyclic ring [1,2‐a]‐fused bioreductive benzimidazolequinones was radical cyclisation. Six and seven‐membered tributyltin hydride‐mediated homolytic aromatic substitutions of nucleophilic N‐alkyl radicals onto the benzimidazole‐2‐position occurred in high yields (63–70 %) when quaternising the pyridine‐like 3‐N of imidazole with camphorsulfonic acid and using large excesses of the azo‐initiator, 1,1′‐azobis(cyclohexanecarbonitrile), to supplement the non‐chain reaction. Elaboration of benzimidazoles to the benzimidazolequinones occurred in excellent yields. The IC50 values for the cytotoxicity of benzimidazolequinones towards the human skin fibroblast cell line GM00637 were in the nanomolar range, as determined by using the MTT assay. The benzimidazolequinones were much more cytotoxic than indolequinone analogues. 1,2,3,4‐Tetrahydropyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazole‐6,9‐dione was the most potent compound prepared being more than 300 times more cytotoxic than the clinically used bioreductive drug, mitomycin C. The latter benzimidazolequinone was more potent under hypoxic conditions (associated with solid tumors), being 4.4 times more cytotoxic than under aerobic conditions, while mitomycin C was 1.8 times more selective towards hypoxia. The cyclopropane fused pyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazolequinone, 1a,2,3,9b‐tetrahydro‐1H‐cyclopropa[3,4]pyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazole‐5,8‐dione was less cytotoxic and selective than the five‐membered ring analogue, 1,1a,8,8a‐tetrahydrocyclopropa[3,4]pyrrolo[1,2‐a]benzimidazole‐3,6‐dione. Modifying the structure of the most potent pyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazolequinone by attaching methyl substituents onto the quinone moiety increased reductive potentials and decreased cytotoxicity and selectivity towards hypoxia.
Dissatisfaction with performance of valued activities predicts depression in age‐related macular degeneration
Authors: Rovner Barry W. , Casten Robin J. , Hegel Mark T. , Hauck Walter W. , Tasman William S.
Published: January 2007

Objective

To determine whether dissatisfaction with performance of valued activities predicts depression in patients with age‐related macular degeneration (AMD).

Patients

Two hundred and six patients with newly diagnosed neovascular AMD in one eye and pre‐existing AMD in the fellow eye who were participating in a clinical trial of a psychosocial intervention to prevent depression.

Measures

Structured clinical evaluations of vision function, depression, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and medical morbidity. Subjects were classified as dissatisfied if they indicated that they were dissatisfied with their performance of a valued activity.

Results

Subjects who were dissatisfied with performance of valued activities (n = 71) had similar demographic characteristics to satisfied subjects (n = 135) but had worse visual acuity (p < 0.054), greater medical comorbidity (p < 0.006), and lower vision function (p < 0.001). Dissatisfied subjects were almost 2.5 times more likely (OR = 2.41; [95% CI 1.02, 5.65]; p = 0.044) to become depressed within 2 months than satisfied subjects independent of baseline visual acuity, vision function, and medical comorbidity.

Conclusion

Dissatisfaction with performance of valued activities in older persons with AMD predicts depression over a 2‐month period. Assessing the ability to pursue valued activities may identify patients at risk for depression and prompt clinicians to initiate rehabilitative interventions and careful surveillance for depression. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bare knuckle and better technics: trajectories of access to safe water in history and in the global south
Authors: Crow Ben
Published: January 2007

This paper draws lessons from the history of water provision in the industrialised world, and the failure of colonial municipal water utilities, to illuminate the social, political and financial challenges facing improved urban water supply in the global south. It distinguishes four trajectories for water and sanitation access with different records of success. The paper then suggests that engineers, and the communities, NGOs, development agencies and governments for whom they work, could work more effectively if they formulated their work to fit socially, financially and politically feasible trajectories. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Global behaviour of an SIR epidemic model with time delay
Authors: Tchuenche Jean M. , Nwagwo Alexander , Levins Richard
Published: January 2007

We study the stability of a delay susceptible–infective–recovered epidemic model with time delay. The model is formulated under the assumption that all individuals are susceptible, and we analyse the global stability via two methods—by Lyapunov functionals, and—in terms of the variance of the variables. The main theorem shows that the endemic equilibrium is stable. If the basic reproduction number ℛ0 is less than unity, by LaSalle invariance principle, the disease‐free equilibrium Es is globally stable and the disease always dies out. By applying the integral averaging theory, we also investigate the stability in variance of the model. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Skin ageing and its treatment
Authors: Baumann L
Published: January 2007

The effects of chronic sun exposure on skin are readily apparent when skin not typically exposed to the sun and skin regularly exposed to the sun are compared. While the sun is not the only aetiological factor in the dynamic process of skin ageing, it is the primary exogenous cause among several internal and environmental elements. Thus, photo‐ageing, the main focus of this article, is a subset of extrinsic skin ageing. The influence of the sun in extrinsic skin ageing, as well as its role in potentially altering the normal course of intrinsic (also known as natural or cellular) ageing, is discussed. Telomeres, the specialized structures found at the ends of chromosomes, are believed to be integral to cellular ageing as well as in the development of cancer. The ageing process, both intrinsic and extrinsic, is also believed to be influenced by the formation of free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species. The loss of collagen is considered the characteristic histological finding in aged skin. Wrinkling and pigmentary changes are directly associated with photo‐ageing and are considered its most salient cutaneous manifestations. Such photodamage represents the cutaneous signs of premature ageing. In addition, deleterious consequences of chronic sun exposure, specifically various forms of photo‐induced skin cancer, are also linked to acute and chronic sun exposure. The only known strategies aimed at preventing photo‐ageing include sun avoidance, using sunscreens to block or reduce skin exposure to UV radiation, using retinoids to inhibit collagenase synthesis and to promote collagen production, and using anti‐oxidants, particularly in combination, to reduce and neutralize free radicals. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A dynamic corridor‐searching algorithm to seek time‐varying instream flow releases for optimal weir operation: comparing three indices of overall hydrologic alteration
Authors: Shiau Jenq‐Tzong , Wu Fu‐Chun
Published: January 2007

A full range of natural flow regime has been widely recognized as a primary driving force for sustaining the integrity of a riverine ecosystem. Existing instream flow methods strive to assure a constant minimum flow but not the natural flow variability. We present in this paper a dynamic corridor‐searching algorithm to seek the optimal time‐varying scheme for instream flow releases. A compromise programming (CP) is employed to search the optimal solution of an objective function aggregating the ecosystem and human needs objectives. The ecosystem need objective is represented by an overall index of hydrologic alteration, which integrates 32 indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA) derived from the range of variability approach (RVA). The human need objectives are expressed by shortage ratios for the agricultural and municipal water supplies. The proposed method is applied to a weir operation in Taiwan. Three approaches to evaluating the overall degree of hydrologic alteration (i.e., the three‐class, fuzzy‐based, and overall‐mean approaches) are compared here. The results show that the time‐varying schemes improve the human need objective, but only slightly deteriorate the ecosystem need objective. Such advantages increase with the time‐varying frequency. For the wet periods, smaller flow releases may be prescribed; for the dry periods, however, greater releases must be specified to secure a lower degree of overall hydrologic alteration. It is also revealed that use of the three‐class approach to evaluate the overall hydrologic alteration facilitates to eliminate highly altered IHA and maintain those low‐flow characteristics subtle to flow diversions. However, such outcomes are achieved at the cost of greater deficits for human water demands. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sorption and Diffusional Studies of Extruded Waxy Maize Starch‐Glycerol Systems
Authors: Enrione Javier I. , Hill Sandra E. , Mitchell John R.
Published: January 2007

It is believed that glycerol decreases the water activity of food systems due to its hygroscopic nature. The work presented here focuses on water vapour sorption and diffusion characteristics of thermomechanically extruded waxy maize starch (WMS) and glycerol samples. The different mixtures were prepared with similar specific mechanical energies (SME ∼ 50 Wh/kg). The levels of glycerol ranged from 0–20% dry weight basis. At equilibrium relative humidities RH > 70% at 25°C, glycerol contributed to an increase in moisture but, for RH < 70% the moisture content decreased. The values of the monolayer (mo) and heat of sorption (C) from Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) and Guggenheim‐Anderson‐de Boer (GAB) equations significantly decreased in the presence of the polyol, suggesting a reduction in sorption sites availability. The diffusivities (D) of these mixtures were estimated, assuming a Fickian mechanism. The D values increased with RH but, there was an apparent reduction in this value for the RH > 60% when glycerol was present. Microscopic observations indicated formation of agglomerates and loss of particle integrity, which coincided with the marked change in the diffusivity value and the mixture's transition from the glassy to rubbery state. Therefore understanding of the amount and speed of water uptake into complex systems is important if their shelf life properties and texture are to be understood.
The density algorithm for pairwise interaction testing
Authors: Bryce Renée C. , Colbourn Charles J.
Published: January 2007

There are many published algorithms for generating interaction test suites for software testing, exemplified by AETG, IPO, TCG, TConfig, simulated annealing and other heuristic search, and combinatorial design techniques. Among these, greedy one‐test‐at‐a‐time methods (such as AETG and TCG) have proven to be a reasonable compromise between the needs for small test suites, fast test‐suite generation, and flexibility to accommodate a variety of testing scenarios. However, such methods suffer from the lack of a worst‐case logarithmic guarantee on test suite size, while methods that provide such a guarantee at present are less efficient or flexible, or do not produce test suites that are competitive in size for practical testing scenarios. In this paper, a new algorithm establishes that efficient, greedy, one‐test‐at‐a‐time methods can indeed produce a logarithmic worst‐case guarantee on the test suite size. In addition, this can be done while still producing test suites that are of competitive size, and in a time that is comparable to the published methods. It is deterministic, guaranteeing reproducibility. It generates only one candidate test at a time, permits users to ‘seed’ the test suite with specified tests, and allows users to specify constraints of combinations that should be avoided. Further, statistical analysis examines the impact of five variables used to tune this density algorithm for execution time and test suite size: weighting of density for factors, scaling of density, tie‐breaking, use of multiple candidates, and multiple repetitions using randomization. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Metal Complexes with Biologically Important Ligands. CLXVI Tetracarbonyl Complexes of Chromium(0) and Molybdenum(0) with Schiff Bases from Pyridine‐2‐carboxaldehyde and α‐Amino Acid Esters as N,N‐Chelate Ligands
Authors: Ederer Theodor , Herrick Richard S. , Beck Wolfgang
Published: January 2007

The complexes [M(CO)4(pyridyl‐CH=N‐CHRCO2R′)] (M = Cr, Mo; R = H, CH3, CH(CH3)2, CH2CH(CH3)2) were obtained by reaction of the Schiff bases from pyridine‐2‐carboxaldehyde and glycine, L‐alanine, L‐valine or L‐leucine esters with the norbornadiene complexes [M(CO)4(nbd)] and were characterized by IR, 1H and 13C NMR and UV‐vis spectra. The deeply colored complexes exhibit solvatochromism.
Synthesis, Structure and Characterization of Two Novel Mercury(II) Complexes with N‐(2‐aminoethyl)piperazine
Authors: Li Jian , Ding Bin , Yang En‐Cui , Wang Xiu‐Guang , Zhao Xiao‐Jun
Published: January 2007

Two novel mercury(II) complexes [HgII(μ2‐LH)Cl2]2[HgII2(μ2‐Cl)2Cl4]·2H2O (1) and [HgII4(μ2‐L)2(μ2‐Cl)2Cl6] (2) have been synthesized by the reaction of N‐(2‐aminoethyl)piperazine (L) with HgCl2 under different pH conditions. 1 and 2 were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The results reveal that in 1 there exist discrete mononuclear [HgII(μ2‐LH)Cl2]+ units and binuclear [HgII2(μ2‐Cl)2Cl4]2+ unit while in 2 there exist the rarely reported discrete cylic tetranuclear [HgII4(μ3‐L)2(μ2‐Cl)2Cl6] cluster units, which are both assembled into 3D supramolecular structures via extensive hydrogen‐bonding interactions. 1 and 2 were also characterized by element analysis, FT‐IR and luminescence spectra.
Die Seltenerdmetallpolyselenide Gd8Se15, Tb8Se15−x, Dy8Se15−x, Ho8Se15−x, Er8Se15−x und Y8Se15−x (0 < x ≤ 0.3) – Zunehmende Fehlordnung in ausgedünnten, planaren Selenschichten
Authors: Doert Thomas , Dashjav Enkhtsetseg , Fokwa Boniface P. T.
Published: January 2007

The Rare Earth Metal Polyselenides Gd8Se15, Tb8Se15−x, Dy8Se15−x, Ho8Se15−x, Er8Se15−x, and Y8Se15−x – Increasing Disorder in Defective Planar Selenium Layers

Single crystals of the rare earth metal polyselenides Gd8Se15, Tb8Se15−x, Dy8Se15−x, Ho8Se15−x, Er8Se15−x, and Y8Se15−x (0 < x ≤ 0.3) have been prepared by chemical transport reactions (1120 K→ 970 K, 14 days, I2 as carrier) starting from pre‐annealed powders of nominal compositions between LnSe2 and LnSe1.9. The isostructural title compounds adopt a 3 × 4 × 2 superstructure of the ZrSSi type and can be described in space group Amm2 with lattice parameters of a = 12.161(1) Å, b = 16.212(2) Å and c = 16.631(2) Å (Gd8Se15), a = 12.094(2) Å, b = 16.123(2) Å and c = 16.550(2) Å (Tb8Se15−x), a = 12.036(2) Å, b = 16.060(2) Å and c = 16.475(2) Å (Dy8Se15−x), a = 11.993(2) Å, b = 15.999(2) Å and c = 16.471(2) Å (Ho8Se15−x), a = 11.908(2) Å, b = 15.921(2) Å and c = 16.428(2) Å (Er8Se15−x), and a = 12.045(2) Å, b = 16.072(3) Å and c = 16.626(3) Å (Y8Se15−x), respectively. The structure consists of puckered [LnSe] double slabs and planar Se layers alternating along [001]. The planar Se layers contain a disordered arrangement of $\rm Se ^{2-}_{2}$ dimers, Se2− and vacancies. All compounds are semiconducting and contain trivalent rare earth metals (Ln3+).