bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and Evaluation of Some New Aza-B-homocholestane Derivatives as Anticancer Agents
Authors: Huang Yanmin , Cui Jianguo , Chen Sijing , Lin Qifu , Song Huacan , Gan Chunfang , Su Bin , Zhou Aimin
Published: March 2014

Using analogues of some marine steroidal oximes as precursors, a series of aza-B-homocholestane derivatives possessing different substituted groups at the 3-position of the steroidal nucleus were synthesized. Their biological activity against cancer cell proliferation was determined with multiple cancer cell lines. Aza-B-homocholestane derivatives possessing 3-hydroxyl, 3-hydroximino and 3-thiosemicarbazone groups displayed remarkable cytotoxicity to cancer cells via apoptosis inducing mechanism. Compounds 5, 10, 12, 15 and 18 exhibited better potency to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. In addition, compound 15 was further evaluated with three dimensional (3D) multicellular spheroids assay to determine its potency against spheroid growth. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) generated in the studies is valuable for the design of novel chemotherapeutic agents.
Surface Tension Flows inside Surfactant-Added Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Microstructures with Velocity-Dependent Contact Angles
Authors: Chen Jyh , Liao Shih , Liu Mao , Lin Jenn , Sheu Tsung , Miao Ming
Published: March 2014

Filling of liquid samples is realized in a microfluidic device with applications including analytical systems, biomedical devices, and systems for fundamental research. The filling of a disk-shaped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchamber by liquid is analyzed with reference to microstructures with inlets and outlets. The microstructures are fabricated using a PDMS molding process with an SU-8 mold. During the filling, the motion of the gas-liquid interface is determined by the competition among inertia, adhesion, and surface tension. A single ramp model with velocity-dependent contact angles is implemented for the accurate calculation of surface tension forces in a three-dimensional volume-of-fluid based model. The effects of the parameters of this functional form are investigated. The influences of non-dimensional parameters, such as the Reynolds number and the Weber number, both determined by the inlet velocity, on the flow characteristics are also examined. An oxygen-plasma-treated PDMS substrate is utilized, and the microstructure is modified to be hydrophilic. Flow experiments are conducted into both hydrophilic and hydrophobic PDMS microstructures. Under a hydrophobic wall condition, numerical simulations with imposed boundary conditions of static and dynamic contact angles can successfully predict the moving of the meniscus compared with experimental measurements. However, for a hydrophilic wall, accurate agreement between numerical and experimental results is obvious as the dynamic contact angles were implemented.
“Specificity Determinants” Improve Therapeutic Indices of Two Antimicrobial Peptides Piscidin 1 and Dermaseptin S4 Against the Gram-negative Pathogens Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Jiang Ziqing , Vasil Adriana , Vasil Michael , Hodges Robert
Published: March 2014

A new class of antimicrobial agents with lower rates of resistance and different targets is urgently needed because of the rapidly increasing resistance to classical antibiotics. Amphipathic cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent such a class of compounds. In our previous studies, using a 26-residue de novo designed antimicrobial peptide, we proposed the concept of “specificity determinant(s)”: positively charged residue(s) in the center of the non-polar face of AMPs that could decrease hemolytic activity/toxicity but increase or maintain the same level of antimicrobial activity to increase dramatically the therapeutic index. In the current study, we used d-enantiomers of two AMPs, Piscidin 1 isolated from fish and dermaseptin S4 isolated from frog. We substituted different positions in the center of the hydrophobic face with one or two lysine residue(s) (one or two “specificity determinant(s)”). This simple modification not only maintained or improved antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative pathogens Acinetobacter baumannii (11 strains) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6 strains), but also dramatically decreased hemolytic activity of human red blood cells, as predicted. Therapeutic indices improved by 55-fold and 730-fold for piscidin 1 (I9K) and dermaseptin S4 (L7K, A14K), respectively, against A. baumannii. Similarly, the therapeutic indices improved 32-fold and 980-fold for piscidin 1 (I9K) and dermaseptin S4 (L7K, A14K), respectively, against P. aeruginosa.
Origination of the Protein Fold Repertoire from Oily Pluripotent Peptides
Authors: Mannige Ranjan
Published: March 2014

While the repertoire of protein folds that exists today underlies most of life’s capabilities, our mechanistic picture of protein fold origination is incomplete. This paper discusses a hypothetical mechanism for the emergence of the protein fold repertoire from highly dynamic and collapsed peptides, exemplified by peptides with high oil content or hydrophobicity. These peptides are called pluripotent to emphasize their capacity to evolve into numerous folds transiently available to them. As evidence, the paper will discuss previous simulation work on the superior fold evolvability of oily peptides, trace (“fossil”) evidence within proteomes seen today, and a general relationship between protein dynamism and evolvability. Aside from implications on the origination of protein folds, the hypothesis implies that the vanishing utility of a random peptide in protein origination may be relatively exaggerated, as some random peptides with a certain composition (e.g., oily) may fare better than others. In later sections, the hypothesis is discussed in the context of existing discussions regarding the spontaneous origination of biomolecules.
Improving Remote Species Identification through Efficient Training Data Collection
Authors: Baldeck Claire , Asner Gregory
Published: March 2014

Plant species identification and mapping based on remotely-sensed spectral signatures is a challenging task with the potential to contribute enormously to ecological studies. Success in this task rests upon the appropriate collection and use of costly field-based training data, and researchers are in need of ways to improve collection efficiency based on quantitative evidence. Using imaging spectrometer data collected by the Carnegie Airborne Observatory for hundreds of field-identified tree crowns in Kruger National Park, South Africa, we developed woody plant species classification models and evaluated how classification accuracy increases with increasing numbers of training crowns. First, we show that classification accuracy must be estimated while respecting the crown as the basic unit of data; otherwise, accuracy will be overestimated and the amount of training data needed to perform successful classification will be underestimated. We found that classification accuracy and the number of training crowns needed to perform successful classification varied depending on the number and spectral separability of species in the model. We also used a modified Michaelis-Menten function to describe the empirical relationship between training crowns and model accuracy, and show how this function may be useful for predicting accuracy. This framework can assist researchers in designing field campaigns to maximize the efficiency of field data collection, and thus the amount of biodiversity information gained from remote species identification models.
Estimating Soil Organic Carbon Using VIS/NIR Spectroscopy with SVMR and SPA Methods
Authors: Peng Xiaoting , Shi Tiezhu , Song Aihong , Chen Yiyun , Gao Wenxiu
Published: March 2014

With 298 heterogeneous soil samples from Yixing (Jiangsu Province), Zhongxiang and Honghu (Hubei Province), this study aimed to combine a successive projections algorithm (SPA) with a support vector machine regression (SVMR) model (SPA-SVMR model) to improve the estimation accuracy of soil organic carbon (SOC) contents using the laboratory-based visible and near-infrared (VIS/NIR, 350−2500 nm) spectroscopy of soils. The effects of eight spectra pre-processing methods, i.e., Log (1/R), Log (1/R) coupled with Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing (Log (1/R) + SG), first derivative with SG smoothing (FD), second derivative with SG smoothing (SD), SG, standard normal variate (SNV), mean center (MC) and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), on SPA-based informative wavelength selection were explored. The SVMR model (i.e., SVMR without SPA) and SPA-PLSR model (i.e., SPA combined with partial least squares regression (PLSR)) were developed and compared with the SPA-SVMR model in order to evaluate the performance of SPA-SVMR. The results indicated that the variables selected by SPA and their distributions were strongly affected by different pre-processing methods, and SG was the optimal pre-processing method for SPA-SVMR model development; the SPA-SVMR model using SG pre-processing and 28 SPA-selected wavelengths obtained a better result (R2V = 0.73, RMSEV = 2.78 g∙kg−1 and RPDV = 1.89) and outperformed the SVMR model (R2V = 0.72, RMSEV = 2.83 g∙kg−1 and RPDV = 1.86) and the SPA-PLSR model (R2V = 0.62, RMSEV = 3.23 g∙kg−1 and RPDV = 1.63). Most of the spectral bands used by the SPA-SVMR model over the near-infrared region were important wavelengths for SOC content estimation. This study demonstrated that the combination of SPA and SVMR is feasible and reliable for estimating SOC content from the VIS/NIR spectra of soils in regions with multiple soil and land-use types.
Context-Aware Personal Navigation Using Embedded Sensor Fusion in Smartphones
Authors: Saeedi Sara , Moussa Adel , El-Sheimy Naser
Published: March 2014

Context-awareness is an interesting topic in mobile navigation scenarios where the context of the application is highly dynamic. Using context-aware computing, navigation services consider the situation of user, not only in the design process, but in real time while the device is in use. The basic idea is that mobile navigation services can provide different services based on different contexts—where contexts are related to the user’s activity and the device placement. Context-aware systems are concerned with the following challenges which are addressed in this paper: context acquisition, context understanding, and context-aware application adaptation. The proposed approach in this paper is using low-cost sensors in a multi-level fusion scheme to improve the accuracy and robustness of context-aware navigation system. The experimental results demonstrate the capabilities of the context-aware Personal Navigation Systems (PNS) for outdoor personal navigation using a smartphone.
Derivation of Land Surface Temperature for Landsat-8 TIRS Using a Split Window Algorithm
Authors: Rozenstein Offer , Qin Zhihao , Derimian Yevgeny , Karnieli Arnon
Published: March 2014

Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the most important variables measured by satellite remote sensing. Public domain data are available from the newly operational Landsat-8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). This paper presents an adjustment of the split window algorithm (SWA) for TIRS that uses atmospheric transmittance and land surface emissivity (LSE) as inputs. Various alternatives for estimating these SWA inputs are reviewed, and a sensitivity analysis of the SWA to misestimating the input parameters is performed. The accuracy of the current development was assessed using simulated Modtran data. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the simulated LST was calculated as 0.93 °C. This SWA development is leading to progress in the determination of LST by Landsat-8 TIRS.
Latest Trends in Acoustic Sensing
Authors: Caliendo Cinzia
Published: March 2014

Acoustics-based methods offer a powerful tool for sensing applications. Acoustic sensors can be applied in many fields ranging from materials characterization, structural health monitoring, acoustic imaging, defect characterization, etc., to name just a few. A proper selection of the acoustic wave frequency over a wide spectrum that extends from infrasound (<20 Hz) up to ultrasound (in the GHz–band), together with a number of different propagating modes, including bulk longitudinal and shear waves, surface waves, plate modes, etc., allow acoustic tools to be successfully applied to the characterization of gaseous, solid and liquid environments. The purpose of this special issue is to provide an overview of the research trends in acoustic wave sensing through some cases that are representative of specific applications in different sensing fields. [...]
Minimal Camera Networks for 3D Image Based Modeling of Cultural Heritage Objects
Authors: Alsadik Bashar , Gerke Markus , Vosselman George , Daham Afrah , Jasim Luma
Published: March 2014

3D modeling of cultural heritage objects like artifacts, statues and buildings is nowadays an important tool for virtual museums, preservation and restoration. In this paper, we introduce a method to automatically design a minimal imaging network for the 3D modeling of cultural heritage objects. This becomes important for reducing the image capture time and processing when documenting large and complex sites. Moreover, such a minimal camera network design is desirable for imaging non-digitally documented artifacts in museums and other archeological sites to avoid disturbing the visitors for a long time and/or moving delicate precious objects to complete the documentation task. The developed method is tested on the Iraqi famous statue “Lamassu”. Lamassu is a human-headed winged bull of over 4.25 m in height from the era of Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC). Close-range photogrammetry is used for the 3D modeling task where a dense ordered imaging network of 45 high resolution images were captured around Lamassu with an object sample distance of 1 mm. These images constitute a dense network and the aim of our study was to apply our method to reduce the number of images for the 3D modeling and at the same time preserve pre-defined point accuracy. Temporary control points were fixed evenly on the body of Lamassu and measured by using a total station for the external validation and scaling purpose. Two network filtering methods are implemented and three different software packages are used to investigate the efficiency of the image orientation and modeling of the statue in the filtered (reduced) image networks. Internal and external validation results prove that minimal image networks can provide highly accurate records and efficiency in terms of visualization, completeness, processing time (>60% reduction) and the final accuracy of 1 mm.
Contact Region Estimation Based on a Vision-Based Tactile Sensor Using a Deformable Touchpad
Authors: Ito Yuji , Kim Youngwoo , Obinata Goro
Published: March 2014

A new method is proposed to estimate the contact region between a sensor and an object using a deformable tactile sensor. The sensor consists of a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, light-emitting diode (LED) lights and a deformable touchpad. The sensor can obtain a variety of tactile information, such as the contact region, multi-axis contact force, slippage, shape, position and orientation of an object in contact with the touchpad. The proposed method is based on the movements of dots printed on the surface of the touchpad and classifies the contact state of dots into three types—A non-contacting dot, a sticking dot and a slipping dot. Considering the movements of the dots with noise and errors, equations are formulated to discriminate between the contacting dots and the non-contacting dots. A set of the contacting dots discriminated by the formulated equations can construct the contact region. Next, a method is developed to detect the dots in images of the surface of the touchpad captured by the CCD camera. A method to assign numbers to dots for calculating the displacements of the dots is also proposed. Finally, the proposed methods are validated by experimental results.
De la main invisible à l'ordre spontané
Authors: Lantz Pierre
Published: March 2014

The doctrine of economic liberalism should not be dissociated from the general orientation of social sciences and the politics at stake. By comparing Hayek with A. Smith, it is disclosed that the model of the spontaneous market order in which the microeconomic activities are embedded is deeply different from the smithian market ruled by the Invisible Hand. The hayekian model originated in the austrian neoliberalism has to be completed by the phenomenology of the social world (A. Schutz) and the microsociology of the group membership (ethnomethodology).
Théorie des jeux et marché
Authors: Autume Antoine d'
Published: March 2014

Game Theory offers the natural tool for a theoretical analysis of markets. Its usefulness becomes evident in the analysis of imperfect competition. To illustrate this theme we first examine the analysis of price competition stemming from the Bertrand- Edgeworth model which has led to the Theory of Contestable Markets. We then review some recent applications of Dynamic Games in the field of Industrial Organization.
Marché rencontre et marché mécanique
Authors: Berthoud Arnaud
Published: March 2014

Here are applied the concepts of discussion, rhetoric and analogy to the construction of a model of market — named meeting-market — as opposed to the neo-classical model of market, named mechanical market.
Rationalité stratégique et émergence des normes
Authors: Cordonnier Laurent
Published: March 2014

Les économistes appliquent parfois la théorie des jeux non coopératifs à l'analyse des normes sociales. Les normes sont ainsi décrites comme des équilibres stratégiques dans des jeux non coopératifs. Cependant, la rationalité instrumentale qui est prêtée aux agents rencontre une limite assez évidente dans l'explication de l'émergence de la norme. Dans l'idéal, pour optimiser sa réponse, chaque individu voudrait agir après tous les autres. De ce fait, pour qu'un individu donné respecte une norme particulière, il faudrait que tous les autres la respectent déjà. Autrement dit, les normes ne peuvent émerger que si elles existent déjà... Ces remarques font apparaître par contraste que le comportement norme requiert en pratique un individu doué d'autonomie ou d'esprit d'initiative.
The Philosophy of John Maynard Keynes (A Reconsideration)
Authors: Muchlinski Elke
Published: March 2014

This paper outlines the theory of knowledge John Maynard Keynes had developed in his writings. It sheds a light on a different understanding of his central notions like intuition, individual judgment, convention and logic, which is compatible with his view of uncertainty. The reconsideration of his philosophy rejects current attempts to anchor his theory of knowledge against infinite regresses of reason. The movement from categories of truth to categories of knowledge underlines the relativity of the Cambridge Philosophy, of idealisms as well as of empiricism, he already had presented in his philosophical papers. Keynes transformed orthodox categories, which enabled him to analyse economic decision- making in the light of ignorance and uncertainty.
La relations salaire-emploi sous l'éclairage de la concurrence imparfaite
Authors: Ferreira Rodolphe dos Santos
Published: March 2014

The question of the wages-employment relationship stemmed from the statistical invalidation by Dunlop and Tarshis, immediately after the publication of the General Theory, of a conjecture formulated by Keynes on the alleged negative correlation between real and money wages. All three authors tried from the beginning to reconcile theoretical views and statistical observations by resorting, almost exclusively, to imperfect competition. Actually, these efforts culminated, at least in Dunlop's case, in a true research programme on macroeconomic analysis of imperfectly competitive economies, a programme which was basically implemented only in the eighties and the nineties. The present paper discusses this episode from the theoretical point of view and casts a look at its modern echoes, namely at the two main ways of reconciling the Keynesian conjecture with the stylized facts : increasing marginal returns due to internal economies and cyclical
Qu'a-t-on appris sur le lien salaire/ emploi grâce à l'économétrie ?
Authors: Legendre François
Published: March 2014

This historical review is intended to evaluate the econometrics contribution to the analysis of the relationship wage/employment. The first part is mainly devoted to the macroeconomic modeling "as it was in the old days". The second part is concerned with the developments of the "new" econometrics dealing with the relationship wage/employment. Or more precisely, it is mainly devoted to the four following points : the improvements in dynamic specifications concerning labour demand, the modeling in terms on prices and wages stting (models socalled WS/PS), the studies using microeconomic data, and lastly the analyses which distinguish the different qualifications of the labour force. On the other hand, we do not mention the developments relative to the relationship between the labour supply and the wage levels. However, these developments constitute an important part of econometrics applied to labour economics. The conclusion sums up the historical overview in five points.
Max Weber, Gunnar Myrdal et le statut de la normativité
Authors: Taouil Rédouane
Published: March 2014

Cet article examine, d'une part, les prescriptions de M. Weber en faveur d'une science sociale libérée des valeurs et leur extension par M. Blaug à l'analyse économique, et d'autre part, la thèse de G. Myrdal sur le primat des jugements de valeur. Il tente de mettre en évidence l'impossible coupure entre énoncés de fait et énoncés de valeur, et les limites de la conception de l'analyse économique comme discipline à vocation evaluative.
THE ASSESSMENT OF THE POSSIBILITIES FOR THE LITHUANIAN FLEET TO COMPLY WITH NEW ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Authors: Panasiuk Irina , Lebedevas Sergejus
Published: March 2014

The article analyses the economic impact of compliance of the Lithuanian fleet with the new requirements of the MARPOL 73/78 Annex VI, which sets a limit for sulphur content in marine fuel to 0.1% in 2015 in Emission Control Area (ECA) and to 0.5% in 2020 globally. The assessment of several most realistic options of complying with the new requirements is presented in the article. Each of these methods is assessed by means of uncovering the economic and practical issues associated with applying their implementation to the Lithuanian fleet. An overview of Lithuanian fleet was carried out to choose the particular vessels for analysis. A group of 10 vessels was selected to compare the benefits and limitations of using low sulphur fuel and scrubbers. The economic impact of using low sulphur fuel or installing the scrubber for each vessel is also assessed in the article.
The Keepers of Memory and the Providers of Knowledge: Cultural Heritage in the Contemporary Ethnological Museum
Authors: Rogelj Škafar Bojana
Published: March 2014

Kakšne ustanove so sodobni etnološki muzeji? V kolikšni meri so to (še) zakladnice predmetov iz preteklega vsakdanjika etničnih skupin in narodov in kot taki čuvarji spomina na preteklost? Sodobne prakse in pogledi kažejo, da si v etnoloških muzejih v Evropi prizadevajo za reinterpretacije njihovih zbirk, vse bolj pa je v ospredju njihovega delovanja sintagma medkulturni dialog. Ob tem pa nosilci muzejske dejavnosti vse pogosteje namenoma spregledujejo družbeno kulturni kontekst zbirk, namesto katerega zaradi želje po pridobivanju večjega števila obiskovalcev in večje konkurenčnosti z umetnostnimi muzeji izpostavljajo predvsem njihove estetske vidike.
***
How may we characterize the institution of the modern ethnological museum? To what extent do they continue to be treasuries of objects from the past everyday life of ethnic groups and peoples, and as such keepers of our memory of the past? Ethnological museums demonstrate with their modern practices and views that they endeavour to reinterpret their collections, and their operation focuses increasingly on cultural dialogue. In doing so, museum workers often deliberately overlook the social and cultural contexts of their collections and instead greatly emphasize their aesthetic aspects in order to increase visitor numbers and to better compete with art museums.
Carinthian Political Rituals and Competing Discourses
Authors: Fikfak Jurij
Published: March 2014

Avtor razpravlja o nekaterih ritualnih praksah v južni Avstriji, v glavnem koroškem mestu Celovec – Klagenfurt. Prvi ritual je povezan z 10. oktobrom, ko se na celovških mestnih ulicah spominjajo in slavijo plebiscit leta 1920, na katerem je večina prebivalcev glasovala za Avstrijo, naslednico Avstro-Ogrske. Drugi ritual je novejši, poimenovan kot Gedenk-Gehen ali Spominska hoja. Pri tem analizira različne kulturne prakse, rabo simbolov, prostora, medijskih, deželnih in državnih diskurzov.
***
This article discusses selected ritual practices in Klagenfurt, the capital of the southern Austrian state of Carinthia. The first ritual is connected with 10 October, when the memory of the 1920 plebiscite is celebrated on the streets of Klagenfurt. In this plebiscite, the majority of people voted to stay in Austria, the successor state to Austria-Hungary. The second ritual is a more recent one, known as the Memorial Walk (Germ. Gedenk-gehen, Sln. Spominska hoja). Various cultural practices are analyzed, as well as the use of symbols and space, and media, state, and national discourses.
Detecting Razorback Suckers Using Passive Integrated Transponder Tag Antennas in the Green River, Utah
Authors: Webber P. Aaron , Beers David
Published: March 2014

In order to increase detections of razorback suckers Xyrauchen texanus tagged with passive integrated transponders in the upper Colorado River basin, we deployed two passive instream flat-plate antennas (33 × 68 cm) at a razorback sucker spawning location in the Green River, Utah, during spring of 2012 and 2013. Over the course of 29 d in 2012 and 90 d in 2013, the antennas detected 569 razorback suckers, 19 Colorado pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius, 16 flannelmouth suckers Catostomus latipinnis, and 1 bluehead sucker Catostomus discobolus. Despite extensive sampling via boat electrofishing (rafts and hard-bottom boats) and netting (fyke, trammel, and gill) in wetlands that occurred from the 1990s to present in the upper Colorado River basin, a large number of tagged razorback suckers and Colorado pikeminnow, including a fish released in 1996, were detected for the first time by our antennas. Our data indicate that the detectability of razorback suckers, and precision and accuracy of survival and population estimates might be increased significantly with the addition of data gathered by passive instream flat-plate antennas in the Green River.
Whistle-Blower Mechanism at Corporate Governance
Authors: Dutta Uttam Kumar
Published: March 2014

The collapse of Enron, WorldCom, etc. made the importance of corporate governance clear to the Indian industry, the polity, and the public. In the pursuit of better corporate governance, a whistle-blowing mechanism is considered to be highly desirable. The chapter highlights whistle-blowing in corporate governance with the help of the Satyam episode.
Socio-Economic Impact of Rural Tourism
Authors: Lenka Sarat Kumar
Published: March 2014

In recent years, rural villages of India have found a place on the tourist map of the world. Not only does rural tourism provide an additional source of income to the villagers but it also helps showcase the rural life and culture of the people, such as art, crafts, and heritage, etc., of the village and community. At present, most of the states of India are facing many challenges for the implementation of rural tourism projects, which stands against achieving the objective of the project set-up by the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India. Some of the problems are very grave and need immediate attention of the administration. The Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha, has identified eight villages in the state for implementation of the Rural Tourism project. Padmanavapur, a village in South Odisha is one of them. The author has taken this village to study the impact of rural tourism on the socio-cultural life of the local community. The chapter indicates that the village has a high potential for tourists, but due to the delay in implementation and completion of the project, the stakeholders are not getting the desired benefits.
Working Capital Management
Authors: Mondal Ashoke , Dutta Uttam Kumar
Published: March 2014

It is expected that proper management of working capital contributes positively to the value of the firm, and liquidity of the firm negatively affects the profitability of the company. The purpose of the chapter is to analyze the composition and changes of the working capital and to find the impact of liquidity and efficiency of working capital management on profitability. For this purpose, this study is conducted on Cipla Ltd. for the period 2001-2009. From the study, it is found that there is a significant negative relationship between liquidity and profitability. It also reveals that managers can create value for the firm by reducing the holding period in inventories and receivable.
International Portfolio Diversification Benefits among Developed and Emerging Markets within the Context of the Recent Global Financial Crisis
Authors: Vardar Gülin , Aydoğan Berna , Acar Ece Erdener
Published: March 2014

This chapter aims to examine the existence of dynamic linkages among the major emerging stock markets, namely Brazil, Hungary, China, Taiwan, Poland, and Turkey, as well as developed markets, particularly the US, the UK, and Germany during the period 2004-2013. Potential dynamic long-run interdependencies are investigated using Johansen and Juselius (1990) multivariate cointegration test and causal relationship through the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). Moreover, to capture the impact of the recent global crisis on the cointegrating relationship among the developed and emerging markets, the sample period is divided into pre- and post-crisis sub periods. The empirical findings show that, after the crisis period, the direction of the long-run relationship varies, and furthermore, the stock market interdependence increases, supporting herding behavior of investors during the stock market crash period. Therefore, the increasing dynamic co-movements in the period after the crisis provide direct implications for the international investors due to potential limitation in the international risk diversification and the achievement of greater portfolio returns through global investment.
Efficiency of Liquidity Management in Indian Tyre Industry
Authors: Banerjee Pratap
Published: March 2014

It is unanimously accepted that liquidity management is a very important facet of financial management in any kind of business. An overall control over liquidity of the firm can only ensure a smooth running of its business wheel. Like other manufacturing sectors in India, the Indian tyre industry has been facing fierce challenges due to intensified competition in the marketplace as a result of Liberalization, Privatization, and Globalization (LPG). In this backdrop, an attempt has been made to study the efficiency of working capital in maintaining liquidity of Indian tyre industry during the period 1998-99 to 2007-08. The data for the period from 1998-99 to 2007-08 used in this chapter have been collected from the Capitaline Corporate Database, the official of Capital Market Publishers (India) Ltd., Mumbai. While carrying out this study, suitable measures relating to financial statement analysis as well as relevant statistical tools and techniques have been applied at appropriate places. The overall findings of the study indicate that there was no proper trade-off between liquidity and profitability in the selected tyre companies during the study period.
Comment on “Validation of a Blood-Based Laboratory Test to Aid in the Confirmation of a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia”
Authors: Kingsmore Stephen F.
Published: March 2014

Comment On

Schwarz et al. Validation of a Blood-Based Laboratory Test to Aid in the Confirmation of a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia. Biomarker Insights. 2010:5 39–47 doi: 10.4137/BMI.S4877.
The Alexander module of a trigonal curve
Authors: Degtyarev Alex
Published: March 2014

We describe the Alexander modules and Alexander polynomials (both over

\mathbb{Q}

and over finite fields

\mathbb{F}_p

) of generalized trigonal curves. The rational case is completely resolved; in the case of characteristic

p>0

, a few points remain open. The results obtained apply as well to plane curves with deep singularities.
Maximal and quadratic Gaussian Hardy spaces
Authors: Portal Pierre
Published: March 2014

Building on the author’s recent work with Jan Maas and Jan van Neerven, this paper establishes the equivalence of two norms (one using a maximal function, the other a square function) used to define a Hardy space on

\mathbb{R}^{n}

with the Gaussian measure, that is adapted to the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck semigroup. In contrast to the atomic Gaussian Hardy space introduced earlier by Mauceri and Meda, the

h^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{n};d\gamma)

space studied here is such that the Riesz transforms are bounded from

h^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{n};d\gamma)

to

L^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{n};d\gamma)

. This gives a Gaussian analogue of the seminal work of Fefferman and Stein in the case of the Lebesgue measure and the usual Laplacian.
Harmonicity and minimality of distributions on Riemannian manifolds via the intrinsic torsion
Authors: González-Dávila José Carmelo
Published: March 2014

We consider a

q

-dimensional distribution as a section of the Grassmannian bundle

G_{q}(M^{n})

of

q

-planes and we derive, in terms of the intrinsic torsion of the corresponding

S(O(q)\times O(n-q))

-structure, the conditions that this map must satisfy in order to be critical for the functionals energy and volume. Using this it is shown that invariant Riemannian foliations of homogeneous Riemannian manifolds which are transversally symmetric determine harmonic maps and minimal immersions. In particular, canonical homogeneous fibrations on rank one normal homogeneous spaces or on compact irreducible 3-symmetric spaces provide many examples of harmonic maps and minimal immersions of compact Riemannian manifolds.
On filling minimality of simple Finsler manifolds
Authors: Koehler Henrik
Published: March 2014

This paper states a formula for the difference of the Holmes–Thompson volumes of two simple Finsler manifolds of arbitrary dimension, in terms of the difference of the boundary distances and their derivatives. An application is a conditioned result on filling minimality.
A Study of Fetal Middle Cerebral Artery Peak Systolic Velocity to Diagnose Fetal Anemia in Rural Obstetric Population
Authors: Kachewar Sushil , Gandage Sidappa G , Pawar Hemant J
Published: March 2014

Globally, fetal middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity (MCA-PSV) is used for noninvasive diagnosis of fetal anemia. Although, incidence of anemia is common in rural setup, scientific studies describing utilization of this modality are lacking. This study throws light on how the use of fetal MCAPSV to diagnose fetal anemia can help in the decision-making process even in a rural setup.

Context

Fetal anemia can be adequately tackled only if it is diagnosed on time. Fetal MCA-PSV has the potential to reliably predict fetal anemia. Scientific studies across the globe are testimony to this fact. As such studies from rural setups are lacking, this study was initiated.

Aims

A study of fetal middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity to diagnose fetal anemia in rural obstetric population.

Settings and design

The study was conducted in the ultrasound section of a rural medical college. Clearance from institutional ethical and research committee was obtained. Written informed consent was obtained from the pregnant mother. A prospective observational study was conducted over the last 12 months.

Materials and methods

Fetal MCA-PSV was measured in 26 pregnant women referred for ultrasound due to clinical suspicion of fetomaternal abnormality. Middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity was measured by a single experienced radiologist on color Doppler ultrasound machine.

Statistical analysis used

The observations were entered in Microsoft Excel sheet, and statistical analysis was done by comparing with internationally accepted values at that gestational age. Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to study the relation between fetal MCA-PSV and gestational age. Standard t-test was used to study the significance of difference.

Results

There was a steady increase in MCA-PSV with rising gestational age suggestive of positive correlation between them. When compared with internationally accepted values, significantly raised fetal MCA-PSV values were seen in six patients. These patients were followed up and the cause of fetal anemia in each was identified.

Conclusion

Fetal MCA-PSV can be successfully used to evaluate for anemia in fetuses in a rural setup provided correct methods are followed. An attempt to measure fetal MCA-PSV in face of every fetomaternal adversity is recommended so that none of the cases of fetal anemia go undiagnosed.

Key messages

Proper knowledge and routine measurement of fetal MCA-PSV value can be a life saving noninvasive practice to diagnose fetal anemia in a rural setup.

How to cite this article

Kachewar S, Gandage SG, Pawar HJ. A Study of Fetal Middle Cerebral Artery Peak Systolic Velocity to Diagnose Fetal Anemia in Rural Obstetric Population. Int J Infertility Fetal Med 2013;4(3):83-87.
A new parameterization of dust dry deposition over rough surfaces
Authors: Zhang J. , Shao Y.
Published: March 2014

Abstract. The performances of existing dust dry deposition schemes are rather unsatisfactory for rough surfaces. In this study, we propose a new scheme to overcome some of the deficiencies. The scheme takes into consideration of the impacts of roughness elements on turbulent dust diffusion and surface dust collection. A relationship between the aerodynamics and surface collection process is established by using an analogy between deposition-flux partition and drag partition. The scheme is then tested against a wind-tunnel dataset for four different surfaces and a good agreement between the scheme predictions and the observations is found. The sensitivity of the scheme to the input parameters is tested. Important factors which affect dust deposition in different particle size ranges are identified. The scheme shows good capacity for modeling dust deposition over rough surfaces.
Ecosystem fluxes of hydrogen: a comparison of flux-gradient methods
Authors: Meredith L. K. , Commane R. , Munger J. W. , Dunn A. , Tang J. , Wofsy S. C. , Prinn R. G.
Published: March 2014

Abstract. Our understanding of biosphere-atmosphere exchange has been considerably enhanced by eddy-covariance measurements, however there remain many trace gases, such as molecular hydrogen (H2), for which there are no suitable analytical methods to measure their fluxes by eddy covariance. In such cases, flux-gradient methods can be used to calculate ecosystem-scale fluxes from vertical concentration gradients. The budget of atmospheric H2 is poorly constrained by the limited available observations, thus the ability to quantify and characterize the sources and sinks of H2 by flux-gradient methods in various ecosystems is important. We developed an approach to make nonintrusive, automated measurements of ecosystem-scale H2 fluxes both above and below the forest canopy at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA for over a year. We used three flux-gradient methods to calculate the fluxes: two similarity methods that do not rely on a micrometeorological determination of the eddy diffusivity, K, based on (1) trace gases or (2) sensible heat and one flux-gradient method that (3) parameterizes K. We quantitatively assessed the flux-gradient methods on CO2 and H2O by comparison to their simultaneous independent flux measurements via eddy covariance and chambers. All three flux-gradient methods performed well in certain locations, seasons, and times of day, and the best methods were trace gas similarity above and K parameterization below the canopy. Sensible heat similarity required several independent measurements and the results were more variable, in part because those data were only available in the winter when heat fluxes and temperature gradients were small and difficult to measure. Biases were often observed between flux-gradient methods and the independent flux measurements, including at least a 26% difference in nocturnal eddy-derived Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) and soil chamber measurements. All flux-gradient methods used to calculate above and below canopy H2 fluxes pointed to soil uptake as the main driver of H2 exchange at Harvard Forest. H2 fluxes calculated in a summer period agreed within their uncertainty and indicated that H2 deposition velocities ranged from 0.04 to 0.1 cm s−1.
Experimental evidence for foraminiferal calcification under anoxia
Authors: Nardelli M. P. , Barras C. , Metzger E. , Mouret A. , Filipsson H. L. , Jorissen F. , Geslin E.
Published: March 2014

Abstract. Benthic foraminiferal tests are widely used for paleoceanographic reconstructions. There is ample evidence that foraminifera can live in anoxic sediments. For some species, this is explained by a switch to facultative anaerobic metabolism (i.e. denitrification). Here we show for the first time that adult specimens of three benthic foraminiferal species are not only able to survive but are also able to calcify in anoxic conditions, at various depths in the sediment, with and without nitrates. This demonstrates ongoing metabolic processes, even in micro-environments where denitrification is not possible. Earlier observations suggest that the disappearance of foraminiferal communities after prolonged anoxia is not due to instantaneous or strongly increased adult mortality. Here we show that it cannot be explained by an inhibition of growth through chamber addition either. Our observations of ongoing calcification under anoxic conditions means that geochemical proxy data obtained from benthic foraminifera in settings experiencing intermittent anoxia have to be reconsidered. The analysis of whole single specimens or of their successive chambers may provide essential information about short-term environmental variability and/or the causes of anoxia.
Monitoring of carbon dioxide fluxes in a subalpine grassland ecosystem of the Italian Alps using a multispectral sensor
Authors: Sakowska K. , Vescovo L. , Marcolla B. , Juszczak R. , Olejnik J. , Gianelle D.
Published: March 2014

Abstract. The study investigates the potential of a multispectral sensor for monitoring mean midday gross ecosystem production (GEPm) in a dynamic subalpine grassland ecosystem of the Italian Alps equipped with an eddy covariance flux tower. Reflectance observations were collected for five consecutive years by means of a multispectral radiometer system. Spectral vegetation indices were calculated from reflectance measurements at particular wavelengths. Different models based on linear regression and on multiple regression were developed to estimate GEPm. Chlorophyll-related indices including red-edge part of the spectrum in their formulation were the best predictors of GEPm, explaining most of its variability during the five consecutive years of observations characterized by different climatic conditions. Integrating mean midday photosynthetically active radiation into the model resulted in a general decrease in the accuracy of estimates. Also, the use of the reflectance approach instead of the VIs approach did not lead to considerably improved results in estimating GEPm.
Improving predictive power of physically based rainfall-induced shallow landslide models: a probabilistic approach
Authors: Raia S. , Alvioli M. , Rossi M. , Baum R. L. , Godt J. W. , Guzzetti F.
Published: March 2014

Abstract. Distributed models to forecast the spatial and temporal occurrence of rainfall-induced shallow landslides are based on deterministic laws. These models extend spatially the static stability models adopted in geotechnical engineering, and adopt an infinite-slope geometry to balance the resisting and the driving forces acting on the sliding mass. An infiltration model is used to determine how rainfall changes pore-water conditions, modulating the local stability/instability conditions. A problem with the operation of the existing models lays in the difficulty in obtaining accurate values for the several variables that describe the material properties of the slopes. The problem is particularly severe when the models are applied over large areas, for which sufficient information on the geotechnical and hydrological conditions of the slopes is not generally available. To help solve the problem, we propose a probabilistic Monte Carlo approach to the distributed modeling of rainfall-induced shallow landslides. For this purpose, we have modified the transient rainfall infiltration and grid-based regional slope-stability analysis (TRIGRS) code. The new code (TRIGRS-P) adopts a probabilistic approach to compute, on a cell-by-cell basis, transient pore-pressure changes and related changes in the factor of safety due to rainfall infiltration. Infiltration is modeled using analytical solutions of partial differential equations describing one-dimensional vertical flow in isotropic, homogeneous materials. Both saturated and unsaturated soil conditions can be considered. TRIGRS-P copes with the natural variability inherent to the mechanical and hydrological properties of the slope materials by allowing values of the TRIGRS model input parameters to be sampled randomly from a given probability distribution. The range of variation and the mean value of the parameters can be determined by the usual methods used for preparing the TRIGRS input parameters. The outputs of several model runs obtained varying the input parameters are analyzed statistically, and compared to the original (deterministic) model output. The comparison suggests an improvement of the predictive power of the model of about 10% and 16% in two small test areas, that is, the Frontignano (Italy) and the Mukilteo (USA) areas. We discuss the computational requirements of TRIGRS-P to determine the potential use of the numerical model to forecast the spatial and temporal occurrence of rainfall-induced shallow landslides in very large areas, extending for several hundreds or thousands of square kilometers. Parallel execution of the code using a simple process distribution and the message passing interface (MPI) on multi-processor machines was successful, opening the possibly of testing the use of TRIGRS-P for the operational forecasting of rainfall-induced shallow landslides over large regions.
Investigation of Effects of Accreditation, Institutionalization and Data Communication on Quality Improvement and Employee Performance
Authors: Rodoplu Şahin Didem , Uslu Tuna
Published: March 2014

This paper develops a framework for the investigation of individual employee performance, in the light of recent developments in structural empowerment. The authors of this article propose corporate governance, knowledge management, organizational upward and downward communication that may predict employee performance by the mediating effect of quality improvement. The results suggest that upward and downward communication positively influences quality improvement, and is in turn positively influenced by knowledge management and corporate governance. Perceived quality improvement is also found to be a key variable between structural empowerment and employee perceptions.