bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enteric viruses in New Zealand drinking-water sources
Authors: Williamson W. M. , Ball A. , Wolf S. , Hewitt J. , Lin S. , Scholes P. , Ambrose V. , Robson B. , Greening G. E.
Published: May 2011

This study determined whether human pathogenic viruses are present in two New Zealand surface waters that are used as drinking-water sources. Enteric viruses were concentrated using hollow-fibre ultrafiltration and detected using PCR for adenovirus (AdV), and reverse transcription PCR for norovirus (NoV) genogroups I-III, enterovirus, rotavirus (RoV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV). Target viruses were detected in 106/109 (97%) samples, with 67/109 (61%) samples positive for three or more viral types at any one time. AdV, NoV and RoV were detected the most frequently, and HEV the least frequently. Human NoV was not usually associated with animal NoV. Our results suggest that New Zealand would be well served by assessing the ability of drinking-water treatment plants to remove viruses from the source waters, and that this assessment could be based on the viral concentration of AdV-NoV-RoV. The long-term aim of our work is to use this information to estimate the risk of waterborne viral infection.
Sorption of Pb(II) by poly(hydroxamic acid) grafted oil palm empty fruit bunch
Authors: Haron M. J. , Tiansin M. , Ibrahim N. A. , Kassim A. , Wan Yunus W. M. Z. , Talebi S. M.
Published: May 2011

This paper describes the sorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solution. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber was first grafted with poly(methylacrylate) and then treated with hydroxylammonium chloride in alkaline medium to produce hydroxamic acid (PHA) grafted OPEFB. Sorption of Pb(II) by PHA-OPEFB was maximum at pH 5. The sorption followed the Langmuir model with maximum capacityof 125.0 mg g−1 at 25°C. The sorption process was exothermic, as shown by the negative value of enthalpy change, ΔH0. The free energy change (ΔG0) for the sorption was negative, showing that the sorption process was spontaneous. A kinetic study showed that the Pb(II) sorption followed a second order kinetic model.
Biosorption of lead (II) and cadmium (II) using Escherichia coli genetically engineered with mice metallothionein I
Authors: Almaguer-Cantú Verónica , Morales-Ramos Lilia H. , Balderas-Rentería Isaías
Published: May 2011

Contamination caused by heavy metals in wastewater has a high potential of risk because they easily penetrate in to the trofic chain accumulating as organometallic compounds. In this work, the expression of mice metallothionein in E. coli (pMt-Thio) was examined as a strategy to enhance metal biosorption efficiency of bacterial biosorbents for Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions. The results showed that pMt-Thio led to significant increase in overall biosorption capacity, especially for biosorption of Pb. Isotherms and kinetic of biosorption were evaluated in this designed system. The influence of metal concentration in solution is discussed in terms of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm and constants. The Langmuir model was found to correlate better with the experiment data. The biomass showed maximum capacities according to Langmuir adsorption model of 28.14 mgPb/gpMt-Thio and 24.27 mgCd/gpMt-Thio. The study proved that pMt-Thio is a suitable material for the removal of the heavy metal ions studied from aqueous solutions, achieving removal efficiencies higher than 90% for Pb(II) and higher than 40% for Cd(II), and could be considered as a potential material for treating effluent polluted with Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions.
Phosphate release from waste stabilisation pond sludge: significance and fate of polyphosphate
Authors: Powell N. , Shilton A. , Pratt S. , Chisti Y.
Published: May 2011

Net phosphorus removal from waste stabilisation pond (WSP) systems is governed by the rate of phosphorus incorporation into the sludge layer and the rate of phosphorus release from this sludge back to the overlying wastewater. Luxury uptake of phosphorus by microalgae has been shown to occur under WSP conditions in the laboratory; however, the significance of this mechanism and the fate of polyphosphate contained in the settled solids have not previously been investigated. In this work the analysis of sludge samples from three WSP showed that up to 71% of the total phosphorus in the sludge was in the form of polyphosphate. This indicates that polyphosphate accumulation could potentially be an important mechanism for phosphorus sequestration in WSP and challenges the common view that chemical precipitation is the predominant phosphorus removal mechanism in these systems. The release of phosphate from WSP sludge samples was monitored in the laboratory. The samples from two different pond systems had release rates in the order of 4.3 μgP/gTSS.d. However, the third sample which was collected during an algal bloom had a release rate of 12.4 μgP/gTSS.d. Phosphate release from fresh microalgal sludge grown under laboratory conditions was also studied and was shown to have a release rate of 160 μgP/gTSS.d. Analysis of polyphosphate during the experiments on laboratory grown microalgal sludge showed that polyphosphate was indeed degraded resulting in phosphate release. Interestingly, after the initial release phase phosphorus was assimilated by the biomass and some polyphosphate was reformed. It is likely that this is due to bacterial growth in the sludge.
Shall we upgrade one-dimensional secondary settler models used in WWTP simulators? – An assessment of model structure uncertainty and its propagation
Authors: Plósz Benedek Gy. , De Clercq Jeriffa , Nopens Ingmar , Benedetti Lorenzo , Vanrolleghem Peter A.
Published: May 2011

In WWTP models, the accurate assessment of solids inventory in bioreactors equipped with solid-liquid separators, mostly described using one-dimensional (1-D) secondary settling tank (SST) models, is the most fundamental requirement of any calibration procedure. Scientific knowledge on characterising particulate organics in wastewater and on bacteria growth is well-established, whereas 1-D SST models and their impact on biomass concentration predictions are still poorly understood. A rigorous assessment of two 1-DSST models is thus presented: one based on hyperbolic (the widely used Takács-model) and one based on parabolic (the more recently presented Plósz-model) partial differential equations. The former model, using numerical approximation to yield realistic behaviour, is currently the most widely used by wastewater treatment process modellers. The latter is a convection-dispersion model that is solved in a numerically sound way. First, the explicit dispersion in the convection-dispersion model and the numerical dispersion for both SST models are calculated. Second, simulation results of effluent suspended solids concentration (XTSS,Eff), sludge recirculation stream (XTSS,RAS) and sludge blanket height (SBH) are used to demonstrate the distinct behaviour of the models. A thorough scenario analysis is carried out using SST feed flow rate, solids concentration, and overflow rate as degrees of freedom, spanning a broad loading spectrum. A comparison between the measurements and the simulation results demonstrates a considerably improved 1-D model realism using the convection-dispersion model in terms of SBH, XTSS,RAS and XTSS,Eff. Third, to assess the propagation of uncertainty derived from settler model structure to the biokinetic model, the impact of the SST model as sub-model in a plant-wide model on the general model performance is evaluated. A long-term simulation of a bulking event is conducted that spans temperature evolution throughout a summer/winter sequence. The model prediction in terms of nitrogen removal, solids inventory in the bioreactors and solids retention time as a function of the solids settling behaviour is investigated. It is found that the settler behaviour, simulated by the hyperbolic model, can introduce significant errors into the approximation of the solids retention time and thus solids inventory of the system. We demonstrate that these impacts can potentially cause deterioration of the predictive power of the biokinetic model, evidenced by an evaluation of the system's nitrogen removal efficiency. The convection-dispersion model exhibits superior behaviour, and the use ofthis type of model thus is highly recommended, especially bearing in mind future challenges, e.g., the explicit representation of uncertainty in WWTP models.
Analyzing Time-Course Microarray Data Using Functional Data Analysis - A Review
Authors: Coffey Norma , Hinde John
Published: May 2011

Gene expression over time can be viewed as a continuous process and therefore represented as a continuous curve or function. Functional data analysis (FDA) is a statistical methodology used to analyze functional data that has become increasingly popular in the analysis of time-course gene expression data. Several FDA techniques have been applied to gene expression profiles including functional regression analysis (to describe the relationship between expression profiles and other covariate(s)), functional discriminant analysis (to discriminate and classify groups of genes) and functional principal components analysis (for dimension reduction and clustering). This paper reviews the use of FDA and its associated methods to analyze time-course microarray gene expression data.
Formalizing business process specifications
Authors: Speck Andreas , Feja Sven , Witt Sören , Pulvermuller Elke , Schulz Marcel
Published: May 2011

The behavior of commercial systems is described with business process models.
There are different notations and formalism to express business processes.
Many of these notations such as BPMN or ARIS EPC models are widely used in
commercial projects. In the paper we focus on formalisms to express rules
and specifications for the business processes. Temporal logic in general is
a suitable formalism to express rules for dynamic processes. CTL is one kind
of temporal logic focusing on branches and paths in particular. With CTL it
is possible to formulate rules about different paths in business processes.
Since the textual formulae of CTL are not very suitable in the development
of commercial systems we introduce a graphical notation (G-CTL) based on the
business process notation ARIS EPC. Moreover, we add to the CTL semantics
specializes to differentiate between the element types in business process
models and provide wildcards which allow the user to check for unknown
elements or elements with only partially known properties.
The case of ILBulg 248: A la recherche des noms perdus
Authors: Nedeljkovic Vojin
Published: May 2011

The author proposes a new reading of the Roman epitaph from L?dzane near
Lovech, Bulgaria. Much of his interpretation of this heavily fragmented text
is about various possibilities and relative probabilities of restitution of
its lost parts. Beside battered phrases and trivialities the epitaph seems to
relate a rather extraordinary case of death in the marital bed, not without
connexion to the myth of Atalante as told by Ovid in the Metamorphoses. The
author also suggests that the few palpable oddities of language and style may
have had their motive in as many puns intended on the (now mostly lost)
personal names of the deceased and her family members.
L’ipotesi sulla progettazione dello spazio della chiesa Djurdjevi Stupovi
Authors: Filipovic Aleksandra
Published: May 2011

(italijanski) Quest?articolo tratta l?analisi del progetto della chiesa
monastica dedicata a S. Giorgio (1170/71), situata nei pressi di Novi Pazar,
fondazione del gran giuppano Stefan Nemanja. Il metodo dell? autore
richiedeva un cambio dei canoni di lettura di quelli applicati a S. Nicola a
Toplica, la fondazione precedente della stessa committenza, per poter
comprendere l?organizzazione della pianta di S. Giorgio, progettazione del
suo spazio interno, modellazione del suo volume e realizzazione da parte
dallo stesso costruttore. Secondo l?autore l?interno della chiesa sia stato
congeniato attraverso le due assialit? - longitudinale e trasversale
configurando una nuova concezione dello spazio, cui contribuisce, anche
notevole altezza. La pianta della chiesa presenta una superficie quadrata in
cui centro ? posizionata l?aula centrale, coperta da cupola. L?aula centrale
? il luogo che ammetteva due diverse assialit? (per questo volutamente
rettangolare in pianta), e aveva perseguito senso della verticalit? che ha
dato movimento all?intera volumetria centrale offrendo luogo alla terza asse,
quella verticale. Le simili misure di queste tre assi (13.8 m, 14.24 m, 14.3
m) hanno fatto pensare all?autore che la genesi progettuale sottostante sia
una forma cubica, la cui base sono tre assi avvalorati dalle prospettive
conseguenti: una parte dall?ingresso ad ovest toccando il culmine dell?abside
centrale; questo asse ? tagliato ortogonalmente dal secondo che unisce i due
portali laterali; il terzo asse parte dal centro geometrico d?incontro delle
prospettive a terra salendo al sommo della cupola. L?analisi ha mostrato
anche l?ingresso principale era il luogo delle generatrici visive: una
ortogonale (l?ase longitudinale) e due oblique (che si creano lungo i fuochi
dell?elisse centrale che immettevano nelle abside laterali).
Performance of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration Equation to Estimate Glomerular Filtration Rate in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Rognant Nicolas , Lemoine Sandrine , Laville Martine , Hadj-Aïssa Aoumeur , Dubourg Laurence
Published: May 2011

OBJECTIVE

The best method to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in diabetic patients is still largely debated. We compared the performance of creatinine-based formulas in a European diabetic population.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We compared the performance of Cockcroft and Gault, simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology (CKD-EPI) Collaboration equations in 246 diabetic patients by calculating the mean bias and the interquartile range (IQR) of the bias, 10% (P10) and 30% (P30) accuracies, and Bland-Altman plots. GFR was measured by inulin clearance.

RESULTS

For the whole population, the IQR was slightly lower for CKD-EPI, but the mean bias was lower and P10 and P30 were higher for MDRD. Similar results were observed in specific subgroups, including patients with mild renal insufficiency, obese patients, or type 2 diabetic patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In our population, the CKD-EPI formula does not exhibit better performance than the simplified MDRD formula for estimating GFR.
Teachers' Perceptions about Readability and Modification of Authentic Texts Chosen for Teaching Reading in the Vietnamese Context
Authors: Khang Nguyen Duy
Published: May 2011

The article presents EFL teachers’ perceptions towards the readability of authentic texts and the ways of modifying authentic materials used in teaching reading. Essential tools to check the ease of understanding authentic texts are also suggested. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire and test. The findings show that awareness of readability and modification of authentic texts in teaching reading benefited both the teachers in facilitating their teaching process and the learners in their language acquisition.Key words: Reading; Readability; Text readability; Authenticity; Text modification; Language acquisitionJournal of NELTA Vol. 15 No. 1-2 December 2010Page: 89-97Uploaded date: 4 May, 2011DOI: 10.3126/nelta.v15i1-2.4613
Learner Autonomy: Concept and Considerations
Authors: Neupane Madhu
Published: May 2011

"Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime." This proverb taken from Chinese culture is associated with learner autonomy. Once learning used to be the matter of receiving the body of knowledge which could then be used for the rest of life. But such view has been nonsense in this fast-paced world. Therefore, the learners should be provided with the skills necessary for the lifelong pursuit for knowledge. This article begins with the general concept of autonomy and goes on to consider different aspects of autonomy. It insists that learner autonomy does work in any culture provided that the teacher also has autonomy to some extent and curriculum is designed accordingly. While it highlights that total autonomy is neither feasible nor desirable in formal language learning contexts, it argues that learner autonomy is necessary for making someone lifelong learner.Key words: Learner autonomy; Teacher autonomy; Curriculum; Culture; ActivitiesJournal of NELTAVol. 15 No. 1-2 December 2010Page: 114-120Uploaded date: 4 May, 2011DOI: 10.3126/nelta.v15i1-2.4617
Production of Triticale Genotypes in Two Salt Affected Areas of Bangladesh for Grain and Fodder
Authors: Ali M Yusuf , Zaman SM , Amin M , Amin MR , Aktar Shamima
Published: May 2011

Fifteen genotypes of Triticale were tested in two salt affected locations namely Satkhira and Noakhali during 2006-07. At Satkhira, genotype E6 and E14 produced significantly the highest grain yield (2.00 t/ha) from December 28 sowing date. While the highest fodder yield was obtained from line E7 (6.94 t/ha). However, E6 produced good amount of green fodder (5.62 t/ha) as well as the highest grain yield (2.00 t/ha), so, genotype E6 could be used for dual purposes. On the other hand, at Noakhali genotype E5 gave the highest grain yield (2.48 t/ha) which was statistically similar to E11. However, E11 produced the highest amount of green fodder (9.88 t/ha). Hence, E11 could be used for the dual purposes. In both locations it was observed that soil salinity above 6-7 dS/m hampered the growth and development of the crop. To reduce the toxic effects of salinity on seeds, irrigation would be advisable just after sowing. Crop failure was observed when soil salinity was above 10 dS/m. Keywords: Triticale genotypes; salinity; grain; fodder. DOI: 10.3329/agric.v8i2.7570 The Agriculturists 8(2): 1-7(2010)
Impact of Industrial Effluents Discharges on Degradation of Natural Resources and Threat to Food Security
Authors: Hossain M Anwar , Uddin M Khabir , Molla AH , Afrad MSI , Rahman MM , Rahman GKMM
Published: May 2011

The present study evaluates the impact of industrial effluent on degradation of natural resources and threatening of food security in Gazipur, one of the most thickly industrialized district in Bangladesh. The present survey study was conducted based on pre prepared questionnaire in two locations viz, Sreepur Upzilla and Gazipur Sadar Upzilla during July to October, 2009 with sample size of 50 person. Almost 100% of the respondents identified that untreated industrial effluents degraded surface water and soil along with negative impact on crop, insect pests and animals. The health and proper growth of human, domestic animals and aquatic animals are also affected by awful effects of untreated industrial effluents. The presence of tiny part (4%) of untreated industrial effluent decreases the quality of ground water. To address this alarming sign, immediate action should be taken for saving protecting the ecosystem from unplanned and untreated discharges of industrial effluents here and there. Keywords: Industrial effluent; pollution; environmental degradation DOI: 10.3329/agric.v8i2.7581 The Agriculturists 8(2): 80-87 (2010)
Bayesian Methods for Medical Test Accuracy
Authors: Broemeling Lyle D.
Published: May 2011

Bayesian methods for medical test accuracy are presented, beginning with the basic measures for tests with binary scores: true positive fraction, false positive fraction, positive predictive values, and negative predictive value. The Bayesian approach is taken because of its efficient use of prior information, and the analysis is executed with a Bayesian software package WinBUGS®. The ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve gives the intrinsic accuracy of medical tests that have ordinal or continuous scores, and the Bayesian approach is illustrated with many examples from cancer and other diseases. Medical tests include X-ray, mammography, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine and tests based on biomarkers, such as blood glucose values for diabetes. The presentation continues with more specialized methods suitable for measuring the accuracies of clinical studies that have verification bias, and medical tests without a gold standard. Lastly, the review is concluded with Bayesian methods for measuring the accuracy of the combination of two or more tests.
The Decoherence of the Electron Spin and Meta-Stability of 13C Nuclear Spins in Diamond
Authors: Crompton Peter
Published: May 2011

Following the recent successful experimental manipulation of entangled 13C atoms on the surface of Diamond, we calculate the decoherence of the electron spin in Nitrogen Vacancy NV centers of Diamond via a nonperturbative treatment of the time-dependent Greens function of a Central-Spin model in order to identify the Replica Symmetry Breaking mechanism associated with intersystem mixing between the ms = 0 sublevel of the 3A2 and 1A1 states of the NV− centers, which we identify as mediated via the meta-stability of 13C nuclei bath processes in our calculations. Rather than the standard exciton-based calculation scheme used for quantum dots, we argue that a new scheme is needed to formally treat the Replica Symmetry Breaking of the 3A2 → 3E excitations of the NV− centers, which we define by extending the existing Generalized Master Equation formalism via the use of fractional time derivatives. Our calculations allow us to accurately quantify the dangerously irrelevant scaling associated with the Replica Symmetry Breaking and provide an explanation for the experimentally observed room temperature stability of Diamond for Quantum Computing applications.
Spatial Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Flood Risks in Aging-Dam Management in China: A Framework and Case Study
Authors: Yang Meng , Qian Xin , Zhang Yuchao , Sheng Jinbao , Shen Dengle , Ge Yi
Published: May 2011

Approximately 30,000 dams in China are aging and are considered to be high-level risks. Developing a framework for analyzing spatial multicriteria flood risk is crucial to ranking management scenarios for these dams, especially in densely populated areas. Based on the theories of spatial multicriteria decision analysis, this report generalizes a framework consisting of scenario definition, problem structuring, criteria construction, spatial quantification of criteria, criteria weighting, decision rules, sensitivity analyses, and scenario appraisal. The framework is presented in detail by using a case study to rank dam rehabilitation, decommissioning and existing-condition scenarios. The results show that there was a serious inundation, and that a dam rehabilitation scenario could reduce the multicriteria flood risk by 0.25 in the most affected areas; this indicates a mean risk decrease of less than 23%. Although increased risk (
Dissimilar Roles of the Four Conserved Acidic Residues in the Thermal Stability of Poly(A)-Specific Ribonuclease
Authors: He Guang-Jun , Liu Wei-Feng , Yan Yong-Bin
Published: May 2011

Divalent metal ions are essential for the efficient catalysis and structural stability of many nucleotidyl-transfer enzymes. Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) belongs to the DEDD superfamily of 3'-exonucleases, and the active site of PARN contains four conserved acidic amino acid residues that coordinate two Mg2+ ions. In this research, we studied the roles of these four acidic residues in PARN thermal stability by mutational analysis. It was found that Mg2+ significantly decreased the rate but increased the aggregate size of the 54 kDa wild-type PARN in a concentration-dependent manner. All of the four mutants decreased PARN thermal aggregation, while the aggregation kinetics of the mutants exhibited dissimilar Mg2+-dependent behavior. A comparison of the kinetic parameters indicated that Asp28 was the most crucial one to the binding of the two Mg2+ ions, while metal B might be more important in PARN structural stability. The spectroscopic and aggregation results also suggested that the alterations in the active site structure by metal binding or mutations might lead to a global conformational change of the PARN molecule.
Crystallization Products of Risedronate with Carbohydrates and Their Substituted Derivatives
Authors: Kos Jiri , Pentakova Monika , Oktabec Zbynek , Krejcik Lukas , Mandelova Zuzana , Harokova Pavla , Hruskova Jana , Pekarek Tomas , Dammer Ondrej , Tkadlecova Marcela , Havlicek Jaroslav , Vinsova Jarmila , Kral Vladimir , Dohnal Jiri , Jampílek Josef
Published: May 2011

The gastrointestinal absorption of bisphosphonates is in general only about 1%. To address this problem mixtures of risedronate monosodium salt with twelve varied sugar alcohols, furanoses, pyranoses and eight gluco-, manno- and galactopyranoside derivatives as counterions were designed in an effort to prepare co-crystals/new entities with improved intestinal absorption. Crystalline forms were generated by means of kinetically and/or thermodynamically controlled crystallization processes. One hundred and fifty-two prepared samples were screened by means of FT-NIR and FT-Raman spectroscopy. No co-crystal was prepared, but noteworthy results were obtained. A new solid phase of risedronate monosodium salt generated in the presence of phenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside under thermodynamically controlled crystallization conditions was found and also characterized using solid state NMR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. This new polymorph was named as form P. Interactions between risedronate monosodium salt and both carbohydrates were confirmed by means of molecular dynamics simulation. In the present study the relationships between the chemical structures of the studied compounds required for crystalline form change are discussed.
Synthesis of Homoveratric Acid-Imprinted Polymers and Their Evaluation as Selective Separation Materials
Authors: Dana Mariusz , Luliński Piotr , Maciejewska Dorota
Published: May 2011

A bulk polymerization method was used to easily and efficiently prepare homo-veratric acid (3,4-dimethoxyphenylacetic acid)-imprinted polymers from eight basic monomers: 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, 1-vinylimidazole, N-allylaniline, N-allylpiperazine, allylurea, allylthiourea, and allylamine, in the presence of homoveratric acid as a template in N,N-dimethylformamide as a porogen. The imprinted polymer prepared from allylamine had the highest affinity to the template, showing an imprinting factor of 3.43, and allylamine polymers MIP8/NIP8 were selected for further studies. Their binding properties were analyzed using the Scatchard method. The results showed that the imprinted polymers have two classes of heterogeneous binding sites characterized by two pairs of Kd, Bmax values: Kd(1) = 0.060 μmol/mL, Bmax(1) = 0.093 μmol/mg for the higher affinity binding sites, and Kd(2) = 0.455 μmol/mL, Bmax(2) = 0.248 μmol/mg for the lower affinity binding sites. Non-imprinted polymer has only one class of binding site, with Kd = 0.417 μmol/mL and Bmax = 0.184 μmol/mg. A computational analysis of the energies of the prepolymerization complexes was in agreement with the experimental results. It showed that the selective binding interactions arose from cooperative three point interactions between the carboxylic acid and the two methoxy groups in the template and amino groups in the polymer cavities. Those results were confirmed by the recognition studies performed with the set of structurally related compounds. Allylamine polymer MIP8 had no affinity towards biogenic amines. The obtained imprinted polymer could be used for selective separation of homoveratric acid.
Mechanism Studies of LCP Synthesis
Authors: Buyle Padias Anne , Hall, Jr. Henry K.
Published: May 2011

The LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) known as Vectra is synthesized by acidolysis of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid with 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid. The apparently simple acidolysis mechanism for LCP polycondensation is in fact a complex blend of mechanisms. Kinetics of model reactions and of actual polycondensations followed second-order kinetics and their rate constants were comparable. In the latter stages, ketene loss leads to phenolic ends, while decarboxylation provides phenyl ester ends. Accordingly, the mechanism changes to phenolysis. A quinone methide intermediate may also intervene, as revealed by kinetics studies and MALDI-TOF spectroscopy. Tailor-made matrices and synthesis of alternating well-defined oligomers assisted our studies. Nucleophilic aromatic substitutions may play a role, and we speculate on possible chain polycondensation. Esterolysis may be a useful alternative to LCP synthesis. Complications caused by ketene loss can be averted by the use of methoxycarbonyloxy monomers.
A Secured Authentication Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Elliptic Curves Cryptography
Authors: Yeh Hsiu-Lien , Chen Tien-Ho , Liu Pin-Chuan , Kim Tai-Hoo , Wei Hsin-Wen
Published: May 2011

User authentication is a crucial service in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that is becoming increasingly common in WSNs because wireless sensor nodes are typically deployed in an unattended environment, leaving them open to possible hostile network attack. Because wireless sensor nodes are limited in computing power, data storage and communication capabilities, any user authentication protocol must be designed to operate efficiently in a resource constrained environment. In this paper, we review several proposed WSN user authentication protocols, with a detailed review of the M.L Das protocol and a cryptanalysis of Das’ protocol that shows several security weaknesses. Furthermore, this paper proposes an ECC-based user authentication protocol that resolves these weaknesses. According to our analysis of security of the ECC-based protocol, it is suitable for applications with higher security requirements. Finally, we present a comparison of security, computation, and communication costs and performances for the proposed protocols. The ECC-based protocol is shown to be suitable for higher security WSNs.
Adaptive Sparse Representation for Source Localization with Gain/Phase Errors
Authors: Sun Ke , Liu Yimin , Meng Huadong , Wang Xiqin
Published: May 2011

Sparse representation (SR) algorithms can be implemented for high-resolution direction of arrival (DOA) estimation. Additionally, SR can effectively separate the coherent signal sources because the spectrum estimation is based on the optimization technique, such as the L1 norm minimization, but not on subspace orthogonality. However, in the actual source localization scenario, an unknown gain/phase error between the array sensors is inevitable. Due to this nonideal factor, the predefined overcomplete basis mismatches the actual array manifold so that the estimation performance is degraded in SR. In this paper, an adaptive SR algorithm is proposed to improve the robustness with respect to the gain/phase error, where the overcomplete basis is dynamically adjusted using multiple snapshots and the sparse solution is adaptively acquired to match with the actual scenario. The simulation results demonstrate the estimation robustness to the gain/phase error using the proposed method.
Multi-Channel Multi-Radio Using 802.11 Based Media Access for Sink Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Campbell Carlene E.-A. , Khan Shafiullah , Singh Dhananjay , Loo Kok-Keong
Published: May 2011

The next generation surveillance and multimedia systems will become increasingly deployed as wireless sensor networks in order to monitor parks, public places and for business usage. The convergence of data and telecommunication over IP-based networks has paved the way for wireless networks. Functions are becoming more intertwined by the compelling force of innovation and technology. For example, many closed-circuit TV premises surveillance systems now rely on transmitting their images and data over IP networks instead of standalone video circuits. These systems will increase their reliability in the future on wireless networks and on IEEE 802.11 networks. However, due to limited non-overlapping channels, delay, and congestion there will be problems at sink nodes. In this paper we provide necessary conditions to verify the feasibility of round robin technique in these networks at the sink nodes by using a technique to regulate multi-radio multichannel assignment. We demonstrate through simulations that dynamic channel assignment scheme using multi-radio, and multichannel configuration at a single sink node can perform close to optimal on the average while multiple sink node assignment also performs well. The methods proposed in this paper can be a valuable tool for network designers in planning network deployment and for optimizing different performance objectives.
RUASN: A Robust User Authentication Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Kumar Pardeep , Choudhury Amlan Jyoti , Sain Mangal , Lee Sang-Gon , Lee Hoon-Jae
Published: May 2011

In recent years, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been considered as a potential solution for real-time monitoring applications and these WSNs have potential practical impact on next generation technology too. However, WSNs could become a threat if suitable security is not considered before the deployment and if there are any loopholes in their security, which might open the door for an attacker and hence, endanger the application. User authentication is one of the most important security services to protect WSN data access from unauthorized users; it should provide both mutual authentication and session key establishment services. This paper proposes a robust user authentication framework for wireless sensor networks, based on a two-factor (password and smart card) concept. This scheme facilitates many services to the users such as user anonymity, mutual authentication, secure session key establishment and it allows users to choose/update their password regularly, whenever needed. Furthermore, we have provided the formal verification using Rubin logic and compare RUASN with many existing schemes. As a result, we found that the proposed scheme possesses many advantages against popular attacks, and achieves better efficiency at low computation cost.
Destins de l'amour de transfert
Authors: Rengifo Francisco
Published: May 2011

Au début d’une analyse, le sujet se trouve confronté à une dépendance, vis-à-vis de l’analyste, dans laquelle l’amour de transfert se situe dans une position privilégiée. Le virage qui s’opère dans l’analyse produit, chez le sujet, la réalisation du fait que ce savoir supposé à l’analyste se mue, se transforme, en « savoir lire Autrement ». La chute du sujet-supposé-savoir dévoile que derrière la supposition de savoir, pieux semblant que l’analysant attribuait à l’analyste, il n’y a rien, il y a le roc de La Chose. C’est la faille du langage qui fait que le sujet cherche à inventer un rapport à l’inconscient qui le pousse à interroger ses formations, et qui le pousse à s’autoriser d’un transfert de travail et d’une didactique théorique ayant quelques autres comme témoins. Le psychanalyste, dont l’existence dépend, tout de même, de l’institution analytique, n’a pas d’autre choix que de rester dans le didactisme de La Chose. Aussi bien dans sa pratique que dans l’expérience de groupe, par le biais du transfert de travail, la tentative de cerner La Chose est le point vif qu’il sera amené à raviver continuellement, afin de confronter les questions qui se dégagent de l’énigme qu’introduit l’inconscient dans la culture.
La direction de la cure avec l'enfant
Authors: Pesenti-Irrmann Marie
Published: May 2011

La difficulté de la cure analytique avec l’enfant a trait à l’assujettissement de celui-ci au discours de l’Autre et aux enjeux transférentiels qu’il suscite. La lecture de quelques-uns des moments de l’enseignement de Lacan concernant la question de l’Inconscient et du symptôme, notamment à propos du Petit Hans, éclaire ce qui peut orienter le psychanalyste dans la direction de la cure.
Emily L. de Marguerite Duras : le poème ravi
Authors: Elfakir Véronique
Published: May 2011

À travers l’étude des personnages d’Emily L. et de Lol V. Stein, cet article tente d’illustrer le processus créatif chez M. Duras. En gravitant sans cesse autour d’un poème perdu ou d’un mot manquant, ces deux textes semblent en fait venir scénariser le processus même de l’écriture qui s’apparente à une expérience de dépossession de soi proche de la « folie » où la souffrance peut toutefois espérer faire « œuvre ».
L'efficacité de la libéralisation du secteur des télécoms au Cameroun : une analyse empirique
Authors: Kono Abe Jean-Max
Published: May 2011

Résumé L’intervention de l’État dans le jeu économique s’explique par une commutation de mécanismes de contrôle. Le présent article désenveloppe une démarche métrique pour mesurer l’efficacité de la libéralisation du secteur des télécoms, au Cameroun. L’État actionnaire constitue une situation très discutée en termes de développement de la performance économique et sociale de l’entreprise.
Genèse du risque éditorial : la comptabilité à l'époque romantique dans le fonds des libraires du commerce
Authors: Marco Luc
Published: May 2011

Résumé La vente de livres comptables a concerné trois libraires parisiens au XIXe siècle : Bailleul, Renard et Guillaumin. A partir de ce fonds, nous calculons le risque éditorial de cette spécialité entre 1823 et 1850. Avec une durée moyenne de 25,7 années, l’écoulement de ces livres était très lent. Mais il rendait l’entreprise rentable. Les conditions techniques de l’époque exigeaient un tirage moyen important pour couvrir des prix de revient et des frais généraux élevés.
Management de l'innovation et Business Models des PMI. Le cas de l'industrie plasturgiste
Authors: Brette Olivier , Chappoz Yves , Dussuc Bernard , Poivret Cédric
Published: May 2011

Résumé Cette étude jette les bases d’une approche du management de l’innovation adaptée aux PME d’industries matures, à partir de la notion de business model. Le cadre d’analyse développé est mobilisé pour étudier les pratiques d’innovation des PMI de la « Plastics Vallée ». Deux business models polaires ont été identifiés entre lesquels se distribuent les entreprises du secteur : le business model de « sous-traitance » et le business model de « co-conception / co-développement ». Les entreprises qui enregistrent les meilleurs résultats économiques sont celles qui ont intégré la question de l’innovation dans une réflexion systémique sur l’évolution de leur business model.
Crowdsourcing : définition, enjeux, typologie
Authors: Burger-Helmchen Thierry , Pénin Julien
Published: May 2011

Résumé L’objectif de ce travail est de définir la notion de crowdsourcing, de proposer une typologie des différentes formes de crowdsourcing existantes (crowdsourcing d’activités routinières, de contenu, d’activités innovantes) et de mettre en lumière les enjeux, avantages et limites de ces pratiques pour les organisations qui souhaitent y recourir. Au-delà de cette analyse, cet article s’interroge sur les conséquences des pratiques de crowdsourcing pour les organisations : l’émergence du crowdsourcing doit-elle nous amener à repenser les raisons de l’existence des organisations, la définition de leurs frontières et de leur structure ?
La course des entreprises vers la certification environnementale : quelles conséquences sur la crédibilité des écolabels et la confiance des consommateurs?
Authors: Dekhili Sihem , Achabou Mohamed Akli
Published: May 2011

Résumé L’objectif de cette recherche est de déterminer si la labellisation des informations environnementales renforce la confiance des consommateurs. Les résultats de nos enquêtes montrent, d’une part, que même si les répondants perçoivent plus favorablement l’éco-label, ils font peu confiance à l’étiquetage environnemental en général. Et d’autre part, que pour évaluer la crédibilité des informations environnementales, les consommateurs s’appuient sur quelques attributs tels que le prix, le vendeur, la marque ou encore le pays d’origine.
« La contribution du spectateur »
Authors: Ruby Christian
Published: May 2011

Résumé En puisant dans les analyses de Th. W. Adorno concernant le spectateur et ses rapports avec l’œuvre d’art, cet article esquisse d’abord un double questionnement. D’une part, celui de savoir comment le philosophe se rapporte au spectateur-contemplateur classique, naturalisé et figé par le type d’autonomie de l’art élaboré par Immanuel Kant. D’autre part, celui de comprendre pourquoi Adorno affirme que le spectateur réifié dans l’art classique par ses règles constitutives facilite le déploiement des industries culturelles. Ceci montré, il débouche sur une troisième perspective. Qu’en est-il alors de l’art moderne qu’Adorno loue pour ses pratiques participatives ? Cette participation favorise-t-elle ou non la critique du poids des industries culturelles sur les consciences ? Sur ce plan, les réponses d’Adorno ne nous semblent pas convaincantes. Il échoue nous semble-t-il à donner corps à une pratique de l’émancipation, laquelle ne se contenterait pas de pousser chacun de nous à se réapproprier la culture mais se proposerait de réveiller en chacun de nouvelles capacités à lutter pour son émancipation.
Physionomie sociale ou industrie culturelle ?
Authors: Apostolidis Paul
Published: May 2011

Résumé Une rétrospective critique du texte de Theodor W. Adorno “The Psychological Technique of Martin Luther Thomas’ Radio Addresses” apporte un nouvel éclairage sur une tension souvent sous-estimée de sa pensée concernant la capacité de la culture de masse à exprimer de la résistance face à la domination. En approchant les débuts de la radio chrétienne de droite de façon cohérente avec sa défense de la dimension autonome de la culture, Adorno va au-delà de la dénonciation de la culture de masse en tant qu’industrie culturelle. Cette étude s’inscrit en même temps dans le travail préparatoire de la théorie de l’industrie culturelle, qui guide les conclusions de l’étude. Cette critique confirme l’ambivalence d’Adorno vis-à-vis des aptitudes négatives de la culture de masse puisque cette approche fait autant appel à la théorie de l’industrie culturelle qu’à une version modifiée de la méthode de la critique immanente permettant d’identifier de manière dialectique les éléments idéologiques ainsi que les moments de résistance de la radio de chrétienne de droite actuelle.
L'amour en projet
Authors: Kessous Emmanuel
Published: May 2011

Résumé Les sites de rencontres apparaissent comme un mode de coordination congruent à une société en réseaux où la grandeur des individus est avant tout marquée par leur capacité à se prendre en main et à concevoir leur vie comme un projet. Ces sites posent cependant deux principaux problèmes qu’il est possible d’analyser avec les catégories de l’économie des conventions. Ils impliquent de s’extraire d’une logique calculatoire, alors que le design des sites, comme les systèmes d’appariement qu’ils proposent, invitent à une mise en équivalence et à un traitement en propriétés. Ils conduisent ensuite à renoncer à l’abondance des possibles proposés pour prendre acte du caractère limité de l’attention et laisser s’exprimer différents registres émotionnels. C’est finalement à un déplacement des épreuves de la rencontre amoureuse et aux compétences mobilisées pour la réussir qu’invite l’usage des sites de rencontres.
Principes généraux d'évaluation des effets d'un dispositif
Authors: Van der linden Bruno
Published: May 2011

Résumé Cet article présente une introduction non technique d’un éventail de méthodes utilisées pour évaluer l’impact d’un programme. L’attention se limite à l’estimation de l’impact moyen sur les participants.
Évaluation des politiques de clusters : sélection, autosélection et impact
Authors: Mayneris Florian
Published: May 2011

Résumé Cet article montre, à travers l’exemple de deux politiques de clusters françaises, que l’évaluation des politiques de clusters doit autant s’intéresser au processus de sélection qu’à l’impact en tant que tel des politiques. Il peut en effet exister un décalage entre le public touché par la politique et le public initialement visé. Ceci peut résulter des choix opérés par les pouvoirs publics ou d’une autosélection des entreprises qui répondent aux appels à projets sous-tendant ces politiques. Appréhender correctement les effets de sélection à l’œuvre est fondamental pour faire de l’évaluation des politiques publiques un outil d’amélioration de ces dernières.
Efficiency of public spending in support of R&D activities
Authors: Cincera Michele , Czarnitzki Dirk , Thorwarth Susanne
Published: May 2011

Résumé Cette étude a pour objectif de mesurer le niveau d’efficience des dépenses et du soutien des politiques publiques en matière de R&D privée dans les pays de l’OCDE au cours des deux dernières décennies. Les différences de niveaux d’efficience observées s’expliquent par les conditions de l’environnement économique telles que le niveau de concurrence, la nature du régime des droits de propriété intellectuelle, les conditions d’accès aux marchés ainsi qu’aux sources de financement externes. Les scores conditionnels d’efficience sont plus élevés dans les pays industriels les plus avancés tandis que les pays caractérisés par des niveaux intermédiaires de PIB par habitant rencontrent des scores plus faibles. Sans surprise, les pays connaissant les meilleures performances en matière d’activités d’innovation sont également ceux caractérisés par les scores d’efficience les plus élevés. En termes de structure industrielle, les économies caractérisées par une part élevée de leurs secteurs à haute technologie dans la valeur ajoutée manufacturière totale bénéficient de niveaux d’efficience plus élevés tandis que la croissance économique ne semble pas affecter les scores d’efficience. Finalement en ce qui concerne les conditions macro-économiques générales, des régimes fiscaux plus favorables pour le commerce international, davantage de dérégulation sur les marchés du travail et des biens et des services de même que l’importance du système de droits de propriété intellectuel affectent de manière positive et significative le niveau des scores d’efficience.
Le dévoilement de la violence à travers des indicateurs de vulnérabilité
Authors: Garreffa Franca
Published: May 2011

Résumé Est-il possible, au travers d’un système d’indicateurs de vulnérabilité qui signalent une condition de fragilité, de visualiser un risque de violence bien avant qu’il ne touche les femmes ? À partir d’une recherche conduite dans quatre pays de l’Union européenne, l’auteure nous présente deux indicateurs : l’un centré sur la vulnérabilité au travail l’autre sur celle liée aux conditions de logement. Elle nous invite en outre à une réflexion méthodologique sur la construction et l’usage d’indicateurs, notamment ceux destinés à construire et mettre en œuvre des politiques sociales.
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: Family Stories
Authors: Smyk Daniel , Cholongitas Evangelos , Kriese Stephen , Rigopoulou Eirini I. , Bogdanos Dimitrios P.
Published: May 2011

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic immune-mediated cholestatic liver disease of unknown aetiology which affects mostly women in middle age. Familial PBC is when PBC affects more than one member of the same family, and data suggest that first-degree relatives of PBC patients have an increased risk of developing the disease. Most often, these familial clusters involve mother-daughter pairs, which is consistent with the female preponderance of the disease. These clusters provide evidence towards a genetic basis underlying PBC. However, clusters of nonrelated individuals have also been reported, giving strength to an environmental component. Twin studies have demonstrated a high concordance for PBC in monozygotic twins and a low concordance among dizygotic twins. In conclusion, studies of PBC in families clearly demonstrate that genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors play a role in the development of the disease.