bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Report of isolation of Cryptobacterium curtum from a pelvic abscess
Authors: Sridhar Siddharth , Wong Samson S.Y. , Tam Emily W.T. , Lau Susanna K.P. , Woo Patrick C.Y. 
Published: July 2015

Introduction:
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of isolation of Cryptobacterium curtum from an infected site outside the oral cavity.

Case presentation:
We report a patient who presented with fever and abdominal pain following an endoscopic procedure. Imaging confirmed a retroperitoneal abscess secondary to duodenal perforation complicating the endoscopic procedure. Surgical drainage of the abscess was carried out. Microbiological analysis of the pus revealed, among other bacteria, an anaerobic Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium that was definitively identified as Cryptobacterium curtum by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The patient improved after multiple episodes of retroperitoneal lavage and a prolonged course of antibiotics.

Conclusion:
This case demonstrates that C. curtum can be isolated outside the oral cavity in polymicrobial infected sites. The pathogenic significance of this organism in contributing to pyogenic infection requires further study.
High Frequency Haplotypes are Expected Events, not Historical Figures
Authors: Guillot Elsa G. , Cox Murray P. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractCultural transmission of reproductive success states that successful men have more children and pass this raised fecundity to their offspring. Balaresque and colleagues found high frequency haplotypes in a Central Asian Y chromosome dataset, which they attribute to cultural transmission of reproductive success by prominent historical men, including Genghis Khan. Using coalescent simulation, we show that these high frequency haplotypes are consistent with a neutral model, where they commonly appear simply by chance. Hence, explanations invoking cultural transmission of reproductive success are statistically unnecessary.
Impact analysis of LTCC materials on microstrip filters’ behaviour up to 13 GHz
Authors: Pietrikova Alena , Ruman Kornel , Rovensky Tibor , Vehec Igor 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to consider the adequacy of various microstrip filters’ behaviour based on different low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) dielectrics in the high frequency (HF) area up to 13 GHz.

Design/methodology/approach
– Low pass, band pass and band stop filters for ultra-wideband radar systems were designed, simulated, fabricated and measured using three various dielectric substrates: Dupont GreenTape 951, Dupont GreenTape 9K7 and Murata LFC.

Findings
– It is not possible to unambiguously determine the most suitable LTCC dielectric for these filter design because, in general, all designed filters fulfilled requirements (attenuation, cut off frequencies) with minimal divergences, but temperature-stable dielectric and physical properties of Murata LFC make them a promising ceramic for HF application (repeatability of realised experiments).

Originality/value
– The novelty of this work lies in unconventional usage of LTCC as material with defined dielectric properties proper for HF applications.
Embossing in fuel cell fabrication
Authors: Dziurdzia Barbara , Magonski Zbigniew , Jankowski Henryk 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present the embossing as a replication technique for structuring fuel channels in the anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).

Design/methodology/approach
– The anode laminate, which was exposed to embossing, consisted of eight layers of isostatic pressed Ni-yttria-stabilized zirconia tapes (Ni-YSZ). Preheating the mould and soaking the laminate in the plasticizer was applied before structuring of the channels to soften the laminate. Compressing tests were carried out to investigate the embossing ability of the Ni-YSZ laminate and to find the optimal processing parameters. Embossing was carried out with a testing machine, and the samples were exposed to embossing forces in the range up 20 kN with a certain speed of compression and a dwell time.

Findings
– The embossing parameters (force of compression, speed of compression and dwell time) suitable for proper fuel channels formation were established. Shapes, profiles and dimensions of the embossed channels were analysed and compared to the micromachined channels. The model of the SOFC with embossed fuel channels was completed, and its current-voltage characteristic was measured.

Originality/value
– Experiments proved that embossing can be the alternative method for patterning fuel microchannels in SOFCs. Embossing simplifies the process of fuel channel formation and reduces the time of SOFC fabrication. It is necessary to improve the geometry and quality of the mould formation to make the fuel channels deeper and of better surface finish.
Energy losses and DVFS effectiveness vs technology scaling
Authors: Kocanda Piotr , Kos Andrzej 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– This article aims to present complete analysis of energy losses in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits and the effectiveness of dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) as a method of energy conservation in CMOS circuits in variety of technologies. Energy efficiency in CMOS devices is an issue of highest importance with still continuing technology scaling. There are powerful tools for energy conservation in form of dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) and dynamic frequency scaling (DFS).

Design/methodology/approach
– Using analytical equations and Spice models of various technologies, energy losses are calculated and effectiveness of DVS and DFS is evaluated for every technology.

Findings
– Test showed that new dedicated technology for low static energy consumption can be as economical as older technologies. The dynamic voltage and frequency scaling are most effective when there is a dominance of dynamic energy losses in circuit. In case when static energy losses are comparable to dynamic energy losses, use of dynamic voltage frequency scaling can even lead to increased energy consumption.

Originality/value
– This paper presents complete analysis of energy losses in CMOS circuits and effectiveness of mentioned methods of energy conservation in CMOS circuits in six different technologies.
Material and technological aspects of high-temperature SiC device packages reliability
Authors: Myśliwiec Marcin , Kisiel Ryszard , Guziewicz Marek 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to deal with material and technological aspects of SiC diodes assembly in ceramic packages. The usefulness of combinations of different materials and assembly techniques for the creation of inner connection system in the ceramic package, as well as the formation of outer connections able to work at temperatures up to 350°C, were evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach
– The ceramic package consists of direct bonded copper (DBC) substrate with Cu pads electroplated by Ni or Ni/Au layers on which a SiC diode was assembled by sintering process using Ag microparticles. For the connections inside the ceramic package, the authors used Al/Ni and Au-Au material system based on aluminium or gold wire bonding. The authors sealed the ceramic package with glass encapsulation and achieved a full encapsulation. Outer connections were manufactured using Cu ribbon plated with Ag layer and sintered to DBC by Ag micro particle. The authors investigated the long-term stability of electrical parameters of SiC diodes assembled in ceramic package at temperature 350°C.

Findings
– The authors have shown that Schottky and PiN SiC diodes assembled with different technologies and materials in ceramic package keep their I-V characteristics unchanged during ageing at 350°C for 400 h.

Originality/value
– The SiC diodes assembled into ceramic package with Al/Ni or Au-Au inner electrical connection systems and outer connections system based on Ag microparticles sintering process of Cu/Ag ribbon to DBC substrate can work reliably in temperature range up to 350°C.
3D LTCC structure for a large-volume cavity-type chemical microreactor
Authors: Belavič Darko , Hrovat Marko , Makarovič Kostja , Dolanč Gregor , Pohar Andrej , Hočevar Stanko , Malič Barbara 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present the research activity and results to research and development society on the field of ceramic microsystems.

Design/methodology/approach
– The chemical reactor was developed as a non-conventional application of low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) and thick-film technologies. In the ceramic reactor with a large-volume, buried cavity, filled with a catalyst, the reaction between water and methanol produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide (together with traces of carbon monoxide). The LTCC ceramic three-dimensional (3D) structure consists of a reaction chamber, two inlet channels, an inlet mixing channel, an inlet distributor, an outlet collector and an outlet channel. The inlet and outlet fluidic barriers for the catalyst of the reaction chamber are made with two “grid lines”.

Findings
– A 3D ceramic structure made by LTCC technology was successfully designed and developed for chemical reactor – methanol decomposition.

Research limitations/implications
– Research activity includes the design and the capability of materials and technology (LTCC) to fabricate chemical reactor with large cavity. But further dimensions-scale-up is limited.

Practical implications
– The technology for the fabrication of LTCC-based chemical reactor was developed and implemented in system for methanol decomposition.

Originality/value
– The approach (large-volume cavity in ceramic structure), which has been developed, can be used for other type of reactors also.
Modelling mutual thermal coupling in LED modules
Authors: Górecki Krzysztof , Ptak Przemysław 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present an electrothermal model of the module containing power light emitting diodes (LEDs) situated on a common base.

Design/methodology/approach
– The electrothermal model of this device, which takes into account both self-heating and mutual thermal coupling between the diodes situated in this module, is described.

Findings
– The correctness of the presented model is verified experimentally, and a good agreement of the calculated and measured optical and thermal characteristics of the considered module is obtained.

Research limitations/implications
– The presented model can be used for different structures of the LED module, but electrical inertia in the diodes is omitted.

Practical implications
– The presented model was used to calculate electrical, thermal and optical waveforms of the module OSPR3XW1 containing three power LED situated on the common base.

Originality/value
– The presented model takes into account thermal inertia in the considered LED module and its cooling systems with mutual thermal coupling between all the diodes situated in the same module.
Investigation of electrical performance of silicon solar cells with transparent counter electrode
Authors: Drabczyk Kazimierz , Domaradzki Jaroslaw , Panek Piotr , Kaczmarek Danuta 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper was the investigation of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) applied as an additional part of front metal electrode of crystalline silicon solar cell. Transparent conducting oxides are widely used as counter electrodes in a wide range of electronics and optoelectronics applications, e.g. flat panel displays. The most important optical and electrical requirements for TCOs are high optical transmittance and low resistivity. This low resistivity might invoke the possibility of increasing the distance between the fingers in the solar cell front electrode, thus decreasing the total area covered by metal and decreasing the shadowing loss.

Design/methodology/approach
– In the present work, thin films of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) as a transparent counter electrodes, were evaporated on the surface of silicon n+-p junction structures used in solar cells. The influence of the properties of ITO electrode on the electrical performance of prepared solar cells was investigated through optical and electrical measurements. The discussion on the influence of deposition conditions of the TCO films on recombination of the photogenerated electrical charge carriers and solar cell series resistance was also included.

Findings
– In this work, the fingers lines 100 μm width were screen-printed on the c-Si wafer with ITO layer. Monocrystalline silicon 25 cm 2,200-μm-thick wafers, were used for this testing. The usefulness of the ITO films as antireflection coating was discussed as well. It is commonly known that electrical performance of solar cells is limited by surface passivation. Despite this, the obtained results for ITO-Si structures showed relatively high value of short circuit current density (Jsc) up to 33 mA/cm2.

Originality/value
– Our experiments confirmed the potential of application of ITO as anti-reflection coating (ARC) layer and according to their low resistivity possible use as a functional counter electrodes in photovoltaic structures.
Characterization of microbial community structure during continuous anaerobic digestion of straw and cow manure
Authors: Sun Li , Pope Phillip B. , Eijsink Vincent G. H. , Schnürer Anna 
Published: July 2015

SummaryResponses of bacterial and archaeal communities to the addition of straw during anaerobic digestion of manure at different temperatures (37°C, 44°C and 52°C) were investigated using five laboratory‐scale semi‐continuous stirred tank reactors. The results revealed that including straw as co‐substrate decreased the species richness for bacteria, whereas increasing the operating temperature decreased the species richness for both archaea and bacteria, and also the evenness of the bacteria. Taxonomic classifications of the archaeal community showed that Methanobrevibacter dominated in the manure samples, while Methanosarcina dominated in all digesters regardless of substrate. Increase of the operating temperature to 52°C led to increased relative abundance of Methanoculleus and Methanobacterium. Among the bacteria, the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes dominated within all samples. Compared with manure itself, digestion of manure resulted in a higher abundance of an uncultured class WWE1 and lower abundance of Bacilli. Adding straw to the digesters increased the level of Bacteroidia, while increasing the operating temperature decreased the level of this class and instead increased the relative abundance of an uncultured genus affiliated to order MBA08 (Clostridia). A considerable fraction of bacterial sequences could not be allocated to genus level, indicating that novel phylotypes are resident in these communities.
Midterm Results of Sternal Band Closure in Open Heart Surgery and Risk Analysis of Sternal Band Removal
Authors: Motomatsu Yuma , Imasaka Ken‐ichi , Tayama Eiki , Tomita Yukihiro 
Published: July 2015

AbstractSternal dehiscence, which is responsible for the development of mediastinitis, is a serious complication after cardiothoracic surgery. We retrospectively compared the results of two methods for sternal closure after cardiothoracic surgery performed during January 2009 to May 2012. The methods comprised closure with sternal bands and steel wires (group A, n = 92) versus conventional closure using steel wires alone (group B, n = 442). Although not significantly different between the two groups, no patients undergoing sternal band closure experienced dehiscence or mediastinitis. The incidence of having to remove materials used for sternal closure was significantly higher in group A than in group B. In each case of removal in group A, the materials removed were sternal bands whose tips had caused direct cutaneous irritation. Thus, although sternal bands may be effective for rigid sternal closure, they must sometimes be removed because of chest discomfort caused by the tip of the band.
VOLUNTARY WORK AND WAGES
Authors: BRUNO Bruna , FIORILLO Damiano 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTThe effects of voluntary work on earnings have recently been studied for some developed countries such as Canada, France and Austria. This paper extends this line of research to Italy, using data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU‐SILC) dataset. A double methodological approach is used in order to control for unobserved heterogeneity: Heckman and IV methods are employed to account for unobserved worker heterogeneity and endogeneity bias. Empirical results show that, when the unobserved heterogeneity is taken into account, a wage premium of 2.7 percent emerges, quite small if compared to previous investigations on Canada and Austria. The investigation into the channels of influence of volunteering on wages gives support to the hypotheses that volunteering enables the access to fruitful informal networks, avoids the human capital deterioration and provides a signal for intrinsically motivated individuals.
Developing third places to foster sense of community in online instruction
Authors: Aldosemani Tahani Ibrahim , Shepherd Craig Erschel , Gashim Ibrahim , Dousay Tonia 
Published: July 2015

AbstractUsing principles of Oldenburg's concept of third place to characterize sense of community, this paper establishes a framework for the creation of sustainable, informal learning communities that promote dialogue and interpersonal relationships. This paper discusses Oldenburg's theory of third place, presents a framework to implement online third place communities in educational settings, and offers examples, recommendations and implications for future research. This paper provides a framework for third place development in online learning environments. We propose that virtual third places can meet all criteria established by Oldenburg. The development of virtual third places only occurs over time and violations of third place characteristics are part of the development process. However, these violations should be eliminated over time through continuous evaluation, modification, and implementation of the space, users, activities and organizational needs, goals and resources.
The role of e‐portfolios in supporting productive learning
Authors: Yang Min , Tai Mui , Lim Cher Ping 
Published: July 2015

Abstracte‐Portfolios are a form of authentic assessment with formative functions that include showcasing and sharing learning artifacts, documenting reflective learning processes, connecting learning across various stages and enabling frequent feedback for improvements. This paper examines how e‐portfolios take up these formative roles to support productive learning. Qualitative findings from interviews with selected first‐year undergraduate students at a higher education institution in Hong Kong are reported concerning students' experiences of constructing e‐portfolios as assessment tasks. As part of an institutional teaching and learning initiative, e‐portfolios were incorporated into three core courses for first‐year students. The findings reveal that several conditions necessary to foster productive learning were missing in students' experiences: strengthened formative role of e‐portfolios through coherent assessment design; encouragement for students' pursuit of authentic tasks to develop learning interests; engagement of students in reflective and self‐regulative learning as an essential learning process; provision of constructive feedback for sustained learning support; and support for students' autonomy through facilitation of collaborative knowledge building. By explicating how the lack of these conditions impeded students' active involvement in e‐portfolio tasks and suggesting relevant strategies for teachers at the institution in question, this paper offers implications for harnessing information and communication technology (ICT) to support students' productive learning.
Synthesis, characterisation, and applications of isoindigo/Pechmann dye heteroanalogue hybrid dyes on polyester fabric
Authors: Aysha Tarek , El‐Sedik Mervat , Mashaly Hamada M. , El‐Apasery Morsy A. , Machalický Oldřich , Hrdina Radim 
Published: July 2015

A series of new dyes based on the N‐analogue of Pechmann hybrid dyes were prepared by the condensation of different 5‐aryl derivatives of pyrrolinone ester (phenyl, 4‐bromophenyl, thienyl, and biphenyl) with isatin. N‐Alkylated derivatives were also prepared using bromoethyl acetate. Full 1H and 13C NMR assignment was performed. All prepared dyes were soluble in most organic solvents: N‐alkylated derivatives had better solubility than non‐alkylated derivatives. The UV‐vis absorption spectra of the derivatives under study are quite similar and exhibit maxima in the 509–526 nm range. No E/Z photoisomerisation is observed. The dyeing process, dye exhaustion on polyester, and the fastness properties of the dyes were examined.
Quantification of Aerosol Hydrofluoroalkane HFA‐134a Elimination in the Exhaled Human Breath Following Inhaled Corticosteroids Administration
Authors: Shin Hye‐Won , Barletta Barbara , Yoonessi Leila , Meinardi Simone , Leu Szu‐Yun , Radom‐Aizik Shlomit , Randhawa Inderpal , Nussbaum Eliezer , Blake Donald R. , Cooper Dan M. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractInhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and β2‐agonists are the primary pharmacotherapies of asthma management. However, suboptimal medication compliance is common in asthmatics and is associated with increased morbidity. We hypothesized that exhaled breath measurements of the aerosol used in the inhaled medications might prove useful as surrogate marker for asthma medication compliance. To explore this, 10 healthy controls were recruited and randomly assigned to ICS (Flovent HFA) or short acting bronchodilators (Proventil HFA). Both inhalers contain HFA‐134a as aerosol propellant. Exhaled breath sampling and pulmonary function tests were performed prior to the inhaler medication dispersion, immediately after inhalation, then at 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, and 48 hours postadministration. At baseline, mean (SD) levels of HFA‐134a in the breath were 252 (156) pptv. Immediately after inhalation, HFA‐134a breath levels increased to 300 × 106 pptv and were still well above ambient levels 24 hours postadministration. The calculated ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second over forced vital capacity did not change over time following inhaler administration. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that breath HFA‐134a levels can be used to assess inhaler medication compliance. It may also be used to evaluate how effectively the medicine is delivered.