Abstract: Chitosan has been an attractive biopolymer for
decades, but its processability is lowered by its poor solubility,
especially in physiological pH values. Freeze concentrated reactions
of chitosan with several organic acids including acrylic, citraconic,
itaconic, and maleic acid revealed improved solubility and
morphological properties. Solubility traits were assessed with a
modified ninhydrin test. Chitosan derivatives were characterized by
ATR-FTIR and morphological characteristics were determined by
SEM. This study is a unique approach to chemically modify chitosan
to enhance water solubility.
Abstract: Internet financial reporting and corporate governance
issues are in the focus of academic and professional studies due to
their attributed importance by stakeholders of corporations. Major
aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between internet
financial reporting which is held as dependent variable and some
indicators of corporate governance such as the ratio of managerial
ownership, blockholder ownership, number of independent members
in the board of directors, frequency of meetings by audit committee
and education level of audit committee members which are held as
independent variables. Main purpose is to reveal the effect of
corporate governance on the voluntary efforts of Internet Financial
reporting. The scope of the research is limited to the Turkish
Corporations listed in Borsa Istanbul (Istanbul Stock Exchange) and
findings which are generated by means of SPSS software are revealed
in results section and interpreted in conclusions.
Abstract: The influences of cell-free solutions (CFSs) of lactic
acid bacteria (LAB) on cadaverine and other biogenic amines
production by Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus
were investigated in lysine decarboxylase broth (LDB) using HPLC.
Cell free solutions were prepared from Lactococcus lactis subsp.
lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris, Pediococcus
acidilactici and Streptococcus thermophiles. Two different
concentrations that were 50% and 25% CFS and the control without
CFSs were prepared. Significant variations on biogenic amine
production were observed in the presence of L. monocytogenes and S.
aureus (P < 0.05). The function of CFS on biogenic amine production
by foodborne pathogens varied depending on strains and specific
amine. Cadaverine formation by L. monocytogenes and S. aureus in
control were 500.9 and 948.1 mg/L, respectively while the CFSs of
LAB induced 4-fold lower cadaverine production by L.
monocytogenes and 7-fold lower cadaverine production by S. aureus.
The CFSs resulted in strong decreases in cadaverine and putrescine
production by L. monocytogenes and S. aureus, although remarkable
increases were observed for histamine, spermidine, spermine,
serotonin, dopamine, tyramine and agmatine in the presence of LAB
in lysine decarboxylase broth.
Abstract: There has been a significant decline in active travel
and a massive increase in the use of car dependent travel in many
countries during the past two decades. Evidential risks for people’s
physical and mental health problems are correlated with this
increased use of motorized travel. These health related problems
range from overweight and obesity to increased air pollution. In
response to these rising concerns health professionals, traffic planers,
local authorities and others have introduced a variety of initiatives to
counterbalance the dominance of cars for daily journeys.
However, the nature of travel behavior change interventions,
which aim to reduce car use, are very complex and challenging
regarding their interactions with human behavior. To change travel
behavior at least two aspects have to be taken into consideration.
First, how to alter attitudes and perceptions toward the sustainable
and healthy modes of travel, in competition with experiences of
private car use. And second, how to make these behavior change
processes irreversible and sustainable. There are no comprehensive
models available to guide policy interventions to increase the level of
success of travel behavior change interventions across both these
dimensions.
A comprehensive theoretical framework is required in the effort to
optimize how to facilitate and guide the processes of data collection
and analysis to achieve the best possible guidelines for policy
makers. Regarding the gaps in the travel behavior change research
literature, this paper attempted to identify and suggest a
multidimensional framework in order to facilitate planning the
implemented travel behavior change interventions. A structured
mixed-method model is suggested to improve the analytic power of
the results according to the complexity of human behavior.
In order to recognize people’s attitudes towards a specific travel
mode, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was operationalized.
But in order to capture decision making processes the Transtheoretical
model of Behavior Change (TTM) was also used.
Consequently, the combination of these two theories (TTM and TPB)
has resulted in a synthesis with appropriate concepts to identify and
design an implemented travel behavior change interventions.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to describe the
perceptions of knowledge and information sharing by the Polish
academic community. An electronic questionnaire was used to gather
opinions of respondents. The presented results are a part of the
findings of empirical studies carried out amongst academics from
various types of universities and academia located throughout
Poland.
Abstract: At present, the cascade PID control is widely used to
control the superheating temperature (main steam temperature). As
Main Steam Temperature has the characteristics of large inertia, large
time-delay and time varying, etc., conventional PID control strategy
cannot achieve good control performance. In order to overcome the
bad performance and deficiencies of main steam temperature control
system, Model Free Adaptive Control (MFAC) - P cascade control
system is proposed in this paper. By substituting MFAC in PID of the
main control loop of the main steam temperature control, it can
overcome time delays, non-linearity, disturbance and time variation.
Abstract: Standard processes, similar and limited production
lines, the production of high direct costs will be more accurate than
the use of parts of the traditional cost systems in the literature.
However, direct costs, overhead expenses, in turn, decrease the
burden of increasingly sophisticated production facilities, a situation
that led the researchers to look for the cost of traditional systems of
alternative techniques. Variety cost management approaches for
example Total quality management (TQM), just-in-time (JIT),
benchmarking, kaizen costing, targeting cost, life cycle costs (LLC),
activity-based costing (ABC) value engineering have been
introduced. Management and cost applications have changed over the
past decade and will continue to change. Modern cost systems can
provide relevant and accurate cost information. These methods
provide the decisions about customer, product and process
improvement. The aim of study is to describe and explain the
adoption and application of costing systems in SME. This purpose
reports on a survey conducted during 2014 small and medium sized
enterprises (SME) in Ankara. The survey results were evaluated
using SPSS18 package program.
Abstract: It is likely that robots will cross the boundaries of
industry into households over the next decades. With demographic
challenges worldwide, the future ageing populations will require the
introduction of assistive technologies capable of providing, care,
human dignity and quality of life through the aging process. Robotics
technology has a high potential for being used in the areas of social
and healthcare by promoting a wide range of activities such as
entertainment, companionship, supervision or cognitive and physical
assistance. However such close Human Robotics Interaction (HRI)
encompass a rich set of ethical scenarios that need to be addressed
before Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) reach the global markets.
Such interactions with robots may seem a worthy goal for many
technical/financial reasons but inevitably require close attention to
the ethical dimensions of such interactions. This article investigates
the current HRI benchmark of social success. It revises it according
to the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence and justice
aligned with social care ethos. An extension of such benchmark is
proposed based on an empirical study of HRIs conducted with elderly
groups.
Abstract: The planning of geological survey works is an
iterative process which involves planner, geologist, civil engineer and
other stakeholders, who perform different roles and have different
points of view. Traditionally, the team used paper maps or CAD
drawings to present the proposal which is not an efficient way to
present and share idea on the site investigation proposal such as
sitting of borehole location or seismic survey lines. This paper
focuses on how a GIS approach can be utilised to develop a webbased
system to support decision making process in the planning of
geological survey works and also to plan site activities carried out by
Singapore Geological Office (SGO). The authors design a framework
of building an interactive web-based GIS system, and develop a
prototype, which enables the users to obtain rapidly existing
geological information and also to plan interactively borehole
locations and seismic survey lines via a web browser. This prototype
system is used daily by SGO and has shown to be effective in
increasing efficiency and productivity as the time taken in the
planning of geological survey works is shortened. The prototype
system has been developed using the ESRI ArcGIS API 3.7 for Flex
which is based on the ArcGIS 10.2.1 platform.
Abstract: This paper describes the tradeoffs and the design from
scratch of a self-contained, easy-to-use health dashboard software
system that provides customizable data tracking for patients in smart
homes. The system is made up of different software modules and
comprises a front-end and a back-end component. Built with HTML,
CSS, and JavaScript, the front-end allows adding users, logging into
the system, selecting metrics, and specifying health goals. The backend
consists of a NoSQL Mongo database, a Python script, and a
SimpleHTTPServer written in Python. The database stores user
profiles and health data in JSON format. The Python script makes use
of the PyMongo driver library to query the database and displays
formatted data as a daily snapshot of user health metrics against
target goals. Any number of standard and custom metrics can be
added to the system, and corresponding health data can be fed
automatically, via sensor APIs or manually, as text or picture data
files. A real-time METAR request API permits correlating weather
data with patient health, and an advanced query system is
implemented to allow trend analysis of selected health metrics over
custom time intervals. Available on the GitHub repository system,
the project is free to use for academic purposes of learning and
experimenting, or practical purposes by building on it.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to select the best strains of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae able to resist lead and cadmium. Ten
strains were screened on the basis of their resistance at different
concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 ppm for Pb and 0, 0.5,
1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 ppm for Cd. The properties of baker's yeast
quality were decreased by the increase of Pb or Cd in growth
medium. The slope values of yield, total viable cells and gassing
power of produced baker's yeast were investigated as an indicator of
metal resistant. In addition, concentrations of Pb and Cd in produced
baker's yeast were determined. The strain of S. cerevisiae FH-620
had the highest resistance against Pb and Cd and had the minimum
levels of both two investigated metals in produced baker's yeast.
Abstract: The development of Drugs Delivery System (DDS)
has been widely investigated in the last decades. In this paper, first a
general overview of traditional and modern wound dressing is
presented. This is followed by a review of what scientists have done
in the medical environment, focusing on the possibility to develop a
new alternative for DDS through transdermal pathway, aiming to
treat melanoma skin cancer.
Abstract: Environmental impact assessment techniques have
been developed as a result of the worldwide efforts to reduce the
environmental impact of global warming. By using the quantification
method in the construction industry, it is now possible to manage the
greenhouse gas is to systematically evaluate the impact on the
environment over the entire construction process. In particular, the
proportion of greenhouse gas emissions at the production stage of
construction material occupied is high, and efforts are needed in
particular in the construction field.
In this research, intended for concrete products for the construction
materials, by using the LCA method, we compared the results of
environmental impact assessment and carbon emissions of developing
products that have been applied low-carbon technologies compared to
existing products. As a results, by introducing a raw material of
industrial waste, showed carbon reduction. Through a comparison of
the carbon emission reduction effect of low carbon technologies, it is
intended to provide academic data for the evaluation of greenhouse
gases in the construction sector and the development of low carbon
technologies of the future.
Abstract: The air transport impact on environment is more than
ever a limitative obstacle to the aeronautical industry continuous
growth. Over the last decades, considerable effort has been carried
out in order to obtain quieter aircraft solutions, whether by changing
the original design or investigating more silent maneuvers. The
noise propagated by rotating surfaces is one of the most important
sources of annoyance, being present in most aerial vehicles. Bearing
this is mind, CEIIA developed a new computational chain for
noise prediction with in-house software tools to obtain solutions in
relatively short time without using excessive computer resources. This
work is based on the new acoustic tool, which aims to predict the
rotor noise generated during steady and maneuvering flight, making
use of the flexibility of the C language and the advantages of GPU
programming in terms of velocity. The acoustic tool is based in the
Formulation 1A of Farassat, capable of predicting two important
types of noise: the loading and thickness noise. The present work
describes the most important features of the acoustic tool, presenting
its most relevant results and framework analyses for helicopters and
UAV quadrotors.
Abstract: The concentration levels of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr,
Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) and two mineral elements (Ca and Mg) were
determined in soil samples collected from the vicinity of two auto
mechanic workshops in Sabon-Gari, Kaduna state, Nigeria, using
Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), in order to compare the
gradation of their concentrations with distance and depth of soil from
the workshop sites. At site 1, concentrations of Lead, Chromium, Iron
and Zinc were generally found to be above the World Health
Organization limits, while those of Nickel and Cadmium fell within
the limits. Iron had the highest concentration with a range of 176.274
ppm to 489.127 ppm at depths of 5 cm to 15 cm and a distance range
of 5 m to 15 m, while the concentration of cadmium was least with a
range of 0.001 ppm to 0.008 ppm at similar depth and distance
ranges. In addition, there was more of calcium (11.521 ppm to
121.709 ppm), in all the samples, than magnesium (11.293 ppm to
21.635 ppm). Similar results were obtained for site II. The
concentrations of all the metals analyzed showed a downward
gradient with increase in depth and distance from both workshop sites
except for iron and zinc at site 2. The immediate and remote
implications of these findings on the biota are discussed.
Abstract: The main aim of this article is to present a balance of the decade of Polish air transport market in the European Union having taking into account selected entities of the aviation market. This article analyzes the functioning of the Polish air transport market after the Polish accession to the European Union. During the study two main areas were pointed: shipping activity and activity of the airports. The most important benefits of integration and the benefits of introducing of the open sky policy were indicated. The last part of the article presents the perspectives of development of air traffic.
Abstract: This research focused on comparing the critical
thinking of the teacher students before and after using Miller’s Model
learning activities and investigating their opinions. The sampling
groups were (1) fourth year 33 student teachers majoring in Early
Childhood Education and enrolling in semester 1 of academic year
2013 (2) third year 28 student teachers majoring in English and
enrolling in semester 2 of academic year 2013 and (3) third year 22
student teachers majoring in Thai and enrolling in semester 2 of
academic year 2013. The research instruments were (1) lesson plans
where the learning activities were settled based on Miller’s Model (2)
critical thinking assessment criteria and (3) a questionnaire on
opinions towards Miller’s Model based learning activities. The
statistical treatment was mean, deviation, different scores and T-test.
The result unfolded that (1) the critical thinking of the students after
the assigned activities was better than before and (2) the students’
opinions towards the critical thinking improvement activities based
on Miller’s Model ranged from the level of high to highest.
Abstract: The western Tombolo of the Giens peninsula in
southern France, known as Almanarre beach, is subject to coastal
erosion. We are trying to use computer simulation in order to propose
solutions to stop this erosion. Our aim was first to determine the main
factors for this erosion and successfully apply a coupled hydrosedimentological
numerical model based on observations and
measurements that have been performed on the site for decades.
We have gathered all available information and data about waves,
winds, currents, tides, bathymetry, coastal line, and sediments
concerning the site. These have been divided into two sets: one
devoted to calibrating a numerical model using Mike 21 software, the
other to serve as a reference in order to numerically compare the
present situation to what it could be if we implemented different
types of underwater constructions.
This paper presents the first part of the study: selecting and
melting different sources into a coherent data basis, identifying the
main erosion factors, and calibrating the coupled software model
against the selected reference period.
Our results bring calibration of the numerical model with good
fitting coefficients. They also show that the winter South-Western
storm events conjugated to depressive weather conditions constitute a
major factor of erosion, mainly due to wave impact in the northern
part of the Almanarre beach. Together, current and wind impact is
shown negligible.
Abstract: Collaborative technologies or software known as
groupware are key enabling tools for communication, collaboration
and co-ordination among individuals, work groups and businesses.
Available reviews of the groupware literature are very few,
and mostly neither systematic nor recent.
This paper is an effort to fill this gap, and to provide researchers,
with a more up-to-date and wide systematic literature review. For this
purpose, 1087 scholarly articles, published from 1990 to 2013, on the
topic of groupware, were collected by the literature search. The study
here adopted the systematic approach of lexical analysis for the
analysis of those articles.
Abstract: This study attempts to elicit the perceptions and
attitudes of EFL learners of the Preparatory Year Program at KSU
towards dialogue journal writing as an EFL learning strategy. The
descriptive research design used incorporated both qualitative and
quantitative instruments to accomplish the objectives of the study. A
learners’ attitude questionnaire and follow-up interviewswith learners
from a randomly selected representative sample of the participants
were employed. The participants were 55 female Saudi university
students in the Preparatory Year Program at King Saud University.
The analysis of the results indicated that the PYP learners had highly
positive attitudes towards dialogue journal writing in their EFL
classes and positive perceptions of the benefits of the use of dialogue
journal writing as an EFL learning strategy. The results also revealed
that dialogue journals are considered an effective EFL learning
strategy since they fulfill various needs for both learners and
instructors. Interestingly, the analysis of the results also revealed that
Saudi university level students tend to write about personal topics in
their dialogue journals more than academic ones.