Showing papers by "Wichita State University published in 2012"

Entrepreneurial Effectuation: A Review and Suggestions for Future Research

Abstract: Effectuation represents a paradigmatic shift in the way that we understand entrepreneurship. Since its introduction, however, few researchers have attempted to empirically test effectuation. Our purpose is to encourage effectuation research. To do so, we review the effectuation literature and make suggestions for how to design and conduct empirically rigorous effectuation studies consistent with the developmental state of the research stream.

Broad-Spectrum Antivirals against 3C or 3C-Like Proteases of Picornaviruses, Noroviruses, and Coronaviruses

Abstract: Phylogenetic analysis has demonstrated that some positive-sense RNA viruses can be classified into the picornavirus-like supercluster, which includes picornaviruses, caliciviruses, and coronaviruses. These viruses possess 3C or 3C-like proteases (3Cpro or 3CLpro, respectively), which contain a typical chymotrypsin-like fold and a catalytic triad (or dyad) with a Cys residue as a nucleophile. The conserved key sites of 3Cpro or 3CLpro may serve as attractive targets for the design of broad-spectrum antivirals for multiple viruses in the supercluster. We previously reported the structure-based design and synthesis of potent protease inhibitors of Norwalk virus (NV), a member of the Caliciviridae family. We report herein the broad-spectrum antiviral activities of three compounds possessing a common dipeptidyl residue with different warheads, i.e., an aldehyde (GC373), a bisulfite adduct (GC376), and an α-ketoamide (GC375), against viruses that belong to the supercluster. All compounds were highly effective against the majority of tested viruses, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations in the high nanomolar or low micromolar range in enzyme- and/or cell-based assays and with high therapeutic indices. We also report the high-resolution X-ray cocrystal structures of NV 3CLpro-, poliovirus 3Cpro-, and transmissible gastroenteritis virus 3CLpro- GC376 inhibitor complexes, which show the compound covalently bound to a nucleophilic Cys residue in the catalytic site of the corresponding protease. We conclude that these compounds have the potential to be developed as antiviral therapeutics aimed at a single virus or multiple viruses in the picornavirus-like supercluster by targeting 3Cpro or 3CLpro.

Methodology for systematic analysis and improvement of manufacturing unit process life cycle inventory (UPLCI) CO2PE! initiative (cooperative effort on process emissions in manufacturing). Part 2: case studies

Abstract: This report proposes a life-cycle analysis (LCA)-oriented methodology for systematic inventory analysis of the use phase of manufacturing unit processes providing unit process datasets to be used in life-cycle inventory (LCI) databases and libraries. The methodology has been developed in the framework of the CO2PE! collaborative research programme (CO2PE! 2011a) and comprises two approaches with different levels of detail, respectively referred to as the screening approach and the in-depth approach. The screening approach relies on representative, publicly available data and engineering calculations for energy use, material loss, and identification of variables for improvement, while the in-depth approach is subdivided into four modules, including a time study, a power consumption study, a consumables study and an emissions study, in which all relevant process in- and outputs are measured and analysed in detail. The screening approach provides the first insight in the unit process and results in a set of approximate LCI data, which also serve to guide the more detailed and complete in-depth approach leading to more accurate LCI data as well as the identification of potential for energy and resource efficiency improvements of the manufacturing unit process. To ensure optimal reproducibility and applicability, documentation guidelines for data and metadata are included in both approaches. Guidance on definition of functional unit and reference flow as well as on determination of system boundaries specifies the generic goal and scope definition requirements according to ISO 14040 (2006) and ISO 14044 (2006). The proposed methodology aims at ensuring solid foundations for the provision of high-quality LCI data for the use phase of manufacturing unit processes. Envisaged usage encompasses the provision of high-quality data for LCA studies of products using these unit process datasets for the manufacturing processes, as well as the in-depth analysis of individual manufacturing unit processes. In addition, the accruing availability of data for a range of similar machines (same process, different suppliers and machine capacities) will allow the establishment of parametric emission and resource use estimation models for a more streamlined LCA of products including reliable manufacturing process data. Both approaches have already provided useful results in some initial case studies (Kellens et al. 2009; Duflou et al. (Int J Sustain Manufacturing 2:80–98, 2010); Santos et al. (J Clean Prod 19:356–364, 2011); UPLCI 2011; Kellens et al. 2011a) and the use will be illustrated by two case studies in Part 2 of this paper (Kellens et al. 2011b).

A Nested Extreme Response Surface Approach for Time-Dependent Reliability-Based Design Optimization

Abstract: A primary concern in practical engineering design is ensuring high system reliability throughout a product's lifecycle, which is subject to time-variant operating conditions and component deteriorations. Thus, the capability of dealing with time-dependent probabilistic constraints in reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is of vital importance in practical engineering design applications. This paper presents a nested extreme response surface (NERS) approach to efficiently carry out time-dependent reliability analysis and determine the optimal designs. This approach employs the kriging model to build a nested response surface of time corresponding to the extreme value of the limit state function. The efficient global optimization (EGO) technique is integrated with the NERS approach to extract the extreme time responses of the limit state function for any given system design. An adaptive response prediction and model maturation (ARPMM) mechanism is developed based on the mean square error (MSE) to concurrently improve the accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed approach. With the nested response surface of time, the time-dependent reliability analysis can be converted into the time-independent reliability analysis, and existing advanced reliability analysis and design methods can be used. The NERS approach is compared with existing time-dependent reliability analysis approaches and integrated with RBDO for engineered system design with time-dependent probabilistic constraints. Two case studies are used to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed NERS approach.

Models for metal-poor stars with enhanced abundances of C, N, O, Ne, Na, Mg, Si, S, Ca, and Ti, in turn, at constant helium and iron abundances

Abstract: Recent work has shown that most globular clusters have at least two chemically distinct components, as well as cluster-to-cluster differences in the mean [O/Fe], [Mg/Fe], and [Si/Fe] ratios at similar [Fe/H] values. In order to investigate the implications of variations in the abundances of these and other metals for H-R diagrams and predicted ages, grids of evolutionary sequences have been computed for scaled solar and enhanced ?-element metal abundances, and for mixtures in which the assumed [m/Fe] value for each of the metals C, N, O, Ne, Na, Mg, Si, S, Ca, and Ti has been increased, in turn, by 0.4?dex at constant [Fe/H]. These tracks, together with isochrones for ages from 5 to 14?Gyr, have been computed for ?3.0 ? [Fe/H]???0.6, with helium abundances Y = 0.25, 0.29, and 0.33 at each [Fe/H] value, using upgraded versions of the Victoria stellar structure program and the Regina interpolation code, respectively. Turnoff luminosity versus age relations from isochrones are found to depend almost entirely on the importance of the CNO cycle, and thereby mainly on the abundance of oxygen. Since C, N, and O, as well as Ne and S, do not contribute significantly to the opacities at low temperatures and densities, variations in their abundances do not impact the predicted T eff scale of red giants. The latter is a strong function of the abundances of only Mg and Si (and Fe, possibly to a lesser extent) because they are so abundant and because they are strong sources of opacity at low temperatures. For these reasons, Mg and Si also have important effects on the temperatures of main-sequence stars. Due to their low abundances, Na, Ca, and Ti are of little consequence for stellar models. The effects of varying the adopted solar metals mixture and the helium abundance at a fixed [Fe/H] are also briefly discussed.

A comparison of reusable and disposable perioperative textiles: sustainability state-of-the-art 2012.

Abstract: Contemporary comparisons of reusable and single-use perioperative textiles (surgical gowns and drapes) reflect major changes in the technologies to produce and reuse these products. Reusable and disposable gowns and drapes meet new standards for medical workers and patient protection, use synthetic lightweight fabrics, and are competitively priced. In multiple sciencebased life cycle environmental studies, reusable surgical gowns and drapes demonstrate substantial sustainability benefits over the same disposable product in natural resource energy (200%–300%), water (250%–330%), carbon footprint (200%–300%), volatile organics, solid wastes (750%), and instrument recovery. Because all other factors (cost, protection, and comfort) are reasonably similar, the environmental benefits of reusable surgical gowns and drapes to health care sustainability programs are important for this industry. Thus, it is no longer valid to indicate that reusables are better in some environmental impacts and disposables are better in other environmental impacts. It is also important to recognize that large-scale studies of comfort, protection, or economics have not been actively pursued in the last 5 to 10 years, and thus the factors to improve both reusables and disposable systems are difficult to assess. In addition, the comparison related to jobs is not well studied, but may further support reusables. In summary, currently available perioperative textiles are similar in comfort, safety, and cost, but reusable textiles offer substantial opportunities for nurses, physicians, and hospitals to reduce environmental footprints when selected over disposable alternatives. Evidenced-based comparison of environmental factors supports the conclusion that reusable gowns and drapes offer important sustainability improvements. The benefit of reusable systems may be similar for other reusables in anesthesia, such as laryngeal mask airways or suction canisters, but life cycle studies are needed to substantiate these benefits. (Anesth Analg 2012;114:1055–66)

Single-Machine Sustainable Production Planning to Minimize Total Energy Consumption and Total Completion Time Using a Multiple Objective Genetic Algorithm

Abstract: Energy is an expensive resource that is becoming more scarce with increasing population and demand. In this paper, a mathematical model to minimize energy consumption and reduce total completion time of a single machine is proposed, and a multiobjective genetic algorithm is utilized to obtain an approximate set of nondominated alternatives. Furthermore, dominance rules and a heuristic are proposed to increase the speed of the proposed genetic algorithm. Finally, the analytical hierarchical process is utilized to select a solution with some additional criteria.

Control over Photoinduced Energy and Electron Transfer in Supramolecular Polyads of Covalently linked azaBODIPY-Bisporphyrin ‘Molecular Clip’ Hosting Fullerene

Abstract: A ‘molecular clip’ featuring a near-IR emitting fluorophore, BF2-chelated tetraarylazadipyrromethane (aza-BODIPY) covalently linked to two porphyrins (MP, M = 2H or Zn) has been newly synthesized to host a three-dimensional electron acceptor fullerene via a ‘two-point’ metal–ligand axial coordination. Efficient singlet–singlet excitation transfer from 1ZnP* to aza-BODIPY was witnessed in the dyad and triad in nonpolar and less polar solvents, such as toluene and o-dichlorobenzene, however, in polar solvents, additional electron transfer occurred along with energy transfer. A supramolecular tetrad was formed by assembling bis-pyridine functionalized fullerene via a ‘two-point’ metal–ligand axial coordination, and the resulted complex was characterized by optical absorption and emission, computational, and electrochemical methods. Electron transfer from photoexcited zinc porphyrin to C60 is witnessed in the supramolecular tetrad from the femtosecond transient absorption spectral studies. Further, the supram...

Integrated impact analysis for managing software changes

Abstract: The paper presents an adaptive approach to perform impact analysis from a given change request to source code. Given a textual change request (e.g., a bug report), a single snapshot (release) of source code, indexed using Latent Semantic Indexing, is used to estimate the impact set. Should additional contextual information be available, the approach configures the best-fit combination to produce an improved impact set. Contextual information includes the execution trace and an initial source code entity verified for change. Combinations of information retrieval, dynamic analysis, and data mining of past source code commits are considered. The research hypothesis is that these combinations help counter the precision or recall deficit of individual techniques and improve the overall accuracy. The tandem operation of the three techniques sets it apart from other related solutions. Automation along with the effective utilization of two key sources of developer knowledge, which are often overlooked in impact analysis at the change request level, is achieved. To validate our approach, we conducted an empirical evaluation on four open source software systems. A benchmark consisting of a number of maintenance issues, such as feature requests and bug fixes, and their associated source code changes was established by manual examination of these systems and their change history. Our results indicate that there are combinations formed from the augmented developer contextual information that show statistically significant improvement over stand-alone approaches.

Triaging incoming change requests: Bug or commit history, or code authorship?

Abstract: There is a tremendous wealth of code authorship information available in source code. Motivated with the presence of this information, in a number of open source projects, an approach to recommend expert developers to assist with a software change request (e.g., a bug fixes or feature) is presented. It employs a combination of an information retrieval technique and processing of the source code authorship information. The relevant source code files to the textual description of a change request are first located. The authors listed in the header comments in these files are then analyzed to arrive at a ranked list of the most suitable developers. The approach fundamentally differs from its previously reported counterparts, as it does not require software repository mining. Neither does it require training from past bugs/issues, which is often done with sophisticated techniques such as machine learning, nor mining of source code repositories, i.e., commits. An empirical study to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach on three open source systems, ArgoUML, JEdit, and MuCommander, is reported. Our approach is compared with two representative approaches: 1) using machine learning on past bug reports, and 2) based on commit logs. The presented approach is found to provide recommendation accuracies that are equivalent or better than the two compared approaches. These findings are encouraging, as it opens up a promising and orthogonal possibility of recommending developers without the need of any historical change information.

Machining Damage in Edge Trimming of CFRP

Abstract: Conventional machining processes such as turning, milling, drilling, abrasive cutting, and grinding are commonly used to bring composite parts to final shape and assembly requirements. However, due to the layered nature of these materials, their machining may generate undesirable defects such as delamination and high surface roughness. The service life of composite components is believed to be highly dependent on machining quality and damage due to machining may result in scraping expensive parts. In this work, an experimental investigation was conducted to determine the effect of spindle speed, feed rate, and tool condition on machining quality of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites during edge trimming operation. Machining quality was quantified in terms of average delamination depth and surface roughness. Delaminations were also characterized by their type and frequency of occurrence. It was found that average delamination depth and surface roughness increase with an increase in feed rate...

Effects of variation in autoclave pressure, temperature, and vacuum-application time on porosity and mechanical properties of a carbon fiber/epoxy composite

Abstract: This article presents results from investigation of the effects of variation in autoclave pressure, temperature, and vacuum-application time on porosity, hot/wet (H/W) and room temperature/dry (RT/...

Big Five Personality Factors and Leader Emergence in Virtual Teams: Relationships With Team Trustworthiness, Member Performance Contributions, and Team Performance

Abstract: Using a sample of 243 undergraduate business students assigned to 71 virtual teams, this study explored the relationships between the Big Five personality factors, leader emergence, team trustworth...

Near-IR excitation transfer and electron transfer in a BF2-chelated dipyrromethane-azadipyrromethane dyad and triad

Abstract: A molecular dyad and triad, comprised of a known photosensitizer, BF(2)-chelated dipyrromethane (BDP), covalently linked to its structural analog and near-IR emitting sensitizer, BF(2)-chelated tetraarylazadipyrromethane (ADP), have been newly synthesized and the photoinduced energy and electron transfer were examined by femtosecond and nanosecond laser flash photolysis. The structural integrity of the newly synthesized compounds has been established by spectroscopic, electrochemical, and computational methods. The DFT calculations revealed a molecular-clip-type structure for the triad, in which the BDP and ADP entities are separated by about 14 A with a dihedral angle between the fluorophores of around 70°. Differential pulse voltammetry studies have revealed the redox states, allowing estimation of the energies of the charge-separated states. Such calculations revealed a charge separation from the singlet excited BDP ((1)BDP*) to ADP (BDP(.+)-ADP(.-)) to be energetically favorable in nonpolar toluene and in polar benzonitrile. In addition, the excitation transfer from the singlet BDP to ADP is also envisioned due to good spectral overlap of the BDP emission and ADP absorption spectra. Femtosecond laser flash photolysis studies provided concrete evidence for the occurrence of energy transfer from (1)BDP* to ADP (in benzonitrile and toluene) and electron transfer from BDP to (1)ADP* (in benzonitrile, but not in toluene). The kinetic study of energy transfer was measured by monitoring the rise of the ADP emission and revealed fast energy transfer (ca. 10(11) s(-1)) in these molecular systems. The kinetics of electron transfer via (1)ADP*, measured by monitoring the decay of the singlet ADP at λ=820 nm, revealed a relatively fast charge-separation process from BDP to (1)ADP*. These findings suggest the potential of the examined ADP-BDP molecules to be efficient photosynthetic antenna and reaction center models.

Generalization of the collision cone approach for motion safety in 3-D environments

Abstract: Avoidance of collision between moving objects in a 3-D environment is fundamental to the problem of planning safe trajectories in dynamic environments. This problem appears in several diverse fields including robotics, air vehicles, underwater vehicles and computer animation. Most of the existing literature on collision prediction assumes objects to be modelled as spheres. While the conservative spherical bounding box is valid in many cases, in many other cases, where objects operate in close proximity, a less conservative approach, that allows objects to be modelled using analytic surfaces that closely mimic the shape of the object, is more desirable. In this paper, a collision cone approach (previously developed only for objects moving on a plane) is used to determine collision between objects, moving in 3-D space, whose shapes can be modelled by general quadric surfaces. Exact collision conditions for such quadric surfaces are obtained and used to derive dynamic inversion based avoidance strategies.

Deep Ecology's contributions to social work: A ten-year retrospective

Abstract: Besthorn FH. Deep Ecology's contributions to social work: A ten-year retrospective In the last decade, a new generation of social workers have made great strides incorporating environmental awareness into their theoretical formulations and practice modalities. This is a welcome development for a profession often conspicuously absent in the emerging international consensus that Earth's capacity to support life is in deep trouble. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, a few intrepid North American social workers began to raise the alarm concerning the scope and extent of environmental decline. Several social work scholars implored the profession to play a more active role in raising ecological awareness and take a seat at policy and practice forums debating environmental issues. Deep Ecology, founded by the late Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, offers a comprehensive philosophical framework upon which social work might draw in the development of its conceptual orientations. This article examines the current manifestations of Deep Ecology as a philosophy and socio-political movement. It briefly assesses the evolution of social work's nascent interest in the natural environmental, examines historical precursors influencing Deep Ecology, reviews several key concepts of Deep Ecology, discusses ongoing applications of deep ecological ideas to several disciplines and suggests how deep ecological ideas might help inform social work's understanding of social justice.

Delamination of impacted composite structures by cohesive zone interface elements and tiebreak contact

Abstract: Maximising impact protection of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) laminated composite structures and predicting and preventing the negative effects of impact on these structures are paramount design criteria for ground and space vehicles. In this paper the low velocity impact response of these structures will be investigated. The current work is based on the application of explicit finite element software for modelling the behaviour of laminated composite plates under low velocity impact loading and it explores the impact, post impact and failure of these structures. Three models, namely thick shell elements with cohesive interface, solid elements with cohesive interface, and thin shell elements with tiebreak contact, were all developed in the explicit nonlinear finite element code LS-DYNA. The FEA results in terms of force and energy are validated with experimental studies in the literature. The numerical results are utilized in providing guidelines for modelling and impact simulation of FRP laminated composites, and recommendations are provided in terms of modelling and simulation parameters such as element size, number of shell sub-laminates, and contact stiffness scale factors.

Time-varying dynamics of a micro air vehicle with variable-sweep morphing

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of a rapidly morphing, variable wing sweep micro air vehicle. The time scales over which the morphing occurs are of the same order as those of the flight dynamics of the MAV. We investigate the time-varying poles and zeros of this MAV for different morphing trajectories. There are several existing notions of timevarying poles and zeros of a linear time-varying system, each with its relative advantages and disadvantages. We explore the use of two of these notions in the study of the timevarying dynamics of the MAV in both the longitudinal as well as the lateral-directional axes.

Ultrafast photoinduced energy and electron transfer in multi-modular donor-acceptor conjugates.

Abstract: New multi-modular donor- acceptor conjugates featuring zinc por- phyrin (ZnP), catechol-chelated boron dipyrrin (BDP), triphenylamine (TPA) and fullerene (C60), or naphthalenedi- A (NDI) have been newly designed and synthesized as photosynthetic an- tenna and reaction-center mimics. The X-ray structure of triphenylamine-BDP is also reported. The wide-band captur- ing polyad revealed ultrafast energy- transfer (kENT = 1.0 � 10 12 s � 1 ) from the singlet excited BDP to the covalently linked ZnP owing to close proximity and favorable orientation of the enti- ties. Introducing either fullerene or naphthalenediimide electron acceptors to the TPA-BDP-ZnP triad through metal-ligand axial coordination result- ed in electron donor-acceptor polyads whose structures were revealed by spectroscopic, electrochemical and computational studies. Excitation of the electron donor, zinc porphyrin re- sulted in rapid electron-transfer to co- ordinated fullerene or naphthalenedi- A yielding charge separated ion- pair species. The measured electron transfer rate constants from femtosec- ond transient spectral technique in non-polar toluene were in the range of 5.0 � 10 9 -3.5 � 10 10 s � 1 . Stabilization of the charge-separated state in these multi-modular donor-acceptor polyads is also observed to certain level.

Examining the Role of Gender in Video Game Usage, Preference, and Behavior

Abstract: Since coming into mainstream culture in the 1970s, video games have become increasingly popular. While both men and women play video games, game companies have begun developing games specifically f...

Comparison of amorphous iridium water-oxidation electrocatalysts prepared from soluble precursors.

Abstract: Electrodeposition of iridium oxide layers from soluble precursors provides a route to active thin-layer electrocatalysts for use on water-oxidizing anodes. Certain organometallic half-sandwich aqua complexes of iridium form stable and highly active oxide films upon electrochemical oxidation in aqueous solution. The catalyst films appear as blue layers on the anode when sufficiently thick, and most closely resemble hydrous iridium(III,IV) oxide by voltammetry. The deposition rate and cyclic voltammetric response of the electrodeposited material depend on whether the precursor complex contains a pentamethylcyclopentadieneyl (Cp*) or cyclopentadienyl ligand (Cp), and do not match, in either case, iridium oxide anodes prepared from non-organometallic precursors. Here, we survey our organometallic precursors, iridium hydroxide, and pre-formed iridium oxide nanoparticles. From electrochemical quartz crystal nanobalance (EQCN) studies, we find differences in the rate of electrodeposition of catalyst layers from ...