T-government for benefit realisation

This paper proposes a model for t-Government and highlights the research agenda needed to increase understanding of transformational government and the processes involved in furthering the agenda of the t-Government. In particular, both an operational and a conceptual model for the effective involvement of citizens and businesses in government functioning have been proposed. This will help to define an agenda for t-Government research that emerges from national UK strategy and policy for e-Government. The main threads of t- Government encompass: (1) A citizen-centric delivery of public services or e-inclusion, (2) A shared services culture to maximize value added to clients, (3) The effective delivery and management of resources and skills within government or professionalism. All three threads should be addressed principally from the perspectives of delivery, evaluation and participation in view of benefit realisation as envisioned by Government strategic planning and policy directives (CabinetOffice, 2005). The management of change dimension of these phenomena have been included in the research agenda. In particular, research is needed to reshape the discourse towards emphasising a citizen centric approach that defines, develops, and benefits from public service. Decision makers in Government will need models of Governance that fulfil transformational objectives. They will also need models of benefits realisation within a strategic Governance framework. It has been argued that t-Government research should be addressing these relative voids

The effects of seed coating treatment on yield and yield components in some cotton (Gossypium hirsitum L.) varieties

The use of delinted cotton seeds in cotton planting instead of fuzzy cotton seeds has spread recently. Cotton planting area of the world was 32,150,000 ha in 2003 - 2004. Approximately 45 - 50% of the planting seed in the world is delinted. This signifies that nearly 16,000,000 ha cotton area is planted by delinted cotton seed. In this study, coating fuzzy cotton seeds is proposed as an alternative to delintation. Coating makes fuzzy cotton seeds more suitable for the pneumatic spacing planter. Also, unlike delintation, sulphuric acid is not used for coating and this eliminates the problems associated with its usage such as seed loss, pollution and threats to human health. The results show that the cultivation of coated cotton seeds has no disadvantage regarding the agronomic and technological characteristics of cotton seed; coating may even improve the characteristics of the seeds. Also, no significant difference exists in terms of yield. Hence, seed coating has the potential to expand organic cultivation of cotton, as the coated seeds can be easily planted with pneumatic spacing drills and as organic seed procurement would be provided with the seed coating method.Keywords: Fuzzy cotton seed, seed coating, yield componentsAfrican Journal of BiotechnologyVol. 9(34), pp. 5523-5529, 23 August, 201

X-ray Spectral Variations of U Gem from Quiescence to Outburst

In this paper we report the discovery of a high energy component of the X-ray spectra of U Gem, which can be observed while the source is in outburst. We used Chandra and XMM-Newton observations to compare the quiescence and outburst X-ray spectra of the source. The additional component may be the result of the reflection of X-rays emitted from an optically thin plasma close to the white dwarf, from the optically thick boundary layer during the outburst. Another possible explanation is that some magnetically channeled accretion may occur onto the equatorial belt of the primary causing shocks similar to the ones in the intermediate polars as it was suggested by \citep{w2002}. We have also found a timing structure at about 73 mHz ($\sim$13.7 s.) in the RXTE observation, resembling dwarf novae oscillations (DNOs).Comment: accepted by MNRAS, figure 1 replaced with a newer on

Nitrogen and sulfur deprivation differentiate lipid accumulation targets of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) have inter-related and distinct impacts on microalgal metabolism; with N starvation having previously been reported to induce elevated levels of the biodiesel feedstock material triacylglycerol (TAG), while S deprivation is extensively studied for its effects on biohydrogen production in microalgae.1,2 We have previously demonstrated that N- and S-starved cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii display different metabolic trends, suggesting that different response mechanisms exist to compensate for the absence of those two elements.3 We used C. reinhardtii CC-124 mt(-) and CC-125 mt(+) strains to test possible metabolic changes related to TAG accumulation in response to N and S deprivation, considering that gamete differentiation in this organism is mainly regulated by N.4 Our findings contribute to the understanding of microalgal response to element deprivation and potential use of element deprivation for biodiesel feedstock production using microalgae, but much remains to be elucidated on the precise contribution of both N and S starvation on microalgal metabolism. © 2012 Landes Bioscience

An improved method of supercharged transposed latissimus dorsi flap with the skin paddle for the management of a complicated lumbosacral defect

OBJECTIVE: Treatment of nonhealing wounds of lower back often poses a powerful challenge. We present one of the first report of treatment of a lumbosacral defect with a supercharged latissimus dorsi flap with the skin paddle. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 59 yearold man with myeloma of the sacral spine who underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy and subsequently, laminectomies and placement of hardware for ongoing paresis and spine instability. Then, he developed an open wound and osteomyelitis of the spine with culture positive tuberculous granulomas. After multiple surgical debridement, he presented to our service and was treated with a single stage debridement followed by the performance of a latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap based on paraspinal perforators and supercharged. RESULTS: This solution, allowed for augmentation of blood flow to the muscle with the inferior gluteal artery, provided coverage of the defect resistant to the pressure, and simplified post-operative management of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Alternative treatment options, including free tissue transfer, posed difficulties in finding suitable recipient vessels near the defect, in inserting the flap so as to restore its original length without compromising blood flow, and in postoperative care of the patient. Treatment of a lumbosacral defect with a supercharged latissimus dorsi flap with the skin paddle may represent a milestone procedure for complicated lower spine wounds

Speakers Raise their Hands and Head during Self-Repairs in Dyadic Conversations

People often encounter difficulties in building shared understanding during everyday conversation. The most common symptom of these difficulties are self-repairs, when a speaker restarts, edits or amends their utterances mid-turn. Previous work has focused on the verbal signals of self-repair, i.e. speech disfluences (filled pauses, truncated words and phrases, word substitutions or reformulations), and computational tools now exist that can automatically detect these verbal phenomena. However, face-to-face conversation also exploits rich non-verbal resources and previous research suggests that self-repairs are associated with distinct hand movement patterns. This paper extends those results by exploring head and hand movements of both speakers and listeners using two motion parameters: height (vertical position) and 3D velocity. The results show that speech sequences containing self-repairs are distinguishable from fluent ones: speakers raise their hands and head more (and move more rapidly) during self-repairs. We obtain these results by analysing data from a corpus of 13 unscripted dialogues, and we discuss how these findings could support the creation of improved cognitive artificial systems for natural human-machine and human-robot interaction

A new approach to fuel cell electrodes : lanthanum aluminate yielding fine Pt nanoparticle exsolution for oxygen reduction reaction

We acknowledge support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Critical Mass Grant EP/R023522/1, EPSRC Light element Analysis Facility Grant EP/T019298/1 and the EPRC Strategic Equipment Resource grant EP/R023751/1.Designing an electrocatalyst with low Pt content is an immediate need for essential reactions in low temperature fuel cell systems. In the present work, La0.9925Ba0.0075Al0.995Pt0.005O3 is aimed at using with low (only 0.5%) Pt doping as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The low doping level renders exsolution of 1–2 nm nanoparticles with uniform dispersion upon reduction in H2/N2 at low temperatures. Pt exsolved perovskite oxides deliver significantly enhanced catalytic activity for ORR and improved stability in alkaline media. This study demonstrates that LaAlO3 with low noble metal content holds immense potential as an electrocatalyst in real fuel cell systems.Peer reviewe

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a novel approach for analyzing the biochemical effects of anionic surfactants on a surfactant-degrading acrobacter butzleri strain

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Anionic surfactant-biodegrading capability of an Arcobacter butzleri strain was analyzed under aerobic conditions. The A. butzleri isolate displayed efficient surfactant-biodegrading capacity for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at concentrations of up to 100 mg/L in 6 days, corresponding to 99.0% removal efficiency. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was applied to observe the effects of varying concentrations of SDS on the biochemistry of bacterial cells. Results suggest that protein secondary structures were altered in bacterial cells at sufficiently high SDS concentrations, concurrent with SDS biodegradation

Effects of laser ablated silver nanoparticles on Lemna minor

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The present study investigates and models the effect of laser ablated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the development of the aquatic macrophyte Lemna minor. Toxic effects of five different AgNP concentrations (8, 16, 32, 96 and 128μgL-1) on L. minor were recorded over seven days under simulated natural conditions. Biosorption of AgNPs by L. minor was modeled using four sorption isotherms, and the sorption behavior was found to agree most closely with the Langmuir-Freundlich model (R2=0.997). While toxic effects of AgNPs could be observed in all models and concentrations, the greatest increase in toxicity was in the 8-32μgL-1 range. Dry weight- and frond number-based inhibition experiments suggest that growth inhibition does not necessarily scale with AgNP concentration, and that slight fluctuations in inhibition rates exist over certain concentration ranges. Very close fits (R2=0.999) were obtained for all removal models, suggesting that the fluctuations are not caused by experimental variation. In addition, L. minor was found to be a successful bioremediation agent for AgNPs, and displayed higher removal rates for increasing AgNP doses. FT-IR spectroscopy suggests that carbonyl groups are involved in AgNP remediation. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd