The Bias of Sighted Reviewers in Research Proposal Evaluation: A Comparative Analysis of Blind and Open Review in Korea

This article compares empirically the major factors affecting blinded and sighted reviewers in the selection of research proposals to be funded in a "scientifically small" country. Fisher's Z-test shows that the applicant characteristics (rank of undergraduate school where the applicant studied, professional age of the applicant, and academic recognition of the applicant) are the major factors leading to the significantly different evaluation scores between blinded and sighted reviewers. This means that "open" evaluation of research proposals is obviously biased. Policy implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.     

Adrenal insufficiency presenting as unexplained hypotension in nocturnal home hemodialysis

Adrenal insufficiency is a complication of chronic corticosteroid therapy. Unexplained hypotension may be a manifestation of an adrenal insufficient state in patients with a history of corticosteroid therapy on hemodialysis. We present a series of five cases of patients on nocturnal home hemodialysis with hypotension as the main manifestation of adrenal insufficiency. Unexplained hypotension in patients with a history of corticosteroid therapy should prompt the managing clinician to consider adrenal insufficiency as a possible cause.     

Nanoporous Gold Bowls: A Kinetic Approach to Control Open Shell Structures and Size‐Tunable Lattice Strain for Electrocatalytic Applications

Controlling sub‐10 nm ligament sizes and open‐shell structure in nanoporous gold (NPG) to achieve strained lattice is critical in enhancing catalytic activity, but it remains a challenge due to poor control of reaction kinetics in conventional dealloying approach. Herein, a ligament size‐controlled synthesis of open‐shell NPG bowls (NPGB) through hetero‐epitaxial growth of NPGB on AgCl is reported. The ligament size in NPGB is controlled from 6 to 46 nm by varying the hydroquinone to HAuCl₄ ratio. The Williamson–Hall analysis demonstrates a higher lattice strain in smaller ligament size. In particular, NPGB with 6 nm (NPGB 6) ligament size possess the highest strain of 15.4 × 10^?3, which is nearly twice of conventional 2D NPG sheets (≈8.8 × 10^?3). The presence of high surface energy facets in NPGBs is also envisaged. The best electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation is observed in NPGB 6 (27.8 μA μg^?1), which is ≈9‐fold and 3‐fold higher than 8 nm solid Au nanoparticles, and conventional NPG sheets. The excellent catalytic activity in NPGB 6 is attributed to the open‐shell structure, lattice strain, and higher electro‐active surface area, allowing efficient exposure of catalytic active sites to facilitate the methanol oxidation. The results offer a potential strategy for designing next generation electrocatalysts.     

Cost-effective reflectance calibration method for small UAV images

ABSTRACT

We introduce a cost-effective reflectance calibration method for small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) images using ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) greyscale reference panels. The goal is to test if such light-weight and low-cost panels can provide sufficient calibration accuracy to support UAV survey projects. The universal calibration equations to convert red-green-blue (RGB) digital number (DN) values of UAV images to surface reflectance values were constructed based on the relationship between RGB values measured by a colour digitizer and surface reflectance values measured by a spectrometer. We compared the calibration results for UAV ortho-mosaic images acquired at three different illumination conditions in late autumn to the results derived from high-cost commercial panels. The comparison showed high degree of agreement between our method using the EVA panels with the traditional methods using the commercial panels. The Mann–Whitney U test verified our method was statistically more significant at all illumination conditions tests. In addition, the calibration results applied for two different sensors and three different flight altitudes acquired in early summer were satisfactory. This method is transferable to various illumination conditions and flight altitudes as long as the effects of shades and the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) are minimal. We expect our research could expedite sUAV image calibration by lowering its cost and levelling its availability.     

Low distortion speech enhancement

An innovative approach to speech enhancement is illustrated which minimises distortion to the underlying speech during the noise-reduction process. The key to this approach lies in the identification of whether the additive noise for a particular frequency component is constructive or destructive. Once this can be identified both multiplicative and subtractive filters can be derived using the minimum mean-square error criterion. The optimal combination of the proposed multiplicative and subtractive filter is also shown     

Iterative joint source-channel decoding with combined a priori information of source and channel

A joint source-channel decoding (JSCD) scheme which exploits the combined a priori information of source and channel in an iterative manner is proposed. A sequence minimum mean-square error (SMMSE) estimator based on bit or symbol error transition probability of the channel with memory is proposed and used in the iterative decoding process. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme leads to significant improvement over the scheme without using the a priori information of the source or channel.     

Particle–bubble interaction and attachment in flotation

Flotation is an important unit operation in the minerals industry, among others. Current state-of-the-art flotation modelling combines computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with user-defined algorithms based on the “induction time” concept to describe selective bubble–particle attachment and separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles.We have undertaken experimental studies permitting direct observation of particle–bubble interaction and attachment at the microscale to provide empirical data for comparison with new theoretical predictions.Observations were made on a model system in which 150 μm glass particles were dropped onto a captive 1.3 mm air bubble formed in water within a glass cell. The interactions were recorded on high-speed digital video, permitting direct estimation of relevant parameters such as the approach velocity, and the duration of particle sliding over the bubble surface. A new experimental configuration has allowed the particle path toward, around, and away from the bubble to be totally unimpeded.Particle trajectories show a significant deviation at separations much larger than their own diameter; such deviations are due to the hydrodynamics. Comparisons with theoretical predictions indicate that the bubble surface exhibited mobility intermediate between “full slip” and “no slip”. Theoretical predictions for an immobile bubble surface were practically symmetrical about the bubble's equator, while asymmetry was apparent in the theoretical predictions for a mobile bubble surface. However, the strongest asymmetries were seen in the observed particle trajectories and speeds.Particles dropping more centrally were seen to slide over the surface of the bubble. In several cases the sliding particle ‘jumped in’ toward the bubble, which is interpreted as the precise moment of attachment. This provides for a direct estimate of the threshold duration to achieve attachment, i.e. “induction time”. Among the events observed were rotation of the particle upon jumping in, and particle jump-in below the bubble's equator. Explanations are proposed in terms of particle properties and flow phenomena.     

Effects of trypsin‐hydrolyzed wheat gluten peptide on wheat flour dough

BACKGROUND: Gluten peptide was prepared by trypsin hydrolysis and characterized by high‐performance liquid chromatographic analysis. The effects on non‐frozen and frozen doughs of trypsin‐hydrolyzed gluten peptide (THGP) and its combination with ascorbic acid or KBrO₃ were investigated. RESULTS: Molecular analysis of THGP showed a decrease in the high‐molecular‐weight and an increase in the low‐molecular‐weight sodium dodecyl sulfate‐soluble fractions, compared with those of control wheat gluten. The addition of 8% THGP decreased the mixing time and tolerance of the dough, both with and without ascorbic acid or KBrO₃. However, the maximum resistance and extensibility of the rested dough containing 8% THGP, with and without ascorbic acid or KBrO₃, were not significantly different from those of the control dough. The addition of 8% THGP significantly increased the loaf volume of bread baked from non‐frozen dough when combined with 60 ppm ascorbic acid or 30 ppm KBrO₃, but it had a significant effect both with and without ascorbic acid or KBrO₃ on frozen‐dough bread. A large difference in volume was observed between breads made with and without THGP at the oven‐spring, rather than at proofing. CONCLUSION: The addition of 8% THGP increased the loaf volume of bread made from freeze‐damaged dough and this effect increased when THGP was combined with 60 ppm ascorbic acid. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Vasoactive intestinal peptide stimulation of human trabecular meshwork cell growth

PURPOSE: To demonstrate that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a 28-amino acid neuropeptide, is a growth factor of human trabecular meshwork (TM) cells in culture and in a corneoscleral explant organ culture treated with laser trabeculoplasty (LTP). METHODS: Proliferating human TM cells in cell cultures were incubated with VIP for 20 hours, followed by total cell number determination, using a Coulter counter. The percentage of proliferating TM cells was assessed, using an antibody against the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). To test the growth effect of VIP on TM cells in situ, corneoscleral explants in organ cultures were first treated with argon LTP to initiate TM-cell proliferation and then were exposed to VIP for 48 hours. The mitotic TM cells were demonstrated immunocytochemically, using anti-PCNA in paraffin sections of the explants; and the total number of TM cells was determined after paraffin sections were counterstained by hematoxylin. RESULTS: Vasoactive intestinal peptide dose-dependently stimulated the proliferation of TM cells in cell culture. Treatment with 5 x 10(-10) M VIP resulted in a maximal increase of 40% in cell number. The effect of VIP was blocked by a VIP antagonist. The number of PCNA-stained TM cells and the total cell number in the TM in LTP-treated corneoscleral explants were increased by VIP. CONCLUSIONS: Exogenously applied VIP stimulated the proliferation of human TM cells in subconfluent cultures and in LTP-treated corneoscleral explants. In that LTP has been shown to increase the number of TM cells in situ, the growth stimulatory effect of VIP may help enhance this therapy.