IT Governance of Dutch Municipalities and Digital Information Management

Digitalization of information management has changed the archives sector in a short period of time and has significant implications for information processes within governmental organizations. In this article, the governance of such organizations is looked at from a business information technology (IT) alignment driven perspective, based on a case study conducted within two Dutch municipalities. The study shows that mature IT governance can have positive effects on digital document information management, because it leads to “desirable behavior in the use of IT.” Comparing the two municipalities, several findings become apparent. These concern effective management of input, for example through successful cooperation, and effective management of output of IT, for example by providing the needed digital services to citizens. Findings also are presented regarding the conjoint development of strategies by business and IT, mainly concerning the involvement of IT in decision making. Finally, findings surface concerning the positioning of decision-making authority, and whether that is clear to the personnel.     

A little bit louder now: Negative affect increases perceived loudness.

Traditionally, perception was considered to be an encapsulated process that was unaffected by top-down processes like affect. Recent work in vision draws this framework into question by showing that changes in the affective state of the perceiver can impact many different aspects of visual perception. Here, we extend the relationship between affect and perception into another perceptual modality: audition. Participants were induced into a negative or neutral mood by writing about a frightening or neutral experience in their past. They then listened to a series of short, neutral tones (320 and 640 ms) and rated the loudness and duration of the tones. Participants in a negative mood rated the tones as significantly louder, but not longer, than participants in a neutral mood, suggesting that the difference between the groups was perceptual rather than just a response bias. This research shows for the first time that the role of affect in perceptual processes may be more pervasive than previously considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of an engaged lifestyle on cognitive vitality: A field experiment.

Experimental studies on cognitive training have suggested that the effects of experience are narrow in augmenting or maintaining cognitive abilities, while correlational studies report a wide range of benefits of an engaged lifestyle, including increased longevity, resistance to dementia, and enhanced cognitive flexibility. The latter class of evidence is ambiguous because it is possible that it is simply the case that those with relatively better cognitive vitality seek out and maintain a wider range of activities. The authors report data from a field experiment in which older adults were randomly assigned to participate in a program intended to operationalize an engaged lifestyle, built on a team-based competition in ill-defined problem solving. Relative to controls, experimental participants showed positive change in a composite measure of fluid ability from pretest to posttest. This study, thus, provides experimental evidence for the proposition that engagement, in the absence of specific ability training, can mitigate age-related cognitive declines in fluid ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antioxidants of therapeutic relevance in COPD from the neotropical blueberry Anthopterus wardii

Four flavone C-glycosides, isoorientin (1), orientin (2), vitexin (3), and isovitexin (4), were isolated from the neotropical blueberry of Anthopterus wardii, a so-called “superfruit”, using antioxidant activity-guided fractionation. A dose-response relationship of compounds 1-4 was determined for their anti-inflammatory activity against interleukin-8 (IL-8) and for the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression, an inflammatory marker for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The four flavone C-glycosides exhibited inhibitory activity against IL-8 production and MMP-1 expression, with compounds 1, 3, and 4 having the most potent inhibitory activities in both assays at 100 μg/ml. The structures of compounds 1-4 were determined by spectroscopic methods. These flavone C-glycosides are reported for the first time in the Anthopterus genus.     

本质安全还是防爆？

确定危险区域的防护型式不仅仅是项目评估和简单的规则照搬。它受到多种因素的影响，包括使用习惯和不断发展的新技术，例如总线网络及无线网络。     

Incremental development of UML specifications using operation refinements

In an incremental specification development process, operations are used to model dynamic aspects and can be refined gradually. We propose four kinds of operation refinement in order to control modifications when developing and refactoring UML specifications. Each refinement is described with its properties and illustrated by an example, showing which verifications can be done, using the B formal method.     

Influence de l'epaisseur de l'adhésif et du vieillissement sur les propriétés mécaniques dynamiques d'un assemblage: Adhésif structural/acier inoxydable

Dynamic mechanical properties of bounded joints—stainless steel/epoxy adhesive—are investigated as a function of the thickness of the adhesive and aging conditions. The viscoelastic properties of the bounded joints have been investigated by Dynamic Thermo Mechanical Analysis (DTMA). The glass transition temperature (T_g) showed a dependence on both the chemical/electrochemical pretreatments of the substrate and the thickness of the adhesive in the bounded joint. The crosslinking density in the adhesive thus seemed more important in the interfacial region than in adhesion bulk. The water uptake induces a plasticization of the adhesive and a decrease in T_g. The most stable bounded joints were obtained by carrying out sulfochromic acid anodization as a pretreatment step. The most important stability of the bounded joints was obtained with the sulfochromic anodization of the substrate.     

Modeling change in memory performance and memory perceptions: Findings from the ACTIVE study.

Within the context of the ACTIVE study, the current investigation explored the relationships between objective memory and two components of subjective memory (frequency of forgetting and use of external aids) over a five-year period. Relationships were assessed using parallel process latent growth curve models. Results indicated that changes in objective memory were associated with changes in perceived frequency of forgetting, but not with use of external aids (calendars, reminder notes) over time. Findings suggest that memory complaints may accurately reflect decline in objective memory performance, but that these memory changes are not necessarily related to compensatory behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparative study on the raft chemical properties of various alginate antacid raft-forming products

Objective: Research to measure the chemical characterization of alginate rafts for good raft performance and ascertain how formulation can affect chemical parameters.

Significance: A selection of alginate formulations was investigated all claiming to be proficient raft formers with significance between products established and ranked.

Methods: Procedures were selected which demonstrated the chemical characterization allowing rafts to effectively impede the reflux into the esophagus or in severe cases to be refluxed preferentially into the esophagus and exert a demulcent effect, with focus of current research on methods which complement previous studies centered on physical properties. The alginate content was analyzed by a newly developed HPLC method. Methods were used to determine the neutralization profile and the acid neutralization within the raft determined along with how raft structure affects neutralization.

Results: Alginate content of Gaviscon Double Action (GDA) within the raft was significantly superior (p?Conclusion: Alginate formulations require three chemical reactions to take place simultaneously: transformation to alginic acid, sodium carbonate reacting to form carbon dioxide, calcium releasing free calcium ions to bind with alginic acid providing strength to raft formation. GDA was significantly superior (p?<.0001) to all other comparators.