Bottom-up Concept Research Articles

A Janus Microsphere Delivery System Orchestrates Immunomodulation and Osteoinduction by Fine-tuning Release Profiles.

Bone regeneration is a well-orchestrated process synergistically involving inflammation, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis. Therefore, an effective bone graft should be designed to target multiple molecular events and biological demands during the bone healing process. In this study, a biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-based Janus microsphere delivery system containing calcium phosphate oligomer (CPO) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is developed based on natural biological events. The exceptional adjustability of GelMA facilitates the controlled release and on-demand application of biomolecules, and optimized delivery profiles of CPO and BMP-2 are explored. The sustained release of CPO during the initial healing stages contributes to early immunomodulation and promotes mineralization in the late stage. Meanwhile, the administration of BMP-2 at a relatively high concentration within the therapeutic range enhances the osteoinductive property. This delivery system, with fine-tuned release patterns, induces M2 macrophage polarization and creates a conducive immuno-microenvironment, which in turn facilitates effective bone regeneration in vivo. Collectively, this study proposes a bottom-up concept, aiming to develop a user-friendly and easily controlled delivery system targeting individual biological events, which may offer a new perspective on developing function-optimized biomaterials for clinical use.

Saphenous sparing treatments: The ASVAL Method

The ASVAL method is based on a bottom-up concept of the evolution of venous disease from the tributaries to the saphenous axes, as opposed to the traditional top-down theory where reflux, conversely, appears first on the saphenous axes and then spreads to the tributaries. The bottom-up evolution has led to a change in treatment paradigm, no longer based on effective suppression of saphenous reflux, but on reversibility of the latter by ablation of the varicose tributaries, eliminating the filling effect at the origin of the hemodynamic disturbance. As the ASVAL strategy has its limits, depending on the stage of progression of saphenous damage, it is necessary to establish the indications where it can be applied, before the saphenous vein is irreversibly damaged (diameter larger than 8 mm, multiple ectasia, extended reflux above and below knee), or the clinical staged too advanced (skin changes). Various authors have reported on these criteria for applying the ASVAL method in the right indications considering hemodynamic data (ostial reflux, extent of truncal reflux), anatomical data (saphenous diameter, reflux location, volume of varicose reservoir) and clinical data (age, nulliparity, trophic disorders, presence of symptoms). Complications and side effects are limited if the indications and principles of the miniphlebectomy technique are respected. All the cohort studies reported show that after treatment using the ASVAL method (removal of varicose tributaries and ad integrum respect for the saphenous vein), reflux abolition is achieved in between 50% and 80% of cases, depending on the patients selected. Above all, these studies show that improvement in symptoms and quality of life is systematic, whatever the result on the saphenous vein. A recent randomized controlled trial shows that endovenous laser and ASVAL are clinically equivalent, with a cost/effectiveness ratio in favor of ASVAL. In conclusion, The ASVAL method leads to an alternative concept of an ascending or multifocal evolution starting on the epifascial tributaries and enabling to set an individualized “à la carte treatment” since every patient has a different clinical and hemodynamic situation of the disease at the time of treatment, which cannot match to a “one size fits all” that represents the traditional strategy. We have now at our disposal simple tools to evaluate the patients, select the good indications and perform properly the ASVAL method by mini-phlebectomy.

Electronic-Level Insight into Interfacial Effects and Their Induced Anisotropic Ion Diffusion and Ion Selectivity in Nanochannels.

Osmotic energy conversion features directional ion migration in selective nanochannels, dominated by interfacial effects, temperature, and concentration. Current efforts emphasize membrane modification for superior reliability and durability, whereas the origin and implication of interfacial effects are unclear. This work performs ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for hydrated ion-graphene oxide interfaces by regulating the temperature and concentration. The interfacial effects associated with their induced anisotropic ion diffusion and ion selectivity are revealed. The scientific essence of the interfacial effects is an electron transfer triggered by hydrated ion-functional group interactions. The interfacial effects are clarified to include dynamic solvation structures, interfacial H-bonds, and chemical reactions. Ions possess incomplete hydration shells, and their arrangements vary from ordered to disordered to overlapped. Interfacial H-bonds restrict hydrated ions by constraining water molecules, whereas continuous reactions provide lateral pathways to generate anisotropy. Cation selectivity is further clarified by negative surface charges from hydroxyl deprotonation. Besides, temperature rise induces disordered hydrated ions as well as frequent and violent reactions, enhancing ion diffusion, selectivity, and anisotropy; excessive concentrations produce overlapped hydrated ions, more H-bonds, and inferior reactions, weakening ion diffusion, selectivity, and anisotropy. Finally, the bottom-up concept for osmotic energy conversion is summarized, and elevated temperature combined with low concentration is found to boost ion diffusion and ion selectivity synergistically. This work provides an in-depth understanding of interfacial phenomena and ion behaviors in nanochannels.

Environmental and Social Risks to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health—A Bottom-Up, Resource-Focused Assessment Framework

Risks from human intervention in the climate system are raising concerns with respect to individual species and ecosystem health and resiliency. A dominant approach uses global climate models to predict changes in climate in the coming decades and then to downscale this information to assess impacts to plant communities, animal habitats, agricultural and urban ecosystems, and other parts of the Earth’s life system. To achieve robust assessments of the threats to these systems in this top-down, outcome vulnerability approach, however, requires skillful prediction, and representation of changes in regional and local climate processes, which has not yet been satisfactorily achieved. Moreover, threats to biodiversity and ecosystem function, such as from invasive species, are in general, not adequately included in the assessments. We discuss a complementary assessment framework that builds on a bottom-up vulnerability concept that requires the determination of the major human and natural forcings on the environment including extreme events, and the interactions between these forcings. After these forcings and interactions are identified, then the relative risks of each issue can be compared with other risks or forcings in order to adopt optimal mitigation/adaptation strategies. This framework is a more inclusive way of assessing risks, including climate variability and longer-term natural and anthropogenic-driven change, than the outcome vulnerability approach which is mainly based on multi-decadal global and regional climate model predictions. We therefore conclude that the top-down approach alone is outmoded as it is inadequate for robustly assessing risks to biodiversity and ecosystem function. In contrast the bottom-up, integrative approach is feasible and much more in line with the needs of the assessment and conservation community. A key message of our paper is to emphasize the need to consider coupled feedbacks since the Earth is a dynamically interactive system. This should be done not just in the model structure, but also in its application and subsequent analyses. We recognize that the community is moving toward that goal and we urge an accelerated pace.

A Model for Industrialisation in the Derwent Valley: Application of the Manchester Methodology in the North East of England Modified to Demonstrate the Benefit of the Process on the Local Social Structure

ABSTRACTThis paper contributes a case study on the Manchester Methodology — a tool for studying the process of industrialisation — focusing on the Derwent Valley in the North East of England and discussing the social structure relevant for industrialisation. In this case study the social structure has been moved from a top-down hierarchy of ownership to a bottom-up concept of social benefit, thereby reflecting the improvement of the condition of the working masses during industrialisation. The paper also reflects on the use of quantitative data within the Manchester Methodology rather than the qualitative data originally employed. This approach has produced a clearer picture of the relative dominance of some industries over others which may not be evident from the qualitative method alone, and demonstrates how this can be used to create a refined model of the industrial landscape.

The Research of Co-design Approaches Based on Designer Guidance in the Renovation of Old Community in Shanghai- Illustrated in the Case of Zhuyuan Community Center

With the decrease in usable land in recent years, people have begun to pay more attention to the renovation of small and micro space in old community space and discussion on urban space have gradually shifted from spatial to social attributes and social meanings. The demonstration of public participation process has been exactly being of significance on urban updating and adaptive reusing of existing stocks. Simultaneously, it has caused rethink about conventional designer-leading projects and enlightened academics about bottom-up concept for renovation. Nevertheless, the existing approaches of public participation is still facing certain issues such as imperfect participation mechanism, unclear-defined authorities and responsibilities, halfway involvement and so on. Through analyzing the renovation progress of the public space of Zhuyuan community, this article is aimed to argue whether the public might continuously and authentically participate to the holistic processes from preliminary design to construction and final operation based on multi-collaborations. And modular design approaches are experimented in order to integrate the variable resources, optimize the spatial functions and provide the ease of construction and assembly. Eventually, the public participation principles and strategies based on the guidance of designers are posed, which might provide a reference for the follow-up researches.

Co-change-oriented communication: A collaborative approach to making sense of change

This article presents a new concept, “co-Change-orientated Communication” (co-COC), to address the need for theoretical developments beyond mainstream assumptions by drawing from contemporary, critical developments in strategic communication. A two-phased, qualitative methodological strategy was employed. Firstly, a thematic analysis of a sample of literature according to specific parameters and contextual bases was conducted. Secondly, to identify an exemplar for co-COC, a document analysis was done of selected 2016 Fortune “Change-the-World” organisations’ annual and sustainability reports. In congruence with the themes of the literature, the document analysis revealed that co-COC is a bottom-up concept and elicits the attributes of meaningful dialogue, employee engagement, collaboration and co-creation, and encourages dissent. To realise the implementation of co-COC, the document analysis indicated the antecedents of stakeholder engagement, organisational agility, leadership agility and a change-able culture. co-COC contributes to the body of knowledge on strategic and change communication and serves as a heuristic for future research. Furthermore, co- COC provides theoretical development beyond the conventional, which not only affirms the critical role of change communication in the successful management of change, but could also assist communication professionals to realise the need for the inclusion of contemporary developments in strategic communication.

Grounded Design - a praxeological IS research perspective

In this paper, we propose Grounded Design - a particular design research (DR) approach rooted in a practice-theoretical tradition. It assesses the quality of information technology (IT) design through evaluation of emerging changes in social practices, which result from the appropriation and use of IT artifacts. The paper starts with a systematic analysis of the reasons for persistent limitations of traditional information systems DR, specifically in coping with problems of contingency and self-referentiality. Following this critique, the principles of Grounded Design are presented. Grounded Design is applied in case studies where we reconstruct the social practices observed before and during the design and appropriation of innovative IT artifacts. We call these context-specific research endeavors ‘design case studies.’ In conducting these case studies, Grounded Design builds upon well-established research methods such as ethnographical field studies, participatory design and action research. To support the transferability of its situated findings, Grounded Design suggests documenting increasing numbers of design case studies to create an extended, comparative knowledge base. Comparing cases allows for the emergence of bottom-up concepts dealing with the design and appropriation of innovative IT artifacts in social practice.

Perpendicular Orientation Control without Interfacial Treatment of RAFT-Synthesized High-χ Block Copolymer Thin Films with Sub-10 nm Features Prepared via Thermal Annealing

In this study, a series of perpendicular lamellae-forming poly(polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane methacrylate-block-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate)s (PMAPOSS-b-PTFEMAs) was developed based on the bottom-up concept of creating a simple yet effective material by tailoring the chemical properties and molecular composition of the material. The use of silicon (Si)-containing hybrid high-χ block copolymers (BCPs) provides easy access to sub-10 nm feature sizes. However, as the surface free energies (SFEs) of Si-containing polymers are typically vastly lower than organic polymers, this tends to result in the selective segregation of the inorganic block onto the air interface and increased difficulty in controlling the BCP orientation in thin films. Therefore, by balancing the SFEs between the organic and inorganic blocks through the use of poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PTFEMA) on the organic block, a polymer with an SFE similar to Si-containing polymers, orientation control of the BCP domains in thin films becomes much simpler. Herein, perpendicularly oriented BCP thin films with a χeff value of 0.45 were fabricated using simple spin-coating and thermal annealing processes under ambient conditions. The thin films displayed a minimum domain size of L0 = 11 nm, as observed via atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, directed self-assembly (DSA) of the BCP on a topographically prepatterned substrate using the grapho-epitaxy method was used to successfully obtain perpendicularly oriented lamellae with a half pitch size of ca. 8 nm.

Assembly of Ordered Polystyrene Nanoparticles on Self-Assembled Monolayers

Spontaneous assembly of nanoparticles onto a surface is a promising bottom-up concept for the fabrication of new functional materials that can be used for various applications in the nanotechnology. In this paper, we describe a system based on gold/polystyrene (Au/PS) Janus particles arranged onto Au self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 1-dodecanthiol (NDA). The micro-size Au/PS Janus particles are self-assembled onto Au surface and are dissolved into polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles. The SAM of NDA plays two different roles; it dissolves the original Au/PS Janus particles and organizes the PS nanoparticles onto the Au surface. Overall, our proposed method for the assembly of large-scale area nanoparticles can be extended for further uses in the surface science.

Sustainability Assessment Circle

Abstract Since the nineteen seventies, science and society have been discussing the worldwide ecological, economic, and social problems caused by industrialization and globalization. Sustainable development is perceived as a strategy for coping with these problems. The Rio +20 conference in 2012 confirmed the sustainability concept and introduced the green economy and the life cycle sustainable assessment as its implementation and operationalization strategy and tool. In the following, we will demonstrate our model of how sustainability can be measured from both top-down with sustainability indicator systems and bottom-up with life cycle indicators in a reflexive governing process, and we will show which requirements are necessary for such a process. In our top-down measurement approach, we aggregate the indicators into one index, the sustainable development index (SD-I), and our sustainable development bottom-up measurement concept (I-LCA) enables us to analyse the sustainability of a specific product chain. In our two-perspective approach, the bottom-up life cycle sustainable assessment enables us to take a deeper look at the effects of top-down measures on the production and consumption patterns along the single product chain. Our assessment circle shows the methodological connection between the top-down and bottom-up sustainability measurement method in a reflexive governing process. These results deliver the data for the monitoring process and enable the government to readjust its decision-making process and reset its measures [1] in a reflexive governance process.

Assessing the Developmental Impact of Poverty Eradication Programmes in Sokoto State, Nigeria

The study assessed the developmental impact of poverty eradication programmes in Sokoto state with particular reference to three poverty eradication programmes notably, National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Sokoto State Poverty Reduction Agency (SPORA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) project. This is with a view to investigating the degree to which the said programmes have had developmental implications vis-à-vis the target population. Using survey methods expressed in the utility of a total of 1888 household questionnaires that were personally administered, which covered the household survey; and interview (in-depth) guides designed for the key informants’ interviews in addition to focused group discussions, the study collected useful research information. Results from analysis of collected data showed that developmental impact of poverty eradication programmes proves insignificant at 0.324 which is greater than 0.05. This is due largely to the fact that chronic poverty has impacted negatively on the performance of the programmes in Sokoto state. The study concludes that among others, poverty reduction cannot be achieved through government interventions only, and that the three projects (NAPEP, SPORA and MDGs) have only marginally impacted on the development of Sokoto State as many respondents indicated. The data revealed that poverty has increased over the last ten years, as more than half of the respondents endorsed in favour of the stand implying that poverty in the State is not only widespread but chronic. In the same vein, the study has revealed that the projects are not sustainable. Based on the findings and conclusions presented above, the research recommends thus, in Sokoto today there is an urgent need to review the mode of execution of the three poverty reduction programmes. The approach of the poverty reduction programmes from the top needs to be revised. The target beneficiaries need to be involved in the policy formulation so that beneficiaries get what they want which will in turn lead to overall socio-economic development of the state. The poor should therefore be involved in all the programmes’ phases. There is the need to extend the bottom-up concept to include direct participation of benefiting communities in project identification.

Multi-level stakeholder engagement in flood risk management—A question of roles and power: Lessons from England

In the past years, stakeholder engagement has become more important in flood risk management. On the one hand stakeholder engagement is often declared as a better way of management, a more successful way to reach consensus in policy discussions. On the other hand is the implementation of increasing stakeholder engagement far away from being as positive, where stakeholder engagement often ends in diverse difficulties and conflicts between political leaders and stakeholder groups. This paper aims to highlight participatory governance in flood risk management to provide an overview of the potential contributions and challenges of a participatory and collaborative governance approach. In this paper, we discuss the role of national authorities and local stakeholders in English flood risk management in three different examples (Bridgwater, Cockermouth and Morpeth). The results show that the Cockermouth and Morpeth flood risk management scheme is characterised by a high level of local self-responsibility in the planning and decision-making process. The study sites with high local capacity (Cockermouth and Morpeth) show a strong leadership at local level and bottom-up concepts and ideas. The local involvement in the discussion and decision-process depends on the local capacity (capacity to act), such as resources (knowledge, financial, time), interest, social and cultural capital. It strongly depends on these aspects, if localities are able to ensure their interests and needs at national level.

Die beste Idee, die Bayern je hatte: der Alpenplan. Raumplanung mit Weitblick

The Alpenplan (AP) was implemented as an area-wide zoning tool for the Bavarian Alps in 1972. The AP regulates transport infrastructure and leads tourism development towards stronger sustainability. Its top-down approach is based on the rational, technocratic planning paradigm of the 1970s unlike today's governance approaches which are mostly footed on bottom-up concepts. As the empirical results show the AP prevented the Bavarian Alps from an overdevelopment of tourism infrastructure and provided important improvements for nature protection -without restricting tourism, its economic impact or recreational function. The AP today faces another problem: It is not suitable for solving issues arising from the post-Fordist recreational demand which leads to a stronger differentiation and individualization of outdoor recreation activities.

Resilientscapes: Perception and Resilience to Reduce Vulnerability in the Island of Madeira

This paper intends to discuss landscape resilience as a way of reducing disaster risk in the island of Madeira. Maderia is a Portuguese Macaronesian island that is located in the Atlantic Ocean and frequently affected by natural hazards.Here, the concept of resilience is discussed as a dichotomous and place-based concept and as a way of achieving sustainability, sustainability being one of the main solutions for climate change. This paper will discuss the complexity of defining “resilience”, the contradictions involved in its use and its positive and negative applications.In order to make resilience an operative concept, it is investigated within landscape research, in which landscape is considered to be the result of human and natural actions and their interaction. Here, landscape is considered as a holistic, place-based, bottom-up concept that can be used as a unit of measure for community resilience.As a consequence of the kind of relationship that a community builds with the landscape in which it lives, we can encounter different kinds of lansdscapes: riskscapes, hazardscapes, resilientscapes, sustainable landscapes, etc. These landscapes are investigated in the context of the island of Madeira in order to identify the resilient actions of its community.To conclude, today, Madeira is a riskscape and often a hazardscape. The most recent incidents were the fires of 2013 and the flash flood of 2010, which was one of the worst events in the history of the archipelago. However, the first signs of resilience have been identified, which represent interesting examples of increasing awareness in both top-down and bottom-up ways.

Self‐Organization of Multifunctional Surfaces – The Fingerprints of Light on a Complex System

Nanocomposite patterns and nanotemplates are generated by a single-step bottom-up concept that introduces laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) as a tool for site-specific reaction control in multicomponent systems. Periodic intensity fluctuations of this photothermal stimulus inflict spatial-selective reorganizations, dewetting scenarios and phase segregations, thus creating regular patterns of anisotropic physicochemical properties that feature attractive optical, electrical, magnetic, and catalytic properties.

A Principled Way to Use Frameworks in Architecture Design

In the past decade, researchers have devised many methods to support and codify architecture design. However, what hampers such methods' adoption is that these methods employ abstract concepts such as views, tactics, and patterns, whereas practicing software architects choose technical design primitives from the services offered in commercial frameworks. holistic and more realistic approach to architecture design addresses this disconnect. This approach uses and systematically links both top-down concepts, such as patterns and tactics, and implementation artifacts, such as frameworks, which are bottom-up concepts. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/kygFOV8TqEw is a video in which Humberto Cervantes from Autonomous Metropolitan University interviews Josue Martinez Buenrrostro, a software architect at Quarksoft in Mexico City, about the design process discussed in the article A Principled Way to Use Frameworks in Architecture Design.

A Semantic Similarity Measure between Ontological Concepts

摘要: 概念语义相似度已广泛应用于 Web 服务发现、本体映射等领域, 但现有的概念语义相似度计算方法对概念间语义相似程度的区分不够细致. 本文从本体结构出发, 首先提出了自底向上的本体概念出现概率计算方法, 并在此基础上改进了基于节点信息量的概念语义相似性度量方法; 然后又设计了基于边计算的本体概念语义相似度计算方法; 最后对上述两种方法线性加权, 提出了一种加权的本体概念语义相似度计算方法. 实验结果表明该方法能进一步正确区分本体中父子概念及兄弟概念间的相似程度. 关键词: 本体 / 语义相似度 / 概念出现概率 / 信息量

Integrated Reservoir Studies - Roll-Up Initiative

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 138551, ’Integrated Reservoir Studies - Roll-Up Initiative: A New Industry Step-Change Innovation,’ by Emad Elrafie, SPE, Martin Hogg, SPE, and Hisham Mohammadi, Saudi Aramco, prepared for the 2010 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 1-4 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. An enormous volume of data, models, and decisions is generated and gathered in every integrated study. The ability and opportunity for a multidisciplinary project team, including management, to browse, review, visualize, and analyze in-progress and final cross-discipline study results easily and in a fast, responsive, and easily comprehendible manner do not readily exist. A studies-decision-synergy (SDS) initiative in Saudi Aramco was developed (technology and process), and study improvement (technical workflows, study decisions, and results) is presented. Introduction The industry has an established optimized-field-development-plan (OFDP) track record. Projects range from simple (e.g., a few wells with limited uncertainties and short production history) to complex (e.g., hundreds of wells with a long production history, complex well types, multiple decision alternatives, and a wide range of associated modeling uncertainties). In general, the reliability and confidence level of simple-predictive-model quality with limited uncertainties is relatively high. In contrast, an acceptable confidence level for complex-predictive-model quality and large uncertainties has yet to be reached. The quality problem of complex models is attributed to very large data sets, multiple study-decision alternatives, hundreds of uncertainty arrays, and existing industry technology and process deficiencies in the delivery of a practical high-quality modeling solution that incorporates integrated SDS across all disciplines and management. Consequently, and in the absence of complete technological solutions, industry has explored and developed alternative practices (i.e., top-down, bottom-up, and event-solution approaches) to accommodate the challenge of delivering a complex OFDP recommendation where multiple uncertainties exist. In a top-down-modeling approach, the range of uncertainty factors that could affect an OFDP recommendation is screened into a manageable number of modeling alternatives by a group of company experts and tools. Typically, simple models are constructed that calculate economic yardsticks. Subsurface uncertainty is supported by a minimal set of simple simulation runs. As critical project uncertainty factors become clear, more model detail is added to the original models. The benefit of the top-down approach is the ability to navigate and process a list of possible decisions rapidly. The risks of this approach are a heavy reliance on expert-selected scenarios that may not deliver the ultimate optimal development decision and subsurface uncertainty that is defined almost a priori. The bottom-up concept seeks to undertake complete modeling and simulation efforts with all potential OFDP-study uncertainties, decisions, and associated combinations. This modeling task is overwhelming and not appropriate for models that take longer than a few minutes to run. Therefore, the most common approach is to ignore uncertainty and undertake single simulations for one subsurface-uncertainty parameter at a time. Computationally, such an approach is daunting and likely to require a significant number of simulation runs to achieve a project outcome.

Is LEADER Elitist or Inclusive? Composition of Danish LAG Boards in the 2007–2013 Rural Development and Fisheries Programmes

The literature on local action groups offers various reflections on whether the LEADER initiative is elitist or inclusive. As one of seven key concepts behind the LEADER method, the bottom-up concept spurs an expectation that LEADER is more able to involve the average citizen than other programmes. Until now, however, only scarce information on the composition of the LEADER boards has been available to tell us if this is really so at the decision-making level. A survey from 2008 examining the composition of the 55 local action groups established in the 2007-2013 Danish Rural Development and Fisheries Programmes shows that most of the board members are extremely well-educated older men who hold many other posts in society. This lopsided representation is discussed for its problems and potentials from two opposing theoretical angles: from a perspective of post-liberal theories of inclusive democracy and the relative autonomy of elites and sub-elites.