bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Propagation of extensional waves in a piezoelectric semiconductor rod
Authors: Zhang C.L. , Wang X. Y. , Chen W. Q. , Yang J. S.
Published: April 2016

We studied the propagation of extensional waves in a thin piezoelectric semiconductor rod of ZnO whose c-axis is along the axis of the rod. The macroscopic theory of piezoelectric semiconductors was used which consists of the coupled equations of piezoelectricity and the conservation of charge. The problem is nonlinear because the drift current is the product of the unknown electric field and the unknown carrier density. A perturbation procedure was used which resulted in two one-way coupled linear problems of piezoelectricity and the conservation of charge, respectively. The acoustic wave and the accompanying electric field were obtained from the equations of piezoelectricity. The motion of carriers was then determined from the conservation of charge using a trigonometric series. It was found that while the acoustic wave was approximated by a sinusoidal wave, the motion of carriers deviates from a sinusoidal wave qualitatively because of the contributions of higher harmonics arising from the originally nonlinear terms. The wave crests become higher and sharper while the troughs are shallower and wider. This deviation is more pronounced for acoustic waves with larger amplitudes.
NMR spin-lattice relaxation study of 7Li and 93Nb nuclei in Ti- or Fe-doped LiNbO3:Mg single crystals
Authors: Yeom Tae Ho , Lim Ae Ran
Published: April 2016

In this study, to understand the effects of paramagnetic impurities, we investigated the temperature dependent of the spin-lattice relaxation times of pure LiNbO3, LiNbO3:Mg, LiNbO3:Mg/Ti, LiNbO3:Mg/Fe, and LiNbO3:Mg/Fe (thermally treated at 500°C) single crystals. The results for the LiNbO3:Mg single crystals doped with Fe3+ or Ti3+ are discussed with respect to the site distribution and atomic mobility of Li and Nb. In addition, the effects of a thermal treatment on LiNbO3:Mg/Fe single crystals were examined based on the T1 analysis of 7Li and 93Nb. It was found that the presence of impurities in the crystals induced systematic changes of activation energies concerning atomic mobility.
Enzyme- and gene-based approaches for developing methanogen-specific compounds to control ruminant methane emissions: a review
Authors: Henderson Gemma , Cook Gregory M. , Ronimus Ron S.
Published: April 2016

Methane emissions from ruminants are of worldwide concern due to their potential to adversely affect climate patterns. Methane emissions can be mitigated in several ways, including dietary manipulation, the use of alternative hydrogen sinks, and by the direct inhibition of methanogens. In the present review, we summarise and emphasise studies where defined chemically synthesised compounds have been used to mitigate ruminant methane emissions by direct targeting of methanogens and discuss the future potential of such inhibitors. We also discuss experiments, where methanogen-specific enzymes and pure cultures of methanobacterial species have been used to aid development of inhibitors. Application of certain compounds can result in dramatic reductions of methane emissions from ruminant livestock, demonstrating ‘proof of principle’ of chemical inhibitors of methanogenesis. More recently, genome sequencing of rumen methanogens has enabled an in-depth analysis of the enzymatic pathways required for methane formation. Chemogenomic methods, similar to those used in the fight against cancer and infectious diseases, can now be used to specifically target a pathway or enzyme in rumen methanogens. However, few rumen methanogen enzymes have been structurally or biochemically characterised. Any compound, whether natural or man-made, that is used as a mitigation strategy will need to be non-toxic to the host animal (and humans), cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and not accumulate in host tissues or milk products. Chemically synthesised inhibitors offer potentially significant advantages, including high levels of sustained inhibition, the ability to be easily and rapidly produced for global markets, and have the potential to be incorporated into slow-release vehicles for grazing animals.
How to explain microemulsions formed by solvent mixtures without conventional surfactants
Authors: Zemb Thomas N. , Klossek Michael , Lopian Tobias , Marcus Julien , Schöettl Sebastian , Horinek Dominik , Prevost Sylvain F. , Touraud Didier , Diat Olivier , Marčelja Stjepan , Kunz Werner
Published: April 2016

Significance

Beginning over 40 y ago, a curious type of microemulsions—as transparent dispersion of two immiscible liquids separated by an interfacial film—at thermodynamic equilibrium has been described as “pre-Ouzo,” “detergentless,” or surfactant-free microemulsions. The experiments in ternary systems containing one hydrotropic cosolvent were ambiguous, and therefore, there was no need to come up with a general theory. Recent evidence obtained by specific deuteration in neutron scattering established the need for the extension of self-assembly theories based on Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeck theory (DLVO), bending, or phase transfer energy. Here, we introduce a general free energy expression for weak self-assembly, where solvation effects and entropy compete without the influence of film bending, that explains all experimental results for this class of microemulsions.
Species interactions slow warming-induced upward shifts of treelines on the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Liang Eryuan , Wang Yafeng , Piao Shilong , Lu Xiaoming , Camarero Jesús Julio , Zhu Haifeng , Zhu Liping , Ellison Aaron M. , Ciais Philippe , Peñuelas Josep
Published: April 2016

Significance

Climatic warming is expected to shift alpine treelines upward because regeneration and growth of trees there are limited by low temperature. However, treeline displacement is spatially heterogeneous, despite warming climate. Using data on undisturbed spruce and fir treeline plots located on the Tibetan Plateau between 28.4 and 38.5°N, we showed that climatic warming tended to promote an upward shift of alpine treelines at local and regional scales. However, upslope migration rates were controlled largely by interspecific interactions. The species interaction mechanism both helps to explain why many treelines have not advanced in response to climatic warming and highlights that predictions of treeline shifts based solely on climate may be misleading, because interspecific interactions can temper effects of climatic change.
Mechanism for accurate, protein-assisted DNA annealing by
Deinococcus radiodurans
DdrB
Authors: Sugiman-Marangos Seiji N. , Weiss Yoni M. , Junop Murray S.
Published: April 2016

Significance

During repair of DNA double-strand breaks, cells must accurately anneal broken strands under temperatures that would normally promote mispairing of even small stretches of ssDNA. How single-strand annealing (SSA) proteins such as Rad52 and DdrB (DNA damage response B) overcome this thermodynamic barrier and achieve accurate strand pairing has remained unclear. Our structural studies of DdrB in complex with partially annealed DNA and supporting biochemical data reveal a mechanism for accurate annealing involving DdrB-mediated proofreading of strand complementarity. DdrB promotes high-fidelity annealing by constraining specific bases from unauthorized association and only releases annealed duplex when bound strands are fully complementary. To our knowledge, this work provides the first mechanistic understanding for accurate strand pairing during SSA-dependent DNA double-strand break repair.
Potential escalation of heat-related working costs with climate and socioeconomic changes in China
Authors: Zhao Yan , Sultan Benjamin , Vautard Robert , Braconnot Pascale , Wang Huijun J. , Ducharne Agnes
Published: April 2016

Significance

China is a country with a large population, and it is very affected by heatwaves, which have disastrous consequences on human health and occupational safety. Governmental high-temperature subsidies (HTSs) are allocated to workers during hot days but this increases the labor cost. This work is the first study, to our knowledge, to estimate the HTS cost in China from the present day to the end of the 21st century. We identified three main driving factors for HTS, namely population, employment structure, and climate. The HTS cost is bound to increase during the 21st century, despite substantial uncertainty arising from the evolution scenarios of the driving factors. The evolution of the heat-related labor cost in China may serve as an example for other countries.
Recurrent specialization on a toxic fruit in an island
Drosophila
population
Authors: Yassin Amir , Debat Vincent , Bastide Héloïse , Gidaszewski Nelly , David Jean R. , Pool John E.
Published: April 2016

Significance

Host plant specialization is a major cause of diversification in insects. The specialization of the fly
Drosophila sechellia
on the toxic fruits of noni has been a source of great scientific value, but selection is old enough that genetic variation does not seem useful in mapping the causative genes. On the island of Mayotte, we discovered a population of the related species
Drosophila yakuba
that is strongly associated with noni compared with generalist mainland populations. We then leveraged genomic variation to reconstruct the recent divergence history of this population and identify the potential targets of selection. Our top candidates included genes that confer tolerance to noni's toxin in
D. sechellia
. These findings establish a new model for recurrent ecological specialization.
Lenz-Majewski mutations in
PTDSS1
affect phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate metabolism at ER-PM and ER-Golgi junctions
Authors: Sohn Mira , Ivanova Pavlina , Brown H. Alex , Toth Daniel J. , Varnai Peter , Kim Yeun Ju , Balla Tamas
Published: April 2016

Significance

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum by PS synthase enzymes, but most of the PS is found in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. The importance of the present findings is that they uncover a critical connection between PI4P turnover and PS transport and demonstrate that uncontrolled PS synthesis as seen in Lenz-Majewski syndrome patients has deleterious consequences to cells affecting other lipids and not just PS.
Proteus mirabilis
fimbriae- and urease-dependent clusters assemble in an extracellular niche to initiate bladder stone formation
Authors: Schaffer Jessica N. , Norsworthy Allison N. , Sun Tung-Tien , Pearson Melanie M.
Published: April 2016

Significance

Early events during
Proteus mirabilis
-mediated urinary tract infection have not been well defined. Here we demonstrate that, in contrast to uropathogenic
Escherichia coli
,
P. mirabilis
rarely forms bladder intracellular communities. Rather, in the bladder lumen it establishes large urease- and mannose-resistant
Proteus-
like fimbriae-dependent clusters, which draw a massive neutrophil response and are precursors to urinary stones.
Neutrophil-derived alpha defensins control inflammation by inhibiting macrophage mRNA translation
Authors: Brook Matthew , Tomlinson Gareth H. , Miles Katherine , Smith Richard W. P. , Rossi Adriano G. , Hiemstra Pieter S. , van ’t Wout Emily F. A. , Dean Jonathan L. E. , Gray Nicola K. , Lu Wuyuan , Gray Mohini
Published: April 2016

Significance

Neutrophils are the major effectors of acute inflammation responding to tissue injury or infection. The clearance of apoptotic neutrophils by inflammatory macrophages also provides a powerful proresolution signal. Apoptotic or necrotic neutrophils also release abundant amounts of the antimicrobial peptides alpha defensins. In this report, we show that the most abundant of these peptides, HNP1 (Human Neutrophil Peptide 1), profoundly inhibits protein translation. It achieves this without affecting mRNA stability or preventing mRNA polysomal association. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of a peptide released from one cell, a leukocyte, entering and directly modulating the translatome of another cell. It alludes to a previously unidentified mechanism, driven by dying neutrophils, that ensures the timely resolution of macrophage-driven inflammation, without compromising antimicrobial function.
Mass-tag labeling reveals site-specific and endogenous levels of protein S-fatty acylation
Authors: Percher Avital , Ramakrishnan Srinivasan , Thinon Emmanuelle , Yuan Xiaoqiu , Yount Jacob S. , Hang Howard C.
Published: April 2016

Significance

Cysteine fatty acylation (S-fatty acylation) regulates the stability, trafficking, and activity of proteins in eukaryotes. Current methods to study S-fatty acylation rely on the metabolic incorporation of fatty acid analogs or selective chemical labeling and affinity purification, which limits the detection of endogenous S-fatty acylated protein isoforms and levels. Here we demonstrate that the biochemical exchange of acyl groups on cysteines with defined mass-tags enables the direct visualization of endogenous S-fatty acylated protein levels. The application of this mass-tag labeling method revealed that site-specific S-fatty acylation of interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 controls the antiviral activity of this IFN-induced effector.
Similarity in sex and reproductive state, but not relatedness, influence the strength of association in the social network of feral horses in the Blauwe Kamer Nature Reserve
Authors: Bouskila Amos , Lourie Emmanuel , Sommer Shiri , de Vries Han , Hermans Zef M. , van Dierendonck Machteld
Published: April 2016

Relatedness is likely to affect the decisions of animals regarding their affiliations with conspecifics. Social network analysis provides tools to describe the social structure of animals. Here, we investigate the social network of a population of 27 unmanaged Konik horses in the Blauwe Kamer Nature Reserve, in the Netherlands. We test three hypotheses: (1) that related individuals will have stronger associations; (2) that individuals with low values of average relatedness to their neighbors in the network will have more links and (3) homophily, the tendency of individuals to associate with similar others, will lead to stronger associations among individuals of similar sex, reproductive state, age and rank in the social network. We videotaped 22 horses (excluding foals) and their interactions. Relatedness was calculated from the pedigree, which was based on parentage, determined by DNA analysis. The social network was based on spatial proximity data. There was no significant influence of relatedness on strength of associations in the network or an influence of age- or rank-homophily. We argue that the lack of a relatedness effect is not likely to have been caused by an inability to detect kinship. Strength of associations in the social network was significantly affected by the tendency of the horses to associate with individuals of the same sex and the same reproductive state. This social network pattern is not common in mammals, and the study of unexplained variation in choice and strength of associations may have important implications for other equids increasingly confined to reserves worldwide.
Dr.seq: a quality control and analysis pipeline for droplet sequencing
Authors: Huo Xiao , Hu Sheng’en , Zhao Chengchen , Zhang Yong
Published: April 2016

Motivation: Drop-seq has recently emerged as a powerful technology to analyze gene expression from thousands of individual cells simultaneously. Currently, Drop-seq technology requires refinement and quality control (QC) steps are critical for such data analysis. There is a strong need for a convenient and comprehensive approach to obtain dedicated QC and to determine the relationships between cells for ultra-high-dimensional datasets.

Results: We developed Dr.seq, a QC and analysis pipeline for Drop-seq data. By applying this pipeline, Dr.seq provides four groups of QC measurements for given Drop-seq data, including reads level, bulk-cell level, individual-cell level and cell-clustering level QC. We assessed Dr.seq on simulated and published Drop-seq data. Both assessments exhibit reliable results. Overall, Dr.seq is a comprehensive QC and analysis pipeline designed for Drop-seq data that is easily extended to other droplet-based data types.

Availability and Implementation: Dr.seq is freely available at: http://www.tongji.edu.cn/∼zhanglab/drseq and https://bitbucket.org/tarela/drseq

Contact:  yzhang@tongji.edu.cn

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus) infestation levels on sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) around the Irish Sea, an area without salmon aquaculture
Authors: Gargan Patrick , Karlsbakk Egil , Coyne John , Davies Carys , Roche William
Published: April 2016

Sea trout are parasitized by two species of caligid copepod sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus. Generally, levels of lice infestation are low and few adverse effects on the host have been reported. However, with the advent of marine salmon farming since the 1980s, there have been many published accounts of L. salmonis sea lice epizootics on salmonids in aquaculture areas. Few large-scale studies are available on levels of sea lice infestation of sea trout in areas without salmon farms or before their development. Understanding natural background lice levels on sea trout is important to interpret lice levels on trout in aquaculture areas. The Celtic Sea Trout Project, an INTERREG IVA Ireland Wales EU funded project, examined the status, distribution, genetics, and ecology of sea trout around the Irish Sea and provided an opportunity to assess levels of lice on sea trout spatially and temporally in an area without marine salmon farming. The prevalence of L. salmonis remained constant over the 3 years (63–69%), whereas the prevalence of C. elongatus was lower (20–40%). The mean abundance of L. salmonis ranged from 3.6 to 3.8 and that of C. elongatus ranged from 0.6 to 4.3 (n = 850). There was a significant variation in L. salmonis abundance between marine areas. However, the relative stability in the prevalence and mean intensity of both lice species observed and the low mean abundances and very small proportion of juvenile life stages of L. salmonis reported here are similar to those reported from other studies in areas without salmon farming and likely represent natural background salmon lice levels on sea trout. This 3-year study, conducted over a wide geographic area, represents one of the largest studies of sea lice infestation patterns on sea trout in an area distant from finfish aquaculture influences.
Combining electroencephalographic activity and instantaneous heart rate for assessing brain–heart dynamics during visual emotional elicitation in healthy subjects
Authors: Valenza G. , Greco A. , Gentili C. , Lanata A. , Sebastiani L. , Menicucci D. , Gemignani A. , Scilingo E. P.
Published: April 2016

Emotion perception, occurring in brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, involves autonomic responses affecting cardiovascular dynamics. However, how such brain–heart dynamics is further modulated by emotional valence (pleasantness/unpleasantness), also considering different arousing levels (the intensity of the emotional stimuli), is still unknown. To this extent, we combined electroencephalographic (EEG) dynamics and instantaneous heart rate estimates to study emotional processing in healthy subjects. Twenty-two healthy volunteers were elicited through affective pictures gathered from the International Affective Picture System. The experimental protocol foresaw 110 pictures, each of which lasted 10 s, associated to 25 different combinations of arousal and valence levels, including neutral elicitations. EEG data were processed using short-time Fourier transforms to obtain time-varying maps of cortical activation, whereas the associated instantaneous cardiovascular dynamics was estimated in the time and frequency domains through inhomogeneous point-process models. Brain–heart linear and nonlinear coupling was estimated through the maximal information coefficient (MIC). Considering EEG oscillations in theθband (4–8 Hz), MIC highlighted significant arousal-dependent changes between positive and negative stimuli, especially occurring at intermediate arousing levels through the prefrontal cortex interplay. Moreover, high arousing elicitations seem to mitigate changes in brain–heart dynamics in response to pleasant/unpleasant visual elicitation.
Cytosine Variant Calling with High-throughput Nanopore Sequencing
Authors: Rand Arthur C. , Jain Miten , Eizenga Jordan , Musselman-Brown Audrey , Olsen Hugh E. , Akeson Mark , Paten Benedict
Published: April 2016

Chemical modifications to DNA regulate cellular state and function. The Oxford Nanopore MinION is a portable single-molecule DNA sequencer that can sequence long fragments of genomic DNA. Here we show that the MinION can be used to detect and map two chemical modifications cytosine, 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. We present a probabilistic method that enables expansion of the nucleotide alphabet to include bases containing chemical modifications. Our results on synthetic DNA show that individual cytosine base modifications can be classified with accuracy up to 95% in a three-way comparison and 98% in a two-way comparison.

Statement of Significance

Nanopore-based sequencing technology can produce long reads from unamplified genomic DNA, potentially allowing the characterization of chemical modifications and non-canonical DNA nucleotides as they occur in the cell. As the throughput of nanopore sequencers improves, simultaneous detection of multiple epigenetic modifications to cytosines will become an important capability of these devices. Here we present a statistical model that allows the Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION to be used for detecting chemical modifications to cytosine using standard DNA preparation and sequencing techniques. Our method is based on modeling the ionic current due to DNA k-mers with a variable-order hidden Markov model where the emissions are distributed according to a hierarchical Dirichlet process mixture of normal distributions. This method provides a principled way to expand the nucleotide alphabet to allow for variant calling of modified bases.
Eight new crystal structures of 5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil, 5-carboxyuracil and 5-carboxy-2-thiouracil: insights into the hydrogen-bonded networks and the predominant conformations of the C5-bound residues
Authors: Seiler Vanessa Kristina , Hützler Wilhelm Maximilian , Bolte Michael
Published: April 2016

In order to examine the preferred hydrogen-bonding pattern of various uracil derivatives, namely 5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil, 5-carboxyuracil and 5-carboxy-2-thiouracil, and for a conformational study, crystallization experiments yielded eight different structures: 5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil, C5H6N2O3, (I), 5-carboxyuracil–N,N-dimethylformamide (1/1), C5H4N2O4·C3H7NO, (II), 5-carboxyuracil–dimethyl sulfoxide (1/1), C5H4N2O4·C2H6OS, (III), 5-carboxyuracil–N,N-dimethylacetamide (1/1), C5H4N2O4·C4H9NO, (IV), 5-carboxy-2-thiouracil–N,N-dimethylformamide (1/1), C5H4N2O3S·C3H7NO, (V), 5-carboxy-2-thiouracil–dimethyl sulfoxide (1/1), C5H4N2O3S·C2H6OS, (VI), 5-carboxy-2-thiouracil–1,4-dioxane (2/3), 2C5H4N2O3S·3C6H12O3, (VII), and 5-carboxy-2-thiouracil, C10H8N4O6S2, (VIII). While the six solvated structures,i.e.(II)–(VII), contain intramolecularS(6) O—H...O hydrogen-bond motifs between the carboxy and carbonyl groups, the usually favouredR22(8) pattern between two carboxy groups is formed in the solvent-free structure,i.e.(VIII). FurtherR22(8) hydrogen-bond motifs involving either two N—H...O or two N—H...S hydrogen bonds were observed in three crystal structures, namely (I), (IV) and (VIII). In all eight structures, the residue at the ring 5-position shows a coplanar arrangement with respect to the pyrimidine ring which is in agreement with a search of the Cambridge Structural Database for six-membered cyclic compounds containing a carboxy group. The search confirmed that coplanarity between the carboxy group and the cyclic residue is strongly favoured.
Network competence in Finnish SMEs: implications for growth
Authors: Torkkeli Lasse , Kuivalainen Olli , Saarenketo Sami , Puumalainen Kaisu
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how network competence is related to the growth of domestic and international SMEs originating from the Nordic region. Business networks have been found to drive internationalization of SMEs in the Nordic context, but the impact of network-related organizational competencies on them has not been considered.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors apply regression analysis on a sample of 298 Finnish SMEs across five industry sectors, gathered via an online survey in 2008, and with the data having been updated for its financial indicators up to 2010.

Findings

– The authors find that cross-relational network competence is a significant predictor of growth in internationally operating SMEs. This result is robust across measures among the firms. In comparison, the network competence of domestically operating SMEs is not related to their growth, and relationship-specific competence does not influence growth.

Research limitations/implications

– The study does not account for longitudinal aspect of competence development. Growth is measured by the growth in sales and assets, and there are other ways to measure organizational growth. A single-country context also extends some restrictions on the generalizability of the results, although they could be expected to hold across small, open economies similar to Finland and the Nordic area.

Practical implications

– The results imply that the strategic aims of SMEs determine their need for network competence, those SMEs seeking internationalization and growth through geographic expansion come to benefit from developing certain types of network competence.

Social implications

– Policy implications arise where governments in Finland and in the Nordic area may aid SMEs’ internationalization efforts by enabling the growth-seeking firms with increased resources for competence development.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to examine how the organizational competencies to develop and manage business networks, in particular dyadic and network-level competencies, come to determine realized growth outcomes in domestic and international SMEs. It contributes to the theory of SME internationalization and international entrepreneurship from the business network point of view, while providing further knowledge on internationalization of SMEs originating from the Nordic area.
The role of coworker and supervisor support on job burnout and job satisfaction
Authors: Charoensukmongkol Peerayuth , Moqbel Murad , Gutierrez-Wirsching Sandra
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This study investigates the role of coworker and supervisor support on three aspects of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, perceived lack of personal accomplishment) and job satisfaction. The authors argue that different sources of social support at work can influence these three aspects of burnout differently.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were delivered to supervisors of each campus department at two state universities in South Texas asking them to encourage their employees to complete the survey. The sample consisted of 174 personnel.

Findings

The results show that coworker support was negatively associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization but not with perceived lack of personal accomplishment while supervisor support was negatively associated with all aspects of burnout. The analysis also confirmed the direct and indirect effects of coworker and supervisor support on job satisfaction.

Practical implications

Due to the detrimental consequences of burnout to employee satisfaction, organizations need to make sure that employees receive sufficient support from their coworkers and supervisors to avoid this burnout problem.

Originality/value

Even though the role of social support on job burnout has been previously investigated, existing studies tended to combine three dimensions of burnout into a single measure. Using an aggregated measure of burnout as an outcome variable can limit our understanding about the role that social support plays on each individual dimension of burnout. By employing burnout as a multidimensional construct, the present study can determine whether coworker support and supervisor support can have a different impact on each of the three dimensions of burnout.
Job insecurity and compensation evaluations: the role of overall justice
Authors: Haynie Jeffrey J. , Svyantek Daniel J. , Mazzei Matthew J. , Varma Virajanand
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relations of job insecurity with pay and incentive satisfaction and the role of overall justice in these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors surveyed employees of an industrial equipment sales firm located in the Southeastern USA. Surveys were completed by 151 employees using instruments assessing job insecurity, overall justice, pay satisfaction, and incentive satisfaction.

Findings

– The study results indicated job insecurity is negatively related to both pay and incentive satisfaction. Further, the study found that overall justice mediated the job insecurity to pay satisfaction relationship, but not the job insecurity to incentive satisfaction relationship.

Research limitations/implications

– Because overall justice only explained the job insecurity-pay satisfaction relationship, future research should examine other potential mediators to better understand these disparate effects when compared with incentive satisfaction. Future research should also examine the model with a larger sample using a time-lagged design to further mitigate the limitations of the study.

Practical implications

– The results of this study suggest that employees who contain a strong fear of job loss tend to experience reduced pay and incentive satisfaction levels. Managers should do what they can to limit the impact of job insecurity on these attitudes and provide additional training to employees in coping strategies so that they might better deal with the job insecurity stressor.

Originality/value

– Integrating the literatures on stress appraisal and organizational justice, the empirical model provides understanding of how job stressors and perceptions of organizational justice influence pay and incentive satisfaction.
Ethical research involving children: facilitating reflexive engagement
Authors: Powell Mary Ann , Graham Anne , Truscott Julia
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Qualitative researchers working with children are increasingly sharing accounts of their research journeys, including the inherent ethical tensions they navigate. Within such accounts, reflexivity is consistently signalled as an important feature of ethical practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore how reflexive engagement can be stimulated within ethical decision-making processes, with the aim of generating professional dialogue and improved practice in qualitative research involving children.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the authors’ work in the Ethical Research Involving Children (ERIC) project, an international initiative that synthesised literature, research evidence and the views and experiences of almost 400 researchers and other key stakeholders internationally, to consider the key philosophical and practical components that underpin reflexivity in the context of research involving children.

Findings

A conceptual approach linking ‘Three Rs’ - reflexivity, rights and relationship - was found to be a useful framework for enacting universal ethical principles while provoking the kind of critical engagement required for navigating the ethical tensions that characterise decision-making in research involving children.

Originality/value

This paper introduces a framework to help bridge the gap between espoused ethical principles and the real world dilemmas that emerge in research practice. In doing so, the paper invites a deeper engagement with the ways in which children are constructed in and through research, while offering a shared language for shifting professional dialogue and academic discourse from the aspirational to the operational of ethical reflexivity.
Improved Limiting Irregularity and Effective Fineness Models for Wool Yarn
Authors: Deng C.M. , Wang L.J. , Wang X.G.
Published: April 2016

The limiting irregularity of yarn is the minimum count variation expected from ideal yarn with a random fibre ends distribution. It can be calculated with the Martindale limiting irregularity model which takes into account the changes in the number of fibres in yarn crosssection
and the variations in fibre cross-sectional areas. However, the variations in fibre cross-sectional areas are calculated from between-fibre diameter variations only, without considering the within-fibre diameter variations. Wool fibres exhibit diameter variations both between fibres and within fibres. Ignoring the within-fibre diameter variations may lead to an underestimation of yarn limiting irregularity. This paper reports an improved model for calculating the limiting irregularity of wool yarn, incorporating both between-fibre and within-fibre diameter variations of the constituent wool fibres. Experimental verification shows that this model can predict yarn limiting irregularity more accurately than the existing
one. Based on this improved yarn limiting irregularity model, an improved effective fineness model which also incorporates both within-fibre and between-fibre diameter variations has been established.
Utilization of Partially Methylolated Poly acrylamide Guar Gum in Pigment Printing
Authors: Zahran M.K. , Mahmoud R.I. , El Rafie M.H.
Published: April 2016

Polyacrylamid-guar gum composite has been prepared via graft copolymerization of acrylamide onto guar gum using the KBrO3/ thiourea redox system. The amide groups (40%) in the composite are converted to reactive groups through methylolation with formaldehyde, with a view to obtaining reactive composite. The composite and the reactive composite were used as pastes for printing cotton fabrics with pigment dyes. The prints were assessed for color strength (K/S) and overall fastness properties.

Printing was carried out under different conditions, including the amount of composite used as a substitute for kerosene emulsion, the amount of binder incorporated into the printing paste and the types of catalysts. The printed samples were evaluated by monitoring the color strength (K/S) and fastness properties such as washing, rubbing and light. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that a partial substitution ratio of 20/75 (composite/kerosene emulsion), 8gm binder/100gm printing paste and 1% of catalyst (NH4Cl, DAP, Citric acid or [NH4]2SO4) represent the proper formulation for gaining good dye fixation and excellent fastness properties. The results indicate that the reactive composite prepared is the most suitable thickener for printing cellulosic fabrics with pigment dyes.
Integrated Design of Seamless Fashion in Woven Textile with Multilayer
Authors: M.C. NG, Frankie , Jinlian HU , Yu-cheung SZETO , Xueqin WANG
Published: April 2016

Seamless garment creation has attracted substantial research and is currently growing in its commercial applications. This paper reports a study which aims to invent an approach of integrating textile and fashion designs in seamless fashion creation. Based on the current
industrial bi-axial weaving machine, a study was carried out to expand and invent weaving techniques with particular reference to double nterlacing toward a type of weaving seamless fashion (SWF) for developing a creative process and product of woven textiles and fashion. The method and theory of creating seamless woven fashion (SWF) were built upon certain hypotheses, experiments and analyses. Results show that by deploying advanced computer aided design systems, the production of seamless woven fashion (SWF) using multi-layer weaving techniques and a combination of stable and shape changeable fibers can be manufactured efficiently with a relatively simplified procedure that optimizes the design and manufacture process as opposed to the convention of fashion creation. It is envisaged that the results of this study will provide an alternative method of fashion creation, widen the creative and esthetical dimensions of textile and fashion design, and will enhance further research in these areas of integrated textile and fashion design systems.
Study on the Dyed Cotton Fibers Damage in Spinning Processes and its Effect on the Cotton Mélange Yarn Properties
Authors: Moghassem A.R.
Published: April 2016

Grey cotton fibers with a mean fiber length and fineness of 29 mm and 4.2 micronair was pretreated, scoured and dyed. Three ring yarns were spun separately from 100% grey cotton (R.R.Y.), 50% dyed and 50% grey cotton blend (M.R.Y.) and 100% dyed cotton (D.R.Y.). The extent of fiber damage was assessed by measuring the length and the mechanical characteristics of cotton fibers after passing the fibers through the lap machine and the draw frame II. Properties of R.R.Y., M.R.Y. and D.R.Y. samples were examined. In terms of tenacity and elongation at break, grey and dyed cotton fibers, which were selected after being processed by the lap machine and the draw frame II, were very similar. The fiber length by number and weight of grey cotton was longer than that of dyed cotton, while the amount of fiber nep and short fiber content of dyed cotton were more than those of grey cotton.

The three yarn samples were the same in terms of elongation at break. The tenacity of R.R.Y. was the highest but the yarn sample was the lowest in terms of coefficients of mass variation (Cv%), imperfection and hairiness in comparison with the M.R.Y. and D.R.Y. samples.
A Web-Based System for Fashion Sales Forecasting
Authors: Yu Yong , Choi Tsan-Ming , Au Kin-Fan , Kwan Chui-Yan
Published: April 2016

The fashion industry faces more challenges from demand uncertainty than many other businesses because it creates products that are highly seasonal with short lifetimes and demand is inherently volatile. Such a situation introduces difficulties in fashion supply chain management. The solution to the agile supply chain involves setting up seamless or boundary-less connections between supply chain members. These connections can minimize buffers between the different stages in the chain. In an agile network, such connection is critical and can be enabled by web-software, allowing different actors to be connected without needing to have the same computer system. With integrated web systems, businesses in different geographical locations can behave as if they belong to the same enterprise. The forecasting of future sales is one of the key constituents of these solutions. Today’s enterprises in fashion often employ various IT services in supply chain operations
and a forecasting system is often expected to be accessible by independent users and systems through a standardized interface. Therefore, web-software is the right solution in this circumstance. There are many methods in the sales forecasting field. In this paper, we focus on exploring the implementation of a web-based forecasting system in which various forecasting methods can be utilized. This web-based forecasting system is expected to bring great flexibility into fashion enterprise operations and enhance their supply chain management. A case analysis is presented in the paper in which a neural network is utilized as the forecasting method. We believe that the implementation mechanism is highly applicable to help fashion companies in improving their operations.
Effect of Tannic Acid on the Dyeing Process of Nylon 6 Fabric with Cationic Dye
Authors: El-Gabry L.K. , El-Zawahry M.M.
Published: April 2016

Nylon 6 fabric is pretreated with tannic acid and subsequently dyed with a cationic dye, Rhodamine B, from an aqueous dye solution and emulsion phase. The emulsion phase of n-hexadecane is emulsified by isopropyl alcohol and stabilized by Rhodamine B/tannic acid complex. Different factors affecting pretreatment and dyeing process have been studied. Changes of moisture regain, tensile strength, elongation and binding stiffness of the pretreated fabric are investigated.

The FTIR spectra of tannic acid pretreatment of nylon are also examined. The pretreated fabric with 10% owf tannic acid shows a slight increase in the tensile strength and elongation percentage. A higher moisture regain and binding stiffness are observed with increases in the amount of tannic acid. The results also indicate that the pretreatment for cationic dyed nylon 6 fabrics with tannic acid promote a higher dye uptake and cationic dye-based emulsion system with better fastness properties relative to those of the dye solution based system. A further improvement in wet fastness is secured by an aftertreatment of all dyed fabrics with a commercial anionic fluorescent whitening agent, Uvitex® RSB 150%.
Development of a Safety Vest for Hospital Patients
Authors: Yick K.L. , Lai K.Y. , Yim C.M. , Tsui H.M. , Chiu L.T.
Published: April 2016

A new design of safety vests was developed for patients with uncontrollable behaviour or altered conscious level in this study. A comprehensive approach for designing functional textile and apparel products was adopted. The design request and exploration of the design situation and problem were identified. The settings in the general and psychiatric wards and the traditional ways of the use of safety vests on patients were examined. Problems of the traditional safety vests were identified, such as loose fitting design and large armholes, tight neckline which may result in unexpected accidents such as strangulation, difficulty of wearing, limited mobility, and obsolete functional design.

A new set of design criteria and specifications were then developed. An interaction matrix of design specification for safety vests was formulated since some of the design specifications are in conflict with each other. For instance, a tight fit design could optimize the level of restraint, but it may result in patients' psychological and physiological discomfort due to limited mobility. Supported by the evaluation of fabric materials and fastening systems, a new design of safety vests was then developed and evaluated.
Study on Structure and Properties of Stretched and Slenderized Yak Hair Fibre
Authors: Liu Jian , Hu Yubo , Yu Weidong
Published: April 2016

This paper studies the effects of stretching slenderization on the structure and properties of yak hair using an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, tensile curves and dyeability. The SEM results show that stretching slenderization can decrease the diameter of yak hair, and the scale of the fibres is elongated and thinner. As well, the structure of the fibre scale is looser after stretching, and some scale cells are damaged. The stretching process results in the structural transformation of yak hair from an α-keratin to a predominantly β-keratin crystalline structure by the Raman analysis. Through the tensile curves, the slenderizing of the yak hair at different stretching rates is analyzed. The breaking tenacity increases gradually in terms of the stretching rate and breaking elongation decreases. Optical microscope photographs and dyeing rate analysis are used to observe the changes in the dyeability of yak hair before and after the stretching. The results show that after stretching, there is a significant improvement in the dyeing properties of yak hair.
Effects of Extractive Nozzle Profile, Draw off Tube and Its Adjustment on the Characteristics of Cotton Rotor Spun Yarns
Authors: Moghassem A.R. , Lotfi M. A.
Published: April 2016

Sixteen different samples are spun to investigate the effects of the nozzle profile; the draw-off- tube and its adjustment on the characteristics of cotton rotor spun yarn. A quantitative variable, i.e., the distance between the nozzle and rotor, and two qualitative variables, i.e., nozzles in 4 different shapes and a draw-off tube with and without a torque stop are employed. Then, mechanical, physical and qualitative properties of the samples are assessed. By considering the effects of each variable itself, it is observed that the properties of the samples improve with a doffing tube that does not have a torque stop. A closer setting between the nozzle and rotor results in a reduction of elongation and also increase in hairiness, unevenness and dye absorption of the samples. Also, use of the spiral nozzle shows improvements in elongation, evenness and hairiness. However, by considering the simultaneous effects of these three factors, samples that are spun with the spiral nozzle, doffing tube without a torque stop and a closer setting have the best characteristics. The lowest tenacity and elongation, also the most thin places and hairiness, are observed in samples that are spun with notched nozzles, doffing tube without a torque stop and closer adjustment.
Dyeing Of Cotton Fabric Using UV Irradiated Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) as Natural Dye
Authors: Adeel Shahid , Bhatti Ijaz A. , EL-Nagar K. , Mohboob Alam M. , Ali Nagia
Published: April 2016

The rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. which contains curcumin, the main coloring component that imparts a yellow color onto cotton fabric, has been selected for study in this paper. The extracts are obtained by using different concentrations of irradiated turmeric powder. In order to improve colour fastness properties, pre and post- mordanting are applied by using alum and iron as mordants. The dyed samples are subjected to a CIE Lab system with a spectra flash spectrophotometer for the evaluation of L* (lighter/darker), a* (redder/greener) and b* (yellower/bluer) values.

Finally, ISO standard methods are employed to study colour fastness to light, washing and rubbing (dry and wet) in order to observe the influence of UV radiation on the dyeing behaviour of turmeric. It is observed that UV radiation not only enhances the color strength of dye on irradiated cotton fabric using low concentrations of dye, but also improves the color fastness properties of pre-irradiated cotton fabric by using pre-irradiated turmeric powder with a low concentration of mordant.
Methods of Coating Textiles with Soluble Conducting Polymers
Authors: Kaynak Akif , Foitzik Richard
Published: April 2016

Soluble conducting alkyl polypyrrole polymers have been applied by either chemical polymerization of the 3-alkyl monomers or direct application of polymer emulsion to the surface. Solution, vapor and spray polymerization methods of coating poly(3-alkylpyrroles) to the surface of woven wool fabrics are explored. Conductive textile samples have also been prepared by applying emulsions of soluble prepolymerized 3-alkylpyrrole to the fabric surface. Direct applications of a conductive paint to the textile surface eliminate the exposure of the substrate to damaging oxidizing agents which allow the coating of more sensitive and delicate substrates. All textiles produced are tested for abrasion resistance and conductivity. For alkyl polypyrrole coated fabrics, the optimum carbon chain lengths are between n=10 and n=14, which result in optimum values of conductivity and solubility. The darkness of the tone is inversely related to the surface resistivity of the resulting conductive fabric. Therefore, deep black coatings have low resistivity whereas light gray coatings on a white fabric surface have higher surface resistivity. Longer alkyl chains result in higher surface resistivity in fabrics. The conductive coating of poly(3-decanylpyrrole) on the textile surface has a better abrasion resistance compared to that of an unsubstituted polypyrrole coating.