bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Insurance company dividend policy decisions
Authors: Puleo Victor A. , Smith Frank S. , Casey K. Michael
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between good corporate governance and dividend payment in the regulated insurance industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A modification of Rozeff's transaction cost/agency cost trade‐off model was estimated on a sample of 55 firms in the insurance industry. Data cover a five‐year period ending in 2006.

Findings

Consistent with an agency view of dividends functioning to reduce the need for firm monitoring, it was found that there is no relationship between good corporate governance and dividend policy in a regulated industry. In other words, regulation appears to supplant the need for most corporate governance mechanisms and dividend distribution to provide information.

Research limitations/implications

One data point used in this study, the corporate governance quotient (CGQ), is a relatively new metric created in 2001. Therefore limited use of this variable has appeared in previous research. Additional work is needed to fully evaluate the effectiveness of CGQ as a true measure of corporate governance.

Practical implications

Regulated firms in the insurance industry do not need to be subjected to the external monitoring forced by high dividend payments. Regulators perform that function instead.

Originality/value

This study is the first to evaluate the impact of good corporate governance on regulated firms’ dividend policy.
Explanatory factors of bank dividend policy: revisited
Authors: Theis John , Dutta Amitabh S.
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dickens et al. model of bank holding company dividend policy. They identified five explanatory factors in a sample of bank holding companies (BHCs). Banking companies typically pay larger dividends and more often than industrial firms. Investors often look at the dividends as being important return variables.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, a sample of 99 firms with 2006 data from governmental reports and Yahoo is used in regression equations to test the relationship of the five identified variables with dividend yields. The analysis is extended to investigate non‐linearities between dividend yield and insider ownership.

Findings

The paper finds that the original model is robust, but not all variables keep their significance. Insider holdings have a non‐linear relationship with dividend yields.

Practical implications

The significant factors affecting bank dividend policy help dividend seeking investors find BHCs that return higher dividend yields.

Originality/value

This paper reveals a non‐linear link between insider holdings and dividend yields among BHCs.
Migrant workers and the changing psychological contract
Authors: Morgan Arthur , Finniear Jocelyn
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The influx of migrant workers in the UK has widespread interest. This group's experience of the British work place has evoked considerable debate ranging from the potential to be exploited through unscrupulous practices to allegations about taking away jobs from British workers. The purpose of this paper is to extend knowledge about the workplace experiences of migrant workers and discuss the implications this may offer for human resource management practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The method uses an interpretive approach as the principal method of inquiry. Insights are presented through the use of descriptive vignettes to preserve the contextual richness in participant's descriptions.

Findings

The dynamics of the psychological contract has been fundamentally affected by increasing numbers of migrant workers in the workplace. There is clear potential for a dual system to exist where migrant workers are treated differently in terms of recruitment, training and deployment. The ability to ensure employees work safely and are equipped to undertake their job roles is a key concern.

Research limitations/implications

The research reports an initial study and as such the findings, although representative of the group reported, may be atypical.

Practical implications

Employers and HR practitioners are missing an opportunity to recruit and deploy well motivated highly skilled individuals. Earlier research which focuses on quantitative‐based approaches may possess methodological problems which this research aims to highlight.

Originality/value

The use of in‐depth interviews allows a better informed understanding of the philosophical (and cultural) tensions to emerge. Such an approach offers insights which until now have eluded research focused upon more quantitatively oriented studies.
“Discussion‐less” discussion databases
Authors: Surendra Nanda , Denton James W.
Published: May 2009

Purpose

This paper has two purposes. The first purpose is to study how groups and members of an organization use collaborative technology in accomplishing their everyday work. The second purpose is to study how interpretive researchers can use an ethnographic research approach, called the strip resolution process (SRP), to make explicit the process by which they achieve their interpretation, rather than provide just their interpretation leaving the process as a black box.

Design/methodology/approach

Interpretive case study using interviews, observation, participant‐observation, and study of documents.

Findings

For IS researchers, a key finding is that the SRP facilitates both an understanding of research phenomena from the members’ perspective and a means of explaining how that understanding was achieved. For IS practitioners, a key finding is that organizational work practices and reward structures should be “co‐designed” with the collaborative technology's functionalities to accomplish organizational objectives.

Research limitations/implications

This study used ethnographically informed approaches, including the SRP, to collect and interpret data. However, the duration spent at the organizational site, 25 days spread over eight months, would not qualify this study as an ethnography based on the recommended duration of 12 months of sustained fieldwork.

Practical implications

This study's findings have two implications for IS practice. The first implication is that practitioners planning to deploy collaborative technology in an organization should not focus primarily, or even mainly, on the technology's functionalities. Instead, they should pay most attention to the organization's work practices and reward structures. Work practices and reward structures should be “co‐designed” with the technology's functionalities to accomplish organizational objectives. The second implication is that the SRP could help close the “understanding gap” between IS practitioners and system stakeholders. Hence, a practitioner can use the SRP as a supplement to any systems development methodology for analyzing system requirements.

Originality/value

The value of this paper for IS interpretive researchers is that it explains and illustrates how an ethnographic research approach called the SRP can be used by a researcher to understand research phenomena from the members’ perspective, test and validate his interpretation, and reveal how he reached his interpretation and not just provide his interpretation leaving the process of achieving it a black box. The value of this paper for IS practitioners is that it emphasizes the importance of “co‐designing” work practices and reward structures with a collaborative system's functionalities and provides them specific questions to ask, and reflect upon, before designing and deploying a collaborative system. In addition, practitioners can use the SRP as a tool to supplement any systems development methodology to help reduce the understanding gap between themselves and the system stakeholders.
How small are the banking sectors in central and Eastern European countries really?
Authors: Dinger Valeriya , von Hagen Jürgen
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the size of the banking sectors in central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The banking sectors' ability is focused to provide financial intermediation between savers and investors in the economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The existing literature on banking in transition economies argues in unison that banking sectors in CEE countries are too small and do not provide sufficient levels of financial intermediation. In this paper, a common drawback of the existing measures used to indicate the size of CEE banking sectors is detected: they all relate the volume of bank intermediation to gross domestic product (GDP). It is argued that since transition economies have a low stock of financial wealth relative to economic activity, a more objective measure of the size of the banking sector is the ratio of bank assets to a proxy of the stock of financial wealth rather than to GDP.

Findings

There is evidence that the estimation of the size of the banking sectors relative to GDP produce downward biased measures for the ability of CEE banks to intermediate available financial resources. When the size of the banking sector is measured relative to financial wealth, the gap between the developed European Union banking systems and those of the CEE countries is not as severe as argued in studies based on the traditional approach of measuring the size of the banking system with respect to GDP.

Practical implications

Using the downward biased measure of financial system development to stress the underdevelopment of the financial intermediation in CEE may produce misleading policy recommendations, e.g. recommendations in the direction of rapid financial system expansion by lowering barriers of entry for new banks. The authors' new measure presents an alternative that should be considered by policy makers in the design of measures promoting financial system development.

Originality/value

The paper challenges the existing consensus on severe underdevelopment of the CEE banking sectors. It presents a new approach of accessing financial system development in emerging economies.
Competition issues in European banking
Authors: Casu Barbara , Girardone Claudia
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the outcome of European Union (EU) deregulation and competition policies on the competitive conditions of the main EU banking markets.

Design/methodology/approach

After a review of deregulation and competitition policies in the EU banking industry, the degree of competition in the largest five EU banking markets using is tessted both structural (concentration ratios and Herfindahl‐Hirshman indices) and non‐structural (H‐statistics and Lerner index) approaches.

Findings

Results indicate that EU banking markets are becoming progressively more concentrated and that there is no evidence of an increase in competitive pressure. Country differences are also apparent thereby indicating that despite the sustained regulatory interventions, significant barriers to the integration of EU retail banking markets remain. In line with recent literature, the analysis also seems to provide further evidence that concentration is not necessarily a good proxy for competition.

Originality/value

Increased market concentration and its effects on competition are of relevance in a period of renewed EU regulatory efforts to remove the remaining barriers to the integration of financial markets. The evaluation of competitive conditions and market power in EU banking are therefore of interest to policy‐makers and regulators.
Specialization versus diversification in venture capital investing
Authors: Bartkus James R. , Kabir Hassan M.
Published: May 2009

Purpose

Modern portfolio theory demonstrates that a well‐diversified portfolio will minimize unsystematic risk. It may be impractical to achieve a well‐diversified portfolio of venture capital (VC) investments due to market imperfections, leading to the decision to specialize. The purpose of this paper is to determine the implications of choosing a strategy of specialization versus diversification in venture investing.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a dataset of US VC funds across a 20‐year time period, this paper verifies that there has been a tendency for venture capitalists to pursue a specialization strategy in both industry and stage of development of portfolio firms. A multivariate two‐limit tobit model is constructed to determine the effects of these decisions on venture success rates.

Findings

It is found that venture capitalists that diversify across portfolio company stage of development have greater success in bringing companies public and exiting their investments via acquisition. Industry specialization has no significant impact on venture fund success rates.

Research limitations/implications

Success rates may be less important than returns to investors in VC. Future research should examine the effects of specialization on investor returns.

Practical implications

It may be beneficial to increase the level of diversification of VC investments across portfolio company stage of development. The lack of diversification across industry has not significantly affected success rates across funds, thus the tendency to specialize in particular industries over the sample period is not necessarily a poor decision.

Originality/value

Prior research demonstrates a tendency for specialization in VC investing. This paper examines the implications of adopting this strategy.
Bundling vertically differentiated communications services to leverage market power
Authors: Krämer Jan
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how bundling services may achieve leverage of market power from the telco's home to a secondary service market (e.g. video broadcasting). Despite digital convergence, in many countries the former telco monopolist remains to hold significant market power in its home market for telecommunication services.

Design/methodology/approach

To this extent the author considers a formal game‐theoretic model where the telco firm holds a monopoly in the market for telecommunications services, while competing with a cable firm in the market for video broadcasting services. Services may differ in quality. For the firms, the provision of high‐quality services is more costly than the provision of low‐quality services. Conversely, consumers have a greater reservation price for higher service qualities. Therefore firms face a trade off between revenues and cost when selecting the optimal service quality.

Findings

The model shows that the telco firm can achieve market power leverage by bundling its services, which therefore is more profitable than offering each service separately. In particular, the quality leverage mechanism is highlighted, which reveals that bundling alters the optimal service quality choice of the competitors favorably.

Research limitations/implications

Like every game‐theoretic model, the present model rests on formal assumptions representing stylized facts. Future research should determine these by empirical evidence.

Practical implications

The paper reveals how bundling may be employed as a strategic weapon in order to increase profits in the converging communications market.

Originality/value

The paper shows that bundling communications services can not only have significant ramifications for the quality of these services, but also for the competition in industry.
The call center couple: India's new middle class
Authors: Sheth Jagdish
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of the “call center couple” (CCC) as a symbol of the new middle class (NMC) and how it will influence markets, work, and family in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses on the demographic shifts taking place in India's urban centres.

Findings

The rise of the NMC will forever democratize the family and employment markets.

Originality/value

The paper provides insights into the emerging middle class through the experiences of “CCCs”.
Growth and productivity performance of small manufacturing enterprises (SMEs)
Authors: Rajesh Raj S.N. , Mahapatra Mihir K.
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of small manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in India during the pre‐reforms (prior to 1991) and reforms period (1991 onwards) with focus on 15 major states from different levels of development.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to capture variation across different categories of states, 15 major states in India have been classified into high‐, middle‐ and low‐income states. Further, to capture productivity growth in the sector during the pre‐reforms and reforms period, both partial factor productivity and total factor productivity method (growth accounting approach) have been adopted. The analysis is based on different rounds of nationwide survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) of the Government of India during 1978‐2001.

Findings

The findings of the study reveal erosion in growth of output in the SMEs during the reforms period as compared to the pre‐reforms period with variation across different categories of states. The decline in growth of output during the reforms period can be primarily on account of fall in growth of employment and investment. The total factor productivity growth has also declined during the reforms period suggesting the need to enhance the level of technical efficiency and skills of the labour force in the sector. This is noticed in spite of major role played by the SMEs in providing employment (80 per cent of the total manufacturing sector employment) opportunities and in generating output (contributes 60 per cent of net domestic product) in the country.

Research limitations/implications

On account of non‐availability of annual data, the study relied on data collected by the NSSO of the Government of India periodically. In addition, the study did not examine the factors that explain decline in productivity growth in the sector.

Originality/value

There is a large body of literature on regional growth and productivity in the Indian manufacturing sector but most of the studies have considered only the organized manufacturing sector. This study contributes to the literature by analyzing the inter‐state variation in growth and productivity performance of SMEs in the pre‐reforms and reforms periods.
Are we ignoring the early warning signs in our corporate governance system?
Authors: Angur Madhukar
Published: May 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the aspects of the corporate governance system and suggest ways to foresee a corporate fraud in the offing. It aims to explore ways by which key stakeholders may view “early warning signs” in their assessments of an inefficient corporate governance system.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary method was used to collect data from several corporations that failed or faltered over the past decade due to poor corporate governance.

Findings

Findings suggest that corporate governance system failures of most corporations could have been foreseen before they became public if the five key early warning signs described in the paper were closely monitored.

Practical implications

Paying closer attention to the early warning signs mentioned here may help identify lacunas in the corporate governance system and may avert corporate debacles.

Originality/value

The key early warning signs identified here appear to address most aspects of failure in corporate governance system.
Genome‐wide identification of small RNA targets based on target enrichment and microarray hybridizations
Authors: Franco‐Zorrilla José M. , Del Toro Francisco J. , Godoy Marta , Pérez‐Pérez Julián , López‐Vidriero Irene , Oliveros Juan C. , García‐Casado Gloria , Llave César , Solano Roberto
Published: May 2009

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are two classes of abundant 21–24 nucleotide small RNAs (smRNAs) that control gene expression in plants, mainly by guiding cleavage and degradation of target transcripts. Target identification based on predictive algorithms for base‐paired complementarity requires further experimental validation and often fails to recognize miRNA::target pairs that escape from stringent complementarity rules. Here, we report on a microarray‐based methodology to identify target mRNAs of miRNAs and siRNAs at a genomic scale. This strategy takes advantage of the RNA ligase‐mediated amplification of 5′ cDNA ends (RLM‐RACE) to isolate miRNA or siRNA cleavage products from biological samples. Cleaved transcripts are then subjected to T7 RNA polymerase‐mediated amplification and microarray hybridizations. The use of suitable hybridization controls is what makes our strategy outperform previous analyses. We applied this method and identified more than 100 putative novel miRNA or siRNA target mRNAs that had not been previously predicted by computational or microarray‐based methods. Our data expand the regulatory role of endogenous smRNAs to a wide range of cellular processes, with prevalence in the regulation of cellular solute homeostasis. The methodology described here is straightforward, avoids extensive computational analysis and allows simultaneous analyses of several biological replicates, thus reducing the biological variability inherent in genomic analysis. The application of this simple methodology offers a framework for systematic analysis of smRNA‐guided cleaved transcriptomes in different plant tissues, genotypes or stress conditions, and should contribute to understanding of the physiological role of smRNAs in plants.
PARC6, a novel chloroplast division factor, influences FtsZ assembly and is required for recruitment of PDV1 during chloroplast division in Arabidopsis
Authors: Glynn Jonathan M. , Yang Yue , Vitha Stanislav , Schmitz Aaron J. , Hemmes Mia , Miyagishima Shin‐ya , Osteryoung Katherine W.
Published: May 2009

Chloroplast division in plant cells is accomplished through the coordinated action of the tubulin‐like FtsZ ring inside the organelle and the dynamin‐like ARC5 ring outside the organelle. This coordination is facilitated by ARC6, an inner envelope protein required for both assembly of FtsZ and recruitment of ARC5. Recently, we showed that ARC6 specifies the mid‐plastid positioning of the outer envelope proteins PDV1 and PDV2, which have parallel functions in dynamin recruitment. PDV2 positioning involves direct ARC6–PDV2 interaction, but PDV1 and ARC6 do not interact indicating that an additional factor functions downstream of ARC6 to position PDV1. Here, we show that PARC6 (paralog of ARC6), an ARC6‐like protein unique to vascular plants, fulfills this role. Like ARC6, PARC6 is an inner envelope protein with its N‐terminus exposed to the stroma and Arabidopsis parc6 mutants exhibit defects of chloroplast and FtsZ filament morphology. However, whereas ARC6 promotes FtsZ assembly, PARC6 appears to inhibit FtsZ assembly, suggesting that ARC6 and PARC6 function as antagonistic regulators of FtsZ dynamics. The FtsZ inhibitory activity of PARC6 may involve its interaction with the FtsZ‐positioning factor ARC3. A PARC6–GFP fusion protein localizes both to the mid‐plastid and to a single spot at one pole, reminiscent of the localization of ARC3, PDV1 and ARC5. Although PARC6 localizes PDV1, it is not required for PDV2 localization or ARC5 recruitment. Our findings indicate that PARC6, like ARC6, plays a role in coordinating the internal and external components of the chloroplast division complex, but that PARC6 has evolved distinct functions in the division process.
Understanding and beliefs of diabetes in the UK Bangladeshi population
Authors: Choudhury S. M. , Brophy S. , Williams R.
Published: May 2009

Aims  To examine the understanding and beliefs of people with diabetes from the Bangladeshi community living in the UK.

Methods  Structured interviews were carried out with 14 people invited to a peer educational programme. All interviews were on a one‐to‐one basis and were in Sylheti or in English. Interviews were transcribed and analysed by two independent researchers.

Results  The majority of participants did not know what caused diabetes. Knowledge of the management of diabetes was linked to controlling sugar intake and a number of participants reported eating bitter foods such as bitter gourd to control their diabetes. There was little access to information as many participants did not speak English and did not have a Bengali‐speaking doctor. The majority of participants felt that education classes should teach them what the doctor thought was important and that these classes would best be advertised by word of mouth. Therefore, participants were quite passive about their own self management and relied very strongly on the doctor’s views and recommendations.

Conclusions  Findings from this study can be used to help health professionals working with Bangladeshi people. There is a need for improved information for Bangladeshi people and much of this information might need to come from health professionals. In addition, there is a need for increased awareness by health professionals of practices used by Bangladeshi people, such as eating bitter gourd (which may enhance the effects of rosiglitazone), and the influence these practices could have on the individual’s diabetes management.
Seasonal variation of diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes mellitus in children worldwide
Authors: Moltchanova E. V. , Schreier N. , Lammi N. , Karvonen M.
Published: May 2009

Aims  To determine if there is a worldwide seasonal pattern in the clinical onset of Type 1 diabetes.

Methods  Analysis of the seasonality in diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was based on the incidence data in 0‐ to 14‐year‐old children collected by the World Health Organization Diabetes Mondiale (WHO DiaMond) Project over the period 1990–1999. One hundred and five centres from 53 countries worldwide provided enough data for the seasonality analysis. The incidence seasonality patterns were also determined for age‐ and sex‐specific groups.

Results  Forty‐two out of 105 centres exhibited significant seasonality in the incidence of Type 1 diabetes (P < 0.05). The existence of significant seasonal patterns correlated with higher level of incidence and of the average yearly counts. The correlation disappeared after adjustment for latitude. Twenty‐eight of those centres had peaks in October to January and 33 had troughs in June to August. Two out of the four centres with significant seasonality in the southern hemisphere demonstrated a different pattern with a peak in July to September and a trough in January to March.

Conclusions  The seasonality of the incidence of Type 1 diabetes mellitus in children under 15 years of age is a real phenomenon, as was reported previously and as is now demonstrated by this large standardized study. The seasonality pattern appears to be dependent on the geographical position, at least as far as the northern/southern hemisphere dichotomy is concerned. However, more data are needed on the populations living below the 30th parallel north in order to complete the picture.
Management issues for women with epilepsy—Focus on pregnancy (an evidence‐based review): II. Teratogenesis and perinatal outcomes
Authors: Harden Cynthia L. , Meador Kimford J. , Pennell Page B. , Allen Hauser W. , Gronseth Gary S. , French Jacqueline A. , Wiebe Samuel , Thurman David , Koppel Barbara S. , Kaplan Peter W. , Robinson Julian N. , Hopp Jennifer , Ting Tricia Y. , Gidal Barry , Hovinga Collin A. , Wilner Andrew N. , Vazquez Blanca , Holmes Lewis , Krumholz Allan , Finnell Richard , Hirtz Deborah , Le Guen Claire
Published: May 2009

A committee assembled by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) reassessed the evidence related to the care of women with epilepsy (WWE) during pregnancy, including antiepileptic drug (AED) teratogenicity and adverse perinatal outcomes. It is highly probable that intrauterine first‐trimester valproate (VPA) exposure has higher risk of major congenital malformations (MCMs) compared to carbamazepine (CBZ), and possibly compared to phenytoin (PHT) or lamotrigine (LTG). It is probable that VPA as part of polytherapy and possible that VPA as monotherapy contribute to the development of MCMs. AED polytherapy probably contributes to the development of MCMs and reduced cognitive outcomes compared to monotherapy. Intrauterine exposure to VPA monotherapy probably reduces cognitive outcomes and monotherapy exposure to PHT or phenobarbital (PB) possibly reduces cognitive outcomes. Neonates of WWE taking AEDs probably have an increased risk of being small for gestational age and possibly have an increased risk of a 1‐minute Apgar score of <7. If possible, avoidance of VPA and AED polytherapy during the first trimester of pregnancy should be considered to decrease the risk of MCMs. If possible, avoidance of VPA and AED polytherapy throughout pregnancy should be considered and avoidance of PHT and PB throughout pregnancy may be considered to prevent reduced cognitive outcomes.
Management issues for women with epilepsy—Focus on pregnancy (an evidence‐based review): III. Vitamin K, folic acid, blood levels, and breast‐feeding
Authors: Harden Cynthia L. , Pennell Page B. , Koppel Barbara S. , Hovinga Collin A. , Gidal Barry , Meador Kimford J. , Hopp Jennifer , Ting Tricia Y. , Hauser W. A. , Thurman David , Kaplan Peter W. , Robinson Julian N. , French Jacqueline A. , Wiebe Samuel , Wilner Andrew N. , Vazquez Blanca , Holmes Lewis , Krumholz Allan , Finnell Richard , Shafer Patricia O. , Le Guen Claire L.
Published: May 2009

A committee assembled by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) reassessed the evidence related to the care of women with epilepsy (WWE) during pregnancy, including preconceptional folic acid and prenatal vitamin K use and the clinical implications of placental and breast‐milk transfer of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). The committee evaluated the available evidence based on a structured literature review and classification of relevant articles. Preconceptional folic acid supplementation is possibly effective in preventing major congenital malformations in the newborns of WWE taking AEDs. There is inadequate evidence to determine if the newborns of WWE taking AEDs have a substantially increased risk of hemorrhagic complications. Primidone and levetiracetam probably transfer into breast milk in clinically important amounts. Valproate, phenobarbital, phenytoin, and carbamazepine probably are not transferred into breast milk in clinically important amounts. Pregnancy probably causes an increase in the clearance and a decrease in the concentrations of lamotrigine, phenytoin, and, to a lesser extent carbamazepine, and possibly decreases the level of levetiracetam and the active oxcarbazepine metabolite, the monohydroxy derivative (MHD). Supplementing WWE with at least 0.4 mg of folic acid before pregnancy may be considered. Monitoring of lamotrigine, carbamazepine, and phenytoin levels during pregnancy should be considered, and monitoring of levetiracetam and oxcarbazepine (as MHD) levels may be considered. A paucity of evidence limited the strength of many recommendations.
Innovative technique for tailoring intrinsic stress in reactively sputtered piezoelectric aluminum nitride films
Authors: Felmetsger V. V. , Laptev P. N. , Tanner S. M.
Published: May 2009

Novel technical and technological solutions enabling effective stress control in highly textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films deposited with ac (40kHz) reactive sputtering processes are discussed. Residual stress in the AlN films deposited by a dual cathode S-Gun magnetron is well controlled by varying Ar gas pressure, however, since deposition rate and film thickness uniformity depend on gas pressure too, an independent stress control technique has been developed. The technique is based on regulation of the flux of the charged particles from ac plasma discharge to the substrate. In the ac powered S-Gun, a special stress adjustment unit (SAU) is employed for reducing compressive stress in the film by means of redistribution of discharge current between electrodes of the S-Gun leading to controllable suppression of bombardment of the growing film. This technique is complementary to AlN deposition with rf substrate bias which increases ion bombardment and shifts stress in the compressive direction, if required. Using SAU and rf bias functions ensures tailoring intrinsic stress in piezoelectric AlN films for a particular application from high compressive −700MPa to high tensile +300MPa and allows the gas pressure to be adjusted independently to fine control the film uniformity. The AlN films deposited on Si substrates and Mo electrodes have strong (002) texture with full width at half maximum ranging from 2° for 200nm to 1° for 2000nm thick films.
Nonsinusoidal buckling of thin gold films on elastomeric substrates
Authors: Fei Huiyang , Jiang Hanqing , Khang Dahl-Young
Published: May 2009

Buckling of stiff thin films on compliant substrates represents a variety of applications, ranging from stretchable electronics to micro-nanometrology. Different but complementary to previously reported sinusoidal buckling waves, this letter presents a nonsinusoidal surface profile of buckled thin Au films on compliant substrates, specifically, a secondary dip on top of buckling wave or rather broadened wave top with very sharp trough. This nonsinusoidal profile is likely due to tension/compression asymmetry, i.e., different strengths in tension and compression resulted from the polycrystalline, grained microstructure of metal film. Finite element analysis with asymmetric tension/compression material model has reproduced the experiments well qualitatively.
Capability of focused Ar ion beam sputtering for combinatorial synthesis of metal films
Authors: Nagata T. , Haemori M. , Chikyow T.
Published: May 2009

The authors examined the use of focused Ar ion beam sputtering (FAIS) for combinatorial synthesis. A Langmuir probe revealed that the electron temperature and density for FAIS of metal film deposition was lower than that of other major combinatorial thin film growth techniques such as pulsed laser deposition. Combining FAIS with the combinatorial method allowed the compositional fraction of the Pt–Ru binary alloy to be systematically controlled. Pt–Ru alloy metal film grew epitaxially on ZnO substrates, and crystal structures changed from the Pt phase (cubic structure) to the Ru phase (hexagonal structure) in the Pt–Ru alloy phase diagram. The alloy film has a smooth surface, with the Ru phase, in particular, showing a clear step-and-terrace structure. The combination of FAIS and the combinatorial method has major potential for the fabrication of high quality composition-spread metal film.
Pitting corrosion protection of stainless steel by sputter deposited hafnia, alumina, and hafnia-alumina nanolaminate films
Authors: Almomani M. A. , Aita C. R.
Published: May 2009

316L stainless steel coated with sputter deposited HfO2, Al2O3, and HfO2–Al2O3 nanolaminate films were subjected to direct current cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (DCP) in Hanks’ balanced salt solution electrolyte. Postexposure morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with in situ energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). SEM/EDS data show that bare steel and steel coated with single-layer HfO2 develop pits with perforated covers. These pits become autocatalytic, consistent with an observed positive DCP hysteresis. On the other hand, SEM/EDS data show that steel coated with Al2O3 and HfO2–Al2O3 nanolaminate films does not develop autocatalytic pits, consistent with an observed negative DCP hysteresis. However, Al2O3 splinters upon polarization whereas the HfO2–Al2O3 nanolaminate remains intact. The areas of worst damage in the nanolaminate correspond to pit cover rupture before autocatalysis, allowing pit and bulk electrolyte to mix and the newly exposed steel surface to repassivate. The films’ diverse behavior is discussed in terms of a model for perforated pit growth that requires occlusion until an autocatalytic geometry is established. The authors conclude that the key property a film must have to arrest autocatalytic geometry development is the ability to rupture locally at an early stage of pit growth.
Growth of high-quality SrTiO3 films using a hybrid molecular beam epitaxy approach
Authors: Jalan Bharat , Engel-Herbert Roman , Wright Nicholas J. , Stemmer Susanne
Published: May 2009

A hybrid molecular beam epitaxy approach for atomic-layer controlled growth of high-quality SrTiO3 films with scalable growth rates was developed. The approach uses an effusion cell for Sr, a plasma source for oxygen, and a metal-organic source (titanium tetra isopropoxide) for Ti. SrTiO3 films were investigated as a function of cation flux ratio on (001) SrTiO3 and (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 (LSAT) substrates. Growth conditions for stoichiometric insulating films were identified. Persistent (>180 oscillations) reflection high-energy electron diffraction oscillation characteristic of layer-by-layer growth were observed. The full widths at half maximum of x-ray diffraction rocking curves were similar to those of the substrates, i.e., 34 arc sec on LSAT. The film surfaces were nearly ideal with root mean square surface roughness values of less than 0.1 nm. The relationship between surface reconstructions, growth modes, and stoichiometry is discussed.
Inductively coupled plasma generator for an environmentally benign perfluorocarbon abatement system
Authors: Suzuki Katsumasa , Ishihara Yoshio , Sakoda Kaoru , Shirai Yasuyuki , Teramoto Akinobu , Hirayama Masaki , Ohmi Tadahiro , Watanabe Takayuki , Ito Takashi
Published: May 2009

Although conventional plasma-resolution-type abatement systems for perfluorocarbons (PFCs) achieve PFC removal efficiencies of more than 98%, they consume a lot of electricity. To diminish global warming by reducing CO2 equivalent emissions, an effective low power-consumption plasma generator is essential. The authors found that the pressure at which the electrical discharge can be maintained at the same rf power supply output increased with the number of turns per unit length of coil. In addition, they revealed that the CF4 removal efficiency rose with increasing pressure. A plasma generator employing a modified cylindrical inductively coupled plasma chamber with 1.1turns∕cm achieved a CF4 removal efficiency of 99.0% under conditions of a CF4 flow rate of 10cm3∕min, a pressure of 0.9kPa, and a rf power supply output of 1.5kW. The CO2 equivalent removal efficiency was calculated to be 93.5%, an improvement of 6.7% over that of the previous system.
Gas temperature measurement in CF4, SF6, O2, Cl2, and HBr inductively coupled plasmas
Authors: Cunge G. , Ramos R. , Vempaire D. , Touzeau M. , Neijbauer M. , Sadeghi N.
Published: May 2009

Neutral gas temperature (Tg) is measured in an industrial high-density inductively coupled etch reactor operating in CF4, SF6, O2, Cl2, or HBr plasmas. Two laser diodes are used to deduce Tg from the Doppler widths of 772.38 and 811.5nm lines absorbed by Ar*(P23) metastable atoms, when a small amount of argon (5%) is added to the gas flow. With the 811.5nm beam passing parallel to the wafer, Tg near the wafer surface is obtained by laser absorption technique. With the 772.38nm beam entering the top of the reactor perpendicular to the wafer surface, the volume averaged temperature is deduced by laser induced fluorescence technique. The volume averaged Tg increases with radio frequency power and with pressure, although the temperature near the walls is only weakly dependent on gas pressure. The main effect of increasing the pressure is an enhancement of the temperature gradient between the discharge center and the wall boundary. Due to the thermal accommodation, the authors always observe a significant temperature jump between the surface and the gas in its vicinity. This gap is typically about 200K. Gas temperatures for a wide range of pressure and rf powers are reported. These data will be useful to validate and improve numerical models of high-density reactive plasmas.
Deep levels and compensation effects in sulfur-doped GaPN layers grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy
Authors: Basile A. F. , Hatakenaka S. , Okada H. , Wakahara A.
Published: May 2009

Two GaPN epilayers, with different N contents of 0.3% and 0.9%, i.e., at the low-doping level and in the dilute-content range, respectively, have been examined by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and thermal admittance spectroscopy (TAS). DLTS revealed a main peak below 200K and a low-intensity broad signal above 250K. For the dominant peak, Arrhenius plots revealed an activation energy of 0.4eV below the conduction band and a corresponding trap density above 1017cm−3, in both the samples. The higher N-content sample features for this level a broader line shape and about one-order-of-magnitude larger cross section, as compared with the low N-content epilayer. TAS Arrhenius plots yielded a compressed discrepancy between the signatures of this trap in the two samples, pointing to a common physical origin, likely corresponding to N-split interstitials, and to a possible incidence of Poole–Frenkel effect on this trap behavior. However, the main discrepancy between the results from the two techniques lay in the concentrations as calculated for the signal above 250K. It was found that DLTS underestimates its intensity by at least one order of magnitude. Based on the extension of TAS data at high temperatures, this controversial signal resulted to correspond to Ga interstitials, which can also form complexes and can thus account for the strong compensation effects observed in these epilayers.
Semiempirical correlation for the friction factor of gas flowing through smooth microtubes
Authors: Verma Bhaskar , Demsis Anwar , Agrawal Amit , Prabhu S. V.
Published: May 2009

This article focuses on determining the friction factor from experimental results available in literature for gas flow in a smooth tube. The friction factor (f), Reynolds number (Re), and Knudsen number (Kn) are calculated from the reported pressure drop and mass flow rate. The variation in friction factor with Knudsen number and Reynolds number is analyzed in the Kn range of 0.0004–2.77 and Re range of 0.001–227. It is found that f Re is independent of gas and surface material and can be estimated by a simple semiempirical correlation within ±20% and a mean absolute error of 8%. The correlation gives friction factor for a particular value of Knudsen number and Reynolds number, irrespective of the type of gas or surface material.
Numerical investigation of turbomolecular pumps using the direct simulation Monte Carlo method with moving surfaces
Authors: Versluis R. , Dorsman R. , Thielen L. , Roos M. E.
Published: May 2009

A new approach for performing numerical direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) simulations on turbomolecular pumps in the free molecular and transitional flow regimes is described. The chosen approach is to use surfaces that move relative to the grid to model the effect of rotors and stators on a gas flow. The current article describes the method and compares the results to experimental and theoretical data by Sawada [Bull. JSME 22, 362 (1979)]. The agreement between our results and Sawada’s results are excellent.
High index contrast polysiloxane waveguides fabricated by dry etching
Authors: Madden S. J. , Zhang M. Y. , Choi D.-Y. , Luther-Davies B. , Charters R.
Published: May 2009

The authors demonstrate the production of low loss enhanced index contrast waveguides by reactive ion etching of IPG™ polysiloxane thin films. The use of a silica mask and CHF3∕O2 etch gas led to large etch selectivity between the silica and IPG™ of >20 and etch rates of >100nm∕min. This work indicates that compact optical circuits could be successfully fabricated for telecommunication applications using polysiloxane films.
Web-Based Software for Rapid Top-Down Proteomic Identification of Protein Biomarkers, with Implications for Bacterial Identification
Authors: Fagerquist Clifton K. , Garbus Brandon R. , Williams Katherine E. , Bates Anna H. , Boyle Síobhán , Harden Leslie A.
Published: May 2009

We have developed web-based software for the rapid identification of protein biomarkers of bacterial microorganisms. Proteins from bacterial cell lysates were ionized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), mass isolated, and fragmented using a tandem time of flight (TOF-TOF) mass spectrometer. The sequence-specific fragment ions generated were compared to a database of in silico fragment ions derived from bacterial protein sequences whose molecular weights are the same as the nominal molecular weights of the protein biomarkers. A simple peak-matching and scoring algorithm was developed to compare tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) fragment ions to in silico fragment ions. In addition, a probability-based significance-testing algorithm (
P
value), developed previously by other researchers, was incorporated into the software for the purpose of comparison. The speed and accuracy of the software were tested by identification of 10 protein biomarkers from three
Campylobacter
strains that had been identified previously by bottom-up proteomics techniques. Protein biomarkers were identified using (i) their peak-matching scores and/or
P
values from a comparison of MS-MS fragment ions with all possible in silico N and C terminus fragment ions (i.e., ions a, b, b-18, y, y-17, and y-18), (ii) their peak-matching scores and/or
P
values from a comparison of MS-MS fragment ions to residue-specific in silico fragment ions (i.e., in silico fragment ions resulting from polypeptide backbone fragmentation adjacent to specific residues [aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, etc.]), and (iii) fragment ion error analysis, which distinguished the systematic fragment ion error of a correct identification (caused by calibration drift of the second TOF mass analyzer) from the random fragment ion error of an incorrect identification.
Degradation of Phenol via Phenylphosphate and Carboxylation to 4-Hydroxybenzoate by a Newly Isolated Strain of the Sulfate-Reducing BacteriumDesulfobacterium anilini
Authors: Ahn Young-Beom , Chae Jong-Chan , Zylstra Gerben J. , Häggblom Max M.
Published: May 2009

A sulfate-reducing phenol-degrading bacterium, strain AK1, was isolated from a 2-bromophenol-utilizing sulfidogenic estuarine sediment enrichment culture. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and DNA homology, strain AK1 is most closely related toDesulfobacterium anilinistrain Ani1 (= DSM 4660T). In addition to phenol, this organism degrades a variety of other aromatic compounds, including benzoate, 2-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxyphenylacetate, 2-aminobenzoate, 2-fluorophenol, and 2-fluorobenzoate, but it does not degrade aniline, 3-hydroxybenzoate, 4-cyanophenol, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoate, monohalogenated phenols, or monohalogenated benzoates. Growth with sulfate as an electron acceptor occurred with acetate and pyruvate but not with citrate, propionate, butyrate, lactate, glucose, or succinate. Strain AK1 is able to use sulfate, sulfite, and thiosulfate as electron acceptors. A putative phenylphosphate synthase gene responsible for anaerobic phenol degradation was identified in strain AK1. In phenol-grown cultures inducible expression of theppsAgene was verified by reverse transcriptase PCR, and 4-hydroxybenzoate was detected as an intermediate. These results suggest that the pathway for anaerobic degradation of phenol inD. anilinistrain AK1 proceeds via phosphorylation of phenol to phenylphosphate, followed by carboxylation to 4-hydroxybenzoate. The details concerning such reaction pathways in sulfidogenic bacteria have not been characterized previously.