bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward a Reduced Reliance on Conventional Pesticides in European Agriculture
Authors: Lamichhane Jay Ram , Dachbrodt-Saaydeh Silke , Kudsk Per , Messéan Antoine
Published: August 2015

Whether modern agriculture without conventional pesticides will be possible or not is a matter of debate. The debate is meaningful within the context of rising health and environmental awareness on one hand, and the global challenge of feeding a steadily growing human population on the other. Conventional pesticide use has come under pressure in many countries, and some European Union (EU) Member States have adopted policies for risk reduction following Directive 2009/128/EC, the sustainable use of pesticides. Highly diverse crop production systems across Europe, having varied geographic and climatic conditions, increase the complexity of European crop protection. The economic competitiveness of European agriculture is challenged by the current legislation, which banned the use of many previously authorized pesticides that are still available and applied in other parts of the world. This challenge could place EU agricultural production at a disadvantage, so EU farmers are seeking help from the research community to foster and support integrated pest management (IPM). Ensuring stable crop yields and quality while reducing the reliance on pesticides is a challenge facing the farming community is today. Considering this, we focus on several diverse situations in European agriculture in general and in European crop protection in particular. We emphasize that the marked biophysical and socio-economic differences across Europe have led to a situation where a meaningful reduction in pesticide use can hardly be achieved. Nevertheless, improvements and/or adoption of the knowledge and technologies of IPM can still achieve large gains in pesticide reduction. In this overview, the current pest problems and their integrated management are discussed in the context of specific geographic regions of Europe, with a particular emphasis on reduced pesticide use. We conclude that there are opportunities for reduction in many parts of Europe without significant losses in crop yields.
Prevalence of Sugarcane yellow leaf virus in Sugarcane-Producing Regions in Kenya Revealed by Reverse-Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method
Authors: Amata Ruth L. , Fernandez Emmanuel , Filloux Denis , Martin Darren P. , Rott Philippe , Roumagnac Philippe
Published: August 2015

Yellow leaf (YL) is a disease of sugarcane that is currently widespread throughout most American and Asian sugarcane-producing countries. However, its actual distribution in Africa remains largely unknown. A reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed to facilitate and improve the detection of Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV), the causal agent of YL. The RT-LAMP assay was found to be comparable with or superior to conventional RT-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of SCYLV genotypes CUB and BRA in infected sugarcane ‘C132-81’ and ‘SP71-6163’, respectively. Additionally, 68 sugarcane samples that tested negative by RT-PCR were found positive by RT-LAMP, whereas the RT-LAMP assay failed to detect SCYLV in only 5 samples that tested positive by RT-PCR. Combining RT-PCR and RT-LAMP data enabled the detection of SCYLV in 86 of 183 Kenyan sugarcane plants, indicating high SCYLV prevalence throughout the country (ranging from 36 to 64% in individual counties). Seminested PCR assays were developed that enabled the amplification of a fragment encompassing the capsid protein coding region gene and its flanking 5′ and 3′ genomic regions. Sequences of this fragment for four Kenyan SCYLV isolates indicated that they shared 99.2 to 99.6% pairwise identity with one another and clearly clustered phylogenetically with SCYLV-BRA genotype isolates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of SCYLV in Kenya.
Pedobacter ardleyensis sp. nov., isolated from soil in Antarctica
Authors: Da Xuyang , Jiang Fan , Chang Xulu , Ren Lvzhi , Qiu Xia , Kan Wenjing , Zhang Yumin , Deng Sangsang , Fang Chengxiang , Peng Fang
Published: August 2015

A red-pigmented, non-motile, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, strain R2-28T, was isolated from a soil sample collected from Ardley Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, and was characterized taxonomically by using a polyphasic approach. The organism grew optimally at 18 °C in TSB. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain R2-28T was most closely related to the genus Pedobacter of the family Sphingobacteriaceae. The highest levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity were found with respect to Pedobacter alluvionis NWER-II11T (95.6 %) and Pedobacter terrae DS-57T (95.2 %). The DNA G+C content was 39.9 mol%, and MK-7 was the only respiratory quinone. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and a sphingolipid. The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c). These chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data supported the allocation of strain R2-28T to the genus Pedobacter. Additionally, the results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed phenotypic differentiation of strain R2-28T from species of the genus Pedobacter with validly published names. Therefore, strain R2-28T represents a novel species within the genus Pedobacter, for which the name Pedobacter ardleyensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R2-28T ( = CCTCC AB 2013365T = LMG 28255T).
Monitoring Autophagic Flux by Using Lysosomal Inhibitors and Western Blotting of Endogenous MAP1LC3B
Authors: Chittaranjan Suganthi , Bortnik Svetlana , Gorski Sharon M.
Published: August 2015

Assays that monitor autophagic flux, or degradative completion of autophagy, are crucial for the assessment of the dynamic autophagy process in a variety of systems. Such assays help to distinguish between an increase in autophagosomes resulting from induced autophagic activity versus an increase in autophagosomes due to reduced lysosomal turnover. The majority of flux assays use autophagy protein MAP1LC3B (microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B, here referred to as LC3B) as a marker for autophagy, and most are based on the use of reporters. Here, we describe a method, suitable for monitoring flux in primary cells and/or when reporters are not available or desirable, that uses lysosomal inhibitors and the analysis of endogenous LC3B-II (the lipidated form of LC3B that is associated with autophagosomes) by western blotting. A common application of this method, detailed here, is to test whether a treatment of interest (e.g., chemotherapy drug) induces autophagic flux in the cells of interest. If it is found that there is no difference in LC3B-II levels between treatment with lysosomal inhibitor alone versus drug plus lysosomal inhibitor, then this suggests that the drug is not inducing autophagic flux. Elevated levels of LC3B-II in treatments with drug plus lysosomal inhibitor, compared with drug treatment alone and inhibitor treatment alone, indicate that the drug is probably leading to an increase in autophagic flux.
Detection of p62 on Paraffin Sections by Immunohistochemistry
Authors: Watson Alexander S. , Soilleux Elizabeth J.
Published: August 2015

The study of autophagy in human disease is a rapidly expanding field. Diagnostic paraffin sections of a variety of patient tissues, including bone marrow, are available to researchers—yet are unsuitable for traditional autophagy quantification methods such as western blot or electron microscopy. This protocol outlines the immunohistochemical detection of the protein p62 (sequestosome-1, encoded by the gene SQSTM1)—an indicator of autophagic degradative activity—in slide-mounted paraffin sections such as bone marrow samples cut by a trephine. The p62 protein is an autophagic cargo adaptor, capable of binding to ubiquitylated proteins as well as autophagosome membrane proteins (LC3B and GABA(A) receptor-associated protein [GABARAP] family members) and hypothesized thus to target protein aggregates for lysosomal degradation. p62 itself is degraded by autophagy, remaining at low levels when autophagy is induced, and has been shown to accumulate when autophagy is deficient. Qualitative assessment and comparison of p62 staining between healthy and disease sections or disease subtypes will help target further investigation into the potential roles for autophagy in a variety of disorders.
Chimeric Tumor and Organ Transplantation Models
Authors: Hemann Michael
Published: August 2015

Mouse models of cancer development and progression provide a means to study tumor response in appropriate physiological contexts. However, mouse cancer progression and therapy models have traditionally suffered from many of the same problems as human clinical cancer research, including genetic heterogeneity and tumor-stage variability at the time of treatment. Additionally, most mouse models are not tractable genetic systems, making it difficult to recapitulate the diverse set of alterations that regularly occur during tumor development. The recent development of chimeric and tumor transplantation techniques address many of the limitations of conventional mouse genetics. These strategies allow for the somatic introduction of complex genetic alterations into a subset of cells in reconstituted tumors or organ systems. Moreover, these different approaches can be combined in such a way that tumors with multiple genotypes are rapidly produced. These matched pairs can be systemically introduced into recipient mice for the rapid ex vivo modification of preestablished malignancies allows the generation of “matched pairs” of tumors differing in a single defined lesion (i.e., aliquots of the same primary malignancy with and without a gene of interest). Thus, treatment studies can be performed (1) in the context of an otherwise normal organ system, (2) on tumors that are in their appropriate anatomical context, and (3) on tumors that are essentially identical besides the presence of defined experimentally introduced alterations. Here, we will introduce procedures for modifying both normal and transformed cells and their adaptation to study in vivo tumor biology.
Isolation of Nuclei
Authors: Nabbi Arash , Riabowol Karl
Published: August 2015

The isolation of nuclei is often the first step in studying processes such as nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling, subcellular localization of proteins, and protein–chromatin or nuclear protein–protein interactions in response to diverse stimuli. Therefore, rapidly obtaining nuclei from cells with relatively high purity and minimal subcellular contamination, protein degradation, or postharvesting modification is highly desirable. Historically, the isolation of nuclei involved a homogenization step followed by centrifugation through high-density glycerol or sucrose. Although clean nuclei with little cytoplasmic contamination can be prepared using this method, it is typically time consuming and can allow protein degradation, protein modification, and leaching of components from the nuclei to occur. We have developed a rapid and simple fractionation method that is based on the selective dissolution of the cytoplasmic membrane (but not the nuclear membrane) using a low concentration of a nonionic detergent and rapid centrifugation steps. Here we describe important considerations when isolating nuclei from cells, introduce our rapid method, and compare this method to a more traditional protocol for isolating nuclei, noting the strengths and limitations of each approach.
Optogenetics in Freely Moving Mammals: Dopamine and Reward
Authors: Zhang Feng , Tsai Hsing-Chen , Airan Raag D. , Stuber Garret D. , Adamantidis Antoine R. , de Lecea Luis , Bonci Antonello , Deisseroth Karl
Published: August 2015

Brain reward systems play a central role in the cognitive and hedonic behaviors of mammals. Multiple neuron types and brain regions are involved in reward processing, posing fascinating scientific questions, and major experimental challenges. Using diverse approaches including genetics, electrophysiology, imaging, and behavioral analysis, a large body of research has focused on both normal functioning of the reward circuitry and on its potential significance in neuropsychiatric diseases. In this introduction, we illustrate a real-world application of optogenetics to mammalian behavior and physiology, delineating procedures and technologies for optogenetic control of individual components of the reward circuitry. We describe the experimental setup and protocol for integrating optogenetic modulation of dopamine neurons with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, conditioned place preference, and operant conditioning to assess the causal role of well-defined electrical and biochemical signals in reward-related behavior.
On the ANKA decision: a response to Braun'sJust for us?
Authors: Saile Volker
Published: August 2015

KIT's Executive Board has decided to discontinue the operation of the synchrotron radiation facility ANKA within category LK-II (user facility) of the Helmholtz Association and continue operation in LK-I (research). The KIT Senate confirmed this decision. Some aspects of the background and the rationale leading to this change are explained.
A sub-micrometer resolution hard X-ray microprobe system of BL8C at Pohang Light Source
Authors: Sung Nark-Eon , Lee Ik-Jae , Lee Kug-Seong , Jeong Seong-Hun , Kang Seen-Woong , Shin Yong-Bi
Published: August 2015

A microprobe system has been installed on the nanoprobe/XAFS beamline (BL8C) at PLS-II, South Korea. Owing to the reproducible switch of the gap of the in-vacuum undulator (IVU), the intense and brilliant hard X-ray beam of an IVU can be used in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray absorption fine-structure (XAFS) experiments. For high-spatial-resolution microprobe experiments a Kirkpatrick–Baez mirror system has been used to focus the millimeter-sized X-ray beam to a micrometer-sized beam. The performance of this system was examined by a combination of micro-XRF imaging and micro-XAFS of a beetle wing. These results indicate that the microprobe system of the BL8C can be used to obtain the distributions of trace elements and chemical and structural information of complex materials.
Enacting technology
Authors: Manda Tiwonge Davis , Herstad Jo
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss implications of human-technology interaction in organizational change, especially where mobile phones are introduced to replace paper-based reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper employs a case study approach, focusing on implementation of mobile technology for health (mHealth) solutions to support remote data communication, between health facilities and a district health office (DHO), in Malawi.

Findings

– The findings suggest that mobile phones are relevant to parts of multi-stage tasks such as data reporting, which comprise compilation, transportation, and digitization of data, and delivery of feedback. Consequently, innovation due to the introduction of mobile phones, is found in their interaction with other artefacts (paper, desktop computers, etc.), and existing paper-centric and emerging work practices.

Research limitations/implications

– Although lessons from this study could be transported across contexts, practitioners, and researchers should pay particular attention to contextual differences.

Practical implications

– In accounting for the mutual shaping between technology and context/work practices the paper demonstrates that mHealth innovation demands significant practical work.

Originality/value

– mHealth research is often preoccupied with capabilities of mobile devices. First, the authors account for interaction between artefacts, existing, and emerging use contexts, and the use process, at multiple levels of organization. Through this, the authors argue for a need to seriously consider idiosyncrasies of artefacts and tasks at hand, as well as distributed affordances across artefacts, in mHealth implementations. Second, the authors argue that contrary to the general focus on mobile phones as tools for supporting people on the move, their relevance might actually be found in reducing people’s mobility.
The creativity passdown effect: applying design theory in creating instance design
Authors: Lee Jong Seok , Baskerville Richard , Pries-Heje Jan
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to suggest that translating a design theory (DT) into practice (e.g. creating an instance design artifact (IDA)) is hardly straight-forward and requires substantial creativity. Specifically the authors suggest that adopting a DT embodies a creativity passdown effect in which the creative thinking of a team of design theorist(s) inherent in DT invokes a creative mind of a team of artifact instance designer(s) in creating an IDA. In this study, the authors empirically investigate the creativity passdown effect through an action case in which a DT (DT nexus) was applied in creating an IDA (multi-outsourcing decision-making tool).

Design/methodology/approach

– The case methodology applied here is described as an action case. An action case is a hybrid research approach that combines action research and interpretive case approaches. It combines intervention and interpretation in order to achieve both change and understanding. It is a form of soft field experiment with less emphasis on iteration and learning and more on trial and making. The approach is holistic in philosophy, and prediction is not emphasized. The intervention in the case was that of an instance designer team introducing a previously published DT as a basis for creating an IDA.

Findings

– The experience in the action case suggests that using a DT in creating an IDA may encourage design thinking, and in certain way increase its power and practical relevance by fostering the creative mind of instance designers. Indeed, DTs provide a scientific basis for dealing with an instance problem, and this evokes the creativity mind of instance designers. Without such a scientific basis, it is a lot more challenging for instance artifact designers to deal with instance problems.

Research limitations/implications

– This study contributes to the literature concerning design science research, as it challenges the notion that adopting scientific design knowledge limits creativity inherent in creating IDA by illustrating creative elements involved in adopting DT as a basis for creating IDAs.

Practical implications

– This study offers implications to practice, as it provides new insights regarding how DT can be used in instance design activities.

Originality/value

– A report of this research previously appeared as a conference paper. However, the attached journal version has been completely rewritten to additionally contribute to the literature concerning design science research beyond the conference version. More specifically, in this version, the authors conceptualize adopting a DT to build an IDA as a theoretical basis, and the authors challenge the notion that adopting scientific design knowledge limits creativity inherent in creating IDA by illustrating creative elements involved in executing DT as a basis for creating IDAs.
More than meets the eye: working around technology in cross-boundary work contexts
Authors: Yeo Roland K. , Gold Jeff
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational actors interpret and enact technology in cross-boundary work contexts during e-government implementation in a public organization in East Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

– Case study methodology involving semi-structured interviews, unobtrusive observations, and archival records was utilized in the study. Interview subjects include management staff, general employees, and information technology (IT) specialists to provide rich descriptions of their work practice.

Findings

– Three distinct contexts contribute to cross-boundary work practice in relation to IT use and non-use, namely, standardization (complete IT use), hybridization (partial IT use), and conventionalization (zero IT use). Technology enactment strategies such as acceptance, avoidance, adaptation, and configuration are employed depending on actors’ interpretation of technology complexity and task interdependency.

Practical implications

– Early interventions could involve examining how and why employees accept or avoid technology as part of their work practice and how they switch between enactment strategies. Organizations could ensure better team support to capitalize on the robust social interaction in cross-boundary work contexts to develop greater synergy in technology improvisations.

Originality/value

– The study extends the technology enactment perspective as it offers new meanings to structures of action by understanding the temporal agentic orientations and how these are constructed by cross-boundary work contexts. It also offers insight into how enactment strategies are developed according to the productive tensions that arise from the interplay of cognitive orientations.
Does altruism matter on online group buying? Perspectives from egotistic and altruistic motivation
Authors: Shiau Wen-Lung , Chau Patrick Y.K.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify whether altruistic motivation is a significant factor in online group buying and to examine the effects of altruistic and egotistic motivation on online group buying intention through the psychological processes of trust and satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– A field study on Ihergo (www.ihergo.com/) was chosen because it is the largest online group buying marketplace in Taiwan. An online survey method was used to collect data. Returned questionnaires numbered 302 responses with 20 incomplete data, resulting in 282 valid responses for data analysis. Collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The findings of the study shows that altruism is relevant to online group buying, and trust and satisfaction have significantly positive effects on online group buying intention. The results emphasize that altruism, reciprocity, and reputation of motivations are significantly positive predictors of trust. Altruism and reciprocity have significantly positive effects on satisfaction, whereas reputation does not.

Research limitations/implications

– Altruism, reciprocity, and reputation represent three key elements of online group buying behavior. Integration of the altruism, reciprocity, and reputation results in a better explanation on online group buying intention through the psychological process, trust, and satisfaction. This study extends the value of online group buying and sheds light on the potential effects of altruistic and egotistic motivation on online group buying intention.

Practical implications

– Online group buying is more complex than individual online shopping and is not easy to fulfill customer requirements. To satisfy online group buying, e-vendors might provide altruistic activities, enhance reciprocal services and products, develop better reputation mechanisms, and present an easier approach to encourage online group buying on the web site.

Originality/value

– To the best of the knowledge, this is first paper to examine the effects of altruism on online group buying. The contribution of this study draws attention to the altruistic value of electronic commerce, by theorizing and validating the effects of altruistic and egotistic motivation on online group buying intention through psychological processes (trust and satisfaction).
Exposure to online hate material and social trust among Finnish youth
Authors: Näsi Matti , Räsänen Pekka , Hawdon James , Holkeri Emma , Oksanen Atte
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– Trust is one of the key elements in social interaction; however, few studies have analyzed how the proliferation of new information and communication technologies influences trust. The authors examine how exposure to hate material in the internet correlates with Finnish youths’ particularized and generalized trust toward people who have varying significance in different contexts of life. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to provide new information about current online culture and its potentially negative characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using data collected in the spring of 2013 among Finnish Facebook users (n=723) ages 15-18, the authors measure the participants’ trust in their family, close friends, other acquaintances, work or school colleagues, neighbors, people in general, as well as people only met online.

Findings

– Witnessing negative images and writings reduces both particularized and generalized trust. The negative effect is greater for particularized trust than generalized trust. Therefore, exposure to hate material seems to have a more negative effect on the relationships with acquaintances than in a more general context.

Research limitations/implications

– The study relies on a sample of registered social media users from one country. In future research, cross-national comparisons are encouraged.

Originality/value

– The findings show that trust plays a significant role in online setting. Witnessing hateful online material is common among young people. This is likely to have an impact on perceived social trust. Hateful communication may then impact significantly on current online culture, which has a growing importance for studying, working life, and many leisure activities.
Relationship or contract? Exploring the key factor leading to IT outsourcing success in China
Authors: Qi Cong , Chau Patrick Y.K.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– Effective management of IT outsourcing continues to be a challenge to organizations today. Organizations in China suffer from even bigger problems than other regions of the world. The IT outsourcing market is in its infancy and the outsourcing practice is still at its initial stage. Regarding to the outsourcing management issues, the literature has explored the role of either the relationship or contract in governing IT outsourcing success. However, few efforts have been paid to investigate the effects of both relationship and contract on IT outsourcing success from a holistic view. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study develops a conceptual model and empirically tests it through a cross-sectional survey conducted in five big cities of Mainland China.

Findings

– The data analysis results identified the dimensionalities of relationship, contract and IT outsourcing success and proved the causal relationships between these three constructs.

Originality/value

– This research re-emphasizes the importance of relationship in IT outsourcing success and the fundamental role of contract in developing a sound relationship. It also gives some implications on how to evaluate IT outsourcing success in China, an emerging market for IT outsourcing.
Evolution of technology perceptions over time
Authors: Immonen Mika , Sintonen Sanna
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– As the information society further develops, electronic services are created and physical distribution networks become sparse, it is important to analyse the determinants that inhibit or facilitate the ability to use these services. By focusing on the perceived behavioural control of computers, the purpose of this paper is to analyse how perceived physical restrictions, computer anxiety and ease of use influence the perceptions of control.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors examined older consumers (aged 60-79) in two cross-sectional studies conducted through mail surveys in 2004 and 2012. Randomized samples (n=1,000 in 2004 and n=3,000 in 2012) were drawn from the Finnish Population Register. The empirical research utilized structural equation modelling through multi-group analysis to explore the differences in the interrelationships between physical restrictions, computer anxiety, perceived ease of use and perceived behavioural control.

Findings

– The results indicate that perceived behavioural control is directly influenced by ease of use and indirectly influenced by physical restrictions and computer anxiety. The eight-year time gap moderated only the relationship between physical restrictions and ease of use. Development seems to have been favourable, and device-related restrictions do not decrease ease of use as much as previously reported.

Originality/value

– The present study starts a new discussion on how time moderates the relationship of technology perceptions in behavioural models that have been used to predict behavioural intent.
GSCM: practices, trends and prospects in Indian context
Authors: Soda SHEETAL , Sachdeva Anish , Garg Rajiv Kumar
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– Environmental friendliness, in context of industrial operations, is an issue that has evoked much interest among environmentalists, governments, academicians and other sections of society in recent times. The said development has been more profound and broad-based in developed economies of the world, though, the trend is catching fast in developing countries, as well. Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is a management technique that aims to make a supply chain eco-friendly, without diluting the organizational objectives. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the scale of adoption and implementation of GSCM practices in the context of Indian industries.

Design/methodology/approach

– The investigation used literature review approach to determine the current status of implementation of GSCM by Indian industry, and associated aspects of the same. Literature pertaining to the subject in context of non-Indian industries has also been studied for the purpose of rudimentary knowledge on the management concept, as well for comparing the measures taken by foreign-based companies with Indian ones.

Findings

– The study shows that in general, Indian companies are lacking on the front of adoption and implementation of GSCM measures in their supply chains. Though, certain companies are showing appreciable enthusiasm for the eco-friendly concept, the same does not apply to majority of the Indian enterprises, owing to a multitude of factors. GSCM has the potential to drive economic gains, and can act as a big motivator for companies to go green. As India leaps towards higher levels of industrialization and economic growth, GSCM becomes more of a necessity rather than an option for Indian companies to survive the competition.

Practical implications

– Findings from this study helps in discerning the present status of GSCM in the country, and assess the same in comparison to that of developed countries. The findings will also help the firms to have a greater understanding of their current standing and the possible gains that can accrue by adoption of GSCM practices in real. The philosophy, stance and endeavours of government with respect to GSCM has also been spelt out in the paper. The paper contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on various aspects of GSCM in the country and the trajectory that it will chart in future.

Originality/value

– The paper though, brings forth the findings of other researches on the subject of GSCM practices in India in a consolidated manner, yet its value is reflected in the cohesive manner in which contrary findings have been analysed to present a comprehensive and holistic picture of GSCM implementation in India. An attempt has been made not only to assess the inputs of individual firms, but also of government and other stakeholders in their efforts to make supply chains more environment friendly.
Securitization of disability risk via bonds and swaps
Authors: Maegebier Alexander Hendrik
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– Two strands of the literature are combined, namely the modeling of disability insurance and the design, valuation and discussion of insurance-linked securities.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper provides a discussion regarding the advantages and detriments of disability-linked securities in comparison with mortality-linked bonds and swaps as well as regarding potential disability-linked indices and the potential use. The discussion is followed by an introduction of a potential design and a corresponding valuation of disability bonds and swaps.

Findings

– This securitization will provide useful tools for the risk management of disability risk in a risk-based regulatory framework.

Originality/value

– No disability-linked securities have been defined and discussed so far.
Regional framework conditions for future careers related to transport and mobility
Authors: David Alexandra , Terstriep Judith
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– In the search for appropriate solutions to cope with ever increasing road traffic, cities and urban agglomerations across Europe are placing great emphasis on new transport and mobility solutions, and electric mobility in particular. Being located at the intersection of the three constituent sectors automotive, information and communication technologies and green energy, electric mobility is perceived as future-oriented sector. Innovation in the sector not only requires the collaboration and exchange of knowledge, but also an increase in skilled workforces and distinct job qualifications. These demands emerge, on the one hand, through the electrification of cars, which results in structural changes in the entire value chain. On the other hand, growing customer and service orientation further accelerate such developments. So far, the knowledge about the concrete demands for engineers as knowledge carriers and innovation driver is rather scarce. To shed some light on this issue, the purpose of this paper is to discuss companies’ altered demand for engineers in electric mobility and the role of networks (e.g. clusters).

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper discusses two regions characterised as traditional automotive regions (Stuttgart in Germany and Alsace/Franche-Comté in France) and the shift in demands of the companies in these regions using the engineering workforce as an example. Electric mobility related companies were surveyed and asked about their current need of engineers. In addition, the survey investigated the companies’ ways of recruiting engineers, their spatial scope of search for employees and the skills and thematic courses needed to solve the lack of qualifications. The survey results are discussed against a background of regional framework settings and influencing factors of both the regions analysed.

Findings

– This paper finds that there is a shift in qualification demands of engineers involved in the sector of transport and mobility. Initiated by the processes along the entire value chain, new skills are required by companies. The current engineers are asked to mix their technical know-how with service orientation and knowledge of new markets.

Originality/value

– The world is becoming increasingly mobile. Within the last decades, the number of daily commuters has expanded producing high capacities of road traffic. This has brought several challenges for cities and regions. To face them new transport and mobility concepts are of key importance for cities and regions. Along these lines, well-skilled human capital in the form of engineers is needed to expand the concepts with their skills and knowledge.
Influence of the rotation on a generalized magneto-thermoelastic medium for three-phase-lag model
Authors: Said Samia M
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of rotation and a magnetic field on the wave propagation in a generalized thermoelastic problem for a medium with an internal heat source that is moving with a constant speed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The formulation is applied to a generalized thermoelastic problem based on the three-phase-lag model and Green-Naghdi theory without energy dissipation. The medium is a homogeneous isotropic thermoelastic in the half-space.

Findings

– The exact expressions of the displacement components, temperature, and stress components are obtained by using normal mode analysis.

Originality/value

– Comparisons are made with the results predicted by the two models in the absence and presence of a magnetic field as well as a rotation. A comparison also is made with the results predicted by the two models for two different values of an internal heat source.
A flexibility method for structural damage identification using continuous ant colony optimization
Authors: Daei Maryam , Mirmohammadi S. Hamid
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The interest in the ability to detect damage at the earliest possible stage is pervasive throughout the civil engineering over the last two decades. In general, the experimental techniques for damage detection are expensive and require that the vicinity of the damage is known and readily accessible; therefore several methods intend to detect damage based on numerical model and by means of minimum experimental data about dynamic properties or response of damaged structures. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this paper, the damage detection problem is formulated as an optimization problem such as to obtain the minimum difference between the numerical and experimental variables, and then a modified ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is proposed for solving this optimization problem. In the proposed algorithm, the structural damage is detected by using dynamically measured flexibility matrix, since the flexibility matrix of the structure can be estimated from only the first few modes. The continuous version of ACO is employed as a probabilistic technique for solving this computational problem.

Findings

– Compared to classical methods, one of the main strengths of this meta-heuristic method is the generally better robustness in achieving global optimum. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by numerical examples. The proposed method enables the deduction of the extent and location of structural damage, while using short computational time and resulting good accuracy.

Originality/value

– Finding accurate results by means of minimum experimental data, while using short computational time is the final goal of all researches in the structural damage detection methods. In this paper, it gains by applying flexibility matrix in the definition of objective function, and also via using continuous ant colony algorithm as a powerful meta-heuristic techniques in the constrained nonlinear optimization problem.
Development and stress behaviour of an innovative refrigerated container with PCM for fresh and frozen goods
Authors: Sepe Raffaele , Armentani Enrico , Pozzi Angela
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The major objectives of this study are the engineering development and the structural analysis with finite element method (FEM) of a refrigerated container having a passive equipment and a remote control system to carry both fresh (+4°C÷±1°C) and frozen (−18°C÷−20°C) goods. The purpose of this paper is to offer some solutions to the many disadvantages of using phase change material (PCM) to refrigerate the insulated container for transporting both fresh and frozen goods.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to transport both fresh products (+4°C÷±1°C) and frozen products (−18°C÷−20°C), the PCM elements are filled with one eutectic liquid only, so as to avoid problems related to filling and emptying the eutectic plates, and to plate corrosion. Moreover, specially shaped air ducts and a cool flow control system are designed to maintain a uniform circulation of cool air and constant humidity values. All the structures of the container are correctly designed by means of FEM calculations to assure that all the structural, safety standards parameters are satisfied.

Findings

– An innovative refrigerated container with PCM and a remote control system used to transport both fresh (+4°C÷±1°C) and frozen (−18°C÷−20°C) products, in which it is possible to maintain the temperature values for almost seven days, has been considered here. Many disadvantages due to the use of PCM have been eliminated. It is possible to maintain a uniform circulation cool air and humidity values within the design parameters by means of fans; moreover, this container is light and environmentally friendly. All structures of the container are designed using FEM.

Originality/value

– This paper presents a refrigerated container with passive equipment and a remote control system to carry both fresh (+4°C÷±1°C) and frozen (−18°C÷−20°C) goods in which it is possible to maintain the temperature values necessary for almost seven days. The container is equipped with a remote control system powered by photovoltaic panels which works in real time, is capable of giving information about the environmental parameters set in it and monitors the state of products by means of a network of sensors. Furthermore, the remote control system can send information about the position of the container to a remote control centre. The relevant structural conditions are numerically (FEM) evaluated and reported.
Modeling and analysis of free vibrations in thermoelastic hollow spheres
Authors: Sharma Nivedita
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a model to analyze free vibrations in a transradially isotropic, thermoelastic hollow sphere subjected to stress free, thermally insulated or stress free, isothermal and rigidly fixed, thermally insulated or rigidly fixed, isothermal boundary conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

– The potential functions along with spherical wave solution have been used to reduce the system of governing partial differential equations to a coupled system of ordinary differential equations in radial coordinates after employing non-dimensional quantities. Matrix Frobenius method of extended power series has been employed to obtain accurate solution of coupled differential equations in terms of radial coordinates. The mathematical model of the considered problem has been solved analytically to obtain the characteristics equations after imposing the appropriate boundary conditions at the outer and inner surfaces of the hollow sphere. The characteristic equations which govern various types of vibration modes expected to exist have been derived in the compact form. The special cases of spheroidal and toroidal modes of vibrations have been deduced from the characteristic equations and discussed.

Findings

– The toroidal mode has been found to be independent of temperature change. The magnitude of lowest frequency and damping factor are significantly affected in the presence of thermal field and increase with an increase in the spherical harmonics in addition to geometry of the structure.

Originality/value

– The matrix Frobenius method has been used to develop analytical solutions and functional iteration technique to carry out numerical simulations of such structures for the first time. The simulated results are presented graphically and compared with the available literature.
Dyeing process optimization in natural fiber through the Photoacoustic Spectroscopy
Authors: Dias Daniele Toniolo , Nakamura Ossamu , Fagundes Bruno Filardi
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss applied statistical design of experiment (DOE) to optimize the process of dyeing in natural fiber through the multidisciplinary photoacoustic technique.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, the spectroscopy analysis of the dyestuffs was carried out based on the 23 factorial design. Second, the DOE was utilized to find which process variables were most significant in the absorption band’s intensity of the dye. Finally, the impregnation optimization of fiber was carried out based on response surface methodology.

Findings

– The results showed that the dyeing process is more efficient for samples with lower level of dye concentration and dyeing procedure time. The statistical study of the effect of each preparation factor suggested that the composition of the colors has a pronounced influence in the fiber dyeing.

Originality/value

– Using the DOE and photoacoustic response in the present work was clearly found and proposes a less expensive dyeing process and that reduces the harmful impact to environment.
Modeling of average surface energy estimator using computational intelligence technique
Authors: Owolabi Taoreed O , Akande Kabiru O , Sunday Olatunji O
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The surface energy per unit area of material is known to be proportional to the thermal energy at the melting point of the material. The purpose of this paper is to employ the values of the melting points of metals to develop a model that estimates the average surface energies of metals. Average surface energy estimator (ASEE) was developed with the aid of computational intelligence technique on the platform of support vector regression (SVR) using the values of the melting point of the materials as the descriptor.

Design/methodology/approach

– The development of ASEE which involves 12 data set was conducted by training and testing SVR model using test-set-cross-validation technique. The developed model (ASEE) was used to estimate average surface energies of 3d, 4d, 5d and other selected metals in the periodic table. The average surface energies obtained from ASEE are in good agreement with the experimental values and with the values from other theoretical models.

Findings

– The accuracy of this developed model coupled with its adoption of descriptor that can be easily obtained makes it a viable alternative in circumventing the difficulty experienced in experimental determination of average surface energies of materials.

Originality/value

– Modeling of ASEE has never been reported in the literature. Meanwhile, the use of ASEE will help circumvent the difficulties involved in the experimental determination of average surface energies of materials.
Functional characterizations of Ellenberg indicator values – a review on ecophysiological determinants
Authors: Bartelheimer Maik , Poschlod Peter
Published: August 2015

Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) can be used as a numerical system to classify species’ habitat niches and their peak occurrence along gradients. By finding correlations of EIVs with morphological or ecophysiological properties, it is possible to identify determinants of species distributions with respect to environmental factors.

We surveyed existing literature containing species comparisons from controlled experiments and combined them with EIVs.

The picture emerging is that multiple determinants can be identified for nutrient numbers (N), soil reaction numbers (R) and also soil moisture numbers (M), while only few can be found for light numbers (L) and especially for continentality (C) and temperature numbers (T). Functional characterizations of the different EIV can thus be deduced which help to understand the mechanisms and processes driving the ecological niche of a plant.

The described approach is a powerful tool to analyse the ecological significance of different plant properties. Species screenings specifically designed to allow for correlations with EIV have large potential for high explanatory power.