bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monodisperse magnetic nanoparticle assemblies prepared at scale by competitive stabiliser desorption
Authors: Ninjbadgar Tsedev , Fox Eoin K. , Hierrezuelo Jose , El Haddassi Fadwa , Brougham Dermot F.
Published: September 2015

We report a scalable and reproducible method to assemble magnetic nanoparticle clusters from oleic acid stabilised iron oxide nanoparticles.
Advantages and disadvantages of vacuum-deposited and spin-coated amorphous organic semiconductor films for organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Shibata Maki , Sakai Yoshiya , Yokoyama Daisuke
Published: September 2015

Film densities, transition temperatures, and degrees of horizontal molecular orientation of vacuum-deposited and spin-coated amorphous organic semiconductor films used for OLEDs are systematically and quantitatively compared, and their general differences are discussed.
The Raman enhancement effect on a thin GaSe flake and its thickness dependence
Authors: Quan Lin , Song Yuqing , Lin Yue , Zhang Guanghui , Dai Yanmeng , Wu Yukun , Jin Ke , Ding Huaiyi , Pan Nan , Luo Yi , Wang Xiaoping
Published: September 2015

The GaSe flake can enhance Raman signal and the effect decreases with its thickness.
Benzimidazole–phosphine oxide hybrid electron transporters for unilateral homogeneous phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with enhanced power efficiency
Authors: Wang Bo , Lv Xialei , Pan Biao , Tan Jianghong , Jin Jiangjiang , Wang Lei
Published: September 2015

Benzimidazole–phosphine oxide hybrid electron transporters were used to construct simplified unilateral homogeneous PhOLEDs with enhanced power efficiency.
Design, synthesis and application of hydrogen bonded smectic liquid crystal matrix encapsulated ZnO nanospikes
Authors: Pal Kaushik , Mohan M. L. N. Madhu , Zhan Bihong , Wang Guoping
Published: September 2015

ZnO nanospikes dispersed hydrogen bonded liquid crystals, due to their novel switching properties, are promising components in a wide range of nanoscale devices for next generation applications.
Prediction of a metal–insulator transition and a two-dimensional electron gas in orthoferrite LaTiO3/tetragonal BiFeO3 heterostructures
Authors: Yin Li , Mi Wenbo , Wang Xiaocha
Published: September 2015

Mott insulator LaTiO3 is transformed into a metal in LaTiO3/BiFeO3 superlattices, and a two-dimensional electron gas is achieved.
Themed issue on the chemistry of thermoelectric materials
Authors: Aydemir Umut , Snyder G. Jeffrey
Published: September 2015

Guest editor G. Jeffrey Snyder introduces this Journal of Materials Chemistry C themed issue on the chemistry of thermoelectric materials.
Patch size reduction of rectangular microstrip antennas by means of a cuboid ridge
Authors: Motevasselian Alireza , Whittow William G.
Published: September 2015

An effective approach to reduce the patch size in rectangular patch microstrip antennas is presented. The proposed approach is based on inductively loading the patch using a cuboid ridge. A theoretical background of the approach using the transmission line model has been provided. A prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured. The results, advantages and limitations of the proposed approach are presented and discussed.
Mesoporous tertiary oxides via a novel amphiphilic approach
Authors: Bennett Natasha , Seddon Annela M. , Hallett James E. , Kockelmann Winfried , Ting Valeska P. , Sadasivan Sajanikumari , Tooze Robert P. , Hall Simon R.
Published: September 2015

We report a facile biomimetic sol-gel synthesis using the sponge phase formed by the lipid monoolein as a structure-directing template, resulting in high phase purity, mesoporous dysprosium- and gadolinium titanates. The stability of monoolein in a 1,4-butanediol and water mixture complements the use of a simple sol-gel metal oxide synthesis route. By judicious control of the lipid/solvent concentration, the sponge phase of monoolein can be directly realised in the pyrochlore material, leading to a porous metal oxide network with an average pore diameter of 10 nm.
Pulsed laser deposition of air-sensitive hydride epitaxial thin films: LiH
Authors: Oguchi Hiroyuki , Isobe Shigehito , Kuwano Hiroki , Shiraki Susumu , Orimo Shin-ichi , Hitosugi Taro
Published: September 2015

We report on the epitaxial thin film growth of an air-sensitive hydride, lithium hydride (LiH), using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). We first synthesized a dense LiH target, which is key for PLD growth of high-quality hydride films. Then, we obtained epitaxial thin films of [100]-oriented LiH on a MgO(100) substrate at 250 °C under a hydrogen pressure of 1.3 × 10−2 Pa. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the film demonstrates a Stranski-Krastanov growth mode and that the film with a thickness of ∼10 nm has a good surface flatness, with root-mean-square roughness RRMS of ∼0.4 nm.
Uniqueness of measures in loop quantum cosmology
Authors: Hanusch Maximilian
Published: September 2015

In Ashtekar and Campiglia [Classical Quantum Gravity 29, 242001 (2012)], residual diffeomorphisms have been used to single out the standard representation of the reduced holonomy-flux algebra in homogeneous loop quantum cosmology (LQC). We show that, in the homogeneous isotropic case, unitarity of the translations with respect to the extended ℝ-action (exponentiated reduced fluxes in the standard approach) singles out the Bohr measure on both the standard quantum configuration space ℝBohr as well as on the Fleischhack one (ℝ⊔ℝBohr). Thus, in both situations, the same condition singles out the standard kinematical Hilbert space of LQC.
Geometric expansion of the log-partition function of the anisotropic Heisenberg model
Authors: Gandolfo Daniel , Poghosyan Suren , Ruiz Jean
Published: September 2015

We study the asymptotic expansion of the log-partition function of the anisotropic Heisenberg model in a bounded domain as this domain is dilated to infinity. Using the Ginibre’s representation of the anisotropic Heisenberg model as a gas of interacting trajectories of a compound Poisson process, we find all the non-decreasing terms of this expansion. They are given explicitly in terms of functional integrals. As the main technical tool, we use the cluster expansion method.
Metal-ligand delocalization and spin density in the CuCl2 and [CuCl4]2− molecules: Some insights from wave function theory
Authors: Giner Emmanuel , Angeli Celestino
Published: September 2015

The aim of this paper is to unravel the physical phenomena involved in the calculation of the spin density of the CuCl2 and [CuCl4]2− systems using wave function methods. Various types of wave functions are used here, both variational and perturbative, to analyse the effects impacting the spin density. It is found that the spin density on the chlorine ligands strongly depends on the mixing between two types of valence bond structures. It is demonstrated that the main difficulties found in most of the previous studies based on wave function methods come from the fact that each valence bond structure requires a different set of molecular orbitals and that using a unique set of molecular orbitals in a variational procedure leads to the removal of one of them from the wave function. Starting from these results, a method to compute the spin density at a reasonable computational cost is proposed.
Spectral characteristics of time resolved magnonic spin Seebeck effect
Authors: Etesami S. R. , Chotorlishvili L. , Berakdar J.
Published: September 2015

Spin Seebeck effect (SSE) holds promise for new spintronic devices with low-energy consumption. The underlying physics, essential for a further progress, is yet to be fully clarified. This study of the time resolved longitudinal SSE in the magnetic insulator yttrium iron garnet concludes that a substantial contribution to the spin current stems from small wave-vector subthermal exchange magnons. Our finding is in line with the recent experiment by S. R. Boona and J. P. Heremans [Phys. Rev. B 90, 064421 (2014)]. Technically, the spin-current dynamics is treated based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation also including magnons back-action on thermal bath, while the formation of the time dependent thermal gradient is described self-consistently via the heat equation coupled to the magnetization dynamics.
Three-dimensional multimodal imaging and analysis of biphasic microstructure in a Ti–Ni–Sn thermoelectric material
Authors: Douglas Jason E. , Echlin McLean P. , Lenthe William C. , Seshadri Ram , Pollock Tresa M.
Published: September 2015

The three-dimensional microstructure of levitation melted TiNi1.20Sn has been characterized using the TriBeam system, a scanning electron microscope equipped with a femtosecond laser for rapid serial sectioning, to map the character of interfaces. By incorporating both chemical data (energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy) and crystallographic data (electron backscatter diffraction), the grain structure and phase morphology were analyzed in a 155 μm × 178 μm × 210 μm volume and were seen to be decoupled. The predominant phases present in the material, half-Heusler TiNiSn, and full-Heusler TiNi2Sn have a percolated structure. The distribution of coherent interfaces and high-angle interfaces has been measured quantitatively.
Bi-directional magnetic resonance based wireless power transfer for electronic devices
Authors: Kar Durga P. , Nayak Praveen P. , Bhuyan Satyanarayan , Mishra Debasish
Published: September 2015

In order to power or charge electronic devices wirelessly, a bi-directional wireless power transfer method has been proposed and experimentally investigated. In the proposed design, two receiving coils are used on both sides of a transmitting coil along its central axis to receive the power wirelessly from the generated magnetic fields through strongly coupled magnetic resonance. It has been observed experimentally that the maximum power transfer occurs at the operating resonant frequency for optimum electric load connected across the receiving coils on both side. The optimum wireless power transfer efficiency is 88% for the bi-directional power transfer technique compared 84% in the one side receiver system. By adopting the developed bi-directional power transfer method, two electronic devices can be powered up or charged simultaneously instead of a single device through usual one side receiver system without affecting the optimum power transfer efficiency.
Optimizing photon-pair generation electronically using a p-i-n diode incorporated in a silicon microring resonator
Authors: Savanier Marc , Kumar Ranjeet , Mookherjea Shayan
Published: September 2015

Silicon photonic microchips may be useful for compact, inexpensive, room-temperature optically pumped photon-pair sources, which unlike conventional photon-pair generators based on crystals or optical fibers, can be manufactured using CMOS-compatible processes on silicon wafers. It has been shown that photon pairs can be created in simple structures such as microring resonators at a rate of a few hundred kilohertz using less than a milliwatt of optical pump power, based on the process of spontaneous four-wave mixing. To create a practical photon-pair source, however, also requires some way of monitoring the device and aligning the pump wavelength when the temperature varies, since silicon resonators are highly sensitive to temperature. In fact, monitoring photodiodes are standard components in classical laser diodes, but the incorporation of germanium or InGaAs photodiodes would raise the cost and fabrication complexity. Here, we present a simple and effective all-electronic technique for finding the optimum operating point for the microring used to generate photon pairs, based on measuring the reverse-biased current in a silicon p-i-n junction diode fabricated across the waveguide that constitutes the silicon microring. We show that by monitoring the current, and using it to tune the pump laser wavelength, the photon-pair generation properties of the microring can be preserved over a temperature range of more than 30 °C.
Giant low field magnetocaloric effect and field-induced metamagnetic transition in TmZn
Authors: Li Lingwei , Yuan Ye , Zhang Yikun , Namiki Takahiro , Nishimura Katsuhiko , Pöttgen Rainer , Zhou Shengqiang
Published: September 2015

The magnetic properties and the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in TmZn have been studied by magnetization and heat capacity measurements. The TmZn compound exhibits a ferromagnetic state below a Curie temperature of TC = 8.4 K and processes a field-induced metamagnetic phase transition around and above TC. A giant reversible MCE was observed in TmZn. For a field change of 0–5 T, the maximum values of magnetic entropy change (−ΔSMmax) and adiabatic temperature change (ΔTadmax) are 26.9 J/kg K and 8.6 K, the corresponding values of relative cooling power and refrigerant capacity are 269 and 214 J/kg, respectively. Particularly, the values of −ΔSMmax reach 11.8 and 19.6 J/kg K for a low field change of 0–1 and 0–2 T, respectively. The present results indicate that TmZn could be a promising candidate for low temperature and low field magnetic refrigeration.
Nonlinear regimes of forced magnetic reconnection
Authors: Vekstein G. , Kusano K.
Published: September 2015

This letter presents a self-consistent description of nonlinear forced magnetic reconnection in Taylor's model of this process. If external boundary perturbation is strong enough, nonlinearity in the current sheet evolution becomes important before resistive effects come into play. This terminates the current sheet shrinking that takes place at the linear stage and brings about its nonlinear equilibrium with a finite thickness. Then, in theory, this equilibrium is destroyed by a finite plasma resistivity during the skin-time, and further reconnection proceeds in the Rutherford regime. However, realization of such a scenario is unlikely because of the plasmoid instability, which is fast enough to develop before the transition to the Rutherford phase occurs. The suggested analytical theory is entirely different from all previous studies and provides proper interpretation of the presently available numerical simulations of nonlinear forced magnetic reconnection.
Dynamic control of the optical emission from GaN/InGaN nanowire quantum dots by surface acoustic waves
Authors: Lazić S. , Chernysheva E. , Gačević Ž. , van der Meulen H. P. , Calleja E. , Calleja Pardo J. M.
Published: September 2015

The optical emission of InGaN quantum dots embedded in GaN nanowires is dynamically controlled by a surface acoustic wave (SAW). The emission energy of both the exciton and biexciton lines is modulated over a 1.5 meV range at ∼330 MHz. A small but systematic difference in the exciton and biexciton spectral modulation reveals a linear change of the biexciton binding energy with the SAW amplitude. The present results are relevant for the dynamic control of individual single photon emitters based on nitride semiconductors.
Thermal and Spectral Analysis of Novel Amide-Tethered Polymers from Poly(allylamine)
Authors: Grenga Paolo N. , Nethercott Matthew J. , Mateo Ayeisca E. , Patenaude Mathew , Hoare Todd , Weliky David P. , Priefer Ronny
Published: September 2015

Post-polymerization modification of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) was applied to synthesize a library of amide-linked polyelectrolytes with tethered aliphatic, aromatic, and cubyl moieties. The efficacy of amidation was determined to be between 12 and 98 %, depending on the electronics, sterics, and solubility of the amide linkage. 13C solid-state NMR was used to further validate their structure. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that none of the new polymers displayed a classic melt/freeze profile, but all displayed onset decomposition temperatures smaller than 215°C. We anticipate that the structure–property relationships observed in the resulting library of graft-modified polymers can facilitate better understanding of how to design polyelectrolytes for the construction of well-defined multilayer systems.
Ethical considerations in investigating youth alcohol norms and behaviours: a case for mature minor consent
Authors: Hildebrand J. , Maycock B. , Comfort J. , Burns S. , Adams E. , Howat P.
Published: September 2015

Mature minor consent only became available in Australia in 2007. There is neither an explicitly defined protocol, nor a clear definition evident in the literature relating to use of the mature minor concept in health research. Due to difficulties in defining fixed age ranges to varying levels of maturity and vulnerability, there is a lack of clarity surrounding when it might be reasonable and ethical to apply for or grant a waiver for parental consent. This paper describes the challenges faced and solutions created when gaining approval for use of mature minor consent in a respondent‐driven sampling (RDS) study to explore the social norms and alcohol consumption among 14–17‐year‐old adolescents (n = 1012) in the community. The University's Human Research Ethics Committee granted mature minor consent for this study, and the techniques applied enabled recruitment of adolescents from community‐based settings through use of RDS to achieve the required sample. This paper has relevance for research that requires a waiver for parental consent; it presents a case study for assessing mature minors and makes recommendations on how ethical guidelines can be improved to assist human research ethics application processes.
Interspecific differences in larval production and dispersal in non-migratory galaxiids: implications for metapopulation structure
Authors: Jones Peter E. , Closs Gerard P.
Published: September 2015

Metapopulation structure can strongly influence how species respond to extinction threats. Isolated populations are highly vulnerable to extirpation, whereas interconnected populations are generally more resilient to pressures. In fish with sedentary adults, population connectivity can depend on the movements of early life stages. The present study examined how previously identified interspecific differences in life history affect larval production and dispersal in a species-complex of non-migratory galaxiid fish. Consistent with a priori predictions, ‘fast’ life-history species (high size-relative fecundity, early maturation, small egg size) showed high abundance of potential recruits, whereas the larvae of ‘slow’ life-history species (low size-relative fecundity, late maturation, large egg size) were, on average, between six and nine times less abundant. The species with intermediate traits showed moderate larval abundance compared with other species. The small, poorly swimming larvae of a ‘fast’ life-history species dispersed over large spatial scales (up to over 12km), whereas the larger, better-swimming larvae of a ‘slow’ life-history species showed minimal dispersal (<300m). These findings suggest that the ‘fast’ life-history species are likely to follow a classic source–sink metapopulation structure, whereas ‘slow’ life-history species are more likely to form isolated population structures. The implications for how these species respond to pressures from invasive salmonids, a principal cause of their decline, are discussed.
Framing, metaphor and dialogue
Authors: Debras Camille , L’Hôte Emilie
Published: September 2015

This paper considers the Party Conference Speech as a paradigmatic example of effective political discourse, so as to identify and analyse the elements that make for the successful reception of a speech, and determine the ways in which the leader brings about consensus and generates applause. Methodologically speaking, our framework for analysis combines (i) quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as (ii) textual and multimodal analyses of the performed text. We start with a quantitative overview of party conference speeches analysed as written corpora, before zooming in on Tony Blair’s 2006 party conference speech, in which we identify what non-verbal strategies come into play in the discursive construction of the leader’s individual and the party’s collective identities.
The allegorical character of political metaphors in discourse
Authors: Gibbs Raymond W.
Published: September 2015

When people talk about politics, they often employ metaphors, sometimes in extended sequences, in which a metaphorical idea is referred to across a larger segment of discourse (e.g., talk about political debates as wars, boxing matches, or games of chess). Empirical studies from psychology indicate that, at least in some cases, metaphors can have great persuasive value. My primary claim in this article is that many political metaphors in discourse are often understood as instances of allegory. Allegories refer to extended metaphors in which an entire narrative introduces and elaborates upon a metaphorical source domain to present a rich symbolic understanding of people and events. I describe several notable instances of political allegory and go on to suggest that people can readily interpret many of these allegories via ‘embodied simulations’ by which they imagine themselves participating in the very actions referred to in the language. These embodied simulations are automatic and sometimes tap into enduring allegorical themes that have symbolic value within different cultural communities.
Children’s interaction in an urban face-to-face society
Authors: Streeck Jürgen , Harrison Kathryn E.
Published: September 2015

This paper reports on a micro-ethnography of social interaction in an urban plaza in Colombia, focusing on the plaza’s role as an arena for the acquisition of interaction skills. We investigate how children of different ages initiate and sustain interactions with same-age and older peers and the efforts they make to be recognized and ‘visible’. We interpret our data in light of three theories of socialization: Corsaro’s (1997) conception of childhood as “interpretive reproduction”, Vygotsky’s (1978) model of the “zone of proximal development”, and the “structural approach” to social cognition and development (Damon 1977; Younnis 1984). While a social form like the plaza, which is collectively enacted by members of all age groups of the local community, provides children with an extraordinarily rich array of opportunities to develop social communication skills by interacting with older and younger peers, our analysis also demonstrates that children, as they are building zones of proximal development for themselves, play a central role in assembling, integrating, and sustaining the neighborhood as a face-to-face society. In this fashion, the paper illustrates how the micro-analysis of social interaction can contribute to the analysis of social ‘macro’ forms.
Collateral damage
Authors: Bysouth Don , Ikeda Keiko , Jeloos-Haghi Sohail
Published: September 2015

This investigation examines ‘teasing’ of non-combatant children by US military service personnel in occupied Iraq and Afghanistan. The majority of existent investigations of teasing and related practices place significant conceptual importance on the intentions of the teaser – such that a target can understand that the tease is not true. However, in data examined here it appears that targets (children) do not understand the language in which the teasing is undertaken. Drawing from publicly available video footage posted on the video sharing website Liveleak, we provide an ethnomethodological (e.g., Garfinkel 1967) and conversation analytic informed (e.g., Sacks, Schegloff and Jefferson 1974; Schegloff 2007) examination of how persons initiating teasing (soldiers) strategically exploit asymmetries in the sequential and preferential organization of interactions when tease recipients (children) do not have sufficient English skills to redress (or understand) the negative assessments being made of them. Three types of candidate teasing practices are identified: soldier initiated negative other-assessments; target parroting negative other-assessments; and offer-withdrawal games. Analysis examines how such interactions effectively fail as teases and explores how children can resist soldiers’ pursuit of degrading responses.
“Is that what I sound like when I speak?”
Authors: Rangel Natalie , Loureiro-Rodríguez Verónica , Moyna María Irene
Published: September 2015

This study investigates language attitudes towards English, Spanish and code-switching in two Texas border cities (Laredo and Edinburg) by means of a matched guise test with three attribute dimensions (solidarity, status, and personal appeal). It was found that there were no significant overall differences between attitudes in the two cities. As anticipated, code-switching received the lowest ratings in all dimensions; English and Spanish were matched for status, and Spanish received the highest scores for solidarity. When the variable of gender was considered (both for raters and speakers), differences in ratings emerged, evidence that in both cities the three varieties play different roles in mediating gender relations.
The influence of the degree of formality on lexical variation in Spanish
Authors: Escoriza Morera Luis
Published: September 2015

Despite the enormous usefulness of variationist studies on a lexical plane, until the present day there has been little research in comparison with the attention paid by sociolinguistics to other levels of linguistic analysis such as phonetic –phonological analysis. This is due, we believe, to the theoretical and methodological problems that may occur at a lexical level. In this paper we present the results of research carried out on fifty lexical variants in Spanish. The results obtained show, on one hand, the possibility and necessity of designing tests which may help us to study the relationship between sociocultural factors and lexical elements and, on the other, the influence of the factor which we have called the degree of formality (based on the existence of different texts and communicative situations on a scale going from the most formal to the most spontaneous) in the choice of lexicon.
Creencias y actitudes hacia las variedades normativas del español actual
Authors: Cestero Mancera Ana M. , Paredes Florentino
Published: September 2015

Desde sus orígenes, la Sociolingüística se desarrolló como una disciplina empeñada no solo en constatar y describir la variación lingüística, sino también en explicar la razón de su existencia, que, tal y como postuló López Morales (1989), se encuentra, en el fondo o en la superficie, en las creencias y actitudes de los individuos hacia un uso lingüístico concreto. A pesar de su importancia, no encontramos, por la dificultad que entraña su investigación, estudios de grandes dimensiones que nos permitan conocer un poco mejor el comportamiento lingüístico y comunicativo humano al respecto, que incide, además, en ámbitos como la adquisición de lenguas. Con objeto de llenar tal vacío, hemos emprendido un estudio de amplio alcance sobre actitudes hacia las variedades del español a través del Proyecto para el estudio de creencias y actitudes hacia las variedades del español en el siglo XXI (PRECAVES-XXI). En este trabajo, presentamos los procedimientos metodológicos ideados y utilizados para llevar a cabo la investigación, así como los primeros hallazgos, que demuestran, a pesar de tratarse de un primer acercamiento a partir de datos de castellanohablantes solo, que la valoración general de las variedades analizadas es positiva, especialmente en el componente afectivo; así mismo, se pone de manifiesto que las mayores diferencias en la valoración las obtiene la variedad andaluza, posiblemente por ser la que se percibe como más divergente.
La cortesía en los correos electrónicos de estudiantes universitarios como parte de la competencia pragmático-discursiva
Authors: Níkleva Dimitrinka G.
Published: September 2015

Esta investigación se centra en el objetivo de conocer la opinión y la competencia de estudiantes universitarios sobre la composición de correos electrónicos y, especialmente, sobre las marcas de cortesía y descortesía en este género discursivo. Participan 90 alumnos de tres titulaciones de la Universidad de Granada: Grado de Educación Primaria, Filología Española y Traducción e interpretación. Basándonos en su opinión, creamos un cuestionario que fue contestado por otros 90 alumnos y analizado posteriormente. En la última etapa de la investigación, se analizó un corpus de 60 correos para observar el grado de cortesía y adecuación en los correos que los alumnos envían a sus profesores. Para los objetivos del estudio hemos realizado un análisis cuantitativo descriptivo.
The effect of habitat conditions on the lichens of selected Jewish cemeteries in Podlasie (northeastern Poland)
Authors: Matwiejuk Anna
Published: September 2015

A list of lichen species collected in the Jewish cemeteries in Podlasie in northeastern Poland is presented. In total, 83 species have been recorded. They include epilithic (53 species), epiphytic (28) and epigeic (11) lichens. Eleven species belong to the group of threatened lichens in Poland (Evernia prunastri, Hypogymnia tubulosa, Psilolechia lucida, Ramalina fraxinea, Rhizocarpon grande, Rh. lavatum, Rh. petraeum, Stereocaulon condensatum, S. tomentosum, Xanthoparmelia pulla, X. verruculifera). The Jewish cemeteries are the sole occurrence for rare lichen species in northeastern Poland such as Rhizocarpon grande and Rh. lavatum.
PAR-4 and anillin regulate myosin to coordinate spindle and furrow position during asymmetric division
Authors: Pacquelet Anne , Uhart Perrine , Tassan Jean-Pierre , Michaux Grégoire
Published: September 2015

During asymmetric cell division, the mitotic spindle and polarized myosin can both determine the position of the cytokinetic furrow. However, how cells coordinate signals from the spindle and myosin to ensure that cleavage occurs through the spindle midzone is unknown. Here, we identify a novel pathway that is essential to inhibit myosin and coordinate furrow and spindle positions during asymmetric division. In Caenorhabditis elegans one-cell embryos, myosin localizes at the anterior cortex whereas the mitotic spindle localizes toward the posterior. We find that PAR-4/LKB1 impinges on myosin via two pathways, an anillin-dependent pathway that also responds to the cullin CUL-5 and an anillin-independent pathway involving the kinase PIG-1/MELK. In the absence of both PIG-1/MELK and the anillin ANI-1, myosin accumulates at the anterior cortex and induces a strong displacement of the furrow toward the anterior, which can lead to DNA segregation defects. Regulation of asymmetrically localized myosin is thus critical to ensure that furrow and spindle midzone positions coincide throughout cytokinesis.
Müller glia provide essential tensile strength to the developing retina
Authors: MacDonald Ryan B. , Randlett Owen , Oswald Julia , Yoshimatsu Takeshi , Franze Kristian , Harris William A.
Published: September 2015

To investigate the cellular basis of tissue integrity in a vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) tissue, we eliminated Müller glial cells (MG) from the zebrafish retina. For well over a century, glial cells have been ascribed a mechanical role in the support of neural tissues, yet this idea has not been specifically tested in vivo. We report here that retinas devoid of MG rip apart, a defect known as retinoschisis. Using atomic force microscopy, we show that retinas without MG have decreased resistance to tensile stress and are softer than controls. Laser ablation of MG processes showed that these cells are under tension in the tissue. Thus, we propose that MG act like springs that hold the neural retina together, finally confirming an active mechanical role of glial cells in the CNS.
When cell biology meets theory
Authors: Gonzalez-Gaitan Marcos , Roux Aurélien
Published: September 2015

Cell biologists now have tools and knowledge to generate useful quantitative data. But how can we make sense of these data, and are we measuring the correct parameters? Moreover, how can we test hypotheses quantitatively? To answer these questions, the theory of physics is required and is essential to the future of quantitative cell biology.
Principles of studying a cell - a non-boastful paper for all molecular biologists
Authors: Chen Han , He Xionglei
Published: September 2015

Studies of a cell rely on either observational approaches or perturbational/genetic approaches to define the contribution of a gene to specific cellular traits. It is unclear, however, under what circumstances each of the two approaches can be most successful and when they are doomed to fail. By analyzing over 500 complex traits of the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaewe show that the trait relatedness to fitness determines the performance of observational approaches. Specifically, in traits subject to strong natural selection, genes identified using observational approaches are often highly coordinated in expression, such that the gene-trait associations are readily recognizable; in sharp contrast, the lack of such coordination in traits subject to weak selection leads to no detectable activity-trait associations for any individual genes and thus the failure of observational approaches. We further show that genetic approaches can be successful when the genes responsible for coordinating the target genes of observational approaches are perturbed. However, because the system-level cellular responses to a random mutation affect more or less every gene and consequently every trait, most genetic effects convey no trait-specific functional information for understanding the traits, which is particularly true for traits subject to weak selection.

Significance statement

Cell research is nearly exclusively based on empirical data obtained through either observational approaches or perturbational/genetic approaches. It is, however, increasingly clear that an analytical framework able to guide the empirical strategies is necessary to drive the field further ahead. This study analyzes ~500 complex traits of the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeand reveals the organizing principles of a cell. Specifically, a cell can be viewed as a factory, with each trait being the product of a production line operated directly by workers who are supervised by managers. For a cellular trait produced by many workers, the coordination level of the workers determines the performance of observational approaches. Meanwhile, the coordination of workers is realized by managers that are recruited and/or maintained by natural selection. Thus, observational approaches are expected to fail for traits subject to little selection, and genetic approaches can be successful only when the managers of fitness-tightly-coupled traits are perturbed. The manager-worker architecture built by natural selection explains well the origins of global epistasis and ubiquitous genetic effects, two major issues confusing current genetics and molecular and cellular biology, providing a clear guideline on how to study a cell.
Green supply chain management (GSCM): a structured literature review and research implications
Authors: Malviya Rakesh Kumar , Kant Ravi
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of green supply chain management (GSCM) research in terms of how the field is represented along a number of dimensions including journal, year, country, university, publishing house, authors, research design, research methods, data analysis techniques, multi criteria decision-making methods, research topics/issues and major industries actively involved.

Design/methodology/approach

– A range of online databases from 1998 to August 2013 were searched containing the word “green supply chain” in their title and in the phrases to provide a comprehensive listing of journal articles on GSCM. Based on this a total of 177 articles were found and the information on a series of variables was gathered. Each of these articles was further reviewed and classified. The review and classification process was independently verified. All papers were allocated to the main and sub-categories based on the major focus.

Findings

– The major findings shows that survey research holds greater credibility and the trend in survey research is moving from exploratory to model building and testing. GSCM research related to organizational practices, environmental issues, process, performance and sustainability were found to be most widely published topics within the GSCM domain.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper is limited in reviewing those articles which contains the word “green supply chain” in the title and the phrases of the articles.

Originality/value

– The present review will provide increased understanding of the current state of research and what still needs to be investigated in the GSCM discipline.
A content analysis of global supply chain research
Authors: Ibrahim Hadiyan Wijaya , Zailani Suhaiza , Tan Keah Choon
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to use content analysis to review the extensive supply chain literature to summarize its past and current trends, and uncover existing gaps and opportunities for future global supply chain research.

Design/methodology/approach

– Since the study uses content analysis, several dimensions of the literature were analyzed: research purpose, year of publication, journal name, methodology, theory building or verification, country of study, sample industry, global or non-global issues, and article classification.

Findings

– From a methodological point, the literature mostly consists of empirical and descriptive studies with few exploratory articles. The review shows that global supply chains area relatively “immature” or “new phenomenon” research topic that is gaining interest from practitioners and academics.

Research limitations/implications

– It is hoped that by critically examining the extant literature, the authors can clearly identify the challenges and state of global supply chain research to provide supply chain researchers with a precise summary of the literature and directions for future studies.

Practical implications

– This study also allows managers to recognize the methodologies and tools that can be used to enhance their supply chains. It is believed that various strategies could be adopted to create a robust global supply chain. In this respect, different industry sectors may require different global strategies and different global practices.

Originality/value

– The findings show that there is a shortage of empirical studies on global supply chain strategies and outcomes, and most research focusses on supply chain practices and customer or supplier relationships.
Factors affecting the ERP implementation in Indian retail sector
Authors: Garg Poonam , Chauhan Ajay
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to make an effort in identifying and exploring the factors which may affect the success of ERP implementation in Indian retail sector. This paper also analyses the between the factors and their impact on the successful implementation of ERP using the structured equation modeling (SEM) approach. “Organizational,” “Technological,” “People” and “Project Management” are the examined factors.

Design/methodology/approach

– A theoretical model is created that explains the factors which may affect the success of ERP implementation. Hypotheses were also developed to evaluate the interrelationship between affecting factors and success of ERP implementation. Empirical data is collected through survey questionnaire from practitioner like project sponsors, project managers, implementation consultants and team members who are involved in ERP implementation in retail sector to test the theoretical model.

Findings

– Using SEM, it is found that 62.7 percent of the variations of ERP implementation success can be explained with the help of the model suggested in the research study. The finding also confirms that there is significant positive interrelationship between “Organizational,” “Technological,” “People,” “Project Management” and success of ERP implementation in Indian retail sector.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is subject to the normal limitations of survey research. The study is using perceptual data provided by project sponsors, project managers, implementation consultants and team members who are involved in ERP implementation in retail sector, which may not provide clear measures of performance. However, this can be overcome using multiple methods to collect data in future studies.

Practical implications

– Findings from this paper can provide greater understanding in the area of ERP implementation. This study will provide valuable insights to researchers, practicing managers and those who are planning to implement ERP in retail sector.

Originality/value

– The study integrates the affecting factor with success of ERP implementation, i.e. “Organizational,” “Technological,” “People” and “Project Management” are the key drivers for the effectiveness and success of ERP implementation in Indian retail sector. Very few studies have been performed to investigate and understand this issue. Therefore, the research can make a useful contribution.
Developing the capability of marketing intelligence
Authors: Lin Wei-Shong , Hsu Jing-Wen , Yeh Ming-Yih
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to help firms to create competitiveness by developing marketing capabilities. It analyzes how the component and architectural competences affect and enhance market orientation and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Built on the theories of organizational capability, knowledge creation, and market orientation, this research develops the contents of marketing capabilities, including component and architectural competences that contribute to marketing capability by responding to external changes, and analyzes their influence on market orientation and firm performance.

Findings

– The study reveals the following effective marketing capabilities which benefit to marketing performance. First, hiring and retaining employees with higher professional, local, and specific knowledge. Second, firms with higher tacit knowledge enhance market orientation. Third, arranging employees into teamwork to implement marketing tasks. Fourth, assigning employees into small-scale experiments on creative proposals. Fifth, standardizing procedures of generation, dissemination, and response of marketing intelligence. Sixth, providing written market information and training programs to non-marketing staff. Seventh, appropriately delegating to staff. Eighth, establishing apprenticeship among the staff to deliver experiential know-how.

Research limitations/implications

– From a dynamic capability perspective, this research construct the two kinds of marketing competences and examine their effect on market orientation and firm performance. For further understanding the complementary effects of marketing capabilities, market orientation, and synergistic performance, a larger sample data (e.g. product, market share, sales, characteristics of staff, firm, and knowledge, etc.) and objective evaluation are encouraged. Otherwise, from the viewpoint of agency theory, the incentive system should also be discussed.

Practical implications

– This research has potentially significant implications for knowledge management and marketing management fields as well as managerial practice. The results suggest the importance of marketing capability for market orientation and firm performance.

Originality/value

– Marketing resources and marketing capabilities are significant drivers of firm performance, and their impact is greater when they are complementary to each other. This study takes the perspectives of organizational capabilities and market orientation to find out the factors which contribute to marketing capability and performance. This study provides practitioners with a framework for analyzing marketing capabilities as an object of improving firm performance by creating market orientation. Furthermore, this research empirically introduced strategic specific competence (tacit knowledge and autonomy) into the model and tests their effect of market orientation and firm performance.
Gender diversity in the governance of the Nigerian securities market
Authors: Ayadi Olusegun Felix , Ojo Ade Thompson , Ayadi Mary Femi , Adetula Dorcas Titilayo
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to identify the key determinants of stock market performance in Nigeria. More specifically, it is an attempt to determine the effect of gender diversity in leadership roles on the performance of the stock market in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses annual data from 1980 through 2011 to model the development and performance of the Nigerian stock market through a modified Calderon-Rossell approach. Specifically, the leadership role of women in the governance of the stock market is investigated. Robust regression approach is used to avoid complications associated with the violations of the assumptions underlying the application of ordinary least squares regression.

Findings

– The empirical analysis shows that level of income, real exchange rate, liquidity, banking sector development, institutional quality, macroeconomic stability and gender are important determinants of stock market performance in the Nigerian stock market. Further, the results indicate that at worst, gender diversity does not play into stock market performance in Nigeria, and at its best, the appointment of women in the management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange is associated with better performance.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the empirical literature on the role of gender diversity and financial performance. The contribution of this paper is the inclusion of gender as an institutional factor among the determinants of stock market performance in Nigeria.
The impact of CEO duality attributes on earnings management in the East
Authors: Yasser Qaiser Rafique , Mamun Abdullah Al
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to examine an important, yet understudied, relationship between board leadership structure and earning management. With conflicting theoretical and empirical evidence underpinning the debate the practice has fluctuated, investor perception of board leadership structure has altered, international regulation has reacted, scholarly conceptualizations of duality have become overly complex and the need to understand duality and conclude the debate has increased.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study examines the relationship between board leadership structure, firm financial performance and financial reporting quality of Australian, Malaysian and Pakistani publicly listed companies by using a sample of three years from 2011 to 2013.

Findings

– Results based on data collected from Australia, Malaysia and Pakistan indicate that the board leadership structure is not associated with firm performance and financial reporting quality. However, the female chief executive impacts negatively on firm performance in Malaysia and Pakistan. Further analyses reveal that the firm size is negatively related, while the grown firms in Australia having strong financial reporting quality.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is based on Australian Stock Exchange-20, Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange-30 and Karachi Stock Exchange-30 companies from 2011 to 2013; however, a large sample from other emerging economies is required.

Practical implications

– The paper provides empirical evidence that unitary or dual leadership structure has no impact on public listed companies and would be of interest to regulatory bodies, business practitioners and academic researchers.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the literature on corporate governance and firm performance by introducing a framework for identifying and analyzing moderating variables that affect the relationship between board leadership structure and firm financial reporting quality.