bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Body size–trophic position relationships among fishes of the lower Mekong basin
Authors: Ou Chouly , Montaña Carmen G. , Winemiller Kirk O.
Published: January 2017

Body size is frequently claimed to be a major determinant of animal trophic interactions, yet few studies have explored relationships between body size and trophic interactions in rivers, especially within the tropics. We examined relationships between body size and trophic position (TP) within fish assemblages in four lowland rivers of the Lower Mekong Basin in Cambodia. Stable isotope analysis (based on δ
15
N) was used to estimate TP of common fish species in each river, and species were classified according to occupation of benthic versus pelagic habitats and major feeding guilds. Regression analysis yielded strong correlations between body size and TP among fishes from the Sesan and Sreprok rivers, but not those from the Mekong and Sekong rivers. The Mekong fish assemblage had higher average TP compared with those of other rivers. The relationship between body size and TP was positive and significantly correlated for piscivores and omnivores, but not for detritivores and insectivores. The body size–TP relationship did not differ between pelagic and benthic fishes. Body size significantly predicted TP within the orders Siluriformes and Perciformes, but not for Cypriniformes, the most species-rich and ecologically diverse order in the Lower Mekong River. We conclude that for species-rich, tropical fish assemblages with many detritivores and invertivores, body size would not be an appropriate surrogate for TP in food web models and other ecological applications.
Validating two-dimensional leadership models on three-dimensionally structured fish schools
Authors: Watts Isobel , Nagy Máté , Holbrook Robert I. , Biro Dora , Burt de Perera Theresa
Published: January 2017

Identifying leader–follower interactions is crucial for understanding how a group decides where or when to move, and how this information is transferred between members. Although many animal groups have a three-dimensional structure, previous studies investigating leader–follower interactions have often ignored vertical information. This raises the question of whether commonly used two-dimensional leader–follower analyses can be used justifiably on groups that interact in three dimensions. To address this, we quantified the individual movements of banded tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus) within shoals by computing the three-dimensional trajectories of all individuals using a stereo-camera technique. We used these data firstly to identify and compare leader–follower interactions in two and three dimensions, and secondly to analyse leadership with respect to an individual's spatial position in three dimensions. We show that for 95% of all pairwise interactions leadership identified through two-dimensional analysis matches that identified through three-dimensional analysis, and we reveal that fish attend to the same shoalmates for vertical information as they do for horizontal information. Our results therefore highlight that three-dimensional analyses are not always required to identify leader–follower relationships in species that move freely in three dimensions. We discuss our results in terms of the importance of taking species' sensory capacities into account when studying interaction networks within groups.
How transposons drive evolution of virulence in a fungal pathogen
Authors: Faino Luigi , Seidl Michael F , Shi-Kunne Xiaoqian , Pauper Marc , van den Berg Grardy CM , Wittenberg Alexander HJ , Thomma Bart PHJ
Published: January 2017

Genomic plasticity enables adaptation to changing environments, which is especially relevant for pathogens that engage in arms races with their hosts. In many pathogens, genes mediating aggressiveness cluster in highly variable, transposon-rich, physically distinct genomic compartments. However, understanding of the evolution of these compartments, and the role of transposons therein, remains limited. We now show that transposons are the major driving force for adaptive genome evolution in the fungal plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae. Highly variable genomic regions evolved by frequent segmental duplications mediated by erroneous homologous recombination, often utilizing transposons, leading to genetic material that is free to diverge. Intriguingly, the duplicated regions are enriched in active transposons that further contribute to local genome plasticity. Thus, we provide evidence for genome shaping by transposons, both in an active and passive manner, which impacts the evolution of pathogen aggressiveness.
Coordination of brain wide activity dynamics by dopaminergic neurons
Authors: Decot Heather K. , Namboodiri Vijay M.K. , Gao Wei , McHenry Jenna A. , Jennings Joshua H. , Lee Sung-Ho , Kantak Pranish A. , Kao Yu-Chieh Jill , Das Manasmita , Witten Ilana B. , Deisseroth Karl , Shih Yen-Yu Ian , Stuber Garret D.
Published: January 2017

Several neuropsychiatric conditions, such as addiction, schizophrenia, and depression may arise in part from dysregulated activity of ventral tegmental area dopaminergic (THVTA) neurons, as well as from more global maladaptation in neurocircuit function. However, whether THVTAactivity affects large-scale brain-wide function remains unknown. Here, we selectively activated THVTAneurons in transgenic rats and measured resulting changes in whole-brain activity using stimulus-evoked functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Selective optogenetic stimulation of THVTAneurons not only enhanced cerebral blood volume (CBV) signals in striatal target regions in a dopamine receptor dependent fashion, but also engaged many additional anatomically defined regions throughout the brain. In addition, repeated pairing of THVTAneuronal activity with forepaw stimulation, produced an expanded brain-wide sensory representation. These data suggest that modulation of THVTAneurons can impact brain dynamics across many distributed anatomically distinct regions, even those that receive little to no direct THVTAinput.
Transcranial alternating current stimulation with speech envelopes modulates speech comprehension
Authors: Wilsch Anna , Neuling Toralf , Obleser Jonas , Herrmann Christoph S.
Published: January 2017

Cortical entrainment of the auditory cortex to the broadband temporal envelope of a speech signal is crucial for speech comprehension. Entrainment results in phases of high and low neural excitability, which structure and decode the incoming speech signal. Entrainment to speech is strongest in the theta frequency range (4–8 Hz), the average frequency of the speech envelope. If a speech signal is degraded, entrainment to the speech envelope is weaker and speech intelligibility declines. Besides perceptually evoked cortical entrainment, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) entrains neural oscillations by applying an electric signal to the brain. Accordingly, tACS-induced entrainment in auditory cortex has been shown to improve auditory perception. The aim of the current study was to modulate speech intelligibility externally by means of tACS such that the electric current corresponds to the envelope of the presented speech stream (i.e., envelope-tACS). Participants performed the Oldenburg sentence test with sentences presented in noise in combination with envelope-tACS. Critically, tACS was induced at time lags of 0 to 250 ms in 50-ms steps relative to sentence onset (auditory stimuli were simultaneous to or preceded tACS). We performed single-subject sinusoidal, linear, and quadratic fits to the sentence comprehension performance across the time lags. We could show that the sinusoidal fit described the modulation of sentence comprehension best. Importantly, the average frequency of the sinusoidal fit was 5.12 Hz, corresponding to the peaks of the amplitude spectrum of the stimulated envelopes. This finding was supported by a significant 5-Hz peak in the average power spectrum of individual performance time series. Altogether, envelope tACS modulates intelligibility of speech in noise, presumably by enhancing and disrupting (time lag with in-or out-of-phase stimulation, respectively) cortical entrainment to the speech envelope in auditory cortex.
Your favorite color makes learning more precise and adaptable
Authors: Farashahi Shiva , Rowe Katherine , Aslami Zohra , Lee Daeyeol , Soltani Alireza
Published: January 2017

Learning from reward feedback is essential for survival but can become extremely challenging with myriad choice options. Here, we propose that learning reward values of individual features can provide a heuristic for estimating reward values of choice options in dynamic, multidimensional environments. We hypothesized that this feature-based learning occurs not just because it can reduce dimensionality, but more importantly because it can increase adaptability without compromising precision of learning. We experimentally tested this hypothesis and found that in dynamic environments, human subjects adopted feature-based learning even when this approach does not reduce dimensionality. Even in static, low-dimensional environments, subjects initially adopted feature-based learning and gradually switched to learning reward values of individual options, depending on how accurately objects’ values can be predicted by combining feature values. Our computational models reproduced these results and highlight the importance of neurons coding feature values for parallel learning of values for features and objects.
Masking of a circadian behavior in larval zebrafish involves the thalamo-habenula pathway
Authors: Lin Qian , Jesuthasan Suresh
Published: January 2017

Light has the ability to disrupt or mask behavior that is normally controlled by the circadian clock. In mammals, masking requires melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells that detect blue light and project to the thalamus. It is not known whether masking is wavelength-dependent in other vertebrates, nor is it clear what higher circuits are involved. Here, we address these questions in zebrafish. We find that diel vertical migration, a circadian behavior in larval zebrafish, is effectively masked by blue, but not by red light. Two-photon calcium imaging reveals that a retino-recipient thalamic nucleus and a downstream structure, the habenula, are tuned to blue light. Lesioning the habenula inhibits light-evoked climbing. These data suggest that a thalamo-habenula pathway may be involved in the ability of blue light to mask circadian behavior.
Hv1 channel supports insulin secretion in pancreaticβcells through calcium entry, depolarization and intracellular pH regulation
Authors: Pang Huimin , Wang Xudong , Xi Wang , Zhao Qing , Zhang Shangrong , Qin Jiwei , Lv Jili , Che Yongzhe , Zuo Weiyan , Li Shu Jie
Published: January 2017

Here, we demonstrate that the voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 represents a regulatory mechanism for insulin secretion of pancreatic isletβcell.In vivo, Hv1-deficient mice display hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance due to reduced insulin secretion, but normal peripheral insulin sensitivity.In vitro, islets of Hv1-deficient and heterozygous mice, INS-1 (832/13) cells with siRNA-mediated knockdown of Hv1 exhibit a marked defect in glucose- and K+-induced insulin secretion. Hv1 deficiency decreases both insulin and proinsulin contents, and limits glucose-induced Ca2+entry and membrane depolarization. Furthermore, loss of Hv1 increases insulin-containing granular pH and decreases cytosolic pH. In addition, histologic studies show a decrease inβcell mass in islets of Hv1-deficient mice. Collectively, our results indicate that Hv1 supports insulin secretion in theβcell by calcium entry, membrane depolarization and intracellular pH regulation.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

The voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 is highly expressed in insulin-containing granules in pancreatic β cells. Hv1 supports insulin secretion in theβcell by calcium entry, membrane depolarization and regulation of intragranular and cytosolic pH, which represents a regulatory mechanism for insulin secretion of pancreatic isletβcell. Our research demonstrates that Hv1 expressed inβcell is required for insulin secretion and maintains glucose homeostasis, and reveals a significant role for the proton channel in the modulation of pancreaticβcell function.
Common object representations for visual production and recognition
Authors: Fan Judith E. , Yamins Daniel L. K. , Turk-Browne Nicholas B.
Published: January 2017

Production and comprehension have long been viewed as inseparable components of language. The study of vision, by contrast, has centered almost exclusively on comprehension. Here we investigate drawing — the most basic form of visual production. How do we convey concepts in visual form, and how does refining this skill, in turn, affect recognition? We developed an online platform for collecting large amounts of drawing and recognition data, and applied a deep convolutional neural network model of visual cortex trained only on natural images to explore the hypothesis that drawing recruits the same abstract feature representations that support natural visual object recognition. Consistent with this hypothesis, higher layers of this model captured the abstract features of both drawings and natural images most important for recognition, and people learning to produce more recognizable drawings of objects exhibited enhanced recognition of those objects. These findings could explain why drawing is so effective for communicating visual concepts, they suggest novel approaches for evaluating and refining conceptual knowledge, and they highlight the potential of deep networks for understanding human learning.
EXTENDING THE UTILITY OF THE WHO RECOMMENDED ASSAY FOR DIRECT DETECTION OF ENTEROVIRUSES FROM CLINICAL SPECIMEN FOR RESOLVING POLIOVIRUS CO-INFECTION
Authors: Faleye Temitope Oluwasegun Cephas , Adewumi Moses Olubusuyi , Ozegbe Naomi Princess , Ogunsakin Oluwaseun Elijah , Ariyo Grace , Adeshina Faith Wuraola , Ogunga Oluwaseun Sarah , Oluwadare Similoluwa Deborah , Adeniji Johnson Adekunle
Published: January 2017

In a polio-free world there might be reduced funding for poliovirus surveillance. There is therefore the need to ensure that enterovirologist globally, especially those outside the global polio laboratory network (GPLN), can participate in poliovirus surveillance without neglecting their enterovirus type of interest. To accomplish this, assays are needed that allow such active participation.

In this light, we used 15 previously identified enterovirus isolates as reference samples for assay development. The first eight were enterovirus species B (EV-B). The remaining seven were EV-Cs; three of which were poliovirus (PV) 1, 2 and 3, respectively. A 16th sample was compounded; a mixture of two EV-Bs, three PVs and one nonPV EV-Cs (all part of the 15). In all, four samples contained PVs with the 16th consisting of mixture of the three PV types. All were subjected to the WHO recommended RT-snPCR assay, and five other modified (with substitution of the second round PCR forward primer) assays. The new primers included the previously described Species Resolution Primers (SRPs; 187and 189) and the Poliovirus Resolution Primers (PRPs: Sab 1, 2 and 3). All amplicons were sequenced and isolate identity confirmed using the Enterovirus Genotyping Tool.

The PRPs detected PV types in only the four samples that contained PVs. In addition, it was able to show that the sample 16 (mixture) contained all the three PV types. On the other hand, though the SRPs and the WHO assay also detected the three singleton PVs, in sample 16, they both detected only one of the three PV types present.

This study describes a sensitive and specific utility extension of the recently recommended WHO RT-snPCR assay that enables independent detection of the three poliovirus types especially in cases of co-infection. More importantly, it piggy-backs on the first round PCR product of the WHO recommended assay and consequently ensures that enterovirologists interested in nonpolio enteroviruses can continue their investigations, and contribute significantly and specifically to poliovirus surveillance, by using the excess of their first round PCR product.
CENP-A associated lncRNAs influence chromosome segregation in human cells
Authors: Quénet Delphine , Sturgill David , Olson Marin , Dalal Yamini
Published: January 2017

Transcription occurs ubiquitously throughout non-coding parts of the genome, including at repetitive α-satellite DNA elements which comprise the majority of human centromeres. The function of temporally regulated centromeric transcription, and transcripts, is consequently a topic of intense investigation. In this study, we use high throughput approaches to identify and describe lncRNAs associated with the centromere specific histone variant CENP-A that arise from the transcription of specific centromeres at early G1, which we then show are physically associated with centromeres, and which are functionally necessary for accurate chromosome segregation. Targeted depletion of one such centromeric RNA, which originates from a single centromere, is sufficient to increase the frequency of chromosome segregation defects. These data support the emerging paradigm of the necessity of centromere-specific lncRNAs in the integrity of faithful chromosome segregation.
Modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy based on actively rotating satellites in formation
Authors: Shao Xiaowei , Wang Jihe , Zhang Dexin , Chen Junli
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy based on actively rotating satellites in the formation in the J2 perturbed environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the relative orbital elements theory, the J2 perturbed relative motions between different satellites in the formation are analyzed, and then, the method to estimate fuel required to keep the in-plane and out-of-plane relative motions is presented, based on which a modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy is derived by considering both in-plane and out-of-plane J2 perturbations.

Findings

Numerical simulations demonstrate that the modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy is valid, and the modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy requires less total fuel consumption than original Vadali and Alfriend’s method.

Research limitations/implications

The modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy is valid for formation flying mission whose member satellite is in circular or near-circular orbit.

Practical implications

The modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy can be used to solve formation flying keeping problem, which involves multiple satellites in the formation.

Originality/value

The modified fuel-balanced formation keeping strategy is proposed by considering both in-plane and out-of-plane J2 perturbations, which further reduce the fuel consumption than the original Vadali and Alfriend’s method.
Aerodynamic performance improvement of WIG aircraft
Authors: Tahani Mojtaba , Masdari Mehran , Bargestan Ali
Published: January 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics as well as static stability of wing-in-ground effect aircraft. The effect of geometrical characteristics, namely, twist angle, dihedral angle, sweep angle and taper ratio are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic code is developed to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of the effect. The turbulent model is utilized for characterization of flow over wing surface.

Findings

The numerical results show that the maximum change of the drag coefficient depends on the angle of attack, twist angle and ground clearance, in a decreasing order. Also, it is found that the lift coefficient increases as the ground clearance, twist angle and dihedral angle decrease. On the other hand, the sweep angle does not have a significant effect on the lift coefficient for the considered wing section and Reynolds number. Also, as the aerodynamic characteristics increase, the taper ratio befits in trailing state.

Practical implications

To design an aircraft, the effect of each design parameter needs to be estimated. For this purpose, the sensitivity analysis is used. In this paper, the influence of all parameter against each other including ground clearance, angle of attack, twist angle, dihedral angle and sweep angle for the NACA 6409 are investigated.

Originality/value

As a summary, the contribution of this paper is to predict the aerodynamic performance for the cruise condition. In this study, the sensitivity of the design parameter on aerodynamic performance can be estimated and the effect of geometrical characteristics has been investigated in detail. Also, the best lift to drag coefficient for the NACA 6409 wing section specifies and two types of taper ratios in ground effect are compared.
Three-axes predictive control of autopilot for missile
Authors: Ada Celâl , Kural Ayhan
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the autopilot design for the missile under various disturbances.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, model predictive control (MPC) method has been used for autopilot design for each axis. The aim of autopilot is that to keep the roll angle value around the zero degree and to track pitch/yaw acceleration commands. This three-axes control methodology also takes into consideration the interaction between pitch, yaw and roll motions.

Findings

The purpose of using MPC method for three-axes of the autopilot is to decrease the control effort and to make the close-loop system insensitive against modeling uncertainties and stochastic effects.

Originality/value

This study shows that the missile is able to reach to the desired target with good robustness, low control effort and little miss-distance under disturbances such as aerodynamic uncertainties, thrust misalignment and gust affect by using this alternative control method.
Satellite formation keeping using differential lift and drag under J2 perturbation
Authors: Shao Xiaowei , Song Mingxuan , Wang Jihe , Zhang Dexin , Chen Junli
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a method to achieve small satellite formation keeping operations by using the differential lift and drag to control the drift caused by J2 perturbation in circular or near-circular low earth orbits (LEOs).

Design/methodology/approach

Each spacecraft is equipped with five large flat plates, which can be controlled to generate differential accelerations. The aerodynamic lift and drag acting on a flat plate is calculated by the kinetic theory. To maintain the formation within tracking error bounds in the presence of J2 perturbation, a nonlinear Lyapunov-based feedback control law is designed.

Findings

Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method is efficient for the satellite formation keeping and better accuracy advantage in comparison with classical approaches via the fixed maximum differential aerodynamic acceleration.

Research limitations/implications

Because the aerodynamic force will reduce drastically as the orbital altitude increases, the formation keeping control strategy for small satellites presented in this paper should be limited to the scenarios when satellites are in LEO.

Practical implications

The formation keeping control method in this paper can be applied to solve satellite formation keeping problem for small satellites in LEO.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a Lyapunov control strategy for satellite formation keeping considering both lift and drag forces, and simulation results show better performance with high accuracy under J2 perturbation.
Immunity-based accommodation of aircraft subsystem failures
Authors: Togayev Adil , Perhinschi Mario , Moncayo Hever , Al Azzawi Dia , Perez Andres
Published: January 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the design, development and flight-simulation testing of an artificial immune-system-based approach for accommodation of different aircraft sub-system failures/damages.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is based on building an artificial memory, which represents self- (nominal conditions) and non-self (abnormal conditions) within the artificial immune system paradigm. Self- and non-self are structured as a set of memory cells consisting of measurement strings, over pre-defined time windows. Each string is a set of features values at each sample time of the flight. The accommodation algorithm is based on the cell in the memory that is the most similar to the in-coming measurement. Once the best match is found, control commands corresponding to this match are extracted from the memory and used for control purposes.

Findings

The results demonstrate the possibility of extracting pilot compensatory commands from the self/non-self structure and capability of the artificial-immune-system-based scheme to accommodate an actuator malfunction, maintain control and complete the task.

Research limitations/implications

This paper concentrates on investigation of the possibility of extracting compensatory pilot commands. This is a preliminary step toward a more comprehensive solution to the aircraft abnormal condition accommodation problem.

Practical implications

The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach using a motion-based flight simulator for actuator and sensor failures.

Originality/value

This research effort is focused on investigating the use of the artificial immune system paradigm for control purposes based on a novel methodology.
Guidance and control algorithms for mini UAV autopilots
Authors: Capello Elisa , Guglieri Giorgio , Ristorto Gianluca
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is the implementation and validation of control and guidance algorithms for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) autopilots.

Design/methodology/approach

The path-following control of the UAV can be separated into different layers: inner loop for pitch and roll attitude control, outer loop on heading, altitude and airspeed control for the waypoints tracking and waypoint navigation. Two control laws are defined: one based on proportional integrative derivative (PID) controllers both for inner and outer loops and one based on the combination of PIDs and an adaptive controller.

Findings

Good results can be obtained in terms of trajectory tracking (based on waypoints) and of parameter variations. The adaptive control law guarantees smoothing responses and less oscillations and glitches on the control deflections.

Practical implications

The proposed controllers are easily implementable on-board and are computationally efficient.

Originality/value

The algorithm validation via hardware in the loop simulations can be used to reduce the platform set-up time and the risk of losing the prototype during the flight tests.
Heuristic optimization of Bezier curves based trajectories for unconventional airships docking
Authors: Ceruti Alessandro , Marzocca Pier
Published: January 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a methodology to optimize the trajectory of unconventional airship performing a high-altitude docking manoeuvre.

Design/methodology/approach

The trajectories are based upon Bezier curves whose control points positions are optimized through particle swarm optimization algorithm. A minimum energy strategy is implemented by considering the airship physical properties. The paper describes the mathematical model of the airships, the trajectories modelling through Bezier’s curves and the optimization framework. A series of test cases has been developed to evaluate the proposed methodology.

Findings

Results obtained show that the implemented procedure is able to optimize the airship trajectories and to support their in-flight docking; a strong influence of the wind speed and course on the trajectories planning is highlighted.

Research limitations/implications

The wind speed considered in these simulations depends only on altitude, and gusts effect has been neglected.

Practical implications

The proposed model can support the study of unconventional airship trajectories and can be useful to evaluate best in-air docking strategies.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the problem of trajectory optimization for a class of new air vehicles with an heuristic approach.
Learning to build relationships for a better Australia
Authors: Heard Isaac , Love Peter E.D. , Sing Michael C.P. , Goerke Veronica
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Research examining the role of construction and involvement of resource organisations with indigenous reconciliation has been very limited in Australia. This paper aims to examine how a sample of organisations from Western Australia (WA) are engaging with indigenous reconciliation.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey juxtaposed with in-depth interviews are used to explore how construction and resource companies (mining and energy) operating in WA have been planning to build better relationships with the indigenous community as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.

Findings

The majority of construction and resource companies sampled embraced reconciliation as part of a contractual and legal requirement rather than part of their CSR. It was acknowledged that to effectively address the issues associated with reconciliation and indigenous engagement, there is a requirement for flexibility and adaption of existing protocols and processes to better suit the cultural differences that arise with interactions between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.

Research limitations/implications

The questionnaire survey was cross-sectional, and a limited number of in-depth interviews were undertaken. Respondents’ opinions were sought about their organisations’ reconciliation action plans, which have only been recently embraced by firms, and thus, views that were solicited should not be treated as being definitive.

Originality/value

Research examining the role of construction and involvement of resource organisations with indigenous reconciliation in the construction and resource sector has been limited. The findings of this study can provide a platform for examining and comparing how construction and resource organisations in different countries are embracing the process of reconciliation with their indigenous peoples.
Matching expectations for successful university student volunteering
Authors: Paull Megan , Omari Maryam , MacCallum Judith , Young Susan , Walker Gabrielle , Holmes Kirsten , Haski-Leventhal Debbie , Scott Rowena
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of expectation formation and matching for university student volunteers and their hosts.

Design/methodology/approach

This research involved a multi-stage data collection process including interviews with student volunteers, and university and host representatives from six Australian universities. The project team undertook an iterative process of coding and interpretation to identify themes and develop understanding of the phenomenon.

Findings

University student volunteering has the potential to fail to meet the expectations of at least one of the parties to the relationship when the expectations of the parties are not clearly articulated. Universities operating volunteer programmes have an important role in facilitating expectation formation and matching, minimising the chances of mismatched expectations.

Research limitations/implications

The study confirms the operation of a psychological contract for university student volunteers and organisations who host them which is consistent with other research in volunteering demonstrating the importance of matching expectations.

Practical implications

The paper identifies the importance of expectation formation and matching for hosts and students, and highlights the role of universities in facilitating matchmaking.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the growing body of research on the role of the psychological contract in volunteering, in particular in university student volunteering and host organisations.
All the world’s a stage: transforming entrepreneurship education through design thinking
Authors: Huq Afreen , Gilbert David
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an alternate approach to entrepreneurship pedagogy development through an iterative journey of co-ownership between students, industry partners and academic course teams to enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilising design thinking, the pedagogy evolved over a three-year period (2013-2015) through iterative innovation in the delivery model and assessments, underpinned by notions of classroom community, constructivism, justice and equity, humour and role-play.

Findings

The findings strongly validate the integration of notions of justice and equity, constructivism, humour and role-play as learning principles and delivery elements in entrepreneurship pedagogy to enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes. A critical outcome of this design and delivery process is the reduction of barriers between students and teachers and the impact this has on creating a shared learning journey; a journey that in this case has resulted in meaningful outcomes for all involved.

Research limitations/implications

Further research with longitudinal data is needed to validate the link between design-led entrepreneurship pedagogy and enhanced student learning outcomes as well as implications relating to graduate employability. In global settings, further data collection could also validate whether the findings are culturally neutral or culturally sensitive.

Practical implications

Entrepreneurship educators will benefit from this pedagogical approach in seeking to meet the needs of business start-ups, intrapreneurial capacity-building and potentially, enhancement of graduate employability. The model also offers promise for other learning contexts.

Originality/value

Design thinking has received scant attention in entrepreneurship pedagogy. This case study demonstrates how design thinking can enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes by integrating notions of constructivism, justice and equity, humour and role-play in entrepreneurship curricula.
Strategic management in universities as a factor of their global competitiveness
Authors: Parakhina Valentina , Godina Olga , Boris Olga , Ushvitsky Lev
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Modernization of Russian higher education is carried out with the purpose of its successful integration into the global educational environment. However, the contemporary management model of most Russian universities demonstrates a low efficiency level. The purpose of this paper is to identify the problems of organizing the universities’ strategic development and to seek the opportunities to achieve strategic competitiveness of Russian universities.

Design/methodology/approach

The basic research methods included the following: content analysis, expert evaluations, analysis of the modern concepts of universities strategic management, comparative analysis of high school practice of strategy development, and government regulations in historical perspective.

Findings

The major result of the study is the conclusion that the most important problem of the competitiveness of Russian universities is the lack of strategic flexibility. We can say that there is a structural nature of the management crisis affecting the whole system of university education. Over the past 25 years, there has been a radical change in the basic institutional conditions for the development of higher education institutions in Russia: the volumes and changed model of financing; the market landscape and the regional environment; the conditions and the nature of the interaction with international partners, etc. At the same time, in most cases, the platform of this system and standards of internal policy have remained unchanged. Russian education practically lost its individuality. This paper shows the experience of strategic management at leading federal and regional universities of Russia, analyzes the implementation of their development programs, and gives examples of best practices in the use of strategic planning tools.

Originality/value

The relevance and value of the paper is the following: for the first time, thorough attention has been paid to the accumulated potential of Russian universities, which has been formed over a long evolutionary path and now can be positioned as an important management resource in the organization of strategic management for enhancing the global competitiveness of the national system of higher education.
Making sense of Big Data – can it transform operations management?
Authors: Matthias Olga , Fouweather Ian , Gregory Ian , Vernon Andy
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the application and exploitation of Big Data (BD) to create competitive advantage. It presents a framework of application areas, and how they help the understanding of targeting and scoping specific areas for sustainable improvement. Empirical evidence demonstrates the application of BD in practice and tests the framework.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory approach is adopted to the secondary research which examines vendors’ offerings. The empirical research used the case study method.

Findings

The findings indicate that there is opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantage through the application of BD. However there are social, technological and human consequences that are only now beginning to emerge which need to be addressed if true long-term advantage is to be achieved.

Research limitations/implications

The research develops a framework and tests it only in two dimensions. This should be expanded. The vendor analysis limitations lie within the nature of the information available and the difficulties in mitigating against bias.

Practical implications

The suggested framework can help academics and managers to identify areas of opportunity to do so, setting new levels of performance and new agendas for business.

Originality/value

This work contributes to service operations management, building on Kranzberg (1986) and the impact of technology and on Fosso Wambaet al.(2015) by developing a systems application framework to further understanding of BD from a practical perspective to extend their research taxonomy insights. The case studies demonstrate how the use of BD enhances operational performance.
Big data breaches and customer compensation strategies
Authors: Kude Thomas , Hoehle Hartmut , Sykes Tracy Ann
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Big Data Analytics provides a multitude of opportunities for organizations to improve service operations, but it also increases the threat of external parties gaining unauthorized access to sensitive customer data. With data breaches now a common occurrence, it is becoming increasingly plain that while modern organizations need to put into place measures to try to prevent breaches, they must also put into place processes to deal with a breach once it occurs. Prior research on information technology security and services failures suggests that customer compensation can potentially restore customer sentiment after such data breaches. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors draw on the literature on personality traits and social influence to better understand the antecedents of perceived compensation and the effectiveness of compensation strategies. The authors studied the propositions using data collected in the context of Target’s large-scale data breach that occurred in December 2013 and affected the personal data of more than 70 million customers. In total, the authors collected data from 212 breached customers.

Findings

The results show that customers’ personality traits and their social environment significantly influences their perceptions of compensation. The authors also found that perceived compensation positively influences service recovery and customer experience.

Originality/value

The results add to the emerging literature on Big Data Analytics and will help organizations to more effectively manage compensation strategies in large-scale data breaches.
Storage allocation framework for designing lean buffers in forward-reserve model: a test case
Authors: Shah Bhavin , Khanzode Vivek
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The retail revolution swing from traditional distribution to e-tailing services and unprecedented increase in internet adoption insist practitioners to diversely plan warehousing strategies. More than practically required storage space has been identified as wastes, and also it does not improve performance. An organized framework integrating storage design policies, operational performance and customer value improvement for retail-distribution management is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop broad guidelines to design the “just-right” amount of forward area, i.e., “lean buffer” answering the following questions: “What should be lean buffer size? How effective the forward area is? As per demand variations, which storage waste (SKU) should be allocated with how much storage space? What is the amount of storage waste (SW)? How smooth the material flow is in between reserve-forward area?” for storage allocation in cosmetics distribution centers.

Design/methodology/approach

After forecasting static storage allocation between two planning horizons, if a particular SKU is less or non-moving, then it will cause SW, as the occupied location can be utilized by other competing SKUs, and also it impedes material flow for an instance. A dynamically efficient and self-adaptive, knapsack instance based heuristics is developed in order to make effective storage utilization.

Findings

The existing state-of-the-art under study is supported with a distribution center case, and the study investigates the need of a model adopting lean management approach in storage allocation policies along with test results in LINGO. The sensitivity analysis describes the impact of varying demand and buffer size on performance. The results are compared with uniform and exponential distributed demands, and findings reveal that the proposed heuristics improves efficiency and reduce SWs in forward-reserve area.

Originality/value

The presented model demonstrates a novel thinking of lean adoption in designing storage allocation strategy and its performance measures while reducing wastes and improving customer value. Future research issues are highlighted, which may be of great help to the researchers who would like to explore the emerging field of lean adoption for sustainable retail and distribution operations.
Value creation in SME private equity buy-outs
Authors: Lahmann Alexander D.F. , Stranz Wiebke , Velamuri Vivek K.
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze specific levers of value creation in small and mid-size private equity deals. Private equity firms add value through various types of value creation measures in their portfolio firms to achieve abnormal returns. Established literature has shown that value creation measures differ across portfolio firms due to the different development stages of the firm and different buy-out types. Despite the fact that the majority of deals belongs to the small and mid-size segment, prior studies mostly analyzed large private equity buy-outs or mixed samples.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore value generation measures in small and mid-size buy-outs, a single case study format was applied studying the carve-out of QUNDIS from Siemens Building Technologie by CAPCELLENCE as an exceptional successfully private equity deal within this segment.

Findings

The analysis shows that operational and governance improvements are common value creation measures in all buy-outs. The results suggest a lower leverage for smaller private equity deals indicating that financial engineering is less important. Furthermore, in small and mid-size deals, the strategic focus is growth contrary to downsizing and refocusing in large buy-outs.

Research limitations/implications

Results of a single case study should be generalized cautiously, as they are perceived as less robust compared to empirical methods or multiple case studies. However, this method is appropriate for explorative studies.

Originality/value

The paper is original in exploring certain value creation measures applied by private equity firms in their portfolio companies in the small and mid-size segment.
3D Seamless Woven Fashion Based on New Concept and Technology
Authors: Wang1 Xue Qin , Ng Frankie M.C. , Hu Jinlian
Published: January 2017

Seamless woven fashion is approachable via the Jacquard technology. With the rapid development of weaving technology and materials, an attempt is being made to expand and invent the technical and creative scopes of 3D Seamless Woven Fashion (SWF). The thrusts of the study are to establish complete design principles for advancing creation of SWF. In this study, three technical elements of weaving design have been identified in the course of SWF creation, i.e. elastic yarn, integrated structure, and integrated pattern. Past experiments so far suggested that it is possible to obtain different shrinkages as well as seamless woven textiles with varied richness and novel textures by adjusting the tightness of basic weaves. Moreover, three forms of layered structures, i.e., F (Flat), 3D-MnL (3-dimensional form on mono-layer) and 3D-MtL (3-dimensional appearance between multi-layers) were incorporated on different parts of a garment against specific requirements and/or performance. The construction of 3D shapes of SWF contributes to variety of fashions as well as woven textiles.
Transfer Printing of Polyester Fabrics with Natural Dyes
Authors: Salem Asmaa.A. , Shahin Mai.F. , Sayad Hanan.S.El , Halwagy Azza.A.El
Published: January 2017

This study attempts to highlight the possibility of using natural dyes in transfer printing of polyester fabrics. The used dyes were Turmeric, Alkanet, and Rhubarb. To obtain optimum conditions for transfer printed polyester fabris, different factors were investigated such as concentration of dyes, the pH of printing paste and both the transfer time and temperature of printing. The types of thickening agents were also studied. Both natural and synthetic thickeners (sodium alginate and Dicothick) were used, and thier mixtures with different ratios were examined. Colour strength, percentage of dye penetration and fastness properties were also assessed.

The investigation indicates that varying transfer printing conditions, temperature and time has a marked impact on the colour strength of polyester prints and hence optimum conditions for transfer printing can be established .Results of the studies conducted for different types of thickeners show that Dicothick gave the highest colour strength values while sodium alginate prints had the lowest values, and thier mixture lied in between, fastness properties values varied from very good to excellent for three natural dyes.
Effect of Ring and Compact Cotton Spun Yarn characteristics on Physical and Comfort Properties of Knitted Fabrics
Authors: Manonmani G. , Vigneswaran C. , Chandrasekaran K. , Ramachandran T.
Published: January 2017

This study investigates the effect of ring and compact spun yarns such as Sussen Elite and Com4 spun yarn on the physical and comfort characteristics of single jersey, rib and plain interlock knitted fabrics. The physical characteristics such as fabric aerial density, tightness factor, spirality and pilling behaviour were studied and statistically analyzed using Multivariable ANOVA analysis. The comfort characteristics such as thermal insulation behaviour (TIV), water vapour permeability, wicking and air permeability were studied and reported. The test results showed that compact spun yarn knitted fabrics such as Sussen Elite and Com4 yarn fabrics demonstrated higher thermal insulation behaviour in all the knitted structures when compared to ring spun yarn knitted fabrics. The low stress mechanical characteristics such as shear and compressional behaviour of ring and compact spun yarn knitted fabrics were also reported.