bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fractal dimension and turbulence in Giant HII Regions
Authors: Caicedo-Ortiz H E , Santiago-Cortes E , López-Bonilla J , Castañeda H O
Published: January 2015

We have measured the fractal dimensions of the Giant HII Regions Hubble X and Hubble V in NGC6822 using images obtained with the Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). These measures are associated with the turbulence observed in these regions, which is quantified through the velocity dispersion of emission lines in the visible. Our results suggest low turbulence behaviour.
Unexplored Indoors method for pyranometers calibration traceable to SI
Authors: Castillo-Matadamas H A , Molina-Vazquez J C , Quintero-Torres R
Published: January 2015

A method to calibrate pyranometers with direct traceability to the International System of Units (SI) is presented, the method use an electrically calibrated pyroelectric detector (ECPR) as standard and offers numerous advantages over outdoors conventional calibration methods, such as reducing the uncertainty from the reference standard and the final uncertainty of the sensitivity coefficient of the calibrated pyranometer; the measurement uncertainty achieved with this method at normal irradiance is 2.1% for a coverage factor k = 2 and could be reduce if one reduces the uncertainty level of the reference standard.
Emulating a robotic manipulator arm with an hybrid motion-control system
Authors: Aragón-González G , León-Galicia A , Noriega-Hernández M , Salazar-Hueta A
Published: January 2015

A motion control system with four and 1/2 degrees of freedom, designed to move small objects within a 0.25 m3 space, parallel to a horizontal table, with high speed and performance similar to a robotic manipulator arm was built. The machine employs several actuators and control devices. Its main characteristic is to incorporate a servomotor, steeper motors, electromechanical and fluid power actuators and diverse control resources. A group of actuators arranged on a spherical coordinates system is attached to the servomotor platform. A linear pneumatic actuator with an angular grip provides the radial extension and load clamping capacity. Seven inductive proximity sensors and one encoder provide feedback, for operating the actuators under closed loop conditions. Communication between the sensors and control devices is organized by a PLC. A touch screen allows governing the system remotely, easily and interactively, without knowing the specific programming language of each control component. The graphic environment on the touch screen guides the user to design and store control programs, establishing coordinated automatic routines for moving objects in space, simulation and implementation of industrial positioning or machining processes.
Hydrogen production by a PEM electrolyser
Authors: Aragón-González G , León-Galicia A , González-Huerta R , Camacho J M Rivera , Uribe-Salazar M
Published: January 2015

A PEM electrolyser for hydrogen production was evaluated. It was fed with water and a 400 mA, 3.5 V cc electrical power source. The electrolyser was built with two acrylic plates to form the anode and the cathode, two meshes to distribute the current, two seals, two gas diffusers and an assembly membrane-electrode. A small commercial neoprene sheet 1.7 mm thin was used to provide for the water deposit in order to avoid the machining of the structure. For the assembly of the proton interchange membrane a thin square 50 mm layer of Nafion 115 was used.
Semiautomatic machine for turning inside out industrial leather gloves
Authors: Aragón-Gonzalez G , Cano-Blanco M , León-Galicia A , Medrano-Sierra L F , Morales-Gómez J R
Published: January 2015

The last step in the industrial leather gloves manufacturing is to turn the inside out so that the sewing be in the inside of the glove. This work presents the design and testing of a machine for that purpose. In order to quantify the relevant variables, testing was performed with a prototype glove. The employed devices and the testing proceeding were developed experimentally. The obtained information was used to build the turning inside out machine. This machine works with pneumatic power to carry the inside out turning by means of double effect lineal actuators. It has two independent work stations that could be operated simultaneously by two persons, one in each station or in single mode operating one station by one person. The turning inside out cycle is started by means of directional control valves operated with pedals. The velocity and developed force by the actuators is controlled with typical pneumatic resources. The geometrical dimensions of the machine are: 1.15 m length; 0.71 m width and 2.15 m high. Its approximated weight is 120 kg. The air consumption is 5.4 fps by each working station with 60 psig work pressure. The turning inside out operation is 40 s for each industrial leather glove.
Optimization of an irreversible Stirling regenerative cycle
Authors: Aragón-González G , Cano-Bianco M , León-Galicia A , Rivera-Camacho J M
Published: January 2015

In this work a Stirling regenerative cycle with some irreversibilities is analyzed. The analyzed irreversibilities are located at the heat exchangers. They receive a finite amount of heat and heat leakage occurs between both reservoirs. Using this model, power and the efficiency at maximum power are obtained. Some optimal design parameters for the exchanger heat areas and thermal conductances are presented. The relation between the power, efficiency and the results obtained are shown graphically.
Acoustic heart. Interpretation of Phonocardiograms by computer
Authors: Granados J , Tavera F , Velázquez J M , López G , Hernández R T , Morales A
Published: January 2015

In the field of Cardiology have been identified several heart pathologies associated with problems in valves and narrowing in veins. Each case is associated with a specific sound emitted by the heart, detected in cardiac auscultation. On the Phonocardiogram, sound is visualized as a peak in the wave. In the Optics Laboratory of the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana – Azcapotzalco, we have developed a simulation of the Phonocardiograms of heart sounds associated with the main pathologies and a computer program of recognition of images that allows you to quickly identify the respective diseases. This is a novel way to analyze Phonocardiograms and the foundation for building a portable non-invasive cardiac diagnostic computerized analyzer system.
Signal differentiation in position tracking control of dc motors
Authors: Beltran-Carbajal F , Valderrabano-Gonzalez A , Rosas-Caro J C
Published: January 2015

An asymptotic differentiation approach with respect to time is used for on-line estimation of velocity and acceleration signals in controlled dc motors. The attractive feature of this differentiator of signals is that it does not require any system mathematical model, which allows its use in engineering systems that require the signal differentiation for its control, identification, fault detection, among other applications. Moreover, it is shown that the differentiation approach can be applied for output signals showing a chaotic behavior. In addition a differential flatness control scheme with additional integral compensation of the output error is proposed for tracking tasks of position reference trajectories for direct current electric motors using angular position measurements only.
Radial Hilbert Transform in terms of the Fourier Transform applied to Image Encryption
Authors: Morales Y , Díaz L , Torres C
Published: January 2015

In the present investigation, a mathematical algorithm under Matlab platform using Radial Hilbert Transform and Random Phase Mask for encrypting digital images is implemented. The algorithm is based on the use of the conventional Fourier transform and two random phase masks, which provide security and robustness to the system implemented. Random phase masks used during encryption and decryption are the keys to improve security and make the system immune to attacks by program generation phase masks.
Study of the temporal evolution of Whitening Teeth immersed in Peroxide of hydrogen (H2O2) Using Digital Image Processing
Authors: Díaz L , Morales Y , Torres C
Published: January 2015

The esthetic dentistry reference in our society is determined by several factors, including one that produces more dissatisfaction is abnormal tooth color or that does not meet the patient's expectations. For this reason it has been designed and implemented an algorithm in MATLAB that captures, digitizes, pre-processing and analyzed dental imaging by allowing to evaluate the degree of bleaching caused by the use of peroxide of hidrogen. The samples analyzed were human teeth extracted, which were subjected to different concentrations of peroxide of hidrogen and see if they can teeth whitening when using these products, was used different concentrations and intervals of time to analysis or study of the whitening of the teeth with the hydrogen peroxide.
Extremal problems for eigenvalues of measure differential equations
Authors: Meng Gang
Published: January 2015

Measure differential equations can model non-classical problems like the quantum effects. In this paper we will solve extremal problems for eigenvalues of measure differential equations by exploiting the approximation of general measures by smooth measures and the continuity results of eigenvalues in weak

∗

^*

topology of measures.
Why Do Fewer Agricultural Workers Migrate Now?
Authors: Fan Maoyong , Gabbard Susan , Alves Pena Anita , Perloff Jeffrey M.
Published: January 2015

The share of agricultural workers who migrate within the United States has fallen by approximately 60% since the late 1990s. To explain this decline in the migration rate, we estimate annual migration‐choice models using data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey for 1989–2009. On average, over the last decade of the sample, one‐third of the fall in the migration rate was due to changes in the demographic composition of the workforce, while two‐thirds was due to changes in coefficients (“structural” change). In some years, demographic changes were responsible for half of the overall change.
More challenges for machine-learning protein interactions
Authors: Hamp Tobias , Rost Burkhard
Published: January 2015

Motivation: Machine learning may be the most popular computational tool in molecular biology. Providing sustained performance estimates is challenging. The standard cross-validation protocols usually fail in biology. Park and Marcotte found that even refined protocols fail for protein–protein interactions (PPIs).

Results: Here, we sketch additional problems for the prediction of PPIs from sequence alone. First, it not only matters whether proteins A or B of a target interaction A–B are similar to proteins of training interactions (positives), but also whether A or B are similar to proteins of non-interactions (negatives). Second, training on multiple interaction partners per protein did not improve performance for new proteins (not used to train). In contrary, a strictly non-redundant training that ignored good data slightly improved the prediction of difficult cases. Third, which prediction method appears to be best crucially depends on the sequence similarity between the test and the training set, how many true interactions should be found and the expected ratio of negatives to positives. The correct assessment of performance is the most complicated task in the development of prediction methods. Our analyses suggest that PPIs square the challenge for this task.

Availability and implementation: Datasets used in our analyses are available at https://rostlab.org/owiki/index.php/PPI_challenges

Contact:  rost@in.tum.de

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
NLR-parser: rapid annotation of plant NLR complements
Authors: Steuernagel Burkhard , Jupe Florian , Witek Kamil , Jones Jonathan D.G. , Wulff Brande B.H.
Published: January 2015

Motivation: The repetitive nature of plant disease resistance genes encoding for nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins hampers their prediction with standard gene annotation software. Motif alignment and search tool (MAST) has previously been reported as a tool to support annotation of NLR-encoding genes. However, the decision if a motif combination represents an NLR protein was entirely manual.

Results: The NLR-parser pipeline is designed to use the MAST output from six-frame translated amino acid sequences and filters for predefined biologically curated motif compositions. Input reads can be derived from, for example, raw long-read sequencing data or contigs and scaffolds coming from plant genome projects. The output is a tab-separated file with information on start and frame of the first NLR specific motif, whether the identified sequence is a TNL or CNL, potentially full or fragmented. In addition, the output of the NB-ARC domain sequence can directly be used for phylogenetic analyses. In comparison to other prediction software, the highly complex NB-ARC domain is described in detail using several individual motifs.

Availability and implementation: The NLR-parser tool can be downloaded from Git-Hub (github.com/steuernb/NLR-Parser). It requires a valid Java installation as well as MAST as part of the MEME Suite. The tool is run from the command line.

Contact:  burkhard.steuernagel@jic.ac.uk; fjupe@salk.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Comparison of Application Methods for Suppressing the Pecan Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) with Beauveria bassiana Under Field Conditions
Authors: Shapiro-Ilan David I. , Gardner Wayne A. , Cottrell Ted E. , Behle Robert W. , Wood Bruce W.
Published: January 2015

The pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Horn), is a key pest of pecans. The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin is pathogenic to C. caryae. One approach to managing C. caryae may be application of B. bassiana directed toward adult weevils as they emerge from the soil to attack nuts in the tree canopy. Our objective was to compare different application methods for suppression of C. caryae adults. Treatments included direct application of B. bassiana (GHA strain) to soil under the tree canopy, soil application followed by cultivation, soil application in conjunction with a cover crop (Sudan grass), direct application to the tree trunk, and application to the trunk with an UV radiation–protecting adjuvant. The study was conducted in a pecan orchard in Byron, GA, in 2005 and 2006. Naturally emerging C. caryae adults, caught after crawling to the trunk, were transported to the laboratory to determine percentage mortality and signs of mycosis. When averaged over the 15-d sampling period, weevil mortality and signs of mycosis were greater in all treatments than in the nontreated control in 2005 and 2006; >75% average mortality was observed with the trunk application both years and in the trunk application with UV protection in 2005. Results indicated trunk applications can produce superior efficacy relative to ground application, particularly if the ground application is followed by cultivation. Efficacy in the cover crop treatment, however, did not differ from other application approaches. Future research should focus on elucidating the causes for treatment differences we observed and the extent to which B. bassiana –induced C. caryae mortality reduces crop damage.
The Paris Commune in Bolshevik Mythology
Authors: Bergman Jay
Published: January 2015

The article describes and analyses the mythology that the Bolsheviks in Russia created about the Paris Commune of 1871. At first glance it seems odd that they would do this: the Commune existed for only a few months in a foreign country, and by the time the Bolsheviks took power in 1917, it was a distant memory for the few Russians who remembered it. But because the socialism the Bolsheviks promised had no demonstrable empirical validity—in 1917 no socialist regimes existed—the Bolsheviks found the legitimacy they needed as the new rulers of Russia primarily in history: in historical events like the Commune, which in their minds anticipated their own revolution and justified the radical transformation in Russia and elsewhere that would follow it. That the Commune was a failure was not an impediment. In fact, the aura of martyrdom it exuded made the Communards more admirable rather than less so.

The article traces the evolution of this mythology from its origins in Lenin’s views prior to the October Revolution, through the 1920s and into the Stalin era. The article shows how Bolshevik views of the Commune were reflected in theatre, music, movies, the omnipresent posters and placards of which the Soviet leadership was inordinately fond, and other expressions of popular culture. Finally, the article explores what the Bolsheviks’ critics on the left, notably Kautsky and Martov, had to say about the Commune, and why Lenin and Trotsky in particular felt compelled to polemicise against them with such vituperation and rhetorical violence.
53BP1 promotes microhomology-mediated end-joining in G1-phase cells
Authors: Xiong Xiahui , Du Zhanwen , Wang Ying , Feng Zhihui , Fan Pan , Yan Chunhong , Willers Henning , Zhang Junran
Published: January 2015

Alternative non-homologous end joining (alt-NHEJ) was originally identified as a backup repair mechanism in the absence of classical NHEJ (c-NHEJ) factors but recent studies have demonstrated that alt-NHEJ is active even when c-NHEJ as well as homologous recombination is available. The functions of 53BP1 in NHEJ processes are not well understood. Here, we report that 53BP1 promotes DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair and genomic stability not only in c-NHEJ-proficient but also -deficient human G1-phase cells. Using an array of repair substrates we show that these effects of 53BP1 are correlated with a promotion of microhomology-mediated end-joining (MMEJ), a subtype of alt-NHEJ, in G1-phase. Consistent with a specific role in MMEJ we confirm that 53BP1 status does not affect c-NHEJ. 53BP1 supports sequence deletion during MMEJ consistent with a putative role in facilitating end-resection. Interestingly, promotion of MMEJ by 53BP1 in G1-phase cells is only observed in the presence of functional BRCA1. Depletion of both 53BP1 and BRCA1 increases repair needing microhomology usage and augments loss of DNA sequence, suggesting that MMEJ is a highly regulated DSB repair process. Together, these findings significantly expand our understanding of the cell-cycle-dependent roles of 53BP1 in DSB repair.
A new mid-Silurian aquatic scorpion—one step closer to land?
Authors: Waddington Janet , Rudkin David M. , Dunlop Jason A.
Published: January 2015

One of the oldest known fossil scorpions, a new species from the mid-Silurian Eramosa Formation (430 myr) of Ontario, Canada, exhibits several surprising features. The depositional environment and associated biota indicate a marine habitat; however, the leg morphology of this scorpion, which has a short tarsus in common with all Recent scorpions, suggests that a key adaptation for terrestrial locomotion, the ability to support its weight on a subterminal ‘foot’, appeared remarkably early in the scorpion fossil record. Specimens are preserved intact and undisturbed in a splayed posture typical of moults rather than carcasses. We postulate that these animals were aquatic, but occasionally ventured into extremely shallow water, or onto a transient subaerially exposed surface while moulting, before returning to deeper water. Shed exuviae were preserved
in situ
by rapid overgrowth of bacterial biofilm.
Ancestor–descendant relationships in evolution: origin of the extant pygmy right whale,
Caperea marginata
Authors: Tsai Cheng-Hsiu , Fordyce R. Ewan
Published: January 2015

Ancestor–descendant relationships (ADRs), involving descent with modification, are the fundamental concept in evolution, but are usually difficult to recognize. We examined the cladistic relationship between the only reported fossil pygmy right whale,
†Miocaperea pulchra
, and its sole living relative, the enigmatic pygmy right whale
Caperea marginata
, the latter represented by both adult and juvenile specimens.
†Miocaperea
is phylogenetically bracketed between juvenile and adult
Caperea marginata
in morphologically based analyses, thus suggesting a possible ADR—the first so far identified within baleen whales (Cetacea: Mysticeti). The
†Miocaperea–Caperea
lineage may show long-term morphological stasis and, in turn, punctuated equilibrium.
New partial skeletons of Palaeocene Nyctitheriidae and evaluation of proposed euarchontan affinities
Authors: Manz Carly L. , Chester Stephen G. B. , Bloch Jonathan I. , Silcox Mary T. , Sargis Eric J.
Published: January 2015

Small-bodied, insectivorous Nyctitheriidae are known in the Palaeogene fossil record almost exclusively from teeth and fragmentary jaws and have been referred to Eulipotyphla (shrews, moles and hedgehogs) based on dental similarities. By contrast, isolated postcrania attributed to the group suggest arboreality and a relationship to Euarchonta (primates, treeshrews and colugos). Cretaceous–Palaeocene adapisoriculid insectivores have also been proposed as early euarchontans based on postcranial similarities. We describe the first known dentally associated nyctitheriid auditory regions and postcrania, and use them to test the proposed relationship to Euarchonta with cladistic analyses of 415 dental, cranial and postcranial characteristics scored for 92 fossil and extant mammalian taxa. Although nyctitheriid postcrania share similarities with euarchontans likely related to arboreality, results of cladistic analyses suggest that nyctitheriids are closely related to Eulipotyphla. Adapisoriculidae is found to be outside of crown Placentalia. These results suggest that similarities in postcranial morphology among nyctitheriids, adapisoriculids and euarchontans represent separate instances of convergence or primitive retention of climbing capabilities.
Lateral assembly of N-cadherin drives tissue integrity by stabilizing adherens junctions
Authors: Garg S. , Fischer S. C. , Schuman E. M. , Stelzer E. H. K.
Published: January 2015

Cadherin interactions ensure the correct registry and anchorage of cells during tissue formation. Along the plasma membrane, cadherins form inter-junctional lattices via
cis
- and
trans
-dimerization. While structural studies have provided models for cadherin interactions, the molecular nature of cadherin binding
in vivo
remains unexplored. We undertook a multi-disciplinary approach combining live cell imaging of three-dimensional cell assemblies (spheroids) with a computational model to study the dynamics of N-cadherin interactions. Using a loss-of-function strategy, we demonstrate that each N-cadherin interface plays a distinct role in spheroid formation. We found that
cis
-dimerization is not a prerequisite for
trans
-interactions, but rather modulates
trans
-interfaces to ensure tissue stability. Using a model of N-cadherin junction dynamics, we show that the absence of
cis
-interactions results in low junction stability and loss of tissue integrity. By quantifying the binding and unbinding dynamics of the N-cadherin binding interfaces, we determined that mutating either interface results in a 10-fold increase in the dissociation constant. These findings provide new quantitative information on the steps driving cadherin intercellular adhesion and demonstrate the role of
cis
-interactions in junction stability.
Time scales of the stick–slip dynamics of the peeling of an adhesive tape
Authors: Mishra Nachiketa , Parida Nigam Chandra , Raha Soumyendu
Published: January 2015

The stick–slip dynamics of the peeling of an adhesive tape is characterized by bifurcations that have been experimentally well studied. In this work, we investigate the time scale in which the the stick–slips happen leading to the bifurcations. This is fundamental to understanding the triboluminescence and acoustic emissions associated with the bifurcations. We establish a relationship between the time scale of the bifurcations and the inherent mathematical structure of the peeling dynamics by studying a characteristic time quantity associated with the dynamics.
Space race functional responses
Authors: Sjödin Henrik , Brännström Åke , Englund Göran
Published: January 2015

We derive functional responses under the assumption that predators and prey are engaged in a space race in which prey avoid patches with many predators and predators avoid patches with few or no prey. The resulting functional response models have a simple structure and include functions describing how the emigration of prey and predators depend on interspecific densities. As such, they provide a link between dispersal behaviours and community dynamics. The derived functional response is general but is here modelled in accordance with empirically documented emigration responses. We find that the prey emigration response to predators has stabilizing effects similar to that of the DeAngelis–Beddington functional response, and that the predator emigration response to prey has destabilizing effects similar to that of the Holling type II response. A stability criterion describing the net effect of the two emigration responses on a Lotka–Volterra predator–prey system is presented. The winner of the space race (i.e. whether predators or prey are favoured) is determined by the relationship between the slopes of the species' emigration responses. It is predicted that predators win the space race in poor habitats, where predator and prey densities are low, and that prey are more successful in richer habitats.
Why inclusive fitness can make it adaptive to produce less fit extra-pair offspring
Authors: Lehtonen Jussi , Kokko Hanna
Published: January 2015

Social monogamy predominates in avian breeding systems, but most socially monogamous species engage in promiscuous extra-pair copulations (EPCs). The reasons behind this remain debated, and recent empirical work has uncovered patterns that do not seem to fit existing hypotheses. In particular, some results seem to contradict the inbreeding avoidance hypothesis: females can prefer extra-pair partners that are more closely related to them than their social partners, and extra-pair young can have lower fitness than within-pair young. Motivated by these studies, we show that such results can become explicable when an asymmetry in inbreeding tolerance between monogamy and polygamy is extended to species that combine both strategies within a single reproductive season. Under fairly general conditions, it can be adaptive for a female to choose an unrelated social partner, but inbreed with an extra-pair partner. Inbreeding depression is compensated for by inclusive fitness benefits, which are only fully realized in EPCs. We also show that if a female has already formed a suboptimal social bond, there are scenarios where it is beneficial to engage in EPCs with less related males, and others where EPCs with more related males increase her inclusive fitness. This has implications for detecting general relatedness or fitness trends when averaged over several species.
Co-authorship networks: a review of the literature
Authors: Kumar Sameer
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to attempt to provide a review of the growing literature on co-authorship networks and the research gaps that may be investigated for future studies in this field.

Design/methodology/approach

– The existing literature on co-authorship networks was identified, evaluated and interpreted. Narrative review style was followed.

Findings

– Co-authorship, a proxy of research collaboration, is a key mechanism that links different sets of talent to produce a research output. Co-authorship could also be seen from the perspective of social networks. An in-depth analysis of such knowledge networks provides an opportunity to investigate its structure. Patterns of these relationships could reveal, for example, the mechanism that shapes our scientific community. The study provides a review of the expanding literature on co-authorship networks.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first comprehensive reviews of network-based studies on co-authorship. The field is fast evolving, opening new gaps for potential research. The study identifies some of these gaps.
Does economic freedom in host countries lead to increased foreign direct investment?
Authors: Sambharya Rakesh B , Rasheed Abdul A
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to examine the effect of the various dimensions of economic freedom and political freedom in host countries on the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows over a six-year period from 1995 to 2000 in 95 countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– The sample consists of 95 countries and relates to the time period from 1995 to 2000. The sample is of a longitudinal or panel nature.

Findings

– Results indicate that better economic management (monetary policy, fiscal burden and banking and finance), less government participation in the economy, less state intervention (strong property rights, less regulation, low prevalence of informal markets and less corruption), absence of wage and price controls and higher levels of political freedom lead to higher FDI inflows after controlling for FDI stock.

Research limitations/implications

– Most empirical studies using indices such as the Index of Economic freedom are subject to certain methodological limitations such as model selection, parameter heterogeneity and outliers and moral hazard.

Practical implications

– Empirical findings suggest that the role played by governments in national economies have significant influence over FDI decisions.

Social implications

– From a policy perspective, our results imply that to attract FDI, governments will need to improve the institutional environments of their countries. More specifically, improving the levels of economic and political freedoms can greatly facilitate the inflow of FDI.

Originality/value

– One of the main contributions of the present study to the international business literature is that it is one of the first that explicitly relates the ten components that constitute “economic freedom” to FDI.
Understanding board-CEO power dependency perspective under symbolic management
Authors: Zhang Pingying , Fadil Paul , Baynard Chris
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to better understand dependency issues between the CEO and the board as well as the between the board and CEO through Emerson’s power dependency framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– A symbolic management approach is integrated with a board-CEO power dependency model to study the dependency issues.

Findings

– According to the symbolic management perspective, uncertainty increases the likelihood of symbolic actions. A high level of uncertainty in CEO dependency issues suggests a high likelihood that board power over the CEO is manifested on a symbolic level, whereas a low level of uncertainty in board dependency issues suggests otherwise for CEO power over the board. The core of board-dependency issues is information provision.

Practical implications

– A focus on improving board control over CEO performance, compensation and strategic proposals is likely to generate symbolic actions without an effective result.

Originality/value

– The paper advocates that an effective approach to enhance board power is through reducing board information dependency on the CEO.
A cross-cultural analysis of factors influencing choice in volunteering activities
Authors: Offstein Evan H. , Chory Rebecca M. , Childers Jr J. Stephen
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to offer insights into the contextual and situational variables that influence volunteering choices.

Design/methodology/approach

– An analysis of European and US business students’ volunteering experiences is performed. Cross-cultural and experiential outcomes are compared and contrasted at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Findings

– A majority of volunteering decisions are made without thoughtful reflection, based on convenience in an effort to reduce personal hardship, and influenced heavily by institutional and organizational structures.

Originality/value

– These results call into question the notion that volunteering-related choices are deeply personal, purposeful and/or reflective decisions. Moreover, the findings begin to explain why volunteerism continues to be dogged by labels such as “ineffective”, “inefficient” or “lacking in value” when benchmarked against expectations.
Consumer trust and distrust: retaining paper bills in online banking
Authors: McNeish Joanne
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of paper bills and statements in online and mobile banking and how they may serve to support trust along with mitigating distrust for consumers when dealing with banks and billing firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– A two-phase study with 208 Canadian online bill payers. Phase 1 verified the comprehension of the measurement items being tested. In Phase 2, exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure. Regression analysis was used to identify the relationship of the factors with the intention to continuing receiving paper bills.

Findings

– Four factors for trust and distrust were identified in this study of which two (structural assurance and counted on to help) plus subjective norm predict the intention to continue receiving paper bills.

Research limitations/implications

– Trust and distrust are shown to co-exist in this study. Consumers feel vulnerable to the risks inherent in online financial interactions, but signal their willingness to trust by adopting online and mobile banking. Consumers mitigate the distrust they have in banks and billing firms by continuing to receive paper bills and statements. This study is limited to paper bills and statements. The role of other paper documents in customer relationship management is worthy of further exploration.

Practical implications

– This research investigates the role of financial documents in the consumer-firm relationship. This study suggests that paper bills are a communication method that supports consumers’ trust in the banks and billing firms and their adoption of online and mobile banking. Banks and billing firms’ continued emphasis on consumers’ giving up paper bills while insisting on original paper documentation in problem resolution situations, sends mixed messages to consumers, which heightens their distrust in these firms.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to suggest that paper bills and statements have a role in influencing trust or distrust of banks and billing firms.
Fuzzy neural network control of the rehabilitation robotic arm driven by pneumatic muscles
Authors: Jiang Xianzhi , Wang Zenghuai , Zhang Chao , Yang Liangliang
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The main purpose of this paper is to enhance the control performance of the robotic arm by the controller of fuzzy neural network (FNN).

Design/methodology/approach

– The robot system has characters of high order, time delay, time variation and serious nonlinearity. The classical PID controller cannot achieve satisfactory performance in control of such a complex system. This paper combined the fuzzy control with neural networks and established the FNN controller and applied it in control of the robot.

Findings

– The experimental results showed that the FNN controller had excellent performances in position control of the rehabilitation robotic arm such as fast response, small overshoot and small vibration.

Research limitations/implications

– This work is focused on the static FNN algorithm by updating the second and fifth layers of the membership functions. The performance can be improved further if the third layer (reasoning layer) can be updated online.

Originality/value

– Based on a hierarchical structure of the FNN controller, this paper designed the FNN controller and applied it in control of the rehabilitation robot driven by pneumatic muscles.
A fuzzy model for evaluating risk impacts on variability between contract sum and final account in government-funded construction projects
Authors: Ameyaw Ernest Effah , Chan Albert P.C. , Owusu-Manu De-Graft , Coleman Ekow
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify and then evaluate perceived risk factors influencing variability between contract sum and final count, and to develop a fuzzy risk assessment model for evaluating the overall impact of established critical risk factors impacting on variability between contract sum and final account in government-funded construction projects. Construction projects are characterised by risk factors that significantly impact on variability between the contract sum and final account.

Design/methodology/approach

– A research approach integrating questionnaire survey, mean scoring ranking and principal component factor analysis (PCFA) methods was adopted to evaluate and classify the critical risk factors. A fuzzy synthetic evaluation method was sequentially applied to compute the overall risk impact (ORI) of eight critical risk factors’ impact on variability between contract sum and final account.

Findings

– Initial results showed that eight critical risk factors have high impact on variations between contract sum and final account, namely (in order): project funding problems, underestimation of quantities, variations by client, change in scope of works, inadequate specification, change in design by client, defects in design and unexpected site (ground) conditions. PCFA produced two factor solutions: “professional-related factors” and “client factors”. The fuzzy model further showed that the ORI is 5.48, indicating that these risk factors have a high impact on variability between contract sum and final account in public construction projects. The client factors have a very high impact (5.59), while the professional-related factors indicated a high impact (5.41) on project cost variability.

Originality/value

– A practical model is proposed to evaluate the key risks associated with cost overruns in public projects. By giving effective and sustained attention to these factors, variability between contract sum and final account, a common situation in Ghana, can be controlled to achieve cost savings in public infrastructure projects.
Interactions of pre‐symbolic children with developmental disabilities with their mothers and siblings
Authors: Singh Susheel Joginder , Iacono Teresa , Gray Kylie M.
Published: January 2015

Background

Depending on the severity of their disabilities, children with Down syndrome (DS) and with cerebral palsy (CP) may remain pre‐symbolic for prolonged periods of time. When interacting with pre‐symbolic children, communication partners have a role in identifying which of their behaviours are communicative, to be able to respond to those behaviours and maintain reciprocal interaction. To date, most research on these children's communication development has been conducted within the context of mother–child interaction. Seldom have they been observed interacting with other family members, and in interactions other than dyadic, despite these interactions also occurring daily.

Aims

To explore and compare the interaction of mothers and siblings with pre‐symbolic children with DS and with CP in dyadic and triadic contexts.

Methods & Procedures

Twelve pre‐symbolic children with DS (aged 1;10–5;04 years) and 12 with CP (aged 1;09–5;07 years), and their mothers and siblings participated in this study. They were recruited from early intervention centres from the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Children were observed as they engaged in three play interactions: mother–child, sibling–child and mother–sibling–child (triadic).

Outcomes & Results

Children produced the most pre‐symbolic communicative behaviours during mother–child, followed by triadic and lastly sibling–child interaction, suggesting that the mother's presence encouraged children to communicate. Mothers created a more facilitative communication environment for the children than did siblings, by directing high rates of initiations towards them and by taking turns that paved the way for the child's next turn. Although siblings’ low rates of interaction did not provide children with as many opportunities to produce communicative behaviours, it encouraged them to produce high proportions of initiations. During triadic interaction, mothers and siblings had to direct interaction towards two communication partners, causing them to direct less interaction towards the children with DS or CP. There was no significant difference in mother and sibling responsiveness to children's communicative behaviours across interactions and disability types, suggesting that mothers and siblings might have adapted to the children's various early communicative behaviours.

Conclusions & Implications

From this study, it was evident that mothers and siblings of pre‐symbolic children with DS and with CP engaged them in reciprocal interaction. Findings on how mothers and siblings influence pre‐symbolic children's communication suggest the need to involve them in assessment and intervention for these children.
Propping up dictators? Economic cooperation from China and its impact on authoritarian persistence in party and non‐party regimes
Authors: Bader Julia
Published: January 2015

This article investigates how China's economic cooperation affects authoritarian persistence elsewhere. For the period 1998–2008, the article assesses quantitatively whether the effects of economic cooperation from China vary, conditioned by the regime type of the recipient. The analysis finds that China's economic cooperation is associated with regime durability in party‐based regimes. In non‐party regimes, in contrast, it is associated with regime collapse.
Posterosuperior glenoid internal impingement of the shoulder in the overhead athlete: Pathogenesis, clinical features and MR imaging findings
Authors: Fessa Chris Kon , Peduto Anthony , Linklater James , Tirman Phillip
Published: January 2015

Posterosuperior glenoid internal impingement (PGII) is an impingement syndrome of the shoulder that is most commonly seen in the throwing or overhead athlete. The supraspinatus can be normally compressed or impinged between the greater tuberosity and the posterosuperior labrum in the abduction and external rotation position. However, repetitive throwing and biomechanical abnormalities may lead to the intensification of this contact and to the clinical and pathological picture of PGII. The injured athlete usually complains of poor throwing performance and pain located in the posterosuperior aspect of the shoulder. Two main theories regarding the aetiology of PGII have been postulated with differing initial mechanisms. The MRI features of PGII have been described and include supraspinatus and anterior infraspinatus partial undersurface tears, bony changes at the humeral head and labral pathology, including a variation of the type II superior labrum from anterior to posterior lesion. This pictorial essay aims to present cases illustrating the pathophysiology, clinical features and recently described MRI findings, and discuss some of the MR protocol considerations.
Effect of intergenerational asset transfers on land distribution in rural Cambodia: case studies of three rice‐growing villages
Authors: Yagura Kenjiro
Published: January 2015

After land reallocation in the early 1980s, inequality in landholdings has re‐emerged in rural Cambodia. Besides land sales and purchases, intergenerational transfers of assets may foster inequality in landholdings among “second generation” (2G) couples who, having wed after the 1980s reallocation, received no land from the government. Data analysis of three rice‐growing villages reveals that land received directly from parents accounts for 18–41% of inequality in landholdings among sample 2G couples. Although net land gain after marriage, primarily through purchases, is the largest contributor to the inequality, nonland assets received from parents positively affect the net gain. Direct and indirect effects combined, assets received from parents account for 35–57% of inequality in landholdings. The effect of assortative matching of the acreage received from parents has hitherto been small.
Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measured with SD‐OCT in a population‐based study of French elderly subjects: the Alienor study
Authors: Rougier Marie‐Bénédicte , Korobelnik Jean‐François , Malet Florence , Schweitzer Cédric , Delyfer Marie‐Noëlle , Dartigues Jean‐François , Delcourt Cécile , Helmer Catherine
Published: January 2015

Purpose

To establish normative data of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness in the elderly and to determine the factors influencing its thickness.

Methods

Peripapillary RNFL thickness was measured with spectral domain OCT (SD‐OCT) in 210 elderly participants from the Alienor population‐based study who were aged 75 years or older. The measure was assessed in six segments (the superotemporal, temporal, inferotemporal, inferonasal, nasal and superonasal segments). RNFL data were analysed across age and sex strata in non‐glaucoma participants. Mixed linear models were used to evaluate the associations of RNFL thickness with age, sex, ocular parameters and vascular risk factors.

Results

The mean global RNFL thickness was 91.4 μm (SD: 12.6), ranging from 55 to 122; the highest values were found in the inferotemporal and superotemporal segments. After adjustment for sex and ocular parameters, including axial length, increasing age was significantly associated with lower thickness globally (mean thinning per decade = 5.6 μm, p = 0.003), in the superotemporal (−12.7 μm per decade, p < 0.0001) and inferotemporal (−8.1 μm per decade, p = 0.022) segments. RNFL thickness tended to be higher in women than in men, but this trend was significant only in the inferotemporal segment (+6.6 μm for women, p = 0.012). The axial length was associated with RNFL thickness globally and in most segments. RNFL thickness did not differ according to cataract extraction. There were no associations between vascular factors and RNFL thickness.

Conclusion

Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness decreased with age globally and in the supero‐ and inferotemporal segments, even after 75 years; it also tended to be higher in women, particularly in the inferotemporal segment. Normative data on RNFL thickness should consider these characteristics as well as ocular parameters, particularly axial length.