bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The potential for complementary targeted/non-targeted screening of novel psychoactive substances in equine urine using liquid chromatography-high resolution accurate mass spectrometry
Authors: Cawley Adam , Pasin Daniel , Ganbat Namuun , Ennis Laura , Smart Corrine , Greer Candace , Keledjian John , Fu Shanlin , Chen Alex
Published: January 2016

The use of LC-HRAM spectrometry to identify ‘unknown’ compounds by non-targeted screening provides a potential advantage for forensic toxicology.
Synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene–PdCl2–(iso)quinoline complexes and their application in arylamination at low catalyst loadings
Authors: Liu Feng , Zhu Yi-Ran , Song Lu-Gan , Lu Jian-Mei
Published: January 2016

N-Heterocyclic carbene–PdCl2–(iso)quinoline complexes were synthesized and they showed efficient catalytic activity in the C–N coupling of aryl chlorides.
Preparation of flexible perovskite solar cells by a gas pump drying method on a plastic substrate
Authors: Gao Li-Li , Liang Lu-Sheng , Song Xiao-Xuan , Ding Bin , Yang Guan-Jun , Fan Bin , Li Cheng-Xin , Li Chang-Jiu
Published: January 2016

A uniform and full coverage perovskite film is of significant importance for flexible perovskite solar cells.
The lipidome associated with the γ-secretase complex is required for its integrity and activity
Authors: Ayciriex Sophie , Gerber Hermeto , Osuna Guillermo M. Garcia , Chami Mohamed , Stahlberg Henning , Shevchenko Andrej , Fraering Patrick C.
Published: January 2016

γ-Secretase is a multi-subunit membrane protease complex that catalyses the final intramembrane cleavage of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) during the neuronal production of amyloid-β peptides (Aβ), which are implicated as the causative agents of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, we report the reconstitution of a highly purified, active γ-secretase complex into proteoliposomes without exogenous lipids and provide the first direct evidence for the existence of a microenvironment of 53 molecular species from 11 major lipid classes specifically associated with the γ-secretase complex, including phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol. Importantly, we demonstrate that the pharmacological modulation of certain phospholipids abolishes both the integrity and the enzymatic activity of the intramembrane protease. Together, our findings highlight the importance of a specific lipid microenvironment for the structure and function of γ-secretase.
Array covariance matrix‐based sparse Bayesian learning for off‐grid direction‐of‐arrival estimation
Authors: Zhao Yonghong , Zhang Linrang , Gu Yabin
Published: January 2016

An off‐grid direction‐of‐arrival (DOA) estimation method using sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) based on an array covariance matrix is presented. By the vectorisation operator, a new off‐grid model that has a wider aperture and can therefore detect an increased number of sources is built. A scheme of SBL is utilised to estimate off‐grid DOAs without needing to know the number of sources. Owing to the extended aperture and off‐grid model, the proposed method cannot only improve the angle resolution but also enhance the accuracy of DOA estimation. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method and illustrate the performance improvement over the existing methods.
0.6‐V 2.1‐mW RF receiver based on passive mixing and master–slave common‐mode rejection technique in 65 nm CMOS
Authors: Chen Chao , Wu Jianhui
Published: January 2016

A 0.6‐V 2.1‐mW RF receiver with regular threshold transistors is presented. A passive mixer which is built on low‐power current‐buffer is designed to build the RF front‐end. A master–slave operational trans‐conductance amplifier (OTA) structure which provides sufficient common‐mode rejection ratio (CMRR) by auto‐adjusting the gate of the triode‐region biased tail current source is proposed as the building block of the intermediate‐frequency (IF) modules. The proto‐type of the RF receiver is designed and fabricated in Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) 65 nm CMOS process. The measurement indicates that the receiver covers a bandwidth from 1 to 1.5 GHz, achieving a voltage gain of 32 dB and a noise figure (NF) of 10 dB.
Fast sampling DCO for 2.4 GHz wake‐up receiver
Authors: Jain S. , Ellinger F. , Tchamov N.T.
Published: January 2016

This Letter reports an active inductor digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) for fast switchable low power wireless wake‐up receivers. The LO output is held low when the enable pin is high and it oscillates when the enable pin goes low. The MOS transistor is used to turn on the oscillator for 200 ns (Ton) to mitigate the requirement of wake‐up receivers (Tcycle = 1 µs). To save the die area, a symmetric differential‐pair active inductor topology with 4‐bit capacitor bank is proposed. The implemented circuit has one tenth of the chip size of LC oscillator.
Assessment of the resistance to tracking of polymers in clean and salt fogs due to flashover arcs and partial discharges degrading conditions on one insulator model
Authors: Douar Mohammed Adnane , Beroual Abderrahmane , Souche Xavier
Published: January 2016

This paper describes the assessment of the resistance to tracking of various polymers after (i) flashover voltage (FOV) and flashover gradient (FOG); and (ii) partial discharges (PDs) measurements in dry, clean and salt fogs on one insulator model using standardised electrodes; the aim being the development of optimised methods based on flashover and PDs to the conception of new generation of piercing connectors. The investigated materials belong to two distinct classes widely used in the electrical industry: thermoplastics (namely polyphenylene sulfide and high density polyethylene) and thermosetting cycloaliphatic epoxy resins namely one unfilled material (UnCEP) and another unfilled and hydrophobic resin (UnHCEP). FOV measurements are based on the electro‐geometrical parameters of each specimen and the resistance to tracking, both may be assessed through the slope of FOV curves against the leakage distance as an indicator of surface damages. Regarding PDs, the suggested technique is devoted to clean and salt fogs and provides quicker and more accurate information about PDs effects on materials deteriorations rather than IEC60109 where the exposition time to discharges is much longer at lower voltage levels by using only liquid contaminants such as sulfuric or nitric acids or ammonium chloride as described in IEC60587 or ASTM D2303.
Flux‐based method to diagnose and identify the location of turn‐to‐turn faults in transformers
Authors: Haghjoo Farhad , Mostafaei Mohsen
Published: January 2016

Internal turn‐to‐turn faults (TTF) are considered as a common cause of transformer failures. Such defects (especially minor TTFs) may result in minor changes in terminal currents/voltages as these are undetectable by conventional current and/or voltage‐based methods. In this study, a simple, sensitive and robust method is proposed to identify the TTF locations in power transformers by using core flux based technique. In this approach, a few turns must be wrapped around the transformer core legs to sense and detect the related core flux. Passing asymmetrical flux through a transformer core leg (due to a TTF) induces different voltages in the related sensors, which are located at different places. Variation of the core flux in the corresponding sensors indicates the faulty phase and the TTF location on that phase as well. The proposed technique is verified by some simulations and experimental tests. The obtained results show that the proposed technique successfully (i) detects all the TTFs, (ii) identifies the faulty phase, and (iii) specifies the faulty region on the related phase. Although the proposed method requires a few search coils to be installed on the transformer core legs, installing these thin wires will not change the transformer design significantly.
Machine learning techniques for robust classification of partial discharges in oil–paper insulation systems
Authors: Woon Wei Lee , El‐Hag Ayman , Harbaji Mustafa
Published: January 2016

Ageing power systems infrastructure and concerns about climate change have increased interest in the next generation of grid infrastructure, known as the smart grid (SG). This study studies a particularly critical SG application: intelligent monitoring of power transformers for the early detection of insulation failure. Specifically, the focus is on the use of machine learning algorithms to distinguish between different types of partial discharges, which are closely correlated with insulation failure. Measurements made using acoustic emission sensors are used to train and test different classification algorithms. In an earlier study, high classification accuracies were achieved using training and test datasets collected under similar measurement conditions. However, under different conditions, classification accuracy was greatly reduced. Experiments using the latest classification techniques were performed, producing significant improvements in classification accuracy. A possible reason for these results could be a form of overfitting, and further experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis.
Kardiale Schädigungen durch Medikamente
Authors: Haen Ekkehard
Published: January 2016

Zum Wirkmechanismus vieler Medikamente gehört die Beeinflussung vitaler Körperfunktionen über das sympathische und parasympathische System. Daneben gibt es Hypersensitivitätsreak-tionen und Reaktionen mit chemischen Radikalen, die bei der Verstoffwechselung der Medikamente entstehen. Sie können in seltenen Fällen auch das Herz schädigen. Unerwünschte Arzneimittelwirkungen (UAW) am Herzen betreffen unerwünschte Wirkungen auf den Herzrhythmus, die Herzkraft, die Herzmuskelzelle und eine mögliche Minderdurchblutung des Herzens. Ihre Auswirkungen werden häufig unterschätzt, da pharmakologisch gleiche Wirkstoffe unter völlig unterschiedlichen Indikationen verordnet werden. Eine besondere Bedeutung erhalten diese Prozesse, wenn mehrere Arzneimittel miteinander kombiniert werden. Dann können sich diese Effekte zu pharmakodynamischen Arzneimittelinteraktionen addieren. Heute gibt es mehrere Möglichkeiten, die helfen, solche Risiken zu erkennen und fachgerecht mit ihnen umzugehen: Datenbanken im Internet, wie PSIAConline (www.psiac.de), die Individualisierung der Therapie mit Hilfe von Wirkstoffkonzentrationsbestimmungen und klinisch-pharmakologischem Befund (www.konbest.de) und Arzneimittelinformationsdienste wie die AGATE.
Quantum stochastic calculus associated with quadratic quantum noises
Authors: Ji Un Cig , Sinha Kalyan B.
Published: January 2016

We first study a class of fundamental quantum stochastic processes induced by the generators of a six dimensional non-solvable Lie †-algebra consisting of all linear combinations of the generalized Gross Laplacian and its adjoint, annihilation operator, creation operator, conservation, and time, and then we study the quantum stochastic integrals associated with the class of fundamental quantum stochastic processes, and the quantum Itô formula is revisited. The existence and uniqueness of solution of a quantum stochastic differential equation is proved. The unitarity conditions of solutions of quantum stochastic differential equations associated with the fundamental processes are examined. The quantum stochastic calculus extends the Hudson-Parthasarathy quantum stochastic calculus.
Determining a hopping polaron's bandwidth from its Seebeck coefficient: Measuring the disorder energy of a non-crystalline semiconductor
Authors: Emin David
Published: January 2016

Charge carriers that execute multi-phonon hopping generally interact strongly enough with phonons to form polarons. A polaron's sluggish motion is linked to slowly shifting atomic displacements that severely reduce the intrinsic width of its transport band. Here a means to estimate hopping polarons' bandwidths from Seebeck-coefficient measurements is described. The magnitudes of semiconductors' Seebeck coefficients are usually quite large (>k/|q| = 86 μV/K) near room temperature. However, in accord with the third law of thermodynamics, Seebeck coefficients must vanish at absolute zero. Here, the transition of the Seebeck coefficient of hopping polarons to its low-temperature regime is investigated. The temperature and sharpness of this transition depend on the concentration of carriers and on the width of their transport band. This feature provides a means of estimating the width of a polaron's transport band. Since the intrinsic broadening of polaron bands is very small, less than the characteristic phonon energy, the net widths of polaron transport bands in disordered semiconductors approach the energetic disorder experienced by their hopping carriers, their disorder energy.
High performance mid-temperature selective absorber based on titanium oxides cermet deposited by direct current reactive sputtering of a single titanium target
Authors: Tang Lu , Cao Feng , Li Yang , Bao Jiming , Ren Zhifeng
Published: January 2016

This article reports the design and fabrication of a new double cermet-based low-mid temperature solar selective absorber based on TiOx cermet layers, which were deposited with a single Ti target by varying O2 partial pressure in sputtering chamber as reactive gas. High metal volume fraction cermet 1 and low metal volume fraction cermet 2 were deposited with O2 partial pressure of 0.15 mTorr and 0.25 mTorr, respectively, with direct current power density of 6.58 W cm−2. The complex refractive indices from ellipsometry were used to design solar selective absorber. The reflectance, thermal stability, and morphology were studied in absorbers on Cu and stainless steel. The effect of TiO2 and SiO2 as anti-reflective coating layers was investigated. The absorber on Cu substrate has high absorptance of 90.8% and low emittance of 4.9% (100 °C), and changed to 96.0% and 6.6%, respectively, after annealing at 300 °C for 4 days.
Self-detection of x-ray Fresnel transmissivity using photoelectron-induced gas ionization
Authors: Stoupin Stanislav
Published: January 2016

Electric response of an x-ray mirror enclosed in a gas flow ionization chamber was studied under the conditions of total external reflection for hard x-rays. It is shown that the electric response of the system as a function of the incidence angle is defined by x-ray Fresnel transmissivity and photon-electron attenuation properties of the mirror material. A simple interpretation of quantum yield of the system is presented. The approach could serve as a basis for non-invasive in situ diagnostics of hard x-ray optics, easy access to complementary x-ray transmissivity data in x-ray reflectivity experiments, and might also pave the way to advanced schemes for angle and energy resolving x-ray detectors.
Miniature Boat Fabrication with Striking Loading Capacity in Seawater from Hydrophobic Steel Mesh
Authors: Jiang Zai-xing , Wang Ming-qiang , Cheng Hao , Lv Hai-bao , Yao Yong-tao , Bai Yong-ping , Shao Lu , Huang Yu-dong
Published: January 2016

A superhydrophobic steel mesh film was prepared by combination of macro-scale rough surface and low surface energy material treatment through a facile coating method. The contact angle for seawater is measured to be as high as 130.16°. A reformed Cassie-Baxter equation was applied for the theoretical predictions of this novel material for the first time. Good agreement between the predictions and experiments was obtained. The loading capacities of these boats, fabricated from the resulting hydrophobic steel meshes, were also characterized. The highest loading weight about 17.50 g was obtained by the steel mesh treated by 2.0wt% (heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2,-tetradecyl)trimethoxysilane solution. The striking loading capacity of this miniature boat may be attributed to the air film trapped around the mesh surface. This novel superhydrophobic steel mesh material have wide applications on medical materials, marine materials and smart materials.
Importance of Metal Cations and Water for Stability of MnO2 Crystals
Authors: Wei Zhi-gang , Yan Jia-hong , Wu Yang , Liu Yue
Published: January 2016

Metal cations as well as water are important factors to control the synthesis of MnO2 crystal nanostructures. In this work, systemic Density functional theory calculations about α, β, δ-MnO2 are presented to show the importance of metal cations and water for the structure stability and energy stability of MnO2. It is shown that the α-MnO2 crystal and its (110) surface will crash without the tunnel cations such as K+, and the distance between the layers of the δ-MnO2 will be significantly lower than that of the experimental results without the interlayer metal cations and water. At the same time, α-MnO2 and δ-MnO2 can be more stable than β-MnO2 with metal cations and water, and vice versa.
Elastic Low-Energy Electron Collisions with Methanethiol
Authors: Wang Ke-dong , Meng Ju
Published: January 2016

We report ab initio scattering calculations results of electron-methanethiol collisions using R-matrix approach within the static-exchange and static-exchange-polarization approximations. The calculated elastic integral cross sections are in agreement with the experimental data. Two shape resonances of 2A′ symmetry located at 4.06 and 8.32 eV are detected within static-exchange-polarization model. For this dipole molecule, Born-closure procedure was used to account for the higher partial waves (l>4) for the convergence of the cross section. The effective collision frequencies over a wide electron temperature range (200–30000 K) are calculated using the data of the momentum-transfer cross section.
Oxidation of Anatase TiO2(001) (1×4) Surface
Authors: Chen Kuan-da , Shi Yong-liang , Zhao Jin
Published: January 2016

Anatase TiO2(001) surface arouses lots of research interests since it is believed to be the most reactive surface. However, recent STM measurements showed that except the defect sites, anatase TiO2(001) (1×4) reconstructed surface is inert to H2O adsorption. It was indicated that oxidation could be the reason which induces the inert surface reactivity. Therefore, it is strongly motivated to understand the oxidation structures as well as the oxidation process on this surface. In this work, based on first principles calculations, we investigated the oxidized structures and processes of TiO2 anatase (001) surface with (1×4) reconstruction. We have discovered two kinds of oxidized structures through the molecular adsorption and dissociated adsorption with different oxidation ratio. To understand the oxidation process, we studied the reaction barrier of oxidation process. We conclude the stability of different oxidized structures with different oxidation ratio by comparing the free energy of the system as a function of oxygen chemical potential. Based on that, a first-principles-based phase diagram of the low-energy oxidized surface structures is provided. The effects of the lattice stress are also studied. Results show that the oxidized structure and oxidation ratio strongly depend on the temperature and pressure. The lattice stress also plays an important role.
Chemical Empiricism 2.0 at Age of Big Data: Large-scale Prediction of Reaction Pathways Based on Bond Dissociation Energies
Authors: Chen Shi-lu
Published: January 2016

A programmable algorithm using bond dissociation energies has been proposed for the prediction of reaction pathways. It has been successfully applied to a gas-phase reaction of F2+CH3Cl, with the accurate revelation of the most favorable product CF4 and its corresponding reaction pathway. This acts as an inspiring example of chemical empiricism 2.0, and may open the door for the large-scale prediction of reaction pathways at the age of big data.
Effects of Time Delay on Multistability of Genetic Toggle Switch
Authors: Zhu De-qing , Jiang Hui-jun , Hou Zhong-huai
Published: January 2016

The effect of time delay on a genetic toggle switch, whose undelayed dynamics shows low protein expression states (L-states), high expression states (H-states) and coexistence of them different transcription-factor binding rates α, is investigated by using the delayed stochastic simulation method. Interestingly, we find that the delay induces a transition from the coexistence state to L-state or H-state by suppressing the other state. Moreover, the phase diagram on the α-τ plane is obtained by extensive simulations. It is observed that, the coexistence state is remarkably narrowed by increasing delay time, and completely disappears above a triple-point-like point where direct transitions between H-state and L-state are possible.
One-Dimensional Scanning of Electronic Wavefunction in Carbon Nanotubes by Molecular Encapsulation
Authors: Ye Gui , Li Jun , Deng Ming-sen , Jiang Jun
Published: January 2016

On the basis of first-principles calculations, we have designed a novel type of molecular systems in which a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) is encapsulated by acyclic CB[n]-type molecular container. The electronic structures and coherent electron transportation properties of the molecules were simulated at the density functional theory level. Due to the weak interactions between the inner SWNT and outer molecular container, the acyclic part can slide along the nanotube direction, which in turn effectively changes the electron tunneling ability through the SWNT. The dependences of tunneling conductance on the position of the acyclic container attached to the SWNT were examined, which reflect clearly a Bloch form distribution of molecular wavefunction along the nanotube direction. We thus proposes a convenient way to scan the one-dimensional electron wavefunction in carbon nanotubes.
Replacing time with space: using laboratory fires to explore the effects of repeated burning on black carbon degradation
Authors: Tinkham Wade T. , Smith Alistair M. S. , Higuera Philip E. , Hatten Jeffery A. , Brewer Nolan W. , Doerr Stefan H.
Published: January 2016

Soil organic matter plays a key role in the global carbon cycle, representing three to four times the total carbon stored in plant or atmospheric pools. Although fires convert a portion of the faster cycling organic matter to slower cycling black carbon (BC), abiotic and biotic degradation processes can significantly shorten BC residence times. Repeated fires may also reduce residence times, but this mechanism has received less attention. Here we show that BC exposed to repeated experimental burns is exponentially reduced through four subsequent fires, by 37.0, 82.5, 98.6 and 99.0% of BC mass. Repeated burning can thus be a significant BC loss mechanism, particularly in ecosystems where fire return rates are high, relative to BC soil incorporation rates. We further consider loss rates in the context of simulated BC budgets, where 0–100% of BC is protected from subsequent fires, implicitly representing ecosystems with varying fire regimes and BC transport and incorporation rates. After five burns, net BC storage was reduced by as much as 68% by accounting for degradation from repeated burning. These results illustrate the importance of accounting for BC loss from repeated burning, further highlighting the potential conflict between managing forests for increasing soil carbon storage vs maintaining historic fire regimes.
Metabolic stress is a barrier to Epstein–Barr virus-mediated B-cell immortalization
Authors: McFadden Karyn , Hafez Amy Y. , Kishton Rigel , Messinger Joshua E. , Nikitin Pavel A. , Rathmell Jeffrey C. , Luftig Micah A.
Published: January 2016

Significance

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) was the first human tumor virus discovered. Although nearly all adults are infected with EBV, very few go on to develop disease, for reasons that we are only beginning to understand. Infection with EBV induces a period of very rapid cell division, which requires an increased supply of metabolites, such as nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids. We found that EBV-infected cells that are unable to meet this increased metabolic demand are forced to stop proliferating and undergo a permanent growth arrest called senescence.
Mode of action and resistance studies unveil new roles for tropodithietic acid as an anticancer agent and the γ-glutamyl cycle as a proton sink
Authors: Wilson Maxwell Z. , Wang Rurun , Gitai Zemer , Seyedsayamdost Mohammad R.
Published: January 2016

Significance

The roseobacter constitute nearly 25% of marine bacteria in coastal areas. They have been shown to produce a potent antibiotic, tropodithietic acid (TDA), which confers far-reaching aquacultural and ecological benefits. We have examined the mode of action of TDA using a number of methods including bacterial cytological profiling. Surprisingly, TDA clusters with molecules that are structurally unrelated and highly cytotoxic. Subsequent screens demonstrate that, aside from its antibacterial activity, TDA is also a potent, broad-range, and potentially useful anticancer agent. Our studies highlight the power of profiling methods in repurposing bioactive compounds, reveal the mode of action of the unusual troponoid TDA, and uncover a previously unknown link between two metabolic cycles, which together provide TDA resistance to the producing roseobacter.
Recruitment of A20 by the C-terminal domain of NEMO suppresses NF-κB activation and autoinflammatory disease
Authors: Zilberman-Rudenko Jevgenia , Shawver Linda Monaco , Wessel Alex W. , Luo Yongquan , Pelletier Martin , Tsai Wanxia Li , Lee Younglang , Vonortas Spiridon , Cheng Laurence , Ashwell Jonathan D. , Orange Jordan S. , Siegel Richard M. , Hanson Eric P.
Published: January 2016

Significance

Regulated activation of the NF-κB family of transcription factors is important for normal development, immune cell function, and inflammatory responses. NEMO, the NF-κB essential modulator, controls activation of the canonical IKK complex and NF-κB–mediated cellular responses, but details of how this is achieved are not fully known. Our results show that C-terminal mutations in NEMO can cause hyperactivation of inflammatory responses to Toll-like receptor and TNF ligands through impaired recruitment of the negative NF-κB regulator A20/TNFAIP3. Our results help to explain the inflammatory symptoms in patients harboring these NEMO mutations. Furthermore, our findings suggest that targeting this molecular interaction by enhancing A20 expression or its recruitment to the NEMO C-terminus may be a therapeutic strategy for human inflammatory disease.
Constitutive analysis of high-temperature workability of a high-nitrogen bearing steel
Authors: Spigarelli S. , El Methedi M. , Cabibbo M.
Published: January 2016

In this paper, the hot working behaviour of X30 CrMoN 15 1 high N steel was investigated by torsion testing. A new constitutive model based on the Garofalo equation was used to describe the flow stress dependence on temperature, strain and strain rate. Adiabatic heating was accounted for in the modelling of the flow curves. An excellent description of the experimental data was obtained by the model, which suggests that in isothermal condition the flow curves are characterised by a peak, followed by a moderate softening to a steady state. The high values of the activation energy for hot working were rationalised by considering the strengthening effect of undissolved particles hindering dislocation motion.

This paper is part of a Themed Issue on Recent developments in bearing steels.
Transfer of location-specific control to untrained locations
Authors: Weidler Blaire J. , Bugg Julie M.
Published: January 2016

Recent research highlights a seemingly flexible and automatic form of cognitive control that is triggered by potent contextual cues, as exemplified by the location-specific proportion congruence effect–reduced compatibility effects in locations associated with a high as compared to low likelihood of conflict. We investigated just how flexible location-specific control is by examining whether novel locations effectively cue control for congruency-unbiased stimuli. In two experiments, biased (mostly compatible or mostly incompatible) training stimuli appeared in distinct locations. During a final block, unbiased (50% compatible) stimuli appeared in novel untrained locations spatially linked to biased locations. The flanker compatibly effect was reduced for unbiased stimuli in novel locations linked to a mostly incompatible compared to a mostly compatible location, indicating transfer. Transfer was observed when stimuli appeared along a linear function (Experiment 1) or in rings of a bullseye (Experiment 2). The novel transfer effects imply that location-specific control is more flexible than previously reported and further counter the complex stimulus–response learning account of location-specific proportion congruence effects. We propose that the representation and retrieval of control settings in untrained locations may depend on environmental support and the presentation of stimuli in novel locations that fall within the same categories of space as trained locations.
Word Networks in US Rural Policy Discourse
Authors: Reimer Adam , Han Yicheol , Goetz Stephan , Loveridge Scott , Albrecht Don
Published: January 2016

Rural areas in the United States face lagging economic performance, shrinking populations, and waning political influence. We analyze key words used by advocacy organizations to understand how they advance their interests and seek to influence federal rural policy discourse. We identify several clusters of discourse, including clusters centered on agriculture, environment, tax policies, and rural issues broadly. Our results indicate that agricultural issues and terms dominate rural issue dialogues beyond just farm policy. Most importantly, rural development, environmental, and food issues are framed primarily through an agricultural lens, potentially reducing the influence of nonagricultural issues in the larger rural policy discourse.
The Morpheme
Authors: Anderson Stephen R.
Published: January 2016

This chapter considers the nature and history of the notion of the morpheme in linguistic analysis, and the suitability of that concept to linguistic analysis. The historical origins of the term are traced, especially as it was used in American Structuralist work, and a range of problems with the literal application of the traditional concept to actual languages sketched. The role played by a notion of morpheme in a range of recent theories is then outlined. It is argued that although the re-emergence of an interest in morphology in the 1970s brought with it an assumption that morphemes of a classical sort are the fundamental building blocks of the structure of words, the facts of actual languages argue for a rather different conception of the relation between the form and content of words from that grounded in their division into units of this sort.
From Here to There and Back Again
Authors: Ozkazanc-Pan Banu , Calás Marta B.
Published: January 2016

This chapter draws boundaries to define the contours of the contemporary transnational diversity in organizations scholarly literature. It is not intended as an exhaustive review of what may have now become an incommensurable literature; rather, it delineates a temporary holding space for understanding this shifting territory while exploring a few relevant examples. As a taxonomical exercise, it follows the formation and transformation of the subject of ‘diversity in organizations’ as it travelled beyond the original literature from the USA. It articulates four modes of diffusion occurring over time: internationalizing diversity; provincializing diversity; the simultaneity of diversity; and the formation of mobile subjectivities. The conclusion forwards the incommensurability of these perspectives as independent contributions, suggesting that anyone intending to represent ‘diversity and organizations’ in the contemporary world should consider the value of maintaining in view a repertoire of very different ontological perspectives on diversity, as well as a postidentitarian transnational understanding.
A Postcolonial Deconstruction of Diversity Management and Multiculturalism
Authors: Kaasila-Pakanen Anna-Liisa
Published: January 2016

Because issues of workplace diversity are strongly affected by historical power relations, this chapter adopts a postcolonial perspective to critically review the notion of multiculturalism that underlies the current paradigm of diversity. To search for alternative grounds for the theoretical development of diversity management, multiculturalism is investigated as an instrument of control deeply connected to broader institutionalized power structures. Drawing on key insights from postcolonialism, it is argued that embracing multiculturalism has resulted in diversity research that is inappropriate for addressing the complex realities of cultural encounters in which identities and otherness are constructed in contemporary organizations. The chapter demonstrates that by relying on multiculturalism, diversity becomes presented through simplistic and fixed categorizations of identity and culture that reinforce inequalities. Stressing the importance of considering culture from a new perspective, and an alternative approach for theorizing cultural diversity through the concept of the third space is introduced.
Transmission and Propagation of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ by Grafting with Individual Citrus Leaves
Authors: Hilf Mark E. , Lewis Reid S.
Published: January 2016

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a chronic, progressive decline disease in citrus associated with a systemic infection by the bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’. Transmission of the bacterium in the field is by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. Experimental propagation of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ is done primarily by grafting pieces of bud wood from an infected plant. To produce a small-scale model system for investigation of pathogen biology, we investigated grafting single leaves from infected citrus plants as sources of inoculum for propagation of the bacterium. In total, 162 plants ranging in age from 3 to 18 months were grafted. Grafting with intact asymptomatic and HLB-symptomatic leaves resulted in 61 of 78 (78%) and 35 of 41 (85%) of the plants infected with ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, respectively. Inoculum consisting of the leaf petiole only or only an inoculum tissue remnant under the bark of the receptor tree resulted in 6 of 12 (50%) and 7 of 31 (23%) infected trees, respectively. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays verified the infection in plants, a majority of which developed the foliar blotchy mottle symptom considered diagnostic for HLB, while some plants also displayed the stunted, chlorotic shoots for which the disease is named. The qPCR data together with the symptoms displayed demonstrated that individual leaves from infected trees can serve as effective inoculum sources for transmission and propagation of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ via grafting.
Corrosion investigation and evaluation of mechanical and structural properties of powder coatings
Authors: Koumoulos Elias P. , Kartsonakis Ioannis A , Vlachakis G , Vlachakis M , Charitidis Costas A.
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to deal with the study of properties of anticorrosion powder based coatings on aluminium alloy 2024.

Design/methodology/approach

– The powder based coatings were applied to the AA2024 substrates using a spray coating technique. All the substrates were covered with a primer prior the powder based coatings. The morphology and composition of the coatings was examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, respectively. Studies on the corrosion resistance of these coatings were made using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Findings

– The results reveal that the powder based coatings together with the primer coatings demonstrate improved corrosion protection to AA2024 after exposure to corrosive environment. Moreover, the primer coating is mechanically enhanced compared to the top coating, while the top coating exhibited significant resistance to wear.

Originality/value

– The paper deals with the evaluation of corrosion and nanomechanical properties of coatings applied on aluminium alloy.
Between product development and mass production
Authors: Jalonen Meri , Ristimäki Päivi , Toiviainen Hanna , Pulkkis Anneli , Lohtander Mika
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to analyze learning in organizational transformations by focusing on concept-level tensions faced in two young companies, which were searching for a reorientation of activity with a production network between innovative product development and efficient mass production.

Design/methodology/approach

– An intervention-based research project was carried out with two manufacturing companies. The data originate from workshops, whose aim was to identify learning needs based on the discussion of practices of networked production. Concept-level learning is analyzed by examining the dynamic relationships between production concepts and product concepts.

Findings

– The most influential concept-level tension stemmed from the co-existence of two production concepts, product development and mass production, which manifested as ambiguity about proper actions in the production network. Other focal tensions were identified between the production and product concepts and within the companies’ network relationships. The dominance of the mass production concept restricted the envisioning of new modes of collaboration and mutual learning in the production network.

Research limitations/implications

– The workshop participants did not include representatives from the case companies’ production network. Nevertheless, researchers brought the network partners’ conceptions into the workshop discussion through the presented mirror data.

Practical implications

– Companies striving to develop novel production concepts that call for continuous collaboration with customers and suppliers need forums for mutual learning to create solutions to concept-level tensions.

Originality/value

– Companies may develop two production concepts over lengthy periods. The tensions that manifest due to incoherent guiding logics may be overcome by engaging in incremental and expansive concept-level learning, directed at the identification of relationships between production and product concepts.
Strategic entrepreneurship: mediating the entrepreneurial orientation-performance link
Authors: Kantur Deniz
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the relationship between firm-level entrepreneurship and organizational performance in an emerging economy through assessing the mediating influence of strategic entrepreneurship between entrepreneurial orientation and organizational performance. The extant literature on the relationship between firm-level entrepreneurship and organizational performance points to a lack of clarification of the link between real entrepreneurial events and organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data are collected from 324 respondents in 118 companies in four different industries. The paper adopts structural equation modeling to test the mediated relationship.

Findings

– The results show that strategic entrepreneurship fully mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and organizational performance, assessed as two major categories of financial and non-financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

– The dominance of four industries in the data set limits the generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

– Findings highlight strategic and practical implications for managers especially in emerging economies who seek to enhance competitive advantage and exploit market opportunities through entrepreneurial initiatives.

Originality/value

– The current study develops a measure of strategic entrepreneurship concept and attempts to contribute to the literature through differentiating between behavioral intentions toward entrepreneurship and real entrepreneurial events at the firm-level to serve as a step to reduce the ambiguity present in the field.
C55 bacteriocin produced by ETB‐plasmid positive Staphylococcus aureus strains is a key factor for competition with S. aureus strains
Authors: Kawada‐Matsuo Miki , Shammi Fariha , Oogai Yuichi , Nakamura Norifumi , Sugai Motoyuki , Komatsuzawa Hitoshi
Published: January 2016

Exfoliative toxin (ET) produced by Staphylococcus aureus is closely associated with the onset of bullous impetigo. To date, three ETs (ETA, ETB and ETD) have been identified. The gene encoding ETB is located in a plasmid designated pETB. Bacteriocin synthesis genes are also located in this plasmid and pETB‐positive strains reportedly produce the C55 bacteriocin. In this study, the antibacterial activity against S. aureus strains of the bacteriocin produced by the pETB‐positive strain TY4 was investigated. This bacteriocin demonstrated antibacterial activity against all pETB‐negative but not pETB‐positive strains, including TY4. Additionally, a TY4− strain from which the pETB plasmid had been deleted exhibited susceptibility to the bacteriocin. Further experiments revealed that two immunity factors (orf 46‐47 and orf 48) downstream of the bacteriocin synthesis genes in the pETB plasmid are associated with immunity against the bacteriocin produced by TY4. The TY4− with orf46‐47 strain exhibited complete resistance to bacteriocin, whereas the TY4− with orf48 strain exhibited partial resistance. Whether bacteriocin affects the proportion of each strain when co‐cultured with S. aureus strains was also investigated. When TY4 or TY4− was co‐cultured with 209P strain, which is susceptible to the bacteriocin, the proportion of 209P co‐cultured with TY4 was significantly less than when 209P was co‐cultured with TY4−, whereas the proportion of TY4− with orf46‐48 co‐cultured with TY4 was greater than with TY4−. These results suggest that the C55 bacteriocin produced by pETB‐positive strains affects the proportion of each strain when pETB‐positive and ‐negative strains co‐exist.
Conservative species drive biomass productivity in tropical dry forests
Authors: Prado‐Junior Jamir A. , Schiavini Ivan , Vale Vagner S. , Arantes Carolina S. , van der Sande Masha T. , Lohbeck Madelon , Poorter Lourens
Published: January 2016

Forests account for a substantial part of the terrestrial biomass storage and productivity. To better understand forest productivity, we need to disentangle the processes underlying net biomass change.

We tested how above‐ground net biomass change and its underlying biomass dynamics (biomass recruitment, growth and mortality) can be explained by four alternative and contested hypotheses; the soil fertility, biomass ratio, niche complementarity and vegetation quantity hypotheses.

Above‐ground biomass dynamics were evaluated over a 5‐year period in 200 permanent sample plots in 8 tropical dry forests in Brazil, and related to soil fertility, community‐weighted mean (CWM) traits that are important for carbon storage and sequestration (wood density, specific leaf area, maximum stem diameter and deciduousness), species richness, functional diversity and initial stand biomass.

Initial stand biomass was the best predictor of all three processes of biomass dynamics, providing strong support for the vegetation quantity hypothesis. In these dry forests, the dominance of conservative species, rather than of acquisitive species, is associated with high biomass growth and storage, probably because their low specific leaf area and high wood density allow them to keep on functioning during drought stress.

Paradoxically, high soil fertility (Ca) led to low biomass productivity, probably because of nutrient imbalance.

In contrast to what is shown for controlled experiments, we found no support for niche complementarity (in terms of functional diversity or species richness) for forest productivity. Biomass storage was favoured by low‐ rather than high trait diversity, as most of the biomass is concentrated in species with large stem diameter and high wood density.

Synthesis. Biomass dynamics are mainly shaped by vegetation quantity, and then by vegetation quality, in line with the mass ratio hypothesis. Dry forests show different trait‐productivity relationships than wet forests, as stands with ‘slow’ trait values are ‘fast’ in terms of productivity. Diversity matters, but in a different way than expected; high trait diversity does not enhance productivity, but instead, does low trait diversity enhance carbon storage.
Why Are Obstetric Units in Rural Hospitals Closing Their Doors?
Authors: Hung Peiyin , Kozhimannil Katy B. , Casey Michelle M. , Moscovice Ira S.
Published: January 2016

Objectives

To understand hospital‐ and county‐level factors for rural obstetric unit closures, using mixed methods.

Data Sources

Hospital discharge data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Statewide Inpatient Databases, American Hospital Association Annual Survey, and Area Resource File for 2010, as well as 2013–2014 telephone interviews of all 306 rural hospitals in nine states with at least 10 births in 2010. Via interview, we ascertained obstetric unit status, reasons for closures, and postclosure community capacity for prenatal care.

Study Design

Multivariate logistic regression and qualitative analysis were used to identify factors associated with unit closures between 2010 and 2014.

Principal Findings

Exactly 7.2 percent of rural hospitals in the study closed their obstetric units. These units were smaller in size, more likely to be privately owned, and located in communities with lower family income, fewer obstetricians, and fewer family physicians. Prenatal care was still available in 17 of 19 communities, but local women would need to travel an average of 29 additional miles to access intrapartum care.

Conclusions

Rural obstetric unit closures are more common in smaller hospitals and communities with a limited obstetric workforce. Concerns about continuity of rural maternity care arise for women with local prenatal care but distant intrapartum care.
Direct Dynamic Kinetic Analysis and Computer Simulation of Growth of Clostridium perfringens in Cooked Turkey during Cooling
Authors: Huang Lihan , Vinyard Bryan T.
Published: January 2016

This research applied a new 1‐step methodology to directly construct a tertiary model that describes the growth of Clostridium perfringens in cooked turkey meat under dynamically cooling conditions. The kinetic parameters of the growth models were determined by numerical analysis and optimization using multiple dynamic growth curves.

The models and kinetic parameters were validated using independent growth curves obtained under various cooling conditions. The results showed that the residual errors (ε) of the predictions followed a Laplace distribution that is symmetric with respect to ε = 0. For residual errors, 90.6% are within ±0.5 Log CFU/g and 73.4% are ±0.25 Log CFU/g for all growth curves used for validation. For relative growth <1.0 Log CFU/g, 88.9% of the residual errors are within ±0.5 Log CFU/g, and 63.0% are within ±0.25 Log CFU/g. For relative growth of <2.0 Log CFU/g, 92.7% of the residual errors are within ±0.5 Log CFU/g, and 70.3% are within ±0.25 Log CFU/g. The scale and distribution of residual errors clearly suggests that the models and estimated kinetic parameters are reasonably accurate in predicting the growth of C. perfringens.

Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the probabilities of >1.0 and 2.0 Log CFU/g relative growth of C. perfringens in the final products at the end of cooling. This probabilistic process analysis approach provides a new alternative for estimating and managing the risk of a product and can help the food industry and regulatory agencies assess the safety of cooked meat in the event of cooling deviation.