bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low frequency vibration induced streaming in a Hele-Shaw cell
Authors: Costalonga M. , Brunet P. , Peerhossaini H.
Published: January 2015

When an acoustic wave propagates in a fluid, it can generate a second order flow whose characteristic time is much longer than the period of the wave. Within a range of frequency between ten and several hundred Hz, a relatively simple and versatile way to generate streaming flow is to put a vibrating object in the fluid. The flow develops vortices in the viscous boundary layer located in the vicinity of the source of vibrations, leading in turn to an outer irrotational streaming called Rayleigh streaming. Because the flow originates from non-linear time-irreversible terms of the Navier-Stokes equation, this phenomenon can be used to generate efficient mixing at low Reynolds number, for instance in confined geometries. Here, we report on an experimental study of such streaming flow induced by a vibrating beam in a Hele-Shaw cell of 2 mm span using long exposure flow visualization and particle-image velocimetry measurements. Our study focuses especially on the effects of forcing frequency and amplitude on flow dynamics. It is shown that some features of this flow can be predicted by simple scaling arguments and that this vibration-induced streaming facilitates the generation of vortices.
Orientation dependences of atomic structures in chemically heterogeneous Cu50Ta50/Ta glass-crystal interfaces
Authors: Yang Guiqin , Gao Xiaoze , Li Jinfu , Kong Lingti
Published: January 2015

Molecular dynamics simulations based on an angular-dependent potential were performed to examine the structural properties of chemically heterogeneous interfaces between amorphous Cu50Ta50 and crystalline Ta. Several phenomena, namely, layering, crystallization, intermixing, and composition segregation, were observed in the Cu50Ta50 region adjacent to the Ta layers. These interfacial behaviors are found to depend on the orientation of the underlying Ta substrate: Layering induced by Ta(110) extends the farthest into Cu50Ta50, crystallization in the Cu50Ta50 region is most significant for interface against Ta(100), while inter-diffusion is most pronounced for Ta(111). It turns out that the induced layering behavior is dominated by the interlayer distances of the underlying Ta layers, while the degree of inter-diffusion is governed by the openness of the Ta crystalline layers. In addition, composition segregations are observed in all interface models, corresponding to the immiscible nature of the Cu-Ta system. Furthermore, Voronoi polyhedra ⟨0,5,2,6⟩ and ⟨0,4,4,6⟩ are found to be abundant in the vicinity of the interfaces for all models, whose presence is believed to facilitate the structural transition between amorphous and body centered cubic.
Structural relaxation driven increase in elastic modulus for a bulk metallic glass
Authors: Arora Harpreet Singh , Aditya Ayyagari V. , Mukherjee Sundeep
Published: January 2015

The change in elastic modulus as a function of temperature was investigated for a zirconium-based bulk metallic glass. High temperature nano-indentation was done over a wide temperature range from room temperature to the glass-transition. At higher temperature, there was a transition from inhomogeneous to homogeneous deformation, with a decrease in serrated flow and an increase in creep displacement. Hardness was found to decrease, whereas elastic modulus was found to increase with temperature. The increase in elastic modulus for metallic glass at higher temperature was explained by diffusive rearrangement of atoms resulting in free volume annihilation. This is in contrast to elastic modulus increase with temperature for silicate glasses due to compaction of its open three dimensional coordinated structure without any atomic diffusion.
Graphene nanoribbon field-effect transistors on wafer-scale epitaxial graphene on SiC substrates
Authors: Hwang Wan Sik , Zhao Pei , Tahy Kristof , Nyakiti Luke O. , Wheeler Virginia D. , Myers-Ward Rachael L. , Eddy Charles R. , Gaskill D. Kurt , Robinson Joshua A. , Haensch Wilfried , Xing Huili (Grace) , Seabaugh Alan , Jena Debdeep
Published: January 2015

We report the realization of top-gated graphene nanoribbon field effect transistors (GNRFETs) of ∼10 nm width on large-area epitaxial graphene exhibiting the opening of a band gap of ∼0.14 eV. Contrary to prior observations of disordered transport and severe edge-roughness effects of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), the experimental results presented here clearly show that the transport mechanism in carefully fabricated GNRFETs is conventional band-transport at room temperature and inter-band tunneling at low temperature. The entire space of temperature, size, and geometry dependent transport properties and electrostatics of the GNRFETs are explained by a conventional thermionic emission and tunneling current model. Our combined experimental and modeling work proves that carefully fabricated narrow GNRs behave as conventional semiconductors and remain potential candidates for electronic switching devices.
Numerical model of the plasma formation at electron beam welding
Authors: Trushnikov D. N. , Mladenov G. M.
Published: January 2015

The model of plasma formation in the keyhole in liquid metal as well as above the electron beam welding zone is described. The model is based on solution of two equations for the density of electrons and the mean electron energy. The mass transfer of heavy plasma particles (neutral atoms, excited atoms, and ions) is taken into account in the analysis by the diffusion equation for a multicomponent mixture. The electrostatic field is calculated using the Poisson equation. Thermionic electron emission is calculated for the keyhole wall. The ionization intensity of the vapors due to beam electrons and high-energy secondary and backscattered electrons is calibrated using the plasma parameters when there is no polarized collector electrode above the welding zone. The calculated data are in good agreement with experimental data. Results for the plasma parameters for excitation of a non-independent discharge are given. It is shown that there is a need to take into account the effect of a strong electric field near the keyhole walls on electron emission (the Schottky effect) in the calculation of the current for a non-independent discharge (hot cathode gas discharge). The calculated electron drift velocities are much bigger than the velocity at which current instabilities arise. This confirms the hypothesis for ion-acoustic instabilities, observed experimentally in previous research.
Dynamic conductance in L-shaped graphene nanosystems
Authors: Ye En-Jia , Nie Yanguang , Shi Haifeng , Zhang Chengliang , Zhao Xuean
Published: January 2015

Dynamic conductance of nanocircuit, which demonstrates dc and ac transport properties, is regarded as vital indicator for device feature. With the help of nonequilibrium Green's function technology and Buttiker's ac transport theory, we present dynamic conductance in L-shaped graphene nanosystems (LGNSs). It is found that electronic transport is highly sensitive to the geometric feature as well as the size of LGNSs. The armchair edge lead determines whether LGNS shows ac response or not around Dirac point. The increase of width of zigzag edge lead suppresses dc conductance and induces capacitive responses at the anti-resonance states. This is due to large dwell time originated from edge state in zigzag edge lead. In the energy region far away from Dirac point, LGNS responds inductively with the transportation channel opens. Behaviors of dynamic conductance at Dirac point and anti-resonance states are discussed by interesting spacial-resolved local density of states.
Structural evolution in Ti-Cu-Ni metallic glasses during heating
Authors: Gargarella P. , Pauly S. , Stoica M. , Vaughan G. , M. Afonso C. R. , Kühn U. , Eckert J.
Published: January 2015

The structural evolution of Ti50Cu43Ni7 and Ti55Cu35Ni10 metallic glasses during heating was investigated by in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The width of the most intense diffraction maximum of the glassy phase decreases slightly during relaxation below the glass transition temperature. Significant structural changes only occur above the glass transition manifesting in a change in the respective peak positions. At even higher temperatures, nanocrystals of the shape memory B2-Ti(Cu,Ni) phase precipitate, and their small size hampers the occurrence of a martensitic transformation.
Role of electron transfer in Ce3+ sensitized Yb3+ luminescence in borate glass
Authors: Sontakke Atul D. , Ueda Jumpei , Katayama Yumiko , Zhuang Yixi , Dorenbos Pieter , Tanabe Setsuhisa
Published: January 2015

In a Ce3+-Yb3+ system, two mechanisms are proposed so far namely, the quantum cutting mechanism and the electron transfer mechanism explaining Yb3+ infrared luminescence under Ce3+ excitation. Among them, the quantum cutting mechanism, where one Ce3+ photon (ultraviolet/blue) gives rise to two Yb3+ photons (near infrared) is widely sought for because of its huge potential in enhancing the solar cell efficiency. In present study on Ce3+-Yb3+ codoped borate glasses, Ce3+ sensitized Yb3+ luminescence at ∼1 μm have been observed on Ce3+ 5d state excitation. However, the intensity of sensitized Yb3+ luminescence is found to be very weak compared to the strong quenching occurred in Ce3+ luminescence in Yb3+ codoped glasses. Moreover, the absolute luminescence quantum yield also showed a decreasing trend with Yb3+ codoping in the glasses. The overall behavior of the luminescence properties and the quantum yield is strongly contradicting with the quantum cutting phenomenon. The results are attributed to the energetically favorable electron transfer interactions followed by Ce3+-Yb3+ ⇌ Ce4+-Yb2+ inter-valence charge transfer and successfully explained using the absolute electron binding energies of dopant ions in the studied borate glass. Finally, an attempt has been presented to generalize the electron transfer mechanism among opposite oxidation/reduction property dopant ions using the vacuum referred electron binding energy (VRBE) scheme for lanthanide series.
Predicting hourly litter moisture content of larch stands in Daxinganling Region, China using three vapour-exchange methods
Authors: Sun Ping , Yu Hongzhou , Jin Sen
Published: January 2015

Fuel moisture affects fuel ignition potential and fire behaviour. To accurately model fire behaviour, predict fuel ignition potential and plan fuel reduction, fuel moisture content must be assessed regularly and often. To establish models for Daxinganling Region, which has the most severe forest fires in China, hourly measurements were taken of moisture content in litter beds of larch stands sampled under different shading and slope conditions. Models were established using three vapour-exchange methods. The Nelson and Simard methods employed a direct timelag method using a timelag concept and the Nelson and Simard equilibrium moisture content (EMC) functions and estimating model parameters directly from fuel moisture and weather observation data in the field. The direct regression method used equations directly derived from linear regression of fuel moisture and field weather variation. The mean absolute error and mean relative error were determined for the Nelson (0.78%, 4.98%), Simard (1.04%, 5.57%) and direct regression (1.48%, 9.01%) methods. Only the models established using the direct timelag methods met the 1% accuracy requirement using either the Nelson or Simard EMC function, confirming the suitability and robustness of the direct timelag methods. The Simard and Nelson methods had similar accuracy, but Simard was more robust and only needed estimation of one parameter and hence is recommended for predicting litter moisture in this region.
TRP channel–associated factors are a novel protein family that regulates TRPM8 trafficking and activity
Authors: Gkika Dimitra , Lemonnier Loic , Shapovalov George , Gordienko Dmitri , Poux Céline , Bernardini Michela , Bokhobza Alexandre , Bidaux Gabriel , Degerny Cindy , Verreman Kathye , Guarmit Basma , Benahmed Mohamed , de Launoit Yvan , Bindels Rene J.M. , Pla Alessandra Fiorio , Prevarskaya Natalia
Published: January 2015

TRPM8 is a cold sensor that is highly expressed in the prostate as well as in other non-temperature-sensing organs, and is regulated by downstream receptor–activated signaling pathways. However, little is known about the intracellular proteins necessary for channel function. Here, we identify two previously unknown proteins, which we have named “TRP channel–associated factors” (TCAFs), as new TRPM8 partner proteins, and we demonstrate that they are necessary for channel function. TCAF1 and TCAF2 both bind to the TRPM8 channel and promote its trafficking to the cell surface. However, they exert opposing effects on TRPM8 gating properties. Functional interaction of TCAF1/TRPM8 also leads to a reduction in both the speed and directionality of migration of prostate cancer cells, which is consistent with an observed loss of expression of TCAF1 in metastatic human specimens, whereas TCAF2 promotes migration. The identification of TCAFs introduces a novel mechanism for modulation of TRPM8 channel activity.
Rac1 functions as a reversible tension modulator to stabilize VE-cadherin trans-interaction
Authors: Daneshjou Nazila , Sieracki Nathan , van Nieuw Amerongen Geerten P. , Conway Daniel E. , Schwartz Martin A. , Komarova Yulia A. , Malik Asrar B.
Published: January 2015

The role of the RhoGTPase Rac1 in stabilizing mature endothelial adherens junctions (AJs) is not well understood. In this paper, using a photoactivatable probe to control Rac1 activity at AJs, we addressed the relationship between Rac1 and the dynamics of vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin). We demonstrated that Rac1 activation reduced the rate of VE-cadherin dissociation, leading to increased density of VE-cadherin at AJs. This response was coupled to a reduction in actomyosin-dependent tension across VE-cadherin adhesion sites. We observed that inhibiting myosin II directly or through photo-release of the caged Rho kinase inhibitor also reduced the rate of VE-cadherin dissociation. Thus, Rac1 functions by stabilizing VE-cadherin trans-dimers in mature AJs by counteracting the actomyosin tension. The results suggest a new model of VE-cadherin adhesive interaction mediated by Rac1-induced reduction of mechanical tension at AJs, resulting in the stabilization of VE-cadherin adhesions.
Julia von Blume: Sorting through the trans-Golgi
Authors: Sedwick Caitlin
Published: January 2015

von Blume studies the mechanisms of protein sorting in the Golgi.
Positive metallicity correlation for coreless giant planets
Authors: Nayakshin Sergei
Published: January 2015

Frequency of detected giant planets is observed to increase rapidly with metallicity of the host star. This is usually interpreted as evidence in support of the core accretion (CA) theory, which assembles giant planets as a result of formation of a massive solid core. A strong positive planet-metallicity correlation for giant planets formed in the framework of gravitational disc instability (GI) model is found here. The key novelty of this work is ‘pebble accretion’ on to GI fragments, which has been recently demonstrated to accelerate contraction of GI fragments. Driven closer to the star by the inward migration, only the fragments that accrete metals rapidly enough collapse and survive the otherwise imminent tidal disruption. The survival fraction of simulated planets correlates strongly with the metallicity of the host star, as observed.
Heat Stress at Different Grain Filling Stages Affects Fresh Waxy Maize Grain Yield and Quality
Authors: Yang Huan , Lu Dalei , Shen Xin , Cai Xuemei , Lu Weiping
Published: January 2015

The effects of heat stress (mean day/night temperatures were 29/18 and 35/18°C for control and heat stress treatments, respectively) at 1–10 or 11–20 days after pollination (DAP) on grain yield and quality of two waxy maize varieties, Suyunuo5 and Yunuo7, were studied. The decrease in grain number and fresh grain yield was more severe when heat stress was introduced early. The responses of grain weight and its components to heat stress were dependent on the variety and heat stress stage. Heat stress increased the starch granule size and volume percentage of diameter larger than 17 μm in both varieties. Crystallinity, iodine binding capacity, and pasting and gelatinization temperatures were increased in both varieties under heat stress at 11–20 DAP; however, the response to early‐stage heat stress was variety dependent. Peak viscosity and retrogradation percentage were increased by heat stress at either stage. These results suggest that heat stress decreases fresh grain yield and accelerates grain filling rate; it increases starch content, starch granule size, crystallinity, and iodine binding capacity as well as decreases the protein content in Yunuo7, thus making the grain less tender and prone to retrogradation. Warm conditions should shorten the time to harvest in fresh waxy maize production.
Stably paused genes revealed through inhibition of transcription initiation by the TFIIH inhibitor triptolide
Authors: Chen Fei , Gao Xin , Shilatifard Ali
Published: January 2015

Transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) in metazoans is regulated in several steps, including preinitiation complex (PIC) formation, initiation, Pol II escape, productive elongation, cotranscriptional RNA processing, and termination. Genome-wide studies have demonstrated that the phenomenon of promoter-bound Pol II pausing is widespread, especially for genes involved in developmental and stimulus-responsive pathways. However, a mechanistic understanding of the paused Pol II state at promoters is limited. For example, at a global level, it is unclear to what extent the engaged paused Pol II is stably tethered to the promoter or undergoes rapid cycles of initiation and termination. Here we used the small molecule triptolide (TPL), an XPB/TFIIH inhibitor, to block transcriptional initiation and then measured Pol II occupancy by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) followed by next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq). This inhibition of initiation enabled us to investigate different states of paused Pol II. Specifically, our global analysis revealed that most genes with paused Pol II, as defined by a pausing index, show significant clearance of Pol II during the period of TPL treatment. Our study further identified a group of genes with unexpectedly stably paused Pol II, with unchanged Pol II occupancy even after 1 h of inhibition of initiation. This group of genes constitutes a small portion of all paused genes defined by the conventional criterion of pausing index. These findings could pave the way for evaluating the contribution of different elongation/pausing factors on different states of Pol II pausing in developmental and other stimulus-responsive pathways.
Detained introns are a novel, widespread class of post-transcriptionally spliced introns
Authors: Boutz Paul L. , Bhutkar Arjun , Sharp Phillip A.
Published: January 2015

Deep sequencing of embryonic stem cell RNA revealed many specific internal introns that are significantly more abundant than the other introns within polyadenylated transcripts; we classified these as “detained” introns (DIs). We identified thousands of DIs, many of which are evolutionarily conserved, in human and mouse cell lines as well as the adult mouse liver. DIs can have half-lives of over an hour yet remain in the nucleus and are not subject to nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). Drug inhibition of Clk, a stress-responsive kinase, triggered rapid splicing changes for a specific subset of DIs; half showed increased splicing, and half showed increased intron detention, altering transcript pools of >300 genes. Srsf4, which undergoes a dramatic phosphorylation shift in response to Clk kinase inhibition, regulates the splicing of some DIs, particularly in genes encoding RNA processing and splicing factors. The splicing of some DIs—including those in Mdm4, a negative regulator of p53—was also altered following DNA damage. After 4 h of Clk inhibition, the expression of >400 genes changed significantly, and almost one-third of these are p53 transcriptional targets. These data suggest a widespread mechanism by which the rate of splicing of DIs contributes to the level of gene expression.
The G-patch protein Spp2 couples the spliceosome-stimulated ATPase activity of the DEAH-box protein Prp2 to catalytic activation of the spliceosome
Authors: Warkocki Zbigniew , Schneider Cornelius , Mozaffari-Jovin Sina , Schmitzová Jana , Höbartner Claudia , Fabrizio Patrizia , Lührmann Reinhard
Published: January 2015

Structural rearrangement of the activated spliceosome (Bact) to yield a catalytically active complex (B*) is mediated by the DEAH-box NTPase Prp2 in cooperation with the G-patch protein Spp2. However, how the energy of ATP hydrolysis by Prp2 is coupled to mechanical work and what role Spp2 plays in this process are unclear. Using a purified splicing system, we demonstrate that Spp2 is not required to recruit Prp2 to its bona fide binding site in the Bact spliceosome. In the absence of Spp2, the Bact spliceosome efficiently triggers Prp2’s NTPase activity, but NTP hydrolysis is not coupled to ribonucleoprotein (RNP) rearrangements leading to catalytic activation of the spliceosome. Transformation of the Bact to the B* spliceosome occurs only when Spp2 is present and is accompanied by dissociation of Prp2 and a reduction in its NTPase activity. In the absence of spliceosomes, Spp2 enhances Prp2’s RNA-dependent ATPase activity without affecting its RNA affinity. Our data suggest that Spp2 plays a major role in coupling Prp2’s ATPase activity to remodeling of the spliceosome into a catalytically active machine.
Single-Neuron Isolation for RNA Analysis Using Pipette Capture and Laser Capture Microdissection
Authors: Lovatt Ditte , Bell Thomas , Eberwine James
Published: January 2015

The field of single-cell analysis has greatly benefitted from recent technological advances allowing scientists to study genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes at the single-cell level. Transcriptomics allows a unique window into cell function and is especially useful for studying global variability among single cells of seemingly the same type. Generating transcriptome data from RNA samples has become increasingly easy and can be done using either microarray or RNA-Seq techniques. RNA isolation is the first step of transcriptomics. Numerous RNA isolation procedures exist and differ with respect to the type and number of cells from which they are capable of isolating RNA. Although it is trivial to isolate RNA from bulk tissue or culture plates, sophisticated methods are required to capture RNA from single cells in a pool of cells or in intact tissue. We describe here the protocols used for isolating the soma of single neurons in cultures and in tissue slices using the pipette capture and the PALM or laser capture microdissection (LCM) approaches, respectively. LCM was developed to isolate cells from tissue sections primarily for pathological tissue analysis. LCM can be used to isolate individual cells or groups of cells from ethanol or paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed tissue sections and dissociated tissue cultures. The soma isolates from either technique can subsequently be used for RNA amplification procedures and transcriptome analysis. These procedures can also be adapted to other cell types in cultures and tissue sections and can be used on neuronal subcellular structures, such as dendrites.
Verifying the Function and Localization of Genetically Encoded Ca2+ Sensors and Converting FRET Ratios to Ca2+ Concentrations
Authors: Park J. Genevieve , Palmer Amy E.
Published: January 2015

Genetically encoded, ratiometric, fluorescent Ca2+ biosensors can be used in living cells to quantitatively measure free Ca2+ concentrations in the cytosol or in organelles. This protocol describes how to perform a calibration of a Ca2+ sensor expressed in cultured mammalian cells as images are acquired using a widefield fluorescence microscope. This protocol also explains how to calculate Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) ratios from acquired images and how to convert FRET ratios to Ca2+ concentrations.
Preclinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Mouse Cancer Models
Authors: Sun Yanping , Kung Andrew L.
Published: January 2015

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in humans and animal models has been rapidly growing. MRI provides high spatial resolution, excellent tissue contrast, and outstanding definition of the anatomical structure of normal organs and tumors. Because MRI does not require genetically encoded reporters, it can be used for tumor surveillance and the assessment of treatment effects in a variety of mouse cancer models. MRI systems for preclinical imaging typically operate at higher magnetic field strength, ranging from 4.7 to 15 T, as opposed to clinical MRI scanners, which range from 1.5 to 3 T. The higher field strength of dedicated preclinical systems provides higher spatial resolution and higher signal-to-noise ratios. MRI of mouse cancer models requires optimization of numerous parameters, including pulse sequences and radio frequency coils. Here, we describe a protocol covering the general procedures for MRI.
Quantitative Bioluminescence Imaging of Mouse Tumor Models
Authors: Tseng Jen-Chieh , Kung Andrew L.
Published: January 2015

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) has become an essential technique for preclinical evaluation of anticancer therapeutics and provides sensitive and quantitative measurements of tumor burden in experimental cancer models. For light generation, a vector encoding firefly luciferase is introduced into human cancer cells that are grown as tumor xenografts in immunocompromised hosts, and the enzyme substrate luciferin is injected into the host. Alternatively, the reporter gene can be expressed in genetically engineered mouse models to determine the onset and progression of disease. In addition to expression of an ectopic luciferase enzyme, bioluminescence requires oxygen and ATP, thus only viable luciferase-expressing cells or tissues are capable of producing bioluminescence signals. Here, we summarize a BLI protocol that takes advantage of advances in hardware, especially the cooled charge-coupled device camera, to enable detection of bioluminescence in living animals with high sensitivity and a large dynamic range.
Evaluation of corrosion resistance of coated steel strips embedded in mortar under chloride exposure
Authors: Ahmad Shamsad , Al-Tholaia Mohammed M. Hussein
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was mainly to select one of the three types of coatings for protection of steel used as reinforcement in composite pipes (thin steel shell covered by cement-mortar) subjected to chloride exposure. To achieve this target, an attempt was made to develop a simple methodology for evaluating the performance of corrosion protection measures in terms of chloride threshold level (CTL) and corrosion initiation time (TI).

Design/methodology/approach

– Bare, epoxy, red oxide and zinc primer-coated steel strips were embedded in cement mortar with sand/cement and water/cement ratios of 2 and 0.5 (by mass), respectively, to prepare the specimens which were exposed to chloride solution having a high concentration of 10 per cent NaCl. For determining the amounts of the water-soluble chloride diffused inside the specimens, powdered samples of mortar were collected from two different depths from the exposed surface of specimens on completion of each of the four different exposure times. The corrosion current densities were determined at two different stages. A step-by-step procedure for calculating CTL and TI using the measured chloride contents and corrosion current densities was established with the help of relevant information available in the literature.

Findings

– Based on the comparison of the values of CTL and TI calculated for bare steel and steel with all three types of coatings, utilizing the experimental data and the proposed calculation procedure, the epoxy-coated steel was found to have the best performance.

Originality/value

– This research has resulted into development of a simple methodology for evaluation of the performance of protective measures against corrosion of steel embedded in mortar or concrete exposed to chloride-bearing environment.
An investigation into dissolution behavior of pre-oxidized Ni-6Al-10Cu-11Fe-15Cr nickel base alloy in molten cryolite
Authors: Tamasgavabari Reza , Jafarzadeh Kurosh , Madanipoor Masumeh , Badri Hassan
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was the investigation of corrosion behaviour of Ni-6Al-10Cu-11Fe-15Cr alloy, as a candidate material for inert anodes in aluminium electrolysis industries.

Design/methodology/approach

– The samples were prepared by casting, and then were oxidized at 1,000°C for 30, 70 and 100 hours, respectively. To determine corrosion resistant of the samples, they were exposed to molten cryolite at 930°C for 70 hours. Then the surface layers were studied.

Findings

– Results showed that by extension of corrosion time, thickness of oxide layers increases. In addition, it was found that Al2O3 and Cr2O3 are the major oxide compounds that appear on the surface of the sample.

Originality/value

– In this paper, the Ni-6Al-10Cu-11Fe-15Cr nickel base alloy has been selected to study its corrosion behaviour in molten cryolite as a candidate for inert anodes. It was found out that by addition Al and Cr into the alloy composition, due to formation of Al2O3 and Cr2O3 following oxidation, the substrate was protected from corrosion attacks.
Political independence, operational impartiality, and the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies
Authors: Gregory Robert
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between political independence and operational impartiality in regard to the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies (ACAs). Against this background of western orthodoxy, it asks whether a non-western country with high levels of corruption (Vietnam being an example) can find another pathway in its efforts to effectively combat corruption.

Design/methodology/approach

– An exercise in qualitative conceptual clarification and theoretical speculation, drawing upon practical examples.

Findings

– It is argued that it is important to distinguish between de jure andde factopolitical independence, and that neither can be fully understood unless they are considered in relationship to other key values, particularly operational impartiality, public accountability, and systemic legitimacy, and in the context of bureaucratic politics. There is little coherent theoretical knowledge available about the relationships among these variables. Such values are central to western notions of “good government” but are much less institutionalised in non-western jurisdictions with high levels of corruption. The question is raised: can such countries, Vietnam being one example, develop effective anti-corruption strategies which because of the nature of their own political system, cannot depend on political independence for its ACAs?

Originality/value

– Attention is drawn to some conceptual and putatively theoretical issues relating to the effectiveness of ACAs, and which have received little explicit attention in the relevant academic literature.
Anti-corruption measures the Japanese way: prevention matters
Authors: Oyamada Eiji
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze recent Japanese corruption prevention mechanisms and assess the efforts of the Japanese government in winning public trust.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper discusses public sector corruption in Japan at an institutional level through a study of its features and current status. It then analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of corruption prevention measures and the public perceptions of these measures. The paper concludes with a discussion on whether such measures can be adopted by other countries.

Findings

– Recent preventive measures in Japan are effective in decreasing corruption opportunities, but not in enhancing the public trust of the government. Major findings are: first, Japan is the only Asian country without a dedicated anti-corruption agency (ACA); second, there is more emphasis on corruption prevention in the anti-corruption measures; third, the government is concerned with initiating measures to prevent the further erosion of public trust when corruption occurs; fourth, while preventive measures such as public disclosure and whistle-blower protection acts are in place, public awareness of their existence is still lacking and the usage of these systems is limited; fifth, more efforts are placed on prevention through the promotion of government transparency and accountability and public sector ethics education rather than penalizing the corrupt offenders; and sixth, though efforts to minimize amakudari practices are made, lack of political will and its sustainability prevents further reform.

Originality/value

– This paper will be useful for scholars, policy-makers, and anti-corruption practitioners interested in learning how Japanese government practices prevent corruption.
Optimizing KBART guidelines to restore perpetual access
Authors: Blanchat Kelly Marie
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This case study aims to demonstrate how proactive use of KBART guidelines can assist librarians in the analysis and restoration of journal titles with post-cancellation perpetual access.

Design/methodology/approach

– After experiencing a 25-per cent decrease in the collection budget, the Queens College Libraries (QCL) faced losing electronic journal content with cancellations to Big Deal licensing agreements. By using tools such as Serials Solutions, Ex Libris SFX and Microsoft Excel, the library was able to optimize KBART guidelines to analyze and restore journal titles under perpetual access licensing clauses. The implemented workflow mirrored the process to create “Big Deal” renewal spreadsheets at Springer Science + Business Media.

Findings

– By using KBART guidelines to manipulate and analyze data, the library was efficiently able to identify journal titles for perpetual access. Because the resulting data were formatted within KBART guidelines, it could then be transferred to a knowledge base for enhanced content discovery.

Practical implications

– While there are numerous variations on perpetual access rights across hundreds of vendors, the workflow developed at QCL can be replicated, or altered on a case-by-case basis. By highlighting the work necessary to implement perpetual access clauses, this article makes a case for both standardizing licensing clauses as well as increased vendor adoption of KBART guidelines.

Originality/value

– This case study examines the workflow of an Electronic Resources librarian with vendor experience, the overlap of concerns between librarians and vendors, and the ways in which to analyze journal holdings without an automated system.
Comparing usage between a Dynamic and a Static e-monograph Collection
Authors: Lamothe Alain R
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present the results from a quantitative analysis comparing usage levels between an e-monograph collection that has experienced continual growth and an e-monograph collection that has not experienced any recent growth whatsoever. The aim of the study was to determine quantitatively if e-monograph collections with dynamic content experience greater levels of usage compared to e-monograph collections that are static in both size and content.

Design/methodology/approach

– E-monograph data were separated into a Dynamic and a Static Collection. Usage for e-monographs belonging to the Dynamic Collection was compared to usage of e-monographs belonging to the Static Collection. The number of e-monographs was obtained by simple count. Additional statistics tracked include the number of viewings. A linear regression analysis was used to determine the strength of the linear relationship between collection size and usage.

Findings

– Results indicate that e-monograph collections that continue to grow in both size and content also continue to experience year-to-year increases in usage, whereas e-monograph collections that remain static in size and content experience a decline in usage. A linear regression analysis indicates the existence of a very strong linear relationship that exists between Dynamic Collection size and usage. A weaker linear relationship was calculated for Static Collection size and usage.

Originality/value

– This research is one of very few studies systematically and quantitatively comparing usage levels between e-monographs from growing collections to collections that have not had any new titles added recently.
Leading by example
Authors: Beech Amy , Kwak Do Won , Tang Kam Ki
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the interdependence between donor countries’ health aid expenditures. The specific form of interdependence considered is the leader effect, whereby an influential country has a positive leverage effect on other donor countries’ aid expenditure. The opposite case of a free-rider effect, whereby a single donor country has a negative leverage effect on its peers, is also considered.

Design/methodology/approach

– Focusing on the identification of the leader effect avoids the estimation bias present in the identification of the peer group effect, due to endogenous social effect. The empirical analysis focuses on Development Assistance for Health provided by 20 OECD countries over the period of 1990-2009. Aid commitment and aid disbursement are distinguished.

Findings

– When aid dynamics, country heterogeneity, and endogeneity are accounted for, there is no evidence that the biggest donor – the USA, or the most generous donors – Norway and Sweden, exhibit any leverage effects on other donor countries’ aid expenditures.

Originality/value

– This is the first paper to examine the leader and free-rider effects in health aid provision as previous studies focus on peer effects. Any evidence of leader or free-rider effects (or the lack of it) adds to the understanding of international political economy especially in the area of foreign aid provision.
Financial development and income inequality in India: an application of ARDL approach
Authors: Sehrawat Madhu , Giri A K
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial development and income inequality in India using annual data from 1982-2012.

Design/methodology/approach

– Stationarity properties of the series are checked by using ADF, DF-GLS, KPSS and Ng- Perron unit root tests. The paper applied the auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound testing approach to co-integration to examine the existence of long run relationship; and error correction mechanism for the short run dynamics.

Findings

– The co-integration test confirms a long run relationship between financial development and income inequality for India. The ARDL test results suggest that financial development, economic growth, inflation aggravates the income inequality in both long run and short run. However, trade openness reduces the gap between rich and poor in India.

Research limitations/implications

– The present recommend for appropriate economic and financial reforms focussing on financial inclusion to reduce income inequality in India.

Originality/value

– Till date, there is hardly any study that makes a clear comparison between market-based indicator and bank based indicator of financial development in India and those examining the relationship between finance and income inequality nexus. Further there is hardly any study to include gini coefficient as a proxy for inequality for India and apply ARDL techniques of co-integration, using the basic principles of GJ hypothesis and provide short run and long run dynamics for India. So the contribution of the paper is to fill these research gaps.
Optimizing the environmental attitudes inventory
Authors: Sutton Stephen G. , Gyuris Emma
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to optimize the Environmental Attitudes Inventory (EAI) and second, to establish a baseline of the difference in environmental attitudes between first and final year students, taken at the start of a university’s declaration of commitment to EfS.

Design/methodology/approach

– The psychometrically designed EAI was used to overcome the problems and limitations of the much-used, but controversial, revised New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale. The performance of the original 72-item EAI was compared with our 37-item reduced form using a population of first- and final-year university students.

Findings

– The reduced 37-item EAI provides a reliable and valid tool for investigating structured, multi-dimensional environmental attitudes of university students while reducing response burden and increasing response and completion rates compared with the longer versions of the EAI.

Research limitations/implications

– No attempt is made to link elements of the university experience with changes in attitude between first- and third-year students. The authors expect the 12-faceted EAI to provide more detailed feedback on the affective outcomes of EfS initiatives than currently used instruments.

Originality/value

– This research contributes to establishing the EAI as a gold standard with which to monitor students’ environmental attitudes. Although most studies aimed at understanding the impact of EfS measure attitude change over relatively short periods of time – typically using the brief NEP scale administered immediately before and after a specific semester course – the approach developed here is designed to detect attitudinal change that may be ascribed to the entire university experience between students’ first and final year.
The future we want
Authors: Leal Filho Walter , Manolas Evangelos , Pace Paul
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to provide a description of the achievements of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) with a focus on higher education, and it describes some of the key issues which will guide sustainable development in the coming years.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper initially presents an analysis of past developments, complemented by an assessment of the emphasis on sustainable development by theInternational Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. In particular, it makes cross-references to the deliberations held at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012, with a special emphasis to the document “The Future we Want”. It concludes by listing a set of suggestions and measures that both industrialised and developing countries may consider to translate the principles of sustainable development into reality.

Findings

– Sustainable development is and will continue to be a matter of substantial international interest and concern. The developments achieved over the past 20 years have been substantial, but there are still many gaps and need which need to be met, so as to improve its prospects in the next two decades.

Originality/value

– The paper provides useful insights which allow a better understanding of the role of universities in fostering sustainable development, and some of the key issues need to be considered, so as to allow things to move in the right direction.
Reallocating the 700 MHz band: should we do it?
Authors: Delgado Juan
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the discussion of the so-called “second digital dividend”, aimed to respond to the increasing demand for mobile broadband and the need to harmonize spectrum use across the world. This paper evaluates the uncertainties of this decision and the risk of assigning too much spectrum and too early to MBB at a high cost leading to an inefficient outcome.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper analyses the trade-offs involved in the reallocation of the 700-MHz band and proposes several measures to guarantee that any further reallocation of the spectrum leads to an increase in global efficiency.

Findings

– The decision to reallocate the 700 MHz band should not be adopted until policy-makers are able to guarantee that it will lead to an efficient outcome. The reallocation of the 700-MHz band requires some preliminary steps to guarantee such efficient outcome. Those preliminary policy steps should be directed to analyze the efficiency of the current use of the spectrum and enlarge the scope of policy options by freeing the currently underutilized parts of the spectrum, exploring new technologies and allowing a better spectrum management through market solutions.

Originality/value

– This paper sets a framework for the evaluation of the so-called second digital dividend which differs from the evaluation of the first digital dividend. Additional cost and benefits are discussed which were not present in the first digital dividend, and that will affect the final allocation of the spectrum.
Analyzing the development of 4th generation mobile network in China: actor network theory perspective
Authors: Shim Yongwoon , Shin Dong-Hee
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the process of standards setting based on the case of long-term evolution time division duplex (LTE TDD) deployment in China.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using actor-network theory (ANT) as a theoretical framework, multi-level analyses are presented to explain the process of adoption of LTE TDD at a global level.

Findings

– Findings identified the complex interaction between the social and technical aspects of fourth-generation (4G) by highlighting the co-evolving nature, diversity and interface that constitute the next-generation network environment.

Research limitations/implications

– ANT provides a framework of ideas for describing the process of technology adoption and for developing stories that explain it.

Originality/value

– The findings shed light on a critical insight of the interrelationships between TD-SCDMA and LTE TDD and identify the policy successes and failures of 4G mobile networks.
The prevalence of ethnocentric tendencies in Bangladesh
Authors: Chowdhury Tamgid Ahmed
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to argue that the traditional belief that “consumer ethnocentrism is a phenomenon of the developed countries only” is no longer true. To establish this argument, our study assesses the applicability of the Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale (CETSCALE) in Bangladesh by judging the unidimensionality feature of the same.

Design/methodology/approach

– The methodology is based on sample of 788 respondents collected from 27 border and non-border districts of Bangladesh.

Findings

– Statistically significant results show that for the consumers of border and non-border districts, the original CETSCALE is, to a great extent, applicable as those groups have shown positive attitudes in retaining 12-14 items out of the 17 items of the original scale. However, the groups and the respondents as a whole did not agree with the unidimensionality feature of the CETSCALE.

Practical implications

– The results of the study show that Bangladeshi consumers prefer to see “Made in Bangladesh” tags when buying consumer products – a significant potential threat that the multinational companies need to address while planning to expand business in Bangladesh.

Originality/value

– This type of rigorous study on Bangladesh has never been done before. Moreover, the study identifies the difference in ethnocentric behavior of the consumers living in border and non-border areas – a study of ethnocentrism from a different point of view.