bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Random phase code for automotive MIMO radars using combined frequency shift keying‐linear FMCW waveform
Authors: Kim Eun Hee , Kim Ki Hyun
Published: July 2018

Automotive radar is a key component for self‐driving cars and advanced driver assistant systems. The major requirements of recent automotive radars are high angular resolution and multiple target detection with the constraints of small size, low power, and low cost. With appropriate transmitter spacing, co‐located multiple‐input–multiple‐output (MIMO) radar can emulate larger aperture arrays, producing the required high angular resolution. However, MIMO radar requires waveforms that are orthogonal in frequency, time, or code domain, and orthogonal waveforms developed for pulse radars are unsuitable for automotive frequency modulated continuous waveform (FMCW) radars. This study proposes a code division multiplexing method for automotive MIMO radars by selecting the combined frequency shift key‐linear FMCW waveform. The authors show the performance through simulation and discuss constraints. The proposed method is suitable for automotive radars because not only can high angular resolution be achieved by a small number of arrays, but also multiple targets can be detected with the low sampling rate and computational power.
Modified sequential processing terrain referenced navigation considering slant range measurement
Authors: Jeon Hyun Cheol , Lim Jong Nam , Park Chan Gook
Published: July 2018

This study proposes a modified terrain referenced navigation (TRN) algorithm considering slant range measurement. The TRN estimates a vehicle's position by comparing the measured terrain information with digital elevation map data. A conventional TRN assumes that a vertical range is measured by a radar altimeter and the measurement error exists only in the vertical direction. Recently, many researches have focused on applying the slant range sensor data, such as light detection and ranging or interferometric radar altimeter data to improve the TRN performance. In such cases, not only the vertical error but also the horizontal error components are generated by slant range measurement errors and the effect of these error components increases significantly as the flight altitude and the slant range measurement errors increase. Therefore, a proper TRN algorithm should be considered to estimate the vehicle position in a stable and accurate manner. In this study, a modified extended Kalman filter [EKF]‐based TRN algorithm (ETRN) considering the slant range measurement and the corresponding measurement variance is proposed. The proposed algorithm converts the ETRN measuring the slant range to the conventional ETRN measuring the vertical range. Also, the proposed algorithm provides robust and accurate TRN results by accounting for the vertical and horizontal error components generated by the slant range errors.
Memetic reconstruction algorithm for the ECT
Authors: Tong Guowei , Chen Hongyan , Liu Shi
Published: July 2018

The practical performance of the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) instrument largely relies on the accuracy and robustness of the image reconstruction algorithm. Varying from the common imaging methods, in this study, a regularisation‐based loss function is proposed to transform the ECT imaging task into an optimisation problem, in which the least trimmed squares method is employed to measure the data fidelity, and the ‐norm of the variables is used as the regulariser. An efficient memetic algorithm (MA) that constitutes of the monkey king evolution algorithm and the Fletcher–Reeves conjugate gradient method is developed for solving the proposed loss function. The numerical simulations reveal that the feasibility and robustness of the proposed MA lead to a series of satisfactory results in the ECT field.
Limitations of the IAU2000 nutation model accuracy due to the lack of Oppolzer terms of planetary origin
Authors: Ferrándiz José M. , Navarro Juan F. , Martínez-Belda M. C. , Escapa Alberto , Getino Juan
Published: July 2018

Context. The current IAU2000 nutation model performed different approximations, one of them being that the Oppolzer terms associated to the planetary perturbations of the nutations were assumed to be smaller than 5 μas and thus were neglected. At present, the uncertainties of the amplitudes of individual components of the observed nutations are better, and the conventional nutation model does not fit the accuracy requirements pursued by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the International Association of Geodesy (IAG).

Aims. The objective of this work is to estimate the magnitude of the lacking Oppolzer terms of the planetary nutations and find out whether they are still negligible or not.

Methods. The Oppolzer terms resulting from the direct and indirect planetary perturbations of the Earth’s rotation have been computed for a two-layer Earth model following the Hamiltonian theory of the non-rigid-Earth.

Results. The planetary Oppolzer terms for the non-rigid Earth are not really negligible as believed, and some of them have amplitudes larger than 10 μas, therefore significantly above the current level of uncertainty of individual harmonic constituents.

Conclusions. In the short term, the IAU2000 nutation model must be supplemented with suitable corrections accounting for those missing components; its planetary component must be thoroughly revised in the medium term.
Spatial likelihood analysis for MAGIC telescope data
Authors: Vovk I. , Strzys M. , Fruck C.
Published: July 2018

Context. The increase in sensitivity of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) has lead to numerous detections of extended γ-ray sources at TeV energies, sometimes of sizes comparable to the instrument’s field of view. This creates a demand for advanced and flexible data analysis methods that are able to extract source information using the photon counts in the entire field of view.

Aims. We present a new software package, “SkyPrism”, aimed at performing 2D (3D if energy is considered) fits of IACT data that possibly contain multiple and extended sources. The fits are based on sky images binned in energy. Although the development of this package was focused on the analysis of data collected with the MAGIC telescopes, it can further be adapted to other instruments, such as the future Cherenkov Telescope Array.

Methods. We have developed a set of tools that in addition to sky images (count maps) compute the instrument response functions of MAGIC (effective exposure throughout the field of view, point spread function, energy resolution, and background shape) based on the input data, Monte Carlo simulations, and the pointing track of the telescopes. With this information, the package can perform a simultaneous maximum likelihood fit of source models of arbitrary morphology to the sky images providing energy spectra, detection significances, and upper limits.

Results. We demonstrate that the SkyPrism tool accurately reconstructs the MAGIC point spread function, on- and off-axis performance as well as the underlying background. We further show that for a point source analysis with the MAGIC default observational settings, SkyPrism gives results compatible with those of the standard tools while being more flexible and widely applicable.
The ALMA-PILS survey: first detection of methyl isocyanide (CH3NC) in a solar-type protostar
Authors: Calcutt H. , Fiechter M. R. , Willis E. R. , Müller H. S. P. , Garrod R. T. , Jørgensen J. K. , Wampfler S. F. , Bourke T. L. , Coutens A. , Drozdovskaya M. N. , Ligterink N. F. W. , Kristensen L. E.
Published: July 2018

Context. Methyl isocyanide (CH3NC) is the isocyanide with the largest number of atoms confirmed in the interstellar medium (ISM), but it is not an abundant molecule, having only been detected towards a handful of objects. Conversely, its isomer, methyl cyanide (CH3CN), is one of the most abundant complex organic molecules detected in the ISM, with detections in a variety of low- and high-mass sources.

Aims. The aims of this work are to determine the abundances of methyl isocyanide in the solar-type protostellar binary IRAS 16293–2422 and to understand the stark abundance differences observed between methyl isocyanide and methyl cyanide in the ISM.

Methods. We use Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations from the Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS) to search for methyl isocyanide and compare its abundance with that of its isomer methyl cyanide. We use a new line catalogue from the Cologne Database for Molecular Spectroscopy (CDMS) to identify methyl isocyanide lines. We also model the chemistry with an updated version of the three-phase chemical kinetics model MAGICKAL, presenting the first chemical modelling of methyl isocyanide to date.

Results. We detect methyl isocyanide for the first time in a solar-type protostar, IRAS 16293–2422 B, and present upper limits for its companion protostar, IRAS 16293–2422 A. Methyl isocyanide is found to be at least 20 times more abundant in source B compared to source A, with a CH3CN/CH3NC abundance ratio of 200 in IRAS 16293–2422 B and >5517 in IRAS 16293–2422 A. We also present the results of a chemical model of methyl isocyanide chemistry in both sources, and discuss the implications for methyl isocyanide formation mechanisms and the relative evolutionary stages of both sources. The chemical modelling is unable to match the observed CH3CN/CH3NC abundance ratio towards the B source at densities representative of that source. The modelling, however, is consistent with the upper limits for the A source. There are many uncertainties in the formation and destruction pathways of methyl isocyanide, and it is therefore not surprising that the initial modelling attempts do not reproduce observations. In particular, it is clear that some destruction mechanism of methyl isocyanide that does not destroy methyl cyanide is needed. Furthermore, these initial model results suggest that the final density plays a key role in setting the abundance ratio. The next steps are therefore to obtain further detections of methyl isocyanide in more objects, as well as undertaking more detailed physico-chemical modelling of sources such as IRAS16293.
Revisiting the connection between magnetic activity, rotation period, and convective turnover time for main-sequence stars
Authors: Mittag M. , Schmitt J. H. M. M. , Schröder K.-P.
Published: July 2018

The connection between stellar rotation, stellar activity, and convective turnover time is revisited with a focus on the sole contribution of magnetic activity to the Ca II H&K emission, the so-called excess flux, and its dimensionless indicator R+HK in relation to other stellar parameters and activity indicators. Our study is based on a sample of 169 main-sequence stars with directly measured Mount Wilson S-indices and rotation periods. The R+HK values are derived from the respective S-indices and related to the rotation periods in various B–V-colour intervals. First, we show that stars with vanishing magnetic activity, i.e. stars whose excess flux index R+HK approaches zero, have a well-defined, colour-dependent rotation period distribution; we also show that this rotation period distribution applies to large samples of cool stars for which rotation periods have recently become available. Second, we use empirical arguments to equate this rotation period distribution with the global convective turnover time, which is an approach that allows us to obtain clear relations between the magnetic activity related excess flux index R+HK, rotation periods, and Rossby numbers. Third, we show that the activity versus Rossby number relations are very similar in the different activity indicators. As a consequence of our study, we emphasize that our Rossby number based on the global convective turnover time approaches but does not exceed unity even for entirely inactive stars. Furthermore, the rotation-activity relations might be universal for different activity indicators once the proper scalings are used.
Laser beam zooming and deflection using a nonlinear metamaterial refracting medium
Authors: Comley Andrew James
Published: July 2018

In-process control of the focal spot size and pointing position of a laser as it interacts with a target (beam zooming and deflection) offers the possibility of unprecedented efficiency improvements in a number of applications, such as inertial confinement fusion and laser micromachining. Here is described a system in which the focussing characteristics of a laser beam at one wavelength can be controlled by a lower-intensity beam at another wavelength, via their mutual interaction with a nonlinear metamaterial refracting medium. Such a metamaterial approach permits the optical response of the medium to be tailored according to the wavelengths of interest and time response required in a given application. A metamolecule unit cell design is described in terms of an equivalent circuit based on a pair of LCR (inductance, capacitance, resistance) circuits coupled by a common nonlinear capacitor. The circuit is studied using an analytical approach to obtain an understanding of its properties and design relationships between circuit parameters. Potential realisations of the circuit are discussed.
Magnetic study of Fe3O4/Ag nanoparticles
Authors: Typek Janusz , Guskos Nikos , Zolnierkiewicz Grzegorz , Lendzion-Bielun Zofia , Pachla Anna , Narkiewicz Urszula
Published: July 2018

Nanocomposites of Fe3O4nanoparticles (NPs) impregnated with silver NPs display antibacterial properties and may be used in water treatment as disinfection agent. Three samples were synthesized: Fe3O4NPs obtained by the precipitation method and additionally two samples with added silver NPs with mass ratio of Ag:Fe3O4equal to 1:100 and 2:100. Magnetic properties of these samples were studied by SQUID magnetometry (in temperature range 2–300 K and magnetic fields up to 70 kG) and magnetic resonance technique at RT. Temperature dependence of dc susceptibility revealed the blocking temperature close to RT in all three samples and allowed to determine the presence of single or multi-mode distribution of NP sizes in a particular sample. Isothermal magnetisation measurements showed that the presence of silver NPs, especially those with smaller sizes, decreases the saturation magnetisation. The shape of ferromagnetic loop registered atT = 2 K was used to discuss the sizes of NP magnetic clusters in our samples. Conclusions obtained from analysis of the ferromagnetic resonance spectra were consistent with the propositions based on the magnetometric studies.
Gendered Discipline in Globalising India
Authors: Krishnan Kavita
Published: July 2018

Discrimination and violence against women in India often tend to be discussed, framed and explained in cultural terms alone. It is a commonplace assumption that Indian cultural norms are responsible for women's oppression in India and that India's moves to open up the economy to globalisation will usher in modernity and empower women. Another similar assumption is that gendered violence and patriarchal oppression are produced and located primarily in the (Indian traditional) family and community, and that women's entry into the globalised workforce will empower and help them confront and overcome such violence and oppression. This paper attempts to challenge this false binary between ‘family/community/tradition/culture’ and ‘modern political economy’. It looks at the methods used across various sites—household/family, college/university and factory—to subject women's labour and sexuality to a regime of surveillance and gendered discipline. It also looks at the ways in which this regime is disrupted and challenged repeatedly by women's protests.
Coloniality, Political Subjectivation and the Gendered Politics of Protest in a ‘State of Exception’
Authors: Madhok Sumi
Published: July 2018

In this paper, I shall make the following propositions: in order to conceptually capture and represent the acts of political protest in a state of exception, we will need to reorient and supplement our representational apparatuses and also our theoretical frameworks for thinking about the gendered modes of protest under emergency laws and political abandonment. Through an analysis of the ‘naked protest’ of the Meira Peibis in Manipur, a ‘state of exception’ in democratic India, I shall argue that a series of supplementations to our current thinking on intersectionality, bare life and political subjectivation are required if we are to make sense of political acts of resistance, refusal and disavowal of the law of exception.
Sex Selective Abortion, Neoliberal Patriarchy and Structural Violence in India
Authors: Purewal Navtej
Published: July 2018

This article explores sex selective abortion (SSA) as a form of structural violence within the broader notion of women's ‘protection’ in contemporary India. While SSA tends to be framed more generally within ethical and choice-based frameworks around abortion access and reproductive ‘rights’, and specifically in India around preference for sons as a discriminatory, cultural, technological misogyny, this article argues that sex selective abortion in India needs to be understood as an outcome of broader systemic economic, political and social processes. The deepening of neoliberal values through state policies has impacted significantly on social relations, shaping SSA as a manifestation of structural violence. State-driven policies in India reflect a neoliberal governmentality through state patriarchy that is implicit within the neoliberal developmental, governmental and capitalist paradigm of contemporary India. This article argues that SSA is structurally produced and therefore cannot be remedied through awareness-raising strategies such as beti bachao or financial inclusion as a means to ‘protect’ or ‘save the girl child’. Indeed, it is neoliberal economic forces that actively, though seemingly inadvertently, promote anti-women, sex selective abortion as a reproductive strategy, which is then disciplined through neoliberal governmentality. This highlights SSA as a form of gendered and structural, rather than discriminatory, violence.
Simulations point to new materials for room-temperature quantum spin Hall insulators
Authors: Liebendorfer Adam
Published: July 2018

Predictions show that methyl- and ethyl-functionalized honeycombs of thallium antimonide have large enough band gaps and the robustness needed for a topological insulator at room temperature.
Electronic structures and optical properties of Ga doped single-layer indium nitride
Authors: Li Zhi-wei , Guo De-ping , Huang Guang-yi , Tao Wang-li , Duan Man-yi
Published: July 2018

Electronic structures and optical properties of single-layer In1−xGaxN are studied by employing Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerh (HSE) method based on the first-principles. The band structure and density of states (DOS) of single-layer In1−xGaxN are calculated, and the band gap ranges from 1.8 eV to 3.8 eV as the ratio x changes, illustrating the potential for the tunability of band gap values via Ga doped. We also have investigated optical properties of single-layer In1−xGaxN such as dielectric function, refractive index and absorption coefficient, the main peak of dielectric function spectrum and the absorption edge are found to have a remarkable blue-shift as the concentration of Ga increases. Furthermore, the optical properties of single-layer In1−xGaxN are analyzed based on the band structures and DOS analysis. Such unique optical properties have profound application in nanoelectronics and optical devices.
First-Principles microkinetic study of methanol synthesis on Cu(221) and ZnCu(221) surfaces
Authors: Wang Sha-sha , Jian Min-zhen , Su Hai-yan , Li Wei-xue
Published: July 2018

First-principle based microkinetic simulations are performed to investigate methanol synthesis from CO and CO2 on Cu(221) and CuZn(221) surfaces. It is found that regardless of surface structure, the carbon consumption rate follows the order: CO hydrogenation > CO/CO2 hydrogenation > CO2 hydrogenation. The superior CO hydrogenation activity mainly arises from the lower barriers of elementary reactions than CO2 hydrogenation. Compared to Cu(221), the introduction of Zn greatly lowers the activity of methanol synthesis, in particularly for CO hydrogenation. For a mixed CO/CO2 hydrogenation, CO acts as the carbon source on Cu(221) while both CO and CO2 contribute to carbon conversion on CuZn(221). The degree of rate control studies show that the key steps that determine the reaction activity of CO/CO2 hydrogenation are HCO and HCOO hydrogenation on Cu(221), instead of HCOOH hydrogenation on CuZn(221). The present work highlights the effect of the Zn doping and feed gas composition on methanol synthesis.
Policy failure and conservation paralysis for the critically endangered swift parrot
Authors: Webb Matthew H. , Stojanovic Dejan , Heinsohn Robert
Published: July 2018

The critically endangered swift parrot (Lathamus discolor) is among the best studied Australian threatened species. Despite extensive outreach to the public and policy makers, conservation management has not kept pace with advances in knowledge and scientific evidence. Here we summarise policy and management failings that allow swift parrot breeding habitat in Tasmanian forests to continue to be logged. This practice continues in spite of extensive evidence demonstrating that the cessation of logging of swift parrot breeding habitat in Tasmania is urgently required to secure the species.
Competitive organelle-specific adaptors recruit Vps13 to membrane contact sites
Authors: Bean Björn D.M. , Dziurdzik Samantha K. , Kolehmainen Kathleen L. , Fowler Claire M.S. , Kwong Waldan K. , Grad Leslie I. , Davey Michael , Schluter Cayetana , Conibear Elizabeth
Published: July 2018

The regulated expansion of membrane contact sites, which mediate the nonvesicular exchange of lipids between organelles, requires the recruitment of additional contact site proteins. Yeast Vps13 dynamically localizes to membrane contacts that connect the ER, mitochondria, endosomes, and vacuoles and is recruited to the prospore membrane in meiosis, but its targeting mechanism is unclear. In this study, we identify the sorting nexin Ypt35 as a novel adaptor that recruits Vps13 to endosomal and vacuolar membranes. We characterize an interaction motif in the Ypt35 N terminus and identify related motifs in the prospore membrane adaptor Spo71 and the mitochondrial membrane protein Mcp1. We find that Mcp1 is a mitochondrial adaptor for Vps13, and the Vps13–Mcp1 interaction, but not Ypt35, is required when ER-mitochondria contacts are lost. All three adaptors compete for binding to a conserved six-repeat region of Vps13 implicated in human disease. Our results support a competition-based model for regulating Vps13 localization at cellular membranes.
Propofol inhibits prokaryotic voltage-gated Na+ channels by promoting activation-coupled inactivation
Authors: Yang Elaine , Granata Daniele , Eckenhoff Roderic G. , Carnevale Vincenzo , Covarrubias Manuel
Published: July 2018

Propofol is widely used in the clinic for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. As with most general anesthetics, however, our understanding of its mechanism of action remains incomplete. Local and general anesthetics largely inhibit voltage-gated Na+ channels (Navs) by inducing an apparent stabilization of the inactivated state, associated in some instances with pore block. To determine the biophysical and molecular basis of propofol action in Navs, we investigated NaChBac and NavMs, two prokaryotic Navs with distinct voltage dependencies and gating kinetics, by whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology in the absence and presence of propofol at clinically relevant concentrations (2–10 µM). In both Navs, propofol induced a hyperpolarizing shift of the pre-pulse inactivation curve without any significant effects on recovery from inactivation at strongly hyperpolarized voltages, demonstrating that propofol does not stabilize the inactivated state. Moreover, there was no evidence of fast or slow pore block by propofol in a non-inactivating NaChBac mutant (T220A). Propofol also induced hyperpolarizing shifts of the conductance-voltage relationships with negligible effects on the time constants of deactivation at hyperpolarized voltages, indicating that propofol does not stabilize the open state. Instead, propofol decreases the time constants of macroscopic activation and inactivation. Adopting a kinetic scheme of Nav gating that assumes preferential closed-state recovery from inactivation, a 1.7-fold acceleration of the rate constant of activation and a 1.4-fold acceleration of the rate constant of inactivation were sufficient to reproduce experimental observations with computer simulations. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations and molecular docking suggest that propofol binding involves interactions with gating machinery in the S4–S5 linker and external pore regions. Our findings show that propofol is primarily a positive gating modulator of prokaryotic Navs, which ultimately inhibits the channels by promoting activation-coupled inactivation.
Democratizing Strategies for Industry-Funded Medical Research: A Cautionary Tale
Authors: Fernández Pinto Manuela
Published: July 2018

The article examines the process of niche standardization in medical research as an example of democratizing strategies implemented in industry-funded science. I argue that niche standardization can lead to undesirable epistemic and ethical consequences, if the various goals of research are not properly aligned. I examine two examples: the case of Sarafem, approved for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in women, and the case of BiDil, approved for exclusive use in African Americans for the treatment of congestive heart failure. I conclude by cautioning against the unqualified support of democratizing strategies in industry-funded research.
A comparative analysis of cell-type adjustment methods for epigenome-wide association studies based on simulated and real data sets
Authors: Brägelmann Johannes , Lorenzo Bermejo Justo
Published: July 2018

Technological advances and reduced costs of high-density methylation arrays have led to an increasing number of association studies on the possible relationship between human disease and epigenetic variability. DNA samples from peripheral blood or other tissue types are analyzed in epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) to detect methylation differences related to a particular phenotype. Since information on the cell-type composition of the sample is generally not available and methylation profiles are cell-type specific, statistical methods have been developed for adjustment of cell-type heterogeneity in EWAS.

In this study we systematically compared five popular adjustment methods: the factored spectrally transformed linear mixed model (FaST-LMM-EWASher), the sparse principal component analysis algorithm ReFACTor, surrogate variable analysis (SVA), independent SVA (ISVA) and an optimized version of SVA (SmartSVA). We used real data and applied a multilayered simulation framework to assess the type I error rate, the statistical power and the quality of estimated methylation differences according to major study characteristics.

While all five adjustment methods improved false-positive rates compared with unadjusted analyses, FaST-LMM-EWASher resulted in the lowest type I error rate at the expense of low statistical power. SVA efficiently corrected for cell-type heterogeneity in EWAS up to 200 cases and 200 controls, but did not control type I error rates in larger studies. Results based on real data sets confirmed simulation findings with the strongest control of type I error rates by FaST-LMM-EWASher and SmartSVA. Overall, ReFACTor, ISVA and SmartSVA showed the best comparable statistical power, quality of estimated methylation differences and runtime.
The Humour of Noël Du Fail in the
Propos rustiques
Authors: Braybrook Jean
Published: July 2018

In this article, some modern theories of humour are applied to the Breton lawyer and writer of prose, Noël Du Fail, who produces in French linguistically rather difficult texts containing tales that he presents as being told about the countryside and its colourful, talkative inhabitants. In the
Propos rustiques
(1547), the first and most accessible of these works, he reveals himself as a self-conscious humorist. Although he does write (within a complex framework) about discord and fights, employing oppositional humour, he includes in the central chapter (Chapter 7) a narration by the character Pasquier, three major elements of which (the evocation of a character called Thenot, a description of a child’s playthings, and a short poem praising the rustic life) can be seen as contributing to a mirroring or
mise en abyme
of Du Fail’s predominantly gentle comic art. Finally, underpinning the chapter and indeed his work as a whole are figurative expressions which reveal that, although he undoubtedly owes much in theme and language to Rabelais, Du Fail deploys many images and figures of speech that are not found in Rabelais and that may well reflect the influence of the region in which he is writing.
The solar-like ‘Second Spectrum’ and polarized metal lines in the emission of the post-AGB binary 89 Herculis
Authors: Leone F , Gangi M , Giarrusso M , Scalia C , Cecconi M , Cosentino R , Ghedina A , Munari M , Scuderi S
Published: July 2018

We studied the polarized spectrum of the post-AGB binary system 89 Herculis on the basis of data collected with the high-resolution Catania Astrophysical Observatory Spectropolarimeter, HArps-North POlarimeter and Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observation of Stars. We find the existence of linear polarization in the strongest metal lines in absorption and with low excitation potentials. Signals are characterized by complex Q and U morphologies varying with the orbital period. We rule out magnetic fields, continuum depolarization due to pulsations and hot spots as the possible origin of this ‘Second Solar Spectrum’-like behaviour. The linear polarization we detected in the Caii 8662-Å line is clear evidence of optical pumping polarization and rules out scattering polarization from free electrons of the circumbinary environment. In the framework of optical pumping due to the secondary star, the observed periodic properties of the spectral line polarization can be justified by two jets, with a flow velocity of a few tens of km s−1, at the basis of that hourglass structure characterizing 89 Herculis. We also discovered linear polarization across the emission profile of metal lines. Numerical simulations show that these polarized profiles could be formed in an undisrupted circumbinary disc rotating at ≤10 km s−1 and with an orientation in the sky in agreement with optical and radio interferometric results. We conclude that the study of aspherical envelopes, the origin of which is not yet completely understood, of PNe and already present in post-AGBs can benefit from high-resolution spectropolarimetry and that this technique can shape envelopes still too far away for interferometry.
Comparative efficacy of a 12 week yoga-based lifestyle intervention and dietary intervention on adipokines, inflammation, and oxidative stress in adults with metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Yadav Rashmi , Yadav Raj Kumar , Khadgawat Rajesh , Pandey Ravindra Mohan
Published: July 2018

The present randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the comparative efficacy of 12 week yoga-based lifestyle intervention (YBLI) and dietary intervention (DI) alone on adipokines, inflammation, and oxidative stress in Indian adults with metabolic syndrome (Met S). A parallel, two arm, RCT was conducted in Integral Health Clinic (IHC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India from 2012 to 2014. IHC is an outpatient facility conducting YBLI programs for prevention and management of chronic diseases. Two hundred sixty men and women (20–45 years) visiting the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital were diagnosed with Met S and randomized 1:1 to receive 12 week YBLI (n = 130) or DI (n = 130). Primary outcomes were change in plasma levels of adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, and leptin:adiponectin ratio), markers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-6), markers of oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS], 8-hydroxy-2ʹ-deoxyguanosine [8-OHdG], and superoxide dismutase [SOD]) measured at baseline, 2 weeks, and 12 weeks. YBLI group showed a significant decrease in leptin, leptin:adiponectin ratio, IL-6, 8-OHdG, and TBARS levels, whereas there was a significant increase in adiponectin and SOD levels. No significant changes were noticed in DI alone group. YBLI showed significantly greater reduction in TBARS levels than in DI group, suggestive of reduced oxidative stress in adults with Met S. A 12 week YBLI had a positive impact on oxidative stress versus DI alone in adults with Met S.
Linking Neural and Clinical Measures of Glaucoma with Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI)
Authors: Miller Nathaniel , Liu Yao , Krivochenitser Roman , Rokers Bas
Published: July 2018

Purpose

To link optic nerve (ON) structural integrity to clinical markers of glaucoma using advanced, semi-automated diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) tractography methods in human glaucoma patients.

Methods

We characterized optic neuropathy in patients with unilateral advanced-stage glaucoma (n = 6) using probabilistic DWI tractography and compared their results to those in healthy controls (n=6).

Results

We successfully identified the ONs of glaucoma patients based on DWI in all patients and confirmed that the degree of reduced structural integrity of the ONs determined using DWI correlated with clinical markers of glaucoma severity. Specifically, we found reduced fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of structural integrity, in the ONs of eyes with advanced, as compared to mild, glaucoma (F(1,10) = 55.474, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, by comparing the ratios of ON FA in glaucoma patients to those of healthy controls (n = 6), we determined that this difference was beyond that expected from normal anatomical variation (F(1,9) = 20.276, p < 0. 005). Finally, we linked the DWI-measures of neural integrity to standard clinical glaucoma measures. ON vertical cup-to-disc ratio (vCD) predicted ON FA (F(1,10) = 11.061, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.66), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) predicted ON FA (F(1,10) = 11.477, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.63) and ON FA predicted perceptual deficits (visual field index [VFI]) (F(1,10) = 15.308, p < 0.005, R2 = 0.52).

Conclusion

We provide semi-automated methods to detect glaucoma-related structural changes using DWI and confirm that they correlate with clinical measures of glaucoma.
Crystal structure of {(E)-2-[(3,4-dimethoxyphenylimino)methyl]phenolato-κ2
N,O
1}bis[2-(pyridin-2-yl)phenyl-κ2
C
1,N]iridium(III) dichloromethane disolvate
Authors: Shee Nirmal K. , Hong Chang Seop , Lee Woo Ram , Kim Hee-Joon
Published: July 2018

The asymmetric unit of the solvated title complex, [Ir(C11H8N)2(C15H14NO3)]·2CH2Cl2, consists of two complex molecules together with four dichloromethane solvent molecules, one of which is disordered. In each complex molecule, the IrIII ion has a distorted octahedral coordination environment defined by two 2-phenylpyridine ligands, through two phenyl C and two pyridine N atoms, and by one N,O-bidentate 2-[(2,4-dimethoxyphenylimino)methyl]phenolate anion. The IrIII ions lie almost in the equatorial planes with deviations of 0.0396 (17) and 0.0237 (17) Å, respectively, for the two complex molecules. In both complex molecules, the two 2-phenylpyridine ligands are nearly perpendicular to each other [dihedral angles between the least-squares-planes of 89.91 (11) and 85.13 (11)°]. In the crystal, intermolecular C—H...O interactions as well as intermolecular C—H...π interactions are present, leading to a three-dimensional network structure. One of the four dichlormethane solvent molecules shows disorder over two sets of sites [occupancy ratio 0.79 (2):0.21 (2)].
4-Phenyl-5a,6,7,8,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-1,5-benzodiazepin-2(5H)-one
Authors: Al Garadi Wedad , Ramli Youssef , El Ghayati Lhoussaine , Moussaif Ahmed , Essassi El Mokhtar , Mague Joel T.
Published: July 2018

In the title compound, C15H18N2O, the cyclohexyl portion is disordered over two alternate chair conformations in a 0.911 (2):0.089 (2) ratio. In the crystal, inversion-related pairwise N—H...O hydrogen bonds form dimers, which are connected into (100) layers by additional N—H...O hydrogen bonds.
Effect of r-GO/TiO2 hybrid composite as corrosion-protective coating on magnesium in sulphur-based electrolyte
Authors: Mohan Das Gandhi A.G. , Soorya Prakash K. , Kavimani V.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the investigations made on the corrosion behaviour of magnesium (Mg) substrate electrodeposited using different nano-materials.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses nano-materials such as those of reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), titanium-di-oxide (TiO2) and also r-GO/TiO2 nano-composites (dispersed through ultra-sonication process) at 3-min time interval. Crystalline nature of synthesized TiO2 is studied through X-ray diffraction and its pore volume is measured to be approximately 0.1851ccg-1 by Brunauer Emmett Teller analysis.

Findings

Surface morphology of the developed set of specimens inspected through scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy establishes a clean surface coating and further witnesses for only minimal defects. Electrochemical behaviour of the developed coating is studied exhaustively using Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 0.1 M Na2SO4 solution.

Originality/value

Incremental corrosion resistance exhibited by developed composite coating owes to the factors viz. chemical stability and hydrophobic tendency of TiO2 and r-GO; these known engineering facts resist the flow of ions into the corrosive media and thereby reduce the rate of corrosion.
Exploring factors on customers’ restaurant choice: an analysis of restaurant attributes
Authors: Liu Pei , Tse Eliza Ching-Yick
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the importance and performance of customers’ full-service restaurant selection factors in the USA using the importance-performance analysis model.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was distributed to participants who were 19 years of age or older and had dined at a full-service restaurant in the past month. A total of 413 valid surveys were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic information, satisfaction of restaurant attributes, revisit intention, and scores of importance-performance items. Path analysis was applied to group customer’s perceived importance of restaurant attributes and was used to analyze relationships among five attribute dimensions, satisfaction and revisit intention.

Findings

“Accurate guest check,” “prompt service,” “overall value of the dining experience,” and “lighting” were very important to customers but the restaurants’ performances in these areas were not satisfactory. Three attribute dimensions (food, service, and price and value) were positively and directly related to customer satisfaction and their effects are partially mediated. However, atmosphere and satisfaction are negatively and partially mediated in this study.

Practical implications

Food, service, price and value, and atmosphere dimensions have larger direct effects than indirect effect on revisit intentions. Their impacts on revisit intentions are partially mediated by satisfaction. Thus, great performance alone may not significantly improve revisit intentions. However, great performance can increase customer satisfaction, which has a stronger influence on revisit intentions.

Originality/value

This research explored the mediating effects of satisfaction between five restaurant dimensions and behavioral intentions.
Inventing a business-ERP alignment assessment model through three Japanese companies
Authors: Huang Tingting , Yokota Akinori
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach for assessing the status of alignment between organizations and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems—more friendly and quantitatively.

Design/methodology/approach

An issue-based ERP assessment model is invented based on thorough literature review and empirical data from three Japanese companies. A modified Cartesian coordinate system is adopted to link the alignment criteria and the system maintenance activities.

Findings

The findings prove the feasibility of the model and reveal the variation of ERP alignment in a visualized way. It is also indicated that the utilization of the issue-based ERP assessment model is a more convenient method to help the organizations to pinpoint the status of the ERP alignment.

Originality/value

This is the first approach to measuring the business–information technology alignment visually. One major implication of this research is to provide an easy assessment method which may encourage organizations to do evaluations regularly. The information accumulated by regular assessment can further pinpoint the perfect time to make decisions and provide essential evidence for decision makings, such as when to expand or retire the current system. From the academic perspective, this model provides a new approach to evaluating the assimilation of organizations and ERP systems.
Dual branding: a case study of Wyndham
Authors: Ronzoni Giulio , Torres Edwin , Kang Juhee
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the theory and implementation of dual branding. The authors explore whether dual branding is a positive choice for two hotel brands belonging to the same firm and operating under the same roof, in this case, a Wyndham and a Wyndham Garden branded property.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study methodology was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with managers regarding their decisions and implementation of a dual branding strategy.

Findings

The authors reveal the organizational, operational, technical, marketing, financial, economic and technological challenges experienced before, during and after the dual branding transition. Moreover, they reveal the results of the implementation and its consequences to the hotel and its customers. A conceptual model is presented with the goal of assisting and facilitating the investigation, analysis, choice and implementation of dual branding by hoteliers.

Originality/value

The present research expands the existing body of knowledge, bridges the theory and practice of branding in the lodging sector, advances dual branding theory and provides insightful implications for scholars and managers alike.
The economics of Participation and Employee Ownership (PEO): an assessment
Authors: Jones Derek C.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss diverse matters concerning the field of Participation and Employee Ownership (PEO) coinciding with the launch of theJPEO.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper used mixed methods including bibliometric analysis.

Findings

Significant gaps exist in our knowledge of the scope and nature of PEO. Citation counts illustrate both the changing composition of research within PEO and faster relative growth than terms used to describe related fields such as labor unions and trade unions. Based on manually collected citation data I identify the most highly cited studies within PEO. Few of these studies attain a “home-run” citation count. However, PEO scholars are cited 19 percent more than economists in top 30 schools and the median C5 (total citations for the author’s five most highly cited papers) is more than 260 percent of the median for economists in “top 30” institutions. There is also some weak evidence that the citation bias in economics against female scholars is not as marked in PEO as elsewhere. A qualitative assessment of PEO studies suggests markedly uneven progress in empirical work across types of PEO.

Originality/value

No similar review has been done before.
Interkingdom microbial consortia mechanisms to guide biotechnological applications
Authors: Zhang Shu , Merino Nancy , Okamoto Akihiro , Gedalanga Phillip
Published: July 2018

Microbial consortia are capable of surviving diverse conditions through the formation of synergistic population‐level structures, such as stromatolites, microbial mats and biofilms. Biotechnological applications are poised to capitalize on these unique interactions. However, current artificial co‐cultures constructed for societal benefits, including biosynthesis, agriculture and bioremediation, face many challenges to perform as well as natural consortia. Interkingdom microbial consortia tend to be more robust and have higher productivity compared with monocultures and intrakingdom consortia, but the control and design of these diverse artificial consortia have received limited attention. Further, feasible research techniques and instrumentation for comprehensive mechanistic insights have only recently been established for interkingdom microbial communities. Here, we review these recent advances in technology and our current understanding of microbial interaction mechanisms involved in sustaining or developing interkingdom consortia for biotechnological applications. Some of the interactions among members from different kingdoms follow similar mechanisms observed for intrakingdom microbial consortia. However, unique interactions in interkingdom consortia, including endosymbiosis or interkingdom‐specific cell–cell interactions, provide improved mitigation to external stresses and inhibitory compounds. Furthermore, antagonistic interactions among interkingdom species can promote fitness, diversification and adaptation, along with the production of beneficial metabolites and enzymes for society. Lastly, we shed light on future research directions to develop study methods at the level of metabolites, genes and meta‐omics. These potential research methods could lead to the control and utilization of highly diverse microbial communities.
Supervised machine learning outperforms taxonomy‐based environmental DNA metabarcoding applied to biomonitoring
Authors: Cordier Tristan , Forster Dominik , Dufresne Yoann , Martins Catarina I. M. , Stoeck Thorsten , Pawlowski Jan
Published: July 2018

Biodiversity monitoring is the standard for environmental impact assessment of anthropogenic activities. Several recent studies showed that high‐throughput amplicon sequencing of environmental DNA (eDNA metabarcoding) could overcome many limitations of the traditional morphotaxonomy‐based bioassessment. Recently, we demonstrated that supervised machine learning (SML) can be used to predict accurate biotic indices values from eDNA metabarcoding data, regardless of the taxonomic affiliation of the sequences. However, it is unknown to which extent the accuracy of such models depends on taxonomic resolution of molecular markers or how SML compares with metabarcoding approaches targeting well‐established bioindicator species. In this study, we address these issues by training predictive models upon five different ribosomal bacterial and eukaryotic markers and measuring their performance to assess the environmental impact of marine aquaculture on independent data sets. Our results show that all tested markers are yielding accurate predictive models and that they all outperform the assessment relying solely on taxonomically assigned sequences. Remarkably, we did not find any significant difference in the performance of the models built using universal eukaryotic or prokaryotic markers. Using any molecular marker with a taxonomic range broad enough to comprise different potential bioindicator taxa, SML approach can overcome the limits of taxonomy‐based eDNA bioassessment.