bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Joint channel selection and optimal power allocation for multi‐cell D2D communications underlaying cellular networks
Authors: Esmat Haitham H. , Elmesalawy Mahmoud M. , Ibrahim Ibrahim I.
Published: December 2016

Device‐to‐device (D2D) communication underlaying cellular networks can improve the spectrum efficiency as a result of sharing the radio resources allocated to cellular user equipments (CUEs). However, the severe interference between D2D and CUEs communications may lead to performance degradation of cellular system if not coordinated properly. In this study, a joint channel assignment and power allocation algorithm is proposed, which addresses the intra‐cell and inter‐cell interference management problems for D2D communication underlaying cellular network. The case of multiple D2D‐user equipments (DUEs) sharing the same channel while each DUE can reuse multiple channels is considered. The proposed algorithm is designed with two complementary steps in such a way that its computational complexity can be adapted according to the network condition. The preliminary set of CUEs candidate channels that can be reused by each DUE is adaptively decided in the first step. In the second step, the optimal power allocation for each DUE is determined using Lagrangian dual decomposition to maximise the network sum‐rate. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the current comparable algorithms especially in terms of achievable throughput. Moreover, the effect of various system parameters on the performance of the proposed technique is also investigated.
Finite‐time stability and stabilisation of distributed parameter systems
Authors: Li Xueyang , Mao Weijie
Published: December 2016

This study addresses the problems of finite‐time (FT) stability and stabilisation for distributed parameter systems. First, the authors extend the concepts of FT stability and FT stabilisation to the distributed parameter systems. Then, sufficient conditions of the L2 ‐FT stability and W1,2 ‐FT stability for the distributed parameter systems are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Based on these sufficient conditions, the authors design the state feedback controllers which guarantee the closed‐loop distributed parameter systems to be L2 ‐FT stable and W1,2 ‐FT stable, respectively. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed results.
Finite‐ and fixed‐time differentiators utilising HOSM techniques
Authors: Basin Michael , Yu Polk , Shtessel Yuri
Published: December 2016

Finite‐ and fixed‐settling time of real‐time differentiators utilising a higher‐order sliding mode (HOSM) observer based on both non‐recursive and recursive algorithm formulations are studied using constant observer gains. Fixed convergence time estimation is achieved independent of initial conditions of the differentiation errors. The corresponding convergence/settling times are estimated. The HOSM differentiators are compared with the ideal differentiation formulation and MATLAB's differentiator. The analysis incorporates input noise to demonstrate via simulations the improved performance for real‐time noisy input signals.
Broadband microstrip‐CPW fed circularly polarised slot antenna with inverted configuration for L‐band applications
Authors: Liu Hu , Liu Ying , Gong Shuxi
Published: December 2016

A broadband circularly polarised antenna with a compact structure is proposed based on a microstrip‐coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed rectangular slot antenna. The wideband feeding network power divider (PD) consists of a Wilkinson PD and a 90° phase difference comparator. The even modes of four CPW feed lines are generated to provide equal amplitudes but in phase quadrature. Circular polarisations can be excited over a very broad frequency band. A reflector is added to the antenna structure to improve the antenna gains. The inverted configuration, which places the reflector in the slot side, is ultilised to enhance the impedance matching. The measured impedance bandwidth for |S11| < −10dB is 74.4%. A broad 3‐dB axial ratio bandwidth of 70.8% is also obtained. The measured 3‐dB gain bandwidth is 53.65% with the peak gain of 7.4 dBic.
The Role of Steroids in a Child with Spinal Pre-Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Authors: Uppuluri Ramya , Nene Abhay , Mehta Rujuta , Shah Ira
Published: December 2016

There has been a rise in the number of reported cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in children in the recent past. Beneficial effects of steroids in the treatment of spine TB on standard antituberculous therapy are known. However, the role of steroids in patients with spinal drug-resistant TB is not established. We report on a 10-year-old girl with pre-extensively drug resistant (XDR) spinal TB and the effect of steroids in drug resistant TB.
Are family ties an opportunity or an obstacle for women entrepreneurs? Empirical evidence from Italy
Authors: Cesaroni Francesca Maria , Paoloni Paola
Published: December 2016

Micro-enterprises are important drivers of economic growth and women entrepreneurs are key developers of these businesses. It is therefore important to understand factors that affect their existence and their success or failure. In this study, our aim is to describe some typical women—family relationship profiles, characterized by families playing a central role in influencing the choices, behaviours and activities of women entrepreneurs, in positive and negative ways. We address the research question by adopting a qualitative approach based on multiple case studies—an approach that is particularly well suited to assessing people’s experiences in depth. Our data collection is based on direct interviews with Italian women entrepreneurs through a semi-structured questionnaire, guided by a checklist. This analysis helps us to better focus on one of the key issues facing women entrepreneurs—namely, balancing family life with their work and professional aspirations. Clearly, it is important to know and understand the role of the family in women’s entrepreneurial experiences to interpret the reasons why women-owned businesses succeed or fail, as family ties will inevitably have an impact on their performance. The analysis presented in this paper demonstrates the existence of a strong bond between female entrepreneurs and their families. We conclude that female entrepreneurial experiences—that is, women’s individual choices to become entrepreneurs and the characteristics of their businesses—cannot be truly understood if attention is not additionally paid to the “family” dimension. This article is published as part of a collection on the role of women in management and the workplace.
Lithographic resolution enhancement of a maskless lithography system based on a wobulation technique for flow lithography
Authors: Kim Kibeom , Han Sangkwon , Yoon Jinsik , Kwon Sunghoon , Park Hun-Kuk , Park Wook
Published: December 2016

We present a method for improving the lithographic resolution of digital micromirror devices for flow-lithography using a wobulation technique. While maintaining the area of UV exposure, the lithographic resolution was improved using a wobulation technique, which is a large screen display technique that enhances resolution via overlapping pixels by half a pixel. The edges of a diagonal pattern in a microstructure were smoothly generated with additional sub-patterns compared to conventional single pattern-exposure. In addition, the surface roughness of the microstructure was improved because the gaps between pixels were filled by the overlapping patterns.
In-flow real-time detection of spectrally encoded microgels for miRNA absolute quantification
Authors: Dannhauser David , Causa Filippo , Battista Edmondo , Cusano Angela M. , Rossi Domenico , Netti Paolo A.
Published: December 2016

We present an in-flow ultrasensitive fluorescence detection of microRNAs (miRNAs) using spectrally encoded microgels. We researched and employed a viscoelastic fluid to achieve an optimal alignment of microgels in a straight measurement channel and applied a simple and inexpensive microfluidic layout, allowing continuous fluorescence signal acquisitions with several emission wavelengths. In particular, we chose microgels endowed with fluorescent emitting molecules designed for multiplex spectral analysis of specific miRNA types. We analysed in a quasi-real-time manner circa 80 microgel particles a minute at sample volumes down to a few microliters, achieving a miRNA detection limit of 202 fM in microfluidic flow conditions. Such performance opens up new routes for biosensing applications of particles within microfluidic devices.
Resistance given by tiling grain surface with micro surface structures in polycrystalline metal oxide
Authors: Moriyama T. , Yamasaki T. , Ohno T. , Kishida S. , Kinoshita K.
Published: December 2016

Practical use of Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) depends on thorough understanding of the resistive switching (RS) mechanism in transition metal oxides. Although most of ReRAM samples have polycrystalline structures, both experimental studies and theoretical calculations do not often consider the effects that grain boundaries have on the RS mechanism. This paper discusses what determines resistance values in a Pt/polycrystalline NiO/Pt ReRAM structures by using both experiments and first-principles calculations. Electrical measurements suggest that the RS is caused in the grain boundaries of NiO films. First-principles calculations indicate that slight displacements of atoms with a small energy change of 0.04 eV per atom on the surfaces exposed in the grain boundaries can drastically change conductivities. We propose the tiling model, in which grain surfaces are composed by insulating and conductive micro surface structures, and the surface resistances are determined by the tiling patterns.
Density and localized states' impact on amorphous carbon electron transport mechanisms
Authors: Caicedo-Dávila S. , Lopez-Acevedo O. , Velasco-Medina J. , Avila A.
Published: December 2016

This work discusses the electron transport mechanisms that we obtained as a function of the density of amorphous carbon (a-C) ultra-thin films. We calculated the density of states (total and projected), degree of electronic states' localization, and transmission function using the density functional theory and nonequilibrium Green's functions method. We generated 25 sample a-C structures using ab-initio molecular dynamics within the isothermal-isobaric ensemble. We identified three transport regimes as a function of the density, varying from semimetallic in low-density samples (≤2.4 g/cm3) to thermally activated in high-density (≥2.9 g/cm3) tetrahedral a-C. The middle-range densities (2.4 g/cm3 ≤ρ≤ 2.9 g/cm3) are characterized by resonant tunneling and hopping transport. Our findings offer a different perspective from the tight-binding model proposed by Katkov and Bhattacharyya [J. Appl. Phys. 113, 183712 (2013)], and agree with experimental observations in low-dimensional carbon systems [see S. Bhattacharyya, Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 21 (2007)]. Identifying transport regimes is crucial to the process of understanding and applying a-C thin film in electronic devices and electrode coating in biosensors.
Stationary MHD equilibria describing azimuthal rotations in symmetric plasmas
Authors: da Silva Sidney T. , Viana Ricardo L.
Published: December 2016

We consider the stationary magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) equilibrium equation for an axisymmetric plasma undergoing azimuthal rotations. The case of cylindrical symmetry is treated, and we present two semi-analytical solutions for the stationary MHD equilibrium equations, from which a number of physical properties of the magnetically confined plasma are derived.
Arbitrary amplitude dust ion acoustic solitons and double layers in the presence of nonthermal positrons and electrons
Authors: Banerjee Gadadhar , Maitra Sarit
Published: December 2016

Existence of arbitrary amplitude solitons and double layers have been studied in collisionless unmagnetized multicomponent dusty plasmas with nonthermally distributed positrons and electrons by using Sagdeev's pseudopotential method. The linear dispersion relation is obtained for dust ion acoustic wave mode. The present model supports the coexistence of positive potential solitary waves and negative potential solitary waves and double layers. The criterion for the existence of solitary waves and double layers is derived in terms of Mach number limit. The effects of ion temperature and nonthermality of electrons and positrons are studied. Also the effects of positron and dust concentration on the wave propagation are observed.
Target material dependence of positron generation from high intensity laser-matter interactions
Authors: Williams G. J. , Barnak D. , Fiksel G. , Hazi A. , Kerr S. , Krauland C. , Link A. , Manuel M. J.-E. , Nagel S. R. , Park J. , Peebles J. , Pollock B. B. , Beg F. N. , Betti R. , Chen Hui
Published: December 2016

The effective scaling of positron-electron pair production by direct, ultraintense laser-matter interaction is investigated for a range of target materials and thicknesses. An axial magnetic field, acting as a focusing lens, was employed to measure positron signals for targets with atomic numbers as low as copper (Z = 29). The pair production yield was found to be consistent with the Bethe-Heitler mechanism, where the number of positrons emitted into a 1 steradian cone angle from the target rear was found to be proportional to Z2. The unexpectedly low scaling results from Coulomb collisions that act to stop or scatter positrons into high angles. Monte Carlo simulations support the experimental results, providing a comprehensive power-law scaling relationship for all elemental materials and densities.
Mode selection for electrostatic beam resonators based on motional resistance and quality factor
Authors: Ryou Jeong Hoon , Gorman Jason J.
Published: December 2016

An analytical comparison between the fundamental mode and higher modes of vibration for an electrostatic beam resonator is presented. Multiple mode numbers can be matched to a desired resonance frequency through appropriate scaling. Therefore, it is important to determine which mode yields the best performance. A dynamic model of the resonator is derived and then used to determine the motional resistance for each mode. The resulting equation provides the basis for comparing performance between modes using motional resistance and quality factor. As a demonstration of the approach, a quality factor model that has been previously validated experimentally is introduced. Numerical results for silicon resonators indicate that the fundamental mode can provide a lower motional resistance and higher quality factor when the resonators under comparison have the same aspect ratio or the same stiffness.
Broadband quasi perfect absorption using chirped multi-layer porous materials
Authors: Jiménez N. , Romero-García V. , Cebrecos A. , Picó R. , Sánchez-Morcillo V. J. , Garcia-Raffi L. M.
Published: December 2016

This work theoretically analyzes the sound absorption properties of a chirped multi-layer porous material including transmission, in particular showing the broadband unidirectional absorption properties of the system. Using the combination of the impedance matching condition and the balance between the leakage and the intrinsic losses, the system is designed to have broadband unidirectional and quasi perfect absorption. The transfer and scattering matrix formalism, together with numerical simulations based on the finite element method are used to demonstrate the results showing excellent agreement between them. The proposed system allows to construct broadband sound absorbers with improved absorption in the low frequency regime using less amount of material than the complete bulk porous layer.
Optical spectroscopy reveals transition of CuInS2/ZnS to CuxZn1−xInS2/ZnS:Cu alloyed quantum dots with resultant double-defect luminescence
Authors: Yan Ruolin , Zhang Wenxia , Wu Wenhui , Dong Xingmin , Wang Qiqi , Fan Jiyang
Published: December 2016

The structure and luminescence mechanisms of the CuInS2 quantum dots (QDs) after epitaxial growth of ZnS shell are in debate. The light absorption/emission spectroscopy reveals that after ZnS shell growth the cation diffusion at the CuInS2/ZnS interface results in formation of the alloyed CuxZn1− xInS2/ZnS:Cu QDs. These core/shell QDs exhibit dual-color photoluminescence with abnormal blue shift with decreasing excitation photon energy. The results show that the green and orange emissions originate separately from defects in the core and the shell. The absorption tail of the ZnS QDs turns from Urbach to Halperin-Lax type after Cu doping.
Perovskite heterojunction based on CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystal for high-sensitive self-powered photodetector
Authors: Cao Min , Tian Jiyu , Cai Zhi , Peng Lan , Yang Lei , Wei Dacheng
Published: December 2016

Perovskite single crystals exhibit extraordinary optoelectronic performances due to their advantages such as low trap-state densities, long carrier diffusion, and large absorption coefficient, and thus, photodetectors based on perovskite single crystals have attracted much research interest. Unlike the reported one-component single-crystal perovskite photodetectors, here, we have developed a facile two-step approach to fabricate a core-shell heterojunction based on the CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystal. A photodetector made of the as-prepared perovskite heterojunction renders the feature of self-power attributed to a built-in electric field in the junction and exhibits a wavelength-dependent responsivity with a peak responsivity up to 11.5 mA W−1 under 450 nm irradiation at zero bias, which is one order of magnitude higher than the CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystal and shows a maximum external quantum efficiency of 3.17%, also higher than the reported 0.2% of the CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystal. Our work may lead to more efficient self-powered heterojunction systems based on perovskite single crystals.
Preferred site occupation and magnetic properties of Ni-Fe-Ga-Co ferromagnetic shape memory alloys by first-principles calculations
Authors: Bai Jing , Chen Yue , Li Ze , Jiang Pan , Wei Pu , Zhao Xiang
Published: December 2016

First-principles calculations have been used to investigate the effects of Co addition on the preferred site occupation and magnetic properties of Ni-Fe-Ga-Co ferromagnetic shape memory alloys. The formation energy results indicate that the excess Ni constituent preferentially occupies the Fe sites in the off-stoichiometric Ni-Fe-Ga ternary alloy. The added Co tends to take the normal-Ni sites in the Ni-Fe-Ga-Co quaternary alloy during composition adjustment process. The total magnetic moment increases with Co content of the Ni36-xFe12Ga16Cox (x=0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) alloys. The difference between the up and down electronic density of states at the Fermi level gives rise to the increased magnetic property.
The influence of magnetocrystalline anisotropy on the magnetocaloric effect: A case study on Co2B
Authors: Fries M. , Skokov K. P. , Karpenkov D. Yu. , Franco V. , Ener S. , Gutfleisch O.
Published: December 2016

The influence of magnetocrystalline anisotropy on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) was studied on single crystals of Co2B and compared to measurements on polycrystalline samples. Large differences in adiabatic temperature change ΔTad and magnetic entropy change ΔSM were found along the different crystallographic directions. The magnetocaloric effect differs by 40% in the case of ΔTad in a field change of 1.9 T when applying the field along the hard axis and easy plane of magnetization. In the case of ΔSM, the values differ 50% and 35% from each other in field changes of 1 and 1.9 T, respectively. It was found that this anisotropy effect does not saturate in fields up to 4 T, which is higher than the anisotropy field of Co2B (≈2 T). A simple model was developed to illustrate the possible effect on magnetocrystalline anisotropy, showing large differences especially in application relevant fields of about 1 T. The results strongly suggest that the MCE could be maximized when orienting single crystalline powders in an easy axis parallel to the applied field in active magnetocaloric regenerator structures, and therefore the overall device efficiency could be increased.
Biogenic processes or terrigenous inputs? Permanent water bodies of the Northern Ponds in the Lake MacLeod basin of Western Australia
Authors: Kavazos Christopher R. J. , Huggett Megan J. , Mueller Ute , Horwitz Pierre
Published: December 2016

The saline wetlands of the Northern Ponds, Lake MacLeod, contravene general classifications for salt lakes because, despite enduring high levels of evaporation, they contain permanently inundated ponds that are continually supplied with seawater by a seepage face from the Indian Ocean. The present study investigated the physical, sediment and chemical characteristics of these ponds, using sonar, flow-rate measurements, microscopy and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry to understand the role of biogenic and terrigenous inputs on the benthic habitats. The chemical composition of the water bodies did not differ significantly from the seawater feedstock, which facilitates biogenic sediment accumulation. The largest permanent water body differs from the other ponds in physical and chemical structure, in that, possibly because of its size, it is dominated by terrigenous inputs, which result in higher nutrient concentrations and non-biogenic sediments. The Northern Ponds represent a system where the hydrology permits the establishment of permanent wetlands in an arid environment. Because of the constant supply of seawater, the ponds have a blend of habitat characteristics from marine and other inland salt-lake environments. The present study showed that a ‘marine-like’ state can override more typical characteristics of inland water bodies where discharge rates are high and water-residence times are low.
miR-17∼92 family clusters control iNKT cell ontogenesis via modulation of TGF-β signaling
Authors: Fedeli Maya , Riba Michela , Garcia Manteiga Jose Manuel , Tian Lei , Viganò Valentina , Rossetti Grazisa , Pagani Massimiliano , Xiao Changchun , Liston Adrian , Stupka Elia , Cittaro Davide , Abrignani Sergio , Provero Paolo , Dellabona Paolo , Casorati Giulia
Published: December 2016

Significance

CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are innate-like T lymphocytes that play fundamental roles in cancer, autoimmunity, and infections. iNKT cells acquire effector functions already in the thymus, because of a distinct developmentally regulated genetic program that is critically controlled by miRNAs. Our study unveils the unexpected requirement for miRNA-dependent fine-tuning of TGF-β signaling in the control of iNKT cell development and functional differentiation. The targeting of a lineage-specific cytokine signaling by miRNA represents a previously unknown level of developmental regulation in the thymus. Furthermore, our study provides a comprehensive atlas of miRNA-regulated molecular pathways involved in iNKT cell ontogenesis, and highlights molecular pathways targeted by defined miRNAs that are predicted to be involved in the development and maturation of CD1d-restricted iNKT cells.
Long-range projections coordinate distributed brain-wide neural activity with a specific spatiotemporal profile
Authors: Leong Alex T. L. , Chan Russell W. , Gao Patrick P. , Chan Ying-Shing , Tsia Kevin K. , Yung Wing-Ho , Wu Ed X.
Published: December 2016

Significance

What makes the brain tick? A simple yet challenging question that has captivated our minds for centuries. This sentiment was fittingly reflected in the launch of The BRAIN Initiative 3 years ago, spurred by the rapid advancement of noninvasive brain imaging and neuronal mapping technologies that have advanced our understanding of neural networks, which are central to brain functions and behavior. Here, we study the patterns of large-scale brain-wide interactions mediated by thalamo-cortical networks through optogenetics and functional MRI. We found that the thalamus can recruit long-range cortical and subcortical networks and initiate their interactions in a spatiotemporally specific manner. This finding provides a fresh impetus to study the mysteries of the brain.
Development of high-yield influenza B virus vaccine viruses
Authors: Ping Jihui , Lopes Tiago J. S. , Neumann Gabriele , Kawaoka Yoshihiro
Published: December 2016

Significance

The yield of vaccine viruses is important from an economic point of view. Even more important, the ability to produce high numbers of vaccine doses under tight timelines may save many lives during a virus outbreak. Applying an approach that we recently used to develop high-yield influenza A virus vaccine candidates, we now developed high-yield vaccine candidates for both influenza B virus lineages circulating in humans. These vaccine virus candidates confer higher yield in commonly used propagation systems for influenza vaccine virus production: that is, embryonated chicken eggs, Madin–Darby canine kidney cells, and African green monkey (Vero) cells. Our vaccine candidates could be used to improve the influenza B virus vaccine production process.
Specific detection of biomolecules in physiological solutions using graphene transistor biosensors
Authors: Gao Ning , Gao Teng , Yang Xiao , Dai Xiaochuan , Zhou Wei , Zhang Anqi , Lieber Charles M.
Published: December 2016

Significance

Nanoelectronic transistor sensors based on synthesized one- and two-dimensional nanomaterials have achieved real-time label-free detection of a wide range of biological species with high sensitivity, although direct analysis of biological samples has been limited due to Debye charge screening in physiological solutions. This paper describes a general strategy overcoming this challenge involving comodification of the transistor sensor surface with a polymer and receptor, where the polymer forms a permeable layer that increases the effective screening length and receptor enables selective detection of analytes. The capability of this strategy was demonstrated with selective detection of cancer markers in physiological solution, thus opening substantial opportunities for real-time sensing applications in biology and medicine.
Genetic Parameters for Growth and Hypoxic Tolerance Traits in Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei at Different Ages
Authors: Zhang Jiachen , Cao Fujun , Liu Jianyong , Yuan Ruipeng , Hu Zhiguo
Published: December 2016

The aim of the current study was to estimate the genetic parameters for growth and hypoxic tolerance traits in Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei at 8 and 13 weeks of ages. Forty full-sib families (including 28 half-sib families) of L. vannamei, which were produced by 26 sires and 40 dams, were obtained by artificial insemination. There were a total of 3,200 tagged shrimps representing 40 full-sib families evaluated for growth and hypoxic tolerance traits in this study (1,600 records were collected at weeks 8 and 13, respectively). The heritability estimates for growth traits were low to medium (0.11–0.23), and the heritability of hypoxic tolerance traits estimated on the observed scales was also low to medium (0.07–0.15), which suggested that selection for increasing growth and hypoxic tolerance traits was feasible. The genetic correlations between growth traits (including carapace length, abdominal segment length, body length, and body weight) within age were generally high, ranging from 0.84 ± 0.06 to 0.95 ± 0.02 (P < 0.05). A significant correlation between growth traits showed that any growth traits can be replaced by other growth traits for indirect selection. The genetic correlation between growth traits and hypoxic tolerance traits within age was low but positive (0.24–0.29), which indicated that selecting for growth traits will cause a positive correlated response in hypoxic tolerance traits. Our results also showed that there was a relatively low genetic correlation between growth traits at different ages (0.18–0.25), which suggested that selection for growth traits in L. vannamei at an early age may not be optimal and should be undertaken at later stages of growth.
Enhancing Black Crappie Growth by Co-culturing with Bluegills
Authors: Dudenhoeffer Gregory A , Wetzel James E , Zhang Yongfang , Omara-Alwala Thomas R
Published: December 2016

Crappies Pomoxis spp. are popular sports fish in the USA and desirable as a food fish. Information on the food production of crappies is limited due to culturing and feed intake challenges. Observations indicated that crappies tend to feed more aggressively in co-culture with Bluegills Lepomis macrochirus or Bluegill hybrids. This study tested this observation by stocking 25 Black Crappies P. nigromaculatus (mean, 5 g) per tank into 16 tanks of a water recirculation aquaculture system and randomly adding zero, one, two, or four Bluegills per tank with four replications per treatment. Fish were fed at 0800, 1200 and 1600 hours 6 d/week. Feed intake was measured daily and growth was monitored by obtaining biweekly biomass by species. After 12 weeks, feed intake and feed conversion ratio tended to improve with the increasing treatment number of Bluegills. Significant differences in these occurred between the zero and the treatment with four Bluegills. Black Crappie co-cultured with Bluegills had increases in weight gain of 15–18% compared with those cultured without Bluegills. Improved growth trends in final weights and specific growth rate also occurred in the co-cultured Black Crappies.
A Review of the Mechanical Properties of Concrete Containing Biofillers
Authors: Mohamad Mazizah Ezdiani , Mahmood Ali A. , Min Alicia Yik Yee , Khalid Nur Hafizah A.
Published: December 2016

Sustainable construction is a rapidly increasing research area. Investigators of all backgrounds are using industrial and agro wastes to replace Portland cement in concrete to reduce greenhouse emissions and the corresponding decline in general health. Many types of wastes have been used as cement replacements in concrete including: fly ash, slag and rice husk ash in addition to others. This study investigates the possibility of producing a sustainable approach to construction through the partial replacement of concrete using biofillers. This will be achieved by studying the physical and mechanical properties of two widely available biological wastes in Malaysia; eggshell and palm oil fuel ash (POFA). The mechanical properties tests that were studied and compared are the compression, tensile and flexural tests.
The development of Sustainability Graduate Community (SGC) as a learning pathway for sustainability education - a framework for engineering programmes in Malaysia Technical Universities Network (MTUN)
Authors: Johan Kartina , Turan Faiz Mohd
Published: December 2016

‘Environmental and sustainability’ is one of the Program Outcome (PO) designated by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) as one of the accreditation program requirement. However, to-date the implementation of sustainability elements in engineering programme in the technical universities in Malaysia is within individual faculty's curriculum plan and lack of university-level structured learning pathway, which enable all students to have access to an education in sustainability across all disciplines. Sustainability Graduate Community (SGC) is a framework designed to provide a learning pathway in the curriculum of engineering programs to inculcate sustainability education among engineering graduates. This paper aims to study the required attributes in Sustainability Graduate Community (SGC) framework to produce graduates who are not just engineers but also skilful in sustainability competencies using Global Project Management (GPM) P5 Standard for Sustainability. The development of the conceptual framework is to provide a constructive teaching and learning plan for educators and policy makers to work on together in developing the Sustainability Graduates (SG), the new kind of graduates from Malaysia Technical Universities Network (MTUN) in Malaysia who are literate in sustainability practices. The framework also support the call for developing holistic students based on Malaysian Education Blueprint (Higher Education) and address the gap between the statuses of engineering qualification to the expected competencies from industries in Malaysia in particular by achieving the SG attributes outlined in the framework
Novel Technique to improve the pH of Acidic Barren Soil using Electrokinetic-bioremediation with the application of Vetiver Grass
Authors: Azhar A T S , Nabila A T A , Nurshuhaila M S , Zaidi E , Azim M A M , Zahin A M F
Published: December 2016

Residual acidic slopes which are not covered by vegetation greatly increases the risk of soil erosion. In addition, low soil pH can bring numerous problems such as Al and Fe toxicity, land degradation issues and some problems related to vegetation. In this research, a series of electrokinetic bioremediation (EK-Bio) treatments usingBacillus sphaericus, Bacillus subtilisandPseudomonas putidawith a combination of Vetiver grass were performed in the laboratory. Investigations were conducted for 14 days and included the observation of changes in the soil pH and the mobilization of microorganism cells through an electrical gradient of 50 V/m under low pH. Based on the results obtained, this study has successfully proven that the pH of soil increases after going through electrokinetic bioremediation (EK-Bio). The treatment usingBacillus sphaericusincreases the pH from 2.95 up to 4.80, followed byBacillus subtiliswith a value of 4.66. Based on the overall performance,Bacillus sphaericusshow the highest number of bacterial cells in acidic soil with a value of 6.6 × 102 cfu/g, followed byBacillus subtiliswith a value of 5.7 × 102 cfu/g. In conclusion,Bacillus sphaericusandBacillus subtilisshow high survivability and is suitable to be used in the remediation of acidic soil.
Erosion and Soil Contamination Control Using Coconut Flakes And Plantation Of Centella Asiatica And Chrysopogon Zizanioides
Authors: Roslan Rasyikin , Omar Rohayu Che , Baharuddin Intan Nor Zuliana , Zulkarnain M. S. , Hanafiah M.I.M
Published: December 2016

Land degradation in Malaysia due to water erosion and water logging cause of loss of organic matter, biodiversity and slope instability but also land are contaminated with heavy metals. Various alternative such as physical remediation are use but it not showing the sustainability in term of environmental sustainable. Due to that, erosion and soil contamination control using coconut flakes and plantation of Centella asiatica and Chrysopogon zizanioides are use as alternative approach for aid of sophisticated green technology known as phytoremediation and mycoremediation. Soil from cabonaceous phyllite located near to Equine Park, Sri Kembangan are use for monitoring the effect of phytoremediation and mycoremediation in reducing soil contamination and biotechnology for erosion control. Five laboratory scale prototypes were designed to monitor the effect of different proportion of coconut flakes i.e. 10%, 25%, 50% & 100% and plantation of Centella asiatica and Chrysopogon zizanioides to reduce the top soil from eroding and reduce the soil contamination. Prototype have been observe started from first week and ends after 12 weeks. Centella asiatica planted on 10% coconut flakes with 90% soil and Chrysopogon zizanioides planted on 25% coconut flakes with 75% soil are selected proportion to be used as phytoremediation and mycoremediation in reducing soil contamination and biotechnology for erosion control.
Minimizing Heatstroke Incidents for Young Children Left inside Vehicle
Authors: Mahdin Hairulnizam , Omar Abdul Halim , Yaacob Siti Salwani , Kasim Shahreen , Fudzee Mohd Farhan Md
Published: December 2016

The number of children dying because of heatstroke after being left in the car is worrying. From 1998, there are about 618 children have died in the United State of America (USA) because of heatstroke. It was the leading cause of fatalities in non-crash incident in USA. The same situation also arises in other countries. Life stress is being identified as among the factor that lead to this incident. In this paper, we proposed the used of Android Apps with an Estimote Beacon, a bluetooth device, to warn parents or guardians about their children being left in the car. An alarm will be raised after the parent leaves their children at prespecified range to avoid any risk of heatstroke from occurring.
A Generic Simulation Framework for Non-Entangled based Experimental Quantum Cryptography and Communication: Quantum Cryptography and Communication Simulator (QuCCs)
Authors: Buhari Abudhahir , Zukarnain Zuriati Ahmad , Khalid Roszelinda , Ahmad Zakir Dato' Wira Jaafar
Published: December 2016

The applications of quantum information science move towards bigger and better heights for the next generation technology. Especially, in the field of quantum cryptography and quantum computation, the world already witnessed various ground-breaking tangible product and promising results. Quantum cryptography is one of the mature field from quantum mechanics and already available in the markets. The current state of quantum cryptography is still under various researches in order to reach the heights of digital cryptography. The complexity of quantum cryptography is higher due to combination of hardware and software. The lack of effective simulation tool to design and analyze the quantum cryptography experiments delays the reaching distance of the success. In this paper, we propose a framework to achieve an effective non-entanglement based quantum cryptography simulation tool. We applied hybrid simulation technique i.e. discrete event, continuous event and system dynamics. We also highlight the limitations of a commercial photonic simulation tool based experiments. Finally, we discuss ideas for achieving one-stop simulation package for quantum based secure key distribution experiments. All the modules of simulation framework are viewed from the computer science perspective.
Measuring Group Consciousness
Authors: Proctor Kim
Published: December 2016

Although group consciousness is an important concept in explaining political behavior, both theoretical guidance on how to measure group consciousness and empirical consensus regarding its operationalization are lacking. This has the potential to lead to both diverging results and inaccurate empirical conclusions, which greatly limits the ability to understand the role that group consciousness plays in politics. Using data from Pew’s 2013 “Survey of LGBT Americans,” this analysis provides a foundation for measuring group consciousness using item response theory (IRT). Through an examination of dimensionality, monotonicity, model fit, and differential item functioning, the results demonstrate that many assumptions about measuring group consciousness have been incorrect. Further, the findings suggest that previous conclusions about subgroup differences may be the result of survey bias, rather than actual between-group differences. Moving forward, scholars of political behavior should use IRT to measure latent constructs.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Introduction and Overview of the Handbook
Authors: Podsakoff Philip M. , Mackenzie Scott B. , Podsakoff Nathan P.
Published: December 2016

This chapter provides an introduction and overview to the Handbook of Organizational Citizenship Behavior. It begins with a brief discussion of how organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) was traditionally defined and then explores the reasons why this concept has gained so much attention in the past three decades. Following this, we provide an overview of the Handbook. Specifically, the Handbook is organized into four sections: the history and meaning of organizational citizenship behavior; the consequences of OCB, the antecedents of OCB, and moving forward. Finally, we provide a brief description of the contents of the chapters in each of these sections.
Fitting In and Doing Good: A Review of Person–Environment Fit and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Research
Authors: Kristof-Brown Amy L. , Li Christina S. , Schneider Benjamin
Published: December 2016

This chapter presents a comprehensive review of the relationships between different types of person–environment (PE) fit—namely person–organization, person–group, person–supervisor, and person–job—and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Relying on both affinity and exchange explanations, we demonstrate that individuals who experience good fit are more likely to engage in OCBs. However, the strength of the relationship is contingent on many factors, especially with regard to the operationalization of fit (the kind of fit measure used), the characteristics on which fit is assessed (e.g., values, goals, personality), the types of OCBs studied (overall OCBs, OCBs focused toward the organization, and OCBs focused toward individuals), the source of the ratings of OCBs (self-report versus others’ reports), and the level of analysis (individual vs. unit). Mediators and moderators of the PE fit–OCB relationship are also reviewed. We conclude with recommendations for future research to better understand the PE fit–OCB relationship.
The Other Side of the Coin?: Similarities and Differences Between Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Counterproductive Work Behavior
Authors: Dalal Reeshad S. , Carpenter Nichelle
Published: December 2016

This chapter examines the relationship between two important forms of job performance: organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior. There are several reasons (e.g., construct definitions, relationships with antecedents) to suspect that these two constructs are strongly negatively related, perhaps even opposite ends of a single behavioral continuum. However, empirical results demonstrate a relationship that is typically weakly to moderately negative and occasionally even positive. We discuss theory and empirical results (where possible, meta-analytic) at not just the traditional between-person level of analysis but also the within-person and between-unit levels. Our review suggests several important future research opportunities at the traditional between-person level (e.g., a pressing need for more and better theory). Yet, in our view, the most exciting research opportunities exist at the within-person level. Overall, the relationship between citizenship and counterproductive behavior promises to remain a vibrant and influential area of research for the foreseeable future.
Antitrust Compliance
Authors: Sokol D. Daniel
Published: December 2016

This chapter explores compliance in the antitrust context, reviewing both the antitrust and the non-antitrust literatures on compliance and corporate governance to provide a clearer picture of the extant literature and the theoretical and empirical gaps within the antitrust literature to better inform antitrust policy on detecting cartels. This chapter explores the scholarship both within and outside of antitrust to better understand internal detection of wrongdoing and improved compliance in the antitrust cartel context. It explores the organizational environment for antitrust compliance programs, firm and industry indicia that impact antitrust compliance, survey evidence and theoretical models on antitrust compliance, and the use of bounties to encourage compliance.
Introduction
Authors: Marcus Laura , Mendelssohn Michèle , Shepherd-Barr Kirsten E.
Published: December 2016

The introduction to the volume points to the ways in which the chapters that follow address the relationship between late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century literature and culture. The intention of the volume has been to point up continuities between the two periods and thus to critique the existing models of radical rupture that have come to characterize modernist studies. The introduction also gives a detailed account of chapter contents within the sections of the volume: ‘Twilights’; ‘Making it New’; ‘Sites and Spaces of Knowledge’; ‘Minds and Bodies’; ‘Political and Social Selves’; ‘Authorship, Aesthetics and Print Cultures’; ‘Technologies’.
Utopian Thought and the Way to Live Now
Authors: Fernihough Anne
Published: December 2016

This chapter examines the socialisms of the period, both ‘ideal’ and ‘practical’, in their relation to philosophical vitalism and ‘free verse’. Throughout the chapter are noted the temporal complexities that lie at the heart of this volume as a whole: D. H. Lawrence’s utopianism harks back to the rhetoric of ‘a new heaven on earth’ characteristic of early nineteenth-century millenarianism, while Wells’s version of the good society ‘brought realism and modernism together in unexpected ways’. The arguments further suggest that questions of literary form and style connect in the most profound ways to those of ideology, culture, and ways of living.
Regionalisms
Authors: Fielding Penny
Published: December 2016

The chapter looks at different ways of thinking about the relation of local places to representations of the nation, and explores contrasting definitions of the region as both individual locality and national metonym. It then addresses the development of regional fiction from the imaginary geography of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, to the urban regions of Gissing and Bennett, to the impact of the First World War on the idea of the British Region. The chapter also compares the genre of the ‘regional novel’ to the ‘national tale’ of the early nineteenth century and the literary development of the nations of the British Isles.
The View from Empire
Authors: Boehmer Elleke
Published: December 2016

The chapter explores how the large-scale technological and commercial networking of the planet that accompanied empire at the turn of the nineteenth into the twentieth century brought a marked new preoccupation with international exchange and cross-border interaction into literary writing worldwide, including in Britain. Writers of the periphery such as Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Solomon T. Plaatje, and Olive Schreiner, but also metropolitan writers like T. S. Eliot and Leonard Woolf, paid recognition to the degree to which the dichotomies of the local and the universal, the national and the international, were being mixed together under pressure from the forces of imperial globalization.
The will to Forget
Authors: Cheng Vincent J.
Published: December 2016

Amnesia—as a neurological condition—is usually represented in negative terms, a loss of a personal identity that one desperately needs to recover. Much scholarly and scientific work has been done, in recent decades, on issues having to do with memory, Alzheimer’s, trauma, remembrance, memorials and monuments, truth and reconciliation; indeed, memory studies are a notable presence in ‘21st-century approaches to literature’ and culture. But hardly anyone ever talks about the desirability or usefulness of forgetting—which is the central concern of this essay. Drawing on Nietzsche, Marx, Renan, Freud, Luria, Anderson, Yerushalmi, and others, this essay considers the importance of forgetting, especially in terms of the nation and national forgetting—and then focuses on one particular literary case study, James Joyce’s treatment of these issues in Ulysses.
The Cult of the Child Revisited Making Fun of Fauntleroy
Authors: Gubar Marah
Published: December 2016

This essay maintains that child-centred art was integral to Anglo-American mass culture in the period from 1880 to 1920 and argues for a redefinition of this ‘cult of the child’. Rather than limiting our focus to English authors and making gender and sexuality the central terms of our analysis, scholars of literature, drama, and film should regard the cult as a trans-generic, transatlantic phenomenon that coincided with the rise of consumer capitalism and registered a wide array of contemporary anxieties, including concerns about class stratification and racial tension. The allure of crowd-pleasing child protagonists such as Little Lord Fauntleroy, the Little Colonel, and Peter Pan derives not from their perfect purity, but from their ability to oscillate between identity categories and, in so doing, help others more ‘set in their ways’ to follow suit and become less committed to the norms and prejudices belonging to their sociocultural position.