bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A maximum power point tracking algorithm for photovoltaic systems using bang-bang controller
Authors: Bhatnagar Pallavee , Nema R. K.
Published: October 2014

In this paper, an algorithm for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for photovoltaic based generation systems has been proposed. The technique is primarily based on “bang-bang” (hysteresis) control strategy. It is implemented using digital signal processor (DSP) TMS320F2812, which controls the DC-DC boost converter to enhance accuracy and speed. Code Composer Studio v3.1 is used to program DSP TMS320F2812. As compared to the conventional techniques for MPPT, the proposed configuration results in a simple configuration and a good overall efficiency. A complete description of various aspects of the system is presented, such as converter design, programming of the controller, and tuning of system components. Results obtained from simulation studies and experimental investigations show conformity to the proposed concepts.
Dirac point and transconductance of top-gated graphene field-effect transistors operating at elevated temperature
Authors: Hopf T. , Vassilevski K. V. , Escobedo-Cousin E. , King P. J. , Wright N. G. , O'Neill A. G. , Horsfall A. B. , Goss J. P. , Wells G. H. , Hunt M. R. C.
Published: October 2014

Top-gated graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) have been fabricated using bilayer epitaxial graphene grown on the Si-face of 4H-SiC substrates by thermal decomposition of silicon carbide in high vacuum. Graphene films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy, and Hall measurements to estimate graphene thickness, morphology, and charge transport properties. A 27 nm thick Al2O3 gate dielectric was grown by atomic layer deposition with an e-beam evaporated Al seed layer. Electrical characterization of the GFETs has been performed at operating temperatures up to 100 °C limited by deterioration of the gate dielectric performance at higher temperatures. Devices displayed stable operation with the gate oxide dielectric strength exceeding 4.5 MV/cm at 100 °C. Significant shifting of the charge neutrality point and an increase of the peak transconductance were observed in the GFETs as the operating temperature was elevated from room temperature to 100 °C.
Decision making based on optical excitation transfer via near-field interactions between quantum dots
Authors: Naruse Makoto , Nomura Wataru , Aono Masashi , Ohtsu Motoichi , Sonnefraud Yannick , Drezet Aurélien , Huant Serge , Kim Song-Ju
Published: October 2014

Optical near-field interactions between nanostructured matters, such as quantum dots, result in unidirectional optical excitation transfer when energy dissipation is induced. This results in versatile spatiotemporal dynamics of the optical excitation, which can be controlled by engineering the dissipation processes and exploited to realize intelligent capabilities such as solution searching and decision making. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the ability to solve a decision making problem on the basis of optical excitation transfer via near-field interactions by using colloidal quantum dots of different sizes, formed on a geometry-controlled substrate. We characterize the energy transfer behavior due to multiple control light patterns and experimentally demonstrate the ability to solve the multi-armed bandit problem. Our work makes a decisive step towards the practical design of nanophotonic systems capable of efficient decision making, one of the most important intellectual attributes of the human brain.
Experiment and simulation on one-dimensional plasma photonic crystals
Authors: Zhang Lin , Ouyang Ji-Ting
Published: October 2014

The transmission characteristics of microwaves passing through one-dimensional plasma photonic crystals (PPCs) have been investigated by experiment and simulation. The PPCs were formed by a series of discharge tubes filled with argon at 5 Torr that the plasma density in tubes can be varied by adjusting the discharge current. The transmittance of X-band microwaves through the crystal structure was measured under different discharge currents and geometrical parameters. The finite-different time-domain method was employed to analyze the detailed properties of the microwaves propagation. The results show that there exist bandgaps when the plasma is turned on. The properties of bandgaps depend on the plasma density and the geometrical parameters of the PPCs structure. The PPCs can perform as dynamical band-stop filter to control the transmission of microwaves within a wide frequency range.
Pyroelectric-field driven defects diffusion along c-axis in ZnO nanobelts under high-energy electron beam irradiation
Authors: Ding Yong , Liu Ying , Niu Simiao , Wu Wenzhuo , Wang Zhong Lin
Published: October 2014

When ZnO nanobelts are exposed to a high-dose electron probe of several nanometers to hundred nanometers in diameter inside a transmission electron microscope, due to the radiolysis effect, part of oxygen atoms will be ejected into the vacuum and leaving a Zn-ion rich surface with a pit appearance at both the electron-entrance and electron-exit surfaces. At the same time, a temperature distribution is created around the electron probe due to local beam heating effect, which generates a unidirectional pyroelectric field. This pyroelectric field is strong enough to drive Zn ions moving along its positive c-axis direction as interstitial ions. In the first case, for the ZnO nanobelts with c-axis lie in their large surfaces, defects due to the aggregation of Zn interstitial ions will be formed at some distances of 30–50 nm approximately along the c-axis direction from the electron beam illuminated area. Alternatively, for the ZnO nanobelts with ±(0001) planes as their large surfaces, the incident electron beam is along its c-axis and the generated pyroelectric field will drive the interstitial Zn-ions to aggregate at the Zn terminated (0001) surface where the local electrical potential is the lowest. Such electron beam induced damage in ZnO nanostructures is suggested as a result of Zn ion diffusion driven by the temperature gradient induced pyroelectric field along c-axis. Our study shows a radiation damage caused by electron beam in transmission electron microscopy, especially when the electron energy is high.
Effects of interface state charges on the electrical properties of Si/SiC heterojunctions
Authors: Liang J. , Nishida S. , Hayashi T. , Arai M. , Shigekawa N.
Published: October 2014

Electrical properties of p−-Si/n−-SiC, p-Si/n−-SiC, p+-Si/n−-SiC, and n+-Si/n−-SiC heterojunctions fabricated by using surface-activated bonding are investigated. Their flat-band voltages obtained from capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements are found to be ∼0.92 eV, which suggests that the Fermi level should be pinned at the bonding interface. An analysis by using the charge neutral level model reveals that the C-V characteristics are sensitive to the density of interface states. The measured C-V characteristics of p+-Si/n−-SiC and n+-Si/n−-SiC junctions are in quantitative agreement with modeled ones obtained for the interface states density and the conduction-band discontinuity of 2.3 × 1013 cm−2 eV−1 and 0.3 eV, respectively.
A wedged-peak-pulse design with medium fuel adiabat for indirect-drive fusion
Authors: Fan Zhengfeng , He X. T. , Liu Jie , Ren Guoli , Liu Bin , Wu Junfeng , Wang L. F. , Ye Wenhua
Published: October 2014

In the present letter, we propose the design of a wedged-peak pulse at the late stage of indirect drive. Our simulations of one- and two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics show that the wedged-peak-pulse design can raise the drive pressure and capsule implosion velocity without significantly raising the fuel adiabat. It can thus balance the energy requirement and hydrodynamic instability control at both ablator/fuel interface and hot-spot/fuel interface. This investigation has implication in the fusion ignition at current mega-joule laser facilities.
Conductance enhancement due to interface magnons in electron-beam evaporated MgO magnetic tunnel junctions with CoFeB free layer deposited at different pressure
Authors: Guo P. , Li D. L. , Feng J. F. , Kurt H. , Yu G. Q. , Chen J. Y. , Wei H. X. , Coey J. M. D. , Han X. F.
Published: October 2014

Electron-beam evaporated MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions have been fabricated with the CoFeB free layer deposited at Ar pressure from 1 to 4 mTorr, and their tunneling process has been studied as a function of temperature and bias voltage. By changing the growth pressure, the junction dynamic conductance dI/dV, inelastic electron tunneling spectrum d2I/dV2, and tunneling magnetoresistance vary with temperature. Moreover, the low-energy magnon cutoff energy EC derived from the conductance versus temperature curve agrees with interface magnon energy obtained directly from the inelastic electron tunneling spectrum, which demonstrates that interface magnons are involved in the electron tunneling process, opening an additional conductance channel and thus enhancing the total conductance.
Spectrally resolved hyperfine interactions between polaron and nuclear spins in organic light emitting diodes: Magneto-electroluminescence studies
Authors: Crooker S. A. , Liu F. , Kelley M. R. , Martinez N. J. D. , Nie W. , Mohite A. , Nayyar I. H. , Tretiak S. , Smith D. L. , Ruden P. P.
Published: October 2014

We use spectrally resolved magneto-electroluminescence (EL) measurements to study the energy dependence of hyperfine interactions between polaron and nuclear spins in organic light-emitting diodes. Using layered devices that generate bright exciplex emission, we show that the increase in EL emission intensity I due to small applied magnetic fields of order 100 mT is markedly larger at the high-energy blue end of the EL spectrum (ΔI/I ∼ 11%) than at the low-energy red end (∼4%). Concurrently, the widths of the magneto-EL curves increase monotonically from blue to red, revealing an increasing hyperfine coupling between polarons and nuclei and directly providing insight into the energy-dependent spatial extent and localization of polarons.
Random lasing in organo-lead halide perovskite microcrystal networks
Authors: Dhanker R. , Brigeman A. N. , Larsen A. V. , Stewart R. J. , Asbury J. B. , Giebink N. C.
Published: October 2014

We report optically pumped random lasing in planar methylammonium lead iodide perovskite microcrystal networks that form spontaneously from spin coating. Low thresholds (<200 μJ/cm2) and narrow linewidths (Δλ < 0.5 nm) reflect lasing from closed quasi-modes that result from ballistic waveguiding in linear network segments linked by scattering at the junctions. Spatio-spectral imaging indicates that these quasi-modes extend over lateral length scales >100 μm and spatially overlap with one another, resulting in chaotic pulse-to-pulse intensity fluctuations due to gain competition. These results demonstrate this class of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite as a platform to study random lasing with well-defined, low-level disorder, and support the potential of these materials for use in semiconductor laser applications.
High linearly polarized light emission from InGaN light-emitting diode with multilayer dielectric/metal wire-grid structure
Authors: Wang Miao , Cao Bing , Wang Chinhua , Xu Fuyang , Lou Yimin , Wang Jianfeng , Xu Ke
Published: October 2014

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a linearly polarized light from surface emitting InGaN/GaN green LED with a multilayer structure of combined dielectric/metal wire grids on a low-refractive dielectric layer deposited on the emitting InGaN/GaN surface. An extinction ratio of higher than 20 dB and TM transmission as high as 65% within an angle range of ±40° has been achieved directly from a InGaN/GaN light emitting diode by photoluminescence. FDTD analysis was used to design and analyze the performance of structure and the results between theory and experiment are found to be excellently consistent.
Strong correlations of dynamical and structural heterogeneities with localized soft modes in a Cu-Zr metallic glass
Authors: Zhang Y. , Wang C. Z. , Zhang F. , Mendelev M. I. , Kramer M. J. , Ho K. M.
Published: October 2014

Structural and dynamical heterogeneities in metallic glasses, while intensely studied, remain an enigma. For instance, whether and how the dynamical and structural heterogeneities are correlated is still an outstanding question. Meanwhile, the nature of the impact of medium-range order (MRO) on the dynamical heterogeneity remains elusive. In this paper, we analyzed the structural and dynamical heterogeneities in both as-quenched and relaxed Cu64.5Zr35.5 metallic glasses based on the atomistic trajectories collected from molecular dynamics simulations. We found that the majority of the mobile atoms are not involved in icosahedral clusters or Bergman superclusters, indicating that dynamical heterogeneities are strongly correlated with structural heterogeneities. The Bergman-type MRO has an even stronger correlation with the dynamical heterogeneity than the icosahedral short range order. Moreover, we found that the localized soft vibration modes below 1.0 THz are mostly concentrated on the mobile atoms. These results suggest that the vibrational properties can be conveniently utilized to predict the atomic mobility in metallic glasses, which can bridge the studies of dynamical heterogeneity by experiments and simulations.
Dark-field X-ray imaging of unsaturated water transport in porous materials
Authors: Yang F. , Prade F. , Griffa M. , Jerjen I. , Di Bella C. , Herzen J. , Sarapata A. , Pfeiffer F. , Lura P.
Published: October 2014

We introduce in this Letter an approach to X-ray imaging of unsaturated water transport in porous materials based upon the intrinsic X-ray scattering produced by the material microstructural heterogeneity at a length scale below the imaging system spatial resolution. The basic principle for image contrast creation consists in a reduction of such scattering by permeation of the porosity by water. The implementation of the approach is based upon X-ray dark-field imaging via Talbot-Lau interferometry. The proof-of-concept is provided by performing laboratory-scale dark-field X-ray radiography of mortar samples during a water capillary uptake experiment. The results suggest that the proposed approach to visualizing unsaturated water transport in porous materials is complementary to neutron and magnetic resonance imaging and alternative to standard X-ray imaging, the latter requiring the use of contrast agents because based upon X-ray attenuation only.
A microfluidic device to study cancer metastasis under chronic and intermittent hypoxia
Authors: Acosta Miguel A. , Jiang Xiao , Huang Pin-Kang , Cutler Kyle B. , Grant Christine S. , Walker Glenn M. , Gamcsik Michael P.
Published: October 2014

Metastatic cancer cells must traverse a microenvironment ranging from extremely hypoxic, within the tumor, to highly oxygenated, within the host's vasculature. Tumor hypoxia can be further characterized by regions of both chronic and intermittent hypoxia. We present the design and characterization of a microfluidic device that can simultaneously mimic the oxygenation conditions observed within the tumor and model the cell migration and intravasation processes. This device can generate spatial oxygen gradients of chronic hypoxia and produce dynamically changing hypoxic microenvironments in long-term culture of cancer cells.
Predictable transcriptome evolution in the convergent and complex bioluminescent organs of squid
Authors: Pankey M. Sabrina , Minin Vladimir N. , Imholte Greg C. , Suchard Marc A. , Oakley Todd H.
Published: October 2014

Significance

Unless there are strong constraints, the probability of complex organs originating multiple times through similar trajectories should be vanishingly small. Here, we report that similar light-producing organs (photophores) evolved separately in two squid species, yet each organ expresses similar genes at comparable levels. Gene expression is so similar that overall expression levels alone can predict organ identity, even in separately evolved traits of squid species separated by tens of millions of years. The striking similarity of expression of hundreds of genes in distinct photophores indicates complex trait evolution may sometimes be more constrained and predictable than expected, either because of internal factors, like a limited array of suitable genetic building blocks, or external factors, like natural selection favoring an optimum.
IKKβ is an IRF5 kinase that instigates inflammation
Authors: Ren Junyao , Chen Xiang , Chen Zhijian J.
Published: October 2014

Significance

Inflammation is an important arm of host defense against microbial infections, but excessive inflammation can cause human diseases. Interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) is a key regulator of inflammatory responses, controlling the expression of many proinflammatory cytokines. Mutations and dysregulation of IRF5 have been linked to autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases in humans; however, how IRF5 is activated is not well understood. We report that the kinase IKKβ, which is known to regulate the Rel/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) family of transcription factors, phosphorylates IRF5 at a specific serine residue, and that this phosphorylation is critical for IRF5 activation and cytokine production. Thus, IKKβ regulates two master transcription factors, NF-κB and IRF5, which coordinately control gene expression to mediate inflammatory responses.
flowDensity: reproducing manual gating of flow cytometry data by automated density-based cell population identification
Authors: Malek Mehrnoush , Taghiyar Mohammad Jafar , Chong Lauren , Finak Greg , Gottardo Raphael , Brinkman Ryan R.
Published: October 2014

Summary: flowDensity facilitates reproducible, high-throughput analysis of flow cytometry data by automating a predefined manual gating approach. The algorithm is based on a sequential bivariate gating approach that generates a set of predefined cell populations. It chooses the best cut-off for individual markers using characteristics of the density distribution. The Supplementary Data is linked to the online version of the manuscript.

Availability and implementation: R source code freely available through BioConductor (http://master.bioconductor.org/packages/devel/bioc/html/flowDensity.html.). Data available from FlowRepository.org (dataset FR-FCM-ZZBW).

Contact:  rbrinkman@bccrc.ca

Supplementary information:  Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.
jNMFMA: a joint non-negative matrix factorization meta-analysis of transcriptomics data
Authors: Wang Hong-Qiang , Zheng Chun-Hou , Zhao Xing-Ming
Published: October 2014

Motivation: Tremendous amount of omics data being accumulated poses a pressing challenge of meta-analyzing the heterogeneous data for mining new biological knowledge. Most existing methods deal with each gene independently, thus often resulting in high false positive rates in detecting differentially expressed genes (DEG). To our knowledge, no or little effort has been devoted to methods that consider dependence structures underlying transcriptomics data for DEG identification in meta-analysis context.

Results: This article proposes a new meta-analysis method for identification of DEGs based on joint non-negative matrix factorization (jNMFMA). We mathematically extend non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to a joint version (jNMF), which is used to simultaneously decompose multiple transcriptomics data matrices into one common submatrix plus multiple individual submatrices. By the jNMF, the dependence structures underlying transcriptomics data can be interrogated and utilized, while the high-dimensional transcriptomics data are mapped into a low-dimensional space spanned by metagenes that represent hidden biological signals. jNMFMA finally identifies DEGs as genes that are associated with differentially expressed metagenes. The ability of extracting dependence structures makes jNMFMA more efficient and robust to identify DEGs in meta-analysis context. Furthermore, jNMFMA is also flexible to identify DEGs that are consistent among various types of omics data, e.g. gene expression and DNA methylation. Experimental results on both simulation data and real-world cancer data demonstrate the effectiveness of jNMFMA and its superior performance over other popular approaches.

Availability and implementation: R code for jNMFMA is available for non-commercial use viahttp://micblab.iim.ac.cn/Download/.

Contact:  hqwang@ustc.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.
mimicMe: a web server for prediction and analysis of host-like proteins in microbial pathogens
Authors: Petrenko Pavel , Doxey Andrew C.
Published: October 2014

Summary:  mimicMe is a web server for prediction and analysis of host-like proteins (mimics) encoded by microbial pathogens. Users select a host species and any set of pathogen and control proteomes (bacterial, fungal, protozoan or viral) and mimicMe reports host-like proteins that are unique to or enriched among pathogens. Additional server features include visualization of structural similarities between pathogen and host proteins as well as function-enrichment analysis.

Availability and implementation: mimicMe is available at http://mimicme.uwaterloo.ca

Contact: acdoxey@uwaterloo.ca
Comment on ‘protein–protein binding affinity prediction from amino acid sequence’
Authors: Moal Iain H. , Fernández-Recio Juan
Published: October 2014

Supplementary information:  Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Contact: iainios@hotmail.com
E-MEM: efficient computation of maximal exact matches for very large genomes
Authors: Khiste Nilesh , Ilie Lucian
Published: October 2014

Motivation: Alignment of similar whole genomes is often performed using anchors given by the maximal exact matches (MEMs) between their sequences. In spite of significant amount of research on this problem, the computation of MEMs for large genomes remains a challenging problem. The leading current algorithms employ full text indexes, the sparse suffix array giving the best results. Still, their memory requirements are high, the parallelization is not very efficient, and they cannot handle very large genomes.

Results: We present a new algorithm, efficient computation of MEMs (E-MEM) that does not use full text indexes. Our algorithm uses much less space and is highly amenable to parallelization. It can compute all MEMs of minimum length 100 between the whole human and mouse genomes on a 12 core machine in 10 min and 2 GB of memory; the required memory can be as low as 600 MB. It can run efficiently genomes of any size. Extensive testing and comparison with currently best algorithms is provided.

Availability and implementation: The source code of E-MEM is freely available at: http://www.csd.uwo.ca/∼ilie/E-MEM/

Contact: ilie@csd.uwo.ca

Supplementary information: Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Rupture velocity inferred from near-field shear strain analysis
Authors: Causse M. , Cornou C. , Bécasse J.
Published: October 2014

We propose a new technique to determine the rupture velocity of large strike slip earthquakes. By means of simple numerical ground motion simulations, we show that when the rupture penetrates a shallow layer of sediment or fractured rock, shock waves propagate along the surface fault trace in the forward rupture direction. Such shock waves, which are insensitive to the complexity of slip over the fault plane, propagate at a phase velocity equal to the rupture speed. We show that those shock waves can be easily isolated in the frequency domain, and that phase velocity can then be simply obtained from shear strain.
Mesozoic mammals of China: implications for phylogeny and early evolution of mammals
Authors: Meng Jin
Published: October 2014

All Mesozoic mammaliaforms reported from China are briefly documented herein. These forms can be divided into at least five major assemblages: Lufeng, Yanliao (Daohugou), Jehol, Fuxin and Bayan Mandahu, ranging from the Early Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous periods. Although the temporal and geographic distributions of these mammaliaforms are not dense, the records do reveal a pattern that is generally consistent with patterns that have been recognized globally. The initial stage of mammalian evolution was represented by stem mammaliaforms or primitive ‘triconodonts’ from the Lufeng. This was followed by the Middle-Late Jurassic Yanliao episode that showed a high diversity and disparity of mammaliaforms in which terrestrial, swimming, arboreal and gliding species were present. The disparity, at least in molar morphology and types of locomotion, decreased but the diversity persisted into the Cretaceous, a period that was dominated by eutriconodontans, multituberculates and trechnotherians. The superb specimens from nearly all major groups of Mesozoic mammals in China provided a great amount of information that contributed to our understanding on some major issues in phylogeny and the early evolution of mammals, such as divergences of mammals and the evolution of the mammalian middle ear. A hypothesis on the transformation of the allotherian tooth pattern is proposed as an example to illustrate the potential for future studies of mammalian evolution.
Sequential Acid, Alkaline, and Enzymatic Modifications of Chickpea and Lentil Flours Impacted Batter Physical Properties
Authors: Saleh Mohammed , Mehyar Ghadeer , Amr Ayed , Ondier George
Published: October 2014

The effect of sequential acid, alkaline, and enzymatic treatment of chickpea and lentil flours on batter rheological properties was investigated. Substitution of wheat with disrupted chickpea and lentil flours significantly (P < 0.05) increased water‐holding capacity from 66.8% in wheat flour to more than 70.0% based on the disruption treatment, indicating an improved adhesion of coated batter. Flow behavior index of batter treatments of partially replaced wheat flour with various ratios of disrupted chickpea and lentil flours ranged from 0.88 to 1.36 and was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the flour (i.e., 2.15) and nondisrupted control (i.e., 1.28–1.38 for chickpea and 1.22–1.28 for lentil) flours. Consistency coefficients of disrupted chickpea and lentil flours were significantly (P < 0.05) greater when replacing wheat control, indicating a best fit for the shear‐thickening model. Flour disruption decreased the treatment's pasting properties, except the setback, providing support for the significant role of proteins in dictating the pasting characteristics of batter flour treatments. Results of this study suggested a potential use for treated chickpea and lentil flours in enhancing batter rheological properties including adhesion and water‐holding capacity.
Relative Host Resistance to Black Spot Disease in Field Pea (Pisum sativum) is Determined by Individual Pathogens
Authors: Tran Hieu Sy , You Ming Pei , Khan Tanveer N. , Barbetti Martin J.
Published: October 2014

Black spot, also known as Ascochyta blight, is the most important disease on field pea (Pisum sativum). It is caused by a complex of pathogens, the most important of which in Australia include Didymella pinodes, Phoma pinodella, and P. koolunga. The relative proportions of these and other component pathogens of the complex fluctuate widely across time and geographic locations in Australia, limiting the ability of breeders to develop varieties with effective resistance to black spot. To address this, 40 field pea genotypes were tested under controlled environment conditions for their individual stem and leaf responses against these three pathogens. Disease severity was calculated as area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), and subsequently converted to mean rank (MR). The overall rank (OR) for each pathogen was used to compare response of genotypes under inoculation with each pathogen. The expressions of host resistance across the field pea genotypes were largely dependent upon the individual test pathogen and whether the test was on stem or leaf. Overall, P. koolunga caused most severe stem disease; significantly more severe than either D. pinodes or P. pinodella. This is the first report of the host resistance identified in field pea to P. koolunga; the five genotypes showing highest resistance on stem, viz. 05P778-BSR-701, ATC 5338, ATC 5345, Dundale, and ATC 866, had AUDPC MR values <250.4, while the AUDPC MR values of the 19 genotypes showing the best resistance on leaf was less than 296.8. Two genotypes, ATC 866 and Dundale, showed resistance against P. koolunga on both stem and leaf. Against D. pinodes, the four and 16 most resistant genotypes on stem and leaf had AUDPC MR values <111.2 and <136.6, respectively, with four genotypes showing resistance on both stem and leaf including 05P770-BSR-705, Austrian Winter Pea, 06P822-(F5)-BSR-6, and 98107-62E. Against P. pinodella, four and eight genotypes showing the best resistance on stem and leaf had AUDPC MR values <81.3 and <221.9, respectively; three genotypes, viz. 98107-62E, Dundale, and Austrian Winter Pea showed combined resistance on stem and leaf. A few genotypes identified with resistance against two major pathogens of the complex will be of particular significance to breeding programs. These findings explain why field pea varieties arising from breeding programs in Australia fail to display the level or consistency of resistance required against black spot and why there needs to be a wider focus than D. pinodes in breeding programs.
Parablastomonas arctica gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from high Arctic glacial till
Authors: Ren Lvzhi , Chang Xulu , Jiang Fan , Kan Wenjing , Qu Zhihao , Qiu Xia , Fang Chengxiang , Peng Fang
Published: October 2014

A pale yellow, aerobic bacterium, strain M0-2T, was isolated from a till sample. Its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped and motile. Cells reproduced by budding or asymmetrical cell division. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain M0-2T belonged to the family

Sphingomonadaceae

and was closely related to species of the genera

Novosphingobium

(96.4–92.0 %) and

Blastomonas

(94.6 %),

Sphingopyxis witflariensis

W-50T (94.0 %),

Sphingosinicella soli

KSL-125T (93.6 %) and

Sphingomonas astaxanthinifaciens

TDMA-17T (93.5 %). Ubiquinone-10 (Q-10) was the predominant respiratory quinone. The major fatty acids were summed feature 8 (comprising C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c, 31.9 %), summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c, 19.8 %) and C14 : 0 2-OH (8.9 %). Sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine were the major polar lipids. Spermidine was the major polyamine observed in the cell. The genomic DNA G+C content was 47.5 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic relationships and the low DNA G+C content compared with most other genera of the family

Sphingomonadaceae

, combined with phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, strain M0-2T is considered to represent a novel species in a new genus in the family

Sphingomonadaceae

for which the name Parablastomonas arctica gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Parablastomonas arctica gen. nov., sp. nov. is M0-2T ( = CCTCC AB 2012968T = NRRL B-59110T).
Kiloniella spongiae sp. nov., isolated from a marine sponge and emended description of the genus Kiloniella Wiese et al. 2009 and Kiloniella laminariae
Authors: Yang Sung-Hyun , Seo Hyun-Seok , Lee Jung-Hyun , Kim Sang-Jin , Kwon Kae Kyoung
Published: October 2014

A Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and non-motile marine bacterium, designated MEBiC09566T was isolated from a sponge collected at Uljin County in the coastal area of the East Sea (36° 55′ N, 129° 25′ E), Korea. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain MEBiC09566T showed the highest similarity with the

Kiloniella laminariae

LD81T (96.7 %). Growth was observed at 11–31 °C (optimum 25 °C), at pH 6.0–8.5 (optimum pH 7.0) and with 0–6 % (optimum 2.5 %) NaCl. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (comprised of C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c) and summed feature 3 (comprised of C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c). The DNA G+C content is 44.6 mol%. The major respiratory quinone is Q-9. Phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified lipid, two unidentified aminophospholipids and one unidentified aminolipid were detected as major polar lipids. On the basis of this polyphasic taxonomic data, it is concluded that strain MEBiC09566T should be classified as representing a novel species in the genus

Kiloniella

and the name proposed is Kiloniella spongiae sp. nov. The type strain is MEBiC09566T ( = KCCM 43040T = JCM 19930T). Emended descriptions of the genus

Kiloniella

Wiese et al. 2009 and

Kiloniella laminariae

are also given.
Jasmonoyl-l-Isoleucine Coordinates Metabolic Networks Required for Anthesis and Floral Attractant Emission in Wild Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
Authors: Stitz Michael , Hartl Markus , Baldwin Ian T. , Gaquerel Emmanuel
Published: October 2014

Jasmonic acid and its derivatives (jasmonates [JAs]) play central roles in floral development and maturation. The binding of jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine (JA-Ile) to the F-box of CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1) is required for many JA-dependent physiological responses, but its role in anthesis and pollinator attraction traits remains largely unexplored. Here, we used the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata, which develops sympetalous flowers with complex pollination biology, to examine the coordinating function of JA homeostasis in the distinct metabolic processes that underlie flower maturation, opening, and advertisement to pollinators. From combined transcriptomic, targeted metabolic, and allometric analyses of transgenic N. attenuata plants for which signaling deficiencies were complemented with methyl jasmonate, JA-Ile, and its functional homolog, coronatine (COR), we demonstrate that (1) JA-Ile/COR-based signaling regulates corolla limb opening and a JA-negative feedback loop; (2) production of floral volatiles (night emissions of benzylacetone) and nectar requires JA-Ile/COR perception through COI1; and (3) limb expansion involves JA-Ile-induced changes in limb fresh mass and carbohydrate metabolism. These findings demonstrate a master regulatory function of the JA-Ile/COI1 duet for the main function of a sympetalous corolla, that of advertising for and rewarding pollinator services. Flower opening, by contrast, requires JA-Ile signaling-dependent changes in primary metabolism, which are not compromised in the COI1-silenced RNA interference line used in this study.
Lifestyle pattern underlying organic and traditional food consumption
Authors: Nikolić Aleksandra , Uzunović Mirza , Spaho Nermina
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to set out to define lifestyle pattern framing behavior shared by traditional food products (TFP) and organic foods (OF) consumers to identify, if possible, a generic way to facilitate development of TFP and OF production in order to pave the road for more sustainable food production and consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

– A convenience, non-probabilistic sample (n=800) was designed and customer survey was conducted in December 2013 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis were performed to identify common lifestyle pattern shaping consumption of both products’ groups.

Findings

– TFP and OF consumption patterns are driven by common lifestyle pattern defined by concern for welfare of all people, social equality and nature; and by consumers’ belief that food is a basis of their health, while food and cooking make an important part of family life.

Practical implications

– This study shows that public and private promotion/marketing policies for OF and TFP need to be designed in a way that strongly emphasizes their symbolic meaning that elicits in consumers feeling of belonging to both local community and their family, and at the same time highlights the level of social responsibility of their producers. In addition, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in this area.

Originality/value

– No similar study has been done to date that was focussed on identifying common combination of lifestyle factors that frame and drive customers’ tendency to purchase either TFP or OF products. This study offers a unique and valuable insight into topics and values around which a generic public or private promotional strategy for the two product groups would evolve, and which will decide effectiveness of any such strategy.
The e-Duke Scholarly Collection: e-book v. print use
Authors: Goodwin Cathy
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this study is to compare print and e-book use for identical titles in the e-Duke Scholarly Collection (e-DSC) from 2011 to 2013 to determine format preference for a discrete collection of titles in humanities and social sciences.

Design/methodology/approach

– Use statistics for the e-DSC were downloaded from the e-book platform by title and call number to determine use by title and subject. Circulation statistics were culled from the library’s integrated library system for the same titles to compare e-book use to that of the same print title.

Findings

– Although e-books had a high number of titles with use as a per cent of the collection, examination of substantive use shows a slight preference for print. While 73 per cent of the e-books garnered enough interest to click on them, only 12 per cent had substantive use.

Research limitations/implications

– The e-DSC changed platforms in December 2013. The new platform does not require users to create an account to download e-book sections and digital rights management limitations have been removed. The same examination of collection use in 2.5 years on the new platform will provide an interesting comparison on the function of platform on e-book use.

Originality/value

– The comparison of identical print and e-titles is less studied and includes the examination of “substantive use” in comparing print to e-book use.
SEC announces first investment adviser ‘pay-to-play’ enforcement action
Authors: Norman Goldberger M. , C. Grugan John , O’Neil Christine , N. Stanley Tesia
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– To explain the first enforcement action the USA Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought under “pay to play” rules for investment advisers since those rules were adopted nearly four years ago.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, the article provides a summary of the SEC enforcement action against TL Ventures Inc., a Philadelphia-area private equity firm. Next, the article provides a historical context and some key provisions of the rules. Finally, the article provides political contribution policy and procedure recommendations.

Findings

– Political corruption in the municipal market has been a focus of the SEC for several years and is likely to continue to be a top priority. Investment advisers should ensure they have sufficient policies and procedures in place to avoid a two-year ban on business with a state or local government as the result of a political contribution.

Originality/value

– The article provides the facts underlying the SEC’s enforcement action, the historical context of municipal market pay-to-play rules, a summary of the pay-to-play prohibitions, and recommendations for avoiding rule violations. The article would be of interest to investment advisers, public pension plans, municipal securities underwriters, brokers, and dealers as well as state and local governments.
Bridging the academia-practitioner divide: the case of “service theater”
Authors: Daly Aidan , Baron Steve , J. Dorsch Michael , P. Fisk Raymond , J. Grove Stephen , Harris Kim , Harris Richard
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to demonstrate the applicability of a theatrical framework for improving the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer of service research findings to practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study approach is adopted. The operation of a practitioner-oriented seminar is examined through a theatrical lens to establish the extent to which direction, audience participation and creativity, emotions and visual aesthetics can contribute to bridging the academia-practitioner divide.

Findings

– Planning a practitioner-oriented seminar performance is as important as planning the program content. Effective knowledge transfer requires active audience engagement, activation of favorable audience emotions and an enjoyable learning process. The lack of these requirements can render written dissemination by journal papers relatively ineffective in reaching and engaging practitioners.

Research limitations/implications

– Findings are based on one case study: a seminar delivered to practitioners on “service theater”.

Practical implications

– In addition to face-to-face seminars, contemporary dissemination methods (webinars, podcasts) can apply the theatrical lessons introduced and evaluated. Practitioners do not respond positively to only written declarative information, through academic papers and/or PowerPoint slides, from academicians.

Originality/value

– The article recognizes that dissemination of service research findings is, itself, a service, requiring depth of thought and understanding.
Financing renewable energy: La Esperanza Hydroelectric Project
Authors: Jenkins Mauricio , Miguel Guevara Leo
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This is a teaching case to be used in courses on funding and execution of renewable-energy projects, sustainable development, project finance or management of financial institutions. The case has been successfully used in courses at the graduate level as well as in executive education. The purpose of this paper is to achieve the following specific objectives. First, to illustrate the adjusted present value (APV) methodology to value investment projects in a project finance setting. Second, to show how APV methodologies can be used to value investment projects with subsidized financing and temporary fiscal incentives. Third, to understand how financial institutions use debt service coverage ratios to measure the capacity of projects to repay debt obligations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The primary source of information for the study case came from in-depth interviews with senior officials from E+Co and project sponsors. Documents from E+Co's loan approval process and investment committee minutes were also consulted. Also a site visit was performed.

Findings

– The case is quite interesting along several dimensions. To begin with the case deals with an important (and somewhat difficult decision) the general manager of a financial institution has to make. From a technical point of view, the case involves an APV analysis and requires the estimation of the value added (or destroyed) by several collateral effects of debt in the capital structure of the project (something seldom treated in formal courses or standard finance textbooks). In addition, even though standard financial analysis would probably have led to select on alternative course of action, the authors know the protagonist of the case actually decided to do something different based on an additional analysis (a nice postscript for the case, therefore).

Research limitations/implications

– Been a case study, the findings may be quite particular of the particular situation and context. However, the case provides good insight into the difficulties and problems entrepreneurs face in developing economies as well as in funding small renewable energy projects around the world.

Practical implications

– The case provides a number of important lessons and learning opportunities for sponsors of renewable energy power projects and managers of financial institutions.

Originality/value

– Please refer to the findings section above.
Rethinking the role of roadmaps in strategic planning
Authors: Güney Senem , R. Taylor James
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of reconfiguring epistemic boundaries and the authority relationships that these boundaries represent in corporate R&D. The authors focus the analysis on the mediation of this reconfiguration by project management tools, specifically the development plan and its subsidiary roadmaps and timelines.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors analyze discourse data from an ethnographic study to showin situthe communication about and through project management tools in collaborative project development. The concepts of organizational map and mapping from the perspective of the communicative constitution of organization (CCO) frame the close-up analysis of this communication.

Findings

– The analysis reveals how the plan and its subsidiary texts participate in the negotiation and legitimation of epistemic ownership and authority for a collaborative strategy to be implemented. The authors illustrate the material agency of these texts in the objectification and prioritization of strategic choices in this implementation.

Research limitations/implications

– To conclude, the authors discuss the significance of exploring the mapping function of supposedly mundane representational tools used in project management.

Originality/value

– The originality of this study comes from applying the organizational map concept to demonstrate the politically charged materiality of project management tools in the discursive establishment of authority and accomplishment of corporate strategy.
Size, sex and individual‐level behaviour drive intrapopulation variation in cross‐ecosystem foraging of a top‐predator
Authors: Nifong James C. , Layman Craig A. , Silliman Brian R.
Published: October 2014

Large‐bodied, top‐predators are often highly mobile, with the potential to provide important linkages between spatially distinct food webs. What biological factors contribute to variation in cross‐ecosystem movements, however, have rarely been examined.

Here, we investigated how ontogeny (body size), sex and individual‐level behaviour impacts intrapopulation variation in cross‐ecosystem foraging (i.e. between freshwater and marine systems), by the top‐predatorAlligator mississippiensis.

Field surveys revealedA. mississippiensisuses marine ecosystems regularly and are abundant in estuarine tidal creeks (from 0·3 to 6·3 individuals per km of creek,n = 45 surveys).Alligator mississippiensiscaptured in marine/estuarine habitats were significantly larger than individuals captured in freshwater and intermediate habitats.

Stomach content analysis (SCA) showed that small juveniles consumed marine/estuarine prey less frequently (6·7% of individuals) than did large juveniles (57·8%), subadult (73%), and adult (78%) size classes. Isotopic mixing model analysis (SIAR) also suggests substantial variation in use of marine/estuarine prey resources with differences among and within size classes between sexes and individuals (range of median estimates for marine/estuarine diet contribution = 0·05–0·76).

These results demonstrate the importance of intrapopulation characteristics (body size, sex and individual specialization) as key determinants of the strength of predator‐driven ecosystem connectivity resulting from cross‐ecosystem foraging behaviours. Understanding the factors, which contribute to variation in cross‐ecosystem foraging behaviours, will improve our predictive understanding of the effects of top‐predators on community structure and ecosystem function.