bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TEMPEST simulations of the plasma transport in a single-null tokamak geometry
Authors: Xu X.Q. , Bodi K. , Cohen R.H. , Krasheninnikov S. , Rognlien T.D.
Published: May 2010

We present edge kinetic ion transport simulations of tokamak plasmas in magnetic divertor geometry using the fully nonlinear (full-f) continuum code TEMPEST. Besides neoclassical transport, a term for divergence of anomalous kinetic radial flux is added to mock up the effect of turbulent transport. To study the relative roles of neoclassical and anomalous transport, TEMPEST simulations were carried out for plasma transport and flow dynamics in a single-null tokamak geometry, including the pedestal region that extends across the separatrix into the scrape-off layer and private flux region. A series of TEMPEST simulations were conducted to investigate the transition of midplane pedestal heat flux and flow from the neoclassical to the turbulent limit and the transition of divertor heat flux and flow from the kinetic to the fluid regime via an anomalous transport scan and a density scan. The TEMPEST simulation results demonstrate that turbulent transport (as modelled by large diffusion) plays a similar role to collisional decorrelation of particle orbits and that the large turbulent transport (large diffusion) leads to an apparent Maxwellianization of the particle distribution. We also show the transition of parallel heat flux and flow at the entrance to the divertor plates from the fluid to the kinetic regime. For an absorbing divertor plate boundary condition, a non-half-Maxwellian is found due to the balance between upstream radial anomalous transport and energetic ion endloss.
Analysis of pedestal plasma transport
Authors: Callen J.D. , Groebner R.J. , Osborne T.H. , Canik J.M. , Owen. L.W. , Pankin A.Y. , Rafiq T. , Rognlien T.D. , Stacey W.M.
Published: May 2010

An H-mode edge pedestal plasma transport benchmarking exercise was undertaken for a single DIII-D pedestal. Transport modelling codes used include 1.5D interpretive (ONETWO, GTEDGE), 1.5D predictive (ASTRA) and 2D ones (SOLPS, UEDGE). The particular DIII-D discharge considered is 98889, which has a typical low density pedestal. Profiles for the edge plasma are obtained from Thomson and charge-exchange recombination data averaged over the last 20% of the average 33.53 ms repetition time between type I edge localized modes. The modelled density of recycled neutrals is largest in the divertor X-point region and causes the edge plasma source rate to vary by a factor ∼102 on the separatrix. Modelled poloidal variations in the densities and temperatures on flux surfaces are small on all flux surfaces up to within about 2.6 mm (ρN > 0.99) of the mid-plane separatrix. For the assumed Fick's-diffusion-type laws, the radial heat and density fluxes vary poloidally by factors of 2–3 in the pedestal region; they are largest on the outboard mid-plane where flux surfaces are compressed and local radial gradients are largest. Convective heat flows are found to be small fractions of the electron (≲10%) and ion (≲25%) heat flows in this pedestal. Appropriately averaging the transport fluxes yields interpretive 1.5D effective diffusivities that are smallest near the mid-point of the pedestal. Their ‘transport barrier’ minima are about 0.3 (electron heat), 0.15 (ion heat) and 0.035 (density) m2 s−1. Electron heat transport is found to be best characterized by electron-temperature-gradient-induced transport at the pedestal top and paleoclassical transport throughout the pedestal. The effective ion heat diffusivity in the pedestal has a different profile from the neoclassical prediction and may be smaller than it. The very small effective density diffusivity may be the result of an inward pinch flow nearly balancing a diffusive outward radial density flux. The inward ion pinch velocity and density diffusion coefficient are determined by a new interpretive analysis technique that uses information from the force balance (momentum conservation) equations; the paleoclassical transport model provides a plausible explanation of these new results. Finally, the measurements and additional modelling needed to facilitate better pedestal plasma transport modelling are discussed.
Transport of parallel momentum by toroidal ion temperature gradient instability near marginality
Authors: Yoon E.S. , Hahm T.S.
Published: May 2010

The turbulent angular momentum flux carried by ions resonant with toroidal ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability is calculated via quasilinear calculation using the phase-space conserving gyrokinetic equation in the laboratory frame. The results near ITG marginality indicate that the inward turbulent equipartition momentum pinch (Hahm et al 2007 Phys. Plasmas
14 072302) remains as the most robust part of pinch. In addition, ITG driven momentum flux is inward for typical parameters, while density gradient driven momentum flux is outward as in the previous kinetic result in slab geometry (Diamond et al 2008 Phys. Plasmas
15 012303).
Progress in understanding the physics of the H-mode pedestal and ELM dynamics
Authors: Maggi C.F.
Published: May 2010

The recent progress in the experimental characterization of pedestal and ELM dynamics as well as in the insight into pedestal width scaling is reviewed. Various width scaling experiments from many devices indicate that the pedestal width scales weakly with the normalized ion Larmor radius and with the square root of the pedestal poloidal beta. The ELM onset in type I ELMy H-modes is consistently understood as an MHD stability limit on the maximum achievable edge pressure gradient. These results provide a prediction for the pedestal height in ITER. Time resolved measurements of pedestal parameters during the ELM cycle from various machines present a consistent picture of the pedestal dynamics, providing strong tests for pedestal models. Despite growing efforts in pedestal transport modelling, there is no consensus to date on what transport mechanism may explain the residual electron heat transport in the pedestal. As far as particle transport is concerned, a strong particle pinch may offset strong particle diffusion in the edge pedestal. Recent experiments have expanded the operational domains of the grassy ELM and QH-mode regimes and are consistent with predictions of the peeling–ballooning model.
Relationship between the thermal conductivity and shear viscosity of nanofluids
Authors: Ding Yulong , Chen Haisheng , Musina Zenfira , Jin Yi , Zhang Tianfu , Witharana Sanjeeva , Yang Wei
Published: May 2010

Nanofluids are dilute liquid suspensions of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles and liquid media, in such fluids, mix and interact at the nanoscale. Interactions between nanoparticles in nanofluids can lead to structuring of the particles. This paper discusses how the nanoparticle structuring affects the thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluids and how the two transport properties are related through the nanoparticle structuring. It is shown that the experimentally measured thermal conductivity enhancement and the viscosity increase due to the presence of nanoparticles can be interpreted by the aggregation of nanoparticles. It is also shown that modification of the conventional form of the effective medium theory by taking into account nanoparticle structuring information from the rheological analyses gives good agreement with experimentally measured thermal conductivity.
geWorkbench: an open source platform for integrative genomics
Authors: Floratos Aris , Smith Kenneth , Ji Zhou , Watkinson John , Califano Andrea
Published: May 2010

Summary: geWorkbench (genomics Workbench) is an open source Java desktop application that provides access to an integrated suite of tools for the analysis and visualization of data from a wide range of genomics domains (gene expression, sequence, protein structure and systems biology). More than 70 distinct plug-in modules are currently available implementing both classical analyses (several variants of clustering, classification, homology detection, etc.) as well as state of the art algorithms for the reverse engineering of regulatory networks and for protein structure prediction, among many others. geWorkbench leverages standards-based middleware technologies to provide seamless access to remote data, annotation and computational servers, thus, enabling researchers with limited local resources to benefit from available public infrastructure.

Availability: The project site (http://www.geworkbench.org) includes links to self-extracting installers for most operating system (OS) platforms as well as instructions for building the application from scratch using the source code [which is freely available from the project's SVN (subversion) repository]. geWorkbench support is available through the end-user and developer forums of the caBIG® Molecular Analysis Tools Knowledge Center, https://cabig-kc.nci.nih.gov/Molecular/forums/

Contact:  geworkbench@c2b2.columbia.edu

Supplementary Information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Woody plants and the prediction of climate-change impacts on bird diversity
Authors: Kissling W. D. , Field R. , Korntheuer H. , Heyder U. , Böhning-Gaese K.
Published: May 2010

Current methods of assessing climate-induced shifts of species distributions rarely account for species interactions and usually ignore potential differences in response times of interacting taxa to climate change. Here, we used species-richness data from 1005 breeding bird and 1417 woody plant species in Kenya and employed model-averaged coefficients from regression models and median climatic forecasts assembled across 15 climate-change scenarios to predict bird species richness under climate change. Forecasts assuming an instantaneous response of woody plants and birds to climate change suggested increases in future bird species richness across most of Kenya whereas forecasts assuming strongly lagged woody plant responses to climate change indicated a reversed trend, i.e. reduced bird species richness. Uncertainties in predictions of future bird species richness were geographically structured, mainly owing to uncertainties in projected precipitation changes. We conclude that assessments of future species responses to climate change are very sensitive to current uncertainties in regional climate-change projections, and to the inclusion or not of time-lagged interacting taxa. We expect even stronger effects for more specialized plant–animal associations. Given the slow response time of woody plant distributions to climate change, current estimates of future biodiversity of many animal taxa may be both biased and too optimistic.
Predicting the effects of temperature on food web connectance
Authors: Petchey Owen L. , Brose Ulrich , Rall Björn C.
Published: May 2010

Few models concern how environmental variables such as temperature affect community structure. Here, we develop a model of how temperature affects food web connectance, a powerful driver of population dynamics and community structure. We use the Arrhenius equation to add temperature dependence of foraging traits to an existing model of food web structure. The model predicts potentially large temperature effects on connectance. Temperature-sensitive food webs exhibit slopes of up to 0.01 units of connectance per 1°C change in temperature. This corresponds to changes in diet breadth of one resource item per 2°C (assuming a food web containing 50 species). Less sensitive food webs exhibit slopes down to 0.0005, which corresponds to about one resource item per 40°C. Relative sizes of the activation energies of attack rate and handling time determine whether warming increases or decreases connectance. Differences in temperature sensitivity are explained by differences between empirical food webs in the body size distributions of organisms. We conclude that models of temperature effects on community structure and dynamics urgently require considerable development, and also more and better empirical data to parameterize and test them.
Do biotic interactions modulate ecosystem functioning along stress gradients? Insights from semi-arid plant and biological soil crust communities
Authors: Maestre Fernando T. , Bowker Matthew A. , Escolar Cristina , Puche María D. , Soliveres Santiago , Maltez-Mouro Sara , García-Palacios Pablo , Castillo-Monroy Andrea P. , Martínez Isabel , Escudero Adrián
Published: May 2010

Climate change will exacerbate the degree of abiotic stress experienced by semi-arid ecosystems. While abiotic stress profoundly affects biotic interactions, their potential role as modulators of ecosystem responses to climate change is largely unknown. Using plants and biological soil crusts, we tested the relative importance of facilitative–competitive interactions and other community attributes (cover, species richness and species evenness) as drivers of ecosystem functioning along stress gradients in semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystems. Biotic interactions shifted from facilitation to competition along stress gradients driven by water availability and temperature. These changes were, however, dependent on the spatial scale and the community considered. We found little evidence to suggest that biotic interactions are a major direct influence upon indicators of ecosystem functioning (soil respiration, organic carbon, water-holding capacity, compaction and the activity of enzymes related to the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles) along stress gradients. However, attributes such as cover and species richness showed a direct effect on ecosystem functioning. Our results do not agree with predictions emphasizing that the importance of plant–plant interactions will be increased under climate change in dry environments, and indicate that reductions in the cover of plant and biological soil crust communities will negatively impact ecosystems under future climatic conditions.
Community and ecosystem responses to recent climate change
Authors: Walther Gian-Reto
Published: May 2010

There is ample evidence for ecological responses to recent climate change. Most studies to date have concentrated on the effects of climate change on individuals and species, with particular emphasis on the effects on phenology and physiology of organisms as well as changes in the distribution and range shifts of species. However, responses by individual species to climate change are not isolated; they are connected through interactions with others at the same or adjacent trophic levels. Also from this more complex perspective, recent case studies have emphasized evidence on the effects of climate change on biotic interactions and ecosystem services. This review highlights the ‘knowns’ but also ‘unknowns’ resulting from recent climate impact studies and reveals limitations of (linear) extrapolations from recent climate-induced responses of species to expected trends and magnitudes of future climate change. Hence, there is need not only to continue to focus on the impacts of climate change on the actors in ecological networks but also and more intensively to focus on the linkages between them, and to acknowledge that biotic interactions and feedback processes lead to highly complex, nonlinear and sometimes abrupt responses.
Marine biodiversity–ecosystem functions under uncertain environmental futures
Authors: Bulling Mark T. , Hicks Natalie , Murray Leigh , Paterson David M. , Raffaelli Dave , White Piran C. L. , Solan Martin
Published: May 2010

Anthropogenic activity is currently leading to dramatic transformations of ecosystems and losses of biodiversity. The recognition that these ecosystems provide services that are essential for human well-being has led to a major interest in the forms of the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship. However, there is a lack of studies examining the impact of climate change on these relationships and it remains unclear how multiple climatic drivers may affect levels of ecosystem functioning. Here, we examine the roles of two important climate change variables, temperature and concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, on the relationship between invertebrate species richness and nutrient release in a model benthic estuarine system. We found a positive relationship between invertebrate species richness and the levels of release of NH4-N into the water column, but no effect of species richness on the release of PO4-P. Higher temperatures and greater concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide had a negative impact on nutrient release. Importantly, we found significant interactions between the climate variables, indicating that reliably predicting the effects of future climate change will not be straightforward as multiple drivers are unlikely to have purely additive effects, resulting in increased levels of uncertainty.
Predicting species distribution and abundance responses to climate change: why it is essential to include biotic interactions across trophic levels
Authors: Van der Putten Wim H. , Macel Mirka , Visser Marcel E.
Published: May 2010

Current predictions on species responses to climate change strongly rely on projecting altered environmental conditions on species distributions. However, it is increasingly acknowledged that climate change also influences species interactions. We review and synthesize literature information on biotic interactions and use it to argue that the abundance of species and the direction of selection during climate change vary depending on how their trophic interactions become disrupted. Plant abundance can be controlled by aboveground and belowground multitrophic level interactions with herbivores, pathogens, symbionts and their enemies. We discuss how these interactions may alter during climate change and the resulting species range shifts. We suggest conceptual analogies between species responses to climate warming and exotic species introduced in new ranges. There are also important differences: the herbivores, pathogens and mutualistic symbionts of range-expanding species and their enemies may co-migrate, and the continuous gene flow under climate warming can make adaptation in the expansion zone of range expanders different from that of cross-continental exotic species. We conclude that under climate change, results of altered species interactions may vary, ranging from species becoming rare to disproportionately abundant. Taking these possibilities into account will provide a new perspective on predicting species distribution under climate change.
Warming alters the metabolic balance of ecosystems
Authors: Yvon-Durocher Gabriel , Jones J. Iwan , Trimmer Mark , Woodward Guy , Montoya Jose M.
Published: May 2010

The carbon cycle modulates climate change, via the regulation of atmospheric CO
2
, and it represents one of the most important services provided by ecosystems. However, considerable uncertainties remain concerning potential feedback between the biota and the climate. In particular, it is unclear how global warming will affect the metabolic balance between the photosynthetic fixation and respiratory release of CO
2
at the ecosystem scale. Here, we present a combination of experimental field data from freshwater mesocosms, and theoretical predictions derived from the metabolic theory of ecology to investigate whether warming will alter the capacity of ecosystems to absorb CO
2
. Our manipulative experiment simulated the temperature increases predicted for the end of the century and revealed that ecosystem respiration increased at a faster rate than primary production, reducing carbon sequestration by 13 per cent. These results confirmed our theoretical predictions based on the differential activation energies of these two processes. Using only the activation energies for whole ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration we provide a theoretical prediction that accurately quantified the precise magnitude of the reduction in carbon sequestration observed experimentally. We suggest the combination of whole-ecosystem manipulative experiments and ecological theory is one of the most promising and fruitful research areas to predict the impacts of climate change on key ecosystem services.
Warming effects on marine microbial food web processes: how far can we go when it comes to predictions?
Authors: Sarmento Hugo , Montoya José M. , Vázquez-Domínguez Evaristo , Vaqué Dolors , Gasol Josep M.
Published: May 2010

Previsions of a warmer ocean as a consequence of climatic change point to a 2–6°C temperature rise during this century in surface oceanic waters. Heterotrophic bacteria occupy the central position of the marine microbial food web, and their metabolic activity and interactions with other compartments within the web are regulated by temperature. In particular, key ecosystem processes like bacterial production (BP), respiration (BR), growth efficiency and bacterial–grazer trophic interactions are likely to change in a warmer ocean. Different approaches can be used to predict these changes. Here we combine evidence of the effects of temperature on these processes and interactions coming from laboratory experiments, space-for-time substitutions, long-term data from microbial observatories and theoretical predictions. Some of the evidence we gathered shows opposite trends to warming depending on the spatio-temporal scale of observation, and the complexity of the system under study. In particular, we show that warming (i) increases BR, (ii) increases bacterial losses to their grazers, and thus bacterial–grazer biomass flux within the microbial food web, (iii) increases BP if enough resources are available (as labile organic matter derived from phytoplankton excretion or lysis), and (iv) increases bacterial losses to grazing at lower rates than BP, and hence decreasing the proportion of production removed by grazers. As a consequence, bacterial abundance would also increase and reinforce the already dominant role of microbes in the carbon cycle of a warmer ocean.
Intra- and interspecific facilitation in mangroves may increase resilience to climate change threats
Authors: Huxham Mark , Kumara Marappullige P. , Jayatissa Loku P. , Krauss Ken W. , Kairo James , Langat Joseph , Mencuccini Maurizio , Skov Martin W. , Kirui Bernard
Published: May 2010

Mangroves are intertidal ecosystems that are particularly vulnerable to climate change. At the low tidal limits of their range, they face swamping by rising sea levels; at the high tidal limits, they face increasing stress from desiccation and high salinity. Facilitation theory may help guide mangrove management and restoration in the face of these threats by suggesting how and when positive intra- and interspecific effects may occur: such effects are predicted in stressed environments such as the intertidal, but have yet to be shown among mangroves. Here, we report the results of a series of experiments at low and high tidal sites examining the effects of mangrove density and species mix on seedling survival and recruitment, and on the ability of mangroves to trap sediment and cause surface elevation change. Increasing density significantly increased the survival of seedlings of two different species at both high and low tidal sites, and enhanced sediment accretion and elevation at the low tidal site. IncludingAvicennia marinain species mixes enhanced total biomass at a degraded high tidal site. Increasing biomass led to changed microenvironments that allowed the recruitment and survival of different mangrove species, particularlyCeriops tagal.
Climate change, biotic interactions and ecosystem services
Authors: Montoya José M. , Raffaelli Dave
Published: May 2010

Climate change is real. The wrangling debates are over, and we now need to move onto a predictive ecology that will allow managers of landscapes and policy makers to adapt to the likely changes in biodiversity over the coming decades. There is ample evidence that ecological responses are already occurring at the individual species (population) level. The challenge is how to synthesize the growing list of such observations with a coherent body of theory that will enable us to predict where and when changes will occur, what the consequences might be for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and what we might do practically in order to maintain those systems in as good condition as possible. It is thus necessary to investigate the effects of climate change at the ecosystem level and to consider novel emergent ecosystems composed of new species assemblages arising from differential rates of range shifts of species. Here, we present current knowledge on the effects of climate change on biotic interactions and ecosystem services supply, and summarize the papers included in this volume. We discuss how resilient ecosystems are in the face of the multiple components that characterize climate change, and suggest which current ecological theories may be used as a starting point to predict ecosystem-level effects of climate change.
Pseudonocardia artemisiae sp. nov., isolated from surface-sterilized Artemisia annua L.
Authors: Zhao Guo-Zhen , Li Jie , Huang Hai-Yu , Zhu Wen-Yong , Zhao Li-Xing , Tang Shu-Kun , Xu Li-Hua , Li Wen-Jun
Published: May 2010

A novel actinomycete strain, designated YIM 63587T, was isolated from surface-sterilized roots of Artemisia annua L. collected from Yunnan province, south-west China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain YIM 63587T was affiliated to the genus Pseudonocardia. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between strain YIM 63587T and type strains of species of the genus Pseudonocardia were 96.6–93.8 %. The diagnostic cell-wall diamino acid in the peptidoglycan layer of strain YIM 63587T was meso-diaminopimelic acid and the whole-cell sugars were arabinose, galactose, mannose and ribose. The predominant menaquinone was MK-8(H4) (97.7 %). The phospholipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol mannosides, phosphatidylinositol and an unknown phospholipid. The major cellular fatty acids (>5 %) were iso-C16 : 0 (44.7 %), iso-C14 : 0 (10.3 %), iso-C16 : 1 H (9.8 %) and iso-C15 : 0 (7.7 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 68.2 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic data, strain YIM 63587T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudonocardia, for which the name Pseudonocardia artemisiae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 63587T ( = DSM 45313T = CCTCC AA 208081T).
Idiomarina xiamenensis sp. nov., isolated from surface seawater, and proposal to transfer Pseudidiomarina aestuarii to the genus Idiomarina as Idiomarina aestuarii comb. nov.
Authors: Wang Liping , Lai Qiliang , Fu Yuanyuan , Chen Hua , Wang Wanpeng , Wang Jianning , Sun Fengqin , Shao Zongze
Published: May 2010

A taxonomic study was carried out on strain 10-D-4T, which was isolated from a crude oil-degrading consortium enriched from surface seawater collected around Xiamen Island, PR China. Strain 10-D-4T grew optimally at pH 7.0–8.0 and at 25 °C. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain 10-D-4T showed the highest similarity to those of Idiomarina salinarum ISL-52T (94.6 %), Idiomarina tainanensis PIN1T (94.2 %) and Idiomarina seosinensis CL-SP19T (94.1 %), and showed lower similarity (92.3–94.0 %) to other members of the genus Idiomarina. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone 8 (Q-8). The major fatty acids were iso-C13 : 0 (5.2 %), iso-C15 : 0 (15.3 %), C16 : 0 (14.3 %), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c) (6.6 %), iso-C17 : 0 (15.4 %) and C18 : 1ω7c (13.5 %). The G+C content of the chromosomal DNA was 50.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, together with data from phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterization, revealed that strain 10-D-4T represents a novel species of the genus Idiomarina, for which the name Idiomarina xiamenensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 10-D-4T ( = CCTCC AB 209061T  = LMG 25227T  = MCCC 1A01370T). We also propose the transfer of Pseudidiomarina aestuarii, described recently, to the genus Idiomarina as Idiomarina aestuarii comb. nov. (type strain KYW314T  = KCTC 22740T  = JCM 16344T).
Allobacillus halotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov. isolated from shrimp paste
Authors: Sheu Shih-Yi , Arun A. B. , Jiang Sing-Rong , Young Chiu-Chung , Chen Wen-Ming
Published: May 2010

A novel bacterial strain designated B3AT, isolated from shrimp paste, was investigated by a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Cells stained Gram-positive and were aerobic, non-pigmented, sporulating and rod-shaped with a polar flagellum. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain B3AT belonged to the class Bacilli and was a member of the family Bacillaceae. Strain B3AT shared low levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (<94.0 %) with members of other genera in the family Bacillaceae and was most closely related to Halalkalibacillus halophilus BH2T (93.8 % sequence similarity). The isolate was able to grow at 20–45 °C, with 0.5–15 % NaCl and at pH 6–9. Menaquinone with seven isoprene units (MK-7) was the major respiratory quinone and 16 : 0 iso, 15 : 0 anteiso and 14 : 0 iso were the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The characteristic diamino acid of the peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. The DNA G+C content was 45.3 mol%. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis in combination with chemotaxonomic and physiological data, strain B3AT represents a novel genus and species in the family Bacillaceae for which the name Allobacillus halotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Allobacillus halotolerans is B3AT ( = BCRC 17939T  = LMG 24826T).
Information models leveraging identification of returnable transport items
Authors: Senneset Gunnar , Midtstraum Roger , Forås Eskil , Vevle Geir , Mykland Ingvill H.
Published: May 2010

Purpose

New technology for equipping returnable transport items (RTI) with unique identification (e.g. RFID) give food industry companies new opportunities for improving business processes. The efficient exploitation poses new demands on the information technology systems in general and on the underlying information models in particular. This paper aims to introduce a generic information model where functionality for handling RTIs with unique identification is included.

Design/methodology/approach

Functional requirements are analysed based on process descriptions and use case examples from a real production environment. Detailed information modelling was then done in several iterations using entity‐relationship diagrams. Validation of the model was done based on use cases typical for the food industry.

Findings

The model described is developed within the broad scope of looking at opportunities for using wireless technology to improve business processes and traceability. This includes RFID, RF based sensors, sensor networks and real time location system (RTLS). It is vital that these large amounts of data are linked to identifiable entities for later retrieval and analysis. Unique identification of RTIs can be utilised to ensure that sensor data can be linked both to the RTI and to the content of the RTI. The links between the RTI and the content of the RTI are a basis for improving traceability.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the information model, the next step is to develop a detailed specification for the implementation of the model. The results from the implementation will be used for further evaluation of the model, and might lead to improvements and changes in the model.

Practical implications

Enabling technologies like RFID often lead to changes in existing processes and systems. This work is a contribution to developing more stable and application‐independent information models in food processing companies.

Originality/value

The paper shows that leveraging unique identification of returnable transport items to provide a finer meshed granularity and increased operational visibility of traceable units will not only improve traceability but will also give a more precise basis for process improvements and product differentiation in a food business.
Cultural forces and historical events to shape organizing principles in Korea
Authors: Kim Bowon
Published: May 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how cultural forces and historical events interact to form a country's organizing principles.

Design/methodology/approach

Culture influences management in significant ways. In order to understand true influences of culture on a country's economy and management, the paper looks at the dynamic interface between cultural forces and historical events that occurred in the country during the particular time period in point. It proposes that cultural forces and historical events are combined to form organizing principles in the country, which guide managers and workers in the economy to develop unique sets of work ethics: particular historical events reinforce or suppress particular elements of culture. Detailed case studies in Korea are used to support the proposition.

Findings

Based on the case studies in Korea, the paper shows how the country's culture and modern history have been intertwined to form organizing principles, which in turn have influenced and guided the country's economic development and firm's management.

Originality/value

This paper makes a rather unique contribution by suggesting an exploratory perspective that the dynamic interplay between cultural forces and historical events forms an economy's work ethics as organizing principles.
Students' entrepreneurial intentions: an inter‐regional comparison
Authors: Franco Mário , Haase Heiko , Lautenschläger Arndt
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The central research questions which the paper aims to answer are: What are the entrepreneurial intentions of university students in different European regions? What are the factors that most contribute to entrepreneurial intentions and the potential differences between the regions?

Design/methodology/approach

This cross‐sectional study explores the prospective career paths of 988 university students from eastern and western Germany as well as from central Portugal. In exploring the “regional dimension” it uses a wide range of variables such as demographic profile, social background, motives for occupational choice and participation in entrepreneurship education.

Findings

Just a small fraction of students is disposed to step into self‐employment, and the vast majority has not yet made the decision. When characterizing the potential “founders”, the findings reveal a non or weak influence of demographic profile, social background and participation in entrepreneurship education, but the underlying motives for occupational choice as well as the “regional dimension” are highly relevant.

Research limitations/implications

Since only data from three universities have been analyzed, a simple generalization should be made cautiously. For this reason, it is suggested that further research be conducted to detect regional differences. In addition, students were asked about their entrepreneurial intentions in some cases years before their occupational choices were made. As their perception may alter in the future, longitudinal studies could compensate for this restriction.

Originality/value

The paper finds several motives predominantly related to the intention to enter an entrepreneurial career, all of them of a non‐economic nature. Furthermore, it uncovered the existence of a “regional dimension”, which is the incising element for molding entrepreneurial individuals. When universities intend to fulfill their mission in fostering entrepreneurship, the importance of entrepreneurship education should not be overestimated.
DELNET – the functional resource sharing library network: a success story from India
Authors: Kaul Sangeeta
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the work of DELNET, the successful resource sharing and information provider in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The development of DELNET is described, the services it offers and plans for the future.

Findings

The paper finds that DELNET fulfils a vital role in facilitating resource sharing in India and is expanding its role rapidly.

Originality/value

The paper is an up‐to‐date study of resource sharing in India from the perspective of a successful agency.
Information supply beyond text: non‐textual information at the German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB) – challenges and planning
Authors: Brase Jan , Blümel Ina
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the work being done at The German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB) to make non‐textual information, for example three dimensional objects, more easily accessible. The goal is to create workflows and develop tools that allow academic libraries to treat this data in the same way as textual documents within the library processing chain. This implies content‐based indexing and the offering of new kinds of interfaces for searching and displaying results.

Design/methodology/approach

The work of TIB on non textual information is described as well as DataCite and its launch in December 2009.

Findings

That the launch of Datacite ensures that this agency will take global leadership for promoting the use of persistent identifiers for datasets, to satisfy the needs of scientists. It will, through its members, establish and promote common methods, best practices, and guidance.

Practical implications

The work of TIB and the launch of Datacite will ensure that non textual data will become more easily available to researchers.

Originality/value

The value of this work has been underlined recently with the controversy over the accessibility of climate change data.
Chemical “kick start” for the autocatalytic formaldehyde‐free electroless copper plating process
Authors: Steinhäuser Edith , Stamp Lutz , Brandt Lutz
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of additives in formaldehyde‐free copper‐plating solutions with low reducing agent (RA) concentration to improve the start reaction of electroless copper deposition and to enable a copper‐plating process which is more environmentally friendly.

Design/methodology/approach

Different additives were investigated and their influence on the plating reaction and deposition rate was elucidated using several deposition trials.

Findings

On palladium‐activated base material, the additives reacted with the palladium and generated additional electrons in the initial phase of the deposition. Thus, the adequate supply of electrons from two sources (RA and additive) permits the deposition of a homogeneous and compact copper layer.

Research limitations/implications

At the present time, formaldehyde is the established RA in the electroless copper metallization process used with plated through‐holes. Because of its environmental impact, there is a need to replace formaldehyde. In this investigation, the more environmentally friendly glyoxylic acid is used as an autocatalytic RA. However, glyoxylic acid is more expensive and causes undesirable side reactions. In order to keep process costs under control, the concentration of glyoxylic acid in the copper bath should be reduced without affecting the quality of the copper deposits.

Originality/value

Additives can compensate for the lower RA concentration, and thus the lack of essential electrons for the copper deposition.
An implicit discontinuous Galerkin time‐domain method for two‐dimensional electromagnetic wave propagation
Authors: Catella Adrien , Dolean Victorita , Lanteri Stéphane
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a time implicit discontinuous Galerkin method for the simulation of two‐dimensional time‐domain electromagnetic wave propagation on non‐uniform triangular meshes.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed method combines an arbitrary high‐order discontinuous Galerkin method for the discretization in space designed on triangular meshes, with a second‐order Cranck‐Nicolson scheme for time integration. At each time step, a multifrontal sparse LU method is used for solving the linear system resulting from the discretization of the TE Maxwell equations.

Findings

Despite the computational overhead of the solution of a linear system at each time step, the resulting implicit discontinuous Galerkin time‐domain method allows for a noticeable reduction of the computing time as compared to its explicit counterpart based on a leap‐frog time integration scheme.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed method is useful if the underlying mesh is non‐uniform or locally refined such as when dealing with complex geometric features or with heterogeneous propagation media.

Practical implications

The paper is a first step towards the development of an efficient discontinuous Galerkin method for the simulation of three‐dimensional time‐domain electromagnetic wave propagation on non‐uniform tetrahedral meshes. It yields first insights of the capabilities of implicit time stepping through a detailed numerical assessment of accuracy properties and computational performances.

Originality/value

In the field of high‐frequency computational electromagnetism, the use of implicit time stepping has so far been limited to Cartesian meshes in conjunction with the finite difference time‐domain (FDTD) method (e.g. the alternating direction implicit FDTD method). The paper is the first attempt to combine implicit time stepping with a discontinuous Galerkin discretization method designed on simplex meshes.
Adaptive backstepping controller for linear induction motor position control
Authors: Boucheta A. , Bousserhane I.K. , Hazzab A. , Mazari B. , Fellah M.K.
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose mover position control of linear induction motor (LIM) using an adaptive backstepping approach based on field orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the indirect field‐oriented control LIM is derived. Then, an adaptive backstepping approach based on field‐oriented control of LIM is proposed to compensate the uncertainties which occur in the control. Mover position amplitude tracking objective is formulated, under the assumption of unknown total mass of the moving element, viscous friction, and load force, so that the position regulation is achieved.

Findings

The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control scheme are verified by numerical simulation using Matlab/Simulink model. The numerical validation results of the proposed scheme have presented good transient control performances and robustness to uncertainties compared to the conventional backstepping control design.

Originality/value

The paper presents an adaptive backstepping approach for LIM control that achieves mover position amplitude tracking objective under mechanical parameter variation.
Numerical solution of Brillouin and Raman fiber amplifiers using bvp6c
Authors: Serdar Gokhan Fikri , Yilmaz Gunes
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate an effective and faster numerical solution for nonlinear‐coupled differential equations describing fiber amplifiers which have no explicit solution. MATLAB boundary value problem (BVP) solver of bvp6c function is addressed for the solution.

Design/methodology/approach

Coding method with the bvp6c is introduced, signal evolution, threshold calculation method is introduced, gain and noise figure are plotted and superiority of the bvp6c solver is compared with the Newton‐Raphson method.

Findings

bvp6c function appears to be an effective tool for the solution fiber amplifier equations and can be used for different pump configurations of BFAs and RFAs. The excellent agreement between the proposed and reported results shows the reliability of the proposed threshold power calculation method.

Research limitations/implications

The paper eases the work of the fiber optic research community, who suffer from two point BVPs. Moreover, the stiffness of the signal evolution which is faced with high pump powers and/or long fiber lengths can be solved with continuation. This superiority of the solver can be used to overcome any stiff changes of the signals for the future studies.

Practical implications

The main outcome of this paper is the numerically calculation of the threshold values of fiber amplifiers without the necessity of the experiment. The robustness improvement of the solution is that the solver is able to solve the equations even with the poor guess values and the solution can be obtained without the necessity of analytical Jacobian matrix.

Originality/value

MATLAB bvp6c solver has proven to be effective for the numerical solution of nonlinear‐coupled intensity differential equations describing fiber amplifiers with two‐point boundary values. Beside the signal evolution, thresholds of Brillouin and Raman fiber amplifiers can also be calculated by using the proposed solver. This is a notable and promising improvement of the paper, at least from a fiber optic amplifier designer point of view.
The granting of loans by German banks to SMEs against the background of international financial reporting
Authors: Zuelch Henning , Burghardt Stephan
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the choice of the financial reporting system can influence the credit rating of an enterprise. It aims to argue that small‐ and medium‐sized entities (SMEs) reporting according to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) can – in some cases – benefit from better credit conditions in comparison with reporting according to the German Commercial Code (German‐GAAP). Therefore, the analysis focuses on the perceptions of German banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the results of a written questionnaire which has been sent to more than 1,500 German banks, which makes it the most comprehensive empirical analysis of the perceptions of German banks concerning the granting of loans.

Findings

The findings show (amongst others) that bank internal ratings can be a motivation for SMEs to change the system of financial reporting from German‐GAAP to IFRS. Surprisingly, enterprises can in some cases even expect a “rating bonus” in the pricing of the credit, if they provide an IFRS statement instead of a statement prepared in accordance with German‐GAAP.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to the rapidly changing accounting environment (concerning IFRS as well as the German Commercial Code), the findings have to be re‐examined by future research.

Originality/value

This paper draws on the present state of research, complementing it for the first time with representative empirical data from the perspective of the decision makers in German credit institutions.