bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A radio navigation angle measurement method with entangled microwave signals
Authors: Li X. , Wu D. W. , Wei T. L. , Miao Q. , Zhu H. N. , Yang Ch. Y.
Published: June 2018

There are the common problems of limited precision, low anti-interference ability and poor signal detection performance in the classical radio navigation angle measurement systems. To solve these problems, we present a radio navigation angle measurement method realized by entangled microwave signals. Entangled microwave signals are transmitted to free-space and the quadrature components of the signals are measured in the receiving end. When delaying transmitting signals in continuous real time, the correlated baseline generated by the correlation peak of entangled microwave signals will scan back and forth with high-speed. A receiver situated in the scanning areas could measure the contiguous interval of signals. According to the mathematical relation, the azimuth of the receiver relative to centerline could be derived. Imagining applying it to the landing process of aircraft, we design the implementation scheme and devices. With the quantum space-time correlation and no-clone characteristics, there are superior precision, anti-multipath interference ability and signal detection performance for entangled microwave signals. Our research will serve as a new way for radio navigation angle measurement systems.
Descriptor-based crystal structure prediction of magnetic transition metals: Orbital-spin occupancy rule
Authors: Jin Taewon , Ji Hyo Seok , Lee Young Joo , Kim Joo Young , Kwon S. K. , Lee Changhoon , Shim Ji Hoon
Published: June 2018

Prediction of structural phase of transition metal composites is highly required because the electronic and magnetic properties are deeply related to the crystal structures. The d-orbital occupancy has been suggested as a simple descriptor to predict the structural phase of transition metal composition in nonmagnetic ground state. In this work, we suggest new rule, orbital-spin occupancy rule with new descriptor nd-σd (σd is spin moment.) to predict stable crystal structure, which should be generally applied to nonmagnetic as well as magnetic system. Using first-principles calculation, we show that all 3d, 4d, and 5d transition metals follow this rule. Also, we confirm that structural phase can be controlled by changing nd-σd with pressure and electron doping. We suggest that orbital-spin occupancy rule should be widely applied to the prediction of various transition metal composites.
High-temperature high-sensitivity AlN-on-SOI Lamb wave resonant strain sensor
Authors: Dou Shaoxu , Qi Mengke , Chen Cong , Zhou Hong , Wang Yong , Shang Zhengguo , Yang Jing , Wang Dengpan , Mu Xiaojing
Published: June 2018

A piezoelectric AlN-on-SOI structured MEMS Lamb wave resonator (LWR) is presented for high-temperature strain measurement. The LWR has a composite membrane of a 1 μm thick AlN film and a 30 μm thick device silicon layer. The excited acoustic waves include Rayleigh wave and Lamb waves. A tensile strain sensor has been prepared with one LWR mounted on a uniaxial tensile plate, and its temperature characteristics from 15.4°C to 250°C and tensile strain behaviors from 0 με to 400 με of Rayleigh wave and S4 mode Lamb wave were tested. The temperature test verifies the adaptability of the tensile strain sensor to temperature up to 250°C, and S4 mode Lamb wave and Rayleigh wave represent almost the same temperature characteristics. The strain test demonstrates that S4 mode Lamb wave shows much higher strain sensitivity (-0.48 ppm/με) than Rayleigh wave (0.05 ppm/με) and confirms its advantage of strain sensitivity. Finally, for this one-LWR strain sensor, a method of beat frequency between S4 mode Lamb wave and Rayleigh wave is proposed for temperature compensation and high-sensitivity strain readout.
L1-referenced phonological processing in Japanese-English bilinguals
Authors: Broekhuyse Michelle , Taft Marcus
Published: June 2018

Previous research investigating second-language processing difficulties experienced by Japanese native speakers is consistent with the notion that these individuals are representing foreign words in terms of their native phonological structure at an abstract underlying level. This issue is illustrated here by an experiment that compared Japanese-English bilinguals and native English speakers on their immediate recall of English pseudo-words. Recall performance was dependent on the number of phonemes within list items for the monolingual participants, but on the number of morae for the Japanese bilinguals, indicating that they were indeed automatically activating “Japanized” abstract representations upon encountering the non-native constructions. It is particularly noteworthy that this appeared to be true regardless of the age at which the bilinguals had learnt English.
Cognitive-linguistic skills and reading and writing in Korean Hangul, Chinese Hanja, and English among Korean children
Authors: Cho Jeung-Ryeul
Published: June 2018

This study examined the contribution of orthographic awareness (OA), rapid automatized naming of numbers (RAN), phonological awareness (PA), morphological awareness (MA) in L1 Korean to word reading and writing in L1 Korean Hangul, Chinese Hanja, and L2 English among 98 Korean 5th graders. Korean language and orthography have relatively transparent phonological and morphological structures. Korean children learn Hangul in kindergarten, Hanja in elementary school as an elective subject, and English in Grade 3 as an L2. Results showed that Korean OA accounted for significant variance of Hangul reading; and Korean PA explained English reading and writing and Hangul writing; Korean MA explained writing in Hangul, Hanja, and English; RAN explained English reading only. These results suggest that MA is the meta-linguistic skill that transfers across alphabetic and non-alphabetic languages, whereas PA transfers across alphabetic languages. However, orthographic awareness is language-specific.
Constituent processing or Gestalt processing?
Authors: Pae Hye K. , Kim Sun-A , Luo Xiao (Peter)
Published: June 2018

This study examined how native speakers of Korean extracted letter-feature information from mutilated texts (i.e., top-half and bottom-half), compared to native speakers of Chinese and English. Hypothesized were (1) the upper-part saliency and (2) L1 script effects on L2 reading. A computer-based naming test was administered. Results showed eminent upper-part effects possibly due to more ascenders being at the top than descenders at the bottom of the English letters, but the magnitude of the effects was different among the three groups. Overall, the Korean group seemed to rely more on letter-constituent information drawn from letter features, while the Chinese participants are likely to rely on gestalt information of the word. The results were interpreted with L1 script effects and typology relatedness.
Ḥassāniyya Arabic in contact with Berber
Authors: Taine-Cheikh Catherine
Published: June 2018

Generally speaking, it is at the edges of the Arabic speaking world that one finds the most borrowings and where the influence
of contact on the internal development of Arabic is most visible. Although Mauritanian Ḥassāniyya is an exception to this
general trend (Taine-Cheikh 1994, 2007),
the dialect has nonetheless retained traces of the region’s past and namely of the very gradual disappearance of Zenaga
Berber.

My goal here is to assess, based on the study of a particular lexical sub-category (verb forms with quadriliteral roots), the
influence Berber may have had on lexical formation in Ḥassāniyya Arabic.
Arabic borrowing of the Hebrew word menahēl ‘manager’
Authors: Hawker Nancy
Published: June 2018

Ideologies, or ways of understanding one’s relation to the world, impede or encourage, and affect the form of, language contact
practices such as borrowing and codeswitching. This is illustrated by the pragmatic functions – informative or humorous – of
the Israeli Hebrew word menahēl ‘boss’ in Palestinian Arabic. By using ‘boss’ in an ironic
sense, to refer to a self-important ‘big-head’, Palestinians are expressing their stance by means of a Hebrew loanword, to
take a dig at the powers that be. The article provides examples of real usage and grounds the explanation for the different
meanings in pragmatics, cultural theory, and Althusser’s conception of ideologies in ways that are useful to linguistic
ethnography.
A new monoclonal antibody against rhamnogalacturonan II and its application to immunocytochemical detection of rhamnogalacturonan II in Arabidopsis roots
Authors: Zhou Ye , Kobayashi Masaru , Awano Tatsuya , Matoh Toru , Takabe Keiji
Published: June 2018

Rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II) is a region of pectin macromolecules that is present in plant primary cell walls. RG-II can be solubilized from cell walls as a borate-RG-II complex (B-RG-II), where two RG-II fragments are cross-linked via a borate diester linkage. Here, a rabbit monoclonal antibody against B-RG-II was prepared, which recognized both B-RG-II and RG-II monomers without borate ester-crosslinking. A pectic fragment with unknown structure was also recognized by the antibody, but neither homogalacturonan nor rhamnogalacturonan I was recognized. Immunoelectron microscopic analyses of Arabidopsis root tip cells were performed using this antibody. The signal was detected in developing cell plates and cell walls, which were denser in longitudinal walls than in transverse walls. These results coincide with our previous results obtained in suspension cultured tobacco cells, confirming that RG-II is present in cell plates at an early stage of their assembly.

Abbreviations: B: boron; B-RG-II: borate-RG-II complex; ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; IgG: immunoglobulin G; mBSA: methylated bovine serum albumin; PGA: polygalacturonic acid; PLL: poly-l-lysine; RG-I: rhamnogalacturonan I; RG-II: rhamnogalacturonan II
Comparative expression analysis of genes encoding metallothioneins in response to heavy metals and abiotic stresses in rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Kim Yeon-Ok , Kang Hunseung
Published: June 2018

To get insights into the functions of metallothionein (MT) in plant response to multiple stresses, expressions of 10 rice MT genes (OsMTs) and 7 Arabidopsis MT genes (AtMTs) were comprehensively analyzed under combined heavy metal and salt stress. OsMT1a, OsMT1b, OsMT1c, OsMT1g, and OsMT2a were increased by different heavy metals. Notably, ABA remarkably increased OsMT4 up to 80-fold. Combined salt and heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu) synergistically increased OsMT1a, OsMT1c, and OsMT1g, whereas combined salt and H2O2 or ABA synergistically increased OsMT1a and OsMT4. Heavy metals decreased AtMT1c, AtMT2b, and AtMT3 but cold or ABA increased AtMT1a, AtMT1c, and AtMT2a. AtMT4a was markedly increased by salt stress. Combined salt and other stresses (Pb, Cd, H2O2) synergistically increased AtMT4a. Taken together, these findings suggest that MTs in monocot and dicot respond differently to combined stresses, which provides a valuable basis to further determine the roles of MTs in broad stress tolerance.
Shared core values of high performing employee-owned enterprises
Authors: Hoffman Richard C. , Shipper Frank M.
Published: June 2018

Values represent guidelines for behavior and are important determinants of organizational performance. In addition, employee-owned enterprises (EOEs) tend to outperform traditional organizations. Thus, identifying the core values that underlie successful EOEs should provide insights
for improved firm performance. Based on an exploratory comparative analysis of eight high-performing, employee-owned companies, a common set of values that form the basis of their cultures was identified. At one level, four core foundational values – honesty, autonomy, empowerment, and
egalitarianism – stood out as enhancing the work experience of individual employees. At another level, four organizational values – accountability, transparency, community, and sustainability – were evident. The identified values do overlap and may serve to support, reinforce,
or initiate each other. Moreover, these firms appear to have built management practices and policies that bolster these values. Thus, knowledge of the practices, policies, and core values should be beneficial to organizations seeking high performance.
Role of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: Carmen Laurino , Maria Vadala’ , Morales-Medina Julio Cesar , Vallelunga Annamaria , Palmieri Beniamino , Iannitti Tommaso
Published: June 2018

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited fatal X-linked myogenic disorder with a prevalence of 1 in 3500 male live births. It affects voluntary muscles, and heart and breathing muscles. DMD is characterized by continuous degeneration and regeneration cycles resulting in extensive fibrosis and a progressive reduction in muscle mass. Since the identification of a reduction in dystrophin protein as the cause of this disorder, numerous innovative and experimental therapies, focusing on increasing the levels of dystrophin, have been proposed, but the clinical improvement has been unsatisfactory. Dystrophin forms the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex and its proteins have been studied as a promising novel therapeutic target to treat DMD. Among these proteins, cell surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are found almost ubiquitously on the surface and in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of mammalian cells. These macromolecules interact with numerous ligands, including ECM constituents, adhesion molecules and growth factors that play a crucial role in muscle development and maintenance. In this article, we have reviewed in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies focused on the functional role of GAGs in the pathophysiology of DMD with the final aim of summarizing the state of the art of GAG dysregulation within the ECM in DMD and discussing future therapeutic perspectives.
Scientific, Clinical, Regulatory, and Economic Aspects of Choosing Bone Graft/Biological Options in Spine Surgery
Authors: Smith Kyle A , Russo Glenn S , Vaccaro Alexander R , Arnold Paul M
Published: June 2018

Spinal arthrodesis is a major element of the spinal surgeon's practice. To attain successful fusion rates, attention must be paid to spinal segment immobilization and proper selection of bone graft. Autogenous bone graft (ie, ICBG), the “gold standard,” with or without graft extenders and enhancers provides the foundation for most spinal fusions. ABG is the only graft option containing all 3 factors of new bone growth: osteoconductivity, osteoinductivity, and osteogenicity. While many bone graft alternatives function well as bone graft extenders, only growth factors proteins (ie, rhBMP-2 or OP-2) function as bone graft enhancers and substitutes. The search for optimal hybrid interbody cages, bone graft substitutes, autogenous or allogenic stem cells, and nanostructure scaffolds for release of growth factors continues.
Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain
Authors: Borghi Anna M. , Barca Laura , Binkofski Ferdinand , Tummolini Luca
Published: June 2018

The capacity for abstract thought is one of the hallmarks of human cognition. However, the mechanisms underlying the ability to form and use abstract concepts like ‘fantasy’ and ‘grace’ have not been elucidated yet. This theme issue brings together developmental, social and cognitive psychologists, linguists, anthropologists, cognitive scientists, neuroscientists, philosophers and computer scientists to present theoretical insights and novel evidence on how abstract concepts are acquired, used and represented in the brain. Many of the contributions conceive concepts as grounded in sensorimotor systems and constrained by bodily mechanisms and structures. The theme issue develops along two main axes, related to the most promising research directions on abstract concepts. The axes focus on (i) the different kinds of abstract concepts (numbers, emotions, evaluative concepts like moral and aesthetic ones, social concepts); (ii) the role played by perception and action, language and sociality, and inner processes (emotions, interoception, metacognition) in grounding abstract concepts. Most papers adopt a cognitive science/neuroscience approach, but the theme issue also includes studies on development, on social cognition, and on how linguistic diversity shapes abstract concepts. Overall, the theme issue provides an integrated theoretical account that highlights the importance of language, sociality and inner processes for abstract concepts, and that offers new methodological tools to investigate them.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain’.
A Peircean account of concepts: grounding abstraction in phylogeny through a comparative neuroscientific perspective
Authors: Cuccio Valentina , Gallese Vittorio
Published: June 2018

The nature of concepts has always been a hotly debated topic in both philosophy and psychology and, more recently, also in cognitive neuroscience. Different accounts have been proposed of what concepts are. These accounts reflect deeply different conceptions of how the human mind works. In the last decades, two diametrically opposed theories of human cognition have been discussed and empirically investigated: the Computational Theory of Mind, on the one hand (Fodor 1983The modularity of mind: an essay on faculty psychology; Pylyshyn 1984Computation and cognition: toward a foundation for cognitive science), and Embodied Cognition (Barsalou 2008Annu. Rev. Psychol.59, 617–645. (doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093639); Gallese & Lakoff 2005Cogn. Neuropsychol.22, 455–479 (doi:10.1080/02643290442000310); Shapiro 2011Embodied cognition), on the other hand. The former proposes that concepts are abstract and amodal symbols in the language of thought, while the latter argues for the embodied nature of concepts that are conceived of as grounded in actions and perception. The embodiment of both concrete and abstract concepts has been challenged by many (e.g. Mahon & Caramazza 2008J. Physiol.102, 59–70. (doi:10.1016/j.jphysparis.2008.03.004); Caramazzaet al. 2014Annu. Rev. Neurosci.37, 1–15. (doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-071013-013950)). These challenges will be here taken seriously and addressed from a comparative perspective. We will provide a phylogenetic and neurobiologically inspired account of the embodied nature of both abstract and concrete concepts. We will propose that, although differing in certain respect, they both might have a bodily foundation. Commonalities between abstract and concrete concepts will be explained by recurring to the Peircean notions oficonandabductive inference(CP 2.247). According to Peirce, icons are the kind of signs on which abductive inferences rest (Peirce CS 1931 in Collected papers of Charles S. Peirce, Hartshorne C, Weiss P, Burks AW. (eds), 40; Peirce CS 1997 In The 1903 Harvard lectures on pragmatism (ed. A. Turrisi)). It will be claimed that the mechanism of Embodied Simulation (Gallese & Sinigaglia 2011Trends Cogn. Sci.15, 512–519. (doi:10.1016/j.tics.2011.09.003)) can be described as anicon(Cuccio V & Caruana F. 2015 Il corpo come icona. Abduzione, strumenti ed Embodied Simulation. Versus, n. 119, 93–103), and it will then be suggested that on these, basic natural signs rest, both phylogenetically and ontogenetically, the capacity to conceptualize.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain’.
High Bragg reflectivity of diamond crystals exposed to multi-kW mm−2 X-ray beams
Authors: Kolodziej Tomasz , Shvyd'ko Yuri , Shu Deming , Kearney Steven , Stoupin Stanislav , Liu Wenjun , Gog Thomas , Walko Donald A. , Wang Jin , Said Ayman , Roberts Tim , Goetze Kurt , Baldini Maria , Yang Wenge , Fister Timothy , Blank Vladimir , Terentyev Sergey , Kim Kwang-Je
Published: June 2018

X-ray free-electron lasers in the oscillator configuration (XFELO) are future fully coherent hard X-rays sources with ultrahigh spectral purity. X-ray beams circulate in an XFELO optical cavity comprising diamond single crystals. They function as high-reflectance (close to 100%), narrowband (∼10 meV) Bragg backscattering mirrors. The average power density of the X-ray beams in the XFELO cavity is predicted to be as high as ∼10 kW mm−2. Therefore, XFELO feasibility relies on the ability of diamond crystals to withstand such a high radiation load and preserve their high reflectivity. Here the endurance of diamond crystals to irradiation with multi-kW mm−2 power density X-ray beams is studied. It is shown that the high Bragg reflectivity of the diamond crystals is preserved after the irradiation, provided it is performed at ∼1 × 10−8 Torr high-vacuum conditions. Irradiation under 4 × 10−6 Torr results in a ∼1 meV shift of the Bragg peak, which corresponds to a relative lattice distortion of 4 × 10−8, while the high Bragg reflectivity stays intact.
Co-branded services: perceived benefits and involvement of co-branded credit cards
Authors: Wang Stephen W. , Farquhar Jillian
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to further the consumer services theory in financial services marketing by examining how perceived benefits influence consumer intention-to-use a co-branded credit card and further how intention-to-use is moderated by involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual model is developed and tested. A convenience sample of users of a co-branded credit card was surveyed. The responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results show a strong association between perceived benefits and co-brand equity and between co-brand equity and co-brand preference, as well as between perceived benefits and intention-to-use. The research also identifies four perceived benefits of a co-branded credit card. They also show that highly involved consumers are less affected by perceived benefits than their low involvement counterparts.

Research limitations/implications

Further research might consider co-branding across categories of services and explore the ambivalent results of co-brand preference in the mode. This research is limited by the use of a convenience sample and a cross-sectional survey. A probability sample and a longitudinal element to the study would have added weight to the study’s findings.

Practical implications

Managers with co-branding responsibilities should focus on improving the perceived benefits of co-branded credit cards.

Social implications

This study has a wider application to understanding how co-branding services may be applied in not-for-profit situations, specifically affinity card co-branding, thus generating greater revenue for charitable and social concerns.

Originality/value

This research advances research in the financial services consumer theory by demonstrating a strong association between perceived benefits and intention-to-use a co-branded credit card, distinguishing between the behavioral traits of consumers with high and low levels of involvement. It thus advances the consumer theory in co-branding.
Towards achieving strong customer loyalty in the financial services industry
Authors: Amegbe Hayford , Osakwe Christian Nedu
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the practical matter of customer loyalty (CLOY) in the banking industry context. As such, this paper explores, in detail, the antecedent factors to building strong CLOY. More specifically the focus is on the constructs of customer care (CARE), product/service offerings appeal (PSOA), customer satisfaction (CSAT) and brand trust (TRUS).

Design/methodology/approach

This wok relies purely on a positivist research paradigm. In doing so, structured questionnaires were administered to research subjects. For statistical processing, the PLS-SEM technique was deemed appropriate.

Findings

The two biggest takeaways of this work are the findings about the indirect influence of PSOA and CARE on CLOY. This paper reveals the relations to be sequentially mediated by CSAT and TRUS. Besides, data support the mediating effect of CSAT on CARE-TRUS link, as well as the mediation of TRUS on CSAT-CLOY link. Other findings indicate PSOA and CARE are key determinants of CSAT, CARE is also a key determinant of TRUS.

Research limitations/implications

There are limits that come with the present analysis. One of the major limits is in the fact that it was conducted in a single country’s setting, thus limiting the generalizability of the research findings. As a result, this research report merits to be adequately scrutinized in differing financial landscapes. Finally, the broader implication of this research is that the road toward achieving strong CLOY is far more complex than previously imagined.

Practical implications

To generate sustained CLOY, a solid starting point for bank products managers in particular is to design more attractive products for their target audiences. Meanwhile, the special role of quality CARE cannot be overstated (enough), and so managers should allocate more resources in this area. In sum, this study encourages financial services managers to continue to pay greater attention to critical dimensions related to CLOY, such as PSOA, CARE, CSAT and TRUS.

Originality/value

The present analysis provides a clearer explanation of how the above-mentioned constructs are interconnected together. By using top Ghanaian banks’ customers as a test case for the research, the authors are helping to develop a more balanced approach to achieving sustained CLOY. Finally, the value of this work rests in the complex relations studied
Risk analysis for clean and sustainable production in a urea fertilizer industry
Authors: Panchal Dilbagh , Mangla Sachin Kumar , Tyagi Mohit , Ram Mangey
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a fuzzy methodology approaches based framework for carrying the risk analysis of a real industrial system of a urea fertilizer industry located in northern part of India.

Design/methodology/approach

Petri Net approach was applied for representing the series-parallel arrangement of the considered system. Various failure causes related to different subsystems or equipment of the considered system were listed under FMEA approach and their Risk Priority Number was tabulated. Further, to overcome the drawbacks of traditional FMEA approach in risk ranking fuzzy FMEA and grey relation analysis (GRA) approaches were applied within traditional FMEA approach and the ranking results were compared for better and effective decision making of risky components.

Findings

The proposed framework has overcome the drawbacks of tradition FMEA approach in an effective and efficient manner. Causes AC7, CL3, ST2, DR3 and NR3 of centrifugal compressor, hot heat exchanger, ammonia convertor reactor, cold condenser and ammonia separator have been identified as the most critical failure causes of the considered system.

Originality/value

The proposed framework has been tested with its application on an ammonia synthesis system of the considered process industry. The risk ranking results would be highly useful in developing a planned maintenance policy for the considered system which further results in improving the system availability.
Failure mapping using FMEA and A3 in engineering to order product development
Authors: Lorenzi Clarice Inês , Ferreira Joao Carlos Espindola
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to improve the failure analysis and troubleshooting process in engineering to order (ETO) product development, and reduce the amount of parts with failures. This is important because parts with failures are associated with the additional costs resulting from corrections of the product, reduced productivity due to the time waiting for the corrected part, delays in delivery and harm to the image of the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

FMEA and A3 are combined in a document for failure analysis and recording of the generated knowledge. The method is applied to an industrial automation company that designs and manufactures ETO products. Initially, the failures identified in mechanical assembly products are mapped, and then FMEA and A3 are combined in a document template, and a checklist for reviewing the detailing is built. Then, the method is applied in the design phase, and also for solving conceptual failures in the mechanical assembly and testing phase and the knowledge generated is recorded.

Findings

The results show the feasibility of the proposed method for both failure analysis and knowledge generation. Moreover, the adoption of improvement practices in routine activities, for example, the checklist for reviewing the detailing, can reduce up to 10 percent the amount of parts with failures.

Practical implications

The integration of FMEA and A3 encourages group thinking and monitoring the implemented actions. Since the document contains minor changes in the layout from the design phase to the assembly and testing phase, it contributed to the understanding of the people who participated in performing each phase. It should be ensured that the participation of experienced individuals with a proactive assertiveness who encourage the exchange of knowledge, preventing recurring failures from occurring in the conceptual phase. The approach to ensure quality was well accepted by the personnel in the company, but the implementation requires changing habits and establishing new practices.

Originality/value

The method proposed in this paper was applied to a company that designs and manufactures ETO industrial automation products. Since such products have high variety, the company has different characteristics compared with the companies that were considered in the few publications that attempted to combine the FMEA and A3 methods for failure analysis. The proposed method provides convenience for queries and updates, since it allows the inclusion of different failures in a single A3 report, reducing the number of separate documents. Also, the method includes a checklist for detailing review, which contributed to the reduction of failures.
Ranking criteria for selection of certification bodies for ISO 9001 through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
Authors: Alvarenga Augusto Duarte , Salgado Eduardo Gomes , Mendes Glauco Henrique de Sousa
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework to assist the selection of certification bodies in the implementation of quality management system (QMS) based on ISO 9001 taking into account a set of criteria organized in a multi-level hierarchical form. To deal with this complexity, the multi-criteria decision-making method (MCDM) analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used in this research.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted in small and medium-sized companies certified to ISO 9001. The MCDM method AHP was used as a method for developing the model to support the selection of certification bodies.

Findings

This paper provides a framework for companies seeking to hire certification bodies, mainly for ISO 9001 certification, which help identify the companies that best fit the certification objectives. Additionally, a ranking of the main criteria to select certification bodies for ISO 9001 was obtained.

Research limitations/implications

The decision-making method was applied to Brazilian companies from different sectors. As the results can vary between regions and sectors, this is a limitation of the research. In addition, the number of ten respondents could be higher to increase the robustness of the results.

Practical implications

The model assists companies looking for certification, mainly ISO 9001, in the selection of certification bodies contributing in the search for deeper implementations of QMS.

Originality/value

This work has the originality of the application of a decision-making method in the final process of ISO 9001 certification, scarce in the literature. In addition, it defines weights for the criteria involved in the process of selecting certification bodies.
The evolution of perceived security: the temporal role of SNS information perceptions
Authors: Ha Hong-Youl , Pan Huifeng
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a dynamic model of security-based consumer purchasing intentions and empirically addresses gaps in online purchasing theory by examining how loyalty intention may become stronger or weaker over time as a result of prior relationship evaluations.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a longitudinal study (three-time waves) of commercial website consumers, the authors investigate the proposed model by depicting the relationships among perceived security, perceived risk, website trust and loyalty intentions.

Findings

The results show that two relationships, namely the perceived security-perceived risk link and the perceived risk-website trust link, which have been little investigated on a longitudinal basis in previous studies, change over time. Interestingly, while social network service (SNS) information perceptions do not have direct effects on perceived risk or loyalty intention, the relationships in which either perceived security and website trust are involved are more important for positively improving perceived security and building website trust.

Practical implications

The authors suggest that managers may actually benefit from handling SNS information or social communities by delivering well-designed information at strategic stages, targeting key constructs.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the establishment and testing of temporal carryover effects of various online purchasing-related constructs: perceived security, perceived risk, trust and loyalty intention. More specifically, the longitudinal approach provides new insights regarding the role, potential impact and limitations of two types of perception. It thus highlights how understanding loyalty intention requires reevaluating consumer perceptions as consumers’ judgments evolve.
Disentangling the facets of sharing
Authors: Trenz Manuel , Frey Alexander , Veit Daniel
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a categorization of sharing practices from a structured interdisciplinary literature review on the Sharing Economy. Instead of striving for a new definition, the authors distinguish nine types of sharing practices and provide an overview of prior investigations on sharing practices across three levels of analysis and 15 research areas. The structured analysis is translated into opportunities for future research on the Sharing Economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study follows a structured literature review approach to uncover practices related to the Sharing Economy and similar phenomena. The authors analyze 210 articles from a broad number of disciplines, and develop a categorizing framework for Sharing Economy practices.

Findings

The paper identifies nine different types of sharing practices and provides a structured way for analyzing, comparing and positioning research on the Sharing Economy and related phenomena.

Research limitations/implications

The categorization of sharing practices and the embedded interdisciplinary overview of studies on the Sharing Economy help to explain potentially contradictory research results and uncovers opportunities for future research in the topic area.

Originality/value

Given the variety of disciplines dealing with the Sharing Economy and the plenitude of definitions and related concepts, the categorization and research overview provides a consolidated view of the knowledge in the topic area and an effective tool for identifying paths for future research.
Does guanxi influence product performance and customer loyalty?
Authors: Zhang Man , Hartley Janet
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to propose and test a model examining the relationship of guanxi with new product performance and customer loyalty in the context of internationalizing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China. Social network theory and information processing theory provide the theoretical lenses for this research.

Design/methodology/approach

Guanxi with suppliers, distributors and customers is measured as a second-order construct consisting of ganqing, renqing, and xinren/xinyong. Research hypotheses are tested using survey data (n= 212) gathered in Anhui and Shandong Provinces. The data are analyzed using smart partial least squares technique.

Findings

The findings reinforce existing studies, which show that a locally based social network can be extended to the success of early-internationalizing SMEs. Results also suggest that the relationship between guanxi and customer loyalty is stronger when technical uncertainty is low and when market uncertainty is low rather than high.

Research limitations/implications

The data were gathered from the point of view of the SMEs and may not accurately reflect the perspective of the foreign customer. The findings may not generalize beyond the regions surveyed. The study does not differentiate among the type of supply chain member, and the location of the supply chain member was not measured.

Practical implications

Although guanxi is typically viewed as being localized within a country, guanxi with suppliers, distributors and customers can provide information and resources needed for successful export products. Second, internationalizing SMEs must understand that even though guanxi has positive impact on new product performance which directly leads to customer loyalty only when uncertainty is low.

Originality/value

Although guanxi has been studied, there are a limited number of empirical studies of guanxi in a supply chain context and most focus on buyers’ guanxi with suppliers. The research on guanxi with customers and distributors is also limited. This research addresses this gap by focusing on guanxi with suppliers, distributors and customers.
Regulation of p38 mitogen‐activated kinase‐mediated fetal membrane senescence by statins
Authors: Ayad Martina T. , Taylor Brandie D. , Menon Ramkumar
Published: June 2018

Problem

Oxidative stress (OS)‐induced, p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38MAPK)‐mediated chorioamniotic senescence and inflammation (senescence‐associated secretory phenotype [SASP]) are associated with parturition. In response to OS‐inducing risk factors, premature senescence contributes to preterm premature rupture of the membranes (pPROM) and spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). We determined the effect of simvastatin, rosuvastatin, and progesterone in downregulating p38MAPK‐mediated senescence and SASP.

Method of Study

Normal term, not‐in‐labor fetal membranes (n = 8) were exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE: OS inducer) alone or combined with simvastatin (100 and 200 ng/mL), rosuvastatin (100 and 200 ng/mL), and progesterone (10−6 mol/L). p38MAPK expression changes were studied by Western blot, senescence was determined by senescence‐associated β‐Galactosidase (SA‐β‐Gal) staining, and multiplex analysis determined changes associated with 4 SASP markers (IL‐8, IL‐10, TNF‐α, and GM‐CSF). A pairwise comparison between groups was conducted by ANOVA.

Results

Compared to untreated controls, CSE induced p38MAPK‐mediated senescence and SASP. CSE cotreatment with simvastatin and rosuvastatin significantly reduced p38MAPK activation, senescence (decrease in SA‐β‐Gal) and SASP markers, GM‐CSF, and TNF, but not IL‐8, while increasing anti‐inflammatory IL‐10 in a dose‐dependent manner. Cotreatment of CSE and progesterone had no effect on reducing p38MAPK activation, senescence, or SASP.

Conclusion

Both simvastatin and rosuvastatin downregulated OS‐induced p38MAPK activation, senescence, and SASP, while rosuvastatin showed a pronounced effect. Progesterone did not reduce OS‐induced fetal membrane senescence and SASP. Simvastatin or rosuvastatin may reduce the incidences of OS‐associated PTB and pPROM by preventing premature senescence and SASP.
“Putting Band‐Aids on Things That Need Stitches”: Immigration and the Landscape of Care in Rural America
Authors: Sangaramoorthy Thurka
Published: June 2018

Growing numbers of immigrants work and live in rural, geographically isolated areas throughout the United States, places without previously settled immigrant populations. Rapid immigration to such areas already struggling with poverty, weak public infrastructures, and high concentrations of uninsured residents has given way to an increasingly precarious landscape of care. The neoliberal logics of American health care and contentious debates over immigration reform shape this landscape and condition relations among providers, immigrants, and others. Through what I call “band‐aid” care and the informal transactions that characterize it, such as rationing, bartering, hoarding, willful noncompliance, and goodwill, providers and immigrants counter these logics of exclusion and inequality by participating in the dynamic improvisation of care considered illicit and often prohibited under the market‐based economic rationale of health‐care provision. Social obligations and moral legitimacy benefit otherwise marginalized providers who engage in this landscape of care, while vulnerable immigrants gain entry and access to vital resources within this landscape through sociality and interdependence, which engender opportunities (however fraught) for living. Yet providers and immigrants understand band‐aid care to be necessary, just, moral, and legitimate in response to precarity characterized by geographical isolation, economic scarcity, civic inequality, market‐based health care, and exclusionary policies. [immigration, health care, exclusion, social inequality, United States]
Hegemonic Concepts of Culture: The Checkered History of Dark Anthropology
Authors: Rodseth Lars
Published: June 2018

This article traces a genealogy of the culture concept, starting with the way it is presented in Sherry Ortner's account of “dark anthropology” (2016) and working back to the interpretations offered by Clifford Geertz, Raymond Williams, and Antonio Gramsci. Of particular interest is the shifting historical relationship between “culture” and its dark counterpart, “hegemony,” which Ortner describes as “the dominant version of the culture concept in use today.” While Ortner's analysis is compelling in many ways, it is flawed, in my view, by a “Boasian gap”—part of a widespread tendency in contemporary anthropology to underestimate the theoretical legacy of Franz Boas and the tradition that bears his name. This tendency is rooted, I argue, in a series of “asymmetrical ancestries.” Thus, Geertz minimized the importance of the Boasian tradition in his own intellectual genealogy, and Williams recognized but downplayed the role of German Romanticism in the early development of the culture concept. The case of Gramsci is especially interesting as it involves a cryptic ancestral connection between his approach to culture and that of his Boasian contemporaries. When all these gaps are filled, dark anthropology turns out to be historically checkered—regularly articulated with a “lighter” theoretical tradition. By recovering that tradition and appreciating its rich genealogy—sensing its manifold connections to German historicism, Humboldtian linguistics, and American pragmatism—we stand a chance of integrating “dark” and “light” anthropologies rather than pitting them needlessly against each other. [culture, genealogy, hegemony, Gramsci, Boas]
Size and modality effects in Braille learning: Implications for the blind child from pre‐reading sighted children
Authors: Barlow‐Brown Fiona , Barker Christopher , Harris Margaret
Published: June 2018

Background

Beginning readers are typically introduced to enlarged print, and the size of this print decreases as readers become more fluent. In comparison, beginning blind readers are expected to learn standard‐sized Braille from the outset because past research suggests letter knowledge cannot be transferred across different sizes of Braille.

Aims

The study aims to investigate whether learning Braille using an oversized pegboard leads to faster, transferable, letter learning and whether performance is mediated by either tactile or visual learning.

Sample

Sixty‐eight children participated in the study. All children were sighted pre‐readers with no previous knowledge of Braille. The children came from two nursery schools with an average age of 47.8 months.

Methods

Children were taught specific Braille letters using either an enlarged pegboard or standard Braille. Two other groups of children were taught using visually presented Braille characters in either an enlarged or standard size and a further control group mirrored the experience of blind children in receiving non‐specific tactile training prior to being introduced to Braille. In all tactile conditions it was ensured that the children did not visually experience any Braille for the duration of the study.

Results

Results demonstrated that initially training children with large Braille tactually led to the best subsequent learning of standard Braille. Despite the fact that both initial visual and large tactual learning were significantly faster than learning standard Braille, when transferring letter knowledge to standard tactile Braille, previous tactile experience with the large pegboard offered the most efficient route.

Conclusions

Braille letter knowledge can be transferred across size and modality particularly effectively with large tactile Braille. This has significant implications for the education of blind children.
Impact of tocilizumab administered intravenously or subcutaneously on patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Strand Vibeke , Michalska Margaret , Birchwood Christine , Pei Jinglan , Tuckwell Katie , Finch Rebecca , Kivitz Alan J , Smolen Josef S , Burmester Gerd R
Published: June 2018

Objective

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have shown tocilizumab (TCZ) administered intravenously or subcutaneously with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) to be superior to csDMARDs alone for improving rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity. This study evaluated the effect of TCZ-intravenous and TCZ-subcutaneous on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in three RCT populations.

Methods

OPTION (NCT00106548), BREVACTA (NCT01232569) and SUMMACTA (NCT01194414) were independent RCTs evaluating the efficacy and safety of TCZ-intravenous and/or TCZ-subcutaneous with csDMARDs in patients with RA. PROs included patient global assessment, pain, Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue and Short Form-36. Study outcomes included the proportions of patients reporting changes from baseline in PRO scores ≥ minimum clinically important differences (MCID) and scores ≥ age and gender-matched normative values.

Results

In OPTION, more patients who received TCZ-intravenous reported improvements in PROs ≥MCID (50%–82% vs 31%–57%) and scores ≥ normative values (16%–44% vs 5%–28%) at week 16 compared with placebo. Similarly, a greater proportion of patients in BREVACTA who received TCZ-subcutaneous reported improvements ≥ MCID (54%–73% vs 42%–55%) and scores ≥ normative values (8%–34% vs 4%–25%) at week 12 compared with placebo. In SUMMACTA, 61%–84% of patients who received TCZ-subcutaneous and 64%–84% of those who received TCZ-intravenous reported improvements ≥ MCID and 14%–41% and 15%–24%, respectively, scores ≥ normative values at week 24.

Conclusions

TCZ-intravenous or TCZ-subcutaneous with csDMARDs resulted in more patients reporting clinically meaningful improvements and PRO scores ≥ normative values compared with placebo. These improvements were similar with TCZ-intravenous and TCZ-subcutaneous.