bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antenna selection and transmit beamforming optimisation with partial channel state information in distributed antenna systems
Authors: Li Jiandong , Yan Jilei , Zhao Linjing , Dong Quan
Published: August 2014

This study studies the joint antenna selection and transmit beamforming optimisation in the downlink of a single‐cell multi‐user distributed antenna system, assuming that all users are delay sensitive and only partial channel state information is available at the transmitter side. Under the constraint of the maximum transmit power of each distributed antenna unit, the authors formulate an optimisation problem to minimise the total power consumption while maintaining the rate outage ratio of each user below a threshold. To mitigate the signalling overhead, they firstly propose an adaptive antenna selection strategy based on the received pilot signal power strength. Then, considering that the remaining transmit beamforming problem may be infeasible and non‐convex, a series of relaxation and convex approximation are applied. Finally, they propose a transmit beamforming algorithm based on successive convex approximation and user admission control. Simulation results show that the authors proposed algorithm can achieve a near optimal system performance in both the satisfied user ratio and total power consumption.
Hybrid state of charge estimation for lithium‐ion batteries: design and implementation
Authors: Alfi Alireza , Charkhgard Mohammad , Haddad Zarif Mohammad
Published: August 2014

This study introduces a novel hybrid method for state of charge (SOC) estimation of lithium‐ion battery types using extended H∞ filter and radial basis function (RBF) networks. The RBF network's parameters are adjusted off‐line by acquired data from the battery in charging step. This kind of neural network approximates the non‐linear function utilised in the state‐space equations of the extended H∞ filter. The advantages of the proposed method are 3‐fold: (i) it is not necessary to require the measurement and process noise covariance matrices as Kalman filter, (ii) the SOC is directly estimated and (3) it is a robust estimator in the sense of H∞ criteria. The state variables are composed of the SOC and the battery terminal voltage. The experimental results illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method in terms of robustness, accuracy and convergence speed.
Achieving low-voltage thin-film transistors using carbon nanotubes
Authors: Kim Bumjung , Franklin Aaron , Nuckolls Colin , Haensch Wilfried , Tulevski George S.
Published: August 2014

The potential to perform at low voltages is a unique feature of carbon nanotube thin-film transistors (CNT-TFTs) when compared to more common TFT material options, such as amorphous Si or organic films. In this work, CNT-TFTs are fabricated using high-purity CNTs (verified electrically to be ∼99% semiconducting) on an embedded gate device structure, which allows for scaling of the dielectric (equivalent oxide thickness ∼ 3 nm) and yields a high gate capacitance. The high gate capacitance, coupled with the high semiconducting purity, leads to devices with excellent low-voltage performance having an average subthreshold swing of ∼200 mV/decade (low of ∼90 mV/decade) and on/off current ratios of 105. Testing hundreds of the CNT-TFTs on a chip at various channel lengths and widths provided a first look at the distribution of key performance metrics across a substrate. Favorable trade-offs between on-current and on/off current ratio were observed along with high field-effect mobility and narrow distributions in both the threshold voltage and subthreshold swing. The methods and results demonstrated here show that the low-voltage performance of CNT-TFTs is accessible for macroelectronic applications.
Hard X-ray spatial array diagnostics on Joint Texas Experimental Tokamak
Authors: Huang D. W. , Chen Z. Y. , Luo Y. H. , Tong R. H. , Yan W. , Jin W. , Zhuang G.
Published: August 2014

A spatially distributed hard X-ray detection array has been developed to diagnose the loss of runaway electron with toroidal and poloidal resolution. The hard X-ray radiation in the energy ranges of 0.3–1 MeV resulted from runaway electrons can be measured. The detection array consists of 12 CdTe detectors which are arranged surrounding the tokamak. It is found that most runaway electrons which transport to plasma boundary tend to loss on limiters. The application of electrode biasing probe resulted in enhancement of local runaway loss. Resonant magnetic perturbations enhanced the runaway electrons diffusion and showed an asymmetric poloidal loss rate.
Design rules for dislocation filters
Authors: Ward T. , Sánchez A. M. , Tang M. , Wu J. , Liu H. , Dunstan D. J. , Beanland R.
Published: August 2014

The efficacy of strained layer threading dislocation filter structures in single crystal epitaxial layers is evaluated using numerical modeling for (001) face-centred cubic materials, such as GaAs or Si1−xGex, and (0001) hexagonal materials such as GaN. We find that threading dislocation densities decay exponentially as a function of the strain relieved, irrespective of the fraction of threading dislocations that are mobile. Reactions between threading dislocations tend to produce a population that is a balanced mixture of mobile and sessile in (001) cubic materials. In contrast, mobile threading dislocations tend to be lost very rapidly in (0001) GaN, often with little or no reduction in the immobile dislocation density. The capture radius for threading dislocation interactions is estimated to be approximately 40 nm using cross section transmission electron microscopy of dislocation filtering structures in GaAs monolithically grown on Si. We find that the minimum threading dislocation density that can be obtained in any given structure is likely to be limited by kinetic effects to approximately 104–105 cm−2.
Tunable band gaps in bio-inspired periodic composites with nacre-like microstructure
Authors: Chen Yanyu , Wang Lifeng
Published: August 2014

Periodic composite materials have many promising applications due to their unique ability to control the propagation of waves. Here, we report the existence and frequency tunability of complete elastic wave band gaps in bio-inspired periodic composites with nacre-like, brick-and-mortar microstructure. Numerical results show that complete band gaps in these periodic composites derive from local resonances or Bragg scattering, depending on the lattice angle and the volume fraction of each phase in the composites. The investigation of elastic wave propagation in finite periodic composites validates the simulated complete band gaps and further reveals the mechanisms leading to complete band gaps. Moreover, our results indicate that the topological arrangement of the mineral platelets and changes of material properties can be utilized to tune the evolution of complete band gaps. Our finding provides new opportunities to design mechanically robust periodic composite materials for wave absorption under hostile environments, such as for deep water applications.
Shot noise in systems with semi-Dirac points
Authors: Zhai Feng , Wang Juan
Published: August 2014

We calculate the ballistic conductance and shot noise of electrons through a two-dimensional stripe system (width W ≫ length L) with semi-Dirac band-touching points. We find that the ratio between zero-temperature noise power and mean current (the Fano factor) is highly anisotropic. When the transport is along the linear-dispersion direction and the Fermi energy is fixed at the semi-Dirac point, the Fano factor has a universal value F = 0.179 while a minimum conductivity exists and scales with L1∕2. Along the parabolic dispersion direction, the Fano factor at the semi-Dirac point has a contact-independent limit exceeding 0.9, which varies weakly with L due to the common-path interference of evanescent waves. Our findings suggest a way to discern the type of band-touching points.
Strong room-temperature negative transconductance in an axial Si/Ge hetero-nanowire tunneling field-effect transistor
Authors: Zhang Peng , Le Son T. , Hou Xiaoxiao , Zaslavsky A. , Perea Daniel E. , Dayeh Shadi A. , Picraux S. T.
Published: August 2014

We report on room-temperature negative transconductance (NTC) in axial Si/Ge hetero-nanowire tunneling field-effect transistors. The NTC produces a current peak-to-valley ratio >45, a high value for a Si-based device. We characterize the NTC over a range of gate VG and drain VD voltages, finding that NTC persists down to VD = −50 mV. The physical mechanism responsible for the NTC is the VG-induced depletion in the p-Ge section that eventually reduces the maximum electric field that triggers the tunneling ID, as confirmed via three-dimensional (3D) technology computer-aided design simulations.
Efficient regime of electromagnetic emission in a plasma with counterstreaming electron beams
Authors: Timofeev I. V. , Annenkov V. V.
Published: August 2014

Efficiency of electromagnetic emission produced in a magnetized plasma with counterstreaming electron beams was investigated using both the linear kinetic theory and particle-in-cell simulations. We calculated the growth rate of the beam-plasma instability taking into account both kinetic and relativistic effects and showed that there exists a regime in which transversely propagating electromagnetic waves can be generated by the coupling of the most unstable oblique beam-driven modes. It was confirmed by numerical simulations that such a tune-up of system parameters for a specific nonlinear process can lead to a substantial increase in electromagnetic emission efficiency. It was found that electromagnetic radiation emerging from the plasma in such a regime is generated near the harmonics of the pump frequency that is determined by the typical eigenfrequency of the beam-driven modes. It was also shown that the peak emission power can reach 5% of the maximal power lost by beam electrons.
Structure and physical properties of EuTa2O6 tungsten bronze polymorph
Authors: Kolodiazhnyi T. , Sakurai H. , Vasylkiv O. , Borodianska H. , Forbes S. , Mozharivskyj Y.
Published: August 2014

A tetragonal tungsten bronze (TTB) polymorph of EuTa2O6 was prepared and analyzed. EuTa2O6 crystallizes in the centrosymmetric Pnam space group (with unit cell: a = 12.3693, b = 12.4254, and c = 7.7228 Å) isomorphous with orthorhombic β-SrTa2O6. In contrast to early reports, we see no evidence of deviation from paramagnetic Curie-Weiss behavior among the Eu2+ 4f7spins in EuTa2O6 down to 2 K. Dielectric constant shows a broad peak at ca. 50 K with dielectric dispersion resembling diffuse phase transition. The relaxation time, however, follows a simple (non-freezing) thermally activated process with an activation energy of 92 meV and an attempt frequency of f0 = 5.79 × 1012 Hz. A thermal conductivity of EuTa2O6 shows a low-temperature (T ≈ 30 K) “plateau” region reminiscent of a glass-like behaviour in Nb-based TTB compounds. This behaviour can be attributed to the loosely bound Eu2+ ions occupying large tricapped trigonal prismatic sites in the EuTa2O6 structure.
Effects of phosphorus doping by plasma immersion ion implantation on the structural and optical characteristics of Zn0.85Mg0.15O thin films
Authors: Saha S. , Nagar S. , Chakrabarti S.
Published: August 2014

ZnMgO thin films deposited on 〈100〉 Si substrates by RF sputtering were annealed at 800, 900, and 1000 °C after phosphorus plasma immersion ion implantation. X-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the presence of 〈101¯0〉 and 〈101¯3〉 peaks for all the samples. However, in case of the annealed samples, the 〈0002〉 peak was also observed. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the variation in surface morphology caused by phosphorus implantation. Implanted and non-implanted samples were compared to examine the effects of phosphorus implantation on the optical properties of ZnMgO. Optical characteristics were investigated by low-temperature (15 K) photoluminescence experiments. Inelastic exciton–exciton scattering and localized, and delocalized excitonic peaks appeared at 3.377, 3.42, and 3.45 eV, respectively, revealing the excitonic effect resulting from phosphorus implantation. This result is important because inelastic exciton–exciton scattering leads to nonlinear emission, which can improve the performance of many optoelectronic devices.
Crystal ‘Unengineering’: Reducing the Crystallisability of Sulfolobus solfataricus Hjc
Authors: Middleton Claire L. , Parker Joanne L. , Knott Gavin J. , White Malcolm F. , Bond Charles S.
Published: August 2014

The protein Hjc from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (Ss) presented many challenges to both structure solution and formation of stable complexes with its substrate, the DNA four-way or Holliday junction. As the challenges were caused by an uncharacteristically high propensity for rapid and promiscuous crystallisation, we investigated the molecular cause of this behaviour, corrected it by mutagenesis, and solved the X-ray crystal structures of the two mutants. An active site mutant SsHjcA32A crystallised in space group I23 (a 144.2 Å; 68 % solvent), and a deletion of a key crystal contact site, SsHjcδ62–63 crystallised in space group P21 (a 64.60, b 61.83, c 55.25 Å; β = 95.74°; 28 % solvent). Characterisation and comparative analysis of the structures are presented along with discussion of the pitfalls of the use of protein engineering to alter crystallisability while maintaining biological function.
The requirement for protein kinase C delta (PRKCD) during preimplantation bovine embryo development
Authors: Yang Qi-En , Ozawa Manabu , Zhang Kun , Johnson Sally E. , Ealy Alan D.
Published: August 2014

Protein kinase C (PKC) delta (PRKCD) is a member of the novel PKC subfamily that regulates gene expression in bovine trophoblast cells. Additional functions for PRKCD in early embryonic development in cattle have not been fully explored. The objectives of this study were to describe the expression profile of PRKCD mRNA in bovine embryos and to examine its biological roles during bovine embryo development. Both PRKCD mRNA and protein are present throughout early embryo development and increases in mRNA abundance are evident at morula and blastocyst stages. Phosphorylation patterns are consistent with detection of enzymatically active PRKCD in bovine embryos. Exposure to a pharmacological inhibitor (rottlerin) during early embryonic development prevented development beyond the eight- to 16-cell stage. Treatment at or after the 16-cell stage reduced blastocyst development rates, total blastomere numbers and inner cell mass-to-trophoblast cell ratio. Exposure to the inhibitor also decreased basal interferon tau (IFNT) transcript abundance and abolished fibroblast growth factor-2 induction of IFNT expression. Furthermore, trophoblast adhesion and proliferation was compromised in hatched blastocysts. These observations provide novel insights into PRKCD mRNA expression profiles in bovine embryos and provide evidence for PRKCD-dependent regulation of embryonic development, gene expression and post-hatching events.
Growing enough food without enough water.
Authors: Molden D.
Published: August 2014

Water scarcity is already a reality. More food will be required for a growing and wealthier and urbanized population that will put more pressure on water resources. With several water-related limits reached or breached - groundwater decline, shrinking rivers and threatened fisheries - we must ask, Will there be enough water to grow enough food? It is possible to produce the food needed, but if present practices continue it is not probable that we will solve the many poverty and environmental challenges confronting us. To share a scarce resource and to limit environmental damage in the face of climate change, it is imperative to limit future water use. Important pathways to growing enough food with limited water are to increase productivity of water in irrigated and rainfed areas, improve water management in low-yielding rainfed areas, and to consider our own food consumption patterns. In pockets of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, expanding access to water through a range of water management solutions holds the key to food security and poverty reduction. For sustainable water use, water managers must consider agriculture as an ecosystem and how other ecosystem services are impacted through water. These actions will require serious changes in how we think about water and food, and how we govern water and land resources.
Masitinib - a targeted therapy with applications in veterinary oncology and inflammatory diseases.
Authors: Ogilvie G. K. , Hensel P. , Kitchell B. E. , Dubreuil P. , Ahn A.
Published: August 2014

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are an innovative class of drug, which have recently become available to veterinary medicine. This targeted therapy inhibits enzymes involved in cellular signalling pathways that regulate key cell functions and cell survival. Over the last decade, TKIs have revolutionised the management of certain human cancers and are now making inroads into veterinary medicine, with canine mast cell tumour (MCT) being their first major success story. TKIs used in the veterinary setting, either having been borrowed from human medicine or developed especially to address unmet veterinary needs, include imatinib, masitinib and toceranib. Masitinib and toceranib have been approved for use in many parts of the world for the treatment of canine MCT. In many ways, masitinib may be considered the forerunner in this field, with respect to history of regulatory authorisation and commercialisation, developmental progress of phase III clinical studies, and also in the depth and breadth of clinical knowledge acquired in both dogs and cats. It will be masitinib therefore, with its completed phase III studies in canine oncology and immune-mediate indications, its long-term follow-up of MCT treatment (approximately 6 years), and development programme for numerous other canine and feline diseases that will serve as an example of what this remarkably versatile class of therapeutic drug promises to accomplish in veterinary medicine. We review the clinical development of masitinib in veterinary medicine to date, discuss safety-related issues and emerging new therapeutic directions.
Leishmaniasis: strategies for control based on mathematical models of the immune response.
Authors: Länger B. M.
Published: August 2014

This review gives an overview of the mathematical models of the immune response to leishmaniasis. Mathematical modelling is based on the choice of key variables and interactions between them, which are quantified as parameters. Choice of variables is based on biological knowledge, parameter values are derived by fitting to the experimental data. Ordinary differential equation models describe model dynamics - changes in the populations of cells and other body agents. Biological knowledge is needed to set up the model, knowing influences and interactions among body cells. Immune response models target on the prediction of disease progression and identification of the most sensitive parameters, which are assumed to be feasible targets for therapy. All the mathematical models of the biological systems represent a simplification of reality and thus may yield wrong results. However, they offer a fast and systematic search for optimal strategies that would possibly be neglected by experimentally based research. If mathematical models are applied to obtain ideas for new directions in experimental work, they offer a promising tool in pharmaceutical research.
Ethylene response factors and their role in plant defence.
Authors: Núñez-Pastrana R. , Anderson J. P. , Singh K. B.
Published: August 2014

The APETALA2/Ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) family of transcription factors (TFs) plays crucial roles in the regulation of gene expression during plant development and in response to biotic and abiotic stress. Although AP2/ERFs have been implicated in a range of plant stress responses, this review focuses on ERFs in the context of the plant response to other organisms, primarily not only pathogenic but also symbiotic. The ERF subfamily is particularly important in the establishment and the tight regulation of plant defences through a balance of positive and negative transcriptional regulation. The expression of the ERFs is induced by pathogens with different lifestyles and they have been implicated in resistance to biotrophs, necrotrophs and hemibiotrophs, but members also play important roles in other plant-microbe interactions, for example, nodule formation in legumes. ERFs achieve this, in part, by acting as integrators in the crosstalk between signalling pathways mediated by ethylene (ET), jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and other plant hormones to modulate gene expression according to the stimuli sensed. This review collates recent findings on the regulation of this family of TFs, including transcriptional and post-translational regulation. Although DNA binding is typically conferred through the characteristic AP2 domain, the function of other domains including the EDLL and ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) domains in regulating gene expression is discussed. Finally, the potential for ERFs to be used to enhance resistance to pathogens in crops is considered.
Ticks and tick-borne diseases: geographical distribution and control strategies in the Euro-Asia Region - mini review.
Authors: Tarrés-Call J. , Salman M. , Estrada-Peña A.
Published: August 2014

Ticks and the diseases they may transmit have gained attention in the last decades. Knowledge of their local distribution and the pathogens they may transmit are essential components to establish effective control measures. Concerns are raised on the proper identification of ticks, on the inappropriate method of reporting their presence, and on the consequences of using ill-founded datasets for predictive distribution and their impacts.
Thermotolerant Newcastle disease vaccines for use in flocks of family chickens.
Authors: Spradbrow P.
Published: August 2014

Family chickens provide nutrition and income for poor families in rural areas in developing countries. Newcastle disease is a major constraint limiting the productivity of these flocks. Imported commercial Newcastle disease vaccines, requiring foreign exchange and coming in large dose containers, have been little used in small village flocks. The major problem with these vaccines has been their heat lability. Appropriate vaccines for village use would be locally produced, cheap and to some extent heat tolerant, allowing some independence from the cold chain. Two vaccines derived from naturally thermotolerant Australian strains of Newcastle disease virus have been artificially selected for enhanced heat resistance. One vaccine, V4, is now produced by commercial companies and is used mainly in commercial chickens. Master seed for the other vaccine, 1-2, is held at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia and is made available without cost to laboratories in developing countries. Vaccines based on variants of strain V4 have been available for more than 30 years. Challenge experiments in many countries have indicated that V4 vaccine is protective against a variety of challenge strains. Many of the early studies were part of the search for a village vaccine. The commercialization of V4 vaccine meant that countries wishing to use it in family flocks needed to purchase vaccine or produce and verify their own master seed. Of special interest is the efficacy of V4 vaccine when administered to chickens on suitable feeds. The V4 virus will spread from vaccinated chickens to contact chickens. 1-2 is a Newcastle disease virus similar to V4. Being in the public domain, 1-2 master seed is available for local production of thermotolerant vaccines for use in the national flocks of family chickens. Many countries have undertaken laboratory trials and demonstrated effective protection on vaccination by various means including vaccination with carrier feeds. Some countries progressed to field trials and to campaigns to control Newcastle disease in the village setting. Local production and distribution of an appropriate vaccine has been only part of the process. Innovative extension materials have been developed, contributors to all phases of the project have been trained (vaccinators, laboratory workers and administrators) and lines of communication between all parties have been established.
Ending the impasse in Kosovo: partition, decentralization, or consociationalism?
Authors: Rossi Michael
Published: August 2014

This paper argues that current Western-backed approaches to conflict resolution in Kosovo have failed to alter Serbia's policy toward the region and have contributed to the exacerbation of political tensions between Belgrade and Brussels, while deepening ethnic cleavages between Serb and Albanian communities. While there is no possibility of Kosovo returning to Serbia's control, there is an equal unlikelihood that Serbian-populated regions of Kosovo, especially the north, will submit to Pristina's authority. Most importantly, there is little hope that Kosovo can gain full international recognition and membership in international organizations without a compromise settlement with Serbia. While territorial partition has long been a suggested option, I conclude that the best possible solution for Kosovo, given the positions of all parties involved, is a process of significant decentralization beyond the internationally supported measures in the Ahtisaari Plan. A model of consociational power sharing is one in which Serbian and Albanian municipalities are granted high levels of autonomy similar to arrangements made for Bosnia. While this solution may not be ideal and further weakens central authority, I argue that consociationalism reduces the problems of ethnic conflict, encourages local self-government, and preserves the overall territorial integrity of Kosovo.
Tissue vitamin concentrations are maintained constant by changing the urinary excretion rate of vitamins in rats’ restricted food intake
Authors: Shibata Katsumi , Fukuwatari Tsutomu
Published: August 2014

We previously reported that mild food restriction induces a reduction in tryptophan–nicotinamide conversion, which helps to explain why death secondary to pellagra is pandemic during the hungry season. In this study, we investigated the levels of B-group vitamins in the liver, kidney, blood, and urine in rats that underwent gradual restriction of food intake (80, 60, 40, and 20% restriction vs. ad libitum food intake). No significant differences in the B-group vitamin concentrations (mol/g tissue) in the liver and kidney were observed at any level of food restriction. However, the urine excretion rates exhibited some characteristic phenomena that differed by vitamin. These results show that the tissue concentrations of B-group vitamins were kept constant by changing the urinary elimination rates of vitamins under various levels of food restriction. Only vitamin B12 was the only (exception).
Vitamin D and the athlete: Emerging insights
Authors: Owens Daniel J. , Fraser William D. , Close Graeme L.
Published: August 2014

Interest in Vitamin D has risen considerably recently with many athletes now advised to take daily vitamin D supplements. The reason for this interest is partly not only attributed to the resurgence of the Vitamin D‐deficient disease rickets but also due to the discovery of a Vitamin D receptor in many tissues suggesting a more global role for Vitamin D than previously considered. Unlike the other vitamins that are obtained through the diet, Vitamin D is unique since endogenous synthesis following ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure is the predominant route of entry into systemic circulation. Moreover, Vitamin D could be better classed as a seco‐steroid, given that its structure is similar to that of a steroid, and its production is derived from a cholesterol precursor (7‐dehydrocholesteol) in the skin. The classification of Vitamin D status is currently subject to considerable debate with many authors opposing governing body recommendations. Regardless of the suggested optimal concentration, there is now growing evidence to suggest that many athletes are in fact Vitamin D deficient, especially in the winter months largely as a consequence of inadequate sun exposure, combined with poor dietary practices, although the consequences of such deficiencies are still unclear in athletic populations. Impaired muscle function and reduced regenerative capacity, impaired immune function, poor bone health and even impaired cardiovascular function have all been associated with low Vitamin D in athletes, however, to date, the majority of studies on Vitamin D have described associations and much more research is now needed examining causation.
A cooperative mechanism drives budding yeast kinetochore assembly downstream of CENP-A
Authors: Hornung Peter , Troc Paulina , Malvezzi Francesca , Maier Michael , Demianova Zuzana , Zimniak Tomasz , Litos Gabriele , Lampert Fabienne , Schleiffer Alexander , Brunner Matthias , Mechtler Karl , Herzog Franz , Marlovits Thomas C. , Westermann Stefan
Published: August 2014

Kinetochores are megadalton-sized protein complexes that mediate chromosome–microtubule interactions in eukaryotes. How kinetochore assembly is triggered specifically on centromeric chromatin is poorly understood. Here we use biochemical reconstitution experiments alongside genetic and structural analysis to delineate the contributions of centromere-associated proteins to kinetochore assembly in yeast. We show that the conserved kinetochore subunits Ame1CENP-U and Okp1CENP-Q form a DNA-binding complex that associates with the microtubule-binding KMN network via a short Mtw1 recruitment motif in the N terminus of Ame1. Point mutations in the Ame1 motif disrupt kinetochore function by preventing KMN assembly on chromatin. Ame1–Okp1 directly associates with the centromere protein C (CENP-C) homologue Mif2 to form a cooperative binding platform for outer kinetochore assembly. Our results indicate that the key assembly steps, CENP-A recognition and outer kinetochore recruitment, are executed through different yeast constitutive centromere-associated network subunits. This two-step mechanism may protect against inappropriate kinetochore assembly similar to rate-limiting nucleation steps used by cytoskeletal polymers.
William Johnson FREng. 20 April 1922 — 13 June 2010
Authors: Reid S. R.
Published: August 2014

Professor William (Bill) Johnson, engineer, educator and research scientist, died peacefully on 13 June 2010, aged 88 years. His illustrious academic career spanned more than 50 years, during which time he published more than 400 papers and wrote eight books. His primary speciality within applied mechanics was the applications of plasticity theory to manufacturing processes and to impact mechanics, to both of which he contributed well-received text books. However, he also had a long-established passion for the history of science and technology. His research and publications also included engineering aspects of sports, medicine, history and literature. He engaged students with an exciting style of teaching, engendering enthusiasm for the subject at a time when, primarily, only chalk and blackboard were available. He was also an inspirational research collaborator. Many students and colleagues who had their initial training under his guidance have been appointed to chairs throughout the world.
An explicit immunogenetic model of gastrointestinal nematode infection in sheep
Authors: Prada Jiménez de Cisneros Joaquín , Stear Michael J. , Mair Colette , Singleton Darran , Stefan Thorsten , Stear Abigail , Marion Glenn , Matthews Louise
Published: August 2014

Gastrointestinal nematodes are a global cause of disease and death in humans, wildlife and livestock. Livestock infection has historically been controlled with anthelmintic drugs, but the development of resistance means that alternative controls are needed. The most promising alternatives are vaccination, nutritional supplementation and selective breeding, all of which act by enhancing the immune response. Currently, control planning is hampered by reliance on the faecal egg count (FEC), which suffers from low accuracy and a nonlinear and indirect relationship with infection intensity and host immune responses. We address this gap by using extensive parasitological, immunological and genetic data on the sheep–Teladorsagia circumcinctainteraction to create an immunologically explicit model of infection dynamics in a sheep flock that links host genetic variation with variation in the two key immune responses to predict the observed parasitological measures. Using our model, we show that the immune responses are highly heritable and by comparing selective breeding based on low FECs versus high plasma IgA responses, we show that the immune markers are a much improved measure of host resistance. In summary, we have created a model of host–parasite infections that explicitly captures the development of the adaptive immune response and show that by integrating genetic, immunological and parasitological understanding we can identify new immune-based markers for diagnosis and control.
Early life expenditure in sexual competition is associated with increased reproductive senescence in male red deer
Authors: Lemaître Jean-François , Gaillard Jean-Michel , Pemberton Josephine M. , Clutton-Brock Tim H. , Nussey Daniel H.
Published: August 2014

The evolutionary theories of senescence predict that investment in reproduction in early life should come at the cost of reduced somatic maintenance, and thus earlier or more rapid senescence. There is now growing support for such trade-offs in wild vertebrates, but these exclusively come from females. Here, we test this prediction in male red deer (
Cervus elaphus
) using detailed longitudinal data collected over a 40-year field study. We show that males which had larger harems and thereby allocated more resources to reproduction during early adulthood experienced higher rates of senescence in both harem size and rut duration. Males that carried antlers with more points during early life did not show more pronounced declines in reproductive traits in later life. Overall, we demonstrate that sexual competition shapes male reproductive senescence in wild red deer populations and provide rare empirical support for the disposable soma theory of ageing in males of polygynous vertebrate species.
A posture evaluation method for a large component with thermal deformation and its application in aircraft assembly
Authors: Cheng Liang , Wang Qing , Li Jiangxiong , Ke Yinglin
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a posture evaluation approach based on temperature compensation and three-dimensional (3-D) tolerance for the key points (KPs).

Design/methodology/approach

– A large component 3-D compensation model of thermal deformation considering characteristics of the assembly object is developed. Then, the thermal deformation compensation model is used to modify the nominal coordinates for the KPs. By using a combination of relative deviations of KPs as the objective and 3-D tolerance as the constraints, an optimization model for posture evaluation is established.

Findings

– Deviations of posture and KPs’ coordinates are obtained by solving the non-linear constrained optimization problem. The posture evaluation method is demonstrated in both a simulation case and practical implication of the aircraft components assembly system with the result that a good performance is obtained.

Practical implications

– The proposed method has been used in several aircraft assembly projects in China, and gained a good effect.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a method for eliminating the affection of thermal deformation during posture evaluation process and improving the consistency and stability of posture evaluation results. The results of this research will help to systematically improve the manufacturing process and tolerance allocation efficiency in large aircraft assembly.
The gender gap in pre-career salary expectations: a test of five explanations
Authors: Schweitzer Linda , Lyons Sean , K.J. Kuron Lisa , S.W. Ng Eddy
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gender gap in pre-career salary expectations. Five major explanations are tested to explain the gap, as well as understand the relative contribution of each explanation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from 452 post-secondary students from Canada.

Findings

– Young women had lower initial and peak salary expectations than their male counterparts. The gap in peak salary could be explained by initial salary expectations, beta values, the interaction between beta values and gender, and estimations of the value of the labor market. Men and women in this study expected to earn a considerably larger peak salary than they expected for others.

Research limitations/implications

– Cross-sectional data cannot infer causality, and the Canadian sample may not be generalizable to other countries given that an economic downturn occurred at time of data collection. Research should continue to investigate how individuals establish initial salary expectations, while also testing more dynamic models given the interaction effect found in terms of gender and work values in explaining salary expectations.

Practical implications

– The majority of the gender gap in peak salary expectations can be explained by what men and women expect to earn immediately after graduation. Further, women and men have different perceptions of the value they attribute to the labor market and what might be a fair wage, especially when considering beta work values.

Social implications

– The data suggests that the gender-wage gap is likely to continue and that both young men and women would benefit from greater education and information with respect to the labor market and what they can reasonably expect to earn, not just initially, but from a long-term perspective.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to simultaneously investigate five theoretical explanations for the gender gap in pre-career expectations.
Can traders beat the market? Evidence from insider trades
Authors: Lei Qin , Rajan Murli , Wang Xuewu
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how insiders’ trades are executed and whether and how outside investors can mimic outperforming insiders and reap substantial portfolio returns that withstand the erosion from adjustments for both the standard factors and stock characteristics in the asset pricing literature.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors design a metric for measuring insiders’ trade execution quality: the trading alpha. The authors run regression analysis to control for trade difficulty, insider reputations and the corporate role ranks of insiders and document the existence of the abnormal trading alpha. The authors further form portfolios based on the abnormal trading alpha and document a significant abnormal return that is robust to both standard asset pricing factors model and the stock characteristics adjustments.

Findings

– Outperforming insiders at the aggregate level resemble value investors who trade on long-term fundamental information, trade patiently and earn rents from providing liquidity. Outside investors can mimic the outperforming insiders and reap significant abnormal portfolio returns.

Research limitations/implications

– Data limitations on insider trades and their association/interaction with their brokers prevent us from having a conclusive investigation of the trading skill hypothesis. The authors hope to further research along the lines of the trading skill hypothesis as compared to investment style hypothesis with more detailed data about the brokers used by insiders.

Practical implications

– The findings can be applied for money management profession in that outsider investors can monitor the trading execution and construct portfolios based on the adjusted abnormal trading alpha. The resulting portfolio has been documented to be highly profitable after risk adjustments using standard asset pricing factors as well as stock characteristics.

Social implications

– Professional money managers and outsider investors should be able to benefit from the findings in this paper and use the proposed trading alpha metric to construct and rebalance real-time investment portfolios.

Originality/value

– Outperforming insiders at the aggregate level resemble value investors who act on long-term fundamental information, trade patiently and earn rents from providing liquidity. From the perspective of investment implications, outside investors can mimic the outperforming insiders and reap substantial portfolio returns that withstand the erosion from adjustments for both the standard factors and stock characteristics in the asset pricing literature.
Launch of Roulette – a premium brandy in India by JDPL
Authors: Narayanamurthy Gopalakrishnan , Gurumurthy Anand
Published: August 2014

Subject area

Launch strategies, marketing techniques and data analytics procedure adopted by a firm before launching a new product.

Study level/applicability

Academic students and management trainees who want to learn the methodology adopted by firms with respect to strategic management and marketing for launching a new product in Indian market.

Case overview

Launch plan for Roulette, a premium segment brandy manufactured by John Distilleries Private Limited, has to be designed for Karnataka, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh markets in India by the Brand Manager Mr Pundlik Kalburgi. Competitors and target market share needs to be identified for all the three markets. Potential outlets, target outlets, channel-wise sales contribution, depot-wise sales contribution and size of the packs to be produced need to be identified for Karnataka market. These identifications need to be submitted to the chairman of the company and other department heads to implement the launch.

Expected learning outcomes

Pareto rule (80/20 rule) application for cost-efficient launch strategy; segmentation and identification of competitors; procedure to identify potential of the launch product and market share that can be targeted; and understanding the complete functioning of alcoholic beverage industry in Indian markets (with special reference to Karnataka) and analysing the market data to build an entire launch plan; 4.1 Identifying channel-wise potential and target outlets for the launch product; 4.2 Identifying potential and target depots and number of outlets under each of the depots; 4.3 How pack size of launching product to be manufactured is decided upon.

Supplementary materials

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ABC Development Organization
Authors: Sarma Sushanta Kumar , Mehta Madhavi
Published: August 2014

Subject area

Organizational theory/organizational behavior.

Study level/applicability

MBA

Case overview

ABC Development Organization (ABCDO) is a civil society organization working in Dungarpur district of Rajasthan. ABCDO is working towards empowering tribal women of rural Rajasthan through making credit accessible to them and by offering them various livelihood choices. The organization employs local people, most of whom have not received college education. Illiterate, marginalized, and poor are the adjectives that describe the clients of ABCDO – the women from rural and tribal Rajasthan. ABCDO played the role of an intermediary between these hopeless women and formal financial system. ABCDO works with low degree of formalization and with a relatively low amount of documentation, despite being in the business of delivering financial services. However, such low formalization has never caused any problem in coordination of various activities within the organization and ABCDO has been growing in operation for the last couple of years. The case is about the role played by organizational culture in an organization with low degree of formalization. This case examines the emergence and functions of culture in civil society organizations which are often characterized by routineness of technology, yet the absence of rules, procedures and written documentations.

Expected learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students should be able to understand the following: the emergence of culture in a Civil Society Organization, the role played by culture in an organization with low degree of formalization, the framework depicting relationship of environment and strategy to organizational culture in the context of organizations engaged in microfinance with a social agenda.

Supplementary materials

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Meru Cabs: past perfect and future tense
Authors: Vaithianathan Sridhar , Bolar Karthikeya P.
Published: August 2014

Subject area

Business/technology strategy. The purpose of the case is to enable the students to understand the following: how technology implementation can change the face of business like cab service? How information technology deployment can influence competition? How investment in company's IT infrastructure affects the bottom line?

Study level/applicability

The case can be discussed at Master of Business Administration (MBA)/Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) level students as well as executive education program. It is aimed at graduate level and postgraduate level management courses such as management information systems, strategic information systems, and technology management.

Case overview

Meru Cabs, started in April 2007 at Mumbai, was one of the firsts to provide “radio taxi” service in India. Meru Cabs delivers a reliable taxi service by concentrating on three C's, namely customer, call centre and chauffeur. Much of its growth can be attributed to successful deployment of the technology. This case presents the growth of Meru Cabs and how it has differentiated itself by utilizing the technology to attain market leader position in the four cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore, where it operates. Also the case discusses about the future of cab service in general and what it has in store for Meru Cabs. With the flurry of cabs service coming up in every city and the competition getting intense, the case put forth the opportunities and challenges existing for cab companies in general and Meru Cabs in particular.

Expected learning outcomes

To enable the students to understand that technology is a strategic tool: to enhance customer relationship, to manage business operations, to achieve sustained competitive advantage and that forms an integral part of company's growth and/or expansion strategy.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.