bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Globalism, Culture and Business Environment
Authors: Khan Mohammad Ayub , Bank Diana
Published: February 2012

In contemporary globalization, companies need to be entrepreneurial, innovative, creative, and dynamic since the life cycle of products is shortening and competition is stiffening; hence companies need to increase investment in research and development (R&D) to remain competitive or even just to survive. Global sourcing and evolving markets demand that companies become proactive in their business approaches. Considering all these changes and challenges facing business organizations, this chapter focuses on how Latin American companies cope with globalization, cultural differences and diverse business environments. The authors start with a discussion on culture, globalization, and business performance of Latin American companies, followed by solutions to their shortcomings, and conclusions. A case study of business performance in Brazil and Mexico will be presented at the end of the chapter. The authors believe there is enough reason why foreign businessmen and women should seriously consider the Latin American option when making their business decisions. The authors hope this chapter will convince them that, without a shadow of doubt, cultural differences can be understood and overcome for the benefit of everyone. Undertanding Latin American culture could be a winning strategy for foreign investors in Latin American markets.
Performance Management Systems in Mexico
Authors: Davila Anabella , Elvira Marta M.
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this chapter is to understand the strategic role performance management systems play in organizations, and to identify the evolution process and the organizational factors involved in the implementation of those systems in Mexico. The authors identify the best-known appraisal tools in Mexico, the issues related to organizational performance, and those linked to the superior-subordinate relationship. They discuss those topics in terms of macro-organizational and micro-organizational levels and draw lessons for developing best practices for performance management systems in Mexico.
Business Performance Management from the Systemic Communicative and Linguistic Side
Authors: Bielenia-Grajewska Magdalena
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss Business Performance Management (BPM) by taking into account its communicative and linguistic aspects. To narrow the scope of the research, the author concentrates on the systemic approaches to highlight the role of communication and language in BPM. To discuss this issue in greater detail, two concepts have been created, namely, the corporate linguistic allostasis and the calibrated corporate linguistic identity, which are used to show the role of corporate identity and communication in business performance management and their implications for creating and sustaining competitive advantage.
Strategic Entrepreneurship
Authors: Yang Gang , Pfohl Hans-Christian , Saric Sasa
Published: February 2012

Entrepreneurship deals with how firms explore new short-lived economic opportunities, while strategic management explains how firms create and defend competitive advantages. Traditionally, both fields have existed independent of one another implying that firms can act either entrepreneurial or strategic to be successful. Recent research, however, suggests that in contemporary globalism, entrepreneurial firms are often unable to turn opportunities into competitive advantages due to a lack of strategic resources and capabilities. Similarly, firms lacking entrepreneurship see their competitive advantages erode over time as new emerging market competitors challenge their established rivals and disruptive technologies shake up industry structure more frequently. Strategic Entrepreneurship is the concept that has arisen from this insight. The aim in this chapter is to synthesize prior work on Strategic Entrepreneurship and elaborate on it by proposing a generalized model of the entrepreneurial strategy making process as it has become necessary in today’s competitive landscape.
Human Resource Management for the 21st Century Global Economy
Authors: Seely Julianne
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this chapter is to concentrate on Global Human Resource Management (GHRM) by demonstrating how the functional areas of Human Resource Management, such as talent acquisition, leadership capacity, training/development, and compensation/benefits, need to be fused with a higher level of strategic endeavor through cultural intelligence (CQ), system thinking, and the applications of related system archetypes. Understanding the role cultural intelligence plays in the global business community, knowledge of how systems and subsystems operate, and how variables impact the immediate landscape, as well as overall business performance, are the key drivers for competing successfully in the global marketplace.
The Role of Social Media in the Public Sector
Authors: Ayanso Anteneh , Moyers Darryl
Published: February 2012

Social media is promising new opportunities across a broad spectrum of public services. As the Internet and its ubiquitous applications extend globally, an increasing number of governments and their public service agencies are embracing social media as one of the major mechanisms to interact with the public. Social media provides a new wave of Web-based applications and channels for citizens to share constructive ideas and opinions and play active roles in various areas in the public sector. At the same time, social media helps government organizations and elected officials of different government levels to actively listen to citizens and constantly monitor their existing services as well as develop new initiatives. Effective integration of Web 2.0 technologies and applications into existing Internet infrastructure adds visibility and accountability in the public sector and enhances services to citizens.
M-Government
Authors: Manoharan Aroon , Bennett Lamar Vernon , Carrizales Tony
Published: February 2012

This chapter looks at technological inequities throughout the world within the context of e-government. The purpose of the study is to evaluate and highlight existing digital divides and current trends among the various divides. The concept of the digital divide, within the context of e-government, is often associated with the lack of access and resources to citizens for the purpose of utilizing technology in working with government. Utilizing survey data of international municipal Web portals as well as existing United Nations data, this research evaluates existing divides throughout the world. Through these findings, the authors underscore opportunities for addressing such existing divides and modes of increasing e-government performance. Specifically, mobile technology or m-government is examined as a medium for further connecting government and its citizens.
3D Digital City Platforms as Collaborative and Decision-Making Tools for Small Municipalities and Rural Areas
Authors: Maclennan Barbara L. , Bergeron Susan J.
Published: February 2012

This chapter explores how the development and implementation of a 3D digital city platform can be utilized in the context of solid waste management and sustainable planning in a small municipality or largely rural areas with limited resources. By leveraging 3D visualization and Web 2.0 functionality to allow stakeholders to collaborate on equal footing, digital city platforms can help with day-to-day management of solid waste assets and facilities, planning for solid waste and recycling facilities and drop-offs, mapping and planning efficient waste hauler routes, and identifying issues such as underserved populations and illegal dumping.
Web 2.0 Technologies and Authentic Public Participation
Authors: Casey Colleen , Li Jianling
Published: February 2012

In this chapter, the authors evaluate the use of Web 2.0 technology to engage citizens in the transportation decision making process. They evaluate the potential of Web 2.0 technology to create effective participatory environments to enable authentic participation; provide an inventory of the current tools and technologies utilized, identify barriers faced by administrators in the implementation of these tools, and summarize universal lessons for public administrators. Based on a review of 40 cases of collaborations, the authors find that Web 2.0 technology is predominantly used as a complement rather than a substitute for traditional approaches. Furthermore, the review suggests that the full potential of Web 2.0 remains untapped, and additional tools and technologies can be utilized to overcome barriers to implementation.
Web 2.0 for eParticipation
Authors: Tait Elizabeth
Published: February 2012

Recent developments in social media allow people to communicate and share information instantly and have led to speculation about the potential for increased citizen participation in decision making. However, as with other developments in ICT, social media is not used by everyone, and there is a danger of certain groups being excluded. Further, if social media tools are to be used by government institutions, there needs to be new internal processes put in place to ensure that the participation is meaningful. This chapter will critically evaluate and analyse the role of Web 2.0 tools (such as social networking services) for facilitating democratic participation, investigate and evaluate the development of Web 2.0 tools for eParticipation, and determine how they can be used to facilitate meaningful political participation.
SimExplorer
Authors: Chuffart Florent , Dumoulin Nicolas , Faure Thierry , Deffuant Guillaume
Published: February 2012

This article describes Simexplorer, a computer framework for managing simulation experiments and, to some extent, the scientific quality of the modelling process. An information system, included in the framework, insures the traceability of the experiments and their reproducibility and thus contributes to the modelling process quality management. Moreover, this information system provides facilities for sharing and exchanging components of experiment scenarios. The authors illustrate the use of the framework on a simple example of modelling process.
A Conceptual Model of Grassland-Based Beef Systems
Authors: Martin Guillaume , Martin-Clouaire Roger , Rellier Jean-Pierre , Duru Michel
Published: February 2012

Fulfilling the production objectives of a grassland-based beef system requires a robust management strategy to secure the best practicable use of forage resources with regard to the cattle demand. To address the challenging issue of designing such strategies, this article describes the application of an ontology of agricultural production systems to the generic conceptual model SEDIVER, which supports the representation and dynamic farm-scale simulation of specific grassland-based beef systems. The most salient and novel aspects of SEDIVER concern the explicit modeling of (a) the diversity in plant, grassland, animal and farmland, and (b) management strategies that deal with the planning and coordination of activities whereby the farmer controls the biophysical processes. By using the SEDIVER conceptual framework, part of the subjective and context-specific knowledge used in farm management can be captured and, in this way, enable scientific investigation of management practices.
An Ontology-Based Framework for Authoring Tools in the Domain of Sustainable Energy Education
Authors: Karetsos Sotirios , Haralampopoulos Dias , Kotis Konstantinos
Published: February 2012

This paper presents an ontology-based framework for the production of learning designs, focusing on the domain of sustainable energy education. An ontology of the sustainable energy development domain and educational model designed in compliance with widespread standards constitute the proposed framework to disprove the vagueness of “sustainable development” and enhance reusability and shareability of learning material respectively. The authors envisage this framework both as a means to support the authoring of learning scenarios and as a provisioning of a field for conversation about the appropriate authoring tool in this area. In this sense, an integrating approach for the representation of the learning design domain is kept, focusing on the concept of “mediating artefacts”.
Application of Support Vector Machines to Melissopalynological Data for Honey Classification
Authors: Aronne Giovanna , De Micco Veronica , Guarracino Mario R.
Published: February 2012

In this paper, the authors address the problem of the discrimination of geographical origin and the selection of marker species of honeys using Support Vector Machines and z-scores. The methodology is based on the elaboration of palynological data with statistical learning methodologies. This innovative solution provides a simple yet powerful tool to detect the origin of honey samples. In case of honeys from Sorrento Peninsula, the discrimination from other Italian honeys is obtained with high accuracy.
Urban Versus Rural
Authors: Murgante Beniamino , Danese Maria
Published: February 2012

Until a few decades ago it was very easy to distinguish between city and country: in most cases the edge was defined by defensive barriers. In recent times, the relationships between urban and rural areas completely changed, placing the country in a subordinate position. Consequently, many terms have been coined in order to describe the new phenomena taking place between city and country. The term adopted, “periurban area”, despite its large use, does not have a clear and unambiguous definition. Such various approaches are due to the complexity of the phenomenon to be analyzed and to the huge variety of territorial contexts in which it may reveal. The phenomenon is characterized by urban growth with soil consumption generating loss of competitiveness for agricultural activities. This paper defines more precise rules in order to describe the periurban phenomenon, using techniques of spatial statistic and point pattern analysis. This approach has been tested in the case of study of Potenza municipality. Interest in this area comes after the earthquake of 1980, when a large migration of inhabitants began towards the countryside around Potenza.
Pyroxene
Authors: Maillé Eric , Espinasse Bernard
Published: February 2012

Medium term management of territorial risk increase requires decision support tools able to represent and simulate spatial dynamics. For forest fire risk, simulators of spatial dynamics of both fuel zones and vulnerable zones are produced by specialised disciplines, like ecology and geography. In order to integrate simulators of spatial dynamics of different themes at different scale levels, this paper proposes a spatial agent and GIS based software infrastructure called Pyroxene. This infrastructure is designed to implement “models for models integration”, specified by domain expert users. To do so, end users have to use a specification framework, specifically designed for spatio-dynamic models integration. The purpose of the implemented platform is to execute and synchronise integrated simulations. To operate the semantic and syntax requirements of such integration, the platform is structured in an HLA-like architecture, and implemented as a multi-agents system for models integration, compliant with the FIPA specification. It is also organised around a GIS. First steps of validation confirm the validity of the system at the functional level and precise the limits of using the approach on the operational level.
Modeling
Authors: Papajorgji P. , Pinet F. , Miralles A. , Jallas E. , Pardalos P.M.
Published: February 2012

Enterprise information systems in agriculture and environment are becoming more complex and difficult to design and implement. This paper aims to show our vision on using model-based approaches to design complex and flexible agricultural and environmental information systems. At the center of this modeling approach is the Unified Modeling Language that facilitates expressing visually concepts of a problem domain and their relationships. UML has a core of notations that are generic and that can be used to model problems in any domain but can be extended to create profiles in order to take into consideration modeling concerns in a particular problem domain. UML profiles are created to use UML in designing spatial systems, ontologies, model driven architecture-based systems and Web-based systems and a recent profile makes it possible to use UML for business modeling purposes. UML is used to present design patterns; their use is crucial in designing complex and flexible information systems. Recently, UML is enriched with Object Constraint Language that is used to express constraints on modeling artifacts. The paper presents the state of the art in modeling agricultural and environmental systems and provides discussions for future directions.
Strategies for E-Procurement
Authors: Howard Mickey , Vidgen Richard , Powell Philip
Published: February 2012

Amid the turmoil of the current economic crisis, the wild expectations for business-to-business electronic marketplaces or ‘e-hubs’ as transformative modes of exchange for all industries have subsided. However, e-hubs continue to elicit interest in industries such as car production. Yet, there is little research that investigates firms’ strategies for e-procurement in the automotive industry and the potential benefits of e-hubs to them. This research re-examines the transition from bespoke electronic data interchange to generic electronic procurement, and conflicting motivations and complex barriers at firm and industry level are revealed. The article develops a framework that examines the benefits and barriers to firms joining e-hubs, applies the framework to the car industry, and proposes an e-procurement matrix that offers alternative strategies. Six cases from vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers demonstrate a shallow industry structure that lacks supplier integration, where a particular concern is the emergence of consortium e-hubs that combine a transactional approach for reducing price, with a collaborative approach that requires sharing knowledge. While this dispels the myth of simplistic e-commerce models, the governance of e-procurement across collaborative supply chains is still uncertain.
Industry-wide Supply Chain Information Integration
Authors: Henningsson Stefan , Hedman Jonas
Published: February 2012

Experiences from enterprise-wide integration initiatives during more than four decades indicate that industry-wide information integration could render substantial benefits. Two ways in which industry-wide integration differs from enterprise-wide integration are that there is no common management level and the economic units in the integration are the constituent units, not the industry. Management involvement has been emphasized as perhaps the most critical success factor for enterprise-wide information integration. The common economic unit enables increased costs in one part of the organization to lower the total cost in the company as a whole. In this article the authors address which consequence these two differences have for the development of information integration in four industry-wide supply chains. The authors find the existing methods for enterprise-wide information integration, such as BPR, virtually impossible to apply on industry-wide information integration and that the disjoint economic responsibility is a hampering aspect in reaching potential benefits of industry-wide information integration.
The Strategic Role of Human Collaboration in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Saban Kenneth , Mawhinney John
Published: February 2012

Supply chain performance is often equated with acquiring the best technology or process. However, current studies suggest that supply chain performance also requires human collaboration. To change conventional thinking, this paper proposes a holistic approach to supply chain management (SCM), clarifies the forces that facilitate human collaboration, and identifies the steps management can take to create a more collaborative network.
Two-Commodity Markovian Inventory System with Set of Reorders
Authors: Anbazhagan N. , Vigneshwaran B.
Published: February 2012

This article examines a two commodity substitutable inventory system—two different brands of super computers under continuous review. The demand points for each commodity are assumed to form independent Poisson processes. The reordering policy is to place orders for both the commodities when the total net inventory level drops to any one of the prefixed levels with prescribed probability distribution. Lost sales are assumed during the stock out period. The lead time for a reorder is exponentially distributed with parameter(, depending on the size of the ordering quantity. The limiting probability distribution for the joint inventory levels is also evaluated. Various operational characteristics and total expected cost rate are derived. Numerical examples are provided to find optimal reorder quantity and band width .
An Empirical Investigation of Third Party Logistics Providers in Thailand
Authors: Kritchanchai Duangpun , Tan Albert Wee Kwan , Hosie Peter
Published: February 2012

Third Party Logistics (3PL) in Asia emerged as an important trend in logistical management and Thailand continues to develop in this service rapidly. While a great deal has been written about the dissemination of information technology (IT), few empirical investigations address the use of IT in relation to 3PLs in Thailand. In this article, the authors use an empirical study to investigate the profiles of 3PLs in Thailand and their company strategies for providing logistics service and use of IT. Survey results show that Thailand’s 3PL companies must expend more effort to strengthen basic IT and infrastructure to enhance competitiveness. IT capabilities in Thailand are increasing rapidly and its effective adoption has the potential to significantly enhance the competitiveness of small 3PLs. Still many barriers exist to the successful adoption of IT by these providers. Given the importance of such companies in supply chain management, these issues must be fully understood.
Design and Development of an e-Platform for Supporting Liquid Food Supply Chain Monitoring and Traceability
Authors: Folinas Dimitris , Manikas Ioannis
Published: February 2012

In this paper, the deliverables of a research project are presented, which aims at the development of a web-based platform capable of supporting the traceability of liquid products like milk, wine and olive oil. First, it includes the design of a supply chain reference model and the identification of the data required for the efficient operation of the traceability system. The main elements of the proposed model defined in this paper are the entities, stages, events, and processes. The reference model consists of three distinct phases that represent stages of real-life supply chains. Each of these phases is defined by certain interactions between the above basic elements. Additionally, the proposed e-platform is based on the above reference model aiming to follow and register the production and distribution processes of the raw materials, semi-finals, and final products that are used in the examined industry.
A Unified Classification Ecosystem for Auctions
Authors: Emiris Dimitrios M. , Marentakis Charis A.
Published: February 2012

Auctions have known considerable and continuous growth during the last decades due to their interesting properties in price formation when the value of goods traded is not known or varies. The systematic research in the area of auctions has advanced considerably since William Vickrey’s seminal paper on 1961. Although earlier research has been based mainly on Microeconomics and Games Theory, recent advances extended relevant research in Operational Research and Information Technology. Today, auctions and their applications form a challenging topic not only for economists but for operational researchers, marketers, logisticians and management engineers as well. This paper provides an overview of recent literature in auction theory, focusing on contemporary auction techniques and proposes an Auctions Classification Ecosystem (ACE) that encompasses previous works and new developments in the area. The proposed unified classification approach encompasses auction features and mechanism design parameters in a single scheme. This scheme facilitates the understanding of auction characteristics and supports auction practitioners in designing the appropriate format depending on the application requirements.
Fuzzy Multi-Choice Goal Programming for Supplier Selection
Authors: Chang Ching-Ter , Ku Cheng-Yuan , Ho Hui-Ping
Published: February 2012

Supplier selection decision is an important issue of purchasing management in supply chain management involving multiple objectives; however, it is difficult to solve because objectives are often conflicting in nature. This study integrates multi-choice goal programming (MCGP) and fuzzy approaches as decision aids to help decision makers to choose better suppliers by considering multiple aspiration levels and vague goal relations. According to the function of multiple aspirations provided by the fuzzy MCGP (FMCGP), decision makers can set fuzzy relations among multiple supplier goals with linguistic quantifiers according to their different strategies. Also, decision makers can define the membership function for each linguistic quantifier to describe their ambiguous selection preference in supplier selection. With the FMCGP method, decision makers can obtain the order quantities for suitable suppliers based on different organizations’ supply chain strategies. To demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method, a real-world case of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor and acrylic sheet manufacturer is presented.
Solution of Correlated Multi-Response Optimization Problem
Authors: Datta Saurav , Nandi Goutam , Bandyopadhyay Asish , Pal Pradip Kumar
Published: February 2012

This paper highlights an integrated approach to solve the correlated multi-response optimization problem through a case study in submerged arc welding (SAW). The proposed approach has been presented to overcome different limitations and drawbacks of existing optimization techniques available in literature. Traditional Taguchi optimization technique is based under the assumption that quality responses are independent to each other; however, this assumption may not always be valid. A common trend in the solution of a multi-objective optimization problem is to convert these multi-objectives into an equivalent single objective function. While deriving this equivalent objective function, different weightage are assigned to different responses according to their relative priority. In this regard, it seems that no specific guideline is available for assigning individual response weighs. To avoid this, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been adopted to eliminate correlation among individual desirability values and to calculate uncorrelated quality indices that have been aggregated to calculate overall grey relational grade. This study combines PCA, Desirability Function (DF) approach, and grey relation theory to the entropy measurement technique. Finally, the Taguchi method has been used to derive optimal process environment capable of producing desired weld quality related to bead geometry.
A Note on the Connection Between the Primal-Dual and the A* Algorithm
Authors: Ye Xugang , Han Shih-Ping , Lin Anhua
Published: February 2012

The primal-dual algorithm for linear programming is very effective for solving network flow problems. For the method to work, an initial feasible solution to the dual is required. In this article, we show that, for the shortest path problem in a positively weighted graph equipped with a consistent heuristic function, the primal-dual algorithm will become the well-known A* algorithm if a special initial feasible solution to the dual is chosen. We also show how the improvements of the dual objective are related to the A* iterations.
Assessing Transport Aircraft Inspection Strategies
Authors: Johnson Alan W. , Heiman Theodore , Cooper Martha , Hill Raymond R.
Published: February 2012

Complex aircraft require periodic maintenance checks to assess needed repairs for continued vehicle availability. However, such checks are expensive and the associated aircraft downtime can reduce fleet mission effectiveness. The United States Air Force plans to consolidate the time-based (isochronal) C-5 aircraft major inspection activities for eight C-5 home stations into three locations. Isochronal inspections rely on a calendar method to schedule inspections and disregard actual flying hours between inspections. By having the same personnel perform these inspections for all flying units and by adopting commercial aircraft condition-based inspection strategies, the Air Force hopes to gain efficiencies in performing these inspections. Conversely, the site phase-out schedule and reduced number of inspection locations raises questions about whether overall C-5 mission capability will be reduced. These proposed revisions were simulated in a designed experiment to assess the impacts to fleet availability and inspection site workload.
Performance of Two-Component Systems with Imperfect Repair
Authors: Hajeeh Mohammed
Published: February 2012

Operational systems deteriorate over time and eventually fail by the failure of one or more of their components. Failed components are either replaced or repaired, and replacement is usually expensive. This article examines the behavior of repairable systems with imperfect repair, where a failed component is repaired once or more depending on factors such as repair cost, level of deterioration, and criticality of the component. When these systems are subjected to a customer use environment, their performance must endure different conditions. In imperfect repair, the performance of the system lessens after each failure. Three models of a two-component system studied are the series, parallel, and standby configurations, and the components are identical and independent. A closed form analytical expression for steady state operational probability is derived for different configurations under exponential distribution time to failure and repair time. Two examples are then discussed thoroughly.
Security Constrained Economic Dispatch
Authors: Wang Lizhi , Kong Nan
Published: February 2012

The main objective of electric power dispatch is to provide electricity to the customers at low cost and high reliability. Transmission line failures constitute a great threat to the electric power system security. We use a Markov decision process (MDP) approach to model the sequential dispatch decision making process where demand level and transmission line availability change from hour to hour. The action space is defined by the electricity network constraints. Risk of the power system is the loss of transmission lines, which could cause involuntary load shedding or cascading failures. The objective of the model is to minimize the expected long-term discounted cost (including generation, load shedding, and cascading failure costs). Policy iteration can be used to solve this model. At the policy improvement step, a stochastic mixed integer linear program is solved to obtain the optimal action. We use a PJM network example to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Polynomial Approximation for Two Stage Stochastic Programming with Separable Objective
Authors: Chen Lijian , Banet Dustin J.
Published: February 2012

In this paper, the authors solve the two stage stochastic programming with separable objective by obtaining convex polynomial approximations to the convex objective function with an arbitrary accuracy. Our proposed method will be valid for realistic applications, for example, the convex objective can be either non-differentiable or only accessible by Monte Carlo simulations. The resulting polynomial is constructed by Bernstein polynomial and norm approximation models. At a given accuracy, the necessary degree of the polynomial and the replications are properly determined. Afterward, the authors applied the first gradient type algorithms on the new stochastic programming model with the polynomial objective, resulting in the optimal solution being attained.
Strong photoelectron emission from silver nanostructures
Authors: Hewageegana Prabath
Published: February 2012

Localized optically-nonlinear photoelectron emission from metal (silver) nanostructures under two-pulse emission has been developed for relatively low energy. For two-photon emission from random metal nanostructures, it has been shown that the coherent control allows one to move nanosize hot spots whose positions are controllable on a nanometer scale. It is proposed to use silver random planer composite and introduce this photoemission process as an ultrafast process, on femtosecond or subfemtosecond scale.Keywords: photoelectron emission, nanostructures, two-photon pulseDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/josuk.v5i0.4090 J Sci.Univ.Kelaniya 5 (2010): 47-54
A new species ofAnastrepha(Diptera: Tephritidae) from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama
Authors: Norrbom Allen L. , Korytkowski Cheslavo A.
Published: February 2012

Anastrepha woodisp. nov.is described and illustrated based on specimens from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama.Anastrepha loewiStone, the species most similar toA. woodi, is redescribed, and the two species are compared.
Taxonomy and nomenclature ofEremasiomyia macularisandMiltogramma maroccana(Diptera: Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae)
Authors: Pape Thomas , Szpila Krzysztof
Published: February 2012

The nominal taxonTachina macularisWiedemann is revised and redescribed from the adult and first instar larva. It is transferred from its current status as a valid species ofProtomiltogrammaTownsend to a position as a valid species ofEremasiomyiaRohdendorf,comb. nov.and senior synonym ofSetulia luteicornisVilleneuve,syn. nov.,Eremasiomyia setulioidesRohdendorf,syn. nov., andEremasiomyia orientalisVerves,syn. nov.The nominal speciesSphecapatodes maroccanaSéguy is revised and redescribed from the adult, and is shown to belong toMiltogrammaMeigen,comb. nov.The nominal genus-group taxonCapnopteronRohdendorf was originally proposed as a subgenus ofMiltogrammawith the type speciesMiltogramma maculigerumSpeisersensuRohdendorf). However, the latter is shown to be a misidentification ofMiltogramma maroccana(Séguy), which herewith is fixed as the type species ofCapnopteron.
A review of Nearctic Clytocerus (Diptera: Psychodidae: Psychodinae)
Authors: Curler Gregory R. , Moulton John K.
Published: February 2012

Larvae, pupae, and adult males and females of Clytocerus (Boreoclytocerus) americanus (Kincaid), as well as adult males and females of Clytocerus (Boreoclytocerus) microlimnetessp. nov. were collected during various biodiversity surveys in the southeastern United States. Clytocerus (B.) americanus is redescribed, C. (B.) microlimnetes is described, and the natural history and relationships of Nearctic species of Clytocerus are discussed.
Fabulous flower flies for famous fly fanatics (Diptera: Syrphidae). A tribute to the dipterists of the Canadian National Collection
Authors: Thompson F. Christian
Published: February 2012

Six new flower fly species are described:Blera chillcottiThompson (Nepal),Sphiximorpha mcalpineiThompson (Mexico),Psilota shewelliThompson (Nepal),Rhopalosyrphus teskeyiThompson (Argentina),Parasyrphus vockerothiThompson (United States of America and Canada), andLycopale woodiThompson (Mexico). Keys are provided to the species of the generaLycopaleHull andRhopalosyrphusGiglio-Tos, the Nearctic species ofSphiximorphaRondani, and the Oriental species ofBleraBillberg andPsilotaMeigen.
The extinct genus Pareuthychaeta in Eocene ambers (Diptera: Schizophora: Ephydroidea)
Authors: Grimaldi David , Singh Hukam
Published: February 2012

Pareuthychaeta Hennig was previously known only from two described species in Eocene Baltic amber (Lutetian, ca. 42 Ma), Pareuthychaeta electrica Hennig and Pareuthychaeta minuta (Meunier), some details of which are revised based on new specimens. A third Baltic species is described, Pareuthychaeta mcalpinei Grimaldi, sp. nov. Another species, Pareuthychaeta eoindica Grimaldi, sp. nov., is described in earliest Eocene (Ypresian-aged, ca. 50–52 Ma) amber from Gujarat, western India. Comments are provided on the relationships of Pareuthychaeta to Recent genera of Diastatidae sensu lato (including Campichoetinae), and implications of this extinct genus are discussed regarding biogeography and the early Paleogene Schizophora radiations.
Identification and quantification of organic aerosol from cooking and other sources in Barcelona using aerosol mass spectrometer data
Authors: Mohr C. , DeCarlo P. F. , Heringa M. F. , Chirico R. , Slowik J. G. , Richter R. , Reche C. , Alastuey A. , Querol X. , Seco R. , Peñuelas J. , Jiménez J. L. , Crippa M. , Zimmermann R. , Baltensperger U. , Prévôt A. S. H.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. PM1 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <1 μm) non-refractory components and black carbon were measured continuously together with additional air quality and atmospheric parameters at an urban background site in Barcelona, Spain, during March 2009 (campaign DAURE, Determination of the sources of atmospheric Aerosols in Urban and Rural Environments in the western Mediterranean). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was conducted on the organic aerosol (OA) data matrix measured by an aerosol mass spectrometer, on both unit mass (UMR) and high resolution (HR) data. Five factors or sources could be identified: LV-OOA (low-volatility oxygenated OA), related to regional, aged secondary OA; SV-OOA (semi-volatile oxygenated OA), a fresher oxygenated OA; HOA (hydrocarbon-like OA, related to traffic emissions); BBOA (biomass burning OA) from domestic heating or agricultural biomass burning activities; and COA (cooking OA). LV-OOA contributed 28% to OA, SV-OOA 27%, COA 17%, HOA 16%, and BBOA 11%. The COA HR spectrum contained substantial signal from oxygenated ions (O:C: 0.21) whereas the HR HOA spectrum had almost exclusively contributions from chemically reduced ions (O:C: 0.03). If we assume that the carbon in HOA is fossil while that in COA and BBOA is modern, primary OA in Barcelona contains a surprisingly high fraction (59%) of non-fossil carbon. This paper presents a method for estimating cooking organic aerosol in ambient datasets based on the fractions of organic mass fragments at m/z 55 and 57: their data points fall into a V-shape in a scatter plot, with strongly influenced HOA data aligned to the right arm and strongly influenced COA data points aligned to the left arm. HR data show that this differentiation is mainly driven by the oxygen-containing ions C3H3O+ and C3H5O+, even though their contributions to m/z 55 and 57 are low compared to the reduced ions C4H7+ and C4H9+. A simple estimation method based on the markers m/z 55, 57, and 44 is developed here and allows for a first-order-estimation of COA in urban air. This study emphasizes the importance of cooking activities for ambient air quality and confirms the importance of chemical composition measurements with a high mass and time resolution.
Scaling laws of diffusion and time intermittency generated by coherent structures in atmospheric turbulence
Authors: Paradisi P. , Cesari R. , Donateo A. , Contini D. , Allegrini P.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. We investigate the time intermittency of turbulent transport associated with the birth-death of self-organized coherent structures in the atmospheric boundary layer. We apply a threshold analysis on the increments of turbulent fluctuations to extract sequences of rapid acceleration events, which is a marker of the transition between self-organized structures. The inter-event time distributions show a power-law decay ψ(τ) ~ 1/τμ, with a strong dependence of the power-law index μ on the threshold. A recently developed method based on the application of event-driven walking rules to generate different diffusion processes is applied to the experimental event sequences. At variance with the power-law index μ estimated from the inter-event time distributions, the diffusion scaling H, defined by ⟨ X2⟩ ~ t2H, is independent from the threshold. From the analysis of the diffusion scaling it can also be inferred the presence of different kind of events, i.e. genuinely transition events and spurious events, which all contribute to the diffusion process but over different time scales. The great advantage of event-driven diffusion lies in the ability of separating different regimes of the scaling H. In fact, the greatest H, corresponding to the most anomalous diffusion process, emerges in the long time range, whereas the smallest H can be seen in the short time range if the time resolution of the data is sufficiently accurate. The estimated diffusion scaling is also robust under the change of the definition of turbulent fluctuations and, under the assumption of statistically independent events, it corresponds to a self-similar point process with a well-defined power-law index μD ~ 2.1, where D denotes that μD is derived from the diffusion scaling. We argue that this renewal point process can be associated to birth and death of coherent structures and to turbulent transport near the ground, where the contribution of turbulent coherent structures becomes dominant.
Sea surface temperature anomalies, seasonal cycle and trend regimes in the Eastern Pacific coast
Authors: Ramos-Rodríguez A. , Lluch-Cota D. B. , Lluch-Cota S. E. , Trasviña-Castro A.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. We used the extended reconstruction of sea surface temperature (ERSST) to analyze the variation of surface temperature and the seasonal cycle along the coast of the eastern Pacific (60° N–60° S, 61 pixels alongshore) from 1950 to 2010 (732 months). First, we analyzed the monthly anomalies and looked for a relationship of such anomalies with total solar irradiance (TSI) and then the Regime Shift Detector (RSD) was applied to detect possible temperature regimes in the series. Afterwards, we calculated a yearly temperature range per pixel (amplitude of seasonal cycle) and through the subtraction of a latitudinal theoretical curve of temperature based on solar irradiance, the residuals of the seasonal cycle were obtained. The results showed an almost complete spatial synchrony and dominance of negative anomalies from 1950 to mid-late 1970's, with a switch to near-zero and positive anomalies that lasted up to late 1990's when a new shift to negative values was detected. Such a shift lasted until the early 2000's when positive anomalies appeared again but there was a change to negative anomalies in the late 2000's. These results were supported by the RSD. The TSI variability shows a clear relationship with that of sea surface temperature anomalies and with the regime changes. This is probably due to a difference in the amount of energy received from the sun. Comparing the "cool regime" versus the "warm regime", the second one received 0.39% more energy (approximately 3 × 108 J m−2) from the sun. Seasonal cycles show larger ranges at northern latitudes (>40° N), northern tropical-temperate transition zone (20°–26° N) and in the tropical-equatorial band (0°–30° S). The smallest ranges occur at 0°–16° N and 50°–60° S. The residuals (seasonal minus the theoretical curve) indicated a clear modulation due to advection by ocean currents.
Effect of apple cider vinegar on plasma lipids (model experiment in mice)
Authors: Bárdos László , Bender Balázs
Published: February 2012

Model experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of apple cider vinegar (ACV) on the blood and liver cholesterol (Ch), triglycerides (TG) and one of a marker of antioxidant status of blood (FRAP) in laboratory mice. Animals consumed a basal mice diet (Control) served as the control group. The same diet was supplemented either 1% cholesterol (Ch) or 1% edible sunflower oil (SFO). All groups were duplicated and their animals were supplied drinking water containing ACV (50 mg l-1)(groups: Control+ACV, Chol+ACV, SFO+ACV).The feeding and drinking was ad libitum for 21 days. At the end of experiment the animals were exterminated. Blood and liver samples were analyzed for total cholesterol (tCh), triglycerides (TG) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The results show that the Ch supplemented group stored higher concentration of tCh in the liver (P<0.01) than SFO treated animals. The cholesterol reserves were less in ACV treated groups. The alterations of plasma tCh showed no significant changes by cholesterol or SFO supplementation and drinking ACV containing water. The concentration of plasma and liver TG remained in the same range in all groups independently by different treatments. Animals of SFO supplemented groups (SFO and SFO+ACV) got more fatten than Control and Ch groups and their liver/body mass ratio (%) decreased (P<0.05). The ACV exerted a decreasing effect on the level of plasma tCh and TG markedly (P<0.05) but only in that group (Control+ACV) which consumed the basal diet. This lowering effect could be demonstrated only in the case of TG in the liver. The groups receiving ACV showed decreasing FRAP values. This means a lower antioxidative capacity of plasma. The ACV can helps in the lowering of plasma lipids (tCh and TG) and can depress their liver storage in the case of normal level of lipid consumption. When the lipid input was elevated this benefit not occurred.
Molecular properties of selected polysaccharides determined by sec chromatography and their impact on water absorption of wheat flour
Authors: Tokár Marián , Buksa Krzysztof , Gambuś Halina , Bojňanská Tatiana , Ivanišová Eva
Published: February 2012

Chemical composition and solubility in water of selected polysaccharides as β-glucan, arabinoxylan and inulin preparation were determined. All these preparation were of good purity, they consist of at least 71% of polysaccharide of intrest. Solubility in water was the highest in the case of inulin and the lowest in the case of β-glucan. Molecular properties of examined preparations were determined by SEC chromatography. β-glucan and arabinoxylan were of much higher molecular mass than inulin. Molecular mass of examined polysacharides was corelated with increase of water absorption of the flour caused by 2% addition of each polysaccharide.
Logistics Innovation in China
Authors: Cui Lianguang , Ivan Su Shong-Iee , Hertz Susanne
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this research is to explore logistics innovation at third-party logistics (3PL) firms in China. Case studies of 3PL firms in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China (Greater China region) have been conducted. Based on interviews, observation and documentation, a qualitative casestudy approach has been followed. Drawing on case-study findings, the driving forces, barriers, and effects of logistics innovation on 3PL firms in China are discussed. Customer requirements, environmental factors, efficiency and effectiveness enhancement, and provision of wider service portfolios and differentiation are strong rationales for 3PL firms to innovate in China. In comparison, cost, time, and employee ability are crucial barriers hindering 3PL firms from innovating in China. Logistics innovation can lead to positive operational performance by increasing efficiency, effectiveness, and service portfolios. Logistics innovation is also positively related to the enhanced relationship with clients, growing sales, reputation and financial performance.
Some Results on Super Quasi-Einstein Manifolds
Authors: Hui Shyamal Kumar , Lemence Richard S.
Published: February 2012

This paper deals with the study of super quasi-Einstein manifolds admitting -curvature tensor. The totally umbilical hypersurfaces of are also studied. Among others, the existence of such a manifold is ensured by a nontrivial example.