bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unilever's Mission for Vitality
Authors: Austen-Smith David , Galinsky Adam , Chung Katherine H. , LaVanway Christy
Published: March 2017

Dove and Axe were two highly successful brands owned by Unilever, a portfolio company. Dove was a female-oriented beauty product brand that exhorted “real beauty” and not the unachievable standards that the media portrayed. In contrast, Axe was a brand that purportedly “gives men the edge in the mating game.”□ Their risquÃ© commercials always portrayed the supermodel-type beauty ideal that Dove was trying to change. Unilever had always been a company of brands where the consumer knew the brands but not the company, but recently there had been the idea to unify the company with an umbrella mission for all of its brands. This would turn Unilever into a company with brands, potentially increasing consumer awareness and encourage cross-purchases between the different brands. However, this raised questions about the conflicting messages between the brands' marketing campaigns, most notably between Unilever's two powerhouse brands, Dove and Axe. The case begins with COO Alan Jope anticipating an upcoming press meeting in New York City to discuss Unilever's current (i.e., 2005) performance and announce Unilever's decision to create an umbrella mission statement for the company. This case focuses on the central question of whether or not consistency between brand messages is necessary or inherently problematic.

The Unilever's Mission for Vitality case was created to help students and managers develop an appreciation for how the values underlying a marketing campaign can affect and alter an organization's culture. The case focuses on how two products and marketing campaigns that express conflicting underlying values (as reflected in the Dove Real Beauty and the Axe Effect campaigns) within the same corporation can give rise to a number of unintended organizational and marketing complications.
Universal Display Corporation: Go Long or Short?
Authors: Korajczyk Robert , Vincent Linda , Galas Matthew , Mathews David , Qi Danielle , Goyal Saurabh
Published: March 2017

This case asks the student to take a stance on whether an portfolio manager should take a long or short position in the equity of Universal Display Corporation (PANL). The stock is polarizing, in that reasonable arguments could be made for both long and short positions. The case suggests a number of steps that an analyst might follow when valuing a company

Discounted cash flow valuation, comparables valuation, short selling. After students have analyzed the case they will be able to value the equity of a publicly traded company and take a position on whether a portfolio manager should buy or sell the stock.
ValuJet Airlines
Authors: Dana James D. , Schmitt David A.
Published: March 2017

Looks at the strategic positioning decision of ValuJet Airlines when it entered the fortress hub of Delta Airlines. ValuJet's strategy, and Delta's response, is an example of what is sometimes called Judo strategy–where the entrant uses the incumbent's strengths against them. ValuJet positions itself in such a way that it is very costly for Delta to retaliate.
Venita Fields: What Private Equity Professionals Really Do
Authors: Collins Derrick , Finkel Ed , Whitaker Scott T.
Published: March 2017

Ever since he had heard her speak at a private equity conference, Babatunde Omotoba had wanted to work for Venita Fields, co-founder and senior managing director of private equity firm Smith Whiley & Company. He wrote and asked her for an informational interview, and was excited to receive her invitation to meet with her at the firm's regional office in Evanston, Illinois. After the interview, however, Omotoba came to the grim realization that despite all his preparations—researching private equity firms, studying the types of deals they make, and evaluating the analytical tools used to perform due diligence on companies and make investment decisions—he did not have a full grasp on the actual day-to-day work private equity professionals perform. He spent time reviewing materials from the career management office about private equity, and he meets two Kellogg alumni for informational interviews. He also reviews the investment process. The case ends with Omotoba having a broader perspective on the human aspect of private equity, beyond the analytical and financial aspects, as he anticipates meeting Fields again, hopefully to get the job offer.

Students learn the “tools of the trade” in private equity: managing portfolio company executives, meeting with limited partners to raise funds, managing the fund, selecting investments, and managing their time. Students learn the interpersonal nature of the business, including persuasion and negotiation, and how that is as important as financial skills. Students learn the process of preparing to interview with a private equity professional.
Wal-Mart: The Store Wars
Authors: Diermeier Daniel
Published: March 2017

In early 2004, residents of Inglewood, California, a working-class community just outside Los Angeles composed primarily of African- and Hispanic-Americans, were preparing to vote on a referendum that would change the city charter to allow Wal-Mart to build a supercenter on a huge, undeveloped lot in the city. Walmart had put forward the measure after the city council refused to change the zoning of a sixty-acre plot on which it held an option to build. Numerous community and religious groups opposed Wal-Mart's entry and campaigned against the referendum. Walmart promised low-priced merchandise and jobs, but these groups were skeptical about the kinds of jobs and compensation that would be offered, the healthcare that would be provided to employees, and the broader impact Walmart would have on the community. Inglewood was a pro-union community, so there was also opposition based on Walmart's anti-union position. On April 6 Inglewood residents voted to reject the referendum by a margin of 60.6 percent to 39.9 percent. Though smaller, less organized, and with fewer resources than Walmart, this coalition of community and religious leaders had defeated the global retailing behemoth.

After students have analyzed the case they will be able to (a) appreciate the importance of nonmarket factors to execute growth and market entry strategies, (b) understand how the decisions of political institutions depend on the issue context and the alignments of coalitions of interest, (c) formulate and assess strategies to overcome nonmarket barriers to entry.
Wal-Mart's Katrina Aid
Authors: Diermeier Daniel , Crawford Robert J. , Snyder Charlotte
Published: March 2017

After Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Louisiana on August 29, 2005, Wal-Mart initiated emergency operations that not only protected and reopened its stores, but also helped its employees and others in the community cope with the disaster's personal impact. This response was part of a wider effort by the company under CEO Lee Scott to improve its public image. Wal-Mart's efforts were widely regarded as the most successful of all corporations in the aftermath of the disaster and set the standard for future corporate disaster relief programs.

Move beyond the operational dimensions of disaster response and appreciate how disaster response is connected to the company's strategy and its position in the market place. Understand how disasters are different than other types of reputational crises and are subject to different expectation from the public. Understand how a company can do well by doing good: how it can do the right thing and benefit its business at the same time. Discuss the changing expectations of companies to act in the public interest.
Weston Nurseries, Inc. (A)
Authors: Ward John L. , Colton Brian
Published: March 2017

Brothers in a multigeneration family business engage in a power struggle, and the board must decide on a new leadership strategy.

To learn the extent to which things can gradually go astray in a multigeneration family business, given the differing education and personalities of succeeding leaders. Also, to see the advantages of nonfamily board members' perspectives and how to influence and add value as a board member to a struggling family business engaging in a leadership power struggle.
Wrigley's Eclipse Gum: Managing Brand Adolescence
Authors: Lee Angela Y. , Merkley Greg , Bailey Bob
Published: March 2017

Wrigley launched Eclipse gum in August 1999. In early 2000, Paul Chibe became senior marketing manager for Wrigley's breath freshening portfolio, which included Eclipse. With the disappointing first-year performance of the brand, Chibe needed to take action to turn Eclipse around. His task was to use the opinions from other Wrigley executives and from marketing research data to decide if Eclipse could be turned around or if it should be abandoned.

After reading and analyzing the case, students should be able to:

Identify the most important variables that drive the success of consumer package goods brands

Interpret and use data from various types of marketing research to evaluate marketing mix strategies

Develop fact-based marketing recommendations
Zimmer: The Gender-Specific Knee
Authors: Calkins Tim , Joseph Harmon
Published: March 2017

Focuses on a simple question: should Zimmer develop a gender-specific artificial knee? The decision is complicated because while the idea seems to make sense, there is little clinical evidence that a gender-specific knee produces superior patient outcomes, and orthopedic surgeons are likely to be skeptical of the innovation.

To teach new product strategy and growth strategy, and introduce students to the medical device industry.
Zithromax Z-Pak and the “Biaxin BBQ” (A)
Authors: Hennessy Julie
Published: March 2017

The Biaxin case deals with competition in the mature market for antibiotics designed for use in the treatment of bacterial respiratory infections. The case tells the story of how Pfizer's Zithromax stole the share dominance of an established brand, Abbott's Biaxin. The case deals with the importance in pharma markets of consumer (patient) and channel (physician and insurance payer) insight as well as pharmacological efficacy data.

The case teaches the importance of understanding consumer and channel needs, as well as technology, in product development. It also facilitates discussion of corporate strengths and blind spots.
“Bouncing back” after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Authors: Grattan Lynn M. , Brumback Babette , Roberts Sparkle M. , Buckingham-Howes Stacy , Toben Alexandra C. , Morris Glenn
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The psychological and behavioral consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster were among the most widespread, long term, and costly of all oil spill-related disasters. However, many people were resilient, and understanding the factors associated with resilience in the immediate aftermath of this disaster are needed to guide early interventions. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 133 adults from the Northeast Gulf Coast participated in a study of mental health outcomes during the oil spill and one year later. Participants completed a battery of measures that assessed their basic demographics, income status, perceived environmental risk (i.e. characteristic way people think about and interpret environmental risks), self-reported resilience (i.e. ability to “bounce back” after a disaster), and mental health status.

Findings

Results of univariate analyses indicated similar, elevated levels of mental health problems at both time points; however, environmental risk perception was higher one year post-spill than during the spill. In multivariate analyses, income stability, increased time, higher self-reported resilience, and lower environmental risk perception were associated with better mental health outcomes while age and gender had no association.

Originality/value

Oil spills are protracted disasters, and better mental health outcomes are linked to financial stability, as well as a belief in environmental restoration and one’s own capacity for resilience. Since resilience and environmental worry are potentially modifiable processes, they might be targeted in prevention and early intervention efforts in order to create more robust, prepared individuals in the face of an oil spill disaster.
Climate change from the lens of Malolos children: perception, impact and adaptation
Authors: Berse Kristoffer
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to understand how Filipino children perceive climate change; second, to determine how children themselves adapt to its impacts; and third, to identify the level of support available at the household, community, and city levels as children adjust to their changing environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study was conducted in three peri-urban communities in Malolos, Philippines, looking at the perception and adaptation mechanisms of children in the face of climate change, using Lazarus and Folkman’s typology for children’s coping strategies in stressful situations. The support that children receive at the household, community, and city levels was also examined.

Findings

Climate change has impacted the daily lives of children, aggravating in particular the “everyday” and “invisible” risks of those who belong to poor households. In general, emotion-focused coping that hinges on denial or distancing did not seem to be prominent among children; many of them were rather pre-disposed to problem-focused coping as they try to cope with the impacts of climate change in their immediate environment. Unfortunately, however, interventions to mitigate the impacts of climate change on children at the household, community, and city levels were found to be lacking.

Research limitations/implications

The selected communities do not represent the wide spectrum of localities in the Philippines. At best, findings from the small sample size provide only a snapshot of the conditions of children living in peri-urban areas.

Practical implications

The study points to the need for child-sensitive climate change adaptation at the household, community, and city levels to support the coping mechanisms of children.

Originality/value

The study adopts a multi-level approach at understanding the impacts of climate change on Filipino children and the interventions that they and other social institutions have undertaken in response thereto. Findings add empirical evidence to growing literature on the subject, especially in the context of the Philippines where academic studies on the matter remain scant.
Exploring public universities as social enterprises
Authors: Miles Morgan P. , Verreynne Martie-Louise , McAuley Andrew , Hammond Kevin
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how universities attempt to balance meeting their traditional mission of education, research and community engagement while remaining economically sustainable.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted in 2014 of university executives and found that universities in Australia are rapidly transitioning from public supported institutions to an organizational form much more like social enterprise, with all of the organizational, marketing and ethical ramifications.

Findings

Australian universities were found to be focused on maintaining financial viability and that the most significant source of future revenue for Australian universities is perceived to be from international students.

Originality/value

The findings have tremendous public policy and ethical implications – suggesting a shift in the classification of university education from what was generally considered a public good to what is increasingly perceived as a private good in the contemporary market place, with the increasing importance of international students.
Uncovering the structures and maturity of the new service development research field through a bibliometric study (1984-2014)
Authors: Mendes Glauco H.S. , Oliveira Maicon Gouvea , Gomide Eduardo H. , Nantes José Flávio Diniz
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the new service development (NSD) research field. It addresses its scientific production, social and intellectual structures, and maturity.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a bibliometric-based literature review. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are performed on a sample of 277 NSD articles (published from 1984 to 2014). These articles are organized into four periods to improve the analyses from an evolutionary perspective: Early Writings (1984-1995), Advancing of Literature (1996-2001), Progressive Literature (2002-2008), and Recent Works (2009-2014).

Findings

The scientific production in the NSD field has grown significantly over these four periods, and the entry of new authors has extended the social structure. However, collaboration networks seem disconnected from one another. Nonetheless, the intellectual structure has shown great progress, making NSD an independent area of research and discovery from the new product development domain, with its own foundations and expansions into new topics. Although the NSD research field has not yet reached maturity, it is consistently moving toward it.

Originality/value

This study delivers a multiperspective view of research on NSD using a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach. It provides new insights into the discussion of the field’s maturity and can be used as a roadmap for academics and practitioners who would like to understand the state of existing knowledge and are looking for research opportunities.
Leveraging marketer-generated appeals in online brand communities
Authors: Weiger Welf H. , Wetzel Hauke A. , Hammerschmidt Maik
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The proliferation of online brand communities has shifted control over brands from firms to consumers. Demonstrating how marketers can stimulate consumers to use these opportunities and engage with the brand in such communities, the purpose of this paper is to address the effectiveness of normative and utilitarian appeals commonly employed in practice for enhancing engagement intensity and brand equity in turn.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents two studies at an individual user level. The first study builds on matched data on marketing actions, user behavior, and user perceptions from a Facebook brand community. The second study uses an experiment with members of a firm-hosted online brand community. The authors employ seemingly unrelated regressions while controlling for self-selection.

Findings

Marketer-generated appeals have a positive effect on brand equity that is mediated by engagement intensity. However, the strength of these effects depends highly on community, user, and relationship characteristics.

Practical implications

Generally speaking, marketer-generated appeals are effective tools for marketers to build brand equity through enhanced user engagement. However, their effectiveness can be improved when managers use a targeted approach. To offer precise managerial guidance, this paper shows how entertainment value, content consumption asymmetry (e.g. whether a user prefers user-generated content over marketer-generated content), and membership duration increase or lower the impact of appeals in building the brand through engagement intensity.

Originality/value

The authors provide evidence that appeals designed to drive user engagement in online brand communities are effective tools for boosting brand equity.
The impact of sustainable supplier management practices on buyer-supplier performance
Authors: Yang Fan , Zhang Xiongfei
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to present an empirical study on the multidimensional relationships between sustainable supplier management (SSM) practices and buyer–supplier performance from the buying firms’ perspective. Specifically, the authors focus on four SSM practices, namely, sustainable supplier selection, sustainable supplier monitoring, sustainable supplier development and sustainable supplier collaboration, and test their effects on three buyer–supplier performance measures, namely, supplier performance, buyer–supplier relationship and buyer competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data collected from 256 manufacturers across different geographical areas and industrial branches in Greater China. A conceptual model was proposed and tested using structural equation modeling technique with the help of SmartPLS 3.0.

Findings

The sustainable supplier development and sustainable supplier collaboration have positive relationships with supplier performance, while sustainable supplier selection, sustainable supplier monitoring and sustainable supplier collaboration have positive influence on buyer–supplier relationship and buyer competitive advantage. Furthermore, the relative importance and contributions of the individual measures was also identified.

Originality/value

This study simultaneously integrates the constructs of SSM practices and buyer–supplier performance. Moreover, it seeks to make a contribution to existing literature from a theoretical perspective by investigating the sub-dimensions of SSM practices and buyer–supplier performance.
Scenario planning as organizational intervention
Authors: Balarezo Jose , Nielsen Bo Bernhard
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to identify four areas in need of future research to enhance the theoretical understanding of scenario planning (SP), and sets the basis for future empirical examination of its effects on individual and organizational level outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper organizes existing contributions on SP within a new consolidating framework that includes antecedents, processes and outcomes. The proposed framework allows for integration of the extant literature on SP from a wide variety of fields, including strategic management, finance, human resource management, operations management and psychology.

Findings

This study contributes to research by offering a coherent and consistent framework for understanding SP as a dynamic process. As such, it offers future researchers with a systematic way to ascertain where a particular study may be located in the SP process and, importantly, how it may influence – or be influenced by – various factors in the process.

Originality/value

This study offers specific research questions and precise guidelines to future scholars pursuing research on SP.
Going global in groups: a relevant market entry strategy?
Authors: Masiero Gilmar , Ogasavara Mario Henrique , Risso Marcelo Luiz
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify whether the new Chinese phenomenon of going global in groups represents a more advantageous market entry mode than the phenomena considered in previous studies.

Design/methodology/approach

In this empirical research paper, the authors draw upon the literature in academic journals and books regarding the Chinese special economic zones overseas to analyze and compare collective internationalization (i.e. going global in groups) with traditional market entry modes as per the ownership, location and internalization paradigm (OLI) and transaction cost approach (TCA).

Findings

The authors identified that financial and diplomatic support provided by the Chinese Government has reinforced internationalization in groups, thereby minimizing some structural risks in host countries. Pre-operational and operating costs have been lowered or shared among group members, and weighted average cost of capital has dropped due to the availability of specific funding lines with subsidized interest rates.

Research limitations/implications

Given the lack of available literature on the topic, the authors based their study of the collective internationalization of Chinese firms on very few cases, most of which represent market entry in African countries.

Practical implications

The study calls attention to a new, more efficient and less risky characteristic of international entry modes, which implies that companies can reap multiple benefits by entering markets in global groups.

Originality/value

As literature addressing market entry modes focuses mostly on individual enterprises, this paper contributes to the identification of advantages in collective internationalization.
Accountability regimes in federal‐provincial Labour Market Agreements 1995‐2015
Authors: Wood Donna E. , Klassen Thomas R.
Published: March 2017

Workforce development policy in Canada has undergone extensive reforms in the past two decades, often driven by intergovernmental pressures. Many of these reforms, including the transfer of thousands of federal civil servants to the provinces, along with $2.5 billion annually, have occurred largely unnoticed by the public, or even recipients of services. Accountability measures have remained weak as the federal and provincial governments have few incentives to increase public scrutiny. In particular, transparency (making information available for public scrutiny) and justification (the provision of reasons for decisions) are inadequate. A more inclusive public accountability framework in the policy area needs to be developed that can support innovation in programs.
A vicious partnership between AKT and PHLDA3 to facilitate neuroendocrine tumors
Authors: Takikawa Masahiro , Ohki Rieko
Published: March 2017

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) are rare cancers that generally have a poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of these tumors requires a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of PanNET. It has been shown that the mTOR inhibitor everolimus can improve the progression‐free survival of PanNET patients, suggesting that inhibition of the PI3K‐Akt‐mTOR pathway may suppress the progression of PanNET. PHLDA3 is a novel tumor suppressor protein that inhibits Akt activation by competition for binding to PIP3. Our analysis of PanNET revealed frequent loss‐of‐heterozygosity and DNA methylation at the PHLDA3 locus, resulting in strong suppression of PHLDA3 transcription. Such alterations in the PHLDA3 gene were also frequently found in lung neuroendocrine tumors (NET), suggesting the possibility that various types of NET have in common the functional loss of the PHLDA3 gene.
High‐resolution HLA‐A, ‐B and ‐DRB1 allele and haplotype frequencies in 7823 Han marrow donors of Liaoning province, China
Authors: Shao L.‐N. , Zhang S.‐T. , Yu W.‐J. , Zhou S.‐H. , Duan Y. , Pan L.‐Z. , Wang N. , Liu M.
Published: March 2017

Background

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is the most polymorphic gene cluster in humans. High‐resolution donor‐recipient matching for HLA genes improves patient survival after unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Materials and Methods

In this study, we analyzed the high‐resolution allele and haplotype frequencies at the HLA‐A, ‐B and ‐DRB1 loci in the Liaoning Han population and analyzed its relationships with other populations.

Results

The 3 most frequent alleles at the HLA‐A, ‐B and ‐DRB1 loci were A*24:02, A*02:01:01G, A*11:01; B*13:02, B*46:01, B*40:01:01G; DRB1*09:01, DRB1*15:01 and DRB1*07:01, respectively. The most frequent 2‐locus haplotypes were A*30:01‐B*13:02 and B*13:02‐DRB1*07:01. A*30:01‐B*13:02‐DRB1*07:01 was determined to be the predominant 3‐locus haplotype. Hot maps and multiple correspondence analyses based on the frequencies of HLA specificities, which allow statistical visualization of dependent and independent relationships among variables, indicate that the Liaoning Han population is closely related to Northern populations of China and shows relative close relationships with Asian populations.

Conclusion

These data will provide an outline of the HLA characteristics of healthy individuals in our region and help bone marrow transplantation patients find suitable HLA‐matched donors.
Investigation Into the Performance of a Dual-Layer Thin-Film Organic Coating During Accelerated Low-Temperature Offshore Testing
Authors: Momber A. W. , Irmer M. , Glück N.
Published: March 2017

The application of thin-film coatings is a method to protect armatures, accessories, and control elements on offshore facilities against corrosion and mechanical damages. The performance of a dual-layer thin-film (30 μm) coating system under simulated Arctic offshore exposure was investigated. The coating system consisted of polyamide-based primer and molybdenum-disulfide (MoS2)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)—modified topcoat. The investigations involved the following tests: accelerated corrosion protection/aging tests, coating adhesion tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) inspections, static contact angle measurements, specific surface energy measurements, hoarfrost accretion, and abrasion resistance tests. The test conditions were adapted to Arctic offshore conditions. Effects of accelerated offshore aging on surface morphology, surface chemistry, and hoarfrost accretion were also investigated.
High Frequency Analysis of a Point-Coupled Parallel Plate System
Authors: Culver Dean R. , Dowell Earl H.
Published: March 2017

The root-mean-square (RMS) response of various points in a system comprised of two parallel plates coupled at a point undergoing high frequency, broadband transverse point excitation of one component is considered. Through this prototypical example, asymptotic modal analysis (AMA) is extended to two coupled continuous dynamical systems. It is shown that different points on the plates respond with different RMS magnitudes depending on their spatial relationship to the excitation or coupling points in the system. The ability of AMA to accurately compute the RMS response of these points (namely, the excitation point, the coupling points, and the hot lines through the excitation or coupling points) in the system is shown. The behavior of three representative prototypical configurations of the parallel plate system considered is: two similar plates (in both geometry and modal density), two plates with similar modal density but different geometry, and two plates with similar geometry but different modal density. After examining the error between reduced modal methods (such as AMA) to classical modal analysis (CMA), it is determined that these several methods are valid for each of these scenarios. The data from the various methods will also be useful in evaluating the accuracy of other methods including statistical energy analysis (SEA).
Rigid-Flexible Coupling Dynamic Modeling and Vibration Control for a Three-Axis Stabilized Spacecraft
Authors: Liu Lun , Cao Dengqing , Wei Jin , Tan Xiaojun , Yu Tianhu
Published: March 2017

An approach is proposed to obtain the global analytical modes (GAMs) and establish discrete dynamic model with low degree-of-freedom for a three-axis attitude stabilized spacecraft installed with a pair of solar arrays. The flexible spacecraft is simplified as a hub–plate system which is a typical rigid-flexible coupling system. The governing equations of motion and the corresponding boundary conditions are derived by using the Hamiltonian principle. Describing the rigid motion and elastic vibration of all the system components with a uniform set of generalized coordinates, the system GAMs are solved from those dynamic equations and boundary conditions, which are used to discretize the equations of motion. For comparison, another discrete model is also derived using assumed mode method (AMM). Using ansys software, a finite element model is established to verify the GAM and AMM models. Subsequently, the system global modes are investigated using the GAM approach. Further, the performance of GAM model in dynamic analysis and cooperative control for attitude motion and solar panel vibration is assessed by comparing with AMM model. The discrete dynamic model based on GAMs has the capability to carry out spacecraft dynamic analysis in the same accuracy as a high-dimensional AMM model. The controller based on GAM model can suppress the oscillation of solar panels and make the control torque stable in much shorter time.
Detection of forward scattering from an intruder in a dynamic littoral environment
Authors: Lei Bo , Yang Yixin , Yang Kunde , Ma Yuanliang
Published: March 2017

Forward scattering always occurs when an intruder moves into an underwater area between a source and a receiver. The detection of this forward-scattered signal is a challenge because a strong direct blast overwhelms the forward-scattered signal. Accordingly, an adaptive scheme for detecting the forward scattering introduced by an intruder in dynamic shallow water is proposed in this study. A short pulse was transmitted repeatedly in the water. The recorded direct blast and forward-scattered signal were assumed to be weakly correlated. A segmented adaptive method for the cancellation of the direct blast was applied to different direct arrivals from the transmitter. A cumulative index was defined based on the error sequence of the adaptive filter. The results of the shallow water experiment showed that the cumulative index level increased by up to 10 dB above the background level when the intruder approached the source–receiver line. The time of each crossing event was also determined.
Mycobacterium szulgaiinfection in the flexor sheath of the right index finger in an immunocompetent patient
Authors: Bartolf Angela , Cosgrove Catherine A
Published: March 2017

A 53-year-old woman was identified withMycobacterium szulgaiinfection in the flexor sheath of the right index finger. Tissue was debrided at operation, and the patient was successfully treated with appropriate antimicrobials.M. szulgaiis a rare cause of non-tubercular mycobacterium infection worldwide, and there are currently no clear guidelines on diagnosis and management. This is the first case reportingM. szulgaiinfection in the flexor sheath of the right index finger of a non-immunocompromised patient in the UK.
Effort Mediates Access to Information in Online Social Networks
Authors: Kang Jeon-Hyung , Lerman Kristina
Published: March 2017

Individuals’ access to information in a social network depends on how it is distributed and where in the network individuals position themselves. In addition, individuals vary in how much effort they invest in managing their social connections. Using data from a social media site, we study how the interplay between effort and network position affects social media users’ access to diverse and novel information. Previous studies of the role of networks in information access were limited in their ability to measure the diversity of information. We address this problem by learning the topics of interest to social media users from the messages they share online with followers. We use the learned topics to measure the diversity of information users receive from the people they follow online. We confirm that users in structurally diverse network positions, which bridge otherwise disconnected regions of the follower network, tend to be exposed to more diverse and novel information. We also show that users who invest more effort in their activity on the site are not only located in more structurally diverse positions within the network than the less engaged users but also receive more novel and diverse information when in similar network positions. These findings indicate that the relationship between network structure and access to information in networks is more nuanced than previously thought.
Leak Stopper
Authors: Peng Yin-Chi , Chen Chien-Chih , Tsai Hsiang-Jen , Yang Keng-Hao , Huang Pei-Zhe , Chang Shih-Chieh , Jone Wen-Ben , Chen Tien-Fu
Published: March 2017

To alleviate high energy dissipation of unnecessary snooping accesses, snoop filters have been designed to reduce snoop lookups. These filters have the problem of decreasing filtering efficiency, and thus usually rely on partial or whole filter reset by detecting block evictions. Unfortunately, the reset conditions occur infrequently or unevenly (called
passive filter deletion
). This work proposes the concept of revitalized snoop filter (RSF) design, which can actively renew the destination filter by employing a generation wrapping-around scheme for various reference behaviors. We further utilize a sampling mechanism for RSF to timely trigger precise filter revitalizations, so that unnecessary RSF flushing can be minimized. The proposed RSF can be integrated to various existent inclusive snoop filters with only a minor change to their designs. We evaluate our proposed design and demonstrate that RSF eliminates 58.6% of snoop energy compared to JETTY on average while inducing only 6.5% of revitalization energy overhead. In addition, RSF eliminates 45.5% of snoop energy compared to stream registers on average and only induces 2.5% of revitalization energy overhead. Overall, these RSFs reduce the total L2 cache energy consumption by 52.1% (58.6% -- 6.5%) as compared to JETTY and by 43% (45.5% -- 2.5%) as compared to stream registers. Furthermore, RSF improves the overall performance by 1% to 1.4% on average compared to JETTY and stream registers for various benchmark suites.
CASE Tool Support for Variability Management in Software Product Lines
Authors: Bashroush Rabih , Garba Muhammad , Rabiser Rick , Groher Iris , Botterweck Goetz
Published: March 2017

Software product lines (SPL) aim at reducing time-to-market and increasing software quality through extensive, planned reuse of artifacts. An essential activity in SPL is variability management, i.e., defining and managing commonality and variability among member products. Due to the large scale and complexity of today's software-intensive systems, variability management has become increasingly complex to conduct. Accordingly, tool support for variability management has been gathering increasing momentum over the last few years and can be considered a key success factor for developing and maintaining SPLs. While several studies have already been conducted on variability management, none of these analyzed the available tool support in detail. In this work, we report on a survey in which we analyzed 37 existing variability management tools identified using a systematic literature review to understand the tools’ characteristics, maturity, and the challenges in the field. We conclude that while most studies on variability management tools provide a good motivation and description of the research context and challenges, they often lack empirical data to support their claims and findings. It was also found that quality attributes important for the practical use of tools such as usability, integration, scalability, and performance were out of scope for most studies.
Finding Dynamic Dense Subgraphs
Authors: Rozenshtein Polina , Tatti Nikolaj , Gionis Aristides
Published: March 2017

Online social networks are often defined by considering interactions of entities at an
aggregate
level. For example, a
call graph
is formed among individuals who have called each other at least once; or at least
k
times. Similarly, in social-media platforms, we consider
implicit social networks
among users who have interacted in some way, e.g., have made a conversation, have commented to the content of each other, and so on. Such definitions have been used widely in the literature and they have offered significant insights regarding the structure of social networks. However, it is obvious that they suffer from a severe limitation: They neglect the precise time that interactions among the network entities occur.

In this article, we consider
interaction networks
, where the data description contains not only information about the underlying topology of the social network, but also the exact time instances that network entities interact. In an interaction network, an edge is associated with a timestamp, and multiple edges may occur for the same pair of entities. Consequently, interaction networks offer a more fine-grained representation, which can be leveraged to reveal otherwise hidden dynamic phenomena.

In the setting of interaction networks, we study the problem of discovering
dynamic dense subgraphs
whose edges occur in
short time intervals
. We view such subgraphs as fingerprints of dynamic activity occurring within network communities. Such communities represent groups of individuals who interact with each other in specific time instances, for example, a group of employees who work on a project and whose interaction intensifies before certain project milestones. We prove that the problem we define is
NP
-hard, and we provide efficient algorithms by adapting techniques for finding dense subgraphs. We also show how to speed-up the proposed methods by exploiting
concavity
properties of our objective function and by the means of
fractional programming
. We perform extensive evaluation of the proposed methods on synthetic and real datasets, which demonstrates the validity of our approach and shows that our algorithms can be used to obtain high-quality results.
Successful Treatment of Recurrent Pulmonary Mucormycosis in a Renal Transplant Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Martin Morgan S. , Smith Alison A. , Lobo Monica , Paramesh Anil S.
Published: March 2017

Background. We describe the unusual case of a recently transplanted cadaveric renal transplant recipient who presented with recurrent pulmonary mucormycosis. Case Report. An 18-year-old man with end stage renal disease secondary to congenital renal agenesis status after cadaveric kidney transplant 4 months before presented with acute onset of fever, hemoptysis, and back pain. The patient underwent an emergent left lower lobectomy due to the critical nature of his illness. He was also treated with amphotericin with resolution of his symptoms. One week later, he had evidence of recurrent disease on imaging with a surgical site infection. He underwent reexploration with evacuation of an empyema and debridement of a surgical site infection. He was continued on IV antifungal therapy with isavuconazonium and amphotericin. Radiographic clearance of disease with three months of treatment was apparent with no evidence of recurrence at seven-month follow-up. Discussion. Opportunistic infections in solid organ transplant patients represent a significant source of morbidity and mortality. Most patients are treated with prophylactic anti-infective agents. However, rare infections such as pulmonary mucormycosis remain a risk. The transplant physician must be aware of these uncommon infections and their treatment strategies, including the management of uncommon recurrent disease.
Feasibility and Efficacy of Autologous Bone Marrow Aspirate Transplantation Combined with Human Parathyroid Hormone 1-34 Administration to Treat Osteonecrosis in a Rabbit Model
Authors: Makihara Takeshi , Yoshioka Tomokazu , Sugaya Hisashi , Aoto Katsuya , Wada Hiroshi , Uemura Kenta , Tanaka Kenta , Akaogi Hiroshi , Yamazaki Masashi , Mishima Hajime
Published: March 2017

No studies have examined the transplantation of a bone marrow aspirate (BMA) containing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with human parathyroid hormone 1-34 (hPTH1-34) administration. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of autologous BMA transplantation combined with hPHT1-34 administration in a bone necrosis model. The metatarsal bones of rabbits were necrotized using liquid nitrogen, and the rabbits received a BMA transplantation or saline injection followed by hPTH1-34 (30 μg/kg) or saline administration three times per week (n = 3-4 per group). The rabbits were euthanized at 12 weeks after the initiation of treatment. No systemic adverse effects or local neoplastic lesions were observed. Importantly, the rabbits in the BMA transplantation plus hPTH1-34 group showed the highest bone volumes and histological scores of new bone. These data confirmed the feasibility of BMA transplantation combined with hPTH1-34, at least during the experimental period. The observed efficacy may be explained by a synergistic effect from the stimulation of MSC differentiation to osteoblasts with hPTH1-34-mediated suppression of apoptosis in osteoblasts. These results indicate the promising potential for BMA transplantation combined with hPTH1-34 administration in bone necrosis treatment. Longer term experiments are needed to confirm the safety of this therapeutic strategy.
In Vitro Screening for Cytotoxic Activity of Herbal Extracts
Authors: Lombardi Valter R. M. , Carrera Iván , Cacabelos Ramón
Published: March 2017

Experimental studies have shown that a variety of chemopreventive plant components affect tumor initiation, promotion, and progression and the main difference, between botanical medicines and synthetic drugs, resides in the presence of complex metabolite mixtures shown by botanical medicine which in turn exert their action on different levels and via different mechanisms. In the present study, we performed an in vitro screening of ethanol extracts from commercial plants in order to investigate potential antitumor activity against human tumor cell lines. Experimental results obtained through a variety of methods and techniques indicated that extracts of I. verum, G. glabra, R. Frangula, and L. usitatissimum present significant reduction in in vitro tumor cell proliferation, suggesting these extracts as possible chemotherapeutical adjuvants for different cancer treatments.
Adaptive Image Compressive Sensing Using Texture Contrast
Authors: Sun Fang , Xiao Dongyue , He Wei , Li Ran
Published: March 2017

The traditional image Compressive Sensing (CS) conducts block-wise sampling with the same sampling rate. However, some blocking artifacts often occur due to the varying block sparsity, leading to a low rate-distortion performance. To suppress these blocking artifacts, we propose to adaptively sample each block according to texture features in this paper. With the maximum gradient in 8-connected region of each pixel, we measure the texture variation of each pixel and then compute the texture contrast of each block. According to the distribution of texture contrast, we adaptively set the sampling rate of each block and finally build an image reconstruction model using these block texture contrasts. Experimental results show that our adaptive sampling scheme improves the rate-distortion performance of image CS compared with the existing adaptive schemes and the reconstructed images by our method achieve better visual quality.
Suspected Pulmonary Metastasis of Actinic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Meter Monet E. , Nye David J. , Galvez Christian R.
Published: March 2017

Introduction. It is rare for actinic or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ to metastasize. Case Presentation. A 67-year-old male had a significant medical history including severe psoriatic arthritis treated with UVB, methotrexate, and rapamycin. He had twenty-five different skin excisions of actinic keratosis four of which were invasive SCC. Our patient developed shortness of breath necessitating a visit to the emergency department. A CT scan of his chest revealed a mass in the right lower lung. A subsequent biopsy of the mass revealed well-differentiated SCC. He underwent thoracoscopic surgery with wedge resection of the lung lesion. Discussion. Actinic keratosis (AK) is considered precancerous and associated with UV exposure. It exists as a continuum of progression with low potential for malignancy. The majority of invasive SCCs are associated with malignant progression of AK, but only 5–10% of AKs will progress to malignant potential. Conclusion. In this case, a new finding of lung SCC in the setting of multiple invasive actinic cutaneous SCC associated with a history of extensive UV light exposure and immunosuppression supports a metastatic explanation for lung cancer.