bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Initialised load‐flow analysis based on Lagrange polynomial approximation for efficient quasi‐static time‐series simulation
Authors: Abdel‐Akher Mamdouh , Selim Ali , Aly Mohamed M.
Published: September 2015

This study presents a developed formulation for solving the quasi‐static time‐series simulation in unbalanced power distribution systems. This simulation is very important for analysing a set of given daily load curves under various operating conditions. The Lagrange polynomial approximation is implemented to predict an initial guess of both voltage magnitude and phase angle at time instants in vicinity of the given power‐flow solutions. The developed methods are categorised based on the required number of power‐flow solutions to predict the initial guess. The linear approximation of the Lagrange polynomial requires the knowledge of two power‐flow solutions, whereas the non‐linear approximation requires three power‐flow solutions. The predicted values of both voltage magnitudes and angles are corrected using power‐flow engine. The adopted power‐flow solver uses the forward/backward sweep. The developed methods were tested using the unbalanced IEEE 123‐node and 33‐node test feeders with a set of daily load curves and intermittent distributed energy resources. The developed methods are compared with the method which utilises the previous power‐flow solution as an initial guess. The results show that the number of iterations and computation time of quasi‐static time‐series simulations are greatly reduced.
Active contours for image segmentation using complex domain‐based approach
Authors: Hussain Sajid , Chun Qi , Asif Muhammad Rizwan , Khan Muhammad Sohrab
Published: September 2015

A complex domain‐based approach of active contour model has been proposed for image segmentation which deforms iteratively to partition an image into various useful regions. A new region‐based complex pressure force function has been designed which gives shape to the dynamic active contour using image forces, and efficiently control the propagation of moving interface. This model makes the level set function binary, uses Gaussian smoothing kernel to regulate and avoid re‐initialisation procedure. The working scheme of the model is as: the real image data is converted into complex data by iota (i) times and the average iota (i) times of horizontal and vertical components of gradient is inserted in the model to develop complete complex gradient. The proposed model can be implemented by simple finite difference scheme. The efficiency and robustness of the authors model have been verified.
High-quality and high-purity homoepitaxial diamond (100) film growth under high oxygen concentration condition
Authors: Teraji Tokuyuki
Published: September 2015

Defect formation during diamond homoepitaxial growth was sufficiently inhibited by adding oxygen simultaneously in the growth ambient with high concentration of 2%. A 30-μm thick diamond films with surface roughness of <2 nm were homoepitaxially deposited on the (100) diamond single crystal substrates with reasonable growth rate of approximately 3 μm h−1 under the conditions of higher methane concentration of 10%, higher substrate temperature of ∼1000 °C, and higher microwave power density condition of >100 W cm−3. Surface characteristic patterns moved to an identical direction with growth thickness, indicating that lateral growth was dominant growth mode. High chemical purity represented by low nitrogen concentration of less than 1 ppb and the highest 12C isotopic ratio of 99.998% of the obtained homoepitaxial diamond (100) films suggest that the proposed growth condition has high ability of impurity control.
Optimized Mie potentials for phase equilibria: Application to noble gases and their mixtures with n-alkanes
Authors: Mick Jason R. , Soroush Barhaghi Mohammad , Jackman Brock , Rushaidat Kamel , Schwiebert Loren , Potoff Jeffrey J.
Published: September 2015

Transferrable force fields, based on n-6 Mie potentials, are presented for noble gases. By tuning the repulsive exponent, ni, it is possible to simultaneously reproduce experimental saturated liquid densities and vapor pressures with high accuracy, from the normal boiling point to the critical point. Vapor-liquid coexistence curves for pure fluids are calculated using histogram reweighting Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble. For all noble gases, saturated liquid densities and vapor pressures are reproduced to within 1% and 4% of experiment, respectively. Radial distribution functions, extracted from NVT and NPT Monte Carlo simulations, are in similarly excellent agreement with experimental data. The transferability of the optimized force fields is assessed through calculations of binary mixture vapor-liquid equilibria. These mixtures include argon + krypton, krypton + xenon, methane + krypton, methane + xenon, krypton + ethane, and xenon + ethane. For all mixtures, excellent agreement with experiment is achieved without the introduction of any binary interaction parameters or multi-body interactions.
Calculation of continuum damping of Alfvén eigenmodes in tokamak and stellarator equilibria
Authors: Bowden G. W. , Hole M. J. , Könies A.
Published: September 2015

In an ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma, shear Alfvén eigenmodes may experience dissipationless damping due to resonant interaction with the shear Alfvén continuum. This continuum damping can make a significant contribution to the overall growth/decay rate of shear Alfvén eigenmodes, with consequent implications for fast ion transport. One method for calculating continuum damping is to solve the MHD eigenvalue problem over a suitable contour in the complex plane, thereby satisfying the causality condition. Such an approach can be implemented in three-dimensional ideal MHD codes which use the Galerkin method. Analytic functions can be fitted to numerical data for equilibrium quantities in order to determine the value of these quantities along the complex contour. This approach requires less resolution than the established technique of calculating damping as resistivity vanishes and is thus more computationally efficient. The complex contour method has been applied to the three-dimensional finite element ideal MHD Code for Kinetic Alfvén waves. In this paper, we discuss the application of the complex contour technique to calculate the continuum damping of global modes in tokamak as well as torsatron, W7-X and H-1NF stellarator cases. To the authors' knowledge, these stellarator calculations represent the first calculation of continuum damping for eigenmodes in fully three-dimensional equilibria. The continuum damping of global modes in W7-X and H-1NF stellarator configurations investigated is found to depend sensitively on coupling to numerous poloidal and toroidal harmonics.
Monte-Carlo simulation of nano-collected current from a silicon sample containing a linear arrangement of uncapped nanocrystals
Authors: Ledra Mohammed , El Hdiy Abdelillah
Published: September 2015

A Monte-Carlo simulation algorithm is used to study electron beam induced current in an intrinsic silicon sample, which contains at its surface a linear arrangement of uncapped nanocrystals positioned in the irradiation trajectory around the hemispherical collecting nano-contact. The induced current is generated by the use of electron beam energy of 5 keV in a perpendicular configuration. Each nanocrystal is considered as a recombination center, and the surface recombination velocity at the free surface is taken to be zero. It is shown that the induced current is affected by the distance separating each nanocrystal from the nano-contact. An increase of this separation distance translates to a decrease of the nanocrystals density and an increase of the minority carrier diffusion length. The results reveal a threshold separation distance from which nanocrystals have no more effect on the collection efficiency, and the diffusion length reaches the value obtained in the absence of nanocrystals. A cross-section characterizing the nano-contact ability to trap carriers was determined.
Small-angle neutron scattering study of the short-range organization of dispersed CsNi[Cr(CN)6] nanoparticles
Authors: Ridier Karl , Gillon Béatrice , André Gilles , Chaboussant Grégory , Catala Laure , Mazérat Sandra , Mallah Talal
Published: September 2015

Prussian blue analogues magnetic nanoparticles (of radius R0 = 2.4–8.6 nm) embedded in PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone) or CTA+ (cetyltrimethylammonium) matrices have been studied using neutron diffraction and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) at several concentrations. For the most diluted particles in neutral PVP, the SANS signal is fully accounted for by a “single-particle” spherical form factor with no structural correlations between the nanoparticles and with radii comparable to those inferred from neutron diffraction. For higher concentration in PVP, structural correlations modify the SANS signal with the appearance of a structure factor peak, which is described using an effective “mean-field” model. A new length scale R* ≈ 3R0, corresponding to an effective repulsive interaction radius, is evidenced in PVP samples. In CTA+, electrostatic interactions play a crucial role and lead to a dense layer of CTA+ around the nanoparticles, which considerably alter the SANS patterns as compared to PVP. The SANS data of nanoparticles in CTA+ are best described by a core-shell model without visible inter-particle structure factor.
A thorough investigation of the progressive reset dynamics in HfO2-based resistive switching structures
Authors: Lorenzi P. , Rao R. , Irrera F. , Suñé J. , Miranda E.
Published: September 2015

According to previous reports, filamentary electron transport in resistive switching HfO2-based metal-insulator-metal structures can be modeled using a diode-like conduction mechanism with a series resistance. Taking the appropriate limits, the model allows simulating the high (HRS) and low (LRS) resistance states of the devices in terms of exponential and linear current-voltage relationships, respectively. In this letter, we show that this simple equivalent circuit approach can be extended to represent the progressive reset transition between the LRS and HRS if a generalized logistic growth model for the pre-exponential diode current factor is considered. In this regard, it is demonstrated here that a Verhulst logistic model does not provide accurate results. The reset dynamics is interpreted as the sequential deactivation of multiple conduction channels spanning the dielectric film. Fitting results for the current-voltage characteristics indicate that the voltage sweep rate only affects the deactivation rate of the filaments without altering the main features of the switching dynamics.
Bidirectional threshold switching in engineered multilayer (Cu2O/Ag:Cu2O/Cu2O) stack for cross-point selector application
Authors: Song Jeonghwan , Prakash Amit , Lee Daeseok , Woo Jiyong , Cha Euijun , Lee Sangheon , Hwang Hyunsang
Published: September 2015

In this study, we achieved bidirectional threshold switching (TS) for selector applications in a Ag-Cu2O-based programmable-metallization-cell device by engineering the stack wherein Ag was intentionally incorporated in the oxide (Cu2O) layer by a simple approach comprising co-sputtering and subsequent optimized annealing. The distribution of the Ag was directly confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy line profiling. The observed TS occurred because of the spontaneous self-rupturing of the unstable Ag filament that formed in the oxide layer.
Conformal transformations in general relativistic elasticity
Authors: Brito Irene
Published: September 2015

Conformal transformations are applied in the context of general relativistic elasticity. Expressions relating relativistic elastic quantities and tensors are obtained for two conformal spacetimes, whose material metrics are also conformally related. Non-static shear-free spherically symmetric elastic solutions of the Einstein field equations are constructed by performing conformal transformations of spacetime and material metrics of a known non-static shear-free spherically symmetric elastic solution.
Nonlinear transport in ionic liquid gated strontium titanate nanowires
Authors: Bretz-Sullivan Terence M. , Goldman A. M.
Published: September 2015

Measurements of the current-voltage (I–V) characteristics of ionic liquid gated nanometer scale channels of strontium titanate have been carried out. At low gate voltages, the I–V characteristics exhibit a large voltage threshold for conduction and a nonlinear power law behavior at all temperatures measured. The source-drain current of these nanowires scales as a power law of the difference between the source-drain voltage and the threshold voltage. The scaling behavior of the I–V characteristic is reminiscent of collective electronic transport through an array of quantum dots. At large gate voltages, the narrow channel acts as a quasi-1D wire whose conductance follows Landauer's formula for multichannel transport.
Three stage cascade diode lasers generating 500 mW near 3.2 μm
Authors: Hosoda Takashi , Wang Meng , Shterengas Leon , Kipshidze Gela , Belenky Gregory
Published: September 2015

GaSb-based type-I quantum well 3.1–3.2 μm diode lasers with two- and three-cascade heterostructures were designed, fabricated, and characterized. Devices with ∼100-μm-wide aperture, 3-mm-long cavity, and anti-/high-reflection coated mirrors demonstrated continuous wave output power of 500 mW, threshold current density of ∼200 A/cm2, and peak power conversion efficiency of ∼7% at 17 °C. This corresponds to more than twofold improvement in terms of output power and efficiency as compared to standard diode lasers operating in the same spectral region. The experiment showed that the increase in the number of cascades from two to three led to critical enhancement of the differential gain and reduction of the threshold current density. Light p-doping of the AlGaAsSb graded section did not introduce extra optical loss but aided hole transport as required for realization of the efficient multi-stage cascade pumping scheme.
Communication: Experimentally determined profile of local glass transition temperature across a glassy-rubbery polymer interface with a Tg difference of 80 K
Authors: Baglay Roman R. , Roth Connie B.
Published: September 2015

Studying the local glass transition temperature Tg across a boundary, we investigate the characteristic length scales of cooperative dynamics. High molecular weight polymers have a large separation in time scales between cooperative segmental motion (α-relaxation) and chain diffusion allowing us to measure the local Tg(z) profile across a glassy-rubbery interface of polystyrene/poly(n-butyl methacrylate) using fluorescence. We find this profile in cooperative dynamics does not correlate with the 7-nm wide symmetric composition profile of the interface, but instead is very broad, spanning 350-400 nm from one bulk Tg value to another, and highly asymmetric, extending further into the glassy side.
Effect of Reagent Rotational Excitation on Dynamics of F+H2→HF+H
Authors: Yang Tian-gang , Huang Long , Xie Yu-run , Wang Tao , Xiao Chun-lei , Sun Zhi-gang , Dai Dong-xu , Chen Mao-du , Zhang Dong H. , Yang Xue-ming
Published: September 2015

The dynamics of the F+H2(v=0, j=0, 1) reactions have been studied at the collision energy of 1.27 kcal/mol using a high-resolution crossed molecular beam apparatus. HF product rotational state resolved differential cross sections have been obtained at the v′=1, 2, 3 levels. The product HF(v′=2) angular distributions are predominantly backward scattered for both H2 (j=0, 1) reagents. However, the distributions of product HF(v′=2) rotational states for the F+H2(v=0, j=0) reaction are significantly different from those for the F+H2(v=0, j=1) reaction. Experimental results show that the rotational excitation of H2 produces rotationally ‘hotter' HF(v′=2) product. In addition, the HF(v′=3) product is more likely scattered into the forward direction when the H2 reagent is populated at j=0 state, which could be attributed to a slow-down mechanism.
Early Stage Solvation of Protonated Methanol by Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Zhao Zhi , Kong Xiang-tao , Lei Xin , Zhang Bing-bing , Zhao Ji-jun , Jiang Ling
Published: September 2015

The solvation of protonated methanol by carbon dioxide has been studied via a cluster model. Quantum chemical calculations of the H+(CH3OH)(CO2)n (n=1–7) clusters indicate that the first solvation shell of the OH groups is completed at n=3 or 4. Besides hydrogen-bond interaction, the CCO2 ⋯ OCO2 intermolecular interaction is also responsible for the stabilization of the larger clusters. The transfer of the proton from methanol onto CO2 with the formation of the OCOH+ moiety might be unfavorable in the early stage of solvation process. Simulated IR spectra reveal that vibrational frequencies of free O–H stretching, hydrogen-bonded O–H stretching, and O–C–O stretching of CO2 unit afford the sensitive probe for exploring the solvation of protonated methanol by carbon dioxide. IR spectra for the H+(CH3OH)(CO2)n (n=1–7) clusters could be readily measured by the infrared photodissociation technique and thus provide useful information for the understanding of solvation processes.
The role of the bandwidth matrix in influencing kernel home range estimates for snakes using VHF telemetry data
Authors: Bauder Javan M. , Breininger David R. , Bolt M. Rebecca , Legare Michael L. , Jenkins Christopher L. , McGarigal Kevin
Published: September 2015

Context
Despite the diversity of available home range estimators, no single method performs equally well in all circumstances. It is therefore important to understand how different estimators perform for data collected under diverse conditions. Kernel density estimation is a popular approach for home range estimation. While many studies have evaluated different kernel bandwidth selectors, few studies have compared different formulations of the bandwidth matrix using wildlife telemetry data. Additionally, few studies have compared the performance of kernel bandwidth selectors using VHF radio-telemetry data from small-bodied taxa.

Aims
In this study, we used eight different combinations of bandwidth selectors and matrices to evaluate their ability to meet several criteria that could be potentially used to select a home range estimator.

Methods
We used handheld VHF telemetry data from two species of snake displaying non-migratory and migratory movement patterns. We used subsampling to estimate each estimator’s sensitivity to sampling duration and fix rate and compared home range size, the number of disjunct volume contours and the proportion of telemetry fixes not included in those contours among estimators.

Key Results
We found marked differences among bandwidth selectors with regards to our criteria but comparatively little difference among bandwidth matrices for a given bandwidth selector. Least-squares cross-validation bandwidths exhibited near-universal convergence failure whereas likelihood cross-validation bandwidths showed high sensitivity to sampling duration and fix rate. The reference, plug-in and smoothed cross-validation bandwidths were more robust to variation in sampling intensity, with the former consistently producing the largest estimates of home range size.

Conclusions
Our study illustrates the performance of multiple kernel bandwidth estimators for estimating home ranges with datasets typical of many small-bodied taxa. The reference and plug-in bandwidths with an unconstrained bandwidth matrix generally had the best performance. However, our study concurs with earlier studies indicating that no single home range estimator performs equally well in all circumstances.

Implications
Although we did not find strong differences between bandwidth matrices, we encourage the use of unconstrained matrices because of their greater flexibility in smoothing data not parallel to the coordinate axes. We also encourage researchers to select an estimator suited to their study objectives and the life history of their study organism.
Endothelial
microRNA-150
is an intrinsic suppressor of pathologic ocular neovascularization
Authors: Liu Chi-Hsiu , Sun Ye , Li Jie , Gong Yan , Tian Katherine T. , Evans Lucy P. , Morss Peyton C. , Fredrick Thomas W. , Saba Nicholas J. , Chen Jing
Published: September 2015

Significance

Pathologic vascular growth causes vision impairment in several vascular eye diseases. Specifically targeting molecular signatures distinguishing pathologic neovascularization from normal vessels will allow targeted treatment options. This study demonstrates that
miR-150
was specifically enriched in normal retinal vessels and down-regulated in pathologic neovessels in a mouse model of proliferative retinopathy.
MiR-150
suppressed pathologic ocular neovascularization in mice with decreased expression of angiogenic target genes and inhibited endothelial cell function in vitro. Loss of
miR-150
also promoted vascular sprouting in ex vivo aortic and choroidal assays and laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in mice. These data suggest that endothelial
miR-150
is an endogenous suppressor of ocular neovascularization and a drug target for vascular eye diseases.
The subversive potential of queer pornography
Authors: Koller Veronika
Published: September 2015

This paper addresses the question of what potential queer pornography has to subvert hegemonic discourses of gender and sexuality. In particular, it engages in the analysis of transitivity and metaphor in an example of queer written online pornography and links this textual analysis to a discussion of the role of text distribution and consumption in realising any subversive potential. The analysis shows that in terms of participant representation, the text reinforces rather than challenges hegemonic discourses of gender and sexuality: Although the main protagonists are both ambiguously sexed, patterns of transitivity and use of metaphor construct largely binary gender identities for them, allocating sexual activity to the first-person narrator while casting the Other as passively desiring. In terms of its distribution and consumption, however, the text maintains its subversive potential as it sexualises a public online space and can turn offline public space into a sexual place.
Feeding Frequency and Rate Effects on Growth and Physiology of Juvenile Genetically Improved Farmed Nile Tilapia
Authors: Huang Qing , Huang Kai , Ma Yanqun , Qin Xi , Wen Yanhong , Sun Lei , Tang Lining
Published: September 2015

To establish an effective feeding regime for the aquaculture of genetically improved farmed Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (GIFT), this experiment investigated the effects of feeding frequency and daily ration on the growth of GIFT fry (initial weight, ca. 0.85 g). A factorial experiment design of two feeding frequencies (2 and 3 meals/d) and five feeding rates (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% body weight per day [BW/d]) was carried out over 70 d with three replicates for each treatment. At the end of the experiment, fish from each treatment were sampled for the growth metrics of final body weight (Wt), weight gain rate (WGR), survival rate (SR), specific growth rate (SGR), and feed conversion ratio (FCR), as well as body composition and plasma metabolite measurements and histopathological analysis. The feeding frequency had a significant (P < 0.05) effect only on the Wt of fish. Feeding rates had highly significant effects on all the growth metrics (P < 0.01) except SR. The largest WGR and SGR were both observed in the fish receiving 6% BW/d at both feeding frequencies. The largest Wt was observed in the fish fed two meals daily at a 6% feeding rate. The relatively lower hepatosomatic index, liver contents, and body lipid also indicated better performance in fish that received 6% BW/d. In conclusion, these results suggest that a feeding rate of 6% BW/d and a feeding frequency of 2 meals/d is the most favorable protocol for the growth and physiological balance of GIFT during the fry phase.
Food entries in a large allergy data repository
Authors: Plasek Joseph M. , Goss Foster R. , Lai Kenneth H. , Lau Jason J. , Seger, Diane L. , Blumenthal Kimberly G. , Wickner Paige G. , Slight Sarah P. , Chang Frank Y. , Topaz Maxim , Bates David W. , Zhou Li
Published: September 2015

Objective Accurate food adverse sensitivity documentation in electronic health records (EHRs) is crucial to patient safety. This study examined, encoded, and grouped foods that caused any adverse sensitivity in a large allergy repository using natural language processing and standard terminologies.

Methods Using the Medical Text Extraction, Reasoning, and Mapping System (MTERMS), we processed both structured and free-text entries stored in an enterprise-wide allergy repository (Partners’ Enterprise-wide Allergy Repository), normalized diverse food allergen terms into concepts, and encoded these concepts using the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) and Unique Ingredient Identifiers (UNII) terminologies. Concept coverage also was assessed for these two terminologies. We further categorized allergen concepts into groups and calculated the frequencies of these concepts by group. Finally, we conducted an external validation of MTERMS’s performance when identifying food allergen terms, using a randomized sample from a different institution.

Results We identified 158 552 food allergen records (2140 unique terms) in the Partners repository, corresponding to 672 food allergen concepts. High-frequency groups included shellfish (19.3%), fruits or vegetables (18.4%), dairy (9.0%), peanuts (8.5%), tree nuts (8.5%), eggs (6.0%), grains (5.1%), and additives (4.7%). Ambiguous, generic concepts such as “nuts” and “seafood” accounted for 8.8% of the records. SNOMED-CT covered more concepts than UNII in terms of exact (81.7% vs 68.0%) and partial (14.3% vs 9.7%) matches.

Discussion Adverse sensitivities to food are diverse, and existing standard terminologies have gaps in their coverage of the breadth of allergy concepts.

Conclusion New strategies are needed to represent and standardize food adverse sensitivity concepts, to improve documentation in EHRs.
Present and future of cervical cancer prevention in Spain: a cost-effectiveness analysis
Authors: Georgalis Leonidas , de Sanjosé Silvia , Esnaola Mikel , Bosch F. Xavier , Diaz Mireia
Published: September 2015

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination within a nonorganized setting creates a poor cost-effectiveness scenario. However, framed within an organized screening including primary HPV DNA testing with lengthening intervals may provide the best health value for invested money. To compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different cervical cancer (CC) prevention strategies, including current status and new proposed screening practices, to inform health decision-makers in Spain, a Markov model was developed to simulate the natural history of HPV and CC. Outcomes included cases averted, life expectancy, reduction in the lifetime risk of CC, life years saved, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), net health benefits, lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. The willingness-to-pay threshold is defined at 20 000€/QALY. Both costs and health outcomes were discounted at an annual rate of 3%. A strategy of 5-year organized HPV testing has similar effectiveness, but higher efficiency than 3-year cytology. Screening alone and vaccination combined with cytology are dominated by vaccination followed by 5-year HPV testing with cytology triage (12 214€/QALY). The optimal age for both ending screening and switching age from cytology to HPV testing in older women is 5 years later for unvaccinated than for vaccinated women. Net health benefits decrease faster with diminishing vaccination coverage than screening coverage. Primary HPV DNA testing is more effective and cost-effective than current cytological screening. Vaccination uptake improvements and a gradual change toward an organized screening practice are critical components for achieving higher effectiveness and efficiency in the prevention of CC in Spain.
Normal vision can compensate for the loss of the circadian clock
Authors: Schlichting Matthias , Menegazzi Pamela , Helfrich-Förster Charlotte
Published: September 2015

Circadian clocks are thought to be essential for timing the daily activity of animals, and consequently increase fitness. This view was recently challenged for clock-less fruit flies and mice that exhibited astonishingly normal activity rhythms under outdoor conditions. Compensatory mechanisms appear to enable even clock mutants to live a normal life in nature. Here, we show that gradual daily increases/decreases of light in the laboratory suffice to provoke normally timed sharp morning (M) and evening (E) activity peaks in clock-less flies. We also show that the compound eyes, but not Cryptochrome (CRY), mediate the precise timing of M and E peaks under natural-like conditions, as CRY-less flies do and eyeless flies do not show these sharp peaks independently of a functional clock. Nevertheless, the circadian clock appears critical for anticipating dusk, as well as for inhibiting sharp activity peaks during midnight. Clock-less flies only increase E activity after dusk and not before the beginning of dusk, and respond strongly to twilight exposure in the middle of the night. Furthermore, the circadian clock responds to natural-like light cycles, by slightly broadening Timeless (TIM) abundance in the clock neurons, and this effect is mediated by CRY.
Bacterial cell wall composition and the influence of antibiotics by cell-wall and whole-cell NMR
Authors: Romaniuk Joseph A. H. , Cegelski Lynette
Published: September 2015

The ability to characterize bacterial cell-wall composition and structure is crucial to understanding the function of the bacterial cell wall, determining drug modes of action and developing new-generation therapeutics. Solid-state NMR has emerged as a powerful tool to quantify chemical composition and to map cell-wall architecture in bacteria and plants, even in the context of unperturbed intact whole cells. In this review, we discuss solid-state NMR approaches to define peptidoglycan composition and to characterize the modes of action of old and new antibiotics, focusing on examples in
Staphylococcus aureus
. We provide perspectives regarding the selected NMR strategies as we describe the exciting and still-developing cell-wall and whole-cell NMR toolkit. We also discuss specific discoveries regarding the modes of action of vancomycin analogues, including oritavancin, and briefly address the reconsideration of the killing action of β-lactam antibiotics. In such chemical genetics approaches, there is still much to be learned from perturbations enacted by cell-wall assembly inhibitors, and solid-state NMR approaches are poised to address questions of cell-wall composition and assembly in
S. aureus
and other organisms.
Crystallization of high-quality protein crystals using an external electric field
Authors: Koizumi H. , Uda S. , Fujiwara K. , Tachibana M. , Kojima K. , Nozawa J.
Published: September 2015

The effect of a 20 kHz external electric field on the quality of tetragonal hen egg white (HEW) lysozyme crystals was investigated using X-ray diffraction rocking-curve measurements. The full width at half-maximum was found to be larger for high-order reflections but smaller for low-order reflections. In particular, it was revealed that a large amount of local strain is accumulated in tetragonal HEW lysozyme crystals grown under an applied field at 20 kHz. Comparison with previous results obtained for crystals grown with an applied field at 1 MHz [Koizumi, Uda, Fujiwara, Tachibana, Kojima & Nozawa (2013).J. Appl. Cryst.46, 25–29] indicated that improvement of the protein crystal quality could be achieved by selection of an appropriate frequency for the applied electric field, which has a significant effect on the growth of the solid.
The effect of customer power on enterprise internal knowledge sharing: an empirical study
Authors: Chang Yu-Wei , Hsu Ping-Yu , Shiau Wen-Lung , Yi Ronghua
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how customer power of environmental factors affects customer support (CS) engineers’ personal motivations in a knowledge-sharing context. The authors examine extrinsic (i.e. organizational rewards, reputation, and reciprocity) and intrinsic motivations (i.e. knowledge self-efficacy) affecting knowledge-sharing intentions based on the social exchange theory (SET) and self-efficacy theory. Furthermore, the authors introduce the concept of the social power theory to investigate the moderating effect of customer power on the relationships between personal motivations and knowledge-sharing intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study collects 349 questionnaires of CS engineers from 16 countries, including the USA, China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. After the data collection, the research model and hypotheses are tested using partial least squares.

Findings

– The empirical results show that reputation, reciprocity, and knowledge self-efficacy are significantly and positively related to knowledge-sharing intentions. Also, the results show that customer power can significantly moderate the relationships between personal motivations and knowledge-sharing intentions.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings help multinational corporations employ the perception of customer power to motivate CS engineers to share knowledge. Especially, the results can help organizations increase customer added value through effective knowledge sharing.

Originality/value

– The research model integrates personal motivations derived from the SET and self-efficacy theory and customer power of environmental factors. Additionally, this study is the first to investigate the moderating effect of customer power on employees’ personal motivations and behavioral intentions.
Human capital, HRD and VET: the case of India
Authors: Tomé Eduardo , Goyal Apoorva
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to analyze the role of human capital (HC), human resource development (HRD) and vocational educational and training (VET) in the emerging Indian economy. How may we define the HC, HRD and VET in India? To what extent and how as HRD investments in India contributed to India’s recent economic development? What were the investments and what were the returns? Who invested and who obtained the returns? Is India really different from other countries?

Design/methodology/approach

– To achieve that goal, the authors use a model of the HC, HRD and VET national market. Specifically, they divide the analysis in four broad stages: stocks, investments and outcomes; supply, demand, price and quantity; needs; and private and public forces.

Findings

– The authors conclude that the India’s HC, HRD and VET have been growing and will have to grow even more, for India to become developed. Currently, the urgency is even greater in the HRD and VET side than in the education side. The government goals for 2022 are immense, and the raise in the HRD and VET in India that is aimed will effectively change India’s economy and society.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors only use secondary data. They believe that a deeper and very detailed study on all the States of India could be made, following this paper. Also, the analysis could be replicated for the other BRICS.

Practical implications

– India HRD and VET market is described as being one of the major India’s problems of today and promises of tomorrow.

Social implications

– Today, only around ten million of India’s citizens receive HRD and VET annually. This number is to be multiplied between 20 and 50 times. This change will change India’s economy and society.

Originality/value

– Also, the authors believe that the paper is original because it analyzes India’s HC, HRD and VET with a new conceptual model.
Multi-owned properties in Australia: a governance typology of issues and outcomes
Authors: Johnston Nicole , Too Eric
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to develop a governance typology which identifies governance issues and outcomes. Multi-owned properties (MOPs) are a unique property type due to the incorporation of a private governance association. Although there are jurisdictional differences, these associations are generally responsible for the management, maintenance and control of the commonly owned property; determining the contributions payable by each lot owner to the operation of the association; enforcing the rules of the association; and ensuring that records meet legislative requirements. Legislation for MOP schemes was enacted in different jurisdictions to guide the governance and management of these matters. However, challenges relating to the governance of MOPs have continued to be a problem as identified in the literature and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study first reviewed the legislation in three Australian states to identify specific governance categories and the legislative requirements related to those categories. To gain group opinion about the specific governance issues and outcomes, the Delphi method was utilised whereby industry experts participated in a two-round survey questionnaire.

Findings

– A typology was developed as a result of consensus found between participants. The findings identified key governance issues and outcomes for MOPs.

Practical implications

– The governance typology forms the basis for the development of a more comprehensive audit tool for the assessment of governance quality in individual schemes.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first of its kind to collate issues impacting upon effective owners’ corporation governance and the potential outcomes associated with poor governance practices in MOPs.
Democracy, political freedom and health expenditures: evidence from Eastern Mediterranean countries
Authors: Kazemi Karyani Ali , Homaie Rad Enayatollah , Pourreza Abolghasem , Shaahmadi Faramarz
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– Health can be influenced by many factors. One of the factors is the political context of the country and democracy. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of freedom in press and polity index in overall, public, private and out of pocket health expenditures.

Design/methodology/approach

– A long-term panel data approach has been used to examine the relationship between democracy and health expenditures. The authors inserted polity and freedom into press indexes in the health expenditure model.

Findings

– Increase in freedom of the press and democracy will increase the overall, public and private health expenditures while they decrease out of pocket health expenditures.

Originality/value

– Polity and freedom index has a significant impact on all the health expenditure models.
Logistics flexibility: a systematic review
Authors: Jafari Hamid
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– There is a lack of consensus in conceptualizing and defining logistics flexibility as a distinct construct among supply chain scholars. The purpose of this paper is to systematically analyze the existing literature on logistics flexibility.

Design/methodology/approach

– By taking a systematic approach to literature review, a total of 100 academic articles were content analyzed. As a general framework, the classification broadly provided by Zhanget al.(2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) was applied in order to increase the consistency and validity of the review.

Findings

– The results show that logistics flexibility has gained an increasing academic attention in the past two decades in terms of the number of published articles. First, the various terminologies often used in relation to logistics flexibility are explored. Second, the definitions of logistics flexibility at various levels of analysis are presented along with methodological considerations of the current literature. It is shown that most of the existing articles claim to study the matter at the chain level. The main methodological tools used in studying logistics flexibility are revealed as well as the fact that the majority of the empirical studies correspond to the manufacturing industry. Moreover, a synthesis of the principal measures used to gauge logistics flexibility is provided. Finally, current and emerging themes in logistics flexibility research are highlighted. The study also underlines the main measures used in studying logistics flexibility.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper only focusses on academic articles published in journals and does not include other contributions such as books, etc. The systematic literature review facilitates further conceptual and empirical studies; however, more narrative literature reviews could complement the results of this study.

Originality/value

– This paper is unique in the sense that it specifically reviews the literature on logistics flexibility in a systematic fashion. The content analysis has been carried out using NVivo 10 enabling the systematic nature of the review as well as increasing the pedagogical value of the method.
Children, multimedia content and technological artefacts
Authors: Mazzoni Elvis , Nicolò Enrico , Sapio Bartolomeo
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the user experience of young people with video content accessed through different technological artefacts.

Design/methodology/approach

– To this purpose, an essay has been assigned to the pupils of two lower secondary school classes (mean age 12 years) to know their diverse types of usage of multimedia content in their everyday lives. These compositions have been analysed using a plurality of text analysis tools to find out both the preferred artefacts and their mutual relationships.

Findings

– The results are here presented giving emphasis to qualitative and methodological aspects.

Practical implications

– The analysis is to be intended as a preliminary field research study mainly oriented to testing the visualization power of the selected technical tools, primarily network text analysis, in the context of children exposure to video content made available by today’s information and communication technologies.

Originality/value

– The originality of the paper is characterized by methods used to analyse quantitative data derived from textual compositions of children.
Towards an approach for an accessible and inclusive Virtual Education using ESVI-AL project results
Authors: Amado-Salvatierra Hector R. , Hilera Jose R.
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to present an approach to achieve accessible and inclusive Virtual Education for all, but especially intended for students with disabilities. This work proposes main steps to take into consideration for stakeholders involved in the educational process related to an inclusive e-Learning.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper pays particular regard to accessibility in Virtual Education. This work is based on the activities prepared from years 2012 to 2015 within the initiative called ESVI-AL. This initiative was carried outin conjunction with Latin American and European Universities; for this paper, experiences and best practices from the initiative were used to prepare the proposed approach.

Findings

– The aim of ESVI-AL initiative was to offer products that can help in the development of an accessible and inclusive e-Learning education. Among the main results were reports, case studies, practical guidelines, training courses and software to install virtual campuses with accessibility features.

Social implications

– Nowadays, few countries have laws promoting and enforcing accessibility for e-Education and e-Society. This work aims to sensitize educators from different countries and raise awareness on the importance of working together toward an inclusive society based on accessible e-Learning.

Originality/value

– Based on a literature review and ESVI-AL initiative results, a descriptive overview was prepared as a starting point for the four identified main actors of an educational project, namely, educators, technical staff, quality auditors and students, with special emphasis on students with disabilities.
Effects of decision rationality on ERP adoption extensiveness and organizational performance
Authors: Kharuddin Saira , Foong Soon-Yau , Senik Rosmila
Published: September 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how decision rationality affects ERP adoption extensiveness and subsequently, organization performance. The mediating roles of system usage and user satisfaction on the relationship between adoption extensiveness and organizational performance are also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study was based on a questionnaire survey of 976 public-listed companies and 200 unlisted manufacturing companies. Responses of 93 ERP adopters were analyzed.

Findings

– ERP adoption extensiveness is significantly affected by the overall measure of expected economic benefits, but not by any of the economic benefit type individually. On the other hand, mimetic pressure individually affects ERP adoption extensiveness, but not the overall measure of institutional pressures. ERP adoption extensiveness is significantly associated with organizational performance, and the mediating roles of system usage and user satisfaction are supported.

Research limitations/implications

– This study has the limitations associated with questionnaire-based research and its small sample size may also limit the generalizability of its findings.

Practical implications

– The high emphasis on operational benefits of ERP adoption and the significant effect of mimetic pressure on ERP adoption extensiveness imply that organizations in Malaysia are largely “followers” of the technological innovation and generally have yet to exploit the full potentials of their ERP systems. Government agencies may need to play a more active role to facilitate fuller utilization and adoption of the higher end ERP applications. Vendors of ERP systems may need to review their strategies to increase their sales of ERP systems to the smaller business enterprises.

Originality/value

– The paper addresses the relatively void in literature on the link between decision rationality and technology adoption extensiveness and the subsequent organizational performance in the context of an emerging economy.