bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polymer/clay nanocomposites through multiple hydrogen‐bonding interactions
Authors: Aydin Muhammed , Uyar Tamer , Tasdelen Mehmet Atilla , Yagci Yusuf 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTAn 2‐ureido‐4[1H]pyrimidinone (UPy) motif with self‐association capability (through quadruple hydrogen bonds) was successfully anchored onto montmorillonite clay layers. Polymer/clay nanocomposites were prepared by specific hydrogen bonding interactions between surface functionalized silica nanoclays and UPy‐bonded supramolecular poly(ethylene glycol) or poly(ɛ‐caprolactone). The mixed morphologies including intercalated layers with a non‐uniform separation and exfoliated single layers isolated from any stack were determined by combined X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic measurements. Thermal analyses showed that all nanocomposites had higher decomposition temperatures and thermal stabilities compared with neat polymer. The differential scanning calorimetric data implied that the crystallinity of polymers did not show essential changes upon introduction of organomodified UPy clays. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 650–658
Naphthalimide‐phthalimide derivative based photoinitiating systems for polymerization reactions under blue lights
Authors: Xiao Pu , Dumur Frédéric , Zhang Jing , Graff Bernadette , Gigmes Didier , Fouassier Jean Pierre , Lalevée Jacques 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTNaphthalimide‐phthalimide derivatives (NDPDs) have been synthesized and combined with an iodonium salt, N‐vinylcarbazole, amine or 2,4,6‐tris(trichloromethyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine to produce reactive species (i.e., radicals and cations). These generated reactive species are capable of initiating the cationic polymerization of epoxides and/or the radical polymerization of acrylates upon exposure to very soft polychromatic visible lights or blue lights. Compared with the well‐known camphorquinone based systems used as references, the novel NDPD based combinations employed here demonstrate clearly higher efficiencies for the cationic polymerization of epoxides under air as well as the radical polymerization of acrylates. Remarkably, one of the NDPDs (i.e., NDPD2) based systems is characterized by an outstanding reactivity. The structure/reactivity/efficiency relationships of the investigated NDPDs were studied by fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, laser flash photolysis, electron spin resonance spin trapping, and steady state photolysis techniques. The key parameters for their reactivity are provided. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 665–674
Monitoring intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy using the fetal myocardial performance index: a cohort study
Authors: Henry A. , Welsh A. W. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo investigate use of the fetal myocardial performance index (MPI) in assessing intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).MethodsThis was a cohort study including cross‐sectional and longitudinal data from 31 women with ICP recruited from June 2012 to March 2014. Fetal left, right and delta MPI (LMPI, RMPI and DMPI), and routine measures of fetal growth and wellbeing, were obtained at each ultrasound examination. Results were evaluated with respect to gestational age (GA)‐adjusted reference intervals, level of maternal serum bile acid (SBA) and fetal outcome. Lower SBA (≥ 7.5 and < 40 μmol/L) and high SBA (≥ 40 μmol/L) subgroups of cases were defined for the analysis.ResultsA total of 51 ultrasound examinations were performed in 33 fetuses. The mean LMPI, and means of its isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT) and isovolumetric contraction time (ICT) components were significantly higher in all subgroups of cases of ICP relative to the normal reference mean. Considering only the first examination in each case of ICP, IRT was significantly more prolonged in the high SBA group (n = 10) in comparison to the lower SBA group (n = 23) (52.7 ± 8.0 ms vs 47.3 ± 4.8 ms, P = 0.02), and both IRT (r = 0.538, P = 0.001) and LMPI (r = 0.367, P = 0.036) were significantly correlated with SBA concentration. The proportion of high SBA cases with LMPI, RMPI or DMPI > 2 SD above the GA‐adjusted reference mean was not significantly greater than for the lower SBA group. On analysis of all data from those cases with more than one examination, no significant correlation was found between SBA concentration and any of the MPI variables.ConclusionsLMPI values increase above the population GA‐adjusted mean in cases of ICP, particularly amongst women with higher SBA. A significant correlation between IRT and LMPI at initial examination and increasing SBA concentration was found. A future multicenter prospective study may clarify the prognostic utility of MPI in ICP. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Influence of the PM-Processing Route and Nitrogen Content on the Properties of Ni-Free Austenitic Stainless Steel
Authors: Lefor Kathrin , Walter M. , Weddeling A. , Hryha E. , Huth S. , Weber S. , Nyborg L. , Theisen W. 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
Ni-free austenitic steels alloyed with Cr and Mn are an alternative to conventional Ni-containing steels. Nitrogen alloying of these steel grades is beneficial for several reasons such as increased strength and corrosion resistance. Low solubility in liquid and δ-ferrite restricts the maximal N-content that can be achieved via conventional metallurgy. Higher contents can be alloyed by powder-metallurgical (PM) production via gas–solid interaction. The performance of sintered parts is determined by appropriate sintering parameters. Three major PM-processing routes, hot isostatic pressing, supersolidus liquid phase sintering (SLPS), and solid-state sintering, were performed to study the influence of PM-processing route and N-content on densification, fracture, and mechanical properties. Sintering routes are designed with the assistance of thermodynamic calculations, differential thermal analysis, and residual gas analysis. Fracture surfaces were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Tensile tests and X-ray diffraction were performed to study mechanical properties and austenite stability. This study demonstrates that SLPS process reaches high densification of the high-Mn-containing powder material while the desired N-contents were successfully alloyed via gas–solid interaction. Produced specimens show tensile strengths >1000 MPa combined with strain to fracture of 60 pct and thus overcome the other tested production routes as well as conventional stainless austenitic or martensitic grades.
Polymorphic Variation in the Epigenetic GeneDNMT3BModulates the Environmental Impact on Cognitive Ability: A Twin Study
Authors: Córdova-Palomera A. , Fatjó-Vilas M. , Kebir O. , Gastó C. , Krebs M.O. , Fañanás L. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBackground:Though cognitive abilities in adulthood are largely influenced by individual genetic background, they have also been shown to be importantly influenced by environmental factors. Some of these influences are mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Accordingly, polymorphic variants in the epigenetic geneDNMT3Bhave been linked to neurocognitive performance. Since monozygotic (MZ) twins may show larger or smaller intrapair phenotypic differences depending on whether their genetic background is more or less sensitive to environmental factors, a twin design was implemented to determine if particular polymorphisms in theDNMT3Bgene may be linked to a better (worse) response to enriched (deprived) environmental factors.Methods:Applying the variability gene methodology in a sample of 54 healthy MZ twin pairs (108 individuals) with no lifetime history of psychopathology, twoDNMT3Bpolymorphisms were analyzed in relation to their intrapair differences for either intellectual quotient (IQ) or working memory performance.Results:MZ twin pairs with the CC genotype for rs406193 SNP showed statistically significant larger intrapair differences in IQ than CT pairs.Conclusions:Results suggest thatDNMT3Bpolymorphisms may explain variability in the IQ response to either enriched or impoverished environmental conditions. Accordingly, the applied methodology is shown as a potentially valuable tool for determining genetic markers of cognitive plasticity. Further research is needed to confirm this specific result and to expand on other putative genetic markers of environmental sensitivity.
Assessing the contingent effects of collaboration on agility performance in buyer–supplier relationships
Authors: Narayanan Sriram , Narasimhan Ram , Schoenherr Tobias 
Published: December 2014

AbstractSeveral studies in the buyer–supplier relationship literature have addressed the impact of collaboration on agility performance. While some studies have concluded that collaboration leads to beneficial effects, others have questioned the positive effects of collaboration on relationship performance. Drawing on contingency theory and transaction cost economics (TCE), we seek to better understand the linkage among collaboration, trust and agility performance in a buyer–supplier relationship. Further, we study the contingent influence of requirements certainty and supplier asset specificity, two key TCE constructs in buyer–supplier relationships, on the collaboration–agility performance relationship. We show that while trust mediates the impact of collaboration on agility performance, the indirect effect of collaboration on agility performance via trust is significant only beyond a threshold level of collaboration. The theoretical implication of this result is that the performance relationship is non‐linear, a result that has not been recognized in current literature. The practical implication is that organizations need to establish a certain level of collaboration before its positive impact can be realized. In addition, we show that the impact of collaboration on agility performance in buyer–supplier sourcing relationships can be positive, negative or neutral depending on the levels of trust, supplier asset specificity and requirements certainty, emphasizing the need to develop contingency theories.
Management and ownership control in foreign investments: An analysis of the influence of isomorphism and quality of institutions
Authors: Déniz-Déniz Mª de la Cruz , García-Cabrera Antonia Mercedes 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAccording to new institutionalism, this work simultaneously analyzes different methods of operating abroad – that is, joint venture, acquisition and greenfield – in terms of the level of management and ownership control they provide. This research studies the regulative and cognitive institutions that explain the multinational company’s choice of a particular level of that control for its subsidiaries years after entering a foreign country. We analyze 109 German firms with subsidiaries in Spain. The results show that the level of management and ownership control for the subsidiary responds to the institutional quality of the host country and the internal and especially external isomorphic pressures.
Family firms as incubators for ethical behavior: An exploratory study from the perspective of stewardship theory
Authors: Vallejo-Martos Manuel Carlos , Puentes-Poyatos Raquel 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis work aims to determine whether family firms have differential characteristics that make them better incubators for ethical behavior from the perspective of stewardship theory. Results show that the psychological and situational factors that stewardship theory points to as determinants in the construction of principal–steward relationships are more evident in family firms than in non-family firms. These factors result in the behavior of owners and non-family employees becoming more ethical – with all the benefits this implies for these firms.
Strategic and architectural dimensions of the decision-making processes in South African multinational corporations
Authors: Luiz John M , Visser Grant 
Published: December 2014

AbstractWe examine the manner in which South African-owned multinationals devolve power to their international subsidiaries in Africa, and the resulting effects of the interaction between strategy and structure. The research suggests that a dynamic process of power distribution may develop, in terms of the following: (1) the performance of the subsidiary, its expertise and experience to adapt to local market demands; and (2) the multinational’s need to manage the risks propagated by the African operating environment in which it operates. There is a dual facet to power devolvement, one in which South African multinationals opt for risk mitigation through long-standing control, often at the expense of operational adaptation. In contrast with the literature, which sees multinational corporations as differentiated networks, in the South African case we find a more traditional approach with clear headquarters and ‘miniature replica’ subsidiaries. This suggests that South African multinational corporations are still emerging and that it will take time to develop differentiated networks.
Tournament Mechanism in Wine-Grape Contracts: Evidence from a French Wine Cooperative
Authors: Fares M'hand , Orozco Luis 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis article analyzes the contractual relationship between a wine cooperative (winery) and its member (growers). This relationship is plagued by moral hazard and adverse selection problems in grape quality. Indeed, growers can be opportunistic since the cooperative is unable to observe: (1) their effort level due to imperfect monitoring technology; and (2) their productive abilities (types) due to adverse selection. Because the growers' vineyard practices and efforts are one of the main determinants of grape quality, the cooperative implements an incentive compensation system to induce growers to make the maximum effort toward the achievement of quality. This compensation scheme is similar to that in tournaments (Green and Stokey, 1983; Knoeber, 1989; Lazear and Rosen, 1981; Prendergast, 1999). In our case, the cooperative promotes competition between growers by offering a promotion to a higher-quality contract, while, at the same time, organizing the contest by creating homogeneous groups of growers using a menu of contracts and monitoring through regular visits to the vineyard. Using a database of 1,219 contracts, we test the effect of: (1) the cooperative's tournament compensation scheme; (2) the menu of contracts and monitoring mechanism. The results of our econometric estimations provide some confirmation of both effects. (JEL classifications: L14, D82, Q13)
Complying, Transforming or Resisting in the New Austerity? Realigning Social Welfare and Independent Action among English Voluntary Organisations
Authors: MILBOURNE LINDA , CUSHMAN MIKE 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis paper considers implications for the English voluntary sector of recent shifts in the terms of engagement with the state following rapid political and policy changes under the UK Coalition government. It explores how ideas of what constitutes the voluntary sector are being reconstructed in policy and practical settings, examining processes contributing to re-shaping the voluntary sector's conception of itself and beliefs about legitimate activities and aspirations. It draws on theories of institutional isomorphism and governmentality to explore these changes which appear to be modifying and restricting the voluntary sector's role in social welfare, limiting its influence and its ability to act simultaneously within and against the state. The paper argues the integral role of the state in recasting the roles of different sectors but also discusses the extent to which voluntary sector compliance is necessary to ensure organisational survival, asking what spaces exist for independent activity and resistance.
Design of the three-bus control system utilising periodic relay for a centipede-like robot
Authors: Wei Tianqi , Luo Qingsheng , Mo Yang , Wang Yong , Cheng Zhineng 
Published: December 2014

SUMMARYA centipede-like robot, which has high degrees of freedom (DOFs) and similar body segments, requires new real-time control to achieve diverse gaits. Therefore, we have studied the movement characteristics of multi-legged creatures and determined the features for a gait periodic relay. An instruction-relay control scheme, the three-bus control system and the required software were then designed. In our experiments with the designed control system, different gaits for the robot could be achieved, and the phase difference between body segments could be changed by altering the delay time. As a whole, this control system could accomplish the required control task and reasonably simplify the gait control algorithms and procedures.
Autophagy and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis may not be involved in the degradation of spermatozoon mitochondria in mouse and porcine early embryos
Authors: Jin Yong-Xun , Zheng Zhong , Yu Xian-Feng , Zhang Jia-Bao , Namgoong Suk , Cui Xiang-Shun , Hyun Sang-Hwan , Kim Nam-Hyung 
Published: December 2014

SummaryThe mitochondrial genome is maternally inherited in animals, despite the fact that paternal mitochondria enter oocytes during fertilization. Autophagy and ubiquitin-mediated degradation are responsible for the elimination of paternal mitochondria in Caenorhabditis elegans; however, the involvement of these two processes in the degradation of paternal mitochondria in mammals is not well understood. We investigated the localization patterns of light chain 3 (LC3) and ubiquitin in mouse and porcine embryos during preimplantation development. We found that LC3 and ubiquitin localized to the spermatozoon midpiece at 3 h post-fertilization, and that both proteins were colocalized with paternal mitochondria and removed upon fertilization during the 4-cell stage in mouse and the zygote stage in porcine embryos. Sporadic paternal mitochondria were present beyond the morula stage in the mouse, and paternal mitochondria were restricted to one blastomere of 4-cell embryos. An autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), did not affect the distribution of paternal mitochondria compared with the positive control, while an autophagy inducer, rapamycin, accelerated the removal of paternal mitochondria compared with the control. After the intracytoplasmic injection of intact spermatozoon into mouse oocytes, LC3 and ubiquitin localized to the spermatozoon midpiece, but remnants of undegraded paternal mitochondria were retained until the blastocyst stage. Our results show that paternal mitochondria colocalize with autophagy receptors and ubiquitin and are removed after in vitro fertilization, but some remnants of sperm mitochondrial sheath may persist up to morula stage after intracytoplasmic spermatozoon injection (ICSI).
A Robust Generic Method for Grid Detection in White Light Microscopy Malassez Blade Images in the Context of Cell Counting
Authors: Marin Ambroise , Denimal Emmanuel , Guyot Stéphane , Journaux Ludovic , Molin Paul 
Published: December 2014

AbstractIn biology, cell counting is a primary measurement and it is usually performed manually using hemocytometers such as Malassez blades. This work is tedious and can be automated using image processing. An algorithm based on Fourier transform filtering and the Hough transform was developed for Malassez blade grid extraction. This facilitates cell segmentation and counting within the grid. For the present work, a set of 137 images with high variability was processed. Grids were accurately detected in 98% of these images.
Total-Scattering Pair-Distribution Function of Organic Material from Powder Electron Diffraction Data
Authors: Gorelik Tatiana E. , Schmidt Martin U. , Kolb Ute , Billinge Simon J. L. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis paper shows that pair-distribution function (PDF) analyses can be carried out on organic and organometallic compounds from powder electron diffraction data. Different experimental setups are demonstrated, including selected area electron diffraction and nanodiffraction in transmission electron microscopy or nanodiffraction in scanning transmission electron microscopy modes. The methods were demonstrated on organometallic complexes (chlorinated and unchlorinated copper phthalocyanine) and on purely organic compounds (quinacridone). The PDF curves from powder electron diffraction data, called ePDF, are in good agreement with PDF curves determined from X-ray powder data demonstrating that the problems of obtaining kinematical scattering data and avoiding beam damage of the sample are possible to resolve.
Transposable element islands facilitate adaptation to novel environments in an invasive species
Authors: Schrader Lukas , Kim Jay W. , Ence Daniel , Zimin Aleksey , Klein Antonia , Wyschetzki Katharina , Weichselgartner Tobias , Kemena Carsten , Stökl Johannes , Schultner Eva , Wurm Yannick , Smith Christopher D. , Yandell Mark , Heinze Jürgen , Gadau Jürgen , Oettler Jan 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAdaptation requires genetic variation, but founder populations are generally genetically depleted. Here we sequence two populations of an inbred ant that diverge in phenotype to determine how variability is generated.Cardiocondyla obscuriorhas the smallest of the sequenced ant genomes and its structure suggests a fundamental role of transposable elements (TEs) in adaptive evolution. Accumulations of TEs (TE islands) comprising 7.18% of the genome evolve faster than other regions with regard to single-nucleotide variants, gene/exon duplications and deletions and gene homology. A non-random distribution of gene families, larvae/adult specific gene expression and signs of differential methylation in TE islands indicate intragenomic differences in regulation, evolutionary rates and coalescent effective population size. Our study reveals a tripartite interplay between TEs, life history and adaptation in an invasive species.
Theoretical predictions for hot-carrier generation from surface plasmon decay
Authors: Sundararaman Ravishankar , Narang Prineha , Jermyn Adam S. , Goddard III William A. , Atwater Harry A. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractDecay of surface plasmons to hot carriers finds a wide variety of applications in energy conversion, photocatalysis and photodetection. However, a detailed theoretical description of plasmonic hot-carrier generation in real materials has remained incomplete. Here we report predictions for the prompt distributions of excited ‘hot’ electrons and holes generated by plasmon decay, before inelastic relaxation, using a quantized plasmon model with detailed electronic structure. We find that carrier energy distributions are sensitive to the electronic band structure of the metal: gold and copper produce holes hotter than electrons by 1–2 eV, while silver and aluminium distribute energies more equitably between electrons and holes. Momentum-direction distributions for hot carriers are anisotropic, dominated by the plasmon polarization for aluminium and by the crystal orientation for noble metals. We show that in thin metallic films intraband transitions can alter the carrier distributions, producing hotter electrons in gold, but interband transitions remain dominant.