bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of supply chain integration on performance: A contingency and configuration approach
Authors: Flynn Barbara B. , Huo Baofeng , Zhao Xiande 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis study extends the developing body of literature on supply chain integration (SCI), which is the degree to which a manufacturer strategically collaborates with its supply chain partners and collaboratively manages intra‐ and inter‐organizational processes, in order to achieve effective and efficient flows of products and services, information, money and decisions, to provide maximum value to the customer. The previous research is inconsistent in its findings about the relationship between SCI and performance. We attribute this inconsistency to incomplete definitions of SCI, in particular, the tendency to focus on customer and supplier integration only, excluding the important central link of internal integration. We study the relationship between three dimensions of SCI, operational and business performance, from both a contingency and a configuration perspective. In applying the contingency approach, hierarchical regression was used to determine the impact of individual SCI dimensions (customer, supplier and internal integration) and their interactions on performance. In the configuration approach, cluster analysis was used to develop patterns of SCI, which were analyzed in terms of SCI strength and balance. Analysis of variance was used to examine the relationship between SCI pattern and performance. The findings of both the contingency and configuration approach indicated that SCI was related to both operational and business performance. Furthermore, the results indicated that internal and customer integration were more strongly related to improving performance than supplier integration.
Insights into Wasatch fault vertical slip rates using the age of sediments in Timpanogos Cave, Utah
Authors: Mayo Alan L. , Bruthans Jiri , Tingey David , Kadlec Jaroslav , Nelson Steve 
Published: June 2009

AbstractTimpanogos Cave, located near the Wasatch fault, is about 357 m above the American Fork River. Fluvial cave sediments and an interbedded carbonate flowstone yield a paleomagnetic and U–Th depositional age of 350 to 780 ka. Fault vertical slip rates, inferred from calculated river downcutting rates, range between 1.02 and 0.46 mm yr− 1. These slip rates are in the range of the 0–12 Ma Wasatch Range exhumation rate (∼ 0.5–0.7 mm yr− 1), suggesting that the long-term vertical slip rate remained stable through mid-Pleistocene time. However, the late Pleistocene (0–250 ka) decelerated slip rate (∼ 0.2–0.3 mm yr− 1) and the accelerated Holocene slip rate (∼ 1.2 mm yr− 1) are consistent with episodic fault activity. Assuming that the late Pleistocene vertical slip rate represents an episodic slowing of fault movement and the long-term (0–12 Ma) average vertical slip rate, including the late Pleistocene and Holocene, should be ∼ 0.6 mm yr− 1, there is a net late Pleistocene vertical slip deficit of ∼ 50–75 m. The Holocene and late Pleistocene slip rates may be typical for episodes of accelerated and slowed fault movement, respectively. The calculated late Pleistocene slip deficit may mean that the current accelerated Wasatch fault slip rate will extend well into the future.
SHARPNESS OF SOME PROPERTIES OF WIENER AMALGAM AND MODULATION SPACES
Authors: CORDERO ELENA , NICOLA FABIO 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWe prove sharp estimates for the dilation operator f(x)⟼f(λx), when acting on Wiener amalgam spaces W(Lp,Lq). Scaling arguments are also used to prove the sharpness of the known convolution and pointwise relations for modulation spaces Mp,q, as well as the optimality of an estimate for the Schrödinger propagator on modulation spaces.
ON AN IMPLICIT HIERARCHICAL FIXED POINT APPROACH TO VARIATIONAL INEQUALITIES
Authors: CIANCIARUSO FILOMENA , COLAO VITTORIO , MUGLIA LUIGI , XU HONG-KUN 
Published: June 2009

AbstractMoudafi and Maingé [Towards viscosity approximations of hierarchical fixed-point problems, Fixed Point Theory Appl. (2006), Art. ID 95453, 10pp] and Xu [Viscosity method for hierarchical fixed point approach to variational inequalities, Taiwanese J. Math.13(6) (2009)] studied an implicit viscosity method for approximating solutions of variational inequalities by solving hierarchical fixed point problems. The approximate solutions are a net (xs,t) of two parameters s,t∈(0,1), and under certain conditions, the iterated lim t→0lim s→0xs,t exists in the norm topology. Moudafi, Maingé and Xu stated the problem of convergence of (xs,t) as (s,t)→(0,0) jointly in the norm topology. In this paper we further study the behaviour of the net (xs,t); in particular, we give a negative answer to this problem.
ANNIHILATORS OF POWER VALUES OF GENERALIZED DERIVATIONS ON MULTILINEAR POLYNOMIALS
Authors: DE FILIPPIS VINCENZO 
Published: June 2009

AbstractLet R be a noncommutative prime ring of characteristic different from 2 with Utumi quotient ring U and extended centroid C, I a nonzero right ideal of R. Let f(x1,…,xn) be a noncentral multilinear polynomial over C, m≥1 a fixed integer, a a fixed element of R, g a generalized derivation of R. If ag(f(r1,…,rn))m=0 for all r1,…,rn∈I, then one of the following holds: (1)aI=ag(I)=(0);(2)g(x)=qx, for some q∈U and aqI=0;(3)[f(x1,…,xn),xn+1]xn+2 is an identity for I;(4)g(x)=cx+[q,x] for all x∈R, where c,q∈U such that cI=0 and [q,I]I=0.
DISCRETENESS CRITERIA FOR MÖBIUS GROUPS ACTING ON II
Authors: LI LIU-LAN , WANG XIAN-TAO 
Published: June 2009

AbstractJørgensen’s famous inequality gives a necessary condition for a subgroup of PSL(2,ℂ) to be discrete. It is also true that if Jørgensen’s inequality holds for every nonelementary two-generator subgroup, the group is discrete. The sufficient condition has been generalized to many settings. In this paper, we continue the work of Wang, Li and Cao (‘Discreteness criteria for Möbius groups acting on $\overline {\mathbb {R}}^n$’, Israel J. Math.150 (2005), 357–368) and find three more (infinite) discreteness criteria for groups acting on $\overline {\mathbb {R}}^n$; we also correct a linguistic ambiguity of their Theorem 3.3 where one of the necessary conditions might be vacuously fulfilled. The results of this paper are obtained by using known results regarding two-generator subgroups and a careful analysis of the relation among the fixed point sets of various elements of the group.
The effect of different meals on the absorption of stable isotope-labelled phylloquinone
Authors: Jones Kerry S. , Bluck Les J. C. , Wang Laura Y. , Stephen Alison M. , Prynne Celia J. , Coward W. Andy 
Published: June 2009

Few studies have investigated the absorption of phylloquinone (vitamin K1). We recruited twelve healthy, non-obese adults. On each study day, fasted subjects took a capsule containing 20 μg of13C-labelled phylloquinone with one of three meals, defined as convenience, cosmopolitan and animal-oriented, in a three-way crossover design. The meals were formulated from the characteristics of clusters identified in dietary pattern analysis of data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey conducted in 2000–1. Plasma phylloquinone concentration and isotopic enrichment were measured over 8 h. Significantly more phylloquinone tracer was absorbed when consumed with the cosmopolitan and animal-oriented meals than with the convenience meal (P = 0·001 and 0·035, respectively). Estimates of the relative availability of phylloquinone from the meals were: convenience meal = 1·00; cosmopolitan meal = 0·31; animal-oriented meal = 0·23. Combining the tracer data with availability estimates for phylloquinone from the meals provides overall relative bioavailability values of convenience = 1·00, cosmopolitan = 0·46 and animal-oriented = 0·29. Stable isotopes provide a useful tool to investigate further the bioavailability of low doses of phylloquinone. Different meals can affect the absorption of free phylloquinone. The meal-based study design used in the present work provides an approach that reflects more closely the way foods are eaten in a free-living population.
Nonlinear Thomson backscattering of intense laser pulses by electrons trapped in plasma-vacuum boundary
Authors: Liu Jiansheng , Xia Changquan , Liu Li , Li Ruxin , Xu Zhizhan 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWe present the idea of intensified attosecond X-ray generation based on nonlinear Thomson backscattering of an intense laser pulse by electrons trapped in plasma-vacuum boundary. Two frequency up-conversions due to the relativistic Doppler effect and longitudinal γ-spike effect are analyzed, respectively, where γ is the relativistic factor of the plasma surface. Relativistic resonance heating conditions should be used as a criterion for the experimental design to obtain efficient high-order harmonics and energetic electrons' generation at relatively low laser intensities. Shaping the laser field by proposing a detuned second-harmonic can generate a single attosecond pulse without spectral filtering.
40 GW Linear Transformer Driver stage for pulse generators of Mega-ampere range
Authors: Kovalchuk B.M. , Kharlov A.V. , Zherlitsyn A.A. , Kumpjak E.V. , Tsoy N.V. , Vizir V.A. , Smorudov G.V. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractLinear transformer driver (LTD) technology is actively developed at the Institute of High Current Electronics in Tomsk, Russia. This technology is being examined for use in high current high voltage pulsed accelerators. Recent development of high voltage low inductance capacitors and low inductance switches enabled to achieve ~100 ns rise time of the LTD output pulse. This technique allows one to eliminate intermediate pulse forming sections, used in the present accelerator technology, which would keep the footprint of an LTD accelerator small. LTD based drivers are currently considered for many applications, including future very high current Z-pinch drivers for inertial confinement fusion, medium current drivers with adjustable pulse length for isentropic compression experiments, and finally relatively low current accelerators for radiography and X-pinches. In this article, we present the design and test results for a new LTD stage, that operates at 100 kV charging voltage. Current amplitude up to 850 kA with ~140 ns rise time was obtained on a 0.05 Ω load. Stack of the LTD stages can be easily assembled in series or in parallel, thus providing voltage or current multiplication, respectively. Design of multi-mega-volt and multi-mega-ampere generators becomes straightforward with the LTD technology.
Effect of transition section between the main switch and middle cylinder of Blumlein pulse forming line on the diode voltage of intense electron-beam accelerators
Authors: Cheng X.-B. , Liu J.-L. , Qian B.-L. , Zhang J.-D. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe rise-time of the pulse on the diode of the intense electron-beam accelerators (IEBA) is one of the important factors that affect the quality and characteristic of the output beam current of the IEBA. In this paper, effect of the transition section between the main switch and middle cylinder of strip spiral Blumlein line (SSBL) on the diode voltage of IEBA is analyzed in theory, based on the theoretical analysis of the wave propagation along the Blumlein pulse forming line (BPFL), the traveling time of the transition section has a great effect on the rise-time, the plateau-time, and the fall-time of the output voltage at the matching load. Furthermore, the operation of the whole accelerator consisting of the primary energy-storage capacitor, the Tesla transformer, a main switch, the transition section, BPFL, and a resistive load was simulated using a circuit-simulation code called PSpice, and the dependence of the output voltage on the inductance of the main switch and the transition section was obtained. It was found from the wave propagation theory and the circuit simulation using computer results that the wave traveling time of the transition section between the main switch and the middle cylinder of the SSBL influences considerably the rise-time, plateau-time, and fall-time of the voltage waveform at the matching load. In order to get an ideal square pulse voltage waveform at the matching load and to improve the electron beam quality of such an accelerator, the wave traveling time of the transition section should be designed as soon as possible. At last, a couple of contrastive experiments are performed on two kinds of IEBA. The experimental results agree with the theoretical analysis and simulated results.
Prevalence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Guangxi, China
Authors: MA G. , ZHENG D. , CAI Q. , YUAN Z. 
Published: June 2009

SUMMARYMelioidosis, an infectious disease caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is now recognized as an important public health problem in Southeast Asia and tropical northern Australia. Although B. pseudomallei has been detected in various water and soil samples in southeast China, the enviromental distribution of B. pseudomallei in China is unclear. In the winter months of 2007, 154 and 130 soil and water samples, respectively, were collected from several locations in Guangxi, China. The samples were screened for B. pseudomallei by bacterial culture and identification and confirmed by PCR for species-specific 16S rDNA and flagellin genes. B. pseudomallei was detected in 8·4% of the soil samples but in none of the water samples. All positive samples were confined to a single low-lying region from rice paddy fields. Counts of B. pseudomallei ranged from 23 to 521 c.f.u./g soil. This is the first geographical distribution survey of B. pseudomallei in soil in Guangxi, China, and the data are of importance for further evaluating the impact of this pathogen on melioidosis in this region.
Power amplifier optimization using base band and multiharmonic source/load-pull characterization with digital predistortion
Authors: Abib Ghalid Idir , Bergeault Eric , Bensmida Souheil , Mohellebi Reda 
Published: June 2009

In this paper, different techniques are combined in a unique characterization system dedicated to power transistor linearity improvement. Successive optimizations are performed using source-pull/load-pull techniques at fundamental, harmonic, and base-band frequencies associated with an instantaneous memoryless base-band predistortion procedure. Measurement results performed at 1.575 GHz on a metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) power device biased in class-AB under a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK)-modulated signal excitation show that fundamental frequency load-pull increases the output power and power-added efficiency (PAE) by 2 dB and 16 percentage points, respectively. The fundamental frequency source-pull measurements lead to an adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) variation equal to 3 dB. For harmonic load-pull (at 2f0), it has been found that some impedances greatly improve linearity but output power and PAE decrease. Source-pull characterization at the second harmonic frequency allows one to find a trade-off between output power, efficiency, and linearity. Moreover, the influence of base-band impedance on ACPR and error vector magnitude (EVM) is found to be 15 dB and 5.5 percentage points, respectively. Finally, instantaneous memoryless base-band predistortion improves ACPR and EVM values by 5 dB and 1 point, respectively.
Low-cost TRM technologies for phased array radars
Authors: Berg Håkan , Thiesies Heiko , Billström Niklas 
Published: June 2009

Low-cost enabling technologies for T/R modules (TRMs) in phased array radars are proposed and analyzed in terms of technology, performance, and cost aspects. Phase and amplitude controlling integrated circuits (ICs) realized in a low-cost standard silicon process are demonstrated. The design of several ICs at the S-, C-, on X-band has shown that silicon germanium is a strong contender for gallium arsenide. This also applies to TRMs suited for military active phased array antenna (AESA) radars. The circuits presented in this paper are manufactured by austriamicrosystems in their 0.35 µm SiGe-BiCMOS process with an fTof around 70 GHz. A TRM packaging concept based on soldered surface-mount technology and organic substrates is also demonstrated. A cost analysis concludes that by using the proposed packaging concept and the SiGe core-chip technology, the TRM production cost can be potentially reduced by 70% compared to traditional ceramic hermetic packaging with core chip in GaAs technology.
Design and performance of multi-channel switched sequential amplifiers
Authors: Lehmann Thomas , Knoechel Reinhard 
Published: June 2009

This paper presents switched sequential amplifiers (SSAs) using reconfigurable directional couplers as power splitters and combiners. The SSA concept allows matching the efficiency characteristics to the amplitude probability density distribution of the applied modulated signal. Therefore the back-off efficiency can be increased significantly. A three-channel SSA can e.g. theoretically achieve a −10 dB back-off efficiency exceeding 50%. Design parameters and potential efficiency enhancement are discussed for two- and three-channel SSAs. After a brief introduction of the used switched couplers, the circuit concept for two- and three-channel SSAs is described. Calculations for the possible efficiency enhancement are presented. Also signal distortions by the directional couplers are outlined. The paper closes with experimental results for a two-channel SSA.
The past as prologue: the development of the ‘direct participation’ exception to civilian immunity
Authors: Camins Emily 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe ‘direct participation’ exception to the principle of distinction, found in Article 51(3) of Protocol I and Article 13(2) of Protocol II, embodies a long-recognized concept in the laws governing armed conflict. For centuries the broad notion that humanity demands the protection only of those citizens who are harmless has found expression in the rules and norms relating to war. This article traces the historical factors and trends which influenced the development of the ‘direct participation’ exception in its current form, revealing a tendency towards ‘humanizing’ the law in favour of civilians, notwithstanding their increased military value.
Can jus ad bellum override jus in bello? Reaffirming the separation of the two bodies of law
Authors: Moussa Jasmine 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe theoretical separation of jus ad bellum and jus in bello provides important protection during armed conflict. It guarantees that jus in bello will apply regardless of the cause of a conflict. However, this distinction has been challenged by the view that in some cases a situation of self-defence may be so extreme, and the threat to the survival of the state so great, that violations of jus in bello may be warranted. The situation is compounded by the confusion of the principles of necessity and proportionality under jus ad bellum and jus in bello in both academic writing and the jurisprudence of international courts. The dangers of blurring the distinction will be elucidated by examining how jus ad bellum considerations have affected the application of jus in bello in armed conflicts between states and non-state actors.
The civilianization of armed conflict: trends and implications
Authors: Wenger Andreas , Mason Simon J. A. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractCivilians play an increasingly important and complex role in armed conflicts, both as victims and as perpetrators. While this overall trend towards ‘civilianization’ encompasses all types of present-day conflicts, it is twofold: it takes on a very different nature in high-technology warfare than in the context of low-technology combats that are typical of many civil wars. This article explores these two trends, shows how they merge in asymmetric warfare and outlines key implications for international stabilization and state-building efforts. The present-day conflict landscape is presented from a security policy point of view, placing the ongoing debates on the civilian participation in hostilities in a broader strategic context.
Mentoring Asian Graduate Students Who Attend Communication Sciences and Disorders Programs in the United States
Authors: Tsai Meng-Ju , Scherz Julie , DiLollo Anthony 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
This qualitative study provided an overview of American faculty members' perceptions of Asian graduate students who are in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) programs in the United States. American faculty members with experience working with Asian graduate students in CSD programs were interviewed to identify their experiences with Asian graduate students compared to those with American students. Further, faculty members were asked about skills that were most helpful in mentoring Asian graduate students. Results yielded a variety of common themes across participants that were classified into three major categories: characteristics of Asian graduate students, English language skills, and teaching and mentoring changes or modifications. Moreover, four primary mentoring skills were identified, including cultural understanding, person-oriented, support system, and reconfirmation.
Depicting gestures
Authors: Streeck Jürgen 
Published: June 2009

In “Depicting by gestures” (Gesture, 8 (3)), I have explored the methods by which hand gestures depict the world. Here I explore how gestures themselves are depicted. Many paintings and sculptures show human bodies in motion or showcase traces of body movements, including gestures of the hand. The issue is how the artists succeeded in depicting or insinuating movement in media that are inherently still, and how such arrested gestures function in pictures of social life so that these are perceived as “legible interactions” (Gombrich). By scrutinizing the changing logic of representation of embodied communication in the visual arts, gesture researchers can gain insights into the relationships between movement, form, meaning, and context, and recontextualize their own analytic methodologies within the broader discourse in the humanities on human behavior and its interpretation (Streeck, 2003). 	In the following, I examine a number of characteristic attempts, made during different periods of Western art-history, to solve this problem: in Egyptian, Greek, and Hellenistic art; in some medieval illuminations; in the early and late Renaissance; and in the 20th century styles of “écriture automatique” and Abstract Expressionism. Each of the strategies involved is predicated on three types of analysis: of ways in which body motion communicates meaning, of visual perception, and of the nature of pictorial representation.
First trimester PTX3 levels in women who subsequently develop preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction
Authors: CETIN IRENE , COZZI VERONICA , PAPAGEORGHIOU ARIS T , MAINA VIRGINIA , MONTANELLI ALESSANDRO , GARLANDA CECILIA , THILAGANATHAN BASKY 
Published: June 2009

AbstractPentraxin 3 (PTX3) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured in the first trimester of pregnancy in women who subsequently developed preeclampsia (PE, n = 16) and fetal growth restriction (FGR, n = 12) requiring iatrogenic delivery before 37 weeks, and those who had uncomplicated pregnancies delivering at term (n = 60). Mean PTX3 levels were significantly higher in women who subsequently developed PE (7.31 ng/ml, SD = 4.12) when compared to those with normal pregnancy outcome (4.92 ng/ml, SD = 1.94, p = 0.0046). There were no significant differences between PTX3 levels in women with FGR (4.82 ng/ml, SD = 2.35) compared to normal pregnancy outcome (p = 0.88). The median CRP levels did not vary significantly between the three groups (p = 0.26). PTX3 levels in women who subsequently develop PE are already elevated in the first trimester, but not in those that develop FGR. This supports the hypothesis of an excessive maternal inflammatory response to pregnancy in the etiology of PE.