Determination of heat transfer coefficient for hot stamping process

© 2015 The Authors.The selection of the heat transfer coefficient is one of the most important factors that determine the reliability of FE simulation results of a hot stamping process, in which the formed component is held within cold dies until fully quenched. The quenching process could take up to 10. seconds. In order to maximise the production rate, the optimised quenching parameters should be identified to achieve the highest possible quenching rate and to reduce the quenching time. For this purpose, a novel-testing rig for the Gleeble 3800 thermo- mechanical simulator was designed and manufactured, with an advanced control system for temperature and contact pressure. The effect of contact pressure on the heat transfer coefficient was studied. The findings of this research will provide useful guidelines for the selection of the heat transfer coefficient in simulations of hot stamping processes and useful information for the design of hot stamping processes

Remarkable stability of an instability-prone lentiviral vector plasmid in Escherichia coli Stbl3

Large-scale production of plasmid DNA to prepare therapeutic gene vectors or DNA-based vaccines requires a suitable bacterial host, which can stably maintain the plasmid DNA during industrial cultivation. Plasmid loss during bacterial cell divisions and structural changes in the plasmid DNA can dramatically reduce the yield of the desired recombinant plasmid DNA. While generating an HIV-based gene vector containing a bicistronic expression cassette 5′-Olig2cDNA-IRES-dsRed2-3′, we encountered plasmid DNA instability, which occurred in homologous recombination deficient recA1 Escherichia coli strain Stbl2 specifically during large-scale bacterial cultivation. Unexpectedly, the new recombinant plasmid was structurally changed or completely lost in 0.5 L liquid cultures but not in the preceding 5 mL cultures. Neither the employment of an array of alternative recA1 E. coli plasmid hosts, nor the lowering of the culture incubation temperature prevented the instability. However, after the introduction of this instability-prone plasmid into the recA13E. coli strain Stbl3, the transformed bacteria grew without being overrun by plasmid-free cells, reduction in the plasmid DNA yield or structural changes in plasmid DNA. Thus, E. coli strain Stbl3 conferred structural and maintenance stability to the otherwise instability-prone lentivirus-based recombinant plasmid, suggesting that this strain can be used for the faithful maintenance of similar stability-compromised plasmids in large-scale bacterial cultivations. In contrast to Stbl2, which is derived wholly from the wild type isolate E. coli K12, E. coli Stbl3 is a hybrid strain of mixed E. coli K12 and E. coli B parentage. Therefore, we speculate that genetic determinants for the benevolent properties of E. coli Stbl3 for safe plasmid propagation originate from its E. coli B ancestor

A Conceptualisation of innovative organisation of an ICT company: A focus on the impact of ‘innovative milieu’

Purpose: This paper investigates key elements for supporting strategic management behaviour with actionable implications for multinational corporations in the ICT business sector. Design/methodology/approach: Samsung was chosen as a research case. A qualitative approach was applied to this study to develop a discussion framework with key elements which support innovative organisational behaviour. Findings: From an analysis of secondary data of academic discussions relating with business behaviour of Samsung, five key themes were developed (e.g., Direction and driving force; Understanding the market; Management system; Organisational strategies; Review & evaluation). Further discussions were expanded from the framework with five key themes revealed a catalytic factor to foster an innovative behaviour of the organisation. Discussions: It has been found that close communications with stakeholders and the impact of innovative milieu should be a catalytic factor to enhance dynamic innovative actions within the organisation. Especially in the competitive ICT business sector, it has been suggested that the inter-organisational and internal learning attitudes covering both individuals and organisational proactiveness should be focused to sustain the businesses. Moreover, organisational innovation can be achieved from the collaborative ‘innovative milieu’ which enhances the proactive innovations

How to Support Decision Making of Local Government in Prioritising Policy Menu Responding to Citizens’ Views: An Exploratory Study of Text Mining Approach to Attain Cognitive Map Based on Citizen Survey Data

It has been on the political agenda for the local governments how to satisfy their citizens to enhance their commitment and contribution to the communities. Especially in this ageing population era with tight fiscal conditions, it is essential for the government to know the prioritised policy menu in realising citizen satisfaction. This study aims to explore an applicable system based on citizen survey result. In our study, following literature review, we conducted focus group discussions to explore citizens’ willingness to participate in local policy design, which leads us to be convinced that some activated citizens are supportive to the local governmental policy decision. Based on this qualitative result, we tried to make a cognitive map which indicated which policy fields are prioritised by citizens. Throughout this procedure, we validate the feasible practice to support local governmental decision making based on the result of citizen survey

Is CSR a magic word?: An exploring study of consumer behaviour in cosmetic market in Thailand

Many authors stated that decision-making today is more complex than in the past, especially when they are being confronted by various kinds of product (eg.: Hafstrom et al., 1992; Lysonski et al., 1995; Mitchell et al., 1998). Thailand is an example of a developing country where a huge number of products from various countries imported cosmetic products. Due to the competition in Thailand, cosmetic market is always very intense; therefore it is important for firms to understand the factors that affect the consumers purchasing behaviour. At the same time, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been one of the most popular theme for academics and marketers when they analyse its impact on consumers’ behaviour (Maignan and Ferrel, 2004; Smith, 2003). Does CSR have a positive impact on Thai consumers’ purchasing intention? To investigate this theme based on quantitative approach, we analyse the impact of CSR factor as an antecedent factor for Thai consumers’ attitudes towards cosmetic products, drawing the pathways resulting in their final decision of purchasing

Vertical integration in production and services: development in transaction cost economics

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Decreased glutathione biosynthesis contributes to EGFR T790M-driven erlotinib resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors such as erlotinib are novel effective agents in the treatment of EGFR-driven lung cancer, but their clinical impact is often impaired by acquired drug resistance through the secondary T790M EGFR mutation. To overcome this problem, we analysed the metabonomic differences between two independent pairs of erlotinib-sensitive/resistant cells and discovered that glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly reduced in T790M EGFR cells. We also found that increasing GSH levels in erlotinib-resistant cells re-sensitised them, whereas reducing GSH levels in erlotinib-sensitive cells made them resistant. Decreased transcription of the GSH-synthesising enzymes (GCLC and GSS) due to the inhibition of NRF2 was responsible for low GSH levels in resistant cells that was directly linked to the T790M mutation. T790M EGFR clinical samples also showed decreased expression of these key enzymes; increasing intra-tumoural GSH levels with a small-molecule GST inhibitor re-sensitised resistant tumours to erlotinib in mice. Thus, we identified a new resistance pathway controlled by EGFR T790M and a therapeutic strategy to tackle this problem in the clinic

The impact of the digital environment on eco-friendly behavioural change towards nature: Exploring the concept of forest bathing without forest

The article quantitatively investigates transformative changes in human behavioral patterns about nature due to using digital forests in relaxation practices. In the era of COVID-19, when physical outings and social interactions have been limited, there has been a growing trend for people to engage in digital interactions with nature. This article aims to quantify the impact of people’s behavior and interaction in the digital space on the change of personal behavioral patterns in the physical natural environment, as well as to analyze the potential effects of digital “bathing in the forest”. Since in work it is advisable to take into account the influence of hidden factors, structural equation modeling was used for the needs of this study. The primary data were the answers of 300 respondents, which were obtained based on the results of a survey of people in the capital region of Japan. A five-point Likert scale was used to evaluate and analyze respondents’ opinions. The internal reliability of the questionnaire scales was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. The work offers an integral indicator for assessing the personal characteristics of individuals, based on which two groups of respondents were formed – extroverts (the index is higher than the median) and introverts (the index is lower than the median). The study analyzed the pathways that lead to changes in human behavior caused by the development of digital natural relaxation methods. The work established a statistically significant relationship between the effect of digital “bathing in the forest” and a change in human behavior (correlation coefficient 0.872). According to the results of structural modeling, it was found that digital “forest bathing” has a significant mediating effect on the promotion of pro-environmental behavior (correlation coefficient is 0.634) and that users who regularly experience nature in cyberspace are more likely to change their behavior concerning nature. It is substantiated that people closer to introversion are more actively involved in the digital space and interact with others, and significantly more often change their behavior towards the environment. This study is a rare contribution demonstrating the potential of enjoying digital “forest bathing” to induce environmentally oriented behavior, even in the physical absence of forests