The moduli space of bilevel-6 abelian surfaces

The moduli space of abelian surfaces with polarisation of type (1,6) and a bilevel structure has positive Kodaira dimension. By contrast, Mukai has shown that the moduli space of bilevel-t abelian sufaces is rational for t=2,3,4,5.Comment: 9 pages, plain TeX. Results improved and extended: an error correcte

Smooth rationally connected threefolds contain all smooth curves

We show that if X is a smooth rationally connected threefold and C is a smooth projective curve then C can be embedded in X. Furthermore, a version of this property characterises rationally connected varieties of dimension at least 3. We give some details about the toric case.Comment: Version 1 was called "Any smooth toric threefold contains all curves". This version is completely rewritten and proves a much stronger result, following suggestions of Janos Kolla

Improvement in plasma illumination properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond films by grain boundary engineering

[[abstract]]Microstructural evolution of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films as a function of substrate temperature (TS) and/or by introducing H2 in Ar/CH4 plasma is investigated. Variation of the sp 2 and sp 3 carbon content is analyzed using UV-Raman and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra. Morphological and microstructural studies confirm that films deposited using Ar/CH4 plasma at low TS consist of a random distribution of spherically shaped ultra-nano diamond grains with distinct sp 2-bonded grain boundaries, which are attributed to the adherence of CH radicals to the nano-sized diamond clusters. By increasing TS, adhering efficiency of CH radicals to the diamond lattice drops and trans-polyacetylene (t-PA) encapsulating the nano-sized diamond grains break, whereas the addition of 1.5% H2 in Ar/CH4 plasma at low TS induces atomic hydrogen that preferentially etches out the t-PA attached to ultra-nano diamond grains. Both cases make the sp 3-diamond phase less passivated. This leads to C2 radicals attaching to the diamond lattice promoting elongated clustered grains along with a complicated defect structure. Such a grain growth model is highly correlated to explain the technologically important functional property, namely, plasma illumination (PI) of UNCD films. Superior PI properties, viz. low threshold field of 0.21 V/μm with a high PI current density of 4.10 mA/cm2 (at an applied field of 0.25 V/μm) and high γ-coefficient (0.2604) are observed for the UNCD films possessing ultra-nano grains with a large fraction of grain boundary phases. The grain boundary component consists of a large amount of sp 2-carbon phases that possibly form interconnected paths for facilitating the transport of electrons and the electron field emission process that markedly enhance PI properties.[[notice]]補正完畢[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]電子

Time‐dependent formalism for interband tunneling application to the InxGa1−xAs system

A formalism is presented to study interband tunneling which involves a direct, numerical solution of the time‐dependent Schrödinger equation, employing the tight‐binding representation for electronic states with an eight‐element (sp3) basis. Using this explicitly time‐dependent formalism, one can study the dynamics of interband tunneling in the presence of complicated space‐ and time‐dependent electric field profiles encountered in many devices. This technique is well suited to study interband tunneling in heterostructures since the tight‐binding method describes their band structure adequately. In conjunction with deformation potential theory, it can be applied to strained systems as well. The technique is applied to the important semiconductor system of InxGa1−xAs.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69643/2/APPLAB-62-8-849-1.pd

Is the project management field suffering from methodological inertia? Looking for evidence in publications in a recently established journal

Project management (PM) researchers have traditionally used quantitative methods in their research due to the origins of this practice-based discipline in defence and engineering. Although qualitative methods are starting to be used in PM research, most of the qualitative research reported tends to use case studies. Recently, there has been a call for PM researchers to use more novel methods to increase the variety of methods used by the researcher in the field contributing to its further development (Drouin, Muller and Sankaran 2013; Cameron, Sankaran and Scales 2015). A review of papers presented at the International Research Network on Organizing by Projects (IRNOP) conference in Berlin in 2009 showed a surprising trend that papers presented at these conferences used more qualitative methods in comparison with articles published in key PM journals. This paper analyses articles published over the past six years in a comparatively new PM journal, since its inception, to explore whether the new journal has motivated PM researchers to overcome their methodological inertia and broaden the variety of research methods they use. A mixed methods prevalence study was undertaken on articles published in the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business (IJMPiB) from 2008 to 2014 (n=265). The findings point to methodological inertia in the majority of research but also an unusually high proportion of the use of mixed methods. Future research is needed to add finer granularity to the analysis

Knowledge management in small and medium enterprises: An Australian study

This research aims to examine the factors influencing the knowledge management practices in Australian SMEs. Primary data was collected by studying companies in Tweed and Gold Coast areas. Besides the academic contribution to the field of knowledge management, this research will be able to provide applicable and practicable suggestions on the knowledge management practices to SMEs in Australia

Mapping the field of complexity theory: A computational approach to understanding changes in the field

The field of Complexity Theory research has grown considerably over the last two decades, but it is unclear whether the field is, or has ever been, an integrated whole. This paper uses Scientometric research techniques; a computational way to depict changes in Complexity Theory research as a whole. The field is mapped in terms of the geographic distribution of publications, the relationships between individual authors and the research fields to which they contribute, and the network of citations between publications and the sources they reference. This mapping has been used to address the question of whether there is a divide between Complexity Theory as applied to research in Mathematics and Computer Science, and Complexity Theory as used in Management research; an important consideration for those interested in the application of Complexity Theory in Management research past the level of explanatory metaphor

Towards a value-centric approach to education: Implications of changing practices in construction project management

This article explores two interdependent subjects underpinning how the built environment is produced: value and integrated teamwork. The concept of value is defined as the relationship between benefits received and costs incurred. Value thereby derives from the values of the judge and in multi-stakeholder construction projects, understanding each membera??s unique value proposition is complex, forming a catalyst for integrated teamwork and interdisciplinary ways of working. These subjects are reviewed in relation to the changes occurring in practice and how they can help inform new approaches to the education of built environment professionals, giving specific attention to construction project management education. In exploring these themes, the authors first review related project management research, before focusing on construction and current trends in practice. The paper then summarises research aimed at developing better theories of value and advancing integrated teamwork in construction. A framework aimed at facilitating a move to an educational model that encompasses a value-based and multidisciplinary approach is presented, followed by discussion and future work

‘Foresting’ the grassland: Historical management legacies in forest-grassland mosaics in southern India, and lessons for the conservation of tropical grassy biomes

Colonial encounters with tropical ecosystems were primarily driven by profit-oriented management practices; witness the extensive network of timber and forestry practices that were set up across colonial India. In contrast, the colonial engagement with the montane forest-grassland mosaics of the higher reaches of the Western Ghats in southern India was marked by intensive investment in vegetation management by colonial foresters that yielded no profits. In this archival study, we trace the history of extensive vegetation transformation in this landscape from the early nineteenth to the early twentieth century. We show how the misperception that the grasslands within this mosaic must have resulted from tree felling, fire-setting and buffalo grazing by indigenous communities led colonial foresters into a century-long effort at ‘foresting’ the grasslands, primarily through large-scale planting of exotic tree species. These efforts persisted despite economic losses and ecological evidence that native tree seedlings planted in the grasslands repeatedly failed to establish. These policies continued unabated into the late twentieth century in newly independent India. Today, the once picturesque landscapes of these ancient forest-grassland mosaics are diminished by large-scale plantations of exotic species. Some of these species have become invasive and pose significant threats to the remnant natural grasslands. While this historical narrative is set in the forest-grassland mosaics of southern India, it finds striking parallels in the current day, with grasslands and savannas globally threatened by the misperception that they are ‘degraded ecosystems’ that can be ‘forested’ or converted to other ‘productive’ land uses. We suggest that this case history portends the potential fates of many of earth's threatened tropical grasslands and savannas