Perceived buyer confidence in buyer-supplier relationships

Despite the importance of confidence in business relationship, very few scholars have empirically investigated the antecedents of this concept. In line with previous literature, this paper maintains that trust and control are the key sources for confidence. We use networks and reputation as indicators for trust, and ex ante contractual efforts and ex post contractual specifications as indicators for control. All these indicators have a positive impact on confidence. Trust and control seem to supplement each other as sources for confidence

Coupled open innovation and dynamic capabilities: Their effect on low-tech micro and small firms’ innovation

This study examines the impact of coupled open innovation and dynamic capabilities processes on innovation performance. A Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis on data from surveying a quota sample of 213 Tanzanian Micro and Small Furniture Industries (MSFIs) reveals that dynamic capabilities form sequential processes mediating the significantly positive effect of coupled open innovation on innovation performance. These findings underscore the synergy between dynamic capabilities and open innovation perspectives, emphasizing the importance for micro and small business managers and policymakers to cultivate complementary sets of dynamic capabilities for the effective realization of innovation performanc

Spin-orbit coupling and spin transport

Recent achievements in semiconductor spintronics are discussed. Special attention is paid to spin-orbit interaction, coupling of electron spins to external electric fields, and spin transport in media with spin-orbit coupling, including the mechanisms of spin-Hall effect. Importance of spin-transport parameters at spin-precession wave vector $k_{\rm so}$ is emphasized, and existence of an universal relation between spin currents and spin accumulation at the spatial scale of $\ell_{\rm so}\approx k_{\rm so}^{-1}$ is conjectured.Comment: Plenary paper at 16th International Conference on Electronic Properties of 2D Systems (Albuquerque, NM, July 10-15, 2005). Minor editorial changes, references updated. Accepted for Physica

Electron spin operation by electric fields: spin dynamics and spin injection

Spin-orbit interaction couples electron spins to electric fields and allows electrical monitoring of electron spins and electrical detection of spin dynamics. Competing mechanisms of spin-orbit interaction are compared, and optimal conditions for the electric operation of electrons spins in a quantum well by a gate voltage are established. Electric spin injection into semiconductors is discussed with a special emphasis on the injection into ballistic microstructures. Dramatic effect of a long range Coulomb interaction on transport phenomena in space-quantized low-dimensional conductors is discussed in conclusion.Comment: A plenary paper at the 11th Intern. Conf. on Narrow Gap Semiconductors (Buffalo, NY, June 2003). To be published in Physica

Forest recovering and soil respiration rate

This study was conducted to investigate the rate of soil respiration from a recovering forest of the tropics and its relationship with changes in environmental factorsafter years of deforestation. Soil respiration measurement was conducted using the continuous open flow chamber technique connected to a multi gas-handling unit and infrared gas analyser, while the forest biomass and soil properties were quantified using the Kjeldahl method and Walkley-black wet oxidation technique. The average means soil respiration rate were 341.23, 383.07, 340.30, 308.12, 286.07, 256.05 mg m-2 h-1 between June and December. Soil respiration in the month of July was significantly (p<0.01) higher compare to other months, with lower emission rate in December. Soil respiration exhibited a variation pattern that was similar to soil temperature pattern, the pattern varied monthly

HIV-1 subtype A infection in a community of intravenous drug users in Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Data on the subtypes of HIV in a population help in predicting the potential foci of epidemic, tracking the routes of infection and following the patterns of the virus' genetic divergence. Globally, the most prevalent HIV infection is the HIV-1 subtype C. In Asia, predominant subtypes of HIV-1 are B, C, and CRF-01AE. During the last few years, HIV prevalence in Pakistan has taken the form of a concentrated epidemic in at least two high risk groups, namely, Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) and Male Sex Workers (MSWs). Factors that have facilitated the proliferation of HIV infection include transmission through a large number of repatriates and needle-sharing intravenous drug users, unscreened blood transfusions, and sexual illiteracy. The HIV subtypes infecting Pakistani populations have not been explored to date. In this study, we analyzed HIV-1 subtypes from in a high-risk community of IDUs in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan. METHODS: Samples were collected from 34 IDUs after their informed consent. In addition, the study subjects were administered a questionnaire regarding their sexual behavior and travel history. For HIV analysis, DNA was extracted from the samples and analyzed for HIV types and subtypes using subtype-specific primers in a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results from this PCR were further confirmed using the Heteroduplex Mobility Assay (HMA). RESULTS: We found HIV-1 subtype A in all the 34 samples analyzed. A few of the study subjects were found to have a history of travel and stay in the United Arab Emirates. The same subjects also admitted to having contact with commercial sex workers during their stay abroad. CONCLUSION: Our study therefore shows clade A HIV-1 to be prevalent among the IDUs in Karachi. As the prevalence of HIV in Pakistan continues to rise, more work needs to be done to track the infection, and to analyze the strains of HIV spreading through the country

ADMET profiling and molecular docking of potential antimicrobial peptides previously isolated from African catfish, Clarias gariepinus

Amidst rising cases of antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are regarded as a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics. Even so, poor pharmacokinetic profiles of certain AMPs impede their utility necessitating, a careful assessment of potential AMPs’ absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties during novel lead exploration. Accordingly, the present study utilized ADMET scores to profile seven previously isolated African catfish antimicrobial peptides (ACAPs). After profiling, the peptides were docked against approved bacterial protein targets to gain insight into their possible mode of action. Promising ACAPs were then chemically synthesized, and their antibacterial activity was validated in vitro utilizing the broth dilution method. All seven examined antimicrobial peptides passed the ADMET screening, with two (ACAP-IV and ACAP-V) exhibiting the best ADMET profile scores. The ACAP-V had a higher average binding energy (−8.47 kcal/mol) and average global energy (−70.78 kcal/mol) compared to ACAP-IV (−7.60 kcal/mol and −57.53 kcal/mol), with the potential to penetrate and disrupt bacterial cell membrane (PDB Id: 2w6d). Conversely, ACAP-IV peptide had higher antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration, 520.7 ± 104.3 μg/ml and 1666.7 ± 416.7 μg/ml, respectively) compared to ACAP-V. Collectively, the two antimicrobial peptides (ACAP-IV and ACAP-V) are potential novel leads for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Future research is recommended to optimize the expression of such peptides in biological systems for extended evaluation

Tuning the thermoelectric properties of A-site deficient SrTiO3 ceramics by vacancies and carrier concentration

Ceramics based on Sr0.8La0.067Ti0.8Nb0.2O3-δ have been prepared by the mixed oxide route. The La1/3NbO3 component generates ∼13.4% A-site vacancies; this was fixed for all samples. Powders were sintered under air and reducing conditions at 1450 to 1700 K; products were of high density (>90% theoretical). Processing under reducing conditions led to the formation of a Ti1-xNbxO2-y second phase, core-shell structures and oxygen deficiency. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed a simple cubic structure with space group Pm3[combining macron]m. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a high density of dislocations while analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy at atomic resolution demonstrated a uniform distribution of La, Nb and vacancies in the lattice. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and thermogravimetry showed the oxygen deficiency (δ value) to be ∼0.08 in reduced samples with enhanced carrier concentrations ∼2 × 1021 cm-3. Both carrier concentration and carrier mobility increased with sintering time, giving a maximum figure of merit (ZT) of 0.25. Selective additional doping by La or Nb, with no additional A site vacancies, led to the creation of additional carriers and reduced electrical resistivity. Together these led to enhanced ZT values of 0.345 at 1000 K. The contributions from oxygen vacancies and charge carriers have been investigated independently

Synthesis of the land carbon fluxes of the Amazon region between 2010 and 2020

The Amazon is the largest continuous tropical forest in the world and plays a key role in the global carbon cycle. Human-induced disturbances and climate change have impacted the Amazon carbon balance. Here we conduct a comprehensive synthesis of existing state-of-the-art estimates of the contemporary land carbon fluxes in the Amazon using a set of bottom-up methods (i.e., dynamic vegetation models and bookkeeping models) and a top-down inversion (atmospheric inversion model) over the Brazilian Amazon and the whole Biogeographical Amazon domain. Over the whole biogeographical Amazon region bottom-up methodologies suggest a small average carbon sink over 2010-2020, in contrast to a small carbon source simulated by top-down inversion (2010-2018). However, these estimates are not significantly different from one another when accounting for their large individual uncertainties, highlighting remaining knowledge gaps, and the urgent need to reduce such uncertainties. Nevertheless, both methodologies agreed that the Brazilian Amazon has been a net carbon source during recent climate extremes and that the south-eastern Amazon was a net land carbon source over the whole study period (2010-2020). Overall, our results point to increasing human-induced disturbances (deforestation and forest degradation by wildfires) and reduction in the old-growth forest sink during drought