Edge Roman domination on graphs

An edge Roman dominating function of a graph $G$ is a function $f\colon E(G) \rightarrow \{0,1,2\}$ satisfying the condition that every edge $e$ with $f(e)=0$ is adjacent to some edge $e'$ with $f(e')=2$. The edge Roman domination number of $G$, denoted by $\gamma'_R(G)$, is the minimum weight $w(f) = \sum_{e\in E(G)} f(e)$ of an edge Roman dominating function $f$ of $G$. This paper disproves a conjecture of Akbari, Ehsani, Ghajar, Jalaly Khalilabadi and Sadeghian Sadeghabad stating that if $G$ is a graph of maximum degree $\Delta$ on $n$ vertices, then $\gamma_R'(G) \le \lceil \frac{\Delta}{\Delta+1} n \rceil$. While the counterexamples having the edge Roman domination numbers $\frac{2\Delta-2}{2\Delta-1} n$, we prove that $\frac{2\Delta-2}{2\Delta-1} n + \frac{2}{2\Delta-1}$ is an upper bound for connected graphs. Furthermore, we provide an upper bound for the edge Roman domination number of $k$-degenerate graphs, which generalizes results of Akbari, Ehsani, Ghajar, Jalaly Khalilabadi and Sadeghian Sadeghabad. We also prove a sharp upper bound for subcubic graphs. In addition, we prove that the edge Roman domination numbers of planar graphs on $n$ vertices is at most $\frac{6}{7}n$, which confirms a conjecture of Akbari and Qajar. We also show an upper bound for graphs of girth at least five that is 2-cell embeddable in surfaces of small genus. Finally, we prove an upper bound for graphs that do not contain $K_{2,3}$ as a subdivision, which generalizes a result of Akbari and Qajar on outerplanar graphs

Win-Win on E-Business by Complementary Assets with IT Competence and Innovative Capabilities

Information Technology (IT) has been widely applied to business operations and service systems and derived various innovative business models and novel areas, especially e-business. E-business provides service by websites via IT with online information or systems to create multiple innovative values which change user behavior. Under this trend, e-business (hereinafter referred to as native e-business firms) has deeply threatened the survival of traditional service firms. To overcome difficulties, many traditional firms select bottom-up integration to increase e-services (hereinafter referred to as tradition-to-e-business firms) for expanding their multiple marketing channels. To face the challenge, native e-business firms, on the other hand, choose top-down integration, including physical stores, logistics, cash flow, supply chain, etc., to increase service values. Under competition in many years, the tradition-to-e-business firms are hard to surpass native e-business firms. On the contrary, native e-business firms cannot defeat traditional firms also. In this study, we explore the reason why native e-business and traditional firms cannot supersede each other. We find that the nature of firms and development strategy influences business focus, growth trajectory and advantage position. In the emerging stage, “e-business” is core business in native e-business firms. The firms are led by entrepreneur insights and their IT capabilities. Traditional firms were forced to build e-business, when they perceived customer disappearance. E-business is just one of their marketing channels. In the growth stage, e-Business and complementary assets oppositely lead enterprise resource integration, and the capability of which affects the company\u27s competitive advantage. This article adopts qualitative research methods to investigate innovative capability, IT competence and complementary assets which derive the impact of e-business value creation on firms with different origins and background. Then we interpret the phenomenon of change by resource-based view (RBV) and structure inertia theory, analyze the advantages and limitation of native e-business firms and traditional service firms, and explain why it is difficult to surpass and hard to be defeated by each other. Finally, we proposed theory contribution and management implication

Technical aspects of single-port thoracoscopic surgery for lobectomy

Thoracoscopic Surgery is in common use in routine surgical practice. With the advancement of the various techniques and instruments required, mini wounds and fewer thoracoports become practical in recent years. Here, we report our experience of performing lobectomy with radical lymph node dissection in 3 patients using regular straight endoscopic instruments. We demonstrate the feasibility of such techniques and discuss the key points of effectively performing the procedures. Because of the favorable outcomes, we encourage such procedures to be widely applied in surgical operations of various types

A new genus and species of tree-climbing crab (Crustacea: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Taiwan with notes on its ecology and larval morphology

11 páginas, 8 figuras.A new genus and species of sesarmid crab, Scandarma lintou, is described from Taiwan. This crab has a semi-terrestrial habit: adults and juveniles thrive in ind-protected and vegetated habitats in close vicinity of fresh water and up to one kilometer from the sea. In southern Taiwan, this species was most commonly found hiding in leaf axils or climbing on the thorny leaves of the screw pine Pandanus odoratissimus Linnaeus. During the reproductive season (June to January), ovigerous females migrate to estuaries, where small and free-swimming pelagic larvae are released into the brackish waters and probably washed into the sea. Morphologically, this species is superficially similar to species of other semi-terrestrial sesarmid genera, but differs from these taxa by the shape of the anterolateral carapace region, by the markedly flattened fingers, by the presence of a row of tubercles on the dorsal border of the dactylus, a row of ventral spines on the pollex, and a granular ridge on the dorsal face of the palm. The first zoeal stage of the new genus shows two autapomorphies in the morphology of antennae and first maxillipeds. Otherwise, this stage presents the combination of features that are typical of sesarmid zoeae, i.e. absence of lateral carapace spines, a 2,3 setation of the maxillar endopod, a 2,2,3,3 setation on the basis of the first maxilliped, and a characteristic setation pattern of antennae and telson.Peer reviewe

Value Creation in E-Business: The Case Study of Trend Micro

In this paper, we examine the impact of actor-network field on value creation by integrating the concepts of actor-network and organizational field. In electronic business and commerce, researchers have emphasized the various sources of value creation, yet little attention has been paid to examine the issue from a cognitive or “field” perspective. Using Trend Micro as a case study, the paper demonstrates how a firm can construct a field in the community of Internet to create value and profits. Our approach and analysis are dynamic, rather than static. We show how Trend Micro is able to drive its associated actors, customers and business members to develop an evolutionary, dynamic actor-network field that serves to decrease uncertainty and increase trust. This, in turn, creates a lock-in effect and thus leads to enormous value creation

Generation of quasi-monoenergetic protons from thin multi-ion foils by a combination of laser radiation pressure acceleration and shielded Coulomb repulsion

We study theoretically and numerically the acceleration of protons by a combination of laser radiation pressure acceleration and Coulomb repulsion of carbon ions in a multi-ion thin foil made of carbon and hydrogen. The carbon layer helps to delay the proton layer from disruption due to the Rayleigh–Taylor instability, to maintain the quasi-monoenergetic proton layer and to accelerate it by the electron-shielded Coulomb repulsion for much longer duration than the acceleration time using single-ion hydrogen foils. Particle-in-cell simulations with a normalized peak laser amplitude of a_0 = 5 show a resulting quasi-monoenergetic proton energy of about 70 MeV with the foil made of 90% carbon and 10% hydrogen, in contrast to 10 MeV using a single-ion hydrogen foil. An analytical model is presented to explain quantitatively the proton energy evolution; this model is in agreement with the simulation results. The energy dependence of the quasi-monoenergetic proton beam on the concentration of carbon and hydrogen is also studied

Nanocontact Disorder in Nanoelectronics for Modulation of Light and Gas Sensitivities

To fabricate reliable nanoelectronics, whether by top-down or bottom-up processes, it is necessary to study the electrical properties of nanocontacts. The effect of nanocontact disorder on device properties has been discussed but not quantitatively studied. Here, by carefully analyzing the temperature dependence of device electrical characteristics and by inspecting them with a microscope, we investigated the Schottky contact and Mott\u27s variable-range-hopping resistances connected in parallel in the nanocontact. To interpret these parallel resistances, we proposed a model of Ti/TiOx in the interface between the metal electrodes and nanowires. The hopping resistance as well as the nanocontact disorder dominated the total device resistance for high-resistance devices, especially at low temperatures. Furthermore, we introduced nanocontact disorder to modulate the light and gas responsivities of the device; unexpectedly, it multiplied the sensitivities compared with the intrinsic sensitivity of the nanowires. Our results improve the collective understanding of electrical contacts to low-dimensional semiconductor devices and will aid performance optimization in future nanoelectronics

Torsion of right middle lobe after a right upper lobectomy

Lobar torsion after lung resection is a quite rare complication. A 50-year-old woman presented typical features on chest radiographs and CT(computed tomography) scan of lobar torsion after a right upper lobectomy. After emergency lobectomy of right middle lobe, the patient recovered well and discharged 10 days after the second operation