A dyadic study of one firm's relationship portfolio

Business relationships are a central feature of industrial networks. However, each firm in a relationship necessarily has a different perspective simply because of the complementary nature of the association, different firm history and different place of each partner within multiple perspectives of the network and the different boundaries. Further, each firm will operate with differing managerial purpose and timeline and in addition some variations in methods of managing. The result is that quantitative analysis of interaction within relationships requires separate examination of each party. More precisely the two firms of a relationship cannot be quantitatively examined by simply aggregating their separate perceptions concerning how they operate together. Rather firms may have asymmetric perspectives of their relationship, unless the firms work closely together and so have similar or symmetric views of their operations. Dyad studies of firms in business relationships are the only way to develop an understanding of the different ways firms operate relationships by managing each other (ie cooperate) and managing against each other (ie compete). However, there is a paucity of quantitative empirical dyadic studies. The literature observes that business relationships contain mixtures of cooperation and competition. This empirical paper presents a rare quantitative and qualitative dyadic study of the asymmetry and symmetry of perspectives of the strategic relationships of a single firm. The study applies regression analysis to find the active constructs explaining relationship performance by each firm. In the next part of the analysis the different forms of asymmetry and symmetry within 13 business relationships are examined, by examining the nature of the active constructs associated with each firm in the dyad. The study finishes by highlighting the issue of asymmetry and so provides theoretical implications for future studies of interaction.http://www.mbs.ac.uk/research/marketingstrategy/imp2007/index.asp

Solid deuterium surface degradation at ultracold neutron sources

Solid deuterium (sD_2) is used as an efficient converter to produce ultracold neutrons (UCN). It is known that the sD_2 must be sufficiently cold, of high purity and mostly in its ortho-state in order to guarantee long lifetimes of UCN in the solid from which they are extracted into vacuum. Also the UCN transparency of the bulk sD_2 material must be high because crystal inhomogeneities limit the mean free path for elastic scattering and reduce the extraction efficiency. Observations at the UCN sources at Paul Scherrer Institute and at Los Alamos National Laboratory consistently show a decrease of the UCN yield with time of operation after initial preparation or later treatment (`conditioning') of the sD_2. We show that, in addition to the quality of the bulk sD_2, the quality of its surface is essential. Our observations and simulations support the view that the surface is deteriorating due to a build-up of D_2 frost-layers under pulsed operation which leads to strong albedo reflections of UCN and subsequent loss. We report results of UCN yield measurements, temperature and pressure behavior of deuterium during source operation and conditioning, and UCN transport simulations. This, together with optical observations of sD_2 frost formation on initially transparent sD_2 in offline studies with pulsed heat input at the North Carolina State University UCN source results in a consistent description of the UCN yield decrease.Comment: 15 pages, 22 figures, accepted by EPJ-

Generation and characterization of radiation in biomedical applications

This Creative Inquiry, Generation and Characterization of Radiation in Biomedical Applications, fuses two scientific disciplines, physics and bioengineering, seeking a common goal. Students under Dr. Takacs and Dr. Dean, including a doctoral candidate, are designing experiments to irradiate various biomaterials, including proteins and cancer cells, with monochromatic x-rays between 1000 eV to 15000 eV, and then study the results of those interactions. This specific creative inquiry\u27s (PHYS 2990-005 and BIOE 4510-025) goal for this semester is to further understand x-ray interactions with matter, specifically biomaterials. The bioengineering students are devising specific ways to cultivate certain proteins and cell cultures, and the physicists are designing parameters for the experiments, including the production and spectroscopy of x-rays. Several of the experiments will also be utilizing Clemson\u27s EBIT (electron beam ion trap, one of two in the country) as one of the sources for such radiation. With so little data collected using instrumentation of this precision, we feel that even our short-term goals will have far reaching implications

Maximum Covering Subtrees for Phylogenetic Networks

Tree-based phylogenetic networks, which may be roughly defined as leaf-labeled networks built by adding arcs only between the original tree edges, have elegant properties for modeling evolutionary histories. We answer an open question of Francis, Semple, and Steel about the complexity of determining how far a phylogenetic network is from being tree-based, including non-binary phylogenetic networks. We show that finding a phylogenetic tree covering the maximum number of nodes in a phylogenetic network can be be computed in polynomial time via an encoding into a minimum-cost maximum flow problem

Pseudo-cryptic speciation in coccolithophores

Coccolithophores are a group of calcifying unicellular algae that constitute a major fraction of oceanic primary productivity, play an important role in the global carbon cycle, and are key biostratigraphic marker fossils. Their taxonomy is primarily based on the morphology of the minute calcite plates, or coccoliths, covering the cell. These are diverse and include widespread fine scale variation, of which the biological/taxonomic significance is unknown. Do they represent phenotypic plasticity, genetic polymorphisms, or species-specific characters? Our research on five commonly occurring coccolithophores supports the hypothesis that such variation represents pseudocryptic speciation events, occurring between 0.3 and 12.9 million years ago from a molecular clock estimation. This finding suggests strong stabilizing selection acting on coccolithophorid phenotypes. Our results also provide strong support for the use of fine scale morphological characters of coccoliths in the fossil record to improve biostratigraphic resolution and paleoceanographic data retrieval

Diversity of Zoanthids (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia) on Hawaiian Seamounts: Description of the Hawaiian Gold Coral and Additional Zoanthids

The Hawaiian gold coral has a history of exploitation from the deep slopes and seamounts of the Hawaiian Islands as one of the precious corals commercialised in the jewellery industry. Due to its peculiar characteristic of building a scleroproteic skeleton, this zoanthid has been referred as Gerardia sp. (a junior synonym of Savalia Nardo, 1844) but never formally described or examined by taxonomists despite its commercial interest. While collection of Hawaiian gold coral is now regulated, globally seamounts habitats are increasingly threatened by a variety of anthropogenic impacts. However, impact assessment studies and conservation measures cannot be taken without consistent knowledge of the biodiversity of such environments. Recently, multiple samples of octocoral-associated zoanthids were collected from the deep slopes of the islands and seamounts of the Hawaiian Archipelago. The molecular and morphological examination of these zoanthids revealed the presence of at least five different species including the gold coral. Among these only the gold coral appeared to create its own skeleton, two other species are simply using the octocoral as substrate, and the situation is not clear for the final two species. Phylogenetically, all these species appear related to zoanthids of the genus Savalia as well as to the octocoral-associated zoanthid Corallizoanthus tsukaharai, suggesting a common ancestor to all octocoral-associated zoanthids. The diversity of zoanthids described or observed during this study is comparable to levels of diversity found in shallow water tropical coral reefs. Such unexpected species diversity is symptomatic of the lack of biological exploration and taxonomic studies of the diversity of seamount hexacorals

Nets, Spray or Both? The Effectiveness of Insecticide-Treated Nets and Indoor Residual Spraying in Reducing Malaria Morbidity and Child Mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria control programmes currently face the challenge of maintaining, as well as accelerating, the progress made against malaria with fewer resources and uncertain funding. There is a critical need to determine what combination of malaria interventions confers the greatest protection against malaria morbidity and child mortality under routine conditions. This study assesses intervention effectiveness experienced by children under the age of five exposed to both insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), as compared to each intervention alone, based on nationally representative survey data collected from 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Living in households with both ITNs and IRS was associated with a significant risk reduction against parasitaemia in medium and high transmission areas, 53% (95% CI 37% to 67%) and 31% (95% CI 11% to 47%) respectively. For medium transmission areas, an additional 36% (95% CI 7% to 53%) protection was garnered by having both interventions compared with exposure to only ITNs or only IRS. Having both ITNs and IRS was not significantly more protective against parasitaemia than either intervention alone in low and high malaria transmission areas. In rural and urban areas, exposure to both interventions provided significant protection against parasitaemia, 57% (95% CI 48% to 65%) and 39% (95% CI 10% to 61%) respectively; however, this effect was not significantly greater than having a singular intervention. Statistically, risk for all-cause child mortality was not significantly reduced by having both ITNs and IRS, and no additional protectiveness was detected for having dual intervention coverage over a singular intervention. These findings suggest that greater reductions in malaria morbidity and health gains for children may be achieved with ITNs and IRS combined beyond the protection offered by IRS or ITNs alone

Keeping up with revolutions: evolution of higher education in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's higher education system has undergone some dramatic changes in the past century, evolving from largely traditional religious colleges to fully state-funded communist-atheist institutions. Since the end of the communist administration and subsequent market-oriented reforms, the institutions of higher education (IHE) in Uzbekistan have had to reinvent and reform themselves again, as the demand for different kind of education increased. This paper puts the current changes and trends in IHEs into an historical perspective and highlights some important effects of the market reforms on the educational scene

The evolution of photosynthesis in chromist algae through serial endosymbioses

Chromist algae include diverse photosynthetic organisms of great ecological and social importance. Despite vigorous research efforts, a clear understanding of how various chromists acquired photosynthetic organelles has been complicated by conflicting phylogenetic results, along with an undetermined number and pattern of endosymbioses, and the horizontal movement of genes that accompany them. We apply novel statistical approaches to assess impacts of endosymbiotic gene transfer on three principal chromist groups at the heart of long-standing controversies. Our results provide robust support for acquisitions of photosynthesis through serial endosymbioses, beginning with the adoption of a red alga by cryptophytes, then a cryptophyte by the ancestor of ochrophytes, and finally an ochrophyte by the ancestor of haptophytes. Resolution of how chromist algae are related through endosymbioses provides a framework for unravelling the further reticulate history of red algal-derived plastids, and for clarifying evolutionary processes that gave rise to eukaryotic photosynthetic diversity