Across the great divides: Gender dynamics influence how intercultural conflict helps or hurts creative collaboration

Ministry of Education, Singapore, Social Science Research Thematic Gran

Tele-operated high speed anthropomorphic dextrous hands with object shape and texture identification

This paper reports on the development of two number of robotic hands have been developed which focus on tele-operated high speed anthropomorphic dextrous robotic hands. The aim of developing these hands was to achieve a system that seamlessly interfaced between humans and robots. To provide sensory feedback, to a remote operator tactile sensors were developed to be mounted on the robotic hands. Two systems were developed, the first, being a skin sensor capable of shape reconstruction placed on the palm of the hand to feed back the shape of objects grasped and the second is a highly sensitive tactile array for surface texture identification

Limb bone scaling in hopping diprotodonts and quadrupedal artiodactyls

Bone adaptation is modulated by the timing, direction, rate, and magnitude of mechanical loads. To investigate whether frequent slow, or infrequent fast, gaits could dominate bone adaptation to load, we compared scaling of the limb bones from two mammalian herbivore clades that use radically different high-speed gaits, bipedal hopping and quadrupedal galloping. Forelimb and hindlimb bones were collected from 20 artiodactyl and 15 diprotodont species (body mass M 1.05 - 1536 kg) and scanned in clinical computed tomography or X-ray microtomography. Second moment of area (Imax) and bone length (l) were measured. Scaling relations (y = axb) were calculated for l vs M for each bone and for Imax vs M and Imax vs l for every 5% of length. Imax vs M scaling relationships were broadly similar between clades despite the diprotodont forelimb being nearly unloaded, and the hindlimb highly loaded, during bipedal hopping. Imax vs l and l vs M scaling were related to locomotor and behavioural specialisations. Low-intensity loads may be sufficient to maintain bone mass across a wide range of species. Occasional high-intensity gaits might not break through the load sensitivity saturation engendered by frequent low-intensity gaits

Effects of Cultural Ethnicity, Firm Size, and Firm Age on Senior Executives’ Trust in their Overseas Business Partners: Evidence from China

We investigate trust relationships between senior business executives and their overseas partners. Drawing on the similarity-attraction paradigm, social categorization theory, and the distinction between cognition- and affect-based trust, we argue that executives trust their overseas partners differently, depending on the partners\u27 cultural ethnicity. In a field survey of 108 Chinese senior executives, we found that these executives have higher affect-based trust in overseas partners of the same cultural ethnicity as themselves; cognition-based trust is associated with affect-based trust differently when overseas partners are of the same or different cultural ethnicity. We also examine the role of relative firm size and age in shaping intra- and intercultural trust. Relative firm size has a stronger negative effect on executives\u27 cognition-based trust if their partners are of a different cultural ethnicity. Although firm age does not have a negative effect on executives\u27 affect-based trust as hypothesized, we found firm age to be positively associated with affect-based trust for partners of the same cultural ethnicity. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of this pattern of inter- and intra-cultural trust on international business and networking (guanxi) dynamics in China

Structural Characterization of Rapid Thermal Oxidized Si\u3csub\u3e1−x−y\u3c/sub\u3eGe\u3csub\u3ex\u3c/sub\u3eC\u3csub\u3ey\u3c/sub\u3e Alloy Films Grown by Rapid Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition

The structural properties of as-grown and rapid thermal oxidized Si1−x−yGexCy epitaxial layers have been examined using a combination of infrared, x-ray photoelectron, x-ray diffraction, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Carbon incorporation into the Si1−x−yGexCy system can lead to compressive or tensile strain in the film. The structural properties of the oxidized Si1−x−yGexCy film depend on the type of strain (i.e., carbon concentration) of the as-prepared film. For compressive or fully compensated films, the oxidation process drastically reduces the carbon content so that the oxidized films closely resemble to Si1−xGex films. For tensile films, two broad regions, one with carbon content higher and the other lower than that required for full strain compensation, coexist in the oxidized films

Effects of Different Inoculation Regimes of Torulaspora delbrueckii and Oenococcus oeni on Fermentation Kinetics and Chemical Constituents of Durian Wine

This work evaluated the effects of inoculation time of Oenococcus oeni on the kinetics of fermentation and chemical constituents of durian wine produced using a non-Saccharomyces yeast, Torulaspora delbrueckii.  The growth of T. delbrueckii in mixed-culture fermentations was significantly adversely affected by the presence of O. oeni, and the growth of malolactic bacteria was also affected by the metabolism of yeast during fermentation. The level of ethanol produced in simultaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentation (SIM, 6.93%, v/v) was comparable to that in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae EC-1118 control (6.75%, v/v); both levels were relatively higher than that in the T. delbrueckii Biodiva control (6.39%, v/v) and the other two sequential fermentations (oenococci inoculated after four and seven days of alcoholic fermentation, SEQ 4th, 6.34% and SEQ 7th, 6.33% v/v respectively). The final concentrations of organic acids and esters in the mixed-culture wines were correlated with the inoculation time of O. oeni. SIM produced relatively higher levels of ethyl esters (ethyl esters of hexanoate, octanoate, decanoate and lactate) and acetate esters (ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate) than those in SEQ 4th, SEQ 7th and the Biodiva control. This suggests that SIM would contribute fruity aroma properties to and modulate the mouthfeel of durian wine. The production of 3-(ethylthio)-1-propanol could compensate for the weak onion-like odour caused by the decrease in initial volatile sulphur compounds. Overall, this research suggests that SIM treatment is an effective way to produce durian wine with higher ester production