Metallicity determination in gas-rich galaxies with semiempirical methods

A study of the precision of the semiempirical methods used in the determination of the chemical abundances in gas-rich galaxies is carried out. In order to do this the oxygen abundances of a total of 438 galaxies were determined using the electronic temperature, the $R_{23}$ and the P methods. The new calibration of the P method gives the smaller dispersion for the low and high metallicity regions, while the best numbers in the turnaround region are given by the $R_{23}$ method. We also found that the dispersion correlates with the metallicity. Finally, it can be said that all the semiempirical methods studied here are quite insensitive to metallicity with a value of $8.0\pm0.2$ dex for more than 50% of the total sample. \keywords{ISM: abundances; (ISM): H {\sc ii} regions}Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures and 2 tables. To appear at AJ, January 200

Bipolar spintronics: From spin injection to spin-controlled logic

An impressive success of spintronic applications has been typically realized in metal-based structures which utilize magnetoresistive effects for substantial improvements in the performance of computer hard drives and magnetic random access memories. Correspondingly, the theoretical understanding of spin-polarized transport is usually limited to a metallic regime in a linear response, which, while providing a good description for data storage and magnetic memory devices, is not sufficient for signal processing and digital logic. In contrast, much less is known about possible applications of semiconductor-based spintronics and spin-polarized transport in related structures which could utilize strong intrinsic nonlinearities in current-voltage characteristics to implement spin-based logic. Here we discuss the challenges for realizing a particular class of structures in semiconductor spintronics: our proposal for bipolar spintronic devices in which carriers of both polarities (electrons and holes) contribute to spin-charge coupling. We formulate the theoretical framework for bipolar spin-polarized transport, and describe several novel effects in two- and three-terminal structures which arise from the interplay between nonequilibrium spin and equilibrium magnetization.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Sibling death clustering in India : genuine scarring vs unobserved heterogeneity

Data from a range of environments indicate that the incidence of death is not randomly distributed across families but, rather, that there is a clustering of death among siblings. A natural explanation of this would be that there are (observed or unobserved) differences across families, e.g. in genetic frailty, education or living standards. Another hypothesis that is of considerable interest for both theory and policy is that there is a causal process whereby the death of a child influences the risk of death of the succeeding child in the family. Drawing language from the literature on the economics of unemployment, the causal effect is referred to here as state dependence (or scarring). The paper investigates the extent of state dependence in India, distinguishing this from family level risk factors that are common to siblings. It offers some methodological innovations on previous research. Estimates are obtained for each of three Indian states, which exhibit dramatic differences in socio-economic and demographic variables. The results suggest a significant degree of state dependence in each of the three regions. Eliminating scarring, it is estimated, would reduce the incidence of infant mortality (among children who are born after the first child) by 9.8% in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 6.0% in West Bengal and 5.9% in Kerala

Genome sequence of an Australian kangaroo, Macropus eugenii, provides insight into the evolution of mammalian reproduction and development.

BACKGROUND: We present the genome sequence of the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii, which is a member of the kangaroo family and the first representative of the iconic hopping mammals that symbolize Australia to be sequenced. The tammar has many unusual biological characteristics, including the longest period of embryonic diapause of any mammal, extremely synchronized seasonal breeding and prolonged and sophisticated lactation within a well-defined pouch. Like other marsupials, it gives birth to highly altricial young, and has a small number of very large chromosomes, making it a valuable model for genomics, reproduction and development. RESULTS: The genome has been sequenced to 2 × coverage using Sanger sequencing, enhanced with additional next generation sequencing and the integration of extensive physical and linkage maps to build the genome assembly. We also sequenced the tammar transcriptome across many tissues and developmental time points. Our analyses of these data shed light on mammalian reproduction, development and genome evolution: there is innovation in reproductive and lactational genes, rapid evolution of germ cell genes, and incomplete, locus-specific X inactivation. We also observe novel retrotransposons and a highly rearranged major histocompatibility complex, with many class I genes located outside the complex. Novel microRNAs in the tammar HOX clusters uncover new potential mammalian HOX regulatory elements. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses of these resources enhance our understanding of marsupial gene evolution, identify marsupial-specific conserved non-coding elements and critical genes across a range of biological systems, including reproduction, development and immunity, and provide new insight into marsupial and mammalian biology and genome evolution

Ownership competence

Ownership is fundamental to firm strategy, organization, and governance. Standard ownership concepts—mainly derived from agency and incomplete contracting theories—focus on its incentive effects. However, these concepts and theories neglect ownership's role as an instrument to match judgment about resource use and governance with the firm's evolving environment under uncertainty. We develop the concept of ownership competence—the skill with which ownership is used as an instrument to create value—and decompose it into matching competence (what to own), governance competence (how to own), and timing competence (when to own). We describe how property rights of use, appropriation, and transfer relate to the three ownership competences and show how our theory offers a fresh perspective into the role of ownership for value generation

Influence of firm size on the competencies required to management engineers in the Jordanian telecommunications sector

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Engineering Education on [13 jun 2016], available online:http://www.tandfonline.com/ doi/abs/10.1080/03043797.2016.1197890.[EN] The objective of this study is to identify the competencies required to achieve success in the transition from higher education to the labour market based on the perceptions of employers. This paper analyses the assessments made by a group of engineering company employers. An item-battery of 20 competencies was grouped into 3 dimensions by using factor analysis. Subsequently, respondents scores were also clustered into three groups and characterised through contingency tables. The competencies demanded by employers were grouped into business and finance, problem-solving and strategic planning. Significant differences were found between responses from employers working in medium and small companies, who placed more importance on competencies related to problem-solving and strategic planning, and employers in big companies, who were more concerned about the difficulties of finding well-trained graduates. The findings from this paper have important implications for research in the areas of higher education and organisations that usually employ graduate engineers.The authors would like to thank the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) [Tempus program. Project number 511074] of the European Commission for providing funding for conducting this study. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.Conchado Peiró, A.; Bas Cerdá, MDC.; Gharaibeh, KM.; Kaylani, H. (2016). Influence of firm size on the competencies required to management engineers in the Jordanian telecommunications sector. European Journal of Engineering Education. 1-14. doi:10.1080/03043797.2016.1197890S114ALLEN, J., & DE WEERT, E. (2007). What Do Educational Mismatches Tell Us About Skill Mismatches? A Cross-country Analysis. European Journal of Education, 42(1), 59-73. doi:10.1111/j.1465-3435.2007.00283.xBarrella, E. M., & Buffinton, K. W. (2009). Corporate Assessment of Strategic Issues in Technology Management. Engineering Management Journal, 21(1), 27-33. doi:10.1080/10429247.2009.11431795Bartram, D., Lindley, P. A., Marshall, L., & Foster, J. (1995). The recruitment and selection of young people by small businesses. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 68(4), 339-358. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8325.1995.tb00592.xBehrends, T. (2007). Recruitment Practices in Small and Medium Size Enterprises. An Empirical Study among Knowledge-intensive Professional Service Firms. management revu, 18(1), 55-74. doi:10.5771/0935-9915-2007-1-55Boshuizen, H. P. A. (s. f.). Does Practice Make Perfect? Innovation and Change in Professional Education, 73-95. doi:10.1007/1-4020-2094-5_5Branine, M. (2008). Graduate recruitment and selection in the UK. Career Development International, 13(6), 497-513. doi:10.1108/13620430810901660Butler, C. J., & Chinowsky, P. S. (2006). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Behavior in Construction Executives. Journal of Management in Engineering, 22(3), 119-125. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(2006)22:3(119)Carbone, T. A., & Gholston, S. (2004). Project Manager Skill Development: A Survey of Programs and Practitioners. Engineering Management Journal, 16(3), 10-16. doi:10.1080/10429247.2004.11415252Cassell, C., Nadin, S., Gray, M., & Clegg, C. (2002). Exploring human resource management practices in small and medium sized enterprises. Personnel Review, 31(6), 671-692. doi:10.1108/00483480210445962Cattell, R. B., & Vogelmann, S. (1977). A Comprehensive Trial Of The Scree And Kg Criteria For Determining The Number Of Factors. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 12(3), 289-325. doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr1203_2Chan, A. P. C., Ho, D. C. K., & Tam, C. M. (2001). Effect of Interorganizational Teamwork on Project Outcome. Journal of Management in Engineering, 17(1), 34-40. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(2001)17:1(34)Coll, R. K., & Zegwaard, K. E. (2006). Perceptions of desirable graduate competencies for science and technology new graduates. Research in Science & Technological Education, 24(1), 29-58. doi:10.1080/02635140500485340Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297-334. doi:10.1007/bf02310555Dekker, R., de Grip, A., & Heijke, H. (2002). The effects of training and overeducation on career mobility in a segmented labour market. International Journal of Manpower, 23(2), 106-125. doi:10.1108/01437720210428379Elfenbein, D. W., Hamilton, B. H., & Zenger, T. R. (2010). The Small Firm Effect and the Entrepreneurial Spawning of Scientists and Engineers. Management Science, 56(4), 659-681. doi:10.1287/mnsc.1090.1130Farr, J. V., & Brazil, D. M. (2009). Leadership Skills Development for Engineers. Engineering Management Journal, 21(1), 3-8. doi:10.1080/10429247.2009.11431792Garen, J. E. (1985). Worker Heterogeneity, Job Screening, and Firm Size. Journal of Political Economy, 93(4), 715-739. doi:10.1086/261327Gharaibeh, K. M., Kaylani, H., Murphy, N., Brennan, C., Itradat, A., Al-Bataineh, M., … Bany Salameh, H. (2014). A Masters Programme in telecommunications management – demand-based curriculum design. European Journal of Engineering Education, 40(3), 267-284. doi:10.1080/03043797.2014.944104Hayes, J., Rose‐Quirie, A., & Allinson, C. W. (2000). Senior managers’ perceptions of the competencies they require for effective performance: implications for training and development. Personnel Review, 29(1), 92-105. doi:10.1108/00483480010295835Hersch, J. (1991). Education Match and Job Match. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 73(1), 140. doi:10.2307/2109696Hoegl, M., & Parboteeah, K. P. (2007). Creativity in innovative projects: How teamwork matters. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 24(1-2), 148-166. doi:10.1016/j.jengtecman.2007.01.008Hoegl, M., Praveen Parboteeah, K., & Gemuenden, H. G. (2003). When teamwork really matters: task innovativeness as a moderator of the teamwork–performance relationship in software development projects. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 20(4), 281-302. doi:10.1016/j.jengtecman.2003.08.001Van Hoorn, T. P. (1979). Strategic planning in small and medium-sized companies. Long Range Planning, 12(2), 84-91. doi:10.1016/0024-6301(79)90076-1HUSELID, M. A. (1995). THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON TURNOVER, PRODUCTIVITY, AND CORPORATE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635-672. doi:10.2307/256741Kaiser, H. F. (1958). The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 23(3), 187-200. doi:10.1007/bf02289233Kaufman, L., & Rousseeuw, P. J. (Eds.). (1990). Finding Groups in Data. Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics. doi:10.1002/9780470316801Krug, J. (1997). People Skills: Teamwork. Journal of Management in Engineering, 13(2), 15-16. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(1997)13:2(15)Male, S. A., Bush, M. B., & Chapman, E. S. (2010). Perceptions of Competency Deficiencies in Engineering Graduates. Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 16(1), 55-68. doi:10.1080/22054952.2010.11464039Mao, X., Zhang, X., & AbouRizk, S. M. (2009). Enhancing Value Engineering Process by Incorporating Inventive Problem-Solving Techniques. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(5), 416-424. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000001Mendelsohn, R. (1998). Teamwork—The Key to Productivity. Journal of Management in Engineering, 14(1), 22-25. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(1998)14:1(22)Moore, B. V. (1921). Personnel selection of graduate engineers: The differentiation of apprentice engineers for training as salesmen, designers, and executives of production. Psychological Monographs, 30(5), i-85. doi:10.1037/h0093191Moy, J. W., & Lee, S. M. (2002). The career choice of business graduates: SMEs or MNCs? Career Development International, 7(6), 339-347. doi:10.1108/13620430210444367Nair, C. S., Patil, A., & Mertova, P. (2009). Re-engineering graduate skills – a case study. European Journal of Engineering Education, 34(2), 131-139. doi:10.1080/03043790902829281Passow, H. J. (2012). Which ABET Competencies Do Engineering Graduates Find Most Important in their Work? Journal of Engineering Education, 101(1), 95-118. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2012.tb00043.xPinnington, A. H. (2011). Competence development and career advancement in professional service firms. Personnel Review, 40(4), 443-465. doi:10.1108/00483481111133336Reio, T. G., & Sutton, F. C. (2006). Employer assessment of work-related competencies and workplace adaptation. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 17(3), 305-324. doi:10.1002/hrdq.1176Robar, T. Y. (1998). Communication and Career Advancement. Journal of Management in Engineering, 14(2), 26-28. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(1998)14:2(26)Rowold, J., & Kauffeld, S. (2008). Effects of career‐related continuous learning on competencies. Personnel Review, 38(1), 90-101. doi:10.1108/00483480910920732Ruiz-Mercader, J., Meroño-Cerdan, A. L., & Sabater-Sánchez, R. (2006). Information technology and learning: Their relationship and impact on organisational performance in small businesses. International Journal of Information Management, 26(1), 16-29. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2005.10.003Soliman, F., & Spooner, K. (2000). Strategies for implementing knowledge management: role of human resources management. Journal of Knowledge Management, 4(4), 337-345. doi:10.1108/13673270010379894Srour, I., Abdul-Malak, M.-A., Itani, M., Bakshan, A., & Sidani, Y. (2013). Career Planning and Progression for Engineering Management Graduates: An Exploratory Study. Engineering Management Journal, 25(3), 85-100. doi:10.1080/10429247.2013.11431985Sunindijo, R. Y., Hadikusumo, B. H., & Ogunlana, S. (2007). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Styles in Construction Project Management. Journal of Management in Engineering, 23(4), 166-170. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(2007)23:4(166)Tanova, C. (2003). Firm size and recruitment: staffing practices in small and large organisations in north Cyprus. Career Development International, 8(2), 107-114. doi:10.1108/13620430310465534Teichler, U. (1999). Higher education policy and the world of work: changing conditions and challenges. Higher Education Policy, 12(4), 285-312. doi:10.1016/s0952-8733(99)00019-7Tsang, M. C., & Levin, H. M. (1985). The economics of overeducation. Economics of Education Review, 4(2), 93-104. doi:10.1016/0272-7757(85)90051-2Ward, J. H. (1963). Hierarchical Grouping to Optimize an Objective Function. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 58(301), 236-244. doi:10.1080/01621459.1963.10500845Zenger, T. R. (1994). Explaining Organizational Diseconomies of Scale in R&D: Agency Problems and the Allocation of Engineering Talent, Ideas, and Effort by Firm Size. Management Science, 40(6), 708-729. doi:10.1287/mnsc.40.6.708Zenger, T. R., & Lazzarini, S. G. (2004). Compensating for innovation: Do small firms offer high-powered incentives that lure talent and motivate effort? Managerial and Decision Economics, 25(67), 329-345. doi:10.1002/mde.119

Mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) in sheep. I. A new male framework linkage map and QTL for growth rate and body weight

A male sheep linkage map comprising 191 microsatellites was generated from a single family of 510 Awassi-Merino backcross progeny. Except for ovine chromosomes 1, 2, 10 and 17, all other chromosomes yielded a LOD score difference greater than 3.0 between the best and second-best map order. The map is on average 11% longer than the Sheep Linkage Map v4.7 male-specific map. This map was employed in quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses on body-weight and growth-rate traits between birth and 98 weeks of age. A custom maximum likelihood program was developed to map QTL in half-sib families for non-inbred strains (QTL-MLE) and is freely available on request. The new analysis package offers the advantage of enabling QTL × fixed effect interactions to be included in the model. Fifty-four putative QTL were identified on nine chromosomes. Significant QTL with sex-specific effects (i.e. QTL × sex interaction) in the range of 0.4 to 0.7 SD were found on ovine chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 11, 21, 23, 24 and 26