Enhancing Inter functional coordination and marketing performance: utilization of the motivation/ability/opportunity framework

This paper integrates a large literature on intra-organisational relationships with the aim to understand how to enhance coordination between different functional units inside an organisation and to empirically examine the impact of inter functional coordination on marketing performance. By drawing on the Motivation/Ability/Opportunity (MAO) theoretical framework, this research attempts to examine factors to enhance employees? motivation/ability/opportunity to coordinate on improving inter functional coordination. The research also empirically examined the impact of inter functional coordination on marketing performance in terms of adaptiveness, effectiveness, efficiency and creativity of marketing programmes. The research conceptual model was tested with data collected from 274 structured surveys in medium to large Egyptian firms. Regression analysis was employed as a tool for testing the research hypotheses. The research findings suggest that the use of cross functional teams, resource dependency, joint reward systems, management support, positively affect the level of inter functional coordination. The research also showed that some factors, for example employees? interpersonal skills, might hinder coordination between functional units and these issues should be resolved in order to establish an effective inter functional coordination. The research provides empirical evidence of the direct positive impact of inter functional coordination on marketing performance

Tunable superlattice p-i-n photodetectors: characteristics, theory, and application

Extended measurements and theory on the recently developed monolithic wavelength demultiplexer consisting of voltage-tunable superlattice p-i-n photodetectors in a waveguide confirmation are discussed. It is shown that the device is able to demultiplex and detect two optical signals with a wavelength separation of 20 nm directly into different electrical channels at a data rate of 1 Gb/s and with a crosstalk attenuation varying between 20 and 28 dB, depending on the polarization. The minimum acceptable crosstalk attenuation at a data rate of 100 Mb/s is determined to be 10 dB. The feasibility of using the device as a polarization angle sensor for linearly polarized light is also demonstrated. A theory for the emission of photogenerated carriers out of the quantum wells is included, since this is potentially a speed limiting mechanism in these detectors. It is shown that a theory of thermally assisted tunneling by polar optical phonon interaction is able to predict emission times consistent with the observed temporal response

Parametric study of cavity length and mirror reflectivity in ultralow threshold quantum well InGaAs/AlGaAs lasers

Record low CW threshold currents of 16 μA at-room temperature and 21 μA at cryogenic temperature have been demonstrated in buried heterostructure strained layer, single quantum well InGaAs/AlGaAs lasers with a short cavity length and high reflectivity coatings

Very High Modulation Efficiency of Ultralow Threshold Current Single Quantum Well InGaAs Lasers

A record high current modulation efficiency of 5 GHz/[sqrt](mA) has been demonstrated in an ultralow threshold strained layer single quantum well InGaAs laser

The New Zealand workforce survey II: occupational risk factors for asthma.

INTRODUCTION: We conducted a cross-sectional population-based survey in New Zealand that collected information on work history, current workplace exposures, and selected health outcomes. We report here the findings on occupational risk factors for asthma symptoms. METHODS: A random sample of men and women aged 20-64 years were selected from the New Zealand Electoral Roll and invited to take part in a telephone survey. Current asthma was defined as: (i) woken up by shortness of breath in the past 12 months; or (ii) an attack of asthma in the past 12 months; or (iii) currently taking asthma medication. Adult-onset asthma was defined as first attack of asthma at age 18 or over. Prevalence odds ratios (ORs) for all occupations were calculated using logistic regression adjusting for sex, age, smoking, and deprivation. RESULTS: Totally, 2903 participants were included in the analyses. The prevalence of current asthma was 17% and the prevalence of adult-onset asthma was 9%. Prevalence ORs for current asthma were elevated for ever working as a printer [OR = 2.26; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-4.66], baker (OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.02-3.85), sawmill labourer (OR = 3.26; 95% CI = 1.05-10.16), metal processing plant operator (OR = 2.48; 95% CI = 1.22-5.05), and cleaner (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.09-2.35). Excess risks of adult-onset asthma were also found for ever working as a printer, baker, and sawmill labourer as well as ever-working as a market-oriented animal producer (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.14-2.41), and other agricultural worker (OR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.03-4.20). A number of occupations not previously considered at high risk for asthma were also identified, including teachers and certain sales professionals. CONCLUSION: This population-based study has confirmed findings of previous international studies showing elevated risks in a number of high-risk occupations. The strongest risks were consistently observed for printers, bakers, and sawmill labourers. Several occupations were also identified that have not been previously associated with asthma, suggesting that the risk of occupational asthma may be more widely spread across the workforce than previously assumed

Submilliamp threshold InGaAs-GaAs strained layer quantum-well laser

Strained-layer InGaAs-GaAs single-quantum-well buried-heterostructure lasers were fabricated by a hybrid beam epitaxy and liquid-phase epitaxy technique. Very low threshold currents, 2.4 mA for an uncoated laser (L=425 μm) and 0.75 mA for a coated laser (R~0.9, L=198 μm), were obtained. A 3-dB modulation bandwidth of 7.6 GHz was demonstrated at low bias current (14 mA). Procedures for material preparation and device fabrication are introduced

Balancing proliferation and connectivity in PTEN -associated Autism Spectrum Disorder

Germline mutations in PTEN, which encodes a widely expressed phosphatase, was mapped to 10q23 and identified as the susceptibility gene for Cowden syndrome, characterized by macrocephaly and high risks of breast, thyroid, and other cancers. The phenotypic spectrum of PTEN mutations expanded to include autism with macrocephaly only 10 years ago. Neurological studies of patients with PTEN-associated autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show increases in cortical white matter and a distinctive cognitive profile, including delayed language development with poor working memory and processing speed. Once a germline PTEN mutation is found, and a diagnosis of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) hamartoma tumor syndrome made, the clinical outlook broadens to include higher lifetime risks for multiple cancers, beginning in childhood with thyroid cancer. First described as a tumor suppressor, PTEN is a major negative regulator of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway—controlling growth, protein synthesis, and proliferation. This canonical function combines with less well-understood mechanisms to influence synaptic plasticity and neuronal cytoarchitecture. Several excellent mouse models of Pten loss or dysfunction link these neural functions to autism-like behavioral abnormalities, such as altered sociability, repetitive behaviors, and phenotypes like anxiety that are often associated with ASD in humans. These models also show the promise of mTOR inhibitors as therapeutic agents capable of reversing phenotypes ranging from overgrowth to low social behavior. Based on these findings, therapeutic options for patients with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome and ASD are coming into view, even as new discoveries in PTEN biology add complexity to our understanding of this master regulator