The chemical potential of the electron gas on a one dimensional lattice

The chemical potential of the electron gas on a one-dimensional lattice is determined within the discrete Hubbard model. The result will have applications in studies of transport properties of quasi one-dimensional organic conductors such as the Bechgaard salts.Comment: 4 pages,plain TeX,presented at the 9 National Congress of Yugoslav Physicists,held in May 1995.,and published in the proceedings.The author can be contacted at: [email protected]

The genetic diversity of Turnip yellows virus in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in Europe, pathogenic determinants, new sources of resistance and host range

The aphid transmitted Polerovirus Turnip yellows virus (TuYV) was found to be widespread with high incidences in oilseed rape (OSR) across Europe. UK, France, Germany and Poland all having >90% TuYV incidence in some OSR crops. From the 179 whole TuYV genomes sequenced in this study the phylogenetic analyses indicated three distinct genetic groups in the UK, two of which were also detected in Europe. These three genotypes were also distinct from the original sequenced TuYV-FL. These groups are proposed to be distinct species due to their genetic distance based on the most variable gene ORF5 and phylogenetic analyses of ORF1, ORF3, ORF4 and ORF5. Mixed TuYV infection was uncommon and only two plant samples had genetically distinct isolates. Whole genome analysis also provided valuable information on two recombination hotspots located within TuYV genes ORF3 and ORF5. Investigation into the epidemiology of TuYV revealed many weed and crop species as hosts, including sugar beet, which it was previously thought not to infect. TuYV isolates detected infecting weed plants in the UK were successfully transmitted to OSR. Previously undescribed hosts, verbascum, geranium, teasel, spear thistle, dock and previously described hosts in the Brassicaceae, Compositae and Lepidium families were found in the UK. A full-length infectious clone of a UK isolate of TuYV has been produced, this will allow further assessment of TuYV in the future. The infectious clone was able to cause systemic infection of TuYV and was aphid transmissible. The Arabidopsis thaliana gene knock-out study did not reveal a single eIF gene or gene linked to virus movement or silencing that could provide extreme broad-spectrum resistance. The gene eIF(iso)4G.1 was able to give a broad-spectrum quantitative resistance, and the potential of eIF3D.2 as well as sucrose symporters SUC1 and SUC2 as candidates for extreme TuYV resistance were discovered. This understanding of the epidemiology and diversity of TuYV is being used to develop strategies for control

To get out of the building or not? That is the question: The benefits (and costs) of customer involvement during the startup process

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Nascent entrepreneurs are frequently advised to “get out of the building” and consult with customers before any serious efforts to develop a new product or service are undertaken so they can understand what their potential customers really want/need. Despite the intuitive nature of this advice, it lacks theoretical and empirical bases. As such, the worldwide popularity of the movements this approach has spawned, such as Customer Development and Lean Startup, seems to rest on the unfounded assumption that the benefits of involving customers outweighs the costs. Thus, we theorize about the pros and cons of involving customers early on in the startup process and empirical test our model using data from the PSED II. Our findings suggest that while involving customers early will help entrepreneurs create offerings customers are willing to pay for, it also results in potentially costly delays in the launch of those offerings. We also find that these benefits and costs are magnified when innovativeness is high

Social Impact Measurement: Current Approaches and Future Directions for Social Entrepreneurship Research

Despite the importance of social impact to social entrepreneurship research, standards for measuring an organization’s social impact are underdeveloped on both theoretical and empirical grounds. We identify a sample of 71 relevant papers from leading (FT50) business journals that examine, conceptually or empirically, the measurement of social impact. We first describe the breadth of definitions, data sources, and operationalizations of social impact. Based on this analysis, we generate a typology of four approaches to conceptualizing social impact, which we use to organize insights and recommendations regarding improved measurement of the social impact of entrepreneurial ventures

Ageing well with diabetes: A workshop to co‐design research recommendations for improving the diabetes care of older people

Aims:To identify key research questions where answers could improve care for older people living with diabetes (PLWD), and provide detailed recommendations for researchers and research funders on how best to address them.Methods:A series of online research workshops were conducted, bringing together a range of PLWD and an acknowledged group of academic and clinical experts in their diabetes care to identify areas for future research. Throughout the pre-workshop phase, during each workshop, and in manuscript preparation and editing, PLWD played an active and dynamic role in discussions as part of both an iterative and narrative process.Results:The following key questions in this field were identified, and research recommendations for each were developed:How can we improve our understanding of the characteristics of older people living with diabetes (PLWD) and their outcomes, and can this deliver better person-centred care?How are services to care for older PLWD currently delivered, both for their diabetes and other conditions? How can we optimise and streamline the process and ensure everyone gets the best care, tailored to their individual needs?What tools might be used to evaluate the level of understanding of diabetes in the older population amongst non-specialist Healthcare Professionals (HCPs)?How can virtual experts or centres most effectively provide access to specialist multi-disciplinary team (MDT) expertise for older PLWD and the HCPs caring for them?Is a combination of exercise and a nutrition-dense, high protein diet effective in the prevention of the adverse effects of type 2 diabetes and deterioration in frailty, and how might this be delivered in a way which is acceptable to people with type 2 diabetes?How might we best use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in older people and, for those who require support, how should the data be shared?How can older PLWD be better empowered to manage their diabetes in their own home, particularly when living with additional long-term conditions?What are the benefits of models of peer support for older PLWD, both when living independently and when in care?Conclusions:This paper outlines recommendations supported by PLWD through which new research could improve their diabetes care and calls on the research community and funders to address them in future research programmes and strategies

Resource determinants of strategy and performance: the case of British exporters

This study adopts the RBV of the firm in order to identify critical advantage-generating resources and capabilities with strong positive export strategy and performance implications. The proposed export performance model is tested using a structural equation modeling approach on a sample of 356 British exporters. We examine the individual as well as the concurrent (simultaneous) direct and indirect effects of five resource bundles on export performance. We find that four resources/capabilities: managerial, knowledge, planning, and technology, have a significant positive direct effect on export performance, while relational and physical resources exhibited no unique positive effect. We also find that the firm’s export strategy mediates the resource-performance nexus in the case of managerial and knowledge-based resources. The theoretical and methodological grounding of this study contributes to the advancement of export related research by providing better specification of the nature of the effects – direct or indirect – of particular resource factors on export performance

Impact of prototyping resource environments and timing of awareness of constraints on idea generation in product design

Research and development laboratories in universities and firms around the world try to maximize innovation with a limited set of resources. However, questions remain about the influence of resource constraints on idea generation in early-stage product design. Multiple embedded case studies were conducted with engineering students and faculty at two university campuses in Mexico. Students developed sketches for products that would satisfy an open-ended design problem in a constrained-resource setting, where the variables were the timing of when information about these constraints was revealed, and the regular prototyping environment of the student. The evidence suggests that the timing of awareness of constraints can have an impact on design outcomes, but that this effect varies depending on the designer's regular prototyping resource environment.MIT International Science and Technology InitiativeLegatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award CMMI-1130791

Charity Retailing in the UK: A Managerial Capabilities Perspective

Nonprofit organizations are venturing into commercial activities due to the intense competition for the limited government funds and declining availability of donor funds for third sector organizations that address social problems. Charity retailing, a popular choice of commercial activity for nonprofit organization, has filled vacant premises in the high streets of the small towns and suburbs of large cities in the UK. Successful charity retail operation requires distinctive capabilities necessary to manage organizations’ resources in commercial environment. Using sixty in-depth elite interviews, we introduce the concept of managerial capabilities for charity retailing. Research propositions and management implications are discussed