Academic in-group bias in the top five economics journals

Scientometrics - This paper studies academic in-group bias in the top five economics journals. We examine citation counts for articles published in these journals during the years 2006–2015,...     

Effect of Cultivation Parameters on Fermentation and Hydrogen Production in the Phylum Thermotogae

The phylum Thermotogae is composed of a single class (Thermotogae), 4 orders (Thermotogales, Kosmotogales, Petrotogales, Mesoaciditogales), 5 families (Thermatogaceae, Fervidobacteriaceae, Kosmotogaceae, Petrotogaceae, Mesoaciditogaceae), and 13 genera. They have been isolated from extremely hot environments whose characteristics are reflected in the metabolic and phenotypic properties of the Thermotogae species. The metabolic versatility of Thermotogae members leads to a pool of high value-added products with application potentials in many industry fields. The low risk of contamination associated with their extreme culture conditions has made most species of the phylum attractive candidates in biotechnological processes. Almost all members of the phylum, especially those in the order Thermotogales, can produce bio-hydrogen from a variety of simple and complex sugars with yields close to the theoretical Thauer limit of 4 mol H₂/mol consumed glucose. Acetate, lactate, and L-alanine are the major organic end products. Thermotagae fermentation processes are influenced by various factors, such as hydrogen partial pressure, agitation, gas sparging, culture/headspace ratio, inoculum, pH, temperature, nitrogen sources, sulfur sources, inorganic compounds, metal ions, etc. Optimization of these parameters will help to fully unleash the biotechnological potentials of Thermotogae and promote their applications in industry. This article gives an overview of how these operational parameters could impact Thermotogae fermentation in terms of sugar consumption, hydrogen yields, and organic acids production.     

Correction to: Optimized cloud-based scheduling for protein secondary structure analysis

The Journal of Supercomputing - Mirto Musci was not listed among the authors. The original article has been corrected.     

An exploratory study of risk aversion in supply chain dynamics via human experiment and agent-based simulation

The literature on the impact of risk aversion on supply chains (SCs) is relatively limited and, in particular, there is a dearth of theory and a lack of empirical evidence concerning: (1) the impact of individual risk aversion on the generation and dynamics of the order policy (e.g. order patterns and inventory holding costs); (2) the impact of several combinations of risk-averse members in each stage of a multi-echelon SC. We explore these gaps through a multi-method approach (i.e. human experiments and agent-based simulation), thus using both empirical and simulated data. Specifically, based on results from a human experiment, we develop the conjecture that risk aversion is positively correlated to the desired stock level and consequently to the safety stock factor of inventory order policies. Building on this finding, we perform a simulation study to infer the impact of individual risk aversion in a multi-echelon SC. Results show that alternative compositions of the SC in terms of risk aversion levels of the echelons significantly influence inventory holdings and SC dynamics. The study implies that a company facing problems of high inventory days-on-hand should favour low-risk aversion managers, as instrumental to lowering stock and improving net working capital.     

CANDYBOTS: A New Generation of 3D-Printed Sugar-Based Transient Small-Scale Robots

Sugars are ubiquitous in food, and are among the main sources of energy for almost all forms of life. Sugars can also form structural building blocks such as cellulose in plants. Because of their inherent degradability and biocompatibility characteristics, sugars are compelling materials for transient devices. Here, an additive manufacturing approach for the production of magnetic sugar-based composites is introduced. First, it is shown that sugar-based 3D architectures can be 3D printed by selective laser sintering. This method enables not only the caramelization chemistry but also the mechanical properties of the sugar architectures to be adjusted by varying the laser energy. It is also demonstrated that mixtures of sugar and magnetic particles can be processed as 3D composites. As a proof of concept, a sugar-based millimeter-scale helical swimmer, which is capable of corkscrew motion in a solution with a viscosity comparable to those of biological fluids, is fabricated. The millirobot quickly dissolves in water, while being manipulated through magnetic fields. The present fabrication method can pave the way to a new generation of transient sugar-based small-scale robots for minimally invasive procedures. Due to their rapid dissolution, sugars can be used as an intermediate step for transporting swarms of particles to specific target locations.     

Individual learning goal orientations in self‐managed team‐based organizations: A study on individual and contextual variables

Previous research has shown the importance of individual learning goal orientation for both job and task performance and consequently organizational performance. Despite its importance, knowledge on the antecedents of learning goal orientation remains scarce, especially in the context of self‐managing team‐based organizations. In fact, most of the research on goal orientation antecedents has been focused on individual characteristics, belief, and ability, while the contextual factors that might influence them remain unspecified. We build on and further extend earlier studies by jointly exploring the role of individual and contextual factors affecting individual learning orientation. In particular, this study combines individual informal social network, self‐efficacy, performance feedbacks, and team identification into a model that explains individuals' learning goal orientation within self‐managing team‐based organizations. The model was empirically tested on a sample of 104 individuals belonging to an R&D organization relying on self‐managing teams. Results show that performance feedback has a negative direct effect, while team identification has a positive direct effect on individual learning goal orientation. In addition, we found that individual self‐efficacy is a mediator of the relationships between performance feedback and brokerage in the advice network and individual learning goal orientation. Finally, we did not find a relationship between centrality in the friendship network and individual learning goal orientation.     

Competition between the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine and novelty.

Access to novelty might provide an alternative learning history that competes with conditioned drug reward. We tested this suggestion in rats using a place conditioning procedure with cocaine and novelty. In Experiment 1, rats were conditioned with cocaine to prefer one side of an apparatus. In a subsequent phase, cocaine exposure continued; however, on the unpaired side, separate group of rats had access to novel objects, cocaine injections, or saline with no objects. Pairings with novel objects or cocaine shifted a preference away from the cocaine-paired environment during drug-free and drug-challenge tests. Experiment 2 tested novelty's impact when cocaine exposure was discontinued. The identical procedures were used except drug exposure ceased on the cocaine-paired side during the second phase. Both groups expressed a preference for the cocaine compartment. This preference was maintained for rats that did not have novel objects; however, rats that experienced novelty spent similar amounts of time in both compartments during both tests. Overall, the conditioned rewarding effects of novelty competed with those of cocaine as evidenced by a change in choice behaviors motivated by drug reward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Template‐Assisted Electroforming of Fully Semi‐Hard‐Magnetic Helical Microactuators

The authors report on the fabrication of semi‐hard‐magnetic microhelices using template‐assisted electroforming. The method consists of electrodepositing a material on a sacrificial mandrel on which a pattern has been previously written. To electroform the helical microswimmers, a helical template on a polymer‐coated metallic mandrel is created using a laser, which precisely ablates the polymer coating and exposes the mandrel surface. Subsequently, the semi‐hard‐magnetic material is electrodeposited in the trenches produced by the laser. In this investigation, the helical structures are obtained from an electrolyte, which enables the production of hard‐magnetic CoPt alloys. The authors also show that electroformed semi‐hard‐magnetic helical microswimmers can propel in viscous environments such as silicon oil in three dimensions and against gravity. Their manufacturing approach can be used for the fabrication of more complex architectures for a wide range of applications and can be potentially extended to any electroplatable material.