bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brain-engrafted macrophages provide protection against therapeutic irradiation and secondary concussive injury
Authors: Feng Xi , Frias Elma S. , Paladini Maria S. , Chen David , Boosalis Zoe , Becker McKenna , Gupta Sonali , Liu Sharon , Gupta Nalin , Rosi Susanna
Published: October 2019

Brain resident microglia have a distinct origin compared to macrophages in other organs. Under physiological conditions, microglia are maintained by self-renewal from the local pool, independent of hematopoietic progenitors. Pharmacological depletion of microglia during therapeutic whole-brain irradiation prevents synaptic loss and long-term recognition memory deficits but the mechanisms behind these protective effects are unknown. Here we demonstrate that after a combination of therapeutic whole-brain irradiation and microglia depletion, macrophages originating from circulating monocytes engraft into the brain and replace the microglia pool. Comparisons of transcriptomes reveal that brain-engrafted macrophages have an intermediate phenotype that resembles both monocytes and embryonic microglia. Brain-engrafted macrophages display reduced phagocytic activity for synaptic compartments compared to microglia from normal brains in response to a secondary concussive brain injury. In addition to sparing mice from brain radiotherapy-induced long-term cognitive deficits, replacement of microglia by brain-engrafted macrophages can prevent concussive injury-induced memory loss. These results demonstrate the long-term functional role of brain-engrafted macrophages as a possible therapeutic tool against radiation-induced cognitive deficits.
Physical interactions between Gsx2 and Ascl1 regulate the balance between progenitor expansion and neurogenesis in the mouse lateral ganglionic eminence
Authors: Roychoudhury Kaushik , Salomone Joseph , Qin Shenyue , Nakafuku Masato , Gebelein Brian , Campbell Kenneth
Published: October 2019

The Gsx2 homeodomain transcription factor is required to maintain neural progenitor identity in the lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) within the developing ventral telencephalon, despite its role in upregulating the neurogenic factor Ascl1. How Gsx2 maintains cells as progenitors in the presence of a pro-differentiation factor is unclear. Here, we show that Gsx2 and Ascl1 are co-expressed in dividing subapical progenitors within the LGE ventricular zone (VZ). Moreover, we show that while Ascl1 misexpression promotes neurogenesis in dorsal telencephalic progenitors that do not express Gsx2, co-expression of Gsx2 with Ascl1 inhibits neurogenesis in these cells. To investigate the mechanisms underlying this inhibition, we used a cell-based luciferase assay to show that Gsx2 reduced the ability of Ascl1 to activate target gene expression in a dose-dependent and DNA binding-independent manner. Yeast 2-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays revealed that Gsx2 physically interacts with the basic-Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) domain of Ascl1, and DNA binding assays demonstrated that this interaction interferes with the ability of Ascl1 to form homo- or heterodimers with E-proteins such as Tcf3 on DNA. To further assess forin vivomolecular interactions between these transcription factors within the telencephalon, we modified a proximity ligation assay for embryonic tissue sections and found that Ascl1:Gsx2 interactions are enriched within VZ progenitors, whereas Ascl1:Tcf3 interactions predominate in basal progenitors. Altogether, these findings suggest that physical interactions between Gsx2 and Ascl1 limit Ascl1:Ascl1 and Ascl1:Tcf3 interactions, and thereby inhibit Ascl1-dependennt neurogenesis and allow for progenitor expansion within the LGE.
Unveiling cryptic diversity among Müllerian co-mimics: insights from the Western PalaearcticSyntomismoths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)
Authors: Chiocchio Andrea , Arduino Paola , Cianchi Rossella , Canestrelli Daniele , Zilli Alberto
Published: October 2019

Accurate species delimitation is of primary importance in biodiversity assessments and in reconstructing patterns and processes in the diversification of life. However, the discovery of cryptic species in virtually all taxonomic groups unveiled major gaps in our knowledge of biodiversity. Mimicry complexes are good candidates to source for cryptic species. Indeed, members of mimicry complexes undergo selective pressures on their habitus, which results in strong resemblance between both distantly and closely related species. In this study, we used a multi-locus genetic approach to investigate the presence of cryptic diversity within a group of mimetic day-flying moths whose systematics has long been controversial, the Euro-AnatolianSyntomis. Results showed incongruence between species boundaries and currently accepted taxonomy of the group. Both mitochondrial and nuclear markers indicate presence of four, well-distinct genetic lineages. The genetic distance and time of divergence between the Balkan and Italian populations ofS. marjanaare the same as those found betweenS. phegeaandS. ragazzii, the last two being well-distinct, broadly sympatrically occurring species. The divergence between the two lineages ofS. marjanadates back to the Early Pleistocene, which coincided with substantial changes in climatic conditions and vegetation cover in Southern Europe that have likely induced geographic and ecological vicariance. Our results show that the species richness of mimicry complexes inhabiting temperate regions might still be severely underestimated.Syntomispopulations up to now designated as S.marjana albionica,S. m. querciiandS. marjana kruegeris. str. are here considered to represent a separate species from nominatemarjanaand are distinguished asSyntomis querciiVerity, 1914,bona sp.,stat. nov.
Active inference under visuo-proprioceptive conflict: Simulation and empirical results
Authors: Limanowski Jakub , Friston Karl
Published: October 2019

It has been suggested that the brain controls hand movements via internal models that rely on visual and proprioceptive cues about the state of the hand. In active inference formulations of such models, the relative influence of each modality on action and perception is determined by how precise (reliable) it is expected to be. The ‘top-down’ affordance of expected precision to a particular sensory modality is associated with attention. Here, we asked whether increasing attention to (i.e., the precision of) vision or proprioception would enhance performance in a hand-target phase matching task, in which visual and proprioceptive cues about hand posture were incongruent. We show that in a simple simulated agent—based on predictive coding formulations of active inference—increasing the expected precision of vision or proprioception improved task performance (target matching with the seen or felt hand, respectively) under visuo-proprioceptive conflict. Moreover, we show that this formulation captured the behaviour and self-reported attentional allocation of human participants performing the same task in a virtual reality environment. Together, our results show that selective attention can balance the impact of (conflicting) visual and proprioceptive cues on action—rendering attention a key mechanism for a flexible body representation for action.
Modelling in vitro mycelial growth, sporulation and spore germination of Pseudocercospora musae under different illuminance levels
Authors: Santana-Filho Djalma M. , da Silva Milene C. , Cordeiro Zilton J. M. , Rocha Hermínio S. , Laranjeira Francisco F.
Published: October 2019

Banana is one of the most produced fruits in the world. Many diseases infect the culture and yellow sigatoka is one of the most important. Light may interfere in the pre-penetration parameters of the fungus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the action of light on aspects of the life cycle of the causal agent. The action of light was tested in vitro on the mycelial growth, sporulation and germination of the fungus. For the mycelial growth 10 colonies were transferred to each Petri plate, by evaluating the green weight of a plate at each moment, in mg, at zero, 15, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days of cultivation according to different illuminance levels. Under the same conditions, the sporulation was also quantified at 5, 7, 11, 13 and 14 days. For germination, equal volumes of a spore suspension were placed in small glass containers, which then were set in mini-shades (different illuminances). Every 1h, lacto-phenol was added to a glass from each environment paralyzing the growth, at the same time, illuminance measurements were made with a light meter. The data obtained from sporulation (linear relation) and germination (positive exponential behavior) were significant for the illuminance levels tested.

Significance and Impact of the Study

Yellow Sigatoka disease, caused by Pseudocercospora musae, is still one of the most importante banana diseases in Brazil. Its control demands the use of fungicides. New environmental-friendly control methods should be developed. Therefore, the behaviour of both fungus and plant-fungus interaction should be known. We modelled the in vitro behaviour of P. musae in function of light intensity. Our results can help to develop shading strategies to control yellow Sigatoka.
Storage root yield of sweetpotato as influenced by sweetpotato leaf curl virus and its interaction with sweetpotato feathery mottle virus, and sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus in Kenya
Authors: Wanjala Bramwel W. , Ateka Elijah M. , Miano Douglas W. , Low Jan W. , Kreuze Jan F.
Published: October 2019

The effect of a Kenyan strain of sweetpotato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) and its interactions with sweetpotato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), and sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV) on root yield was determined. Trials were performed during two seasons using varieties contrasting in their resistance to sweetpotato virus disease, ‘Kakamega’ and ‘Ejumula’, in a randomized complete block design with sixteen treatments replicated three times. The treatments included plants graft inoculated with SPLCV, SPFMV and SPCSV alone and in possible dual or triple combinations. Yield and yield related parameters were evaluated at harvest. Results showed marked differences in the effect of SPLCV infection on the two varieties: ‘Ejumula’, which is susceptible to SPFMV and SPCSV, suffered no significant yield loss from SPLCV infection, whereas ‘Kakamega’, which is more resistant to SPFMV and SPCSV, suffered an average of 47% yield loss, despite only mild symptoms occurring in both varieties. These results highlight the variability in sensitivity to SPLCV between sweetpotato cultivars as well as a lack of correlation of SPLCV related symptoms with susceptibility to the virus. In addition, they underline the lack of correlation between resistance to the RNA viruses SPCSV and SPFMV and DNA virus SPLCV.
Reduced Influence of Perceptual Context in Schizophrenia: Behavioral and Neurophysiological Evidence
Authors: Pokorny Victor J. , Lano Timothy J. , Schallmo Michael-Paul , Olman Cheryl A. , Sponheim Scott R.
Published: October 2019

Background

Accurate perception of visual contours is essential for seeing and differentiating objects in the environment. Both the ability to detect visual contours and the influence of perceptual context created by surrounding stimuli are diminished in people with schizophrenia. The central aim of the present study was to better understand the biological underpinnings of impaired contour integration and weakened effects of perceptual context. Additionally, we sought to determine whether visual perceptual abnormalities reflect genetic factors in schizophrenia and are present in other severe mental disorders.

Methods

We examined behavioral data and event-related potentials (ERPs) collected during the perception of simple linear contours embedded in similar background stimuli in 27 patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), 23 patients with bipolar disorder, 23 first-degree relatives of SCZ and 37 controls.

Results

SCZ exhibited impaired visual contour detection while patients with bipolar disorder exhibited intermediate performance. The orientation of neighboring stimuli (i.e., flankers) relative to the contour modulated perception across all groups, but SCZ exhibited weakened suppression by the perceptual context created by flankers. Late visual (occipital P2) and cognitive (centroparietal P3) neural responses showed group differences and flanker orientation effects, unlike earlier ERPs (occipital P1 and N1). Moreover, behavioral effects of flanker context on contour perception were correlated with modulation in P2/P3 amplitudes.

Conclusion

In addition to replicating and extending findings of abnormal contour integration and visual context modulation in SCZ, we provide novel evidence that abnormal use of perceptual context is associated with higher-order sensory and cognitive processes.
Single-cell ATAC-seq Signal Extraction and Enhancement with SCATE
Authors: Ji Zhicheng , Zhou Weiqiang , Ji Hongkai
Published: October 2019

Single-cell sequencing assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (scATAC-seq) is the state-of-the-art technology for analyzing genome-wide regulatory landscape in single cells. Single-cell ATAC-seq data are sparse and noisy. Analyzing such data is challenging. Existing computational methods cannot accurately reconstruct activities of individual cis-regulatory elements (CREs) in individual cells or rare cell subpopulations. We present a new statistical framework, SCATE, that adaptively integrates information from co-activated CREs, similar cells, and publicly available regulome data to substantially increase the accuracy for estimating activities of individual CREs. We show that using SCATE, one can better reconstruct the regulatory landscape of a heterogeneous sample.
Reduction of insulin/IGF-1 receptor rejuvenates immunity via positive feedback circuit
Authors: Lee Yujin , Jeong Dae-Eun , Hwang Wooseon , Ham Seokjin , Park Hae-Eun H. , Kwon Sujeong , Jung Yoonji , Ashraf Jasmine M. , Murphy Coleen T. , Lee Seung-Jae V.
Published: October 2019

Immunosenescence is considered an inevitable decline in immune function during aging. Here we show that genetic inhibition of the DAF-2/insulin/IGF-1 receptor drastically delays immunosenescence and rejuvenates immunity in C. elegans. We find that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (PMK-1), a key determinant of immunosenescence, is dispensable for this rejuvenated immunity. Instead, we demonstrate that longevity-promoting DAF-16/FOXO and heat-shock transcription factor 1 (HSF-1) increase immunocompetence in old daf-2(-) animals. The upregulation of DAF-16/FOXO and HSF-1 decreases the expression of the zip-10/bZIP transcription factor, which in turn downregulates INS-7, an agonistic insulin-like peptide, resulting in further reduction of insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS). Thus, reduced IIS bypasses immunosenescence and rejuvenates immunity via the upregulation of anti-aging transcription factors that modulate an endocrine insulin-like peptide through a positive feedback mechanism. Because many functions of IIS are conserved across phyla, our study may lead to the development of strategies for human immune rejuvenation.
Comparison of beamformer implementations for MEG source localization
Authors: Jaiswal Amit , Nenonen Jukka , Stenroos Matti , Gramfort Alexandre , Dalal Sarang S. , Westner Britta U. , Litvak Vladimir , Mosher John C. , Schoffelen Jan-Mathijs , Witton Caroline , Oostenveld Robert , Parkkonen Lauri
Published: October 2019

Beamformers are applied for estimating spatiotemporal characteristics of neuronal sources underlying measured MEG/EEG signals. Several MEG analysis toolboxes include an implementation of a linearly constrained minimum-variance (LCMV) beamformer. However, differences in implementations and in their results complicate the selection and application of beamformers and may hinder their wider adoption in research and clinical use. Additionally, combinations of different MEG sensor types (such as magnetometers and planar gradiometers) and application of preprocessing methods for interference suppression, such as signal space separation (SSS), can affect the results in different ways for different implementations. So far, a systematic evaluation of the different implementations has not been performed. Here, we compared the localization performance of the LCMV beamformer pipelines in four widely used open-source toolboxes (FieldTrip, SPM12, Brainstorm, and MNE-Python) using datasets both with and without SSS interference suppression.

We analyzed MEG data that were i) simulated, ii) recorded from a static and moving phantom, and iii) recorded from a healthy volunteer receiving auditory, visual, and somatosensory stimulation. We also investigated the effects of SSS and the combination of the magnetometer and gradiometer signals. We quantified how localization error and point-spread volume vary with SNR in all four toolboxes.

When applied carefully to MEG data with a typical SNR (3–15 dB), all four toolboxes localized the sources reliably; however, they differed in their sensitivity to preprocessing parameters. As expected, localizations were highly unreliable at very low SNR, but we found high localization error also at very high SNRs. We also found that the SNR improvement offered by SSS led to more accurate localization.
Effects of Chinese herbal medicine residues on antibiotic resistance genes and the bacterial community in chicken manure composting
Authors: Wu Jinping , Li Junjian , Chen Jianwen , Li Dale , Zhang Hong , Li Zhenyu
Published: October 2019

Livestock manure is an important way that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can enter the environment, and composting is an effective method for removing ARGs from livestock manure. In this study, different volume ratios of Chinese medicinal herbal residues (CMHRs) were added to laboratory-scale chicken manure composting to evaluate their effects on the behavior of ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and the bacterial community. At the end of the composting period, the structure of the microbial community changed. Firmicutes decreased and Bacteroidetes increased. The relative abundance of the 21 ARGs and 5 MGEs detected decreased by varying degrees in the different treatments (except for sulI and intI1). The removal rate of the ARGs increased with the increased addition of CMHRs. The correlations between transferase genes (tnpA and tnpA-02) and ARGs were significant (p < 0.05); therefore, transposon plays an important role in the horizontal gene transfer of ARGs in chicken manure. The results imply that CMHRs would be an effective bulking agent for the removal of ARGs from chicken manure composting.
Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 Inflammasome Activation in Human Macrophages is Dependent on NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1
Authors: Karaba Andrew H. , Figueroa Alexis , Massaccesi Guido , Botto Sara , DeFilippis Victor R. , Cox Andrea L.
Published: October 2019

The pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 are products of activation of the inflammasome, an innate sensing system, and important in the pathogenesis of herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1). The release of IL-18 and IL-1β from monocytes/macrophages is critical for protection from HSV-1 based on animal models of encephalitis and genital infection, yet if and how HSV-1 activates inflammasomes in human macrophages is unknown. To investigate this, we utilized both primary human monocyte derived macrophages and human monocytic cell lines (THP-1 cells) with various inflammasome components knocked-out. We found that HSV-1 activates inflammasome signaling in pro-inflammatory primary human macrophages. Additionally, HSV-1 inflammasome activation is dependent on nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing receptor 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like molecule containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and caspase-1, but not on absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), or gamma interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI16). Ultraviolet irradiation of HSV-1 enhanced inflammasome activation, demonstrating that viral replication suppresses inflammasome activation. These results confirm that HSV-1 is capable of activating the inflammasome in human macrophages through an NLRP3 dependent process and that the virus has an NLRP3 specific mechanism to inhibit inflammasome activation in monocytes and macrophages.

Author Summary

The inflammasome is a multi-protein complex that forms in response to pathogens and cellular damage. Active inflammasomes recruit pro-caspase-1 via ASC and cleave the cytokine precursors pro-IL-1β and pro-IL-18 into mature IL-1β and IL-18. These cytokines serve to activate other immune cells that either repair the damage or attempt to clear the invading pathogen. Upon activation, the inflammasome also promotes an inflammatory form of cell death called pyroptosis. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a common human pathogen that can cause cold sores, genital ulcers, encephalitis, and blindness. HSV-1 infection leads to induction of IL-1β and IL-18, but whether it is capable of activating inflammasomes in macrophages, which play a role in severe forms of HSV-1 infection, was unclear. Here, we infected both primary human macrophages and a macrophage/monocytic cell line, THP-1 cells, with HSV-1. We found that HSV-1 does activate inflammasome signaling in macrophages in a process dependent on NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1. This is important because it illustrates the mechanism by which HSV-1 infection leads to inflammasome activation in macrophages, known to be crucial for protection from severe disease in mouse models.
Asian students’ brain circulation and Japanese companies
Authors: Yuriko Sato
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the brain circulation of Asian graduates of Japanese universities and Japanese companies by picking up China, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, which are among the top countries which send students to Japan and host Japan-affiliated companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire responses of Japanese university graduates from four countries are compared, especially between those who work for Japanese companies in Japan and in their countries of origin (COO), coupled with existent data analysis, interviews of these graduates and human resources (HR) managers/executives of Japanese companies.

Findings

A mobility of Japanese university graduates from Japan to their COO has been promoted by an increase in Japan-affiliated companies in their COO, which tend to offer better working environment than Japanese companies in Japan.

Practical implications

Japanese companies need to provide better working conditions to able local staff in overseas subsidiaries in order to recruit and retain the returned graduates of Japanese universities and to realize mutually beneficial brain circulation.

Originality/value

The role and constraints of study destination companies in relation with international students’ brain circulation were explored based on empirical study.
The influence of entrepreneurial team’s cognitive adaptability on its risk decision making
Authors: Wang Guohong , Li Xiaoli , Zhou Jianlin , Lan Shulin
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the risk decision making of entrepreneurial team, deconstruct the intermediate process mechanism of cognitive adaptability in promoting risk decision making and reveal the role of opportunity identification and entrepreneurial efficacy in the decision-making process, which clarifies how cognitive adaptability affects decision-making speed and effect.

Design/methodology/approach

This study establishes a relationship model among entrepreneurial team’s cognitive adaptability, opportunity identification, entrepreneurial efficacy and risk decision making, and selects 316 entrepreneurial teams to empirically study the relationship among core variables using Bootstrap analysis and Johnson–Neyman technology.

Findings

Cognitive adaptability though has no direct impact on risk decision-making speed, whereas it directly affects risk decision-making effect; opportunity identification has a full mediating effect between cognitive adaptability and decision-making speed, and a partial mediating effect between cognitive adaptability and decision-making effect; entrepreneurial efficacy plays a moderating role between opportunity identification and decision-making speed, and a same role between opportunity identification and decision-making effect.

Research limitations/implications

First, in setting the research model, the study does not take other moderators into consideration, which might be improved. Second, the study ignores the origin and formation of entrepreneurial team’s cognitive adaptability, the predisposing factors of which might be discussed in the future research.

Practical implications

The practical implication of this paper is to guide the entrepreneurial team to turn their focus on the impact of highly implicit cognitive adaptability on decision making, which might be divided into two aspects: the first is to enhance the cognitive adaptability of the entrepreneurial team, cultivate team members’ self-examination awareness and self-monitoring habits. The second is to strengthen team’s psychological capital and value the cultivation of entrepreneurial efficacy.

Originality/value

This paper breaks through the team process and structure perspectives, explores the driving mechanism of entrepreneurial team risk decision making from team cognition perspective, and deconstructs the logical framework of cognitive adaptability’s influence on risk decision making. This paper applies Johnson–Neyman technology to quantify the mediating effect entrepreneurial efficacy exerts on cognitive adaptability and decision-making speed, as well as on cognitive adaptability and decision-making effect.
Do online reviews still matter post-purchase?
Authors: Liu Hongfei , Jayawardhena Chanaka , Osburg Victoria-Sophie , Mohiuddin Babu Mujahid
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) information, such as online reviews, on consumers’ decision making is well documented, but it is unclear if online reviews still matter in post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which online reviews (aggregate rating (AR) and individual reviews (IR)) influence consumers’ evaluation and post-purchase behaviour by considering the valence congruence of online reviews and consumption experience (CE).

Design/methodology/approach

Following social comparison theory and relevant literature, the authors conduct an online experiment (pre-test: n=180; main study: n=347). The authors rely on a 2 (CE valence) ×2 (AR valence) ×2 (IR valence) between-subjects design.

Findings

Congruence/incongruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR affects consumers’ post-purchase evaluation at the emotional, brand and media levels and review-writing behaviour. In comparison to aggregated rating, IR are more important in the post-purchase stage. Similarly, consumers have a higher eWOM-writing intention when there is congruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR.

Practical implications

The authors demonstrate the importance of service providers continually monitoring their business profiles on review sites to ensure consistency of review information, as these influence consumers’ post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. For this reason, the authors illustrate the utility of why media owners of review sites should support the monitoring process to facilitate the engagement of both businesses and customers.

Originality/value

The authors break new ground by empirically testing the impact of online review information post-purchase seen through the theoretical lens of social comparison. The approach is novel in breaking down and testing the dimensions of post-purchase evaluation and behavioural intentions in understanding the social comparison elicited by online reviews in the post-purchase phase.
Introduction to the special issue: corporate communication – transformation of strategy
Authors: Goodman Michael B.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The contemporary business environment for public companies is much more multinational and multicultural than at any previous time. It is now driven by complex economic, political, technological and demographic forces such as these six: multipolarity eclipses globalization; the internet of things; corporate business model; uncertainty; privacy, big data and alternative data; and shifting demographics. The communication function has been central to this transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

The corporate communication international (CCI) studies have revealed three periods of transformation, namely, the focus, practices, perceptions, and the strategic aim of corporate communication to establish coherence by managing the messages reflects a top-down mind-set of communicating from the corporation to its stakeholders. The CCI study data indicated that the approaches to communication started changing; the fragmented media landscape of businesses reveals an awakening of a new kind of corporate communication whose aim is not to control and order, but to endure and to accept the “truth” being constantly challenged.

Findings

Findings from the CCI practices and trends studies validate the field’s strategic role in engagement and amplification of corporate messaging. Forces that have an impact on the practice of corporate communication include continuation of rapid changes, unintended consequences of changing reporting structures, core functions remain unchanged Budget and staff increases reflect economic confidence, Search for talent, Integrity, Core competencies focus on “business acumen” to drive corporate value, Employee engagement to build corporate culture, “Counsel to the CEO” suffers as the role of the communication officer changes.

Originality/value

Corporate Communication Practices and Trends studies underscore corporate communication as a strategic management function and, increasingly, as a strategic business partner for the enterprise. The integration of marketing and communication in many corporations, changes the corporate communication function. This special issue of the Journal of Business Strategy is focused on the transformation of corporate communication strategy. Six experts share their perspectives.
Moving beyond the descriptive
Authors: Hicks Alison
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Information literacy has been consistently undertheorised. The purpose of this paper is to contribute in the ongoing theorisation of information literacy by exploring the meaning and implications of the emergent grounded theory of mitigating risk for information literacy research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The grounded theory was produced through a qualitative study that was framed by practice theory and the theoretical constructs of cognitive authority and affordance, and employed constructivist grounded theory, semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation methods to explore the information literacy practices of language-learners overseas.

Findings

This paper provides a theoretically rich exploration of language-learner information literacy practices while further identifying the importance of time, affect and information creation within information literacy research and practice as well as the need for the continued theorisation of information literacy concepts.

Research limitations/implications

The paper’s constructivist grounded theorisation of information literacy remains localised and contextualised rather than generalisable.

Practical implications

The paper raises questions and points of reflection that may be used to inform the continued development of information literacy instruction and teaching practices.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to an increasingly sophisticated theoretical conceptualisation of information literacy as well as forming a basis for ongoing theoretical development in the field.
Cannabis and tourism: a future UK industry perspective
Authors: Wright Daniel William Mackenzie
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer original ideas into a potential future cannabis industry in the UK. This paper presents novel approaches regarding the potential existence of cannabis for the tourism industry. It presents an idea in which the UK Government could produce, distribute and control the industry. The proposed idea presents a scheme in which the UK could encourage regional tourism (inclusive to domestic and international travellers) through a controlled but innovative cannabis market scheme. This paper presents a future scenario aiming to encourage dialogue and critique, at a time when attitudes to cannabis are changing.

Design/methodology/approach

This research takes a scenario narrative approach in presenting and exploring a potential future cannabis market in the UK. The importance of narrative writing as a method is recognised by Lindgren and Bandhold (2009), who identify the significance in telling a story to the reader. Taking a pragmatic approach, embracing diverse philosophical methods, this research explores past and current trends via a mixture of secondary data sources to create and present a scenario narrative of the future.

Findings

This paper identified that trends in legalising cannabis for cultivation, medical and recreational purposes continue to become more liberal globally. However, cannabis laws mainly focus on the use for residents. Consequently, domestic tourism markets have the potential to grow. However, there is limited consideration regarding the potential for international tourism cannabis markets. Thus, the findings of this research are based on the potential for the UK to implement and promote a cannabis industry for international travellers.

Originality/value

This paper offers original ideas in exploring a future cannabis market in the UK, one where regional tourism is considered. The paper presents a novel approach that encourages domestic and international tourists to engage with the cannabis industry by navigating a well-managed, local approach to supplying cannabis in the UK.
Effect of infill walls on cumulative plastic deformation energy of RC frame structures
Authors: Tu Bing Bing
Published: October 2019

Purpose

A large number of earthquake damages showed that infill walls have obvious influence on the seismic damage performance of RC frame structures. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of infill walls on the cumulative plastic deformation energy of RC frame structures, for which four RC frame structures are build and the time-history response analysis under unidirectional seismic action is presented.

Design/methodology/approach

The time-history response analysis under unidirectional seismic action is presented. Then the effect of periodic reduction coefficient on the cumulative plastic deformation energy of the structures, the beams and the columns is investigated.

Findings

Finally, the quantitative calculation formulas are provided. The results show that the periodic reduction coefficient has an obvious effect on the distribution of the accumulated plastic deformation energy, and the influence rules are presented here.

Originality/value

The effect of infill walls on the cumulative plastic deformation energy of RC frame structures is quantitatively analyzed here.
Spatial Navigation in Children and Young Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Dodge Neil C. , Thomas Kevin G. F. , Meintjes Ernesta M. , Molteno Christopher D. , Jacobson Joseph L. , Jacobson Sandra W.
Published: October 2019

Background

Rodent studies have consistently shown that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) impairs performance on the Morris water maze (MWM), a test of spatial navigation. A previous study comparing boys with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) to controls found poorer performance on the virtual water maze (VWM), a human analogue of the MWM. We examined PAE effects on virtual navigation in both sexes using the VWM in a moderately exposed Detroit cohort (N = 104; mean = 19.4 year) and a heavily exposed Cape Town, South African cohort (N = 62; mean = 10.4 year).

Methods

The task requires the participant to learn the location of a hidden platform in a virtual pool of water. The set of acquisition trials requires the participant to learn the location of the hidden platform and to return to that location repeatedly. The single‐probe trial requires the participant to return to that location without knowing that the platform has been removed.

Results

No effects of FASD diagnostic group or PAE were detected on virtual navigation in the Detroit moderately exposed cohort. By contrast, in the more heavily exposed Cape Town cohort, the FAS/partial FAS (PFAS) group took longer to locate the hidden platform during acquisition than nonsyndromal heavily exposed (HE) and control groups, an effect that persisted even after controlling for IQ. Among boys, both the FAS/PFAS and HE groups performed more poorly than controls during acquisition, and both boys and girls born to women who binge drank performed more poorly than those born to abstainers/light drinkers. Both amount and frequency of PAE were related to poorer performance during the probe trial at 10 years of age.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate deficits in spatial navigation among heavily exposed syndromal boys and girls and in nonsyndromal exposed boys.
The Role of Regulations in the Spanish Housing Dispossession Crisis: Towards Dispossession by Regulations?
Authors: Yrigoy Ismael
Published: October 2019

This paper explores the role of regulations and economic policies implemented in post‐crisis Spain in boosting a housing dispossession crisis. The article first claims that the post‐2008 crisis has implied shifts in the mechanisms of rent extraction from housing in Spain. Second, it is argued that those shifts in rent extraction have been fuelled by the post‐crisis economic policies and regulatory frameworks implemented since 2008. Third, it is claimed that dispossession has been a central strategy used by banks to cope with the new post‐crisis regulatory framework. The article thus analyses the different strategies carried out by banks and hedge funds to enforce foreclosures and other dispossession strategies since 2008. Furthermore, it explores the different motivations and ideologies that led to the roll out of different banking regulations and the variegated impacts that these regulations have had on Spanish bank and hedge fund strategies vis‐à‐vis housing dispossession.
Letter: probiotics? Yes, but which ones?
Authors: De Simone Claudio
Published: October 2019

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Jayakumar et al and Jayakumar and Loomba papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15314 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15469.
Letter: should we delay surgery, or stop anti‐TNF therapy prior to elective surgical procedures in Crohn’s disease patients receiving anti‐TNF agents?
Authors: Yamamoto Takayuki , Kotze Paulo Gustavo
Published: October 2019

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Lin et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15184 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15487.
Letter: tofacitinib use for biologic‐refractory paediatric inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Dolinger Michael T. , Rolfes Priya , Phan Becky L. , Dubinsky Marla C.
Published: October 2019

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Ma et al paper. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15297.
The MYB–bHLH–WDR interferers (MBWi) epigenetically suppress the MBW's targets
Authors: Nguyen Cuong Thach , Tran Gia‐Buu , Nguyen Nguyen Hoai
Published: October 2019

Active repressors have been evidenced to function in different plant growth and development programs including hormonal signalling pathways. In Arabidopsis, the MYB–bHLH–WDR (MBW) complex is known to regulate different phenotypic traits such as anthocyanin biosynthesis, seed coat colour, trichome and root hair patterning. A number of transcription factors have been identified to play a negative role in the regulation of these traits via the interruption of MBW formation and function. Since these transcription factors work to interfere with the MBW complex, this review suggests their general name as MBW interferers (MBWi). Recent studies have shed light on the molecular mechanism of these MBWi and this review is aiming to provide a precise view of these MBWi. Moreover, from these, a new characteristic of active repressors is also updated.
Dietary zinc intake is associated with macular fluid in neovascular age‐related macular degeneration
Authors: Dharamdasani Detaram Harshil , Mitchell Paul , Russell Joanna , Burlutsky George , Liew Gerald , Gopinath Bamini
Published: October 2019

Importance

Numerous dietary factors have been shown to reduce progression from early to late age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), however, little is known on their impact in patients diagnosed with late‐stage disease.

Background

To determine whether a dietary intake high in antioxidants and zinc, fruits, vegetables and fish is associated with favourable clinical outcomes in patients with neovascular AMD (nAMD) undergoing anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor therapy.

Design

Cross‐sectional study carried out at a private ophthalmology clinic.

Participants

Five hundred forty‐seven participants with nAMD.

Methods

Diet was determined using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Presence of intra‐retinal and sub‐retinal fluid (IRF, SRF), pigment epithelial detachment and central macular thickness (CMT) were recorded from ocular coherence tomography images.

Main Outcome Measures

Fluid presence, mean CMT and visual acuity.

Results

Participants with daily zinc intake below (n = 91) vs above (n = 333) 8.1 mg had greater odds of SRF being present, multivariable‐adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.56 (95% CI 0.36‐0.96). This association was stronger in persons with at least 6 months of treatment, OR of 0.32 (95% CI 0.14‐0.75). In the entire cohort, participants in the lowest or first quartile compared to those in the upper three quartiles of zinc intake combined had significantly greater mean CMT (254.81 μm vs 232.15 μm, respectively, multivariable‐adjusted P = .03).

Conclusions and Relevance

Low dietary zinc intake was associated with a greater likelihood of SRF presence, particularly in those treated for at least 6 months, and increased macular thickness in treated eyes with nAMD.
Estimating population size and observation bias for spring Chinook Salmon
Authors: Murdoch Andrew R. , Frady Charles H. , Hughes Michael S. , See Kevin
Published: October 2019

The primary conservation prioritization tool for spring Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), population viability analysis, is often conducted with biased spawner abundance data with no associated statistical uncertainty or error. This study estimated observation error of surveyors counting redds in two spring Chinook Salmon populations where hatchery supplementation is implemented as a conservation tool. Habitat complexity, redd density and the amount of observer experience were important in estimating error rates. Increases in both habitat complexity and experience reduced net error rates. Conversely, net error rates increased as redd density increased. Unbiased estimates of redd abundance were generated and converted to spawner abundance using population specific redd expansion factors. The precision (i.e., coefficient of variation [CV]) of spawner abundance estimates were similar in the Wenatchee (natural CV = 5%; hatchery CV = 6%) and Methow (natural CV = 5%; hatchery CV = 2%) watersheds because average net error rates were similar (Wenatchee = −0.1512; Methow = −0.1748). This study addresses a criticism of population viability analysis (i.e., parameter uncertainty) that should result in more scientifically defensible conservation priorities and recommendations that can be implemented with greater certainty.
Tuberous sclerosis‐associated epilepsy and intellectual disability: what role does the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway play?
Authors: Curatolo Paolo
Published: October 2019

This commentary is on the original article by Tye et al. on pages 322–329 of this issue.
Perinatal inflammation and placental programming of neonatal stroke
Authors: Chabrier Stéphane , Sébire Guillaume
Published: October 2019

This commentary is on the original article by Sorg et al. on pages 513–520 of this issue.
Digital camera monitoring of recreational fishing effort: Applications and challenges
Authors: Hartill Bruce W. , Taylor Stephen M. , Keller Krystle , Weltersbach Marc Simon
Published: October 2019

The growing awareness of the impact that recreational fishers can have on fish stocks has highlighted the paucity of information used to inform their management. Most of the available information on the scale and nature of recreational catch and effort has come from intermittent and labour‐intensive surveys that provide fragmented insights into often highly variable fisheries. Digital cameras offer a more cost‐effective means of continuously monitoring trends in recreational fishing effort, and it is surprising that greater use of this approach has not been made to date given its widespread use in other contexts. We share lessons learnt from four early adopter studies in New Zealand, Australia and Germany, where digital cameras have been used to monitor recreational fishing effort. Many of the challenges that we have encountered and overcome were initially unforeseen, and we suggest solutions and strategies to address these issues. We conclude that all aspects of a camera‐based monitoring system should be considered from the outset, to optimize the utility and value of the information they provide over the long term. Aspects to consider include the location and configuration of a camera system, ensuring service continuity, image quality, data storage, image interpretation and ultimately the analysis of any data collected. Robustly designed digital camera monitoring systems can be used to gain greater insight into recreational fishery dynamics, leading to more informed, responsive and effective fisheries management.
Juvenile Sandhill Cranes exhibit wider ranging and more exploratory movements than adults during the breeding season
Authors: Wolfson David W. , Fieberg John R. , Andersen David E.
Published: October 2019

Sandhill Cranes Antigone canadensis exhibit delayed sexual maturity and breeding, and therefore juvenile Cranes searching for suitable territories to occupy have different ecological constraints on movements than adults, which must defend a territory and raise young. We used fine‐scale GPS telemetry data to characterize and compare movements of adult and juvenile Cranes near the boundary between two populations in Minnesota, USA, from arrival on natal areas in the spring until staging prior to autumn migration. Juvenile and adult Cranes had marked differences in movement patterns throughout the breeding season. Juveniles were more likely than adults to display long‐distance movements: they revisited areas less frequently throughout the breeding season and they had lower average residence times.