bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Legacy effect of constant and diurnally oscillating temperatures on soil respiration and microbial community structure
Authors: Adekanmbi Adetunji Alex , Shu Xin , Zhou Yiran , Shaw Liz J. , Sizmur Tom
Published: April 2021

1.0

Laboratory incubation studies evaluating the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration often use measurements of respiration taken at a constant incubation temperature from soil that has been pre-incubated at the same constant temperature. However, such constant temperature incubations do not represent the field situation where soils undergo diurnal temperature oscillations. We investigated the effects of constant and diurnally oscillating temperatures on soil respiration and soil microbial community composition. A grassland soil from the UK was either incubated at a constant temperature of 5 °C, 10 °C, or 15 °C, or diurnally oscillated between 5 °C and 15 °C. Soil CO2flux was measured by temporarily moving incubated soils from each of the abovementioned treatments to 5 °C, 10 °C or 15 °C, such that soils incubated at each temperature had CO2flux measured at every temperature. We hypothesised that, irrespective of measurement temperature, CO2emitted from the 5 °C to 15 °C oscillating incubation would be most similar to the soil incubated at 10 °C. The results showed that both incubation and measurement temperatures influence soil respiration. Incubating soil at a temperature oscillating between 5 °C and 15 °C resulted in significantly greater CO2flux than constant incubations at 10 °C or 5 °C, but was not significantly different to the 15 °C incubation. The greater CO2flux from soils incubated at 15 °C, or oscillating between 5 °C and 15 °C, coincided with a depletion of dissolved organic carbon and a shift in the phospholipid fatty acid profile of the soil microbial community, consistent with the thermal adaptation of microbial communities to higher temperatures. However, diurnal temperature oscillation did not significantly alter Q10. Our results suggest that daily maximum temperatures are more important than daily minimum or daily average temperatures when considering the response of soil respiration to warming.
A specialized mRNA translation circuit instated in pluripotency presets the competence for cardiogenesis in humans
Authors: Bartsch Deniz , Kalamkar Kaustubh , Ahuja Gaurav , Lackmann Jan-Wilm , Bazzi Hisham , Clamer Massimiliano , Mendjan Sasha , Papantonis Argyris , Kurian Leo
Published: April 2021

The blueprints for developing organs are preset at the early stages of embryogenesis. Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms are proposed to preset developmental trajectories. However, we reveal that the competence for future cardiac fate of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is preset in pluripotency by a specialized mRNA translation circuit controlled by RBPMS. RBPMS is recruited to active ribosomes in hESCs to control the translation of essential factors needed for cardiac commitment program, including WNT signaling. Consequently, RBPMS loss specifically and severely impedes cardiac mesoderm specification leading to patterning and morphogenesis defects in human cardiac organoids. Mechanistically, RBPMS specializes mRNA translation, selectively via 3’UTR binding and globally by promoting translation initiation. Accordingly, RBPMS loss causes translation initiation defects highlighted by aberrant retention of the EIF3 complex and depletion of EIF5A from mRNAs, thereby abrogating ribosome recruitment. We reveal how future fate trajectories are preprogrammed during embryogenesis by specialized mRNA translation.

Teaser: Cardiac fate competence is preprogrammed in pluripotency by specialized mRNA translation of factors initiating cardiogenesis
Optical bench simulation for intraocular lenses using field-tracing technology
Authors: Song Seok Ho , Song In Seok , Oh Se Jin , Son Hyeck-Soo , Kang Min Ho
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To evaluate the image quality of intraocular lenses (IOLs) using field-tracing optical simulation and then compare it with the image quality using conventional ray-tracing simulation.

Methods

We simulated aspheric IOLs with a decenter, tilt, and no misalignment using an aspheric corneal eye model with a positive spherical aberration. The retinal image, Strehl ratio, and modulation transfer function (MTF) were compared between the ray-tracing and field-tracing optical simulation and confirmed by the results reported in anin vitroexperiment using the same eye model.

Results

The retinal image showed interference fringes from target due to diffraction from the object in a field-tracing simulation. When compared with the experimental results, the field tracing represented the experimental results more precisely than ray tracing after passing over 400 µm of the decentration and 4 degrees of the tilt of the IOLs. The MTF values showed similar results for the case of no IOL misalignment in both the field tracing and ray tracing. In the case of the 200-µm decentration or 8-degree tilt of IOL, the field-traced MTF shows lower values than the ray-traced one.

Conclusions

The field-tracing optical bench simulation is a reliable method to evaluate IOL performance according to the IOL misalignment. It can provide retinal image quality close to real by taking into account the wave nature of light, interference and diffraction to explain to patients having the IOL misalignment.
Heterogeneity in Proline Hydroxylation of Fibrillar Collagens Observed by Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Kirchner Michele , Deng Haiteng , Xu Yujia
Published: April 2021

Collagen is the major protein in the extracellular matrix and plays vital roles in tissue development and function. Collagen is also one of the most processed proteins in its biosynthesis. The most prominent post-translational modification (PTM) of collagen is the hydroxylation of Pro residues in the Y-position of the characteristic (Gly-Xaa-Yaa) repeating amino acid sequence of a collagen triple helix. Recent studies using mass-spectrometry (MS) and tandem MS sequencing (MS/MS) have revealed unexpected hydroxylation of Pro residues in the X-positions (X-Hyp). The newly identified X-Hyp residues appear to be highly heterogeneous in location and percent occupancy. In order to understand the dynamic nature of the new X-Hyps and their potential impact on applications of MS and MS/MS for collagen research, we sampled four different collagen samples using standard MS and MS/MS techniques. We found considerable variations in the degree of PTMs of the same collagen from different organisms and/or tissues. The rat tail tendon type I collagen is particularly variable in terms of both over-hydroxylation of Pro in the X-position and under-hydroxylation of Pro in the Y-position. In contrast, only a few unexpected PTMs in collagens type I and type III from human placenta were observed. The reproducibility of the different sequencing efforts of the same sample is also limited especially when the modified species are present at a low population, presumably due to the unpredictable nature of the ionization process. Additionally, despite the heterogeneous preparation and sourcing, collagen samples from commercial sources do not show elevated variations in PTMs compared to samples prepared from a single tissue and/or organism. These findings will contribute to the growing body of information regarding the PTMs of collagen by MS technology, and culminate to a more comprehensive understanding of the extent and the functional roles of the PTMs of collagen.

Abbreviations page

Both the single letter and the three letter abbreviations of an amino acid will be used with the following additions: Hyp or O stands for 4R-hydroxylated proline and 3Hyp stands for 3- hydroxylated proline. When needed for clarity, the lower case single letter abbreviation will be used to represent the genomic DNA sequence, and upper case ones the sequence seen in the peptides.
Selection in a growing bacterial/yeast colony biases results of mutation accumulation experiments
Authors: Mahilkar Anjali , Kemkar Sharvari , Saini Supreet
Published: April 2021

Mutations provide the raw material for natural selection to act. Therefore, understanding the variety and relative frequency of different type of mutations is critical to understanding the nature of genetic diversity in a population. Mutation accumulation (MA) experiments have been used in this context to estimate parameters defining mutation rates, distribution of fitness effects (DFE), and spectrum of mutations. MA experiments performed with organisms such asDrosophilahave an effective population size of one. However, in MA experiments with bacteria and yeast, a single founder is allowed to grow to a size of a colony (~108). The effective population size in these experiments is of the order of 10. In this scenario, while it is assumed that natural selection plays a minimal role in dictating the dynamics of colony growth and therefore, the MA experiment; this effect has not been tested explicitly. In this work, we simulate colony growth and perform an MA experiment, and demonstrate that selection ensures that, in an MA experiment, fraction of all mutations that are beneficial is over represented by a factor greater than two. The DFE of beneficial and deleterious mutations are accurately captured in an MA experiment. We show that the effect of selection in a growing colony varies non-monotonically and that, in the face of natural selection dictating an MA experiment, estimates of mutation rate of an organism is not trivial. We perform experiments with 160 MA lines ofE. coli, and demonstrate that rate of change of mean fitness is a non-monotonic function of the colony size, and that selection acts differently in different sectors of a growing colony. Overall, we demonstrate that the results of MA experiments need to be revisited taking into account the action of selection in a growing colony.
Photodynamic Inactivation reduces the diversity and changes the composition of bacterial and fungal communities associated with leaf surfaces
Authors: Junker Robert R. , Ohler Lisa-Maria , Hamminger Christoph , Plaetzer Kristjan
Published: April 2021

Plant surfaces are colonized by a myriad of microorganisms including mutualistic strains and pathogens. Particularly in agricultural systems applications are required that protect the plants against pathogens without negative side effects on the environment and humans. Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI) has been demonstrated to be a promising approach to efficiently fight plant pathogens. Based on its mechanism of action, the light-induced and photosensitizer-mediated overproduction of reactive oxygen species in target cells, PDI is likely to generally inactivates microorganisms on plants irrespective of their pathogenicity. In order to prove this hypothesis we used next-generation 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the bacterial and fungal communities associated with leaf surfaces ofArabidopsis thalianabefore and after the photodynamic treatment using the chlorine e6 derivative B17-0024 as photoactive compound and showed that this treatment reduced the microbial richness and altered the microbial community composition. These findings may help to develop effective pathogen-control strategies and may also stimulate research on plant-microbe interactions exploiting the potential of PDI.
Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of WD-repeat containing protein 5 (WDR5) degraders
Authors: Dölle Anja , Adhikari Bikash , Krämer Andreas , Weckesser Janik , Berner Nicola , Berger Lena-Marie , Diebold Mathias , Szewczyk Magdalena M. , Barsyte-Lovejoy Dalia , Arrowsmith Cheryl H. , Gebel Jakob , Löhr Frank , Dötsch Volker , Eilers Martin , Heinzlmeir Stephanie , Küster Bernhard , Sotriffer Christoph , Wolf Elmar , Knapp Stefan
Published: April 2021

Histone H3K4 methylation serves as post-translational hallmark of actively transcribed genes and is introduced by histone methyltransferases (HMT) and its regulatory scaffolding proteins. One of these is the WD-repeat containing protein 5 (WDR5) that has also been associated with controlling long non-coding RNAs and transcription factors including MYC. The wide influence of dysfunctional HMTs complexes and the typically upregulated MYC levels in diverse tumor types suggested WDR5 as an attractive drug target. Indeed, protein-protein interface inhibitors for two protein interaction interfaces on WDR5 have been developed. While such compounds only inhibit a subset of WDR5 interactions, chemically induced proteasomal degradation of WDR5 might represent an elegant way to target all oncogenic function. This study presents the design, synthesis and evaluation of two diverse WDR5 degrader series based on two WIN site binding scaffolds and shows that linker nature and length strongly influence degradation efficacy.
Genomic loci mispositioning inTmem120aknockout mice yields latent lipodystrophy
Authors: Czapiewski Rafal , Batrakou Dzmitry G. , de las Heras Jose I. , Carter Roderick N. , Sivakumar Aishwarya , Sliwinska Magdalena , Dixon Charles R. , Webb Shaun , Lattanzi Giovanna , Morton Nicholas M. , Schirmer Eric C.
Published: April 2021

Little is known about the proteins that direct the highly conserved patterns of spatial genome organisation in fat. Here we report that adipocyte-specific knockout of the gene encoding nuclear envelope protein Tmem120a disrupts fat genome organisation, thus causing a novel lipodystrophy syndrome. Tmem120a deficiency broadly suppresses lipid metabolism pathway gene expression and induces myogenic gene expression by repositioning genes, enhancers and miRNA-encoding loci between the nuclear periphery and interior. Tmem120a-/-mice, particularly females, exhibit a lipodystrophy syndrome similar to human familial partial lipodystrophy FPLD2, with profound insulin resistance and metabolic defects that manifests upon exposure to an obesogenic diet. Interestingly, similar genome organisation defects occurred in cells from FPLD2 patients that harbour nuclear envelope protein laminA mutations. Our data suggest TMEM120A may mediate/instigate novel categories of adipose tissue dysfunction across the adiposity spectrum and provide a new miRNA-based mechanism possibly driving the unexplained muscle hypertrophy in human lipodystrophy.
Normalisr: normalization and association testing for single-cell CRISPR screen and co-expression
Authors: Wang Lingfei
Published: April 2021

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides unprecedented technical and statistical potential to study gene regulation but is subject to technical variations and sparsity. Here we present Normalisr, a linear-model-based normalization and statistical hypothesis testing framework that unifies single-cell differential expression, co-expression, and CRISPR scRNA-seq screen analyses. By systematically detecting and removing nonlinear confounding from library size, Normalisr achieves high sensitivity, specificity, speed, and generalizability across multiple scRNA-seq protocols and experimental conditions with unbiased P-value estimation. We use Normalisr to reconstruct robust gene regulatory networks from trans-effects of gRNAs in large-scale CRISPRi scRNA-seq screens and gene-level co-expression networks from conventional scRNA-seq.
Wnt/β-catenin regulates alloreactive T cells for the treatment of hematological malignancies
Authors: Mammadli Mahinbanu , Harris Rebecca , Mahmudlu Sara , Verma Anjali , May Adriana , Dhawan Rohan , Waickman Adam T. , Sen Jyoti Misra , Karimi Mobin
Published: April 2021

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is one of the most widely applied forms of adaptive immunotherapy. Both the detrimental graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and the beneficial graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects occurring after allo-HSCT are largely mediated by alloantigen-reactive donor T cells in the graft. Separating GVHD from GVL effects is a formidable challenge, and a greater understanding of donor T cell biology is required to accomplish the uncoupling of GVHD from GVL. Here, we tested a novel mouse model of β-catenin (Cat-Tg) in an allo-HSCT model. Our data show that T cells fromCat-Tgmice did not cause GVHD. Surprisingly,Cat-TgT cells maintained the GVL effect. Donor T cells fromCat-Tgmice exhibited significantly lower inflammatory cytokine production and reduced donor T cell proliferation, while upregulating cytotoxic mediators that resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity. RNA sequencing data revealed changes in the expression of over 150 genes for CD4, and over 250 genes for CD8+T cells involved in essential aspects of immune response and GVHD pathophysiology. Transgenic over-expression of human β-catenin primarily affects CD8+T cell phenotype. Altogether, our data suggest that β-catenin is a druggable target for developing therapeutic strategies to reduce GVHD while preserving the beneficial GVL effects following allo-HSCT treatment.
Interactions between SARS-CoV-2 N-protein and α-synuclein accelerate amyloid formation
Authors: Semerdzhiev Slav A. , Fakhree Mohammad A. A. , Segers-Nolten Ine , Blum Christian , Claessens Mireille M. A. E.
Published: April 2021

First cases that point at a correlation between SARS-CoV-2 infections and the development of Parkinson’s disease have been reported. Currently it is unclear if there also is a direct causal link between these diseases. To obtain first insights into a possible molecular relation between viral infections and the aggregation of α-synuclein protein into amyloid fibrils characteristic for Parkinson’s disease, we investigated the effect of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 proteins on α-synuclein aggregation. We show, in test tube experiments, that SARS-CoV-2 S-protein has no effect on α-synuclein aggregation while SARS-CoV-2 N-protein considerably speeds up the aggregation process. We observe the formation of multi-protein complexes, and eventually amyloid fibrils. Microinjection of N-protein in SHSY-5Y cells disturbed the α-synuclein proteostasis and increased cell death. Our results point toward direct interactions between the N-protein of SARS-CoV-2 and α-synuclein as molecular basis for the observed coincidence between SARS-CoV-2 infections and Parkinsonism.
Multiscale interactome analysis coupled with off-target drug predictions reveals drug repurposing candidates for human coronavirus disease
Authors: Sugiyama Michael G. , Cui Haotian , Redka Dar’ya S. , Karimzadeh Mehran , Rujas Edurne , Maan Hassaan , Hayat Sikander , Cheung Kyle , Misra Rahul , McPhee Joseph B. , Viirre Russell D. , Haller Andrew , Botelho Roberto J. , Karshafian Raffi , Sabatinos Sarah A. , Fairn Gregory D. , Tonekaboni Seyed Ali Madani , Windemuth Andreas , Julien Jean-Philippe , Shahani Vijay , MacKinnon Stephen S. , Wang Bo , Antonescu Costin N.
Published: April 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an urgent need for the identification of new antiviral drug therapies that can be rapidly deployed to treat patients with this disease. COVID-19 is caused by infection with the human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. We developed a computational approach to identify new antiviral drug targets and repurpose clinically-relevant drug compounds for the treatment of COVID-19. Our approach is based on graph convolutional networks (GCN) and involves multiscale host-virus interactome analysis coupled to off-target drug predictions. Cellbased experimental assessment reveals several clinically-relevant repurposing drug candidates predicted by thein silicoanalyses to have antiviral activity against human coronavirus infection. In particular, we identify the MET inhibitor capmatinib as having potent and broad antiviral activity against several coronaviruses in a MET-independent manner, as well as novel roles for host cell proteins such as IRAK1/4 in supporting human coronavirus infection, which can inform further drug discovery studies.
Structural evolution in thermoelectric zinc antimonide thin films studied by in situ X-ray scattering techniques
Authors: Song Lirong , Roelsgaard Martin , Blichfeld Anders B. , Dippel Ann-Christin , Jensen Kirsten Marie Ørnsbjerg , Zhang Jiawei , Iversen Bo B.
Published: April 2021

Zinc antimonides have been widely studied owing to their outstanding thermoelectric properties. Unlike in the bulk state, where various structurally unknown phases have been identified through their specific physical properties, a number of intermediate phases in the thin-film state remain largely unexplored. Here, in situ X-ray diffraction and X-ray total scattering are combined with in situ measurement of electrical resistivity to monitor the crystallization process of as-deposited amorphous Zn-Sb films during post-deposition annealing. The as-deposited Zn-Sb films undergo a structural evolution from an amorphous phase to an intermediate crystalline phase and finally the ZnSb phase during heat treatment up to 573 K. An intermediate phase (phase B) is identified to be a modified β-Zn8Sb7 phase by refinement of the X-ray diffraction data. Within a certain range of Sb content (∼42–55 at%) in the films, phase B is accompanied by an emerging Sb impurity phase. Lower Sb content leads to smaller amounts of Sb impurity and the formation of phase B at lower temperatures, and phase B is stable at room temperature if the annealing temperature is controlled. Pair distribution function analysis of the amorphous phase shows local ordered units of distorted ZnSb4 tetrahedra, and annealing leads to long-range ordering of these units to form the intermediate phase. A higher formation energy is required when the intermediate phase evolves into the ZnSb phase with a significantly more regular arrangement of ZnSb4 tetrahedra.
Impact of the neutron-depolarization effect on polarized neutron scattering in ferromagnets
Authors: Quan Yifan , Steiner Jakob , Ukleev Victor , Kohlbrecher Joachim , Vorobiev Alexei , Hautle Patrick
Published: April 2021

It has been known for decades that a ferromagnetic sample can depolarize a transmitted neutron beam. This effect was used and developed into the neutron-depolarization technique to investigate the magnetic structure of ferromagnetic materials. Since the polarization evolves continuously as the neutrons move through the sample, the initial spin states on scattering will be different at different depths within the sample. This leads to a contamination of the measured spin-dependent neutron-scattering intensities by the other spin-dependent cross sections. The effect has rarely been considered in polarized neutron-scattering experiments even though it has a crucial impact on the observable signal. A model is proposed to describe the depolarization of a neutron beam traversing a ferromagnetic sample, provide the procedure for data correction and give guidelines to choose the optimum sample thickness. It is experimentally verified for a small-angle neutron-scattering geometry with samples of the nanocristalline soft-magnet Vitroperm (Fe73Si16B7Nb3Cu1). The model is general enough to be adapted to other types of neutron-diffraction experiments and sample geometries.
5-Methoxy-N,N-di-n-propyltryptamine (5-MeO-DPT): freebase and fumarate
Authors: Pham Duyen N. K. , Chadeayne Andrew R. , Golen James A. , Manke David R.
Published: April 2021

The solid-state structures of the synthetic psychedelic 5-methoxy-N,N-di-n-propyltryptamine (5-MeO-DPT) {systematic name: N-[2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]-N-propylpropan-1-amine}, C17H25N2O, and its fumarate salt, bis(5-methoxy-N,N-di-n-propyltryptammonium) fumarate (systematic name: bis{N-[2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]-N-propylpropan-1-aminium} but-2-enedioate), 2C17H25N2O+·C4H2O4
2−, are reported. The freebase has a single tryptamine molecule in the asymmetric unit. The molecules are linked together by N—H...N hydrogen bonds in zigzag chains along the [010] direction. The fumarate salt has a single tryptammonium cation and half of a fumarate dianion in the asymmetric unit. The tryptammonium and fumarate ions are held together in one-dimensional chains by a series of N—H...O hydrogen bonds. These chains are combinations of R
4
4(22) rings, and C
2
2(14) and C
4
4(28) parallel chains along [001].
4-(2,3-Dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-ium picrate
Authors: Sathya Udhayasuriyan , Nirmal Ram Jeyaraman Selvaraj , Gomathi Sundaramoorthy , Ramu Shyamaladevi , Jegan Jennifer Samson , Ibrahim Abdul Razak
Published: April 2021

The title compound, C6H2N3O7
−·C10H13Cl2N2
+, crystallizes with one 1-(2,3-dichloro-phenyl)piperazine (DP) cation and one picrate (PA) anion in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal structure, the DP cation and PA anion are interconnected via several N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds. The DP cation and PA anion are further connected through C—Cl...π [3.8201 (4), 3.7785 (4) Å] and N—O...π [3.7814 (4) Å] interactions. The DP cations are further interconnected via a weak intermolecular Cl...Cl [3.2613 (4) Å] halogen–halogen interaction. The combination of these supramolecular interactions leads to a herringbone like supramolecular architecture.
Lululemon Athletica
Authors: Tybout Alice M.
Published: April 2021

The case traces the development of Lululemon Athletica (Lulu) from founder Chip Wilson's first post-yoga euphoria in 1997 through the sale of all his shares in 2015. Officially founded in 1998, Lulu was built on the foundation of its “miracle” figure-enhancing yoga pants made from a proprietary stretch fiber. The case outlines Wilson's early experience in technical performance wear, which gave him the expertise needed to launch the Lululemon brand with its premium-priced, fashion-designed product line targeted at upscale women. The case also highlights the retailing and promotion approach that drove Lulu's first decade of success. The snapshot of how the Lulu brand cult was born and diffused provides the backdrop for assessing whether the brand has already hit its peak or whether it can sustain the explosive growth that effectively created the athleisure category. To aid in this determination, the case presents two competitors as comparative foils (Under Armour and Athleta) to contextualize Lulu's growth prospects.

The Lululemon case highlights the importance of the competitive frame of reference when positioning a brand and describes how this may differ for the three competitors. The case also allows for a discussion of the challenges of maintaining the congruence of a retail brand with a diverse product line. This struggle is unique to retailers who must fit ever-varied product assortments (not just a single product line) under the umbrella of a single brand proposition, and is particularly relevant to vertically integrated brands such as Lululemon.
Best Buy: Creating a Winning Customer Experience in Consumer Electronics
Authors: Sawhney Mohanbir , Goodman Pallavi , Keerthivasan Ganesan
Published: April 2021

After a successful run for many years as a resilient consumer electronics giant, Best Buy was under intense pressure at the end of 2014. Even as competitors like Circuit City melted away, Best Buy had been able to withstand the onslaught of online behemoth Amazon and discount retailers like Target and Walmart. However, its competitive position was threatened as online shopping became more popular, particularly among millennial customers.

With a new leadership team, Best Buy had recently undertaken bold initiatives to expand and refine its online presence and position itself for success. These initiatives had produced encouraging results, but Best Buy needed to do more to stem the loss of market share to Amazon and to become more relevant to millennial customers. To address these challenges, Best Buy approached the Kellogg School of Management to solicit ideas from student teams by sponsoring a Business Challenge competition. The teams came up with several strategic initiatives. Best Buy needed to evaluate these initiatives on two criteria: First, how well did these initiatives leverage Best Buy's privileged physical assets (stores, salespeople, and Geek Squad services staff) to create a winning customer experience? Second, how effective would these initiatives be in attracting and retaining millennial customers?
Evaluating the Cognitive Analytics Frontier
Authors: Pah Adam Robert , Lazarowich Alanna , Snyder Charlotte
Published: April 2021

In the fall of 2014, Chad Kartchner, senior manager of marketing and product management at Honeywell Aerospace (HA), pondered how technology could transform the way aircraft were maintained. He had heard a lot of buzz about cognitive analytics, an artificial intelligence term referring to the use of computer models and algorithms to simulate human thought through self-learning systems, data mining, pattern recognition, and natural language processing. The sheer volume of parts and the time-sensitive nature of repairs in the aviation industry made it complicated to identify problems and address them quickly.

Kartchner contemplated the options for updating HA's ground-based maintenance system. Should he emulate HA's state-of-the-art on-board system for an entire aircraft or try something new? Emulating the on-board system, which HA developed internally, would be an easy sell to leadership given internal buy-in and satisfaction with the on-board system, but he contemplated new approaches because he did not want to overlook rapidly emerging technologies. The latter could include crowdsourced features that leveraged the abundance of knowledge among HA's customers' technicians or a cognitive analytics approach. Even if he could persuade leadership to try a new cognitive analytics approach, should HA partner with an established entity or work with a relatively unproven startup who promised lower cost, better features, and quicker turnaround to develop a new system?

Students will step into the shoes of Kartchner as he leads the internal discussion on whether and how to tap into the benefits of cognitive analytic solutions for Honeywell Aerospace and its customers.
Mending the Fractures: Creating a Multi-Stakeholder Framework for Building Shared Purpose in Unconventional Oil and Gas
Authors: Jones Jamie , Bryant Peter
Published: April 2021

In the summer of 2014, a large energy company was poised to begin expanding its unconventional natural gas operations in northeastern British Columbia in the hopes of capitalizing on the Canadian province's determination to build a liquid natural gas industry. The company had secured mineral rights from the province but had not simultaneously pursued surface rights from a First Nation community that historically had used the land. When a seismic exploration team appeared on the tribe's traditional territory without consulting it, as was customary (and in some cases legally required), the company unwittingly ignited a firestorm of protest from both First Nation and non First Nation local citizens. Recognizing the importance of social acceptance both to operations and profitability, the company sent senior vice president Maria Paquet to participate in fireside discussions with tribal, regional government, and environmental leaders in the hopes of finding some common ground. Could these leaders arrive at sufficient trust and agreement to allow the company to move forward with its plans? Or would the company face gridlock, community blocking, or even financial peril? In a small-group role-playing exercise, students will step into the shoes of each of these stakeholders as they try to forge a path forward that is acceptable to all.
Under Armour: Creating and Growing a New Consumer Brand
Authors: Sternthal Brian , Malaviya Prashant
Published: April 2021

The case traces the development of the Under Armour (UA) brand, product, and market growth under CEO and founder Kevin Plank from its inception in 1996 through 2016. UA provides a cohesive case study of how to launch and sustain a consumer brand even in the face of its third-party manufacturing approach, which gives its apparel no patentable design or fabric technologies. The case uses UA's brand and advertising development as a backdrop for the current pivotal issue of how to target women to sustain growth. UA's stated goal is to build a $1.9 billion women's business by 2019.

In laying out UA's growth and competitive moves, the case lets students analyze broadcast, social media, and other digital advertising campaigns in view of the company's brand development and strategic targeting. The case also highlights the importance of leveraging brand heritage and historical differentiation while respecting key nuances when extending into new markets (i.e., moving from a predominantly male-driven audience to female). It also allows an exploration of how to use consumer insight and broader cultural attitudes and trends to support extending a position into new markets.
Grupo Familia: Monetizing a Digital Marketing Campaign in Colombia
Authors: Parker John C.
Published: April 2021

This case features Lucas Lopez Lince, a rising leader in Colombian consumer goods company Grupo Familia. Lopez Lince had inherited a digital marketing program built around a newly identified customer persona–a young low-income mother. The program represented a significant shift in Familia's target customer as well as a shift in the way marketing funds were spent. The program appeared to be working, so he increased the digital spend even as he had to reduce his overall marketing budget in the face of challenging economic headwinds. Activity metrics such as page views, social media “likes,” and video views rose dramatically, and at the same time sales began to rise again. By the beginning of 2017, Lopez Lince faced a deeper set of questions. How could he be certain that the rising sales were due to the digital efforts? Would the existing digital programs and tactics continue to deliver against chosen metrics? And what could he do next in order to continue driving growth of revenue and margin through digital efforts? Students assume the role of Lopez Lince and are asked to apply concepts such as customer personas, micro-moments, and customer journey mapping to develop their own point of view on what they would do next.
A Tale of Two Properties: Debt Strategies for Financing Commercial Real Estate
Authors: Furfine Craig
Published: April 2021

Stanley Cirano owns two retail shopping centers in suburban Chicago. With interest rates near all-time lows in late 2015, Cirano believed it was an opportune time to consider the debt financing of his properties. Although the properties were similar in many respects, the lenders willing to lend against each property were offering noticeably different terms. Cirano had to consider not only the interest rate and size of each potential loan, but also the various fees, potential prepayment penalties, and variations in recourse to make the best decision for each property.
TiVo Segmentation Analytics
Authors: Cerf Moran
Published: April 2021

ThinkAlike, a fictitious marketing consulting firm, was asked by TiVo to segment the market for its new digital video recorder (DVR) product. Students are asked to analyze realistic data and generate segments that will be useful for TiVo s marketing strategy.
Kirat Housing Development Society
Authors: Sandroni Alvaro , Fatakia Farhad Aspy
Published: April 2021

Three months into his first job as an IT consultant, newly minted MBA Phil Lee was wondering whether he had made a horrible mistake. Initially, he had been thrilled with his employer, Orion Information Technology Consulting, and the prospects for his professional future. He had specifically requested to work on projects in emerging markets, and his bosses had responded by flying him halfway around the world to New Delhi to meet with the head of procurement of a luxury property developer, Kirat Housing Development Society (KHDS). Lee thought the reason for the meeting was slightly unusual: Orion was planning to make a bid to supply building management software for KHDS's newest luxury tower, and this meeting would be the “pre-bid” negotiation. Lee wasn't totally sure what they'd even be discussing, as the tender already provided full details on exactly what modules would be required and even included specific penalty clauses for delays.

The meeting at KHDS seemed ordinary at first, but quickly took a turn when the assistant to the head of procurement explained that Orion would win the bid if it offered him a $200,000 contract as an “independent consultant.” Lee was stunned. To make matters worse, when he returned to his hotel room he found a gift waiting for him: an expensive-looking diamond pendant.

On his sleepless flight home, Lee's mind raced. Had his bosses known this would happen? Were bribes standard operating procedure? Now that he'd accepted a gift, was he complicit in wrongdoing? Lee didn't want to get fired, but he wasn't sure he could go along with this.
Making the Most of the Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative
Authors: Shumate Michelle , Howard Liz
Published: April 2021

In this case, lessons from the Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative illustrate key principles of collaborative action and the importance of using data to achieve SMART goals.

In 2015, the Chicago Benchmarking Collaborative (CBC) was a network of seven agencies in Chicago, Illinois, serving 12,000 low-income residents. Each of the agencies had early childhood, school-age children, and adult education programs. At the prompting of the Chicago Community Trust, they came together to (1) benchmark their education programs outputs and outcomes; (2) learn and share best practices through developing a common set of metrics and measurements and implementing these measurements into a case management software system; and (3) share the costs of the case management software system to be used for program evaluation and continuous quality improvement.

Three aspects of CBC are particularly noteworthy. First, there are no joint program activities or clients among these agencies. Their exchange is limited to sharing data and other information. This makes CBC distinct from collaborations formed to begin a program or to advocate for a policy. Second, the group requires each agency to enter data on a timely basis and to set SMART goals based on the data reports. The agencies are held mutually accountable for their work to achieve their own SMART goals during the year and report on progress. Third, CBC used monetary incentives to ensure that data entry and SMART goal action remained a priority for each agency.
Leader as Coach: Restoring Employee Motivation and Performance (A)
Authors: Cates Karen L. , Booth Brenda Ellington
Published: April 2021

Kiera, a young, enthusiastic sales rep, was recently promoted to manager of a sales team of five. In her first year on the job, she tackled a major revamp of the company's outdated training materials and organized a regional conference for her area, but neither her boss nor corporate seemed to appreciate the work she had been doing. Without support or guidance from her boss, Kiera was confused. What was she supposed to do? Parts A and B of the case present two different perspectives on coaching. Part A contains a narrative from the point of view of the “coachee,” Kiera, who was learning how to work with her boss, ultimately with the assistance of an executive coach. This case focuses on coaching as a tool to enhance self-management and relationship management and to improve personal performance. Part B describes how Kiera started to learn the “coach approach” to managing her team with the continued guidance of her executive coach. She learned to apply the same skills that her coach used with her in Part A to diagnose her team, share feedback, and communicate expectations. She was learning how to listen and ask thoughtful questions, but she also needed to expand her awareness to “other-management” and build her own coaching skills to enhance her team's performance.
Uber: Applying Machine Learning to Improve the Customer Pickup Experience
Authors: Sawhney Mohanbir , Shah Birju , Yu Ryan , Rubtsov Evgeny , Goodman Pallavi
Published: April 2021

Uber had pioneered the growth and delivery of modern ridesharing services by leveraging the explosive growth of technology, GPS navigation, and smartphones. Ridesharing services had expanded across the world, growing rapidly in the United States, China, India, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Even as these services expanded and gained popularity, however, the pickup experience for drivers and riders did not always meet the expectations of either party. Pickups were complicated by traffic congestion, faulty GPS signals, and crowded pickup venues. Flawed pickups resulted in rider dissatisfaction and in lost revenues for drivers. Uber had identified the pickup experience as a top strategic priority, and a team at Uber, led by group product manager Birju Shah, was tasked with designing an automated solution to improve the pickup experience. This involved three steps. First, the team needed to analyze the pickup experience for various rider personas to identify problems at different stages in the pickup process. Next, it needed to create a model for predicting the best rider location for a pickup. The team also needed to develop a quantitative metric that would determine the quality of the pickup experience. These models and metrics would be used as inputs for a machine learning.
Recovery via SfM photogrammetry of latent footprint impressions in carpet
Authors: Larsen Hannah J. , Budka Marcin , Bennett Matthew R.
Published: April 2021

Impression evidence retained in carpet is usually recovered, if at all, in two dimensions via a vertical photograph. Here, we show that recovery is also possible via SfM photogrammetry and this gives good quality results that allow digital measurements both in the x‐y plane and by depth (z‐axis). This study focuses on recovery from polypropylene carpets which are widespread due to their resistance to wear and low cost. We show how traces can be recovered using both SfM photogrammetry and conventional photography with illumination provided via a crime scene light source. Experiments show that traces are retained for considerable time periods if left undisturbed, in excess of four weeks, but are quickly lost in under 8 hours by subsequent footfall. A simple simulation shows how the movement of an individual can be determined from carpet traces and the value of 3D recovery is illustrated via a set of experiments conducted with barefoot traces. We draw attention to the fact that 3D models allow a more statistical‐based approach to be taken to match bare footprints at crime scenes. SfM photogrammetry is shown to provide a useful compliment to existing techniques and therefore worthy of further experimentation and potentially operational use.
Performance of a pre‐administration infection screening questionnaire in patients with rheumatoid arthritis administered biological disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs
Authors: Fukui Sho , Suda Masei , Furukawa Sayaka , Tamaki Sakura , Ikeda Yukihiko , Suyama Yasuhiro , Tamaki Hiromichi , Kishimoto Mitsumasa , Ohde Sachiko , Okada Masato
Published: April 2021

Aim

Pre‐administration screening of active infections is imperative for the safe use of biological disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a standardized screening method is lacking. We therefore implemented a novel systematic screening method with a simple predetermined questionnaire on infections and assessed its effectiveness.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed medical records of individuals for whom intravenous bDMARDs were administered for RA from January 2016 to April 2019. We evaluated the performance of the new screening method based on physicians' assessments. In addition, a survey was administered to nurses, regarding their assessment of the usefulness of this new screening. The incidence of infections was also assessed.

Results

A total of 1636 cases underwent this new screening. The new screening method showed high sensitivity (0.97) and specificity (0.89) with a negative predictive value of 99.9%, as determined based on the physician's decision. Administration of bDMARDs was postponed in 37 (2.5%) patients, and there was only one case in which the screening failed to note an active infection. The nurses' survey demonstrated high agreement (87.5%) about the usefulness of this screening on the grounds of clarity, simplicity, ease, and time‐saving effects. There was no significant increase in infections after implementation of this method.

Conclusions

Systematic screening with a predetermined simple questionnaire is effective as an infection screening method, with a high negative predictive value. This approach contributes to high satisfaction of nurses and a time‐efficient practice by focusing on screen‐positive cases without increasing infections.
Identification and analysis of genes associated with lung adenocarcinoma by integrated bioinformatics methods
Authors: Xie Hui , Zhang Jian‐Fang , Li Qing
Published: April 2021

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most common forms of lung cancer, with a very high mortality rate. Although the treatments available for LUAD have become more effective in recent years, significant improvement is still needed. Advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics analysis have enabled new approaches to be developed for identifying drug targets. In this work we utilized data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to identify hub genes related to LUAD through Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) and other bioinformatics methods, with the goal of identifying new drug targets for cancer treatment.
A prospective randomized clinical trial comparing nepafenac, intravitreal triamcinolone and no adjuvant therapy for epiretinal membrane
Authors: Mandelcorn Efrem D. , Al‐Falah Mohammed , Zhao Lei Di , Kertes Peter , Devenyi Robert , Lam Wai‐Ching
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To compare the efficacy of topical nepafenac 0.1% versus intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) at the conclusion of vitrectomy surgery versus no adjuvant therapy (NAT) in improving macular morphology post‐operatively in patients undergoing vitrectomy for epiretinal membrane (ERM), as measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Methods

Design: Prospective randomized clinical trial

Setting: Multi‐centre

80 patients scheduled to undergo vitrectomy surgery for idiopathic ERM were randomized to receive either IVTA (4 mg/0.1 cc) at the end of surgery, topical nepafenac sodium 0.1% TID for 1 month post‐operation or no adjuvant treatment (NAT). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, best‐corrected visual acuity and intraocular pressure (IOP) were measured before surgery, and 1 and 2 months post‐operation.

Results

Although all three groups showed reduction in macular thickness post‐operation, the NAT group showed the most improvement, with a reduction of 136.18 ± 29.84 μm at two months. There was no statistically significant difference in macular thickness between the groups at each time point, p = 0.158. The NAT group also had the best recovery in BCVA with an improvement of 0.207 logMAR (10.35 letters) at two months post‐operation. There was no statistically significant difference in BCVA between the groups, p = 0.606. There was statistically significant difference in the IOP between the three groups, p = 0.04 only at 1‐month visit. The IVTA group had the highest rise in average IOP at both 1 and 2 months post‐operation (2.72 and 1.58 mmHg, respectively).

Conclusion

Our study data suggest there was no advantage in the use of topical nepafenac or IVTA for post‐vitrectomy ERM surgery.