bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving multi-site autism classification based on site-dependence minimisation and second-order functional connectivity
Authors: Kunda Mwiza , Zhou Shuo , Gong Gaolang , Lu Haiping
Published: February 2020

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has no objective diagnosis method despite having a high prevalence. Machine learning has been widely used to develop classification models for ASD using neuroimaging data. Recently, studies have shifted towards using large multi-site neuroimaging datasets to boost the clinical applicability and statistical power of results. However, the classification performance is hindered by the heterogeneous nature of agglomerative datasets. In this paper, we propose new methods for multi-site autism classification using the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) dataset. We firstly propose a new second-order measure of functional connectivity (FC) named as Tangent Pearson embedding to extract better features for classification. Then we assess the statistical dependence between acquisition sites and FC features, and apply a domain adaptation approach to minimise the site dependence of FC features to improve classification. Our analysis shows that 1) statistical dependence between site and FC features is statistically significant at the 5% level, and 2) extracting second-order features from neuroimaging data and minimising their site dependence can improve over state-of-the-art classification results on the ABIDE dataset, achieving a classification accuracy of 73%.
TRIM67 Regulates Exocytic Mode and Neuronal Morphogenesis via SNAP47
Authors: Urbina Fabio L. , Menon Shalini , Goldfarb Dennis , Edwards Reginald , Major M. Ben , Brennwald Patrick , Gupton Stephanie L.
Published: February 2020

Neuronal morphogenesis involves dramatic plasma membrane expansion, likely fueled by SNARE-mediated exocytosis. Distinct fusion modes described at neuronal synapses include full-vesicle-fusion (FVF) and kiss-and-run fusion (KNR). During FVF, lumenal cargo is secreted and vesicle membrane incorporates into the plasma membrane. During KNR a transient fusion pore secretes cargo, but closes without membrane addition. In contrast, fusion modes are not described in developing neurons where plasma membrane expansion is significant. Here, we resolve individual exocytic events in developing murine cortical neurons and use new classification tools to identify four distinguishable fusion modes: two FVF-like modes that insert membrane material and two KNR-like modes that do not. Discrete fluorescence profiles suggest distinct behavior of the fusion pore with each mode. Simulations and experiments agree that FVF-like exocytosis provides sufficient membrane material for morphogenesis. We find the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM67 promotes FVF-like exocytosis. Our data suggest this is accomplished in part by limiting incorporation of the Qb/Qc SNARE SNAP47 into SNARE complexes and thus, SNAP47 involvement in exocytosis.
A wireless, implantable optoelectrochemical probe for optogenetic stimulation and dopamine detection
Authors: Liu Changbo , Zhao Yu , Cai Xue , Xie Yang , Wang Taoyi , Cheng Dali , Li Lizhu , Li Rongfeng , Deng Yuping , Ding He , Lv Guoqing , Zhao Guanlei , Liu Lei , Zou Guisheng , Feng Meixin , Sun Qian , Yin Lan , Sheng Xing
Published: February 2020

Physical and chemical technologies have been continuously progressing advances of neuroscience research. The development of research tools for closed-loop control and monitoring neural activities in behaving animals is highly desirable. In this paper, we introduce a wirelessly operated, miniaturized microprobe system for optical interrogation and neurochemical sensing in the deep brain. Via epitaxial liftoff and transfer printing, microscale light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) as light sources, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) coated diamond films as electrochemical sensors are vertically assembled to form implantable optoelectrochemical probes, for real-time optogenetic stimulation and dopamine detection capabilities. A customized, lightweight circuit module is employed for untethered, remote signal control and data acquisition. Injected into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of freely behaving mice,in vivoexperiments clearly demonstrate the utilities of the multifunctional optoelectrochemical microprobe system for optogenetic interference of place preferences and detection of dopamine release. The presented options for material and device integrations provide a practical route to simultaneous optical control and electrochemical sensing of complex nervous systems.
Thermogenic hydrocarbons fuel a redox stratified subseafloor microbiome in deep sea cold seep sediments
Authors: Dong Xiyang , Rattray Jayne E. , Campbell D. Calvin , Webb Jamie , Chakraborty Anirban , Adebayo Oyeboade , Matthews Stuart , Li Carmen , Fowler Martin , Macdonald Adam , Groves Ryan A. , Lewis Ian A. , Wang Scott H. , Mayumi Daisuke , Greening Chris , Hubert Casey R.J.
Published: February 2020

At marine cold seeps, gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons migrate from deep subsurface origins to the sediment-water interface. Cold seep sediments are known to host taxonomically diverse microorganisms, but little is known about their metabolic potential and depth distribution in relation to hydrocarbon and electron acceptor availability. In this work, we combined geochemical, metagenomic and metabolomic measurements in distinct sediment redox regimes to profile microbial activities within the uppermost 350 cm of a newly discovered cold seep in the NW Atlantic deep sea (2.3 km water depth). Depth-resolved metagenomic profiling revealed compositional and functional differentiation between near-surface sediments (dominated by Proteobacteria) and deeper subsurface layers (dominated by Atribacteria, Chloroflexi, Euryarchaeota and Lokiarchaeota). Metabolic capabilities of community members were inferred from 376 metagenome-assembled genomes spanning 46 phyla (including five novel candidate phyla). In deeper sulfate-reducing and methanogenic sediments, various community members are capable of anaerobically oxidizing short-chain alkanes (alkyl-CoM reductase pathway), longer-chain alkanes (fumarate addition pathway), and aromatic hydrocarbons (fumarate addition and subsequent benzoyl-CoA pathways). Geochemical profiling demonstrated that hydrocarbon substrates are abundant in this location, thermogenic in origin, and subject to biodegradation. The detection of alkyl-/arylalkylsuccinate metabolites, together with carbon isotopic signatures of ethane, propane and carbon dioxide, support that microorganisms are actively degrading hydrocarbons in these sediments. Hydrocarbon oxidation pathways operate alongside other deep seabed metabolisms such as sulfide oxidation, hydrogen oxidation, carbon fixation, fermentation and reductive dehalogenation. Upward migrated thermogenic hydrocarbons thus sustain diverse microbial communities with activities that affect subseafloor biogeochemical processes across the redox spectrum in deep sea cold seeps.
pipeComp, a general framework for the evaluation of computational pipelines, reveals performant single-cell RNA-seq preprocessing tools
Authors: Germain Pierre-Luc , Sonrel Anthony , Robinson Mark D.
Published: February 2020

The massive growth of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) and the methods for its analysis still lack sufficient and up-to-date benchmarks that could guide analytical choices. Numerous benchmark studies already exist and cover most of scRNAseq processing and analytical methods but only a few give advice on a comprehensive pipeline. Moreover, current studies often focused on isolated steps of the process and do not address the impact of a tool on both the intermediate and the final steps of the analysis. Here, we present a flexible R framework for pipeline comparison with multi-level evaluation metrics. We apply it to the benchmark of scRNAseq analysis pipelines using simulated and real datasets with known cell identities, covering common methods of filtering, doublet detection, normalization, feature selection, denoising, dimensionality reduction and clustering. We evaluate the choice of these tools with multi-purpose metrics to assess their ability to reveal cell population structure and lead to efficient clustering. On the basis of our systematic evaluations of analysis pipelines, we make a number of practical recommendations about current analysis choices and for a comprehensive pipeline. The evaluation framework that we developed,pipeComp(https://github.com/plger/pipeComp), has been implemented so as to easily integrate any other step, tool, or evaluation metric allowing extensible benchmarks and easy applications to other fields of research in Bioinformatics, as we demonstrate through a study of the impact of removal of unwanted variation on differential expression analysis.
Larger bacterial populations evolve heavier fitness trade-offs and undergo greater ecological specialization
Authors: Chavhan Yashraj , Malusare Sarthak , Dey Sutirth
Published: February 2020

Evolutionary studies over the last several decades have invoked fitness trade-offs to explain why species prefer some environments to others. However, the effects of population size on trade-offs and ecological specialization remain largely unknown. To complicate matters, trade-offs themselves have been visualized in multiple ways in the literature. Thus, it is not clear how population size can affect the various aspects of trade-offs. To address these issues, we conducted experimental evolution withEscherichia colipopulations of two different sizes in two nutritionally limited environments and studied fitness trade-offs from three different perspectives. We found that larger populations evolved greater fitness trade-offs, regardless of how trade-offs are conceptualized. Moreover, although larger populations adapted more to their selection conditions, they also became more maladapted to other environments, ultimately paying heavier costs of adaptation. To enhance the generalizability of our results, we further investigated the evolution of ecological specialization across six different environmental pairs and found that larger populations specialized more frequently and evolved consistently steeper reaction norms of fitness. This is the first study to demonstrate a relationship between population size and fitness trade-offs and the results are important in understanding the population genetics of ecological specialization and vulnerability to environmental changes.
Mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde signaling drives formation of cytoplasmic chromatin and inflammation in senescence
Authors: Vizioli Maria Grazia , Liu Tianhui , Miller Karl N. , Robertson Neil A. , Gilroy Kathryn , Lagnado Anthony B. , Perez-Garcia Arantxa , Kiourtis Christos , Dasgupta Nirmalya , Lei Xue , Kruger Patrick J. , Nixon Colin , Clark William , Jurk Diana , Bird Thomas G. , Passos João F. , Berger Shelley L. , Dou Zhixun , Adams Peter D.
Published: January 2020

Cellular senescence is a potent tumor suppressor mechanism but also contributes to aging and aging-related diseases. Senescence is characterized by a stable cell cycle arrest and a complex proinflammatory secretome, termed the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). We recently discovered that cytoplasmic chromatin fragments (CCFs), extruded from the nucleus of senescent cells, trigger the SASP through activation of the innate immunity cytosolic DNA sensing cGAS–STING pathway. However, the upstream signaling events that instigate CCF formation remain unknown. Here, we show that dysfunctional mitochondria, linked to down-regulation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes, trigger a ROS–JNK retrograde signaling pathway that drives CCF formation and hence the SASP. JNK links to 53BP1, a nuclear protein that negatively regulates DNA double-strand break (DSB) end resection and CCF formation. Importantly, we show that low-dose HDAC inhibitors restore expression of most nuclear-encoded mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes, improve mitochondrial function, and suppress CCFs and the SASP in senescent cells. In mouse models, HDAC inhibitors also suppress oxidative stress, CCF, inflammation, and tissue damage caused by senescence-inducing irradiation and/or acetaminophen-induced mitochondria dysfunction. Overall, our findings outline an extended mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde signaling pathway that initiates formation of CCF during senescence and is a potential target for drug-based interventions to inhibit the proaging SASP.
Optimized reconstruction of the crystallographic orientation density function based on a reduced set of orientations
Authors: Biswas Abhishek , Vajragupta Napat , Hielscher Ralf , Hartmaier Alexander
Published: January 2020

Crystallographic textures, as they develop for example during cold forming, can have a significant influence on the mechanical properties of metals, such as plastic anisotropy. Textures are typically characterized by a non-uniform distribution of crystallographic orientations that can be measured by diffraction experiments like electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Such experimental data usually contain a large number of data points, which must be significantly reduced to be used for numerical modeling. However, the challenge in such data reduction is to preserve the important characteristics of the experimental data, while reducing the volume and preserving the computational efficiency of the numerical model. For example, in micromechanical modeling, representative volume elements (RVEs) of the real microstructure are generated and the mechanical properties of these RVEs are studied by the crystal plasticity finite element method. In this work, a new method is developed for extracting a reduced set of orientations from EBSD data containing a large number of orientations. This approach is based on the established integer approximation method and it minimizes its shortcomings. Furthermore, the L
1 norm is applied as an error function; this is commonly used in texture analysis for quantitative assessment of the degree of approximation and can be used to control the convergence behavior. The method is tested on four experimental data sets to demonstrate its capabilities. This new method for the purposeful reduction of a set of orientations into equally weighted orientations is not only suitable for numerical simulation but also shows improvement in results in comparison with other available methods.
Amyloid structure determination in RELION-3.1
Authors: Scheres Sjors H. W.
Published: January 2020

Helical reconstruction in RELION is increasingly being used to determine the atomic structures of amyloid filaments from electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) images. However, because the energy landscape of amyloid refinements is typically fraught with local optima, amyloid structure determination is often difficult. This paper aims to help RELION users in this process. It discusses aspects of helical reconstruction that are particularly relevant to amyloids, it illustrates the problem of local optima in refinement and how to detect them, and it introduces a new method to calculate 3D initial models from reference-free 2D class averages. By providing starting models that are closer to the global optimum, this method makes amyloid structure determination easier. All methods described are open-source and distributed within RELION-3.1. Their use is illustrated using a publicly available data set on tau filaments from the brain of an individual with Alzheimer's disease.
Position analysis of brushless direct current motor using robust fixed order H-infinity controller
Authors: Hans Sikander , Ghosh Smarajit
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The efficient speed controller is found to be an important requirement to run the motor for the brushless direct current (BLDC) motor. This requirement is considered as superior, as it may increase the operating speed and system efficiency. In the existing methods, proportional plus integral (PI) controller has been included because of its simple architecture. But the PI controller produces load disturbance, control complexity and some parametric (Proportional plus integral) variations. The purpose of this proposed controller is to overcome the problems produced by PI controller in BLDC motor.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed BLDC motor is developed with fixed order H-infinity controller. In this architecture, both the weight functions and transfer functions were included to design the controller. This controller has been included in this BLDC to detect the rotor position. The optimal position of rotor is identified by introducing particle swarm optimization algorithm.

Findings

The torque that obtained in the motor is highly reduced by this proposed controller and also enhances the speed. The BLDC motor is modelled in a MATLAB environment.

Practical implications

The performance of the torque, speed and back electro-motive force is analysed and compared with the existing controllers such as fuzzy proportional plus integral plus derivative, sensing algorithm and fuzzy proportional plus derivative controller.

Originality/value

Simulation results show that the proposed technique gives better results than the other existing controllers.
Contending institutional logics, illegitimacy risk and management accounting
Authors: Łada Monika , Kozarkiewicz Alina , Haslam Jim
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This article explores the influence of duality in institutional logics on internal accounting, with a focus on a Polish public university. More particularly, we answer the research question: how does illegitimacy risk arising from the divergent pressures of the institutional environment impact management accountings in this institution?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper seeks to uncover intricacies of notions of internal legitimacy façade, decoupling and counter-coupling in practice. It explores details of organizational responses involving management accounting aimed at reducing illegitimacy risk. Achieving good organizational access, the authors adopt a qualitative case study approach involving contextual appreciation/document analysis/participant observation/discussion with key actors: facilitating building upon theoretical argumentation through finding things out from the field.

Findings

The authors uncover and discuss organizational solutions and legitimizing manoeuvres applied, identifying fouradaptation tacticsin the struggle to support legitimacy that they term ‘ceremonial calculations’, ‘legitimacy labelling’, ‘blackboxing’ and ‘shadow management accounting’. These can be seen in relation to decoupling and counter-coupling. Ceremonial calculations supported the internal façade. Shadow management accounting supported pro-effectiveness. Legitimacy labelling and blackboxing helped bind these two organizational layers, further supporting legitimacy. In interaction the four tactics engendered what can be seen as a ‘counter-coupling’ of management accounting. The authors clarify impacts for management accounting.

Research limits/implications

The usual limitations of case research apply for generalizability. Theorizing of management accounting in relation to contradictory logics is advanced.

Practical implications

The article illuminates how management accounting can be understood vis-à-vis contradictory logics.

Originality value

Elaboration of the tactics and their interaction is a theoretical and empirical contribution. Focus on a Polish university constitutes an empirical contribution.
Antecedents of acceptance and use of a digital library system
Authors: Shivdas Avinash , Menon Dileep G. , Nair Chitra S.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the critical factors that drive the adoption of digital library system (DLS) in institutes located in remote India. An integrated model of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model-2 (UTAUT2) and information systems success model (ISSM) is used to evaluate the critical factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey method of research was used, and the data collected was analysed by using PLS-SEM, which proved helpful to evaluate and validate the model.

Findings

Departing from past research, where most of the factors of the UTAUT2 and ISSM were found to influence the adoption of DLS, in this context, it is noted that performance expectancy, facilitating conditions and habit were the only constructs that influenced the intention to use DLS.

Originality/value

The study addresses the requirement for further research in DLS domain in emerging markets. It is one of the few studies addressing DLS adoption in remote India. The findings are unique to this context, which differ from developed nations, thus, answering the call to advance UTAUT model.
Airbnb and neighbourhoods: an exploratory study
Authors: Petruzzi Marina A. , Marques Gabriela S. , do Carmo Manuel , Correia Antonia
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This study aims to identify residents’ perceptions of the impacts of Airbnb through an exploratory study that accounts for 94 residents in Lisbon, Portugal, in neighbourhoods with a high number of accommodations listed on the Airbnb platform.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research was conducted. A questionnaire was designed and administered within the selected neighbourhoods. Factor analysis using the principal component methods is used to reduce the items evaluated.

Findings

The study reveals that residents have perceptions of both agreement and disagreement towards the impacts of the sharing economy in economic, environmental and sociocultural aspects. Positively perceived impacts refer to interactions with tourists, natural preservation and increase in business and job opportunities. Conversely, the growth of rent prices, the increase in noise issues, the change in the local culture and the threat of losing authenticity and traditions are the dimensions that may lead to negatively perceived impacts towards Airbnb.

Research limitations/implications

In spite of being the largest network for sharing accommodation, Airbnb is not the only one. Research on individual perceptions analyses the understandings of each person, which can be built and shaped by the context. In spite of the potential of the Likert scale, qualitative research should be added to enrich future studies.

Practical implications

This study identified several challenges for Airbnb and other sharing platforms, including residents’ concerns over noise, the threat of losing identity, changes in the local culture and rise in rent prices.

Originality/value

The study is dedicated to analyzing the host community residents and identifying their perceptions of impacts of the sharing economy. The use of residents’ perceptions provides useful insights that may be considered when planning, developing and implementing local policies.
Social media, media and urban transformation in the context of overtourism
Authors: Jang Hochan , Park Minkyung
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to document how a traditional residential neighborhood, Ihwa village in Seoul, South Korea, is transformed into a tourist attraction and demonstrate the complexity of the overtourism phenomenon and the multifaceted conflicts among stakeholders that emerged in the course of urban transformation. Particularly, the study explores how tourism growth, urban transformation and overtourism are intertwined with each other and how the role of social media and media contributed to tourism growth and the transformation of an urban neighborhood.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted text analytics (a big data analysis) using personal blogs and news articles. Our data for text analytics was defined to retrieve all news articles and blogs existent in the NAVER portal, the largest Korean portal and search engine, for the period between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2018. The data was collected using a web crawling program, TEXTOM version 3.0.

Findings

Text analysis of blog entries and news articles suggests that each medium has its unique role and domain to play. While the news media contributed to the initial surge of interest in Ihwa village, genuine growth of tourism in Ihwa village seems to be attributed to social media. Texts that appeared in blogs strongly indicated that people used their blogs to share their trip experiences, which can be subsequently assumed that blogs had an influential role in promoting a small place like Ihwa mural village, while news articles tended to highlight negative or unusual events occurred in Ihwa village. The study also addressed the multifaceted nature of the conflicts that were inherent in the issue of urban regeneration and how those conflicts were developed and manifested in the process of touristification and overtourism in Ihwa village. As touristification can manifest in various forms in different places, the case of Ihwa village demonstrates a unique development of touristification; private tourism companies or tourism agencies did not initiate or intend to cause tourism gentrification. Rather, touristification is a byproduct of urban revitalization through public art and is a result of interplay between the local government’s interest, social media and new tourist demand.

Originality/value

Text analytics using big data have rarely been attempted to understand the role of social media in relation to tourism growth and touristification of an urban tourism place. This study advances the literature by applying big data analysis to user-generated content in blogs. The study also contributes to the deeper understanding of a different developmental pattern of touristification in an urban tourism place as well as the complexity of the overtourism phenomenon and the multifaceted conflicts among stakeholders.
Intuitive gesture-based control system with collision avoidance for robotic manipulators
Authors: Rudd Grant , Daly Liam , Cuckov Filip
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to present an intuitive control system for robotic manipulators that pairs a Leap Motion, a low-cost optical tracking and gesture recognition device, with the ability to record and replay trajectories and operation to create an intuitive method of controlling and programming a robotic manipulator. This system was designed to be extensible and includes modules and methods for obstacle detection and dynamic trajectory modification for obstacle avoidance.

Design/methodology/approach

The presented control architecture, while portable to any robotic platform, was designed to actuate a six degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator of our own design. From the data collected by the Leap Motion, the manipulator was controlled by mapping the position and orientation of the human hand to values in the joint space of the robot. Additional recording and playback functionality was implemented to allow for the robot to repeat the desired tasks once the task had been demonstrated and recorded.

Findings

Experiments were conducted on our custom-built robotic manipulator by first using a simulation model to characterize and quantify the robot’s tracking of the Leap Motion generated trajectory. Tests were conducted in the Gazebo simulation software in conjunction with Robot Operating System, where results were collected by recording both the real-time input from the Leap Motion sensor, and the corresponding pose data. The results of these experiments show that the goal of accurate and real-time control of the robot was achieved and validated our methods of transcribing, recording and repeating six degree-of-freedom trajectories from the Leap Motion camera.

Originality/value

As robots evolve in complexity, the methods of programming them need to evolve to become more intuitive. Humans instinctively teach by demonstrating the task to a given subject, who then observes the various poses and tries to replicate the motions. This work aims to integrate the natural human teaching methods into robotics programming through an intuitive, demonstration-based programming method.
A fast detection and grasping method for mobile manipulator based on improved faster R-CNN
Authors: Zhang Hui , Tan Jinwen , Zhao Chenyang , Liang Zhicong , Liu Li , Zhong Hang , Fan Shaosheng
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to solve the problem between detection efficiency and performance in grasp commodities rapidly. A fast detection and grasping method based on improved faster R-CNN is purposed and applied to the mobile manipulator to grab commodities on the shelf.

Design/methodology/approach

To reduce the time cost of algorithm, a new structure of neural network based on faster R CNN is designed. To select the anchor box reasonably according to the data set, the data set-adaptive algorithm for choosing anchor box is presented; multiple models of ten types of daily objects are trained for the validation of the improved faster R-CNN. The proposed algorithm is deployed to the self-developed mobile manipulator, and three experiments are designed to evaluate the proposed method.

Findings

The result indicates that the proposed method is successfully performed on the mobile manipulator; it not only accomplishes the detection effectively but also grasps the objects on the shelf successfully.

Originality/value

The proposed method can improve the efficiency of faster R-CNN, maintain excellent performance, meet the requirement of real-time detection, and the self-developed mobile manipulator can accomplish the task of grasping objects.
Internet of Things technology applications in the workplace environment: a critical review
Authors: Nappi Ingrid , de Campos Ribeiro Gisele
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of IoT technology (RFID technology, sensor networks, wearable devices and other smart items) in office settings and its respective impact on the optimization of employees’ productivity and workspace effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews 41 relevant publications reporting IoT use in office settings to identify how this technology has been applied in office settings and what topics are mostly addressed in the literature; how IoT technology improves employees’ productivity; and what the benefits and risks associated with IoT use in the workplace environment are.

Findings

Two main areas of application of IoT technology in the workplace environment were identified. The first one concerns the influence of the physical characteristics of workplaces on aspects related to workspace effectiveness. The second one is employee-centered and concerns the use of IoT data to identify employees’ social behavior, physiological data and emotional estates associated with productivity. IoT technology provides real-time data with speedy information retrieval. However, its deployment in office settings is not exempt from risks. Employee workplace surveillance, re-individualization of the IoT data and employee refusal of IoT technology in office settings are the main risks associated with this technology.

Originality/value

This literature review categorizes IoT application in office settings according to two perspectives and highlights employees' attitudes, user-experience of IoT technology and the risks associated with this technology. These results will help researchers and workplace managers interested in the deployment of this technology in the workplace environment.
Whistleblowing Incentives
Authors: Teichmann Fabian Maximilian , Falker Marie-Christin
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to illustrate how companies may benefit from whistleblowing and how whistleblowing may be incentivized to more effectively combat corruption.

Design/methodology/approach

No clear hypothesis could be formulated based on the literature review. Therefore, an explorative approach was selected for the purpose of this study. Ten selected compliance experts were interviewed, and the results were subjected to summarizing content analysis.

Findings

It was found that corruption, particularly bribery, continues to be prevalent in many corporations and that current anti-bribery incentives are rather inefficient. It was also found that whistleblowing incentives have thus far not been investigated in sufficient depth in the literature, despite the fact that they can be immensely useful in combating corruption.

Research limitations/implications

Interviews with different experts, at different times, or selecting experts from different locations could have led to diverging results.

Practical implications

Incentive systems, particularly whistleblowing incentives, can be designed to prevent corruption in multinational corporations.

Originality/value

This study explores a new field and develops innovative theory to gain a deeper understanding of whistleblowing.
The Chief Registrar role in the UK: leadership capacity and development of hybrid leaders
Authors: Snelling Iain , Exworthy Mark , Ghezelayagh Shahin
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the first cohort of the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) Chief Registrar programme in 2016/7. Chief Registrars provide medical leadership capacity through leadership development posts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a mixed methods design, comprising a monthly survey of the 21 Chief Registrars in the first cohort, interviews with Chief Registrars, and six cases studies where Chief Registrars and colleagues were interviewed.

Findings

Chief Registrars enjoyed high levels of practical, professional, and leadership support from their employing organisations, the RCP, and the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. They had high degrees of autonomy in their roles. As a result, roles were enacted in different ways, making direct comparative evaluation problematic. In particular, we identified variation on two dimensions: first, the focus on medical leadership generally, or quality improvement more specifically, and second, the focus on personal development or organisational leadership capacity.

Research limitations/implications

The data are limited and drawn from the first cohort's experience. The Chief Registrar scheme, unlike many other leadership fellowships, maintains a high level of clinical practice (with a minimum 40 per cent leadership work). This suggests a clearer preparation for future hybrid leadership roles.

Practical implications

This paper may offer some support and guidance for Chief Registrars and those who work with and support them.

Originality/value

This study adds to the literature on leadership development for doctors in hybrid roles, and highlights the distinctiveness of the scheme compared with other schemes.
The design and planning of an integrated supply chain for perishable products under uncertainties
Authors: Dutta Pankaj , Shrivastava Himanshu
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to design an optimal supply chain network and to develop a suitable distribution planning under uncertainty for perishable product's supply chain. The ultimate goal is to help in making decisions under uncertain environments.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, stochastic programming is used under conditions of demand, supply and process uncertainties, and a non-linear mathematical model is developed for perishable product’s supply chain. Authors’ study considers disruptions in transportation routes and also within the facilities and investigates optimal facility location and shipment decisions while minimising the total supply chain cost. A scenario-based approach is used to model these disruptions. The retailer level uncertainty due to demand-supply mismatch is handled by incorporating the newsvendor model into the last echelon of supply chain network. In this paper, two policies are proposed for making decisions under uncertain environments. In the first one, the expected cost of the supply chain is minimised. To also consider the risk behaviour of the decision maker, authors propose the second policy through a conditional value-at-risk approach.

Findings

Authors discuss the model output through various examples that are provided via a case study from the milk industry. The supply chain design and planning of the disruption-free model are different from those of the resilient model.

Practical implications

Authors’ research benefits the perishable products industries which encounter the disruption problems in their transportation routes as well as in the facilities. Authors have demonstrated the research through a real-life case in a milk industry.

Originality/value

The major contribution of authors’ work is the design of the supply chain network under disruption risks by incorporating aspects of product perishability. This work provides insight into areas such as the simultaneous consideration of demand, supply and process uncertainties. The amalgamation of newsvendor model and the approximation of the non-linearity of retailer level cost function especially in the context of supply chain under uncertainty is the first of its kind. We provide a comprehensive statistical study of uncertainties that are present in the supply chain in a unique manner.
High-precision six-degree-of-freedom pose measurement and grasping system for large-size object based on binocular vision
Authors: Wan Guoyang , Li Fudong , Zhu Wenjun , Wang Guofeng
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The positioning and grasping of large-size objects have always had problems of low positioning accuracy, slow grasping speed and high application cost compared with ordinary small parts tasks. This paper aims to propose and implement a binocular vision-guided grasping system for large-size object with industrial robot.

Design/methodology/approach

To guide the industrial robot to grasp the object with high position and pose accuracy, this study measures the pose of the object by extracting and reconstructing three non-collinear feature points on it. To improve the precision and the robustness of the pose measuring, a coarse-to-fine positioning strategy is proposed. First, a coarse but stable feature is chosen to locate the object in the image and provide initial regions for the fine features. Second, three circular holes are chosen to be the fine features whose centers are extracted with a robust ellipse fitting strategy and thus determine the precise pose and position of the object.

Findings

Experimental results show that the proposed system has achieved high robustness and high positioning accuracy of −1 mm and pose accuracy of −0.5 degree.

Originality/value

It is a high accuracy method that can be used for industrial robot vision-guided and grasp location.
The identity and role of stakeholders in the medical tourism industry: state of the art
Authors: Kamassi Ahmed , Abd Manaf Noor Hazilah , Omar Azura
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to address and identify the major stakeholders in the medical tourism industry, based on their participation in medical tourism activities and their support for medical tourism development.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper systematically reviews the content of medical tourism studies from literature to identify key stakeholders and address the roles they play in the medical tourism industry.

Findings

This study shows that the key stakeholders in the medical tourism industry are eight, namely, medical tourists, health-care providers, government agencies, facilitators, accreditation and credentialing bodies, health-care marketers, insurance providers and infrastructure and facilities. These stakeholders strongly influence medical tourists’ decision-making process in seeking medical treatment abroad. Besides, a successful medical tourism development depends greatly on the excellent partnership between all stakeholders.

Practical implications

This paper sheds light on the crucial role of these stakeholders that can be an important consideration in medical tourists’ decision-making process and industry growth. The study can facilitate policymakers in designing and developing policies to improve medical tourism practices.

Originality/value

This paper expands the knowledge about medical tourism literature by identifying and explaining the significant role of each stakeholder in the industry. The results of this paper are quite revealing to all practitioners in terms of the potential strategies and medical tourism growth. The study establishes a foundation for future medical tourism research in the rapidly growing industry.
Controlled deposition of electrospun nanofibres using active time-varying secondary electrodes
Authors: Nurfaizey Abdul Hamid , Akop Mohd Zaid , Salim Mohd Azli , Mohd Rosli Mohd Afzanizam , Masripan Nor Azmmi
Published: February 2020

Purpose

In this study, a new method of controlled deposition in electrospinning process is investigated using active time-varying secondary electrodes, in particular sine and triangular potentials to produce a wide and uniform electrospun fibre web.

Design/methodology/approach

A special electrospinning setup was designed to include two independently charged secondary electrodes and a rotating collector. LabVIEW programme was used to control the applied potential at the electrodes. An aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol was used as the model material. An image analysis method was used to quantify the results. MATLAB programme was used to simulate the experimental results. Scanning electron microscope and SEM analyser software were used to examine the fibres.

Findings

It was observed that when a time-varying electric potential was used, the electrospinning jet was periodically move to-and-fro in agreement with the varying electric field. The continuous movement of the jet expanded the width of the deposited web. The smooth oscillation of a sine wave potential was initially thought to produce a uniform pattern of deposited web; however, the results showed otherwise. A similar result was also found in simulations. The reason behind this observation was due to the difference in jet scanning speed between the two potentials.

Originality/value

This study provides useful information for understanding how an active secondary electrode can be used as a new method of fibre deposition control in electrospinning process.
Trophic transfer of pesticides: The fine line between predator–prey regulation and pesticide–pest regulation
Authors: Baudrot Virgile , Fernandez‐de‐Simon Javier , Coeurdassier Michael , Couval Geoffroy , Giraudoux Patrick , Lambin Xavier
Published: January 2020

Understanding pesticide impacts on populations of target/non‐target species and communities is a challenge to applied ecology. When predators that otherwise regulate pest densities ingest prey contaminated with pesticides, this can suppress predator populations by secondary poisoning. It is, however, unknown how species relationships and protocols of treatments (e.g. anticoagulant rodenticide [AR]) interact to affect pest regulation.

To tackle this issue, we modelled a heuristic non‐spatialized system including montane water voles, specialist vole predators (stoats, weasels) and a generalist predator (red fox) which consumes voles, mustelids and other prey. By carrying out a broad‐range sensitivity analysis on poorly known toxicological parameters, we explored the impact of five farmer functional responses (defined by both AR quantity and threshold vole density above which AR spreading is prohibited) on predator–prey interactions, AR transfer across the trophic chain and population effects.

Spreading AR to maintain low vole densities suppressed mustelid and fox populations, leading to vole population dynamics being entirely regulated by AR use. Such vole‐suppression treatment regimes inhibited predation ecosystem services and promoted pesticide dependence.

Keeping vole density below acceptable bounds by spreading AR while maintaining sufficient voles as prey resources led to less AR being applied and extended periods without AR in the environment, benefiting predators while avoiding episodes with high vole density. This may meet farm production interests while minimizing the impact on mustelid and fox populations and associated ecosystem processes. These alternating phases of mustelids and farmer regulation highlight the consequence of intraguild relationship where mustelids may rescue foxes from poisoning. Both global and wide‐range sensitivity analysis illustrate the tightrope between predator–prey regulation and pesticide–pest regulation.

Synthesis and applications. Different pesticide protocols lead to a rich variety of predator–prey dynamics in agro‐ecosystems. Our model reveals the need to maintain refuges with sufficient non‐poisoned voles for sustaining specialist mustelids, to conserve the predator community given the potential of secondary poisoning with rodenticides. We suggest that long periods without pesticide treatment are essential to maintain predator populations, and that practices of pesticides use that attempt to permanently suppress a pest over a large scale are counterproductive.
The evolution of realized niches within freshwater Synechococcus
Authors: Tromas Nicolas , Taranu Zofia E. , Castelli Mathieu , Pimentel Juliana S. M. , Pereira Daniel A. , Marcoz Romane , Shapiro B. Jesse , Giani Alessandra
Published: January 2020

Understanding how ecological traits have changed over evolutionary time is a fundamental question in biology. Specifically, the extent to which more closely related organisms share similar ecological preferences due to phylogenetic conservation – or if they are forced apart by competition – is still debated. Here, we explored the co‐occurrence patterns of freshwater cyanobacteria at the sub‐genus level to investigate whether more closely related taxa share more similar niches and to what extent these niches were defined by abiotic or biotic variables. We used deep 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and measured several abiotic environmental parameters (nutrients, temperature, etc.) in water samples collected over time and space in Furnas Reservoir, Brazil. We found that relatively more closely related Synechococcus (in the continuous range of 93%–100% nucleotide identity in 16S) had an increased tendency to co‐occur with one another (i.e. had similar realized niches). This tendency could not be easily explained by shared preferences for measured abiotic niche dimensions. Thus, commonly measured abiotic parameters might not be sufficient to characterize, nor to predict community assembly or dynamics. Rather, co‐occurrence between Synechococcus and the surrounding community (whether or not they represent true biological interactions) may be a more sensitive measure of realized niches. Overall, our results suggest that realized niches are phylogenetically conserved, at least at the sub‐genus level and at the resolution of the 16S marker. Determining how these results generalize to other genera and at finer genetic resolution merits further investigation.