bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein Crowding Mediates Membrane Remodeling in Upstream ESCRT-induced Formation of Intraluminal Vesicles
Authors: Liese Susanne , Wenzel Eva Maria , Kjos Ingrid , Rojas Molina Rossana V. , Schultz Sebastian W. , Brech Andreas , Stenmark Harald , Raiborg Camilla , Carlson Andreas
Published: November 2019

As part of the lysosomal degradation pathway, the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT-0-III/VPS4) sequester receptors at the endosome and simultaneously deform the membrane to generate intraluminal vesicles (ILVs). Whereas ESCRT-III/VPS4 have an established function in ILV formation, the role of upstream ESCRTs (0-II) in membrane shape remodeling is not understood. Combining experimental measurements and electron microscopy analysis of ESCRT-III depleted cells with a mathematical model, we show that upstream ESCRT-induced alteration of the Gaussian bending rigidity and their crowding on the membrane induces membrane deformation and facilitates ILV formation: upstream ESCRT-driven budding does not require ATP consumption as only a small energy barrier needs to be overcome. Our model predicts that ESCRTs do not become part of the ILV, but localize with a high density at the membrane neck, where the steep decline in the Gaussian curvature likely triggers ESCRT-III/VPS4 assembly to enable neck constriction and scission.

Significance Statement

Intraluminal vesicle (ILV) formation plays a crucial role in the attenuation of growth factor receptor signaling, which is mediated by the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT-0-III/VPS4). The general dogma has been that the upstream ESCRTs (0-II) sequester the receptors at the surface of endosomes and the downstream ESCRTs (III/VPS4) remodel the endosome membrane leading to the abscission and formation of receptor-containing ILVs. We now show that the upstream ESCRTs not only sequester cargo, but in addition play an essential role for the initiation of membrane shape remodeling in ILV budding. Through a combination of mathematical modeling and experimental measurements we show that upstream ESCRTs facilitate ILV budding by crowding with a high density in the membrane neck region.
Genome-wide association study identifies genetic factors that modify age at onset in Machado-Joseph disease
Authors: Akçimen Fulya , Martins Sandra , Liao Calwing , Bourassa Cynthia V. , Catoire Hélène , Nicholson Garth A. , Riess Olaf , Raposo Mafalda , França Marcondes C. , Vasconcelos João , Lima Manuela , Lopes-Cendes Iscia , Saraiva-Pereira Maria Luiza , Jardim Laura B. , Sequeiros Jorge , Dion Patrick A. , Rouleau Guy A.
Published: November 2019

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD/SCA3) is the most common form of dominantly inherited ataxia worldwide. The disorder is caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the ATXN3 gene. Past studies have revealed that the length of the expansion partly explains the disease age at onset (AO) variability of MJD, which is confirmed in this study. Using a total of 786 MJD patients from five different geographical origins, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to identify additional AO modifying factors that could explain some of the residual AO variability. We identified nine suggestively associated loci (P < 1 × 10−5). These loci were enriched for genes involved in vesicle transport, olfactory signaling, and synaptic pathways. Furthermore, associations between AO and the TRIM29 and RAG genes suggests that DNA repair mechanisms might be implicated in MJD pathogenesis. Our study demonstrates the existence of several additional genetic factors, along with CAG expansion, that may lead to a better understanding of the genotype-phenotype correlation in MJD.
Evolution toward maximum transport capacity of the Ttg2 ABC system inPseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Yero Daniel , Costenaro Lionel , Conchillo-Solé Oscar , Díaz-Lobo Mireia , Mayo Adrià , Ferrer-Navarro Mario , Vilaseca Marta , Gibert Isidre , Daura Xavier
Published: November 2019

InPseudomonas aeruginosa, Ttg2D is the soluble periplasmic phospholipid-binding component of an ABC transport system thought to be involved in maintaining the asymmetry of the outer membrane. The crystallographic structure of Ttg2D at 2.5Å resolution reveals that this protein can bind two diacyl phospholipids. Native and denaturing mass spectrometry experiments confirm that Ttg2D binds two phospholipid molecules, which may have different head groups. Analysis of the available structures of Ttg2D orthologs allowed us to classify this protein family as a novel substrate-binding protein fold and to venture the evolutionary events that differentiated the orthologs binding one or two phospholipids. In addition, gene knockout experiments inP. aeruginosaPAO1 and multidrug-resistant strains show that disruption of this system leads to outer membrane permeabilization. This demonstrates the role of this system in low-level intrinsic resistance against certain antibiotics that use a lipid-mediated pathway to permeate through membranes.
The impact of reporter kinetics on the interpretation of data gathered with fluorescent reporters
Authors: Sabatini Bernardo L.
Published: November 2019

Fluorescent reporters of biological functions are used to monitor biochemical events and signals in cells and tissue. For neurobiology, these have been particularly useful for monitoring signals in the brains of behaving animals. In order to enhance signal-to-noise, fluorescent reporters typically have kinetics that are slower than that of the underlying biological process. This low-pass filtering by the reporter renders the fluorescence transient a leaking integrated version of the biological signal. Here I discuss the effects that low-pass filtering, or more precisely of integrating by convolving with an exponentially decaying kernel, has on the interpretation of the relationship between the reporter fluorescence transient and the events that underlie it. Unfortunately, when the biological events being monitored are impulse-like, such as the firing of an action potential or the release of neurotransmitter, filtering greatly reduces the maximum correlation coefficient that can be found between the events and the fluorescence signal. This can erroneously support the conclusion that the fluorescence transient and the biological signal that it reports are only weakly related. Furthermore, when examining the encoding of behavioral state variables by nervous system, filtering by the reporter kinetics will favor the interpretation that fluorescence transients encode integrals of measured variables as opposed to the variables themselves. For these reasons, it is necessary to take into account the filtering effects of the indicator by deconvolving with the convolution kernel and recovering the underlying biological events before making conclusions about what is encoded in the signals emitted by fluorescent reporters.
Hopper: A Mathematically Optimal Algorithm for Sketching Biological Data
Authors: DeMeo Benjamin , Berger Bonnie
Published: November 2019

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has grown massively in scale since its inception, presenting substantial analytic and computational challenges. Even simple downstream analyses, such as dimensionality reduction and clustering, require days of runtime and hundreds of gigabytes of memory for today’s largest datasets. In addition, current methods often favor common cell types, and miss salient biological features captured by small cell populations. Here we present Hopper, a single-cell toolkit that both speeds up the analysis of single-cell datasets and highlights their transcriptional diversity by intelligent subsampling, or sketching. Hopper realizes the optimal polynomial-time approximation of the Hausdorff distance between the full and downsampled dataset, ensuring that each cell is well-represented by some cell in the sample. Unlike prior sketching methods, Hopper adds points iteratively and allows for additional sampling from regions of interest, enabling fast and targeted multi-resolution analyses. In a dataset of over 1.3 million mouse brain cells, we detect a cluster of just 64 macrophages expressing inflammatory tissues (0.004% of the full dataset) from a Hopper sketch containing just 5,000 cells, and several other small but biologically interesting immune cell populations invisible to analysis of the full data. On an even larger dataset consisting of ~2 million developing mouse organ cells, we show even representation of important cell types in small sketch sizes, in contrast with prior sketching methods. By condensing transcriptional information encoded in large datasets, Hopper grants the individual user with a laptop the same analytic capabilities as large consortium.
Assembly of theDrosophilamushroom body circuit and its regulation by Semaphorin 1a
Authors: Lin Chen-Han , Lin Suewei
Published: November 2019

TheDrosophilamushroom body (MB) is a learning and memory center in the fly brain. It is the most extensively studied brain structure in insects, but we know little about the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying assembly of its neural circuit. The MB is composed of around 2200 intrinsic Kenyon cells (KCs), whose axons are bundled to form multiple MB lobes. The MB lobes are innervated by a large number of extrinsic neurons. Twenty types of dopaminergic neurons (DANs) and 21 types of MB output neurons (MBONs) have been identified. Each type of these extrinsic neurons innervates specific compartments or zones in the MB lobes. Here, we characterize the assembly of the MB circuit and reveal several intriguing features of the process. The DANs and MBONs innervate zones in the MB vertical lobes in specific sequential orders. Innervation of DAN axons in some zones precedes that of MBON dendrites, andvice versain other zones. MBON and DAN innervations are largely independent of each other. Removing one type of extrinsic neuron during early development has a limited effect on the MB lobe innervations of the other type of extrinsic neurons. However, KC axons are essential for zonal elaboration of DAN axons and MBON dendrites. Competition also exists between MB zones for some MBONs, so when the cognate zones for these MBONs are missing, their dendrites are misdirected to other zones. Finally, we identify Semaphorin 1a (Sema1a) as a crucial guidance molecule for MBON dendrites to innervate specific MB lobe zones. Ectopic expression of Sema1a in some DANs is sufficient to re-direct their dendrites to those zones, demonstrating a potential to rewire the MB circuit. Taken together, our work provides an initial characterization of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying MB circuit assembly.
DRP1-mediated regulation of mitochondrial dynamics determines the apoptotic response upon embryonic differentiation
Authors: Pernaute Barbara , Sánchez Nieto Juan Miguel , Pérez-Montero Salvador , di Gregorio Aida , Lima Ana , Lawlor Katerina , Bowling Sarah , Liccardi Gianmaria , Tomás Alejandra , Meier Pascal , Rutter Guy A. , Barbaric Ivana , Rodríguez Tristan A.
Published: November 2019

The changes that drive differentiation create a large potential for the emergence of abnormal cells that need to be removed before they contribute to further development or the germline. This removal is in part achieved by cells becoming hypersensitive to death upon exit of naïve pluripotency. What causes this change in apoptotic response is unknown. Here we identify that it is controlled by the regulator of mitochondrial dynamics DRP1. We show that in mouse, naïve pluripotent cells have fragmented mitochondria due to high DRP1-mediated fission, but upon differentiation, DRP1 activity decreases, inducing mitochondria to fuse and form complex networks. We demonstrate that this decrease in DRP1 activity lowers the apoptotic threshold, as mutation of DRP1 increases the sensitivity to cell death and its over-expression protects against apoptosis. Together, our findings highlight how regulation of mitochondrial dynamics allows cells to adapt their apoptotic response to the changing environment of differentiation.
The histone modification reader ZCWPW1 links histone methylation to PRDM9-induced double strand break repair
Authors: Huang Tao , Yuan Shenli , Gao Lei , Li Mengjing , Yu Xiaochen , Zhang Jianhong , Yin Yingying , Liu Chao , Zhang Chuanxin , Lu Gang , Li Wei , Liu Jiang , Chen Zi-Jiang , Liu Hongbin
Published: November 2019

The histone modification writer PRDM9 has been shown to deposit H3K4me3 and H3K36me3 at future double-strand break (DSB) sites during the very early stages of meiosis, but the reader of these marks remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that ZCWPW1 is an H3K4me3 reader that is required for DSB repair and synapsis in mouse testes. We generated H3K4me3 reader-dead ZCWPW1 mutant mice and found that their spermatocytes were arrested at the pachytene-like stage, which phenocopies theZcwpw1knock–out mice. Based on various ChIP-seq and immunofluorescence analyses using several mutants, we found that ZCWPW1’s occupancy on chromatin is strongly promoted by the histone-modification activity of PRDM9. ZCWPW1 localizes to DMC1-labelled hotspots in a largely PRDM9-dependent manner, where it facilitates completion of synapsis by mediating the DSB repair process. In sum, our study demonstrates the function of ZCWPW1 that acts as part of the selection system for epigenetics-based recombination hotspots in mammals.
From transactions to cooperation
Authors: Casalegno Cecilia , Migheli Matteo , Bonfanti Angelo , Maple Peter
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to add understanding to whether the supply chain (SC) of ancient grains, einkorn in particular, may activate the virtuous mechanisms that enable pursuing a new equilibrium based on relationships and joint interests.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts the single case study as a methodological approach. More precisely, it focusses on the SC of ancient grains in Piedmont (Italy) examining in detail Mulino Marino. Interviews with the management of this single player and to some farmers’ local associations were carried out.

Findings

The einkorn SC in Piedmont Region is an interesting case of short, local and direct SC because it aims at delivering a product that is more sustainable in terms of production, nutritional values and properties. In addition, this study confirms previous studies according to which for an effective supply chain management (SCM) it is important to implement the following conditions: the right equilibrium among SC players’ physiologically conflicting interests, players’ integration and transparent information among all the SC stakeholders, including final consumers.

Practical implications

The study offers implications for food managers involved in the (short) SCM.

Originality/value

Elements of originality can be identified in this research to the extension of studies on SCM in the ancient grains industry.
Heritage retrofit and cultural empathy; a discussion of challenges regarding the energy performance of historic UK timber-framed dwellings
Authors: Whitman Christopher J. , Prizeman Oriel , Walker Pete , Gwilliam Julie Amanda
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The energy retrofit of the existing building stock, and specifically the thermal upgrading of the buildings’ envelopes, has been identified as a key action for both the decarbonisation of the built environment and the reduction in fuel poverty. When considering the energy retrofit of heritage buildings it is, however, important to recognise both the technical issues that this entails and the potential impact on their cultural value and the emotional responses to it. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the thermal upgrading of historic timber-framed buildings in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper begins by exploring the cultural significance of this form of building construction, before examining three case studies using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Findings

The results show that whilst the application of energy retrofit actions to this emblematic typology may have limited success, the emotional connection of the buildings’ occupants often results in the work resulting in higher user satisfaction than would otherwise be expected.

Research limitations/implications

Although limited in number, the three case studies provide an insight into the complex issues surrounding the low energy retrofit of historic timber-framed buildings. Further research into this area is encouraged.

Practical implications

The paper contains the monitoring of specific retrofit details, the results of which should inform future projects.

Social implications

The review of the cultural significance of historic timber-frame buildings in the UK underlines the importance of the conservation and continuing survival of these buildings.

Originality/value

Previous heritage retrofit research in the UK has focussed on solid wall construction with little investigation into the issues surrounding the retrofit of historic timber-frame buildings. This paper explores this previously under-researched area. Additionally, this paper begins to explore the possible links between occupants’ emotional connection to historic buildings and their perceived levels of comfort.
Entrepreneurs’ attitudes toward seasonality in the tourism sector
Authors: Martin Martin Jose Maria , Guaita Martinez Jose Manuel
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that condition decision making by entrepreneurs in the tourism sector. Specifically, the authors consider whether the decisions related to seasonal closure are conditioned by non-economic factors related to quality of life.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses data from a survey of entrepreneurs in two highly seasonal tourist locations in Spain: one coastal destination and one mountain destination. The information provided by the survey was used to determine the factors that condition the decision to close for part of the year and to analyze the way in which entrepreneurs evaluate the costs and benefits associated with the period of closure.

Findings

The results show that entrepreneurs acknowledge the cost of shutting down during the off-peak season. However, although they recognize this cost, other elements are important in their decision making such as the quality of life of the entrepreneur, the presence of a more profitable secondary activity in a different destination and the tenure regime of the business. Entrepreneurs attach great importance to factors that justify the closure of establishments for several months a year. This, in turn, means that public policies designed to reduce the intensity of seasonality lose effectiveness.

Originality/value

This paper sheds light on whether there are underlying non-economic motives that lead to a shutdown during the off-peak season. There are no previous studies that analyze the influence of the decision to close and which consider aspects related to the quality of life of entrepreneurs. Therefore, the study presents the first analysis of entrepreneurs’ assessments of the costs and benefits of a seasonal resting period.
The use of budgetary and financial information by politicians in parliament: a case study
Authors: Jorge Susana , Jesus Maria Antónia Jorge de , Nogueira Sónia P.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to research the use of accounting information by politicians. Based on the Portuguese Parliament setting, it seeks to understand how useful politicians consider this information to be, what type of budgetary and financial information they use, and for what purposes. Finally, the research also seeks to find out whether politicians resort to expert intermediaries or advisors help them in the use of this information.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a qualitative and interpretative methodology, the study draws upon interviews with Members of Parliament in Portugal (and their technical advisors (TAs)) from all political parties, in particular the members of the Budget, Finance and Administrative Modernization Committee (COFMA) of the Parliament.

Findings

Research shows that, due to the general lack of knowledge and the complexity of the accounting information, politicians in the Parliament do not use it frequently, only occasionally. To be better or worse informed for the debates and other activities depends on each Member of Parliament’s personal willingness to prepare oneself, notwithstanding some aggregated and previously analyzed information made available by official technical support units. Parliamentarians may also resort to TAs, who prepare the information at their request. Both intermediaries and TAs are deemed important to support parliamentarians’ understanding of more technical budgetary and financial issues.

Practical implications

This paper shows that politicians acknowledge there is room for improving the role of information intermediaries and advisors, who would support them to better understand and use accounting information. Parliamentary groups incharge of hiring advisors, as well as accounting professionals, in Portugal and in other countries, must be aware of the very useful role accountants play in this process.

Social implications

While allowing to understand whether and how politicians use accounting information, this research contributes to the process of public sector accounting reforms in Portugal, and at an international level, inasmuch as public sector accounting and reporting standards should better address these users’ information needs. Assuming that these reforms would foster more accurate, transparent and useful information for accountability and decision making, it is essential that politicians acknowledge and become real users of accounting information, in order to accomplish those objectives.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the general knowledge of how politicians use accounting information. Academic studies so far have not gathered enough evidence about the type of accounting information that is actually important for politicians. This paper highlights that use of such information by politicians depends on individual skills and their willingness to receive the appropriate advice.
Mediating mechanisms linking developmental feedback with employee creativity
Authors: Thuan Le Cong , Thanh Bui Thi
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate mediating mechanisms linking leaders’ developmental feedback with employee creativity and the moderating role of intrinsic motivation in the effects of employees’ skills on employee creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data collected from 326 employees at information technology organizations in Vietnam, this study tested the hypotheses by using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results show that leaders’ developmental feedback has a positive indirect relationship with employee creativity via creativity-relevant skills, domain-relevant skills and intrinsic motivation. There are no significant differences in the effects of developmental feedback on employee creativity through proposed mediators. Further, intrinsic motivation positively moderates the impact of domain-relevant skills on employee creativity. However, intrinsic motivation does not moderate the effect of creativity-relevant skills on employee creativity.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first efforts to investigate intrinsic motivation as a motivational mechanism as well as creativity-relevant skills and domain-relevant skills as cognitive mechanisms for understanding the relationship between leaders’ developmental feedback and employee creativity. This research also examines how intrinsic motivation moderates the effects of employees’ skills on employee creativity.
Design of microfluidic experimental setup for the detection of heavy metal ions using piezoresistive BioMEMS sensor
Authors: Rotake Dinesh Ramkrushna , Darji Anand D. , Kale Nitin S.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a new microfluidic portable experimental platform for quick detection of heavy metal ions (HMIs) in picomolar range. The experimental setup uses a microfabricated piezoresistive sensor (MPS) array of eight cantilevers with ion-selective self-assembled monolayer's (SAM).

Design/methodology/approach

Most of the components used in this experimental setup are battery operated and, hence, portable to perform the on-field experiments. HMIs (antigen) and thiol-based SAM (antibody) interaction start bending the microcantilever. This results in a change of resistance, which is directly proportional to the surface stress produced due to the mass of targeted HMIs. The authors have used Cysteamine and 4-Mercaptobenzoic acid as a thiol for creating SAM to test the sensitivity and identify the suitable thiol. Some of the cantilevers are blocked using acetyl chloride to use as a reference for error detection.

Findings

The portable experimental platform achieves very small detection time of 10-25 min with a lower limit of detection (LOD) 0.762 ng (6.05 pM) for SAM of Cysteamine and 4-Mercaptobenzoic acid to detect Mn2+ ions. This technique has excellent potential and capability to selectively detect Hg2+ ions as low as 2.43 pM/mL using SAM of Homocysteine (Hcys)-Pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDCA).

Research limitations/implications

As microcantilever is very thin and fragile, it is challenging to apply a surface coating to have selective detection using Nanadispenser. Some of the cantilevers get broken during this process.

Originality/value

The excessive use and commercialization of NPs are quickly expanding their toxic impact on health and the environment. Also, LOD is limited to nanomolar range. The proposed method used the combination of thin-film, NPs, and MEMS-based technology to overcome the limitation of NPs-based technique and have picomolar range of HMIs detection.
Metabolic‐vascular coupling in skeletal muscle: A potential role for capillary pericytes?
Authors: Attrill Emily , Ramsay Ciaran , Ross Renee , Richards Stephen , Sutherland Brad A. , Keske Michelle A. , Eringa Etto , Premilovac Dino
Published: November 2019

The matching of capillary blood flow to metabolic rate of the cells within organs and tissues is a critical microvascular function which ensures appropriate delivery of hormones and nutrients, and the removal of waste products. This relationship is particularly important in tissues where local metabolism, and hence capillary blood flow, must be regulated to avoid a mismatch between nutrient demand and supply that would compromise normal function. The consequences of a mismatch in microvascular blood flow and metabolism are acutely apparent in the brain and heart, where a sudden cessation of blood flow, for example following an embolism, acutely manifests as stroke or myocardial infarction. Even in more resilient tissues such as skeletal muscle, a short‐term mismatch reduces muscle performance and exercise tolerance, and can cause intermittent claudication. In the longer‐term, a microvascular‐metabolic mismatch in skeletal muscle reduces insulin‐mediated muscle glucose uptake, leading to disturbances in whole‐body metabolic homeostasis. While the notion that capillary blood flow is fine‐tuned to meet cellular metabolism is well accepted, the mechanisms that control this function and where and how different parts of the vascular tree contribute to capillary blood flow regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we discuss the emerging evidence implicating pericytes, mural cells that surround capillaries, as key mediators that match tissue metabolic demand with adequate capillary blood flow in a number of organs, including skeletal muscle.
Safety of peripheral administration of vasopressor medications: A systematic review
Authors: Tian David H , Smyth Claire , Keijzers Gerben , Macdonald Stephen PJ , Peake Sandra , Udy Andrew , Delaney Anthony
Published: November 2019

Objective

Vasopressor medications have traditionally been administered via central venous catheters (CVCs), primarily due to concerns of peripheral extravasation of vasoconstrictive medications. Recent studies have suggested that vasopressor administration via peripheral intravenous catheters (PiVCs) may be a feasible and safe alternative. This systematic review evaluates the safety of delivering vasopressor medications via PiVCs.

Methods

We performed a systematic review to assess the frequency of complications associated with the delivery of vasopressors via PiVCs. A literature search for prospective and retrospective studies of vasopressor infusions in adults was performed. We included studies of continuous infusions of vasopressor medications (noradrenaline, adrenaline, metaraminol, phenylephrine, dopamine and vasopressin) delivered via a PiVCs that included at least 20 patients. Data on patient factors, cannulation approach, monitoring protocols, vasopressor dosing and dilutions and adverse events were collected and summarised.

Results

Seven studies were identified that fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including 1382 patients. No study fulfilled all of the validity criteria. Noradrenaline was the most commonly administered agent (n = 702 episodes of administration), followed by phenylephrine (n = 546), dopamine (n = 108), metaraminol (n = 74) and vasopressin and adrenaline (<5 patients). Mean duration of infusion was 22 h (95% confidence interval [CI] 8–36 h). Extravasation occurred in 3.4% (95% CI 2.5–4.7%) of patients. There were no reported episodes of tissue necrosis or limb ischaemia. All extravasation events were successfully managed conservatively or with vasodilatory medications.

Conclusions

Reports of the administration of vasopressors via PiVCs, when given for a limited duration, under close observation, suggest that extravasation is uncommon and is unlikely to lead to major complications.
Commentary on Benjamin Banta: Thinking through Practices that ‘Work’ in a Rapidly Changing World
Authors: Kaldor Mary
Published: November 2019

Benjamin Banta's thoughtful critique of my new wars argument illustrates how difficult it is to escape from prevailing ways of thinking about war. It is not utopianism that underlies my thinking, (though a dose of utopianism is always healthy); rather it an attempt to think through practices that ‘work’ in a rapidly changing world.
CamoGAN: Evolving optimum camouflage with Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Talas Laszlo , Fennell John G. , Kjernsmo Karin , Cuthill Innes C. , Scott‐Samuel Nicholas E. , Baddeley Roland J.
Published: November 2019

One of the most challenging issues in modelling the evolution of protective colouration is the immense number of potential combinations of colours and textures.

We describe CamoGAN, a novel method to exploit Generative Adversarial Networks to simulate an evolutionary arms race between the camouflage of a synthetic prey and its predator.

Patterns evolved using our methods are shown to provide progressively more effective concealment and outperform two recognized camouflage techniques, as validated by using humans as visual predators.

We believe CamoGAN will be highly useful, particularly for biologists, for rapidly developing and testing optimal camouflage or signalling patterns in multiple environments.
Cumulative energetic costs of military aircraft, recreational and natural disturbance in roosting shorebirds
Authors: van der Kolk H. , Krijgsveld K. L. , Linssen H. , Diertens R. , Dolman D. , Jans M. , Frauendorf M. , Ens B. J. , van de Pol M.
Published: November 2019

Knowing the consequences of disturbance for multiple species and all disturbance sources is crucial to mitigate disturbance impacts in densely populated areas. However, studies that observe the complete disturbance landscape to estimate cumulative costs of disturbance are scarce. Therefore, we quantified responses, frequencies and energetic costs of disturbance of four shorebird species on five high tide roosts in the Wadden Sea. Roosts were located either in a military air force training area or were predominantly affected by recreational disturbance. In the military training area, infrequent transport airplanes and bombing jets elicited the strongest responses, whereas regular, predictable activities of jet fighters and small civil airplanes elicited far smaller responses. Disturbance occurred more frequently at roosts near recreational than near military activities, as recreation was prohibited in the military area during operation days. On average, birds took flight due to military, recreational or natural disturbance (e.g. raptors) 0.20–1.27 times per hour. High tide disturbance increased daily energy expenditure by 0.1%–1.4%, of which 51% was due to anthropogenic disturbance in contrast to natural disturbance. Costs were low for curlews Numenius arquata, oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus and gulls Larus spp, but higher – and potentially critical – for bar‐tailed godwits Limosa lapponica as they were most susceptible to aircraft and raptors. Given that bar‐tailed godwits have previously been found to be least susceptible to walker disturbances, our results suggest that interspecific differences in susceptibility depend on disturbance source type. In our study area, aircraft disturbance impacts can be reduced by avoiding jet fighter activities during periods when high water levels force birds closer to military targets and by limiting bombing and transport airplane exercises.
3D Printing for veterinary anatomy: An overview
Authors: Wilhite Ray , Wölfel Inga
Published: November 2019

Many applications for 3D printing have appeared in the field of veterinary medicine, including many opportunities to use 3D‐printed models in anatomical teaching. Here, we present background information on the basic types of 3D printers as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each type. We discuss methods for obtaining 3D models which can range from downloading of models to primary collection of data from CT and MRI data sets or even generating models using 3D modelling software. We review the various types of software needed to both process 3D data as well as software needed to prepare the 3D models for printing. The size and complexity of the desired model will dictate the type(s) of printer(s) which can be used. Cost, print resolution desired and cleanup time for prints are also key factors to consider when choosing a 3D printer. Here, we presented four specific examples of how 3D prints can be used for teaching veterinary gross anatomy. Examples using fused deposition modelling, stereolithography and colourjet printing printers are given to show the wide range of anatomical models that can be made using the various 3D printing techniques.
Linking family incivility to workplace incivility: Mediating role of negative emotions and moderating role of self‐efficacy for emotional regulation
Authors: Naeem Muhammad , Weng Qingxiong (Derek) , Ali Ahmed , Hameed Zahid
Published: November 2019

The research on work‐related antecedents of workplace incivility (WI) is well‐established, yet relatively less attention has been paid to non‐work‐related experiences as key antecedents to employees’ incivility at work. Drawing upon the incivility spiraling framework and spillover theory, we use a moderated‐mediation model to investigate the impact of employees’ experience of family incivility on their behavioral WI through the mediation of negative emotions and the moderation of self‐efficacy for emotional regulation (SEER). The multisource field data also demonstrate general support for the hypothesized relationships. Findings revealed that negative emotions carry the spiraling effect from family incivility to WI. In addition, SEER moderated the positive direct relationship of experienced family incivility and negative emotions, and indirect association with behavioral WI. These findings have implications for theory and management alike, further suggesting directions for future research.
Predictors of microcredit default in Indian self‐help groups
Authors: Panda Debadutta , Reddy Sriharsha
Published: November 2019

This exploratory study was conducted to examine the reasons behind credit defaults in Self‐help Group‐based microfinance programs in India. The study adopted the mixed‐method approach. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to collect information, and thematic analysis was followed to analyze data to identify the possible causes of loan defaults in self‐help groups (SHGs). Further, 120 defaulting and 120 performing SHGs were selected through stratified random sampling method. Finally, 960 respondents were randomly selected from 240 SHGs to collect information for quantitative inquiry. The ordinary least square (OLS) and probit models were engaged to process the data. This study identified three important attribution sets causing credit defaults, (i) bank‐related attributes, (ii) agency related attributes, and (iii) group dynamics. The probability of defaults in SHGs was predicted by the amount of loan disbursed by bank, agency's help in enterprise development, age of the microenterprise, microentrepreneurship of the SHG member, SHG visits to the bank, members dropped out from SHG, tenure of the president and secretary, and monthly membership saving in the SHG.
New Maritimity and Heritagization in Catalonia’s Small‐Scale Fisheries
Authors: Doyon Sabrina , Carbonell Eliseu
Published: November 2019

Catalonia is undergoing a process of maritime heritagization embedded in the coast’s postindustrial context and the growing intensification of tourism over the past 50 years, providing some small‐scale fishermen with opportunities to adapt to the current fishery crisis. These initiatives are transforming conventional fishing patterns and may take different shapes: services for tourists who want to go out on the water for a day of “real fishing” on boat tours, the use and restoration of centuries‐old ships, and local seafood catering services providing meals on land and at sea. This paper explores these initiatives in light of new mobility studies, aiming to analyze the changes that are occurring in the work of small‐scale fisheries, to situate them in a wider structural context, and to understand the extent of these recent transformations and how they are tied to heritagization mechanisms. We wish to shed light on whether these changes are related to a decrease in small‐scale fishing activity and a related loss in local environmental knowledge, or a form of renewal of local fishing practices and of “being in the coastal world.” Could it be the dawn of a “new maritimity,” a part of the rising “new rurality”?
Emotional Labor On and Off Water
Authors: Roseman Sharon R.
Published: November 2019

This article focuses on the emotional labor requirements of crew working within the intra‐provincial ferry system in Newfoundland and Labrador, on Canada's North Atlantic coast. The argument draws on fieldwork interviews with crew and passengers, participant observation on the most intensive daily maritime commuting route in the province, and documentary sources. It builds on the theoretical framework first laid out by Arlie Russell Hochschild in her 1983 book The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. As is the case of examples of emotional labor in other economic sectors, the crew working in this public transportation system regularly modulate their own emotional reactions in order to interact effectively with passengers and coworkers who are often contending with frequent delays and uncertainties in this ferry system, which can be considered an example of precarious aquamobility.
Increased frequency of CD4+PD‐1+HLA‐DR+ T cells is associated with disease progression in CLL
Authors: Elston Lauren , Fegan Chris , Hills Robert , Hashimdeen Shaikh S. , Walsby Elisabeth , Henley Peter , Pepper Chris , Man Stephen
Published: November 2019

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients often have abnormal expansions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and this can be associated with progressive disease. To characterise the key T‐cell populations involved in this phenomenon, we used flow cytometry and 11 phenotypic markers to study 74 CLL patients and 14 controls. T cells of CLL patients were more phenotypically complex than those of healthy controls with significant increases in the frequencies of CD4 and CD8 memory T cells expressing exhaustion‐, activation‐ and senescence‐associated markers. Multivariate analysis of 111 different T‐cell subsets showed that high frequencies of four subsets (three CD8 and one CD4) were associated with shorter progression‐free survival. The most significant association was with CD4+HLA‐DR+PD‐1+ T cells, and patients could be stratified into high‐ and low‐risk groups based on the frequency of these T cells. The expansion of this CD4+ subset could not be accounted for by age, cytomegalovirus infection or increases in Treg cells. Overall, these results highlight two relatively simple biomarkers, percentage CD8+ and percentage CD4+PD‐1+HLA‐DR+ T cells, which can be used to risk‐stratify CLL patients, independent of other tumour‐associated markers. They also provide further evidence for the pivotal role of T cells in modulating the pathology of CLL.
The transportome of the malaria parasite
Authors: Martin Rowena E.
Published: November 2019

Membrane transport proteins, also known as transporters, control the movement of ions, nutrients, metabolites, and waste products across the membranes of a cell and are central to its biology. Proteins of this type also serve as drug targets and are key players in the phenomenon of drug resistance. The malaria parasite has a relatively reduced transportome, with only approximately 2.5% of its genes encoding transporters. Even so, assigning functions and physiological roles to these proteins, and ascertaining their contributions to drug action and drug resistance, has been very challenging. This review presents a detailed critique and synthesis of the disruption phenotypes, protein subcellular localisations, protein functions (observed or predicted), and links to antimalarial drug resistance for each of the parasite's transporter genes. The breadth and depth of the gene disruption data are particularly impressive, with at least one phenotype determined in the parasite's asexual blood stage for each transporter gene, and multiple phenotypes available for 76% of the genes. Analysis of the curated data set revealed there to be relatively little redundancy in the Plasmodium transportome; almost two‐thirds of the parasite's transporter genes are essential or required for normal growth in the asexual blood stage of the parasite, and this proportion increased to 78% when the disruption phenotypes available for the other parasite life stages were included in the analysis. These observations, together with the finding that 22% of the transportome is implicated in the parasite's resistance to existing antimalarials and/or drugs within the development pipeline, indicate that transporters are likely to serve, or are already serving, as drug targets. Integration of the different biological and bioinformatic data sets also enabled the selection of candidates for transport processes known to be essential for parasite survival, but for which the underlying proteins have thus far remained undiscovered. These include potential transporters of pantothenate, isoleucine, or isopentenyl diphosphate, as well as putative anion‐selective channels that may serve as the pore component of the parasite's ‘new permeation pathways’. Other novel insights into the parasite's biology included the identification of transporters for the potential development of antimalarial treatments, transmission‐blocking drugs, prophylactics, and genetically attenuated vaccines. The syntheses presented herein set a foundation for elucidating the functions and physiological roles of key members of the Plasmodium transportome and, ultimately, to explore and realise their potential as therapeutic targets.
Establishing core outcome sets for gastrointestinal recovery in studies of postoperative ileus and small bowel obstruction: protocol for a nested methodological study
Authors: Chapman S. J. , Lee M. J. , Blackwell S. , Arnott R. , ten Broek R. P. G. , Delaney C. P. , Dudi‐Venkata N. N. , Hind D. , Jayne D. G. , Mellor K. , Mishra A. , O’Grady G. , Sammour T. , Thorpe G. , Wells C. I. , Wolthuis A. M. , Fearnhead N. S. ,   the Tripartite Gastrointestinal Recovery Group
Published: November 2019

Introduction

Gastrointestinal recovery describes the restoration of normal bowel function in patients with bowel disease. This may be prolonged in two common clinical settings: postoperative ileus and small bowel obstruction. Improving gastrointestinal recovery is a research priority but researchers are limited by variation in outcome reporting across clinical studies. This protocol describes the development of core outcome sets for gastrointestinal recovery in the contexts of postoperative ileus and small bowel obstruction.

Method

An international Steering Group consisting of patient and clinician representatives has been established. As overlap between clinical contexts is anticipated, both outcome sets will be co‐developed and may be combined to form a common output with disease‐specific domains. The development process will comprise three phases, including definition of outcomes relevant to postoperative ileus and small bowel obstruction from systematic literature reviews and nominal‐group stakeholder discussions; online‐facilitated Delphi surveys via international networks; and a consensus meeting to ratify the final output. A nested study will explore if the development of overlapping outcome sets can be rationalized.

Dissemination and implementation

The final output will be registered with the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials initiative. A multi‐faceted, quality improvement campaign for the reporting of gastrointestinal recovery in clinical studies will be launched, targeting international professional and patient groups, charitable organizations and editorial committees. Success will be explored via an updated systematic review of outcomes 5 years after registration of the core outcome set.
Local perceptions of conservation objectives in an alternative livelihoods program outside Bardia National Park, Nepal
Authors: LeClerq Ariane T. , Gore Meredith L. , Lopez Maria C. , Kerr John M.
Published: November 2019

Promoting alternative livelihoods that do not depend on exploiting biodiversity is a common approach to encourage proconservation attitudes and behaviors among people around protected areas in developing countries. To what extent do participants in alternative livelihoods programs understand the intended connection to conservation objectives? This often‐overlooked question is important for understanding program effectiveness. We use exploratory qualitative research to investigate this question in the buffer zone around Nepal's Bardia National Park. We also examine participants' attitudes and behaviors toward conservation. Overall, we find low awareness of the program's conservation objectives. People participating in alternative livelihood activities with a direct connection to conservation, for example, employment in the tourism industry, developing alternative energy that substitutes for biomass from the park, and efforts to limit human‐wildlife conflict, are more likely to understand and appreciate the connection to conservation than those receiving alternative livelihood options unrelated to conservation, for example sewing and tailoring. Their attitudes and behavior towards conservation follow similar patterns. Our findings call for conservation programs to establish systems to monitor participants' understanding of their conservation objectives and how this connects to their attitudes and behaviors towards conservation.