bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mirror extensions of rational vertex operator algebras
Authors: Lin Xingjun
Published: May 2015

In this paper, mirror extensions of rational vertex operator algebras are considered. The mirror extension conjecture is proved.
Levinas the Novelist
Authors: Davis Colin
Published: May 2015

The publication of the first volumes of Emmanuel Levinas's
Œuvres
reveals an unexpected side to his work. In his article ‘La Réalité et son ombre’ (1948) he condemns art for being obscure and mystifying. Nevertheless, his posthumous papers show that he had literary ambitions which persisted well beyond the end of the Second World War. Fragments of two novels have been preserved, both dealing with the experience of war. Taken together, his published and unpublished work indicates that, for him, literary and philosophical projects were both antagonistic and intertwined, at least during the key period of his development in the 1940s and 1950s. The publication of his great philosophical work of 1961,
Totalité et infini
, might appear to signal a definitive choice of philosophy over literature; yet that book also incorporates some aspects of Levinas's literary endeavours into its dense fabric, in particular the disruptive effects of war on meaning and ethics. The publication of Levinas's literary fragments reveals a hitherto unknown aspect of his work that complicates and renews our understanding of his philosophical endeavour.
Assessing uncertainty of a multispecies size-spectrum model resulting from process and observation errors
Authors: Zhang Chongliang , Chen Yong , Ren Yiping
Published: May 2015

Ecosystem models, specifically multispecies dynamic models, have been increasingly used to project impacts of fishing activity on the trophodynamics of ecosystems to support ecosystem-based fisheries management. Uncertainty is unavoidable in modelling processes and needs to be recognized and properly quantified before models are utilized. Uncertainty was assessed in this study for a multispecies size-spectrum model that quantifies community structure and ecological characteristics. The uncertainty was assumed to result from errors in fish life-history and metabolic scale parameters, environmental variability, fishing variability, and sampling errors. Given the same level of imprecision, metabolic scale parameters had the dominant influence on the uncertainty of the size spectrum modelling results, followed by life-history parameters. Both types of errors led to “scenario uncertainty”, suggesting the possible existence of alternative states of community structure. Environmental variability, fishing variability, and observation errors resulted in “statistical uncertainty”, implying that such uncertainty can be described adequately in statistical terms. The results derived from such a simulation study can provide guidance for identifying research priorities to help narrow the gap in scientific knowledge and reduce the uncertainty in fisheries management.
Does dishonesty really invite third-party punishment? Results of a more stringent test
Authors: Konishi Naoki , Ohtsubo Yohsuke
Published: May 2015

Many experiments have demonstrated that people are willing to incur cost to punish norm violators even when they are not directly harmed by the violation. Such altruistic third-party punishment is often considered an evolutionary underpinning of large-scale human cooperation. However, some scholars argue that previously demonstrated altruistic third-party punishment against
fairness
-norm violations may be an experimental artefact. For example, envy-driven retaliatory behaviour (i.e. spite) towards better-off unfair game players may be misidentified as altruistic punishment. Indeed, a recent experiment demonstrated that participants ceased to inflict third-party punishment against an unfair player once a series of key methodological problems were systematically controlled for. Noticing that a previous finding regarding apparently altruistic third-party punishment against
honesty
-norm violations may have been subject to methodological issues, we used a different and what we consider to be a more sound design to evaluate these findings. Third-party punishment against dishonest players withstood this more stringent test.
Existence of affine realizations for stochastic partial differential equations driven by Lévy processes
Authors: Tappe Stefan
Published: May 2015

The goal of this paper is to clarify when a semilinear stochastic partial differential equation driven by Lévy processes admits an affine realization. Our results are accompanied by several examples arising in natural sciences and economics.
Habitual action video game playing is associated with caudate nucleus-dependent navigational strategies
Authors: West Greg L. , Drisdelle Brandi Lee , Konishi Kyoko , Jackson Jonathan , Jolicoeur Pierre , Bohbot Veronique D.
Published: May 2015

The habitual playing of video games is associated with increased grey matter and activity in the striatum. Studies in humans and rodents have shown an inverse relationship between grey matter in the striatum and hippocampus. We investigated whether action video game playing is also associated with increased use of response learning strategies during navigation, known to be dependent on the caudate nucleus of the striatum, when presented in a dual solution task. We tested 26 action video game players (actionVGPs) and 33 non-action video game players (nonVGPs) on the 4-on-8 virtual maze and a visual attention event-related potential (ERP) task, which elicits a robust N-2-posterior-controlateral (N2pc) component. We found that actionVGPs had a significantly higher likelihood of using a response learning strategy (80.76%) compared to nonVGPs (42.42%). Consistent with previous evidence, actionVGPs and nonVGPs differed in the way they deployed visual attention to central and peripheral targets as observed in the elicited N2pc component during an ERP visual attention task. Increased use of the response strategy in actionVGPs is consistent with previously observed increases in striatal volume in video game players (VGPs). Using response strategies is associated with decreased grey matter in the hippocampus. Previous studies have shown that decreased volume in the hippocampus precedes the onset of many neurological and psychiatric disorders. If actionVGPs have lower grey matter in the hippocampus, as response learners normally do, then these individuals could be at increased risk of developing neurological and psychiatric disorders during their lifetime.
Plasticity in thermal tolerance has limited potential to buffer ectotherms from global warming
Authors: Gunderson Alex R. , Stillman Jonathon H.
Published: May 2015

Global warming is increasing the overheating risk for many organisms, though the potential for plasticity in thermal tolerance to mitigate this risk is largely unknown. In part, this shortcoming stems from a lack of knowledge about global and taxonomic patterns of variation in tolerance plasticity. To address this critical issue, we test leading hypotheses for broad-scale variation in ectotherm tolerance plasticity using a dataset that includes vertebrate and invertebrate taxa from terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats. Contrary to expectation, plasticity in heat tolerance was unrelated to latitude or thermal seasonality. However, plasticity in cold tolerance is associated with thermal seasonality in some habitat types. In addition, aquatic taxa have approximately twice the plasticity of terrestrial taxa. Based on the observed patterns of variation in tolerance plasticity, we propose that limited potential for behavioural plasticity (i.e. behavioural thermoregulation) favours the evolution of greater plasticity in physiological traits, consistent with the ‘Bogert effect’. Finally, we find that all ectotherms have relatively low acclimation in thermal tolerance and demonstrate that overheating risk will be minimally reduced by acclimation in even the most plastic groups. Our analysis indicates that behavioural and evolutionary mechanisms will be critical in allowing ectotherms to buffer themselves from extreme temperatures.
Ade novoDNA Sequencing and Variant Calling Algorithm for Nanopores
Authors: Szalay Tamas , Golovchenko Jene A.
Published: May 2015

The single-molecule accuracy of nanopore sequencing has been an area of rapid academic and commercial advancement, but remains insufficient for thede novoanalysis of genomes. We introduce here a novel algorithm for the error correction of nanopore data, utilizing statistical models of the physical system in order to obtain high accuracyde novosequences at a range of coverage depths. We demonstrate the technique by sequencing M13 bacteriophage DNA to 99% accuracy at moderate coverage as well as its use in an assembly pipeline by sequencing λ DNA at a range of coverages. We also show the algorithm’s ability to accurately classify sequence variants at far lower coverage than existing methods.
Untangling the roles of parasites in food webs with generative network models
Authors: Jacobs Abigail Z. , Dunne Jennifer A. , Moore Cristopher , Clauset Aaron
Published: May 2015

Food webs represent the set of consumer-resource interactions among a set of species that co-occur in a habitat, but most food web studies have omitted parasites and their interactions. Recent studies have provided conflicting evidence on whether including parasites changes food web structure, with some suggesting that parasitic interactions are structurally distinct from those among free-living species while others claim the opposite. Here, we describe a principled method for understanding food web structure that combines an efficient optimization algorithm from statistical physics called parallel tempering with a probabilistic generalization of the empirically well-supported food web niche model. This generative model approach allows us to rigorously estimate the degree to which interactions that involve parasites are statistically distinguishable from interactions among free-living species, whether parasite niches behave similarly to free-living niches, and the degree to which existing hypotheses about food web structure are naturally recovered. We apply this method to the well-studied Flensburg Fjord food web and show that while predation on parasites, concomitant predation of parasites, and parasitic intraguild trophic interactions are largely indistinguishable from free-living predation interactions, parasite-host interactions are different. These results provide a powerful new tool for evaluating the impact of classes of species and interactions on food web structure to shed new light on the roles of parasites in food webs.
Diagnosis of coronary heart diseases using gene expression profiling; stable coronary artery disease, cardiac ischemia with and without myocardial necrosis
Authors: Kazmi Nabila , Gaunt Tom
Published: May 2015

Cardiovascular disease including coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of death in Europe, and is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. With the advancements in genomic tools and technologies there is potential to predict and diagnose heart disease using molecular data from analysis of blood cells. We analyzed gene expression data from blood samples taken from normal people (n=21), non-significant coronary artery disease (n=93), patients with unstable angina (n=16), stable coronary artery disease (n=14) and myocardial infarction (MI; n=207). We used a feature selection approach to identify a set of gene expression variables which successfully differentiate different cardiovascular diseases. The initial features were discovered by fitting a linear model for each probe set across all arrays of normal individuals and patients with myocardial infarction. Three different feature optimisation algorithms were devised which identified two most discriminating sets of genes one using MI and normal controls (total genes=8) and another one using MI and unstable angina patients (total genes=17). The results proved the diagnostic robustness of the final feature sets in discriminating not only patients with myocardial infraction from healthy controls but also from patients with clinical symptoms of cardiac ischemia with myocardial necrosis and stable coronary artery disease despite the influence of batch effects and different microarray gene chips and platforms. selection approach to identify a set of gene expression variables which successfully differentiate different cardiovascular diseases. The initial features were discovered by fitting a linear model for each probe set across all arrays of normal individuals and patients with myocardial infarction. Three different feature optimisation algorithms were devised which identified two most discriminating sets of genes one using MI and normal controls (total genes=8) and another one using MI and unstable angina patients (total genes=17). The results proved the diagnostic robustness of the final feature sets in discriminating not only patients with myocardial infraction from healthy controls but also from patients with clinical symptoms of cardiac ischemia with myocardial necrosis and stable coronary artery disease despite the influence of batch effects and different microarray gene chips and platforms.
Genetic interactions contribute less than additive effects to quantitative trait variation in yeast
Authors: Bloom Joshua S. , Kotenko Iulia , Sadhu Meru J. , Treusch Sebastian , Albert Frank W. , Kruglyak Leonid
Published: May 2015

Genetic mapping studies of quantitative traits typically focus on detecting loci that contribute additively to trait variation. Genetic interactions are often proposed as a contributing factor to trait variation, but the relative contribution of interactions to trait variation is a subject of debate. Here, we use a very large cross between two yeast strains to accurately estimate the fraction of phenotypic variance due to pairwise QTL-QTL interactions for 20 quantitative traits. We find that this fraction is 9% on average, substantially less than the contribution of additive QTL (43%). Statistically significant QTL-QTL pairs typically have small individual effect sizes, but collectively explain 40% of the pairwise interaction variance. We show that pairwise interaction variance is largely explained by pairs of loci at least one of which has a significant additive effect. These results refine our understanding of the genetic architecture of quantitative traits and help guide future mapping studies.
Position-specific binding of FUS to nascent RNA regulates mRNA length
Authors: Masuda Akio , Takeda Jun-ichi , Okuno Tatsuya , Okamoto Takaaki , Ohkawara Bisei , Ito Mikako , Ishigaki Shinsuke , Sobue Gen , Ohno Kinji
Published: May 2015

More than half of all human genes produce prematurely terminated polyadenylated short mRNAs. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. CLIP-seq (cross-linking immunoprecipitation [CLIP] combined with deep sequencing) of FUS (fused in sarcoma) in neuronal cells showed that FUS is frequently clustered around an alternative polyadenylation (APA) site of nascent RNA. ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation [ChIP] combined with deep sequencing) of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) demonstrated that FUS stalls RNAP II and prematurely terminates transcription. When an APA site is located upstream of an FUS cluster, FUS enhances polyadenylation by recruiting CPSF160 and up-regulates the alternative short transcript. In contrast, when an APA site is located downstream from an FUS cluster, polyadenylation is not activated, and the RNAP II-suppressing effect of FUS leads to down-regulation of the alternative short transcript. CAGE-seq (cap analysis of gene expression [CAGE] combined with deep sequencing) and PolyA-seq (a strand-specific and quantitative method for high-throughput sequencing of 3' ends of polyadenylated transcripts) revealed that position-specific regulation of mRNA lengths by FUS is operational in two-thirds of transcripts in neuronal cells, with enrichment in genes involved in synaptic activities.
Hypoxia drives transient site-specific copy gain and drug-resistant gene expression
Authors: Black Joshua C. , Atabakhsh Elnaz , Kim Jaegil , Biette Kelly M. , Van Rechem Capucine , Ladd Brendon , Burrowes Paul d. , Donado Carlos , Mattoo Hamid , Kleinstiver Benjamin P. , Song Bing , Andriani Grasiella , Joung J. Keith , Iliopoulos Othon , Montagna Cristina , Pillai Shiv , Getz Gad , Whetstine Johnathan R.
Published: May 2015

Copy number heterogeneity is a prominent feature within tumors. The molecular basis for this heterogeneity remains poorly characterized. Here, we demonstrate that hypoxia induces transient site-specific copy gains (TSSGs) in primary, nontransformed, and transformed human cells. Hypoxia-driven copy gains are not dependent on HIF1α or HIF2α; however, they are dependent on the KDM4A histone demethylase and are blocked by inhibition of KDM4A with a small molecule or the natural metabolite succinate. Furthermore, this response is conserved at a syntenic region in zebrafish cells. Regions with site-specific copy gain are also enriched for amplifications in hypoxic primary tumors. These tumors exhibited amplification and overexpression of the drug resistance gene CKS1B, which we recapitulated in hypoxic breast cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that hypoxia provides a biological stimulus to create transient site-specific copy alterations that could result in heterogeneity within tumors and cell populations. These findings have major implications in our understanding of copy number heterogeneity and the emergence of drug resistance genes in cancer.
Cellular projections from sensory hair cells form polarity-specific scaffolds during synaptogenesis
Authors: Dow Eliot , Siletti Kimberly , Hudspeth Albert J.
Published: May 2015

The assembly of a nervous system requires the extension of axons and dendrites to specific regions where they are matched with appropriate synaptic targets. Although the cues that guide long-range outgrowth have been characterized extensively, additional mechanisms are required to explain short-range guidance in neural development. Using a complementary combination of time-lapse imaging by fluorescence confocal microscopy and serial block-face electron microscopy, we identified a novel type of presynaptic projection that participates in the assembly of the vertebrate nervous system. Synapse formation by each hair cell of the zebrafish's lateral line occurs during a particular interval after the cell's birth. During the same period, projections emerge from the cellular soma, extending toward a specific subpopulation of mature hair cells and interacting with polarity-specific afferent nerve terminals. The terminals then extend along the projections to reach appropriately matched presynaptic sites, after which the projections recede. Our results suggest that presynaptic projections act as transient scaffolds for short-range partner matching, a mechanism that may occur elsewhere in the nervous system.
The three ‘P’s of mitophagy: PARKIN, PINK1, and post-translational modifications
Authors: Durcan Thomas M. , Fon Edward A.
Published: May 2015

Two Parkinson's disease (PD)-associated proteins, the mitochondrial kinase PINK1 and the E3-ubiquitin (Ub) ligase PARKIN, are central to mitochondrial quality control. In this pathway, PINK1 accumulates on defective mitochondria, eliciting the translocation of PARKIN from the cytosol to mediate the clearance of damaged mitochondria via autophagy (mitophagy). Throughout the different stages of mitophagy, post-translational modifications (PTMs) are critical for the regulation of PINK1 and PARKIN activity and function. Indeed, activation and recruitment of PARKIN onto damaged mitochondria involves PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of both PARKIN and Ub. Through a stepwise cascade, PARKIN is converted from an autoinhibited enzyme into an active phospho-Ub-dependent E3 ligase. Upon activation, PARKIN ubiquitinates itself in concert with many different mitochondrial substrates. The Ub conjugates attached to these substrates can in turn be phosphorylated by PINK1, which triggers further cycles of PARKIN recruitment and activation. This feed-forward amplification loop regulates both PARKIN activity and mitophagy. However, the precise steps and sequence of PTMs in this cascade are only now being uncovered. For instance, the Ub conjugates assembled by PARKIN consist predominantly of noncanonical K6-linked Ub chains. Moreover, these modifications are reversible and can be disassembled by deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), including Ub-specific protease 8 (USP8), USP15, and USP30. However, PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of Ub can impede the activity of these DUBs, adding a new layer of complexity to the regulation of PARKIN-mediated mitophagy by PTMs. It is therefore evident that further insight into how PTMs regulate the PINK1–PARKIN pathway will be critical for our understanding of mitochondrial quality control.
Multiple crystal forms ofN,N′-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase fromPyrococcus furiosus
Authors: Nakamura Tsutomu , Niiyama Mayumi , Hashimoto Wakana , Ida Kurumi , Abe Manabu , Morita Junji , Uegaki Koichi
Published: May 2015

NativeN,N′-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase fromPyrococcus furiosus(Pf-Dac) and its selenomethionine derivative (Se-Pf-Dac) were crystallized and analyzed in the presence and absence of cadmium ion. The four crystal structures fell into three different crystal-packing groups, with the cadmium-free Pf-Dac and Se-Pf-Dac belonging to the same space group, with homologous unit-cell parameters. The crystal structures in the presence of cadmium contained distorted octahedral cadmium complexes coordinated by three chlorides, two O atoms and an S or Se atom from the N-terminal methionine or selenomethionine, respectively. The N-terminal cadmium complex was involved in crystal contacts between symmetry-related molecules through hydrogen bonding to the N-termini. While all six N-termini of Se-Pf-Dac were involved in cadmium-complex formation, only two of the Pf-Dac N-termini participated in complex formation in the Cd-containing crystal, resulting in different crystal forms. These differences are discussed in light of the higher stability of the Cd—Se bond than the Cd—S bond. This work provides an example of the contribution of cadmium towards determining protein crystal quality and packing depending on the use of the native protein or the selenomethionine derivative.
Determinants of livestock farmers’ perception of future droughts and adoption of mitigating plans
Authors: Rakgase Mmofa Amos , Norris David
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to determine if there is an association between farmers’ socio-economic profile and their perception of climate change and related events (drought). Understanding of farmers’ perceptions of drought and climate change may assist in informing policy decisions and development of appropriate intervention strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Discriminant analysis was used to assess the relative importance of the discriminating characteristics (socio-economic characteristics) through the utilization of the weights of the discriminant function.

Findings

– Age, education, literacy level, farm type, location and gender were important predictors of how farmers perceive climate change and drought phenomena.

Originality/value

– Most of the studies carried out in the study area were largely descriptive and did not find the association between farmer socio-economic profiles and how they perceive climate change and drought events. This paper also uses discriminant analysis which has been rarely used in this type of study.
The signals of green governance on mitigation of climate change – evidence from Chinese firms
Authors: Kuo Lopin , Yu Hui-Cheng , Chang Bao-Guang
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to examines whether Chinese firms’ signals of green governance, including environmental management, green innovation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) and pollution emission, vary significantly with their ownership structure and aim of being environmentally sensitive.

Design/methodology/approach

– From corporate social responsibility (CSR)-China website and CNINFO, a total of 781 CSR reports released during 2008-2010 were collected. The collected data were coded and analyzed using content analysis.

Findings

– In overall disclosure of environmental protection information (TotalEP), no significant difference existed between state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately owned enterprises (POEs). Chinese environmentally sensitive industries (ESIs) have a tendency to disclose significantly more information about their actions of environmental protection than their counterparts. Moreover, SOEs and ESIs scored higher than their counterparts on energy saving and carbon reduction and development of circular economy. A steady increase was also observed in the disclosure ratio for CO2emission. During 2008-2010, SOEs and ESIs were relatively more committed to the disclosure of SO2emission as compared to other emission items.

Practical implications

– Managers should disclose signals of green governance actively to avoid adverse selection caused by information asymmetry which further lower their financing cost.

Originality/value

– There is still a lack of evidence as to whether Chinese firms are implementing actions to slow down climate change. This paper endeavours to provide an insight into Chinese firms’ compliance with the green governance requirements of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. The study hopes to fill the current gap in understanding the environmental behaviours of Chinese firms under pressure to alleviate climate change.
Do wildfire experiences influence views on climate change?
Authors: Millar Joanne Elaine , Boon Helen , King David
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the influence of wildfire events on community perceptions of climate change and the risk of future wildfire disasters in southern Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study was located around Beechworth in northeast Victoria, where wildfires occurred in 2003 and 2009. Semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus group interviews were conducted in 2010, involving 40 people from local businesses, government and property owners.

Findings

– The authors conclude that people’s experiences of recent consecutive wildfire events did not necessarily influence their views on climate change in general or as a causal agent of wildfire events. However, there was general agreement that weather conditions had been extreme in recent times. Some attributed the increase in wildfires to factors other than climate change that were more easily observed.

Research limitations/implications

– Further research is needed into the relationship between wildfire experiences, climate change views and adaptive behaviours across a wider range of social contexts. Research needs to determine if views and behaviours change over time or with frequency or severity of fires.

Practical implications

– Understanding the nature of potential wildfires, and being able to prepare and respond to such events, is more important than believing in climate change, as views may not change in response to fire events. Strategies need to focus on supporting people to prepare, respond and recover from wildfires, regardless of their climate change perceptions.

Social implications

– Paying attention to people’s local social context and how it influences their beliefs about climate change will allow sensitive and adaptive strategies to evolve over time.

Originality/value

– There is limited research into relationships between disaster experiences and perceptions of climate change, particularly the influence of wildfire experiences.
Small business growth: strategic goals and owner preparedness
Authors: Weber Paull , Geneste Louis Andre , Connell Julia
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to identify and empirically test whether growth preparedness and success perceptions are important, discriminating small business owner (SBO) characteristics that influence strategic direction. The intended outcome was to create a strategic typology that resonates with the realities of small business owners, their advisors and policy makers.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical data were collected online and by postal survey from 340 small businesses from multiple industry sectors across Australia. Analysis is correlational resulting in the development of a 2 × 2 matrix of strategy types.

Findings

– This paper provides evidence that although a majority of SBOs are not preparing for growth, many still perceive their business as successful. Further, the empirical data demonstrate that growth preparedness and perceived success can be used to classify SBOs into distinct strategic types. While the categories developed show some similarities with the Miles and Snow (1978) typology, they also highlight divergent qualities. Consequently, this paper identifies circumstances where small business strategy must be treated differently from the larger enterprises for which the Miles and Snow typology was developed.

Practical implications

– By providing a concise tool for inclusion in surveys, researchers and practitioners can identify varying strategic types within their own targeted business cohorts.

Originality/value

– The growth/success matrix is original, the value for policy makers and other professionals assisting and supporting SBOs lies in its simplicity as a tool for identifying strategic types in any small business population. Specifically, the matrix provides a valid and reliable empirical analysis tool where none previously existed.
Heritage and development outside the metropolis
Authors: Svensson Eva
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of heritage and participation to sustainable development in a postindustrial context. Special attention is paid to the problematic fields of attractiveness, growth and participation. New ways of working this field are called for.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study relies on retrospectiveparticipatory observation, citizen participation and document analysis.

Findings

– There is a complex relationship between experts and citizens/participants, and heritage and history are considered to be domains of experts. Therefore heritage projects have problems surviving the exodus of experts. Heritage is not perceived as asset for building new businesses by most citizens, but as values “out there”. Heritage may function as a meeting place, attracting different groups of people, but there are complex mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion. A model and a method are put forward for uniting experts and citizens, and driving the integration of heritage in other sectors of society to create innovative sustainability processes.

Research limitations/implications

– A single case study, taking place under special conditions. However, both the results and the context correspond well with similar studies.

Practical implications

– Furthering of integration of heritage management and antiquarian actions in other societal sectors.

Social implications

– More stable networks of citizens/stakeholders and antiquarians.

Originality/value

– A fairly large project involving a multitude of stakeholders and societal interests.
Leveraging environmental scanning methods to identify knowledge management activities in transportation
Authors: Bedford Denise , Harrison Frances
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to highlight the level of knowledge management (KM) activity underway in the transportation sector. The environmental scan highlighted common business drivers for KM across transportation agencies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The project team used outreach methods, environmental scanning techniques, targeted interviews constructed around amplifying questions to identify stakeholders. A two-day workshop was sponsored, where stakeholders could discuss common business interests and exchange KM practices.

Findings

– The environmental scan methodology was successful and will be carried over to two other economic sectors in the coming year. The identification and elaboration of business drivers through the amplification process was a valuable contribution. Sharing of KM practices was highly effective because the participants were working from a common set of business drivers.

Research limitations/implications

– This activity has implications for other sectors. Well-designed environmental scans of KM programs and initiatives can identify stakeholders for intra-sector communities of practice. These communities of practice provide a support network for knowledge professionals working within organizations, provide the input for intra-sector KM research agendas, and a collaborative action plan for moving that agenda forward.

Practical implications

– The workshop participants identified six action items to advance the practice of KM within their institutions.

Social implications

– The environmental scan and the workshop resulted in the creation of a community of practice of knowledge professionals for the transportation sector. The community of practice will work to advance KM within the transportation sector.

Originality/value

– The authors believe the scan approach provides a new and valuable approach to encouraging the practice of KM in the field of transportation. The authors also suggest that this approach may be used effectively in other sectors to promote the discipline.
Factors that influence the success of a KM-program in a small-sized airport
Authors: Gamo-Sanchez Antonio-Luis , Cegarra-Navarro Juan-Gabriel
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the nature of what is referred to as the Knowledge Management Engineering & Maintenance Program, which is based on practices that influence the dissemination of knowledge in a structured and sustained manner within a small-sized airport. The air transport system has undergone important changes, particularly in the development of new knowledge management (KM) approaches. In practice, however, results have been mixed. Some programs have been successful, but implementation failures are common and the intended users are frequently reluctant to use such management structures. A possible explanation for efficiency and effectiveness gaps of services provided by these knowledge structures may relate to the advantages and disadvantages of the knowledge processes that airports highlight as a result of their differential structural properties.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using data collected from the Engineering & Maintenance Department at a Spanish Airport, this work has examined how the existence of some knowledge structures is linked to knowledge transfer and how this component is linked to customer service (external users, e.g. passengers; and internal users, including any airport staff).

Findings

– This paper reports a KM program, which is customized and based on four knowledge structures: technical infrastructure; people to facilitate and drive the process; a system that supports and rewards sharing; and the team leader.

Research limitations/implications

– Conducting this type of single case study (an interview-based case study approach) is to be understood foremost as a prelude to further quantitative studies including common measures for passengers and users, staff, managers and board members.

Originality/value

– In an applied sense, the model provides engineering and maintenance practitioners with identifiable factors, which enable the four frameworks and address the relevant issues by changing strategies at both the individual and the organizational levels. Without a KM program, practitioners may lose the ability to see the market signals stemming from the transport system members and they may decide to go solely by their own ways of doing and interpreting things.
Better knowledge with social media? Exploring the roles of social capital and organizational knowledge management
Authors: Bharati Pratyush , Zhang Wei , Chaudhury Abhijit
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore social media’s impact on organizational knowledge quality through the theoretical lens of social capital and resource exchange.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a theory-confirming, quantitative study using panel data collected through a Web-based survey.

Findings

– The results show that while social media affects structural capital and cognitive capital directly, it only affects relational capital indirectly through structural and cognitive capital. Moreover, overall social media and the enhanced social capital do help promote organizational efforts in knowledge management, which subsequently leads to a higher level of organizational knowledge quality.

Research limitations/implications

– All survey respondents were from the USA, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. The authors also call for more research in establishing the time sequence in the proposed causal relations and in the individual-level mechanism through which social media promotes organizational knowledge quality.

Practical implications

– This study highlights both the potential and limitations of social media in promoting organizational knowledge management. Businesses must consciously manage the assimilation and use of social media to benefit from them.

Originality/value

– The authors position the study at the intersection of social media, social capital and knowledge management and explicate how social media work through social capital and organizational knowledge management efforts to affect knowledge quality.
Sound exposure in harbour seals during the installation of an offshore wind farm: predictions of auditory damage
Authors: Hastie Gordon D. , Russell Deborah J.F. , McConnell Bernie , Moss Simon , Thompson Dave , Janik Vincent M.
Published: May 2015

With ambitious renewable energy targets, pile driving associated with offshore wind farm construction will become widespread in the marine environment. Many proposed wind farms overlap with the distribution of seals, and sound from pile driving has the potential to cause auditory damage.

We report on a behavioural study during the construction of a wind farm using data fromGPS/GSMtags on 24 harbour sealsPhoca vitulinaL. Pile driving data and acoustic propagation models, together with seal movement and dive data, allowed the prediction of auditory damage in each seal.

Growth and recovery functions for auditory damage were combined to predict temporary auditory threshold shifts in each seal. Further, M‐weighted cumulative sound exposure levels [cSELs(Mpw)] were calculated and compared to permanent auditory threshold shift exposure criteria for pinnipeds in water exposed to pulsed sounds.

The closest distance of each seal to pile driving varied from 4·7 to 40·5 km, and predicted maximumcSELs(Mpw) ranged from 170·7 to 195·3dBre 1μPa2‐s for individual seals. Comparison to exposure criteria suggests that half of the seals exceeded estimated permanent auditory damage thresholds.

Prediction of auditory damage in marine mammals is a rapidly evolving field and has a number of key uncertainties associated with it. These include how sound propagates in shallow water environments and the effects of pulsed sounds on seal hearing; as such, our predictions should be viewed in this context.

Policy implications. We predicted that half of the tagged seals received sound levels from pile driving that exceeded auditory damage thresholds for pinnipeds. These results have implications for offshore industry and will be important for policymakers developing guidance for pile driving. Developing engineering solutions to reduce sound levels at source or methods to deter animals from damage risk zones, or changing temporal patterns of piling could potentially reduce auditory damage risk. Future work should focus on validating these predictions by collecting auditory threshold information pre‐ and post‐exposure to pile driving. Ultimately, information on population‐level impacts of exposure to pile driving is required to ensure that offshore industry is developed in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The smallGTPaseMoYpt7 is required for membrane fusion in autophagy and pathogenicity ofMagnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Liu Xiao‐Hong , Chen Si‐Miao , Gao Hui‐Min , Ning Guo‐Ao , Shi Huan‐Bin , Wang Yao , Dong Bo , Qi Yao‐Yao , Zhang Dong‐Mei , Lu Guo‐Dong , Wang Zong‐Hua , Zhou Jie , Lin Fu‐Cheng
Published: May 2015

RabGTPases are required for vesicle–vacuolar fusion during vacuolar biogenesis in fungi. To date, little is known about the biological functions of theRab smallGTPase components inMagnaporthe oryzae. In this study, we investigatedMoYpt7 ofM. oryzae, a homologue of the smallRas‐likeGTPase Ypt7 inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Cellular localization assays showed thatMoYpt7 was predominantly localized to vacuolar membranes. Using a targeted gene disruption strategy, aΔMoYPT7mutant was generated that exhibited defects in mycelial growth and production of conidia. The conidia of theΔMoYPT7mutant were malformed and defective in the formation of appressoria. Consequently, theΔMoYPT7mutant failed to cause disease in rice and barley. Furthermore, theΔMoYPT7mutant showed impairment in autophagy, breached cell wall integrity, and higher sensitivity to both calcium and heavy metal stress. Transformants constitutively expressing an activeMoYPT7allele (MoYPT7‐CA,Gln67Leu) exhibited distinct phenotypes from theΔMoYPT7mutant. Expression ofMoYPT7‐CAinMoYpt7 reduced pathogenicity and produced more appressoria‐forming single‐septum conidia. These results indicate thatMoYPT7is required for fungal morphogenesis, vacuole fusion, autophagy, stress resistance and pathogenicity inM. oryzae.
Tying Children to God With Love: Danish Mission, Childhood, and Emotions in Colonial South India
Authors: Vallgårda Karen A. A.
Published: May 2015

The article examines the politics of emotions, conversion, and childhood in the Danish Protestant Christian mission around the turn of the twentieth century in colonial South India. The emotional configuration of childhood that came to prevail in the Danish missionary community at this time was informed by a particular notion of the importance of intimate and tender feelings to the constitution of a rich Christian life. In order to win the children's hearts for Christ, they had to be treated gently, even lovingly. The article shows how this sentimentalisation of childhood simultaneously served to displace Indian adults and parents and to include Indian children into what one might call the missionaries' emotional community. And, while the ideal of gentle intimacy rendered corporal punishment less socially acceptable in the education of children, it involved a different kind of power — less tangible and visible, and therefore perhaps also more difficult to contest. As such, the article discloses the highly ambiguous political anatomy of love.
“Quite indifferent to these things”: The Role of Emotions and Conversion in the Dutch East India Company's Interactions with the South Lands
Authors: Broomhall Susan
Published: May 2015

This article situates the engagement of the Dutch East India Company (the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) with the South Lands in the context of diverse understandings of the missionary endeavour within the Company in the first half of the seventeenth century. In that light, it argues that both emotions and the idea of evangelising were critical to the objectives and experiences of the VOC in regards to the South Lands. Powerful feelings about evangelising informed both why and how the Company engaged with this region, shaping the nature of discussion within the Company archives about this endeavour. These sentiments were not consistent across the Company but were shaped by a wide range of factors that includes specific social, political, and economic motives for the Company, the hierarchical status of author and readership, the nature and purpose of the compositional form, individual social and confessional identities, professional expertise, and experiences in the region. Moreover, Company men's interpretations of the emotions of local peoples in regards to Company objectives were critical to their judgments about the susceptibility of these people to evangelising and the Company's decisions about its obligations to spread Christian doctrine in the region.
Tariff Liberalisation, Price Transmission and Rural Welfare in China
Authors: Zhu Jing , Yu Wusheng , Wang Junying , Elleby Christian
Published: May 2015

China's tariff liberalisation as part of its WTO accession application and eventual agreement has been thoroughly analysed in the literature. However, much of this literature is based on forward‐looking ex‐ante analyses and few studies provide empirical evidence on its actual impact. We fill in this gap by evaluating empirically the welfare effects of China's actual tariff liberalisation on Chinese farmers during the 1997–2010 period. By estimating the domestic market price effects of China's tariff liberalisation and the associated wage earning effects, we find that on average Chinese farmers were able to gain more from reduced consumption prices than they would lose from reduced agricultural and wage income due to tariff liberalisation. Welfare gains over time are estimated to be positively correlated with the actual degrees of tariff liberalisation, implying that relatively more gains were realized immediately before and after China's WTO accession in 2001, as compared to the more recent period when relatively little liberalisation was carried out. Farmers’ rising non‐agricultural income and increasing consumption shares of non‐agricultural products are important determinants of these positive average welfare effects. Moreover, welfare gains from tariff liberalisation are shown to be distributed unevenly across Chinese provinces and income levels, with farmers located in coastal provinces and at higher income levels gaining more than their counterparts in remote provinces and at lower income levels.
Optimization of isolation and cultivation of bacterial endophytes through addition of plant extract to nutrient media
Authors: Eevers N. , Gielen M. , Sánchez‐López A. , Jaspers S. , White J. C. , Vangronsveld J. , Weyens N.
Published: May 2015

Many endophytes have beneficial effects on plants and can be exploited in biotechnological applications. Studies hypothesize that only 0.001–1% of all plant‐associated bacteria are cultivable. Moreover, even after successful isolations, many endophytic bacteria often show reduced regrowth capacity. This research aimed to optimize isolation processes and culturing these bacteria afterwards. We compared several minimal and complex media in a screening. Beside the media themselves, two gelling agents and adding plant extract to media were investigated to enhance the number and diversity of endophytes as well as the growth capacity when regrown after isolation.

In this work, 869 medium delivered the highest numbers of cultivable bacteria, as well as the highest diversity. When comparing gelling agents, no differences were observed in the numbers of bacteria. Adding plant extract to the media lead to a slight increase in diversity. However, when adding plant extract to improve the regrowth capacity, sharp increases of viable bacteria occurred in both rich and minimal media.