bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Imagining the Future
Authors: Torok Simon , Holper Paul
Published: February 2019

Flying through time and flying in cars. Living underwater and living forever. Robot servants. 3D printed food. Wouldn’t it be amazing if science fiction became science fact?
We’re living in a rapidly changing world. Hardly a week passes without an exciting technological breakthrough. That’s the power of human innovation – it never stops happening. Inventors keep inventing.
Get prepared for the fantastic future with this guide to the unbelievable and incredible inventions just over the horizon.
Invisibility, instant transportation, holograms and lots of gadgets were once the dreams of science fiction … now they might become science fact! Imagining the future is the first step in arriving there. If you can dream it, perhaps one day you can invent it. Strap yourself in and get ready for the future!
Imagining the Future is perfect for kids aged 9-13.
Walks, Tracks and Trails of Queensland's Tropics
Authors: Stone Derrick
Published: February 2019

Queensland’s tropics provide numerous environments for enjoyable walking: lush rainforests, cloud-shrouded mountains, extinct volcanoes, savanna woodlands, and magnificent beaches on the coast and Great Barrier Reef islands.
This book brings together more than 150 of the best walks, tracks or trails in Queensland’s tropics, located within the coastal strip between Rockhampton and Cooktown. Walks vary from short boardwalk strolls in the lowland rainforests of Daintree National Park to 4-6 day hiking and camping trips on Hinchinbrook Island. Other routes follow old gold miners’ and forestry tracks or coaching routes or feature historical sites, rivers, lagoons, geological and geographical formations or much earlier Aboriginal communication tracks where Dreamtime stories add a further dimension. Man-made environments of abandoned gold towns, heritage riverfronts, Art Deco streetscapes and Second World War installations also feature. Most routes are best completed during the ‘Dry’ season (May to October) and walked by moderately fit individuals. Most do not require specialist navigation or bushcraft skills.
Walks, Tracks and Trails of Queensland’s Tropics highlights the best the region has to offer. Easy-to-interpret maps are included to help you navigate, and the book’s size makes it convenient to carry in the backpack.
Cephalopods of Australia and Sub-Antarctic Territories
Authors: Reid Amanda
Published: February 2019

Australian waters contain the highest diversity of cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopus) found anywhere in the world. They are highly significant ecologically, both as top-level predators and as prey for numerous vertebrates, including fishes, seals, cetaceans and seabirds.
Cephalopods of Australia and Sub-Antarctic Territories is a comprehensive guide covering 226 species, which represent over a quarter of the world’s cephalopod fauna. With an emphasis on identification, this book includes keys, species descriptions, full-colour illustrations and distribution maps, as well as a summary of the biology and behaviour of cephalopods and fisheries information. This is an invaluable tool for researchers and fisheries experts as well as amateur naturalists, fishers and divers.
Pest Management of Turfgrass for Sport and Recreation
Authors: Beehag Gary , Kaapro Jyri , Manners Andrew
Published: February 2019

Vital for a game of cricket or golf and enjoyable when picnicking in the park, turfgrass provides a wide range of aesthetic and recreational benefits. However, managed turfgrass is prone to damaging outbreaks of insects and mites. Pest Management of Turfgrass for Sport and Recreation is the first comprehensive work on the plant-eating insects and mites of the grass and non-grass species currently maintained as ornamental lawns and turfgrass playing surfaces throughout Australia, the South Pacific and South-East Asia.
This book provides an industry reference for the identification of pests affecting the roots, stems and leaves of turfgrass and control of these species through integrated pest management. It contains information on the distribution, ecology and biology of pests and how to monitor them. The integrated pest management approach outlined in the book includes natural environmental controls, beneficial and predatory species of arthropods, resistant cultivars and insecticidal and miticidal pesticides.
Pest Management of Turfgrass for Sport and Recreation is an essential manual for managers of sportsgrounds, bowling greens, lawn tennis courts, golf courses, racecourses, ornamental landscapes, amenity parklands, public reserves and turfgrass production farms.
Blueprints for Tropical Dairy Farming
Authors: Moran John , Chamberlain Philip
Published: February 2019

Blueprints for Tropical Dairy Farming provides insight into the logistics, infrastructure and management required for the development of small and large dairy farms in tropical developing countries. Farmers will learn how to improve the welfare, milk quality and productivity of their dairy herds. This book complements author John Moran’s five previous books on the principles of tropical dairy farming.
The manual covers a wide range of topics related to ensuring the sustainability of dairy production systems in tropical developing countries, such as South and East Asia, Africa and Central America. It also provides guidelines for the best management practices of large-scale, more intensive dairy systems. While smallholder farms are the major suppliers of milk in the tropics, many larger farms are becoming established throughout the tropics to satisfy the increasing demands for fresh milk.
Blueprints for Tropical Dairy Farming will be a valuable resource for farmers and stockpeople who want to improve the productive performance of their dairy herds, farm advisers who can assist farmers to achieve this aim, educators who develop training programs for farmers or who train dairy advisers in the basics of dairy production technology, and other stakeholders in tropical dairy production, such as local agribusiness, policy makers and research scientists. National and international agencies will learn new insights into the required long-term logistics for regional dairy development, while potential investors will acquire knowledge into intensive tropical dairy farming.
“A Scarlet Letter”: Stigma and other Factors Affecting Trust in the Health Care System for Women Seeking Substance Abuse Treatment in a Community Setting
Authors: Cockroft Joshua D. , Adams Susie M. , Bonnet Kemberlee , Matlock Deondria , McMillan Jessica , Schlundt David
Published: February 2019

Background: Trust in health care has been shown to influence health care utilization, perceptions of fair treatment, and health outcomes in the general population. The literature on trust in health care in individuals with a history of substance use disorder (SUD) is more limited, primarily examining the patient-provider relationship. Women seeking substance abuse treatment in community-based programs have higher rates of prior trauma and health disparities compared with male counterparts and the general population. With higher rates of prior trauma, this population is theoretically at high risk of decreased interpersonal trust and altered interpersonal relationships. Objective: This study sought to identify factors influencing trust in the health care system for women seeking substance abuse treatment in a community-based residential treatment program. Methods: Six client focus groups ( n = 30), 1 provider focus group ( n = 7), and 2 individual clinical administrator interviews ( n = 2) were conducted between November 2016 and August 2017. Focus groups and interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Coding and coding reconciliation were conducted by 2 independent coders. Themes were extracted and analyzed from sorted and coded quotes. Results: Six themes emerged. Factors that influence trust in the health care system in this population include (1) prior experiences with diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes; (2) stigma of addiction; (3) payment and reimbursement structure; (4) patient rights and protections; (5) efficiency-driven care; and (6) the health care system's role in causing and/or enabling addiction. Conclusions: These themes demonstrate a general distrust of the health care system by women in this population. Distrust is influenced by a perception of a health care system providing care that is variable in quality, often stigmatizing, unaffordable, efficiency driven, and often influencing individuals’ SUD. This aligns with and extends prior literature around trust of health care in individuals with SUD. Future directions in research include formally assessing the impact of trust on health outcomes such as treatment entry and retention.
Predictors of Substance use Treatment Initiation and Engagement among Adult and Adolescent Medicaid Recipients
Authors: Lind Bonnie K. , McCarty Dennis , Gu Yifan , Baker Robin , John McConnell K.
Published: February 2019

Background

It is important to understand patterns and predictors of initiation and engagement in treatment for Medicaid-covered individuals with substance use disorders because Medicaid is a major source of payment for addiction treatment in the United States. Our analysis examined similarities and differences in predictors between adults and adolescents.

Methods

An analysis of Oregon Medicaid claims data for the time period January 2010 through June 2015 assessed rates of substance use and of treatment initiation and engagement using the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) definitions. The analysis included individuals aged 13–64 with a new alcohol and other drug dependence diagnosis who met the HEDIS enrollment criteria and did not have cancer. We created 4 logistic regression models to assess treatment initiation and engagement, separately for adults (ages 18–64) and adolescents (ages 13–17). Independent predictors included age, gender, race, the interaction of gender and race, urban/rural residence, presence of any chronic disease, a psychiatric diagnosis, or a pain diagnosis.

Results

Among adults, odds of initiation were lower in white males than in nonwhite males, white females, and nonwhite females. Conversely, among adolescents, odds of initiation were higher in white males than in the other gender/race groups. Predictors of initiation also went in opposite directions for presence of a psychiatric diagnosis (negative in adults, positive in adolescents) and urban residence (positive in adults, negative in adolescents). We found similar patterns in models of engagement, although for engagement those with a psychiatric diagnosis had lower odds of engagement in both adults and adolescents.

Conclusions

Predictors of treatment initiation and engagement for alcohol and drug use disorders differed between adults and adolescents on Medicaid. A better understanding of these differences will enable development of targeted treatment programs that are effective within age groups.
Interrogating the conformational dynamics of BetP transport
Authors: Robertson Janice L.
Published: February 2019

Robertson reflects on a new study showing how ensemble-biased metadynamics can be used to interpret BetP protein dynamics data.
Identification of caveolin-1 domain signatures via machine learning and graphlet analysis of single-molecule super-resolution data
Authors: Khater Ismail M , Meng Fanrui , Nabi Ivan Robert , Hamarneh Ghassan
Published: February 2019

Motivation

Network analysis and unsupervised machine learning processing of single-molecule localization microscopy of caveolin-1 (Cav1) antibody labeling of prostate cancer cells identified biosignatures and structures for caveolae and three distinct non-caveolar scaffolds (S1A, S1B and S2). To obtain further insight into low-level molecular interactions within these different structural domains, we now introduce graphlet decomposition over a range of proximity thresholds and show that frequency of different subgraph (k = 4 nodes) patterns for machine learning approaches (classification, identification, automatic labeling, etc.) effectively distinguishes caveolae and scaffold blobs.

Results

Caveolae formation requires both Cav1 and the adaptor protein CAVIN1 (also called PTRF). As a supervised learning approach, we applied a wide-field CAVIN1/PTRF mask to CAVIN1/PTRF-transfected PC3 prostate cancer cells and used the random forest classifier to classify blobs based on graphlet frequency distribution (GFD). GFD of CAVIN1/PTRF-positive (PTRF+) and -negative Cav1 clusters showed poor classification accuracy that was significantly improved by stratifying the PTRF+ clusters by either number of localizations or volume. Low classification accuracy (<50%) of large PTRF+ clusters and caveolae blobs identified by unsupervised learning suggests that their GFD is specific to caveolae. High classification accuracy for small PTRF+ clusters and caveolae blobs argues that CAVIN1/PTRF associates not only with caveolae but also non-caveolar scaffolds. At low proximity thresholds (50–100 nm), the caveolae groups showed reduced frequency of highly connected graphlets and increased frequency of completely disconnected graphlets. GFD analysis of single-molecule localization microscopy Cav1 clusters defines changes in structural organization in caveolae and scaffolds independent of association with CAVIN1/PTRF.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Temporal network alignment via GoT-WAVE
Authors: Aparício David , Ribeiro Pedro , Milenković Tijana , Silva Fernando
Published: February 2019

Motivation

Network alignment (NA) finds conserved regions between two networks. NA methods optimize node conservation (NC) and edge conservation. Dynamic graphlet degree vectors are a state-of-the-art dynamic NC measure, used within the fastest and most accurate NA method for temporal networks: DynaWAVE. Here, we use graphlet-orbit transitions (GoTs), a different graphlet-based measure of temporal node similarity, as a new dynamic NC measure within DynaWAVE, resulting in GoT-WAVE.

Results

On synthetic networks, GoT-WAVE improves DynaWAVE’s accuracy by 30% and speed by 64%. On real networks, when optimizing only dynamic NC, the methods are complementary. Furthermore, only GoT-WAVE supports directed edges. Hence, GoT-WAVE is a promising new temporal NA algorithm, which efficiently optimizes dynamic NC. We provide a user-friendly user interface and source code for GoT-WAVE.

Availability and implementation

http://www.dcc.fc.up.pt/got-wave/

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Fusarium graminearum arabinanase (Arb93B) Enhances Wheat Head Blight Susceptibility by Suppressing Plant Immunity
Authors: Hao Guixia , McCormick Susan , Vaughan Martha M. , Naumann Todd A. , Kim Hye-Seon , Proctor Robert , Kelly Amy , Ward Todd J.
Published: February 2019

Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat and barley caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum reduces crop yield and contaminates grain with mycotoxins. In this study, we investigated two exo-1,5-α-L-arabinanases (Arb93A and Arb93B) secreted by F. graminearum and their effect on wheat head blight development. Arabinan is an important component of plant cell walls but it was not known whether these arabinanases play a role in FHB. Both ARB93A and ARB93B were induced during the early stages of infection. arb93A mutants did not exhibit a detectable change in ability to cause FHB, whereas arb93B mutants caused lower levels of FHB symptoms and deoxynivalenol contamination compared with the wild type. Furthermore, virulence and deoxynivalenol contamination were restored to wild-type levels in ARB93B complemented mutants. Fusion proteins of green fluorescent protein (GFP) with the predicted chloroplast peptide or the mature protein of Arb93B were not observed in the chloroplast. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was reduced in the infiltrated zones of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves expressing ARB93B-GFP. Coexpression of ARB93B-GFP and Bax in N. benthamiana leaves significantly suppressed Bax-programmed cell death. Our results indicate that Arb93B enhances plant disease susceptibility by suppressing ROS-associated plant defense responses.
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes. 24 October 1932—18 May 2007
Authors: Joanny Jean-François , Cates Michael
Published: February 2019

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes was one of the leading physical scientists of his generation. Awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1991, he made outstanding contributions to both solid state physics (magnetism, superconductivity) and so-called soft matter (
matière molle
in French, a term he coined in his Nobel lecture), which includes among other systems polymers and liquid crystals. He was the first to realize the deep mathematical analogies that exist between these areas—for instance between polymers and magnetism, and (separately) between superconductors and liquid crystals. These abstract and surprising insights were those of a theorist
par excellence
, yet de Gennes was closely concerned with experiments throughout his career and was a sought-after contributor to industrial research. In several cases, such as his work on wetting and adhesion, de Gennes’s intense curiosity, combined with an unerring ability to detect weak points in the ‘received wisdom’, led him to rebuild the scientific knowledge base, with profound consequences for subsequent research in these areas.
Impacts of mixed-grazing on root biomass and belowground net primary production in a temperate desert steppe
Authors: Wang Zhanyi , Jin Jing , Zhang Yanan , Liu Xiaojuan , Jin Yongling , Wang Chengjie , Han Guodong
Published: February 2019

The impacts of large herbivores on plant communities differ depending on the plants and the herbivores. Few studies have explored how herbivores influence root biomass. Root growth of vegetation was studied in the field with four treatments: sheep grazing alone (SG), cattle grazing alone (CG), mixed grazing with cattle and sheep (MG) and no grazing (CK). Live and total root biomasses were measured using the root ingrowth core and the drilling core, respectively. After 2 years of grazing, total root biomass showed a decreasing trend while live root biomass increased with time during the growing seasons. Belowground net primary production (BNPP) among the treatments varied from 166 ± 32 to 501 ± 88 g m
−2
and root turnover rates (RTR) varied from 0.25 ± 0.05 to 0.70 ± 0.11 year
−1
. SG had the greatest BNPP and RTR, while the CG had the smallest BNPP and RTR. BNPP and RTR of the MG treatment were between those of the CG and SG treatments. BNPP and RTR of the CK were similar to MG treatment. Compared with other treatments, CG had a greater impact on dominant tall grasses species in communities. SG could decrease community diversity. MG eliminated the disadvantages of single-species grazing and was beneficial to community diversity and stability.
Modelling and testing of a wave energy converter based on dielectric elastomer generators
Authors: Moretti Giacomo , Rosati Papini Gastone Pietro , Daniele Luca , Forehand David , Ingram David , Vertechy Rocco , Fontana Marco
Published: February 2019

This paper introduces the analysis and design of a wave energy converter (WEC) that is equipped with a novel kind of electrostatic power take-off system, known as dielectric elastomer generator (DEG). We propose a modelling approach which relies on the combination of nonlinear potential-flow hydrodynamics and electro-hyperelastic theory. Such a model makes it possible to predict the system response in operational conditions, and thus it is employed to design and evaluate a DEG-based WEC that features an effective dynamic response. The model is validated through the design and test of a small-scale prototype, whose dynamics is tuned with waves at tank-scale using a set of scaling rules for the DEG dimensions introduced here in order to comply with Froude similarity laws. Wave-tank tests are conducted in regular and irregular waves with a functional DEG system that is controlled using a realistic prediction-free strategy. Remarkable average performance in realistically scaled sea states has been recorded during experiments, with peaks of power output of up to 3.8 W, corresponding to hundreds of kilowatts at full-scale. The obtained results demonstrated the concrete possibility of designing DEG-based WEC devices that are conceived for large-scale electrical energy production.
Unexpected evolutionary patterns of dental ontogenetic traits in cetartiodactyl mammals
Authors: Rodrigues Helder Gomes , Lihoreau Fabrice , Orliac Maëva , Thewissen J. G. M. , Boisserie Jean-Renaud
Published: February 2019

Studying ontogeny in both extant and extinct species can unravel the mechanisms underlying mammal diversification and specialization. Among mammalian clades, Cetartiodactyla encompass species with a wide range of adaptations, and ontogenetic evidence could clarify longstanding debates on the origins of modern specialized families. Here, we study the evolution of dental eruption patterns in early diverging cetartiodactyls to assess the ecological and biological significance of this character and shed new light on phylogenetic issues. After investigation of the ontogenetic dental series of 63 extinct genera, our parsimony reconstructions of eruption state evolution suggest that the eruption of molars before permanent premolars represents a plesiomorphic condition within Cetartiodactyla. This result substantially differs from a previous study based on modern species only. As a result, the presence of this pattern in most ruminants might represent an ancestral condition contributing to their specialized herbivory, rather than an original adaptation. In contrast, the late eruption of molars in hippopotamoids is more likely related to biological aspects, such as increases in body mass and slower pace of life. Our study mainly shows that eruption sequences reliably characterize higher level cetartiodactyl taxa and could represent a new source of phylogenetic characters, especially to disentangle the origin of hippopotamoids and cetaceans.
Phenotypic variability predicts decision accuracy in unicellular organisms
Authors: Dussutour Audrey , Ma Qi , Sumpter David
Published: February 2019

When deciding between different options, animals including humans face the dilemma that fast decisions tend to be erroneous, whereas accurate decisions tend to be relatively slow. Recently, it has been suggested that differences in the efficacy with which animals make a decision relate closely to individual behavioural differences. In this paper, we tested this hypothesis in a unique unicellular organism, the slime mould
Physarum polycephalum
. We first confirmed that slime moulds differed consistently in their exploratory behaviour from ‘fast’ to ‘slow’ explorers. Second, we showed that slow explorers made more accurate decisions than fast explorers. Third, we demonstrated that slime moulds integrated food cues in time and achieved higher accuracy when sampling time was longer. Lastly, we showed that in a competition context, fast explorers excelled when a single food source was offered, while slow explorers excelled when two food sources varying in quality were offered. Our results revealed that individual differences in accuracy were partly driven by differences in exploratory behaviour. These findings support the hypothesis that decision-making abilities are associated with behavioural types, even in unicellular organisms.
Relevance of heterokaryosis for adaptation and azole-resistance development in
Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Zhang Jianhua , Snelders Eveline E. , Zwaan Bas J. , Schoustra Sijmen E. , Kuijper Ed J. , Arendrup Maiken C. , Melchers Willem J. G. , Verweij Paul E. , Debets Alfons J. M.
Published: February 2019

Aspergillus fumigatus
causes a range of diseases in humans, some of which are characterized by fungal persistence.
Aspergillus fumigatus
, being a generalist saprotroph, may initially establish lung colonization due to its physiological versatility and subsequently adapt through genetic changes to the human lung environment and antifungal treatments. Human lung-adapted genotypes can arise by spontaneous mutation and/or recombination and subsequent selection of the fittest genotypes. Sexual and asexual spores are considered crucial contributors to the genetic diversity and adaptive potential of aspergilli by recombination and mutation supply, respectively. However, in certain
Aspergillus
diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis,
A. fumigatus
may not sporulate but persist as a network of fungal mycelium. During azole therapy, such mycelia may develop patient-acquired resistance and become heterokaryotic by mutations in one of the nuclei. We investigated the relevance of heterokaryosis for azole-resistance development in
A. fumigatus.
We found evidence for heterokaryosis of
A. fumigatus
in patients with chronic
Aspergillus
diseases. Mycelium from patient-tissue biopsies segregated different homokaryons, from which heterokaryons could be reconstructed. Whereas all variant homokaryons recovered from the same patient were capable of forming a heterokaryon, those from different patients were heterokaryon-incompatible. We furthermore compared heterokaryons and heterozygous diploids constructed from environmental isolates with different levels of azole resistance. When exposed to azole, the heterokaryons revealed remarkable shifts in their nuclear ratio, and the resistance level of heterokaryons exceeded that of the corresponding heterozygous diploids.
Theoretical Expression for the Evolution of Genomic Island of Speciation: From Its Birth to Preservation
Authors: Sakamoto T. , Innan H.
Published: February 2019

Ecological speciation could be driven by divergent selection that works to maintain phenotypes that are adaptive to each niche. In its early stages, genetic divergence (or FST) can be maintained around the target sites of divergent selection, while in other regions, genetic variation can be mixed by gene flow or migration. Such regions of elevated genetic divergence are called genomic islands of speciation. In this work, we theoretically consider the evolutionary process of a genomic island of speciation, from its birth to stable preservation. Under a simple two-population model, we use a diffusion approach to obtain analytical expressions for the probability of initial establishment of a locally adaptive allele, the reduction of genetic variation due to the spread of the adaptive allele, and the process to the development of a sharp peak of divergence. Our result would be useful to understand how genomes evolve through ecological speciation with gene flow.
A dataset to explore kinase control of environmental stress responsive transcription
Authors: Mace Kieran , Krakowiak Joanna , El-Samad Hana , Pincus David
Published: February 2019

Cells respond to changes in environmental conditions by activating signal transduction pathways and gene expression programs. Here we present a dataset to explore the relationship between environmental stresses, kinases, and global gene expression in yeast. We subjected 28 drug-sensitive kinase mutants to 10 environmental conditions in the presence of inhibitor and performed mRNA deep sequencing. With these data, we reconstructed canonical stress pathways and identified examples of crosstalk among pathways. The data also implicated numerous kinases in novel environment-specific roles. However, rather than regulating dedicated sets of target genes, individual kinases tuned the magnitude of induction of the environmental stress response (ESR) – a gene expression signature shared across the set of perturbations – in environment-specific ways. This suggests that the ESR integrates inputs from multiple sensory kinases to modulate gene expression and growth control. As an example, we provide experimental evidence that the high osmolarity glycerol pathway is a constitutive negative regulator of protein kinase A, a known inhibitor of the ESR. These results elaborate the central axis of cellular stress response signaling.
Temporal resolution of global gene expression and DNA methylation changes in the final phases of reprogramming towards induced pluripotency
Authors: Bartoccetti Michela , Luo Xinlong , van der Veer Ben , Khoueiry Rita , Janiszewski Adrian , Xu Jiayi , Verfaillie Catherine , Pasque Vincent , Thienpont Bernard , Peng Koh Kian
Published: February 2019

The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) involves activation of the endogenous pluripotency circuitry and global DNA demethylation late in reprogramming, but temporal resolution of these events using existing markers is insufficient. Here, we generated murine transgenic lines harboring dual fluorescent reporters reflecting cell-state specific expression of the master pluripotency factorOct4and the 5-methylcytosine dioxygenaseTet1. By assessing reprogramming intermediates based on dual reporter patterns, we identified a sequential order ofTet1andOct4gene activation at proximal and distal regulatory elements following pluripotency entry. Full induction ofTet1marks a pivotal late intermediate stage occurring after a phase of global gene repression, and preceding full activation ofOct4along with late naive pluripotency and germline-specific genes. Sequential activation ofTet1further distinguishes two waves of global DNA demethylation, targeting distinct genomic features and largely uncoupled from transcriptional changes, with dynamics unique to iPSC reprogramming. Moreover, we demonstrate that loss ofTet1is compatible with reprogramming towards fullOct4gene activation, but generates iPSCs with aberrant DNA methylation, chromosomal instability during lineage priming and defective differentiation potential. Therefore, the transcriptional logic ofTet1expression signals a deterministic epigenetic roadmap towards generation of high quality iPSCs.
Interneuronal correlations dynamically adjust to task demands at multiple time-scales
Authors: Ben Hadj Hassen S. , Gaillard C. , Astrand E. , Wardak C. , Ben Hamed S.
Published: February 2019

Functional neuronal correlations between pairs of neurons are thought to play an important role in neuronal information processing and optimal neuronal computations during attention, perception, decision-making and learning. Here, we report dynamic changes in prefrontal neuronal noise correlations at multiple time-scales, as a function of task contingencies. Specifically, we record neuronal activity from the macaque frontal eye fields, a cortical region at the source of spatial attention top-down control, while the animals are engaged in tasks of varying cognitive demands. First, we show that noise correlations decrease as cognitive engagement and task demands increase, both across tasks and within-trials. Second, we demonstrate, for the first time, rhythmic modulations of noise correlations in the alpha and beta frequency ranges that account both for overt behavioral performance and for layer specific modulations in spike-field coherence. All this taken together demonstrates a strong functional role of noise correlations in cognitive flexibility.
Scalable multiple whole-genome alignment and locally collinear block construction with SibeliaZ
Authors: Minkin Ilia , Medvedev Paul
Published: February 2019

Multiple whole-genome alignment is a challenging problem in bioinformatics. Despite many successes, current methods are not able to keep up with the growing number, length, and complexity of assembled genomes, especially when computational resources are limited. Approaches based on compacted de Bruijn graphs to identify and extend anchors into locally collinear blocks have potential for scalability, but current methods do not scale to mammalian genomes. We present an algorithm, SibeliaZ-LCB, for identifying collinear blocks in closely related genomes based on analysis of the de Bruijn graph. We further incorporate this into a multiple whole-genome alignment pipeline called SibeliaZ. SibeliaZ shows run-time improvements over other methods while maintaining accuracy. On sixteen recently-assembled strains of mice, SibeliaZ runs in under 16 hours on a single machine, while other tools did not run to completion for eight mice within a week. SibeliaZ makes a significant step towards improving scalability of multiple whole-genome alignment and collinear block reconstruction algorithms on a single machine.
Reactions of Rh2(CH3COO)4with thiols and thiolates: a structural study
Authors: Enriquez Garcia Alejandra , Jalilehvand Farideh , Niksirat Pantea
Published: February 2019

The structural differences between the aerobic reaction products of Rh2(AcO)4(1; AcO−= CH3COO−) with thiols and thiolates in non-aqueous media are probed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. For this study, ethanethiol, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA; a dithiol) and their sodium thiolate salts were used. Coordination of simple thiols to the axial positions of Rh2(AcO)4with Rh—SH bonds of 2.5–2.6 Å keeps the RhII—RhIIbond intact (2.41 ± 0.02 Å) but leads to a colour change from emerald green to burgundy. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were performed to explain the observed shifts in the electronic (UV–vis) absorption spectra. The corresponding sodium thiolates, however, break up the Rh2(AcO)4framework in the presence of O2to form an oligomeric chain of triply S-bridged Rh(III) ions, each with six Rh—S (2.36 ± 0.02 Å) bonds. The RhIII...RhIIIdistance, 3.18 ± 0.02 Å, in the chain is similar to that previously found for the aerobic reaction product from aqueous solutions of Rh2(AcO)4and glutathione (H3A), {Na2[Rh2III(HA)4]·7H2O}n, in which each Rh(III) ion is surrounded by about four Rh—S (2.33 ± 0.02 Å) and about two Rh—O (2.08 ± 0.02 Å). The reaction products obtained in this study can be used to predict how dirhodium(II) tetracarboxylates would react with cysteine-rich proteins and peptides, such as metallothioneins.
Determinants of credit rationing among rural farmers in developing areas
Authors: Kofarmata Yusuf Ibrahim , Danlami Abubakar Hamid
Published: February 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to model credit rationing among farmers in rural developing areas, based on micro level data of Kano State, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 835 households and 45 microfinance banks were utilized as the samples of the study which were selected using multi-stage stratified sampling technique. Multinomial logit model was used to estimate the factors that determine credit rationing among the rural farmers in Nigeria.

Findings

The result of the discrete choice model shows that farmers who are either being engaged in subsistence farming or trading have a significant effect on credit rationing with the greatest impacts found on the farm profit and farmers’ location.

Research limitations/implications

This study failed to carry out a dynamic analysis regarding agricultural credit rationing. Also, it is well known that formal credit interacts with informal credit sector; nevertheless, this interaction was unaccounted for in this study. Therefore, future studies can expand the scope of this research to account for this interaction. In fact, investigating heterogeneity among credit providers will be an important topic in the future.

Practical implications

Clear and sound policies are required for the establishment of new agencies and financial institutions devoted to agricultural sector. Similarly, an integrated system of forward-looking policies based on tax and subsidy-regimes to augment desired incentives for private financial sector and NGOs to lend money to the farmers are needed.

Originality/value

Consistent with risk-balancing theory, the good story for farmers is that profit making farmers are less likely to be among the constrained borrowers. It turned out from the credit rationing model that urban farmers had a greater chance of being successful applicants in the Nigerian agricultural credit market. In comparison to farmers at periphery, urban residents are less likely to be associated with being constrained borrowers.
Entrepreneurial state vs liberal market
Authors: Malik Tariq H. , Huo Chunhui
Published: February 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the comparative position of the national innovation system of Chinese state entrepreneurship versus liberal market entrepreneurship. Based on the comparative institutional framework, it asks whether Chinese state entrepreneurship has a comparative disadvantage because of its incoherent institutions in liberal or coordinated economies. Hence, does the Chinese institutional system of innovation lag behind that of US or liberal countries of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economies in the transformation of national science into economic products measured as high-technology exports?

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses panel data analysis based on 29 OECD economies and the Chinese economy over 23 years. Regarding national science productivity (explorative capabilities), it includes published and patented science streams; regarding technological transformation (exploitative capabilities), it measures the percentage of high-technology exports in gross domestic product (GDP). The interactions between the types of entrepreneurship and national science institutions serve as predictors in the design.

Findings

The results show that Chinese state entrepreneurship has a comparative advantage over liberal economies in published science. However, Chinese state entrepreneurship has a comparative disadvantage compared to liberal entrepreneurship in patent science. Regarding the dyadic level of comparability between the national economies, there are mixed results in the transformation of national science.

Research limitations/implications

This study supports the three following theoretical points: national institutions differ regardless of the pressure of convergence through globalization; national science contingencies influence different paths of the transformation of national science to technology; and mixed economies, such as state entrepreneurship, can achieve high performance without fully conforming to liberal markets.

Practical implications

This study emphasizes institutional mechanisms for future research to support the innovation of incoherent institutions and suggests the benefit of cross-pollination of senior managers between state and private organizations for a defined duration.

Originality/value

Theoretically, this research combines an interdisciplinary and interinstitutional level of analysis, and in so doing, it deals with the transformation of national science in scientific publications and patents in the vertical value chain. Empirically, this study links the national published and patented science with the national economic artifacts in high-technology sectors. This novel approach to assess the national and discipline-level interaction sets a context for the future research in other settings. It also informs policy decisions regarding the growth of science, innovation and development.
Customer engagement, non-transactional behaviors and experience in services
Authors: Moliner-Tena Miguel Angel , Monferrer-Tirado Diego , Estrada-Guillén Marta
Published: February 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the central role of bank customers’ engagement as a mediating variable between customer experience and two non-transactional customer behaviors (advocacy and attitudinal loyalty).

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypothesis, a model was designed with two antecedents of bank customer engagement (satisfaction and customer emotions), and two non-transactional behaviors (attitudinal loyalty and customer advocacy). The model was tested on a sample of 1,790 customers of two Spanish banks.

Findings

Results confirm bank customer engagement as the mediating variable between customer experience outcomes and non-transactional behaviors.

Practical implications

Banks should design physical spaces with an atmosphere that will have a positive impact on their customers, and pay particular attention to interactions with contact personnel and other customers present at that moment of truth. The new concept of the branch now being introduced looks to the future, transforming it into a place to attend to and advise customers, and designed to encourage and facilitate a more personal and enduring relationship. This transformation includes longer opening hours and a concept that appears to draw from the store model. Its design is more accessible, more agile, more welcoming and more digital, conceived to attract the customer’s attention from the first moment.

Originality/value

The contribution of this research is related to the analysis from a theoretical and empirical perspective of the mediating impact of customer engagement between customer experience outcomes (satisfaction and emotions during the service) and non-transactional behaviors (advocacy and attitudinal loyalty).
Exploring and validating social identification and social exchange-based drivers of hospitality customer loyalty
Authors: Rather Raouf Ahmad , Hollebeek Linda D.
Published: February 2019

Purpose

Despite growing academic interest in social identification (e.g. customer brand identification) and social exchange (e.g. commitment/loyalty), little remains known regarding the theoretical interface of these concepts in hospitality sector. Building on this research gap, the purpose of this study is to develop and test a model that explores the effects of brand identification, satisfaction, commitment and trust on customer loyalty toward four and five-star hotels. The authors also explore the mediating role of commitment, satisfaction and trust in the association of brand identification and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the objectives of this study, the authors deployed a convenience sample of 345 consumers from four- and five-star hotels in the emerging markets context. Data analysis consisted of confirmatory factor analysis as well as structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings of this study indicate that customer brand identification, trust, commitment and satisfaction exert a positive impact on loyalty. Brand identification also exerts a favorable impact on customer trust, commitment and satisfaction. Specifically, satisfaction was found to exert the largest effect on commitment, trust and loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

The findings may have limited applicability in contexts other than four- and five-star hotels in the emerging market context. Theoretically, this study adds insight into the dynamics characterizing focal social identification and social exchange-based theoretical relationships as observed in the hospitality sector.

Originality/value

The authors adopt an under-explored hybrid social identity/social exchange theoretical perspective to identify the nature and strength of associations among a set of relational, social identity/exchange-based constructs and discuss their key implications for academicians and hospitality managers.
Cross-cultural collaboration for inclusive global value chain: a case study of rattan industry
Authors: Pratono Aluisius Hery
Published: February 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand how the cross-cultural collaboration between developed market and emerging economies promotes an inclusive global value chain (GVC) through innovation and technology transfer. Drawing on global rattan industry, this paper identifies the three typologies and social mechanism of cross-cultural collaboration in GVC.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a qualitative method with a case study of rattan industry. The case study analysis covers the linkages between upstream industries in emerging economies and downstream industries in developed countries.

Findings

The result shows that innovation and technology transfer play an essential role in the cross-cultural collaboration through presenting the creative value-adding process beyond the simple trade of rattan. This study identifies the social mechanism of cross-cultural collaboration in three GVC typologies of rattan industry.

Research limitations/implications

The study was undertaken between 2015 and 2017. The observed value chain in rattan industry context demonstrates the selected business network from Indonesia to the European countries.

Practical implications

There were some activities that worked well for decades, such as creative innovation and technology transfer from multinational corporations to small businesses. The initiative to promote brand seemed to work less well for the local designers in developing countries from being part of the GVC. The creative innovation and technology transfer from multinational corporations to rattan farmers continued to struggle.

Originality/value

This study draws a distinction between the typologies of GVC, where cross-cultural collaboration has developed slowly and those where it comes about quickly. This extends the discussion about creative value between players in developed and developing countries, including the social mechanism of cross-cultural collaboration in GVC.
Westernization or localization of human resource management practices in CIS countries? Evidence from Kazakh firms
Authors: Latukha Marina , Malko Konstantin
Published: February 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the peculiarities of human resource management (HRM) practices in Kazakh firms and identify the factors that influence them. Attention is paid to analysis of the country-specific environment, which shapes the peculiarities of HRM and provides discussion on the respective Westernization or localization perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper argues that HRM practices are influenced by a number of factors, some of which are rather specific to Kazakhstan and some are common in a Commonwealth of Independent States’ context. The study uses exploratory research which includes the conduction of a survey, consisting of blocks of questions, for data collection.

Findings

The results show that despite dynamic economic growth of Kazakhstan’s economy, HRM practices are still in transition from those of Soviet heritage to ones that exist in Western multinational corporations. They cannot fully match the country’s needs for HRM development. Several recommendations for the future development of HRM in Kazakhstan are made.

Originality/value

The study examines the adaptation of HRM practices to the business environment in Kazakhstan.
Triangular cyclic accelerated degradation zero-failure test plan
Authors: Srivastava Preeti Wanti , Manisha Manisha
Published: February 2019

Purpose

Zero-failure reliability testing aims at demonstrating whether the product has achieved the desired reliability target with zero failure and high confidence level at a given time. Incorporating accelerated degradation testing in zero-failure reliability demonstration test (RDT) facilitates early failure in high reliability items developed within short period of time to be able to survive in fiercely competitive market. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The triangular cyclic stress uses one test chamber thus saving experimental cost. The parameters in model are estimated using maximum likelihood methods. The optimum plan consists in finding out optimum number of cycles, optimum specimens, optimum stress change point(s) and optimum stress rates.

Findings

The optimum plan consists in finding out optimum number of cycles, optimum specimens, optimum stress change point(s) and optimum stress rates by minimizing asymptotic variance of estimate of quantile of the lifetime distribution at use condition subject to the constraint that total testing or experimental cost does not exceed a pre-specified budget. Confidence intervals of the design parameters have been obtained and sensitivity analysis carried out. The results of sensitivity analysis show that the plan is robust to small deviations from the true values of baseline parameters.

Originality/value

For some highly reliable products, even accelerated life testing yields little failure data of units in a feasible amount of time. In such cases accelerated degradation testing is carried out, wherein the failure termed as soft failure is defined in terms of performance characteristic of the product exceeding its critical (threshold) value.