bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The inception of plate tectonics: a record of failure
Authors: O'Neill Craig , Turner Simon , Rushmer Tracy
Published: October 2018

The development of plate tectonics from a pre-plate tectonics regime requires both the initiation of subduction and the development of nascent subduction zones into long-lived contiguous features. Subduction itself has been shown to be sensitive to system parameters such as thermal state and the specific rheology. While generally it has been shown that cold-interior high-Rayleigh-number convection (such as on the Earth today) favours plates and subduction, due to the ability of the interior stresses to couple with the lid, a given system may or may not have plate tectonics depending on its initial conditions. This has led to the idea that there is a strong history dependence to tectonic evolution—and the details of tectonic transitions, including whether they even occur, may depend on the early history of a planet. However, intrinsic convective stresses are not the only dynamic drivers of early planetary evolution. Early planetary geological evolution is dominated by volcanic processes and impacting. These have rarely been considered in thermal evolution models. Recent models exploring the details of plate tectonic initiation have explored the effect of strong thermal plumes or large impacts on surface tectonism, and found that these ‘primary drivers’ can initiate subduction, and, in some cases, over-ride the initial state of the planet. The corollary of this, of course, is that, in the absence of such ongoing drivers, existing or incipient subduction systems under early Earth conditions might fail. The only detailed planetary record we have of this development comes from Earth, and is restricted by the limited geological record of its earliest history. Many recent estimates have suggested an origin of plate tectonics at approximately 3.0 Ga, inferring a monotonically increasing transition from pre-plates, through subduction initiation, to continuous subduction and a modern plate tectonic regime around that time. However, both numerical modelling and the geological record itself suggest a strong nonlinearity in the dynamics of the transition, and it has been noted that the early history of Archaean greenstone belts and trondhjemite–tonalite–granodiorite record many instances of failed subduction. Here, we explore the history of subduction failure on the early Earth, and couple these with insights from numerical models of the geodynamic regime at the time.

This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Earth dynamics and the development of plate tectonics'.
The diversity of tectonic modes and thoughts about transitions between them
Authors: Lenardic A.
Published: October 2018

Plate tectonics is a particular mode of tectonic activity that characterizes the present-day Earth. It is directly linked to not only tectonic deformation but also magmatic/volcanic activity and all aspects of the rock cycle. Other terrestrial planets in our Solar System do not operate in a plate tectonic mode but do have volcanic constructs and signs of tectonic deformation. This indicates the existence of tectonic modes different from plate tectonics. This article discusses the defining features of plate tectonics and reviews the range of tectonic modes that have been proposed for terrestrial planets to date. A categorization of tectonic modes relates to the issue of when plate tectonics initiated on Earth as it provides insights into possible pre-plate tectonic behaviour. The final focus of this contribution relates to transitions between tectonic modes. Different transition scenarios are discussed. One follows classic ideas of regime transitions in which boundaries between tectonic modes are determined by the physical and chemical properties of a planet. The other considers the potential that variations in temporal evolution can introduce contingencies that have a significant effect on tectonic transitions. The latter scenario allows for the existence of multiple stable tectonic modes under the same physical/chemical conditions. The different transition potentials imply different interpretations regarding the type of variable that the tectonic mode of a planet represents. Under the classic regime transition view, the tectonic mode of a planet is a state variable (akin to temperature). Under the multiple stable modes view, the tectonic mode of a planet is a process variable. That is, something that flows through the system (akin to heat). The different implications that follow are discussed as they relate to the questions of when did plate tectonics initiate on Earth and why does Earth have plate tectonics.

This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Earth dynamics and the development of plate tectonics’.
Structural connectivity analysis using Finsler geometry
Authors: Haije Tom Dela , Savadjiev Peter , Fuster Andrea , Schultz Robert T. , Verma Ragini , Florack Luc , Westin Carl-Fredrik
Published: October 2018

In this work we demonstrate how Finsler geometry—and specifically the related geodesic tractography— can be levied to analyze structural connections between different brain regions. We present new theoretical developments which support the definition of a novel Finsler metric and associated con-nectivity measures, based on closely related works on the Riemannian framework for diffusion MRI. Using data from the Human Connectome Project, as well as population data from an autism spectrum disorder study, we demonstrate that this new Finsler metric, together with the new connectivity measures, results in connectivity maps that are much closer to known tract anatomy compared to previous geodesic connectivity methods. Our implementation can be used to compute geodesic distance and connectivity maps for segmented areas, and is publicly available.
Vertical and horizontal integration of multi-omics data with miodin
Authors: Ulfenborg Benjamin
Published: October 2018

Background

Studies on multiple modalities of omics data such as transcriptomics, genomics and proteomics are growing in popularity, since they allow us to investigate complex mechanisms across molecular layers. It is widely recognized that integrative omics analysis holds the promise to unlock novel and actionable biological insights to health and disease. Integration of multi-omics data remains challenging, however, and requires combination of several software tools and extensive technical expertise to account for the properties of heterogeneous data.

Results

This paper presents the miodin R package, which provides a streamlined workflow-based syntax for multi-omics data analysis. The package allows users to perform analysis and integration of omics data either across experiments on the same samples, or across studies on the same variables. Workflows have been designed to promote transparent data analysis and reduce the technical expertise required to perform low-level data import and processing.

Conclusions

The miodin package is implemented in R and is freely available for use and extension under the GPL-3 license. Package source, reference documentation and user manual are available athttps://gitlab.com/algoromics/miodin.
Dynamic mode decomposition of resting-state and task fMRI
Authors: Casorso Jeremy , Kong Xiaolu , Chi Wang , Van De Ville Dimitri , Yeo B.T. Thomas , Liégeois Raphaël
Published: October 2018

Component analysis is a powerful tool to identify dominant patterns of interactions in multivariate datasets. In the context of fMRI data, methods such as principal component analysis or independent component analysis have been used to identify the brain networks shaping functional connectivity (FC). Importantly, these approaches are static in the sense that they ignore the temporal information contained in fMRI time series. Therefore, the corresponding components provide a static characterization of FC. Building upon recent findings suggesting that FC dynamics encode richer information about brain functional organization, we use a dynamic extension of component analysis to identify dynamic modes (DMs) of fMRI time series. We demonstrate the feasibility and relevance of this approach using resting-state and motor-task fMRI data of 730 healthy subjects of the Human Connectome Project (HCP). In resting-state, dominant DMs have strong resemblance with classical resting-state networks, with an additional temporal characterization of the networks in terms of oscillatory periods and damping times. In motor-task conditions, dominant DMs reveal interactions between several brain areas, including but not limited to the posterior parietal cortex and primary motor areas, that are not found with classical activation maps. Finally, we identify two canonical components linking the temporal properties of the resting-state DMs with 158 behavioral and demographic HCP measures. Altogether, these findings illustrate the benefits of the proposed dynamic component analysis framework, making it a promising tool to characterize the spatio-temporal organization of brain activity.
Crystal structure of aThermus aquaticusdiversity-generating retroelement variable protein
Authors: Handa Sumit , Shaw Kharissa L , Ghosh Partho
Published: October 2018

Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are widely distributed in bacteria, archaea, and microbial viruses, and bring about unparalleled levels of sequence variation in target proteins. While DGR variable proteins share low sequence identity, the structures of several such proteins have revealed the C-type lectin (CLec)-fold as a conserved scaffold for accommodating massive sequence variation. This conservation has led to the suggestion that the CLec-fold may be useful in molecular surface display applications. Thermostability is an attractive feature in such applications, and thus we studied the variable protein of a DGR encoded by the thermophileThermus aquaticus. We report here the 2.8 Å resolution crystal structure of the variable protein from theT. aquaticusDGR, called TaqVP, and confirm that it has a CLec-fold. Remarkably, its variable region is nearly identical in structure to those of several other CLec-fold DGR variable proteins despite low sequence identity among these. TaqVP was found to be thermostable, which appears to be a property shared by several CLec-fold DGR variable proteins. These results provide impetus for the pursuit of the DGR variable protein CLec-fold in molecular display applications.
Decreased integrity of exercise-induced plasma cell free nuclear DNA – negative association with the increased oxidants production by circulating phagocytes
Authors: Stawski Robert , Walczak Konrad , Perdas Ewelina , Wlodarczyk Anna , Sarniak Agata , Kosielski Piotr , Meissner Pawel , Budlewski Tomasz , Padula Gianluca , Nowak Dariusz
Published: October 2018

Strenuous exercise increases circulating cell free DNA (cf DNA) and stimulates blood phagocytes to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which may induce DNA strand breaks. We tested whether: (A) elevated cf DNA in response to three repeated bouts of exhaustive exercise has decreased integrity; (B) each bout of exercise increases luminol enhanced whole blood chemiluminescence (LBCL) as a measure of ROS production by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Eleven men performed three treadmill exercise tests to exhaustion separated by 72 hours of resting. Pre- and post-exercise concentrations and integrity of cf nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (cf n-DNA, cf mt-DNA) and resting and fMLP-stimulated LBCL were determined. Each bout increased concentrations of cf n-DNA by more than 10-times which was accompanied by about 2-times elevated post-exercise rLBCL and fMLP-LBCL. Post-exercise cf n-DNA integrity (integrity index, I206/78) decreased after the first (0.59±0.19 vs. 0.48±0.18) and second (0.53±0.14 vs. 0.44±0.17) bout of exercise. There were negative correlations between I206/78and rLBCL (ƍ=−0.37) and I206/78and fMLP-LBCL (ƍ=− 0.40) – analysis of pooled pre- and post-exercise data (n=66). cf-mt DNA integrity (I218/97) did not alter in response to exercise. This suggests an involvement of phagocyte ROS in cf n-DNA strand breaks in response to exhaustive exercise.
Pink Cedar (Acrocarpus fraxinifolius): its prophylactic role against APAP–induced organs toxicity in rats and its antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1
Authors: Abdelghffar Eman A. , Barakat Alaa , Torky Zenab A. , Mohamed Ihab K. , Ali Kamela
Published: October 2018

The possible protective effects of methanolic extractAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusleaves (MEAFL) were assessed against the APAP–induced organ toxicity in male rats. Also, the content of polyphenols extracted from AFL was studied, and their relationship with antioxidant activity was investigated. MEAFL was tested for cytotoxicity on Vero cell line, with reference to IC50, and other non-toxic concentrations of all the extracts. The antiviral activity against HSV1 for all non-toxic concentrations of the extract was determined using plaque reduction assay. It was found that MEAFL showed a reduction of serum hepatic and renal cellular toxicity and cellular lipid peroxidation, as well as enhanced cellular antioxidant. Also, our results revealed that the inhibitory activity of the virus was dose dependent on the polyphenol content of the examined extract. The MIC for the MEAFL extract was determined as well as the EC50and SI. Calculated SI showed promising value for the MEAFL, and hence can be used as therapeutic medication for HSV1. To study other possible mode of action, Vero cells were treated with the examined extracts before, during, and after virus infection to give an insight on the interference of the extract in each step in the virus life cycle. In conclusion, MEAFL showed a remarkable antioxidant effect against APAP induced organs toxicity. Also, examined extracts exhibited the antiviral activity against HSV1.
Adherence to the iDSI reference case among published cost-per-DALY averted studies
Authors: Emerson Joanna , Panzer Ari , Cohen Joshua T. , Chalkidou Kalipso , Teerawattananon Yot , Sculpher Mark , Wilkinson Thomas , Walker Damian , Neumann Peter J. , Kim David D.
Published: October 2018

Background

The iDSI reference case, originally published in 2014, aims to improve the quality and comparability of cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs). This study assesses whether the development of the guideline has improved the reporting and methodology for CEAs using disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs).

Methods

We analyzed the Tufts Medical Center Global Health CEA Registry to identify cost-per-DALY averted studies published from 2011 to 2017. Among each of 11 principles in the iDSI reference case, we translated all reporting standards and methodological specifications into quantifiable yes/no questions and awarded articles one point for each item satisfied. We then separately calculated reporting and methods scores, measured as percent adherence (0%=no adherence, 100%=full adherence). Using the year 2014 as the dissemination period, we conducted a pre-post analysis. Additionally, we conducted an analysis stratified by the 11 principles and examined different scoring strategies and dissemination periods in sensitivity analyses.

Results

Articles averaged 74% adherence to reporting standards and 60% adherence to methodological specifications. Adherence to reporting standards increased slightly over time (72% pre-2014 vs. 75% post-2014, p<0.01), but methodological adherence did not significantly improve (59% pre-2014 vs. 60% post-2014, p=0.53). Overall, reporting adherence scores exceeded methodology adherence scores (74% vs. 60%, p<0.001). Articles seldom addressed budget impact (9% reporting, 10% methodology) or equity (7% reporting, 7% methodology).

Conclusions

The iDSI reference case has substantial potential to serve as a useful resource for researchers and policy-makers in global health settings, but greater effort to promote adherence and awareness is needed to achieve its potential.
Strength of T cell signaling regulates HIV-1 replication and establishment of latency
Authors: Gagne M , Michaels D , Schiralli Lester GM , Wong WW , Gummuluru S , Henderson AJ
Published: October 2018

A major barrier to curing HIV is the long-lived latent reservoir that supports re-emergence of HIV upon treatment interruption. Targeting this reservoir will require mechanistic insights into the establishment and maintenance of HIV latency. Whether T cell signaling at the time of HIV-1 infection influences productive replication or latency is not fully understood. We used a panel of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with different ligand binding affinities to induce a range of signaling strengths to model differential T cell receptor signaling at the time of HIV-1 infection. Stimulation of T cell lines or primary CD4+ T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors supported HIV-1 infection regardless of affinity for ligand; however, only signaling by the highest affinity receptor facilitated HIV-1 expression. Activation of chimeric antigen receptors that had intermediate and low binding affinities did not support provirus transcription, suggesting that a minimal signal is required for optimal HIV-1 expression. In addition, strong signaling at the time of infection produced a latent population that was readily inducible, whereas latent cells generated in response to weaker signals were not easily reversed. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed HIV-1 transcription was limited by transcriptional elongation and that robust signaling decreased the presence of negative elongation factor, a pausing factor, by more than 80%. These studies demonstrate that T cell signaling influences HIV-1 infection and the establishment of different subsets of latently infected cells, which may have implications for targeting the HIV reservoir.

Author Summary

Activation of CD4+ T cells facilitates HIV-1 infection; however, whether there are minimal signals required for the establishment of infection, replication, and latency has not been explored. To determine how T cell signaling influences HIV-1 infection and the generation of latently infected cells, we used chimeric antigen receptors to create a tunable model. Stronger signals result in robust HIV-1 expression and an inducible latent population. Minimal signals predispose cells towards latent infections that are refractory to reversal. We discovered that repression of HIV-1 transcription immediately after infection is due to RNA polymerase II pausing and inefficient transcription elongation. These studies demonstrate that signaling events influence the course of HIV-1 infection and have implications for cure strategies. They also provide a mechanistic explanation for why a significant portion of the HIV latent reservoir is not responsive to latency reversing agents which function by modifiying chromatin.
Venlafaxine stimulates PNN proteolysis and MMP-9 dependent enhancement of gamma power; relevance to antidepressant efficacy
Authors: S. Alaiyed , P. L. Bozzelli , A. Caccavano , J.Y. Wu , K. Conant
Published: October 2018

Drugs that target monoaminergic transmission represent a first-line treatment for major depression. Though a full understanding of the mechanisms that underlie antidepressant efficacy is lacking, evidence supports a role for enhanced excitatory transmission. This can occur through two non-mutually exclusive mechanisms. The first involves increased function of excitatory neurons through relatively direct mechanisms such as enhanced dendritic arborization. Another mechanism involves reduced inhibitory function, which occurs with the rapid antidepressant ketamine. Consistent with this, GABAergic interneuron-mediated cortical inhibition is linked to reduced gamma oscillatory power, a rhythm also diminished in depression. Remission of depressive symptoms correlates with restoration of gamma power.

Due to strong excitatory input, reliable GABA release and fast firing, PV neurons represent critical pacemakers for synchronous oscillations. PV neurons also represent the predominant GABAergic population enveloped by perineuronal nets (PNNs), lattice-like structures that localize glutamatergic input. Disruption of PNNs enhances lateral diffusion of glutamate receptors, reduces PV excitability, and enhances gamma activity.

Studies suggest that monoamine reuptake inhibitors reduce integrity of the PNN. Mechanisms by which these inhibitors reduce PNN integrity, however, remain largely unexplored. A better understanding of these issues might encourage development of therapeutics that best upregulate PNN modulating proteases.

We observe that the serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine reduces PNN integrity in murine brain. Moreover, venlafaxine treated mice (30 mg/kg/day) show an increase in carbachol-induced gamma power in hippocampal slices. Studies with mice deficient in matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), a protease linked to PNN disruption in other settings, suggest that MMP-9 contributes to venlafaxine-enhanced gamma activity.
Relationship between MEG global dynamic functional network connectivity measures and symptoms in schizophrenia
Authors: Sanfratello L. , Houck J.M. , Calhoun V.D.
Published: October 2018

An investigation of differences in dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) of healthy controls (HC) versus that of schizophrenia patients (SP) was completed, using eyes-open resting state MEG data. The MEG analysis utilized a source-space activity estimate (MNE/dSPM) whose result was the input to a group spatial independent component analysis (ICA), on which the networks of our MEG dFNC analysis were based. We have previously reported that our MEG dFNC revealed that SP change between cognitive meta-states (repeating patterns of network correlations which are allowed to overlap in time) significantly more often and to states which are more different, relative to HC. Here, we extend our previous work to investigate the relationship between symptomology in SP and four meta-state metrics. We found a significant correlation between positive symptoms and the two meta-state statistics which showed significant differences between HC and SP. These two statistics quantified 1) how often individuals change state and 2) the total distance traveled within the state-space. We additionally found that a clustering of the meta-state metrics divides SP into groups which vary in symptomology. These results indicate specific relationships between symptomology and brain function for SP.
Constructing a Standard Curve for Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Experiments
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: October 2018

It is essential to prepare a standard curve for every real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiment. This protocol is used to construct a standard curve in which the template concentration is unknown. Such a standard curve is suitable for optimization experiments and for performing relative quantification by the standard curve method. To construct a standard curve for absolute quantification, the same principles apply as those presented here, but the concentration of the standards must be determined by an independent method.
Quantification of RNA by Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: October 2018

This protocol describes a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using a two-enzyme, two-tube approach, carried out using either SYBR Green I or TaqMan chemistries. The protocol uses a PCR volume of 20 µL (although most manufacturers recommend 50-µL reactions). However, if the PCR target is not very abundant (i.e., present at one to 10 copies per sample), a larger volume may yield better reproducibility between samples. Discussion on preparing high-quality RNA, choosing a priming method, selecting an enzyme, and selecting an endogenous reference gene is also included.
Making Weak Antigens Strong: Cross-Linking Peptides to KLH with Maleimide
Authors: Greenfield Edward A. , DeCaprio James , Brahmandam Mohan
Published: October 2018

Haptens, which are small antigens such as peptides and drug compounds, are very weakly or nonimmunogenic by themselves and require the assistance of carrier proteins: complex molecules capable of eliciting a strong immune response in the host on injection. The haptens serve as epitopes for binding to the antibodies on the B-cell surface, and the carriers provide the MHC class II–T-cell receptor binding sites. Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) is one of the most widely used of such carrier proteins. KLH–hapten conjugates are commonly used in antibody generation in a variety of hosts such as mice, rats, and rabbits. Because KLH is harvested from mollusks, it is physiologically distant from mammalian species and less likely to produce antibodies that cross-react mammalian antigens. Maleimide activation of carrier proteins makes it possible to conjugate sulfhydryl-containing haptens, and hence this chemistry is widely used for conjugating KLH with haptens.
Social networking from a social capital perspective: a cross-cultural analysis
Authors: Krishen Anjala S. , Leenders Mark A.A.M. , Muthaly Siva , Ziółkowska Marta , LaTour Michael S.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Using social capital theory (SCT), the purpose of this research is to determine the success of social networking in societies that may be lower in social capital, for example in Poland, versus those which are higher in social capital, such as the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a partial least squares approach with a cross-cultural sample. The complete sample consists of 556 participants for this study across the USA (n= 258) and Poland (n= 298).

Findings

Results indicate that social media success is lower in Poland and that this result is related to lower social networking capital in Polish society. However, the proposed model shows that social media functionality can overcome some of the barriers.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include a very specific set of countries rather than a larger set of countries and sample, survey methodology which could be augmented with a mixed methods approach and convenience sampling which ensured homogeneity and matching.

Practical implications

Based on this research, media designers should attempt to keep information quality high but even more importantly, they should increase interactivity. For Poland in particular, well-designed interactivity can mitigate societal barriers to success of social media, as it can enhance trust in such platforms.

Social implications

Because of Poland’s history of more than 40 years of communism, the newer generations may eventually become more adaptive to social networking tools and such acceptance could lead to greater social capital, which is important for Polish society from a business perspective as well.

Originality/value

The most important contribution of this research is that it theoretically and empirically establishes the importance of SCT in relation to social networking across two different countries.
Impact of cyberattacks on stock performance: a comparative study
Authors: Tweneboah-Kodua Samuel , Atsu Francis , Buchanan William
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The study uses cyberattacks announcements on 96 firms that are listed on S&P 500 over the period from January 03, 2013, to December 29, 2017.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical analysis was performed in two ways: cross-section and industry level. The authors use statistical tests that account for the effects of cross-section correlation in returns, returns series correlation, volatility changes and skewness in the returns.

Findings

These imply that studying the cumulative effects of cyberattacks on prices of listed firms without grouping them into the various sectors may be non-informative; financial sector firms tend to react cumulatively to cyberattacks over a three-day period than other sectors; and technology firms tend to be less reactive to the announcement of a data breach. Such firms may possibly have the necessary tools and techniques to address large-scale cyberattacks.

Research limitations/implications

For cross-section analysis, the outcome shows that the market does not significantly react to cyberattacks for all the event windows, except [−30, 30], while for the sector-level analysis, the analysis offers two main results.

Practical implications

First, while there is a firm reaction to cyberattacks for long event window for retail sector, there is no evidence of a cumulative firm reaction to cyberattacks for both short and long event windows for the industrial, information technology and health sectors. Second, the firms in the financial sector, there is a strong evidence of cumulative reaction to cyberattacks for [−1, 1] for the financial industry, and the reactions disappear for relatively longer event windows.

Social implications

These imply that studying the cumulative effects of cyberattacks on prices of listed firms without grouping them into the various sectors may be non-informative, the financial sector firms tend to react cumulatively to cyberattacks over a three-day period than other sectors, technology firms tend to be less reactive to the announcement of a data breach, possibly such firms may have the necessary tools and techniques to address large-scale cyberattacks.

Originality/value

The work provides new insights into the effect of cyber security on stock prices.
An approach to information security culture change combining ADKAR and the ISCA questionnaire to aid transition to the desired culture
Authors: Da Veiga Adéle
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Employee behaviour is a continuous concern owing to the number of information security incidents resulting from employee behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach to information security culture change management (ISCCM) that integrates existing change management approaches, such as the ADKAR model of Prosci, and the Information Security Culture Assessment (ISCA) diagnostic instrument (questionnaire), to aid in addressing the risk of employee behaviour that could compromise information security.

Design/methodology/approach

The ISCCM approach is constructed based on literature and the inclusion of the ISCA diagnostic instrument. The ISCA diagnostic instrument statements are also presented in this paper. The ISCCM approach using ISCA is illustrated using data from an empirical study.

Findings

The ISCCM approach was found to be useful in defining change management interventions for organisations using the data of the ISCA survey. Employees’ perception and acceptance of change to ensure information security and the effectiveness of the information security training initiatives improved significantly from the as-is survey to the follow-up survey.

Research limitations/implications

The research illustrates the ISCCM approach and shows how it should be combined with the ISCA diagnostic instrument. Future research will focus on including a qualitative assessment of information security culture to complement the empirical data.

Practical implications

Organisations do not have to rely on or adapt organisational development approaches to change their information security culture – they can use the proposed ISCCM approach, which has been customised from information security and change management approaches, together with the presented ISCA questionnaire, to address information security culture change purposefully.

Originality/value

The proposed ISCCM approach can be applied to complement existing information security management approaches through a holistic and structured approach that combines the ADKAR model, Prosci’s approach of change management and the ISCA diagnostic instrument. It will enable organisations to focus on transitioning to a positive or desired information security culture that mitigates the risk of the human element in the protection of information.
Nigerian immigrant women’s entrepreneurial embeddedness in Ghana, West Africa
Authors: Antwi Bosiakoh Thomas , Williams Tetteh Vera
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role of female immigrant entrepreneurs generally and more specifically Nigerian women entrepreneurs in Ghana, West Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative research that draws on a broad-based research on Nigerian men and women immigrants’ entrepreneurship in Ghana. Face-to-face interviews with six women in the study are analysed here to provide insights into their motivations for and embeddedness of their entrepreneurship activities in Ghana.

Findings

The women’s entrepreneurship activities lend themselves to the mixed embeddedness argument in two ways: first is their ethnic embeddedness, and second their embeddedness in informality and policy framework. Also, all the women work in very trying circumstances and thus display what can be described as a “daring entrepreneurship” drive.

Practical implications

This paper is positioned at the intersection of ethnic embeddedness, informality and daring entrepreneurial drive by migrant women.

Originality/value

The paper provides an unprecedented and a refreshing account on the entrepreneurship and operational pathways of women in the margin of the global economy.
Learning to fall forward
Authors: Baker-Doyle Kira J. , Hunt Michiko , Whitfield Latricia C.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Connected learning is a framework of learning principles that centers on fostering educational equity through leveraging social technologies and networking practices to connect students with opportunities, people and resources in communities within and beyond their classroom walls (Itoet al., 2013). The framework has been adopted and developed in K-12 education by teachers in professional development networks and introduced to some teacher education programs through these networks. Practitioners of connected learning frequently refer to the need for “courage” to develop and introduce connected learning-based practices in their classrooms. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors investigate “courage” through a sociocultural lens in the case studies of six educators in a teacher education course on connected learning. The study examines the social contexts and activities that fostered acts of courage during their 14-week course.

Findings

The authors found that personal reflection on freedom and equity, two ethical concepts raised by the connected learning framework, seeded acts of courage. The acts of courage appeared as small acts that built upon themselves toward a larger goal that related to the participants’ ethical ideals. Three types of social activity contexts helped to nurture these acts: seeking models of possibility, mediated reinvention and “wobbling.”

Research limitations/implications

This study helps to uncover some of the questions that connected learning scholars and practitioners have about why courage is so central, and how to cultivate courageous acts of pedagogical change.

Practical implications

The theoretical framework used in this study, courage from a sociocultural perspective, may serve to help scholars and teacher educators to shape their research and program designs.

Social implications

This study offers insights into patterns of networked teacher-led educational change and the social contexts that support school-level impacts of out-of-school professional networking.

Originality/value

Using a sociocultural conception of courage to investigate connected learning in teacher education, this study demonstrates how equity and freedom, central values in the connected learning framework, serve as key concepts driving teachers’ risk-taking, innovation and change.
Managing the challenges of piggybacking into international markets
Authors: Rosenbaum Stephen Mark , Madsen Tage Koed , Johanning Henrik
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the process by which piggybacking partners attempt to overcome the challenges of interfirm diversity when entering foreign markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors present a longitudinal case study following the collaboration between a rider (a small software developer) and carrier (a global player in software solution distribution) as a means of co-creating value for global customers in the pharmaceutical industry.

Findings

The authors find that despite differential size and incongruent organizational cultures, top managers were still initially able to facilitate collaboration through various knowledge-sharing initiatives, but that these efforts were subsequently undermined by middle managers (due to misaligned incentives), which prevented both parties from reaping the gains of piggybacking on global markets.

Research limitations/implications

The findings have a number of implications for academics and practitioners alike. Theoretical implications include treating piggybacking as a special case of indirect exporting with particular challenges for knowledge exchange and trust building.

Practical implications

The authors offer managerial implications for reconciling divergent organizational cultures, partner selection and incentive alignment.

Originality/value

This appears to be the first paper to empirically assess the viability of piggybacking as a foreign entry mode by examining the crucial processes of knowledge sharing and trust development within piggybacking arrangements.
Assessing the drivers and impact of international marketing agility
Authors: Asseraf Yoel , Lages Luis Filipe , Shoham Aviv
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a new conceptualization of international marketing agility (IMA). Importantly, the empirical test includes agility’s drivers, outcomes and boundary conditions for its impact on international market performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theories to develop a model and test it quantitatively via structural equation modeling with survey data from 195 Israeli exporters. In addition, the authors seek insights into the findings through post hoc in-depth interviews.

Findings

The results indicate that IMA enhances international market performance directly as well as indirectly through exporter’s new products advantage. Interestingly, while promotion adaptation strengthens the positive effect of IMA on new products advantage, product adaptation does not.

Research limitations/implications

Managers need to develop and improve marketing planning and flexibility maintenance capabilities. Furthermore, while maintaining an emphasis on marketing planning, they need to guard against inertia by embracing outside views, a wider range of solutions and a greater awareness of others’ decision-making styles to develop flexibility maintenance capability and achieve superior IMA.

Originality/value

A new conceptualization and operationalization of agility specific to an international marketing context is tested empirically. The complementary role of marketing planning capability and flexibility maintenance capability is demonstrated. Importantly, the vital role of new products advantage as a mediator between agility and performance is examined and the moderating role of international marketing strategy adaptation is investigated.
How to measure student engagement in the context of blended-MOOC
Authors: Almutairi Fadiyah , White Su
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a model of measuring student engagement in a blended-massive open online course (MOOC) context. MOOCs are those that are delivered, usually by leading universities, with a promise to provide free high-quality education to an unlimited number of learners. They offer an opportunity for “blended” course design, where instructors can integrate MOOC content within face-to-face educational activities and components.

Design/methodology/approach

Three internationally recognized existing frameworks, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), UK Engagement Survey (UKES) and Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ), were combined into a single model. The model was confirmed by a panel of 35 expert practitioners. A trial evaluation using the model was carried out on 13 students who had participated in a course that had adopted a blended-MOOC format.

Findings

The confirmed model has nine indicators which provide information about distinct aspects of student engagement.

Originality/value

It is considered to be the first model designed to measure student engagement within the blended-MOOC context.
Resting heart rate and risk of violent encounters during arrest in a sample of law enforcement officers
Authors: Fox Bryanna , Miley Lauren N. , Moule Jr Richard K.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Research indicates that a link exists between resting heart rate (RHR) and various forms of antisocial, violent and criminal behavior among community and criminal samples. However, the relationship between RHR and engagement in aggressive/violent encounters among law enforcement has not yet been examined. The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between RHR and engagement in violent encounters using prospective longitudinal data on a sample of law enforcement officers in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

Negative binomial regression, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox hazard regressions are conducted using a sample of 544 police officers to determine if there a relationship between RHR and engagement in violent encounters by law enforcement, even when controlling for demographics, biological and social covariates.

Findings

Results indicate that higher RHR is associated with an increased risk of officers engaging in a violent altercation, as measured by the number of arrests for suspects resisting arrest with violence, even after controlling for all other relevant factors.

Originality/value

This study was the first to examine police officers RHR levels and its associated with violent altercations during arrest using a rigorous statistical methodology.
A novel intelligent vehicle risk assessment method combined with multi-sensor fusion in dense traffic environment
Authors: Zheng Xunjia , Huang Bin , Ni Daiheng , Xu Qing
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to accurately capture the risks which are caused by each road user in time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors proposed a novel risk assessment approach based on the multi-sensor fusion algorithm in the real traffic environment. Firstly, they proposed a novel detection-level fusion approach for multi-object perception in dense traffic environment based on evidence theory. This approach integrated four states of track life into a generic fusion framework to improve the performance of multi-object perception. The information of object type, position and velocity was accurately obtained. Then, they conducted several experiments in real dense traffic environment on highways and urban roads, which enabled them to propose a novel road traffic risk modeling approach based on the dynamic analysis of vehicles in a variety of driving scenarios. By analyzing the generation process of traffic risks between vehicles and the road environment, the equivalent forces of vehicle–vehicle and vehicle–road were presented and theoretically calculated. The prediction steering angle and trajectory were considered in the determination of traffic risk influence area.

Findings

The results of multi-object perception in the experiments showed that the proposed fusion approach achieved low false and missing tracking, and the road traffic risk was described as a field of equivalent force. The results extend the understanding of the traffic risk, which supported that the traffic risk from the front and back of the vehicle can be perceived in advance.

Originality/value

This approach integrated four states of track life into a generic fusion framework to improve the performance of multi-object perception. The information of object type, position and velocity was used to reduce erroneous data association between tracks and detections. Then, the authors conducted several experiments in real dense traffic environment on highways and urban roads, which enabled them to propose a novel road traffic risk modeling approach based on the dynamic analysis of vehicles in a variety of driving scenarios. By analyzing the generation process of traffic risks between vehicles and the road environment, the equivalent forces of vehicle–vehicle and vehicle–road were presented and theoretically calculated.
Does the tag “Islamic” help in customer satisfaction in dual banking sector?
Authors: Lone Fayaz Ahmad , Bhat Ulfat Rashid
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find out the importance of the tag “Islamic” in the title of banks. This will help to determine the future strategy of Islamic banks, while expanding to the countries where Islamic banking is seen as a religious banking and not an as an alternative approach to the conventional banking.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting convenience sampling, a total of 596 customers of both Islamic and conventional banks were surveyed from four regions of Saudi Arabia (Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and Dammam) using a self-structured questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale.

Findings

The results concede that Islamic banks without the tag “Islamic” and conventional banks have same customer satisfaction. There are some factors other than the tag “Islamic” which are driving customers towards Islamic banking. Those factors include physical aspects of the bank, level of satisfaction with the services, dealing and attendance by the staff and safety and security of the bank. Besides, the application of fundamental principles of Islamic banking works as a key motivation for customer satisfaction with Islamic banking.

Practical implications

Applying the tag “Islamic” is not as important as implementing the principles of Islamic banking. Islamic banks can survive and compete well even without using the “Islamic” tag if they implement the prime principles of Islamic banking and work on improving the factors highlighted by this study. This study can prove to be helpful in the expansion of Islamic banking in the countries where religious banking is not generally preferred by customers.

Originality/value

This is the first study to find out the customer satisfaction in a dual banking system (comprising of conventional banks and Islamic banks that do not use the tag “Islamic”), thereby filling the existing gap in the Islamic banking literature.