bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Super-resolution Molecular Map of Basal Foot Reveals Novel Cilium in Airway Multiciliated Cells
Authors: Nguyen Quynh P.H. , Liu Zhen , Nanjundappa Rashmi , Megherbi Alexandre , Delgehyr Nathalie , Ouyang Hong , Zlock Lorna , Coyaud Etienne , Laurent Estelle , Dell Sharon , Finkbeiner Walter , Moraes Theo , Raught Brian , Czymmek Kirk , Munier Alice , Mahjoub Moe R. , Mennella Vito
Published: December 2018

Motile cilia are beating machines that play a critical role in airway defense. During airway cell differentiation, hundreds of motile cilia are templated from basal bodies that extend a basal foot, an appendage that links motile cilia together to ensure beating coordination. This assembly has thus far escaped structural analysis because its size is below the resolution limit. Here, we determine the molecular architecture and identify basal foot proteins using a super-resolution-driven approach. Quantitative super-resolution image analysis shows that the basal foot is organized in three main regions linked by elongated coiled-coil proteins. FIB-SEM tomography and comparative super-resolution mapping of basal feet reveal that, among hundreds of motile cilia of an airway cell, a hybrid cilium with features of primary and motile cilia is harbored. The hybrid cilium is conserved in mammalian multiciliated cells and originates from parental centrioles. We further demonstrate that this novel cilium is a signalling centre whose cellular position is dependent on flow.
Attenuation of entorhinal cortex hyperactivity reduces Aβ and tau pathology
Authors: Rodriguez Gustavo A , Barrett Geoffrey M , Duff Karen E , Hussaini S. Abid
Published: December 2018

High levels of the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide have been shown to disrupt neuronal function and induce hyperexcitability, but it is unclear what effects Aβ-associated hyperexcitability may have on tauopathy pathogenesis or propagationin vivo. Using a novel transgenic mouse line to model the impact of hAPP/Aβ accumulation on tauopathy in the entorhinal cortex-hippocampal (EC-HIPP) network, we demonstrate that hAPP aggravates EC tau aggregation and accelerates pathological tau spread into the hippocampus.In vivorecordings revealed a strong role for hAPP/Aβ, but not tau, in the emergence of EC neuronal hyperactivity and impaired theta rhythmicity. Chronic chemogenetic attenuation of Aβ-associated hyperactivity led to reduced hAPP/Aβ accumulation and reduced pathological tau spread into downstream hippocampus. These data strongly support the hypothesis that in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Aβ-associated hyperactivity accelerates the progression of pathological tau along vulnerable neuronal circuits, and demonstrates the utility of chronic, neuromodulatory approaches in ameliorating AD pathologyin vivo.
Differences in high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation over the motor hotspot versus the premotor cortex on motor network excitability
Authors: Lefebvre Stephanie , Jann Kay , Schmiesing Allie , Ito Kaori , Jog Mayank , Schweighofer Nicolas , Wang Danny JJ , Liew Sook-Lei
Published: December 2018

The effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) placed over the motor hotspot (thought to represent the primary motor cortex (M1)) to modulate motor network excitability is highly variable. The premotor cortex—particularly the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd)—may be a promising alternative target to more effectively modulate motor excitability, as it influences motor control across multiple pathways, one independent of M1 and one with direct, modulating connections to M1. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study aimed to differentially excite motor and premotor regions using high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) with concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). HD-tDCS applied over either the motor hotspot or the premotor cortex demonstrated high inter-individual variability in changes on cortical motor excitability. However, HD-tDCS over the premotor cortex led to a higher number of responders and greater changes in local fMRI-based complexity than HD-tDCS over the motor hotspot. Furthermore, an analysis of individual motor hotspot anatomical locations revealed that, in more than half of the participants, the motor hotspot is not located over anatomical M1 boundaries, despite using a canonical definition of the motor hotspot. This heterogeneity in stimulation site may contribute to the variability of tDCS results. Altogether, these findings provide new considerations to enhance tDCS reliability.
Golden magic: RSH enzymes for (p)ppGpp metabolism in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Avilan L , Puppo C , Villain A , Bouveret E , Menand B , Field B , Gontero B
Published: December 2018

The nucleotides guanosine tetraphosphate and pentaphosphate (together known as (p)ppGpp or magic spot) are produced in plant plastids from GDP/GTP and ATP by RelA-SpoT homologue (RSH) enzymes. In the model plant Arabidopsis (p)ppGpp regulates chloroplast transcription and translation to affect growth, and is also implicated in acclimation to stress. However, little is known about (p)ppGpp metabolism or its evolution in other photosynthetic eukaryotes. Here we studied (p)ppGpp metabolism in the golden-coloured marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. We identified three expressed RSH genes in the P. tricornutum genome, and determined the enzymatic activity of the corresponding enzymes by heterologous expression in bacteria. We showed that two P. tricornutum RSH are (p)ppGpp synthetases, despite substitution of a residue within the active site believed critical for activity, and that the third RSH is a bifunctional (p)ppGpp synthetase and hydrolase, the first of its kind demonstrated in a photosynthetic eukaryote. A broad phylogenetic analysis then showed that diatom RSH belong to novel algal RSH clades. Together our work significantly expands the horizons of (p)ppGpp signalling in the photosynthetic eukaryotes by demonstrating an unexpected functional, structural and evolutionary diversity in RSH enzymes from organisms with plastids derived from red algae.

Highlight

We discover RSH enzymes for (p)ppGpp metabolism in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and show that they have surprising functional and structural features, and belong to novel red-plastid lineage RSH clades.
Components from the human c-myb transcriptional regulation system reactivate epigenetically repressed transgenes
Authors: Barrett Cassandra M. , McCracken Reilly , Elmer Jacob , Haynes Karmella A.
Published: December 2018

Epigenetic silencing of transgenes has been a persistent challenge for mammalian cell engineering. Foreign DNA can be incorporated into closed chromatin before and after it has been integrated into a host cell’s genome. To identify elements that mitigate epigenetic silencing, we tested components from the c-myb and NF-kB transcriptional regulation systems in transiently transfected DNA and at chromosomally integrated transgenes in PC-3 and HEK293 cells. DNA binding sites for MYB (c-myb) placed upstream of a minimal promoter strongly enhanced expression from transiently transfected plasmid DNA. We targeted p65 and MYB fusion proteins to chromosomal transgenes that were silenced by ectopic Polycomb chromatin or by uncharacterized endogenous chromatin. Transient expression of Gal4-MYB induced sustained activation of the Polycomb-silenced UAS-Tk-luciferase transgene. We used custom guide RNAs and dCas9-MYB to target MYB to different sites. Transgene activation within ectopic Polycomb chromatin required proximity of dCas9-MYB to the transcriptional start site, while activation at the naturally repressed transgene was position-independent. Our report is the first to demonstrate the use of MYB in the context of the CRISPR-activation system. The results demonstrate that DNA elements and fusion proteins derived from c-myb can mitigate epigenetic silencing to improve transgene expression in engineered cell lines.
Ancient DNAs and the Neolithic Chinese super-grandfather Y haplotypes
Authors: Zhang Ye , Lei Xiaoyun , Chen Hongyao , Zhou Hui , Huang Shi
Published: December 2018

Previous studies identified 3 Neolithic Han Chinese super-grandfather Y haplotypes, O2a2b1a1a-F5, O2a2b1a2a1-F46, and O2a1b1a1a1a-F11, but their relationships with the archaeological and written records remain unexplored. We here report genome wide DNA data for 12 ancient samples (0.02x-1.28x) from China ranging from 6500 to 2500 years before present (YBP). They belonged to 4 different genetic groups, designated as Dashanqian (DSQ) of Xiajiadian Culture in the Northeast, Banpo (BP) of middle Yangshao Culture in the Central West, Zhengzhou Xishan (ZX) of Miaodigou Culture in the Central Plains, and Others. Present day F5 samples were closer in autosomal distances to the ZX and DSQ groups while F11, C, O1, and O2 samples were closer to the BP group. We also sequenced the Y chromosome of one of these ancient samples K12 from DSQ and found both K12 and a previously reported ~4000 year old sample MG48 from Northwest China to have the O2a2b1a1a1a2a-F2137 haplotype, belonging to the most prolific branch O2a2b1a1a1-F438 immediately under F5. We further found close relationships between ZX and DSQ and between ZX and ancient M117 Tibetans or present day Southwest Dai Chinese carrying the F5 subtype O2a2b1a1a6, implicating radiations of F5 subtypes from the putative place of F5 origin in ZX. These results are remarkably consistent with archaeological and written records.
A 1:2 co-crystal of 2,2′-dithiodibenzoic acid and benzoic acid: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational study
Authors: Tan Sang Loon , Tiekink Edward R. T.
Published: December 2018

The asymmetric unit of the title 1:2 co-crystal, C14H10O4S2·2C7H6O2, comprises half a molecule of dithiodibenzoic acid [systematic name: 2-[(2-carboxyphenyl)disulfanyl]benzoic acid, DTBA], as the molecule is located about a twofold axis of symmetry, and a molecule of benzoic acid (BA). The DTBA molecule is twisted about the disulfide bond [the C—S—S—C torsion angle is −83.19 (8)°] resulting in a near perpendicular relationship between the benzene rings [dihedral angle = 71.19 (4)°]. The carboxylic acid group is almost co-planar with the benzene ring to which it is bonded [dihedral angle = 4.82 (12)°]. A similar near co-planar relationship pertains for the BA molecule [dihedral angle = 3.65 (15)°]. Three-molecule aggregates are formed in the crystal whereby two BA molecules are connected to a DTBA molecule via hydroxy-O—H...O(hydroxy) hydrogen bonds and eight-membered {...HOC=O}2 synthons. These are connected into a supramolecular layer in the ab plane through C—H...O interactions. The interactions between layers to consolidate the three-dimensional architecture are π–π stacking interactions between DTBA and BA rings [inter-centroid separation = 3.8093 (10) Å] and parallel DTBA-hydroxy-O...π(BA) contacts [O...ring centroid separation = 3.9049 (14) Å]. The importance of the specified interactions as well as other weaker contacts, e.g. π–π and C—H...S, are indicated in the analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surface and interaction energies.
Polar crystal of vanillylformamide through replacement of the alkene by an isosteric formamide group
Authors: Baillargeon Pierre , Rahem Tarik , Amigo Carl , Fortin Daniel , Dory Yves L.
Published: December 2018

Vanillylformamide [systematic name: N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)formamide], C9H11NO3, (II), has been synthesized from vanillylamine hydrochloride and studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound (II) and the well known biologically active eugenol compound (I) can be considered to be `isosteres' of each other, since they share comparable molecular shape and volume. The product (II) crystallizes in the space group P1. In the crystal, the vanillylformamide molecules are linked mainly by N—H...O, O—H...O and Csp
2—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming infinite two-dimensional polar sheets. These two-dimensional layers pack in a parallel fashion, constructing a polar three-dimensional network. Except for van der Waals forces and weak Csp
3—H...O hydrogen bonds, there are no significant intermolecular interactions between the layers. A Cambridge Structural Database search revealed that vanillylamide-related crystals are scarce.
Entrepreneurial response to changing opportunity structures
Authors: Kazlou Aliaksei , Klinthall Martin
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the introduction of a liberalised regime for labour immigration in Sweden affected the self-selection of new immigrant entrepreneurs and to what extent the changes in entrepreneurial income among new immigrants was due to self-selection or to a changing business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on rich microdata from Swedish administrative registers, this paper investigates how incomes changed during the years before and after the migration policy reform. By decomposing the income differential of new immigrant entrepreneurs arriving before and after the reform, this study estimates the contribution of a changed composition of migrants to the changing entrepreneurial income.

Findings

Entrepreneurial income among self-employed new immigrants improved after the reform, narrowing the immigrant–native income gap, while among employees, the income gap remained during the whole period of the study. Out of the total 10.9 per cent increase in log income, the authors find that 2.7 per cent was due to selectivity, i.e., changing characteristics of new immigrant entrepreneurs. The remaining 8.2 per cent was due to increased returns to characteristics, i.e., the characteristics of new immigrant entrepreneurs were better rewarded in the markets in the latter period. Hence, increases in entrepreneurial income among new immigrants were due both to self-selection and changes in the business environment.

Practical implications

The authors find that the migration policy reform had the effect of attracting successful immigrant entrepreneurs. Hence, the findings have implications for migration policy as well as for growth and employment policy.

Originality/value

This paper reveals a positive trend regarding income from the entrepreneurship of new immigrants after the liberalisation of labour immigration policy in Sweden. Theoretically and methodologically, the authors combine self-selection theory and the mixed-embeddedness perspective in a novel way, using rich data and a quantitative approach.
Digital health technology enhances resilient behaviour: evidence from the ward
Authors: Rubbio Iacopo , Bruccoleri Manfredi , Pietrosi Astrid , Ragonese Barbara
Published: December 2018

Purpose

In the healthcare management domain, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the role of resilience practices in improving patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to understand the capabilities that enable healthcare resilience and how digital technologies can support these capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

Within- and cross-case research methodology was used to study resilience mechanisms and capabilities in healthcare and to understand how digital health technologies impact healthcare resilience. The authors analyze data from two Italian hospitals through the lens of the operational failure literature and anchor the findings to the theory of dynamic capabilities.

Findings

Five different dynamic capabilities emerged as crucial for managing operational failure. Furthermore, in relation to these capabilities, medical, organizational and patient-related knowledge surfaced as major enablers. Finally, the findings allowed the authors to better explain the role of knowledge in healthcare resilience and how digital technologies boost this role.

Practical implications

When trying to promote a culture of patient safety, the research suggests healthcare managers should focus on promoting and enhancing resilience capabilities. Furthermore, when evaluating the role of digital technologies, healthcare managers should consider their importance in enabling these dynamic capabilities.

Originality/value

Although operations management (OM) research points to resilience as a crucial behavior in the supply chain, this is the first research that investigates the concept of resilience in healthcare systems from an OM perspective, with only a few authors having studied similar concepts, such as “workaround” practices.
Antecedents and consequences of virtual customer co-creation behaviours
Authors: Frasquet-Deltoro Marta , Alarcón-del-Amo María-del-Carmen , Lorenzo-Romero Carlota
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the antecedents and consequences of two distinct types of virtual co-creation behaviours that require different degree of effort from the customer, i.e. customer participation (CPB), and customer citizenship (CCB) behaviour, in a cross-cultural study.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted among members of online panels in the UK and Spain, reaching a sample of 800 online individuals who participate in online co-creation processes with fashion retailers. This design allows us to test the cross-cultural effects. Multi-group structural equations modelling was used to analyse the data.

Findings

Virtual co-creation behaviours are driven by perceived ease-of-use of the co-creation platform, electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) quality and fashion involvement; however, the effects are different on CPB, affected by perceived ease-of-use more strongly, and on CCB, driven by e-WOM quality and fashion involvement more strongly. Higher level of co-creation increases satisfaction with co-creation, which mediates the effect on engagement and intention of future co-creation. The cross-cultural design reveals that most relationships hold in both countries, with the exception of the influence of fashion involvement on CPB, while some differences in the size of the effects appear between countries.

Originality/value

This study contributes to increasing our knowledge on online co-creation in several ways. First, the authors investigate, in the online environment, two co-creation behaviours, CPB and CCB, and compare their antecedents. This paper provides a cross-cultural validation of the relationships between CPB and CCB’s antecedents and consequences, identifying the different effects due to culture.
Fuzzy front end of innovation: a dual theoretical rationale
Authors: Zhang Qingyu , Cao Mei , Doll William
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The uncertainties, ambiguities and unknown issues that characterize the beginning of a new product development project have led practitioners and scholars to coin the term “fuzzy front end” to refer to this seminal stage. The causes of many product failures can be traced back to this fuzzy front end. Despite a growing realization of its importance, the meaning of the term “front-end fuzziness” itself remains vague. A theory-based framework is not available to guide thinking and research on this important topic. The purpose of this paper is to create a conceptual framework for fuzzy front end.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies Daft and Lengel’s (1986) theory of organizational information processing to create a framework for research on the fuzzy front end of product innovation. This framework is used to clarify the concept of front-end fuzziness and identify three sources of fuzziness in the project team’s task environment.

Findings

Contrary to the current literature, the authors argue that equivocality rather than uncertainty is the dominant cause of front-end fuzziness. This new conceptualization: appropriately broadens the concept of front-end fuzziness; identifies new problem areas; highlights the need for new solutions; and suggests the need to focus on team vision as a front-end deliverable.

Practical implications

The previous literature used a single uncertainty reduction rationale for integrative mechanisms. Thus, it did not consider that the implementation might change from front end to downstream. The dual theoretical rationale suggests that integrative mechanisms can be implemented differently to focus either on uncertainty or equivocality reduction. In the front end, equivocality is the dominant issue and mechanisms should be implemented in ways that create a rich channel to identify issues and share perspectives. In downstream activities where the dominant issue is uncertainty reduction, mechanisms might be implemented in ways that provide greater quantities of information on known issues.

Originality/value

This new conceptualization of front-end fuzziness provides a better theoretical rationale for how integrative mechanisms enable a project team to work through the fuzziness it faces, creating a clear team vision that guides its downstream efforts.
Is there evidence of PHH in developing Asia?
Authors: Miniesy Rania S. , Tarek MennaTallah
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to test the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) in developing Asian countries by examining whether lax environmental laws are a determinant of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into these countries, which are characterised by being the largest FDI recipients among developing countries and also by being among the most highly polluted and the highest carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters worldwide.

Design/methodology/approach

Panel data for the main determinants of FDI inflows including a carbon dioxide emissions and an agglomeration variable are collected for all developing Asian countries for the 1996-2016 period and a fixed effects model with robust standard errors is used.

Findings

Results show that lax environmental laws are a significant determinant of FDI inflows for the selected Asian countries as a whole. A closer look shows that this result cannot be generalised for the whole region, but applies particularly to three countries China, Hong Kong and the Philippines. PHH is thus only partially supported.

Originality/value

FDI is a main engine of growth for developing countries. However, it might adversely affect them, specifically in terms of environmental deterioration in the absence of stringent and well-enforced environmental policies. Some developing countries might even deliberately relax their environmental policies to attain comparative advantage especially in polluting industries and thus attract FDI. This leads to serious repercussions and might eventually limit growth, where augmenting it was the intention in the first place.
“Virtual dual sourcing” of specialized goods
Authors: Mukai Yuichiro , Fujimoto Takahiro , Park Young Won
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Japanese firms who make customized goods respond to supply chain failure caused by natural disaster, and shows the process and problem to build virtual dual sourcing with relation to product/process architecture.

Design/methodology/approach

Two case studies of Japanese manufacturing firm have been discussed. The research team had extensive site visits of major Japanese export industries (such as automotive, electronics, chemical and so on). The firms were carefully selected based on three criteria: the firms had major disaster-related damages; the senior executives of firms were willing to share their experiences and allow the research team to visit the sites; selected firms were notified in advance about the research perspective of how best to resume the flow of design information to customers speedily and effectively.

Findings

The main finding of this research is that visualizing design information of products is an essential step for virtual dual sourcing strategy or effective recovery from supply chain disruption, even if there is limitation because of its product/process architecture. Substituting other production line is not an absolute condition for contingent action. Balancing contingent activity and competitiveness is important for firms and building “virtual dual sourcing” system is one of the effective ways of business continuity plans (BCP).

Research limitations/implications

The researchers would imply that if product/process architecture is modular, visualizing design information for virtual dual sourcing is not so difficult. If product/process architecture is integral, visualizing design information for virtual dual is likely to be incomplete because it needs tacit knowledge for operation. Specifying and smoothly dispatching key persons with tacit knowledge would be effective for recovery from supply chain disruption. However, there still remain limitations in this research, for it is uncertain how much visualizing design information and virtual dual sourcing are effective in response to product/process architecture.

Practical implications

The researchers would imply that key persons with tacit knowledge should be dispersed for compensation of visualization of design information.

Originality/value

The originality of this research shows supply chain risk and recovery from the design information view of manufacturing. With real cases of the two companies having experience of natural disaster, this paper shows the process and problem to build virtual dual sourcing system, and shows balancing competitiveness and contingent activity.
Value-driven clustering of industrial additive manufacturing applications
Authors: Fontana Filippo , Klahn Christoph , Meboldt Mirko
Published: December 2018

Purpose

A prerequisite for the successful adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies in industry is the identification of areas, where such technologies could offer a clear competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the unique value-adding characteristics of AM, define areas of viable application in a firm value chain and discuss common implications of AM adoption for companies and their processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The research leverages a multi-case-study approach and considers interviews with AM adopting companies from the Swiss and central European region in the medical and industrial manufacturing industries. The authors rely on a value chain model comprising a new product development process and an order fulfillment process (OFP) to analyze the benefits of AM technologies.

Findings

The research identifies and defines seven clusters within a firm value chain, where the application of AM could create benefits for the adopting company and its customers. The authors suggest that understanding the AM process chain and the design experience are key to explaining the heterogeneous industrial maturity of the presented clusters. The authors further examine the suitability of AM technologies with agile development techniques to pursue incremental product launches in hardware. It is clearly a field requiring the attention of scholars.

Originality/value

This paper presents a value-driven approach for use-case identification and reveals implications of the industrial implementation of AM technologies. The resultant clustering model provides guidance to new AM adopters.
Integrating cleantech into innovative public procurement process – evidence and success factors
Authors: Alhola Katriina , Nissinen Ari
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to promote clean technology development and diffusion through public procurement. Finland is ranked high among the countries that develop clean technology innovations. Innovative public procurement could be one means to boost the diffusion of such technologies. However, this potential is still somewhat unexploited, as innovative public procurement is an unsystematic method of procuring in Finland and the EU, partly because of an inability to understand innovation potential in the market and to implement innovative procurement.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors illustrate how cleantech aspects can be integrated into the public procurement process. The authors study the key success factors and conditions that have led to a successful cleantech procurement process by exploring realized cases of innovative public clean technology procurement.

Findings

The results suggest that innovative public procurement, in which clean technology is an integrated part, may occur in different forms, from a procurement of a highly improved product or solution to a product-service system or a collaborative symbiosis system. Life cycle consideration, strategic commitment and recognition of needs of the procuring unit were prioritized as the most important factors leading to successful integration of cleantech aspects into procurement process.
Early contractor involvement approaches in public project procurement
Authors: Wondimu Paulos Abebe , Hosseini Ali , Lohne Jadar , Laedre Ola
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Early contractor involvement (ECI) faces many barriers when it is implemented in public procurement, given that it is different from traditional business practices. Primarily, public owners face a major challenge, as they should treat all bidders equally. The purpose of this paper is to explore suitable ECI approaches that public owners could use.

Design/methodology/approach

In addition to a literature and document study, 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key personnel from 11 cases selected from Norwegian public bridge projects were carried out.

Findings

In all, 23 unique approaches of ECI were identified during this research (16 from literature and 7 new from case projects). The findings provide a new direction to ECI through introducing new approaches of ECI from the case projects.

Originality/value

This paper for the first time presents several alternatives of ECI approaches for public owners with the intention of illustrating ECI is actually possible in the public project procurement. Furthermore, it presents for the first time success factors of ECI with the intention of increasing the understanding of ECI concept from a public procurement perspective.
US community college entrepreneurship educator practices
Authors: Dominik Michael Thomas , Banerji Devika
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to descriptively characterize the demographic profiles of entrepreneurship educators (EE) in US community colleges, and include descriptive and inferential examination of their pedagogical modalities, attitudes toward online modality, and use of teaching materials, tools and techniques, with resulting impacts and outcomes on students.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzed data collected by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship on the national landscape of community college entrepreneurship education. The useable sample included 568 responding participants from 270 US community colleges, all of whom self-identified as faculty members who teach entrepreneurship. To enhance the understanding of the findings, a small panel of EE experts was solicited to offer perspective and future study suggestions.

Findings

Ten distinct findings are offered. These include EE teaching materials, teaching modalities, use of e-learning and alternative techniques, and their relation to modalities; and examination of five distinct entrepreneurial educational outcomes and their relationship to educator use of pedagogical materials, tools and techniques.

Originality/value

Understanding effective entrepreneurship educational practices is important to globally advancing entrepreneurship education. This paper concentrates on the profiles and practices of educators in the significant but under-researched domain of US community colleges, and offers an incremental contribution and awareness of effective entrepreneurship education teaching methods.
Entrepreneurial universities and women entrepreneurship: a cross-cultural study
Authors: Laudano Maria Carmen , Zollo Lamberto , Ciappei Cristiano , Zampi Vincenzo
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Through a cross-culture study, the purpose of this paper is to understand about how entrepreneurial universities can foster entrepreneurship in women by attending to psychological and environmental factors and personality traits that encourage women to form entrepreneurial intent.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors test the proposed conceptual model on a cross-cultural sample comprising 350 students from Italy, a developed country, and from Albania, an emerging country. Structural equation modeling is used to validate the proposed model and test the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

In both Italy and Albania, entrepreneurial universities significantly impact entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions in women. The major differences relate to psychological factors that predict self-employment attitudes and intentions. Specifically, risk-taking propensity and locus of control are important antecedents of attitudes in both samples; the need for independence is a significant predictor only in the Italian sample; need for achievement has significant influence only in the Albanian sample.

Originality/value

To better understand and interpret the phenomenon of female entrepreneurship, the authors use the theory of planned behavior to investigate entrepreneurial universities located in Italy, a developed country, and Albania, an emerging country.
A trasilient decision making tool for vendor selection: a hybrid-MCDM algorithm
Authors: Mohammed Ahmed , Harris Irina , Dukyil Abdulsalam
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Vendor selection is the main activity in a sourcing decision, which is a strategic decision in that it leads enterprises to eliminate costs and improve their performance. However, an inappropriate selection may compromise the financial and operational status of the enterprise. But vendor selection is a complex, multi-criteria decision-making process because different and conflicting criteria have to be considered and assessed in order to find consistent suppliers. Consequently, evaluating and selecting the best vendor is the key to successful business. Traditionally, vendors are normally selected on the basis of traditional criteria (TC), such as costs and quality, neglecting resilience criteria (RC) (e.g. agility and flexibility). Thus, enterprises ultimately realize that a selecting method which involves TC as the only ones is inefficient and needs to be changed. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was set in motion by a problem in practice. It aims to provide a user-friendly decision-making tool for selecting the best vendor from a group which submitted their tenders for implementing a proposed radio frequency identification (RFID)-based passport tracking system (Dukyilet al., 2017). The main traditional and resilience (“trasilience” henceforth) selection criteria were identified in a unified framework in collaboration with experts in the institution. Next, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) algorithm was used to determine the relative importance of each criterion and the weights thus obtained were integrated into the ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalité (ELECTRE) algorithm. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) algorithm was also applied, to evaluate the performance of vendors and to select the best one. The qualitative evaluation of the criteria and the vendors was based on four decision makers. Finally, the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (SRCC) approach was applied to obtain the statistical difference between the ranking orders obtained from the two algorithms.

Findings

The efficiency of the proposed decision-making tool was evident from the real-case study of six tenders submitted for implementing a RFID-based passport tracking system. The SRCC also turned out a “very strong” association value between TOPSIS and ELECTRE.

Practical implications

The developed trasilient decision-making tool can easily be used to solve similar vendor or supplier selection problem. Moreover, other criteria can be added to fit other cases. Later, the tool was made available to the institution under study for solving future evaluation problems.

Originality/value

The literature shows that none of the previous papers presented an integrated trasilient approach that considers RC and TC simultaneously. This study presents a new trasilience tool for selecting a vendor.
Changing the font size on recovery: a co-produced dialogue between service user and psychologist
Authors: Barrett Meg , Lewis-Morton Ruth
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to co-produce the meaning of the word recovery and highlight the challenges to recovery in a secure inpatient setting.

Design/methodology/approach

A conversational narrative between a service user and psychologist focussed on the topic of recovery.

Findings

It is a reflective account, therefore no findings are required.

Originality/value

This is a co-produced paper highlighting a service user’s and psychologist’s perspectives on recovery.
Performance of physical asset management using the analytic hierarchy process
Authors: Al Marzooqi Fawzeia Abdulla , Hussain Matloub , Ahmad Syed Zamberi
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore certain resources, capabilities and competencies needed to improve the performance of physical asset management (PAM).

Design/methodology/approach

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to select and prioritize the most appropriate factors for improving performance. A multi-criteria approach is used to analyze and compare the importance of 6 main criteria and 18 subcriteria identified from a survey of relevant literature.

Findings

The study revealed that not all factors are viewed as having equal importance in improving PAM performance, as three of the main factors attained greater importance among the six factors.

Research limitations/implications

This study explored the factors required for managing assets only within the third stage of asset lifecycle, that is, the utilization stage. It is recommended that future studies be conducted in such a way as to determine the importance of similar factors in the other stages of the asset lifecycle, or to identify new factors and add new criteria.

Practical implications

Knowledge of the differential impacts of the factors on the performance of PAM can impact asset managers and decision makers in their allocation of resources and focus their work on the highest-ranked rather than the lowest-ranked factors. Also, AHP used provides an effective mean for asset managers to identify priorities among decision criteria in their organization.

Originality/value

To date, no study has explored the impact of six combined factors on the performance of PAM. Previous studies have found that these factors each had equal importance. However, their relative ranking in practice and when they appear together have remained unrecognized.
Landscape‐specific thresholds in the relationship between species richness and natural land cover
Authors: Simmonds Jeremy S. , van Rensburg Berndt J. , Tulloch Ayesha I. T. , Maron Martine
Published: December 2018

Thresholds in the relationship between species richness and natural land cover can inform landscape‐level vegetation protection and restoration targets. However, landscapes differ considerably in composition and other environmental attributes. If the effect of natural land cover on species richness depends on (i.e., interacts with) these attributes, and this affects the value of thresholds in this relationship, such dependencies must be considered when using thresholds to guide landscape management.

We hypothesized that the amount of natural land cover at which a threshold occurs would differ in predictable ways with particular anthropogenic, abiotic, and biotic attributes of landscapes. To test this, we related woodland bird species richness in 251 landscapes, each 100 km2, to natural land cover in south‐east Australia. We compared the fit of exponential and threshold models of the richness–natural land cover relationship, focussing on the extent of natural land cover at which thresholds presented among landscapes that differed in matrix land use intensity, heterogeneity, productivity, and the prevalence of strong biotic interactors. We used linear mixed modelling to examine how interactions between natural land cover and the various landscape attributes affected the fit of models of species richness.

Threshold models of the richness–natural land cover relationship were always a better fit than exponential models. Threshold values did not vary consistently with specific landscape attributes, with the exception of landscapes that were classified by the prevalence of strong biotic interactors (hypercompetitive native birds of the genus Manorina).

Natural land cover had a more positive effect on species richness in landscapes when Manorina prevalence was higher. This positive interaction provided the biggest improvement in explanatory power of models of species richness.

Synthesis and applications. While we detected an interaction between Manorina prevalence and the area of natural land cover, generalities relating to the underlying nature of thresholds in the richness–natural land cover relationship remain elusive. Complex interactions, relating to various landscape attributes and associated ecological processes, likely underpin variation in threshold values. Until these complexities are better understood, the use of thresholds for informing landscape management and conservation target setting should be approached with caution.
Developing an Individualised Assessment for KS1 & 2 pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties
Authors: Stelmaszczyk Karol
Published: December 2018

This article charts one school’s journey in securing an assessment regime aligned with its vision for its learners with profound and multiple difficulties (PMLD). Previous iterations, based on commercially‐based systems, as well as lessons learned from reflecting on the school’s own assessment practices, were used as catalysts for the development of a whole‐school, whole‐curriculum approach which reflects both the short‐ and long‐term targets incorporated in education, health and care plans (EHCPs). The article, contributed by a member of the school’s senior leadership, adopts a narrative style in reporting the success of a bespoke assessment scheme, which makes an innovative contribution to individualised learning.
Employability Training for Sixth form Learners with Special Educational Needs: Preparing for Success?
Authors: McLoughlin Matt
Published: December 2018

This article reports a case study, carried out to determine how successfully one school’s provision was preparing its learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to move into some form of employment. Data were obtained from the principal stakeholders: staff, parent/carers and students. This was generated by questionnaires and observations of learning in the classroom, as well as the school’s assessment data. Interviews with staff from other post‐16 providers were used to give examples of good practice in other contexts. The study found that although much good practice was evident, there were opportunities to improve the preparation of students
Developing a pupil‐centred assessment system: notes from a Senior Leader
Authors: Hansraj Merushka
Published: December 2018

One school’s development of an individualised assessment system for its students is the focus of this article. It uses documentary evidence from two sources – the author’s involvement in the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers, alongside a school‐based cluster of schools from four local authorities in England. The latter had been convened to consider new developments in the assessment of learning by SEND students.
The impact of Drama on students with learning difficulties, career choices in a special school
Authors: Mehta‐Diston Priya
Published: December 2018

This article details a piece of small‐scale action‐based research in a school for students with learning difficulties. It focusses on the use of Drama as a means whereby confidence of those students who are at a point of transition to employment can be enhanced. Using qualitative‐based mixed methods of data generation, a range of issues are highlighted relating to the challenges for students with SEND moving into employment. The value of Drama activities both intrinsically within a whole school curriculum, as well as a cross‐curricular intervention, is also noted. Finally, the article reflects on some of the key opportunities in undertaking research of this kind within a school‐based context.
Field Interventions Against Colonization of Broilers by Campylobacter
Authors: Wales Andrew D. , Vidal Ana B. , Davies Robert H. , Rodgers John D.
Published: December 2018

Poultry accounts for a high proportion of human campylobacteriosis cases, and the problem of Campylobacter colonization of broiler flocks has proven to be intractable. Owing to their broad host range and genetic instability, Campylobacter organisms are ubiquitous and adaptable in the broiler farm environment, colonizing birds heavily and spreading rapidly after introduction into a flock. This review examines strategies to prevent or suppress such colonization, with a heavy emphasis on field investigations. Attempts to exclude Campylobacter via enhanced biosecurity and hygiene measures have met with mixed success. Reasons for this are becoming better understood as investigations focus on houses, ventilation, biosecurity practices, external operators, and compliance, among other factors. It is evident that piecemeal approaches are likely to fail. Complementary measures include feed and drinking water treatments applied in either preventive or suppressive modes using agents including organic acids and their derivatives, also litter treatments, probiotics, prebiotics, and alterations to diet. Some treatments aim to reduce the number of Campylobacter organisms entering abattoirs by suppressing intestinal colonization just before slaughter; these include acid water treatment or administration of bacteriophages or bacteriocins. Experimental vaccines historically have had little success, but some recent subunit vaccines show promise. Overall, there is wide variation in the control achieved, and consistency and harmonization of trials is needed to enable robust evaluation. There is also some potential to breed for resistance to Campylobacter. Good and consistent control of flock colonization by Campylobacter may require an as‐yet undetermined combination of excellent biosecurity plus complementary measures.