bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NHBA is processed by kallikrein from human saliva
Authors: Pantano Elisa , Marchi Sara , Biagini Massimiliano , Fede Martina Di , Nardi-Dei Vincenzo , Paccani Silvia Rossi , Pizza Mariagrazia , Cartocci Elena
Published: August 2018

Neisserial Heparin Binding Antigen (NHBA) is a surface-exposed lipoprotein and a component of the Bexsero vaccine. NHBA is characterized by the presence of a highly conserved Arg-rich region involved in binding to heparin and heparin sulphate proteoglycans present on the surface of host epithelial cells, suggesting a possible role of NHBA duringN. meningitidiscolonization. NHBA has been shown to be cleaved by the bacterial NalP protein, a meningococcal protease and by human lactoferrin (hLF), a host protease present in different body fluids (saliva, breast milk and serum). Cleavage occurs upstream or downstream the Arg-rich region. Since the human nasopharynx is the only known reservoir of infection, we further investigated the susceptibility of NHBA to human proteases present in the saliva to assess whether proteolytic cleavage could happen during the initial steps of colonization. Here we show that human saliva proteolytically cleaves NHBA; and identified human kallikrein 1 (KLK1) as the main protease responsible for this cleavage. Kallikrein is an important enzyme present in blood plasma, lymph, urine, saliva, pancreatic juices, and other body fluids that catalyze the proteolysis of several human proteins. We report thein vitrocharacterization of NHBA cleavage by kallikrein; the identification of the cleavage in the recombinant NHBA protein and, on the native protein, when expressed on live bacteria. Overall, this findings provide new insights on NHBA as target of host proteases, highlights a potential role of NHBA in theNeisseria meningitidisnasopharyngeal colonization, and of kallikrein as a defensive agent against meningococcal infection.
An interaction network of the human SEPT9 established by quantitative mass spectrometry reveals an interplay with myosin motors
Authors: Hecht Matthias , Rösler Reinhild , Wiese Sebastian , Johnsson Nils , Gronemeyer Thomas
Published: August 2018

Phenotypic variations of an organism or a single cell often arise from alterations of protein interaction networks. We provide here an interaction network of the human SEPT9, an important component of the human septin cytoskeleton.

Experimentally deciphering and understanding the interaction network of a particular protein provides often evidence for so far unknown functions. For the septins, a class of cytoskeletal proteins, targeted high-throughput approaches that aim at systematically deciphering interaction partners have not yet been performed. Septins regulate the organization of the acin cytoskeleton, vesicle transport and fusion, chromosome alignment-and segregation, and cytokinesis. SEPT9 is part of the core septin hetero-octamer in human cells which is composed of SEPT2, SEPT6, SEPT7, and SEPT9. SEPT9 has been linked to a variety of intracellular functions as well as to diseases and diverse types of cancer. We applied a quantitative proteomics approach to establish an interactome of SEPT9 in human fibroblast cells. We identified among others so far unknown interaction partners from the myosin family and could provide evidence that SEPT9 participates in vesicle transport from and to the plasma membrane as well as in the attachment of actin stress fibers to cellular adhesions.
The fungal root endophyte Serendipita indica modifies extracellular nucleotides to subvert plant immunity
Authors: Nizam Shadab , Qiang Xiaoyu , Wawra Stephan , Nostadt Robin , Getzke Felix , Schwanke Florian , Dreyer Ingo , Langen Gregor , Zuccaro Alga
Published: August 2018

One sentence abstract

Immune modulation by metabolites in plant fungus interaction

Extracellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate (eATP) is an essential signaling molecule that mediates different cellular processes through its interaction with membrane-associated receptor proteins in animals and plants. eATP regulates plant growth, development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Its accumulation in the apoplast induces ROS production and cytoplasmic calcium increase mediating a defense response to invading microbes. We demonstrate that perception of eATP is important in plant-fungus interaction and that during colonization by the beneficial root endophyte Serendipita indica accumulation of eATP in the apoplast occurs at early symbiotic stages. We show by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, cytological and functional analysis that S. indica subvert eATP host response by secreting SiE5’NT, an enzymatically active ecto-5′nucleotidase capable of hydrolyzing eATP to adenosine. A. thaliana lines producing extracellular SiE5’NT are signi?cantly better colonized and have reduced eATP levels and defense signaling, indicating that SiE5’NT functions as a compatibility factor. Our data show that extracellular bioactive nucleotides play an important role in fungus-root interactions and that fungi can modify plant derived metabolites in the apoplast to modulate host immunity.
Identifying incident dementia by applying machine learning to a very large administrative claims dataset
Authors: Nori Vijay S. , Hane Christopher A. , Martin David C. , Kravetz Alexander D. , Sanghavi Darshak M.
Published: August 2018

INTRODUCTION

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are highly prevalent conditions, and prior efforts to develop predictive models have relied on demographic and clinical risk factors using traditional logistical regression methods. We hypothesized that machine-learning algorithms using administrative claims data may represent a novel approach to predicting ADRD.

METHODS

Using a national de-identified dataset of more than 125 million patients including over 10,000 clinical, pharmaceutical, and demographic variables, we developed a cohort to train a machine learning model to predict ADRD 4-5 years in advance.

RESULTS

The Lasso algorithm selected a 50-variable model with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.693. Top diagnosis codes in the model were memory loss (780.93), Parkinson’s disease (332.0), mild cognitive impairment (331.83) and bipolar disorder (296.80), and top pharmacy codes were psychoactive drugs.

DISCUSSION

Machine learning algorithms can rapidly develop predictive models for ADRD with massive datasets, without requiring hypothesis-driven feature engineering.

RESEARCH IN CONTEXT

Systematic review: Previous attempts to predict incident dementia have relied on extensive clinical evaluations, cognitive testing, laboratory testing, neuro-imaging, genetic factors, demographics, and lifestyle variables. Applying machine learning to a large administrative claims dataset to identify individuals at increased likelihood for near-term diagnosis of dementia had not been tested.

Interpretation: A 50-variable model to identify those at risk for near-term diagnosis of dementia was created and validated. Based on AUC analysis, the model compared favorably with other historical attempts at modeling more traditional forms of data.

Future direction: Models, such as the one developed here, could be used to identify populations of higher prior probability for near-term diagnosis of dementia. These could then be subjected to more in-depth scrutiny for intervention or dementia-related research eligibility.
Excitable dynamics through toxin-induced mRNA cleavage in bacteria
Authors: Vet Stefan , Vandervelde Alexandra , Gelens Lendert
Published: August 2018

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems in bacteria and archaea are small genetic elements consisting of the genes coding for an intracellular toxin and an antitoxin that can neutralize this toxin. In various cases, the toxins cleave the mRNA. In this theoretical work we use deterministic and stochastic modeling to explain how toxin-induced cleavage of mRNA in TA systems can lead to excitability, allowing large transient spikes in toxin levels to be triggered. By using a simplified network where secondary complex formation and transcriptional regulation are not included, we show that a two-dimensional, deterministic model captures the origin of such toxin excitations. Moreover, it allows to increase our understanding by examining the dynamics in the phase plane. By systematically comparing the deterministic results with Gillespie simulations we demonstrate that even though the real TA system is intrinsically stochastic, toxin excitations can be accurately described deterministically. A bifurcation analysis of the system shows that the excitable behavior is due to a nearby Hopf bifurcation in the parameter space, where the system becomes oscillatory. The influence of stress is modeled by varying the degradation rate of the antitoxin and the translation rate of the toxin. We find that stress increases the frequency of toxin excitations and decreases the excitation time. The inclusion of secondary complex formation and transcriptional regulation does not fundamentally change the mechanism of toxin excitations. Therefore, the deterministic model used in this work provides a simple and intuitive explanation of toxin excitations in TA systems.

Author summary

The genomes of most bacteria and archaea encode several toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, small genetic elements consisting of the genes coding for an intracellular toxin and an antitoxin that can neutralize this toxin. For several toxins, the target is the mRNA. In this theoretical work we use deterministic and stochastic modeling to explain how toxin-induced cleavage of mRNA in TA systems can trigger large transient spikes in toxin levels. By using a simplified network where secondary complex formation and transcriptional regulation are not included, we show that a two-dimensional, deterministic model captures the origin of such toxin excitations. By systematically comparing our findings with more complex models, we find that the intrinsically stochastic TA system shows similar toxin excitations that are accurately predicted by the underlying simplified theory. This has allowed us to understand how the TA system responds in the presence of stress conditions, finding that toxin excitations become shorter and more frequent.
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate yield in different temperature gradients in green tea (Camellia sinensis) brewing
Authors: Hsieh Meng Hsuen , Hsieh Meng Ju , Wu Chi-Rei , Peng Wen-Huang , Hsieh Ming-Tsuen , Hsieh Chia-Chang
Published: August 2018

Introduction

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a chemical catechin, a natural organic compound found in green teas with strong antioxidative effects. EGCG degrades or epimerizes according to temperature, fluctuating its concentration in green tea (Camellia sinensis). This study is conducted to determine the specified correlation between EGCG and tea temperature, and to conclude with the optimal temperature for EGCG yield.

Methods

EGCG concentrations in different solutions of green tea are analyzed using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with a diode array detector (DAD). The solutions are created from green tea brewed in water from 20°C to 100°C at increments of 20°C and undergo an ultrasonic bath of 30 minutes before being analyzed.

Results

There is a discernible difference between EGCG concentrations in all temperatures. At 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100°C, the concentrations are 6.18 μg/mL, 32.37 μg/mL, 57.36 μg/mL, 36.13 μg/mL, and 44.85 μg/mL, respectively. EGCG concentration maximizes at 60°C. The lowest EGCG concentration yield is at 20°C.

Conclusion

The results of our experiments lead us to recommend hot brewing over cold brewing for green tea if one wishes to maximize the potential of the effects of EGCG due to its higher concentration.
Allele-specific binding of RNA-binding proteins reveals functional genetic variants in the RNA
Authors: Yang Ei-Wen , Bahn Jae Hoon , Yun-Hua Hsiao Esther , Tan Boon Xin , Sun Yiwei , Fu Ting , Zhou Bo , Van Nostrand Erc L. , Pratt Gabriel A. , Freese Peter , Wei Xintao , Quinones-Valdez Giovanni , Urban Alexander E. , Graveley Brenton R. , Burge Christopher B. , Yeo Gene W. , Xiao Xinshu
Published: August 2018

Allele-specific protein-RNA binding is an essential aspect that may reveal functional genetic variants influencing RNA processing and gene expression phenotypes. Recently, genome-wide detection of in vivo binding sites of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) is greatly facilitated by the enhanced UV crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (eCLIP) protocol. Hundreds of eCLIP-Seq data sets were generated from HepG2 and K562 cells during the ENCODE3 phase. These data afford a valuable opportunity to examine allele-specific binding (ASB) of RBPs. To this end, we developed a new computational algorithm, called BEAPR (Binding Estimation of Allele-specific Protein-RNA interaction). In identifying statistically significant ASB sites, BEAPR takes into account UV cross-linking induced sequence propensity and technical variations between replicated experiments. Using simulated data and actual eCLIP-Seq data, we show that BEAPR largely outperforms often-used methods Chi-Squared test and Fisher’s Exact test. Importantly, BEAPR overcomes the inherent over-dispersion problem of the other methods. Complemented by experimental validations, we demonstrate that ASB events are significantly associated with genetic regulation of splicing and mRNA abundance, supporting the usage of this method to pinpoint functional genetic variants in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Many variants with ASB patterns of RBPs were found as genetic variants with cancer or other disease relevance. About 38% of ASB variants were in linkage disequilibrium with single nucleotide polymorphisms from genome-wide association studies. Overall, our results suggest that BEAPR is an effective method to reveal ASB patterns in eCLIP and can inform functional interpretation of disease-related genetic variants.
CRUMBLER: A Tool for the Prediction of Ancestry in Cattle
Authors: Crum Tamar E. , Schnabel Robert D. , Decker Jared E. , Regitano Luciana CA , Taylor Jeremy F.
Published: August 2018

Background

In many beef and some dairy production systems, crossbreeding is used to take advantage of breed complementarity and heterosis. Admixed animals are frequently identified by their coat color and body conformation phenotypes, however, without pedigree information it is not possible to identify the expected breed composition of an admixed animal and in the presence of selection, the actual composition may differ from expectation. As the roles of DNA and genotype data become more pervasive in animal agriculture, a systematic method for estimating the breed composition (the proportions of an animal’s genome originating from ancestral pure breeds) has utility for a variety of downstream analyses including the estimation of genomic breeding values for crossbred animals, the estimation of quantitative trait locus effects, and heterosis and heterosis retention in advanced generation composite animals. Currently, there is no automated or semi-automated ancestry estimation platform for cattle and the objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of extant public software for ancestry estimation and determine the effects of reference population size and composition and number of utilized single nucleotide polymorphism loci on ancestry estimation. We also sought to develop an analysis pipeline that would simplify this process for members of the livestock genomics research community.

Results

We developed and tested a tool, “CRUMBLER”, to estimate the global ancestry of cattle using ADMIXTURE and SNPweights based on a defined reference panel.

CRUMBLER, was developed and evaluated in cattle, but is a species agnostic pipeline that facilitates the streamlined estimation of breed composition for individuals with potentially complex ancestries using publicly available global ancestry software and a specified reference population SNP dataset. We developed the reference panel from a large cattle genotype data set and breed association pedigree information using iterative analyses to identify purebred individuals that were representative of each breed. We also evaluated the numbers of markers necessary for breed composition estimation and simulated genotypes for advanced generation composite animals to evaluate the precision of the developed tool.

Conclusion

The developed CRUMBLER pipeline extracts a specified subset of genotypes that is common to all current commercially available genotyping platforms, processes these into the file formats required for the analysis software, and predicts admixture proportions using the specified reference population allele frequencies.
Mortality causes universal changes in microbial community composition
Authors: Abreu Clare I. , Friedman Jonathan , Andersen Woltz Vilhelm L. , Gore Jeff
Published: August 2018

All organisms are sensitive to the abiotic environment, and a deteriorating environment can lead to extinction. However, survival in a multispecies community also depends upon inter-species interactions, and some species may even be favored by a harsh environment that impairs competitors. A deteriorating environment can thus cause surprising transitions in community composition. Here, we combine theory and laboratory microcosms to develop a predictive understanding of how simple multispecies communities change under added mortality, a parameter that represents environmental harshness. In order to explain changes in a multispecies microbial system across a mortality gradient, we examine its members’ pairwise interactions. We find that increasing mortality favors the faster grower, confirming a prediction of simple models. Furthermore, if the slower grower outcompetes the faster grower in environments with low or no added mortality, the competitive outcome can reverse as mortality increases. We find that this tradeoff between growth rate and competitive ability is indeed prevalent in our system, allowing for striking pairwise outcome changes that propagate up to multispecies communities. These results argue that a bottom-up approach can provide insight into how communities will change under stress.
Nanopore-based genome assembly and the evolutionary genomics of basmati rice
Authors: Choi Jae Young , Lye Zoe N. , Groen Simon C. , Dai Xiaoguang , Rughani Priyesh , Zaaijer Sophie , Harrington Eoghan D. , Juul Sissel , Purugganan Michael D.
Published: August 2018

BACKGROUND

Thecircum-basmati group of cultivated Asian rice (Oryza sativa) contains many iconic varieties and is widespread in the Indian subcontinent. Despite its economic and cultural importance, a high-quality reference genome is currently lacking, and the group’s evolutionary history is not fully resolved. To address these gaps, we used long-read nanopore sequencing and assembled the genomes of twocircum-basmati rice varieties, Basmati 334 and Dom Sufid.

RESULTS

We generated two high-quality, chromosome-level reference genomes that represented the 12 chromosomes ofOryza. The assemblies showed a contig N50 of 6.32Mb and 10.53Mb for Basmati 334 and Dom Sufid, respectively. Using our highly contiguous assemblies we characterized structural variations segregating acrosscircum-basmati genomes. We discovered repeat expansions not observed in japonica—the rice group most closely related tocircum-basmati—as well as presence/absence variants of over 20Mb, one of which was acircum-basmati-specific deletion of a gene regulating awn length. We further detected strong evidence of admixture between thecircum-basmati andcircum-aus groups. This gene flow had its greatest effect on chromosome 10, causing both structural variation and single nucleotide polymorphism to deviate from genome-wide history. Lastly, population genomic analysis of 78circum-basmati varieties showed three major geographically structured genetic groups: (1) Bhutan/Nepal group, (2) India/Bangladesh/Myanmar group, and (3) Iran/Pakistan group.

CONCLUSION

Availability of high-quality reference genomes from nanopore sequencing allowed functional and evolutionary genomic analyses, providing genome-wide evidence for gene flow betweencircum-aus andcircum-basmati, the nature ofcircum-basmati structural variation, and the presence/absence of genes in this important and iconic rice variety group.
Genotype-by-environment-by-environment interactions in theSaccharomyces cerevisiaetranscriptomic response to alcohols and anaerobiosis
Authors: Sardi Maria , Krause Molly , Heilberger Justin , Gasch Audrey P.
Published: August 2018

Next generation biofuels including longer-chain alcohols such as butanol are attractive as renewable, high-energy fuels. A barrier to microbial production of butanols is the increased toxicity compared to ethanol; however, the cellular targets and microbial defense mechanisms remain poorly understood, especially under anaerobic conditions used frequently in industry. Here we took a comparative approach to understand the response ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeto 1-butanol, isobutanol, or ethanol, across three genetic backgrounds of varying tolerance in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. We find that strains have different growth properties and alcohol tolerances with and without oxygen availability, as well as unique and common responses to each of the three alcohols. Our results provide evidence for strain-by-alcohol-by-oxygen interactions that moderate how cells respond to alcohol stress.

ARTICLE SUMMARY

Efforts to promote sustainable bioenergy focus on microbial production of biofuels including butanols, which can be blended into gasoline engines and condensed for higher energy fuels. The stress of these end products can limit microbial production; yet it remains unclear how higher-energy butanols impact cell physiology compared to the well studied ethanol. This study compares the transcriptomic response to 1-butaonol, isobutanol, and ethanol in three strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from diverse natural populations, with and without oxygen. Results show that oxygen availability and strain background significantly impact the response to each alcohol and point to shared responses to alcohol stress.
TCF3 alternative splicing controlled by hnRNP H/F regulates E-cadherin expression and hESC pluripotency
Authors: Yamazaki Takashi , Liu Lizhi , Lazarev Denis , Al-Zain Amr , Fomin Vitalay , Yeung Percy Luk , Chambers Stuart M. , Lu Chi-Wei , Studer Lorenz , Manley James L.
Published: August 2018

Alternative splicing (AS) plays important roles in embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation. In this study, we first identified transcripts that display specific AS patterns in pluripotent human ESCs (hESCs) relative to differentiated cells. One of these encodes transcription factor 3 (TCF3), a transcription factor that plays important roles in ESC differentiation. AS creates two TCF3 isoforms, E12 and E47, and we identified two related splicing factors, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) H1 and F (hnRNP H/F), that regulate TCF3 splicing. We found that hnRNP H/F levels are high in hESCs, leading to high E12 expression, but decrease during differentiation, switching splicing to produce elevated E47 levels. Importantly, hnRNP H/F knockdown not only recapitulated the switch in TCF3 AS but also destabilized hESC colonies and induced differentiation. Providing an explanation for this, we show that expression of known TCF3 target E-cadherin, critical for maintaining ESC pluripotency, is repressed by E47 but not by E12.
The role of nonmuscle myosin II in polydrug memories and memory reconsolidation
Authors: Briggs Sherri B. , Hafenbreidel Madalyn , Young Erica J. , Rumbaugh Gavin , Miller Courtney A.
Published: August 2018

Using pharmacologic and genetic approaches targeting actin or the actin-driving molecular motor, nonmuscle myosin II (NMII), we previously discovered an immediate, retrieval-independent, and long-lasting disruption of methamphetamine- (METH-) and amphetamine-associated memories. A single intrabasolateral amygdala complex infusion or systemic administration of the NMII inhibitor Blebbistatin (Blebb) is sufficient to produce this disruption, which is selective, having no retrieval-independent effect on memories for fear, food reward, cocaine, or morphine. However, it was unclear if Blebb treatment would disrupt memories of other stimulants and amphetamine class drugs, such as nicotine (NIC) or mephedrone (MEPH; bath salts). Moreover, many individuals abuse multiple drugs, but it was unknown if Blebb could disrupt polydrug memories, or if the inclusion of another substance would render Blebb no longer able to disrupt METH-associated memories. Therefore, the present study had two primary goals: (1) to determine the ability of Blebb to disrupt NIC- or MEPH-associated memories, and (2) to determine the ability of METH to modify other unconditioned stimulus (US) associations’ susceptibility to Blebb. To this end, using the conditional place preference model, mice were conditioned to NIC and MEPH alone or METH in combination with NIC, morphine, or foot shock. We report that, unlike METH, there was no retrieval-independent effect of Blebb on NIC- or MEPH-associated memories. However, similar to cocaine, reconsolidation of the memory for both drugs was disrupted. Further, when combined with METH administration, NIC- and morphine-, but not fear-, associated memories were rendered susceptible to disruption by Blebb. Given the high rate of polydrug use and the resurgence of METH use, these results have important implications for the treatment of substance use disorder.
N-(6-Methoxypyridin-2-yl)-1-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide: crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis
Authors: Ramani Vivek C. , Shah Rina D. , Jotani Mukesh M. , Tiekink Edward R. T.
Published: August 2018

The title compound, C16H15N5O2, adopts the shape of the letter L with the dihedral angle between the outer pyridyl rings being 78.37 (5)°; the dihedral angles between the central pyrazolyl ring (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0023 Å) and the methylene-bound pyridyl and methyoxypyridyl rings are 77.68 (5) and 7.84 (10)°, respectively. Intramolecular amide-N—H...N(pyrazolyl) and pyridyl-C—H...O(amide) interactions are evident and these preclude the participation of the amide-N—H and O atoms in intermolecular interactions. The most notable feature of the molecular packing is the formation of linear supramolecular chains aligned along the b-axis direction mediated by weak carbonyl-C=O...π(triazolyl) interactions. An analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surfaces point to the importance of H...H (46.4%), C...H (22.4%), O...H (11.9%) and N...H (11.1%) contacts in the crystal.
3-Hydroxy-2-(4-methylphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one
Authors: Padgett Clifford W. , Lynch Will E. , Sheriff Kirkland , Dean Raven , Zingales Sarah
Published: August 2018

Our work in the area of carbon-monoxide-releasing molecules led to the synthesis and crystallization of new flavone derivatives as intermediates. Herein we report the first crystal structure of the title compound, C16H12O3, a hydroxy-substituted flavone where the 2-phenyl group has been replaced by a p-tolyl group. The introduction of the 3-hydroxy group allows the formation of intermolecular O—H...O=C hydrogen bonds, used to build centrosymmetric R
2
2(10) ring motifs in the crystal.
Do financial development and law enforceability effect the relationship between net working capital and firm value? Empirical evidence from Asia
Authors: Altaf Nufazil
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between net working capital and firm value for a sample of 2,483 firms across 16 Asian countries. In addition, this study also examines the impact of degree of financial development and law enforceability on net working capital-firm value relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on secondary financial data of 2,483 Asian firms obtained from Bloomberg database, pertaining to a period of five years. This study employs the fixed effects approach to arrive at results.

Findings

Results of the study confirm a strong negative relationship between net working capital and firm value. In addition, the author also found that the negative relationship between net working capital and firm value to be strong for countries that have a high degree of financial development and law enforceability.

Originality/value

Unlike prior studies, this study examines the relationship between net working capital and firm value. In addition, this study also tests the impact of degree of financial development and law enforceability on this relationship. To the best knowledge, no such study has been conducted in the Asian context.
SMED for quick changeover in manufacturing industry – a case study
Authors: Singh Jagdeep , Singh Harwinder , Singh Inderdeep
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the significance of SMED in manufacturing environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper gives setup instructions and guidelines to prepare the standardized setup procedure without ignoring actual constraints in production environment. It uses a case study in a small-scale manufacturing unit of northern India to generate an integrated setup reduction approach, utilizing Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED)-based industrial engineering tools to achieve faster setups. It describes the feasibility of quick changeovers in small enterprises based on an “SMED” approach. Finally, the paper carries out empirical analysis of the financial/non-financial benefits incurred from setup reductions.

Findings

Setup activities are a vital part of the production lead time of any product and so affect overall product cost. Industrial engineering techniques have been used to analyze the existing procedure of setups. A SMED approach can help eliminate unwanted activities, externalize the internal activities, if possible, and reduce them by simplification or standardization.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates the practical application of SMED showing how it can bring real breakthroughs in reducing setup time in small-scale manufacturing.
Using a Luhmannian perspective for earthquake resilience
Authors: Yoldaş Berat , Rittersberger Tılıç Helga Ida
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to interpret Luhmann’s Social Systems Theory to discuss disaster resilience, and use its “functional method” for creating “local organizational inventories” to support the trend of integration in Turkey’s disaster management system. For this, the authors used a case study from Düzce province in 2013, investigating the organizational aftermath of two major earthquakes in 1999.

Design/methodology/approach

A purposive sample of local associations in city center of Düzce province was used. The local associations were selected according to the criteria if they organized any disaster-related activities after the 1999 earthquakes, despite being specialized in domains other than emergencies. Representatives of these organizations were interviewed about the content of their disaster-related activities and their organizational cooperation.

Findings

There was a lack of overlap between centralized emergency plans and local history of self-organized disaster activities. Both centralized and local organizations primarily engaged in activities that aim to reproduce their own systemic boundaries, rather than synchronizing central and local efforts in disaster planning.

Practical implications

The method used in this research helps discovering the local diversity of resources for improving resilience.

Originality/value

Arguing that disasters should be discussed under a theory of modern society, Robert A. Stallings refers to Luhmann’s theoretical work (Stallings, 1998, p. 134). Complexity plays a central role in emergencies in modern society. Therefore, the Luhmannian perspective needs to be incorporated into disaster studies to account for increasing social complexity and systemic differentiation. The problems resulting from functional differentiation and the relationship between different problem–solutions have their effects on emergency planning.
Reducing construction material cost by optimizing buy-in decision that accounts the flexibility of non-critical activities
Authors: Meng Junna , Yan Jinghong , Xue Bin , Fu Jing , He Ning
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The goal of making buy-in decisions is to purchase materials at the right time with the required quantity and a minimum material cost (MC). To help achieve this goal, the purpose of this paper is to find a way of optimizing the buy-in decision with the consideration of flexible starting date of non-critical activities which makes daily demand adjustable.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a specific algorithm is developed to calculate a series of demand combinations modeling daily material demand for all the possible start dates. Second, future material prices are predicted by applying artificial neural network. Third, the demand combinations and predicted prices are used to generate an optimal buy-in decision.

Findings

By comparing MC in situation when non-critical activities always start at the earliest date to that in situations when the starting date is flexible, it is found that making material buy-in decision with the consideration of the flexibility usually helps reduce MC.

Originality/value

In this paper, a material buy-in decision-making method that accounts non-critical activities’ flexible starting date is proposed. A ternary cycle algorithm is developed to calculate demand combinations. The results that making material buy-in decision considering non-critical activities’ flexible starting date can reduce MC in most times indicates that contractors may consider non-critical activities’ flexibility a part of the buy-in decision-making process, so as to achieve an MC decrease and profit increase.
Field trips for sustainable transport education
Authors: Putz Lisa-Maria , Treiblmaier Horst , Pfoser Sarah
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Field trips can change students’ attitudes and improve their learning performance, but they have rarely been investigated in logistics education research. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from field trips that were designed to increase students’ knowledge of sustainable transport as well as to change their attitudes and behavioral intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 104 logistics students participated in this longitudinal panel study. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to test for significant effects.

Findings

Field trips build students’ knowledge, improve their attitudes and increase their behavioral intentions to use sustainable transport modes in the short and in the long term. Gains in knowledge exceed the results expected from traditional learning theories. Gender and school type are important moderating variables. Gender did not play an important role for knowledge gains, but for attitude and behavioral intentions.

Research limitations/implications

More research is needed to generalize the findings to other populations and longitudinal panel studies are necessary to investigate a long-term effect of field trips.

Practical implications

Field trips are an effective means for successful knowledge transfer and are suitable to trigger attitudinal and behavioral changes. The involvement of practitioners and the hands-on experience ensure that students combine theoretical with practical knowledge.

Originality/value

This is the first longitudinal panel study that investigates the effects of logistics field trips, which were developed collaboratively by industry, educational and research institutions.
Promoting logistics performance in Vietnam-based manufacturing firms
Authors: Luu Tuan
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how service-oriented high-performance work systems (HPWSs) contribute to logistics performance and the mediation mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Employees and their managers from logistics departments and/or business departments of manufacturing firms in the Vietnamese business setting were recruited as participants in the data collection. Structural equation modeling was employed for the data analysis.

Findings

Service-oriented HPWSs demonstrated the positive effects on logistics performance via serving culture. Serving culture was found to have the positive link with logistics performance via the mediating roles of collective role breadth self-efficacy and collective customer knowledge.

Originality/value

The current research extends the logistics management research by identifying service-oriented HPWSs as an antecedent of logistics performance as well as the mediation mechanisms underlying this effect.
Expenditure inequality and polarization in Indonesia, 2002-2012
Authors: Indra Indra , Nazara Suahasil , Hartono Djoni , Sumarto Sudarno
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between expenditure inequality and expenditure polarization in Indonesia during the post-reformation era in 2002–2012. It also explores the various dimensions of regional groups; and finds out in which dimension did the expenditure inequality and polarization occur in Indonesia during the period.

Design/methodology/approach

Gini index was employed to measure expenditure inequality and a number of developed polarization measurement was applied to investigate the linkage between inequality and polarization at national levels. It also applied a polarization index based on inequality decomposition to investigate how the polarization occurs in the regional dimension. It covered several groups of regional dimensions; those are rural and urban areas; eastern and western regions, as well as natural resource-rich provinces and non-natural resource-rich provinces.

Findings

This study found that expenditure inequality and polarization in Indonesia have moved in line, showing an increasing trend during the observation period. In the regional context, the greatest rise was in the region with low initial levels of expenditure inequality and polarization. The trends in each of the regional dimension showed a convergent pattern. It also showed that a significant portion of total polarization was attributed to expenditure differences between urban and rural areas rather than the other groups of regions.

Research limitations/implications

The similar upward movement of expenditure inequality and polarization indicates that not only the differences between groups of expenditure are getting larger, but also the identification of the within groups expenditure are getting stronger. Since the high degree of inequality and polarization are closely related to conflict among groups of communities, this finding is a strong message to the policymaker that the development process in Indonesia during 2002–2012 tended to encourage the creation of social instability.

Practical implications

This study provides an evaluation for further development of social economy in Indonesia.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to give an overview of the relationship between expenditure inequality and polarization in Indonesia during 2002–2012. It also tries to reveal in which regional dimension, expenditure inequality and polarization occurred in Indonesia during the mentioned period. The issues have not been examined in previous empirical studies in Indonesia.
Spatio-temporal differentials in street begging: the case of Ibadan municipality, Nigeria
Authors: Taiwo Amos Oluwole
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the relationship that exists between land use activities and street begging in Ibadan municipality, Nigeria, following the observed influence of urban land use activities on begging incidence.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data were obtained through the method of direct enumeration of beggars and cursory observation of the physical and environmental compositions of the identified beggars’ locations in the study area.

Findings

The results showed that begging is a function of urban land use activities and it also conforms to the concentric, sector and multiple nuclei models of urban land use.

Research limitations/implications

Studies are still less noticeable on the spatial implications of begging in Nigerian urban centres. In view of this, it is very much suggested that more studies be carried out on issues relating to begging, particularly, on the spatial implications of begging in other municipalities for effective comparative analysis.

Originality/value

The study fills a gap in the literature as there is limited research on street begging in relation to spatial dimension.
The relationship between favorable conditions for innovation in technology parks, the innovation produced, and companies’ performance
Authors: Bonacina Roldan Lucas , Hansen Peter Bent , Garcia-Perez-de-Lema Domingo
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Innovation is today considered a competitive differential for improving the performance of companies, and technology parks are seen as environments with favorable conditions for such innovation. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for analyzing favorable conditions for innovation in technology parks, the innovations produced and organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, the authors conducted bibliographic research and in-depth interviews with managers of companies based at the Tecnopuc Science and Technology Park, and managers of the park itself, to establish practical support for previous theoretical findings.

Findings

As a result, a framework was developed to link the favorable conditions for innovation, and organizational performance.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis model proposed here synthesizes the contributions made by several scholars on the theme, allowing for a more detailed and integrated interpretation of the phenomenon, namely, the ways through which the effective development of innovation takes place in companies residing in technology parks and the contribution of innovation to the specific performance of companies.

Practical implications

The use of the proposed framework can help direct park managers’ action towards those relationships or activities that prove to be ineffective in achieving desired goals.

Originality/value

The use of the proposed model in empirical surveys will allow for better understanding of the phenomenon involving the features of technology parks and their effects on innovation and the performance of companies installed there, considering that such parks allow them to access resources with lower transaction costs.
A logic-based framework for collection/item metadata relationships
Authors: Wickett Karen
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for the articulation of relationships between collection-level and item-level metadata as logical inference rules. The framework is intended to allow the systematic generation of relevant propagation rules and to enable the assessment of those rules for particular contexts and the translation of rules into algorithmic processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework was developed using first order predicate logic. Relationships between collection-level and item-level description are expressed as propagation rules – inference rules where the properties of one entity entail conclusions about another entity in virtue of a particular relationship those individuals bear to each other. Propagation rules for reasoning between the collection and item level are grouped together in the framework according to their logical form as determined by the nature of the propagation action and the attributes involved in the rule.

Findings

The primary findings are the analysis of relationships between collection-level and item-level metadata, and the framework of categories of propagation rules. In order to fully develop the framework, the paper includes an analysis of colloquial metadata records and the collection membership relation that provides a general method for the translation of metadata records into formal knowledge representation languages.

Originality/value

The method for formalizing metadata records described in the paper represents significant progress in the application of knowledge representation techniques to problems of metadata creation and management, providing a flexible technique for encoding colloquial metadata as a set of statements in first-order logic. The framework of rules for collection/item metadata relationships has a range of potential applications for the enhancement or metadata systems and vocabularies.
Survival of construction SMEs in macroeconomic crises
Authors: Ulubeyli Serdar , Kazaz Aynur , Sahin Selim
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to present the effect of innovation on implementing competitive strategies (CSs) and to find their relationships on the survival of construction-related small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in macroeconomic crises.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were compiled from construction SMEs in Turkey. The research used structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships between innovation, CSs and firm survival (FS).

Findings

Innovative construction SMEs may implement differentiation and focus strategies and survive without CSs, whereas innovation may be obtained through cost leadership strategy. Also, differentiation and focus strategies may play a role to survive. However, the cost leadership strategy may be implemented after survival. Finally, differentiation strategy may be triggered by innovation and focus strategies.

Research limitations/implications

The model may be applied on other construction organizations. Future studies may also examine the difference in findings concerning other industries and regions. Moreover, different factors may be added to the model. However, a larger group of samples could cause different results.

Practical implications

This study may be a roadmap for practitioners to plan their firms’ strategies, considering innovation, CSs and FS. In this context, they may pay attention to innovative production processes to survive.

Social implications

Survived SMEs may sustain their works through the prevention of crisis-based unemployment. Hence, this benefit may bring a wealthier society.

Originality/value

This research is first to propose a model connecting innovation and CSs for SMEs’ survival in macroeconomic crises. This is convenient for rivalry of SMEs planning to be long-lasting enterprises.