bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The functional organization of descending sensory-motor pathways inDrosophila
Authors: Namiki Shigehiro , Dickinson Michael H. , Wong Allan M. , Korff Wyatt , Card Gwyneth M.
Published: December 2017

In most animals, the brain controls the body via a set of descending neurons (DNs) that traverse the neck and terminate in post-cranial regions of the nervous system. This critical neural population is thought to activate, maintain and modulate locomotion and other behaviors. Although individual members of this cell class have been well-studied across species ranging from insects to primates, little is known about the overall connectivity pattern of DNs as a population. We undertook a systematic anatomical investigation of descending neurons in the fruit fly,Drosophila melanogaster, and created a collection of over 100 transgenic lines targeting individual cell types. Our methods allowed us to describe the morphology of roughly half of an estimated 400 DNs and create a comprehensive map of connectivity between the sensory neuropils in the brain and the motor neuropils in the ventral nerve cord. Like the vertebrate spinal cord, our results show that the fly nerve cord is a highly organized, layered system of neuropils, an organization that reflects the fact that insects are capable of two largely independent means of locomotion – walking and fight – using distinct sets of appendages. Our results reveal the basic functional map of descending pathways in flies and provide tools for systematic interrogation of sensory-motor circuits.
A chemosensory switch couples genetic sex to behavioral valence
Authors: Fagan Kelli A. , Luo Jintao , Lagoy Ross C. , Schroeder Frank C. , Albrecht Dirk R. , Portman Douglas S.
Published: December 2017

As a fundamental dimension of internal state, biological sex modulates neural circuits to generate naturally occurring behavioral variation. Understanding how and why circuits are tuned by sex can provide important insights into neural and behavioral plasticity. Here, we find that sexually dimorphic behavioral responses toC. elegansascaroside sex pheromones are implemented by the functional modulation of shared chemosensory circuitry. In particular, the sexual state of a single sensory neuron pair, ADF, determines the nature of an animal's behavioral response regardless of the sex of the rest of the body. Genetic feminization of ADF causes males to be repelled by, rather than attracted to, ascarosides, while masculinization of ADF is sufficient to make ascarosides attractive to hermaphrodites. Genetic sex modulates ADF function by tuning chemosensation: ADF is able to detect the ascaroside ascr#3 only in males, a consequence of cell-autonomous action of the master sexual regulatortra-1. Genetic sex regulates behavior in part through the conserved DMRT genemab-3, whose male-specific expression in ADF promotes ascaroside attraction. The sexual modulation of ADF has a key role in reproductive fitness, as feminization or ablation of ADF renders males unable to use ascarosides to locate mates. These results demonstrate that DMRT genes can functionally modulate shared neural circuits; moreover, they reveal an adaptive mechanism in which chromosomal sex controls a cell-autonomous switch that tunes sensory function, determines behavioral valence, and promotes reproductive fitness.
Computer-aided prediction of antigen presenting cell modulators for designing peptide-based vaccine adjuvants
Authors: Nagpal Gandharva , Chaudhary Kumardeep , Agrawal Piyush , Raghava Gajendra P.S.
Published: December 2017

Background

Evidences in literature strongly advocate the potential of immunomodulatory peptides for use as vaccine adjuvants. All the mechanisms of vaccine adjuvants ensuing immunostimulatory effects directly or indirectly stimulate Antigen Presenting Cells (APCs). While numerous methods have been developed in the past for predicting B-cell and T-cell epitopes; no method is available for predicting the peptides that can modulate the APCs.

Methods

We named the peptides that can activate APCs as A-cell epitopes and developed methods for their prediction in this study. A dataset of experimentally validated A-cell epitopes was collected and compiled from various resources. To predict A-cell epitopes, we developed Support Vector Machine-based machine learning models using different sequence-based features.

Results

A hybrid model developed on a combination of sequence-based features (dipeptide composition and motif occurrence), achieved the highest accuracy of 96.91% with Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) value of 0.94 on the training dataset. We also evaluated the hybrid models on an independent dataset and achieved a comparable accuracy of 94.93% with MCC 0.90.

Conclusion

The models developed in this study were implemented in a web-based platform VaxinPAD to predict and design immunomodulatory peptides or A-cell epitopes. This web server available athttp://webs.iiitd.edu.in/raghava/vaxinpad/andhttp://crdd.osdd.net/raghava/vaxinpad/will facilitate researchers in designing peptide-based vaccine adjuvants.
Data Analyses and new Findings Indicate a Primordial Neurotropic Pathogen Evolved into Infectious Causes of Several CNS Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Todd William J. , Dubytska Lidiya , Mottram Peter J. , Wu Xiaochu , Sokolova Yuliya Y.
Published: December 2017

The extraordinary genetic flexibility of microorganisms enables their evolution into diverse forms expressing unanticipated structures and functions. Typically, they evolve in response to selective pressures of challenging niches, enabling their evolution and survival in extreme environments wherein life forms were not thought to exist. Approaching the problem of persistent neurodegenerative CNS infections as a challenging niche for pathogen evolution led to uncovering microorganisms which expand concepts of microbial diversity. These organisms are proposed as hybrid pathogens. They express two separate sets of structures and functions: viruslike properties when intracellular, and yet also reproduce as unique prokaryotes when outside the host. Their recovery opens new opportunities to comprehend the remarkable diversity of pathogens and elucidate etiologies of unresolved CNS neurodegenerative infections. Cells infected with these agents produce virus-like particles, inclusions and cytopathic effects consistent with biopsy studies of multiple sclerosis (MS), the α-synucleinopathies, and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) or prion diseases. The principle agents described were recovered from sheep with scrapie and are available via the Biodefense and Emerging Infections Research Resources Repository. Comparative studies with SMCA, a tick isolate inducing neurodegeneration in lab animal models, are included as supportive evidence.
Highly tamoxifen-inducible principal-cell-specific Cre mice with complete fidelity in cell specificity and no leakiness
Authors: Chen Lihe , Gao Chao , Zhang Long , Zhang Ye , Chen Enuo , Zhang Wenzheng
Published: December 2017

An ideal inducible system should be cell-specific and have absolute no background recombination without induction (i.e. no leakiness), a high recombination rate after induction, and complete fidelity in cell specificity (i.e. restricted recombination exclusively in cells where the driver gene is expressed). However, such an ideal mouse model remains unavailable for collecting duct research. Here, we report a mouse model that meets these criteria. In this model, a cassette expressing ERT2CreERT2 (ECE) is inserted at the ATG of the endogenous Aqp2 locus to disrupt Aqp2 function and to express ECE under the control of the Aqp2 promoter. The resulting allele is named Aqp2ECE. There was no indication of a significant impact of disruption of a copy of Aqp2 on renal function and blood pressure control in adult Aqp2ECE/+ heterozygotes. Without tamoxifen, Aqp2ECE did not activate a Cre-dependent red fluorescence protein (RFP) reporter in adult kidneys. A single injection of tamoxifen (2 mg) to adult mice enables Aqp2ECE to induce robust RFP expression in the whole kidney 24h post injection, with the highest recombination efficiency of 95% in the inner medulla. All RFP-labeled cells expressed principal cell markers (Aqp2 & Aqp3), but not intercalated cell markers (V-ATPase B1B2, and carbonic anhydrase II). Hence, Aqp2ECE confers principal cell-specific tamoxifen-inducible recombination with absolute no leakiness, high inducibility, and complete fidelity in cell specificity, which should be an important tool for temporospatial control of target genes in the principal cells and for Aqp2+ lineage tracing in adult mice.
Ultrastructural analysis of intracellular membrane and microtubule behavior during mitosis ofDrosophilaS2 cells
Authors: Strunov Anton , Boldyreva Lidiya V. , Andreyeva Evgeniya N. , Pavlova Gera A. , Popova Julia V. , Razuvaeva Alena V. , Anders Alina F. , Renda Fioranna , Pindyurin Alexey V. , Gatti Maurizio , Kiseleva Elena
Published: December 2017

S2 cells are one of the most widely usedDrosophila melanogastercell lines for molecular dissection of mitosis using RNA interference (RNAi). However, a detailed and complete description of S2 cell mitosis at the ultrastructural level is still missing. Here, we analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) a random sample of 144 cells undergoing mitosis, focusing on intracellular membrane and microtubule (MT) behavior. This unbiased approach allowed us to discover that S2 cells exhibit a characteristic behavior of intracellular membranes, involving the formation of a quadruple nuclear membrane in early prometaphase and its disassembly during late prometaphase. After nuclear envelope disassembly, the mitotic apparatus becomes encased by a discontinuous network of ER membranes that associate with mitochondria preventing their diffusion into the spindle area. We also observed a peculiar metaphase spindle organization. We found that kinetochores with attached k-fibers are almost invariably associated with lateral MT bundles that can be either interpolar bundles or k-fibers connected to a different kinetochore. This spindle organization is likely to favor chromosome alignment at metaphase and subsequent segregation during anaphase. In summary, we describe several previously unknown features of membrane and microtubule organization during S2 cell mitosis. The genetic determinants of these mitotic features of can now be investigated using an RNAi-based approach, which is particularly easy and efficient in S2 cells
Collective cell migration without proliferation: density determines cell velocity and wave velocity
Authors: Tlili Sham , Gauquelin Estelle , Li Brigitte , Cardoso Olivier , Ladoux Benoît , Delanoë-Ayari Hélène , Graner François
Published: December 2017

Collective cell migration contributes to morphogenesis, wound healing or tumor metastasis. Culturing epithelial monolayers on a substrate enables to quantify such tissue migration. By using narrow strips, we stabilise the front shape; by inhibiting cell division, we limit density increase and favor steady migration; by using long strips, we observe a confined cell monolayer migrating over days. A coherent collective movement propagates over millimeters; cells spread and density decreases from the monolayer bulk toward the front. Cell velocity (∼micrometer per minute) increases linearly with cell radius, and does not depend explicitly on the distance to the front. Over ten periods of backwards propagating velocity waves, with wavelength ∼millimeter, are detected with a signal-to-noise ratio enabling for quantitative spatio-temporal analysis. Their velocity (∼ten micrometers per minute) is ten times the cell velocity; it increases linearly with the cell radius. Their period (∼two hours) is spatially homogeneous, and increases with the front density. When we inhibit the formation of lamellipodia, cell velocity drops while waves either disappear, or have a smaller amplitude and slower period. Our phenomenological model assumes that both cell and wave velocities are related with the activity of lamellipodia, and that the local stretching in the monolayer bulk modulates traction stresses. We find that parameter values close to the instability limit where waves appear yield qualitative and quantitative predictions compatible with experiments, including the facts that: waves propagate backwards; wave velocity increases with cell radius; lamellipodia inhibition attenuates, slows down or even suppresses the waves. Together, our experiments and modelling evidence the importance of lamellipodia in collective cell migration and waves.
Interdependence Theory of Tissue Failure: Bulk and Boundary Effects
Authors: Suma Daniel , Acun Aylin , Zorlutuna Pinar , Can Vural Dervis
Published: December 2017

The mortality rate of many complex multicellular organisms increase with age, which suggests that net aging damage is accumulative, despite remodeling processes. But how exactly do little mishaps in the cellular level accumulate and spread to become a systemic catastrophe? To address this question we present experiments with synthetic tissues, an analytical model consistent with experiments, and a number of implications that follow the analytical model. Our theoretical framework describes how shape, curvature and density influences the propagation of failure in a tissue subject to oxidative damage. We propose that aging is an emergent property governed by interaction between cells, and that intercellular processes play a role that are at least as important as intracellular ones.
Physical epistatic landscape of antibody binding affinity
Authors: Adams Rhys M. , Kinney Justin B. , Walczak Aleksandra M. , Mora Thierry
Published: December 2017

Affinity maturation produces antibodies that bind antigens with high specificity by accumulating mutations in the antibody sequence. Mapping out the antibody-antigen affinity landscape can give us insight into the accessible paths during this rapid evolutionary process. By developing a carefully controlled null model for noninteracting mutations, we characterized epistasis in affinity measurements of a large library of antibody variants obtained by Tite-Seq, a recently introduced Deep Mutational Scan method yielding physical values of the binding constant. We show that representing affinity as the binding free energy minimizes epistasis. Yet, we find that epistatically interacting sites contribute substantially to binding. In addition to negative epistasis, we report a large amount of beneficial epistasis, enlarging the space of high-affinity antibodies as well as their mutational accessibility. These properties suggest that the degeneracy of antibody sequences that can bind a given antigen is enhanced by epistasis — an important property for vaccine design.
The preprophase band-associated kinesin-14 OsKCH2 is a processive minus-end-directed microtubule motor
Authors: Tseng Kuo-Fu , Wang Pan , Lee Yuh-Ru Julie , Bowen Joel , Gicking Allison M. , Guo Lijun , Liu Bo , Qiu Weihong
Published: December 2017

In animals and fungi, cytoplasmic dynein is a processive motor that plays dominant roles in various intracellular processes. In contrast, land plants lack cytoplasmic dynein but contain many minus-end-directed kinesin-14s. No plant kinesin-14 is known to produce processive motility as a homodimer. OsKCH2 is a plant-specific kinesin-14 with an N-terminal actin-binding domain and a central motor domain flanked by two predicted coiled-coils (CC1 and CC2). Here, we show that OsKCH2 specifically decorates preprophase band microtubulesin vivoand transports actin filaments along microtubulesin vitro. Importantly, OsKCH2 exhibits processive minus-end-directed motility on single microtubules as individual homodimers. We find that CC1 but not CC2 forms the coiled-coil for OsKCH2 dimerization. Instead, CC2 functions to enable OsKCH2 processivity by enhancing its binding to microtubules. Collectively, these results show that land plants have evolved unconventional kinesin-14 homodimers with inherent minus-end-directed processivity that may function to compensate for the loss of cytoplasmic dynein.
The landscape of miRNA editing in animals and its impact on miRNA biogenesis and targeting
Authors: Li Lishi , Song Yulong , Shi Xinrui , Liu Jianheng , Xiong Shaolei , Chen Wanying , Fu Qiang , Huang Zichao , Gu Nannan , Zhang Rui
Published: December 2017

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing regulates miRNA biogenesis and function. To date, fewer than 160 miRNA editing sites have been identified. Here, we present a quantitative atlas of miRNA A-to-I editing through the profiling of 201 pri-miRNA samples and 4694 mature miRNA samples in human, mouse, andDrosophila.We identified 4162 sites present in ∼80% of the pri-miRNAs and 574 sites in mature miRNAs. miRNA editing is prevalent in many tissue types in human. However, high-level editing is mostly found in neuronal tissues in mouse andDrosophila. Interestingly, the edited miRNAs in neuronal and non-neuronal tissues in human gain two distinct sets of new targets, which are significantly associated with cognitive and organ developmental functions, respectively. Furthermore, we reveal that miRNA editing profoundly affects asymmetric strand selection. Altogether, these data provide insight into the impact of RNA editing on miRNA biology and suggest that miRNA editing has recently gained non-neuronal functions in human.
X-ray natural circular dichroism in langasite crystal
Authors: Oreshko Alexey P. , Ovchinnikova Elena N. , Rogalev Andrei , Wilhelm Fabrice , Mill Boris V. , Dmitrienko Vladimir E.
Published: December 2017

Optical activity in the X-ray range stems from the electric-dipole–electric-quadrupole interference terms mixing multipoles of opposite parity, and can be observed exclusively in systems with broken inversion symmetry. The gyration tensor formalism is used to describe the X-ray optical activity in langasite La3Ga5SiO14crystal with theP321 space group. An experimental study of the X-ray natural circular dichroism (XNCD) near the GaK-edge in La3Ga5SiO14single crystal was performed at ESRF beamline ID12, both along and perpendicular to the crystal optical axis. The combination of the quantum mechanical calculations and high-quality experimental results has allowed us to separate the contributions into X-ray absorption and XNCD spectra of Ga atoms occupying three distinct Wyckoff positions.
Fast projection/backprojection and incremental methods applied to synchrotron light tomographic reconstruction
Authors: de Lima Camila , Salomão Helou Elias
Published: December 2017

Iterative methods for tomographic image reconstruction have the computational cost of each iteration dominated by the computation of the (back)projection operator, which take roughly O(N
3) floating point operations (flops) for N × N pixels images. Furthermore, classical iterative algorithms may take too many iterations in order to achieve acceptable images, thereby making the use of these techniques unpractical for high-resolution images. Techniques have been developed in the literature in order to reduce the computational cost of the (back)projection operator to O(N
2logN) flops. Also, incremental algorithms have been devised that reduce by an order of magnitude the number of iterations required to achieve acceptable images. The present paper introduces an incremental algorithm with a cost of O(N
2logN) flops per iteration and applies it to the reconstruction of very large tomographic images obtained from synchrotron light illuminated data.
Government governance, executive networks and corporate investment efficiency
Authors: Jin Xin , Yu Junli
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Owing to the importance of the investment behavior in China, the purpose of this paper is to find the influence of executive network and government governance on investment efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper use China’s listed companies as sample to make an investment efficiency determinant model.

Findings

In this article, the authors find that larger executive network and higher government governance will lead to more corporate investment efficient. Furthermore, the informal institution – executive network, is not only an effective way to alleviate financing constraints, but also can solve underinvestment problem. While the improvement of local government governance can provide institutional protection, it will also be more conducive to restrain overinvestment behavior.

Research limitations/implications

The authors have not explored conduction path. Especially, the authors have not examined whether information spillover effect or the release of resources constraints in executive network plays a more important role to ease investment insufficient.

Originality/value

Under the Chinese circumstance, relationship governance can not only promote companies to improve investment efficiency, but also provide an important guarantee for sustained macroeconomic growth.
Evaluating the performance of e-government in developing countries
Authors: Deng Hepu , Karunasena Kanishka , Xu Wei
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a public value-based framework for evaluating the performance of electronic government (e-government), leading to the identification of the critical factors in creating public value through e-government in developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive review of the related literatures is conducted for developing a public value-based framework. A survey of e-government users is conducted, and the survey data are analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings

This study shows that information quality, e-services functionalities, user orientation, efficiency and openness of public organisations, equity, citizens’ self-development, trust, and environmental sustainability are the critical public values of e-government in developing countries. It reveals that the use of the public value concept is effective in evaluating the performance of e-government in developing countries.

Practical implications

This study provides a comprehensive investigation of the e-government performance for better understanding the value of e-government in developing countries. The findings can guide the development of e-government in developing countries.

Originality/value

This is the first study in testing and validating a public value-based framework for evaluating the performance of e-government in developing countries. It demonstrates how the concept of public value can be adopted for evaluating the performance of e-government.
Academics’ intention to adopt online technologies for public engagement
Authors: Dermentzi Eleni , Papagiannidis Savvas
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The need for universities to connect with local communities and to make research relevant to the public has been highlighted over recent years through the debate about public engagement. At the same time, the internet and its applications have made it possible for universities and academics to engage with the public in an easier and more effective way. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that motivate academics to engage with the public online.

Design/methodology/approach

The decomposed theory of planned behaviour and uses and gratifications theory were used as a basis for the study’s research model. An online survey was conducted and 250 valid responses were used for the data analysis (structural equation modelling).

Findings

The results indicate that although academics seem to use online technologies for public engagement, this use takes the form of a one-way communication as the most influential factors of attitude when it comes to engaging with the public are image and information seeking rather than networking.

Originality/value

While there are some studies about the use of online technologies for teaching or for networking purposes within academia, little is known about academics’ intentions to engage with the public online. The study attempts to fill this gap and help universities understand their staff’s motivation and needs, which could be useful when it comes to launching successful public engagement campaigns.
Understanding Chinese consumer engagement in social commerce
Authors: Lin Jiabao , Li Lei , Yan Yanmei , Turel Ofir
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Building on the Chinese guanxi perspective, the purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical model that explains the indirect effects of social support from friends on social commerce intentions, as mediated through the relational aspects that potential buyers develop with sellers.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses are tested with partial least squares (PLS)-graph applied to data collected via a survey of social media users (n=511). SPSS and PLS-graph are the statistical analysis tools used in this study.

Findings

Relationship exists in social commerce interactions and its quality can be captured by swift guanxi and trust. These swift relationships matter as they drive users’ behavioral intentions on social commerce sites. The informational and social support people receive from friends helps in improving the relationship quality and can indirectly influence user behaviors on these sites.

Research limitations/implications

This study has relied on a convenient sampling and this may limit the generalizability of the findings. Future research should employ broader and more random sampling techniques to re-validate and extend the findings.

Originality/value

The interpersonal aspect of relationship quality has received little attention in the social commerce literature. This study develops a theoretical model that explains consumers’ intention in social commerce. The findings reveal the mechanisms through which different types of social support indirectly influence social commerce intentions. They provide a unique glimpse into consumer behavior in Chinese settings, in which the guanxi aspect of relationship quality highly matters.
Exploring external auditors’ perceptions of the motivations behind management fraud in Egypt – a mixed methods approach
Authors: Kassem Rasha
Published: December 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the perceptions of external auditors’ on the motivations behind management fraud, which could increase the likelihood of detecting financial reporting fraud.

Design methodology/approach

Mixed research methods, namely, an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, were used for data collection from external auditors in Egypt.

Findings

The findings revealed that the desire to get remuneration or bonuses and the need to secure financing are the most common motivations behind management fraud in Egypt. The current study also found other motivations behind management fraud that could be more specific to the Egyptian context.

Research limitations/implications

Gaining access to small- and medium-size audit firms, in particular, was very difficult. This study did not use factor analysis to determine whether differences exist among the motives/factors, which should be the focus of future studies.

Practical implications

This study was the first to provide empirical evidence on the motivations behind management fraud in the context of a developing nation such as Egypt. The findings of this study could be important for Egyptian regulators and external auditors who wish to reduce fraud risks in their own country. The findings could also help external auditors across the globe in recognising the signs that can trigger management motivations to engage in financial reporting fraud, which in turn could increase the likelihood of detecting financial reporting fraud.

Originality/value

This study was the first to provide empirical evidence on the motivations behind management fraud in the context of a developing nation such as Egypt. The findings of this study could be important for Egyptian regulators and external auditors who wish to reduce fraud risks in their own country. The findings could also help external auditors across the globe in recognising the signs that can trigger management motivations to engage in financial reporting fraud, which in turn could increase the likelihood of detecting financial reporting fraud.
Roots of social enterprise: entrepreneurial philanthropy, England 1600-1908
Authors: MacDonald Matthew , Howorth Carole
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Insights into the roots of social enterprise from before the term was adopted are provided by examining histories of charitable service and comparing current understandings of social enterprise. Social enterprise models of welfare provision are evidenced from the seventeenth century onwards. Persistent themes are identified that provide insights for current practice and understanding.

Design/methodology/approach

This historiography examines interpretations from 1905 to the present day of examples of welfare provision between two watershed points: 1600, just prior to the Poor Laws and 1908, when the Old Age Pensions Act shifted emphasis in public sector provision.

Findings

Activities that would nowadays be termed social enterprise are evidenced in histories of charitable philanthropy covering each century since 1600. Prevailing attitudes uncritically demarcated deserving and undeserving poor. Histories contributed to a heroic narrative of social entrepreneurs, describing activities dependent on well-networked, politically active individuals that rarely continued beyond their involvement. The political environment was recognised to influence the types of organisations, governance and resourcing.

Research limitations/implications

The historiography takes examples from three centuries between 1600 and1908 but is not comprehensive. Recurrent themes are identified for further research.

Originality/value

Social enterprise is a twenty-first-century label but not a new phenomenon. Identification of prevailing themes provides insights for the understanding of social enterprises in the twenty-first century.
Institutionalising design thinking in social entrepreneurship
Authors: Kummitha Rama Krishna Reddy
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Design thinking is attracting practitioners and researchers in various walks of life. User integration principle as part of design thinking is expected to transform product and service creation and delivery. Accordingly, various organisations that venture into design thinking develop customised solutions and serve people’s needs. Social enterprises, which are familiar for their superior social value creation, have also claimed to embark upon this innovative approach to address wicked problems. The current paper makes an attempt to analyse various social and organisational processes that promote social enterprises to adopt design thinking to create products, which are relevant and viable among user groups. This paper finds that by adopting design thinking, social enterprises portray their product innovation genre, thereby representing their passion in addressing wicked problems more effectively.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts a qualitative case study method to understand the practice of design thinking in social enterprises.

Findings

In this study, it is found that that social enterprises adopt design thinking as a methodology while exploring solutions for stubborn problem space. However, neither communities nor social entrepreneurial teams are aware that they are carrying out design thinking practices. This research finds that social entrepreneurs and their teams take up designer roles and carry out designing processes by continuously consulting with user groups. One of the major reasons for the unintended adoption of design thinking is related to community integration and user participation in the day-to-day practices of social enterprises.

Originality/value

This study offers original research to understand social entrepreneurial exploration to adopt design thinking to create social value.
Research in the Social Enterprise Journal – from the margins to the mainstream
Authors: Doherty Bob
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the development and impact of the Social Enterprise Journal (SEJ) from its inception in 2005 until present day.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyses the thematic content of SEJ and its impact data from 2005 until 2017.

Findings

SEJ has broken new ground in the study of social enterprise (SE). It was the first journal back in 2005 to commence the exploration of this field and since has been the first to publish works on defining SE, their performance management, critical perspectives plus international differences. The paper shows that in the early years, SEJ was dominated by conceptual work aiming to understand SE plus their governance and performance management, which was mainly based on UK descriptive case studies and uncritical. By 2010, SEJ became established internationally with various issues being 100 per cent dominated by international aspects of SE. Recent more critical work has also enabled a process of “myth busting” in the SE field. This paper also shows the growth of SEJ in downloads and citations.

Practical implications

The paper demonstrates the important role SEJ has played in both improving practice and informing policy.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to review the development and impact of SEJ.
The Value of Access to Rail Transit in a Congested City: Evidence from Housing Prices in Beijing
Authors: Li Tao
Published: December 2017

Using unique data sets of Beijing's congestion patterns and housing prices, I find that consumers are willing to pay significantly more for access to rail transit in more congested areas. Transit accessibility, however, offers little travel advantage outside of dense urban areas. The expansion of the metro network mitigates the costs of road congestion, creating both private and social benefits. Two policy initiatives aimed at reducing congestion are found to have achieved positive value effects. Further analysis reveals heterogeneous demand for accessibility, with wealthier residents and those owning fewer cars paying a higher premium for access to rail transit.
The artefacts of death: CT post‐mortem findings
Authors: Sutherland Tom , O'Donnell Chris
Published: December 2017

Post‐mortem CT is an increasingly used tool for investigating cause of death. While sharing many similarities with pre‐mortem imaging, a number of unique artefacts occur at post‐mortem CT, and these have the potential to mask underlying disease processes. It is vital that the artefacts associated with the process of dying and decompositional changes are recognised to avoid misdiagnosis. The following pictorial review discusses and illustrates the important and common post‐mortem changes.
Association between vitamin D receptor polymorphisms and systemic lupus erythematosus in an Indian cohort
Authors: Mahto Harishankar , Tripathy Rina , Das Bidyut K , Panda Aditya K
Published: December 2017

Aim

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder with various clinical manifestations. Susceptibility to development of SLE has been linked to several factors, such as genetic, environmental and hormonal. Vitamin D appears to have a regulatory role on disease manifestation and activity. Vitamin D exerts its effect through vitamin D receptors (VDR). Several studies have demonstrated an association between VDR polymorphisms and susceptibility to SLE in different populations, although the results are still inconclusive. In the present study, we investigated the association of VDR polymorphisms with SLE in a cohort of patients from Odisha, India.

Methods

Female SLE patients (n = 331) who fulfilled the revised American College of Rheumatology classification criteria were enrolled along with 282 healthy controls from similar geographical areas. VDR polymorphisms (BsmI, ApaI, TaqI and FokI) were typed by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Plasma level of 25‐OH vitamin D was quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Prevalence of FokI (Ff) and TaqI (Tt) heterozygotes were significantly higher in SLE patients compared to healthy controls (Ff: P < 0.0001, odds ratio [OR] = 2.80, 95%CI = 1.99–3.95; Tt: P < 0.0001, OR = 2.07, 95%CI = 1.49–2.89). Furthermore, the minor alleles of FokI (f) and TaqI (t) polymorphisms were also more frequent in SLE patients than healthy controls (f: P < 0.0001, OR = 1.96, 95%CI = 1.52–2.52; t: P = 0.0002, OR = 1.60, 95%CI = 1.25–2.09).

Conclusions

FokI and TaqI variants are significantly associated with SLE in an eastern Indian cohort. The cause‐effect relationship can be assessed from the combined analyses of VDR polymorphism, plasma vitamin D levels and clinical manifestations.
The Impact of IFRS Adoption on an Agribusiness Company's Financial Statements
Authors: Jin Yan , McConomy Bruce J. , Xu Bixia
Published: December 2017

This fictional case is based on a Canadian public company that produces greenhouse vegetables. Focusing on the differences between International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Canadian Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE), this case provides students an opportunity to (1) apply IFRS in a real world setting; (2) prepare and reconcile financial statements under ASPE and IFRS; (3) analyze the impact of IFRS adoption on key financial ratios; and (4) detect and explain differences in financial statements under ASPE and IFRS through common size analysis.
ST AUGUSTINE AND THE DISAPPEARANCE OF VARRO
Authors: HADAS DANIEL
Published: December 2017

This paper argues that St Augustine's presentation of Varro's Antiquitates rerum divinarum in City of God was pivotal to the latter text's disappearance. It shows how Augustine used the Antiquitates' tripartite theology (poetic, civil, and natural) to destroy Varro's authority on traditional Roman religion. In Augustine's reading, Varro's open criticism of the gods of myth and poetry implied an equal rejection of the civil cult. This left the natural gods of the philosophers, but Augustine derided Varro's attempts at philosophical theology. The result was that, to readers of the City of God, the Antiquitates rerum divinarum appeared as a failure: Varro had been incapable of justifying traditional Roman religion, while lacking the courage to attack it openly. Readers could then turn to the City of God itself as a better guide to the Roman gods, and there was no further need to read or copy the Antiquitates.
Trauma exposure interacts with the genetic risk of bipolar disorder in alcohol misuse of US soldiers
Authors: Polimanti R. , Kaufman J. , Zhao H. , Kranzler H. R. , Ursano R. J. , Kessler R. C. , Stein M. B. , Gelernter J.
Published: December 2017

Objective

To investigate whether trauma exposure moderates the genetic correlation between substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders, we tested whether trauma exposure modifies the association of genetic risks for mental disorders with alcohol misuse and nicotine dependence (ND) symptoms.

Methods

High‐resolution polygenic risk scores (PRSs) were calculated for 10 732 US Army soldiers (8346 trauma‐exposed and 2386 trauma‐unexposed) based on genome‐wide association studies of bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia.

Results

The main finding was a significant BD PRS‐by‐trauma interaction with respect to alcohol misuse (P = 6.07 × 10−3). We observed a positive correlation between BD PRS and alcohol misuse in trauma‐exposed soldiers (r = 0.029, P = 7.5 × 10−3) and a negative correlation in trauma‐unexposed soldiers (r = −0.071, P = 5.61 × 10−4). Consistent (nominally significant) result with concordant effect, directions were observed in the schizophrenia PRS‐by‐trauma interaction analysis. The variants included in the BD PRS‐by‐trauma interaction showed significant enrichments for gene ontologies related to high voltage‐gated calcium channel activity (GO:0008331, P = 1.51 × 10−5; GO:1990454, P = 4.49 × 10−6; GO:0030315, P = 2.07 × 10−6) and for Beta1/Beta2 adrenergic receptor signaling pathways (P = 2.61 × 10−4).

Conclusions

These results indicate that the genetic overlap between alcohol misuse and BD is significantly moderated by trauma exposure. This provides molecular insight into the complex mechanisms that link substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, and trauma exposure.
Effects of grapevine bunch exposure to sunlight on berry surface temperature and Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) egg laying, hatching and larval settlement
Authors: Kiaeian Moosavi Fatemeh , Cargnus Elena , Pavan Francesco , Zandigiacomo Pietro
Published: December 2017

Bunch‐zone leaf removal reduced infestation by Lobesia botrana, although the mechanism responsible for this effect is unknown.

Based on the mortality of eggs and newly‐hatched larvae exposed to high temperatures (≥37 °C) in the laboratory, the present study aimed to assess the influence of (i) bunch‐zone leaf removal and grapevine‐row orientation on berry surface temperature and (ii) bunch exposure to sunlight on egg and larval mortality.

Berry temperatures were measured using a noncontact infrared thermometer in two vineyards and showed that, in direct sunlight, the temperatures of berry surfaces were 9 °C or more above air temperature, and the highest mean temperatures occurred on southwest‐side bunches followed by west‐ and south‐side bunches.

The results of four two‐choice field assays, carried out confining fertile females in cages with two bunches, one exposed and one non‐exposed to sunlight, showed that: (i) the females did not avoid laying eggs on sun‐exposed bunches and (ii) the lowest percentages of both egg‐hatching and larval settlement occurred on sun‐exposed bunches.

The hypothesis that the high temperatures reached by sun‐exposed berries cause egg and especially larval mortality is confirmed.

Bunch‐zone leaf removal combined with optimized grapevine‐row orientations can improve L. botrana control.
Genetic contributions to precocity traits in racing Thoroughbreds
Authors: Farries G. , McGettigan P. A. , Gough K. F. , McGivney B. A. , MacHugh D. E. , Katz L. M. , Hill E. W.
Published: December 2017

Adaptation to early training and racing (i.e. precocity), which is highly variable in racing Thoroughbreds, has implications for the selection and training of horses. We hypothesised that precocity in Thoroughbred racehorses is heritable. Age at first sprint training session (work day), age at first race and age at best race were used as phenotypes to quantify precocity. Using high‐density SNP array data, additive SNP heritability () was estimated to be 0.17, 0.14 and 0.17 for the three traits respectively. In genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) for age at first race and age at best race, a 1.98‐Mb region on equine chromosome 18 (ECA18) was identified. The most significant association was with the myostatin (MSTN) g.66493737C>T SNP (P = 5.46 × 10−12 and P = 1.89 × 10−14 respectively). In addition, two SNPs on ECA1 (g.37770220G>A and g.37770305T>C) within the first intron of the serotonin receptor gene HTR7 were significantly associated with age at first race and age at best race. Although no significant associations were identified for age at first work day, the MSTN:g.66493737C>T SNP was among the top 20 SNPs in the GWAS (P = 3.98 × 10−5). Here we have identified variants with potential roles in early adaptation to training. Although there was an overlap in genes associated with precocity and distance aptitude (i.e. MSTN), the HTR7 variants were more strongly associated with precocity than with distance. Because HTR7 is closely related to the HTR1A gene, previously implicated in tractability in young Thoroughbreds, this suggests that behavioural traits may influence precocity.
The association of pre‐operative home accelerometry with cardiopulmonary exercise variables
Authors: Cui H. W. , Kirby G. S. , Surmacz K. , Hargrove C. , Griffiths J. , Turney B. W.
Published: December 2017

We investigated the association of pre‐operative activity, reported by the Duke Activity Score Index, Short Form‐12 and measured by an accelerometer worn at home, with five cardiopulmonary exercise variables: peak power; peak oxygen consumption; anaerobic threshold; and ventilatory equivalents for oxygen and carbon dioxide. Fifty patients scheduled for major surgery underwent a standard pre‐operative cardiopulmonary exercise test and wore a chest‐mounted triaxial accelerometer for a mean (SD) duration of 3.2 (0.4) days. The Duke Activity Score Index and six accelerometer variables were significantly correlated with all five cardiopulmonary exercise variables, Pearson correlation coefficients 0.5–0.7, p = 0.02 to p < 0.001. Our results can guide future studies that measure physical activity for pre‐operative assessment and interventions.
Evolution of Biventricular Loading Condition in Pediatric LVAD Patient: A Prospective and Observational Study
Authors: Di Molfetta Arianna , Iacobelli Roberta , Filippelli Sergio , Grutter Giorgia , Perri Gianluigi , Iodice Francesca , Pasquini Luciano , Guccione Paolo , Amodeo Antonio
Published: December 2017

The aim of this study was to describe the echocardiographic trend of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) function after implantation of a pulsatile flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in children. From 2013 to 2016, we prospectively evaluated 13 consecutive pediatric Berlin Heart EXCOR LVAD patients. Clinical and echocardiographic data were collected at baseline, within 24 h after implantation and monthly until LVAD explant. Median age and weight at the implantation was 8 (4–23) months and 5 (4.6–8.3) kg at the time of implantation, respectively. All were affected by dilated cardiomyopathy. Average LVAD support time was 226.2 ± 121.2 days. Nine (70%) were transplanted, 4 (30%) died. LV end‐systolic and end‐diastolic volumes were reduced until the follow up of two months (P = 0.019 and P = 0.001). A progressive increase in RV dimensions was observed. After 4 months of follow up, RV fractional area change worsening was statistically related with the deterioration of LV unloading (P = 0.0036). Four patients needed prolonged inotropic support for RV failure. Pulsatile LVAD in pediatrics is followed by an early and mid‐term LV unloading, as expressed by a decrease in LV volumes and diameters at echocardiogram. The effects of unloading do not remain stable at long term follow up. RV function improved in the acute phase, but a progressive dilatation of RV was noted over time. In some patients, RV failure might lead to the need of an increase of inotropic support at long term follow up.