bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Congenital Heminasal Aplasia: Clinical Picture, Radiological Findings, and Follow-up After Early Surgical Intervention
Authors: Abulezz Tarek
Published: January 2019

Objective:

This report presents an extremely rare case of heminasal aplasia or hemi-arhinia with only about 80 cases reported so far. The exact etiology and mechanism of development of heminasal aplasia are still unknown. Furthermore, the rarity of this anomaly makes its reconstruction a surgical challenge with a diversity and controversy on the timing and technique of such reconstructive procedures.

Method:

Reconstruction was performed when the child was 3 months of age. The missing heminose was reconstructed by a superiorly based nasolabial flap.

Results:

On early follow-up visits, there was retraction of the flap. However, the parents were satisfied by the result to the degree that the girl did not show for follow up after 3 years of surgery until she is 13 years and even now her parents do not want any further surgery.

Conclusion:

Early surgical reconstruction is recommended even if revisions may be needed later.
Three-Dimensional Nasal Alterations in Le Fort I Advancement: Linear Measurements, Angles, Nasal Indices, and Volume Differences
Authors: Silva Ana Maria Bettoni Rodrigues da , Magri Laís Valencise , Osborne Patrick Rocha , Trivelatto Alexandre Elias , Sverzut Cássio Edvard , Silva Marco Antônio Moreira Rodrigues da
Published: January 2019

The maxillary advancement obtained by the Le Fort I osteotomy can also generate significant changes in the soft tissue of the nose and lips. The aim of this study was to compare the alterations in the soft tissue of the nose following the Le Fort I osteotomy maxillary advancement technique in a population of young adults submitted to orthognathic surgery. Seven men and 8 women aged between 23 and 45 underwent orthognathic surgery using the Le Fort I osteotomy and bilateral mandibular sagittal osteotomy. Sixty 3-dimensional images were analyzed (Vectra M3, Canfield, NJ) after labeling landmarks on the face and determining linear and angular measurements, proportion, and volume difference indices at the following intervals: preoperatively (baseline), then 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery. Following Le Fort I, there was an increase in the alar base, and reduction of nasal tip protrusion, nasal angles, and the nasal tip protrusion index (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the facial thirds, the nasal index, and angles of nasal and mentolabial convexity (P > 0.05). There was a difference in the volume of the nose only 2 months after surgery. The Le Fort I osteotomy caused significant alterations in linear, angular, and nasal proportion measurements. The volume differences were reversible in the early postoperative period and probably associated with edema. The possibility of variations in the size and shape of the nose should be presented to prospective patients preoperatively.
A nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat receptor pair confers broad-spectrum disease resistance through physical association in rice
Authors: Xie Zhen , Yan Bingxiao , Shou Jianyao , Tang Jun , Wang Xin , Zhai Keran , Liu Jiyun , Li Qun , Luo Meizhong , Deng Yiwen , He Zuhua
Published: January 2019

Rice blast caused by
Magnaporthe oryzae
is the most destructive fungal disease in crops, greatly threatening rice production and food security worldwide. The identification and utilization of broad-spectrum resistance genes are considered to be the most economic and effective method to control the disease. In the past decade, many blast resistance (
R
) genes have been identified, which mainly encode nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptor family and confer limited race-specific resistance to the fungal pathogen. Resistance genes conferring broad-spectrum blast resistance are still largely lacking. In this study, we carried out a map-based cloning of the new blast
R
locus
Pizh
in variety ZH11. A bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone of 165 kb spanning the
Pizh
locus was sequenced and identified 9 NLR genes, among which only
Pizh-1
and
Pizh-2
were expressed. Genetic complementation experiments indicated that
Pizh-1
but not
Pizh-2
alone could confer blast resistance. Intriguingly, both mutations on
Pizh-1
and
Pizh-2
by CRISPR-Cas9 abolished the
Pizh-
mediated resistance. We also observed that
Pizh-1
-mediated resistance was partially dependent on
Pizh-2
. Pizh-1 and Pizh-2 form a complex of NLRs through direct interaction. This suggests that Pizh-1 may function as the executor NLR and
Pizh-2
as a ‘helper’ NLR that shares functional redundancy with other NLRs. Our current study provides not only a good tool for rice disease resistance breeding but also deep insight into NLR association and function in plant immunity.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biotic signalling sheds light on smart pest management’.
Rice stripe virus hitchhikes the vector insect vitellogenin ligand-receptor pathway for ovary entry
Authors: Huo Yan , Yu Yuanling , Liu Qing , Liu Da , Zhang Mengting , Liang Jingnan , Chen Xiaoying , Zhang Lili , Fang Rongxiang
Published: January 2019

It is known that plant arboviruses infect insect vector cells by endocytosis; however, the cellular receptors that mediate endocytosis have not been well defined. In our recently published work and this study, by clarifying the vertical transmission mechanism of Rice stripe virus (RSV) inLaodelphax striatellus, we provide a novel paradigm for how arboviruses enter insect germ-line cells. Instead of direct interaction with a viral receptor, the virus binds to a secreted ligand protein, hitchhiking the ligand-receptor pathway to achieve cell entry. Vitellogenin (Vg) is an indispensable protein for embryo development that is synthesized extra-ovarially and taken up by germ-line cells through Vg receptor (VgR)-mediated endocytosis. After revealing that RSV invadesL. striatellusovary by a specific molecular interaction with the insect Vg in haemolymph, this study addressed VgR's function in mediating the RSV invasion of the germarium nurse cells, further confirming the ligand's receptor-mediated viral cell-invasion mechanism. Understanding the viral ovary-entry pathways in vectors will help to find suitable measures to block the trans-generation transmission of the viruses.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biotic signalling sheds light on smart pest management’.
A whitefly effector Bsp9 targets host immunity regulator WRKY33 to promote performance
Authors: Wang Ning , Zhao Pingzhi , Ma Yonghuan , Yao Xiangmei , Sun Yanwei , Huang Xiande , Jin Jingjing , Zhang Youjun , Zhu Changxiang , Fang Rongxiang , Ye Jian
Published: January 2019

Whiteflies,
Bemisia tabaci
(Hemiptera), are pests causing economic damage to many crops, capable of transmitting hundreds of plant vector-borne viruses. They are believed to secrete salivary protein effectors that can improve vector colonization and reproductive fitness in host plants. However, little is known about effector biology and the precise mechanism of action of whitefly effectors. Here, we report a functional screening of
B. tabaci
salivary effector proteins (Bsp) capable of modulating plant innate immunity triggered by plant endogenous pattern peptide Pep1. Four immunity suppressors and two elicitors were identified. Bsp9, the most effective immunity suppressor, was further identified to directly interact with an immunity regulator WRKY33. We provide evidence that Bsp9 may suppress plant immune signalling by interfering with the interaction between WRKY33 and a central regulator in the MAPK cascade. The interference by Bsp9 therefore reduces plant resistance to whitefly by inhibiting activation of WRKY33-regulated immunity-related genes. Further detailed analysis based on transgenic plants found that whitefly effector Bsp9 could promote whitefly preference and performance, increasing virus transmission. This study enriches our knowledge on insect effector biology.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biotic signalling sheds light on smart pest management’.
A gossypol biosynthetic intermediate disturbs plant defence response
Authors: Tian Xiu , Fang Xin , Huang Jin-Quan , Wang Ling-Jian , Mao Ying-Bo , Chen Xiao-Ya
Published: January 2019

Plant secondary metabolites and their biosynthesis have attracted great interest, but investigations of the activities of hidden intermediates remain rare. Gossypol and related sesquiterpenes are the major phytoalexins in cotton. Among the six biosynthetic intermediates recently identified, 8-hydroxy-7-keto-δ-cadinene (C234) crippled the plant disease resistance when accumulated upon gene silencing. C234 harbours an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl thus is a reactive electrophile species. Here, we show that C234 application also dampened the
Arabidopsis
resistance against the bacterial pathogen
Pseudomonas syringae
pv.
maculicola
(
Psm
). We treated
Arabidopsis
with C234,
Psm
and (
Psm
+C234), and analysed the leaf transcriptomes. While C234 alone exerted a mild effect, it greatly stimulated an over-response to the pathogen. Of the 7335 genes affected in the (
Psm
+C234)-treated leaves, 3476 were unresponsive without the chemical, in which such functional categories as ‘nucleotides transport’, ‘vesicle transport’, ‘MAP kinases’, ‘G-proteins’, ‘protein assembly and cofactor ligation’ and ‘light reaction’ were enriched, suggesting that C234 disturbed certain physiological processes and the protein complex assembly, leading to distorted defence response and decreased disease resistance. As C234 is efficiently metabolized by CYP71BE79, plants of cotton lineage have evolved a highly active enzyme to prevent the phytotoxic intermediate accumulation during gossypol pathway evolution.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biotic signalling sheds light on smart pest management’.
A single microRNA-Hox gene module controls complex movement in morphologically-distinct developmental forms ofDrosophila
Authors: Issa AR. , Picao-Osorio J. , Rito N. , Chiappe M.E. , Alonso C.R.
Published: January 2019

Movement is the main output of the nervous system. It emerges during development to become a highly coordinated physiological process essential to the survival and adaptation of the organism to the environment. Similar movements can be observed in morphologically-distinct developmental stages of an organism, but it is currently unclear whether these movements have a common or diverse molecular basis. Here we explore this problem inDrosophilafocusing on the roles played by the microRNA (miRNA) locusmiR-iab4/8which was previously shown to be essential for the fruit fly larva to correct its orientation if turned upside down (self-righting) (Picao-Osorio et al., 2015). Our study shows thatmiR-iab4is required for normal self-righting across all threeDrosophilalarval stages. Unexpectedly, we also discover that this miRNA is essential for normal self-righting behaviour in theDrosophilaadult, an organism with radically different morphological and neural constitution. Through the combination of gene-expression, optical imaging and quantitative behavioural approaches we provide evidence thatmiR-iab4exerts its effects on adult self-righting behaviour through repression of theHoxgeneUltrabithorax (Ubx)(Morgan, 1923; Sánchez-Herrero et al., 1985) in a specific set of motor neurons that innervate the adultDrosophilaleg. Our results show that thismiRNA-Hoxmodule affects the function, rather than the morphology of motor neurons and indicate that post-developmental changes inHoxgene expression can modulate behavioural outputs in the adult. Altogether our work reveals that a commonmiRNA-Hoxgenetic module can control complex movement in morphologically-distinct organisms and describes a novel post-developmental role of theHoxgenes in adult neural function.
Genetic control of pod dehiscence in domesticated common bean: Associations with range expansion and local aridity conditions
Authors: Parker Travis A. , Mier y Teran Jorge C. Berny , Palkovic Antonia , Jernstedt Judy , Gepts Paul
Published: January 2019

Significance

Plant domestication has radically modified crop morphology and development. Nevertheless, many crops continue to display some atavistic characteristics that were advantageous to their wild ancestors, such as pod dehiscence (PD). Domesticated common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), a nutritional staple for millions of people globally, shows considerable variation in PD. Here, we identified multiple genetic regions controlling PD in common bean grown throughout geographically distributed lineages. For example, on chromosome Pv03,PvPdh1shows a single base-pair substitution that is strongly associated with decreased PD and expansion of the crop into northern Mexico, where the arid conditions promote PD. The environmental dependency and genetic redundancy explain the maintenance of atavistic traits under domestication. Knowledge of PD genetics will assist in developing aridity-adapted varieties.

A reduction in pod dehiscence (PD) is an important part of the domestication syndrome in legumes, including common bean. Despite this, many modern dry bean varieties continue to suffer yield reductions due to dehiscence, an atavistic trait, which is particularly problematic in hot, dry environments. To date, the genetic control of this important trait has been only partially resolved. Using QTL mapping and GWAS, we identified major PD QTLs in dry beans on chromosomes Pv03, Pv05, Pv08, and Pv09, three of which had not been described previously. We further determined that the QTL on chromosome Pv03, which is strongly associated with PD in Middle American beans, includes a dirigent-like candidate gene orthologous toPod dehiscence 1 (Pdh1)of soybean. In this gene, we identified a substitution in a highly conserved amino acid that is unique to PD-resistant varieties. This allele is associated with the expansion of Middle American domesticated common beans into the arid environments of northern Mexico, resulting in a high allelic frequency in the domesticated ecogeographic race Durango. The polygenic redundancy and environmental dependency of PD resistance may explain the maintenance of this atavistic characteristic after domestication. Use of these alleles in breeding will reduce yield losses in arid growing conditions, which are predicted to become more widespread in coming decades.
HSA+immature cardiomyocytes persist in the adult heart and expand after ischemic injury
Authors: Valente Mariana , Resende Tatiana Pinho , Nascimento Diana Santos , Burlen-Defranoux Odile , Dupont Benoit , Cumano Ana , Pinto-do-Ó Perpétua
Published: January 2019

The assessment of the regenerative capacity of the heart has been compromised by the lack of surface signatures to characterize cardiomyocytes. Here, combined multiparametric surface marker analysis with single cell transcriptional profiling and in vivo transplantation, identify the main fetal cardiac populations and their progenitors. We found that cardiomyocytes at different stages of differentiation co-exist during development. We identified a population of immature HSA/CD24+cardiomyocytes that persists throughout life and that, unlike other cardiomyocyte subsets, actively proliferates up to one week of age and engraft cardiac tissue upon transplantation. In adult heart HSA/CD24+cardiomyocytes appear as mononucleated cells that cycle and increase in frequency after infarction. Our work identified cell surface signatures that allow the prospective isolation of cardiomyocytes at any developmental stage and the detection of adult cardiomyocytes poised for activation in response to ischemic stimuli. This work opens new perspectives in the understanding and treatment of heart pathologies.
Transcriptional landscape of DNA repair genes underpins a pan-cancer prognostic signature associated with cell cycle dysregulation and tumor hypoxia
Authors: Chang Wai Hoong , Lai Alvina G.
Published: January 2019

Overactive DNA repair contributes to therapeutic resistance in cancer. However, pan-cancer comparative studies investigating the contribution of all DNA repair genes in cancer progression employing an integrated approach have remained limited. We performed a multicohort retrospective analysis to determine the prognostic significance of 138 DNA repair genes in 16 cancer types (n=16,225). Cox proportional hazards analyses revealed a significant variation in the number of prognostic genes between cancers; 81 genes were prognostic in clear cell renal cell carcinoma while only two genes were prognostic in glioblastoma. We reasoned that genes that were commonly prognostic in highly correlated cancers revealed by Spearman’s correlation analysis could be harnessed as a molecular signature for risk assessment. A 10-gene signature, uniting prognostic genes that were common in highly correlated cancers, was significantly associated with overall survival in patients with clear cell renal cell (P<0.0001), papillary renal cell (P=0.0007), liver (P=0.002), lung (P=0.028), pancreas (P=0.00013) or endometrial (P=0.00063) cancers. Receiver operating characteristic analyses revealed that a combined model of the 10-gene signature and tumor staging outperformed either classifiers when considered alone. Multivariate Cox regression models incorporating additional clinicopathological features revealed that the signature was an independent predictor of overall survival. Tumor hypoxia is associated with adverse outcomes. Consistent across all six cancers, patients with high 10-gene and high hypoxia scores had significantly higher mortality rates compared to those with low 10-gene and low hypoxia scores. Functional enrichment analyses revealed that high mortality rates in patients with high 10-gene scores were attributable to an overproliferation phenotype. Death risk in these patients was further exacerbated by concurrent mutations of a cell cycle checkpoint protein, TP53. The 10-gene signature identified tumors with heightened DNA repair ability. This information has the potential to radically change prognosis through the use of adjuvant DNA repair inhibitors with chemotherapeutic drugs.
A Data-Driven Transcriptional Taxonomy of Adipogenic Chemicals to Identify White and Brite Adipogens
Authors: Kim Stephanie , Reed Eric , Monti Stefano , Schlezinger Jennifer
Published: January 2019

Background

Chemicals in disparate structural classes activate specific subsets of PPARγ’s transcriptional programs to generate adipocytes with distinct phenotypes.

Objectives

Our objectives were to 1) establish a novel classification method to predict PPARγ ligands and modifying chemicals, and 2) create a taxonomy to group chemicals based on their effects on PPARγ’s transcriptome and downstream metabolic functions. We tested the hypothesis that environmental adipogens highly ranked by the taxonomy, but segregated from therapeutic PPARγ ligands, would induce white but not brite adipogenesis.

Methods

3T3-L1 cells were differentiated in the presence of 76 chemicals (negative controls, nuclear receptor ligands known to influence adipocyte biology, potential environmental PPARγ ligands). Differentiation was assessed by measuring lipid accumulation. mRNA expression was determined by RNA-Seq and validated by RT-qPCR. A novel classification model was developed using an amended random forest procedure. A subset of environmental contaminants identified as strong PPARγ agonists were analyzed by their effects on lipid handling, mitochondrial biogenesis and cellular respiration in 3T3-L1 cells and human preadipocytes.

Results

We used lipid accumulation and RNA sequencing data to develop a classification system that 1) identified PPARγ agonists, and 2) sorted chemicals into likely white or brite adipogens. Expression of Cidec was the most efficacious indicator of strong PPARγ activation. Two known environmental PPARγ ligands, tetrabromobisphenol A and triphenyl phosphate, which sorted distinctly from therapeutic ligands, induced white adipocyte genes but failed to induce Pgc1a and Ucp1, and induced fatty acid uptake but not mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, two chemicals identified as highly ranked PPARγ agonists, tonalide and quinoxyfen, induced white adipogenesis without the concomitant health-promoting characteristics of brite adipocytes in mouse and human preadipocytes.

Discussion

A novel classification procedure accurately identified environmental chemicals as PPARγ ligands distinct from known PPARγ-activating therapeutics. The computational and experimental framework has general applicability to the classification of as-yet uncharacterized chemicals.
Fast and accurate reference-guided scaffolding of draft genomes
Authors: Alonge Michael , Soyk Sebastian , Ramakrishnan Srividya , Wang Xingang , Goodwin Sara , Sedlazeck Fritz J. , Lippman Zachary B , Schatz Michael C.
Published: January 2019

Background

As the number of new genome assemblies continues to grow, there is increasing demand for methods to coalesce contigs from draft assemblies into pseudomolecules. Most current methods use genetic maps, optical maps, chromatin conformation (Hi-C), or other long-range linking data, however these data are expensive and analysis methods often fail to accurately order and orient a high percentage of assembly contigs. Other approaches utilize alignments to a reference genome for ordering and orienting, however these tools rely on slow aligners and are not robust to repetitive contigs.

Results

We present RaGOO, an open-source reference-guided contig ordering and orienting tool that leverages the speed and sensitivity of Minimap2 to accurately achieve chromosome-scale assemblies in just minutes. With the pseudomolecules constructed, RaGOO identifies structural variants, including those spanning sequencing gaps that are not reported by alternative methods. We show that RaGOO accurately orders and orients contigs into nearly complete chromosomes based on de novo assemblies of Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing from three wild and domesticated tomato genotypes, including the widely used M82 reference cultivar. We then demonstrate the scalability and utility of RaGOO with a pan-genome analysis of 103 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions by examining the structural variants detected in the newly assembled pseudomolecules. RaGOO is available open-source with an MIT license at https://github.com/malonge/RaGOO.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that with a highly contiguous assembly and a structurally accurate reference genome, reference-guided scaffolding with RaGOO outperforms error-prone reference-free methods and enable rapid pan-genome analysis.
Novel mutations within PRSS1 Gene that could potentially cause hereditary pancreatitis: Using Comprehensive in silico Approach
Authors: Mustafa Mujahed I. , Abdelmoneim Abdelrahman H. , Elfadol Nafisa M. , osman Soada A. , Abdelhameed Tebyan A. , Hassan Mohamed A.
Published: January 2019

Background

Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) is an autosomal dominant disorder with incomplete penetrance characterized by recurring episodes of severe abdominal pain often presenting in childhood. The comprehensive in silico analysis of coding SNPs, and their functional impacts on protein level, still remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to identify the pathogenic SNPs in PRSS1 gene by computational analysis approach.

Materials and Methods

We carried out in silico analysis of structural effect of each SNP using different bioinformatics tools to predict Single-nucleotide polymorphisms influence on protein structure and function.

Result

Two novel mutations out of 339 nsSNPs that are found be deleterious effect on the PRSS1 structure and function.

Conclusion

This is the first in silico analysis in PRSS1 gene, which will be a valuable resource for future targeted mechanistic and population-based studies.
Increase in stable isotope ratios driven by metabolic alterations in amphipods exposed to the beta-blocker propranolol
Authors: Ek Caroline , Yu Zhenyang , Garbaras Andrius , Oskarsson Hanna , Wiklund Ann-Kristin Eriksson , Kumblad Linda , Gorokhova Elena
Published: January 2019

Anthropogenic pressures, such as contaminant exposure, may affect stable isotope ratios in biota. These changes are driven by alterations in the nutrient allocation and metabolic pathways induced by specific stressors. In a controlled microcosm study with the amphipod Gammarus spp., we studied effects of the β-blocker propranolol on stable isotope signatures (δ15N and δ13C), elemental composition (%C and %N), and growth (protein content and body size) as well as biomarkers of oxidative status (antioxidant capacity, ORAC; lipid peroxidation, TBARS) and neurological activity (acetylcholinesterase, AChE). Based on the known effects of propranolol exposure on cellular functions, i.e., its mode of action (MOA), we expected to observe a lower scope for growth, accompanied by a decrease in protein deposition, oxidative processes and AChE inhibition, with a resulting increase in the isotopic signatures. The observed responses supported most of these predictions. In particular, %N was positively affected by propranolol, whereas both protein allocation and body size declined. Moreover, both ORAC and TBARS levels decreased with increasing propranolol concentration, with the decrease being more pronounced for TBARS, which indicates the prevalence of the antioxidative processes. These changes resulted in a significant increase of the δ15N and δ13C values in the propranolol-exposed animals compared to the control. These findings suggest that MOA of β-blockers may be used to predict sublethal effects in nontarget species, including inhibited AChE activity, improved oxidative balance, and elevated stable isotope ratios. The latter also indicates that metabolism-driven responses to environmental contaminants can alter stable isotope signatures, which should be taken into account when interpreting trophic interactions in the food webs.
Preliminary design of 3D printed fittings for UAV
Authors: Mieloszyk Jacek , Tarnowski Andrzej , Kowalik Michal , Perz Rafal , Rzadkowski Witold
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Additive manufacturing technology, also commonly called as 3D printing technology, is entering rapidly into the aerospace world and seems to be its future. Many manufacturing processes are replaced by this technology because the ease of use, low costs and new possibilities to make complicated parts. However, there are only few solutions which present manufacturing of structurally critical parts.

Design/methodology/approach

Complete process of deriving loads, design of fitting geometry, numerical validation, manufacturing and strength testing was presented. The emphasis was made to show specific features of 3D technology in printed fittings for UAV.

Findings

The research confirms that the technology can be used for the application of fittings manufacturing. Attention needs to be paid, during the design process, to account for specific features of the 3D printing technology, which is described in details.

Practical implications

Without a doubt, additive manufacturing is useful for manufacturing complicated parts within limited time and with reduction cost. It was also shown that the manufactured parts can be used for highly loaded structures.

Originality/value

The paper shows how additive manufacturing technology can be used to produce significantly loaded parts of airplanes’ structure. Only few such examples were presented till now.
Determining effective mentor characteristics in inter-organizational mentoring for managers: an approach based on academics’ and practitioners’ perspectives
Authors: Gisbert-Trejo Nuria , Landeta Jon , Albizu Eneka , Fernández-Ferrín Pilar
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the essential mentor characteristics for effective inter-organizational mentoring. This kind of HR development technique, where mentor and mentee belong to different organizations, is becoming increasingly popular and so far has been scarcely studied.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a rigorous literature analysis to identify primary mentor characteristics for managers and professionals has been performed; second, a Delphi analysis has determined their relevance according to the opinion of 125 experienced mentors, mentees and program coordinators that have carried out inter-organizational mentoring processes in Spain; and third, an exploratory factor analysis has reclassified the mentor characteristics into a smaller number of factors.

Findings

In total, 29 relevant mentor characteristics have been identified and valued. The foregoing characteristics are related to seven underlying dimensions or factors that serve to characterize an effective mentor for inter-organizational mentoring programs.

Originality/value

The research extends the existing literature regarding mentor characteristics of those mentors who are engaged in inter-organizational mentoring. In addition, this work offers a valuable contribution to inter-organizational mentoring research based in a Delphi method that includes both academic and practitioner perspectives in a cultural context that may have not received previous attention. The findings can be valuable for both academics who investigate this topic of growing interest, and for practitioners who must face the selection and training of mentors.
What makes hotel online reviews credible?
Authors: Lo Ada S. , Yao Sharon Siyu
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This study aims to adopt a cognitive heuristic approach to investigate the interaction effect of a message source characteristic (reviewer expertise [RE]) and two message structure characteristics (review rating consistency [RC] and review valence [RV]) on the perceived credibility of hotel online reviews.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 242 university students and were analyzed by three-way analysis of variance through a 2 × 2 factorial experiments using a simulated hotel review page on TripAdvisor.

Findings

Results show a three-way interaction effect of RE, RC and RV on the perceived credibility of hotel online reviews. The main effects of the three factors are also determined. Higher perceived credibility scores are found for negative reviews, reviews written by experts and reviews with a consistent rating.

Research limitations/implications

This study adopts an experimental approach and is the first to investigate the three-way interactions of message source and message structure characteristics of online hotel reviews. Data were collected from students in a university in Hong Kong. Results may not be generalizable to other markets.

Practical implications

Results suggest that reviews written by experts have higher perceived credibility. Hotels should pay attention to the content of online reviews and the expertise level of reviewers. Efforts should be exerted to create positive experiences for hotel guests that motivate expert reviewers to write positive reviews. Note that negative reviews have higher perceived credibility than positive ones. Hotels should promptly address negative reviews and provide professional responses to reviewers. Platform operators of user-generated content (UGC) should create well-defined reviewer profiles that can serve as cues that communicate the different expertise of reviewers.

Originality/value

This study is the first to test the three-way interaction effect of RE, RC and RV on the perceived credibility of hotel online reviews. Results provide recommendations to hotels and UGC operators and enable them to benefit from emerging UGC usage.
Pedagogy and public-funded research: an exploratory study of skills in digital humanities projects
Authors: Garwood Deborah A. , Poole Alex H.
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Public-funded research in digital humanities (DH) enhances institutional and individual research missions and contributes open data to a growing base of globally networked knowledge. The Digging into Data 3 challenge (DID3) (2014–2016) is an international, interdisciplinary and collaborative grant initiative, and the purpose of this paper is to explore skills that faculty and students brought to projects and others they acquired and shared on collaborative teams.

Design/methodology/approach

Rooted in the naturalistic paradigm, this qualitative case study centers on semi-structured interviews with 53 participants on 11 of the 14 DID3 projects. Documentary evidence complements empirical evidence; analysis is constructivist and grounded.

Findings

Hailing from diverse academic research institutions, centers and repositories, participants brought 20 types of discipline-based or interdisciplinary expertise to DID3 projects. But they reported acquiring or refining 27 other skills during their project work. While most are data-related, complementary programming, management and analytical skills push disciplinary expertise toward new frontiers. Project-based learning and pedagogy function symbiotically; participants therefore advocate for aligning problem-solving skills with pedagogical objectives at home institutions to prepare for public-funded DH projects. A modified content analysis juxtaposes DID3 skills with those advanced in 23 recent DH syllabi to identify commonalities and gaps.

Originality/value

Pedagogy has an important yet under-researched and underdeveloped role in public-funded DH research.
New boundaries
Authors: Lecomte Patrick
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the real estate academic literature by defining the essence of real estate in smart urban environments. Space has traditionally been a silent component of real estate. Smart technologies powered by Ubi-comp are turning space into an active part of real estate, which represents a paradigm shift for commercial real estate. This shift requires new concepts and tools to analyse and model real estate in smart cities.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper defines the notions of smart space and smart real estate. Several concepts and tools are formulated, starting with a model of space users in smart cities, called the Cyber-Dasein inspired by Heidegger’s existential phenomenology of space.

Findings

The paper then analyses smart space’s attributes and proposes several metrics for commercial real estate in smart environments. After introducing three regression models for constructing a price index of smart real estate, the paper concludes by advocating that commercial real estate take an active role in the current debate about smart cities.

Research limitations/implications

The paper does not provide any empirical analysis of smart real estate.

Practical implications

Smart environments offer real estate a unique opportunity to set up methodologies, concepts and tools for new properties in new cities. Now is the time to think carefully about the impact smart technologies will have on commercial properties before other stakeholders (in particular smart cities vendors and multinational technology giants) have fully modelled smart space and its nexus with smart real estate.

Originality/value

This paper is the first paper to provide a conceptual framework for the analysis of commercial real estate in smart cities.
Learning organizational ambidexterity
Authors: Kerry Matthew James , DeSimone Justin A.
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reexamine exploration-exploitation’s reciprocality in organizational ambidexterity (OA) research. OA figures prominently in a variety of organization science phenomena. Introduced as a two-stage model for innovation, theory specifies reciprocal reinforcement between the OA processes of exploration (eR) and exploitation (eT). In this study, the authors argue that previous analyses of OA necessarily neglect this reciprocality in favor of conceptualizations that conform to common statistical techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose joint-variance (JV) as a soluble estimator of exploration–exploitation (eR-eT) reciprocality. An updated systematic literature synthesis yielded K = 50 studies (53 independent samples, N = 11,743) for further testing.

Findings

Three primary findings are as follows: JV reduced negative confounding, explaining 45 per cent of between-study variance. JV quantified the positive confounding in separate meta-analytic estimates of eR and eT on performance because of double-counting (37.6 per cent), and substantive application of JV to hypothesis testing supported OA theoretical predictions.

Research limitations/implications

The authors discuss practical consideration for eR-eT reciprocality, as well as theoretical contributions for cohering the OA empirical literature.

Practical implications

The authors discuss design limitations and JV measurement extensions for the future.

Social implications

Learning in OA literature has been neglected or underestimated.

Originality/value

Because reciprocality is theorized, yet absent in current models, existing results represent confounded or biased evidence of the OA’s effect on firm performance. Subsequently, the authors propose JV as a soluble estimator of eR-eT learning modes.
Temperature variation makes an ectotherm more sensitive to global warming unless thermal evolution occurs
Authors: Verheyen Julie , Stoks Robby
Published: January 2019

To assess long‐term impacts of global warming on species, there is growing interest in latitudinal intraspecific patterns in thermal adaptation. Yet, while both mean temperatures and daily temperature fluctuations (DTFs) are expected to increase under global warming, latitudinal differences in the effects of DTFs have not been documented.

We tested whether low‐latitude populations of an ectotherm deal better with greater DTF than high‐latitude populations, especially at a high mean temperature close to the optimal temperature for growth where DTF causes exposure to extreme high temperatures. We evaluated the impact of DTFs when assessing the effect of gradual thermal evolution at the high latitude with a space‐for‐time substitution.

We compared effects of both mean temperatures (20 and 24°C) and DTFs (constant = 0°C, low = 5°C and high = 10°C) on growth rates between low‐latitude and high‐latitude populations of the damselflyIschnura elegansin a common‐garden experiment.

DTFs, if anything, reduced growth and were generally stressful as indicated by reductions in body condition, antioxidant defence and metabolic rate, and increases in oxidative damage. Most negative effects of DTFs were only present at a mean of 24°C when too high temperatures were reached during a daily cycle. Notably, while 4°C warming was beneficial in terms of growth rate at both latitudes at a constant temperature regime, this changed in a negative effect at high DTF. Moreover, this modulating effect of the mean temperature by DTF differed between latitudes indicating local thermal adaptation. While 4°C warming at low DTF still caused faster growth in low‐latitude larvae, it already slowed growth in high‐latitude larvae. This supports the emerging insight that warming would increase growth in high‐latitude larvae in the absence of DTF, yet would decrease growth in the more realistic scenarios with DTF. In contrast, a space‐for‐time substitution approach suggested that under gradual thermal evolution, the evolved high‐latitude larvae would no longer suffer a growth reduction in the presence of DTF.

Our study provided important proof‐of‐principle that jointly integrating gradual thermal evolution and the expected increase in DTF generates opposing predictions of effects of global warming on this ectotherm.
Bacillus thuringiensis targets the host intestinal epithelial junctions for successful infection of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Wan Liting , Lin Jian , Du Hongwen , Zhang Yulan , Bravo Alejandra , Soberón Mario , Sun Ming , Peng Donghai
Published: January 2019

Pathogenic bacteria use different strategies to infect their hosts, including the simultaneous production of pore forming toxins and several virulence factors that may synergize their pathogenic effects. However, how the pathogenic bacteria are able to break out the host intestinal barrier is poorly understood. The infectious cycle of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacterium in Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model system to study the early stages of the infection process. Bt produces Cry pore‐forming toxins during the sporulation phase that are key virulence factors involved in its pathogenesis. In this study, we show that Bt disrupts the intestinal epithelial junctions of C. elegans at early stages of infection allowing Bt bacterium to complete its life cycle in the worm. We further confirmed that the vegetative Bt cells trigger a quorum sensing response that is activated by PlcR regulator, resulting in production of different virulence factors, such as the metalloproteinases ColB and Bmp1, that besides Cry toxins are necessary to disrupt the nematode epithelial junctions causing efficient bacterial host infection and death of the nematode. Our work provides new insights into the pathogenesis of Bt and highlights the importance of breaking down host epithelial junctions for a successful infection. A similar mechanism could be used by other pathogen‐host interactions since epithelial junctions are conserved structures from insects to mammals.
Marching to the Left? Programmatic Competition and the 2017 Party Manifestos
Authors: Allen Nicholas , Bara Judith
Published: January 2019

This article analyses the content of the 2017 general election manifestos, and introduces the latest estimates from the Manifesto Project to explore recent ideological movements in the British party system. It reports the changing policy emphases in Conservative and Labour manifestos and the ideological positions of the major political parties in 2017. It finds that Theresa May's party produced its most left‐wing manifesto since 1964, and that Jeremy Corbyn's party produced its most left‐wing manifesto since 1992 and the election before the advent of New Labour. The article also finds that the ideological space between the Conservatives and Labour opened up in 2017, and that Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists published the most right‐wing manifesto.
Investigating lexical and sub‐lexical orthographic processing skills in French 3rd and 5th graders
Authors: Commissaire Eva , Besse Anne‐Sophie
Published: January 2019

Background

Whether lexical and sub‐lexical orthographic skills relate to each other and to reading was investigated in French 3rd and 5th graders.

Methods

Two homophone choice tasks were constructed (1) by manipulating the frequency of words sub‐lexical features (choose the correct spelling in boat ‐ bacht vs yacht ‐ yoat) and (2) by matching items on their sub‐lexical properties (beach ‐ beech). More, two orthographic choice tasks measured (1) sensitivity to legal versus illegal sub‐lexical patterns (rouve ‐ rouvve) and (2) distributional probabilities (doat ‐ dacht). Regular, irregular and pseudoword reading were assessed.

Results/Conclusions

On the one hand, performances were higher for words with more frequent sub‐lexical features, in favour of an impact of both lexical and sub‐lexical skills in the homophone choice task. This effect was however significant in the grade 3 group only, revealing stronger reliance on sub‐lexical orthographic knowledge during lexical retrieval in the younger group only. On the other hand, performances on orthographic choice tasks improved with grade and revealed to be higher for the task involving all‐or‐none patterns compared with that involving distributional probabilities. Regarding the relationships between this set of measures, the data revealed that the purer measure of lexical orthographic skills significantly correlated with sub‐lexical skills and irregular word reading; yet none of the measures that involved sub‐lexical orthographic skills correlated with reading.
Reading from paper compared to screens: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Clinton Virginia
Published: January 2019

Background

Given the increasing popularity of reading from screens, it is not surprising that numerous studies have been conducted comparing reading from paper and electronic sources. The purpose of this systematic review and meta‐analysis is to consolidate the findings on reading performance, reading times and calibration of performance (metacognition) between reading text from paper compared to screens.

Methods

A systematic literature search of reports of studies comparing reading from paper and screens was conducted in seven databases. Additional studies were identified by contacting researchers who have published on the topic, by a backwards search of the references of found reports and by a snowball search of reports citing what was initially found. Only studies that were experiments with random assignment and with participants who had fundamental reading skills and disseminated between 2008 and 2018 were included. Twenty‐nine reports with 33 identified studies met inclusion criteria experimentally comparing reading performance (k = 33;n = 2,799), reading time (k = 14;n = 1,233) and/or calibration (k = 11;n = 698) from paper and screens.

Results

Based on random effects models, reading from screens had a negative effect on reading performance relative to paper (g = −.25). Based on moderator analyses, this may have been limited to expository texts (g = −.32) as there was no difference with narrative texts (g = −.04). The findings were similar when analysing literal and inferential reading performance separately (g = −.33 andg = −.26, respectively). No reliable differences were found for reading time (g = .08). Readers had better calibrated (more accurate) judgement of their performance from paper compared to screens (g = .20).

Conclusions

Readers may be more efficient and aware of their performance when reading from paper compared to screens.
Probiotics for preterm infants – time to end all controversies
Authors: Athalye‐Jape Gayatri , Patole Sanjay
Published: January 2019

Mortality, necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), late onset sepsis (LOS) and feeding intolerance are significant issues for very preterm (< 32 weeks) and extremely preterm (< 28 weeks) infants. The complications of ≥ StageII NEC[e.g. Resection of the gangrenous gut, survival with intestinal failure, recurrent infections, prolonged hospital stay, and long‐term neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI)] impose a significant health burden.LOSalso carries significant burden including long‐termNDIdue to adverse effects of inflammation on the preterm brain during the critical phase of development. Frequent stopping of feeds due to feeding intolerance is a significant iatrogenic contributor to postnatal growth failure in extremely preterm infants. Over 25 systematic reviews and meta‐analyses ofRCTs (~12 000 participants) have reported that probiotics significantly reduce the risk of all‐cause mortality,NEC ≥ StageII,LOSand feeding intolerance in preterm infants. Systematic reviews and meta‐analysis of non‐RCTs have also shown that the benefits after adopting probiotics as a standard prophylaxis for preterm infants are similar to those reported inRCTs. No intervention comes close to probiotics when it comes to significant reduction in death,NEC,LOSand feeding intolerance at a cost of less than a dollar a day irrespective of the setting and baseline incidence ofNEC. The common controversies that are preventing the rapid uptake of probiotics for preterm infants are addressed in this paper.