bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the effectiveness of catchment-scale approaches in mitigating urban surface water flooding
Authors: Ferguson Charlie , Fenner Richard
Published: February 2020

The argument for natural flood management in the UK has strengthened in recent years with increasing awareness of the potential benefits gained from upstream interventions (especially improvements in water quality, public amenities and biodiversity). This study aims to develop an understanding of another potential benefit—interventions promoting free discharge at downstream urban drainage outfalls by moderating water levels in receiving watercourses. A novel, coupled model (linking dynamic TOPMODEL, HEC-RAS and Infoworks ICM) is calibrated for the Asker catchment in Dorset, England. This predominantly rural watershed drains to the town of Bridport, frequently submerging a surface drainage outfall in a nearby housing estate. Two forms of upstream, catchment-scale intervention (hillslope tree planting and in-channel large woody debris) are modelled to understand their impacts on the functioning of the drainage network during both the calibration period and a range of design storms. The results indicate that interventions have the greatest positive impact during frequent events. For example, during a storm with a 10% annual exceedance probability (AEP), upstream NFM could reduce outfall inundation by up to 3.75 h and remove any surcharging of flow within the drainage system in Bridport. In more severe storms, the results suggest interventions could slightly prolong the time the outfall was submerged. However, by slowing the wider catchment's response during the 3.3% AEP storm, upstream interventions allow more water to escape the urban drainage system and reduce the maximum surface flooding extent within the housing estate by 35%.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Urban flood resilience’.
Methodology and application of flood footprint accounting in a hypothetical multiple two-flood event
Authors: Zeng Zhao , Guan Dabo
Published: February 2020

Multiple natural disasters are becoming ever more frequent around the world, with both climate change and rapid urbanization increasing the risk of such disasters in human society. Comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of multiple disasters on the industrial and economic system has become an urgent and essential part of urban recovery and sustainable development. However, there is a lack of studies that focus on assessing the indirect economic impacts resulting from such multiple events, and thereafter providing a common quantitative approach within their assessment. With the concept of flood footprint and input–output theory, this study proposes a more externally oriented methodology (flood footprint model) for indirect flood footprint (IFF) accounting and offers various extensive sensitivity analyses based on a hypothetical two-flood event. Based on the two-flood case, we conclude that the total flood footprint of a multi-flood within a given region is larger than the sum of individual flood footprints and this is the same for the IFF due to the combination effect, while the flood footprint is highly constrained by factors such as occurrence time and physical damage caused by the ensuing disaster.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Urban flood resilience'.
Managing flooding: from a problem to an opportunity
Authors: Ashley Richard , Gersonius Berry , Horton Bruce
Published: February 2020

The paper argues that the concept and practice of sustainability have proved too difficult to achieve within traditional water management, and there is a lack of political will to move towards truly sustainable water services. Instead, compromised concepts, including resistance, resilience, ecosystem services, natural capital and adaptation are defining approaches; each of which may contribute partially to sustainability. Pressures due to the changing climate, ecological degradation, human demands, urbanization and deteriorating assets are challenging sustainability and compelling changes to water management. Water is now seen less as a problem to be managed than as an opportunity, as wherever situated, water brings many opportunities to contribute to anthropogenic needs. New ideas are helping to frame the way in which water management is being approached: (i) waste is no longer waste, but a potential resource within a circular economy; (ii) the interconnectedness of infrastructure systems and services and circularity of the water cycle mean there is a need to integrate approaches; (iii) nature-based systems should be preferenced for water infrastructure. These issues and ideas are considered here, together with examples of schemes showing that managing flooding can lead to wider benefits, and potential longer-term sustainability.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Urban flood resilience’.
Drivers of future urban flood risk
Authors: O'Donnell Emily C. , Thorne Colin R.
Published: February 2020

Managing urban flood risk is a key global challenge of the twenty-first century. Drivers of future UK flood risk were identified and assessed by the Flood Foresight project in 2002–2004 and 2008; envisaging flood risk during the 2050s and 2080s under a range of scenarios for climate change and socio-economic development. This paper qualitatively reassesses and updates these drivers, using empirical evidence and advances in flood risk science, technology and practice gained since 2008. Of the original drivers, five have strengthened, three have weakened and 14 remain within their 2008 uncertainty bands. Rainfall, as impacted by climate change, is the leading source driver of future urban flood risk. Intra-urban asset deterioration, leading to increases in a range of consequential flood risks, is the primary pathway driver. Social impacts (risk to life and health, and the intangible impacts of flooding on communities) and continued capital investment in buildings and contents (leading to greater losses when newer buildings of higher economic worth are inundated) have strengthened as receptor drivers of urban flood risk. Further, we propose two new drivers: loss of floodable urban spaces and indirect economic impacts, which we suggest may have significant impacts on future urban flood risk.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Urban flood resilience’.
Flood resilience, amenity and biodiversity benefits of an historic urban pond
Authors: Krivtsov Vladimir , Birkinshaw Steve , Arthur Scott , Knott David , Monfries Ruth , Wilson Kirsty , Christie Derek , Chamberlain David , Brownless Peter , Kelly David , Buckman Jim , Forbes Heather , Monteiro Yamina
Published: February 2020

The main pond within the historic Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is an important component of urban blue-green infrastructure. This paper reports on flood resilience provided by the pond (simulated using the CityCAT hydrodynamic model), its water residence times (obtained using the Shetran hydrological model), and the ecology and biodiversity (vascular plants, bryophytes, aquatic invertebrates, phyto- and zooplankton, birds) of the pond and the adjacent area. The results show that the pond improves the flood resilience with at least a 27% reduction in the peak discharge during a 1 h, one in 100-year event. The area represents a biodiversity hot spot with a range of native taxa occurring among introduced plant species. The plankton community is dominated by diatoms, reflecting elevated levels of turbulence and a relatively short residence time, with an average value of 10 days. Analysis of macroinvertebrate community indicates a potential for water quality improvement. The results are discussed in relation to multiple societal benefits related to flood resilience, recreation, education, water quality, amenity and biodiversity value. The conclusions may prove particularly valuable for introducing practical measures in the water catchment, preventing waterlogging of the soil and ensuring an uninterrupted supply of public services.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Urban flood resilience'.
Exiguobacterium flavidum sp. nov., isolated from the Red Maple Lake
Authors: Meng Xue , Chang Ya-Qi , Zhou Liu-Yan , Du Zong-Jun
Published: February 2020

A Gram-stain-positive, motile, facultatively anaerobic, non-sporing, and rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated HF60T, was isolated from the Red Maple Lake of Guizhou Province, China. The DNA G+C content of the strain HF60T was 55.0 %. The predominant isoprenoid quinones were identified as MK-7 (56.4 %) and MK-8 (35.7 %). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and aminophosphoglycolipid. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C13 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 and iso-C13 : 0. The strain had cell wall peptidoglycan type A3α l-Lys-Gly. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain HF60T belonged to the genus

Exiguobacterium

and was most closely related to

Exiguobacterium sibiricum

JCM 13490T (97.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), followed by

Exiguobacterium undae

DSM 14481T (97.1 %),

Exiguobacterium antarcticum

DSM 14480T (96.9 %) and

Exiguobacterium aurantiacum

NBRC 14763T (94.5 %). The differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness indicated that strain HF60T can be considered to represent a novel species of the genus

Exiguobacterium

, for which the name Exiguobacterium flavidum sp. nov. is proposed, The type strain is HF60T (=MCCC 1H00336T=KCTC 33987T).
nanoMLST: accurate multilocus sequence typing using Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION with a dual-barcode approach to multiplex large numbers of samples
Authors: Liou Ci-Hong , Wu Han-Chieh , Liao Yu-Chieh , Yang Lauderdale Tsai-Ling , Huang I-Wen , Chen Feng-Jui
Published: February 2020

Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is one of the most commonly used methods for studying microbial lineage worldwide. However, the traditional MLST process using Sanger sequencing is time-consuming and expensive. We have designed a workflow that simultaneously sequenced seven full-length housekeeping genes of 96 meticillin-resistant

Staphylococcus aureus

isolates with dual-barcode multiplexing using just a single flow cell of an Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION system, and then we performed bioinformatic analysis for strain typing. Fifty-one of the isolates comprising 34 sequence types had been characterized using Sanger sequencing. We demonstrate that the allele assignments obtained by our nanopore workflow (nanoMLST, available at https://github.com/jade-nhri/nanoMLST) were identical to those obtained by Sanger sequencing (359/359, with 100 % agreement rate). In addition, we estimate that our multiplex system is able to perform MLST for up to 1000 samples simultaneously; thus, providing a rapid and cost-effective solution for molecular typing.
Branched-chain amino acid catabolism depends on GRXS15 through mitochondrial lipoyl cofactor homeostasis
Authors: Moseler Anna , Kruse Inga , Maclean Andrew E. , Pedroletti Luca , Wagner Stephan , Wehler Regina , Fischer-Schrader Katrin , Poschet Gernot , Wirtz Markus , Dörmann Peter , Hildebrandt Tatjana M. , Hell Rüdiger , Schwarzländer Markus , Balk Janneke , Meyer Andreas J.
Published: February 2020

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are ubiquitous cofactors in all life and are used in a wide array of diverse biological processes, including electron transfer chains and several metabolic pathways. Biosynthesis machineries for Fe-S clusters exist in plastids, the cytosol and mitochondria. A single monothiol glutaredoxin (GRX) has been shown to be involved in Fe-S cluster assembly in mitochondria of yeast and mammals. In plants, the role of the mitochondrial homologue GRXS15 has only partially been characterized. Arabidopsisgrxs15null mutants are not viable, but mutants complemented with the variantGRXS15 K83Adevelop with a dwarf phenotype. In an in-depth metabolic analysis, we show that most Fe-S cluster-dependent processes are not affected, including biotin biosynthesis, molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis and the electron transport chain. Instead, we observed an increase in most TCA cycle intermediates and amino acids, especially pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate, glycine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). The most pronounced accumulation occurred in branched-chain α-keto acids (BCKAs), the first degradation products resulting from deamination of BCAAs. In wild-type plants, pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate, glycine and BCKAs are all metabolized through decarboxylation by four mitochondrial lipoyl cofactor-dependent dehydrogenase complexes. Because these enzyme complexes are very abundant and the biosynthesis of the lipoyl cofactor depends on continuous Fe-S cluster supply to lipoyl synthase, this could explain why lipoyl cofactor-dependent processes are most sensitive to restricted Fe-S supply inGRXS15 K83Amutants.

One-sentence summary

Deficiency in GRXS15 restricts protein lipoylation and causes metabolic defects in lipoyl cofactor-dependent dehydrogenase complexes, with branched-chain amino acid catabolism as dominant bottleneck.
The Safety of a Therapeutic Product Composed of a Combination of Stem Cell Released Molecules from Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Fibroblasts
Authors: Maguire Greg , Friedman Peter
Published: February 2020

Stem cell transplants have demonstrated life-saving capabilities for some blood diseases, and the molecules and exosomes released from stem cells are currently in therapeutic development for a number of diseases and conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases, heart conditions, glaucoma, hearing loss, and skin diseases. Stem cell science is a relatively new science, and therapeutic development using stem cells, even approved stem cell therapies for blood diseases, is in need of a better understanding of mechanisms of action and acute and long-term safety profiles. Here we performed a number of safety tests for a stem cell-based therapeutic comprised of the stem cell released molecules from a combination of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells and fibroblasts that have demonstrated efficacy in a number of conditions. Using in vitro, in vivo, and skin sensitivity studies in humans, the stem cell therapeutic comprised of stem cell released molecules was shown to have an excellent safety profile when tested for toxicity, mutagenicity, tumorigenesis, ocular toxicity, inflammation, and irritation.
Cross-Protection Against Zika Virus Infection Conferred by a Live Attenuated Japanese Encephalitis SA14-14-2 Vaccine
Authors: Wang Ran , Zhen Zida , Turtle Lance , Hou Baohua , Li Yueqi , Gao Na , Fan Dongying , Chen Hui , An Jing
Published: February 2020

Zika virus (ZIKV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) are closely related mosquito-borne flaviviruses. Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine SA14-14-2 has been in the Chinese national Expanded Program on Immunization since 2007. The recent recognition of severe disease syndromes associated with ZIKV, and the identification of ZIKV from mosquitoes in China, prompts an urgent need to investigate the potential interaction between the two. In this study, we showed that SA14-14-2 is protective against ZIKV infection in mice. JE vaccine SA14-14-2 triggered both Th1 and Th2 cross-reactive immune responses to ZIKV; however, it was cellular immunity that predominantly mediated cross-protection against ZIKV infection. Passive transfer of immune sera did not result in significant cross-protection, but did mediate antibody dependent enhancementin vitro, though this did not have an adverse impact on survival. This study suggests that SA14-14-2 vaccine can protect against ZIKV through a cross-reactive T cell response. This is vital information in terms of ZIKV prevention or precaution in those ZIKV-affected regions where JEV circulates or SA14-14-2 is in widespread use, and opens a promising avenue into developing a novel bivalent vaccine against both ZIKV and JEV.

Importance

Japanese encephalitis is a controllable disease in many countries in Asia, especially in China, where many people have Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) immunity due to extensive JEV vaccination campaigns or natural exposure. Live-attenuated SA14-14-2 strain is a safe and effective vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization and has been vaccinated more than 600 million doses since 1989. As the prevalence of Zika virus (ZIKV) and rising risk in above regions, the cross-reactive immune response between these two antigenically closely related flaviviruses, JEV and ZIKV, should also be fully recognized, which is presumed to be based on those ambiguous cross-reactive immunity between dengue virus and ZIKV. In this study, we found that JEV SA14-14-2 vaccine conferred cross-protection against ZIKV challenge in mice, which is mainly due to cellular immunity rather than neutralizing antibody response. However, specific protective components or cooperation between components warrant to be explored in subsequent experiments. In conclusion, this study can provide important evidence for those who live in JEV-endemic areas and are at risk for ZIKV infection.
DGAT-onco: A powerful method to detect oncogenes by integrating differential mutational analysis and functional impacts of somatic mutations
Authors: Zhang Haoyang , Wei Junkang , Liu Zifeng , Liu Xun , Chong Yutian , Lu Yutong , Zhao Huiying , Yang Yuedong
Published: February 2020

Motivation

Oncogenes are genes whose malfunctions play critical roles in cancer development, and their discovery is a major aim of cancer mechanisms study. By counting the mutation frequency, oncogenes have been identified with frequent mutations, while it is believed that many more oncogenes could be discovered by differential mutational profile analysis. However, it is common that current methods only utilize mutations in the cancer population, which have an obvious bias in background mutation modelling.

Methods

To predict oncogenes efficiently, we developed a method, DGAT-onco that analyzed the frequency distribution and functional impacts of mutations in both cancer and natural population. Our method can capture the mutational difference of two population, and provide a comprehensive view of genomics basis underlying cancer development. DGAT-onco was constructed by germline mutations from the 1000 Genomes project and somatic mutations of 33 cancer types from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Its reliability was verified on an independent test set including 19 cancers from other sources.

Results

We demonstrated that our method is more effective than alternative methods in oncogenes discovering. Using this approach achieves higher classification performance in oncogene discovery than 6 alternative methods, and 22.8% significant genes identified by our method were verified as oncogenes by the Cancer Gene Census (CGC).

Availability

DGAT-onco is available athttps://github.com/zhanghaoyang0/DGAT-onco.

Contact

yangyd25@mail.sysu.edu.cnorzhaohy8@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Non-negative least squares computation for in vivo myelin mapping using simulated multi-echo spin-echo T2decay data
Authors: Wiggermann Vanessa , Vavasour Irene , Kolind Shannon , MacKay Alex , Helms Gunther , Rauscher Alexander
Published: February 2020

Multi-compartment T2-mapping has gained particular relevance for the study of myelin water in brain. As a facilitator of rapid saltatory axonal signal transmission, myelin is a cornerstone indicator of white matter development and function. Regularized non-negative least squares fitting of multi-echo T2data has been widely employed for the computation of the myelin water fraction (MWF) and the obtained MWF maps have been histopathologically validated. MWF measurements depend upon the quality of the data acquisition, B1+-homogeneity and a range of fitting parameters. In this special issue article, we discuss the relevance of these factors for the accurate computation of multi-compartment T2and MWF maps. We generated multi-echo spin-echo T2decay curves following the approach of CarrPurcell-Meiboom-Gill for various myelin concentrations and myelin T2scenarios by simulating the evolution of the magnetization vector between echoes based on the Bloch equations. We demonstrated that noise and imperfect refocusing flip angles yield systematic underestimations in MWF and intra-/extracellular water geometric mean (gm) T2. MWF estimates were more stable than myelin water gmT2time across different settings of the T2analysis. We observed that the lower limit of the T2distribution grid should be slightly shorter than TE1. Both TE1 and the acquisition echo spacing also have to be sufficiently short to capture the rapidly decaying myelin water T2signal. Among all parameters of interest, the estimated MWF and intra-/extracellular water gmT2differed by approximately 0.13-4 percentage points and 3-4 ms, respectively, from the true values, with larger deviations observed in the presence of greater B1+-inhomogeneities and at lower signal-to-noise ratio. Tailoring acquisition strategies may allow to better characterize the T2distribution, including the myelin water, in vivo.
NovelKras-mutant murine models of non-small cell lung cancer possessing co-occurring oncogenic mutations and increased tumor mutational burden
Authors: Salehi-Rad Ramin , Li Rui , Tran Linh M. , Lim Raymond J. , Abascal Jensen , Momcilovic Milica , Park Stacy J. , Ong Stephanie L. , Huang Zi Ling , Paul Manash , Shackelford David B. , Krysan Kostyantyn , Liu Bin , Dubinett Steven M.
Published: February 2020

Despite recent advances in lung cancer immunotherapy, a major obstacle to the progress in the field is the lack of preclinical models that recapitulate the genetic and immunologic complexity of human disease. Conditional genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harbor the common oncogenic mutations of the disease, but these models possess low tumor mutational burden (TMB), which limits their utility in immunotherapy studies. Here, we establish novelKras-mutant murine models of NSCLC bearing common genetic alterations associated with the disease and increased TMB, byin vitroexposure of cell lines derived from GEMMs of NSCLC [KrasG12D(K),KrasG12DTp53−/−(KP),KrasG12DTp53+/−Lkb1−/−(KPL)] to the alkylating agentN-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Increased TMB was associated with enhanced anti-tumor T cell responses and improved anti-PD-1 efficacy in syngeneic models, across all genetic backgrounds. However, anti-PD-1 efficacy was comparatively modest in the KPL cell lines with increased TMB, which possessed a distinct immunosuppressed tumor microenvironment (TME) primarily composed of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs). This phenotype is consistent with findings in human NSCLC where LKB1 loss is a driver of primary resistance to PD-1 blockade. In summary, these novelKras-mutant murine NSCLC models bearing common co-occurring mutations with increased TMB possess clinically relevant TMEs and recapitulate the genetic complexity and therapeutic vulnerabilities of human NSCLC. We anticipate that these immunogenic models will facilitate the development of novel immunotherapies in NSCLC.
A Test of Memory: The Fish, The Mouse, The Fly And The Human
Authors: Cleal Madeleine , Fontana Barbara D , Ranson Daniel C , McBride Sebastian D , Swinny Jerome D , Redhead Edward S , Parker Matthew O
Published: February 2020

Simple mazes have provided numerous tasks for assessing working memory. The discrete nature of choices in the T-maze has provided a robust protocol with sensitivity to cognitive deficits, whilst the continuous Y-maze reduces manual handling and pre-trial training. We have combined these attributes to develop a new behavioural task for assessing working memory, the Free-movement pattern (FMP) Y-maze. Using sequentially recorded left and right turns we demonstrate that zebrafish and mice use a single dominant strategy predominantly consisting of alternations between left and right choices trial-to-trial. We further tested this protocol withDrosophilaand discovered an alternative invertebrate search strategy. Finally, a virtual human FMP Y-maze confirmed a common strategy among all tested vertebrate species, validating the translational power of the task for human research. The FMP Y-maze combines robust investigation of working memory and high translational power, generating a simple task with far-reaching impact.
Exposure to auditory feedback delay while speaking induces perceptual habituation but does not mitigate the disruptive effect of delay on speech auditory-motor learning
Authors: Shiller Douglas M. , Mitsuya Takashi , Max Ludo
Published: February 2020

Perceiving the sensory consequences of our actions with a delay alters the interpretation of these afferent signals and impacts motor learning. For reaching movements, delayed visual feedback of hand position reduces the rate and extent of visuomotor adaptation, but substantial adaptation still occurs. Moreover, the detrimental effect of visual feedback delay on reach motor learning—selectively affecting its implicit component—can be mitigated by prior habituation to the delay. Auditory-motor learning for speech has been reported to be more sensitive to feedback delay, and it remains unknown whether habituation to auditory delay reduces its negative impact on learning. We investigated whether 30 minutes of exposure to auditory delay during speaking (a) affects the subjective perception of delay, and (b) mitigates its disruptive effect on speech auditory-motor learning. During a speech adaptation task with real-time perturbation of vowel spectral properties, participants heard this frequency-shifted feedback with no delay, 75 ms delay, or 115 ms delay. In the delay groups, 50% of participants had been exposed to the delay throughout a preceding 30-minute block of speaking whereas the remaining participants completed this block without delay. Although habituation minimized awareness of the delay, no improvement in adaptation to the spectral perturbation was observed. Thus, short-term habituation to auditory feedback delays is not effective in reducing the negative impact of delay on speech auditory-motor adaptation. Combined with previous findings, the strong negative effect of delay and the absence of an influence of delay awareness suggest the involvement of predominantly implicit learning mechanisms in speech.

HIGHLIGHTS

Speech auditory-motor adaptation to a spectral perturbation was reduced by ~50% when feedback was delayed by 75 or 115 ms.

Thirty minutes of prior delay exposure without perturbation effectively reduced participants’ awareness of the delay.

However, habituation was ineffective in remediating the detrimental effect of delay on speech auditory-motor adaptation.

The dissociation of delay awareness and adaptation suggests that speech auditory-motor learning is mostly implicit.
Rapid quantitative imaging of high intensity ultrasonic pressure fields
Authors: Luo Huiwen , Kusunose Jiro , Pinton Gianmarco , Caskey Charles F , Grissom William A
Published: February 2020

High-intensity focused ultrasound (FUS) is a noninvasive technique for thermal or mechanical treatment of tissues that can lie deep within the body, with a growing body of FDA-approved indications. There is a pressing need for methods to rapidly and quantitatively map FUS beams for quality assurance in the clinic, and to accelerate research and development of new FUS systems and techniques. However, conventional ultrasound pressure beam mapping instruments including hydrophones and optical techniques are slow, not portable, and expensive, and most cannot map beams at actual therapeutic pressure levels. Here, we report a rapid projection imaging method to quantitatively map FUS pressure beams based on continuous-wave background-oriented schlieren (CW-BOS) imaging. The method requires only a water tank, a background pattern and a camera, and uses a multi-layer deep neural network to reconstruct beam maps. Results at two FUS frequencies show that CW-BOS imaging can produce high-resolution quantitative projected FUS pressure maps in under ten seconds, that the technique is linear and robust to beam rotations and translations, and that it can accurately map aberrated beams.
Advertising or branding: it is different
Authors: Jain Mohit , Srivastava Ritu
Published: February 2020

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the linkage between brand development and advertising/marketing communications plan; and to understand the critical role of branding for organizations and its clients against competition in a business-to-business environment.

Case overview/synopsis

The case presents a very dilemma faced by firms such as Bharat Oil Company in developing economies such as India. The public sector entities in India have always enjoyed state-vested power, authority and control. Employees in the organizations lack the appreciation for concepts such as branding and marketing communications. It is a similar situation with the case protagonist Deepak Dixit. The company has completed its first phase of marketing communications/advertising exercise for Prosell, the petrochemical brand. Deepak’s boss Aakash wants Deepak to prepare the marketing communications plan for the second phase of Prosell. Deepak’s meeting with the customers and line managers left him perturbed about the success of the first phase of brand Prosell. The case ends at a point where Deepak has to come up with a branding and marketing communications plan rather than an advertising plan. Research methods: this case is based on data gathered from primary interviews with the case protagonist (name disguised), five line managers and eleven actual business customers of the Bharat Oil Company. Secondary data has been collected from published reports and company website. The name of the company has been disguised.

Complexity academic level

Postgraduate, Executive, Undergraduate.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing.
The Crown Prince Court’s Training and Career Development section: managing training for its employees
Authors: Al Remeithi Alya Ateeq , Ahmad Syed Zamberi
Published: February 2020

Learning outcomes

This case study focuses on change management and employee resistance when implementing a new initiative. The case may be helpful to students to clarify their understanding of the following: the importance of employee involvement in the change management process in the government sector. Understand how to help employees to deal with change more effectively, maintaining their commitment and bringing them successfully through the change. Understand the importance of communication during the change process. Successful approaches used when implementing change, such as the Lewin model and Kotter 8. The obstacles to change, including resistance and adverse reactions to change and connecting employees, as well as the causes of resistance when implementing a change.

Case overview/synopsis

The Crown Prince’s Court is an independent government entity established in 1971, providing support to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi with the help of almost 300 employees. The Training and Career Development subsection headed by Sumaya Al Saedi decided to initiate an online training and development program for employees. Given that national service, maternity leave and emergency leave had led to working pressure and less training and development for the employees, Sumaya and her team realized that few employees were registering for the course and few of those that did register actually completed their course. Several causes were identified that had led to employees avoiding the online courses. Work pressure and technical issues were among the most salient reasons that kept registered employees from completing the course. The lack of policies at an institutional level to aid changes in training structures reduced the number of employees who felt that they could register for the courses. Therefore, Sumaya and her team had to decide how to attract their employees to online courses and how to support them.

Complexity academic level

This case study was written for Change Management courses in Bachelor of Business Administration programs. This case examines employee resistance to change when implementing a new system. It can, therefore, be used for undergraduate-level courses. As it concerns employees during the implementation of changes, this case study can be used to help students develop their planning and implementation skills. By focusing on internal departmental challenges, students are introduced to the change process of implementing an initiative and how to deal with employees in the organization.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.
TTK Group’s “SKORE”: scoring in the condom industry
Authors: Kamath Renuka
Published: February 2020

Learning outcomes

To appreciate the link of marketing strategy in terms of a brand launch, implementation and sustainability for business growth; to appreciate the complexity of consumer behavior in the purchase and usage journey of consumers for condoms; to analyze the nature of competition for the entry of a differentiated new brand; to analyze points-of-parity and points-of differentiation for uniquely positioning a new brand in the condom category; and to examine, analyze and evaluate strategic options for the next stage of growth. To make choices from the options.

Case overview/synopsis

Vishal Vyas, General Manager Marketing, TTK Protective Devices Limited (TTKPDL), had been a part of the exciting journey of launching SKORE, their new brand of condoms. In 2010, the company found itself in a rather unusual circumstance when it lost its rights to the most successful condom brands in the country. However, they had with them their sales and marketing expertise, a good team and a strong and loyal network of retailers. TTKPDL decided to enter the rather crowded Indian condom market and launch a new brand, SKORE. As a product category, condoms were particularly complex, socially, as well as in attitude toward their purchase and usage. SKORE went on to optimally using marketing strategy and gaining a strong foothold by capturing market share from strong players with a differentiated positioning of a brand that was youthful and quirky. By 2017 after having steadily grown the brand, Vyas was now looking for the next level of growth in a market, which not only appeared to be stagnating but also one where competitive activity was increasing. He was considering different options for SKORE’s growth. For TTKPDL, the strategic choice may be between expanding to new markets and new segments of consumers or capturing more of their currently defined target group or both. If they wanted to do something different, should they also look at expanding their product portfolio? Vyas needed to decide on the next move.

Complexity academic level

This case can be used in the core MBA Marketing Management course or core marketing course in the executive education program to highlight the important link of marketing strategy to business strategy. It can also find a place in marketing strategy and consumer behavior courses. It clearly demonstrates the launch and implementation of a new brand in a cluttered market of a sensitive product category and considers strategic options for further growth. The case is designed to help students appreciate consumer behavior for a sensitive product category and the entry of a new brand with five strong brands leading the market. It guides students toward looking at different options for the next level of growth and making recommendations.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing.
Do materialists care about sustainable luxury?
Authors: Talukdar Nabanita , Yu Shubin
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the underlying psychological mechanism and boundary conditions which drive materialists' purchase intention (PI) of sustainable over generic luxury products.

Design/methodology/approach

Four empirical studies (one survey and three experiments) were conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Materialism has a positive effect on consumers' purchase intention of sustainable over generic luxury products because materialists tend to have higher perceived functional value of sustainable (i.e., green) luxury products. Product conspicuousness (i.e., publicly consumed versus privately consumed luxury) moderates the effect of materialism on PI of sustainable over generic luxury products. Materialism increases the perceived functional value and thus enhances the PI of sustainable luxury products over generic luxury products only when the product is privately consumed (as opposed to publicly consumed).

Originality/value

This article contributes to the literature that explores how materialism affects environmentalism. This study is among the first empirical works in the context of luxury that studies the relationship between materialism and purchase intention of green products over generic products. This study is also among the first in the context of materialists to empirically establish the importance of perceived functional value associated with sustainable over generic products in affecting PI. Moreover, this article investigates the moderating role of product conspicuousness, which enhances the generalizability of the findings.
Long non‐coding RNA myocardial infarction associated transcript promotes the proliferation of cholangiocarcinoma cells by targeting miR‐551b‐3p/CCND1 axis
Authors: Chang Weiping , Wang Yuan , Li WenZhi , Geng Zhimin
Published: February 2020

Accumulating reports have demonstrated that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the occurrence and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). LncRNA myocardial infarction associated transcript (MIAT) has been widely reported in hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer, but the relationship between MIAT and CCA progression has not yet been investigated. In the present study, we found that the expression of MIAT in CCA tissues was prominently higher than that in normal bile duct tissues. Moreover, TCGA‐CHOL data in the GEPIA platform further revealed the upregulated expression of MIAT in CCA tissues. Additionally, quantitative real‐time PCR results showed that MIAT expression was increased in CCA cell lines compared to the human intrahepatic biliary epithelial cell line. Functionally, MIAT knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced G0/G1 phase arrest as well as apoptosis in HuCCT‐1 and QBC939 cells. Conversely, ectopic expression of MIAT obviously facilitated the proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis resistance of RBE cells. Mechanistically, MIAT directly interacted with miR‐551b‐3p and inversely modulated miR‐551‐3p level in CCA cells. Furthermore, MIAT knockdown reduced the expression of cyclin D1 (CCND1), which was rescued by miR‐551b‐3p silencing in HuCCT‐1 cells. Importantly, CCND1 restoration partially reversed MIAT knockdown‐induced proliferation inhibition, G0/G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in HuCCT‐1 cells. In conclusion, MIAT was frequently overexpressed in CCA. MIAT contributed to the growth of CCA cells by targeting miR‐551b‐3p/CCND1 axis.
GPI7‐mediated glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchoring regulates appressorial penetration and immune evasion during infection of Magnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Liu Caiyun , Xing Junjie , Cai Xuan , Hendy Ahmed , He Wenhui , Yang Jun , Huang Junbing , Peng You‐Liang , Ryder Lauren , Chen Xiao‐Lin
Published: February 2020

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring plays key roles in many biological processes by targeting proteins to the cell wall; however, its roles are largely unknown in plant pathogenic fungi. Here, we reveal the roles of the GPI anchoring in Magnaporthe oryzae during plant infection. The GPI‐anchored proteins were found to highly accumulate in appressoria and invasive hyphae. Disruption of GPI7, a GPI anchor‐pathway gene, led to a significant reduction in virulence. The Δgpi7 mutant showed significant defects in penetration and invasive growth. This mutant also displayed defects of the cell wall architecture, suggesting GPI7 is required for cell wall biogenesis. Removal of GPI‐anchored proteins in the wild‐type strain by hydrofluoric acid (HF) pyridine treatment exposed both the chitin and β‐1,3‐glucans to the host immune system. Exposure of the chitin and β‐1,3‐glucans was also observed in the Δgpi7 mutant, indicating GPI‐anchored proteins are required for immune evasion. The GPI anchoring can regulate subcellular localization of the Gel proteins in the cell wall for appressorial penetration and abundance of which for invasive growth. Our results indicate the GPI anchoring facilitates the penetration of M. oryzae into host cells by affecting the cell wall integrity and the evasion of host immune recognition.
Valorization of byproducts from tropical fruits: Extraction methodologies, applications, environmental, and economic assessment: A review (Part 1: General overview of the byproducts, traditional biorefinery practices, and possible applications)
Authors: Villacís‐Chiriboga José , Elst Kathy , Van Camp John , Vera Edwin , Ruales Jenny
Published: February 2020

Tropical fruits represent one of the most important crops in the world. The continuously growing global market for the main tropical fruits is currently estimated at 84 million tons, of which approximately half is lost or wasted throughout the whole processing chain. Developing novel processes for the conversion of these byproducts into value‐added products could provide a viable way to manage this waste problem, aiming at the same time to create a sustainable economic growth within a bio‐economy perspective. Given the ever‐increasing concern about sustainability, complete valorization through a bio‐refinery approach, that is, zero waste concept, as well as the use of green techniques is therefore of utmost importance. This paper aims to report the status on the valorization of tropical fruit byproducts within a bio‐refinery frame, via the application of traditional methodologies, and with specific attention to the extraction of phenolics and carotenoids as bioactive compounds. The different types of byproducts, and their content of bioactives is reviewed, with a special emphasis on the lesser‐known tropical fruits. Moreover, the bioactivity of the different types of extracts and their possible application as a resource for different sectors (food, pharmaceutical, and environmental sciences) is discussed. Consequently, this review presents the concepts of tropical fruit biorefineries, and the potential applications of the isolated fractions.
Biotransformation of 2,4‐dinitrotoluene in a phototrophic co‐culture of engineered Synechococcus elongatus and Pseudomonas putida
Authors: Fedeson Derek T. , Saake Pia , Calero Patricia , Nikel Pablo Iván , Ducat Daniel C.
Published: February 2020

In contrast to the current paradigm of using microbial mono‐cultures in most biotechnological applications, increasing efforts are being directed towards engineering mixed‐species consortia to perform functions that are difficult to programme into individual strains. In this work, we developed a synthetic microbial consortium composed of two genetically engineered microbes, a cyanobacterium (Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942) and a heterotrophic bacterium (Pseudomonas putida EM173). These microbial species specialize in the co‐culture: cyanobacteria fix CO2 through photosynthetic metabolism and secrete sufficient carbohydrates to support the growth and active metabolism of P. putida, which has been engineered to consume sucrose and to degrade the environmental pollutant 2,4‐dinitrotoluene (2,4‐DNT). By encapsulating S. elongatus within a barium–alginate hydrogel, cyanobacterial cells were protected from the toxic effects of 2,4‐DNT, enhancing the performance of the co‐culture. The synthetic consortium was able to convert 2,4‐DNT with light and CO2 as key inputs, and its catalytic performance was stable over time. Furthermore, cycling this synthetic consortium through low nitrogen medium promoted the sucrose‐dependent accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoate, an added‐value biopolymer, in the engineered P. putida strain. Altogether, the synthetic consortium displayed the capacity to remediate the industrial pollutant 2,4‐DNT while simultaneously synthesizing biopolymers using light and CO2 as the primary inputs.
The Effect of Patient Observation on Cranial Computed Tomography Rates in Children With Minor Head Trauma
Authors: Singh Sonia , Hearps Stephen J. C. , Borland Meredith L. , Dalziel Stuart R. , Neutze Jocelyn , Donath Susan , Cheek John A. , Kochar Amit , Gilhotra Yuri , Phillips Natalie , Williams Amanda , Lyttle Mark D. , Bressan Silvia , Hoch Jeffrey S. , Oakley Ed , Holmes James F. , Kuppermann Nathan , Babl Franz E.
Published: February 2020

Background

Management of children with minor blunt head trauma often includes a period of observation to determine the need for cranial computed tomography (CT). Our objective was to estimate the effect of planned observation on CT use for each Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) traumatic brain injury (TBI) risk group among children with minor head trauma.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study at 10 emergency departments (EDs) in Australia and New Zealand, including 18,471 children < 18 years old, presenting within 24 hours of blunt head trauma, with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 14 to 15. The planned observation cohort was defined by those with planned observation and no immediate plan for cranial CT. The comparison cohort included the rest of the patients who were either not observed or for whom a decision to obtain a cranial CT was made immediately after ED assessment. The outcome clinically important TBI (ciTBI) was defined as death due to head trauma, neurosurgery, intubation for > 24 hours for head trauma, or hospitalization for ≥ 2 nights in association with a positive cranial CT scan. We estimated the odds of cranial CT use with planned observation, adjusting for patient characteristics, PECARN TBI risk group, history of seizure, time from injury, and hospital clustering, using a generalized linear model with mixed effects.

Results

The cranial CT rate in the total cohort was 8.6%, and 0.8% had ciTBI. The planned observation group had 4,945 (27%) children compared to 13,526 (73%) in the no planned observation group. Cranial CT use was significantly lower with planned observation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.1 to 0.1), with no difference in missed ciTBI rates. There was no difference in the odds of cranial CT use with planned observation for the group at very low risk for ciTBI (adjusted OR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.5 to 1.4). Planned observation was associated with significantly lower cranial CT use in patients at intermediate risk (adjusted OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.2 to 0.3) and high risk (adjusted OR = 0.1, 95% CI = 0.0 to 0.1) for ciTBI.

Conclusions

Even in a setting with low overall cranial CT rates in children with minor head trauma, planned observation was associated with decreased cranial CT use. This strategy can be safely implemented on selected patients in the PECARN intermediate‐ and higher‐risk groups for ciTBI.