bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A protocol for an intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models using harmonized land-use and climate scenarios
Authors: Kim HyeJin , Rosa Isabel M.D. , Alkemade Rob , Leadley Paul , Hurtt George , Popp Alexander , van Vuuren Detlef P , Anthoni Peter , Arneth Almut , Baisero Daniele , Caton Emma , Chaplin-Kramer Rebecca , Chini Louise , De Palma Adriana , Di Fulvio Fulvio , Di Marco Moreno , Espinoza Felipe , Ferrier Simon , Fujimori Shinichiro , Gonzalez Ricardo E. , Gueguen Maya , Guerra Carlos , Harfoot Mike , Harwood Thomas D. , Hasegawa Tomoko , Haverd Vanessa , Havlík Petr , Hellweg Stefanie , Hill Samantha L. L. , Hirata Akiko , Hoskins Andrew J. , Janse Jan H. , Jetz Walter , Johnson Justin A. , Krause Andreas , Leclère David , Martins Ines S. , Matsui Tetsuya , Merow Cory , Obersteiner Michael , Ohashi Haruka , Poulter Benjamin , Purvis Andy , Quesada Benjamin , Rondinini Carlo , Schipper Aafke , Sharp Richard , Takahashi Kiyoshi , Thuiller Wilfried , Titeux Nicolas , Visconti Piero , Ware Christopher , Wolf Florian , Pereira Henrique M.
Published: April 2018

To support the assessments of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the IPBES Expert Group on Scenarios and Models is carrying out an intercomparison of biodiversity and ecosystem services models using harmonized scenarios (BES-SIM). The goals of BES-SIM are (1) to project the global impacts of land use and climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services (i.e. nature’s contributions to people) over the coming decades, compared to the 20th century, using a set of common metrics at multiple scales, and (2) to identify model uncertainties and research gaps through the comparisons of projected biodiversity and ecosystem services across models. BES-SIM uses three scenarios combining specific Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) to explore a wide range of land-use change and climate change futures. This paper describes the rationale for scenarios selection, the process of harmonizing input data for land use, based on the second phase of the Land Use Harmonization Project (LUH2), and climate, the biodiversity and ecosystem service models used, the core simulations carried out, the harmonization of the model output metrics, and the treatment of uncertainty. The results of this collaborative modelling project will support the ongoing global assessment of IPBES, strengthen ties between IPBES and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios and modelling processes, advise the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on its development of a post-2020 strategic plans and conservation goals, and inform the development of a new generation of nature-centred scenarios.
Evidence for a reversal of the neural information flow between object perception and object reconstruction from memory
Authors: Linde-Domingo Juan , Treder Matthias S. , Kerren Casper , Wimber Maria
Published: April 2018

Remembering is a reconstructive process. Surprisingly little is known about how the reconstruction of a memory unfolds in time in the human brain. We used reaction times and EEG time-series decoding to test the hypothesis that the information flow is reversed when an event is reconstructed from memory, compared to when the same event is initially being perceived. Across three experiments, we found highly consistent evidence supporting such a reversed stream. When seeing an object, low-level perceptual features were discriminated faster behaviourally, and could be decoded from brain activity earlier, than high-level conceptual features. This pattern reversed during associative memory recall, with reaction times and brain activity patterns now indicating that conceptual information was reconstructed more rapidly than perceptual details. Our findings support a neurobiologically plausible model of human memory, suggesting that memory retrieval is a hierarchical, multi-layered process that prioritizes semantically meaningful information over perceptual detail.
Multimerization of HIV-1 integrase hinges on conserved SH3-docking platforms
Authors: Galilee Meytal , Alian Akram
Published: April 2018

New anti-AIDS treatments must be continually developed in order to overcome resistance mutations including those emerging in the newest therapeutic target, the viral integrase (IN). Multimerization of IN is functionally imperative and provides a forthcoming therapeutic target. Allosteric inhibitors of IN bind to non-catalytic sites and prevent correct multimerization not only restricting viral integration but also the assembly and maturation of viral particles. Here, we report an allosteric inhibitor peptide targeting an unexploited SH3-docking platform of retroviral IN. The crystal structure of the peptide in complex with the HIV-1 IN core domain reveals a steric interference that would inhibit conserved docking of SH3-containing domain with the core domain vital for IN multimerization, providing a template for the development of novel anti-IN allosteric inhibitors.
Exogenous putrescine alleviates photoinhibition caused by salt stress through increasing cyclic electron flow in cucumber
Authors: Wu Xinyi , Shu Sheng , Wang Yu , Yuan Ruonan , Guo Shirong
Published: April 2018

When plants suffer from abiotic stresses, cyclic electron flow (CEF) is induced for photoprotection. Putrescine (Put), a main polyamine in chloroplasts, plays a critical role in stress tolerance. To elucidate the mechanism of Put regulating CEF for salt-tolerance in cucumber leaves, we measured chlorophyll fluorescence, P700 redox state, ATP and NADPH accumulation and so on. The maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) was not influenced by NaCl and/or Put, but the activity of PSI reaction center (P700) was seriously inhibited by NaCl. Salt stress induced high level of CEF, moreover, NaCl and Put treated plants exhibited much higher CEF activity and ATP accumulation than single salt-treated plants to provide adequate ATP/NADPH ratio for plants growth. Furthermore, Put decreased the trans-membrane proton gradient (ΔpH), accompanied by reducing the pH-dependent non-photochemical quenching (qE) and increasing efficient quantum yield of PSII (Y(II)). The ratio of NADP+/NADPH in salt stressed leaves was significantly increased by Put, indicating that Put relieved over-reduction pressure at PSI accepter side. Taken together, our results suggest that exogenous Put enhances CEF to supply extra ATP for PSI recovery and CO2assimilation, decreases ΔpH for electron transport related proteins staying active, and enable the non-photochemical quenching transformed into photochemical quenching.
Selection of time points for costly experiments: a comparison between human intuition and computer-aided experimental design
Authors: Ezer Daphne , Keir Joseph C.
Published: April 2018

Motivation

The design of an experiment influences both what a researcher can measure, as well as how much confidence can be placed in the results. As such, it is vitally important that experimental design decisions do not systematically bias research outcomes. At the same time, making optimal design decisions can produce results leading to statistically stronger conclusions. Deciding where and when to sample are among the most critical aspects of many experimental designs; for example, we might have to choose the time points at which to measure some quantity in a time series experiment. Choosing times which are too far apart could result in missing short bursts of activity. On the other hand, there may be time points which provide very little information regarding the overall behaviour of the quantity in question.

Results

In this study, we design a survey to analyse how biologists use previous research outcomes to inform their decisions about which time points to sample in subsequent experiments. We then determine how the choice of time points affects the type of perturbations in gene expression that can be observed. Finally, we present our main result: NITPicker, a computational strategy for selecting optimal time points (or spatial points along a single axis), that eliminates some of the biases caused by human decision-making while maximising information about the shape of the underlying curves, utilising ideas from the field of functional data analysis.

Availability

NITPicker is available on GIThub (https://github.com/ezer/NITPicker).
Population level rhythms in human skin: implications for circadian medicine
Authors: Wu Gang , Ruben Marc D. , Schmidt Robert E. , Francey Lauren J. , Smith David F. , Anafi Ron C. , Hughey Jacob J. , Tasseff Ryan , Sherrill Joseph D. , Oblong John E. , Mills Kevin J. , Hogenesch John B.
Published: April 2018

Skin is the largest organ in the body and serves important barrier, regulatory, and sensory functions. Like other tissues, skin is subject to temporal fluctuations in physiological responses under both homeostatic and stressed states. To gain insight into these fluctuations, we investigated the role of the circadian clock in the transcriptional regulation of epidermis using a hybrid experimental design, where a limited set of human subjects (n=20) were sampled throughout the 24 h cycle and a larger population (n=219) were sampled once. By looking at pairwise correlations of core clock genes in 298 skin samples, we found a robust circadian oscillator in skin at the population level. Encouraged by this, we used CYCLOPS to reconstruct the temporal order of all samples and identified hundreds of rhythmically-expressed genes at the population level in human skin. We compared these results with published time-series skin data from mouse and show strong concordance in circadian phase across species for both transcripts and pathways. Further, like blood, skin is readily accessible and a potential source of biomarkers. Using ZeitZeiger, we identified a biomarker set for human skin that is capable of reporting circadian phase to within 3 h from a single sample. In summary, we show rhythms in human skin that persist at the population scale and a path to develop robust single-sample circadian biomarkers.

One Sentence Summary

Human epidermis shows strong circadian rhythms at the population scale and provides a better source for developing robust, single-sample circadian phase biomarkers than human blood.
Assessing key decisions for transcriptomic data integration in biochemical networks
Authors: Richelle Anne , Joshi Chintan , Lewis Nathan E.
Published: April 2018

Motivation

To gain insights into complex biological processes, genome-scale data (e.g., RNA-Seq) are often overlaid on biochemical networks. However, many networks do not have a one-to-one relationship between genes and network edges, due to the existence of isozymes and protein complexes. Therefore, decisions must be made on how to overlay data onto networks. For example, for metabolic networks, these decisions include (1) how to integrate gene expression levels using gene-protein-reaction rules, (2) the approach used for selection of thresholds on expression data to consider the associated gene as “active”, and (3) the order in which these steps are imposed. However, the influence of these decisions has not been systematically tested.

Results

We compared 20 decision combinations using a transcriptomic dataset across 32 tissues and showed that definition of which reaction may be considered as active is mainly influenced by thresholding approach used. To determine the most appropriate decisions, we evaluated how these decisions impact the acquisition of tissue-specific active reaction lists that recapitulate organ-system tissue groups. These results will provide guidelines to improve data analyses with biochemical networks and facilitate the construction of context-specific metabolic models.

Contact

nlewisres@ucsd.edu
Cycle-by-cycle analysis of neural oscillations
Authors: Cole Scott , Voytek Bradley
Published: April 2018

Neural oscillations are widely studied using methods based on the Fourier transform, which models data as sums of sinusoids. For decades these Fourier-based approaches have successfully uncovered links between oscillations and cognition or disease. However, because of the fundamental sinusoidal basis, these methods might not fully capture neural oscillatory dynamics, because neural data are both nonsinusoidal and non-stationary. Here, we present a new analysis framework, complementary to Fourier analysis, that quantifies cycle-by-cycle time-domain features. For each cycle, the amplitude, period, and waveform symmetry are measured, the latter of which is missed using conventional approaches. Additionally, oscillatory bursts are algorithmically identified, allowing us to investigate the variability of oscillatory features within and between bursts. This approach is validated on simulated noisy signals with oscillatory bursts and outperforms conventional metrics. Further, these methods are applied to real data—including hippocampal theta, motor cortical beta, and visual cortical alpha—and can differentiate behavioral conditions.
Ak-mer-based method for the identification of phenotype-associated genomic biomarkers and predicting phenotypes of sequenced bacteria
Authors: Aun Erki , Brauer Age , Kisand Veljo , Tenson Tanel , Remm Maido
Published: April 2018

We have developed an easy-to-use and memory-efficient method called PhenotypeSeeker that (a) generates ak-mer-based statistical model for predicting a given phenotype and (b) predicts the phenotype from the sequencing data of a given bacterial isolate. The method was validated on 167Klebsiella pneumoniaeisolates (virulence), 200Pseudomonas aeruginosaisolates (ciprofloxacin resistance) and 460Clostridium difficileisolates (azithromycin resistance). The phenotype prediction models trained from these datasets performed with 88% accuracy on theK. pneumoniaetest set, 88% on theP. aeruginosatest set and 96.5% on theC. difficiletest set. Prediction accuracy was the same for assembled sequences and raw sequencing data; however, building the model from assembled genomes is significantly faster. On these datasets, the model building on a mid-range Linux server takes approximately 3 to 5 hours per phenotype if assembled genomes are used and 10 hours per phenotype if raw sequencing data are used. The phenotype prediction from assembled genomes takes less than one second per isolate. Thus, PhenotypeSeeker should be well-suited for predicting phenotypes from large sequencing datasets.

PhenotypeSeeker is implemented in Python programming language, is open-source software and is available at GitHub (https://github.com/bioinfo-ut/PhenotypeSeeker/).

Predicting phenotypic properties of bacterial isolates from their genomic sequences has numerous potential applications. A good example would be prediction of antimicrobial resistance and virulence phenotypes for use in medical diagnostics. We have developed a method that is able to predict phenotypes of interest from the genomic sequence of the isolate within seconds. The method uses statistical model that can be trained automatically on isolates with known phenotype. The method is implemented in Python programming language and can be run on low-end Linux server and/or on laptop computers.
Integrative analysis of DNA methylation suggests down-regulation of oncogenic pathways and reduced de-novo mutation in survival outliers of glioblastoma
Authors: Hwang Taeyoung , Mathios Dimitrios , McDonald Kerrie L , Daris Irene , Park Sung-Hye , Burger Peter C , Kim Sojin , Dho Yun-Sik , Carolyn Hruban , Bettegowda Chetan , Shin Joo Heon , Lim Michael , Park Chul-Kee
Published: April 2018

The study of survival outliers of glioblastoma (GBM) can have important implications on gliomagenesis as well as in the identification of ways to alter clinical course on this almost uniformly lethal cancer type. However, current studied epigenetic and genetic signatures of the GBM outliers have failed to identify unifying criteria to characterize this unique group of patients. In this study, we profiled the global DNA methylation pattern of mainly IDH1 wild type survival outliers of glioblastoma and performed comprehensive enrichment analyses with genomic and epigenomic signatures. We found that the genome of long-term survivors in glioblastoma is differentially methylated relative to short-term survivor patients depending on CpG density: hypermethylation near CpG islands (CGIs) and hypomethylation far from CGIs. Interestingly, these two patterns are associated with distinct oncogenic aspects in gliomagenesis. The hypomethylation pattern at the region distant from CGI is associated with lower rates of de novo mutations while the hypermethylation at CGIs correlates with transcriptional downregulation of genes involved in cancer progression pathways. These results extend our understanding of DNA methylation of survival outliers in glioblastoma in a genome-wide level, and provide insight on the potential impact of DNA hypomethylation in cancer genome.
UROPA GUI: A web platform for genomic region annotation
Authors: Schultheis Hendrik , Preussner Jens , Fust Annika , Bentsen Mette , Kuenne Carsten , Looso Mario
Published: April 2018

The annotation of genomic ranges such as peaks resulting from ChIP-seq/ATAC-seq or other techniques represents a fundamental task of bioinformatics analysis with considerable impact on many downstream analyses. In our previous work, we introduced the Universal Robust Peak Annotator (UROPA), a flexible command line based tool which improves upon the functionality of existing annotation software. In order to reduce the complexity for biologists and clinicians, we have implemented an intuitive web-based graphical user interface (GUI) and fully functional service platform for UROPA. This extension will empower all users to generate annotations for regions of interest interactively.

Availability and Implementation

The open source UROPA GUI server was implemented in R Shiny and Python and is available from http://loosolab.mpi-bn.mpg.de. The source code of our App can be downloaded at https://github.molgen.mpg.de/loosolab/UROPA_GUI under the MIT license.
Timing Determines Tuning: a Rapid Spatiotemporal Transformation in Superior Colliculus Neurons During Reactive Gaze Shifts
Authors: Sadeh Morteza , Sajad Amirsaman , Wang Hongying , Yan Xiaogang , Crawford John Douglas
Published: April 2018

Gaze saccades –rapid shifts of the eyes and head toward a goal— have provided fundamental insights into the neural control of movement. For example, it has been shown that the superior colliculus (SC) transforms a visual target (T) code to future gaze (G) location commands after a memory delay. However, this transformation has not been observed in ‘reactive’ saccades made directly to a stimulus, so its contribution to normal gaze behavior is unclear. Here, we tested this using a quantitative measure of the spatial continuum between T and G coding based on variable gaze errors. We demonstrate that a rapid T-G transformation occurs between SC visual and motor responses during reactive saccades, evenwithinvisuomotor cells, with a continuous spatiotemporal shift in coding occurring in cell types (visual, visuomotor, motor). We further show that the primary determinant of this spatial code was not the intrinsic visual-motor index of different cells or populations, but rather thetimingof the response inallcells. These results suggest that the SC provides a rapid spatiotemporal transformation for normal gaze saccades, that its motor responses contribute to variable gaze errors, and that those errors arise from a noisy spatiotemporal transformation involving all SC neurons.

Significance Statement

Oculomotor studies have demonstrated visuomotor transformations in structures like the superior colliculus with the use of trained behavioral manipulations, like the memory delay and antisaccades tasks, but it is not known how this happens during normal saccades. Here, using a spatiotemporal model fitting method based on endogenous gaze errors in ‘reactive’ gaze saccades, we show that the superior colliculus provides a rapid spatiotemporal transformation from target to gaze coding that involves visual, visuomotor, and motor neurons. This technique demonstrates that SC spatial codes are not fixed, and may provide a quantitative biomarker for assessing the health of sensorimotor transformations.
Evolutionary dynamics of multiple games
Authors: Venkateswaran Vandana R. , Gokhale Chaitanya S.
Published: April 2018

Evolutionary game theory has been successful in describing phenomena from bacterial population dynamics to the evolution of social behavior. Interactions between individuals are usually captured by a single game. In reality, however, individuals take part in many interactions. Here, we include multiple games and analyze their individual and combined evolutionary dynamics. A typical assumption is that the evolutionary dynamics of individual behavior can be understood by constructing one big comprehensive interactions structure, a single big game. But if any one of the multiple games has more than two strategies, then the combined dynamics cannot be understood by looking only at individual games. Devising a method to study multiple games – where each game could have an arbitrary number of players and strategies – we provide a concise replicator equation, and analyze its resulting dynamics. Moreover, in the case of finite populations, we formulate and calculate a basic and useful property of stochasticity, fixation probability. Our results reveal that even when interactions become incredibly complex, their properties can be captured by relatively simple concepts of evolutionary game(s) theory.
Fear memory consolidation in sleep requires protein kinase A
Authors: Cho Jiyeon , Sypniewski Krzysztof A. , Arai Shoko , Yamada Kazuo , Ogawa Sonoko , Pavlides Constantine
Published: April 2018

It is well established that protein kinase A (PKA) is involved in hippocampal dependent memory consolidation. Sleep is also known to play an important role in this process. However, whether sleep-dependent memory consolidation involves PKA activation has not been clearly determined. Using behavioral observation, animals were categorized into sleep and awake groups. We show that intrahippocampal injections of the PKA inhibitor Rp-cAMPs in post-contextual fear conditioning sleep produced a suppression of long-term fear memory, while injections of Rp-cAMPs during an awake state, at a similar time point, had no effect. In contrast, injections of the PKA activator Sp-cAMPs in awake state, rescued sleep deprivation-induced memory impairments. These results suggest that following learning, PKA activation specifically in sleep is required for the consolidation of long-term memory.
The putative siderophore-interacting protein fromVibrio anguillarum: protein production, analysis, crystallization and X-ray crystallographic studies
Authors: Han Yu , Zang Kun , Liu Changshui , Li Yingjie , Ma Qingjun
Published: April 2018

Siderophore-interacting proteins (SIPs) play an important role in iron acquisition in many bacteria. SIPs release iron from the internalized ferric siderophore complex by reducing ferric iron to ferrous iron, but how the iron is reduced is not well understood. Here, asipgene was identified in the genome ofVibrio anguillarum775. To further understand the catalytic mechanism of the protein, the SIP was overexpressed inEscherichia coliRosetta (DE3) cells, purified and crystallized for X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal diffracted to 1.113 Å resolution and belonged to space groupP21, with unit-cell parametersa = 64.63,b= 58.47,c= 70.65 Å, β = 114.19°.
An accurate method for the dynamic behavior of tensegrity structures
Authors: He Dongdong , Gao Qiang , Zhong Wanxie
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an accurate and efficient numerical method for determining the dynamic responses of a tensegrity structure consisting of bars, which can work under both compression and tension, and cables, which cannot work under compression.

Design/methodology/approach

An accurate time-domain solution is obtained by using the precise integration method when there is no cable slackening or tightening, and the Newton–Raphson scheme is used to determine the time at which the cables tighten or slacken.

Findings

Responses of a tensegrity structure under harmonic excitations are given to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. The validation shows that the proposed method has higher accuracy and computational efficiency than the Runge–Kutta method. Because the cables of the tensegrity structure might be tense or slack, its dynamic behaviors will exhibit stable periodicity, multi-periodicity, quasi-periodicity and chaos under different amplitudes and frequencies of excitation.

Originality/value

The steady state response of a tensegrity structure can be obtained efficiently and accurately by the proposed method. Based on bifurcation theory, the Poincaré section and phase space trajectory, multi-periodic vibration, quasi-periodic vibration and chaotic vibration of the tensegrity structures are predicted accurately.
Analysis of unsteady radial forces of multistage centrifugal pump with double volute
Authors: Cui Baoling , Li Xiaodi , Rao Kun , Jia Xiaoqi , Nie Xiaolin
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Radial vibration of horizontal centrifugal pump has a close association with radial exciting forces. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the unsteady radial force in multistage centrifugal pump with double volute in detail and investigate the relevance of static pressure, radial force and radial vibration.

Design/methodology/approach

The unsteady numerical simulation with realizable k-ε turbulence model was carried out for a multistage centrifugal pump with double volute using computational fluid dynamics codes Fluent. The performance tests were conducted by use of a closed loop system and performance curves from numerical simulation agree with that of experiment. Vibration tests were carried out by vibration probes instrumented on the bearing cover of pump near no-driven end. Fast Fourier transform was used to obtain the frequency components of radial forces on the impellers from numerical simulation, which are compared with ones of radial vibration from experiment in Y and Z direction. And the static pressure distributions in the impeller were analyzed under different flow rates.

Findings

The symmetrical double volute can effectively balance radial forces. The maximum radial force and vibration velocity appear at 0.6 Q among the three flow rates 0.6 Q, Q and 1.2 Q. The frequencies corresponding to relatively large amplitude of vibration velocities and radial forces on the impellers in Y direction are blade passing frequency of the impellers. Blade passing frequency of first-stage impeller and shaft frequency are predominating in Z direction. It indicates that the radial vibration of centrifugal pump is closely related to the unsteady radial force.

Originality/value

The unsteady radial forces of the impeller in multistage centrifugal pump with double volute were comprehensively analyzed. The radial forces should be considered to balance during the design of multistage centrifugal pump.
Market basket analysis insights to support category management
Authors: Musalem Andres , Aburto Luis , Bosch Maximo
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to present an approach to detect interrelations among product categories, which are then used to produce a partition of a retailer’s business into subsets of categories. The methodology also yields a segmentation of shopping trips based on the composition of each shopping basket.

Design/methodology/approach

This work uses scanner data to uncover product category interdependencies. As the number of possible relationships among them can be very large, the authors introduce an approach that generates an intuitive graphical representation of these interrelationships by using data analysis techniques available in standard statistical packages, such as multidimensional scaling and clustering.

Findings

The methodology was validated using data from a supermarket store. The analysis for that particular store revealed four groups of products categories that are often jointly purchased. The study of each of these groups allowed us to conceive the retail store under study as a small set of sub-businesses. These conclusions reinforce the strategic need for proactive coordination of marketing activities across interrelated product categories.

Research limitations/implications

The approach is sufficiently general to be applied beyond the supermarket industry. However, the empirical findings are specific to the store under analysis. In addition, the proposed methodology identifies cross-category interrelations, but not their underlying sources (e.g. marketing or non-marketing interrelations).

Practical implications

The results suggest that retailers could potentially benefit if they transition from the traditional category management approach where retailers manage product categories in isolation into a customer management approach where retailers identify, acknowledge and leverage interrelations among product categories.

Originality/value

The authors present a fast and wide-range approach to study the shopping behavior of customers, detect cross-category interrelations and segment the retailer’s business and customers based on information about their shopping baskets. Compared to existing approaches, its simplicity should facilitate its implementation by practitioners.
Entrepreneurship and project management relationships
Authors: Fonrouge Cécile , Bredillet Christophe , Fouché Charles
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Both project investments and entrepreneurial ventures are considered powerful catalysts of economic prosperity and social progress. But these ventures and investments come with their inherent challenges and risks. Observing this situation, academics have paid close attention to the fields of entrepreneurship and project management (E&PM). Thus, for over 30 years, the two fields have witnessed remarkable developments among management and organization studies. The historical perspective reveals that these two multidisciplinary fields were built in parallel, on very distinct mindsets and cultures. The purpose of this paper is to offer a wider dialogic conversation between two distinct perspectives and related propositions: E&PM should stay separated; and E&PM should converge.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to guide the investigation of these propositions, the authors call for Luhmann and a systemic-discursive perspective of both fields discourses. Ultimately, the purpose is to contribute to the debate surrounding the following questions: are E&PM fields so far from each other, and thus, irreconcilable? And, if so, is it so good?

Findings

Finally, the authors will suggest that E&PM may stay far from each other as they do not share similar discourses and codes. This may be a good state of affairs, however, as distance generates a fruitful creative tension between them.

Originality/value

While many researchers focus on linking E&PM, arguing that they largely agree as to their underlying goal, the paper aims to offer a wider dialogical conversation between the two distinct perspectives and their related propositions: E&PM should stay separate; and E&PM should converge. In order to do so, this paper calls for a Luhmannian and a systemic-discursive perspective.
Relationship between contractual flexibility and contractor’s cooperative behavior
Authors: Song Haoyang , Zhu Fangwei , Klakegg Ole Jonny , Wang Peng
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Due to the increasing risk and uncertainty of construction projects, contractual flexibility has been considered as an effective tool to cope with emergences and to promote cooperation between owners and contractors. However, in practice, owners often failed to build an efficient cooperative relationship via contracts, resulting in a lacking of appropriate justice. Furthermore, due to a lack of available empirical research, the influence of contractual flexibility on the cooperative behavior of contractors requires further investigation. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by conducting empirical research from the perspective of justice perception.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model was developed and a series of hypotheses were proposed. Then, partial least squares structural equation modeling analyses were conducted on a sample of 188 respondents.

Findings

The results show that contractual content and executing flexibility both have a positive influence on the cooperative behavior of a contractor, which was partially mediated by distribution, procedural, and interactional justice perceptions. Moreover, content flexibility has a significant impact on all three types of justice perception, and the execution of flexibility has more impact on interactional justice compared to other justice perceptions.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to an improved understanding of how contractual flexibility affects the cooperative behavior of contractors, indicating that the owner could develop a fair exchange relationship through flexible contracting and motivation of the other party.
Procurement sustainability tensions: an integrative perspective
Authors: Fayezi Sajad , Zomorrodi Maryam , Bals Lydia
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to unpack tensions faced by procurement professionals as part of their triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability activities. The authors take an integrative perspective based on the procurement sustainability and organizational tensions literature, as well as stakeholder and institutional theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a multiple case study approach. Data are collected through multiple interviews and archival data from eight case companies in Australia.

Findings

The authors identify supply chain and company procurement sustainability tensions (PSTs) and explain their multi-level nature. The analysis also dissects the multi-stakeholder and multi-institutional environments where PSTs operate. The authors discuss such environments in terms of various temporal and spatial legitimacy contexts (LCs) that, through their assessment of institutional distance, can characterize the manifestation of PSTs.

Practical implications

The findings are instrumental for managers to make informed decisions when dealing with PSTs, and they pave the way for paradoxical leadership given the increasing importance of simultaneous development and balancing of TBL dimensions, as evidenced in this study.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to empirically investigate PSTs by drawing on an integrative approach to identify PSTs, and to discern various LCs that underpin stakeholder judgments of procurement’s TBL sustainability activities.
When to integrate strategic and tactical decisions? Introduction of an asset/inventory ratio guiding fit for purpose production planning
Authors: Asmussen Jesper Normann , Kristensen Jesper , Steger-Jensen Kenn , Wæhrens Brian Vejrum
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Significant transitions in firms (e.g. outsourcing) may impact the relative importance of production and inventory assets, affecting the hierarchical separation of planning decisions. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to planning literature by investigating how the production system and the planning environment influence the performance difference between hierarchical and monolithic planning. Further, it seeks to reduce the prevailing theory-practice gap in tactical planning.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an action research study, a monolithic model integrating tactical production planning decisions, subject to upstream supply chain constraints, with strategic investments decisions was developed, tested and implemented in a global OEM. Using the developed model and a measure of the capital cost of production assets relative to the cost of holding inventory, it is numerically examined how the production system and planning environment influence the performance of hierarchical and monolithic planning.

Findings

The research demonstrates the potential of integrating decisions and reveals significant performance differences between hierarchical and monolithic planning for firms with low capital cost relative to inventory holding cost.

Research limitations/implications

The findings suggest a fit between planning processes, the production system and planning environment. Future research should empirically validate the findings and propositions.

Originality/value

The paper combine capital investments and production planning decisions, which usually transpire at different hierarchical levels and on different time-horizons, and investigates the consequences of hierarchical separation through a real-life validated case and numerical analysis.
Hepatitis C antibody reactivity among high-risk rural women: opportunities for services and treatment in the criminal justice system
Authors: Strickland Justin C. , Staton Michele , Leukefeld Carl G. , Oser Carrie B. , Webster J. Matthew
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the drug use and criminal justice factors related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody reactivity among rural women in the USA recruited from local jails.

Design/methodology/approach

Analyses included 277 women with a history of injection drug use from three rural jails in Kentucky. Participants completed health and drug use questionnaires and received antibody testing for HCV.

Findings

The majority of women tested reactive to the HCV antibody (69 percent). Reactivity was associated with risk factors, such as unsterile needle use. Criminal justice variables, including an increased likelihood of prison incarceration, an earlier age of first arrest, and a longer incarceration history, were associated with HCV reactive tests. Participants also endorsed several barriers to seeking healthcare before entering jail that were more prevalent in women testing HCV reactive regardless of HCV status awareness before entering jail.

Originality/value

Injection and high-risk sharing practices as well as criminal justice factors were significantly associated with HCV reactivity. Future research and practice could focus on opportunities for linkages to HCV treatment during incarceration as well as during community re-entry to help overcome real or perceived treatment barriers. The current study highlights the importance of the criminal justice system as a non-traditional, real-world setting to examine drug use and related health consequences such as HCV by describing the association of high-risk drug use and criminal justice consequences with HCV among rural women recruited from local jails.
The user experience (UX) in libraries
Authors: Massis Bruce
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the library’s expanded role into its engagement with the user experience (UX).

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review and commentary on this topic that has been addressed by professionals, researchers and practitioners.

Findings

Although UX is constantly expanding its focus, in actively paying close attention to its users’ unique and distinctive requirements, libraries can react more effectively in serving its patrons with a realistic and sensible set of options for the programs and services developed to satisfy the user’s changing needs and expectations.

Originality/value

The value in exploring this topic is to present a snapshot of several of the elements used by libraries in their efforts to understand and react to its patrons’ needs through its strategies deployed in support of the user experience.
Performance-oriented factors for women entrepreneurs – a scale development perspective
Authors: Jha Pooja , Makkad Munish , Mittal Sanjiv
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to conceptualize, develop and validate a scale reflecting performance dimensions of women entrepreneurs. The study intends to address the important aspects of women entrepreneur such as identifying factors influencing performance of women entrepreneur in emerging economies including India, and to develop a reliable and valid scale for measuring performance from women entrepreneurs’ perspective, which will help to explain the phenomena of entrepreneurship among women by using a holistic approach.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth literature reviews were conducted to identify manifest item measuring the latent scale dimensions. Semi-structured interview with women entrepreneurs also contributed toward item generation. A total of 1,032 valid and usable questionnaires were used for the final statistical data analysis. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) also conducted to confirm factors-item composition considered for the study.

Findings

A final scale comprising six dimensions of entrepreneurial performance has been developed. These dimensions are business environment, motivation (pull/push), training and skill development, networking and market information, socio–cultural and financial. Dimensions are reflecting perception of women entrepreneurs on performance. Psychometrically properties of the proposed scale were tested and the model fitness was established through CFA.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed scale will be beneficial for both existing and nascent entrepreneurs toward gaining awareness regarding what accounts for their performance enhancement in the respective ventures undertaken. At the same time, the finding carries implications for regulatory bodies and policymakers as well, which are engaged in drafting guidelines catering to the development of women entrepreneurship in respective economies.

Originality/value

The authors believe that the proposed scale offers superior ability to explain factors that affect the performance of women entrepreneurs in emerging economies such as India.
Understanding social media adoption in SMEs
Authors: AlSharji Adel , Ahmad Syed Zamberi , Abu Bakar Abdul Rahim
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the key drivers of social media adoption intention by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

It uses a multi-perspective framework combining technological, organizational and environmental elements affecting SMEs. Data were collected from a random sample of 1,700 SMEs operating in the UAE. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results showed that the technology construct had no significant effect on social media adoption, but both organization and environment constructs were significant.

Research limitations/implications

This has implications for social media experts and anyone wishing to encourage social media use by SMEs.

Originality/value

Conceptually, it develops a suitable multi-perspective framework covering various factors that may affect social media use. It also tests the framework empirically on a sample of SMEs from the UAE.
Lean Startup for social impact
Authors: Semcow Kathryn , Morrison Jenny Knowles
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore an adaptation of the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-CorpsTM) program, which uses the Lean Startup methodology to help STEM scientists commercialize their research. The adaptation, known as I-Corps for Social Impact (I-Corps SI), extends the for-profit canonical model to include mixed revenue and non-profit business models, to help researchers generate social impact.

Design/methodology/approach

A research team of policy and non-profit experts observed and adapted a canonical I-Corps process, then interviewed academics who are scaling and sustaining socially impactful solutions from their research, including past I-Corps participants, to validate research team learning.

Findings

The paper describes limitations of the I-Corps model and modifications required to enhance social impact.

Practical implications

While the field of social entrepreneurship has grown rapidly over the past few decades, social scientists have lagged behind in translating evidence-based research into solutions that can be scaled and sustained to achieve social impact. The paper presents an evidence-based case for a pedagogical tool to close this gap.

Originality/value

A focus on validated learning and business model development supports a paradigm shift within the social sciences, which can help spur greater social innovation from evidence-based research.
Invitational discourse: towards a spirituality of communication
Authors: Bathurst Ralph , Galloway Chris
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore invitational discourse as a modality underpinning socially responsible enterprises seeking to become spiritually alert. This is carried out by focussing on a rich symbolic environment within which organizations operate.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper explores a fifteenth-century icon from the Russian Orthodox tradition to demonstrate how organizations might move from silo-based communication strategies to create open environments where information is shared. A case study of the global organization in crisis, the dairy cooperative Fonterra, is used as a case study.

Findings

Where organizations become invitational and go beyond blame to develop the two fundamental ethical qualities of forgiveness and generosity, they become more socially responsible.

Originality/value

The study takes a well-known artefact within one tradition and appropriates for a discussion about contemporary organizations as they seek to become more holistic and spiritually alert.
Spirituality, stewardship and consumption: new ways of living in a material world
Authors: Hunting Amabel , Conroy Denise
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how spirituality impacts on the consumption choices of consumers who are adopting a sustainable lifestyle.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a longitudinal study of urban-based consumers who are actively engaged in living sustainably. To effectively study these lifestyles, a multi-modal research design was used, which combined photo-elicitation, journaling, interviews and observational data.

Findings

Spirituality and material consumption are traditionally depicted as being in opposition, with research finding a decrease in conspicuous consumption when spirituality is enhanced. This research demonstrates sustainability-mindful consumers who are reversing this trend by enacting their deeply held ideological beliefs through their consumption choices. The merging of ideology with consumption elevates even mundane purchases to be acts of meaning and purpose.

Practical implications

With an unwillingness to compromise on their beliefs, there is a growing gap between these consumers’ demands and what the market is offering. The study found evidence of these consumers developing their own consumables in direct response to a lack of appropriate market alternatives.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates consumers for whom spirituality is at the centre of their consumption choices. Further, it provides evidence that supports Maslow’s theory of being motives (self-actualization and self-transcendence), in which people are motivated by the desire to fulfil their highest life potential. This research suggests opportunities for those businesses that are willing to meet consumers’ transcendent needs through more transparent and socially responsible practices.