bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The community and ecosystem consequences of intraspecific diversity: a meta-analysis
Authors: Raffard Allan , Santoul Frédéric , Cucherousset Julien , Blanchet Simon
Published: May 2018

Understanding the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has major implications. Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships are generally investigated at the interspecific level, although intraspecific diversity (i.e. within-species diversity) is increasingly perceived as an important ecological facet of biodiversity. Here, we provide a quantitative and integrative synthesis testing, across diverse plant and animal species, whether intraspecific diversity is a major driver of community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. We specifically tested (i) whether the number of genotypes/phenotypes (i.e. intraspecific richness) or the specific identity of genotypes/phenotypes (i.e. intraspecific variation) in populations modulate the structure of communities and the functioning of ecosystems, (ii) whether the ecological effects of intraspecific richness and variation are strong in magnitude, and (iii) whether these effects vary among taxonomic groups and ecological responses. We found a non-linear relationship between intraspecific richness and community and ecosystem dynamics that follows a saturating curve shape, as observed for biodiversity–function relationships measured at the interspecific level. Importantly, intraspecific richness modulated ecological dynamics with a magnitude that was equal to that previously reported for interspecific richness. Our results further confirm, based on a database containing more than 50 species, that intraspecific variation also has substantial effects on ecological dynamics. We demonstrated that the effects of intraspecific variation are twice as high as expected by chance, and that they might have been underestimated previously. Finally, we found that the ecological effects of intraspecific variation are not homogeneous and are actually stronger when intraspecific variation is manipulated in primary producers than in consumer species, and when they are measured at the ecosystem rather than at the community level. Overall, we demonstrated that the two facets of intraspecific diversity (richness and variation) can both strongly affect community and ecosystem dynamics, which reveals the pivotal role of within-species biodiversity for understanding ecological dynamics.
CancerInSilico: An R/Bioconductor package for combining mathematical and statistical modeling to simulate time course bulk and single cell gene expression data in cancer
Authors: Sherman Thomas D , Kagohara Luciane T , Cao Raymon , Cheng Raymond , Satriano Matthew , Considine Michael , Krigsfeld Gabriel , Ranaweera Ruchira , Tang Yong , Jablonski Sandra A , Stein-O’Brien Genevieve , Gaykalova Daria A , Weiner Louis M , Chung Christine H , Fertig Elana J
Published: May 2018

Bioinformatics techniques to analyze time course bulk and single cell omics data are advancing. The absence of a known ground truth of the dynamics of molecular changes challenges benchmarking their performance on real data. Realistic simulated time-course datasets are essential to assess the performance of time course bioinformatics algorithms. We develop an R/Bioconductor package, CancerInSilico, to simulate bulk and single cell transcriptional data from a known ground truth obtained from mathematical models of cellular systems. This package contains a general R infrastructure for running cell-based models and simulating gene expression data based on the model states. We show how to use this package to simulate a gene expression data set and consequently benchmark analysis methods on this data set with a known ground truth. The package is freely available via Bioconductor: http://bioconductor.org/packages/CancerInSilico/
LFAQ: towards unbiased label-free absolute protein quantification by predicting peptide quantitative factors
Authors: Chang Cheng , Gao Zhiqiang , Ying Wantao , Zhao Yan , Fu Yan , Wu Songfeng , Li Mengjie , Wang Guibin , Qian Xiaohong , Zhu Yunping , He Fuchu
Published: May 2018

Mass spectrometry (MS) has become a prominent choice for large-scale absolute protein quantification, but its quantification accuracy still has substantial room for improvement. A crucial issue is the bias between the peptide MS intensity and the actual peptide abundance, i.e., the fact that peptides with equal abundance may have different MS intensities. This bias is mainly caused by the diverse physicochemical properties of peptides. Here, we propose a novel algorithm for label-free absolute protein quantification, LFAQ, which can correct the biased MS intensities by using the predicted peptide quantitative factors for all identified peptides. When validated on datasets produced by different MS instruments and data acquisition modes, LFAQ presented accuracy and precision superior to those of existing methods. In particular, it reduced the quantification error by an average of 46% for low-abundance proteins.
Metabolic marker gene mining provides insight in global mcrA diversity and, coupled with targeted genome reconstruction, sheds light on metabolic versatility of theMethanomassiliicoccales
Authors: Speth Daan R. , Orphan Victoria J.
Published: May 2018

Over the past years, metagenomics has revolutionized our view of microbial diversity. Moreover, extracting near-complete genomes from metagenomes has led to the discovery of known metabolic traits in unsuspected lineages. Genome-resolved metagenomics relies on assembly of the sequencing reads and subsequent binning of assembled contigs, which might be hampered by strain heterogeneity or low abundance of a target organism. Here we present a complementary approach, metagenome marker gene mining, and use it to assess the global diversity of archaeal methane metabolism through the mcrA gene. To this end, we have screened 18,465 metagenomes for the presence of reads matching a database representative of all known mcrA proteins and reconstructed gene sequences from the matching reads. We use our mcrA dataset to assess the environmental distribution of theMethanomassiliicoccalesand reconstruct and analyze a draft genome belonging to the ‘Lake Pavin cluster’, an understudied environmental clade of theMethanomassiliicoccales. Thus, we show that marker gene mining can enhance the discovery power of metagenomics, by identifying novel lineages and aiding selection of targets for in-depth analyses. Marker gene mining is less sensitive to strain heterogeneity and has a lower abundance threshold than genome-resolved metagenomics, as it only requires short contigs and there is no binning step. Additionally, it is computationally cheaper than genome resolved metagenomics, since only a small subset of reads needs to be assembled. It is therefore a suitable approach to extract knowledge from the many publicly available sequencing projects.
Small females prefer small males: size assortative mating in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Authors: Callahan Ashley G. , Ross Perran A. , Hoffmann Ary A.
Published: May 2018

With Aedes aegypti mosquitoes now being released in field programs aimed at disease suppression, there is interest in identifying factors influencing the mating and invasion success of released mosquitoes. One factor that can increase release success is size: released males may benefit competitively from being larger than their field counterparts. However, there could be a risk in releasing only large males if small field females avoid these males and instead prefer small males. Here we investigate this risk by evaluating mating success for mosquitoes differing in size. We measured mating success indirectly by coupling size with Wolbachia-infected or uninfected mosquitoes and scoring cytoplasmic incompatibility as a way of estimating relative mating success. Large females showed no evidence of a mating preference, whereas small males were relatively more successful than large males when mating with small females, exhibiting an advantage of around 20-25%. Because field females typically encompass a wide range of sizes while laboratory reared (and released) males typically fall into a narrow size range of large mosquitoes, these patterns can influence the success of release programs which rely on cytoplasmic incompatibility to suppress populations and initiate replacement invasions. Releases could include some small males generated under low food or crowded conditions to counter this issue, although this would need to be weighed against issues associated with costs of producing males of various size classes.
HIV protease inhibitor Saquinavir inhibits toll-like receptor 4 activation by targeting receptor dimerization
Authors: Peng Cheng , Deng Gang , Wang Yong , Abdulwahab Alzahrani Walid , Luo Hongwu , Huang Feizhou , Xu Hongbo
Published: May 2018

Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) is crucial in induction of innate immune response through recognition of invading pathogens or endogenous alarming molecules.Ligand-induced dimerization of TLR4 is required for the activation of downstream signaling pathways. TLR4 dimerization induces the activation of NF-kB and IRF3 through MyD88- or TRIF-dependent pathways. Saquinavir (SQV), a FDA-approved HIV protease inhibitor, has been shown to suppress the activation of NF-kB induced by HMGB1 by blocking TLR4-MyD88 association in proteasome-independent pathway. However, it remains nknown whether SQV is a HMGB1-specific and MyD88-dependent TLR4 signaling inhibitor and which precise signaling element of TLR4 is targeted by SQV. Our results showed that SQV inhibits both MyD88- and TRIF-dependent pathways in response to LPS, a critical sepsis inducer and TLR4 agonist, leading to downregulation of NF-kB and IRF3. SQV did not suppress MyD88-dependent pathway triggered by TLR1/2 agonist Pam3csk4. In the only TRIF-dependent pathway, SQV did not attenuate IRF3 activation induced by TLR3 agonist Poly(I:C). Furthermore, dimerization of TLR4 induced by LPS and HMGB1 was decreased by SQV. These results suggest that TLR4 receptor complex is the molecular target of SQV and shed light on that TLR4-mediated inmune responses and consequent risk for uncontrolled inflammation could be modulated by FDA-approved drug SQV.
mlplasmids: a user-friendly tool to predict plasmid- and chromosome-derived sequences for single species
Authors: Arredondo-Alonso Sergio , Rogers Malbert R. C. , Braat Johanna C. , Verschuuren T. D. , Top Janetta , Corander Jukka , Willems Rob J.L. , Schürch Anita C.
Published: May 2018

Assembly of bacterial short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) data frequently results in hundreds of contigs for which the origin, plasmid or chromosome, is unclear. Long-read sequencing has emerged as a solution to resolve plasmid structures and to obtain complete genomes for most bacterial species. This information can be used to generate and label datasets from short-read based contigs as plasmid- or chromosome-derived. We investigated the use of several popular machine learning methods to classify short-read contigs with known plasmid- or chromosome-origin from Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli using pentamer frequencies. Based on resulting F1-scores we selected support-vector machine (SVM) models as best classifier for all three bacterial species (F1-score E. faecium = 0.94, F1-score K. pneumoniae = 0.90, F1-score E. coli = 0.76), which outperformed other existing plasmid tools using an independent set of isolates (precision E. faecium = 0.92, precision K. pneumoniae = 0.86, precision E. coli = 0.82). We demonstrated the scalability of our model by accurately predicting the plasmidome of a large collection of 1,644 E. faecium isolates with only short-read WGS available using a standard laptop with a single core. A low number of false positive predicted sequences suggests that the assignment of a particular gene of interest as plasmid- or chromosome-encoded by the models is plausible. The SVM classifiers are publicly available as a new R package called ‘mlplasmids’ at https://gitlab.com/sirarredondo/mlplasmids under the GNU General Public License v3.0. We additionally developed a graphical-user interface using the Shiny package which can be accessed at https://sarredondo.shinyapps.io/mlplasmids/. Single genomes can easily be predicted by uploading genome assemblies. We anticipate that this tool may significantly facilitate research on the dissemination of plasmids encoding antibiotic resistance and/or contributing to host adaptation.
Cell adhesion promoted by a unique Shigella IpaA vinculin- and talin-binding site
Authors: Valencia-Gallardo Cesar , Bou-Nader Charles , Aguilar Daniel , Carayol Nathalie , Quenech’Du Nicole , Pecqueur Ludovic , Park HaJeung , Fontecave Marc , Izard Tina , Van Nhieu Guy Tran
Published: May 2018

During Shigella cell invasion, the IpaA effector targets the focal adhesion protein vinculin through three vinculin-binding sites (VBSs). Here, we report that IpaA VBS3 also binds to talin. The 2.5 Å resolution crystal structure indicates that IpaA VBS3 forms a tightly folded α-helical bundle with talin H1-H4, contrasting with bundle unraveling upon vinculin interaction. High-affinity binding of Ipa VBS3 to talin H1-H4 requires a core of hydrophobic residues conserved in vinculin binding and a pair of electrostatic interactions accounting for talin binding specificity. IpaA VBS3 does not bind to talin H1-H5 suggesting the targeting of partially activated stretched talin but not inactive talin. Consistently, IpaA VBS3 labeled filopodial and nascent adhesions and regulated their formation through talin binding. In addition, talin-binding by IpaA VBS3 was required for bacterial capture by filopodia during Shigella invasion and for the stabilization of focal adhesions in infected cells. These findings point to the functional diversity of VBSs and a critical role for talin-binding by Shigella IpaA VBS3 and possibly talin VBSs in the regulation of adhesion structures.
Lack of negative density-dependence regulation in a dominant oak tree from a neotropical highland forest
Authors: Calderón-Sanou Irene , Ríos Luis Diego , Cascante-Marín Alfredo , Barrantes Gilbert , Fuchs Eric J.
Published: May 2018

Conspecific negative density-dependence(CNDD) is one of the main mechanisms proposed to regulate species coexistence. Tropical highland forests, in contrast to diverse lowland forests, are commonly dominated by a few tree species. Testing the importance of density-dependence effects on seedling establishment of dominant trees may provide insights on the mechanisms regulating population dynamics and forest composition of tropical highlands. We tested the importance of CNDD regulation on seedling survival and recruitment ofQuercus costaricensis, a monodominant oak in the Talamanca highland forests of Costa Rica. We used spatial statistics and generalized linear mixed models to test the effects of conspecific density, distance to the nearest adult, density ofChusqueabamboo shoots, and herbivory on the annual survival probability of 3538 seedlings between 2014 and 2017. We did not find any effect of CNDD on seedling survival. However, bamboo density and herbivory both significantly decreased seedling survival. All seedlings had signs of herbivory and predator satiation may explain the lack of density dependent regulation in this species. We argue that the lack of intraspecific density regulation at the seedling stage may explain the dominance ofQ. costaricensisin the highland forests of Costa Rica. Local density of this endemic oak is instead regulated by herbivory and the density ofChusquea.
Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of African spurfowls (Galliformes, Phasianidae, Coturnicinae,Pternistisspp.)
Authors: Mandiwana-Neudani Tshifhiwa G. , Little Robin M. , Crowe Timothy M. , Bowie Rauri C.K.
Published: May 2018

During much of the 20thCentury, partridge/quail-like, Afro-Asian phasianine birds referred to commonly as African spurfowls, francolins and/or partridges had a tortuous taxonomic history. Because of striking autapomorphic differences in plumage, vocalizations and ecology in some of these taxa, as many as nine genera and nearly 200 clinal and/or idiosyncratic subspecies, embedded within a polyphyletic Perdicinae, were recognized. In 1963, two clades, 28 ‘francolin’ and ‘spurfowl’ species (fisantein Afrikaans) and 13 Afro-Asiatic ‘francolins’ and ‘partridges’ (patrysein Afrikaans), were combined into a single genus (Francolinus) – the largest within the Galliformes – comprising about 100 subspecies. Furthermore,fisanteandpatrysewere partitioned into several unnamed “Groups” and four “Unplaced” species. Here, we use morphological, behavioural and DNA evidence to produce: a comprehensive revision of the taxonomy and phylogeny of thefisanteclade; a stable classification system for tis component taxa; and hypotheses vis-à-vis eco-biogeographical processes that promoted their speciation and cladogenesis. We shiftFrancolinusspp. sensu stricto (members of the Spotted Group) and the Unplaced ‘Francolinus’ gularisfrom thefisanteclade to thepatryse[discussed in Mandiwana-Neudani et al., in review]. An Unplacedfisant, ‘F.’ nahani, is linked withPtilopachus petrosus(another African endemic ‘partridge‘) within the Odontophoridae (New World ‘Quails‘). We recognize 25 species of fisante (hereafter spurfowls), including seven with subspecies. They comprise 34 terminal taxa placed within a single genus,Pternistis, sister toAmmoperdixandPerdiculaspp.,Coturnix‘quails’ andAlectoris‘partridges‘, within the now monophyletic Coturnicinae. Only one of four putative Groups of spurfowls, the Bare-throated Group, is monophyletic. The other three Groups (Montane, Scaly and Vermiculated) are para- or polyphyletic. Several species pairs of spurfowls, most notablyP. aferandcranchii, hybridize in para/sympatry. One Bare-throated spurfowl,P. rufopictus, may be the product of stabilized hybridization betweenP. aferand/orcranchiiandP. leucoscepus.
Optimization of the South African indigenous fungal growth for the degradation of diclofenac sodium from water
Authors: Kasonga Teddy Kabeya
Published: May 2018

Background and objectives

The occurrence of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their risk assessment in the environment over a decade have become a real concern in various existing water resources. Microbial bioremediation of organic pollutants in wastewater is a key process in both natural and engineered systems. This study aimed to the use of green technology with South African indigenous fungi for the removal of diclofenac from water, which is an environmentally friendly process applied to manage water quality at large.

Method

The fungal growth was optimised in flasks, then the aerated and stationary batch flasks were run for 14 d and samples taken once daily in order to carry out the fungal removal efficiency of the most popular and anti-analgesic anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac sodium (DCF) from water. The five isolate South African indigenous fungal strains (ISAIFS)T. longibrachiatum, T. polyzona, A. niger, M. circinelloidesandR. microsporuswere then found to have a optimum growth in low nitrogen medium (LN-m) at temperature range of between 26.5°C to 31.5 °C and pH around 3 to 4.5.

Results

Aspergillus nigergave better growth and seemed thermotolerence than others. Glucose supply as well as physicochemical parameters such as pH and temperature have shown to have play a vital role on fungal growth in suspension liquid media. The best DCF degradation result obtained was 95% byR. microsporusin aerated batch flasks after 7 d followed by A. niger with 80% of DCF removal, while the only one white-rot fungi (WRF) of that isolate fungal group,T. polyzonadid not give the best DCF elimination as expected for the same period.

Conclusion

Finally, the effectiveness of DCF elimination by each isolate South African indigenous fungal strain (ISAIFS) was found to be better than some traditional methods used in wastewater treatment plants, including: coagulation-flocculation, nitrifying and denitrifying and sewage treatment. These fungal species especiallyR. microsporus, A. nigerandM. circinelloidescan be used for the degradation of emerging pollutant in wastewater treatment plants.
Bidirectional intraflagellar transport is restricted to two sets of microtubule doublets in the trypanosome flagellum
Authors: Bertiaux Eloïse , Mallet Adeline , Fort Cécile , Blisnick Thierry , Bonnefoy Serge , Jung Jamin , Lemos Moara , Marco Sergio , Vaughan Sue , Trépout Sylvain , Tinevez Jean-Yves , Bastin Philippe
Published: May 2018

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is the rapid bidirectional movement of large protein complexes driven by kinesin and dynein motors along microtubule doublets of cilia and flagella. Here we used a combination of high-resolution electron and light microscopy to investigate how and where these IFT trains move within the flagellum of the protistTrypanosoma brucei. Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) analysis of trypanosomes showed that trains are found almost exclusively alongtwo sets of doublets (3-4 and 7-8)and distribute in two categories according to their length. High-resolution live imaging of cells expressing mNeonGreen::IFT81 or GFP::IFT52 revealed for the first time IFT trafficking on twoparallel lines within the flagellum. Anterograde and retrograde IFT occur on each of these lines. At the distal end, a large individual anterograde IFT train is converted in several smaller retrograde trains in the space of 3-4 seconds while remaining on the sameside of the axoneme.
Corporate visual identity: exploring the dogma of consistency
Authors: Gregersen Magnus Kristian , Johansen Trine Susanne
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conceptually and empirically explore and challenge the dogma of Corporate visual identity (CVI) consistency. The goal is to nuance the current polarized debate of consistency or no consistency.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research strategy is employed in this paper. Specifically, the empirical work rests on an interview study with strategists from ten different CVI agencies. The interview transcripts are analyzed using template analysis.

Findings

In terms of findings, both empirical and conceptual arguments for and against CVI consistency are presented. Many of these arguments rest on conflicting assumptions of CVI communication, CVI authenticity and CVI management, which all influence the debate of CVI consistency.

Practical implications

CVI practitioners are presented with a more reflective approach to dealing with consistency and hands on examples for inspiration.

Originality/value

This paper offers alternative and more nuanced conceptualizations of CVI consistency. This includes seeing consistency and inconsistency as ends of a spectrum to be balanced rather than mutually exclusive and by differentiating between consistency across platforms and consistency over time – coined CVI continuity. Furthermore, several future research areas that can help to further develop the field of CVI are suggested.
A grey mathematical model for crashing of projects by considering time, cost, quality, risk and law of diminishing returns
Authors: Mahmoudi Amin , Feylizadeh Mohammad Reza
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine projects crashing based on the factors including cost, time, quality, risk and the law of diminishing returns.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first investigated effective factors on project crashing then proposed a grey linear programming model. In the proposed grey linear programming model, the costs of quality of works that include the cost of conformance and non-conformance of deliverables in the project were studied. The results are presented for considering the existing uncertainties using positioned programming under the sensitivity analysis table and graphs.

Findings

The lack of consideration of project risks will reduce the project success probability in future. The proposed model reduces the existing uncertainties to a significant extent by covering the project risks completely. Based on the law of diminishing returns, after a certain point technically known as saturation point, the increase of resources does not lead to the reduction of time and may even have negative impacts. Finding the saturation point for each activity prevents the excessive allocation of resources that can lead to reduction of productivity.

Practical implications

The main duty of each project manager is finishing the project in the framework of the determined objectives. In most of the cases, after the preparation of the initial project schedule by the project team, it is seen that there is a need for the time reduction. This study has used a grey linear programming model for optimum crashing of project activities. In order to make the model more realistic and applicable, the authors endeavoured to consider most of the factors that are involved in doing a project.

Originality/value

In the present study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge the factors of time, cost, quality, risk and the law of diminishing returns are simultaneously considered in project crashing for the first time and the grey theory was used for considering the uncertainties of project parameters. Also, “the law of diminishing returns” has not been considered during crashing in the studies conducted so far.
Assessing the capacity for public value creation within leadership theories: Raising the argument
Authors: Roman Alexandru V. , McWeeney Thomas
Published: May 2018

In recent years, public administration has been targeted by multiple reform efforts. In multiple instances, such initiatives have been ideologically couched in public-choice perspectives and entrenched beliefs that government is the problem. One unavoidable consequence of this continued bout of criticism is the fact that government currently has a noticeably decreased capacity of boosting creation of public value. Within this context, there certainly is an important need for approaches that would counterbalance the loss of public value induced by market fundamentalism. This article suggests that leadership, as a concept of theory and practice, due to its partial immunity to the private-public dichotomy, can provide a pragmatic avenue for nurturing public interest and public value within the devolution of governance, a declining trust in government and a diminished governmental capacity to propagate the creation of public value. While this article critically examines and assesses the capacity of different leadership perspectives in terms of creating and maximizing public value, its primary scope is not the provision of definite answers but rather the instigation of a much necessary discussion.
Female users of unisex fitness centres and of fitness centres exclusive for women: satisfaction
Authors: Haro-González Mónica , Pérez-Ordás Raquel , Grao-Cruces Alberto , Nuviala Román , Nuviala Alberto
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine how an instrument – designed to assess quality, value, and satisfaction – works, and compare results obtained in female users of unisex sports services and fitness centres and female users of exclusively female sports services and fitness centres.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 745 women belonging to 62 sports services and fitness centres took part in this study; 36.60 per cent were members of female-exclusive centres. The average age was 32.97±14.11 years. In total, 38.70 per cent of the women surveyed used the sports services and fitness centres twice a week for 66.37±32.87 minutes on average. The EPOD2 questionnaire was used. This instrument is made up of 25 items and measures quality, value, and satisfaction. The invariance of the factorial structure in the two groups was verified and regression coefficients were calculated for the relationships in the model.

Findings

The model is stable in both of the groups. Quality is a predecessor of value and satisfaction. Value is related to a large extent to Satisfaction. The dimensions of quality (activity, sports instructors, service personnel, and space) are directly related to value and/or satisfaction. There are significant differences in the standardised values that relate quality and its dimensions with the value and satisfaction between women users of female-exclusive centres and women users of unisex centres.

Originality/value

This paper is important because the findings of this study can be applicable to help sports services and fitness centres, whether unisex centres or female-exclusive centres, obtain better assessments from female users.
When startups exit: comparing strategies in Europe and the USA
Authors: Pisoni Alessia , Onetti Alberto
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of trends toward start-up exits. Exits represent the “end phase” of the start-up process, at least for the founders and the early investors. For high-growth venture-capital-backed companies, exits are often considered the ultimate goal of building a profitable venture. These ventures are intended from the beginning to harvest the financial value created by the business at some point in the future, and return capital to early investors.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tracked 5,744 merger and acquisition transactions that have occurred between European and US tech start-ups since 2012. Data are drawn from CrunchBase, the most comprehensive database of high-tech companies and investors with information on the companies and investors around the world. The authors then compared the trends of acquisitions between European and US companies.

Findings

Results show that US companies are far more inclined to make acquisitions than European ones. Acquirers of start-ups, both from Europe and the US, prefer to buy local companies. However, recently, US companies have started to show more interest in European start-ups. Thus, signaling that the European start-up ecosystem is growing and becoming more attractive for US buyers. Furthermore, results show that start-up exits typically happen within a few years after a company’s establishment.

Research limitations/implications

The research does not take into consideration the price of the transaction, or the amount of capital invested by venture capitalists in the high-tech start-ups that have been acquired. Further research should address this specific problem by helping European start-ups understand how to plan the exit phase within few years from establishment.

Practical implications

The results have important implications both for entrepreneurs/managers and policymakers. Early exit appears to be a global trend among start-ups. This suggests that the exit phase should be properly planned to happen in the very early stage of the start-up process. On the other hand, the research also shows that there is still a gap to be filled in the European start-up ecosystems’ ability to produce exits and create new large innovative companies (the so-called “unicorns”).

Originality/value

To date, there has been a little research about exits for young high-tech ventures. This paper will attempt to shed new light on this so far under-explored issue by specifically analyzing exits as financial strategy for investors and entrepreneurs.
Kaizen in Japan: transferring knowledge in the workplace
Authors: Macpherson Wayne G. , Lockhart James C. , Kavan Heather , Iaquinto Anthony L.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

As employees in the lower ranks of a Japanese company advance through the levels of management and seniority their role in day-to-day kaizen activities shifts from that of directly improving their own job, operations and surroundings to guiding, educating and facilitating understanding and practice. The emphasis of kaizen to the employee during career progression changes in an embedded, sequential and predictable manner. To a new employee, kaizen is a process to be implemented, something that is visible and largely provided through company training and job manuals, while not necessarily being fully understood. To the senior manager, however, one who has advanced up the corporate ladder, kaizen is tacit knowledge and accumulated experiences, and is seen as being more than just reducing costs, increasing productivity and decreasing lead times. At this point, kaizen becomes something invisible, something that can produce real influence on both the company’s profitability and the manager’s reputation. Consequently, what kaizen is actually changes from being a duty associated with employment to a matter of personal, group, collective, and organizational responsibility. The purpose of this paper is to explore the mechanism underpinning the transfer of kaizen (acknowledgement and exercise) in the Japanese workplace that results in it being sustained across multiple.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from research participants (n = 53) through a mixed-method multi-language field design comprising questionnaires and unstructured interviews conducted in genba, the workplaces of five domain-name multinational companies in Japan. Multi-level statistical analysis identified two largely mutually exclusive generational groups.

Findings

During their late 40s, employees were found to transfer their understanding of kaizen between the two forms. At this age, employees were identified to shift from being student to teacher; follower to leader; and disciple to sensei. This study identified how kaizen shifts from one generation to another; when kaizen shifts through the change in responsibility of employees; and changes in the understanding and practice that creates sustained business excellence.

Originality/value

Importantly, the study reveals how kaizen itself is a sustainable business activity in the workplace, one that Western business is struggling to emulate.
Citizen participation: towards a framework for policy assessment
Authors: Kalandides Ares
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the academic debate on participatory urban development in two ways: first, by proposing a methodological framework though which urban policies can be assessed; and second, through a case study that applies the framework, delivering an analysis of the policy intentions of the current Berlin administration.

Design/methodology/approach

The first section of this paper introduces the case study, placing it in the political context in Berlin and suggesting an initial reading of the relevant documents that frame policy in participatory urban development today. The second section includes an attempt at disambiguation, a conceptual and an analytical framework, followed by a preliminary assessment of the Berlin participatory policy. The final part of this paper draws conclusions and sets a possible future research agenda.

Findings

Participation is present in several passages of the Contract and refers to different possible readings of the term: participation as institutional framework, participation as rights, participation in the public sphere and participation as practice.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the disambiguation of the concept of “citizen participation”, proposes a framework through which to assess policy and offers an initial analysis of the policy intentions of the current Berlin administration.
Bibliometric networks and analytics on gerontology research
Authors: Shen Chien-wen , Nguyen Duong Tuan , Hsu Po-Yu
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to bibliometrically analyze the gerontology-related research articles for a comprehensive understanding of the gerontology literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed the approach of visual analytics on 32 journals with a total of 99,204 articles published after 2000 to identify the main subfields, keywords, and growth trend. The investigated journals are either open access online or listed in the Social Sciences Citation Index. In addition, the 200 most frequently cited papers were analyzed through bibliographic coupling, co-word, and co-citation analysis.

Findings

The selected most cited papers were mostly published before 2007, and psychiatry and psychology were the top research subfields. Dementia, older adult, and Alzheimer’s disease were the three most frequently occurring keywords, both in Author Keywords and KeyWords Plus. While coupling analysis yielded 12 research groups, co-word analysis classified the most frequently used 20 Author Keywords into two categories. Four research clusters were identified by the co-citation analysis.

Originality/value

This research provides a comprehensive view of the gerontology research as well as an understanding of the subfields and their interrelations. It also provides government departments with directions for formulating and executing policies affecting older people not only in setting academic and professional priorities but also in understanding the key topics related to older people.
Strategic transformations in a disruptive digital environment
Authors: Oliver John J.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how two media firms, Sky Plc and Pearson Plc, adapted, reconfigured, and transformed their businesses to meet the demands of an operating environment characterized by inexorable changes in digital technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

The over-arching vision, corporate strategies, and financial performance for both firms are examined over two business cycles.

Findings

These findings illustrate why firms need to create a portfolio business that takes advantage of the market opportunities created by innovative digital technologies, while off-setting the risks associated with digital disruption.

Practical implications

Business leaders should not dispense with the basic principles of good strategic business unit portfolio management in their attempts to take advantage of the market opportunities provided by a disruptive digital environment.

Originality/value

This paper provides a highly original insight into how two firms placed ambitious levels of growth at the heart of their corporate strategies to seize the market opportunities provided by an increasingly digital operating environment.
Fiber Bragg grating based displacement sensors: state of the art and trends
Authors: Liu Wenlong , Guo Yongxing , Xiong Li , Kuang Yi
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the latest sensing structure designs and principles of information detection of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) displacement sensors. Research advance and the future work in this field have been described, with the background that displacement and deformation measurements are universal and crucial for structural health monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes and summarizes the existing FBG displacement sensing technologies from two aspects principle of information detection (wavelength detection, spectral bandwidth detection, light intensity detection, among others) and principle of the sensing elastomer structure design (cantilever beam type, spring type, elastic ring type and other composite structures).

Findings

The current research on developing FBG displacement sensors is mainly focused on the sensing method, the construction and design of the elastic structure and the design of new information detection method. The authors hypothesize that the following research trends will be strengthened in future: temperature compensation technology for FBG displacement sensors based on wavelength detection; a study of more diverse elastic structures; and fiber gratings manufactured with special fibers will greatly improve the performance of sensors.

Originality/value

The latest sensing structure designs and principles of information detection of FBG displacement sensors have been proposed, which could provide important reference for research group.
Agri‐environmental schemes promote ground‐dwelling predators in adjacent oilseed rape fields: Diversity, species traits and distance‐decay functions
Authors: Boetzl Fabian A. , Krimmer Elena , Krauss Jochen , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf
Published: May 2018

Rising demands for agricultural products and high environmental costs of intensive agriculture reinforce the need for ecological replacements in agricultural management. In Europe, agri‐environmental schemes (AES) are implemented to enhance species richness and provision of ecosystem services, but the effectiveness of different AES types and the spatial extent of possible beneficial effects are little understood. In this study, we assessed the effects of different AES types on diversity, species traits and distance‐decay functions of ground‐dwelling predators in adjacent crop fields.

On 31 study sites with winter oilseed rape (OSR) adjacent to four types of AES differing in management intensity and habitat age, we recorded ground‐dwelling predators (carabid beetles, staphylinid beetles and spiders) during OSR growth from April to July. Effects of the AES on species richness, activity densities and different traits of these taxa were examined with transects of pitfall traps running along a continuous distance gradient from the AES across the habitat border into the OSR fields.

Ground‐dwelling predator communities benefitted similarly from the different AES types. In adjacent OSR, activity densities, carabid species richness and the proportion of predatory carabid beetles declined from the field edge, while mean body size increased. Adjacent AES increased the proportion of predatory species and simultaneously decreased the proportion of granivorous or frugivorous species in adjacent OSR fields.

Synthesis and applications. Our results indicate a beneficial effect of adjacent agri‐environmental schemes (AES) on ground‐dwelling predators in oilseed rape (OSR), mostly irrespective of agri‐environmental schemes type and therefore management intensity and habitat age. The short‐ranged distance‐decay effects on natural enemies in oilseed rape underpin that a strategic spatial placement of agri‐environmental schemes in agricultural landscapes is required to maximize biological pest control. This could help replace anthropogenic input in modern agriculture and secure adequate yields.
Effects of terpene administration on goats’ milk fatty acid profile and coagulation properties
Authors: Zoidis Evangelos , Poulopoulou Ioanna , Tsoufi Vasiliki , Massouras Theofilos , Hadjigeorgiou Ioannis
Published: May 2018

The effects of terpene administration on fatty acid (FA) profile and coagulation properties of goats’ milk were investigated. Eight dairy goats were divided in two balanced groups, representing control (C) and treatment (T), where the treatment group received a mixture of three terpenes (α‐pinene, limonene and β‐caryophyllene) over a period of 18 days. Rennet clotting time was significantly longer for the treatment group goats, while their milk FA profile was also modified. The proportion of C16:0 decreased, while C18:3, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) increased. This study indicated that terpene intake may have positive effects on the FA profile of goats' milk, but effects on coagulation properties may lead to a reduced cheesemaking ability.
Correlation between neonatal outcomes of twins depends on the outcome: secondary analysis of twelve randomised controlled trials
Authors: Yelland LN , Schuit E , Zamora J , Middleton PF , Lim AC , Nassar AH , Rode L , Serra V , Thom EA , Vayssière C , Mol BWJ , Gates S
Published: May 2018

Objective

To estimate the magnitude of the correlation between neonatal outcomes of twins and demonstrate how this information can be used in the design of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in women with twin pregnancies.

Design

Secondary analysis of data from 12 RCTs.

Setting

Obstetric care in multiple countries, 2004–2012.

Population or sample

4504 twin pairs born to women who participated in RCTs to assess treatments given during pregnancy.

Methods

Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were estimated using log‐binomial and linear models.

Main outcome measures

Perinatal death, respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular haemorrhage, necrotising enterocolitis, sepsis, neonatal intensive care unit admission, birthweight, low birthweight and two composite measures of adverse neonatal outcome.

Results

ICCs for the composite measures of adverse neonatal outcome were all above 0.5, indicating moderate to strong correlation between adverse outcomes of twins. For individual neonatal outcomes, median ICCs across trials ranged from 0.13 to 0.79 depending on the outcome. An example illustrates how ICCs can be used in sample size calculations for RCTs in women with twin pregnancies.

Conclusions

The correlation between neonatal outcomes of twins varies considerably between outcomes and may be lower than expected. Our ICC estimates can be used for designing and analysing RCTs that recruit women with twin pregnancies and for performing meta‐analyses that include such RCTs. Researchers are encouraged to report ICCs for neonatal outcomes in twins in their own RCTs.

Tweetable abstract

Correlation between neonatal outcomes of twins depends on the outcome and may be lower than expected.
Price Signaling and Return Chasing: International Evidence from Maturing REIT Markets
Authors: Brounen Dirk , Marcato Gianluca , Silvestri Edoardo
Published: May 2018

This article examines the liquidity of international real estate securities across 10 markets over the period 1990–2015. We apply and compare results for four different measures of liquidity, and find that while liquidity has increased consistently, wide variations still exist across markets, with the United States and Japan in the lead. Our results also suggest that the introduction of local REIT regimes did not have any pervasive effects on stock liquidity. When we study the relationship between liquidity and returns, we document new and consistent evidence for international return chasing behavior, whose pattern is a function of local market efficiency, listed real estate market maturity and stock ownership dispersion. The introduction of REIT regimes seems to weaken the importance of extra performance over and above general equity returns as investors tend to allocate funds to real estate securities within real estate rather than equity portfolios.