bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A 3D High Resolution Generative Deep-learning Network for Fluorescence Microscopy Image
Authors: Hang Zhou , Shiwei Li , Qing Huang , Shijie Liu , Tingwei Quan , Cai Ruiyao , Ertürk Ali , Shaoqun Zeng
Published: August 2019

Deep learning technology enables us acquire high resolution image from low resolution image in biological imaging free from sophisticated optical hardware. However, current methods require a huge number of the precisely registered low-resolution (LR) and high-resolution (HR) volume image pairs. This requirement is challengeable for biological volume imaging. Here, we proposed 3D deep learning network based on dual generative adversarial network (dual-GAN) framework for recovering HR volume images from LR volume images. Our network avoids learning the direct mappings from the LR and HR volume image pairs, which need precisely image registration process. And the cycle consistent network makes the predicted HR volume image faithful to its corresponding LR volume image. The proposed method achieves the recovery of 20x/1.0 NA volume images from 5x/0.16 NA volume images collected by light-sheet microscopy. In essence our method is suitable for the other imaging modalities.
EvoFreq: Visualization of the Evolutionary Frequencies of Sequence and Model Data
Authors: Gatenbee Chandler D. , Schenck Ryan O. , Bravo Rafael , Anderson Alexander R.A.
Published: August 2019

High throughput sequence data has provided in depth means of molecular characterization of populations. When recorded at numerous time steps, such data can reveal the evolutionary dynamics of the population under study by tracking the changes in genotype frequencies over time. This necessitates a simple and flexible means of visualizing an increasingly complex set of data. Here we offer EvoFreq as a comprehensive tool set to visualize the evolutionary and population frequency dynamics of clones at a single point in time or as population frequencies over time using a variety of informative methods. EvoFreq expands substantially on previous means of visualizing the clonal, temporal dynamics and offers users a range of options for displaying their sequence or model data. EvoFreq, implemented in R with robust user options and few dependencies, offers a high-throughput means of quickly building, and interrogating the temporal dynamics of hereditary information across many systems. EvoFreq is freely available viahttps://github.com/MathOnco/EvoFreq.
Severe Hyposmia Distinguishes Neuropathologically Confirmed Dementia with Lewy Bodies from Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia
Authors: Beach TG , Adler CH , Zhang N , Serrano GE , Sue LI , Driver-Dunckley Erika , Mehta Shayamal H. , Zamrini E , Sabbagh MN , Shill HA , Belden CM , Shprecher DR , Caselli RJ , Reiman EM , Davis KJ , Long KE , Nicholson LR , Intorcia AJ , Glass MJ , Walker JE , Callan M , Oliver JC , Arce R , Gerkin RC
Published: August 2019

Due to the absence of core clinical features, many subjects with neuropathologically-confirmed dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are never diagnosed as such during life. Most of these are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease dementia (ADD) or unspecified dementia. Unrecognized DLB therefore is a critical impediment to clinical studies and treatment trials of both ADD and DLB. There are numerous published studies that suggest that olfactory function tests may be able to differentiate some neurodegenerative conditions from each other and from normal subjects, but there are very few studies with neuropathological confirmation of diagnosis. We compared University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) results in 209 subjects: 1) 29 concurrently meeting intermediate or high consensus clinicopathological criteria for both DLB and ADD 2) 96 meeting criteria for ADD without DLB 3) 84 control subjects that were non-demented and without parkinsonism at death. The DLB subjects had significantly lower (one-way ANOVA p < 0.0001, pairwise Bonferroni p < 0.05) first and mean UPSIT scores (13.7 and 13.2) than ADD (23.3 and 22.2) or controls (29.6 and 28.9). For subjects with first and mean UPSIT scores less than 20 and 17, respectively, Firth logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, gender and mean MMSE score, conferred statistically significant odds ratios of 17.5 and 18.0 for predicting a DLB vs ADD diagnosis, as compared to 3.3 for the presence or absence of visual hallucinations throughout the clinical observation period. To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date comparing olfactory function in subjects with neuropathologically confirmed DLB and ADD. Olfactory function testing may be a convenient and inexpensive strategy for enriching dementia studies or clinical trials with DLB subjects, or conversely, reducing the inclusion of DLB subjects in ADD studies or trials.
The maizeHairy Sheath Frayed1(Hsf1) mutant alters leaf patterning through increased cytokinin signaling
Authors: Muszynski Michael G. , Moss-Taylor Lindsay , Chudalayandi Sivanandan , Cahill James , Del Valle-Echevarria Angel R. , Alvarez-Castro Ignacio , Petefish Abby , Sakakibara Hitoshi , Krivosheev Dmitry M. , Lomin Sergey N. , Romanov Georgy A. , Thamotharan Subbiah , Li Bailin , Brugière Norbert
Published: August 2019

Leaf morphogenesis requires growth polarized along three axes - proximal-distal, medial-lateral and abaxial-adaxial. Grass leaves display a prominent proximal-distal (P-D) polarity consisting of a proximal sheath separated from the distal blade by the auricle and ligule. Although proper specification of the four segments is essential for normal morphology, our knowledge is incomplete regarding the mechanisms which influence P-D specification in monocots like maize (Zea mays). Here we report the identification of the gene underlying the semi-dominant, leaf patterning, maize mutantHairy Sheath Frayed1(Hsf1).Hsf1plants produce leaves with outgrowths consisting of proximal segments – sheath, auricle and ligule – emanating from the distal blade margin. Analysis of three independentHsf1alleles revealed gain-of-function missense mutations in the ligand binding domain of the maize cytokinin (CK) receptorZea mays Histidine Kinase1(ZmHK1)gene. Biochemical analysis and structural modeling suggest the mutated residues near the CK binding pocket affect CK binding affinity. Treatment of wild type seedlings with exogenous CK phenocopied theHsf1leaf phenotypes. Results from expression and epistatic analyses indicated theHsf1mutant receptor appears to be hypersignaling. Our results demonstrate that hypersignaling of CK in incipient leaf primordia can reprogram developmental patterns in maize.

Increased cytokinin signaling in the maizeHairy Sheath Frayed1mutant modifies leaf development leading to changes in pattering, growth and cell identity.
Crowding Reveals Fundamental Differences in Local vs. Global Processing in Humans and Machines
Authors: Doerig A. , Bornet A. , Choung O. H. , Herzog M. H.
Published: August 2019

Feedforward Convolutional Neural Networks (ffCNNs) have become state-of-the-art models both in computer vision and neuroscience. However, human-like performance of ffCNNs does not necessarily imply human-like computations. Previous studies have suggested that current ffCNNs do not make use of global shape information. However, it is currently unclear whether this reflects fundamental differences between ffCNN and human processing or is merely an artefact of how ffCNNs are trained. Here, we use visual crowding as a well-controlled, specific probe to test global shape computations. Our results provide evidence that ffCNNs cannot produce human-like global shape computations for principled architectural reasons. We lay out approaches that may address shortcomings of ffCNNs to provide better models of the human visual system.
Photocontrol of endogenous glycine receptors in vivo
Authors: Gomila Alexandre M.J. , Rustler Karin , Maleeva Galyna , Nin-Hill Alba , Wutz Daniel , Bautista-Barrufet Antoni , Rovira Xavier , Bosch Miquel , Mukhametova Elvira , Mukhamedyarov Marat , Peiretti Frank , Alfonso-Prieto Mercedes , Rovira Carme , König Burkhard , Bregestovski Piotr , Gorostiza Pau
Published: August 2019

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are indispensable to maintain excitatory/inhibitory balance in neuronal circuits controlling reflex and rhythmic motor behaviors. Here we have developed Glyght, the first GlyR ligand controlled with light. It is selective over other cys-loop receptors, active in vivo, and displays an allosteric mechanism of action. The photomanipulation of glycinergic neurotransmission opens new avenues to understand inhibitory circuits in intact animals, and to develop drug-based phototherapies.
Expectations affect the perception of material properties
Authors: Alley Lorilei M. , Schmid Alexandra C. , Doerschner Katja
Published: August 2019

Many objects that we encounter have ‘typical’ material qualities: spoons are hard, pillows are soft, and jell-O dessert is wobbly. Over a lifetime of experiences, strong associations between an object and its typical material properties may be formed, and these associations not only include how glossy, rough or pink an object is, but also how it behaves under force: we expect knocked over vases to shatter, popped bike tires to deflate, and gooey grilled cheese to hang between two slices of bread when pulled apart. Here we ask how such rich visual priors affect the visual perception of material qualities and present a particularly striking example of expectation violation. In a cue conflict design, we pair computer-rendered familiar objects with surprising material behaviors (a linen curtain shattering, a porcelain teacup wrinkling, etc.) and find that material qualities are not solely estimated from the object’s kinematics (i.e. its physical (atypical) motion while shattering, wrinkling, wobbling etc.); rather, material appearance is sometimes “pulled” towards the “native” motion, shape, and optical properties that are associated with this object. Our results, in addition to patterns we find in response time data, suggest that visual priors about materials can set up high-level expectations about complex future states of an object and show how these priors modulate material appearance.
SPAligner: Alignment of Long Diverged Molecular Sequences to Assembly Graphs
Authors: Dvorkina Tatiana , Antipov Dmitry , Korobeynikov Anton , Nurk Sergey
Published: August 2019

Abstract

Background

Graph-based representation of genome assemblies has been recently used in different applications — from gene finding to haplotype separation. While most of these applications are based on the alignment of molecular sequences to assembly graphs, existing software tools for finding such alignments have important limitations.

Results

We present a novel SPAligner tool for aligning long diverged molecular sequences to assembly graphs and demonstrate that SPAligner is an efficient solution for mapping third generation sequencing data and can also facilitate the identification of known genes in complex metagenomic datasets.

Conclusions

Our work will facilitate accelerating the development of graph-based approaches in solving sequence to genome assembly alignment problem. SPAligner is implemented as a part of SPAdes tools library and is available on https://github.com/ablab/spades/archive/spaligner-paper.zip.
NRP2 as an emerging angiogenic player; promoting endothelial cell adhesion and migration by regulating recycling of α5 integrin
Authors: Alghamdi Abdullah AA , Benwell Christopher J , Atkinson Samuel J , Lambert Jordi , Robinson Stephen D
Published: August 2019

Angiogenesis relies on the ability of endothelial cells (ECs) to migrate over the extracellular matrix via integrin receptors to respond to an angiogenic stimulus. Of the two neuropilin (NRP) orthologs to be identified, both have been reported to be expressed on normal blood and lymphatic ECs, and to play roles in the formation of blood and lymphatic vascular networks during angiogenesis. Whilst the role of NRP1 and its interactions with integrins during angiogenesis has been widely studied, the role of NRP2 in ECs is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that NRP2 promotes Rac-1 mediated EC adhesion and migration over fibronectin (FN) matrices in a mechanistically distinct fashion to NRP1, showing no dependence on β3 integrin (ITGB3) expression, or VEGF stimulation. Furthermore, we highlight evidence of a regulatory crosstalk between NRP2 and α5 integrin (ITGA5) in ECs, with NRP2 depletion eliciting an upregulation of ITGA5 expression and disruptions in ITGA5 cellular organisation. Finally, we propose a mechanism whereby NRP2 promotes ITGA5 recycling in ECs; NRP2 depleted ECs were found to exhibit reduced levels of total ITGA5 subunit recycling compared to wild-type (WT) ECs. Our findings expose NRP2 as a novel angiogenic player by promoting ITGA5-mediated EC adhesion and migration on FN.
Structural distortions induced by Kinase Inhibiting RNase Attenuator (KIRA) compounds prevent the formation of face-to-face dimers of Inositol Requiring Enzyme 1α
Authors: Carlesso Antonio , Chintha Chetan , Gorman Adrienne M. , Samali Afshin , Eriksson Leif A.
Published: August 2019

Inositol-Requiring Enzyme 1α (IRE1α) is a transmembrane dual kinase/ribonuclease protein involved in propagation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). IRE1α is currently explored as a potential drug target due to growing evidence of its role in variety of disease conditions. Upon activation, IRE1 cleaves X-box Binding Protein 1 (XBP1) mRNA through its RNase domain. Small molecules targeting the kinase site are known to either increase or decrease RNase activity, but the allosteric relationship between the kinase and RNase domains of IRE1α is poorly understood. Subsets of IRE1 kinase inhibitors (known as “KIRA” compounds) bind to the ATP-binding site and allosterically impede the RNase activity. KIRA compounds are able to regulate the RNase activity by stabilizing monomeric form of IRE1α.

In the present work, computational analysis, protein-protein and protein-ligand docking studies, and molecular dynamics simulations were applied to different IRE1 dimer systems to provide structural insights into the perturbation of IRE1 dimers by small molecules kinase inhibitors that regulate the RNase activity. By analyzing structural deviations, energetic components and number of hydrogen bonds in the interface region, we propose that the KIRA inhibitors act at an early stage of IRE1 activation by interfering with IRE1 face-to-face dimer formation, thus disabling the activation of the RNase domain. The work sheds light on the mechanism of action of KIRA compounds and may assist in development of further compounds in e.g. cancer therapeutics. The work also provides information on the sequence of events and protein-protein interactions initiating the unfolded protein response.

Non-technical Summary

The unfolded protein response is a protective feedback mechanism whereby cells regulate high levels of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Due to its significance in cell survival, the UPR has become an interesting target in cancer therapy. A key pathway of the UPR is initiated by the activation of inositol requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α), which must first dimerise in order to mediate the stress signal. Different inhibitors have been proposed in order to block the UPR at the level of IRE1α. We here unveil, through detailed computational studies, the mode of action of a set of IRE1α inhibitors targeting the kinase domain, which in turn helps us to further understand the mechanism of activation and progression of the UPR.
A novel machine learning based approach for iPS progenitor cell identification
Authors: Zhang Haishan , Shao Ximing , Peng Yin , Teng Yanning , Saravanan Konda Mani , Zhang Huiling , Li Hongchang , Wei Yanjie
Published: August 2019

Identification of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) progenitor cells, the iPS forming cells in early stage of reprogramming, could provide valuable information for studying the origin and underlying mechanism of iPS cells. However, it is very difficult to identify experimentally since there are no biomarkers known for early progenitor cells, and only about 6 days after reprogramming initiation, iPS cells can be experimentally determined via fluorescent probes. What is more, the ratio of progenitor cells during early reprograming period is below 5%, which is too low to capture experimentally in the early stage.

In this paper, we propose a novel computational approach for the identification of iPS progenitor cells based on machine learning and microscopic image analysis. Firstly, we record the reprogramming process using a live cell imaging system after 48 hours of infection with retroviruses expressing Oct4, Sox2 and Klf4, later iPS progenitor cells and normal murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) within 3 to 5 days after infection are labeled by retrospectively tracing the time-lapse microscopic image. We then calculate 11 types of cell morphological and motion features such as area, speed, etc., and select best time windows for modeling and perform feature selection. Finally, a prediction model using XGBoost is built based on the selected six types of features and best time windows. Our model allows several missing values/frames in the sample datasets, thus it is applicable to a wide range of scenarios.

Cross-validation, holdout validation and independent test experiments showed that the minimum precision is above 52%, that is, the ratio of predicted progenitor cells within 3 to 5 days after viral infection is above 52%. The results also confirmed that the morphology and motion pattern of iPS progenitor cells is different from that of normal MEFs, which helps with the machine learning methods for iPS progenitor cell identification.

Author Summary

Identification of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) progenitor cells could provide valuable information for studying the origin and underlying mechanism of iPS cells. However, it is very difficult to identify experimentally since there are no biomarkers known for early progenitor cells, and only after about 6 days of induction, iPS cells can be experimentally determined via fluorescent probes. What is more, the percentage of the progenitor cells during the early induction period is below 5%, too low to capture experimentally in early stage. In this work, we proposed an approach for the identification of iPS progenitor cells, the iPS forming cells, based on machine learning and microscopic image analysis. The aim is to help biologists to enrich iPS progenitor cells during the early stage of induction, which allows experimentalists to select iPS progenitor cells with much higher probability, and furthermore to study the biomarkers which trigger the reprogramming process.
Differentiation of Human Colon Tissue In Culture: Effects of calcium on trans-epithelial electrical resistance and tissue cohesive properties
Authors: McClintock Shannon D , Dame Michael K , Richter Aliah , Attili Durga , Silvestri Sabrina S , Berner Maliha M , Bohm Margaret S , Karpoff Kateryna , McCarthy Caroline , Spence Jason R , Varani James , Aslam Muhammad N
Published: August 2019

Background and aims

Human colonoid cultures maintained under low-calcium (0.25 mM) conditions undergo differentiation spontaneously and, concomitantly, express a high level of tight junction proteins, but not desmosomal proteins. When calcium is included to a final concentration of 1.5 – 3.0 mM (provided either as a single agent or as a combination of calcium and minerals), there is little change in tight junction proteins but a strong up-regulation of desmosomal proteins and an increase in desmosome formation. The aim of this study was to assess functional consequences of the differences in calcium-mediated barrier protein expression.

Methods

Human colonoid-derived epithelial monolayers were interrogated in transwell culture under low- or high-calcium conditions. Ion permeability and monolayer integrity were assessed by measuring trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) across the confluent monolayer. Colonoid cohesiveness was assessed in parallel.

Results

TEER values were high in the low-calcium environment and increased only modestly in response to calcium. In contrast, colonoid cohesiveness increased substantially with calcium supplementation. In both assays, the response to Aquamin was greater than the response to calcium alone. However, differences between interventions were small and only compared to the 0.25 mM calcium were they statistically significant. Consistent with these findings, occludin expression (a measure of tight junctions) was high at 0.25 mM calcium and did not increase with supplementation. Cadherin-17 and desmoglein-2 were weakly-expressed under low calcium conditions but increased with intervention.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that low ambient calcium levels are sufficient to support formation of a permeability barrier in the colonic epithelium. Higher calcium levels are necessary to promote tissue cohesion and enhance barrier function. These findings may help explain how an adequate daily intake of calcium contributes to colonic health by improving barrier function, even though there is little change in colonic histological features over a wide range of calcium intake levels.
Repeated noninvasive stimulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex reveals cumulative amplification of pleasant compared to unpleasant scene processing: a single subject pilot study
Authors: Winker Constantin , Rehbein Maimu A. , Sabatinelli Dean , Junghofer Markus
Published: August 2019

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is a major hub of the reward system and has been shown to activate specifically in response to pleasant / rewarding stimuli. Previous studies demonstrate enhanced pleasant cue reactivity after single applications of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the vmPFC. Here we present a pilot case study in which we assess the cumulative impact of multiple consecutive vmPFC-tDCS sessions on the processing of visual emotional stimuli in an event-related MEG recording design. The results point to stable modulation of increased positivity biases (pleasant > unpleasant stimulus signal strength) after excitatory vmPFC stimulation and a reversed pattern (pleasant < unpleasant) after inhibitory stimulation across five consecutive tDCS sessions. Moreover, cumulative effects of these emotional bias modulations were observable for several source-localized spatio-temporal clusters, suggesting an increase in modulatory efficiency by repeated tDCS sessions. This pilot study provides evidence for improvements in the effectiveness and utility of a novel tDCS paradigm in the context of emotional processing.
Two roles for the yeast transcription coactivator SAGA and a set of genes redundantly regulated by TFIID and SAGA
Authors: Donczew Rafal , Warfield Linda , Pacheco Derek , Erijman Ariel , Hahn Steven
Published: August 2019

Deletions within genes coding for subunits of the transcription coactivator SAGA caused strong genome-wide defects in transcription and SAGA-mediated chromatin modifications. In contrast, rapid SAGA depletion produced only modest transcription defects at 13% of protein-coding genes – genes that are generally more sensitive to rapid TFIID depletion. However, transcription of these “coactivator-redundant” genes is strongly affected by rapid depletion of both factors, showing the overlapping functions of TFIID and SAGA at this gene set. We suggest that this overlapping function is linked to TBP-DNA recruitment. The remaining 87% of expressed genes that we term “TFIID-dependent” are highly sensitive to rapid TFIID depletion and insensitive to rapid SAGA depletion. Genome-wide mapping of SAGA and TFIID found binding of both factors at many genes independent of gene class. DNA analysis suggests that the distinction between the gene classes is due to multiple components rather than any single regulatory factor or promoter sequence motif.
Multiple overlapping hypothalamus-brainstem circuits drive rapid threat avoidance
Authors: Lovett-Barron Matthew , Chen Ritchie , Bradbury Susanna , Andalman Aaron S , Wagle Mahendra , Guo Su , Deisseroth Karl
Published: August 2019

Animals survive environmental challenges by adapting their physiology and behavior through homeostatic regulatory processes, mediated in part by specific neuropeptide release from the hypothalamus. Animals can also avoid environmental stressors within seconds, a fast behavioral adaptation for which hypothalamic involvement is not established. Using brain-wide neural activity imaging in behaving zebrafish, here we find that hypothalamic neurons are rapidly engaged during common avoidance responses elicited by various environmental stressors. By developing methods to register cellular-resolution neural dynamics to multiplexedin situgene expression, we find that each category of stressor recruits similar combinations of multiple peptidergic cell types in the hypothalamus. Anatomical analysis and functional manipulations demonstrate that these diverse cell types play shared roles in behavior, are glutamatergic, and converge upon spinal-projecting brainstem neurons required for avoidance. These data demonstrate that hypothalamic neural populations, classically associated with slow and specific homeostatic adaptations, also together give rise to fast and generalized avoidance behavior.
A global map of orientation tuning in mouse visual cortex
Authors: Fahey Paul G. , Muhammad Taliah , Smith Cameron , Froudarakis Emmanouil , Cobos Erick , Fu Jiakun , Walker Edgar Y. , Yatsenko Dimitri , Sinz Fabian H. , Reimer Jacob , Tolias Andreas S.
Published: August 2019

In primates and most carnivores, neurons in primary visual cortex are spatially organized by their functional properties. For example, neurons with similar orientation preferences are grouped together in iso-orientation domains that smoothly vary over the cortical sheet. In rodents, on the other hand, neurons with different orientation preferences are thought to be spatially intermingled, a feature which has been termed “salt-and-pepper” organization. The apparent absence of any systematic structure in orientation tuning has been considered a defining feature of the rodent visual system for more than a decade, with broad implications for brain development, visual processing, and comparative neurophysiology. Here, we revisited this question using new techniques for wide-field two-photon calcium imaging that enabled us to collect nearly complete population tuning preferences in layers 2-4 across a large fraction of the mouse visual hierarchy. Examining the orientation tuning of these hundreds of thousands of neurons, we found a global map spanning multiple visual cortical areas in which orientation bias was organized around a single pinwheel centered in V1. This pattern was consistent across animals and cortical depth. The existence of this global organization in rodents has implications for our understanding of visual processing and the principles governing the ontogeny and phylogeny of the visual cortex of mammals.
On the advantages of operation in second-order diffraction of blazed gratings in soft X-ray monochromators
Authors: Jark Werner
Published: August 2019

The fact that a diffraction grating can provide twofold-smaller bandwidth when operated in second-order diffraction is long known and applied routinely in the laboratory for spectroscopy in the visible and ultraviolet spectral range. A similar routine operation in monochromators for the soft X-ray range is not reported yet. This study will thus address the feasibility of efficient diffraction of soft X-rays in the second order at reflection gratings when operated at grazing angles of incidence. The related systematic study could make profitable use of a recently introduced simple analytical equation for the prediction of the diffraction efficiency of blazed gratings with an ideal sawtooth profile. The predictions are then verified by use of rigorous calculations. The principle finding is that, by operation of gratings with lower groove densities, and thus with higher efficiencies, in higher order diffraction, one can extend the tuning in existing instruments with mechanical/optical limitations to larger photon energies. The performance in terms of transmission and spectral resolving power can be very similar to the performance of a grating with a larger groove density, which would otherwise have to be used for accessing the same energy range. This would allow operation of a single highly efficient grating over a larger photon energy interval at a modern synchrotron radiation source, e.g. from 0.3 to 2.2 keV. Without any requirement for a sophisticated grating exchange scheme, a related instrument promises to be sufficiently stable for the needs imposed by the improvements in source point stability at diffraction-limited storage rings.
Robust minimal matching rules for quasicrystals
Authors: Kalugin Pavel , Katz André
Published: August 2019

A unified framework is proposed for dealing with matching rules of quasiperiodic patterns, relevant for both tiling models and real-world quasicrystals. The approach is intended for extraction and validation of a minimal set of matching rules, directly from the phased diffraction data. The construction yields precise values for the spatial density of distinct atomic positions and tolerates the presence of defects in a robust way.
Local and global color symmetries of a symmetrical pattern
Authors: Abila Agatha Kristel , De Las Peñas Ma. Louise Antonette , Taganap Eduard
Published: August 2019

This study addresses the problem of arriving at transitive perfect colorings of a symmetrical pattern {\cal P} consisting of disjoint congruent symmetric motifs. The pattern {\cal P} has local symmetries that are not necessarily contained in its global symmetry groupG. The usual approach in color symmetry theory is to arrive at perfect colorings of {\cal P} ignoring local symmetries and considering only elements ofG. A framework is presented to systematically arrive at what Roth [Geom. Dedicata(1984),17, 99–108] defined as a coordinated coloring of {\cal P}, a coloring that is perfect and transitive underG, satisfying the condition that the coloring of a given motif is also perfect and transitive under its symmetry group. Moreover, in the coloring of {\cal P}, the symmetry of {\cal P} that is both a global and local symmetry, effects the same permutation of the colors used to color {\cal P} and the corresponding motif, respectively.
One-shot gesture recognition with attention-based DTW for human-robot collaboration
Authors: Kuang Yiqun , Cheng Hong , Zheng Yali , Cui Fang , Huang Rui
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to present a one-shot gesture recognition approach which can be a high-efficient communication channel in human–robot collaboration systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies dynamic time warping (DTW) to align two gesture sequences in temporal domain with a novel frame-wise distance measure which matches local features in spatial domain. Furthermore, a novel and robust bidirectional attention region extraction method is proposed to retain information in both movement and hold phase of a gesture.

Findings

The proposed approach is capable of providing efficient one-shot gesture recognition without elaborately designed features. The experiments on a social robot (JiaJia) demonstrate that the proposed approach can be used in a human–robot collaboration system flexibly.

Originality/value

According to previous literature, there are no similar solutions that can achieve an efficient gesture recognition with simple local feature descriptor and combine the advantages of local features with DTW.
The 2000s commodity boom and the exchange rate in Argentina
Authors: Campos Luciano
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to estimate the impact of the 2000s commodity boom in the major Latin American economies.

Design/methodology/approach

The author used a structural vector autorregresive analysis where the selection of variables is conditional on a New Keynesian Model for a small open economy.

Findings

The evidence indicates that the Argentinean nominal exchange rate appreciated less while its output and inflation grew more than those of the other nations when subjected to commodity shocks. These results are interpreted as a more aggressive leaning-against-the-wind intervention by Argentina, probably to avoid the Dutch disease. Although the effects with regard to output were indeed stronger in Argentina, this was only at the expense of higher inflation and volatility suffered during the boom.

Originality/value

At the time of the writing of this paper, no work had evaluated Argentinean underperformace to the manner in which its exchange rate policy was handled in comparison with the rest of the region during the boom. This paper intends to fill this gap.
The efficiency of public employment services: a matching frontiers approach
Authors: Baños Jose F. , Rodriguez-Alvarez Ana , Suarez-Cano Patricia
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to model the efficiency of labour offices belonging to the public employment services (PESs) in Spain using a stochastic matching frontier approach.

Design/methodology/approach

With this aim in mind, the authors apply a random parameter model approach to control for observed and unobserved heterogeneity.

Findings

Results indicate that when the information criteria of the estimates are analysed, it improves by controlling both, observed and unobserved heterogeneity in the inefficiency term. Also, results suggest that counsellors improve the productivity of labour offices and that the share of unemployed skilled persons, unemployed persons aged 44 or younger, as well as the share of unemployed persons in the construction sector, all affect the technical efficiency of PESs offices.

Originality/value

The model extends the previous specifications in the matching literature that capture only observed heterogeneity. Moreover, as far as the authors know, it is the first paper that estimates a matching frontier for the Spanish case. Finally, the database they use is at the office level and includes the work carried out by counsellors, which is a novelty in the analysis of this type of studies at the Spanish level.
Usage of FEM for synthesis of dead-beat current controller for permanent magnet synchronous motor
Authors: Palka Ryszard , Piotuch Rafal
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Predictive controllers and permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) got more attention over the past decades thanks to their applicable features. This paper aims to propose and verify a method to design a predictive current controller with consideration of motor characteristics obtained from finite element analysis (FEA).

Design/methodology/approach

Permanent magnet motor parameters and its maps can be calculated by means of FEA. The model takes into account magnetic saturation and thermal electro-magnetic properties. For each dq current vector and each position, self and mutual inductances are calculated. Based on co-energy method and fundamentals of coordinate transformation dynamic and static, dq inductances are obtained. These are used in classical and modified dead-beat current controller equations.

Findings

To sustain good features of a controller over higher current regions, it is necessary to adapt control law of a dead-beat controller. After its modification, control quality can be superior over classical solution in high saturation regions. The transient simulations of controller and motor give accurate results.

Originality/value

Common predictive current controllers use nominal motor parameters in their equations. The authors proposed a modified dead-beat current controller to improve the control quality. There is no need to apply self-tuning algorithms, and implementation of the controller is not much more complicated than that of the classical controller. Designer of a control system can obtain required data from motor designer; in design process of modern machines such data are often already available. The proposed methodology increases control quality of the presented dead-beat controller.
Do SHRM and HPWS shape employees’ affective commitment and empowerment?
Authors: Para-González Lorena , Jiménez-Jiménez Daniel , Martínez-Lorente Ángel Rafael
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of affective commitment and empowerment as mediators in the relationship among high-performance work systems (HPWS) and organizational performance. Different inconsistencies found in the literature review shows the need to take into account certain mediating variables, such as employees’ behaviors and attitudes, to understand how human resource management (HRM) facilitates the achievement of organizational results.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 200 medium-sized Spanish organizations was examined through partial least squares modeling methodology.

Findings

As hypothesized, a proactive strategic HRM approach in an organization can be translated in a series of human resources practices systems of high-performance, which stimulate directly employees’ affective commitment and promote empowerment among them, getting to better results in employees’ performance and in organizational performance.

Originality/value

This research shows that affective commitment and empowerment play a determinant role as mediators in HPWS and performance relationship, providing a deeper understanding of the alignment of strategy and HRM practices for organizational success.
Disinformation and misinformation triangle
Authors: Rubin Victoria L.
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to treat disinformation and misinformation (intentionally deceptive and unintentionally inaccurate misleading information, respectively) as a socio-cultural technology-enabled epidemic in digital news, propagated via social media.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed disinformation and misinformation triangle is a conceptual model that identifies the three minimal causal factors occurring simultaneously to facilitate the spread of the epidemic at the societal level.

Findings

Following the epidemiological disease triangle model, the three interacting causal factors are translated into the digital news context: the virulent pathogens are falsifications, clickbait, satirical “fakes” and other deceptive or misleading news content; the susceptible hosts are information-overloaded, time-pressed news readers lacking media literacy skills; and the conducive environments are polluted poorly regulated social media platforms that propagate and encourage the spread of various “fakes.”

Originality/value

The three types of interventions – automation, education and regulation – are proposed as a set of holistic measures to reveal, and potentially control, predict and prevent further proliferation of the epidemic. Partial automated solutions with natural language processing, machine learning and various automated detection techniques are currently available, as exemplified here briefly. Automated solutions assist (but not replace) human judgments about whether news is truthful and credible. Information literacy efforts require further in-depth understanding of the phenomenon and interdisciplinary collaboration outside of the traditional library and information science, incorporating media studies, journalism, interpersonal psychology and communication perspectives.
Halal brand personality and brand loyalty among millennial modest fashion consumers in Malaysia
Authors: Zainudin Muhamad Izzuddin , Haji Hasan Faridah , Othman Abdul Kadir
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The growing competition in Malaysia’s modest fashion industry has proven to be the main challenge for the business to stay relevant in the market. Based on this reason, it is vital for marketers to create a differentiation in their brands to attract more customers. One of the ways to create this differentiation is by establishing brand personality. Brand personality does not only differentiate from one product to another but is also a common strategy used by marketers to create competitive advantage for their business. Although brand personality has been studied on various product brands, limited research has been done on Muslim products, especially modest fashion apparel. Because modest fashion is considered as Muslim products in Malaysia, this paper aims to examine the relationship between Halal brand personality and brand loyalty with the aim of providing a better understanding of the Islamic marketing concept.

Design/methodology/approach

Descriptive survey design was conducted to measure consumer behavior, attitude and perception within a specific period. A total of 400 respondents were identified for the study. Purposive sampling was chosen for this study because the respondents are expected to have same set of characteristics and perceptions toward the phenomena. Five-point Likert scale was used to assess consumers’ perception of the relationship between Halal brand personality and brand loyalty. Last but not least, SPSS software (Version 22.0) was used to analyze the data through multiple regression analysis.

Findings

The result indicated that only three out of five Halal brand personality dimensions have a significant relationship with brand loyalty. The three significant dimensions are excitement, sophistication and righteousness. It can be concluded that modest fashion brands need to include all of the three dimensions in their branding strategy.

Research limitations/implications

Two main limitations in this study is that it was conducted only in a stipulated period and it focused only on one generational cohort, which is millennial consumers.

Practical implications

This study provides new recommendations to the knowledge gap of brand personality introduced by Aaker (1997). It helps the marketers and researchers to understand the importance of emphasizing religious values in marketing Halal products to their consumers. This study further recognizes the relationship between Halal brand personality and brand loyalty, particularly with regard to millennial’s modest fashion consumption.

Originality/value

Brand personality has received levels of attention from academics and practitioners alike; however, there is a lack of research on Halal brand personality in marketing field, particularly on its relationship with brand loyalty. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study presents the first empirical test of the direct effect of Halal brand personality and how it drives millennial consumers’ brand loyalty.
Chronic disease treatment seeking and depression
Authors: Lorincz-Comi Noah , Bah Samba , Welser Howard T. , Maduka Jack
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of depression symptoms and their associated severity on reducing treatment sought for chronic medical conditions in respondents living in a low-/middle-income country.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this paper are provided by the national cross-sectional World Health Survey (2003) completed in Pakistan. The authors constructed two samples: one reporting an angina diagnosis (n=150) and another an arthritis diagnosis (n=176), each reporting two or more respective disease symptoms. Logistic regression models, after controlling for confounding variables, were performed to predict treatment received in the last two weeks for respondents’ respective disease.

Findings

In respondents with angina, depression severity significantly reduced the likelihood of angina treatment received in the two weeks before survey; depression treatment significantly increased this likelihood. In respondents with arthritis, no psychopathologic variables predicted arthritis treatment received.

Research limitations/implications

This paper works to elucidate the constructs underlying the heavy chronic disease burdens, we currently witness in low-/middle-income countries. As the authors’ design is cross-sectional, future research would benefit from using longitudinal designs to further investigate the relationship between these morbidities.

Practical implications

These findings encourage further collaboration between medical and mental health professionals to develop stratified treatment strategies, especially in potentially underdeveloped settings, such as Pakistan. This paper also encourages the development of policy intended to provide residents of Pakistan and countries in similar socioeconomic positions with more medical and psychiatric treatment services.

Originality/value

This paper is unique in identifying the relationship between these morbidities in a large, population-based sample of respondents from a low-/middle-income country, Pakistan.
Service user experiences of clinical psychology within an adult mental health service: an IPA study
Authors: Beattie Diane , Murphy Síle , Burke John , O’Connor Hester , Jamieson Sarah
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper, a qualitative study, is to explore service users’ experiences of attending clinical psychology within a public community adult mental health service.

Design/methodology/approach

Six individuals who had completed at least 16 sessions of psychotherapy participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Findings

The results showed the following overarching domains: the relationship and its impacts, structure and focus, and participant factors – timing/readiness. The importance of the use of language was also identified. Participants appeared to value a sense of humanity within the relationship. Interestingly, the personal impact of therapy as perceived by the participants was not focussed on symptom reduction, but on broader changes. The results are discussed in relation to the relevant literature.

Practical implications

Suggested principles for practice include maintaining attentiveness to relational factors, to client factors such as readiness for change and to the use of structure and flexibility. The use of recovery focussed and alliance measures are recommended.

Originality/value

For clinical psychologists providing psychotherapy within the public system, there are valuable lessons we can learn from asking the service users directly about their experiences, in terms of focussing on the human element of the relationship, and striking a balance between professionalism and humanity.