bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
13. Conventional Citizen Participation
Authors: McAllister Ian , White Stephen
Published: January 2019

This chapter examines the most visible and politically important act of conventional citizen participation: turning out to vote in a national election. Patterns of political participation are influenced by a variety of institutional factors, such as the type of electoral system and the number of political parties in a country, along with individual socioeconomic factors such as a person’s educational attainments or income. A particular problem in many previously authoritarian societies is the absence of a diverse civil society, so that the social trust upon which a healthy democracy depends is often absent. The chapter first considers various dimensions of political participation before discussing voter turnout in democratic countries. It then analyses the effects of institutional arrangements such as election rules, the type of electoral system, and the party system on political participation. Finally, it describes some of the factors that determine whether or not citizens participate in politics.
20. Latin America
Authors: Oelsner Andrea , Bain Mervyn
Published: January 2019

This chapter examines the main features of the undemocratic regimes that were in power in Latin America from the late 1960s, along with the democratization processes that followed since the 1980s. The nature of the non-democratic governments varied throughout the region, and consequently the types of transition and the quality of the resulting democracy varied as well. The chapter focuses on four cases that reflect these differences: Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela. For each country, the chapter reviews a number of dimensions that have been relevant in the democratization processes: the historical and international contexts, the role of economic factors, political culture and society, political parties and social movements, and the institutional challenges that still lie ahead.
24. Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Bratton Michael
Published: January 2019

This chapter examines efforts to introduce multi-party politics into Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1990s. It first considers regime changes in the region and shows that they result from the ‘conjuncture’ of various forces. Some of these forces are structural—such as the decline of African economies, the end of the Cold War—but political actors produce others, like incumbents’ concessions, opposition protests, and military withdrawals from politics. With reference to various African examples, the chapter emphasizes the important role played by certain structural conditions in transitions to democracy during the 1990s, but suggests that outcomes more often hinged on purposive political action. It also analyses the quality of resultant African regimes and concludes by identifying several fundamental constraints on further democratization including endemic poverty and weak states.
11. Normative Political Theory and the European Union
Authors: Bellamy Richard , Lacey Joseph
Published: January 2019

This chapter highlights the three main positions that have come to dominate the normative debate on the European Union: cosmopolitanism (premised on a social contract between individuals globally), statism (premised on a social contract between states), and, more recently, demoicracy (premised on a social contract between states and all their individual citizens). The main body of the chapter attempts to understand each of these normative perspectives, both as freestanding political theories and as they have been applied to the EU. Proponents of each view maintain that the EU embodies some of the principles that comprise their respective theories, but fall short in other regards. Using each of these three theories to evaluate the European response to the refugee crisis, which peaked in 2015, the authors of this chapter attempt to further illustrate the similarities and differences between them. Final reflections concern directions for future research on political theory and the EU.
12. Litmus Tests for European Integration Theories
Authors: Börzel Tanja A. , Risse Thomas
Published: January 2019

This chapter deals with two litmus tests for theories of European integration. The first part asks, how and to what extent various approaches can explain the contemporary crises of European integration. It thereby tackles the question of whether European integration theories might have biased EU scholars towards ignoring evidence for (dis-)integration. While being more optimistic about the state of the Union than many EU scholars are, the authors of this chapter argue for a more differentiated conceptualization of integration as a continuous variable that takes disintegration, rather than stagnation or no integration, as the opposite value of integration. The second part of the chapter examines to what extent European integration theories are able to shed light on experiences with regionalism across the globe. It argues that they do provide plausible accounts for the emergence of regionalism around the world. Comparing regions points to important scope conditions under which European integration theories operate. When it comes to outcomes, however, they need to be complemented by explanations emphasizing diffusion to clarify why and when states are more inclined to pool and delegate sovereignty in some regions than in others.
1. Introduction
Authors: Cini Michelle , Pérez-Solórzano Borragán Nieves
Published: January 2019

This chapter comprises a very brief introduction to European Union (EU) politics. It aims to help those students who are completely new to the EU by drawing attention to some general (background) information and context which helps to make sense of the chapters that follow. To that end the chapter begins by questioning whether the EU is ‘in crisis’. It goes on to reflect on what the EU is, why it was originally set up, who has and can join, who pays (and how much), what the EU does, and what role citizens play in the EU. The chapter ends by explaining how the book is organized.
5. Intergovernmentalism
Authors: Cini Michelle
Published: January 2019

This chapter provides an overview of intergovernmentalist integration theory, focusing particularly on the classical, liberal, and ‘new’ variants of intergovernmentalism. It first introduces the basic premises and assumptions of intergovernmentalism, identifying its realist underpinnings and the state-centrism that provides the core of the approach, before examining in more detail the specific characteristics of the classical approach associated with the work of Stanley Hoffmann. The subsequent section also examines some of the ways in which intergovernmentalist thinking has contributed to different conceptualizations of European integration. The topics covered in this section are: confederalism; the domestic politics approach; and institutional analyses that emphasize the ‘locked-in’ nature of nation states within the integration process. Next, the chapter provides an introduction to liberal intergovernmentalism, as developed by Andrew Moravcsik, which, since the mid-1990s, has become a focal point for intergovernmentalist research and addresses some of the criticisms of the liberal intergovernmentalist approach. The chapter ends by focusing on new intergovernmentalism, the most recent version of the intergovernmentalist approach.
16. Policy-making in the European Union
Authors: Best Edward
Published: January 2019

This chapter provides an overview of how policy is made in the European Union (EU), focusing on the main procedures involved and the varying roles of the EU institutions. It begins by describing the range of powers that have been given to the EU by the member states in different policy areas, and the multiple modes of governance that are involved. The concept of the policy cycle is used as a framework to explain the stages in EU law-making. The ordinary legislative procedure is presented in some detail, and a case study illustrates the whole cycle from problem definition to implementation. The roles of the institutions in other kinds of policy process are then presented. Policy coordination is explained, with particular attention to economic governance and the European Semester. Finally, the chapter looks at external relations and the common foreign and security policy.
21. The European Union’s Social Dimension
Authors: Falkner Gerda
Published: January 2019

This chapter looks at how European social policy has evolved since the late 1950s. It begins by reflecting on the intergovernmental character of the policy in the early days, and on how the gradual introduction of qualified majority voting (QMV) and the widening scope of the policy allowed the European institutions and interest groups a greater say in the EU’s social dimension. The chapter also looks at the fight against regional disparities and (youth) unemployment in EU cohesion policy, including the European Social Fund (ESF). Focusing on newer developments, later sections chart the arrival of the open method of coordination (OMC), a non-regulatory approach to European policy-making in this field, and the social partnership—that is, the involvement of interest groups representing employers and labour in making European-level social policy. The chapter concludes by arguing that social regulation has become more difficult since the accession of a large number of Central and East European (CEE) states, and because of the effects of the financial and economic crisis.
24. The Common Agricultural Policy
Authors: Fouilleux Ève , Ansaloni Matthieu
Published: January 2019

This chapter examines one of the first European policies, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It does so by focusing on the policy’s objectives, instruments, actors, and debates. It looks at the way in which the CAP has evolved since the 1960s, and attempts to explain this evolution by asking and answering a number of important questions: why has the CAP been so problematic for European policy-makers? Why has it proven so resistant to change? And, given the constraints identified, how has reform come about? This chapter also looks at some of the challenges facing agricultural policy, as new debates emerge among citizens on the place and the functions performed by agriculture. The chapter grants particular attention to rural development, and environmental, transparency, and equity issues.
28. The Future of the EU
Authors: Laffan Brigid
Published: January 2019

This chapter is structured around four scenarios on the future of the EU: ‘Disintegration’, ‘Piecemeal Adjustment’, ‘Functional Federalism’, and ‘A European Sovereignty’. The chapter argues that, although systemic disintegration is unlikely, there are disintegrative fissures in the EU arising from Brexit, the victories of secessionist movements in Catalonia, and heightened political volatility across the continent. The political battle concerning the future of the Union is a battle that cuts across all four scenarios. It is evident that disintegrative fissures cannot be ignored. ‘Piecemeal Adjustment’, the dominant response to the EU crisis and to events on Europe’s borders, continues to have resonance, as does ‘Functional Federalism’, defined as further integration but in specific fields. The fourth scenario, ‘a European Sovereignty’ has re-emerged on the political agenda with the election of French President Macron in May 2017. The discussion of the four scenarios is followed by a review of the external challenges bearing down on Europe and the Franco-German relationship as intervening factors that will shape any future scenario for the EU.
A federated EHR network data completeness tracking system
Authors: Estiri Hossein , Klann Jeffrey G , Weiler Sarah R , Alema-Mensah Ernest , Joseph Applegate R , Lozinski Galina , Patibandla Nandan , Wei Kun , Adams William G , Natter Marc D , Ofili Elizabeth O , Ostasiewski Brian , Quarshie Alexander , Rosenthal Gary E , Bernstam Elmer V , Mandl Kenneth D , Murphy Shawn N
Published: January 2019

Objective

The study sought to design, pilot, and evaluate a federated data completeness tracking system (CTX) for assessing completeness in research data extracted from electronic health record data across the Accessible Research Commons for Health (ARCH) Clinical Data Research Network.

Materials and Methods

The CTX applies a systems-based approach to design workflow and technology for assessing completeness across distributed electronic health record data repositories participating in a queryable, federated network. The CTX invokes 2 positive feedback loops that utilize open source tools (DQe-c and Vue) to integrate technology and human actors in a system geared for increasing capacity and taking action. A pilot implementation of the system involved 6 ARCH partner sites between January 2017 and May 2018.

Results

The ARCH CTX has enabled the network to monitor and, if needed, adjust its data management processes to maintain complete datasets for secondary use. The system allows the network and its partner sites to profile data completeness both at the network and partner site levels. Interactive visualizations presenting the current state of completeness in the context of the entire network as well as changes in completeness across time were valued among the CTX user base.

Discussion

Distributed clinical data networks are complex systems. Top-down approaches that solely rely on technology to report data completeness may be necessary but not sufficient for improving completeness (and quality) of data in large-scale clinical data networks. Improving and maintaining complete (high-quality) data in such complex environments entails sociotechnical systems that exploit technology and empower human actors to engage in the process of high-quality data curating.

Conclusions

The CTX has increased the network’s capacity to rapidly identify data completeness issues and empowered ARCH partner sites to get involved in improving the completeness of respective data in their repositories.
Misidentification of Burkholderia pseudomallei and Other Burkholderia Species From Pediatric Infections in Mexico
Authors: Meza-Radilla Georgina , Mendez-Canarios Ausel , Xicohtencatl-Cortes Juan , Escobedo-Guerra Marcos R , Torres Alfredo G , Ibarra J Antonio , Estrada-de los Santos Paulina
Published: January 2019

Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia cepacia complex are poorly studied in Mexico. The genotypic analysis of 38 strains isolated from children with pneumonia were identified and showed that both Burkholderia groups were present in patients. From our results, it is plausible to suggest that new species are among the analyzed strains.
Net charge of antibody complementarity-determining regions is a key predictor of specificity
Authors: Rabia Lilia A , Zhang Yulei , Ludwig Seth D , Julian Mark C , Tessier Peter M
Published: January 2019

Specificity is one of the most important and complex properties that is central to both natural antibody function and therapeutic antibody efficacy. However, it has proven extremely challenging to define robust guidelines for predicting antibody specificity. Here we evaluated the physicochemical determinants of antibody specificity for multiple panels of antibodies, including >100 clinical-stage antibodies. Surprisingly, we find that the theoretical net charge of the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) is a strong predictor of antibody specificity. Antibodies with positively charged CDRs have a much higher risk of low specificity than antibodies with negatively charged CDRs. Moreover, the charge of the entire set of six CDRs is a much better predictor of antibody specificity than the charge of individual CDRs, variable domains (VH or VL) or the entire variable fragment (Fv). The best indicators of antibody specificity in terms of CDR amino acid composition are reduced levels of arginine and lysine and increased levels of aspartic and glutamic acid. Interestingly, clinical-stage antibodies with negatively charged CDRs also have a lower risk for poor biophysical properties in general, including a reduced risk for high levels of self-association. These findings provide powerful guidelines for predicting antibody specificity and for identifying safe and potent antibody therapeutics.
Effect of ceftiofur cessation and substitution with lincomycin-spectinomycin on extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase/AmpC genes and multidrug resistance in E. coli from a Canadian broiler production pyramid
Authors: Verrette L. , Fairbrother J. M. , Boulianne M.
Published: January 2019

Ceftiofur, a cephalosporin antimicrobial, was used systematically in Canadian hatcheries for many years to prevent early mortality in chicks leading to a high prevalence of cephalosporin resistance in Escherichia coli in chickens. Preventive use of ceftiofur in hatcheries ceased in 2014. We examined the effect of ceftiofur cessation and replacement with lincomycin-spectinomycin at the hatchery on the proportion of E. coli positive for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC β-lactamase related genes, and on the multidrug resistance profiles of ESBL/AmpC positive E. coli in broilers and their associated breeders, at one year post-cessation. For indicator E. coli from non-enriched media, a significant decrease post-cessation in the proportion of samples harboring E. coli isolates positive for blaCMY-2 and/or blaCTX-M was observed. In contrast, following enrichment in medium containing ceftriaxone (1mg/L) to facilitate recovery of ESBL/AmpC β-lactamase producing E. coli colonies, both pre- and post-cessation, 99% of the samples harbored E. coli positive for blaCMY-2 or blaCTX-M. Flocks receiving lincomycin-spectinomycin after cessation of ceftiofur showed a significantly greater non-susceptibility to aminoglycoside, folate inhibitor, phenicol, tetracycline and possible extensively drug resistant E. coli compared to those receiving ceftiofur or no antimicrobial at hatchery. This study clearly demonstrates an initial decrease in ESBL/AmpC positive E. coli following the cessation of ceftiofur in hatchery but an increase in multidrug resistant E. coli following replacement with lincomycin-spectinomycin.

Importance

Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem. The antimicrobial ceftiofur has been used worldwide for disease prevention in poultry production resulting in a greatly increased resistance to this antimicrobial important in poultry and human medicine. Our study examines the impact of ceftiofur cessation and its replacement with the antimicrobial combination lincomycin-spectinomycin, a common practice in the industry. Our study demonstrated a decrease in ceftiofur resistance after the cessation of its use, although the resistance genes remain ubiquitous in all phases of poultry production, showing that poultry remains a reservoir for ceftiofur resistance and requiring continued vigilance. We also observed a decrease in multidrug resistance after cessation of ceftiofur although the contrary finding following use of lincomycin-spectinomycin indicates that the use of these antimicrobials should be questioned. Reduced resistance to ceftiofur in poultry may translate to better treatment efficacy, decreased morbidity, mortality, duration and cost of hospitalization in humans.
Fear contagion in zebrafish: a behaviour affected by familiarity
Authors: Silva Priscila Fernandes , de Leaniz Carlos Garcia , Luchiari Ana Carolina
Published: January 2019

Emotional contagion has recently been described in fish but whether it is affected by familiarity is not known. We tested whether the sight of a distressed conspecific elicited fear in zebrafish, and whether this was modulated by familiarity. Groups of six zebrafish were housed together in the same tanks for 7 days to create familiar conditions. The behaviour of individual fish was then recorded in paired tanks within sight of either a familiar or an unfamiliar individual, before and after distilled water or an alarm substance was added to the demonstrator, but not to the observer. As expected, addition of distilled water did not elicit any behavioural change in either the demonstrator or the observer. However, addition of an alarm cue triggered anti-predatory behaviours in the demonstrator which caused the expression of anti-predatory behaviours in the observer, suggesting the existence of fear contagion. Furthermore, the extent of fear contagion was affected by familiarity, and observers were more active, swam closer to the bottom and further away from the demonstrator when they watched a distressed familiar neighbour than when they watched an unfamiliar fish. Our results have implications for fish welfare because they show that fish can become stressed by simply watching others become stressed. They also have implications for experimental design because fish housed in separate tanks cannot be assumed to be statistically independent if they can eavesdrop on their neighbours.
Progressive domain segregation in early embryonic development and underlying correlation to genetic and epigenetic changes
Authors: Quan Hui , Tian Hao , Liu Sirui , Xue Yue , Zhang Yu , Xie Wei , Gao Yi Qin
Published: January 2019

Chromatin undergoes drastic structural organization and epigenetic reprogramming during embryonic development. We present here a consistent view of the chromatin structural change, epigenetic reprogramming and the corresponding sequence dependence in both mouse and human embryo development. The two types of domains, identified earlier as forests and prairies, become spatially segregated during embryonic development, with the exception of zygotic genome activation (ZGA) and implantation, at which notable domain mixing occurs. Structural segregation largely coincides with DNA methylation and gene expression changes. Genes located in mixed prairie domains show proliferation and ectoderm differentiation-related function in ZGA and implantation, respectively. Chromatin of ectoderm shows the weakest and endoderm the strongest domain segregation in germ layers. This chromatin structure difference between different germ layers generally enlarges in further differentiation. The systematic chromatin structure establishment and its sequence-based segregation strongly suggest DNA sequence as a possible driving force for the establishment of chromatin 3D structures which affect profoundly the expression profile. Other possible factors correlated with/influencing chromatin structures, including temperature, germ layers, and cell cycle, were discussed for an understanding of concerted chromatin structure and epigenetic changes in development.
Smoking and the risk for bipolar disorder: causal evidence from a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Vermeulen Jentien , Wootton Robyn , Treur Jorien , Sallis Hannah , Jones Hannah , Zammit Stanley , van den Brink Wim , Goodwin Guy , de Haan Lieuwe , Munafo Marcus
Published: January 2019

There is increasing evidence that smoking is a risk factor for severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder. Conversely, patients with bipolar disorder might smoke more (often) as a result of the psychiatric disorder. We aimed to investigate the direction and causal nature of the relationship between smoking and bipolar disorder we conducted a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Publicly available summary statistics from genome-wide association studies on bipolar disorder, smoking initiation, smoking heaviness, smoking cessation and lifetime smoking (i.e., a compound measure of heaviness, duration and cessation). We applied multiple analytical methods with different, orthogonal assumptions to triangulate results, including inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger or Egger SIMEX, weighted median, weighted mode, and Steiger filtered analyses. Across different methods of MR, consistent evidence was found for a positive effect of smoking on the odds of bipolar disorder (smoking initiation ORIVW=1.46, 95% CI=1.28-1.66, P=1.44x10-8, lifetime smoking ORIVW=1.72, 95% CI=1.29-2.28, P=1.8x10-4). The MR analyses of the liability of bipolar disorder on smoking provided no clear evidence of a strong causal effect (smoking heaviness betaIVW=0.028, 95% CI= 0.003-0.053, P=2.9x10-2). These findings suggest that smoking initiation and lifetime smoking are likely to be a causal risk factor for developing bipolar disorder. We found some evidence that liability to bipolar disorder increased smoking heaviness. Given that smoking is a modifiable risk factor, these findings further support investment into smoking prevention and treatment in order to reduce mental health problems in future generations.
The effects of aging on neural signatures of temporal regularity processing in sounds
Authors: Herrmann Björn , Buckland Chad , Johnsrude Ingrid S.
Published: January 2019

Sensitivity to temporal regularity (e.g., amplitude modulation) is crucial for speech perception. Degradation of the auditory periphery due to aging and hearing loss may lead to an increased response gain in auditory cortex, with potential consequences for the processing of temporal regularities. We used electroencephalography recorded from younger (18–33 years) and older (55–80 years) adults to investigate how aging affects neural gain and the neural sensitivity to amplitude modulation in sounds. Aging was associated with reduced adaptation in auditory cortex, suggesting an age-related gain increase. Consistently, neural synchronization in auditory cortex to a 4-Hz amplitude modulation of a narrow-band noise was enhanced in ~30% of older individuals. Despite enhanced responsivity in auditory cortex, sustained neural activity (likely involving auditory and higher-order brain regions) in response to amplitude modulation was absent in older people. Hence, aging may lead to an over-responsivity to amplitude modulation in auditory cortex, but to a diminished regularity representation in higher-order areas.
Induction of an alternative 5’ leader enhances translation of Inpp5e and resistance to oncolytic virus infection
Authors: Hoang Huy-Dung , Graber Tyson E. , Jia Jian-Jun , Vaidya Nasana , Gilchrist Victoria , Li Wencheng , Gkogkas Christos G. , Jaramillo Maritza , Jafarnejad Seyed Mehdi , Alain Tommy
Published: January 2019

Residual cell-intrinsic innate immunity in cancer cells hampers infection with oncolytic viruses. mRNA translation is an important component of innate immunity, yet the targeted cellular mRNAs remain ill-defined. We characterized the translatome of resistant murine “4T1” breast cancer cells infected with three of the most clinically advanced oncolytic viruses: Herpes Simplex virus 1, Reovirus and Vaccinia virus. Common among all three infections were translationally de-repressed mRNAs involved in ciliary homeostasis including Inpp5e, encoding an inositol 5-phosphatase that modifies lipid second messenger signalling. Translationally repressed in the uninfected condition, viral infection induced expression of an Inpp5e mRNA variant that lacks repressive upstream open reading frames (uORFs) within its 5’ leader and is consequently efficiently translated. Furthermore, we show that INPP5E contributes to antiviral immunity by altering virus attachment. These findings uncover a role for translational control through alternative 5’ leader expression and assign ciliary proteins such as INPP5E to the cellular antiviral response.
Mosquito and primate ecology predict human risk of yellow fever virus spillover in Brazil
Authors: Childs Marissa L. , Nova Nicole , Colvin Justine , Mordecai Erin A.
Published: January 2019

Many (re)emerging infectious diseases in humans arise from pathogen spillover from wildlife or livestock, and accurately predicting pathogen spillover is an important public health goal. In the Americas, yellow fever in humans primarily occurs following spillover from non-human primates via mosquitoes. Predicting yellow fever spillover can improve public health responses through vector control and mass vaccination. Here, we develop and test a mechanistic model of pathogen spillover to predict human risk for yellow fever in Brazil. This environmental risk model, based on the ecology of mosquito vectors and non-human primate hosts, distinguished municipality-months with yellow fever spillover from 2001 to 2016 with high accuracy (AUC = 0.72). Incorporating hypothesized cyclical dynamics of infected primates improved accuracy (AUC = 0.79). Using boosted regression trees to identify gaps in the mechanistic model, we found that important predictors include current and one-month lagged environmental risk, vaccine coverage, population density, temperature, and precipitation. More broadly, we show that for a widespread human viral pathogen, the ecological interactions between environment, vectors, reservoir hosts, and humans can predict spillover with surprising accuracy, suggesting the potential to improve preventative action to reduce yellow fever spillover and prevent onward epidemics in humans.
How macroecology affects macroevolution: the interplay between extinction intensity and trait-dependent extinction in brachiopods
Authors: Smits Peter D.
Published: January 2019

Selection is the force behind differences in fitness, with extinction being the most extreme example of selection. Modern experiments and observations have shown that average fitness and selection strength can vary over time and space. This begs the question: as average fitness increases, does selection strength increase or decrease? The fossil record illustrates how extinction rates have varied through time, with periods of both rapid and slow species turnover. Using Paleozoic brachiopods as a study system, I developed a model to understand how the average taxon duration (i.e. fitness) varies over time, to estimate trait-based differences in taxon durations (i.e. selection), and to measure the amount of correlation between taxon fitness and selection. I find evidence for when extinction intensity increases, selection strength on geographic range also increases. I also find strong evidence for a non-linear relationship between environmental preference for epicontinental versus open-ocean environments and expected taxon duration, where taxa with intermediate preferences are expected to have greater durations than environmental specialists. Finally, I find that taxa which appear more frequently in epicontinental environments will have a greater expected duration than those taxa which prefer open-ocean environments. My analysis supports the conclusions that as extinction intensity increases and average fitness decreases, as happens during a mass extinction, the trait-associated differences in fitness would increase. In contrast, during periods of low extinction intensity when fitness is greater than average, my model predicts that selection associated with geographic range and environmental preference would decrease and be less than average.
Usiigaci: Instance-aware cell tracking in stain-free phase contrast microscopy enabled by machine learning
Authors: Tsai Hsieh-Fu , Gajda Joanna , Sloan Tyler F.W. , Rares Andrei , Shen Amy Q.
Published: January 2019

Stain-free, single-cell segmentation and tracking is tantamount to the holy grail of microscopic cell migration analysis. Phase contrast microscopy (PCM) images with cells at high density are notoriously difficult to segment accurately; thus, manual segmentation remains the de facto standard practice. In this work, we introduce Usiigaci, an all-in-one, semi-automated pipeline to segment, track, and visualize cell movement and morphological changes in PCM. Stain-free, instance-aware segmentation is accomplished using a mask regional convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN). A Trackpy-based cell tracker with a graphical user interface is developed for cell tracking and data verification. The performance of Usiigaci is validated with electrotaxis of NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. Usiigaci provides highly accurate cell movement and morphological information for quantitative cell migration analysis.
The Prrx1 limb enhancer marks an adult population of injury-responsive dermal fibroblasts
Authors: Currie Joshua D. , Grosser Lidia , Murawala Prayag , Schuez Maritta , Michel Martin , Tanaka Elly M. , Sandoval-Guzmán Tatiana
Published: January 2019

The heterogeneous properties of dermal cell populations have been posited to contribute toward fibrotic, imperfect wound healing in mammals. Here we characterize an adult population of dermal fibroblasts that maintain an active Prrx1 enhancer which originally marked mesenchymal limb progenitors. In contrast to their abundance in limb development, postnatal Prrx1 enhancer-positive cells (Prrx1enh+) make up a small subset of adult dermal cells (∼0.2%) and reside mainly within dermal perivascular and hair follicle niches. Lineage tracing of adult Prrx1enh+ cells shows that they remain in their niches and in small number over a long period of time. Upon injury however, Prrx1enh+ cells readily migrate into the wound bed and amplify on average 16-fold beyond their uninjured numbers. Additionally, following wounding dermal Prrx1enh+ cells are found out of their dermal niches and contribute to subcutaneous tissue. Postnatal Prrx1enh+ cells are uniquely injury-responsive despite being a meager minority in the adult skin.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of (E)-1-[2,2-dichloro-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]-2-(4-fluorophenyl)diazene
Authors: Atioğlu Zeliha , Akkurt Mehmet , Shikhaliyev Namiq Q. , Suleymanova Gulnar T. , Bagirova Khanim N. , Toze Flavien A. A.
Published: January 2019

In the title compound, C14H8Cl2FN3O2, the 4-fluorophenyl ring and the nitro-substituted benzene ring form a dihedral angle of 63.29 (8)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds into chains running parallel to the c axis. The crystal packing is further stabilized by C—Cl...π, C—F...π and N—O...π interactions. The Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H...O/O...H (15.5%), H...H (15.3%), Cl...H/H...Cl (13.8%), C...H/H...C (9.5%) and F...H/H...F (8.2%) interactions.
Human competences for sustainable strategic management: evidence from Brazil
Authors: Galleli Barbara , Hourneaux Junior Flavio
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how human competences are associated with sustainable strategic management (SSM) within organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative study in two phases: first, a theoretical phase is developed, resulting in a proposal for the role of human competences in organisational sustainability; second, an empirical phase including instrumental case studies of two large, sustainability-oriented Brazilian companies. Data were obtained from interviews and companies’ reports. The authors used Atlas.ti software to perform the thematic content analysis.

Findings

Despite the importance of human competences in SSM, the authors find evidence that this concept has not been developed, even for companies with a consolidated position in sustainability. Human competences are a requirement for effective SSM.

Research limitations/implications

Coexisting elements within an organisation, often referred to as elements of organisational and human behaviour, can influence the dynamics of the expected interrelationships between human competences and sustainability management, in addition to the influencing factors presented in this study.

Originality/value

In general, studies advocate that the relationships among organisational competences, human competences and organisational strategies must be aligned and reinforced. Nevertheless, these relationships are not that solid as they should be as stated in both the literature and the conventional discourse of practitioners.
Indoor mobile robot localization in dynamic and cluttered environments using artificial landmarks
Authors: Shamsfakhr Farhad , Sadeghi Bigham Bahram , Mohammadi Amirreza
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Robot localization in dynamic, cluttered environments is a challenging problem because it is impractical to have enough knowledge to be able to accurately model the robot’s environment in such a manner. This study aims to develop a novel probabilistic method equipped with function approximation techniques which is able to appropriately model the data distribution in Markov localization by using the maximum statistical power, thereby making a sensibly accurate estimation of robot’s pose in extremely dynamic, cluttered indoors environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The parameter vector of the statistical model is in the form of positions of easily detectable artificial landmarks in omnidirectional images. First, using probabilistic principal component analysis, the most likely set of parameters of the environmental model are extracted from the sensor data set consisting of missing values. Next, we use these parameters to approximate a probability density function, using support vector regression that is able to calculate the robot’s pose vector in each state of the Markov localization. At the end, using this density function, a good approximation of conditional density associated with the observation model is made which leads to a sensibly accurate estimation of robot’s pose in extremely dynamic, cluttered indoors environment.

Findings

The authors validate their method in an indoor office environment with 34 unique artificial landmarks. Further, they show that the accuracy remains high, even when they significantly increase the dynamics of the environment. They also show that compared to those appearance-based localization methods that rely on image pixels, the proposed localization strategy is superior in terms of accuracy and speed of convergence to a global minima.

Originality/value

By using easily detectable, and rotation, scale invariant artificial landmarks and the maximum statistical power which is provided through the concept of missing data, the authors have succeeded in determining precise pose updates without requiring too many computational resources to analyze the omnidirectional images. In addition, the proposed approach significantly reduces the risk of getting stuck in a local minimum by eliminating the possibility of having similar states.
Does franchising reduce geographically diversified restaurant firms’ risk?
Authors: Song Sujin , Park Sungbeen , Lee Seoki
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This study aims to examine how geographic diversification affects firms’ risk by introducing the franchising strategy as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

The panel regression analysis was conducted with a sample of US restaurant firms. Specifically, a two-way random (or fixed) effects model clustered by firm was used to test hypotheses.

Findings

Findings show that geographic diversification does not significantly affect restaurant firms’ risk. However, franchising aggravates the negative effect of geographic diversification on restaurant firms’ risk, which contradicts the traditional theories of franchising.

Research limitations/implications

The results are expected to contribute to the diversification literature in the hospitality management by providing in-depth evidence for the effects of geographic diversification strategies on firms’ risk. Specifically, the study provides relevant theories for explaining the effect of geographic diversification in the restaurant context by examining franchising, a prominent strategy in the restaurant industry.

Practical implications

The results encourage restaurant firms to improve their managerial capability to react to changes in a geographically wider scope of markets and develop franchising contracts specifically to prevent misbehavior and moral hazard on the part of franchisees.

Originality/value

Considering the lack of research on the effect of geographic diversification on restaurant firms’ risk, this study examines not only the link between geographic diversification and firms’ risk but also a contingent factor, franchising.
Examining stealing thunder as a new service recovery strategy: impact on customer loyalty
Authors: Guchait Priyanko , Han Rachel , Wang Xingyu , Abbott JéAnna , Liu Yetong
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how stealing thunder, apology and compensation influence customer loyalty in a service failure context, and how trust mediates these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a scenario-based between-group experimental design involving 300 customers.

Findings

The results indicated that stealing thunder, apology and compensation have a joint effect on customer loyalty. Specifically, this study found a significant positive impact of stealing thunder on loyalty; a two-way interaction effect of compensation and stealing thunder on loyalty; and a three-way interaction effect on loyalty. Additionally, trust mediated the relationship between service recovery attributes (stealing thunder, apology and compensation) and customer loyalty.

Originality/value

This study introduces a new service recovery method called Stealing Thunder, which is commonly used in the fields of law and communication and is the first to assess stealing thunder as a proactive/preemptive strategy to handle service failures and its impact on customer loyalty. The study found that when stealing thunder was present, compensation had no influence on customer loyalty. Moreover, when stealing thunder was present, compensation had no impact on loyalty when apology was not present. However, compensation had a significant effect on loyalty when stealing thunder and apology were not present. This study finds the value of including proactive/preemptive strategies (stealing thunder) along with regular service recovery strategies (e.g. apology and compensation) in the service recovery process. Results show that service recoveries that include stealing thunder help service failure recovery significantly by increasing customer’s trust.
Critical success factors in ERP upgrade projects
Authors: Barth Christian , Koch Stefan
Published: January 2019

Purpose

In the last years the penetration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems within small, medium and large organizations increased steadily. Organizations are forced to adapt their systems and perform ERP upgrades in order to react to rapidly changing business environments, technological enhancements and rising pressure of competition. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the critical success factors for such projects.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a literature review and qualitative interviews with CEOs, CIOs, ERP consultants and project managers who recently carried out ERP upgrade projects in their respective organizations.

Findings

This paper identifies 14 critical success factors for ERP upgrade projects. Amongst others, effective project management, external support, the composition of the ERP team and the usage of a multiple system landscape play a key role for the success of the ERP upgrade. Furthermore, a comparison to the critical success factors for ERP implementation projects was conducted, and even though there are many similarities between these types of projects, several differences emerged.

Originality/value

ERP upgrade projects have a huge impact on organizations, but their success and antecedents for it are currently under-researched.
“The future of an illusion”: a paradoxes of CSR
Authors: González-González José María , Bretones Francisco D. , González-Martínez Rocío , Francés-Gómez Pedro
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychological strategies as well as the rhetorical and discursive arguments developed in organizations and by individuals when they have to cope with the paradoxes and changes related to CSR.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the perspective of the paradox as an analytical framework to parse strategies developed in organizations as they cope with tensions and changes related to CSR. The authors conducted 50 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and the authors performed a qualitative analysis with the information compiled.

Findings

The main strategies for dealing with CSR paradoxes and changes consist of developing perceptual and motivational biases as well as explicative heuristic ones through which, from a discursive perspective, a coherent and conciliatory framework is presented with rhetoric that play a fundamental role in justifying CSR as a present hope over a future illusion regardless of the past reality.

Originality/value

The lesson to be drawn from the exploration is the following: managers and CSR officers need to leave behind fear, anxiety and defensive attitudes and accept the paradox by re-contextualizing the tension as a stimulus for conscious and reflexive confrontation with emotional equilibrium, this being defiantly motivating as a sensemaker. In this way, the approach to the present inconsistencies in CSR should not involve a dismissal of conflictive situations but rather the development of the capacity to transcend the tension emanating from them and to learn to manage organizations from this paradoxical reality.
A thirst for the authentic: craft drinks producers and the narration of authenticity
Authors: Thurnell‐Read Thomas
Published: January 2019

There is a long academic tradition which positions the desire for authenticity as emerging as a symptom of dissatisfactions with modernity. Most recently, this has involved consumption of products that are valued for being authentic in contrast to mass produced commodities which are seen as being homogeneous, standardized and therefore inauthentic. A recent resurgence in interest in the idea of craft and craftwork has brought to the fore concerns about re‐establishing connections between products, consumers and producers beyond rational market exchange. This research draws on interviews with 40 craft brewery and distillery workers to explore the ways in which authenticity is narrated as part of an ongoing effort to add value to their products and the contexts of their production. The article identifies sixmodes of authenticitywhich are drawn on in combination by participants to establish a narrative of authenticity. This is understood to be a clear illustration of the ‘enrichment process’ by which post‐industrial economies manufacture value. A central element of craft drink producers’ work is the marshalling of cultural value and engaging in communicative and performative acts that ascribe that value to products and the people involved in making them.
Why the Global Energy Transition Does Not Mean the End of the Petrostate
Authors: Goldthau Andreas , Westphal Kirsten
Published: January 2019

The world going low carbon is believed to put an end to petrostates, and to force incumbent oil producers to diversify their economies away from fossil fuels. This article challenges this assumption. Whether petrostates are in for the long game or end up with a ‘panic and pump’ strategy, it is argued, is a function of the lifting costs and the social costs of producing oil. What is more, the low‐carbon energy transition may well throw petrostates an additional lifeline, as fast decarbonizing OECD countries will shed some of their most energy‐intensive sectors, including refineries and petrochemicals, which opens up new export opportunities. Particularly for Middle Eastern petrostates it may therefore be very rational to further specialize in the high‐carbon segment. The policy challenge, therefore, will be twofold: managing a rapidly changing energy system in order to secure the transformation dividends it will bring, for human security and economic welfare; and balancing the (geo) political after pains of the incumbent fuels leaving the system.