bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The rehabilitation of irreversible processes and dissipative structures’ 50th anniversary
Authors: Lefever René
Published: June 2018

In 2017, Ilya Prigogine would have been 100 years of age. As for any human being, this centenary is a notable event. For him, as a scientist, 2017 was also above all the 50th anniversary of
dissipative structures
. It was indeed in 1967 that for the first time he used this denomination at the occasion of an important scientific event and in publications. The attribution of this qualification for self-organized behaviours of matter only possible far from equilibrium coincided with the outcome of a research effort of more than 25 years. Centred in thermodynamics and statistical physics on the role played by irreversible processes in the physical evolution of matter, the aim of this research is clear from the outset of his scientific career. With visionary personal intuition and iron-willed determination, it was pursued. The road to success had been long and sinuous, but finally it led to what he called the
rehabilitation of irreversible processes
. The progresses that stand out as major landmarks of this endeavour that imposed a U-turn with respect to conceptions of classical physics deeply rooted since the nineteenth century will be described. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (Part 1)’.
Topological three-dimensional dissipative optical solitons
Authors: Veretenov N. A. , Fedorov S. V. , Rosanov N. N.
Published: June 2018

This article presents a review of recent investigations of topological three-dimensional (3D) dissipative optical solitons in homogeneous laser media with fast nonlinearity of amplification and absorption. The solitons are found numerically, with their formation, by embedding two-dimensional laser solitons or their complexes in 3D space after their rotation around a vortex straight line with their simultaneous twist. After a transient, the ‘hula-hoop’ solitons can form with a number of closed and unclosed infinite vortex lines, i.e. the solitons are tangles in topological notation. They are attractors and are characterized by extreme stability. The solitons presented here can be realized in lasers with fast saturable absorption and are promising for information applications. The tangle solitons of the type described present an example of self-organization that can be found not only in optics but also in various distributed dissipative systems of different types.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)’.
𝒫𝒯-symmetric and antisymmetric nonlinear states in a split potential box
Authors: Chen Zhaopin , Li Yongyao , Malomed Boris A.
Published: June 2018

We introduce a one-dimensional

-symmetric system, which includes the cubic self-focusing, a double-well potential in the form of an infinitely deep potential box split in the middle by a delta-functional barrier of an effective height
ε
, and constant linear gain and loss,
γ
, in each half-box. The system may be readily realized in microwave photonics. Using numerical methods, we construct

-symmetric and antisymmetric modes, which represent, respectively, the system’s ground state and first excited state, and identify their stability. Their instability mainly leads to blowup, except for the case of
ε
=0, when an unstable symmetric mode transforms into a weakly oscillating breather, and an unstable antisymmetric mode relaxes into a stable symmetric one. At
ε
>0, the stability area is much larger for the

-antisymmetric state than for its symmetric counterpart. The stability areas shrink with increase of the total power,
P
. In the linear limit, which corresponds to

, the stability boundary is found in an analytical form. The stability area of the antisymmetric state originally expands with the growth of
γ
, and then disappears at a critical value of
γ
.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)’.
Dissipative structures in biological systems: bistability, oscillations, spatial patterns and waves
Authors: Goldbeter Albert
Published: June 2018

The goal of this review article is to assess how relevant is the concept of dissipative structure for understanding the dynamical bases of non-equilibrium self-organization in biological systems, and to see where it has been applied in the five decades since it was initially proposed by Ilya Prigogine. Dissipative structures can be classified into four types, which will be considered, in turn, and illustrated by biological examples: (i) multistability, in the form of bistability and tristability, which involve the coexistence of two or three stable steady states, or in the form of birhythmicity, which involves the coexistence between two stable rhythms; (ii) temporal dissipative structures in the form of sustained oscillations, illustrated by biological rhythms; (iii) spatial dissipative structures, known as Turing patterns; and (iv) spatio-temporal structures in the form of propagating waves. Rhythms occur with widely different periods at all levels of biological organization, from neural, cardiac and metabolic oscillations to circadian clocks and the cell cycle; they play key roles in physiology and in many disorders. New rhythms are being uncovered while artificial ones are produced by synthetic biology. Rhythms provide the richest source of examples of dissipative structures in biological systems. Bistability has been observed experimentally, but has primarily been investigated in theoretical models in an increasingly wide range of biological contexts, from the genetic to the cell and animal population levels, both in physiological conditions and in disease. Bistable transitions have been implicated in the progression between the different phases of the cell cycle and, more generally, in the process of cell fate specification in the developing embryo. Turing patterns are exemplified by the formation of some periodic structures in the course of development and by skin stripe patterns in animals. Spatio-temporal patterns in the form of propagating waves are observed within cells as well as in intercellular communication. This review illustrates how dissipative structures of all sorts abound in biological systems.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)’.
Optical solitons in media with focusing and defocusing saturable nonlinearity and a parity-time-symmetric external potential
Authors: Li Pengfei , Mihalache Dumitru , Malomed Boris A.
Published: June 2018

We report results for solitons in models of waveguides with focusing or defocusing saturable nonlinearity and a parity-time (

)-symmetric complex-valued external potential of the Scarf-II type. The model applies to the nonlinear wave propagation in graded-index optical waveguides with balanced gain and loss. We find both fundamental and multipole solitons for both focusing and defocusing signs of the saturable nonlinearity in such

-symmetric waveguides. The dependence of the propagation constant on the soliton’s power is presented for different strengths of the nonlinearity saturation,
S
. The stability of fundamental, dipole, tripole and quadrupole solitons is investigated by means of the linear-stability analysis and direct numerical simulations of the corresponding (1+1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger-type equation. The results show that the instability of the stationary solutions can be mitigated or completely suppressed, increasing the value of
S
.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)’.
Early models of chemical oscillations failed to provide bounded solutions
Authors: Erneux Thomas
Published: June 2018

Before the development of the Brusselator, the Sel’kov and Turing models were considered as possible prototype models of chemical oscillations. We first analyse their Hopf bifurcation branches and show that they become vertical past a critical value of the control parameter. We explain this phenomenon by the emergence of canard orbits. Second, we analyse all solutions in the phase plane and show that some initial conditions lead to unbounded trajectories even if there exists a locally stable attractor. Our findings mathematically explain why these too simple two-variable models fail to account for the emergence of chemical oscillations. They support the conclusion that the Brusselator is the first minimal two-variable model explaining the onset of stable oscillations in a way fully compatible with thermodynamics and the law of mass action.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)’.
A taxonomy of optical dissipative structures in whispering-gallery mode resonators with Kerr nonlinearity
Authors: Balakireva Irina V. , Chembo Yanne K.
Published: June 2018

In this paper, the research related to the formation of optical dissipative structures in Kerr-nonlinear whispering-gallery mode resonators pumped with continuous-wave lasers is reviewed. Pattern formation in these systems can be analysed using the paradigmatic Lugiato–Lefever model, which is a partial differential equation ruling the dynamics of the intra-cavity laser field. Various dissipative structures such as Turing rolls, solitons, breathers and spatio-temporal chaos can emerge in the resonator depending on the laser power and frequency. The bifurcation analysis enables a classification of these patterns, and also permits identification of their basins of attraction.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)’.
Reducing nonlinear dynamical systems to canonical forms
Authors: Brenig Léon
Published: June 2018

A global framework for treating nonlinear differential dynamical systems is presented. It rests on the fact that most systems can be transformed into the quasi-polynomial format. Any system in this format belongs to an infinite equivalence class characterized by two canonical forms, the Lotka–Volterra (LV) and the monomial systems. Both forms allow for finding total or partial integrability conditions, invariants and dimension reductions of the original systems. The LV form also provides Lyapunov functions and systematic tools for stability analysis. An abstract Lie algebra is shown to underlie the whole formalism. This abstract algebra can be expressed in several realizations among which are the bosonic creation–destruction operators. One of these representations allows one to obtain the analytic form of the general coefficient of the Taylor series representing the solution of the original system. This generates a new class of special functions that are solutions of these nonlinear dynamical systems. From the monomial canonical form, one can prove an equivalence relationship between urn processes and dynamical systems. This establishes a new link between nonlinear dynamics and stochastic processes.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)’.
Role of biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance genes PA0756-0757, PA5033 and PA2070 inPseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Manohar Prasanth , Shanthini Thamaraiselvan , Philip Reethu Ann , Ramkumar Subramani , Kale Manali , Ramesh Nachimuthu
Published: June 2018

To evaluate the presence of biofilm-specific antibiotic-resistant genes, PA0756-0757, PA5033 and PA2070 inPseudomonas aeruginosaisolated from clinical samples in Tamil Nadu. For this cross-sectional study, 24 clinical isolates (included pus, urine, wound, and blood) were collected from two diagnostic centers in Chennai from May 2015 to February 2016. Biofilm formation was assessed using microtiter dish biofilm formation assay and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were determined for planktonic and biofilm cells (MBC assay). Further, PCR amplification of biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance genes PA0756-0757, PA5033 and PA2070 were performed. Biofilm formation was found to be moderate/strong in 16 strains. MBC for planktonic cells showed that 4, 7, 10 and 14 strains were susceptible to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, meropenem and colistin respectively. In MBC assay for biofilm cells (MBC-B), all the 16 biofilm producing strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin and gentamicin whereas nine and four were resistant to meropenem, and colistin respectively. The biofilm-specific antibiotic-resistant genes PA0756-0757 was found in 10 strains, 6 strains with PA5033 and 9 strains with PA2070 that were found to be resistant phenotypically. This study highlighted the importance of biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance genes PA0756-0757, PA5033, and PA2070 in biofilm-formingP. aeruginosa.
Topconfects: a package for confident effect sizes in differential expression analysis provides improved usability ranking genes of interest
Authors: Harrison Paul F. , Pattison Andrew D. , Powell David R. , Beilharz Traude H.
Published: June 2018

Background

A differential gene expression analysis may produce a set of significantly differentially expressed genes that is too large to easily investigate, so that a means of ranking genes by their biological interest level is desirable. The life-sciences have grappled with the abuse of p-values to rank genes for this purpose. As an alternative, a lower confidence bound on the magnitude of Log Fold Change (LFC) could be used to rank genes, but it has been unclear how to reconcile this with the need to perform False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction. The TREAT test of McCarthy and Smyth is a step in this direction, finding genes significantly exceeding a specified LFC threshold. Here we describe the use of test inversion on TREAT to present genes ranked by a confidence bound on the LFC, while still controlling FDR.

Results

Testing the Topconfects R package with simulated gene expression data shows the method outperforming current statistical approaches across a wide range of experiment sizes in the identification of genes with largest LFCs. Applying the method to a TCGA breast cancer data-set shows the method ranks some genes with large LFC higher than would traditional ranking by p-value. Importantly these two ranking methods lead to a different biological emphasis, in terms both of specific highly ranked genes and gene-set enrichment.

Conclusions

The choice of ranking method in differential expression analysis can affect the biological interpretation. The common default of ranking by p-value is implicitly by an effect size in which each gene is standardized to its own variability, rather than comparing genes on a common scale, which may not be appropriate. The Topconfects approach of presenting genes ranked by confident LFC effect size is a variation on the TREAT method with improved usability, removing the need to fine-tune a threshold parameter and removing the temptation to abuse p-values as a de-facto effect size.
Whole-genome analysis of introgression between the spotted owl and barred owl (Strix occidentalisandStrix varia, respectively; Aves: Strigidae) in western North America
Authors: Hanna Zachary R. , Dumbacher John P. , Bowie Rauri C.K. , Henderson James B. , Wall Jeffrey D.
Published: June 2018

As the barred owl (Strix varia; Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae) expands throughout western North America, hybridization between barred and spotted owls (Strix variaandS. occidentalis, respectively), if abundant, may lead to genetic swamping of the endangered spotted owl. We analyzed low-coverage, whole-genome sequence data from fifty-one barred and spotted owls to investigate recent introgression between these two species. Although we obtained genomic confirmation that these species can and do hybridize and backcross, we found no evidence of widespread introgression. Plumage characteristics of westernS. variathat suggested admixture withS. occidentalisappear unrelated toS. occidentalisancestry and may instead reflect local selection.
Weighted Network Density Predicts Range of Latent Variable Model Accuracy
Authors: Palmerston Jeremiah B. , She Qi , Chan Rosa H. M.
Published: June 2018

Current experimental techniques impose spatial limits on the number of neuronal units that can be recorded in-vivo. To model the neural dynamics utilizing these sampled data, Latent Variable Models (LVMs) have been proposed to study the common unobserved processes within the system that drives neural activities, through an implicit network with hidden states. Yet, relationships between these latent variable models and widely-studied network connectivity measures remained unclear. In this paper, a biologically plausible latent variable model was first fit to neural activity recorded via 2-photon microscopic calcium imaging in the murine primary visual cortex. Graph theoretic measures were then applied to quantify network properties in the recorded sub-regions. Comparison of weighted network measures with LVM prediction accuracy shows some network measures having a strong relationship with LVM prediction accuracy, while other measures do not have a robust relationship with LVM prediction accuracy. Results show LVM will achieve high accuracy in dense networks.
Bagging Improves Reproducibility of Functional Parcellation of the Human Brain
Authors: Nikolaidis Aki , Heinsfeld Anibal Solon , Xu Ting , Bellec Pierre , Vogelstein Joshua , Milham Michael
Published: June 2018

Increasing the reproducibility of neuroimaging measurement addresses a central impediment to the advancement of human neuroscience and its clinical applications. Recent efforts demonstrating variance in functional brain organization within and between individuals shows a need for improving reproducibility of functional parcellations without long scan times. We apply bootstrap aggregation, or bagging, to the problem of improving reproducibility in functional parcellation. We use two large datasets to demonstrate that compared to a standard clustering framework, bagging improves the reproducibility and test-retest reliability of both cortical and subcortical functional parcellations across a range of sites, scanners, samples, scan lengths, clustering algorithms, and clustering parameters (e.g., number of clusters, spatial constraints). With as little as six minutes of scan time, bagging creates more reproducible group and individual level parcellations than standard approaches with twice as much data. This suggests that regardless of the specific parcellation strategy employed, bagging may be a key method for improving functional parcellation and bringing functional neuroimaging-based measurement closer to clinical impact.
Oxytocin facilitates empathic- and self-embarrassment ratings by attenuating amygdala and anterior insula responses
Authors: Geng YaYuan , Zhao Weihua , Zhou Feng , Ma Xiaole , Yao Shuxia , Becker Benjamin , Kendrick Keith M.
Published: June 2018

The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin has been reported to enhance emotional empathy in association with reduced amygdala activation, although to date studies have not investigated empathy for individuals expressing self-conscious, moral emotions which engage mentalizing as well as emotion processing networks. In the current randomized, double-blind placebo controlled functional MRI experiment on 70 male and female subjects we have therefore investigated the effects of intranasal oxytocin (40 IU) on behavioral and neural responses to embarrassment experienced by others or by self. Results showed that oxytocin significantly increased ratings of both empathic and self-embarrassment and concomitantly decreased skin conductance response and activation in the right amygdala and insula but not in the medial prefrontal cortex. The amygdala effects of oxytocin were associated with the magnitude of the skin conductance response and trait anxiety scores. Overall our results demonstrate that oxytocin increases ratings of self- and other embarrassment and that this is associated with reduced physiological arousal and activity in neural circuitry involved in emotional arousal. The neural effects of oxytocin are also stronger in individuals with high trait anxiety suggesting that it may particularly reduce their anxiety in embarrassing situations.
Neuronal thresholds and correlations in the peripheral vestibular system during rotation discrimination
Authors: Garcia Courtney D. , Liu Sheng , Laurens Jean , DeAngelis Gregory C. , Dickman J. David , Angelaki Dora E.
Published: June 2018

Neuronal and behavioral thresholds were measured simultaneously as trained male macaques performed a yaw rotation discrimination task in darkness. When corrected to account for variations in neuronal direction preferences, neurons in the vestibular nuclei and semicircular canal afferents had discrimination thresholds that were only two-fold smaller than behavioral thresholds. There was no significant trial-by-trial correlation between neuronal activity and perceptual decisions, despite the presence of significant pair-wise noise correlations. The lack of choice-related activity during rotation discrimination contrasts with the robust correlations observed previously between brainstem neurons and choices during translation perception. These results suggest task-dependent differences in subcortical processing of vestibular signals, as well as how signals related to perceptual decisions may propagate back to early stages of sensory processing.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

This is the first ever simultaneous recordings of neural and behavioral thresholds during rotation discrimination. Its importance lies on the fact that the vestibular system provides an excellent model to probe origins of perception because directional selectivity signals are similar at many levels of processing, from afferents to cortex. The findings of similar neuronal and behavioral discrimination thresholds, significant inter-neuronal correlations, but lack of correlations between behavior and neuronal activity of both afferents and central brainstem neurons are intriguing and suggest task-dependent organization of early sensory areas.
Decoding Hierarchical Control of Sequential Behavior in Oscillatory EEG Activity
Authors: Kikumoto Atsushi , Mayr Ulrich
Published: June 2018

Despite strong theoretical reasons for assuming that abstract representations organize complex action sequences in terms of subplans (chunks) and sequential positions, we lack methods to directly track such content-independent, hierarchical representations in humans. We applied time-resolved, multivariate decoding analysis to the pattern of rhythmic EEG activity that was registered while participants planned and executed individual elements from pre-learned, structured sequences. Across three experiments, the theta and alpha-band activity independently coded basic elements and abstract control representations, in particular the ordinal position of basic elements, but also the identity and position of chunks. Further, a robust representation of higher-level, chunk identity information was only found in individuals with above-median working memory capacity, potentially providing a neural-level explanation for working-memory differences in sequential performance. Our results suggest that by decoding oscillations we can track how the cognitive system traverses through the states of a hierarchical control structure.
Repetition of deliberate self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka
Authors: Pushpakumara PHGJ , Thennakoon SUB , Rajapakse TN , Abeysinghe Ranil , Dawson AH
Published: June 2018

Repetition of deliberate self harm is an important predictor of subsequent suicide. Repetition rates in Asian countries appear to be significantly lower than in western high income countries. The reason for these reported differences is not clear and has been suggested to due methodological differences or the impact of access to more lethal means of self harm. This prospective study determines the rates and demographic pattern of deliberate self-poisoning, suicide and fatal and non fatal repeated deliberate self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka.

Details of deliberate self poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to all the police stations (n=28) of a rural district were collected for 3 years, 2011-2013. Demographic details of the cohort of deliberate self-poisoning patients admitted to all hospitals in 2011 (N=4022), were screened to link with patient records and police reports of successive two years with high sensitivity using a computer program and manual matching was performed with higher specificity. Life time repetition was assessed in a randomly selected subset of DSP patients (n=438).

There were 15,914 DSP admissions and 1078 suicides during the study period. Within the study area the deliberate self poisoning and suicide population incidences were, 248.3/100,000 and 20.7/100,000 in 2012. Repetition rate for four weeks, one-year and two-years were 1.9% (95% CI 1.5-2.3%), 5.7% (95% CI 5.0 to 6.4) and 7.9% (95% CI 7.1 to 8.8) respectively. The median interval between two attempts were 92 (IQR 10 - 238) and 191 (IQR 29 - 419.5) days for the one and two-year repetition groups. The majority of patients used the same poison in the repeat attempt. Age and hospital stay of individuals with repetitive events were not significantly different from those who had no repetitive events. The two-year rate for suicide following DSP was 0.7% (95% CI 0.4-0.9%). Reported life time history of deliberate self harm attempts was 9.5% (95% CI 6.7-12.2%).

The low comparative repetition rates in rural Sri Lanka was not explained by higher rates of suicide or access to more lethal means or differences in methodology.
Live-cell imaging reveals the dynamics of PRC2 and recruitment to chromatin by SUZ12-associated subunits
Authors: Youmans Daniel T. , Schmidt Jens C. , Cech Thomas R.
Published: June 2018

Polycomb-repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is a histone methyltransferase that promotes epigenetic gene silencing, but the dynamics of its interactions with chromatin are largely unknown. Here we quantitatively measured the binding of PRC2 to chromatin in human cancer cells. Genome editing of a HaloTag into the endogenous EZH2 and SUZ12 loci and single-particle tracking revealed that ∼80% of PRC2 rapidly diffuses through the nucleus, while ∼20% is chromatin-bound. Short-term treatment with a small molecule inhibitor of the EED–H3K27me3 interaction had no immediate effect on the chromatin residence time of PRC2. In contrast, separation-of-function mutants of SUZ12, which still form the core PRC2 complex but cannot bind accessory proteins, revealed a major contribution of AEBP2 and PCL homolog proteins to chromatin binding. We therefore quantified the dynamics of this chromatin-modifying complex in living cells and separated the contributions of H3K27me3 histone marks and various PRC2 subunits to recruitment of PRC2 to chromatin.
Clonal dynamics of donor-derived myelodysplastic syndrome after unrelated hematopoietic cell transplantation for high-risk pediatric B-lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Schwartz Jason R. , Walsh Michael P. , Ma Jing , Lamprecht Tamara , Wang Shuoguo , Wu Gang , Raimondi Susana , Triplett Brandon M. , Klco Jeffery M.
Published: June 2018

Donor-derived hematologic malignancies are rare complications of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Although these are commonly either a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML), in general, they are a heterogeneous group of diseases, and a unified mechanism for their development has remained elusive. Here we report next-generation sequencing, including whole-exome sequencing (WES), whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and targeted sequencing, of a case of donor-derived MDS (dMDS) following HCT for high-risk B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in an adolescent. Through interrogation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the WGS data, we unequivocally prove that the MDS is donor-derived. Additionally, we sequenced 15 samples from 12 time points, including the initial B-ALL diagnostic sample through several post-HCT remission samples, the dMDS, and representative germline samples from both patient and donor, to show that the MDS-related pathologic mutations, including a canonical ASXL1 (p.Y700*) mutation, were detectable nearly 3 yr prior to the morphological detection of MDS. Furthermore, these MDS mutations were not detectable immediately following, and for >1 yr post-, HCT. These data support the clinical utility of comprehensive sequencing following HCT to detect donor-derived malignancies, while providing insights into the clonal progression of dMDS over a 4-yr period.
Evaluating the integrated reporting journey: insights, gaps and agendas for future research
Authors: Rinaldi Leonardo , Unerman Jeffrey , de Villiers Charl
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify key challenges, opportunities, strengths and weaknesses experienced by the integrated reporting (IR) idea since the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)’s Discussion Paper was published in late 2011. It provides insights into the phases of the IR journey as investigated by accounting researchers, identifies important gaps in the literature and sketches an agenda for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper develops a theoretically informed analysis of published IR research articles using the idea journey theoretical framework. The paper draws upon academic analysis and insights published in 65 IR-related articles across 83 accounting journals listed in the Scopus database.

Findings

A key insight of the paper is that the academic literature has not yet covered all stages of the IR idea journey. The highest proportion of articles provide insights in the generation and production phases of this journey, while there is relatively little research into the impact phase of the IR idea. Furthermore, the locus of research covered by the current IR literature is situated at macro- and meso-levels. This reveals opportunities for future research to explore, at a more detailed level, interactions between single individuals or small groups in implementing or understanding the IR idea.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focuses on the idea journey of the IIRC’s version of IR. It identifies gaps regarding the stages of the IR idea journey that have not been covered by the extant academic literature and suggests some research areas that need to be addressed to help inform improvements in policy and practice. A key limitation is that it draws on a single communication channel, namely, academic articles published in accounting journals, but it provides opportunities for considerable further developments.

Originality/value

The paper extends IR research by reconciling insights from an understandably fragmented emerging literature. It provides a multi-dimensional perspective on IR, highlighting the dynamics and interrelationships in the literature. It also helps inform improvements in research, policy and practice by identifying gaps regarding the stages of the IR idea journey that have not been covered by the extant academic literature. Lastly, the paper builds on the work of innovation and creativity scholars showing how the idea journey framework can be used to shape and add coherence to accounting research.
Beverage capsule consumption: a laddering study
Authors: Gandia Rodrigo Marçal , Sugano Joel Yutaka , de Barros Vilas Boas Luiz Henrique , Mesquita Daniel Leite
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze consumer behavior based on the structures of attributes, consequences, and values identified by consumers of beverages obtained from capsules. Consumers of the brands Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Nespresso capsule-based beverages were selected, and comparatively analyzed to understand the possible differences perceived by the consumers of each brand.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a soft laddering technique, 27 in-depth interviews were carried out among the users of Nespresso and Dolce Gusto. This technique allowed differentiating the attributes of each brand, as well as defining common/cumulative elements.

Findings

Individual values of achievement and personal pleasure, mainly reached through better living standards, were dominant for all consumers. Dominant chain analysis results showed the perceptions of consumers were different for each brand. Generally, both brands’ consumers seek quality and practicality. However, Dolce Gusto delivers a product perceived as having more functional benefits, thus serving consumers seeking more variety when it comes to different types of beverages. On the other hand, Nespresso serves a more selective niche market, whose consumers rather value brand quality and reliability.

Originality/value

The characteristics and product specifications show similarities with food consumption trends, which justify the growth of this market in recent years. Therefore, strategies and the consumers’ demand for the capsule market show a promising trend on the coffee and drinks market in Brazil, deserving special attention from both companies and producers.
A web-based 3D virtual display framework for warp-knitted seamless garment design
Authors: Dong Zhijia , Jiang Gaoming , Huang Guoming , Cong Honglian
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The virtual display of 3D garment is one of the most important features in a computer-aided garment design system. The purpose of this paper is to present a novel web-based 3D virtual display framework for the online design of warp-knitted seamless garment using the latest WebGL and HTML5 technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the feature-based parametric 3D human body model, the 3D model of skin-tight warp-knitted seamless garment is established using the geometric modeling method. By applying plane parameterization technology, the 3D garment model is then projected into corresponding 2D prototype pattern and a texture-mapping relationship is obtained. Finally, an online 3D virtual display application framework for warp-knitted seamless garment is implemented on modern WebGL-enabled web browsers using the latest WebGL and HTML5 technologies, which allow garment designers to globally access without installing any additional software or plugin.

Findings

Based on the 2D/3D model of warp-knitted seamless garment, an online 3D virtual display application running on modern WebGL-enabled web browser is implemented using the latest Javascript, WebGL and HTML5 technologies, which is proven to be an effective way for building the web-based 3D garment CAD systems.

Originality/value

This paper provides a parametric design method for warp-knitted seamless garment 2D/3D model, and web-based online virtual display of 3D warp-knitted seamless garment is implemented for the first time, which establishes the foundation for the web-based online computer-aided warp-knitted seamless garment design system.
The main factors determining effective operation in case of a family business
Authors: Tobak Júlia , Nagy Adrián , Pető Károly , Fenyves Veronika , Nábrádi András
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the experience, successful management and the succession of generations in a Hungarian corporation in the food industry through the “Best Practice” model.

Design/methodology/approach

The chosen methodology for this paper is “The best practice model” prepared by The Solutionist Group. The model presents the characteristics of family businesses and illustrates how the process of sustainable enterprise differs in different fields concerning family and non-family businesses. In applying this model, the experience, successful management and the succession of generations will be presented in the case of a large Hungarian enterprise which has a determining role in the Hungarian food industry. The results are based on the question framework of the expert interviews.

Findings

The history of family-owned firms shows that in order to maintain appropriate business succession activity the family management has to plan in advance. Passing the baton to the next generation successfully is a complex and long-term family management role and it has strategic importance. To ensure business continuity, the successor has to take over the business and operate it well. That is why the sharing of knowledge, the innovation performance and the best practice are important parts of family company’s culture, and they consequently play an important part in the pass the baton project within family-owned firms.

Originality/value

This paper expands the knowledge about the succession of family businesses.
Design and development of an aircraft type portable drone for surveillance and disaster management
Authors: Hasan Kazi Mahmud , Newaz S.H. Shah , Ahsan Md. Shamim
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the development of an aircraft-type autonomous portable drone suitable for surveillance and disaster management. The drone is capable of flying at a maximum speed of 76 km/h. This portable drone comprises five distinct parts those are easily installable within several minutes and can be fit in a small portable kit. The drone consists of a ballistic recovery system, allowing the drone landing vertically. The integrated high-definition camera sends real-time video stream of desired area to the ground control station. In addition, the drone is capable of carrying ~1.8 kg of payload.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to design and develop the portable drone, the authors sub-divided the research activities in six fundamental steps: survey of the current drone technologies, design the system architecture of the drone, simulation and modeling of various modules of the drone, development of various modules of the drone and their performance analysis, integration of various modules of the drone, and real-life performance analysis and finalization.

Findings

Experimental results: the cruise speed of the drone was in the range between 45 and 62 km/h. The drone was capable of landing vertically using the ballistic recovery system attached with it. On the contrary, the drone can transmit real-time video to the ground control station and, thus, suitable for surveillance. The audio system of the drone can be used for announcement of emergency messages. The drone can carry 1.8 kg of payload and can be used during disaster management. The drone parts are installed within 10 min and fit in a small carrying box.

Practical implications

The autonomous aircraft-type portable drone has a wide range of applications including surveillance, traffic jam monitoring and disaster management.

Social implications

The cost of the cost-effective drone is within $700 and creates opportunities for the deployment in the least developed countries.

Originality/value

The autonomous aircraft-type portable drone along with the ballistic recovery system were designed and developed by the authors using their won technology.
Isolating observer for simultaneous structural-actuator fault detection
Authors: Pourazad Hamed , Askari Javad , Hosseinnia Saeed
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Increasing commercial applications for small unmanned aircraft create growing challenges in providing safe flight conditions. The conventional measures to detect icing are either expensive, energy consuming or heavy. The purpose of this paper is to develop a fault identification and isolation scheme using unknown input observers to detect and isolate actuator and structural faults in simultaneous occurrence.

Design/methodology/approach

The fault detection scheme is based on a deviation in system parameters due to icing and lock-in-place (LIP), two faults from different categories with similar indications that require different reconfiguration actions. The obtained residual signals are selected to be triggered by desired faults, while insensitive to others.

Findings

The proposed observer is sensitive to both actuator and structural faults, and distinguishes simultaneous occurrences by insensitivity to LIP in selected residue signals. Simulation results confirm the success of the proposed system in the presence of uncertainty and disturbance.

Research limitations/implications

The fault detection and isolation scheme proposed here is based on the linear model of a winged aircraft, the Aerosonde. Moreover, the faults are applied to rudder and aileron in simulations, but the design procedure for other models is provided. The designed scheme could be further implemented on a non-linear aircraft model.

Practical implications

Applying the proposed icing detection scheme increases detection system reliability, since fault isolation enables timely reconfiguration schemes.

Originality/value

The observers proposed in previous papers detected icing fault but were not insensitive to actuator faults.
Rehabilitation robots
Authors: Bogue Robert
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an insight into the emerging use of robots in the rehabilitation of sufferers from strokes and other neurological impediments.

Design/methodology/approach

This considers research, clinical trials and commercial products. Following an introduction, it explains brain neuroplasticity and its role in rehabilitation and then discusses the use of robots in the restoration of upper limb and hand movement in stroke and traumatic injury patients. Robotic techniques aimed at restoring ambulatory ability are then discussed, followed by examples of the application of brain–computer interface technology to robotic rehabilitation. Finally, concluding comments are drawn.

Findings

Research has shown that robotic techniques can assist in the restoration of functionality to partially or fully paralysed upper and lower limbs. A growing number of commercial exoskeleton and end-effector robotic products have been launched which are augmenting conventional rehabilitation therapies. These systems frequently include interactive computer games and tasks which encourage repetitive use and allow patients to monitor their progress. Trials which combine robotics with brain–computer interface technology have yielded encouraging and unexpectedly positive results.

Originality/value

This provides details of the increasingly important role played by robots in the rehabilitation of patients suffering from strokes and other neurological disorders.
A novel hybrid closed-loop control approach for dexterous prosthetic hand based on myoelectric control and electrical stimulation
Authors: Jiang Li , Huang Qi , Yang Dapeng , Fan Shaowei , Liu Hong
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to present a novel hybrid closed-loop control method together with its performance validation for the dexterous prosthetic hand.

Design/methodology/approach

The hybrid closed-loop control is composed of a high-level closed-loop control with the user in the closed loop and a low-level closed-loop control for the direct robot motion control. The authors construct the high-level control loop by using electromyography (EMG)-based human motion intent decoding and electrical stimulation (ES)-based sensory feedback. The human motion intent is decoded by a finite state machine, which can achieve both the patterned motion control and the proportional force control. The sensory feedback is in the form of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with spatial-frequency modulation. To suppress the TENS interfering noise, the authors propose biphasic TENS to concentrate the stimulation current and the variable step-size least mean square adaptive filter to cancel the noise. Eight subjects participated in the validation experiments, including pattern selection and egg grasping tasks, to investigate the feasibility of the hybrid closed-loop control in clinical use.

Findings

The proposed noise cancellation method largely reduces the ES noise artifacts in the EMG electrodes by 18.5 dB on average. Compared with the open-loop control, the proposed hybrid closed-loop control method significantly improves both the pattern selection efficiency and the egg grasping success rate, both in blind operating scenarios (improved by 1.86 s, p < 0.001, and 63.7 per cent, p < 0.001) or in common operating scenarios (improved by 0.49 s, p = 0.008, and 41.3 per cent, p < 0.001).

Practical implications

The proposed hybrid closed-loop control method can be implemented on a prosthetic hand to improve the operation efficiency and accuracy for fragile objects such as eggs.

Originality/value

The primary contribution is the proposal of the hybrid closed-loop control, the spatial-frequency modulation method for the sensory feedback and the noise cancellation method for the integrating of the myoelectric control and the ES-based sensory feedback.
Design and qualification tests of a robotic joint module for tokamak in-vessel manipulator use
Authors: Du Liang , Feng Jia-Bo , Wang Hua , Zhang Wei-jun
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to present the design and a prototype experiment of a robotic joint module for tokamak in-vessel manipulator-related research; the results will promote the adaptation of current in-vessel inspection manipulator to achieve full tokamak in-vessel environment compatibility.

Design/methodology/approach

A flexible metallic bellow-enclosed working chamber is used to protect the main servo drive components, the active cooling method for high temperature protection and the servo control structure simplification for high radiation endurance. A joint module prototype is manufactured and tested under a similar in-vessel environmental condition for extreme condition protection validation and basic servo control ability evaluation.

Findings

The joint module prototype successfully survived the similar in-vessel environment tests and proved good mobility via closed-loop servo control. A conceptual design of a serial linkage manipulator with joint module structure is proposed for future in-vessel inspection manipulator development.

Originality/value

The proposed joint module uses common industrial servo components to achieve its full extreme in-vessel environment compatibility. Different from traditional metallic bellow application in a vacuum environment to produce a linear movement result, the proposed joint module aims to achieve rotating movement directly from the metallic bellow structure, thereby reducing the joint structure space requirement, simplifying the vacuum environment movement transmission structure and increasing the vacuum environment compatibility degree.
Public sector consolidated financial statements: a structured literature review
Authors: Santis Serena , Grossi Giuseppe , Bisogno Marco
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the literature on consolidated financial statements (CFS) in the public sector published from 1980 to 2015 in public sector accounting and management journals, and propose a future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a structured literature review methodology, the authors investigate how the CFS literature is developing and what its focus is.

Findings

The authors identify five major topics: the definition of the consolidation area; the identification of the reporting entity; the private vs public sector accounting standard dichotomy; the relationship with the statistical rules; and the usefulness of CFS.

Originality/value

The authors analyze these topics, highlighting the growing implementation of CFS in different contexts (mainly focusing on governments outside the USA) and provide suggestions for future research.