bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adult-specific trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 is prone to dynamic changes with aging in C. elegans somatic cells
Authors: Pu Mintie , Wang Minghui , Wang Wenke , Velayudhan Satheeja Santhi , Lee Siu Sylvia 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTri-methylation on histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) is associated with active gene expression but its regulatory role in transcriptional activation is unclear. Here we used Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the connection between H3K4me3 and gene expression regulation during aging. We uncovered around 30% of H3K4me3 enriched regions to show significant and reproducible changes with age. We further showed that these age-dynamic H3K4me3 regions largely mark gene-bodies and are acquired during adult stages. We found that these adult-specific age-dynamic H3K4me3 regions are correlated with gene expression changes with age. In contrast, H3K4me3 marking established during developmental stages remained largely stable with age, even when the H3K4me3 associated genes exhibited RNA expression changes during aging. Moreover, we found that global reduction of H3K4me3 levels results in significantly decreased RNA expression of genes that acquire H3K4me3 marking in their gene-bodies during adult stage, suggesting that altered H3K4me3 levels with age could result in age-dependent gene expression changes. Interestingly, the genes with dynamic changes in H3K4me3 and RNA levels with age are enriched for those involved in fatty acid metabolism, oxidation-reduction, and stress response. Therefore, our findings revealed divergent roles of H3K4me3 in gene expression regulation during aging, with important implications on physiological relevance.
Riding the Cell Jamming Boundary: Geometry, Topology, and Phase of Human Corneal Endothelium
Authors: Brookes Nigel H. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIt is important to assess the viability of eye-banked corneas prior to transplantation due to inherent senescence and known loss of endothelial cells during surgical manipulation. Corneal endothelial cells have a complex basal and paracellular shape making them challenging to accurately measure, particularly in oedematousex vivotissue. This study used calibrated centroidal Voronoi Diagrams to segment cells in images of these human corneas, in order to characterize endothelial geometry, topology, and phase.Hexagonal cells dominated the endothelia, with most comprised of five different pleomorphs exhibiting self-similar topological coarsening through most of the endothelial cell density range. There was a linear relationship between cell size and shape, though cells with greater than six sides were present in larger proportions than cells with less. Hexagonal cell regularity was stable and largely independent of density.Cell and tissue phase was also examined, using the cell shape index relative to the recently discovered ‘cell jamming’ phase transition boundary. Images showed fluid endothelia with a range of shape indices spanning the boundary, independent of density but dependent on hexagonal regularity. The cells showed a bimodal distribution centred at the boundary, with the largest proportion of cells on the fluid side. A shoulder at the boundary suggested phase switching via shape transformation across the energy barrier, with cells either side having distinctly different size and shape characteristics. Regular hexagonal cells were closest to the boundary.This study showed the corneal endothelium acts as a glassy viscous foam characterized by well-established physical laws. Endothelial cell death transiently and locally increases cell fluidity, which is subsequently arrested by jamming of the pleomorphically diverse cell collective, via rearrangement and shape change of a small proportion of cells, which become locked in place by their neighbours and maintain endothelial function with little energy expenditure.
A new method of precise orientation adjustment based on matrix similarity for large-scale component
Authors: Wu Dian , Du Fuzhou 
Published: December 2017

Purpose
In the assembly process of the satellite, there will be multiple installation and disassembly operations for the solar wing and the main satellite body (or simulator). However, the traditional method of orientation adjustment by theodolite and two-axis turntable is difficult to coordinate three rotation angles of yaw, pitch and roll, which leads to the complexity of actual operation and dependency on manual experience. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a new method to achieve rapid and precise orientation adjustment.

Design/methodology/approach
The similarity relation of the orientation variation matrix in a different coordinate system is studied, and a mapping model of the similarity relation is established. By using multiple element matrices to construct the original rotation matrix, the mapping is solved in quaternion form. Taking the theodolite as a measuring instrument and the Stewart platform as a control equipment, an experiment on installing the solar wing is performed to validate the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Findings
Based on the solving algorithm, the orientation adjustment process is simplified to a three-step fixed mode, which is three adjustments to get the parameter of the mapping model, one to adjust the component in place and another to further fine tuning. The final orientation deviation is less than 0.003° and close to the level of using a laser tracker, achieving the required accuracy of 0.0115°.

Originality/value
This paper reveals the similarity relation of the variation matrix in the process of orientation adjustment and presents a new method to achieve rapid and precise orientation adjustment for the large-scale component.
Introducing a People’s Academy into Higher Education
Authors: Hardy Sally Elizabeth , Malby Rebecca , Hallett Nina , Farooq Anam , Chamley Carol , Young Gwendoline , White Xavier Hilts , Turner Warren 
Published: December 2017

Purpose
The introduction of a People’s Academy (PA) within the School of Health and Social Care (HSC) at London South Bank University has created ripples across the pond that is Higher Education. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach
Working as a coproduction innovation hub, the PA celebrates inclusion of those with a lived experience of HSC services into the academic community as valued members of the teaching and learning team. In its second year the PA has gained attention and achieved a “highly commended” status from external regulating bodies.

Findings
In this paper the authors report on aspects arising from an entrepreneurial education approach. First, is the work-based learning experience students achieve within the Higher Education Institution (HEI) setting, preparing them for clinical placements and client encounters. Second are ripples of activity the PA work streams have sent throughout the academic staff via critically creative working practices as a process of entrepreneurial education. Conclusions focus on a sustainable approach to recovery and resilience (whether physical or psychological) and overall well-being that PA members recognise as a raised level of compassion for sustainable health and well-being for all.

Social implications
The work and enthusiasm of the PA as an authentic social engagement process rippling across the “University” experience; whether for students in the classroom or when working alongside academic staff, is identifiable in all aspects of academic activities. Most importantly is a positive gain in terms of knowledge, skills and confidence for the PA members themselves and their own well-being enhancement.

Originality/value
The PA approach to entrepreneurial education and work-based learning across the HEI setting is one of the first of its kind. This paper outlines core practices to achieve innovative coproduction approach that others may wish to replicate.
Turkish foreign direct investment and peace in Somalia: a new political stabilization policy
Authors: Nor Mohamed Ibrahim , Masron Tajul Ariffin 
Published: December 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent at which Turkish foreign direct investment (FDI) contributes to the process of peacemaking in host country.

Design/methodology/approach
This study utilized a qualitative method and used a focus group discussion and an in-depth interview.

Findings
This study found that Turkish FDI contributes well to the process of peace building in Somalia.

Practical implications
A well-balanced FDI is expected to contribute to the process of peace building in host country because FDI is associated with job creation, technology transfer, private sector enhancement, infrastructure development and social responsibility. These factors increase household income of the host country and contribute to human capital development. By doing so, resource-centered conflicts are reduced and peace is established.

Originality/value
This study is considered as one of the unique studies that have been conducted in the context of post-conflict economy of Somalia. The study investigated the extent at which Turkish FDI contributes to the process of peace building in the host economy and found some interesting evidences, which makes it an appealing work that should be pursued further. This study is not only investigating a novel area of research but also contributes very much to the ongoing policy debate on the recovery and development of post-conflict economies.
The poverty and inequality nexus in Ghana
Authors: Novignon Jacob , Nonvignon Justice , Mussa Richard 
Published: December 2017

Purpose
Understanding the linkages between poverty and inequality is vital to any sustainable development and poverty reduction strategies. In Ghana, while poverty has reduced significantly over the years, inequality has increased. The purpose of this paper is to examine the linkages between inequality in household expenditure components and overall inequality and poverty in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach
Using microdata from the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 6) conducted in 2012/2013, marginal effects and elasticities were computed for both within- and between-component analysis.

Findings
The results suggest that, in general, reducing within-component inequality significantly reduces overall poverty and inequality in Ghana, compared with between-component inequality. Specifically, inequality in education and health expenditure components were the largest contributors to overall poverty and inequality. The findings imply that policies directed toward reducing within-component inequality will be more effective. Specifically, the findings of the study corroborate recent policies on education and health in Ghana aimed at inequality within these components. Sustaining and scaling up these policies will be a step in the right direction.

Originality/value
The study contributes to existing studies in several ways: first, this study becomes the first attempt to examine inequality-poverty nexus using household expenditure components in Ghana. Second, the use of expenditure in place of income is an addition to the literature. Income is usually subject to reporting biases and is minimal in expenditure. Finally, the findings highlight the need for poverty reduction strategies to focus on specific household components including education and health. Blanket interventions may not be effective in reducing inequality and poverty.
Narrowing the gap: the middle class and the modernization of welfare in Italy
Authors: Siza Remo 
Published: December 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a contribution to our understanding of the changing relations of the middle classes with the Italian welfare state. The paper argues that the new interplay between public and private welfare is based on a very simplified analysis of Italian society.Design/methodology/approachThe paper aims to integrate a variety of different theoretical approaches. The paper makes extensive use of the EU-SILC database, as well as the recently updated historic series of consumer studies undertaken by the Italian National Institute of Statistics. The data used in the paper were also drawn from the biennial cross-sectional Survey on Household Income and Wealth carried out by the Bank of Italy.FindingsThe analysis suggests that the problems of Italian society include not only a high incidence of poverty, but also increasing financial constraints for households placed between the established middle class and people in conditions of persistent poverty. The current public-private mix in service delivery appears less and less capable of protecting this social stratum against the growing risk of instability across all life domains, let alone of creating opportunities and fostering social mobility.Originality/valueThe paper explores some ways in which current politics of welfare have been designed with the view of fundamentally changing the welfare regime. It highlights how the public and private welfare mix has been purposefully organized in order to introduce a new model of social protection that aims to overcome certain specific characteristics of Southern European welfare states. It examines the sustainability of this model compared to the real living conditions of the Italian middle classes.
Labour turnover and considerations around work: temporary farm workers in South Africa
Authors: Wiltshire Anne Hilda 
Published: December 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to delineates workers’ labour turnover and considerations around work, in a context of informalisation of work, through a case study of temporary non-resident farm workers in the deciduous fruit sector in Ceres, South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe research design is a three-phase exploratory sequential mixed-methods strategy. Findings from 29 in-depth interviews were refined, verified and ranked in four focus groups. These informed grounded indicators in a survey of 200 farm workers employed in peak season and their 887 household members.FindingsConsiderations are informed by work-related insecurities, interpersonal workplace relationships and reproductive insecurity in the form of care of others, social linkages and residential insecurity, seemingly hierarchical. The least important considerations most thwart workers’ ability to complete fixed-term contracts and account for over 70 per cent of labour turnover in the form of resignations. In sum, workers experience constrained considerations around work arising from their material, social and economic conditions.Originality/valueThis is the first study on the labour turnover of farm workers in South Africa and the fifth globally. The research gives precedence to the voice of farm workers and is a thick description of workers’ considerations around work.
The effects of board attributes on Sukuk rating
Authors: Elhaj Mohamed Abulgasem , Muhamed Nurul Aini , Ramli Nathasa Mazna 
Published: December 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of board attributes on Sukuk rating in firms listed in Bursa Malaysia (Malaysian Stock Exchange) during the period of 2008 to 2013.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses ordinal logit regression model to examine the influence of board attributes (CEO-chairman duality, board size and board independence) on the dependent variable (RATING).FindingsThe findings of this paper generally support the agency theory and stakeholder theory. Results show that after controlling for firm characteristics, the Sukuk rating is positively associated with CEO-chairman duality, board size and board independence; and negatively correlated with leverage while positively related to profitability and size. The findings of this study also provide evidence that having two positions in an organization as CEO and chairman could have added higher responsibility towards making corporate decisions and provide better Sukuk rating performance. In addition, findings show that the larger the board size, the better Sukuk rating. Also, higher board independence enjoys higher rating.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited to the investigation of the relationship between board attributes (CEO duality, board size and board independence) on Sukuk ratings using aggregate data from 2008 to 2013 among Malaysian Sukuk issuers.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper describe the impact of board attributes on Sukuk rating in Malaysian Sukuk market which in turn gives the useful insights to many of the actors in the markets such as issuers, investors and policymakers which can be relied upon in making strategic decisions to issue and invest in Islamic bonds in Malaysian market. In addition, the findings could prove to be useful also for regulators because they are responsible for the acceptable level of corporate governance standards.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge by focusing heavily on enhancing Sukuk ratings by reducing conflict between managers and Sukuk holders in Malaysia. Additionally, this study benefits from the agency theory and stakeholder theory to provide evidence on the effect of board attributes on Sukuk rating.
Empirical investigation of SMEs’ perceptions towards PLS financing in Morocco
Authors: Badaj Fairouz , Radi Bouchra 
Published: December 2017

PurposeThe main purpose of the study is to examine the willingness of Moroccan small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt profit and loss sharing (PLS) method of finance and the factors that may influence their decision.Design/methodology/approachThe research model is based on the decomposed theory of planned behaviour (DTPB). A total of 340 questionnaires were randomly distributed to SMEs’ owner-managers, out of which 177 were collected and only 153 were valid for analysis. Factor analysis and partial least squares regression were subsequently applied.FindingsThe results showed that cost, loss of control, constrained access to conventional debt, financial suitability, stage of development as well as religious beliefs have a significant impact on the SMEs’ attitude towards PLS modes. Likewise, normative belief was also found to have a significant influence on subjective norm, by particular reference to the family, financial external consultants and internal managers, as the main referent groups. In addition, finally, attitude and perceived behavioural control were found to have a significant impact on the intention to adopt PLS financing by Moroccan SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample is not representative; hence, the findings cannot be generalized to all Moroccan SMEs. Furthermore, the variables and dimensions used are not exhaustive. With regard to implications, the study confirms the applicability of the DTPB to SME financing questions. Moreover, this study provides great indications to the practitioners, investors, policy makers and regulators on the perception of the Moroccan entrepreneurs, which should be taken into consideration to establish the necessary strategies to attract them.Originality/valueThis paper verifies the applicability of the DTPB in another area, that is, adoption of PLS instruments and contributes to explain the entrepreneurs’ perceptions towards theses modes of financing.
Political geography of Turkey’s intervention in Syria: underlying causes and consequences (2011-2016)
Authors: Gürcan Efe Can 
Published: December 2017

PurposeWhat are the causes and consequences of Turkey’s intervention in Syria? The purpose of this paper is to explore this question by focusing on the time frame from 2011 to 2016, i.e. prior to Turkey’s strategic U-turn from uncompromising enmity toward Russia and Iran.Design/methodology/approachProcess tracing is used as the main methodological guideline.FindingsTurkey’s intervention in Syria has been driven by a mutually reinforcing interaction of geopolitical, geo-economic and geo-cultural factors. Turkey’s neo-Ottomanist geo-strategy has been militarized in the context of the Arab Spring, perceived decline of US hegemony, increasing Kurdish autonomy andAdalet ve Kalkınma Partisi’s(AKP) electoral setbacks. Second, Turkey’s intervention has been triggered by the converging motivations for energy security, easily gained profits from the black energy market and economic integration with Arab-Gulf countries in the face of a stagnating Western capitalism. A third set of factors speaks to the AKP’s instrumental use of Sunni sectarianism and Kurdish ethnopolitics.Originality/valueThe research aim is to provide a systematic and multi-causal explanation of Turkey’s involvement in Syria.
Intellectual capital and corporate performance: a case of Indian banks
Authors: Tiwari Ranjit , Vidyarthi Harishankar 
Published: December 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore and explain the linkage between intellectual capital (IC) efficiency of banks and their performance.

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 39 public and private banks listed in Bombay Stock Exchange from 1999 to 2015 were considered for the study. Panel fixed effects technique is used to draw inferences.

Findings
Results of the study provide evidence of positive association between IC and performance of banks; however, only human capital and structural capital have shown instances of significant positive linkage with banks performance. The results also indicate that the IC efficiency of private sector banks is better than public sector banks in India.

Practical implications
This study may enable Indian banking firms to measure their IC efficiency and develop policies to promote and improve upon their intellectual potential to enhance banks performance.

Originality/value
It is a novel study in Indian context that considers interaction variables in extending the prior understanding of the role of IC in enhancing banks performance, which may build sustainable advantage for banks in emerging economies like India.
A refined analytical model for studying the effect of the relative density on the homogenised elastic constants of a honeycomb cell structure
Authors: Daoudi Nour El-houda , Harkati El-haddi , Boutagouga Djamel , Louafi Messaoud 
Published: December 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of the relative density and geometric parameters on the homogenised in-plane elasticity modulus of a cellular honeycomb structure using analytical and numerical approaches.

Design/methodology/approach
In this work, the mechanical behaviour of a new design of the honeycomb is analysed through a refined analytical model that is developed based on the energy theorems by considering the shearing and stretching effects in addition to bending.

Findings
By taking into account the various deformation mechanisms (MNT), the obtained results show that the values of elasticity modulus are the same for low relative densities, but the difference becomes remarkable for higher densities. Moreover, it is difficult to judge the effect of the relative density and anisotropy of the cellular structure on the values of the homogenised elasticity modulus without considering all the three deformation mechanisms in the analytical model. It is shown that conventional models overestimate the elasticity modulus, especially for high relative densities.

Originality/value
In this paper, a refined model that takes into account the three deformation mechanisms (MNT) is developed to predict the in-plane elasticity modulus of a honeycomb cellular material. It is shown that analytical models that describe the anisotropic behaviour of honeycomb cells can be improved by considering the three deformation mechanisms, which are bending, stretching, and shearing deformations.