scholarly journals Mechanotransduction as a major driver of cell behaviour: mechanisms, and relevance to cell organization and future research

Open Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Henri Puech ◽  
Pierre Bongrand
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Cell Structure ◽  
Cell Signalling ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cell Behaviour ◽  
Signalling Cascades ◽  
Simple Question ◽  
Cell Organization

How do cells process environmental cues to make decisions? This simple question is still generating much experimental and theoretical work, at the border of physics, chemistry and biology, with strong implications in medicine. The purpose of mechanobiology is to understand how biochemical and physical cues are turned into signals through mechanotransduction. Here, we review recent evidence showing that (i) mechanotransduction plays a major role in triggering signalling cascades following cell–neighbourhood interaction; (ii) the cell capacity to continually generate forces, and biomolecule properties to undergo conformational changes in response to piconewton forces, provide a molecular basis for understanding mechanotransduction; and (iii) mechanotransduction shapes the guidance cues retrieved by living cells and the information flow they generate. This includes the temporal and spatial properties of intracellular signalling cascades. In conclusion, it is suggested that the described concepts may provide guidelines to define experimentally accessible parameters to describe cell structure and dynamics, as a prerequisite to take advantage of recent progress in high-throughput data gathering, computer simulation and artificial intelligence, in order to build a workable, hopefully predictive, account of cell signalling networks.

scholarly journals Magnetospheric Structure of Rotation-Powered Neutron Stars

1992 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 56-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Arons
Keyword(s):  
Radio Emission ◽  
Gamma Radiation ◽  
Heavy Ions ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Observational Constraints ◽  
Polar Caps ◽  
Recent Theoretical Work ◽  
Density Flow ◽  
Promising Avenue

AbstractI survey recent theoretical work on the structure of the magnetospheres of rotation-powered pulsars, within the observational constraints set by their observed spindown, their ability to power synchrotron nebulae and their ability to produce beamed collective radio emission, while putting only a small fraction of their energy into incoherent X- and gamma radiation. I find no single theory has yet given a consistent description of the magnetosphere, but I conclude that models based on a dense outflow of pairs from the polar caps, permeated by a lower density flow of heavy ions, are the most promising avenue for future research.

scholarly journals Mask-Making and Drawing as Method: Arts-Based Approaches to Data Collection With War-Affected Children

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 160940691983247
Author(s):  
Amber Green ◽  
Myriam Denov
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Visual Methods ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Mask Making ◽  
In Captivity

Globally, the numbers of children living in conflict zones and displaced by war have risen dramatically over the past two decades, and with this, scholarly attention to the impacts of war on children. More recently, researchers have examined how war-affected children are being studied, revealing important shortcomings. These limitations relate to the lack of child participation in research, the need for researchers to engage children in the research process as “active agents” rather than “passive objects” under study, as well as the need for researchers to pay closer attention to ethical dilemmas associated with researching war-affected children. To address these realities, innovative research methods that can be adapted across diverse sociocultural contexts are warranted. In light of these shortcomings, our research team integrated two arts-based methods: mask-making and drawing, alongside traditional qualitative data collection methods with a particularly marginalized population of young people: children born in captivity within the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda. In this article, we provide information on the context of northern Uganda. We describe how the use of mask-making and drawing was used as data gathering tools and the ways in which these arts-based methods had important benefits for the research participants, researchers, and impacted on the validity of the research as a whole. We propose that the use of these participatory visual methods enriched the themes elicited through more traditional methods. The article describes how these arts-based mediums fostered community building among children typically excluded from their communities and were successful as a tool to build trust between participants and the research team when exploring sensitive topics. The article concludes with implications for future research with war-affected children.

scholarly journals Class Frizzled GPCRs (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Arthofer ◽  
Jacomijn Dijksterhuis ◽  
Belma Hot ◽  
Paweł Kozielewicz ◽  
Matthias Lauth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
G Proteins ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Hedgehog Signaling ◽  
Cell Signalling ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Rho Kinase ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Scaffolding Protein ◽  
Heterotrimeric G Proteins

Receptors of the Class Frizzled (FZD, nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR subcommittee on the Class Frizzled GPCRs [156]), are GPCRs originally identified in Drosophila [17], which are highly conserved across species. While SMO shows structural resemblance to the 10 FZDs, it is functionally separated as it mediates effects in the Hedgehog signaling pathway [156]. FZDs are activated by WNTs, which are cysteine-rich lipoglycoproteins with fundamental functions in ontogeny and tissue homeostasis. FZD signalling was initially divided into two pathways, being either dependent on the accumulation of the transcription regulator β-catenin or being β-catenin-independent (often referred to as canonical vs. non-canonical WNT/FZD signalling, respectively). WNT stimulation of FZDs can, in cooperation with the low density lipoprotein receptors LRP5 (O75197) and LRP6 (O75581), lead to the inhibition of a constitutively active destruction complex, which results in the accumulation of β-catenin and subsequently its translocation to the nucleus. β-Catenin, in turn, modifies gene transcription by interacting with TCF/LEF transcription factors. β-Catenin-independent FZD signalling is far more complex with regard to the diversity of the activated pathways. WNT/FZD signalling can lead to the activation of heterotrimeric G proteins [28, 159, 135], the elevation of intracellular calcium [164], activation of cGMP-specific PDE6 [2] and elevation of cAMP as well as RAC-1, JNK, Rho and Rho kinase signalling [48]. Novel resonance energy transfer-based tools have allowed the study of the GPCR-like nature of FZDs in greater detail. Upon ligand stimulation, FZDs undergo conformational changes and signal via heterotrimeric G proteins [213, 214]. Furthermore, the phosphoprotein Dishevelled constitutes a key player in WNT/FZD signalling. Importantly, FZDs exist in at least two distinct conformational states that regulate the pathway selection [214]. As with other GPCRs, members of the Frizzled family are functionally dependent on the arrestin scaffolding protein for internalization [19], as well as for β-catenin-dependent [12] and -independent [80, 13] signalling. The pattern of cell signalling is complicated by the presence of additional ligands, which can enhance or inhibit FZD signalling (secreted Frizzled-related proteins (sFRP), Wnt-inhibitory factor (WIF), sclerostin or Dickkopf (DKK)), as well as modulatory (co)-receptors with Ryk, ROR1, ROR2 and Kremen, which may also function as independent signalling proteins.

ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INNOVATIVE FIRMS IN KOREA: THE ROLE OF R&D AND INNOVATION TYPE

1999 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 111-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
YONG-TAE PARK ◽  
CHUL-HYUN KIM ◽  
JI-HYO LEE
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Innovative Firms ◽  
Unexpected Findings ◽  
Innovation Type ◽  
Recent Extension

In spite of the recent extension of our knowledge on technological innovation, little inquiry has been made of the distinctive characteristics between R&D firms and non-R&D firms, as well as between product-innovative firms and process-innovative firms. To this end, the main objective of this empirical study, grounded on a large-scale innovation survey of Korean manufacturing firms, is to contrast these two types of firms. The results were mixed. Some hypotheses were confirmed while others were discordant with expectation. By and large, R&D firms and product-innovative firms seem to share a similar propensity, whereas non-R&D firms and process-innovative firms are alike in character. However, there were some unexpected findings which merit attention and are worthy of in-depth examination. Although the study is subject to limitations in terms of its research design and data gathering, the results render some important policy implications. Furthermore, comparative analyses between different types of innovations need to be addressed more extensively in future research.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on conventional work settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 909-927
Author(s):  
Randa Diab-Bahman ◽  
Abrar Al-Enzi
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Crowd Sourcing ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeTo give insight into human resource (HR) policy makers of the impact of the abrupt change in working conditions as reported from their primary stakeholders – the employees.Design/methodology/approachReported from a first-person point of view, 192 employees from Kuwait who are currently working from home were surveyed as to how the lockdown circumstances have impacted their conventional work expectations. The study compares the old working conditions (OWC) to the current working conditions (CWC) to give insight into the overall sentiments of the abrupt changes to the workplace.FindingsIt was found that most employees agreed that OWC need to be reviewed, and that the general sentiment was almost equally split on the efficiency of CWC in comparison to OWC, yet the majority was enjoying the flexible conditions. Moreover, the majority of respondents found that overall conventional work elements either remained the same or had been impacted positively rather than negatively. Also, if given an option of a hybrid model inclusive of partly working remotely and partly working on-site, a considerable majority reported that they are able to efficiently conduct atleast 80% of their work expectation. Finally, it was found that employee expectation is changing as they consider post COVID-19 conditions.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was conducted using virtual crowd-sourcing methods to administer the survey and may have been enhanced should other methods have been integrated for data gathering. Also, a more comprehensive phenomenological approach could have been incorporated to add a qualitative method to the investigation. This could have freed the results of answer limitation and experience bias. Moreover, it is good practice to involve both quantitative and qualitative elements to any research when possible. Finally, future research can benefit from a bigger pool of participants so as to gain a clearer picture.Originality/valueThis research will give policy makers a look at what needs to be reviewed/changed for a successful roll-out of remote work in accordance with their original strategies.

scholarly journals Perceived Confidence and Quality: Perception of Employers Towards Fresh Graduates: a Study in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.21) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
Irza Hanie Abu Samah ◽  
Aidanazima Abashah ◽  
Saraih Ummi Naiemah
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
Human Resource Officers

Graduates quality has become a major issue recently especially in today’s scenario. Graduates quality can be varying when it perceived by employers. Different sector of industry has different standard of quality. The interpretation of employers towards graduates counts the job placement of graduates. It is hard to standardized quality across industries. Several attributes show that competence relatedness and autonomy do influence the quality of graduates. A quantitative method was used in this study for data gathering. All items were using 10-point likert scale. The content validity of this questionnaire were reviewed by five human resource professionals, and Cronbach alpha for each item is more than 0.75 which is acceptable. Questionnaires were given to the human resource officers in the company through email. Convenient sampling was applied in this study for data collection. 50 questionnaires were distributed across manufacturing industry and services industry in Malaysia. Using Partial least square to analyze the data, this study found out that competence in communication is the same criteria which majority across industries are seeking upon graduates. Therefore, Industries that involved are manufacturing (34.38%) and services (65.63%).  Measurement model and structural model were assessed to see the relationship. It shows that perception on competence has most influenced towards quality (AVE=0.849, R2=0.734=Q2=0.443).  This study concludes that employers around the world are looking at similar attribute on graduate’s competence. This study also warrants a future research, whereby researcher could get more sample size and by doing sample which involves employers, graduates and educators.

scholarly journals Francophonie et études francophones: considérations historiques et métacritiques sur quelques concepts majeurs (Francophonie and Francophone studies: historical considerations and metacritiques on a few major concepts)

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
François Provenzano
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Francophone Studies ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
First Occurrence ◽  
The Common ◽  
The One

The so called French-speaking world is much more than a community of speakers using the same language. Since the era of decolonization, language has become a major economical stake for France, as well as an important symbolic struggle against Anglo-Saxon linguistic and political hegemony. In the academic context also, the developments of Francophone studies demonstrate a current preoccupation with integrating francophone reality into the common encyclopaedia. This paper steps back from such contemporary debates. Analysing the historical and epistemological backgrounds from which francophone projects have been emerging since the end of the nineteenth century, the paper discusses a number of useful concepts for approaching francophone realities. I argue that the main difficulty of the theoretical work in this field is the diversity of definitions of the object, as well as the inability to separate it from ideological content. Starting with the so called first occurrence of the word ‘francophonie’, I examine the institutional, sociolinguistic, poetical and socioliterary definitions that have attempted to explain the constitutive dimensions of an abstract francophone unity. Taking a metacritical point of view, and inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological works on the one hand and discursive approaches on the other, this article hopes to present pointers for future research into the study of French-speaking zones, peoples and cultures.

scholarly journals Noradrenergic and Cholinergic Modulation of Belief Updating

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1803-1820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marieke Jepma ◽  
Stephen B. R. E. Brown ◽  
Peter R. Murphy ◽  
Stephany C. Koelewijn ◽  
Boukje de Vries ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Environment ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Learning Rate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Belief Updating ◽  
Cholinergic Systems ◽  
Rate Study ◽  
P3 Component ◽  
The Impact

To make optimal predictions in a dynamic environment, the impact of new observations on existing beliefs—that is, the learning rate—should be guided by ongoing estimates of change and uncertainty. Theoretical work has proposed specific computational roles for various neuromodulatory systems in the control of learning rate, but empirical evidence is still sparse. The aim of the current research was to examine the role of the noradrenergic and cholinergic systems in learning rate regulation. First, we replicated our recent findings that the centroparietal P3 component of the EEG—an index of phasic catecholamine release in the cortex—predicts trial-to-trial variability in learning rate and mediates the effects of surprise and belief uncertainty on learning rate (Study 1, n = 17). Second, we found that pharmacological suppression of either norepinephrine or acetylcholine activity produced baseline-dependent effects on learning rate following nonobvious changes in an outcome-generating process (Study 1). Third, we identified two genes, coding for α2A receptor sensitivity ( ADRA2A) and norepinephrine reuptake ( NET), as promising targets for future research on the genetic basis of individual differences in learning rate (Study 2, n = 137). Our findings suggest a role for the noradrenergic and cholinergic systems in belief updating and underline the importance of studying interactions between different neuromodulatory systems.

scholarly journals Eat up! Prevention of plate waste in tourism and hospitality: a perspective paper

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Dolnicar
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Test Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose Plate waste is uneaten food left behind on the plate after a meal. Plate waste – like all food waste – burdens the environment. Plate waste – in contrast to other types of food waste – is absolutely unnecessary and almost entirely preventable. This study aims to synthesize past research on plate waste and outline a future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach Past research into plate waste is discussed, and the need for specific directions of future research is pointed out. A systematics of measures for the prevention of plate waste is offered which uses the following as criteria: the suitability of measures to the hospitality context; and whether the measure has been scientifically proven to be effective. Findings Plate waste research has a very short history. To date, efforts have been focusing on quantifying the extent of the problem. More theoretical work is needed to identify drivers of place waste and develop and experimentally test theory-based practical interventions to reduce the amount of plate waste generated. Originality/value The key contribution of this perspective paper is to synthesize prior work on plate waste and offer a future research agenda.

scholarly journals From self-tracking to smart urban infrastructures: towards an interdisciplinary research agenda on Big Data

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco R Klauser ◽  
Anders Albrechtslund
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Individual Use ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Automated Software

Recent debates on surveillance have emphasised the now myriad possibilities of automated, software-based data gathering, management and analysis. One of the many terms used to describe this phenomenon is ‘Big Data’. The field of Big Data covers a large and complex range of practices and technologies from smart borders to CCTV video analysis, and from consumer profiling to self-tracking applications. The paper’s aim is to explore the surveillance dynamics inherent in contemporary Big Data trends. To this end, the paper adopts two main perspectives concerned with two complementary expressions of Big Data: (1) the individual use of various techniques of self-surveillance and tracking and (2) the simultaneous trend to optimise urban infrastructures through smart information technologies. Drawing upon exploratory research conducted by the authors, the paper shows that both expressions of Big Data present a range of common surveillance dynamics on at least four levels: agency, temporality, spatiality and normativity. On these grounds, the paper highlights a series of important issues to explore in future research.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document